BOOKER T WASHINGTON: The NAACP must adopt a different strategy. We must focus on achieving economic equality first. By doing so we can build alliances with whites. Economics is not zero-sum game. We can all get rich at the same time. , We can convince even racists whites that black economic success benefits them. If blacks do not work, they do not provide a labor force for white business owners, they cannot buy products made by white-owned businesses, and they are more likely to commit crime. , By focusing on economic equality, we enlist whites in our struggle. , When we become more wealthy, social equality will follow. , Society respects those who have something to contribute to the world's marketplace. There is not country in which this is more true than America. In the US, entrepreneurs, capitalists and inventors are considered heroes. , Durham, North Carolina provides an example of the benefits of striving for economic equality. Three black entrepreneurs started a successful insurance company there. Its success spawned the creation of a black-owned bank, drug store, cotton mill, and newspaper. Even more striking was the response of whites. There are no secret white racist societies, lynchings, intimidation, or race riots in Durham. Indeed, black economic success is celebrated by Durham's white people. , When we become wealthy, we can force political and social equality. Money influences business. If we threaten to refuse to ride streetcars unless they integrate, the street car companies will either integrate or go out of business. , Money influences politics as well. If we pledge to fund the political party that supports anti-lynching and desegregation laws, the Republicans and Democrats will both compete for our support. Plus, money can be used to fun Court cases challenging discriminatory state laws. , W.E.B. DuBois: When blacks can't vote, government ignores them or worse, oppresses them. There have been numerous examples of blacks being lynched for not agreeing to a specific price for cotton or labor. How can we achieve economic equality when our opponents are free to use the law to take our property?, Focusing on economic equality will also be self-destructive. Requiring blacks to compromise will sap the strength of the black community. If we accept discrimination and segregation, we will lose our dignity. , It is true that focusing on political equality may lead to confrontation. But, the racists make up a minority of the white population. By agitating and demonstrating for political equality, we will force the silent majority of whites to help up. , We must organize ourselves into political clubs and put pressure on whites to give us the right to vote in states where it is denied. The Constitution is on our side. If we educate a group of effective lawyers, we will begin to win cases that will strike down discriminatory state laws. , Those who place the goal of economic equality first are asking us to compromise with racists and accept political and social inequality. We should not have to postpone our demand for equality. We should not compromise with evil. , Focusing on economic equality is not just wrong. It is also ineffective. Blacks are currently too poor to exert any economic influence. We were freed without land, and have been forced to sharecrop or work for low wages since the end of Reconstruction. The lack of political equality will lead to permanent poverty. ,

Chapter 2.3 Fighting Discrimination

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