University of Virginia Library

For Alleged Discrimination

NAACP Urges Boycott Of Merchants

By Rod MacDonald
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Citizens of Charlottesville have
been urged to "Use your buying
power wisely—don't buy segregation,
discrimination, or discourtesy"
and to boycott eight downtown
merchants for alleged practices
of discrimination.

The Youth Council of the
NAACP has been distributing
handbills for the past few days
urging citizens to boycott these
downtown merchants: Talman's
Ed Michtom's, J. S. Tilman's,
The Corner Shop, the Colonnade
Shop, C. H. Williams, the Citizen's
Bank, and Fink's Jewelry.

The immediate goal of the
boycott is "Equal job opportunities—Don't
buy where you can't
work." All the merchants included
are on Main St. downtown
between Ridge and Belmont
streets.

"Each Keeps Quota"

"These business establishments
do not hire Negroes," said Wendell
Johnson of the Youth Council.
"Oh, they all say they do
and have a Negro clerk or two,
but each keeps a quota and refuses
to go past it."

The purpose of the boycott, he
added, was to force economic
pressure on these businesses during
the anticipated Easter boom.
The added business would be diverted
to other integrated establishments.

Last week at the Student Council
meeting Mr. Johnson also successfully
presented a resolution
urging endorsement of the goals
of equal opportunity employment
and open housing. At that
time, the policy of a committee
meeting with these "segregated"
businesses was mentioned to mediate
the difficulties between the
two groups.

Mr. Johnson said the meeting
would be held tonight. "Judging
from past experience and the discussions
we've had with them,
however, I would say there have
been no results and none are expected
without some sort of public
pressure."

He also noted that the handbill
had been checked with the
group's lawyers and cleared for
general distribution to the public.

Merchant Comments

"I'd like to know what I could
do about this problem," said
Howard Hoffman, manager of
"No. 2 target" Ed Michtom's. "I
don't feel we have a policy of
segregation in our employment
practices, and other employers
feel the same way.

"Our problem is that, due to
competition, help is hard to get
and keep, and we have been
forced to adopt a policy of not
hiring anyone we would have to
train," he said. "As a result, we
have to find employees with previous
retail experience.

"We recently interviewed one
Negro boy for a job, but couldn't
hire him since there was no opening
at the time.