Vel Phillips Papers (Radio scripts, Box 2)

For April 17, 1967

RECENTLY, A NATIONAL NEWS MAGAZINE CARRIED A STORY ABOUT A WOMAN NAMED MRS. MATTIE RICE CONEY, WHO LIVES IN INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA. MRS. CONEY IS A SCHOOL TEACHER, WHO HAS TAUGHT IN SLUMAREA SCHOOLS FOR 30 YEARS. SHE IS THE FOUNDER AND THE GUIDING SPIRIT BEHIND A NONPROFIT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION WHICH HAS CONDUCTED THE MOST AMBITIOUS AND MOST SUCCESSFUL CLEANUP CAMPAIGN IN THE HISTORY OF THAT CITY. AND SHE IS A NEGRO.

THE STORY OF WHAT MRS. CONEY HAS DONE TO IMPROVE HER COMMUNITY IS IMPRESSIVE AND INSPIRATIONAL. BUT EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE IS THE PHILOSOPHY THAT SHE HAS FOLLOWED IN DOING HER WORK. IN A STATEMENT TO THE MAGAZINE, MRS. CONEY DESCRIBED HER PHILOSOPHY AND OFFERED HER ADVICE TO OTHER NEGROES.

MRS. CONEY IS A BLUNT, PLAIN-SPOKEN WOMAN. HER WORDS ARE NOT THE KIND OF WORDS WE MAY WANT TO HEAR. BUT THEY ARE WORDS THAT EACH OF US SHOULD HEAR, BECAUSE THE CRITICISMS SHE MAKES AND THE SUGGESTIONS SHE OFFERS ARE AS VALID HERE IN MILWAUKEE AS THEY ARE IN INDIANAPOLIS.

AND SO, LET ME READ MRS. CONEY'S STATEMENT, IN HER OWN WORDS:

"WE NEGROES SHOULD QUIT FEELING SORRY FOR OURSELVES AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR OPPORTUNITIES. WE SHOULD GET OUT AND WORK, AND DO THE BEST WE CAN WITH WHAT WE HAVE.

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"I REALIZE AS WELL AS THE NEXT ONE THAT WE HAVE BEEN UNFAIRLY TREATED FOR MANY YEARS. BUT, NOW THAT THE WAY IS BECOMING BRIGHTER, WE SHOULD ACT BETTER.

"BLACK PEOPLE ARE EASILY IDENTIFIED, SO THEY JUST PLAIN HAVE TO BE BETTER BEHAVED THAN LOTS OF WHITES -- OR WE GIVE THE PREJUDICED WHITE MAN A WEAPON TO USE AGAINST US. YOU CAN'T ACT LIKE AN INFERIOR AND THEN DEMAND RESPECT AS AN EQUAL. TOO MANY OF OUR PEOPLE ARE BEING NOISE, BOISTEROUS, VULGAR AND COMMON IN PUBLIC PLACES. WHEN GOING IN AND OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS, WE SEE RUDENESS AND HEAR PROFANITY. STOREKEEPERS COMPLAIN OUR CHILDREN USE THEIR PLACES OF BUSINESS AS PLAYGROUNDS, RUNNING IN AND AROUND THE AISLES.

"MANY OLDER NEGROES ARE EMBARRASSED BY THE CONDUCT OF OUR CHILDREN ON BUSES AND IN STORES. THESE OLDER NEGRO CITIZENS ARE AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THESE HOODLUMS FOR FEAR OF BEING ABUSED.

"I THINK WE'VE TAKEN THE WRONG APPROACH IN ATTACHING THE PROBLEM OF THE GHETTO. FIRST WE'VE GOT TO LEARN TO LIVE IN THE HOUSE WHERE WE ARE. THEN, WHEN WE GET INTO A BETTER ONE, WE'LL APPRECIATE IT.

"SLUMS ARE MADE BY PEOPLE, NOT BY PLASTER OR BRICKS. BAD NEIGHBORHOODS DEVELOP BECAUSE INDIVIDUALS WHO LIVE IN THEM FAIL TO DO WHAT THEY CAN.

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"IN MANY AREAS, OUR PEOPLE HAVE RUINED THE GRASS, BROKEN DOWN THE SHRUBBERY AND TORN UP THE HOUSE.

"WE HAVE A WAY OF DOUBLE-PARKING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREETS AND VISITING WITH OUR FRIENDS, AND WHEN OTHER DRIVERS DARE TO HONK TO GET BY, WE GET ANGRY AND USE VILE, PROFANE LANGUAGE AT THE PASSING MOTORISTS. MANY OF OUR CHILDREN WALK ALONG THE STREETS USING FOUL LANGUAGE IN GENERAL CONVERSATION.

"AS LONG AS THAT HAPPENS, THE WHILE [WHITE] PEOPLE ARE GOING TO MOVE AWAY. OF COURSE, WE CAN TRY TO MOVE, TOO. BUT, IF I AM A SLOPPY, DIRTY, NOISY, ROWDY NEIGHBOR IN ONE PART OF TOWN, I WILL BE THE SAME IN ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU DON'T GET CULTURE ON A MOVING VAN.

"AS A TEACHER FOR 30 YEARS IN AN AREA CONSIDERED UNDERPRIVILEGED, I TAUGHT MY CHILDREN THAT: 'NO MATTER HOW POOR I AM, I CAN BE CLEAN AND NEAT - I CAN HAVE PRIDE IN MYSELF.'

"I TOLD THEM:

" 'WE NEGROES SHOULD NOT GO AROUND WITH A CHIP ON OUR SHOULDER. WHEN YOU GET ON THE BUS, DON'T GET ON THERE MAD AT EVERYBODY. THE VERY PERSON YOU'RE MAD AT MAY BE THE KINDEST PERSON YOU KNOW. AND, IF PEOPLE ARE NOT LOOKING AT YOU SMILING ALL THE TIME, THEY MAY HAVE OTHER PROBLEMS.'

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"I ALSO TOLD MY CHILDREN:

" 'WITH EVERY OPPORTUNITY AND PRIVILEGE COMES RESPONSIBILITY. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE TO ANYBODY. YOU WORK AT IT ALL THE TIME FROM THE DAY YOU ARE BORN TO THE DAY YOU DIE. YOU HAVE TO PAY YOUR BILLS; YOU HAVE TO KEEP UP YOUR PROPERTY; YOU HAVE TO TRAIN YOUR CHILDREN TO BE GOOD CITIZENS.'

"THOSE OF US WHO UNDERSTAND THAT NEGROES CAN 'MAKE IT' HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO TALK TO OUR PEOPLE, TO LET THEM KNOW THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE NEGROES DOES NOT MEAN THEY CAN'T DO SOMETHING WORTHWHILE."

MRS. CONEY HAS MORE TO SAY, AND WE'LL READ THE REST OF HER STATEMENT THE NEXT TIME. UNTIL THEN, GOODBYE, AND THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

FOR APRIL 19, 1967

DURING OUR LAST BROADCAST, WE QUOTED AT LENGTH FROM A STATEMENT BY MRS. MATTIE RICE CONEY ABOUT THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF NEGROES TO THEIR COMMUNIT AND TO THEMSELVES.

MRS. CONEY, AS I MENTIONED, SPEAKS AS ONE WHO IS HERSELF A NEGRO, A LONGTIME TEACHER, AND A CIVIC LEADER IN INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

AND SHE SPEAKS AS ONE WHO BELEIVES WHAT SHE SAYS, AND PRACTICES WHAT SHE PREACHES. FOR SHE HAS DEVOTED MUCH OF HER OWN LIFE TO MAKING THINGS BETTER FOR HER PEOPLE. SHE HAS BEEN THE LEADER OF A CAMPAIGN TO CLEAN UP TRASH AND FILTH FROM THE STREETS AND YARDS OF INDIANAPOLIS, A CAMPAIGN TO DEVELOP BETTER COOPERATION BETWEEN CITIZENS AND POLICE, AND A CAMPAIGN TO IMPROVE PEOPLE'S CONDUCT ON BUSES.

TO SHOW YOU HOW SUCCESSFUL SHE HAS BEEN, THE CITIZENS FORUM, WHICH SHE HEADS, HAS SET UP 500 BLOCK GROUPS IN INDIANAPOLIS, A CITY WHICH IS ONLY TWO-THIRDS THE SIZE OF MILWAUKEE. WHEN YOU CONSIDER HOW DIFFICULT IT HAS BEEN TO SET UP BLOCK GROUPS HERE, AND HOW FEW SUCH GROUPS WE HAVE, YOU BEGIN TO APPRECIATE WHAT A JOB MRS. CONEY AND HER CO-WORKERS HAVE DONE