Stassen to Give Keynote Address at May 17 Celebration Dinner

    “PRESS RELEASE® ¢ 

NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND 
107 WEST 43 STREET «© NEW YORK 36, N. Y. © JUdson 6-8397 

ARTHUR B. SPINGARN oS THURGOOD MARSHALL 
President Director and Counsel 

WALTER WHITE ROBERT L. CARTER 
Secretary Assistant Counsel 

ALLAN KNIGHT CHALMERS ARNOLD De MILLE 
Treasurer Press Relations 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

STASSEN TO GIVE KEYNOTE ADDRESS 
AT MAY 17 CELEBRATION DINNER May 4, 1955 

NEW YORK.--Harold E, Stassen, Director of Foreign Operations 

Administration will deliver the keynote address at a dinner on May 17 

at the Hotel Plaza given in honor of the NAACP Legal Defense and 

Educational Fund, Inc. and in observance of the Supreme Court May 17, 

1954 decision outlawing racial segregation in public schools. 

The dinner is being sponsored by a group of outstanding Americans, 

headed by Dr, Ralph J. Bunche, who is Under Secretary of the UN and 

Nobel Peace Prize winner and Dr, Buell G, Gallagher, President of the 

City College of New York, 

The affair is in celebration of the first anniversary of the 

Supreme Court's unanimous decision which declared that the separate but 

equal doctrine has no place in American education, The decision was 

delivered by Chief Justice Earl Warren as a result of 5 cases brought 

before the high tribunal from South Carolina, Kansas, Virginia, Delaware 

and the District of Columbia, Argument on the implementation of the 

decision was heard last month. 

Thurgood Marshall, Director-Counsel of NAACP Legal Defense and 

Educational Fund, who directed the legal attack in the school segrega- 

tion cases will also be honored. He will report on the progress now 

being made toward the elimination of the dual public school system. 

Dr. Channing H, Tobias, Chairman of the Board of the NAACP and Roy 

Wilkins, newly elected executive secretary, will report on the activi- 

ties of the NAACP and the course the organization will take in its 

continued fight to erase segregation and discrimination from the 

American way of life. 

Mr, Stassen who will be the principle speaker was recently 

appointed to the Cabinet by President Eisenhower as Special Assistant 

on Disarmament Problems and is expected to take over his new post 

before July 1. 

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WE ARE MOVING AHEAD MARSHALL TELLS PRINCE HALL MASONS 

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ATLANTA, GA., May 2.--We are moving ahead in the fight against 

segregation in housing, transportation, and other fields such as recre- 

ational and health facilities, Thurgood Marshall, Director-Counsel of 

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund told the Grand Masters Confer- 

ence of the Prince Hall Masons here today, 

The advancement of the economic well being of Negroes must be 

accomplished through a more intensive legal attack on employment and 

housing, he said, This is essential for any meaningful enjoyment of 

our recent legal victories. 

"The important thing to bear in mind in all of this, is that we 

must continue to push ahead in the courts." 

Mr. Marshall spoke at the annual Conference of the Masonic govern- 

ing body being held here May 2 - , He thanked the Grand Masters 

Conference and the Prince Hall Masons throughout the nation for the 

vital part they played in the 5 school segregation cases and other 

legal attacks on racial discrimination and segregation. 

The group contributes annually some $25,000.00 to the maintenance 

of the Prince Hall Masons Legal Research Department which works in con- 

junction with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund at 107 West 

h3rd Street, New York City. The Department was established in May 

1951 at the Conference in Denver, Colo. exclusively to do research 

essential to secure full citizenship rights and privileges for Negro 

Americans, Much of the basic legal research on the briefs filed in the 

school segregation cases was done by the Masons Research Department. 

Last year the group contributed $2),953.6l, to the Department. 

In giving a progress report on the work of the Department, 

Mr. Marshall told the Grand Masters that more and more requests are com- 

ing in for research material from all parts of the country. 

In addition to the work done on the briefs in the school segrega- 

tion cases, the Department has "assumed the responsibility of develop- 

ing the necessary legal theories to protect Negro teachers during the 

transition to integrated school systems," Mr. Marshall advised the 

group. 

Two new divisions have been set up this year to give Negro teachera 

in southern states the maximum protection against the discrimination 

during this transition period, Mr. Marshall advised the body, One is 

the Department of Teacher Information and Security headed by Dr. John W. 



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Davis, eminent educator and former president of West Virginia State 

College; the other is the Committee of Social Scientists, headed by 

Dr. Alfred McClung Lee with June Shagaloff as executive secretary. 

Dr, Davis' Department is set up primarily to work with teacher organi- 

zations, school officials and other recognized groups. He is assisted 

by Daniel E. Byrd of New Orleans. This Department is maintained by 

Prince Hall Masons. 

Both Divisions will lean heavily on the Masons Research Department 

for the necessary legal research to give the teachers material guidance 

and protection needed, 

"Continued success in the courtroom as well as in other places 

comes about only as a result of careful planning, teamwork operation and 

the necessary financial support," Mr, Marshall told the group. He asked 

the group for their continued aid. 

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