1959 Petition Campaign and-
YOUTH MARCH FOR INTEGRATED SCHOOLS
312 WEST 125th STREET
•
NEW YORK
27,
NEW YORK
•
MOnument
6-9700
?Gbruury 13, 1959
~nr
Chairmen
MRs. DAISY BATEs
HARRY BELAFONTE
MRs. RALPH
J. BuNCH E
REV. EDWIN T. DAHLBERG
REv. HARRY EMERSON Fos nrcK
Rl:V. MARTIN L UTHER KING, JR.
FAUIERJOHN LAFARGE, S.J.
CLARENCE PICKETT
RABBI JOACHIM PRINZ
A.
PHILIP RANDOLPH
WALTER REUTHER
JACKIE ROIHNSO N
NoRMAN THOMAS
RoY WILKINS
CHARLES
S. ZIMMERMAN
(Additional committees in formation.)
Treasure1·s
MORRIS IUSHEWITZ
BENJAMIN F. M c LAt:RI!\'
DR.
c. B. POWELL
Coordinators
BAYARD RUSTIN
HERBERT L. WRIGiiT
Student LoadHr ,
We are writing to toll you about the Yrmth March f or Integrated
Sehoole and to t:tt3k that you t.£.ke ot-:;;pa te~ r-.ake it known to your
student body and to A•'curc1 the fullest pr:RCiible participation from
your school .
Last October ?.5th, 10,000 y,.:ung
3. ool Gmn tiffi::rmetion
education and :for the ir.tegration
young people were ::~tuden-cs. McBt
colleges on the oac;te:cn seaboard .
almost equal numbers.
D . C. to make
:peoplo o.snembled in rlashington,
of their tluppf)r t for equal
of the scho()la . Many of the se
of them came from schools and
regro and whlte were present in
On this day , nt n maAn gathering at the Lincoln Memorial, the
young people plodged to rEl turn to WaShington , and to invite young
people from acr oos th~ nation t o come with them . They promised
also to. circulat e on n nation-wide scale a petition urging the
Government to movo forvard in the task of speedy integration of the
llchoola.
The tim~ to ~uneh thi • :pf'tition crunpa.ign and toprepar e for the
1959 Youth ~h i~ h•r~. Enclo ~ed you will find a copy of the
C.nll to the 1959 Youth ~r.h , and a copy of tho Petition w·hich we
~re urg1~
young P-Opl e vh~rever they may bo to sign and c irculate .
We urge lOU ~~...a!!~diate ~~~~U2-_!_he ;publiciz 1~_!~
•ovement ~our ea.m~u~~, and ~~'!l"ir~ -r~ll ~tuC!~t.!~ par~!.~ip~!!_~
Copi~~ of the C~l l and the Petition erA a~nilable f rom the Youth
March offic. e --a~ u~ny as ~ou r.oed . Our campaign begins at a time
of deepening er,ucllt ional erisi;:; in. nur country. Our moral affirwation for the democratic idual of equality and in s upport of the
Supreme Court decluion nf May 17, 1954 i s ~ded-- now l
Ue wiah you Godopec d. in ntotmting u successful· campaign that will
enab le Amer ican y outh to Rpeo.k out on the greatest moral iss ue of
our t ime ; that will enable Ufl to make our own personal contribution
t o the advancement of brotherhood and the reali zation of t he
Christian purpose.
Sincerely,
(
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