[An essay by Margaret Nelson Rowley] Page: 15 of 18
This text is part of the collection entitled: J.J. Barlow Papers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries Special Collections.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
.on of the segro Is demand for fights and equality of opportunity"
while the document touched upon all of the basic deinands, it was not c
panacea for all ills. Political rights, open housing, free access to
employment did not automatically follow the enactment of the law. It
accomplished more in the area of desegregating public facilities than i
i1d in other areas. But the masses of Negroes are not as interested in
he right to eat and play where they wish as they are in the right to V.
and work.under decent conditions. The lack of proper housing and job
opportunities are still a crucial.factor which continues t b'reedi ures
"nd protest.
Victory brings changing social patterns and this in tur. -
problems. .Change results in temporary social disorganization aad
w hich oftencause a. situation to become worse during the period o
:reorganization. There is no doubt that the push for civil rights
disturbed racial harmony in the United States. The situation in
1hicago and.elsewhere are. shocking evidences of this fact. Familit
.atterns of adjustment based on discrimination fostered by the di
heory of racial inferiority are crumbling and creating, for many
-onfusion and < oc This theory has lore been the deteriment
-elations in the United States. Popularized during the pre--Civil Wa:
.eriod to justify the slave system, the theory that the Negro race wa
nferior did more than determine the status of the slave. It also i
she "place" of the free Negro ii both the North and South on the soci
conomic scale and led the Supreme Court in the Dred Seot Decision c
854 to declare the Negro incapable of United States citizenship. TL
1vil War destroyed the institution of slavery but it did not destroy
';heor,.of inferior-superior race. The theory remained and segregation
by law replaced the slave system as a means of its imple entation. Th:
egro as.the inferior race was separated by legal means in the South anc
y discrimination in the North from the White superior race. With the
>less nrs of the ,upreme Court in Plessy Vs. Ferguson, this pattern
continued-until research by the* Social Scientists in the.193Qes proved the
inferiordsuperior race theory false. It was not until 1954, however,
that the Court finally accepted the evidence of the Social Sciences and
declared legal segregation unconstitutional. As has been indicated, it
,as ;aken a period of almost ten years for the Court decision to result
in a change of racial patterns. But however slowly, (and painfully)
is ' 'nW occurring.
Both Negroes and Whites find themselves faced with problems in the
c::gse of the change. Chief among these is the opening of channels of
communication on an equal status level between the two races. For so long
in the North and South, but certainly to a greater degree in the South,
communication has been from master to servant, from employer to employee,
from the White community to the Negro community, but seldom from eual
to equal on an individual basis. This almost total lack of communication
has been a great handicap in bringing together liberal whites and Negroes
ior concerted action in the integration movement. Not only has it bred
is-trust and mis-understanding, it has also created a tremendous block
in the simple mechanics of communications. This default in communication,
in turn, retards the development of new images and attitudes, and the
acceptance of changes which have already occurred. Mutual development
and acceptance need to be fostered on the part of both races. Mass
communication organs such as television, magazines and newspapers are
f ntributingr to this development by portraying the Negro as an integral
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This text can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View three places within this text that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Text.
Rowley, Margaret Nelson. [An essay by Margaret Nelson Rowley], text, 1964/1966; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1884476/m1/15/?q=%221964~%22: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.