Activities Among Negroes

By Delilah L. Beasley

The current Issues of Negro magazines contain much of interest. The Crisis, official organ of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and edited by Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois, the greatest living Negro student of sociology, has a splendid June issue. Among its many interesting articles is an extract from the recent debate on "Negro Religion" between Attorney Clarence Darrow, and Bishop R. E. Jones (M. E. church). An article by the greet Negro novelist Charles Chestnutt, a Spingarn medalist on "Post Bellum and Pre-Harlem," is a fine editorial appreciation on the anti-lynching activities of the late Ida B. Wells Barnett.

But that which will greatly interest the readers of the San Francisco bay district in this issue of the "Crisis" is the following: "At the Second Baptist Church of Columbus, Ohio, of which Rev. E. W. Moore is pastor, the Women's Auxiliary beginning with 50 cents fed 6177 colored men, 217 white men, 77 colored women, 2 white women and 172 children from December 17 until February 27, 1931. Most of the cash donations came from its own members. Lodging was also furnished and an employment bureau was in constant operation."

The work of Negro churches in aiding unemployment in New York City has been notable. St. Phillips Church has spent about $5000, of which $1250 went for food. St. Marks church has furnished 4404 meals and given 13,694 pieces of clothing. Saint James Church has furnished 3886 dinners, besides giving lodgings: Abyssinia Baptist Church has fed 33,000 men and given away 17,928 pieces of clothing. It has secured 645 Jobs. The funds expended amounted to $28,500. Mother Zion Church gave 4569 meals and 6292 pieces of clothing. Bethel A. M. E. Church gave 10,000 meals.”

MAGAZINE SURVEY

Community magazine, the official { } of the National Urban league, has in the June issue a continuation of the striking portrayal of Jamaica by the distinguished international authority, Raymond Leslie Buell, Walter S. Ryder, professor of sociology at Macalester College, contributes “The Negro in St. Paul, Minnesota," a fine piece of social analysis. Father John La Farge picks up the challenge of "Birth Control" for Negroes advocated by Professor Simms of Oberlin in a brilliant reply called "A Misstep in Race Relations."

Negroes, participating in the movement for "Better Homes” are presented by Mrs. Helen Storrow of Boston, T. Arnold Hill, Streling Brown and Edward Eyre Hunt, of the Department of Commerce also contribute to this issue.

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE

Leading social workers will discuss interracial progress, when the National Urban League meets in its annual conference in St. Paul and Minneapolis, June 11 to 13. The group will have the advantage of the council of many leading social workers throughout the United States inasmuch as the National Conference of Social Work is meeting in Minneapolis the following week. Among those on the program of the National Urban league's Conference are George W. Kirchwey, criminologist, New York School of Social Work; Miss Joanna C. Colcord, director charity organizations department, Russell Sage Foundation, New York City; Albert Sidney Bechkam, clinical psychologist, Institute for Juvenile Research, Chicago; F. Stuart Chapin, chairman department of sociology, University of Minnesota: Reverend Fred M. Elliot, Unity Church, St. Paul and William H. Stead, executive secretary Employment Stabilization Research Institute, University of Minnesota.

Eugene Kinkle Jones, executive secretary of the National Urban League and the director of the league's departments; T. Arnold Hill. Ira De A. Reid, Elmer A. Carter, Jesse O. Thomas, the president of the National Urban League: L. Hollingsworth Wood, and Elbridge Bancroft Pierce, president of the Chicago Urban League, are some of the persons who are to speak. Subjects for discussion include programs and techniques in industry unemployment and underemployment, Negro family life, law observance and interracial progress. The headquarters for the sessions will be the Y. W. C. A., 123 West Fifth street. St. Paul, Minn. The sessions will close with a dinner meeting at the Hotel Radisson in Minneapolis.

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

According to a special news item received from Atlanta, Ga., Eugene Kinkle Jones, of New York, secretary of the National Urban League delivered the commencement address of the Atlanta School of Social Work in Sisters Chapel of Spelman College on Friday evening, May 29. In addition an original play entitled "Out of Work," dealing with the problems of unemployment, was given by the students. There were a number of awards given to students, making the best records in the several departments of the school. An excellent musical program was featured by the Spellman Glee Club, the Clark University quartet and Veniamin Blinov, Russian student in Emory University. The school, which is under the administration of Professor Forrester Washington, has shown steady progress and is just closing the best year's work in its history.

LOCAL NEWS

The members and friends of Market Street Seventh Day Adventist Church of Oakland tendered their pastor and wife, Rev. Owen Troy, a farewell reception last Saturday evening, May 23, in the parlors of Linden Branch Y W. C. A. Miss Sarah Crow, the trained nurse in charge of the clinic of the church acted as mistress of ceremonies. In her opening remarks she recalled how seven years almost to the day, friends assembled in this same place to welcome to this city Rev. Owen Troy and his bride. They had just graduated from Pacific Union, and San Fernando Colleges, coming directly to Oakland to assume the duties of his first charge. Miss Crow was followed by Elder Mitchell, of Market Street S. D. A. Church, who spoke on the steady growth of the church from 20 members to over 120, and its value to the community. He was followed by Delilah L. Beasley, who spoke upon the splendid background of Rev. Troy's parents and grandparents, both of whom were lifelong friends of her family. His grandfather she said, "was one of the most highly respected colored citizens in his home town of Cincinnati, Ohio, and for years served as bank messenger and collector for one of the large national banks, while his father was the first Negro mail carrier appointed in Los Angeles county, later investing his money in real estate, and for years was an outstanding leader in civic affairs for the uplift of his race, and is still wielding this influence." In conclusion she spoke of the valuable interracial work carried on in San Francisco bay cities by Rev. Troy during the past seven years.

She was followed by the president of California Conference of Seventh Day Adventists who told of the constant calls for Rev. Troy to fill positions. One call was from South Africa adding "that he had steadily refused to send Rev. Troy out of California which he considered needed him. He had, however, recognized in the call coming from Shiloh S. D. A. Church of Chicago, Ill., as an advance step for Rev. Troy, since this is the largest S. D. A. Church among Negroes in the United States."

Response was then made by Rev. Troy, preceded by the reading of an original poem by Dr. C. V. Hamilton, an old college chum of Rev. Troy, now a practicing physician in Oakland. He was followed by singing by a trio, a part of the chorus trained by Rev. Troy, after which a letter of appreciation from members of the church was given to Rev. and Mrs. Troy to use in financing their trip East, while the Dorchan Society presented Mrs. Troy with a traveling bag. On Tuesday evening Dr. and Mrs. Hamilton had an informal reception for Rev. and Mrs. Troy, after which they left Thursday morning for San Bernardino, California, where he will close an evangelical health clinic he has been conducting there for past several week with the assistance of Rev. Johnson of San Diego, who will supply Oakland S. D. A. Church pulpit.

COMMITTEE TEA

The tea held by the committee of management of Linden branch Y. W. C. A. on last Sunday afternoon was in recognition of the committee's new members, and to listen to the report of Mrs. Iva Gray, who served as delegate to the recent regional conference of Y. W. C. A. workers held at Asilomar. She said among other things that the conference reviewed the 1930 Y. W. C. A. convention, and discussed at length the way to improve Y. W. C. A. service to the community. The unemployment question as it affects the Negro citizen, and what is being done to relieve the situation. She added that the conference definitely showed that the Y. W. C. A. is studying every question in an effort to render genuine service to the community. It was a careful survey of the work of the conference and most appreciated by the large audience present. The radio artist concert rendered last Sunday evening in First A. M. E. Church was a decided success. Likewise the annual spring concert given Tuesday evening by “Etude Musical Club," which featured Mrs. Grace Sexias, soprano soloist.

PRESENTATION TEA

The Alpha Omricon Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Chapter at San Francisco State Teachers' College has sent out invitations to attend its formal presentation tea today from 3 to 6 p. m. at 2776 Dohr street, Berkeley, Cal. The chapter consists of the following graduate students: Mario Blue, Avis Borman, Carolyn Carrington, Elsie Carrington and Ruth Dean. Their pledges are: Loet Allen, Maxine Blackburn, Edna Lancaster, Mineola Lewis, Grace Logan, Gertrude Pitts and Bernice Wilson.