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FOR 29 YEARS THE OUTSTANDING WEEKLY OF THE CAROLINAS
Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at Durham, North Carolina, under Act of March 3, 1819.
VOLUME 29—NUMBER 41
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, SATURDAY, OCT. 13th, 1951
PRICE TEN CENTS
Gov. Scott Balks, Action Nearing
DURHAM FAMILY LOSES THIRD SON IN TWO WARS
NAACP
University of
Library
Hopes To Quash
Cicero Charges
rhir>non — Motions to auash i
the indictment of George N.
Leighton, NAACP attorney for
the Harvey E. Clarks of Cicero
fame, were scheduled for argu
ment on Tuesday in the Crim
inal Court of Cook County, at
torneys for the National Asso
ciation for the Advancement of
Colored People announced to
day.
The main basis for challeng
ing the indictment, in addition
to the recognized legal grounds
for such action, is the constitu
tional point that Leighton is
charged with being part of a
conspiracy to lower the value of
real property and also to destroy
the property itself by encour
aging Negro tenants to occupy
it.
NAACP lawyers maintain that
unless the indictment is quash
ed, the State of Illinois will be
Flails Grand Jury
Washington — On the heels
of a Justice Department an
nouncement that a federal
grand jury would be assigned
to investigate the notorious
Cicero riots, Senator Paul H.
Douglas, Illinois Democrat, de
nounced the recent action of
the Codk County, 111., grand
jury as “a denial of every
principle of American demo
cracy.”
Speaking out in the Senate,
the Illinois lawmaker bitterly
condemned the failure of the
Cook County grand jury to
indict those responsible for
for the riots, and its indict
ment instead of George Leigh
ton, chairman of the legal re
dress committee of the Chicago
branch of the National Asso
ciation for the Advancement
of Colored People, and others
who gave assistance to the
Hayvey E. Clark family, vic
tims of the riots.
violating the Fourteenth Amend
ment to the Constitution of the
United States more effectively
than judicial enforcement of re
strictive covenants, which was
invalidated by the Supreme
Court in 1948.
NAACP Special Counsel Thur
good Marshall indicated that
lawyers and laymen throughout
the country have been tele
phoning, telegraphing and writ
ing Leighton, the Chicago branch
of the NAACP, and the national
office, volunteering their help in
fighting what they consider to
be a gross miscarriage of justice.
Marshall asserted that the As
sociation “is determined to use j
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Above is the Roberson fam
ily of 406 Powe Street which
was lessened by one more
member recently when the an
nouncement was made last
Saturday of the death in Korea
of their son and brother,
Wayne (lower left inset).
The loss of Wayne in the
Korean conflict brought to
three the number of members
of the family who have died
while serving in the Armed
forces of this country. John
Baxter (upper right in
set) was the first Roberson
and the first Durhamite to die
in World War II. He was kill
ed in 1942. Charleton Bagley,
husband of one of the Rober
son daughters, Mattie, (stand
ing center), was killed at an
Army camp in Nebraska in
1945.
Members of the family shown
above are, seated, left to
right, Mr. and Mrs. John
Roberson, parents, and Mrs.
Elnora Johnson, a daughter.
Shown standing are sons Wil
liam, left, and Broady, right,
and daughter, Mrs. Mattie
Bagley, center.
Wayne, Killed In Korea, Latest
Sacrifice Made By Roberson Family
By CLAY ROSS
“That’s Johnny...up there on
the piano...Wayne never would
have a good picture taken of
himself.”
So spoke a mother who has
given two of her sons in wars to
“make the world safe for demo
cracy” as she pointed to the pic
ture of seaman John Baxter
Roberson, his white sailor suit
Walter White congratulated
Josephine Buck, brilliant
young concert singer, upon
her contributions to the race
and to art when they met re*
cently.
Miss Buck, auditioned re
cently by Boris Goldovsky of
the Metropolitan Opera Com
pany’s Radio Staff, may be
come the first Negro star for
the famed Opera Company.
Critics are acclaiming her
voice as one of the greatest
discovered in the last SO
years.
gleaming in the sun and a bivad
smile on his handsomely youth
ful face.
The Durham family Roberson
of 406 Powe Street has sacrificed
three of its own with in the com
paratively brief span of nine
years in two wars to stop Nazi
and Communist aggression.
Missing from the warm Rob
erson family hearth are John
Baxter, first Durhamite to die in
World War II and in whose
memory the local Veterans of
Foreign Wars post is named;
Wayne, latest member of the
family to give his life for this
country and Charleton Bagley,
a son-in-law who was also call
ed on to make the supreme sacri
fice.
The family first learned of the
death of their youngest son and
brother, Wayne, last Saturday.
A tersely worded /communica
tion from the War department
notified them that Pfc. Roberson
was killed in action in Korea on
September 13.
“wayne, 23 years-old at the
time of his death, was fighting
with the Fifth Regiment of the
First Calvary division in Korea.
He had earlier been awarded the
Purple Heart for wounds re
ceived in action at Yongchon.
A well-liked lad of the com
munity, he graduated from Hill
side high school in 1949. He was
drafted in September, 1950 and
sent overseas last April. He vis
ited his family for the last time
last Easter.
Wayne’s brother, John Bax
ter, graduated from Palmer
Memorial Institute in 1939 and
attended North Carolina College
for one year before enlisting in
the Navy. He was assigned to
the USS destroyer Jacob Jones
on which he was killed when it
was attacked by a Nazi sub
marine in the North Atlantic in
February, 1942.
The third member of the Rob
erson family to give his life in
the service of the country was
Charleton Bagley, husband of
Mrs. Roberson’s daughter, Mat
tie. Charleton was killed in an
accident in 1945 at an Army
Camp in Nebraska.
Wayne’s mother, Mrs. Mary
Roberson, has taken this latest
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Elks Officers
In State Meet
Raleigh — Reverend K. P.
Battle, N. C. State Elks Presi
dent, called State Elks officers,
Exalted Rulers, Chief Antlers,
Pass Exalted Rulers and Dis
trict Deputies of the various dis
tricts at a meeting in Fidelity
Lodge Hall, Raleigh, Sunday,
Sunday, Sept. 30. Sixty officers
were in attendance.
The purpose of the meeting
was to inform state officers who
did not attend the Grand Lodge
session in Buffalo of some of the
I important doings of the meet
| ing.
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Gotham Mother
Drops Four From
Window, Dies
New York — A drama bear
ing out the maxim of there be
ing no love like a mother’s love
was enacted here Tuesday when
a 35-year-old mother sacrificed
her own life to save that of four
of her children.
Mrs. Birma Randall dropped
four of her children from a
third floor window into a
blanket held by neighbors and
then collasped and died in a
fire which gutted the three story
frame apartment building in
which she lived.
The fire started in the base
ment of the building, located in
Bedford-Stuyvesant section of
Brooklyn, and spread rapidly up
to the top floor, trapping Mrs.
Randall and four of her nine
children, James, eight; William,
five; Michael, three and Edward,
18 months.
The children were dropped
one at a time and all escaped in
jury.
After dropping the last child,
Mrs. Randall reeled back from
the window, evidently groggy
from the smoke, and collasped.
She was found after the fire
had been brought under control,
(Please turn to Page Eight)
NMA Asks End
To Race Bars
In Med Schools
The National Medical Associa
tion calls for an end of racial
bars in all 79 of our medical
schools. The lead editorial of the
September issue of the Journal
of the National Medical Associa
tion urges that where it is neces
sary to change laws to effect
this, “let us work for their
change.”
The matters of Federal aid
and regional planning in medi
cal education can never be con
sidered calmly and objectively
until the “old bogey man,” the
race problem, or more specifical
ly, racial bars in medical schools,
is dissolved, the editorial states.
In a twin editorial, the NMA
states that in its lifetime, since
1895, it has witnessed the trial
and failure of nearly every
formula that has been thought
of to accord a semblance of jus
tice to Negroes in the areas of
health care with segregative
framework.
These freshmen students at
Virginia State College seem to
be pleased at what they see.
With Freshman Orientation
over, three hundred other
new students at VSC have
been well introduced into col
lege life. At left is Miss Bar
bara Robinson of Dillwyn and
at right, Miss Annette Barn
hill of High Point, North Caro
lina. (Photo by Burke).
Inaugural Rites
Set For Shaw
Raleigh — Shaw University
authorities announced plans for
inauguration of the Reverend
William R. Strassner as the six
th president the University. The
ceremony will take place at the
Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
on November 16, in conjunction
with the annual Founder’s Day
celebration.
A large committee composed'
of representatives of the Univer
sity Trustee Board, Faculty, Stu
dents, Alumni, and the Baptist
State Convention has been or
ganized to make plans for the
event. Professor H. C. Perrin of
the Shaw Science Department is
Chairman of the Committee, and
Mrs. Eva F. Ray, Registrar, is
Secretary.
Dr. O. S. Bullock, Pastor,
First Baptist Church, Raleigh, is
heading a drive to raise $25,000.
00 to be reported on the in
augural day in honor of the
founder of the University, Dr.
Henry Martin Tupper, and as an
expression of the loyal support
of the Baptist Constituency to
the new President.
The Alumni group is headed
by Dr. Max King, Chairman, Ex
ecutive Committee, Shaw Uni
versity Alumni Association.
Publicity for the celebration is
under the direction of Professor
Carl DeVane, head of the Social
Science department.
The Reverend Strassner, form
er Dean of the Shaw School of
Religion, was elected as Presi
dent on April 18, 1951, after
serving for a period as chairman
of the Administrative Commit
tee and as Acting President. He
succeeds Dr. Robert P. Daniel
who is now President of Vir
ginia State College.
Inaugural
Plans Set
Knoxville, Tenn. — Knoxville
College announced today the
program for the inauguration of
Dr. James A. Colston, widely
known southern educator, as the
ninth President of the College.
The inauguration will take
place during the annual Alumni
Homecoming week-end of Nov
ember 2-4, a rare combination
of events which school author^'
ties believe will bring record
breaking crowds to the campus.
Miss Coletta Barbee, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Coley Bar
bee of 309 Gray Street, was
crowned Hillside high school’s
Miss Homecoming at the high
school’s homecoming game
here last Saturday at the Dur
ham Athletic Park. The Hor
nets defeated Mary Potter,
6-0, in the game to maintain
their undefeated conference
record. The Hornets are sched
uled to take on Rocky Mount
here Saturday night.
Last rites for Mrs. Eliza Riv
era, 86-year-old resident of
317 Umstead Street, were
held from the St. Joseph A.
M. E. Church here Tuesday
afternoon. Mrs. Rivera, a
long-time member of Saint
Joseph, succumbed Sunday at
her home. See story, beginning
on page four.
UNC Heads Stick To Policy, Protests
Mount: State-Wide Action Pushes Suit
Contempt proceedings against
the University of North Caro
lina for segregating Negro stu
dents enrolled there at football
games were in the offing here
this week as a last chance by
the State to settle the matter
was passed up. Protests to the
segregation policy also con
tinued to mount and a statewide
campaign to help set the con
tempt action in motion was also
launched.
Governor W. Kerr Scott
passed up the State’s last chance
to handle the matter outside of
the court when he refused to act
on a wire request from the five
Negro students that he get a
ruling by the State Attorney
Dr. David D. Jones
General against the UNC ad
ministration’s segregation pol
icy.
One more student organization
at the University raised a pro
test to the policy and Bennett
College’s president, Dr. David
D. Jones, scored UNC officials
in a letter to the Greensboro
Daily News Sunday, charging
school officials with “double
talk.”
A statewide drive to raise
funds for the suit seeking to
find the UNC administration in 1
contempt of federal court was
launched here Thursday at a •
meeting of the Durham Commit
tee on Negro Affairs,
i A chairman of the drive will
j be announced later, committee
Two of the five Negro students enrolled at the University of
North Carolina are Janies Lassiter, left, and Kenneth Lee, right.
Solomon Revis, center, was a plaintiff in the successful case against
UNC Law School.
officials stated.
Scott, obviously feeling that
the segregation issue at UNO is
too hot for him to handle, re
fused to ask for a ruling against
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