Atlanta Daily World

Lillian Smith Harks Back
The current issue of The New Republic carries an exchange of letters between Miss Lillian Smith of Clayton,
Georgia and one Mr. Edmund Rucker of San Diego, California. Mr. Rucker's letter, which bears all the earmarks
of a 'white supremacist,' criticizes both The New Republic
and Miss Smith for their constant preachments of racial
equality while at the same time, proposing no specific
program for the attainment of this equality. "Does Lillian
Smith practice social equality with the Negroes? asks Mr.
Rucker. Does she invite Negroes into her home and exchange social visits with them. Knowing the South as I
do, "concludes Mr. Rucker, "I very much doubt it."
Without attempting to become embroiled into a personal
argument with Mr. Rucker, Miss Smith proceeds to point
out to him the many things he can do to bring about racial
equality. Here is what Miss Smith proposes:
"Gain more insight as to what the problem basically is.
Our focus should be changed from the "Negro problem" and
fixed squarely on the problem of the white man and his
feeling about skin color.
"Negroes, too, will have to discard their suspicion of
whites, their need to hate other people, their need to feel
persecuted. There are chasms between Negroes and whites.
But bridges can be built across these chasms and groups of
people can build them. And here is how we can do it:
"We can work for a permanent FEPC. We can work
for laws, all kinds of laws, that will make discrimination
in jobs and wages illegal. We can work, wherever we are
to help the South get rid of the poll tax and the White
Primary. We can work for justice in the courts for all
people whether they live in California or Georgia or New
York or Russia or China. We can work to promote public
works, the TVA and other projects. In other words, we
can do our part to get those 60 million jobs going. We need
them in this country. They will be a fine insurance against
riot, against racial and religious violence, against labor-industry fights. We can work for federal aid to education. We
can join some kind of interracial groups and make friends
with other colors and religions and nationalities. It is important for us to stop talking about people being problems
and begin to make people our friends. When a "problem
child" is made he ceases to be a problem."