African Activist Archive - Michigan State University

In view of the patent need due to long years of economic and cultural deprivation, we urge our governmentto review its policy of economic aid to Africa and suggest that it develop programs comparable in scope andmagnitude to those programs administered in Europe.II—American Negro Participationin United States Programs in AfricaIn spite of pledges by the State Department that itwould follow a policy of fair employment, we find thatNegro citizens are still excluded from top level jobs inthe area of policy making.We urge the Department to make appointments ofNegro citizens to high level policy posts.We call for an end to the restriction of ambassadorialappointments to one or two persons of color.We urge recruitment of more Negro Foreign Servicestaff personnel and Foreign Service Reserve personneland equal assignment for such persons.We urge the recruitment of Negro Foreign ServiceOfficer Personnel, not only through the Foreign ServiceOfficer Entry Examination, but also by lateral transferand lateral examination from the Foreign Service Staffand Foreign Service Reserve Corps.We are disturbed by the failure of American foundations to include Negro citizens in policy posts handlingAfrican affairs . We call upon them to appoint distinguished and competent American Negroes to their Boardsand to top staff positions.We view with disapproval the policy of philanthropicfoundations in ignoring predominantly Negro institutionsand organizations which have demonstrated an abidinginterest in Africa and Africans, and Negro scholars versedin African affairs . We urge, therefore, foundations toinclude Negro institutions, organizations, and scholarsmore adequately in their grants and endowments.We call upon the President's Committee on EqualEmployment Opportunity to enforce the non-discrimination clause in contracts between our government andcorporations and educational institutions operating inAfrica .III—South AfricaThe American Negro Leadership Conference condemns apartheid as a system to exploit the African, Asianand Colored majority in South Africa by white supremacists and endorses the campaign of Appeal for ActionAgainst Apartheid.We deplore our government's opposition to the UnitedNations resolution calling for sanctions against SouthAfrica . We urge the United States to support such actionby the United Nations against South Africa and to seekits implementation through effective policing of themodes of entry .We recognize that the United States prohibits the shipment of arms to South Africa designed for use in theimplementation of apartheid, but we call upon the Government to undertake a total embargo of war material tothe South African Republic, because no practical distinction can be made between weapons for maintaining apartheid and weapons for ally other purpose.We call upon United States business firms to ceaselending money to South Africa and to withdraw investments from that country since such financial transactionscan only strengthen the present racist government.We urge the United States Government to activelydiscourage any public or private economic aid to SouthAfrica.We urge the State Department to include opponents ofthe apartheid policy among the South African recipientsof leadership grants.We call upon individual Americans to join the growinginternational boycott of South African goods.We demand that the United States Armed Forces ceasemilitary maneuvers in cooperation with South Africanforces and the use of South African waters or bases.We urge that the United States abandon the practiceof excluding American Negroes from its missions to theRepublic of South Africa and Africans from affairs sponsored by the American Embassy and all other UnitedStates Missions in that country.We urge the American Olympic Committee to fightfor the exclusion of South Africa from the coming Olympic games unless that nation permits all South Africanathletes to compete for places on its team without regardto race or color.We oppose the efforts of the Republic of South Africato incorporate the three High Commission Territories,namely, Basutoland, Swaziland, Bechuanaland into theRepublic of South Africa.IV—South West AfricaTaking cognizance of the dispute between the UnitedNations and the Republic of South Africa with respectto the latter's jurisdiction over the territory of South WestAfrica, the Conference urges the United States Government to support the United Nations in its attempt to winacceptance of its claim that South West Africa belongsunder the trusteeship system of the United Nations.Should these attempts prove unsuccessful, the UnitedStates must resume and assert its obligations in this territory as one of the Allied and Associated Powers to whichSouth West Africa was surrendered at the close of hostilities of World War I.The American Negro Leadership Conference endorsesResolution 1702, XVI, adopted by the U .N . GeneralAssembly in the fall of 1961 which calls for:(a) The evacuation from the territory of all militaryforces of the Republic of South Africa ;

(b) The release of all political prisoners without distinction as to party or race;(c) The repeal of all laws or regulations confining theindigenous inhabitants in reserves and denyingthem all freedom of movement, expression and association, and of all other laws and regulationswhich establish and maintain the intolerable systemof apartheid;(d) Preparations for general elections to the LegislativeAssembly, based on universal adult suffrage, to beheld as soon as possible under the supervision andcontrol of the United Nations;(e) Advice and assistance to the Government resultingfrom the general elections, with a view to preparingthe territory for full independence.(f) Coordination of the economic and social assistancewith which the Specialized Agencies will providethe people in order to promote their moral andmaterial welfare;(g) The return to the territory of indigenous inhabitantswithout the risk of imprisonment, detention or punishment of any kind because of their political activities in or outside the territory ; and further urgesthe United States Government to support the implementation of this resolution through the UnitedNations and in such other ways as may be appropriate .V—Angola-MozambiqueWe support the Nationalists of Angola and Mozambique in their struggle for freedom and independence.We urge the United States Government to support therecommendations of the United Nations Subcommitteeon Angola calling upon the Portuguese Government toenter into negotiations with African Nationalists for thepurpose of implementing self-government for the Angolese . We also call upon the United States Governmentto support similar negotiations between the PortugueseGovernment and African Nationalists in Mozambiqueand Portuguese Guinea.We urge the United States Government and privatesources within the United States to make a humane response to the medical, educational, and material needs ofAngola and Mozambique, and of the refugees from thoseterritories.We deplore Portugal's expenditure of large sums ofmoney on public relations designed to misinform andmislead the American public, and call upon all media ofcommunications in the United States to counter theseactivities by the Portuguese Government by making special effort to publicize and disseminate the true factsabout Angola and Mozambique to the American public.We urge the American Government to take immediatesteps to insure that no arms, weapons or war materialsupplied to Portugal by the United States are used againstthe peoples of Portuguese territories in Africa in its effortto keep these peoples in subjugation.We call upon the United States Government to useits influence to persuade other Western powers to urgePortugal to grant Angola, Mozambique, and PortugueseGuinea their independence.We urge the United States Government to support aUnited Nations resolution permitting the Commissionof the United Nations to make on-the-spot inspection inthe Portuguese territories.VI—CongoWe regard the restoration of the territorial unity, integrity and unification of the Congo with Katanga as anintegrated part of the country as an immediate necessityand to that end we support the use of sanctions and force,if necessary, to bring Katanga into a unified Congo . Wecall upon our government to exert its full power to achievethis objective.We endorse the continued United States financial support of the United Nations operation in the Congo.VII—Central African FederationThe Central African Federation embracing NorthernRhodesia, Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland was notconceived or structured and has never been maintainedor operated in the interests of Africans . We, therefore,oppose it in its present form.We oppose and will refuse to support any politicalstructure in any of these three countries which is notfounded upon universal suffrage based upon the principleof one man, one vote.We condemn the present government of SouthernRhodesia as being both politicaly bankrupt and callous.Its primary function has been to keep Africans in a depressed and subservient political, economic and socialstatus through legal and extra-legal means, includingdiscriminatory and repressive laws and the denial off reedom of speech, assembly and free movement of Africans.We deplore the fact that the United States abstainedon a resolution in the United Nations on Southern Rhodesia in the 17th Assembly which, among other things,called for lifting of the ban against the nationalist party,ZAPU, release of political prisoners, and for discussionsbetween the British Government and representatives ofAfrican nationalist organizations leading to a new constitutiongiving full voting rights to Africans.We seek full disclosure of all facts which will detail themanner and extent of American economic influence, bothpublic and private, in this part of Africa.In light of the f ailure of the white labor movement inthis area to provide leadership and assistance to the

Africans in their quest for freedom, we call upon the tradeunions to initiate and implement a policy calculated tobring the most meaningful benefits to Africans in thesethree countries, in terms of their economic, political andsocial status . We further urge the American trade unionmovement to take the leadership in assuming this responsibility, and to this end we propose a meeting of representatives of this Conference and those of Americanlabor .VIII—KenyaAs the independence of Kenya approaches we lookwith hope and pride toward its future development . It isin the interest of the Kenya people and the United StatesGovernment to have a free and stable Kenya Nation.Therefore we urge the United States Government to consider seriously, in consultation with Kenya Nationalists,affording financial aid and assistance to help Kenya develop aviable political entity.We urge the British Government in the pending constitutionalnegotiations and elections to adopt ahands-offpolicy in regard to the internal affairs of Kenya.We further urge Great Britain to continue to give aidand technical assistance to Kenya after it attains independence.We urge our government to grant the 15 million dollaraid requested of it by a joint mission representative of theKenya African National Union and the Kenya AfricanDemocratic Union.Rights Day, December 10, 1962, to present the findingsof this conference .XWe further authorize the six convenors of this conference to continue as an informal committee and to evaluate developments in the areas with which we have hereconcerned ourselves, and to communicate and consultwith the constituent organizations on continuing activityto the end that we may move steadily toward the attainment of the objectives embodied in these resolutions.WHEREAS, The American Negro Leadership Conference on Africa, held November 23-25, 1962 at ArdenHouse, Harriman, New York, was one of the best plannedand organized conferences in our memory, andWHEREAS, most of the work of this conference wasdone by voluntary help under the direction of TheodoreE, Brown and his staff:Brooke AronsonLinda LynchShirley BranchCarole MerrittIsobel ClarkMerline WhiteMarjorie EllisBernice WildsFlorence GordonIBCin putting together a great conference which will, in ouropinion, release some of the pressures of our Africanbrothers.We instruct the convenors of this body to seek a meeting with the President of the United States on HumanTHEREFORE, be it resolved that this conference go onrecord with a standing vote of thanks.

ParticipantsDelegatesAndrews, Regina M ., New York City, National Council of Wornen of the United StatesBaker, Ella, Atlanta, Georgia, Student Nonviolent CoordinatingCommitteeBaker, James K ., New York City, American Society of AfricanCultureBeamon, Vivian J ., Cincinnati, Ohio, The Links, Inc.Brown, Aaron, New York City, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.Butler, George 0 ., Washington, D .C ., National Urban LeagueBoard of TrusteesCarter, Robert L ., New York City, National Association For TheAdvancement of Colored PeopleClark, Isobel C ., New York City, National Urban LeagueClark, James I ., Washington, D .C ., Bible Way Churches WorldWideCornwell, Henry, Lincoln University, Pa ., Lincoln UniversityCurrent, Gloster, New York City, National Association For TheAdvancement of Colored PeopleDavis, John A ., New Rochelle, New York, American Society ofAfrican CultureDawkins, Maurice, Los Angeles, Calif ., Western Christian Leadership ConferenceFarmer, James, New York City, Congress Of Racial EqualityFerebee, Dorothy, New York City, National Council of NegroWomen and Women's Africa CommitteeGaston, Minnie, Birmingham, Ala ., National Council of NegroWomen and Women's Africa CommitteeGoodlett, Carlton B ., San Francisco, Calif ., California NegroLeadership ConferenceHale, William H ., Langston, Oklahoma, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.Hayes, Charles, Chicago, Illinois, United Packinghouse Workers, AFL-CIOHeight, Dorothy, New York City, National Council of NegroWomenJohnson, Arnold P., New York City, Small Business Chamberof CommerceJones, David, New York City, American Committee on AfricaJones, William B ., Los Angeles, Calif ., American Society of African Culture, Executive CouncilKennedy, Joseph C ., New York City, Human Ecology FundKing, Martin Luther, Jr ., Atlanta, Georgia, Southern ChristianLeadership ConferenceLanier, R . O'Hara, New York City, Phelps-Stokes FundLasley, Russell P ., Chicago, Illinois, United PackinghouseWorkers, AFL-CIOLawson, Belford, Jr ., Washington, D .C ., Afram Continental CorporationLogan, Rayford, Washington, D .C ., Howard UniversityMartin, Louis E., Washington, D .C ., National Democratic CommitteeMazique, Edward C ., Washington, D .C ., National Medical AssociationMiller, William E., Pittsburgh, Pa ., Refuse And Salvage DriversAnd Helpers Union, AFL-CIO.Mitchell, Clarence, Washington, D .C., National Association ForThe Advancement of Colored PeopleMontero, Frank, Bronx, New York, American Committee onAfricaMorrow, E . Frederic, New York City, African-American InstituteMorsel!, John A ., New York City, National Association For TheAdvancement of Colored PeopleNabrit, James M ., Washington, D .C ., Howard UniversityOliver, William, Detroit, Michigan, United Auto Workers, AFLCIOParker, Margery, Washington, D.C ., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.Parris, Guichard, New York City, National Urban LeagueRandolph, A . Philip, New York City, Brotherhood of SleepingCar Porters, AFL-CIO and Negro American Labor CouncilRay, Wilma, Washington, D .C ., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.Reddick, Lawrence D ., Baltimore, Maryland, Southern Christian Leadership ConferenceReynolds, Hobson, Philadelphia, Pa ., Improved BenevolentProtective Order of Elks of the WorldRhodes, E . Washington, Philadelphia, Pa ., National NewspaperPublishers AssociationSam, Leo, New York City, Operation-Crossroads AfricaScantlebury, Albert R ., New York City, Improved BenevolentProtective Order of Elks of the WorldStevens, Hope R ., New York City, American Committee on AfricaThornton, John M ., Washington, D .C., United Steelworkers ofAmerica, AFL-CIOWalker, Wyatt Tee, Atlanta, Georgia, Southern Christian Leadership ConferenceWatts, Daniel H ., New York City, Liberation Committee forAfricaWells, Clara, New York City, National Council of Negro WomenWilkins, Roy, New York City, National Association For The Advancement of Colored PeopleWilliams, Smallwood E ., Washington, D.C ., Bible Way ChurchesWorld WideWilson, Boyd, Pittsburgh, Pa ., United Steelworkers of America,AFL-CIOYoung, Whitney C ., New York City, National Urban LeagueContributors of Background PapersDavis, John A ., City College of New YorkDrake, St . Clair, Roosevelt UniversityHill, Adelaide Cromwell, Boston UniversityHouser, George, American Committee on AfricaKilson, Martin, Harvard UniversityLowenstein, Allard, North Carolina State CollegeMarcum, John, Lincoln UniversityMondlane, Eduardo, Syracuse UniversitySmythe, Hugh, Brooklyn CollegeObserversBassett, Grace, New York CityBelafonte, Marguerite, New York CityDavis, Mavis Wormley, New Rochelle, N .Y.Essien-Udom, E .U ., Providence, R .I.Garvin, Roy, Washington, D .C.Goncaives, Carlos, National Front For Liberation of AngolaKunzika, Emmanuel, National Front For Liberation of AngolaJohnson, Willard, Cambridge, Mass.Lewis, John H ., New York CityNkosi, Morley, Lincoln University, Pa.Parker, Dorothy C ., Washington, D .C.Weaver, Harold, New York CityWoods, R . Delmar, New York City

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THE NEW YORK TIMES, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1962.O.S. NEGROES URGE !MORE AFRICAN AIDWilkins Opens Drive to HelpNew Independent States'By M . S. HANDLER'Special to The New York TimesHARRIMAN, N . Y ., Nov. 23 —A campaign to mobilize thepolitical power of 19,000,000American Negroes behind 'thesub-Sahara independent Africanstates and other natives peoplesstill living under colonial rulewas started here tonight.The campaign was initiatedat the opening of .a three-dayconference at Arden House ofColumbia University. It was !designed to follow the pattern !in which Jewish opinion and re- 1sources in this country weremobilized .to support Israel.The keynote was sounded byRoy Wilkins, executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement ofColored people, after a dinnerattended byt 100 Negro leadersfrom all parts of the nation.Presiding at the opening session was A . Philip Randolph.president of the Brotherhood ofIn helping the sub-Saharan !African peoples, Mr. Wilkinsimplied the American Negroesalso help themselves in theirown struggle." The not inconsiderable abilities we American Negro citizenspossess," Mr. Wilkns said,fective fashion to the task of ipersuading our Government to"should be harnessed in an of-ifective fashion to the task ofpersuading our Government toaid the emerging peoples of. Africa toward their place in the'world of nations., "In developing this activityi we should not relax our prime efforts to achieve our proper iplace in our own country since'progress toward that end willenhance our influence in behalfof Africa."And in pressing our claim foraction in Africa, our emphasi smust be not upon the paternalSleeping Car Porters and a viceand social treatment, but uponpresident of the American Fedthe thesis that our traditions aseration of Labor and Congresswell as our national securityof Industrial Organizations.demand such forthright steps;The committee that called thea free Africa will buttress a free;conference included Rev . Dr.America."Martin Luther King Jr., integration leader ; Dorothy Height,Praises Kennedy's Actionspresident of the National CounMr. Wilkins praised the efcil of Negro Women, and Whit- fortsof the Kennedy Adminisney Yung, executive director of i trationto enforce the U .S.the National Urban League.!Supreme Court's rulings against'Meeting Ends Sunday!segregation . He also praised theyThe conference is scheduled President's Executive order banto end on Sunday with the ning racial discrimination inadoption of a resolution on the! housing constructed or financedUnited States policy in Africa. with Federal money.But Mr, Wilkins sharply critThis will urge the Government,to abandon its "wordy policy icized the Government's policiesand to adopt a dynamic course of Africa. He called those pollthat, the resolution says, will ' dies a "wordy condemnation"help raise the international of the Union of South Africa'sstatus of the 28 new African apartheid practices, and ofstates, and help liberate theremaining colonial territories.In a prepared statement tothe conference Mr . Wi lkins in-idicated clearly . that Negro;lieved that the emergence of lthe independent African states'leaders in the United States be-'pace at which the Americanhad substantially quickened theNegroes have been progressingin their fight toward equal, ,status.1iIwhat he termed the repressionof Negroes in Angola, Portuguese territory."It ill becomes the UnitedStates of America in 1962," hesaid, "to content itself withwordy condemnation of suchcourses, the while refrainingfrom supporting a sanctionsresolution . in the United Nationsand continuing normal relationswith the Union of SouthAfrica."He said the situation todaydemanded "something morethan deploring resolutionscoupled with business-as-usual—both issuing from the con-.venient umbrella off one or another aspect of the East-Westcold war."We do not underestimatethe resourcefulness and thepersistence of the propagandaof our Soviet opponents," hewent on, "but recent . events inIndia and Cuba may suggestto new nations the degree ofdependance that may be givento Soviet assurances. " Irrespective of fortuitous dev

the apartheid policy among the South African recipients of leadership grants. We call upon individual Americans to join the growing international boycott of South African goods. We demand that the United States Armed Forces cease military maneuvers in cooperation with South African forces and the use of South African waters or bases.