Father CRONIN. I would like to note the point, Senator, that in many of our churches and other religious institutions, we are seriously considering having our own fair employment clauses. Our construction. sometimes runs into hundreds of millions and billions of dollars collectively, and our thought is to try to abolish discrimination in a supplier, contractor, or any other person who is dealing with church or synagogue institutions. We are working on this point very strongly at this moment. Senator CLARK. Thank you, sir. Dr. Blake, would you care to add something? Dr. BLAKE. Just a word to underline our belief that this is an integrated problem, that all of the things that Rabbi Blank mentioned are a part of solving this very real crisis in race relations, and to say that it seems to me the part of it that is before this committee is one of the most fundamental of the long-range part of the solution, and although we are doing many other kinds of things we certainly would want to urge you to do everything you can to lay the groundwork for the economic stability of this Negro race. Senator CLARK. Thank you very much, sir. I think this united front by the religious forces represented by you three gentlemen is bound to have an important impact on the thinking of the subcommittee and I would hope of the Congress. Personally, I agree and I suspect a very large majority of the subcommittee agrees, that this is a moral issue and that this aspect of the problem needs constant stress. All too frequently we get involved in an obtuse discussion of constitutional law, whereas in fact the basic problem as you gentlemen have said, is moral. Senator Burdick. Senator BURDICK. Mr. Chairman, I would like to join in what you have to say and compliment the gentlemen. I believe the testimony offered here this morning is strong, forceful. Thank you. Senator CLARK. Rabbi, would you look at the list of endorsing organizations which appears in your appendix and comment on to what extent, if you recall, these groups are national in their organization. I am particularly interested to see to what extent there is participation from the Southern States in these endorsing organizations. Perhaps it would be easier if, first, Dr. Blake spoke of the Protestant denominations, then Father Cronin commented on the situation in the Catholic. Dr. BLAKE. It happens my own church is relatively weak in the southeastern part of the United States, but the National Council of Churches, which I am officially representing, has churches strongly in all of the States, the Methodist Church would be the largest membership in the South, but it is not very much larger than the great Negro denominations. You have two large Negro denominations, Baptist, and three large Negro denominations of Methodists, all of which are members of the National Council of Churches. Sometimes people forget that these Negro denominations have been from the beginning members of the National Council of Churches and therefore we have attempted, as members, to serve their particular interest as well as the general interest. Senator CLARK. I was more interested in the extent to which largely white Protestant congregations were participating in this endorsement, particularly those in the southern part of the country. Dr. BLAKE. These are most of us have made very good statements on almost all of these subjects, even those that are somewhat regional. The Presbyterian Church of the United States, the so-called southern Presbyterian Church, has on the record very fine statements on the question. The problem of putting them into effect is difficult everywhere, as you know, sir. We cannot look down our nose in any place, but it is more difficult in the South, because of certain pressures from the community at large and I think all of the churches are struggling with bringing their practice into harmony with the positions they have taken, the positions are ahead of the practice. Senator CLARK. But you would say, would you not, that these endorsing denominations and religious organizations do encompass a number of congregations whose churches are located in the South, whose membership is largely white? Dr. BLAKE. That is correct. Senator CLARK. I note with some concern, being Unitarian, that my denomination is not represented here, and I wonder if that is because they did not ask to come in, because I think they are rather loyalheartedly behind this cause, or perhaps you have had some doubt as to whether they would qualify as a religious organization. [Laughter.] Dr. BLAKE. I am sure there would be an explanation other than the last one you have offered, sir. Senator CLARK. I think I will have to get after them and see if we cannot get some kind of statement. Father Cronin. Father CRONIN. We are not strongly represented in the South, except in the city of New Orleans and that area. But people do support it. May I mention that we had an institute in Miami last spring, in which I participated, covering about 10 Southern States, and we found great enthusiasm for a program of integration. Senator CLARK. You certainly have carried, have been in the forefront in New Orleans, I know. Father CRONIN. We have done our best. Rabbi BLANK. All of our groups are national organizations and do have congregations throughout the Nation, in all areas of the country. Senator CLARK. Tell me, Rabbi, this is a question borne of ignorance, I am afraid, your religious faith and your practices are such that you would not ordinarily have Negro members in your synagogue or temples; is this not correct? Rabbi BLANK. Well, I think the question is to what extent we would welcome Negroes into our congregations and the same religious requirements of instruction and profession of faith would be applied to any applicant for membership in a Jewish congregation, without any kind of discrimination. Senator CLARK. Are there any Negro members of the Jewish faith? Rabbi BLANK. Yes, there are, I would say, though the numbers certainly are not as large as any of the other two religious communities. Senator CLARK. Thank you, gentlemen, very much. Senator Pell, do you have any questions? Senator PELL. No questions. Senator CLARK. Thank you, gentlemen. I appreciate your willingness to cooperate with the subcommittee. It will not be necessary for you to return, will it? Rabbi BLANK. No, sir. Senator CLARK. Thank you. At this point I will place in the record the statements of Samuel E. Levering, of the Five Years Meeting of Friends, and Andrew Fowler, of the Washington Bureau of the National Fraternal Council of Churches. (The statements are as follows:) PREPARED STATEMENT OF SAMUEL R. LEVERING, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, CHRISTIAN SOCIAL CONCERNS, THE FIVE YEARS MEETING OF FRIENDS, RICHMOND, IND. Gentlemen, the Five Years Meeting of Friends hereby associates itself with the testimony for the National Council of Churches, the National Catholic Welfare Conference and the Synagogue Council of America, to be presented to Congress in their behalf. We support the objectives of this testimony, since we recognize that this critical moral issue must be met by effective concrete action, now. We wish, however, to register our uneasiness about the broad extension of Federal action. This is not because we disapprove its use in this critical situation, but because this may set a precedent, which if not carefully watched could lead to undue extension of Federal authority and centralization of power on other issues. On behalf of the Five Years Meeting of Friends. PREPARED STATEMENT OF ANDREW FOWLER, DIRECTOR, WASHINGTON BUREAU OF THE NATIONAL FRATERNAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES, U.S.A., INC. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, through the years a cruel wrong has been perpetrated upon Negroes in labor. In too many instances, Negroes have been turned down simply because they were Negroes. The National Fraternal Council of Churches, representing more than 8 million members, urges this committee to report S. 773 as a minimum step forward. Senator CLARK. The subcommittee will stand in recess until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. I would like also to announce that beginning tomorrow morning the subcommittee will enforce the rule which it has adopted that each witness will be required to summarize his testimony in no more than 10 minutes in order to give the members of the subcommittee ample opportunity for examining the witnesses and also to enable us to get through with the rather rigorous schedule we have set ourselves to get through with this testimony in due course. (Whereupon, at 12 noon the subcommittee recessed to reconvene at 10 a.m., Friday, July 26, 1963.) EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY FRIDAY, JULY 26, 1963 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT AND MANPOWER OF THE Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., pursuant to recess, in room 4232, New Senate Office Building, Hon. Joseph Clark (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Senators Clark (presiding), Burdick, and Jordan. Committee staff members present: Stewart E. McClure, chief clerk; Edward D. Friedman, counsel; Dr. Garth L. Mangum, research director; Raymond D. Hurley, associate minority counsel; and Michael Bernstein, minority counsel. Senator CLARK. The subcommittee will resume its session. We have three witnesses today on the pending Fair Employment Practices Commission bills. I would like to urge each of them to make their initial presentations as brief as possible. The prepared statements will be printed in the record in full and since we want to give all witnesses and members of the subcommittee on opportunity to ask and to respond to questions we have for some time had a rule which has not been enforced hitherto, that opening statements of witnesses should be confined to 10 minutes. All of our witnesses this morning are experienced and able gentlemen who are accustomed to testifying before congressional committees and I will ask them to do their very best to cooperate with the subcommittee in making their presentation in as brief a time as pos sible. Our first witness is Mr. Roy Wilkins, executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, chairman of the leadership conference on civil rights. Mr. Wilkins, will you please move forward and take the witness chair? We are very happy to have you with us today. All of the subcommittee is aware of the very active part you have played in attempting to secure equal opportunity under the law for all minority groups and we are sure that your testimony will be of great benefit to the committee. Will you please proceed in your own way? 195 |