LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - FEBRUARY 20, 2022 by Lynne Belluscio I was searching through past articles that I wrote during February about Black history, and I came across this February 26, 1990, and I want to share it. I had just recently started working at the Historical Society. I don’t remember where my office was, but since we hadn’t opened the Jell-OMuseum, it had to be in one of the rooms in LeRoy House. I had started to open file cabinets to see what I was going to be doing and I discovered a file of newspaper clippings and several original letters. There was also a copy of the Congressional Report of the United StatesSenateandapage fromtheOctober 22, 1945 edition of Time Magazine. The report centered around the policy of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution* to allow “whites only” to perform in Constitutional Hall in Washington D. C. This had been a policy of the D.AR. passed in 1932. “In accordance with the prevailing custom of the District of Columbia regarding schools, auditoriums, theaters, hotels, restaurants, clubs, canteens playgrounds, and other public and private places. Hazel Scott, a famous Black pianist, wanted to rent Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. for a performance and was refused. Her husband, recently elected Representative from Harlem, Adam Clayton Powell*, demanded action against the D.A.R. In the meantime, back here in LeRoy, Rev. J. Stanley Ormsby, Vice President of the LeRoy National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (N.A.A.C.P.)* sent a letter to Mrs. Comfort, Regent of the LeRoy Chapter of the D.A.R. asking them to “join with all the democratic thinking people in a nation-wide protest against the unjust barring of Miss Hazel Scott, concert pianist, from playing in Constitution Hall.” He continued: “We are wondering if you believe firmly enough the applied principals of our Democracy to file a formal protest resolution to be sent to the National D.A.R.” Even before they received a letter from Rev. Ormsby, a special meeting of the LeRoy D.A.R. was called and they approved the following resolution: “Resolved that the Te-carna-wun-na, N.S.D.A.R.* regrets the recent action taken by the national board in regards to renting of Constitution Hall to Negro Artist and Resolved that we urge immediate repeal of the rule forbidding such renting...” It didn’t take long for the news to make headlines! An unsigned postcard dated October 20, from Waterloo, Iowa, arrived in LeRoy. “Well you really want to stir up trouble. We are sick and tired of the coddling given that element. Why not build them a hall of their own where they can sing anytime where all you people who feel so badly for them could go." On October 26, Senator Mead from New York* addressed the United State Senate with the following comments: “Mr. President, I desire to commend the Protestant and ministerial associates and likewise the D.A R. Chapter at LeRoy, New York, who according to a recent newspaper report, have also adopted a resolution condemning the action taken by the D.A.R. authorities in connection with Constitution Hall.” While the debate lingered on, the local chapter began to receive letters from other D.A.R. chapters in support of their actions. Time magazine, on October 22, ran an article about the incident in LeRoy. Apparently, the issue continued for quite some time. In February 1946, Mrs. Comfort in LeRoy, received a letter from Clare Booth Luce*, but this time written on the letterhead of the “D.A.R. Committee Against Discrimination in Constitution Hall – a Voluntary Organization of Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution.” Luce wrote: “Your members are to be commended, and I hope their enthusiasm will not stop here – It is worth it.. to vindicate the good name of thousands of D.A.R.'s all over the country who still believe in the principles of life, liberty and equality for which their forefathers died.” Ultimately, the D.A.R came to embrace these resolutions, but it is worth noting that the it was the LeRoy Chapter of the D.A.R. whose voice first cried out against discrimination. When I wrote the article in 1990, I also found clippings about the LeRoy Chapter of the N.A.A.C.P – the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In October, the local chapter received its charter at a meeting at LeRoy House. President Franklin Bundy was presented the charter by Victor Einach* of Buffalo who spoke on the Ives-Quinn Bill. Eugene Kinne, past Commander of the Botts-Fiorito Post LeRoy American Legion and J.P. Page, President of the Rochester branch of the N.A.A.C.P spoke briefly. Footnotes: *Daughters of the American Revolution – founded over 125 years ago as an organization of women who could trace their lineage to ancestors who fought on the American side during the Revolution. *N.A.A.C.P. – A civil rights organization in the United States formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W.E.B. DuBois, MaryWhite Ovington, Moorfield Storey and Ida Wells. *Adam Clayton Powell - An American Baptist minister who represented Harlem in the U.S House of Representatives from 1945 until 1971; he was the first African American to be elected to Congress from New York as well as any state in the northeast. He was a powerful member of the Democratic party *Te-car-na-wun-na N.S.D.A.R – This was the name of the local LeRoy chapter of the D.A.R. A few years ago, it disbanded and joined with other chapters in this area. *Senator Mead – An American politician and Democrat in the United States House of Representatives from 1919-1938 and the U.S. Senate 19381947. He was born in Mt. Morris. *Clare Booth Luce – American author, and Republican politician, ambassador and public conservative she was the wife of publisher Henry Luce, publisher of Time, Life, Fortune and Sports Illustrated. She was a member of the House of Representatives from Connecticut from 1942-1947. Well known for her anti-communism stand; she campaigned for every Republican candidate from Wendell Wilkee to Ronald Regan. *Victor Einach -Was a social worker in Erie County and a member of the Buffalo Committee on Discrimination of Employment. Speaking Out Against Discrimination
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