Averell Harriman – Governor of New York

Averell Harriman – Governor of New York

The following are highlights of the speech of New York Governor Averell Harriman on the presentation of the Local 6 Better Relations Award to the nine Little Rock students.

The leadership that has been given in Arkansas by Mrs. Bates and her colleagues of the NAACP, and the children who undertook to carry forth their share of carrying out the great decision of the Supreme Court, deserves our respect and our gratitude. I've come here tonight to join with you in making that expression to them. But as we think of this issue, we all have a job that is to be done.

Local 6 has done a fine thing tonight in singling out these nine youngsters for your award. The Supreme Court decision is going to be carried out not just because it is the law of the land. Of course, the laws must be obeyed, but it is going to be carried out and it must be carried out because it is morally right.

I think that we should call a spade a spade and one of the unhappy situations in which we find ourselves in this country is that the President of the United States speaks of the Supreme Court decisions as being decisions that should be carried out because they are the law. Now that is not enough, let me repeat. The President of the United States should say that they should be carried out because there is a moral principle involved and that principle is the principle on which our nation is founded. He should speak out and rally all men and women of good will throughout the nation. As Governor of your state, I feel I have the obligation to speak out.

One day, history will point to the courage shown by the African-American children of Little Rock in the face of both official and mob action in keeping them out of school. They are the real heroes. And they will occupy a niche in the annals of the nation.

I say there is an obligation on every Governor in our nation, the Governor of Arkansas, the Governor of every single state, to uphold the law and to support those good people of each state who want to do what is right, and who want to carry forward the principles of our nation and certainly support of the Constitution.

I have said and I repeat again tonight, that when the Governor of Arkansas, Faubus by name, calls out the National Guard, not to uphold the law but to defy it, he is not behaving as an American. I believe that that man Faubus will go down in history as the word "lynch" or the word "quisling," or other names of men who have gone down as a man who failed to do his deed, as a man who used public office against the public interest rather than to carry out the oath of his office.

If we are going to say such things as that, we ourselves here in New York must help make progress in the elimination of the discrimination that still exists right here in this city and state of ours. In spite of opposition, I'm glad to say that the last three years we have made some progress and I think we can be gratified at it. We've made progress in the question of employment, in the right to advancement in accordance to a man or woman's skill and abilities and willingness to work.

One of the nice things that has happened is that we've induced two of the airlines to employ African-American hostesses. One of them was an employee of the New York airline and the other was from International Airlines, and when that charming young lady goes around the world, it will help to counteract the pictures that appeared on the front pages, of these youngsters that were kept out of school by soldiers.

Then there is a question of housing. I think that we should give great credit to those who battled through the City Council here in New York a law to end discrimination in private multiple housing, the first city in the union to have such a law on its books.

For two years now, we had legislation of that kind in the legislature and both years I have supported it. Now, let's get together and get it through on a state-wide basis so that we can be the first state to have such a law on our books. But it's not enough to have laws on our books. They've got to be carried out. We have the right to demand of people all over the United States that they put aside their inherited prejudices for the welfare of our country and the security of our nation.

I want these nine children to leave New York with one feeling and that is that in New York there is love and affection for them. That is a doctrine that we must preach - love and affection for our neighbors, love and affection for all of the young people that are growing up and love and affection for all citizens who are ready to abide by the principles on which our nation is founded. If we adhere to that, we will march forward together to higher principles for our whole country and ourselves.

I want to express to you of Local 6 my congratulations, to every one of you for this fine thing that you have done. It is an example to all of us in the state, an example to the nation. Carry forward your good work.

You are an inspiration to your Governor, just as you are to everyone else that has had an opportunity to see the fine work that you have consistently been doing to eliminate prejudices and to give everyone a fair opportunity so that the great boon and happiness that all Americans are entitled to will be spread to every family in our state and in the nation.