The Reformer, April 25, 1971

              Public Library of South Bend
122 V/. Wayne Street
South Bend, ind, 46601

m

THE REFORMER

VOL. 3. NO. 17 WHOLE NO. 107

A Community Conscience Newspaper

Free

April 25, 1971

CDA Continues
Neighborhood

| Domination Attempts

i See Stories, Page 4
l________________

blacks lived in the county,
with 527 of those living in
South Bend.

So it seems that few blacks
lived in South Bend in the
19th century. Racial prob-
lems were few until the in-
flux of southern blacks as-
piring to replenish the labor
shortage in industry.

The knowledge of the early
presence of blacks is a mat-
ter of question. Only two
"free colored" men were
present at the time of the
1840 census, which did not
(Continued on Page 4)

Notes from the
Liberation School...

In answer to many ques-
tions, this week we would like
to state the basic philosophy
of the Liberation School and
a few facts about its op-
eration.

UNITY - "Unity through
pride and dignity" is the
motto of the Black Press
and is the basic objective
of the Liberation School.

Emmanuel Church
Promotes School
Attendance

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL STAFF OF THE EMMANUEL
CHURCH OF DELIVERANCE 415 West LaSalle St.
conclude plans for an Attendance Promotion Contest,
which is now in progress, and will climax June 13, 1971.

Seated are Elder Joseph A. Jennings School Super-
intendent and Miss Marie Ligon, School Secretary.
Standing left to right: Minister L. Brown, Jr. Bus
Supervisor, Miss Gwen Magee School assistant Sec-
retary and Theophus Lewis Assistant School Super-
intendent.

Six prizes will be awarded to six persons causing
the greater number of people to attend church Sunday
School.

Emmanuel Church of Deliverance Sunday School bus
route service - 9:00 corner of Olive and Linden; 9:15
corner of Lowell and Western; 9:30 Monroe Circle;
9:45 corner of Wenger and Fellows; 10:00 corner of
South Bend Avenue and Talbot.

Through the activities of the
Liberation School, we hope
to inspire pride in our peo-
ple and our history. We be-
lieve that only through such
pride, and the dignity and
respect which pride creates,
can black people achieve un-
ity. And unity is, we believe,
the key to winning and main-
taining freedom for our peo-
ple.

COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP -
The Liberation School was
founded by the Black Press
in 1969. Since that time,
other organizations and
many individuals have joined
the effort to make the School
and its objectives a reality.
The School does not, how-
ever, "belong" to the Black
Press or to any other indiv-
idual or organization."

The School belongs to the
black community. Every
member of^he black com-
munity has a stake in the
success of the Liberation
School and every brother
or sister has something to
contribute. Therefore, every
black person has part-
owner ship.

SERVICE TO ALL - All
black people are always wel -
come at the School. We be-
lieve in respect and dignity
for all our people, and,
therefore, do not limit the
School to old or young, well-
to-do or poor, brothers or
sisters. Likewise, we honor
Malcolm X and Rev. King,
Stokely Carmichael and
Whitney Young. We believe
that only by respect for one
another, and discussion of
our differences among our-
selves, can unity and free-
dom be created and main-
tained. Therefore, whether a
brother or sister believes
in Black Nationalism or in-
tegration, in Allah or God,
he or she is welcome at the
School to attend classes or
to teach.

PROJECTS - Those who
work at the School are mem-
bers and servants of the
(Continued on Page 5)

A fund raising "pancake and sausage fry" was held
April 17 for Odell "Duke" Newburn at Hansel Center.
Newburn is running for Council-At-Large on the Demo-
cratic Party ticket. From left to right; Jerry Miller,
Mayoral Candidate; Mrs. Herman Williams; Duke
Newburn; and Mrs. Annie Dean. Photo by Grady Ross

Hold First

The Committee for Sol-
idarity Day held its first an-
nual Solidarity Day function
April 12 at the Laurel Club
to demonstrate that Black
people will band together in
a non-political association to
promote, advance, and se-
cure their own social and
political rights.

The Committee, chaired
by Mr. Eddie Scott, is a
group of professional, semi-
professional, and grassroot
people concerned about the
present plight and conditions
of blacks.

They formed this non-
political vehicle dedicated
to direction and the estab-
lishment of priorities that
affect the common welfare
of Black people without fear
of personal or political in-
timidation. Also, to maintain
a close liason between other
agencies in the community,
state and nation to assure

Annual Solidarity Day

Candidates attending first annual "Solidarity Day ^
are front row 1 to r. Dr. W.M. Smith, Second District
Councilman; Wilbur E. Turner, Councilman-At-Large;
Owen W. Garner, Councilman-At-Large; State Repre-
sentative Bernard White (not seeking election). Back row,
Huey Schoby, Second District Councilman; and Charles E.
Howell,Councilman-At-Large. Photo by Grady Ross

uniformity of directives.
The date April 12th was

selected not to compete with
the West Side's yearly Dyn-

gus Day celebration but
rather to act as a compli-
ment. The Committee lists
the following advantages to
the April 12th date:

1.	many political office
holders already scheduled
personal appearances in the
city due to the annual Dyn-
gus Day social. One such man
was former Indiana Gov-
ernor Matthew Welsh.

2.	perform a needed ser-
vice and opportunity to the
Black community.

3.	offset the feeling of
inadequacy among blacks as-
sociated with this and other
ethnic day celebrations.

4.	provide a vehicle for
black people and their can-
didates to present an image
to the press and public.

5.	provide a means of
Solidarity or unity among
blacks to offset long entren-
ched tactics of controlling
black demands.

6.	insure that black pub-
lic office holders and
seekers are aware of black
problems in the community.

Local Slack History Surveyed

By Jonathan Harris

This old shack, weathered and aged, stands today
as the remnant of the once spacious, larger home
built by one of South Bend's early Black citizens,
Pharoah Powell. The wooden building, built around
1858 on South Main Street, is located next to the Spag-
hetti Bowl, behind Inwoods. Photo By Don Land

Fighters for Welfare Rights
Endorse Alford

In a letter dated April 9
to the South Bend Tribune,
the Fighters for Welfare
Rights Organization, P.O.
Box 1183, South Bend, Ind.
46601, endorsed Rev. O.L.
Alford. Jr., candidate for
councilman - at - large.

"As an active worker of
the Fighters and an advo-
cate of the poor we feel
assured Rev. Alford is best
qualified to present the un-
represented ," the letter sta -
ted.

Traditionally, black his-
tory connotes figures like
Benjamin - Banneker, or
George Washington Carver,
nationally known histories
who have received much rec -
ognition. Their contributions
were monumental, and con-
sequently greatly influenced
the twist of events through-
out the nation.

However, the contribu-
tions made by early South
Bend blacks is little known.
A great deal of the reason
for the lack of knowledge
concerning local black his-
tory is the poor documenta-
tion of events as they re-
lated to black people.

Much of what transpired
through the pioneer years
of South Bend soon after
the settling of Pierre F.
Navarre, who started South
Bend, has been described,
hinting of the black man's
presence, but scarcely rec-
ognizing it as an integral
part of history.

Surprisingly though, sev-
eral books concerning early
black history contain bits
and pieces that are great-
ly treasured today. Most can
be found in the public li-
brary, or from the North-
ern Indiana Historical So-
ciety.

In THE NEGRO IN SOUTH
BEND: A SOCIAL STUDY by
I Reverend B.F. Gordon are
I described the lives of many
Ksji early black families who fig-
ured significantly in the de-
velopment of South Bend.
In the 1840's many families
came north. The census of
1840 showed that there were
only nine blacks in the whole
of St. Joseph County. As fugi -
tives, blacks fled north to
this county, increasing their
number to 29 during 1850.
The county count increased
with 88 blacks in 1860, 130
in 1870, and 279 in 1880.
It is certain that no more
than 300 blacks were in South
Bend before the year 1890.
In that census of 1890 , 627

The group voted to sup-
port Rev. Alford at its A-
pril 7th meeting. The letter
was signed Jean Glaes,

Rev. O.L. Alford
Photo by Grady Ross
co-chairman, and Mary
Frances Reid, co-chairman.

Exhibition Invites Local Talent

All Artists living in the
counties within a forty mile
radius of South Bend are
invited to enter the Seventh
Biennial Michiana Local Art
Exhibition which will beheld
from May 2 to May 23 at

the South Bend Art Center,
121 North Lafayette Blvd.,
South Bend, ^Indiana. Cash
prizes totaling $1,150 will be
awarded on a category basis
for the best entries in paint-
ing, graphics, sculpture, and
(Continued on Page 3)