WHEN Roland Lawrence, chair-

man of the Negro Citizens’
League in Vancouver, told Paul
Robeson at the Peace Arch con-
cert that a great deal of racial

N€ Was speaking the plain, un-
Varnished truth.

Racism is a foul disease that
Persists in all parts of Canada;

Js Vancouver’s shame that dis-
crimination is practised so freely

€re that Negroes label our city
@S one of the worst Jim Crow
entres in the country.

Walk around town with your

€yes open and you'll see plenty of
examples, ‘

tem ery Pody goes shopping. Now

N Me, have you ever had a

ae clerk serve you in Wood-

ay S, Eaton’s or the Bay? I
Ought not.

: eae have a telephone in your
ie or office, and use it several
i Heats aday. Of course you can’t
ie ify a Negro by her voice,
BCTet can assure you that the
eee has no _ Negro
tbe board operators. Yet the
TS carry daily ads of the
a feccintg “attractive work” as
ay ators to “single or married
men, 16 years and over.”

ad Personally know several Ne-
jobs Sirls who have applied for
told as BCT operators, and were

(over the phone) to come

0 : :
ea for an interview. Not one
as hired,

wee thas you like a glass of cold
ae Na warm afternoon. If so,
Or an a probably, at one time
the i er, dropped into most of
th Anke beer parlors. How
‘ Such h €groes have you seen in
Dan Otels as the Cobalt, Regent,

on, American or Melbourne?

0 any
you say?
SCcur to y ay

Te Welco

; Did it ever
ou to inquire if Negroes
me in these places?

Maybe you play golf. Have

Rol and Law
aNcouver
Peace
Said: “

discrimination exists in this city,

awrence, chairman of the Negro Citiz
- is shown shaking hands with Paul Robeson at the great
concert August 16. Speaking into the mike, Lawrence

MUTATE re eT TEE MT Eee eee

iil ‘i
LUCIA WEE PAT A Tee Ot Ted Ted Pant Wet Oy Ot Oy 0) St tt

Jim Crow in Vancouver

* Pipe

oer, . Y
PERE E RE By BERT WH TE PENT Ot OEE St EE SUL tt ES eS Se SS SS Se sss
7 -

you run across any Negroes at
the “best” clubs? You know as
well as I do that the ‘‘best” clubs
bar Negroes.

How many Negro policemen are
on the Vancouver Police Force?
How many Negroes work in the
City Hall? How many Negroes
do you know who. hold down
good jobs anywhere in Vancou-
ver? Not many, I’m willing to
wager.

Racial discrimination is an evil
thing. All national minorities
suffer from it to a greater or
lesser degree. The Negro suffers
more than anyone—he is given
the most menial jobs, at the low-
est pay, and is usually “the last
to be hired, the first to be fired.”

It was a welcome development
when, arising out of the Clarence
Clemens case, a Negro Citizens
League was formed here last Jan-
uary with the aim of fighting rac-
ial discrimination in all its forms.

Another encouraging develop-
ment is the appearance of a new
monthly paper, The Canadian Ne-
gro, published in Toronto.

An editorial in the current is-
sue of The Canadian Negro hits
at the government’s biased immi-
gration policy towards Negroes
from the British West Indies, and
cites statistics to show that the
Negro population of Canada has
dwindled from over 75,000 in 1855
to 18,000 in 1953, while the total
population of Canada increased
from 2,500,000 to 15 million over
the same period.

The editorial says, in part:

“The arrogant attitude on the
part of the government’s immi-
gration department in restricting
West Indian Negroes casts a re-
flection on the Negro citizens of
Canada who are predominantly
West Indian and who have prov-
en down through the years to be
industrious, law-abiding citizens.

Sas

ens League in

Yal 1 w. © Not represent my organization here, but as an individ-

uh have

admired p to greet Paul Robeson, one of our own. | have always
aul as a fearless fighter against racial discrimination.
+ Paul ,2 Great deal of it in Vancouver, and we're fighting it,

“Since 1763, when we first tilled
and cultivated the soil under the
United Empire Loyalists, our
sweat and blood have helped
make Canada the great nation it
is today.

“As far back in our history as
1812, we fought for Canada’s in-
dependence and played a promin-
ent part in defeating the Ameri-
can invasion. Many of our race
gave their lives in the first world
war, and in 1939 when Hitler’s
armies set out to rule the world
we volunteered and fought in
évery branch of the armed ser-
vices. We who were good enough
to die for Canada are now being
told we are not good enough to
live in it. ...

“The federal government has
just passed a law against discrim-

ination in employment because of |

race, religion, color or creed. Yet
that same government has done
nothing whatsoever to end- dis-
crimination in the immigration
department. S

“Tf it is government policy to
condemn discrimination in all
fields over which it has jurisdic-
tion, and at the same time con-
done it in the immigration de-
partment, the word ‘democracy’
for Negroes here in Canada be-
comes just another word for ora-
tory.”

Canadian Negroes are not will-
ing to remain “second class citi-

zens” any longer; they are organ-
izing and fighting against Jim
Crow here just as American Ne-
groes are battling discrimination
south of the border. As Paul
Robeson said at the Peace Arch
rally:

“My people are determined not
to be second class citizens in our
own country, but to be first class
citizens—and that is the rock on
which I stand.”

There is no “Negroes only” re-
striction in ‘the army which is org-
anizing to fight Jim Crow. Every
decent. Canadian, regardless of
color, religion or creéd must help
to end .racial discrimination in
our country. If we don’t destroy
this evil, it will destroy us.

| went for a job
By SARAH WRIGHT

Bookkeeper wanted?

There were a lot of ads in the daily paper,
One whole column and a half—

| picked out a good one:

Bookkeeper, capable of handling complete
set of books, small manufacturing concern,
young woméh, experience, call between
9-11. Ask for Mr. Major. .

“GOOD MORNING, Mr. Major. This is Miss
Brown. I’m calling in reference to your
advertisement.”

“Tell me something about yourself.”

“lve five years experience. Three in your

line. . . . I’ve worked for Shining Example-

Lamp Co....
“Business school training. .. .
“Excellent references. . . .”

“GOOD, Miss Brown—

“Come right down.”

“Be there in twenty minutes. .
“Oh, you live nearby?”

"Yes"

“Good, we wanted a girl who lives nearby.”

“a
.

1 WENT for the job.

The girl in the front office smiled.

(After she’d gotten over her surprise..)

Mr. Maior smiled, too.

(After he’d gotten over his surprise.)

He took my name again,

My address, telephone number, my references.
Said they were good. Said he’d call me.

Had a few more girls to interview.

He didn’t call.’

1 WENT for a job.

Big auto concern.

The girl in the front office said:

“Sorry, the job is filled. . . “

One week later they were still advertising for

a bookkeeper.

{ WENT for a job. Filled out an application.
They thanked me, smiled, said they’d let. me

know.

| WENT for a job.

Bkpr. g’d working condition, g‘d salary.
He saw me and said:

“75 cents an hour. 48-hour week.”

“But nobody offers a trained bookkeeper, ex:
cellent references, with five years’ experi-
ence, less than $50 a week.”

“Take it or leave it.”

1 WENT for a job.

Button manufacturer.
a colored girl.

Said of course he wasn’t prejudiced.
Liked my references.

Liked my personality.

Liked my looks. —

Said he’d let me know.

Reached out his hand as | rose to go.

Not for my hand.

Said he hadn‘t expected

His was a little too low for that,

Said he really liked me.

| stepped back quickly.

| walked out thinking, something ough? to be
done about it

But how can you prove if.
mine.

The white press wouldn’t take a_ colored
woman’s word,

His word against

{ WENT for a job and another and another.

My money gave out and I walked.

Signed up for compensation.

Said | left my last fob voluntarily.
have an operation.

But that didn’t count. | didn’t get it.

I had te

1 WENT for a job and another and another.

1 walked to so many white places.

Saw so many white faces, smiling—postponing—
thanking me sometimes.

Saying, they’d let me know.

AND I WENT for a job

The blond saw me coming

Down the long carpeted hallway,

Turned and whispered to the brunette at the
next desk,

She looked up, then both looked down and
smiled.

_ | asked for the job.

They were sorry. The job had been filled.
Two weeks later they were still advertising.

| WENT for a job.

A paper box maker.

He was surprised and showed it.

Was | really a bookkeeper. Had I worked for
white people?

Yes! | showed him my references.

He didn’t ask but | showed him anyway.

“Do you do shorthand?”

“No. Your ad was for a bookkeeper, full
charge.”

“Sorry. It should have said expert stenog-
rapher.”

He continued to advertise for the rest of the
week

For “Bookkeeper, experienced, full charge.”

1 WENT for a job.

The sign over the cash register said
“Smile. Honest it won’t hurt.”
The*man smiled and turned his back.
| thought

How can you tell what’s in a smile
When a white boss’s smiling it

In your black face.

FOR THREE MONTHS | visited
Three employers a day.

| went for a job.

{ visited over 100 places.

| looked for work as a bookkeeper, five years’
experience,

Excellent references .. .
I'm still looking . . .

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — AUGUST 28, 1953 — PAGE 9

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