2A
—THE CAROLINA TIMES SATUR AY, JULY 5, 19«»
Probably the best picture, or cer
tainly the most informative words
we have read or heard on the ques
tion of equality or the lack of equal
ity for black teachers comes in the
form of a recently written letter to
the editor of thte CHARLOTTE OB
SERVER, one of North Carolina's
largest daily newspapers, by a white
teacher of the Charlotte School Sys
tem.
In words more forceful than we are
in position to write or utter on this
most perplexing and most momentous
question now facing this state, in the
treatment or policy it is presently
maintaining toward or for Negro
teachers, Mrs Retta W. Gray had
the following to say in her letter
which we are taking the liberty to
repub.ish below in the place of our
editosials for this week:
'To the Editor
Charlotte Observer
Charlotte, North Carolina
June 16, 1969
Dear Sir:
In your editorial this morning cas
tigating North Carolina's Negro
teachers for failure to accept the
NEA compromise on merger you
asked the following questions:
'Are Negro teachers fearful of the
more stringent competition with
white teachers? Do they believe that
a racist attitude will always dominate
selection of officers and committee
members?'
As a white teacher of ten years
experience I would like to answer
NO to the first question. The worst
black teacher is no worse than many
white N. C. teachers with whom I
have had contact. The best are every
bit as good. As a member of NCTA 1
answer YES *o the second question
and offer the following by way of
illustration:
I have been librarian this year at
South Albemarle Elementary School,
working in an integrated faculty with
an all black student body. I have ob
served that my Negro colleagues
were, on the wnole, as well prepared,
creative, and able teachers as my
white colleagues. In fact, the poorest
teachers at our school were not black.
My principal (black) was a good an
administrator as I have ever worked
with. (I've worked with five). The
school, much of it built since the
Brown decision, was in excellent con
dition and well equipped.
But South Albemarle School is now
closed; its pupils next year will be
crowded into two of the city's four
other elementary schools, necessitat
ing a tax supported building project
in the near future. Neither the prin
cipal nor any PTA leaders were con
sulted when the decision was made
to close the school. The superinten
dent asserts that HEW demanded
that the school be closed, although
communications from HEW deny
this.
The black teachers, with one or
two exceptions, to this day have not
been officially informed where they
will be placed next year, although
most know from various white teach
ers throughout the system who seem
in full possession of that informa-
Off the Hook! J f§!jm
J
J/ *£ sK 1 '.'Vj-f:
It Hf Jr : is:::;
Li i^\,
Before It is Too Late
The principal, who, with a M.S.E.
degree (n administration and 17 years
in that capacity, ranks near the top
of the list in experience and who is
on continuing contract, was offered
for next year a one year contract
which assigned him teaching duties
with the possibility of assisting the
junior high principal part time. He
refused it and turned to NCTA for
help and guidance.
If this story were unique I would
have no reason to tell it here. Unfor
tunately, it is typical of the whole
of North Carolina. In 1966, there
were twenty-eight (28) Negro edu
cators in the Albemarle City School
System. This year there were sixteen
(16). The proportion of black teach
ers in Charlotte, I am told, has de
clined at an even higher rate. Ditto,
the state.
I was born and have lived all but
two of my thirty-six (36) years in
the South, but I have never observed
such insidious racism as I have wit
nessed in North Carolina. Most peo
ple are not so blatant as the sweet
faced lady who sat down beside me
in Freedom Park, pointed to some
black children playing nearby and re
marked, 'I hope they burst their
brains out!' Many, in fact, have stat
ed to me that they think it's terrible
that our school is being closed. But
they will not lift a finger or a voice
to protest. Teachers are perhaps the
worst. They, who should look for
light, are filled with myths and prej
udices. And when the party line is
stated, they will not dissent.
I've learned, just a little, this year,
what it's like to be black. And if 1
were a black teacher in North Caro
lina I'd go to whatever lengths nec
essary to be sure that there was an
organization to protect me from the
prejudices of my white colleagues.
Today, the only organization is The
North Carolina Teachers Association.
Very truly yours,
(Mrs.) Retta W. Gray"
That Mrs. Gray had the courage to
speak the truth about the distressful
situation now existing so widp'v in
the school system of North Carolina
is a testimonial of her personal cour- .
age as well as a distinct contribution
in the efforts now being made to
bring about better race relations in
the state.
Concerned Negro citizens of North
Carolina are hoping and praying that
intelligent and fairminded white citi
zens of the state will move into the
situation before it is too late and
widespread pandemonium breaks loose
in the state. Certainly it should not
be expected that concerned Negro
citizens of North Carolina should
stand by and see many of the state's
best principals and teachers butcher
ed up solely because of their race. !
We suggest to Governor Scott the
appointment of a high commission
on educaiton composed of an equal
number of members of both races and
that the commission be vested with
the authority to deal with such situ
ations to the fullest extent as those
referred to in Mrs. Gray's letter.
-
A Decision Fo
_
f HE FOUGHT FOR THE RIGHT
I OF THE BLACK COMMUNITIES
TO ELECT AND SELECT IT'S"
OWN REPRESENTATIVES.
>w*vxa
-Clinic
(Continued from front page)
to Robert Jones, a medical stud
ent at UNC.
The clinic will continue to
operate as usual on Monday
evenings using the Edgemont
Community Center as a tem
porary facility until a new per
manent location in Edgemont
can be found. The medical, den
tal, nursing, and other health
science students at Duke and
UNC who have been staffing the
clinic have expressed shock on
learning of the clinic's destruc-.
tion but are anxious to continue,
their work in Edgemont. Many
Edgemont residents, both white
and Mack, who felt and
ed that the clinic was "the.bes^
thi °« fcdW
community, nave offered their
services to help 'restore the^Mn^
The police and fire depart
ments who are investigating the
fires have not yet expressed an
opinion as to their origin;,
though the possibility of arson;
has not yet been ruled out. -
-Student
(Continued from -front page)
M . F M
my.
"Of the 10 seniors I nominat
ed"; commented Congressman
Addttbbo. "jjarris maintained
one of the five top scores in th^j 4
competitive Civil Service exanw
I submitted his name to officials
at West Point, and military per
sonnel there made the final se
lection."
Harris was voted salutatorian
by his 106 senior classmates for
Delehanty High School com
mencement exercises held June
13.
A devoted athlete, Harris
says. "I want to try out for the
Army football team, but I'll
have a lot of competition; 80
percent of the Plebes will be
high school varsity lettermen,
and I've never even played. New
York high schools usually don't
have football teams."
Harris was sports editor of
Deiescope, Delehanty's school
newspaper and was on the staff
of Senior Snoop, the school's
weekly news of student council
activities. He participated in
basketball and handball intra
murals, and was active on the
bowling te*m.
"We at Delehanty are quite
happy, but not at all surprised.
We knew he had the stuff to
make," said Patrick Servillo,
senior class advisor to Harris,
upon learning of his appoint
ment.
CteCarcsima Cimis
Published every Saturday at Durham, N. C.
by United Publisheri, Inc.
L. E. AUSTIN. Publisher
CLARENCE F. BONNETTE Business Manager,
J. ELWOOD CARTER. Advertising Manager
Second Class Postage Paid at Durham, N. C. 27702 '
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
15.00 per year plus (15c tax in N. C.) anywhere in the
U.S., and Canada and to'servicemen Overseas;
Foreign, $7.50 per year, Single copy 20c.
PKNCDPAL OFFICE LOCATED AT 436 E. Prmciiw SHOT,
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA 27702
--Beauty
(Continued from front pa£«)
newest methods in all areas of
beauty culture.
The convention will see t over
one thousand beauticians con
verge on the Ben Franklin Hotel
eager to learn more about their
trade and profession, the second
largest Negro owned business in
the U.S.A., and to prepare them
selves for a much better per
formance and service.
Noted leaders in other areas
will speak to them on matters
pertaining unto their profession
and other matters. Dr. Whickam
will report on the progress of
construction of their million
dollar building project which
will house the national offices,
the museum and the laboratories
of beauty culture research.
-Meet
(Continued from front page)
Monday meeting by Aaron Hen
ry, president of the Mississippi
State NAACP, and George
Wilkinson, president of the Inn
keepers Association of Jackson.
Hiree mass meetings were
held Monday, Tuesday and Wed-;
nesday nights at 8:00 O'clock
in the Jackson City Auditorium.
Plenary sessions and workshops
were held daily in the Masonic
Temple at 1072 Lynch Street.
Two convention banquets were
held Thursday and Friday at
the Heidelberg, the official con
vention hotel.
Youth sessions were held in the
College Park Municipal Audi
torium. Regional and other
group sessions were held in vari
ous hotels and in the Paramount
Theatre.
-Bond
(Continued from front page)
soners were booked on the
"riot" charge and held under
$50,000 bond each.
Dr. Abernathy went on a
fast in protest, and from his
jail cell vowed that SCLC
would remain in Charleston
until the strike is won. The
SCLC staff added a new de
mand to the Charleston move
ment: dropping of the charges
against Dr. Abernathy and the
others, and their release from
jail.
After a visit to her husband
in jail, Mrs. Abernathy called
the charge "outrageous" and
said that Charleston authorities
had shifted to a course of
"reckless police repression"
against the strike. She deplored
"the insanity of condemning
the whole philosophy of non
violence-the philosophy which
holds out the only sensible
hope for saving this nation
from ruin and destruction
with a phony charge and an
exhorbitant bond. It is time,"
Mrs. Abernathy said, "for this
nation to learn that exploita
tion of poor people is the real
incitement to riot. It is the
mis-use of police power and of
the courts that may incite riot
ing in Charleston and in com
munities throughout the nation.
It is bigotry and hate that have
incited riots."
Carl Farris, SCLC Project
Director in Charleston, said:
"Charleston is making progress
- instead of using the hanging
tree, they are now lynching
innocent people in the courts.' lo
The day after Dr. Aberna
thy's arrest, nonviolent action
continued with marches to en
force an economic boycott of
the city. State Troopers open
ly clubbed marchers before
sending them off to jail.
But the movement continu
ed at a faster pace, as waves of
marchers every day and night,
aroused by the shocking arrest
and charges against Dr. Aberna
thy, pressed on in the Battle
of Charleston.
-Director
(Continued from front page)
Negro who has no other desire
than to vote. The American Flag
would be taken down over the
polling places and the banner
of the Confederacy raised."
Clarence Mitchell further
charged that the plan was in
.line with "certain campaign
promises made" by Mr. Nixon
last year and that its presentation
had "a politically divisive and
instructive intfefltt"
-Historian
(Continued from front page)
Professor Franklin's reputa
tion as an international authority
on the Civil War period in the
United States dates back to 1943
when he published "The Free
Negro in North Carolina, 1790,
1860." Among his other publi—
cations since that time are "The
Civil War Diary of James T. Ay
res (1967), From Slavery to Free
dom: A History of Negro Amer
icans (1967, 1956 and 1961),
The Militants-South (1956
Afools &ran*ni96l) Recon -
struction After the Civil War
(1961), Army Life In A Black
Regiment (1962), the Emanci
pation Proclamation (1963), and
Th# Negro in 20th Century A
merica (with Isadore Starr)."
The historian had served as a
member of the U. S. National
Commission for UNESCO and
on the board of Directors of the
American Council on Human
Rights. He currently serves as
Chairman of the Education
Policy Committee of the Fbk
University Trustee Board In 19-
66-67 he was president of the A
merican Studies Association.
■ To Be
■y
WHITNEY M. YOUNG
Tribute To Earl Warren
THE WARREN ERA of the Supreme Court came to an end
with the retirement of the man whom future historians
may well decide was the greatest Chief Justice of them all.
The nation a debt of gratitude to Earl Warren.
He led the High Court in a period of national change, and
he made it a leader in bringing about that change.
Because of his decisions, the evil network of Jim Crow
law s that made a mockery of American justice was stripped
away. The law was a trap to ensnare the black, the poor,
the disadvantaged. But through the decisions of ttie Warren
Court, the law became a haven and a refuge instead of an
Instrument of oppression.
The bigots and the Birehers reviled him. Highways
were defaced by "Impeach Earl Warren" billboards. It is
sometimes said that a man is known by his enemies, and
Earl Warren's enemies were of the kind any decent man
would hope to have. When you are attacked by the Klan,
you know you are doing something right.
Chief Justice Warren will probably be remembered
best for one of the most momentous decisions the Court
ever made. In 1954, h e delivered the decision in a case
prosaically called Brown vs. Board of Education. "Hie origi
nal suit wa s brought by a man in Topeka, Kans., whose
eight-year-old daughter was denied entrance to an all-white
school near her home and made to travel to an all-Negro
school
"Separate but equal" was the law of the land since
the Court approved official segregation back in 1896. The
Court was then in the hands of racists, and a whole series
of decisions allowed governments to segregate Negroes and
deprive them of their rights.
School Decision In 1954
But in 1954, Earl Warren delivered the decision that
overturned segregation in the schools. 'Separate educa
tional facilities are inherently unequal," he said, and vic
tims of such segregation are deprived of the "equal pro
tection of the laws." School segregation was now uncon
stitutional, and with that decision, we might mark the start
of the modern civil rights revolution.
But perhaps Justice Warren's greatest contribution in
that case wa3 not his decision itself, whidh might have been
written by another. It was his brilliant exercise of leader
ship, for the Chief Justice got a unanimou# court to join
him. 'She vote was 9-0. Had it been 5-4 or even 7-2, the
full moral weight of the decision would have been weakened.
#is long service as Chief Justice brought other deci
sions' that served democracy. For most of our history city
dwellers were ruled by unrepresentative state governments
whose legislatures were weighted in favor of rural areas.
In 1962, the Court issued its one-man, one-vote doctrine
which overturned this and led to reapportionment that en
sured more democratic elections.
Decision On Criminal Cases
Among the more controversial decisions were those in-.
volving criminal cases. The "law-and-order" crowd is very
vocal about how the Warren Court has "weakened" the
police. But what actually did it do?
It said that a man has the right to be silent and not
to confess. This is in line with the Constitutional require
ments against self-incrimination. It doesn't encourage crim
inals, it just ensures all men their Constitutional right to
silence while at the same time removing the temptation of
police officers to get easy confessions with a rubber hose
or third degree treatment.
i i'TAJ
basic right frustrate justice? Accused persons who were
poor and couldn't afford legal defense wound up in jail,
guilty or innocent. Now an accused poor person ha* the
right Jo defend himself.
There were other important decisions, too. This genial
man Helped to make the law a more humane instrument
of justice and he led the High Court through the period
of its greatest glory. As he goes to his well-earned retire,
ment h« takes with him the thank* of a grateful nation.
pointed him general editor JI
DouWeday and Company's
aeries intended for use in high *
school English and social studies
* President Kennedy appoiitt{
Dr. Franklin to a three year
term on the Board of Foreign
Scholarship? (Fulbright grants)
and he was reappointed by Pres
ident Johnaon.
In 1965 Zenith Books
classes.
A popular history for teen
age students, "Land of the Free,
ha» been edited by Professor
Franklin in collaboration with
John Caughey and Ernest R.
May.
"Anyone walking down
Tiones Square can see why
New York ig in need of a
great moral and spiritual
awakening."
Do's And Don'fs
Tell Her She Ca» ... And the Will!
MORE FIU'S
The Pentagon is planning to
ask Congress for money to buy
approximately 60 more models
of the Fill fighter-bomber. The
supersonic Fill has suffered
13 crashes since the plane went
into service 26 months ago.
WARNING TO HE DS
President Nixon stated re
cently in a news conference
that if the current enemy offen
sive in Vietnam continues the
attacks can not be tolerated
and will bring "appropriate
response." .
ME ANY ON INFLATION
George Meany, president of
the AFL;CIO told Congress re
cently that labor would not ac
cept an attempt to solve infla
tion by creating "a growing
army of unemployed." He said
if the new administration curbed
price increases it would entail
a rise in joblessness.