ACTIVITIES AMONG NEGROES

BY DELILAH L. BEASLEY

The following news item has been received from the national headquarters of the National Equal Rights League, 56 Penberton Square, Boston, Mass. It has been issued by their president Maurice W. Spencer, and reads: "As president, I hereby issue this final call to colored Americans, authorizing delegates, individuals or from race bodies, religious, fraternal and civic to the twenty-third annual meeting of the National Equal Rights League, in the John Wesley A. M. E. Zion Church, Corcorn and Fourteenth street N. W., Washington, D. C, November 29 to December 1, 1931.

November 29 is National Equal Rights Sunday, every race church is asked to observe it with prayer for the rights and this convention. With color line discrimination, assaults, disfranchisement, peonage, segregation and even lynching still rampant, we ask the race to assemble at the seat of the federal government for another protest and demand to strengthen organized resistance by and under the race proscribed to race proscription. We urge all delegates to stay for Congressman De Priest's non-partisan convention December 2-4, 1931, and invite his convention to come earlier and remain to our convention. Signed Maurice W. Spencer, president."

BOOK REVIEWS

The following book reviews are extracts from those submitted for use in this column Walter White, executive secretary of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has an article in the December Harper's magazine in which he tells in detail concern in the mob dominated trial of the nine Negro boys condemned to death in Scottsburg, Alabama, and the struggle the organization is making to conduct a new and impartial trial for these boys. The Opportunity magazine for December has a striking frontispiece drawing by E. Simms Campbell, and the best poetry for the year is furnished by Sterling Brown, Langston Hughes, and Helene Johnson, contributors. The question of Negro intelligence, by Professor Otto Klineberg, will provoke an endless discussion, as will the article by W. O. Brown, University of Cincinnati sociologist, who dissects "Racial Myths."

FISK UNIVERSITY

Louis Shores, librarian at Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn., was married November 10 in South Haven, Michigan. The wedding took place in the home of the bride's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Barney Urist. The bride was Miss Geraldine Urist who graduated from the University of Michigan in 1928 with membership in Phi Beta Kappa. For the past year she has been working on her master's degree at Northwestern University and teaching general science in the Chicago high school. During the year she ranked second in an examination for 300 teachers in Chicago.

LOCAL NOTES

The Harmon Foundation exhibition of works by Negro artists which opened November 6 in the Oakland art galleries, closed November 27. Two days were added to the time that the public desire to view the pictures might be satisfied. A record crowd attended Thanksgiving Day which fully justified the retaining of the pictures for this period. The exhibition was sponsored by an Interracial committee consisting of the Oakland Council of Women, the California Federation of Colored Women's clubs (northern section), the Wesleyan Service Guild, from First Methodist Church (24th and Broadway), the Alameda County League of Colored Women Voters, with the hearty cooperation later of members of the Bahia Movement.

The value to the community and the Negro people of this exhibition with an interracial committee serving as hostesses has brought out the fact there are citizens who believe in practicing the brotherhood of man. It has also definitely established the members of the Negro people who actually believe in rendering cooperative service, that they may win additional friends for their race. If one must judge from the large number of artists who visited the exhibition, they also appreciated the fact that since it may be the last exhibition to be sponsored by the Harmon Foundation, they wished to get acquainted with this new school of art being developed by the Negro. The Harmon Foundation has stated "since Mr. Harmon has died, they perhaps will not have another exhibition for two or perhaps three years, if at all. If they never have another, what they have already done to lift the Negro people and artist to a higher plane of respect will go down into history as of great value."

PERSONAL SERVICE

There are two ministers who have rendered very valuable service to the committee sponsoring the exhibition. Rev. G. C. Coleman, who on several occasions brought delegations to visit the exhibition, notwithstanding he was conducting a state convention of Baptists in Oakland. Father D. R. Wallace not only spent several afternoons in assisting to make the visitors more interested in the exhibition, but also volunteered his services to bring from Berkeley the lecturer who delivered a most interesting talk on "The Bible Countries of Egypt," all of which was much appreciated by the committee.

UNIVERSAL THANKSGIVING

The universal Thanksgiving services held in the Municipal Auditorium was not only universal in name but the Negro people were given equal recognition as other groups. The celebrated North Oakland church choir rendered some Negro spirituals, while their pastor. Rev. G. C. Coleman, seconded the peace resolution presented by Rabbi Coffee. Rev. D. R. Wallace sat with the North Oakland church choir. Thus these two ministers, by their acts proved their love for their own race, and a high sense of community pride. The result of the Interracial committee's efforts to purchase a picture to present to the Oakland art gallery will be announced later through this column.

Y. M. C. A. NOTES

There were twenty-three members and guests who on last Thursday evening partook of the annual banquet of the Linden Club (business and professional women) of the Linden branch Y. W. C. A. It was served in the dining room with the table decorations arranged by committee composed of Miss Mary Dickerson Norris, Althea Clark and Roslia Smith. Mrs. Pittman served as chairman of the program which was furnished by members of the club, and consists of solos, both piano and vocal, by Talmer Brooks, Elsie Burgess and Alice Ford. Miss Mary Norris read a group of her own poems.

Their guest speaker was Miss May Bentley from the Central Y. M. C. A. she spoke on the subject, "Great Power from Little Acts of Service." She was followed by Miss Mathews, executive secretary, in a short but interesting talk. A few weeks ago Miss Mathews gave a talk to the Y. membership on her trip to the Holy Lands, which was so inspiring that many have asked her to repeat the same when more time could be given to the speaker.

WALKED 100,000 MILES

SPRINGFIELD. ILL. (UP) Richard Taylor, local mail carrier, has retired from the service after having hiked 100,000 miles delivering mail in Springfield. Taylor was retired on a pension recently.