SPEECHES & WRITINGS FILE Address to the National Committe To Free the Ingram Family, June 22, 1949 Remarks National Committee to Free Ingram Family New York June 1949 It is always a pleasure for me to be in New York But in addition to its being a pleasure I consider it a genuine, great privilege to be in New York under the circumstances conditions and sponsorship under which I am appearing here tonight. Ever since Ive been a little girl, and when you look at me you can see that it was only a very few years ago when I was a little girl, Ive jumped for joy when I was told I would be taken or that I could go to New York. And I want here and now to congratulate New York city and especially the Hotel Theresa for being the Headquarters of the National Committee to free the Ingram Family. I want to congratulate the officers and members of this National Committee on the work they have done and the statements they have sent out and the zeal with which they have worked. This is indeed an important and a serious business in which we are now engaged. It is definitely our duty to acquaint the people of the country with the facts in this revolting case and to do everything in our power to arouse the public conscience in this so-called greatest Democracy on earth. The women of this organization are determined to use all their influence and skills and the power which they possess to try to right the wrongs and stop the bloody brutality of which colored women have been victims in a variety of ways in this United States of America for 300 years especially in that section of the country where the majority of our group live. [We all know the sto] Mrs. Ingrams case is not the first and only 2 one in which an organization of colored women tried to secure justice for a colored woman unjustly sentenced by a prejudiced Court. A long time ago a colored girl about 17 yrs was sentenced to be hanged in Richmond, Va for defending herself against a vicious attack by the white woman who employed. Fearing for her life in defending herself the colored girl killed the woman who had employed her and had attacked her. It was clearly a case of self defense. But she was sentenced to be hanged by the Virginia Court. The National Association of Colored Women meeting in Washington decided to appeal to the Governor of Virginia to commute the death sentence to life imprisonment. As chairwoman of this Committee of 3 I went to Richmond to make this appeal But the Governor of Virginia let it be known that he would neither receive nor hear any appeal which colored women might make in person or as an organization and he was determined this young colored should hang. It was just another case of a colored woman's being hanged for defending herself against an attack by a white woman who was trying to kill her. There is an old slogan that it is the crying baby that gets the milk. So long as a minority group which is tonight the victim of injustices of various kinds as the group with which most of the takes it lying down just so long will this group be imposed upon and trampled under foot by oppressors and tyrants as our group is here in the U. S We have been long suffering and patient, long suffering and patient for 250 years while we were slaves, long suffering and patient since the emancipation Proclamation set our group 3 free 85 years ago - a time comes in the life of a human being and in the life of a group of human beings when patience ceases to be a virtue and becomes an ugly, disgraceful vice. That time has already come in the history of the colored people of the U.S. The time has come in the history of our group where it is no longer a virtue but a vice to be patient with disfranchisement of colored men and women in that section where the majority live. No[t] longer a virtue but a vice for us to be patient with inability to secure employment in voctions for which we have been trained so that it is impossible for colored men and women [can not] to support themselves and their families. In [the capital] Washing of the U.S. Colored men are denied employment as operators of streetcars & buses by the Capital Transit Company solely because of their race. It is no longer a virtue but a vice to be patient with being lynched without greater efforts as a group to force Congress to pass an anti lynching. And incidentally colored women have been lynched as well as men. Some years ago an unborn baby was torn from its mother's body as she was dragged on the bank of a river thrown into the water. Then the mother thrown after it after she had been beaten and bludgeoned by the mob. It is no longer a virtue but a vice for us to be patient with injustices of various kinds in the Courts of justice. Justice, God save the mark that is only we the National Committee 3 free 85 years ago. A time comes in the life of a human being and in the life of a group of human beings where patience ceases to be a virtue and becomes an ugly intolerable vice. And the time has come in the history of the colored people of this country with the injustices and disabilities under which we have to live where patience [with] is no longer a virtue but a vice We should no longer be patient with the disfranchisement of our group, inability to secure employment, being patient with being lynched, being patient with injustice of various kinds in the Courts, patient with being imposed upon in 57 varieties of ways, patient with the many parts of the country conditions under which colored people live in Washington D.C. as I do under conditions which make it impossible for me get something to eat when I'm hungry if I happen to be in the business section of the National Capital impossible for me to go to a movie except those operated especially for colored people, in the capital of the U.S. with a population of approximately 1,000,000 people because the National Theatre refused to admit colored people. Instead of being a virtue if colored people are meekly patient any longer with unjust conditions under which [colored people] they are forced to live in many sections our so-called Democracy, this so called patience with these conditions will become a vice. 4 Committee to free the Ingram Family are telling the world about the injustice perpetrated upon Rosa Lee Ingram and her two sons and are begging the law-abiding citizens of the country to help us free this woman now languishing in a Georgia jail for a crime which she did not commit. It is no longer a virtue [to] [be patient] but a vice for colored people of Washington where I live to be patient with conditions under which we are forced to live -- conditions which make it impossible for me to get a bite to eat when I'm hungry if I happen to be in the business section of the city, impossible for me to to see a movie except those operated especially for colored people -- There is now no theatre in the capital of the US with a population of nearly a 1,000,000 because the National Theatre refused to admit colored people. Finally it is no longer a virtue but a vice for our group to be patient with being imposed upon in 57 varieties of ways in a country called the greatest Democracy on earth. It is our duty therefor to use every legal means in our power Note the worg lgal still to [show] tell the world especially the citizens of the USA that we as a group are no longer satisfied with enduring the injustices of various kinds of which we are victims & that we are tired of being patient that we have arrived at that state of mind where we believe that if we continue any longer to be patient without protesting and without 5 appealing to the law-abiding citizens to observe the constitution of the U.S., our patience will develop into a shameful disgraceful vice. One of the most discouraging signs of the times is the fact that the North East & West are completely dominated by the South. 3/4 of the Sections of the U.S. are ruled to a large extent by 1/4 the South - In the present Congress there is the discouraging and disgraceful spectacle of the Republican Party [*reputedly*] supposedly the colored Americans friend locking arm with and hugging the Dixiecrats whose only ambition seems to be to keep Negroes as Bilbo used to call us in their place and withhold from them the rights privileges opportunities & immunities guaranteed them by the Constitution of the U.S. This effort to secure justice for Rosa Lee Ingram & her 2 sons is certainly a case in point- If ever there was an opportunity to call the attention of the law abiding people of this country to the [*an*] injustice perpetrated upon a colored woman and to urge them to do everything in their power to remove it, the case of Rosa Lee Ingram is certainly that case. I hope every man and woman here [*all those in this audience*] tonight will do everything in their [her] power to acquaint the citizens of this country with the shocking, horrible injustice of which Rosa Lee Ingram and her two sons are victims, will render every service in every conceivable way you 6 can, financial and otherwise to free this woman now separated from her children 12 of them whom she longs to see, incarcerated in the Reidsville Penetentiary reputed to be the worst in the State of Georgia, and that is saying a great deal, forbidden to see those who want to help and encourage in any way they can- Especially do I call upon all the colored women of the United States to help one of their own group who is now suffering untold agony not as a penalty for a crime she committed or for a violation of any law, but subjected to this torture because she is a colored woman by those who hate her race. I believe the colored women of the US by persistent effort [earnest] hard work and the dermination to come to the rescue of one of their number can work wonders. Though there are many things to discourage & disherten us we have some blessings for which to be thankful I beg you, men of our group help By emphasizing the necessity & duty of colored women to help & free Rosa Lee Ingram and her two sons I am not releasing the men of our group from working toward the same end with the help of our brothers (over) National Committee to Free the Ingram Family. New York, June 22, 1949 It is always a pleasure for me to be New York. But in addition to its being a pleasure, I consider it a genuine , great privilege to be in New York under the circumstances, conditions and sponsorship under which I am appearing here tonight. Ever since I have been a little girl, and when you look at me "as is", you can see that it was a very few years ago when I was a little girl, I jumped for joy when I was told I would be taken or allowed to to go New York. And I want here and now to congratulate New York City and especially the Hotel Theresa, on being the Headquarters of the National Committee to Free the Ingram Family. I want to congratulate the officers and members of the National Committe on the work they have done, the statements they have sent out and the zeal with which they have worked. This is indeed an important and serious business in which we are now engaged. It is definitely our duty to acquaint the people of the country with the facts in this revolting case and to do everything in our power to arouse the public conscience in this so-called "greatest Democracy on earth." The women of this organization are determined to use all their influence, skill and power which they possess to try to right the wrongs and stop the bloody brutality of which colored women have been the victims in a variety of ways in this United States of America for 300 years, especially in that section of the country where the majority of our group live. But Mrs. Ingram's case is by no means the first and only case in which colored women have tried to secure justice for a colored woman unjustly sentenced by a prejudiced Court. A long time ago a colored girl about seventeen years old was sentenced to be hanged in Richmond, Virginia, for defending herself against a vicious attack by the white woman who employed her. Fearing for her life in defending herself the colored girl unintentionally killed who had cruelly treated her and had attacked her. It was clearly a case of self defense. But she was sentenced to be hanged by the Virginia Court. The national Association of Colored Women, meeting in Washington, decided to appeal to the Governor of Virginia to commute the death sentence to life imprisonment. As Chairman of the Committee of three, I went to Richmond to make this appear. But 2 Governor of Virginia let it be known that he would neither receive nor hear any appeal which colored women might make in person or as an organization and that he was determined this colored girl should hang. It was just another case of a colored girl's being hanged for defending herself against an attack by a white woman who was trying to kill her. There is an old slogan that it is teh crying baby that gets the milk. So long as a minority group with which many of us here tonight [takes] is the victim of injustices of various kinds takes it, lying down, just so long will this group be imposed upon and trampled under foot by oppressors and tyrants, as our group is here in the United States. Our group was long-suffering and patient for 250 years while it was enslaved. It has been long-suffering and patient since the Emancipation Proclamation set it free 85 years ago. A time comes in the life of a human being and in the life of a group of human beings when patience ceases to be a virtue and becomes an ugly, disgraceful vice. That time has already come in the history of the colored people of the United States. The time has come in the history of our group when it is no longer a virtue but a vice for us to be patient with disfranchisement of colored men and women in that section of the country where the majority of us live.. It is no longer a virtue but a vice for us to be patient with our inability to secure employment [for] in vocations in which we are trained and skillful, so that it is impossible for colored men and women to support their families and themselves. In Washington, D.C. the Capital of this "Greatest Democracy" on earth", colored men are denied employment as operators of street cars and buses by the Capital Transit Company solely because of their race. It is no longer a virtue but a vice to be patient with being lynched without making greater effort on our part to force Congress to pass an Anti-Lynching Bill. Incidentally colored women have been lynched as well as man. There have been several cases comparitively recently. Some years ago an unborn baby was torn from its mother's body after she had been brutally dragged to the river. The baby's body was thrown into the river and so was the mother after she had been beaten and bludgeoned by the mob. It is no longer a 3 virtue but a vice for us to be patient with injustices of various kinds-especially in the so-called Courts of Justice. God save the mark! Many of us do not protest [are afraid of] protesting] against these injustices because we are afraid of being called agitators. William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips and Frederick Douglass were called agitators, but they kept on working and talking just the same. Most of the injustices have been wiped out because there were people called Agitators. The women of the National Committee to free the Ingram Family are not afraid of being called "Agirators", I am glad to say. That is why we are telling the world about the injustice perpetrated upon Rosa Lee Ingram and her two sons. That is why we are begging the law-abiding citizens of this country to help us free this women now languishing in from a Georgia jail for a crime she did not commit. It is no longer a virtue but a vice for the colored people of Washington [where i live] to be patient with the conditions under which we are obliged to live in this Capittal of the Greatest Democracy on earth, I cannot get a bite to eat, in any restaurant in the business section of the city, no matter how hungry I am. I cannot see a movie except those operated especially for colored people. There is now no theatre in the Capital of the United States with a population of nearly a million, becaues the only theatre in the city refused to admit colored people representing one third of the population. Finally it is no longer a virtue but a vice for our group [for our group to be] to be patient with being imposed upon in 57 varietied of ways in the Capital of the United States. The only difference between Atlanta, Georgia or Jackson, Mississippi and Washington is that in Washington we do not have Jim Crow [s]street cars and there is probably colored people stand a bettee chance of getting justice in the Courts. It is our duty, therefore, to use ever legal means, I hope you observe that I use the word LEGAL-every LEGAL means in our power to tell the world and especially the United States of America that as a group we are no longer satisfied with enduring the injustices of various kinds of which we are now and have been the victims for many years, that we are tired of being patient with being pushed around, that we have arrived 4 have arrived at that state of mind where we believe that if we continue any longer to be patient with conditions without protesting louder and longer than we have ever done before, and without appealing to the law-abiding citizens to observe the Constitution of the United States, so that we may have all the rights, privileges and opportunities to which we are entitled, the patience with which we have borne all the disabilities and injustices of which we have been the victims will develop into a shameful, disgrac disgraceful vice. One of the most discouraging signs of the times is the fact that the North, East and West are completely dominated by the South. That is to say that 3/4 of the sections of the United States areruled to a large extent by 1/4 of the country, the South. In the present Congress there is the discouraging and disgraceful spectacle of the Republican Pary, reputedly the Colored-American's friend, locking arms with hugging the Dixiecrats whose only ambitionmand aim in life seems to be keeping "Negras" as Bilbo used to call them, in their place and withholding from them the rights, privileges, opportunities and immunities guaranteed them by the Constitution of the United States. This effort to secure justice for Rosa Lee Ingram and her two teen-age sons is certainly a case in point. If ever there was an opportunity to call the attention of the law-abiding people of this country to an unspeakable injustice perpetrated upon a helpless colored woman, and to urge them to do everything in their power to remove it, Rosa Lee Ingram's degredation and torture are a case make that case.. I hope every man and woman here to night will do everything in his or her power to acquaint the citizens of this country with the shocking, unbelievable injustice of which Rosa Lee Ingram with her two sons has been the victims. I hope each and every one of you hereto night will render every servi service you possibly can, financial and otherwise, to free this woman now separated from her children twelve of them whom she longs to see and care for, I hope each and every one of you This very minute this woman is suffering in the [Ride] Reidsville penetentiary in Georgia known as the worst penetentiary in the State, which I assure you is saying a great deal. She is forbidden to see her children and those who want to help and console her. Especially do I call upon the colored women of the United States to help one 5 of their own group who is now suffering untold agony, no as a penalty for a crime she has committed, not for a violation of any law, but sibjected to this torture, because she is a colored woman by those who hate her race. I believe the colored women of the United States by persistent effort and the determination to come to the re rescue of one of their own group can work wonders. Though there are many things to discourage and dishearten us, we have one blessing for which to be thankful, and that is the progress of colored women in everything which makes for the culture of the individual and the [progress of] elevation of the race. If you should ask me what special phase of our development makes me most hopeful of our ultimate triumph over present obstacles I would say it is the magnificent work our women are doing to regenerate and elevate their race. And no race need ever despair whose women are fully aroused over the duties which depend upon them are willing to shoulder responsibilities which they alone can assume. And I believe in the work which the National Committee to Free the Ingram Family is trying to do, with the help of our broad-minded, generous-hearted courageous brothers, our efforts will be crowned with success. National Committee To Free The Ingram Family. New York, June 22, 1949 It is always a pleasure for me to be in New York. But in addition to its being a pleasure, I consider it a genuine, great privilege to be in New York under the circumstances, conditions and sponsorship under which I am appearing here tonight. Ever since I have been a little girl, and when you look at me "as is", you can see that it was a very few years ago when I was a little girl, I jumped for joy when I was told I would be taken or allowed to go to New York. And I want here and now to congratulate New York City and especially the Hotel Theresa, on being the Headquarters of the National Committee to Free the Ingram Family. I want to congratulate the officers and members of the National Committee on [the work they have done] what has already been done, the statements they have sent out and the zeal with which they have worked. This is indeed and important and serious business in which we are now engaged. The facts in this Ingram case may be briefly stated as follows: It is definitely our duty to acquaint the people of the country with the facts in this revolting case and to do everything in our power to arouse the public conscience in this so-called "greatest Democracy on earth." The women of this organization are determined to use all their influence, skill ingenuity and power which they possess to try to right the wrongs and stop the bloody brutality of which colored women have been the victims in a variety of ways in this United States of America for 300 years, especially in that section of the country where the majority of our group live. But Mrs. Ingram's case is by no means the first and only case in which a colored women's organization has tried to secure justice for [a colored woman] one of their number unjustly sentenced by a prejudiced Court. A long time ago a colored girl about seventeen years old was sentenced to be hanged in Richmond, Virginia, for defending herself against a vicious attack by the white woman who employed her. Fearing for her life in defending herself the colored girl [unintentionally] accidentally killed the woman who had cruelly treated her and [had attacked] was then trying to take her life. It was clearly a case of self defense. But she was sentenced to be hanged by the Virginia Court. The National Association of Colored Women, meeting in Washington, decided to appeal to the Governor of Virginia to commute the death sentence to life imprisonment. As Chairman of this Committee of three, I went to Richmond to make this appeal. But 2 Governor of Virginia let it be known that he would neither receive nor hear any appeal which colored women might make [in person] either as individuals or as an organization and that he was determined this colored girl should hang. It was just another case of a colored girl's being hanged for defending herself against an attack by a white woman who was trying to kill her. There is an old slogan that it is the crying baby that gets the milk. So long as a minority group [with which many of us here tonight takes] which is the victim of injustices of various kinds takes it, lying down without protesting loudly against such treatment, just so long will this group be imposed upon and trampled under foot by oppressors and tyrants, as is the case with our group is here in the United States today. Our group was long-suffering and patient for 250 years while it was enslaved. It has been long-suffering and patient since the Emancipation Proclamation set it free 85 years ago. A time often comes in the life of a human being and in the life of a group of human beings when patience ceases to be a virtue and becomes an ugly, degrading disgraceful vice. That time has already come in the history of the colored people of the United States. The time has come in the history of our group when it is no longer a virtue but a vice to be patient with the disfranchisement of colored men and women in that section of the country where the majority of us ever live. [*Over*] It is no longer a virtue but a vice for us to be patient with our inability to secure employment [for vocations in which we are trained and skillful] no longer a virtue to be patient with those who cold bloodedly refuse to give us jobs so that we can earn our living and support our families and ourselves. [*so that it is impossible for colored men and women to support their families and themselves.*] In Washington, D.C. the Capital of this "Greatest Democracy" on earth", colored men are denied employment as operators of street cars and buses by the Capital Transit Company solely because of their race. It is no longer a virtue but a vice to be patient with being lynched without making greater effort on our part to force Congress to pass an Anti-Lynching Bill. Incidentally colored women have been lynched as well as men. There have been several cases comparitively recently. Some years ago an unborn baby was torn from its mother's body after she had been brutally dragged to the river. The baby's body was thrown into the river and so was the mother after she had been beaten abd bludgeoned by the mob. It is no longer a It is by no means a virtue but a vice to be patient with a section of the country whose citizens are continually violating the constitution as they squawk about States Rights and diabolically withhold from a minority group representing 15,000,000 human beings the rights, privileges, immunities and opportunities guaranteed them by the Constitution of the United States. 3 virtue but a vice for us to be patient with injustices of various kinds—especially in the so-called Courts of Justice. God save the mark! Many of us [are afraid of protesting] do not protest against these injustices because we are afraid of being called agitators. William Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips and Frederick Douglass were called agitators but they kept on working and talking just the same. Most of the injustices in this world have been wiped out because there were people called Agitators. The women of the National Committee to free the Ingram Family are not afraid of being called "Agitators", I am glad to say. That is why we are telling the world about the injustice perpetrated upon Rosa Lee Ingram and her two sons. That is why we are begging the law-abiding citizens of this country to help us free this woman now languishing in [from] a Georgia jail for a crime she did not commit. It is no longer a virtue but a vice for the colored people of Washington [where I live] to be patient with the conditions under which we are obliged to live in this Capittal of the Greatest Democracy on earth. I cannot get a bite to eat, in any restaurant in the business section of the city, no matter how hungry I am. I cannot see a movie unless I go to one [except these] operated especially for colored people. There is now no theatre in the Capital of the United States with a population of nearly a million, because the only theatre in the city refused to admit colored people who represented one third of the population. Finally, it is no longer a virtue but a vice for our group [for our group taxes] imposed [upon in 59 varietied of ways] to be patient with being denied our Curl Rights in the Capital of the United States. The only difference between Atlanta, Georgia or Jackson, Mississippi and Washington is that in Washington we do not have Jim Crow street cars and there is probably [colored people stand] a bettee chance for colored people to of get[ting] justice in the Courts. It is our duty, therefore, to use every legal means, I hope you observe that I use the word LEGAL—every LEGAL means in our power to tell the world and especially the United States of American that as a group we are no longer satisfied with enduring the injustices of various kinds of which we are now and have been the victims for many years, that we are tired of being patient with being pushed around, that we 4 have arrived at that state of mind where we believe that if we continue any longer to ne patient with conditions without protesting louder and longer than we have ever done before, and without appealing to the law-abiding citizens to observe the Constitution of the United States, so that we may have all the rights, privileges and opportunities to which we are entitled, the patience with which we have borne all the disabilities and injustices of which we have been the victims will develop into a shameful, disgraceful vice. One of the most discouraging signs of the times is the fact that the North, East and West are completely dominated by the South. That is to say that 3/4 of the sections of the United States are ruled to a large extent by 1/4 of the country, the South. In the present Congress there is the discouraging and disgraceful spectacle of the Republican Party, reputedly the Colored-American's friend, locking arms with and hugging the Dixiecrats whose only ambition and aim in life seems to be keeping "Negras" as Bilbo used to call [them] us, in their places and withholding from [them] us the rights, privileges, opportunities and immunities guaranteed [them] us by the Constitution of the United States. This effort to secure justice for Rosa Lee Ingram and her two teen-age sons is certainly a case in point. If ever there was an opportunity to call the attention of the law-abiding people of this country to an unspeakable injustice perpetrated upon a helpless colored woman, and to urge the to do everything in their power to remove it, Rosa Lee Ingram's degradation and torture [are a case] make that case.. I hope every man and woman here to night will do everything in his or her power to acquaint the citizens of this country with the shocking, unbelievable injustice of which Rosa Lee Ingram and her two sons have been the victims. I hope each and every one of you here to night will render every service you possibly can, financial and otherwise, to free this woman now separated from her children twelve of them whom she longs to see and care for. [I hope each and every one of you] This very minute this woman is suffering in the [Rids] Reidsville penetentiary in Georgia known as the worst penetentiary in the State, which I assure you is saying a great deal. She is forbidden to see her children and those who want to help and console her. Especially do I call upon the colored women of the United States to help one 5 of their own group who is now suffering untold agony, not as a penalty for a crime she has committed, not for a violation of any law, but subjected to this torture, because she is a colored woman by those who hate her race. I believe the colored women of the United States by persistent effort and the determination to come to the [re] rescue of one of their own group can work wonders. Though there are many things to discourage and dishearten us, we certainly have one blessing for which to be thankful, and that is the progress of colored women in everything which makes for the culture of the individual and the [progress] elevation of the race. If you should ask me what special phase of our development makes me most hopeful of our ultimate triumph over present obstacles I [would say] should answer unhesitatingly it is the magnificent work our women are doing to regenerate and elevate thier race. And no race need ever despair whose women are fully aroused over the duties which [*rest*] depend upon them and are willing to shoulder responsibilities which they alone can successfuly assume. [And I believe [in] the [work] efforts which the National Committee [are making] to Free the Ingram Family are making [is trying to do] with the help [of] which our broad-minded generous-hearted courageous brothers will give us [our efforts] will be crowned with success.] I believe [the] with the help which our broad-minded, generous hearted brothers will give us, the efforts which the National Committee to free the Ingram Family are making will be crowned with success Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.