William O. Brown

Race Prejudice as a Factor in the Status of the American Negro

It is widely believed that race prejudice has been historically and is at the present time the basic factor in the status of the American Negro. Race prejudice is assumed to be the effective factor in the Negros subordination. It is the purpose of this paper to define the character of the relationship between prejudice toward the Negro and the position he occupies in the American social structure. The problem is to analyze the interaction, if any, between status and prejudice. The simplest approach to this question is first to indicate in outline what the status of the Negro is, and second to analyze specifically the role of prejudice in the determination of the Negros position in the American social order. Since the status of the Negro is the theme of this volume it will be treated briefly in the present chapter. Only the essential aspects of the Negros status will be cited. The greater part of this discussion will represent an attempt to diagnose race prejudice as a factor in the status of the American Negro.

The Present International Crisis and the Status of the African Native

The purpose of this paper is to outline the status of the African Native, and to suggest the impact of the world crisis on his position. Attention will first be given to background data, such as the numbers and distribution of African population and its racial composition. In the main body of the paper the basic facts of Native subordination and the circumstances and conditions of European dominance will be summarized. The impact of the present international crisis can only be given cursory treatment, partly because of the absence of attested fact. Here we enter the no-mans land of prediction where the sober and the informed hesitate. The complex and varied character of the problem discussed likewise compels caution in generalization.