DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Dorothy Schramm newspaper clippings, 1949-1955 (folder 1 of 2) | 1951-10-30 Burlington Hawkeye Gazette Article: "Burlington Self-Survey Committee Lists Findings"

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Dorothy Schramm newspaper clippings, 1949-1955 (folder 1 of 2)

1951-10-30 Burlington Hawkeye Gazette Article: "Burlington Self-Survey Committee Lists Findings"

[[Handwriting]]
BHG
10-30-51
[[Subheading, italicized, bolded, and underlined]]
Chicago Negro Principal Speaker
[[End bold, italics, and underline]]
[[Header in bold]]
Burlington Self-Survey Committee Lists Findings
[[smaller text]]
Picture on Page One
By Lloyd Maffitt
[[end bold]]
[[Article text]]
With the uncompromising honesty of a Goya painting the scars and blemishes on the faces of his portrait subjects, the Burlington Community Self-Survey committee painted the visage of Burlington. The resulting likeness is full of lights and shadows and, while not hideous, is certainly not flattering.
The portrait was publicly unveiled at a dinner meeting held in First Congregational church Monday night, and attended by over 200 Caucasians and Negroes.
Results of the long-range survey were presented by members of the various sub-committees. Here are some of the highlights of the 86-page report:
Nearly four-fifths of Burlington's places of public accommodation (especial eating houses and taverns) discriminate against Negroes.
Nearly two-thirds of Burlington's business houses and industries have never employed Negroes, and Negro unemployment is disproportionately high in less desirable occupations.
Nearly half the firms which do not presently employ colored people have indicated they are willing to do so.
Negro children in the lower grades of school "participate freely in school activities with a feeling of relaxation and belongingness, and are, on the whole, treated democratically by the other boys and girls" But as they approach high school age, Negro children "are considered to perform less and less effectively." 
Burlington's hospitals, the Des Moines County health center and the Des Moines County mental health center do not discriminate against Negroes, although some of the city's 15 nursing homes do. The Des Moines county blood bank segregates the blood of Negroes and whites.
"Not one doctor indicated an unwillingness to serve Negroes." Several dentists discriminate against colored people, however.
Negro housing tends to follow a pattern of segregation, and to be sub-standard.
Despite an appreciable rise in the population of Burlington since the 1940 census, the Negro population has shown a marked decline over the last 20 years, largely because "the pastures do not seem particularly green for Negroes around Burlington."
(Free copies of the complete report of the committee and its sub-committees can be obtained from the Rev. Reinhard Beck, pastor of 
*****
First Evangelical & Reformed church and chairman of the Burlington Community Self-Survey Committee).
***
[[Bold]]Principal speaker[[end bold]] at the dinner meeting was Archibald Carey, Jr., Negro minister and attorney and member of the city council of Chicago.
In an emotion-packed address that was several times interrupted by outbursts of applause from the audience, Carey complimented Burlington on having "the courage and the intelligence" to undertake a self-survey, commenting that "diagnosis is the first step in cure."
Carey criticized a local hotel for denying him accommodations, Carey said such prejudice plays right into the hands of Communist propaganda agents, and warned the American people that such incidents are "magnified and broadcast" throughout Europe and Asia by enemies of the United States.
The speaker also ridiculed the Des Moines county blood bank for separating white from Negro blood, pointing out that no scientist has ever been able to find a way to determine whether a given blood sample comes from a white man or a colored man.
***
[[Bold]]Carey called[[end bold]] the roll of Negroes who have made great contributions to human progress starting with the Spanish Negro who was pilot of Columbus' ship, the Nina, and continuing down to Daniel Williams, the first physician successfully to operate on the human heart. 
He said it is up to the white race to end the practice of discrimination against the Negro for 3 reasons:
(1) "It's the human, decent thing to do."
(2) Discrimination works against "enlightened self-interest." The Negro is capable of making great contributions to society, if given a chance, the speaker declared.
(3) Society as a whole is impoverished when some of its members are forced to live in squalor and treated like second-class citizens.
Carey said that discrimination was once "fashionable" but that it is "on the way out," and he cited several instances to show that the walls of prejudice are crumbling.
"People ask what the Negro wants," the Chicago councilman cried. "I'll tell you what he wants--he wants exactly the same things the white man wants." Many whites worry about the inter-marriage question, the speaker went on. He called attention to a survey taken among Negroes, in which inter-marriage was shown to be one of the things in which Negroes are last interested.
Carey's talk concluded with a question-and-answer period.
***
[[Bold]]Rev. Beck presided[[end bold]] at the meeting, and Mrs. George Crow played piano music. Father T. J. Lew pronounced the invocation. On behalf of the committee, Beck thanked the First Congregational church for providing the meeting sight and the dinner, and the pastor of the church, Rev. Bruce Masselink, responded.
Beck formally expressed thanks to Mrs. Gerald Schwartz, committee secretary; Cecil Rideout, committee treasurer; Mrs. James Schramm, who took an active part in the work on the committee, and Mrs. Gladys White, chairman of the publications sub-committee.
Reports of the sub-committees were given as follows: Public accommodations, Joseph Braun, substituting for the sub-committee chairman, Dr. Deane Chapman who was out of town; labor and employment, John Klein, chairman; education, Mrs. Mark Pistorius, chairman; health, Dr. R. H. Buescher, substituting for Dr. Martin Hicklin, chairman, who is out of the city; housing, Marshall Mueller, chairman, and the family, Mrs. John Hehnke, chairman.

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[[Handwriting]] BHG 10-30-51 [[Subheading, italicized, bolded, and underlined]] Chicago Negro Principal Speaker [[End bold, italics, and underline]] [[Header in bold]] Burlington Self-Survey Committee Lists Findings [[smaller text]] Picture on Page One By Lloyd Maffitt [[end bold]] [[Article text]] With the uncompromising honesty of a Goya painting the scars and blemishes on the faces of his portrait subjects, the Burlington Community Self-Survey committee painted the visage of Burlington. The resulting likeness is full of lights and shadows and, while not hideous, is certainly not flattering. The portrait was publicly unveiled at a dinner meeting held in First Congregational church Monday night, and attended by over 200 Caucasians and Negroes. Results of the long-range survey were presented by members of the various sub-committees. Here are some of the highlights of the 86-page report: Nearly four-fifths of Burlington's places of public accommodation (especial eating houses and taverns) discriminate against Negroes. Nearly two-thirds of Burlington's business houses and industries have never employed Negroes, and Negro unemployment is disproportionately high in less desirable occupations. Nearly half the firms which do not presently employ colored people have indicated they are willing to do so. Negro children in the lower grades of school "participate freely in school activities with a feeling of relaxation and belongingness, and are, on the whole, treated democratically by the other boys and girls" But as they approach high school age, Negro children "are considered to perform less and less effectively." Burlington's hospitals, the Des Moines County health center and the Des Moines County mental health center do not discriminate against Negroes, although some of the city's 15 nursing homes do. The Des Moines county blood bank segregates the blood of Negroes and whites. "Not one doctor indicated an unwillingness to serve Negroes." Several dentists discriminate against colored people, however. Negro housing tends to follow a pattern of segregation, and to be sub-standard. Despite an appreciable rise in the population of Burlington since the 1940 census, the Negro population has shown a marked decline over the last 20 years, largely because "the pastures do not seem particularly green for Negroes around Burlington." (Free copies of the complete report of the committee and its sub-committees can be obtained from the Rev. Reinhard Beck, pastor of ***** First Evangelical & Reformed church and chairman of the Burlington Community Self-Survey Committee). *** [[Bold]]Principal speaker[[end bold]] at the dinner meeting was Archibald Carey, Jr., Negro minister and attorney and member of the city council of Chicago. In an emotion-packed address that was several times interrupted by outbursts of applause from the audience, Carey complimented Burlington on having "the courage and the intelligence" to undertake a self-survey, commenting that "diagnosis is the first step in cure." Carey criticized a local hotel for denying him accommodations, Carey said such prejudice plays right into the hands of Communist propaganda agents, and warned the American people that such incidents are "magnified and broadcast" throughout Europe and Asia by enemies of the United States. The speaker also ridiculed the Des Moines county blood bank for separating white from Negro blood, pointing out that no scientist has ever been able to find a way to determine whether a given blood sample comes from a white man or a colored man. *** [[Bold]]Carey called[[end bold]] the roll of Negroes who have made great contributions to human progress starting with the Spanish Negro who was pilot of Columbus' ship, the Nina, and continuing down to Daniel Williams, the first physician successfully to operate on the human heart. He said it is up to the white race to end the practice of discrimination against the Negro for 3 reasons: (1) "It's the human, decent thing to do." (2) Discrimination works against "enlightened self-interest." The Negro is capable of making great contributions to society, if given a chance, the speaker declared. (3) Society as a whole is impoverished when some of its members are forced to live in squalor and treated like second-class citizens. Carey said that discrimination was once "fashionable" but that it is "on the way out," and he cited several instances to show that the walls of prejudice are crumbling. "People ask what the Negro wants," the Chicago councilman cried. "I'll tell you what he wants--he wants exactly the same things the white man wants." Many whites worry about the inter-marriage question, the speaker went on. He called attention to a survey taken among Negroes, in which inter-marriage was shown to be one of the things in which Negroes are last interested. Carey's talk concluded with a question-and-answer period. *** [[Bold]]Rev. Beck presided[[end bold]] at the meeting, and Mrs. George Crow played piano music. Father T. J. Lew pronounced the invocation. On behalf of the committee, Beck thanked the First Congregational church for providing the meeting sight and the dinner, and the pastor of the church, Rev. Bruce Masselink, responded. Beck formally expressed thanks to Mrs. Gerald Schwartz, committee secretary; Cecil Rideout, committee treasurer; Mrs. James Schramm, who took an active part in the work on the committee, and Mrs. Gladys White, chairman of the publications sub-committee. Reports of the sub-committees were given as follows: Public accommodations, Joseph Braun, substituting for the sub-committee chairman, Dr. Deane Chapman who was out of town; labor and employment, John Klein, chairman; education, Mrs. Mark Pistorius, chairman; health, Dr. R. H. Buescher, substituting for Dr. Martin Hicklin, chairman, who is out of the city; housing, Marshall Mueller, chairman, and the family, Mrs. John Hehnke, chairman.