Activities Among Negroes
Sixteen Negroes were granted awards for notable achievements this week by the Harmon Foundation of New York City. This is the fourth year of the Harmon awards for distinguished achievements among Negroes, which are administered by the Race Relations Commission of the Federal Council of Churches in the fields of business, organization, fine arts, music, literature, religion, science, education and race-relations. This year nine gold medals and seven bronze honorarium in each or seven fields and a total of $4900 were given.
The award in race-relation, which is biennial, consists of a gold medal and $1000. This was a accorded to Robert Russa Moton, 65, principal of Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, the first colored man to receive this distinction. Dr. Moton is a Virginian and was educated at Hampton Institute where he became commandant and vice-principal, remaining there until he was summoned in 1916 to Tuskegee to succeed Dr. Booker T. Washington. While at Hampton he was one of the founders of the Virginia Negro Organization Society which has done much to promote better understanding between the races. He was one of the leaders in the formation of the commission on international cooperation of the south and since 1922 has been chairman of the executive committee of the Jeannes Fund, concerned with rural education among Negroes. He has been an influential leader in the inter-racial work of the National Men's Christian association. His latest contribution to the cause for better racial understanding is his book, "What the Negro Thinks."
BRONZE AWARD.
Janie Porter Barrett was given a bronze award in education for the unique work she has done with delinquent Negro girls at the Virginia Industrial school, of which she is superintendent, at Peak's Turnout, Virginia. It was started by the Virginia Federation of Colored Women's clubs and is the first school of its kind for Negroes in the United States to receive state support. Mrs. Barrett was educated at Hampton Institute, where she married and settled after graduation. She became so impressed by the lack of recreation for the children of the town that she opened her home as a settlement, calling it the "Palace of Delight." Her interest in the unprivileged child led her to establish a school of which Miriam van Waters writes, “Your school is unique in that it is one of the few in this country to maintain an enlightened policy of self-government together with a high degree of orderliness and efficiency."
EDUCATION AWARD.
In the field of education two awards of gold medals and $400 each were granted to John Hope, 61, president of Atlanta university, Georgia, and Dr. W. J. Hall, 56, president of the State Agricultural and Industrial College for Negroes in Nashville, Tenn.
Dr. Hope is a graduate of Brown university and holds honorary degrees from Howard, Brown, and Bucknell universities. He has been active in promoting college education among Negroes in the south. The present Atlanta university is the result of a merger, brought about through his efforts of Spellman college for women, Morehouse college for men and Atlanta university. Nine heads of other Negro colleges have been graduated from Morehouse during the time Dr. Hope has been associated with the college.
Dr. Hale began the work of the state college for Negroes in 1912 with a small state appropriation. Today he has a state accredited institution with a plant appraised at more than a million dollars. He is a native of Tennessee where he received his education and taught in the public schools prior to his work at the state college. He has been active in inter-racial and educaitional movements throughout the state.
LITERATURE AWARD.
Walter White, 36, 409 Edgecomb avenue, New York, was granted the bronze award in literature for his creative writings shown in two novels "The Fire in the Flint" and "Flight." White is assistant secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The West End Young Women's Christian association of Cincinnati, Ohio, reported that they held their Christmas party for poor children this year in the Roosevelt theater and it was attended by 1600 children taking the seating capacity of the edifice. A new colored charity club was organized to raise funds to purchase shoes and warm clothing for underprivileged children. They gave a charity ball and raised $900.
ASSOCIATION MEET.
The twenty-third annual meeting of the Armstrong Association of Philadelphia was held Friday January 3, at 1434 Lombard Street, with John Emlen, president and founder, presiding. Wayne L. Hopkins, in rendering the twenty-third annual report and his third annual report as executive Secretary of the association, related many interesting accomplishments of the various departments and activities during the past year. It showed much progress along all lines and stamped 1929 as one of the most successful years in the organization's history. After the following introductory statement Hopkins gave a summary of the various activities carried on during the year.
"The Armstrong Association attempts to bring about better conditions among the colored people of Philadelphia through the following activities:
Neighborhood Work for racial adjustment in the mass; industrial work for the creation of wider industrial opportunities for Negroes; research work that the needs of the colored community might be continuously studied and that accurate Information on all phases of Negro life be disseminated among interested persons; social service training, that technically trained colored social workers be supplied on an ever-widening field; cooperation and coordination, to the end that all agencies working among Negroes might understand the entire situation and thus extend their energies most advantageously."
NEIGHBORHOOD WORK.
Reporting on the work of the community organization and neighborhood department which carries on its activities through a system of neighborhood clubs and community center. It was brought out that there 11 of these clubs with a combined membership of 229, having a total attendance of members at club meetings during the year of 1403. In addition to the regular neighborhood clubs, five girls' clubs were organized in localities where wholesome association of girls has been lacking. There was a total membership attendance of 524 girls last year. The West End Philadelphia Community Center located in the Mt. Olivet Baptist church, Forty-second and Wallace streets, ended its second successful year under the direction of the community organization department of the Armstrong association. The center has an enrollment of 169 and recorded a total attendance last year of 2458. As a result of this demonstration, the pastor, Rev. Marshall L. Shephard, is hopeful of securing funds with which to employ a full time worker. The report of the industrial department was very fine, showing they had made a total of 567 placements during the year of which 325 were men and 244 women.
LIBRARY EFFORTS.
The department of research and information which has grown to become an indispensable unit of the organization, showed a library circulation of 597 volumes reaching about 1000 people. Among the three surveys completed may be mentioned a survey of recreation opportunities for Negroes in Philadelphia which was carried on by students from Lincoln university who were doing field work with the association last year. In the matter of cooperation the Armstrong association organized a promotion committee of colored citizens to obtain a wider participation of colored people in the welfare federation campaign. It also cooperated with the hospital and health survey by assembling and directing a corps of volunteer workers to make a canvass of the colored cripple persons in Philadelphia.
REPORT RENDERED.
The report of the Cosmopolitan dinner held at Taylor Memorial M. E. church in Oakland, November 12 last, given by the committee on welfare of the colored group for the benefit of the work of the committee by Mrs. Bertha Allen, chairman, showed door receipts of $49.50 for tickets. On November 25. Mrs. Stanton reported an additional $1.50 for tickets, and Mrs. Macklin a dollar which had been donated, making a total of $52. The expenses were $49.25, leaving a total of $2.75 in the treasury. An itemized account of disbursement accompanied the report.
FEDERATED CLUBS MEET.
The Federated club women's day will be held Sunday afternoon, January 12, at the North Oakland Baptist church. Mrs. Ethel R. Clark, executive secretary of the Booker T. Washington Center of San Francisco, will be the principal speaker. Miss Thelma Brown of Berkeley will appear on the program, with Miss Bobbie Sterns, Thalma Brooks and the North Oakland Baptist church choir. Mrs. Lawrence Sledge, president of the northern section, will preside. Mrs. Celoa Brown will be chairman of the program committee.
COLORED VOTERS.
The Alameda County League of Colored Women Voters held their meeting Wednesday afternoon in the parlors of Linden Branch Y. W. C. A. at which time they went on record as endorsing the petition sent out by the National League of Women Voters by the committee headed by Miss Ann Morgan on The Cause and Cure of War. The league members signed the peti4tion, to be forwarded with similar petitions by all the leagues, to be sent to the London naval conference.
The league nominated Mrs. Hettie B. Tilghman as delegate to attend the employment committee meetings of the Alameda County Public Welfare league January 14, in the Thayer building, Oakland.
