Jackson Advocate

Nat'l Education Ass'n. Charge Rep. Powell With "Lack Of Faith"
Hit Congressman's Aim To Block Federal School Aid

Washington, Feb. 13

The powerful National Education Association last week charged that Rep. Adam Clayton Powell seems "unwilling to abide by the court's decrees" on school segregation.

The NEA made the charge in making known its opposition to Powell's announced intention of introducing an anti-discrimination amendment to federal school legislation.

Miss Evelyn Casey, chairman of the NEA's legislative committee, said that the proposed amendment would be used by the bill's opponents to defeat the whole measure.

"NEA believes that the benefits from federal assistance for emergency school construction for children of all races far outweigh the temporary disadvantages that arise from the willingness of a few states to comply with the school decree," said Miss Casey.

She added that NEA is "not deceived by the sudden concern some members of Congress whose voting-records and previous evidence of favoring either civil rights or school legislation."

Miss Casey said the Powell amendment, if adopted, would "bypass and disrupt the procedures laid down the Supreme Court," pointing out that the court had provided for a period of transition from segregation to integration

"They (Powell and his supporters) asked full compliance at once by all local school districts as the price for receiving federal funds for school construction. They show no faith in the power of the federal courts to see that their decrees are carried out in orderly fashion," Miss Casey declared.