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WALTER CHIVERS SAYS:Time To Take StockBy WALTER R. CHIVERSTHIS IS NO plea favorable to the custom of making New Year'spledges. Man cannot foretell the future with anything like the precision needed to make such pledges valuable, in other words man must keep his life flexible so that he can be ready fotry to adjust himself to the necessary expedients of a world ever making new and more complex demands upon him.The matter ofliving a reason, ably worthwhile life is like operating at least a _____moderately successful business—it calls for periodic stock taking. So cince beginning of the New Year is the beginning of a new business year in the business of life it is time for individuals, families, races and nationalities to take time out for analytic leflection. Because of limited space the attention here will be to a racial group—our own.EASY TO SINGLE OUTBeing a member of a minority group whether a race or a group forced by pressure from the momentarily dominant racial group to act with the solidarity of a race, has historically been a precarious and inconvenient state of existence.The distinguishing mark of colorhas made Negroes easy to single out for whatever treatment the majority racial group would accord minority people. Close and analytical study of the “ways of life*’ of the society in which a minorityCHIVERSracial group dwells1 and periodic self-analvsis oi itself in relationship to that society is necessary for living a reasonably normal life within that society.The masses of people in any racial g out) must work out satisfactory adjustments for living. They must suffer as little irritation as passible if they are to support those exceptional folk among them who dare tackle1 the oppressions of the opposition. It is* to be remembered that after all of these years the human racial groups have been effecting and effected by the processes of civilization, that their present relationship is one of antagonistic cooperation.ANTAGONISTIC COOPERATIONBy antagonistic cooperation is meant that the ruling classes tend t» rive to the minority groups themini num amount of cooperationnecessary to guarantee the welfare ol' the ruling t lasses, whatever tiv»t welfare is at the moment.This has been a year of grave danger to minority racial and religious groups.'The outstanding example is the severe oppression of Jews throughout the world. It is probably not incorrect to sav that the American Negro has been “let clone” during the past year in di-rert ratio to the increasing pressure placed upon Jewish people.The ruling classes for the moment believe Jewrs are a graver threat to their extended well-being. It is probable that at least in part the recent dramatization of concessions made to Negroes has been an effort to advertise democratic justice by symbolizing the minor-| ity racial group, which at the moment, is being less offensive to the welfare of the ruling classes. GIVEN NEW PLACES Negroes have been given new i places in the National Defense Program, they have been promised more. The NYA has strengthened and enlarged its Negro staff fromWashington throughout the states. The WPA has become so sensitive to the good of Negroes that it. nowhas a Race Relations officer. Manysouthern states have wTorked at ways and means of improving and and extending) educational opportunities for Negroes. The CIO has aincd some advantages for its Negro members in such racially backward communities as Jefferson County, Alabama.Special mention should be made of the growing distinction which Negro women are getting. A Negro women was appointed Judge of the Domestic Relations Court in Newr York, another is special assistant to a State Attorney General and Mrs. Bethune’s work with the NYA still adds statue to Negrowomen.SOME DISAPPOINTMENTSI On the other hand they have been disappointments. The NAACP failed to get the anti-lynching bill enacted into law; there is still discrimination in the National Dc-fense Program; the Methodist denomination made its organizationmore indisputably bi-racial; Joe r ouis canvassed for the Republican Party; the unemployed groups of Negroes are still dangerously large; Negro musicians and actors are losing the places they had in the national amusement world.In fact the majority racial grounhas continued to put pressure upon Negroes wherever the activity of Negroes tended to injure their welfare. Negroes were definitely a threat to their economic security in so far as reemployment of unemployed Negroes and wTiite was I concerned.This chronicle could go on far, far into the night without ending. Just enough has been written to support the firm conviction that Negroes must stop periodically to take stock of themselves and their relation to the society in which rhev live.
Newspaper Details
Phoenix Index
Phoenix, Arizona, US
Sat, Jan 04, 1941
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Lily L.
NY, USA 08 Mar 2021
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