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NaF ee ad sly eee. i | toxicants at the early age of six. There isn't any question about the undemocratic practices in America, It doesn't matier if one is a resident of the North or Seuth, as Black Boy was. the flar- ing discrepancies between the ideals and the realities are suffi- cient to floor the idealist and shock the realist. But it is hard to imagine a life like Black Boy's. It seems that someone would have come into the picture to redeem our faith in hunman-kind, Perhaps “Black Boy” is that character. In the face of all the circumstances a flicker of ambition kept within him. He even possessed the “for- eign’ desire to writ aE Wrignt has little pride in his own people for he says: “Whenever I thought of the es- sential bleakness of black life in America, I knew that Negroes had never been allowed {o catch the full spint of Western civilization, that they Lived somehow in it but not of it And when [| brooded upon the cultural barrenness of black life. I wondered if clean, ositive tenderness, love, honor, oyalty, and the capacity to re. member were native with man. I asked myself if these human qual- ites were not fostered, won, strugeied and suffered for, pre- served in ritual from one genera- tion to another.” Az I reflect about the human qualities of Western civilization, I wonder about the “positive ten- Gerness” of the whites. Could there be much genuine feeling Within the hearts of a people whe could stand by and permit condi- tions such as exist in "Black Boy” to prevail? What kind of people are these who kep‘ others in alav- ery, freed them in name only, tried to make sure that they didn't become enlightened through edu- cation, signed restrictive cove- nants to keep them living in the slums, maintained the idea of white supremacy? The only “gen- uine passion” that I] ever saw ex- hibited was the unleashed spirit that moved the mobs to lynch. How hollow are the memories of white America that send Goid Ster mothers over to Europe to visit the graves of their ialien black gone in Jim-Crow trans- ports! “Mow bollew sre the mem- ories of white America that main- tain a Jim-Grow army and navy jn the geconas World War. Where is this grand éympassion of West- ern civilization? \ This “emotional strength,” this “clean, positive Le a {hat The People Say tenderness, love, honor, loyalty,” uttering ' leaves me groping in the darkness. beel. . Negroes do feel deeply! Could Leavin they have given America folk mu- later, J sic otherwise? It is agreed that ment ir our masses peed education, toward Through education they will ar- two be rive. But I believe that the way cific, ¢ of life of the Negro, the humble own you folk, with the white humble falk, in the ius the only redeeming factor in these f« America. It's the humble soul that persecur makes life livable anywhere. It is whose o. he who offers a helping hand in tor sew the time of trouble; it 1s he who of the Lb’ practices the golden rule; it is he In son who doesn't clamor for wealth and ashamed Position, (the shaliow posses- bit sorry sions.) . . . In happy contrast te mois” . the materialists, the capitalists, so the exploiters, he makes a pretty Lauds f Picture. It is he, the meek soul, F F a black and white. who will one day "OF Fas, inherit the earth—Ruth Apilado, Tam 4 Maywood, DL page of + ‘ sue of MW Sorry For vie the ory? Race Haters a eae My home haget™ 7" “sreue 7 or thew) + larg div my dic me c m: Bt! Af po wa of fro ent she . I poss , NED eas ATION CONTAINES Ll Pyadbe - mest ALINE agsutteD He H nn eee, Tere befor PERELK \s i la sre TC 26-O1 BY gan « ws Roy | DATE S-— frien; Roy | him, t Suc - A hate: 7 had : \ tre of ft. mirt beg, @roy