Activities Among Negroes
The colored citizens of Oakland have much to cause rejoicing this week, having acted as host to the sixty-fifth annual session of the California conference of the African Methodist Episcopal church.
The local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is working vigorously to have the recent Harmon award exhibit of 72 paintings and two pieces of sculpture exhibited in Oakland. They have been working to obtain the cooperation of other Pacific coast branches to help bring these works by Negro artists form New York to Oakland.
The committee made a personal visit to Clapp of the Oakland Art Gallery and found him willing to cooperate in seeing that the exhibit was permitted to be shown in this gallery located in the Oakland Municipal Auditorium. The exhibit was first made in Internatlonal House in New York and has since been on a tour of cities making the request. Oakland will be benefited irrespective of race to have the privilege of viewing this exhibit by Negro artists.
CALIFORNIA CONFERENCE
The sixty-fifth session of the California conference of the African Methodist Episcopal church will close tonight after having held a most successful session in this city. Bishop H. B. Parks, senior prelate of the convention presided and has been able to present several of the general conference officers. The proceedings were reported daily, nevertheless there are interesting features for the readers of this column; among which was the sermon of Rev. H. Coit of New York.
He is a Graduate of Clafflin {Claflin} University, having received his A. B. degree from this school, and B. D. from Gammon Theological college, while Wilberforce University conferred upon him the honorary degree of D.D. He has widely traveled and both his sermon before the Young People's Missionary meeting Thursday afternoon and the missionary sermon on Africa delivered in the evening before the entire conference were outstanding events of the conference.
The singing at all the services was especially fine. Lincolnia Morgan, as director of the First A. M. E. Church choir, had this choir render some splendid church music, and also the choirs from other churches on different nights gave the conference some excellent music. Mrs. Pearl Lowery Winters of Bakersfield on several occasions rendered solos.
The great effort being made for education by the A. F. M. church throughout the nation was also one of the outstanding events of this conference. There were many ministers present who have pastored in Oakland and were welcomed during this conference. Among them were Rev. Pryor and Rev. Hughes from San Francisco; Rev. S. Goolsby, Rev. N. B. Gant, Bakersfield; Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Gentry of San Jose; Mrs. M. A. Burton of Reno and many others. All of the ministers accompanied by their wives.
YOUNG PEOPLE
The California conference branch of the Women's Mite Missionary Society is headed by Mrs. Lydia Smith of Oakland. Her years of experience in Y. W. C. A. work has meant much to the conference work in this department. She has associated with her as first vice-president, Mrs. Vinita Pryor; second vice-president, Mrs. Pearl Lowery Winters, Bakersfield; recording secretary, Mrs. Elizabeth Foreman, San Francisco; corresponding secretary, Mrs. Beulah White; treasurer, Mrs. Shelvey; secretary treasurer Y. P. department, Mrs. Candis Saddler, Oakland; contingent secretary treasurer, Mrs. Florence Harris, Santa Barbara. The executive board consists of Mrs. M. Louise McGuire, Mrs. Minnie Fletcher, Mrs. Ceina Hughes, Rev. H. B. Parks and Rev. J. E. Fletcher. Mrs. Anna McCIure, who last year was elected official secretary, was unable to serve because of her husband moving to Idaho.
LINDEN BRANCH NOTES
Last Sunday's observance of the Linden branch, Young Women's Christian Association, of the various conferences of workers at Asilomar, was one of the finest affairs ever sponsored by the branch. A large assembly of citizens and Y. W. C. A. workers attended. It was a re-echo of the Young Women’s Christian Association, at least in California, object and aims in trying to create the brotherhood of races. Asilomar is the only conference grounds owned by the national board of Y. W. C. A. in the United States. It is possible for a girl who wished to do work to train in some of its branches at this beautiful site in California. It was most interesting to listen to the reports of Negro girls who have attended at different conferences and received their training at Asilomar.
PROGRAM
The program for last Sunday afternoon was opened by Mrs. Iva Gray, acting as mistress of ceremony. The first number was the presenting of Alvin Nurse, who has the honor of being the only Negro student from Northern California ever to have attended an assembly or conference at Asilomar. He led the singing on Sunday assembly of "Day Is Dying in the West" and was followed with a talk given by Miss Alice Moore from the Central Y. W.C. A. She told attending an assembly at this national grounds and was inspired to write a poem, later put to music, making a beautiful Y. W. C. A. song. Miss Bobby Sterns, a senior in the University of California, sang it. This was followed by short talks by different Girl Reserve representatives at the various conferences. Miss Dorothy Gray of Teacher's College, read a paper, while Miss Ruth Bally told of her experiences as a student at a conference, Miss Lula Chapman, executive secretary of Linden branch; Miss Zola Morgan, Mrs. Tarea Pittman and Miss Candice Black, Girl Reserve secretary of Linden branch, all gave interesting reports of the conferences they had attended. Especially fine was the singing by Misses' Alice Pollock, Edna Lancaster and Vera Jones.
BENEFIT SOUTHERN DINNER
Rev. W. J. Byers has asked this correspondent to announce and urge the public to patronize the benefit Southern dinner to be served for the aid of his church, which is in need of funds to repair the roof. The dinner will be a chicken Southern meal cooked by the Ladies' Aid society and will be served in the Business and Professional Women's clubhouse, 608 Webster street on Tuesday, September 23, from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. at 75 cents. Mrs. R. B. Hite, chairman of the committee; W. J. Byers, pastor. Reservation can be made by either telephoning HI ghagate 1364 or sending to Rev. Byers, 1330 Eighth street, not later than September 22.
