John P. Davis: “A Black Inventory of the New Deal”

Essential Quotes

“A worker cannot eat a wage rate.”

“The fairest summary that can be made of T.V.A. is that for a year or so it has furnished bread to a few thousand Negro workers. Beyond that everything is conjecture which is most unpleasant because of the utter planlessness of those in charge of the project.”

“On every hand the New Deal has used slogans for the same raw deal.”

“On the problem of relief of Negroes from poverty there is little room for disagreement. The important thing is that throughout America as never before Negroes awake to the need for a unity of action on vital economic problems which perplex us.”

“One thing is certain: the Negro may stand still but the depression will not. And unless there is concerted action of Negroes throughout the nation the next two years will bring even greater misery to the millions of underprivileged Negro toilers in the nation.”