"The workshops will introduce published, unpublished and graphic materials that will enable participants 'to enrich their instruction in the heritage of the American Negro and of his increasingly prominent contributions to American life and culture,' it was announced. "Barnaby Keeney, chairman of the endowment, observed today he hoped that the workshops would produce in the long term 'a more balanced view of American history' than has been true before, with the roles of the black man often ignored or distorted. "Mr. Keeney added that there was also 'real danger' that Negro history might become 'a separatist subject.' "The workshops will be held in July and August. "Each institution will receive up to $10,000 to defray costs not covered by workshop registration fees. The institutions participating, their workshop dates, directors and special focuses are, as follows: "Boston University, Boston, Mass., Aug. 5-17-Dr. Hohn Cartwright, AfroAmerican Coordinating Center, a workshop stressing the inclusion of material on the Afro-American in sociology courses. "Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, N.Y., Aug. 18-24-Prof. Linoel R. Sharp, department of languages and literatures, a program oriented to the needs of twoyear college faculty members and emphasizing the Negro in American literature. "Duke University, Durham, N.C., Aug. 18-24-Prof. Richard L. Watson, Jr., department of history, a workshop for those teaching courses on the history of the American Negro. "Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 26-31-Dean George N. Redd, a workshop surveying publications and curriculums on the Negro in America. "Howard University, Washington, D.C., July 22-26-Mrs. Dorothy Porter, librarian of the Negro Collection, a workshop for librarians stressing bibliography and methods of improving college library collections on the Negro. "Morgan State University, Baltimore, Md., Aug. 5—9—Dr. Roland C. McConnell, department of history, a workshop on resource materials relevant to American Negro history. "Southern University, Baton Rouge, La., Aug. 12–16—Dr. E. C. Harrison, vice president for academic affairs, a conference on literature, criticism and visual arts in the context of American Negro. "Faculty members and other academic personnel interested in attending a workshop may inquire directly to the college or university concerned.” Senator PELL. Our first scheduled witness is the principal sponsor of the bill, Senator Scott. Senator Scott, you are most welcome, and would you proceed, please? STATEMENT OF HON. HUGH SCOTT, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA Senator SCOTT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do appreciate your courtesy in inviting me to appear to testify, and I know of your own very deep and earnest and cultivated interest in history generally and in this specific subject, which is the core, or the center perhaps I should say, of today's interest. The great accomplishments of American history are proudly recited in stories, poems, songs, and textbooks. The curious and disturbing fact is, however, that to the vast majority of Americans, both white and black, the heroes of that history are almost all white. Most of our schools, and the history books in our libraries, overlook or ignore the contributions of Negroes to our American culture and civilization. This paucity of awareness of black America's enrichment of our Nation is the indirect cause of much of the prejudice aimed at the black minority. It is a problem for white America, but a more serious problem for Negroes. Because they are unaware of their own heritage, many Negroes have inadvertently accepted the white majority's stereotyped opinion of Negroes. The almost total absence of awareness of the Negro as a valuable contributor to our society-something approaching an inadvertent conspiracy-has gone on for so long that we will have to undertake a very considerable effort to make up for several hundred years of neglect. My bill, under consideration today, to establish a Commission on Negro History and Culture, would help to uncover America's Negro history, which for so long has been buried beneath ignorance and indifference. When America looks into the mirror she sees a distorted image. She has not yet recognized that the true image is a composite of Europeans, Africans, Asians, American Indians, South and Central Americans. The African culture heritage of the United States, from coffee and chocolate to the latest teenage dance steps, has been fully assimilated into the American scene, and is taken totally for granted. America today is fascinated by the newest advances in heart surgery. But how many Americans know that the first successful open-heart surgery was performed by a Pennsylvania-born Negro doctor in the last century? I may add that that was Dr. Daniel Hale Williams. Every schoolboy thrills to the adventure of Commander Peary's expedition to the North Pole. But they do not learn that the first man to actually reach the North Pole was a Negro member of the expedition. As, of course, you know, Mr. Chairman, that was Mr. Matt Henson. Americans followed the progress of World War II daily in their newspapers and on the radio, but few knew that the man who organized the blood bank system which saved the lives of American and allied servicemen was a Negro, Dr. Charles Drew. Senator PELL. May I interrupt for one moment, please? Senator PELL. This has some parenthetical interest in connection with the blood bank: I recall that during World War II, although Dr. Drew organized them, these blood banks segregated the blood. Black people could only get black blood and white people could only get white blood. A black minister required some blood but there was none available from the segregated blood bank. When this became known I was one of two officers who insisted on going down and giving our blood to Freedmen's Hospital; an action which I hope helped to break that pattern and habit. Senator SCOTT. I appreciate the comment. I remember the situation. I remember the tragedy and the needless misunderstanding which led to that newspaper controversy at the time. Incidentally, although Italy was on the other side in World War II, it is also parenthetically of interest that the discovery of blood plasma and the method of shipping blood plasma which made possible the saving of many lives in the Ryukyu Islands and Okinawa assaults was a famous Italian-American physician in Philadelphia. And I may add, too, parenthetically speaking of Negro history and culture, that in today's Washington Post, is recited the experience at the preopening sessions of the library for the new Federal City College, where I am glad to say it will be possible for persons to be admitted for liberal arts, to pursue a liberal arts course, upon the presentation of a high school diploma. When the library was opened, it was stocked with paperbacks which can be kept and retained as long as the borrower wishes. Fifty copies of Negro history were installed there, and they were the first books to be removed, and every one of them now is in the hands of a reader. I should like to insert in the record at this point a copy of the article. Senator PELL. Without objection it is ordered printed in the record. (The article referred to follows:) [From the Washington Post, July 24, 1968] CITY COLLEGE'S PAPERBACK LIBRARY FEATURES NEGRO-ORIENTED BOOKS (By J. W. Anderson) Federal City College's first students thumbed through its honor-system library last week. The rows of paperback books stood on open shelves in a busy corridor. Some of the youngsters walked off with a book or two under their arms. That was what the college had hoped they would do. Librarians reported a heavy demand for "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." One purpose of this unorthodox library is to put as many books as possible into students' hands. Another purpose is to show college officials, as they organize courses, where the students' interests lie. Although the college does not formally open until September, it has already enrolled 83 students for a six-week, no-credit summer institute in which next year's courses are being designed. The institute is a laboratory for the new ideas that the college plans to put in gear when as many as 2,400 students arrive next fall. The open library illustrates the process. The library, using paperbacks to cut costs, is encouraging students to take as many books as they want for as long as they want. "This kind of borrowing privilege is usually accorded only to faculty, elsewhere," said one librarian, William E. Hinchliff. As fast as a book is signed out, the college will replace it on the open shelf. (The college library will also have a collection of 50,000 hardbound books under much tighter restriction. ) Students have so far shown the greatest interest in Negro history and culture, reported Ulysses Cameron, another librarian. He put 50 titles on the shelves Thursday, he said, and they were all gone by the end of the day. Another book that goes very quickly, he said, is Ralph Ellison's "The Invisible Man." The Federal City College library intends to make a specialty of Negro literature, Hinchliff said, and will publish scholarly bibliographies. Other subjects that are heavily in demand, the librarians added, are modern drama and the social sciences. Federal City College, Washington's first public liberal arts college, has no admissions requirement but a high school diploma. Senator SCOTT. Our negligence of the Negro role in American history is both the cause and the effect of prejudice today. The Negro and his fellow Americans must share full knowledge of their common past and their common goals to dispel the myths which foster hatred and separatism. Historians tell me that research should be done on: Meta V. W. Fuller, a well-known Negro sculptress who lived in Philadelphia during the early 1900's. Benjamin Banneker, a respected mathematician and scientist who served on the commission of three that planned the District of Columbia. The Negro inventors who were responsible for such inventions as a paper-bag machine, an evaporation pan for sugar refining— which revolutionized the sugar refining industry in 1846-the first working model of a steam engine, and the shoe last which made possible the mass production of shoes. Of course, we are all familiar with the remarkable research of such men as Dr. George Washington Carver in Alabama. The deeds of black men in battle, such as Salem Poor, a Negro cited for his part in the Battle of Bunker Hill, and other heroes, including the brave black Americans fighting today in Vietnam. All Americans, both white and black, must become aware of the black heroes of science and exploration, heretofore unsung. They must understand Negro contributions to religious thought in America. They must look anew at Negro contributions to the performing arts, and to competitive sports. They must realize that the Negro influence has been so pervasive in activities that are so deeply entrenched in our lives that society has been molded almost without realizing it by Negroes of great achievement. It is for these reasons that I hope that through the work of such a Commission on Negro History and Culture the true image of America will come into clear focus, and credit and respect will be given where it is due. Therefore, Mr. Chairman, I urge favorable consideration of my bill to establish the Commission on Negro History and Culture. I would also ask the permission of the chairman to include certain relevant material, including copies of the House report on H.R. 12962 and the bill, the companion to S. 2979, which was introduced by Representative Scheuer and was reported to the House from the House Education and Labor Committee. It is our understanding it will be taken up on a day of House suspension of the rules, possibly in September. While there is some modest variance in the bill, it is not extensive. I would also ask the Chair's permission to include in the record a letter from me to Peter McCollough, president of the Xerox Corp., thanking them for the television series, "Of Black America," together with the transcripts of the first three programs, and comment from the press. I should also like to insert in the record other relevant material. Senator PELL. Without objection, all these documents will be placed in the record. (The documents referred to follow :) 90TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION Union Calendar No. 685 H. R. 12962 [Report No. 1679] IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEPTEMBER 18, 1967 Mr. SCHEUER (for himself, Mr. BURTON of California, Mr. BUTTON, Mr. CoHELAN, Mr. DiGGS, Mr. EDWARDS of California, Mr. FRIEDEL, Mr. HALPERN, Mr. HAWKINS, Mr. MADDEN, Mr. Nix, Mr. OTTINGER, Mr. Reuss, Mr. ROYBAL, and Mr. RYAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor JULY 10, 1968 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed [Omit the part struck through] A BILL To provide for the establishment of a Commission on Negro 1 History and Culture. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 That (a) there is hereby established a Commission to be 4 known as the Commission on Negro History and Culture 5 (hereinafter referred to as the "Commission"). The Com6 mission shall be composed of eleven members, appointed by 7 the President from persons who are authorities on Negro 8 history and culture. 99-596 O-68-2 |