The Dayton Citizen

MISTER X
TO A CANDID WORLD
By LUCILLE K. WHEAT

Women No Longer Remain In Traditional Background

Any attempt to evaluate our social progress of the past decade calls to mind such names as Ralph Bunche, Jackie Robinson, Percy Julian and all notable and worthy Negro "firsts."

Beyond a doubt, in the background of each of these men there was a woman--a mother, wife or teacher who gave those "firsts" the impetus toward greatness and the appreciation of our "inalienable rights."

WOMEN OF 1950, HOWEVER, ARE NOT remaining in the background; they have been making a few headlines and firsts for themselves.

Althea Gibson stole the spotlight at the national women's singles championship at Forest Hills sponsored by the U. S. Lawn Tennis Association. Those of us who saw Miss Gibson in action recently at Wilberforce know she deserved this honor and her appearance was commendable.

I like Mrs. Edith Sampson's statement about feeling a part of a "great team of 152 million Americans rather than the representative of 15,000,000 Negroes." I was irked by the Administration's statement that she was nominated as United States delegate to the United Nations General Assembly to counteract Communist propaganda that Negroes are deprived of opportunity and position.

Mrs. Christine Ray Davis who is secretary to the Committee on expenditures in the House of Representatives is the first Negro to serve in that capacity.

All of these "firsts" of the past few weeks help to erase the blemish of American inequalities.