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major question in the struggle for peace and freedom. For our culture has been an integral part of [[strikethrough]] our [[/strikethrough]] over 300 years of struggle for the cause of freedom. It is thereby a major weapon in the fight for peace. A culture whose power, beauty and sensitivity is linked with the whole of American life. And yet this fact is not understood or accepted by the masses of white people. And what is yet a worse tragedy is the fact that our allies, the progressive white workers and artists, have failed to grasp hold to these roots that are so entwined in his daily life. He has too often only caught hold to the steriotypes [[stereotypes]] and distortions. The issues of today are far too sharp for our most advancedthinking [[advanced thinking]] forces of society not to grapple with this question in the most advanced realm of social ideas and theories which serve the peoples interest. Only through a realization of these truths in a concrete form, the work we create, only when the principles we adhere to permiate [[permeate]] the roots of our thinking our actions, our paintings, sculpture, writing etc. will we build a united cultural bulwark against the powers of darkness.

You, the artist who exert a particular influence [[strikethrough]] up [[/strikethrough]] on society and are in possession of a power to stir man's consciousness and sensitivity to life itself, this is a major question. One that can no longer go unanswered in your work. One that all the excuses, rationalizations on the real and not the abstract meaning of form and content, must be cast aside. A question that must be placed in the larger framework of how does my work measure up to the desires and aspirations of the common ordinary working people. How do I spell out in my whole being the fight for peace and freedom.

To attempt to give a comprehensive discourse on all the immediate questions that confront the artists is far from possible in this article. However, there are principled questions.I would like the deal briefly with.

1. The question of realism

2. The question of Negro art and Artist