EQUALITY
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by Bro. Lionel Newsom Bro. Lionel Newsom
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"We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal . . ." ". . . establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity . . . promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity . . ." When I approach the subject of "Equality" I cannot refrain from thinking of the two phrases listed above. Although they are out of context, any American who has gone beyond the third grade is or should be acquainted with them and the sacred documents from which they were extracted. Not only do I think of the early years of trial and tribulation for an infant nation, my thoughts also turn quickly to such concepts as Freedom and Justice, and Liberty and Fraternity. These words have been the cry of mankind since he mourned on Tigris and Euphrates to the bellowed sounds in Madagascar and Tanyayika, from the Boston Commons to the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Freedom as used here means, "the ability to act in accordance with one's own inner motivations." It is too often used loosely and identified with liberty, in fact, so often that when one asks a student leader, "What are you picketing against, demonstrating for, boycotting or just sitting-in for?" the almost automatic reply is, "Freedom, liberty, what else?" On the one hand he expresses a positive action—an action of expression while on the other he implicitly reflects a negative feeling or an absence of restraint. It appears to me that the crux of the socalled Negro Revolution is a movement against denials or equal opportunity. The leaders of every civil rights organization say: "We want our freedom now" or "We want our rights now." Most of the fellow-
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ship has been lulled into the belief that with freedom and/or rights will come EQUALITY. Too long they have been misled or they have failed to communicate. This is not to say that this is not a noble goal for it is the noblest of goals. Young and old people alike must soon learn that freedom does not automatically grant equality but that freedom only grants the opportunity to achieve equality. One may possess moral freedom even when he is denied liberty, for liberty is to be without external restraints. Many southern senators have liberty but do not have moral freedom. Russell, Thurmond and others of their like are in more chains of slavery than were Denmark Vessel, Nat Turner and Frederick Douglass who were owned by masters. Only their bodies were enslaved, not their minds. The "separate but equal" doctrine enunciated in 1896 was an attempt to deny Negro Americans equal access to all the public and most private facilities, accommodations and institutions of learning. This practice has denied "equal opportunity" but granted a freedom of unequal opportunity, while the whites kept unequal freedom and superior opportunity. With unequal freedom the majority group established a double standard of justice. The game has been consistently played according to their rules, laid down by men of ill will and only now do we see a glimmer of hope that the game in the future will be played by the rules of procedure laid down in the law and in court decisions of "men of good will". With the handicaps, many and varied, of the past three hundred years, how can we say that we are fighting for equality? We can say only, "we are fighting against the denial of equal opportunity." Stated positively we are geared for a long fight for an equal opportunity to become equal, for if integration should come to America tomorrow by some magic wand, the vast majority of Negroes would be physically, educa-
tionally and in some instances spiritually no better off than they are today. Equal opportunity means to be unhampered by the local, state and national government in the pursuit of employment, education, accommodations, full membership in unions and all other institutions which are opened to other members of the general public. Moreover, it demands statutes prohibiting discrimination of any sort which impedes his attempts to measure up to the humanity in him. In summary, I quote from Grimes: "Where there is no accepted standard of proof, it is fruitless to dispute claimed superiorities. Equality, as an ethical standard, recognizes the diversity of men and acknowledges differentiation while rejecting invidious discrimination; it does not, its proponents argue, level men to the lowest common denominator, but elevates them to the highest common dignity. The principle of equality, considered in this light, does not declare that all men are in fact equal; it does declare that allegations of religious and racial superiority cannot be proven, and, therefore, in the interest of public peace men ought to treat each other in these affairs as though they were equal." To better understand this revolution and what has happened to the hopes and dreams of the American Negro we must make the distinction clear between freedom and equality. The Central Theme of the Golden Jubilee celebration of The Sphinx is a concise summary of my point of view. Equality can come only through individual efforts. In order to achieve equality people must be able to communicate, to understand and appreciate each other, and to give and take. One must strive for excellence in every undertaking in order to build self-esteem and respect from others. These are the things that finally lead to equality. Freedom may be granted but equality must be achieved.
THE SPHINX