Newspapers / North Carolina Central University … / Sept. 20, 1963, edition 1 / Page 4
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Page Four THE CAMPUS ECHO Friday, September 20,1963 NCC Students And Faculty Visit Harvard Univ. Area that selective buying was the main pressure that could hurt a business. NCC STUDENTS VISITING HARVARD UNIVERSITY, discuss class schedules while climbing steps of Harvard University library. Bernell Jones, left; Joyce Perry, center; and Kelly Compton, right. By Charles Jarman and Joyce Perry What are the problems fac ing a large urban community? How do the local citizens go about' making the necessary im provements? And who are the people behind the improve ments? These were the questions rac ing through the minds of some 40 students and staff members from NCC as they boarded a bus for Cambridge, Massachu- settes, in early August of this year. They were in a NCC to Har vard visitation which was called an “Experiment in Understand ing.” The visit to Harvard and surrounding Boston metropoli tan areas was designed to pro mote a better understanding of some of the existing problems of a large urban community, and to encourage participation in the various cultural activities afforded by Harvard and the surrounding areas. The group was accommodated by both White and Negro stu dents of Harvard and individ uals of local civic-interest group groups. As a northern city, Boston was not totally unique with her civic problems. The most acute problems presented to the group were housing discrimination, de facto segregation of public schools and unfair employment practices. In order to get a bet ter insight on these problems the group met with local civic organizations spearheading the civil rights movement. The local chapters of CORE, NAACP and the Boston Action Group, along with the Northern Student Movement—a group of students mostly from Harvard, Radcliffe and Boston University —provided an excellent atmos phere for exchanging views on the problems of the South as compared to those of the North. Each of the organizations worked separately on these major problem areas; however. there were channels for inter group coordination between the leaders for the purpose of ana lyzing progress reports. At the time we arrived, CORE was engaged in the hous ing problem of the Roxbury area, a predominant Negro sec tion of the metropolitan area. It is in this area that most of the Negroes lived. Many of the apartments are delapidated and overcrowded, especially in the low rent section. This sordid community en vironment appears to be, basi cally, a product of Negro mi grants seeking low income dwellings. Negroes are relegated to this residential section be cause of racial discrimination in housing. For the Negroes who had made efforts to move to a more desirable community and were discriminated against by realtors or proprietors, CORE became involved. This is indeed a northern ghetto. CORE’S key instrument for determining discrimination was through the constant use of white and Negro test groups. When a Negro member of the test group was refused a house, and the same house was later offered for lease to a white member of the test group, CORE would investigate the discrimi nation and present the case to. the Boston Housing Authori ties. The NAACP was engaged in a legal struggle with the school committee and city officials con cerning de facto segregation in public schools. According to the NAACP officials these schools were not of the same quality as the predominant white schools. On the Boston School System there are no Negro principals and the number of Negro teach ers are in the minority in the predominent Negro schools. Tom Atkins, Boston’s Executive Sec retary of NAACP pointed out that the Negro pupil’s complete school without being exposed to the history of the Negro heri tage. In response to this inexposure to the history of the Negroes, a small group of Boston citizens are sponsoring a “Freedom School.” This is one of the most enlightening community pro jects. The school is designated to strengthen the Negro as an in dividual and as citizens. Acti vities carried on here include voter education, principals of non-violence, history of the Ne gro and the tactics involved in selective buying. Teachers for the “Freedom School” are volunteer workers, usually college students, or guest speakers, working under the direction of Noel Day, direc tor of St. Marks Social Center, and Rev. James Breeden, direc tor of “Freedom School.” Many of the teachers buy books and other supplies with their own money. The Boston Action Group is organized for direct action against job discrimination. It was started by a group of col lege students (mostly white) who felt that many companies discriminated against Negroes and would not hire them unless pressured. These students felt With this idea in mind the students initiated a “selective patronage” and picketing move ment against one of the world’s largest bakeries, The Wonder Bread Company. Through the ministers, newspapers and leaf lets, news of the selective patro nage spread throughout the city of Boston. The people stop ped buying the companies pro ducts; even store owners can celled orders with the company. The campaign was successful, and after several months the ’ company began to hire Negroes as truck drivers, salesmen, clerks and production workers. > ' Negroes had never been employ ed for any of these jobs before. Certainly the problems of a large community are larger in scope that we observed. The list of needed community improve ments, especially race relations in Boston and the surrounding areas, could go on and on and— But the progress in these North ern cities gave some 40 south erners something to admire about northern city leaders and citizens engaged in community (See NCC-HARVARD, page 6) THE RECORD BAR Finest Variety Latest Releases Satisfaction Guaranteed ALL LP’s 25% Off Comer of Church & Parrish Streets Downtown Durham 108 Henderson Street Chapel Hill Welcome NCC Students SONNY'S “First In Style And Price” • ITALIAN STYLE SHOES • CONTINENTAL SUITS AND SPORT COATS • COMPLETE TUXEDO RENTAL SERVICE 116 S. Mangum St. Durham, N. C. ROGERS DRUG CO. -Prescriptions— Cosmetics — Drugs — School Supplies 3 Free Deliveries Daily At 10:30-2:30-5:30 Cor. Mangum & Parrish Sts. Phone 684-0188 Welcome Students! Save On Your Textbooks By At THE BOOK EXCHANGE FIVE POINTS DURHAM, N. C. USED AND NEW TEXT BOOKS FOR ALL YOUR COURSES AT A GREAT SAVINGS Ask Any Upperclassman About The Savings At The Book Exchange “Tfee South’s Largest and Most Complete Book Shop”
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Sept. 20, 1963, edition 1
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