DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Dorothy Schramm newspaper clippings, 1949-1955 (folder 2 of 2) | 1951-11-01 The Catholic Messenger Article: "Citizen 2nd Class" Page 5

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

1951-11-01 The Catholic Messenger Article: "Citizen 2nd Class" Page 5

Citizen 2nd Class - -
(Continued from Page 1)

bath, the tenement house in which he lives has no bath tub. And when he wants to get a haircut, the Davenport barbers refuse to cut his hair.
The Negro is said to be slovenly. But when he tries to buy or rent a house in a neater, tidier neighborhood, the real estate brokers refuse to deal with him.
The Negro is said to be unsanitary and unhealthy. But when he calls up a physician or dentist, they say "sorry."

And so, the white people of Davenport create and solidify for the 2,500 Davenport Negroes unsanitary, in human and miserable living conditions and then accuse the Negroes of living under unsanitary, in human and miserable living conditions.

Can the Davenport Negro break out of this vicious trap? Yes, he can. There are signs that some are beginning to have hopes for a better, more human life.
The League for Social Justice reports that at the Rock Island Arsenal and at the Davenport post-office -- two federal employers which may not, under civil service laws, discriminate against job applicants because of their race, creed or color -- Negroes are employed and they are working alongside of white workers, doing comparable work and no frictions or tensions have arisen. Davenport's two hospitals are hiring workers without regard to the color of their skin and a large departmental store has signified its willingness to do likewise.
Across the nation, particularly where FEPC (Fair Employment Practice Commission) laws are in force, employers have discovered that, after hiring Negroes to work with white employees, there resulted very little if any of the troubles and dissensions and loss of white customers which had always been predicted of white-Negro labor forces. Carson Pirie, Scott department store in Chicago cracked the discrimination pattern and reports that the great majority of their white customers, far from being angry or outraged, actually complimented the management for their courageous step.
The Pitney-Bowes company in Connecticut began hiring Negroes on their merit several years ago and reports that its white employees regard the Negroes so highly that they are actually "discriminating" against themselves in attempt to give the Negro more than his fair share of opportunities.

Ignorance and Fear

The League for Social Justice, after reporting the findings of its survey of Negro life in Davenport, addresses a note to "Mr. and Mrs. Davenport." The pattern of race discrimination and segrega-

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Citizen 2nd Class - - (Continued from Page 1) bath, the tenement house in which he lives has no bath tub. And when he wants to get a haircut, the Davenport barbers refuse to cut his hair. The Negro is said to be slovenly. But when he tries to buy or rent a house in a neater, tidier neighborhood, the real estate brokers refuse to deal with him. The Negro is said to be unsanitary and unhealthy. But when he calls up a physician or dentist, they say "sorry." And so, the white people of Davenport create and solidify for the 2,500 Davenport Negroes unsanitary, in human and miserable living conditions and then accuse the Negroes of living under unsanitary, in human and miserable living conditions. Can the Davenport Negro break out of this vicious trap? Yes, he can. There are signs that some are beginning to have hopes for a better, more human life. The League for Social Justice reports that at the Rock Island Arsenal and at the Davenport post-office -- two federal employers which may not, under civil service laws, discriminate against job applicants because of their race, creed or color -- Negroes are employed and they are working alongside of white workers, doing comparable work and no frictions or tensions have arisen. Davenport's two hospitals are hiring workers without regard to the color of their skin and a large departmental store has signified its willingness to do likewise. Across the nation, particularly where FEPC (Fair Employment Practice Commission) laws are in force, employers have discovered that, after hiring Negroes to work with white employees, there resulted very little if any of the troubles and dissensions and loss of white customers which had always been predicted of white-Negro labor forces. Carson Pirie, Scott department store in Chicago cracked the discrimination pattern and reports that the great majority of their white customers, far from being angry or outraged, actually complimented the management for their courageous step. The Pitney-Bowes company in Connecticut began hiring Negroes on their merit several years ago and reports that its white employees regard the Negroes so highly that they are actually "discriminating" against themselves in attempt to give the Negro more than his fair share of opportunities. Ignorance and Fear The League for Social Justice, after reporting the findings of its survey of Negro life in Davenport, addresses a note to "Mr. and Mrs. Davenport." The pattern of race discrimination and segrega-