more than he can earn. He can’t see how he’ll ever have a wife and children. The economic structure just doesn’t permit it unless he’s prepared to live down in poverty and have his wife work too. That’s part of it. Our people aren’t educated because they either can’t afford it or else they know education won’t earn the jobs it would a white man. Any kind of family life, any decent standard of living seems impossible from the outset. So a lot of them, without even understanding the cause, just give up. They take what they can - mostly in pleasure, and they make the grand gesture, the wild gesture,because what have they got to lose if they do die in a car wreck or a knife fight or something else equally stupid?”
“Yes, and then it’s these things that cause the whites to say we’re not worthy of first-class citizenship.”
“Ah …” He dropped his hands to his sides hard in frustration. “Isn’t it so? They make it impossible for us to earn, to pay much in taxes because we haven’t much in income, and then they say that because they pay most of the taxes, they have the right to have things like they want. It’s a vicious circle, Mr. Griffin, and I don’t know how we’ll get out of it. They put us low, and then blame us for being down there and say that since we are low, we can’t deserve our rights.”
Others entered, ordered breakfast, joined the conversation.
“Equal job opportunities,” Mr. Gayle said. “That’s the answer to much of the tragedy of our young people.”
“What’s needed?” I asked. “What kind of wisdom can overcome the immense propaganda of the racists and the hate groups? People read this poison - and it’s often presented in a benevolent tone, even a kind tone. Many sincerely think the Negro, because of his very Negro-ness, could not possibly measure up to white standards in work performance. I read recently where one of them said that equality of education and job opportunity would be an even greater tragedy for us. He said it would quickly prove to us that we can’t measure up - disillusion us by showing us that we are, in fact, inferior.”
“I wish those kind souls wouldn’t be so protective. I know plenty who’d be willing to take the chance of being ‘disillusioned,’ ” the proprietor laughed.
“They’re about fifty years behind the times,” an elderly man said. “The social scientists have shown this is wrong. Our own people have proven themselves in every field - not just a few, but thousands. How can the racists deny these proofs?”
“They don’t bother to find out about them,” Mr. Gayle said flatly.
“We need a conversion of morals,” the elderly man said. “Not just superficially, but profoundly. And in both races. We need a great saint - some enlightened common sense. Otherwise,we’ll never have the right answers when the pressure groups - those racists, super-patriots, whatever you want to call them - tag every move toward racial justice as communist-inspired, Zionist-inspired, Illuminati-inspired, Satan-inspired … part of some secret conspiracy to overthrow the Christian civilization.”
“So, if you want to be a good Christian, you mustn’t act like one. That makes sense,” Mr. Gayle said.
“That’s what they claim. The minute you give me my rights to vote when I pay taxes, to have a decent job, a decent home, a decent education - then you’re taking the first step toward ‘race-mixing’ and that’s part of the great secret conspiracy to ruin civilization - to ruin America,” the elderly man said.
“So, if you want to be a good American, you’ve got to practice bad Americanism. That makes sense, too,” Mr. Gayle sighed. “Maybe it’d take a saint after all to straighten such a mess out.”
“We’ve reached a poor state when people are afraid that doing the decent and right thing is going to help the communist conspiracy,” the proprietor said. “I’m sure a lot of people are held back just on that
“Yes, and then it’s these things that cause the whites to say we’re not worthy of first-class citizenship.”
“Ah …” He dropped his hands to his sides hard in frustration. “Isn’t it so? They make it impossible for us to earn, to pay much in taxes because we haven’t much in income, and then they say that because they pay most of the taxes, they have the right to have things like they want. It’s a vicious circle, Mr. Griffin, and I don’t know how we’ll get out of it. They put us low, and then blame us for being down there and say that since we are low, we can’t deserve our rights.”
Others entered, ordered breakfast, joined the conversation.
“Equal job opportunities,” Mr. Gayle said. “That’s the answer to much of the tragedy of our young people.”
“What’s needed?” I asked. “What kind of wisdom can overcome the immense propaganda of the racists and the hate groups? People read this poison - and it’s often presented in a benevolent tone, even a kind tone. Many sincerely think the Negro, because of his very Negro-ness, could not possibly measure up to white standards in work performance. I read recently where one of them said that equality of education and job opportunity would be an even greater tragedy for us. He said it would quickly prove to us that we can’t measure up - disillusion us by showing us that we are, in fact, inferior.”
“I wish those kind souls wouldn’t be so protective. I know plenty who’d be willing to take the chance of being ‘disillusioned,’ ” the proprietor laughed.
“They’re about fifty years behind the times,” an elderly man said. “The social scientists have shown this is wrong. Our own people have proven themselves in every field - not just a few, but thousands. How can the racists deny these proofs?”
“They don’t bother to find out about them,” Mr. Gayle said flatly.
“We need a conversion of morals,” the elderly man said. “Not just superficially, but profoundly. And in both races. We need a great saint - some enlightened common sense. Otherwise,we’ll never have the right answers when the pressure groups - those racists, super-patriots, whatever you want to call them - tag every move toward racial justice as communist-inspired, Zionist-inspired, Illuminati-inspired, Satan-inspired … part of some secret conspiracy to overthrow the Christian civilization.”
“So, if you want to be a good Christian, you mustn’t act like one. That makes sense,” Mr. Gayle said.
“That’s what they claim. The minute you give me my rights to vote when I pay taxes, to have a decent job, a decent home, a decent education - then you’re taking the first step toward ‘race-mixing’ and that’s part of the great secret conspiracy to ruin civilization - to ruin America,” the elderly man said.
“So, if you want to be a good American, you’ve got to practice bad Americanism. That makes sense, too,” Mr. Gayle sighed. “Maybe it’d take a saint after all to straighten such a mess out.”
“We’ve reached a poor state when people are afraid that doing the decent and right thing is going to help the communist conspiracy,” the proprietor said. “I’m sure a lot of people are held back just on that
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