While intelligent preachers of the Race upon quietly and carefully looking about them see that practically the entire earth is one mass of colors—the majority of internal and external earth elements, the foods, the clothes, inside and outside building materials and furnishings are colored; yet these Negro ministers teach their congregations that the white color God has placed here has as much right on earth as the big majority of colors. And there are such advising and logical talks going on every Sunday from the Colored pulpits in order to keep down race prejudice and friction. And Colored ministers are silently and hopefully praying to God that He will finally soften, melt and move the hearts of the white ministers so that they will at last come forward and do their parts by logic reasonings with their white congregations a few minutes every Sunday regarding the rights of all colors of peoples to live unmolested and progress unhindered here on earth. It has been left for the white press to come forward and take the lead (which it is nobly and increasingly doing) in this movement of reasoning with the masses of white people in America regarding racial discriminations and injustices. But the entire world, including the American white press itself, is looking on in puzzled and wondering silence as it continues to hopefully wait for the American white ministry to dutifully and courageously come forward in a mass and take its rightful lead in this Christian movement to help bring about a closer brotherhood co-operation, a truer Christlike understanding and a smoother racial adjustment between the white and Colored people living in the United States. The influence of the white church is the greatest human power in the world—it unintentionally encourages mobs and rioting in America by continuing to keep silent on the question, but it can intentionally discourage and prevent in a very short time the occurence of a second Arkansas, Atlanta, Chester, Chicago, Duluth, East St. Louis, Houston, Philadelphia, Tulsa, Washington and other race riots, if it will come out as a whole all over the country and speak to its congregations Sunday after Sunday against such barbarism and heathenism being constantly carried on here in the United States.
According to notices that have recently appeared in the white press, The Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, spurred on by the barbarisms carried on at the riot of Tulsa, Okla. of a few months ago, has boldly come forward and denounced such sins and crimes. In order to bring about better relations between the two Races and help to prevent such future occurences, this Council has already appointed a Commission that has held a meeting in Washington, D.C. It is planned to hold conferences, composed of white and Colored clergymen, all over the country, and an effort will be made to have the white churches to educate their audiences regarding the sins of race prejudice and the crimes resulting therefrom. So just as God in His own time answered the prayers of American slaves that they and their children would some day become free; He is gradually and surely answering the prayers of persecuted Negroes of today that the white ministry will come forward and take its proper place as a leader in helping to swing into the right channels the public sentiments of white people regarding their Christlike treatments of Colored neighbors. Colored people must continue to work and pray and be hopeful that out of this movement will eventually come a second Henry Ward Beecher of modern times.
On the following pages are named some of the highest men in the Colored ministry, who have been for years using every Christlike means within their powers to help bring about more mutual understandings and feelings between the two races:
Bishops J. W. Alstork, W. W. Beckett, G. L. Blackwell, P. A. Bouldin, I. P. Brooks, W. S. Brooks, C. S. Brown, R. B. Bruce, J. S. Caldwell, A. J. Carey, R. A. Carter, W. D. Chappelle, E. W. Chaver, N. C. Cleaves, G. C. Clement, G. W. Clinton, J. M. Connor, L. J. Coppin, M. W. Clair, E. Cottrell, Archdeacons H. B. Delaney and E. T. Denby, Bishops Derrick, J. A. Ellison, J. S. Flipper, W. A. Fountain, A. Grant, J. S. Green, T. L. Griffiths, C. R. Harris, W. H. Heard, J. J. Higgs, L. H. Holsey, John Hurst, J. A. Johnson, W. D. Johnson, Wyatt Johnson, J. H. Jones, R. E. Jones, L. W. Kyles, Isaac Lane, B. F. Lee, W. L. Lee, J. W. Lee, C. A. Moore, R. P. Morgan, H. B. Parks, C. H. Phillips, J. F. Ramsey, I. N. Ross, B. T. Ruley, Archideacon J. S. Russell, Bishops C. S. Smith, B. T. Tanner, P. Taylor, E. Tyre, W. T. Vernon, A. J. Warner, R. S. Williams, W. N. Winston and P. H. Wright.
From among the thousands of Colored ministers all over the country, the names below are those sent to the author from the following large cities, where immense congregations are ministered unto by their spiritual leaders, who are also Sunday after Sunday calmly pacifying and patiently advising their congregations in order to keep them on peaceful and frictionless relations (without sacrificing their citizenship rights) with the white people with whom they daily come in contact:
Alexandria, Va.: Revs. H. A. Haynes, L. A. King, S. B. Ross.
Atlanta, Ga.: Revs. R. S. Brown, P. J. Bryant, H. W. Evans, E. Hall, J. A. Lindsay, H. C. Lyman, R. H. Singleton, S. D. Thorn.
Atlantic City, N. J.: Revs. J. W. Brown, J. N. Deaver, J. P. Gregory, W. E. Griffen, A. L. Martin, L. C. Scott, W. Tyler.
Augusta, Ga.: Revs. Dorsett, C. Floyd, C. T. Walker, R. S. Williams.
Baltimore, Md.: Revs. G. F. Bragg, J. T. Colbert, M. H. Davis, W. H. Deane, J. R. L. Diggs, J. H. Dovey, J. Gray, J. W. Hill, Harvey Johnson, Earnest Lyons, C. E. Stewart, J. H. Dorsey, C. R. Uncles.