Mr. Kennedy and the Negroes

Cleveland, OH: The World Publishing Company, 1964. First Edition [stated], presumed first printing. Hardcover. Very good/Good. 319, [1] pages. Frontis illustration. Appendix. Bibliography. Index, DJ somewhat soiled and stained and some edge tears and wear. Harry Lewis Golden (May 6, 1902 - October 2, 1981) was an American writer and newspaper publisher. In 1941, he moved to Charlotte, where, as a reporter for the Charlotte Labor Journal and The Charlotte Observer, he wrote about and spoke out against racial segregation and the Jim Crow laws of the time. From 1942 to 1968, Golden published The Carolina Israelite as a forum, not just for his political views but also observations and reminiscences of his boyhood in New York's Lower East Side. He traveled widely: in 1960 to speak to Jews in West Germany and again to cover the 1961 trial of Adolf Eichmann in Israel for Life. He is referenced in the lyrics to Phil Ochs' song, "Love Me, I'm a Liberal": "You know, I've memorized Lerner and Golden." His satirical "The Vertical Negro Plan," involved removing the chairs from any to-be-integrated building, since Southern whites did not mind standing with blacks such as at bank tellers' windows, only sitting with them. Golden reportedly convinced a southern department store manager to put an "Out of Order" sign by the water fountain marked White; within three weeks all were drinking from the Colored-designated drinking fountain. Calvin Trillin devised the Harry Golden Rule, which states that "in present-day America it's very difficult, when commenting on events of the day, to invent something so bizarre that it might not actually come to pass while your piece is still on the presses." Derived from a Kirkus review: Mr. Golden contends that President Kennedy used the power and prestige of his office in the area of civil rights in such a way that he deserves to be called "our second abolitionist President"; that his outspoken support and clearly evident concern for the plight of the American Negro focused the nation's attention on this problem more than in any other administration. During the years that newspapers and periodicals failed to see the injustice of segregation as front page, headline material, Harry Golden was collecting the stories that got buried in the back pages or remained unprinted. They are recalled here to support his discussion. He compares the attitudes toward civil rights displayed by Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Truman and Kennedy. He employs a tone that is neither argumentative nor defensive; it is the tone of good conversation backed by considered opinion based on interpreted facts. For those who have sainted Roosevelt in all areas, he has an expressive shrug -- FDR played it safer than his first lady. He speculates on Truman's performance and its effect and is quietly incredulous over Eisenhower's virtual silence. This is an emotional tribute from a reasonable man with a wide audience whom he continues to surprise. Segregation is an institution Mr. Golden has been watching for years, and President Kennedy's commitment to its destruction has his total admiration.