Memphis World Memphis World Publishing Co. 1969-04-19 J. A. Beauchamp Black Identity Advocators Ask About Christ's Color At the present time the black community is going through a process of growing up in a modem technological nation, but it finds numerous questions confronting it which need to be answered. Questions about black history has recently absorbed much time and Space, now a special question has arisen. An article in the March issue of "EBONY" has stated that a group of black churchmen have raked the question about the color of Christ. This question was discussed in an article entitled "The Quest For A Black Christ" by Alex Poinsett. The article, "The Quest For A Black Christ" shows the truly limited scope of the present trend in search for black identity. It seems that the leaders of this movement are young black ministers who are interested in the racial identity of Christ. Perhaps it is not out of line to really want to find out what color. He war. But at the present point in time it would only be another interesting fact to add to the multitude we already have at our fingertips. According to the article the black man is in need of black theology to produce black unity and to assist black power in building black nationalism. As one reads the articte the impression is given that with the development of a black theology, the present situation in ghettoes will change. Of course, such an assumption raises interesting speculation. First I would like to know of what value the color of Christ could be to us in our present situation. Are we so religious that it would change the life and outlook in the ghetto? Would a black Christ reverse the high crime rate which we must live with constantly? Could it really influence the dropout, stop the drug pusher from plying his trade amongst our young or halt one prostitute? The article and the minister assumes that the color of Christ could really help and influence the black community. There is no denying that religion has played a very strong part in helping the Negro in slavery. Without the belief that there was a life after death, it is possible that many would not have survived. Yet I doubt if the fact that Christ might be black would alter our lives that much. Another point which caused some thought in the article was the fact that the ministers would keep all the other trappings of Christianity — Christ, Easter and Christmas — but they would now be a Black Christ, a Black Christmas and a Black Easter. So they would only be changing the color. The sole purpose is racial identity. The story of the Creation, the Birth of Christ, Virgin Mary, the life of Christ with His subsequent, death and the Resurrection are all to remain intact. Now this is truly a strange way to look at religion. Maybe the real meaning of what these gentlemen are saying has escaped me because as far as I can see — if you disagree with the color projected in the whole story of Christ and stated that blacks "have been taught "false history, a false theology and a false interpretation of the Bible," as Rev. Albert Cleage asserts, yet would retain most parts of it. Also there is talk in the article of a "black theology." If this is to be the ultimate end, then the whole story of Christianity, as written in the image of the white man, can be rewritten. Just changing the color alone is not only blasphemous but petty. If the story is false then our ingenuity should be put to the test to make up one just as remarkable and just as influential. In which case we would need scholars to study for us and come up with a theology drawn from our African heritage, and incorporating the experiences of the blacks through time. Already we have the fine version of the African mythology to draw upon. While the image are primitive for us alter living to America for the last 400 years, they at least provide the black God needed to begin with — a black God fashioned from the African experience of the world around him. Too, these Gods were there when Christ came. We must nave a history for our God like we need a history for ourselves. The place to go if we are searching for a black theology is back to our beginnings. Of course, if this is done, we certainly will have to face the conflict which must naturally arise in trying to eliminate Jesus Christ from the religious thoughts of the Negro. The black church has been the place of much unity in the Negro community. To remove the central figure from it, be He black or white, will prove problematic. Our present religion has played a strong part in our survival and to cast it awayor deny it now merely because of black theology, is courting trouble. As we go about the task of finding ourselves in America today, we must be careful of uprooting ourselves. Perhaps the men who seek racial, identity to lift us up may be unconscious of the fact that as evil as these underpinnings are, they have been bridges over which the shock of losing much of what we have been taught, right or wrong, may leave us anchorless. TOOTHACHE Don't suffer agony. Get ORA-JEL, in seconds you get relief from throbbing toothache pain. Put on—pain's gone. Until you can see your dentist, do as millions do—use ORA-JEL, Respects. Ask pharmacist for Good Housekeeping PALMER'S "SKIN SUCCESS" OINTMENT NOW RET FAST BLESSES RELIEF FROM THE ITCHINGS, IRRITATION AND SCALING OF PSORIASIS YOU NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE, AT A LOW PRICE THAT WILL AMAZE YOU. PALMER'S "SKIN SUCCESS" OINTMENT. . . relieves the Itching and imitation of this ugly skin trouble. It removes the scales, dissolves the horny skin. It is cooling and soothing. It refreshes the skin. 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Visit your professional beautician and ask this expert to check the condition of your hair. Only your professional beautician knows the answer for sure. Clairol Inc. 1967 Courtesy of Clairol Inc. TM Can your hair be damaged from brushing, alone? All hair becomes damaged from exposure to sun and natural elements. Certain greasy compounds and many chemicals, improperly used, also take their toll... riot to mention simple attempts at beautifying the hair with any brush not made of natural bristles. The results are brittleness, breakage, dry and dull looking hair. Your professional beautician knows how artificial bristles actually brush away a great deal of the "lubricants" of the hair that give it body, lustre and protection. And trained beauticians claim that nothing beats Clairol* condition* Beauty Pack Treatment for overcoming brittleness, dryness and breakage... leaving hair lively and easy to manage, condition* is an easy-towork-with creme which can even be applied during a chemical straightening retouch to prevent drying of hair that has been previously relaxed, condition* is the ultimate in repairing deepdown damage. And, when time is a factor for their customers, hairdressers turn to new Clairol* Hair Dew*—the lotion conditioner that penetrates so fast many think of it as an instant conditioner. When applied regularly by your beautician, Clairol Hair Dew adds body, softens and gives a glowing new look to your hair that many friends will notice and admire. Darnage can come from using brushes with artificial bristles. But damage to every woman's hair comes from so many other causes that all human hair (including wigs) needs to be revitalized periodically. Visit your professional beautician and ask this expert to check the condition of your hair. Only your professional beautician knows the answer for sure. Clairol Inc. 1967 Courtesy of Clairol Inc. TM EEO Head Quits, Blames Administration Support Clifford L. Alexander Jr., complaining of a "crippling lack of administration support," quit Wednesday as chairman of the Equal Opportunity Commission less than two weeks after the Senate Republican leader threatened to get him fired. Clifford, a Democrat and a Negro, wrote President Nixon that the inescapable conclusion to be drawn from recent events was that "vigorous efforts to enforce the laws on employment discrimination are not among the goals of this administration." He pointed to a White House spokesman's comment March 28 that the President probably would replace Alexander as chairman of the commission, as is the custom with all government agencies when a new administration takes over. The day before, Senate GOP leader Everett M. Dirksen accused Alexander of harassing businessmen and said if it did not stop. "I'm going to the highest authority in the government and get somebody fired." Alexander, who resigned his chairmanship effective May 1 but remained on the commission, wrote Nixon: "People who are hurt by discrimination and those working to eliminate it alike have been dismayed by the intimation — implicit in the timing of the White House announcement — that discharge of my responsibilities . . . had precipitated your decision to replace me." White Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler had no comment on Alexander's resignation except tb say. "The President has made it very clear the administration intends to enforce the law in this area and the record of this administration. I think, will prove that." But Alexander accused Atty. Gen. John N. Mitchell and the Justice Department's civil rights chief of failing to discuss equal employment enforcement with him after repeated requests. The 35-year-old former White House aide to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson said he had been unable to contact the Justice Department and was not even informed of its ef forts to enforce anta-job discrimination laws. Alexander told a news conference, he learned of the Nixon administration's first employment discrimination, suit — filed Tuesday against Cannon Mills Company of North Carolina — from news accounts. The Commission administers Title VII of the 1964 Civil Bights Act which bans discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. THREATENED ACTION Clifford L. Alexander Jr., complaining of a "crippling lack of administration support," quit Wednesday as chairman of the Equal Opportunity Commission less than two weeks after the Senate Republican leader threatened to get him fired. Clifford, a Democrat and a Negro, wrote President Nixon that the inescapable conclusion to be drawn from recent events was that "vigorous efforts to enforce the laws on employment discrimination are not among the goals of this administration." He pointed to a White House spokesman's comment March 28 that the President probably would replace Alexander as chairman of the commission, as is the custom with all government agencies when a new administration takes over. The day before, Senate GOP leader Everett M. Dirksen accused Alexander of harassing businessmen and said if it did not stop. "I'm going to the highest authority in the government and get somebody fired." Alexander, who resigned his chairmanship effective May 1 but remained on the commission, wrote Nixon: "People who are hurt by discrimination and those working to eliminate it alike have been dismayed by the intimation — implicit in the timing of the White House announcement — that discharge of my responsibilities . . . had precipitated your decision to replace me." White Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler had no comment on Alexander's resignation except tb say. "The President has made it very clear the administration intends to enforce the law in this area and the record of this administration. I think, will prove that." But Alexander accused Atty. Gen. John N. Mitchell and the Justice Department's civil rights chief of failing to discuss equal employment enforcement with him after repeated requests. The 35-year-old former White House aide to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson said he had been unable to contact the Justice Department and was not even informed of its ef forts to enforce anta-job discrimination laws. Alexander told a news conference, he learned of the Nixon administration's first employment discrimination, suit — filed Tuesday against Cannon Mills Company of North Carolina — from news accounts. The Commission administers Title VII of the 1964 Civil Bights Act which bans discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. UNWILLING TO TALK Clifford L. Alexander Jr., complaining of a "crippling lack of administration support," quit Wednesday as chairman of the Equal Opportunity Commission less than two weeks after the Senate Republican leader threatened to get him fired. Clifford, a Democrat and a Negro, wrote President Nixon that the inescapable conclusion to be drawn from recent events was that "vigorous efforts to enforce the laws on employment discrimination are not among the goals of this administration." He pointed to a White House spokesman's comment March 28 that the President probably would replace Alexander as chairman of the commission, as is the custom with all government agencies when a new administration takes over. The day before, Senate GOP leader Everett M. Dirksen accused Alexander of harassing businessmen and said if it did not stop. "I'm going to the highest authority in the government and get somebody fired." Alexander, who resigned his chairmanship effective May 1 but remained on the commission, wrote Nixon: "People who are hurt by discrimination and those working to eliminate it alike have been dismayed by the intimation — implicit in the timing of the White House announcement — that discharge of my responsibilities . . . had precipitated your decision to replace me." White Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler had no comment on Alexander's resignation except tb say. "The President has made it very clear the administration intends to enforce the law in this area and the record of this administration. I think, will prove that." But Alexander accused Atty. Gen. John N. Mitchell and the Justice Department's civil rights chief of failing to discuss equal employment enforcement with him after repeated requests. The 35-year-old former White House aide to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson said he had been unable to contact the Justice Department and was not even informed of its ef forts to enforce anta-job discrimination laws. Alexander told a news conference, he learned of the Nixon administration's first employment discrimination, suit — filed Tuesday against Cannon Mills Company of North Carolina — from news accounts. The Commission administers Title VII of the 1964 Civil Bights Act which bans discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. NAACP Files Suit In Federal Court On Contract Bias The NAACP legal defense fund filed suit Tuesday challenging the legality of the Defense Departments award of $9 million in contracts to three Southern textile companies which had been cited for job discrimination. The suit, filed in U. S. District Court here, seeks a permanent injunction prohibiting the Defense and Labor Departments from awarding any further contracts to the companies — Dan River Mills, Inc., and Burlington Industries — unless they "entirely eliminate racial discrimination." AFRICAN PRINT HAIR COLORING In just by at home . . . even dull, faded hair beComes younger looking, dark and lustrous, radiant with highlights. STRAND Hair Coloring won't rub off or wash out. Safe with permanects, too. Try STRAND. COMPLETE— NOTHING ELSE TO BUY MUTINY TRIAL— Two of the 14 soldiers on trial on mutiny charges leave the trial room at Fort Ord, Calif. They are Pvt. Ernest. Trefethen, 19, Gatesville, N.Y., and (left) Pvt. Danny Seats, 22, Orangevale. Calif. The 14 are accused as a result of a sitdown at the Presidio in San Francisco. Dr. Booth Named Special Secty. To Bible Society The Dr. L. Venchael Booth, executive secretary of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., and pastor of Zion Baptist Church, Cincinnati Ohio, has been named a special secretary for church relations of of the American Bible Society. He will assume his new position July 1. His appoinment was announced by the Rev. Dr. Robert T. Taylor, a general secretary of the Bible Society. Dr. Booth has served on the Committee on Church Relations of the Bible Society's. Board of Managers since April, 1967. "In this capacity he has been instrumental in increasing the intrest and support of many churches in the Bible cause," said Dr. Taylor. "In his new post he will work with all churches, speaking at church gatherings and otherwise seeking to strengthen the support of the denominations and communions involved in the work of the Society." Dr. Booth has been a key figure in the half-million-member denomination of Progressive National Baptist since its founding in 1961. He is also active in wider Baptist affairs on a national and international level. He serves on both the executive committee of the Baptist World Alliance and the North American Baptist fellowship committee of the Baptist World Alliance. Dr. Booth, has been a key figure in the half-million-member denomination, off Progressive National Baptist since its founding in 1961. He is also active in wider Baptist affairs on a national and international level. He serves on both the executive committee of the Baptist World Alliance and the North American Baptist fellow ship committee of the Baptist World Alliance. In addition to his activities within his own Church, Dr. Booth is a member of the National Conference of Christians and Jews and is on the board of trustees of the University of Cincinnati. Within Cincinnati, Dr. Booth has been active in the YWCA and Scouting. He has served on the Committee Chest Budget Committee and on the speaker's bureau of the United Appeal. In 1963 he led the membership campaign of the Cincinnati branch of the NAACP, and effort that in creased membership in the organization by nearly 550 per cent. Dr. Booth was named Cincinnati's man of the Year in 1961, and received a "Community Dad" citation from the Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1959. In 1963 he was cited for a distinguished service award by the Baptist Churches of Detroit. "During a two year term as president of the Negro Sightless Society of Ohio, Dr. Booth, led a drive that, succeeded in securing a new $100,000 home for the organization. Under his leadership the organization also gained membership in the community Chest. Dr. Booth led his Zion Baptist Church in the construction of a $500,000 edifice said to be "the most extensive building program in the history of Cincinnati's Negro community." Born and educated in Mississippi, Dr. Booth received his A. B. degree from Alcorn A. & M. College in Lorman, Mississippi, in 1940 and his B. D. degree from Ho ward University in 1943. He earned a Master's degree at the University of Chicago Divinity School in 1945 and was awarded the L. H. D. degree by Wilberforce University in 1964. He received his. D. D. degree from Morehouse College, Atlanta, Go., in 1967. Dr. Booth is married to the former Georgia Anna. Morris and is the father pi five children. He is the author of a book of radio sermons, "Showers of Blessings, published in 1950. He has written several religious songs, one of which was sung at the Baptist World Alliance meeting in Brazil in 1960, at which Dr. Booth was a delegate. In 1961 Dr. Booth traveled in Jordan and Israel as a Dickson Diplomat under the Person to Person program inaugurated under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The American Bible Society fornd in 1816, is devoted to the translation and distribution of the Bible in this country and in cooperation with the American Bible Society distributed more than 50 million Scriptures in the United States alone. Shirley Jordan, designing woman. As founder of "The Clothes Gallery" on New York's Seventh Avenue, Shirley Jordan designs and manufactures everything from elegant dresses to tweedy suits. She's also the wife of jazz musician Cliff Jordan, and mother of an 8-year-old daughter. How does Shirley manage it all? She swings into it with ease with a bottle of ice-cold Coca-Cola. Shirley knows that the good taste of Coke makes things go better. From a.m. to p.m., and back to a.m. again. INJOY Bottled under the authority of The Coca-Cola Company by the people in your town bring you Coca-Cola. "COCA-COLA" AND "COKE" ARE REGISTERED TRADE MAKER WHICH IDENTITY ONLY THE PRODUCT OF THE COCA-COLA COMPANY. FOUR KILLED Security guards fired at workers rioting at a munitions, factory in Calcutta Tuesday and four persons were killed. The workers, who were protesting the dismissal of a colleague, fought the guards and seven persons were injured. WANTED! LINOTYPE OPERATORS $119.60 Six-Day Week Paid Vacation Sick Leave APPLY: EMEL J. SCOTT, Sr. ATLANTA DAILY WORLD