180 Negro Migration 



standing, could be in a measure corrected by local editors 

 if they would give thought and effort to a Negro department 

 in their paper. By treating seriously the local news among 

 the colored population, the paper would form a real bond 

 between the Negroes and the community. In noting the 

 items of progress in race relations, keeping the constructive 

 movements before the leaders of both races, and creating 

 a sound public opinion on the various puzzling topics of race 

 relations, they would do a genuine community service. 



(14) Every local community should learn of its own 

 responsibility for sanitation in its Negro settlements, 

 justice in its courts, law and order among its inhabitants, 

 and a good school, good churches and recreation facilities 

 for all its people, whether white or black. 



The first step towards accomplishing this is the founda- 

 tion of a community committee such as has been formed in 

 the counties of the South by the Southern Inter-Racial 

 Committee. These committees are composed of white and 

 colored leaders who can trust one another and who meet 

 and work together on the problems involving race relations. 

 These men not only are able to avoid inter-racial discord, 

 but are in a position to forward constructive programs by 

 modifying them so as to more nearly fit the needs of the 

 colored population, and by arousing the interest of the col- 

 ored population in their execution. In large cities, this 

 inter-racial idea can be carried further to include placing 

 colored workers on the staffs of the city associated chari- 

 ties, visiting nurses associations, probation offices, etc. 

 These workers are being trained in larger and larger num- 

 bers, and are peculiarly capable of handling the special 

 problems of case work among the members of their race. 



In meeting this responsibility, communities will not only 

 create a saner community life, but will also share in the 

 task of working out a program under which two races may 

 live side by side without conflict — a task in which the dem- 

 ocracy of the United States is being tested, while the civil- 

 ized nations of the world who are "bearing the white man's 

 burden" in Africa look on, hoping to be aided by our 

 experience. 



