Activities Among Negroes
The writer wishes the many readers of this column a happy and prosperous New Year. To the City of Oakland. the writer not only wishes continued growth and prosperity, but that throughout the world the name may become known as a city that believes in a square deal for all races.
The holy season of Christmastide is the one celebration that brings joy and good will to persons of all religious beliefs. In the daily papers the writer recently read of the Jewish people during this holy season holding “The Feast of Light." This readily recalled to mind the valuable services rendered to the colored race by Julius Rosenwald of Chicago. It may not be known to many in Oakland that the Y. M. C. A. buildings erected for colored men, so often mentioned in this column, could not have been built were it not for the $25,000 donated toward each building by this gentleman. To Julius Rosenwald, the writer extends California greetings, and a wish that he will enjoy good health throughout the year, and will visit Oakland.
During this holy season of Christmas one should be interested in not only the poor, but all who are strangers in this land of sunshine and flowers. Oakland, among its poor, has some who are colored dependents. The writer the day before Christmas visited for a few moments the Public Welfare headquarters to see what was being done for this class of the city poor. She found there, busily filling boxes with candies, a colored woman, a Mrs. Ruffin. Upon being asked where the boxes were going, she replied: "The Big Sisters are not only caring for the members of our group, who are directly under their supervision, but there are a few others whom we have discovered that none of the charitable organizations are carrying cheer to this Christmas. So we are dividing what we have, and are hastily filling these additional boxes for them." The writer then thought, what a wonderful organization is the "Community Chest," and how every colored person should support it. If it were not for the assistance rendered by the Big Sisters this bit of cheer to those poor colored people could not have been possible. The writer, after securing this information from Mrs. Ruffin, walked over to the desk of the executive secretary, Mrs. Helen Arteida, and asked her to tell something of Mrs. Ruffin. Mrs. Arteida told how Mrs. Ruffin had struggled for an education under adverse circumstances and how she had so splendidly used every opportunity to be of service to her race, while trying to secure an education, she said: "For instance, she entered the Wesleyan University in Helena, Montana, in January, 1919, but was compelled to leave in May of the same year because of the flu epidemic, her husband having been stricken. She came to Oakland and joined a colored women's club. Later she was sent to represent this club as a delegate to a meeting of the "Big Sisters." This brought her in direct touch with a work in which she saw an opportunity to render service to her race. Mrs. Ruffin offered her service to do social service and has, since 1921, worked continuously without pay under the guidance and direction of the Public Welfare League.
"Mrs. Ruffin has been accepted as a special student in the graduate course of training for social service under Mrs. Emily Noble of the economic department of the University of California. This is a two-year course intended to prepare students for professional social service. It consists of a combination of academic courses with field work. The field work to which Mrs. Ruffin will be assigned is to consist of actual handling of family problems under the direction of this bureau.
The colored people through their organization have learned that throughout the nation, in many large cities, the Community Chest operates, and all charities are dispensed in an intelligent way under the supervision of trained social service workers. They have also learned that these chests have available, trained colored workers to look after the interest of the poor of the colored race. All this knowledge has been brought to their attention years ago, through the first history of the negro in California, and the attention has been called to a colored girl graduate from the University of Southern California, who is active in social service work. If the Community Chest has done nothing else than to arouse a desire for the younger colored women to prepare themselves for such work, it justifies the colored citizen to loyally support its coming campaign.
The Fifteenth-street church choir, under the leadership of Professor Keeton, will render their Christmas music at the evening service today. All are cordially invited to attend, especially strangers in the city.
There was recently held in Washington, D. C., the National Wage Earners annual meeting, under the leadership of Miss Nannie Burroughs. This is an organization for colored women workers. Their new building was at this meeting thrown open to the public. At this meeting problems of the working woman and plans for their solution were discussed. The organization is officered by some of the leading colored club women of the United States. The investment board has purchased and furnished beautiful headquarters at 1115 Rhode Island avenue N. W., in Washington, D. C. The building was dedicated on this occasion by leading educators of both races, who delivered addresses. Mrs. Archibald Hopkins brought greetings from the white club women of the district. (Signed) DELIAH L. BEASLEY.
