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[[written at the top of the top clipping, S.F. SUN REPORTER OCT-20,1956]]

[[photo, caption below]]
Pictured above are the participants of The Sun Reporter Political Forum, held last Sunday at the Nourse Auditorium. Seated, left to right are: Assistant Secretary of Labor, J. Ernest Wilkins; [[underlined]]Mrs. Frances Albrier, President of the San Francisco chapter of the National Council of Negro Women, co-sponsors of the forum;[[//underlined]] and Congressman Charles C. Diggs. Standing left to right are: Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett, chairman of the forum; Dr. Boliver Moore; Dr. William M. Thomas, and Assemblyman W. Byron Rumford.
-J.B. Coleman photo

S-R Political Forum Draws Great Interest
By EDITH AUSTIN
Some 800 cheering Democrats and Republicans attended the first Political Forum sponsored by The Sun-Reporter and the National Council of Negro Women last Sunday afternoon at the Nourse Auditorium.
The enthusiastic group heard Charles C. Diggs, Democratic Congressman from Michigan and J. Ernest Wilkins, Republican, Assistant Secretary of Labor, give the details and achievements of their particular political parties.
The predominately Democratic audience heard the young congressman expound on foreign affairs, wage earnings, farm issues and a touch of civil rights. This reporter felt that the audience had come to the meeting hoping that the congressman would relate his experiences in the Emmitt Till murder case, and elaborate on the current political issue of the day - civil rights, but for some reason, the brilliant politician avoided mention of the Till case and scantly mentioned the civil rights issue in a rebuttal. What his reasons were is anyone's guess. Perhaps the law maker had been warned to halt a discussion of civil rights by the national office for the same reasons Democratic advisers warned Mr. Stevenson of making a speech in Harlem.
Assistant Secretary of Labor, J. Ernest Wilkins, amidst the Democratic boos, told of the Eisenhower Administration, but failed, as far as this reporter was concerned, to convince the group that a vote for the Eisenhower Administration was a vote for 'peace, prosperity and progress' for the Negro people. Mr. Wilkins made mention of the Supreme Court decision on school integration, a law passed during the Eisenhower Administration, and the desegregation in Washington D.C. since the Republican Party took office. He received approval from the group when he said "Negroes must vote for Negroes regardless of political affiliations and not let party differences separate their ultimate objectives."
During the rebuttal period, however, Mr. Diggs pointed out that it was the consistent struggles of the Negro citizens of Washington, the NAACP and a little Negro woman, namely Mary Church Terrell, who was responsible for the advancement of integration in the Capitol City and not the Eisenhower Administration.
Mrs. Joseph Kennedy, wife of the prominent San Francisco Public Defender, echoed her beautiful voice with the singing of the Negro spiritual, Deep River.
Assemblyman W. Byron Rumford and Dr. William McKinley Thomas very ably introduced the two speakers.
Mrs. Floyd Green Allen, representing the National Council of Negro Women, was acclaimed for the role the council was taking in getting citizens to get out and vote.
Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett, publisher of The Sun-Reporter was a master strategist, as chairman of the non-partisan meeting.

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