Date of Award
1959
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
First Advisor
Robert R. Noble
Keywords
African Americans, Economic Conditions, Social Conditions, Kansas
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis was not a study of the Negro on the national level, but a limited study of certain aspects of the Negro's social and economic status in the state of Kansas. This thesis will present information from a number of sources about the relative limitations placed upon educational and employment opportunities for Negroes in Kansas. Attention will also be devoted to religion and the role in Negro-Caucasian relationships in this state. In addition, an attempt will be made to evaluate the activity of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as an institution working for the greater acceptance and general improvement of the welfare of the Negro in Kansas.
There were many limitations encountered by the writer. One of the most important was the lack of written material. Since it was impossible to find any book solely dedicated to this area, the information was found in books, pamphlets, etc., which only touched upon the subject.
Hence, the lack or comparative lack of written material led the writer to employ the following methodology. The techniques used for obtaining data consisted of the interview and the questionnaire. The writer traveled to several parts of Kansas interviewing individuals who were directly involved with this subject.
A recognized limitation on the validity of this study is the unverifiability of the validity of the answers received on the questionnaires and in personal interviews. There is no way of proving or disproving the validity of the statements thus obtained. Therefore, the conclusions reached are based upon the premise that the school officials were honest and realistic in stating the conditions that existed in their particular systems and that informants were similarly motivated. A justification for this premise is that none of the informants had anything to gain from giving inaccurate information.
The findings of the study indicate that in the area of education, the Negro is on a more nearly equal level with the majority group than perhaps in any other area. The administrators of the schools surveyed indicated that Negroes are able to participate in all the activities of the school, being accepted and evaluated more and more on the basis of their individual personal traits. This is more evident in schools where few Negroes attend. Many times the student body, which is predominately non-Negro, elects a Negro to the position of student council president, or to a position of comparable prestige. Negro students participate in athletics and are able to play against other teams and are accepted by their opponents. In general, the opinion of school administrators was that Negroes were accepted by the other students and whatever trouble there was came from the adults in the community.
Most of the information about the employment status of Kansas Negroes was drawn from surveys made by the Anti-Discrimination Commission, a state agency charged with the specific function of finding the extent and nature of discrimination against minority group members and instituting certain forms of non-penal pressures to obtain fairer treatment for minority peoples. These studies consist of a series of concentrated investigations in single cities. Typical findings follow:
In one city in Kansas, almost half of the employers who returned questionnaires did not hire Negroes in any capacity. Many of the ones that did hire Negroes generally did so for unskilled or semi-skilled jobs requiring little or no responsibility. After the returns had been compiled, it was determined that less than half of the companies offering on-the-job training give it to Negroes. The majority of those answering the questions pertaining to ability to produce, record of absenteeism, etc., stated that the Negro is just as reliable as other workers.
In the area of religion, it was found that in the interchurch organizations, such as the ministerial alliances in Kansas communities, there is an atmosphere of cooperation and understanding. Nearly every minister in a city belongs and participates in its functions. One of the values of this type of organization is demonstrated in fund-raising campaigns. They include united drives for the Red Cross, Heart Fund, Community Chest, and programs designed specifically for promoting the welfare of Negroes, such as the Carver League.
As for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, it appears to be active only in the larger communities of Kansas. The Wichita Branch has more than a thousand members with a full-time office staff. At present, this Branch is compiling data to present to the President's committee on Government Contracts to prove discrimination in the airplane industries in Wichita. They have seventeen cases before the board at the present time.
In the smaller communities there is less activity. The President of the Crawford County Branch stated that this is probably true because there is less evidence of marked discrimination and more of an atmosphere of cooperation and acceptance in these smaller areas. according to the records of the Crawford County Branch, ninety-eight percent of the businessmen of Girard, Kansas, belong to this organization. This does not mean that they all attend. However, the president stated that there were nearly always Caucasians at their meetings.
Recommended Citation
Mhoon, Charles Rex, "The Socio-Economic Status of The Negro in Kansas" (1959). Electronic Theses & Dissertations. 501.
https://digitalcommons.pittstate.edu/etd/501
Comments
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