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EARL H. GRAY
DEPUTY IMPERIAL POTENTATE

PRINCE HALL SHRINER'S MEMBERSHIP ROLL LISTS AMERICA'S INFLUENTIAL BLACKS

Some of America's most outstanding Black leaders hold membership as Prince Hall Masons and Prince Hall Shriners throughout the world today. This group recently listed by the editors of Ebony magazine as being among the "100 Most Influential Black in America," includes Marion Barry, Mayor, Washington, D.C.; Thomas J. Bradley, Mayor, Los Angeles, California, Dr. I. H. Clayborn, Sovereign Grand Commander, United Supreme Council, Southern Jurisdiction, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Prince Hall Affiliation, Dallas, Texas, Dr. Russell S. Gideon, Sovereign Grand Commander, United Supreme Council, Northern Jurisdiction, AASR, PHA, Seattle, Washington, Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks, Executive Director, NAACP, New York City, NY; Rev. T. J. Jemison, President, National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., Louisiana; John H. Johnson, President, Johnson Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, Thurgood Marshall, Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court, Washington, DC; Andrew J. Young, Mayor, Atlanta, GA.; Coleman A. Young, Mayor, Detroit, Michigan, Kenneth A. Gibson, Mayor, Newark, NJ; Charles B. Rangel, U.S. Congressman, NY; Percy E. Sutton, Chairman of the Board, Inner Broadcasting Corp.; Louis Stokes, U.S. Congressman, Ohio, Mark Stepp, Vice President U.A.W., Chrysler Div., Detroit, Michigan, William L. Hart, Chief of Police, Detroit, Michigan.

Other Prince Hall Masons, Order of Eastern Star, Prince Hall Shriners and Daughters of Isis members who have received national acclaim for their outstanding performance of duty and contributions to the fraternal order over the past several years include, Musician Count Basis, Mayor Johnny Ford, Tuskegee, Alabama, former Mayor Charles H. Harris, Danville, Virginia, Mayor Henry Marsh, III, Richmond, Virginia, Musicians Lionel Hampton and Al Green; TV star Whitman Mayo, TV and Movie Actor, Richard Pryor; Amelia B. P. Robinson, Civil Rights Activist, Tuskegee, Alabama, amid and host of others.

SUPREME COURT SUSTAINS LEGALITY OF PRINCE HALL MASONS AND SHRINERS

Masonic and/or fraternal orders have always existed in this country as two distinct groups, one Black and the other White.

Within each group on the lowest blue lodge level, there are local and distinct lodges, Grand Lodges, and in one or two instances, you may find a Supreme Grand Lodge (NON PRINCE HALL).

Within the confine of the two bodies, there are established affiliated, appendant and concordant bodies of Freemasonry, including Holy Royal Arch Mosonic Chapters, Knights Templar Commandries, Scottish Rite Consistories (On the Men's Side) and Order of Eastern Star Chapters, Heroines of Jericho Courts, Order of Golden Circle Assemblies, and Prince Hall Shrine Courts, Daughters of Isis membes in the women's auxiliaries.

Prior to 1914 and even up to the year 1918, both white and black fraternities had established local lodges and local Shrine Temples in several cities and towns in states, especially in Texas and in some instances, in the same cities, namely Dallas, El Paso and Houston.

In the year 1914 certain White Masons in five Southern states, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas, attempted to outlaw the practice of Prince Hall Masonry and Prince Hall Shriners from operating as a legitimate fraternal body in the United States. The White group appeared in a Texas court and entered a lawsuit against the Blacks, charging that they had no legitimate right to display Masonic or Shrine emblems in private of public and call themselves Prince Hall Masons, Shriners or otherwise.

The White Masonic officials, in the five states already mentioned, petitioned a state court in the City of Houston, Texas to enjoin all Black Masons and Shriners from using any imitation of the name, constitution, title, emblem and regalia of White Temples already established and through the legal state court, they sought to stop Prince Hall Masons and Shriners from operating as a legitimate fraternal body, not only in the five states that placed the suit against the Blacks, but from operating in any states within the United States of America.

The suit charged that Blacks had no legitimate right to display Masonic or Shrine emblems in public or private or could they call themselves legal Prince Hall Masons or Shriners. In effect, the Houston, Texas suit attempted to outlaw Prince Hall Masons and Prince Hall Shriners from operating then or in the future in this country.

When a district court in Texas ruled overwhelming in favor of the White Masons, that is when the Black fraternal order members banded themselves together as a group and carried the lawsuit all the way to the United States Supreme Court. It was revealed that due to the silence and apparent willingness of the White Masons all over the country in years gone by, Blacks has prospered and flourished as a distinct Masonic group and had through hard work and a will to succeed, sometimes with outstanding assistance and cooperation from White Masonic groups, had amassed some 76 local lodges and temples, had placed more than 9,000 members on Masonic rolls, and had acquired real and personal property totaling more than one half million dollars, as of Prince Hall Masonic year 1928.

In the U.S. Supreme Court, it was further revealed by a lifetime member of the White Fraternal Order that much of the paraphernalia, regalia, emblems and insignias used by Blacks in their Masonic order, were purchased from or through White Masonic members and that, in at least one stance, a White Lodge or Temple had sold all of their old regalia and insignias to a group of Blacks for their personal use when the White group moved to bigger and more spacious quarters.

With this information before it, the United States Supreme Court contended that the objections by Whites of Blacks operating as Masons or Shriners came too late after too long a delay, and that they (The Whites) had no exclusive rights to claim that Blacks were not legitimate Masons. The U.S. Supreme Court also contended that had the rights of Whites prevailed in the State Court of Texas, then the Federal rights which the Blacks claimed they had through incorporated must be sustained and therefore, the U.S. Supreme Court must overrule the lower court and reverse the decree against Prince Hall Shriners.

In conclusion, the White Masonic Order lost their battle to the Black Masonic Order and the June 3rd, 1929, decision quaranteed them that they had all the rights as a body to appear in public and in private to practice the time honored traditions of Masonic work.

By winning this lawsuit, the Prince Hall Family of Freemasons proved beyond doubt that they were a legitimate body of Freemasons, that they had obtained proper authority to work and act, and that they had authority in every branch of Prince Hall Freemasonry and in all affiliated, appendant adoptive right and concordant bodies.

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[[caption]] Thunderheads Drum and Bugle Crops—Sahara Temple #7, Pittsburg, Pa. [[/caption]]

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