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Race and Place Newspapers
The Reflector
Location: Charlottesville, VirginiaArticle Transcripts
Date of Publication: August 19, 1933 (Wednesday)
Frequency: weekly
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Transcript of Article
Open Forum(All letters should be addressed to the Editor and submitted by Wednesday noon. Limit letters to 150 words.)
An open letter to the readers of The Reflector
Dear Readers:
A few weeks ago The Daily Progress threw a surprise on quite a few of our citizens by printing two papers, one with white society news and one with colored. In some sections of the city, a protest has been made by some who declare that they will not subscribe to a segregated paper. Co-incidentally, The Reflector, Charlottesville's only negro weekly, made its debut at the same time. Now is the time for the people of my race to cease their protestations and help to put over the programs of The Reflector and help it to grow into a periodical that is second to none. So, unless those protestors cooperate with this, their own weekly paper, I shall be forced to believe that they are only jokers.
By the way, I chanced to be in a meeting sponsored by the "Scottsboro Defense League" and heard one of Charlottesville's leading business men make a strong protest against The Daily Progress, as a segregated paper, yet I failed to see his advertisement in The Reflector. His protest must have been a joke, since he made no move towards aiding a paper representative of him and his race.
I want to compliment Mr. J. F. Bell, as I noticed that in The Reflector the week of August 5th, he was the only negro business enterprise that aided in giving the paper its start.
I wish to say to the negro business enterprises of Charlottesville that The Reflector deserves your support; it is your paper, but no one would have thought so, who read the advertisement sheet on August 5th.
Daniel F. Childress
Summary of Article
Challenge to black citizens and business owners to support The Reflector and other African American publications and civic causes.
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Wanted at Once!! Action.We have advocated since the first issue of this paper, three weeks ago, an active civic league for negroes of Charlottesville. We feel that a civic league in this community would do much to inculcate unity and power at the polls and in everyday life. We are urging citizens to give the plan consideration in their homes, in their clubs and in their various places of business. We have talked long enough. Now is the time for action. Bear in mind the program of an active civic league and tonight discuss its possibility in your home; let it displace gossip concerning trifles, and feel free to write this paper on that subject.
The primary step is to make necessary adjustments. Perhaps we have the inactive remnants of what was purported to be some from of league; reorganize it, revive it, make it life-like and movable. Let each citizen determine within himself that he is willing and ready, and leave the rest to step number two.
The secondary step, with pardons for the use of the common vernacular, is stick to your guns. Having reorganized, let nothing adverse discourage you, "heaven is not reached at a single bound." It is not always to the strongest that the victory is given, but to the one who perseveres.
Thirdly, in this project, forget personal feeling. Forget that the person who was selected as leader does not attend your church, or is not a member of your club or does not live on your street. Consider him as a man, as the chosen leader and support him. It is a wonderful thing, this personal interested in one's friend and loyal also to the cause of advancement and development.
Fourthly, lastly, but in no wise the least; if you do not see fit to actively aid in the program of the proposed civic league, keep quiet, and give the other fellow a chance. In this way you can at least help inactively. Many a worthwhile undertaking has met with failure because of the propagandist who did not understand, and who wanted no one else.
Wanted at Once!! Action. Let us act!
Summary of Article
A call to action demanding that the Negro citizens of Charlottesville form a civic league immediately. The league "would do much to inculcate unity and power at the polls and in everyday life."
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Eight Little Darkies ????Several days ago, the management of the Lafayette Theatre resorted to antebellum phraseology in advertising a watermelon-eating contest. This act offended many negro patrons who interpreted this ad as a gesture of disrespect and an admitted lack of appreciation for negro patronage. Perhaps those hundred or more negro citizens who protested to The Reflector are correct in their contentions. Perhaps the management of the Lafayette Theatre does not appreciate negro business, nevertheless, as a group, we took it as an insult and resented it.
Regardless of the intentions of the management, we think it timely to define the term used as accepted by negroes. In the first place, it is as remote as cotton's being one of the chief industries of the South, or serfdom in England. Then, the word "darkey" is a misnomer. It is equivolent to the word "Wop" as applied to the Italian, "Mick" as applied to the Irish, or "Cracker" as applied to the white race, and we resent it used as a representative term describing our race. Call us negroes or colored, but "darkies" and "pickanninies" are misnomers that are quite out of place in a time like this.
Having shown this angle, let us turn to another. A noted philosopher said "one may be regarded as that which he represents himself to be". Great was his wisdom. If we are poets, priests, ourselves as such. Maybe the management of the theatre did hurl an insult at our pride by the advertisement inserted in the paper last week, maybe it does not care for negro patronage, but after considering all that is true in the case, we wonder, just how eight little boys, who, with hands tied behind them, would consent to be made a laughing stock of, could be classified.
Summary of Article
A response to the Lafayette Theatre's use of the word "darkies" in an advertisement. The author enumerates the African American community's outrage and explores several different arguments addressing the racial epiteth.
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Alabama's Contribution to CivilizationTwo negroes were mob victims last week in Alabama. A sheriff and several deputies were ordered to hand them over to a groweling crowd of savage farmers between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, near the Jefferson county line.
Daniel Pippen was eighteen years of age and the other victim, Albert Harden, was just sixteen. They had been charged with first degree murder. Whispered threats caused Tuscaloosa officials to become uneasy. So Sheriff Shamblin decided to shift the prisoners to Birmingham for safe keeping. Mr. Shamblin and his "force" of two deputies were met by the mob and the riddled bodies of the two negro youths were found on a distant hillside two hours later.
Once upon a time such news would have been shocking, but Black America is no longer alarmed at whatever occurs in Alabama. Afro-Americans and the civilized world may be more or less surprised at any act that is not disgraceful or unjust.
We are powerless to suggest a remedy for this primitive method that Alabama citizens resort to, to correct her social wrongs. So we find consolation in concluding that maybe the high percentage of illiteracy that prevails in that state, and the obvious lack of clean thinking existing there, have much to do with the general backwardness. Perhaps they are to be pitied for, after having centuries upon centuries to advance and achieve, it strikes us as being unusually pathetic, that Alabama remains inferior in all other lines of endeavor save the jungle code, that her citizens uphold, and splashes America's history with details of cowardly lynchings and is seemingly proud that she contributes annually two-thirds of all the lynchings that occur in this country.
Summary of Article
A scathing response to the murders of Daniel Pippen and Albert Harden by a mob of "savage farmers" who proceeded to lynch the sixteen year olds while police looked on.
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Weekly Review of Current NewsAll China was wet this week by the most dreaded occurrence in Asia, the overflow of the Yellow River. More than 60,000 Chinese lost their homes in the Honan and Hopel provinces, 100,000 met a similar fate in the Shantung district, making the total number of homeless more than 160,000.
In New York City one day this week, a sub committee headed by United States Senator Royal S. Copeland, heard a variety of opinions concerning crime control. Every method of checking crime was suggested ranging from martial law to the use of the Lash and an "American Devil's Island". Such famous law-enforcers as Edward P. Mulrooney, former police official of New York City, Warden Lowes of Sing Sing and Professor Moley, Asst. Sec. of State (who was recently appointed by the President to make a special study of organized crime) were present, but it turned out to be "just another meeting"; no definite plans were made.
Attorney-General Thomas E. Knight, Jr. of Alabama was summoned to Tuscaloosa to personally "look for" the murderers of Daniel Pippin and Albert Harden, two negro youths who wer lynched Monday, while awaiting trial. Professional ethics is expected to give Mr. Knight the same interest and vigor in this case that he displayed so untiringly in the quite recent Scottsboro affair.
Gugliemo Marconi, noted Italian Wireless inventor made front page news last week by disproving the generally accepted theory that ultra-short waves are limited to the range of vision. Engineers had believed that these waves would travel only as far as the eye could see from the top of a high building, at the most, sixty miles. They also believed that solid objects had the same effect on ultra-short waves as would be in the case of a searchlight or other forms of light beams.
However, in a series of tests conducted between the inventor's yacht and Inland Italy, Signor Marconi said, messages had been exchanged despite two intervening mountain promontories, indicating that short waves were not hindered by such opaque objects. This discovery is hailed as a forerunner of more important advancements in radio communication.
The Scottsboro Defense League sponsored a meeting Wednesday night, which brought Mr. William L. Patterson, Vice-President of "The National Scottsboro Action", Mrs. Ada Wright, mother of two boys and Mr. Ben Davis of Atlantic City, to this City. The future of the case was outlined from the social as well as financial aspect.
Local democrats decided that Ernest L. Pugh was the man best fitted for handling the City funds, so they named him successor to the late Mr. Irvine for City treasurer, last Monday night.
Summary of Article
A short listing of important world and national events including brief commentary on the significance of each.
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Love and Hisses
Summary of Article
Now that we have reached the end of glamour's sway,
And outlived all our Star-swept nights;
It's time to return to the toilworn way
Of a path that was once so bright.
Yet, all winters pass--and Spring, fresh blown,
The building of a gay and golden thrown
In our dream castle planned for two.
Why dwell on the future, or on things gone past?
Enough that your lips against mine are pressed
With sweet, stolen kisses--doomed to be our last
Till a kinder Fate shall soothe our heart's unrest.
(Ah! though your kisses are sweeter than honey to me--
It will be darn nice Kid; to know that I am free.)
A short, light-hearted poem about the transient quality of youthful love.
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Society Notes of CharlottesvilliansWe are glad to welcome home, Mrs. Lucille Sampson, who recently returned from Chicago, at which place she was visiting relatives and friends.
Miss Sarah Jackson has deserted the calm and quiet of Charlottesville for the bright lights of the Great White Way.
The members of First Baptist Church, of which Reverend H. E. Williams is the pastor are worthy of commendation for the splendid cooperation during the life of "A to Z" rally. It has been reported that they succeeded in raising ninety-eight dollars.
Mrs. Nannie Chapman of Commerce Street will be greatly missed by relatives and friends. Her funeral was held last Sunday at the First Baptist Church.
Mr. William H. Booker and his famous band are rapidly growing in popularity. Four engagements took them out of the city last week to White Sulphur Springs, Hot Springs, Covington, Va. and other points in West Virginia.
Mrs. L. E. Williams and son, Raymond, of Jersey City, N. J. are the house guests of Mr. and Mrs. Lightfoot on Booker Street.
Miss Lillie Mae Brown of Commerce Street sponsored a play entitled "The Queen of Sheba," at Mount Zion Church last Monday night. It was quite good and a success.
The lawn party sponsored by Mrs. Irma Carter and Miss Genova Newman, met with real cooperation from the members of Ebenezer Baptist Church. It "went over" in a large way.
Reverend Smith of Oak Street conducted services at Ebenezer Baptist Church last Sunday. His text for the evening service was "Greater Love hath no man, etc." The sermon was quite interesting and inspiring.
Messrs. Buck Thurston, William Harland, and Sam Carter have returned to this city, after having vacationed in Baltimore and Washington.
Mrs. Virginia Nelson of Hinton, W.Va., spent a few days with her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. John Pleasants.
Professor and Mrs. George Dredden of Delaware who were visiting Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Childress have returned to their home.
Miss Clara Johnson has returned to Washington after a brief stay with her relatives on South Street.
Miss Mary Angell of Eighth Street has returned to this city from Norfolk, Va.
A group of young women of Ebenezer Baptist Church are sponsoring a musical on Monday, August 28, at eight o'clock, at Ebenezer Church for the benefit of the Sunday School. You are urged to come out and spend an evening of pleasure. Admission for adults 15 cents, children, ten. The Sponsors are Miss Louise Riddick, Miss Florence Carey, Miss Hortense Tonsler, and Mesdames Irma B. Carter and Eleanora B. Sellers.
Mr. and Mrs. Benard Shaw and Mrs. Roberta Woolfolk left this city for New York recently. They are planning a two weeks vacation there.
Mrs. Lottie Spears of King Street died Tuesday morning at two o'clock. Her family have our sympathy.
Mrs. Daisy Thorogoode has recently returned to this city, after having concluded her visit with her sister in Philadelphia.
Mr. Joseph Fields left this city Wednesday for Cincinatti to visit his wife, Mrs. Ophelia Fields.
Reverend Williams, pastor of First Baptist Church, has been in Profitt, Va., this week, conducting revival services.
Summary of Article
Various local announcments detailing what members of Charlottesville's black community were doing, from traveling to getting married, or starting social organizations.
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Among Our LodestarsMrs. Paul Lawrence Dunbar (Alice Ruth Moore) was born in New Orleans, La., July 19, 1875. She attended public school there and later studied at Straight University and was graduated from there in 1892. She taught in the public schools of New Orleans until 1896, when she went to Boston and New York to study. She was appointed teacher in the public schools of Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1897 and taught there until her marriage to Mr. Paul Lawrence Dunbar in March, 1898.
In 1895, Mrs. Dunbar's first book, entitled "Violets and Other Tales", was published by a Boston publishing company. The next book, "The Goodness of St. Rocque", published by Dodd, Mead & Co., New York, in 1899, was favorably received by the best critics. Mrs. Dunbar has written a number of short stories for some of the leading magazines and newspapers in the country, among them, The Ladies' Home Journal, The Southern Workman, Leslie's Weekly, The New York Sun, and The Boston Transcript.
While teaching in New York, Mrs. Dunbar was actively interested in mission work on the east side of New York, conducting classes in manual training and kindergarten after the regular hours of public school work were over. Her entire life was devoted to service and sacrifice for the betterment of society.
Summary of Article
A short biography of Mrs. Paul Lawrence Dunbar. The article includes her upbringing and education but focuses on her controbutions to the African American community as a teacher in New York City.
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