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Civil rights and race relations materials, 1957-1964

What You Can Do About Racial Prejudice In Housing Page 21

and economic misunderstandings that support it. But how does one deal with prejudice directly, in his own community? For here it is action, not history, philosophy or economics, that is required.
What kind of action? That depends on the immediate situation. In a community into which Negro families have begun to move--causing panic, fear and perhaps even violence--immediate, door-to-door activity is called for, supported by vigorous community-wide action. In a neighborhood not yet faced with the first Negro arrivals, there is time to do a more basic and thorough job of education and persuasion.
In either case, the worker for desegregation in housing will be dealing with people of all leanings. Those completely in favor of integrated housing should be reinforced with what ever factual information they need, and enlisted. Those so deeply fearful and prejudiced that no argument can reach or convince them should probably be overlooked. They must learn, if they learn at all, more slowly and through experience.
Most of the people with whom you talk, however, will be "on the fence"--people of good will who want to do the right thing, but are fearful. These are the people who can best be shown that desegregation of housing is not only morally right, but practically right, too. They are the ones who really determine whether a neighborhood will welcome and assimilate and benefit from the arrival of new neighbors--or, instead, become an all-Negro community, with the consequent loss of value to those who sell in panic. They must be won.
In dealing with situations that verge on panic, door-to-door calls should be made on everyone in the community, beginning with those most immediately affected...those who live nearest the new arrivals. For this purpose, it is important to organize block workers well armed with facts and supporting literature. (See Bibliography for selection of current materials for this purpose.)
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and economic misunderstandings that support it. But how does one deal with prejudice directly, in his own community? For here it is action, not history, philosophy or economics, that is required. What kind of action? That depends on the immediate situation. In a community into which Negro families have begun to move--causing panic, fear and perhaps even violence--immediate, door-to-door activity is called for, supported by vigorous community-wide action. In a neighborhood not yet faced with the first Negro arrivals, there is time to do a more basic and thorough job of education and persuasion. In either case, the worker for desegregation in housing will be dealing with people of all leanings. Those completely in favor of integrated housing should be reinforced with what ever factual information they need, and enlisted. Those so deeply fearful and prejudiced that no argument can reach or convince them should probably be overlooked. They must learn, if they learn at all, more slowly and through experience. Most of the people with whom you talk, however, will be "on the fence"--people of good will who want to do the right thing, but are fearful. These are the people who can best be shown that desegregation of housing is not only morally right, but practically right, too. They are the ones who really determine whether a neighborhood will welcome and assimilate and benefit from the arrival of new neighbors--or, instead, become an all-Negro community, with the consequent loss of value to those who sell in panic. They must be won. In dealing with situations that verge on panic, door-to-door calls should be made on everyone in the community, beginning with those most immediately affected...those who live nearest the new arrivals. For this purpose, it is important to organize block workers well armed with facts and supporting literature. (See Bibliography for selection of current materials for this purpose.) 21