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Show On Minorities By RUTH TAYLOR A lot of thoughtless people are asking today "Why all this clamor clam-or for rights? Don't minority groups know when they are well off!" But have you noticed how many of the people who say that, are those who have never met with discrimination? They have qever moved outside of their own particular orbit, but the barrier Ghat has kept them back has not been that of "restriction" or 'discrimination." Instead it has oeen lack of money, or desire that restrained them. As individuals ihey knew they were acceptable anywhere. Before you condemn minority -(leadings, just think how you would feel if you weren't wanted not AFTER having had a chance to prove your worth, but BEFORE and REGARDLESS! Remember that America was founded by men and women who were annoyed to action by restrictionson res-trictionson jobs, in lands where trades descended from father to son; on religion, where no man could hold office who did not adhere ad-here to the creed of the State; on speech, where the secret police dogged the steps of those who thought for themselves and so on. All of us who are "native born of native born" are descended descend-ed from those who objected to restrictions. Can we, therefore, tie anything but patient and understanding of those who are trying to achieve what we have been born to equal treatment as equals, the rights of being judged as individuals, indi-viduals, not labelled as a minority minor-ity and held outside the common life? These minorities want to belong. be-long. They want the same rights we possess the right to work and be useful, the right, and, most important of all, the right to participate on equal terms in our common life. Perhaps these minorities mi-norities don't all think as we do, nor act as we would act but have we given them the opportunity oppor-tunity to learn our way of thought, our way of life? There is no such tiling as equality equal-ity of possession but there must be equality of opportunity. We can provide the education, tradition tradi-tion and background to give every one a chance if he has what it takes. As the stronger it is up to us but we must do it by understanding un-derstanding and friendliness not by restrictions or discrimination. |