I read the Atlanta Constitution and here was McGill's
column on the front page. About one out of every five columns he was
saying something quite startling on race. I was naturally amazed, I
didn't realize, a) anybody was doing that, and b) that anybody could get
away with it.
Just out of curiosity I went to see him. I called him up and asked for an
appointment and he said to come on in. I went and spent an hour with
him. I told him where I was and what I
Page 32 had been
doing. I really was doing this out of curiosity, what kind of guy is
this, have I misread the situation? He said, "no, you haven't misread
the situation, don't be misled by these columns of mine." He said, "I
just feel every once in a while compelled to write something about this
crazy system. We are in for a terrible time. It's going to be years and
years of it. If I was you I would just get the hell out. You've read it
right and you probably made the right decision."
I said, "well, I'm still impressed with what you are saying down here."
He said, "I'm paying for it." [laughter]
He said, "Before you go, I think you can find something interesting.
There's an outfit here called Southern Regional Council that's an
interracial organization. It's a very balanced, decent, and courageous
group. I think you would feel better about this if you found out a
little about them and that there are people down here who feel the way
you do and who are trying to do something about it against the odds."
"That's news to me," I said. "It does sound interesting."
He said, "hold on a minute."
He picked up the phone and called George Mitchell and he told him he had
this fellow in his office and asked if he could see him and tell him a
little bit about the Southern Regional Council. George said to send him
over right then.
I walked over to Auburn Avenue to see George Mitchell. After we talked
for quite awhile he said, "are you in any rush to get up there to New
York?"
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I said, "I don't have any deadline." I hadn't planned to go until early
September and this was then early August.
He said, "I just lost my Director of Information. He went to work with
the steelworkers and I would have lost him anyway because I don't have
any money to pay anybody here." Rosenwald had run out of existence, the
Rosenwald Fund. He said, "he left me with a half-finished publication. I
don't have much money but I can scrape up somehow to pay you if you hang
around here for a few weeks and finish it up for me. Can you do that? It
will give you a chance to find out a little more about the Council and
how it works, who our people are and what they think."
I said, "sure, that sounds okay."
He said, "I wish I had some money because I would offer you a job."
I said, "oh, well, that's alright."