PROMINENT CITIZENS
HML SWREK contr DE
Pariodical Dept
Duke UbiT Library
DR. HOWARD THURMAN
DEAN
MARSH CHAPU.
BOSTON UNIVERSmr
DR. DAVID D. ilONES
PRESIDENT
BENNETT COLLEGE
DR. RALPH W. 80CKMAN
PASTOR
CHRIST CHURCH
NEW YORK CITY
ANNU MERNER PFEIFFER CHAPEL
BENNETT COLLEGE
PARTIOIPANTS IN BAOOAIAPMATt AND OOMMgWOBilKMT AgXlVm«8 AT BENNETT ’ooir-
LSOX, MAT 19 AND I0> WITH TBE ANNIS BCERNER PVEIFFSR OHAPSL WHBRS THB COM*
I MENOEMINT ACTlViTIES Wlli BX HELD.
Two of this country’s outetandinc theologians will participate in commencement exercises to be
held at Bennett Collefe in Greensboro. WeVi|e»#l»:e'WPfr»"IIW|w«»lWw?*W>rlWi;
Dr. David D. Jones, president of Bennett, announced recently that Dr. Howard Thurman, dean
Tork Ci^ will rive the commencement address.
Dr. Thurman, selected last year by LIFE maraiine as one of the 12 outstanding ministers of the
United States, will speak at 4 p. m. Sunday.
The Commencement speaker. Dr. Sockman, in a recent poll conducted by the Christian Cen
tury was named as one of the six foremost clergymen of all denominations in this country today.
Crooked Precinct
Meeting Protested
Rev.Nr.Dungee
Sends Protest
To Chairman
HENDERSON
Civic-minded residents of
chairman of the Vance County
Henderson have mShe a pro
test to George T. Blackburn,
Democratic Executive Commit
tee, against the manner in
which the recent precinct meet-
meeting was held in the North
Henderson district on May 8.
Endorsers of the protests were
the Rev. John R. Dungee, Ro
bert E. Stitt, and W. H. Peoples.
Previous to the registering of
the written protest, Rev. Mr.
Dungee had verbally protested
the meeting’s procedures at the
Democratic convention held at
the courthouse.
The protest stated that proper
advanced information was not
released advising citizens of
the place the precinct meeting
was to be held. The protest fur
ther stated that no information
was made available by the coun->
ty or precinct chairmen con
cerning the chosen meeting
place. The procedure is said to
be a violation of Section 13 of
^the Plan of Organization of the
Democratic Party in North
Carolina.
The final paragraph of the
protest reads in the following
manner: “The unduly abrupt
convening, holding, and ad
journment of the North Hen-
'derson precinct meeting within
less than five minutes of the ap
pointed time, for the apparent
purpose of excluding the under
signed from participating in the
said meeting.”
Definite action in the form of
a reply by Chairman Black
burn, had i)ot been learned at
press time.
Asa T. Spaulding, left, candi^te for County Commissioner In
the May 29 primary, will present his platform to the public Sunday
afternoon at Saint Joseph’s A. M. E. Church in a mammoth civlc-
Mass Meeting. Mr. ^auiding holds positions of trust and responsi
bility in the North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company and other
civic and religious organiiations in Durham.
Dr, Rose Butler Browne, right, professor of education at North
Carolina College, will be among the principal speakers at the pro
gram. Dr. Browne will make an appeal to all civic-minded per
sons during the mMting.
For Thirty'4)ne Yi€tr$ The Ouiat anding Weekly Of The Cmreiinme
Entered as Second Class Blattar at the P«rt OtflM at D uhaai, Nmrtt Ow«Um, oadar A«t IteA S, 1MB.
VOLUME 31—NUMBER 21
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, SATURDAY, MAY 22, 1954
PHM IB mam
Charlotte Medics
Admit Negroes
First In State To
Drop Barriers To
Race Doctors
CHARLOTTE
At a recent meeting of the
Mccklenburg County Medical
Society a vote was passed to ad
mit qualified Negro physicians
into membership. Dr. Hugh
Verner presented the proposal
in April to amend the constitu
tion and its by-laws to make
this possible.
Mecklenburg County’s Medi
cal Society is the first in the
state to drop its barriers to Ne
gro doctors. It st^ds out over
the State Medical Society which
recently tabled a motion to ad
mit Negroes into its member
ship when it met in Pinehurst.
According to the county so
ciety’s regulations, a month’s
waiting period is required be
fore any voting can be done to
ctiange the constitution and its
by-laws. “ Itie inution nudffiit
specifies that the word “whfte”
be deleted from the constitu
tion and the by-laws wherever
it occurs.
One specific article _of the .
constitution which will be af
fected by the change reads:
“Every legally licensed white
physician residing or practicing
in Mecklenburg County, who is
of good moral and professional
standing and who is a graduate
of a medical association, shall
be eligible for membership.”
White physicians who favor
ed the motion express the be
lief that Negro doctors will
benefit as much as they do from
the scientific programs spon
sored by the society. The view
was also given that opening the
membership to Negroes might
help encourage young medical
school graduates to come to
Mecklenburg County. A doctor
must also be a member of his
county’s medical society before
he can be accepted by special
professional boards.
Last year, a special commit
tee named by the county’s medi
cal society to investigate Good
Samaritan Hospital concerning
its^ professional personnel and
facilities, requested that Negro
doctors be allowed in the or
ganization.
VISIV%5iSURANCE OFFICE—Shown are deiecates from the Ugh schools in North Carolina
and Virginia who visited the offices of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company Friday,
May 7, in connection with the job opportunities project sponsored by the Delta Sigma Theta Soror
ity.
W. J. Kennedy, Jr., president of the company is shown at the left giving the visitors some
pointers on the job opportunities of such businesses.
Among those accompanying the group were: Mesdames Alma M. Harllee, general chairman of
the sorority’s Eastern Rerion; Fannie Womack, Lynchburg, Va.; L. B. Roberts, Petersburg, Va., Miss
Mae Holmes of Kinston; Miss Wilmoth Carter and Mrs. Elizabeth Cofieid of Shaw University.
Expect 1,000 At Mammoth
Mass Meeting Sunday
Over 1,000 persons are ex
pected at the mammoth mass
meeting to be held at the St.
Joseph A.M.E. Church here
Sunday. J. S. Stewart, chairman
of the Durham Comniittee On
Negro Affairs, will preside at
the meeting which starts at 4
p. m.
The Rev. C. E. McLester, pas
tor of Morehead Avenue Bap
tist Church, will give the in
vocation. Music will be by the
St. Mark A.M.E. Zion Church
Male Choir.
Purposes of the meeting
are to re-acquainl all citizens
of Durham with the aims and
objectives of th^ Durham Com
mittee on Ne^o Affairs; to ex
plain the proposed Recreational
Bond Issue; and to hear the
platform of A. T. Spaulding,
candidate for County Commis-
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Deacons Of Gethsemane Baptist
Claim No Knowledge Of Funeral
Ed’s Note—In the April 3
issue of the CAROLINA TIMES,
a story was published giving an
account of the accusation made
by Fred Watson of Enterprise_
Street alleging that the Rev. N.
A- Trice, pastor of Gethsemane
Baptist Church, refused to
preach the funeral of his step
daughter, Miss Frances EUfott
in Gethsemane Church.
Grounds upon which Rev.
Mr. Trice refused to preach the
funeral were alleged by Mr.
Watson to be that if the Mims-
Trice Funeral Home could not
conduct the funeral. Rev. Mr.
Trice could not preach it at
Gethsemane Church. Following
is a letter submitted to the
TIMES by th^ chairman of the
Deacon Board stating that the
matter was not .brought to the
attention of the board which is
considered the governing body
of the Baptist Church.
“To Whom It May Concern—
You may know that the Baptist
Churches are governed by the
Deacon Board and not the pas
tor. Miss Frances Elliott joined
this chujrch over six years ago,
and at the time of her death,
(Please turn to Page Eight)
SEAUUHNG HIGH
Principal,
Teacliers
Eighteen
Fired
SPRING HOPE
This Nash County town was
rocked to its foundation last
week when it was disclosed here
that 18 teachers of the Spauld
ing High School, including the
principal, had been fired by
Superintendent Inscoe of the
county schools.
The principal, Joseph Ancrum,
it will be remembered, is the
same man who fired seven of his
teachers in May of last year, just
before the closing of schools.
Also included in this year’s dis
missal was Mrs. Grace Massey,
former Hillside High School and
Palmer Memorial Institute teach-
r of Durham and Sedalia, re
spectively.
Mrs. Massey is reported to
have been the main source of
influence that caused the dis
missal of the seven teachers last
year. She is said to have wield
ed dictatorial power over Prin
cipal Ancrum to the extent that
he “jumped at her every beck
and call.”
A representative of the Times
who visited Spring Hope this
week heard charges and counter
charges of loose morals prevail
ing among teachers and students
of the school. One teacher,
James E. Pailin is said to have
impregnated one of the students,
and hurriedly married one of the
teachers, the former Miss Clara
L. Bebe, in an attempt to escape
the responsibility for the offense.
The list of thote discharged
are as follows: Joseph A. An
crum, principal. Spring Hope;
Mary V. Brooks, Woodsdale;
Mrs. lEstelle C. Frazier, Fayette
ville; Cora M. Washington, Wil
son; Daisy Vandergriff, Raleigh;
Mrs. Grace Massey, Durham;
Marvin R. Smith, Dunn, Shepard
Moore, Fayetteville; Cary Vf.
Gogdeli, St. Pauls; Jolmny O.
Alston, Jr., Rocky Mount; Luther
Wooten, Jr., Goldsboro, N. C.;
Mrs. Inez Ancrum, Spring Hope;
Mrs. Mentzie Jolmson, Clarkton,
Miss Meriy V. Weeks, Elizabeth
City, N. C.; Helen B. Malone,
Roclcy Mount, N. C.; Mrs. Lena
McCoy, Miss Clara L. Bebe.
Editorially Speaking..
THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA
The greatest benefactors of the U. S. Supreme Court’s
decision, striking down segregation in the public schools,
will not be the Negroes dl the South but its millions of white
people who for the first time in their lives will have a pro
tected opportunity and right to look upon their Negro fellow-
men as full human beings and to so treat them. It has been
the denial of these rights by southern society that has con
tinuously haunted the consciences of decent white people of
the South and forced them to have a secret contempt for
their churches, courts and above all, for‘themselves. The
Court’s decision now frees them, to the extent that if they
think out loud on what their consciences tell them is right
they can at least find refuge in the fact that the highest ,pourt
in the land sustains them.
The irresponsible statement of Governor Talmadge of
Georgia that the decision had reduced the Constitution to “a
mere scrap of paper,” and that of Senator Russell of the same
state that the decision is “a flagrant abuse of judicial pow
er” is not representative of the intelligent white people
of the South. Both will be laughed at by many of them who
will remember that Talmadge nor Russell cares anything
about that part of the Constitution upholding the rights of
Negroes, or the school cases would never have been before
the Supreme Court.
In striking down segregation the court struck the
shackles from the souls of all southern white people and
enthroned for the first time in nearly 300 years human dig
nity for all mankind of this nation without regard to race,
color or creed. The Supreme Court could not have done
otherwise and maintained its judicial dignity, its self respect
and above all the respect of decent citizervs of the United
States and the peoples of th% world.
Negroes in the South will meet their white fellow citi
zens over half way in making the readjustment that will con
form with the decision. There will be no stampede to seek
admission to white schools, there will be no boating, there
will be no unchristian and ungentlemanly conduct on the
part of respectable Negroes anywhere. This newspaper
urges patience, forbearance and understanding on the part
of Negroes and an honest attempt on the part of white citi
zens to comply with the verdict of the court within the limits
of a reasonable time.
The Carolina Times has an abiding faith in the basic and
fundamental character of North Carobna white folks. It has
faith in its Negroes and believes that once the memben of
both races have set their hands to the task that they will
calmly and assuredly rise to the occasion and peacefully
march forward to face the dawn at a new birth of freedom
for all the people of this great state.
Damaginglkrw
Dealt Advance
Of Communisin
CmZCNS HAIL—
Negro leaders from Ifortti
Carolina, South Carolina
Virginia were unanimooa In
their praise and appredatian this
week for the ruling of the U. S.
Suprente Court outlawinc seg
regation in public sctHxds. In a
telegram sent several outataml-
ing personalities in the tbvM
states requesting stat^nente oa
the ruling, the -CaroUas Tbmm
has been assured that the Courts
action has met the unaimous ap
proval of Negroes everywbcte.
Some of the statements from
various leaders in three states
are as follows;
From Rev. James F. Wertz,
pastor St. Paul Baptist CbnrA,
Charlotte:
“The dedsion sf tk« Uatted
States Supreme Cmmrt
segregation has opeaed
doors of •pportuftj
fsr years havfe bcea elsaed te
the Negro ia the SmiO. Ws
evU will not disappear !■§-
mediately but the end la Mar.
The Negro mast be tharaagk-
ly prepared to cope wltt
responsibility which the
cisiou imposes. We hope aaMi
the church wiU do by Chris
tian principle what tha Uatt-
ed States Supreme Cmmrt hin
done by law.”
From Rev. W. F. Elliott, pas
tor First Baptist Church, Hifh
Point:
“The historical Sapreoss
Court decision is the greatest
step made in the liberatioa at
the Negro since the issaiag sf
the emaneipatimi praclaaoa-
tion. The enligkteacd ele
ment of the Amerieaa pspals
tion, being inherently law
abiding will implement tka
same without distorbaaee.’*
Dr. David D. Jones, president
Bennett College, Greensboro:
“The unanimous deeisioa ef
the Supreme Court was th**
only p^ble decision which
the court conld make and keep
its integerity in the ligkt of
world conditleBS. The people
of this commnalty have re-
ceired the HerisiBa with paiss.
The editorials in the Greens
boro Daily News and the Rec
ord have beea emiaeatly fair.
We must all work together ia
patience and with coarags ta
help the iiommunitiss adjust ta
the decision. " .
Paarson.
From Attomy C. O.
Durham:
“I was surprised bat grati
fied by the fact that thia de
cision of the Supreme Caart
was clear cat, unequivocal,
and unanimous. While I ke-
lieved that the Coart woald
hold that segrgatioa per se
was dismriminatory, neverthe
less, I felt that the decision
woald be such as would create
a lot of confusion as to its
meaning. However, the clear
ness of this decision not oaly
represents a step forward for
Negro citiseas alone; It alsa re
presents a tread toward aalty
of all Amerieaa eitisens tai a^
holding the kasic psiaciplea af
our democratie fam af gav-
emmenl
Above all, I keUeva that tha
Court was on saaad graud
when it ordered sakadsaiaa af
briefs ia October by all af tta
parties iavalved la ardar ta
formulate plaas aaid
to de-segregate the
The fact that seveataea
involved were iavitad ta ai^
mit their view aad ^
dicatea that tha Caart raaac-
niied the treasaadaaa yak
lems iavalved. 1 da aai hallave
that there wiU ka aay vlaliMe,
disarder, Mr lass af Jaka la
carryhMl oat the awadaks a^
this, the higheat Caart af aar
laad. We AaaM aat aaa aa
emotioaal apptaa^ la Maawa-
ing this deelaiaa.’*
EDITOR’S NOR: AMaraey
Pearsoa waa asaaail far the
pUiatift ia tha “■aaatt Casa”
which was kraacM hk Dar-
haat Caaaty ht tha IMMl Thla
was tha Orat attant la tha
United Stataa ta kaadt dawn
segragatiaa aa tha a^hnsHy
lev^ ia Stata ashaala. Be li at
vraaaat Om CfeataM* af tha
Legal HadMai OawaMtas af
tha Narth C^taUaa Itaaah at
tha NAACr.
Bishop Miittinn Raid,
A. M. K. CohnMa.
(Plaaaa tan I* ft«s