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By ALICE JOHNSON

Autherine Lucy: to many she has become woman of the year

MANY she is the Woman

of the Year. To the Univer- sity of Alabama she may well be the Woman of 125 Years, the first Negro since the university was founded to gain admit- tance. ;

She is Autherine Lucy, born 26 years ago in Shiloh, Alabama (population 100 today), in the heart of the state’s rich black belt. .

Her parents were farmers. They had 11 children, 10 of whom still live. The youngest was named Autherine.

Higher education is a far- away thing for a Negro farm family in Alabama's black belt. Only one other of the Lucy child-

ren attained it — a sister who

graduated from junior college.

Autherine Lucy finished ele- mentary school in Shiloh, went through the 10th grade at Shiloh Junior High School, and on

through the 12th grade at Lin- den Academy.

What makes people want to learn?

Shiloh is some 120 miles al- most due west of Tuskegee, where Booker’ T. Washington proclaimed that education was the key to Negro advancement.

Autherine Lucy persisted, two years at Selma Junior College, and then Miles Memorial. Insti- tute at Birmirrgham. From Miles, where she majored in English, she received a bachelor of science degree and a teacher’s certificate.

But jimcrow was still with her. It followed her to Carth- age, Miss. (population 1,925), where she taught for two years,

AUTHERINE LUCY

had charge of English classes and was senior class director.

Res ey 53

In 1952 she returned to Ala- bama and decided, with her neighborhood friend, Mrs. Polly Myers Hudson, to enroll at the University of Alabama, the state’ school erected and maintained with the wealth wrung from the sweat of the Negro people.

The written applications were accepted, but when the two young women appeared at the

university they were turned -

down.

Miss Lucy secured the ser- vices of an attorney, Arthur D. Shores of Birmingham, and as- sistance from a fund set up by the Alabama Committee for Educational Equality.

The court battle began, the daughter of a Negro farmer pitted against the state of Ala- bama. The court battle drag- ged on, the university throwing all its vast resources and legal talent into a battle of legal manoeuvres to maintain the jimcrow line.

The timés were with Miss Lucy, and the first court victory was hers. Early in February she went to class at the Uni- versity of Alabama.

nt tt xt

The undercurrents of sym- pathy were strong. ,

“One teacher said to me, ‘T admire your courage and I am sure you will win’,” she recalls.

A student slipped her a note which read: “There’s more of us here rooting for you than you think.”

Two days later the mob came, ugly, violent, incited by bigots off the campus, and Miss Lucy was suspended by the authori- ties. The officials surrendered to the mob, but she did not. She resumed the battle.

“All I- want to do,” she said, “Gs study library science and to do it at home in Alabama. I don’t want to cause any trouble and I’ve never looked for trouble. I want to go to the University of Alabama because I am from Alabama.”

There have been Offers of scholarships from all over the world.

“They are wonderful,” she said. “It is very thoughtful. of them to make the offers. I real- ize they want to give me some assistance, but the only way I would consider accepting any of them is that fate decides it so that I cannot attend the Univer- sity of Alabama.”

Now hear this eee

The Bennett government has apparently decided to as- sume an air of injured inno- cence while it strives to ad- just the collective halo knocked awry by the Som- mers scandal. That’s why Tom Bate, Attorney-General Robert Bonner’s seat mate in Vancouver-Point Grey, came to Sommers’ defense last week, challenging “anyone, anywhere,” to lay a formal charge against Sommers.

Bate claimed that opposi- tion speakers had smeared Sommers on platforms where they “should have known that their privilege was end- ed in the eyes of the law.” And that, of course, is the contradiction in his argu- ment, because Sommers’ promptness in slapping a libel writ on David Sturdy restrict- ed @iscussion. Bate didn’t answer was why the government continues to deny the demand for a royal commission if it has nothing to hide. —

There may be a showdown soon at Vancouver Parks Board between superinten-

The question |

dent P. B. Stroyan and his

controller, Bruce Campbell. It seems that, Stroyan’s senior secretary went to hos- ‘pital and he hired one of her friends to replace her tem- porarily. Campbell, who is supposed to have charge of the office, raised the ‘roof. The quarrel was supposedly patched up after hush-hush sessions involving members of the city council, but it has now broken out again, with Campbell reportedly issuing an ultimatum | either Stroyan goes or he will. . What’s so strange? A cor- respondent has drawn our at- tention to this item in the

_ Buffalo Courier-Express: “It’s

strange that our country has a day dedicated to labor and none dedicated to capitalism and free enterprise.” But what about the other 364 days?

» Even the National Defense Department found it hard to “swallow the latest anti-Com- munist smear’ concocted by Tom Alsbury, president of

- Vancouver Trades and Labot Council. Alsbury claimed ‘that “Reds” were infiltrating the armed services and then sat back to enjoy the sensa- tional daily press headlines he knew he would get.

The National Defense De- partment tried to save face for Alsbury with a statement about its quiet and very un-

democratic screening pro-

. World.

; Heinbonsha Publishers, ' 4 Yonbansho,

cesses. But this time Als- bury had over-reached him- self and by the time the fur- ore he created had subsided the only thing that could be proven red was Alsbury’s own face.

Many people in Vancouver will remember Father Clar- ence Duffy, the Irish-Ameri- can Roman Catholic priest (born in the U.S., raised in Ireland) who spoke in Van- couver a few years ago under auspices of the B.C. Peace Council.

Now Father Duffy. has written the story of his fight. for “a Christian approach to social, economic and political problems, and to the “issues of world peace.” His book is entitled The Insurgent Spring and it’s published by the Gallant Herald Press, 17 Murray Street, New York 7, N.Y. at $1.50. -

And another publishing item is the invitation exten- ded to Canadian children by the Japanese publishing house of Heinbonsha, which is now | gathering material for Vol- ume 13 of a 15-volume series entitled Children of the Heinbonsha wants writings and drawings “records of everyday life’”— by Canadian children and they should be addressed to No. Chiyodaku,

Tokyo, Japan.

The Hiancrl Pa aicnon hack

By WILLIAM KASHTAN

part. of the farm picture

Constitution debate beneficial to merger

T= daily papers throughout

the country have been dis- cussing the draft constitution which will be up for adoption at the Canadian Labor Congress in

April. I can well: understand why -they received advance copies. What I find hard to

grasp is why copies have not been made available to the locals and the membership.

After all, the constitution is

written for them and they should have the opportunity of not only

examining its contents, but to

bring in amendments, if such |

are necessary, so that out-of the discussions a constitution which

best meets the needs of a united.

trade union movement can be adopted.

Apparently the Unity Com- mittee and the leadership of both TLC and CCL think other- wise. They have let it be known that nothing of consequence can be changed by the convention —something to- which I drew attention in previous columns.

This seems ‘rather a strange way of treating the question. It is high-handed, to say the least, and will place convention dele- gates in the impossible position of being mere rubber-stamps

and yes-men.

This explains why there is growing opposition throughout

“the country to the undemocratic

procedure laid down by the Unity Committee.

I have a clipping from the Winnipeg Free Press which re- ports that all TLC and CCL delegates to the Unity Congress will meet in Winnipeg on April

7 to discuss those sections of the, constitution which they con-

sider objectionable.

If this is the way the Win- nipeg trade union movement is reacting the feeling must be universal. Other cities may well be doing the same thing.

ce; DE SE

I don’t know what specific features of the constitution the Winnipeg trade union movement objects to. The widespread op- position to the proposals for restricted representation and bi-annual conventions would probably indicate that these are among the subjects to be con- sidered.

One clause to which I drew attention last week gives ex-

1

MARCH 30, 1956 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PA

‘amending the constitution.

tremely wide powers to the president to unseat delegates duly elected by their member- ship. Interestingly enough, it is this section the capitalist press has seized on.

This highly undemocratic, McCarthy-like clause ought to be defeated. It has no place.in the constitution of a trade union movement which should be open to all workers, irrespective of their political views.

It’s worth noting, that even the AFL-CIO constitution, with all its red-baiting, has not in- cluded such an undemocratic clause. Is the Unity Committee trying to prove how “Canadian” and independent it is by bring- ing this particular provision inta

the draft constitution? _

I am rather surprised that men like George Burt and C. H. Millard, not to speak of | other members of the Unity Committee, concurred in such — proposals. Perhaps they will have second thoughts on the sub- ject, but these second thoughts would be greatly helped if the — rank-and-file throughout the

country make their position clear, ae xt

From every point of view

%

the constitution needs care

examination. Delegates certain- ly ought to have the right and opportunity of discussing ye that right is taken away it be> | comes a source of serious fric- tion and dissatisfaction.

It’ is not a question here of asking for the moon. or trying to upset the applecart. Every thinking trade unionist is mind- ful of the historic event which will take. place on April 23 and is equally aware of his or her responsibilities in ensuring that |

‘the merger will work in the in-

terests of. the workers of out country.

Who would dare to say, how~ - ever, that to demand the con- stitution be as democratic a> possible is to be guilty of 4 crime or of jeopardizing thé merger? On the contrary, thé ~ more of democracy there 1: the greater assurances there are that the merger will result in new advances for labor.

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