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Y(M/W)CA PRINCETON

y(m/w)ca princeton

Edited by Matt Rogers Interviews with James Floyd and Nancy Faherty Survey courtesy of Princeton Historical Society

SPECIAL THANKS

Special thanks to James Floyd and Nancy Faherty for giving me interviews to put in this book, as well as to Stephanie Schwartz and the Princeton Historical Society for providing the text from the 1930 YMCA Survey, as well as many of the historical photos used throughout the book.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A Foreword by the Editor 1930 YMCA Survey: Foreword

9 15

SECTION 1: Program YMCA/YWCA Mission Statements Location and Facilities Maps

21 26 28

SECTION 2: The Witherspoon YMCA Interview with James Floyd

31 39

SECTION 3: Racial Trends YMCA Baseball Teams

49 58

SECTION 4: Character and the Color Line Interview With Nancy Faherty

75 89

A FOREWORD BY

THE EDITOR

The YMCA is a large part of American culture that I have never personally been able to experience. There was no YMCA in suburban Lincoln, Massachusetts. After-school activities were organized through my elementary school or town recreation department, I swam at the local outdoor pool, and when I got older and started to work out I did so at the closest Boston Sports Club. The community around these extracurricular events was constructed by virtue of the fact that everyone engaged in them went to my K-8 primary school. The YMCA was a foreign concept to me, and yet one that I was also so familiar with, being a basketball enthusiast (which was originally created at a YMCA in Springfield, MA), and having attended any grade school birthday party ever where I danced along to Men At Work’s masterpiece, which must be the most famous “jingle” of all time. I understood essentially 9

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

what it was, but as far as I understood, it was just an aggregation of what services were offered to me through the various departments of my hometown. Once I started to research the history of the YMCA and YWCA in order to produce this book, I started to learn what the institution really stands for. Itâ€™s not just about providing children with a place to be after school, or activities to participate in. It is about directing those activities to facilitate cross-cultural interactions, and break down barriers of ignorance, racism and sexism. As I learned more and more about the institution, I began to see a sort of parallel timeline for racial and gender equality that developed over time in the Princeton YMCA and YWCA, which was much more progressive than the world around it.

A Foreword by the Editor

Through an examination of these historical documents, as well as my interviews with former Princeton Mayor, James Floyd, and YWCA Director of Development, Nancy Faherty, I hope to demonstrate not only the importance of these institutions in promoting racial and gender equality up until now, but the necessity of their continued efforts towards that goal. Though of huge historical significance, racism and sexism are not things of the past, and it is through the everyday efforts of institutions such as the Princeton YMCA and YWCA that these issues continue to get addressed and combatted.

In this book, I combine interviews with historical and current photographs, along with excerpts from a YMCA-commissioned survey from 1930, concerning the â€œcurrentâ€? state of the organization, and detailing a plan for the future. I use these to try to paint a picture of the progressive nature of the efforts of the Princeton YMCA and YWCA, which tried to integrate race and gender long before the rest of the country had caught up. And while many of the historical documents demonstrate the progressive nature of the institution, they also reveal, in strikingly honest moments, the deeply ingrained racism of the time, that could not even be overcome by an institution as progressive as this one was.

A SURVEY OF WITHERSPOON YOUNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF PRINCETON, N.J. MAY AND JUNE, 1930 JOSEPH VAN VLECK, JR., DIRECTOR.

FOREWORD. The present study was authorized by the Board of Directors of the Witherspoon Y.M.C.A. and has been financed by funds from the Advisory Committee of the white Board of Directors in Princeton. This impetus, coming jointly from both colored and white people, has operated to prevent racial bias in the supervision of the study, and the staff has been similarly organized. Its purpose has been threefold: (1) To evaluate the work which the Witherspoon Y.M.C.A. is (2) To study community conditions, so that an appreciation of the most urgent community needs could be developed (3) To make recommendations for the change of the work, so that it may more adequately serve the colored young men of Princeton in the future.

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

The first step in the study was the collection of all available statistical data which might bear on these points, especially those concerning population, wealth, health and delinquency. Further study of the community has been based largely upon the collection and analysis of opinions from individuals whose positions implied that their knowledge of affairs was comprehensive and relatively free from bias. An effort has been made to check opinions; that is, when the opinion of a conservative man has been heard and recorded, an attempt has been made to balance it by the opinion of another with opposite views. This procedure has been followed because the size of the Princeton Negro community is quite small, and the number of old residents is large enough so that their opinions may be reasonably expected to give a comparatively fair picture when properly checked. The second step was to secure information on the Colored Y.M.C.A. This was done through interviews with the staff, “Y” members, the Directors, contributors and many other informed persons. The investigators would like to have had more available time in order to have followed further the various leads on pertinent mat-

1930 YMCA Survey: Foreword

ters. In fact, the amount of data incorporated in this report could not have been so large, had it not been for the willing cooperation of practically every individual of whom a request was made. Acknowledgment must be made to William L. Ulyat, whose directory of all Princeton residents over seventeen has been compiled annually over a period of approximately twenty years. These directories contain the information upon which the tables showing population, race, and occupational trends are based. Special acknowledgement should also be made to William C. Blake, the Health Officer of Princeton Borough. By placing the substance of his records at our disposal, he rendered a very signal service to the study. Miss Dorothy L. Baker of the Social Service Bureau gave us considerable information upon the extent and nature of social maladjustment. Additional information on the community was gained through interviews with sixty-nine persons, thirty of whom were white and thirty-nine colored. They can be classified as follows: 4 Bankers. 16 Public Officials, “Y” Secretaries and Teachers. 5 other professionals. 10 Real Estate and business men.

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

6 Stewards. 12 Storekeepers. 14 Others. In the study of the Y.M.C.A. itself, the burden of the work fell unnecessarily upon John Redmond, the Secretary, who was always willing to answer our numerous requests, which must have been annoying at times. Edmund B. Tomb also helped us in securing this information. It was felt necessary to interview a large number of the members of the Board of Directors, both on the Y.M.C.A. itself and on community conditions in general. These men all gave their time most freely, and the frankness with which they discussed all the questions presented to them made the investigators very keenly aware of their responsibility. The Survey Director was ably assisted throughout the Study by Eugene M.B. Lee. Mr. Lee, who has done graduate work at Columbia in the field of economics, has contributed to all phases of the study. He made practically all the investigation in connection with economic level, recreation, religious and educational facilities, and the sections in the report on these topics are largely his work. JOSEPH VAN VLECK, JR., M.A., DIRECTOR. Montclair, N.J. 18

SECTION I: PROGRAM.

The aim of the Witherspoon Y.M.C.A. as stated by most of the members of the Board of Directors who were interviewed, is to develop character among the boys of the community from twelve years up. The degree to which this can be done is dependent upon the success achieved by the program. The program should be the center of the effort. It, above all else, determines the amount of good that the organization can accomplish. Some recommendations for the program of the future follow: (1) The program should be recognized as of primary concern (2) It should follow the needs of the commnity and face existing facts very frankly. For example, the large number of so-called wild dances which occur in the neighborhood has a very strong influence over the younger people, who either attend them or real-

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

ize that they will in a few years. Vigorous emphasis by the churches and the “Y” upon proper sex attitudes is called for by the type of recreation which exists at present. Only in this way can the prevailing mode be changed. (3) An increasing effort to reach boys through intimate individual conferences, informal in nature. As this takes both training and time, it points again to the necessity of freeing the Secretary from all work which can be delegated to others. (4) An effort should be made to secure an expression of the interests of the members. Modern psychologists agree that any educational effort which follows the interests of the pupils is bound to be more successful than one which works against them. (5) Present a modern interpretation of religion, one which will face frankly the great questions put by the scientific discoveries of our age. Such an emphasis should cause a great deal of interest and dicussion among the young people, who undoubtedly are loath to break from the traditions which have been passed down to them, and yet find it impossible to follow them in the form in which they are generally presented. (6) Formation of clubs should be pressed,

1930 YMCA Survey: Program

and they should be given the use of rooms in the building. At the present time, the investigators are told, many of the grammar school and high school children form themselves into clubs which are purely social, springing up like mushrooms and dying gradually. Some of these clubs develop into marauding gangs which have been described by members of the police force. Others are more innocent. Under the inspiration of a good Secretary, it should be possible to encourage these clubs to meet in the “Y” building, where adequate supervision could be provided. They should be able to join as Clubs, rather than as individuals. Supervision in this case must of course be passive, so that spontaneous actions of the boys can continue.

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

MISSION STATEMENT

Y.M.C.A.

YMCA is dedicated to putting Christian principles into practice through programs that help healthy spirit, mind and body for all.

YMCA/YWCA Mission Statements

MISSION STATEMENT

Y.W.C.A.

YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

AR AY

A map of the YMCA/YWCA and its greater surrounding area.

DL OFFICES

OFFICES

NURSERY

BRAMWELL HOUSE

DANCE STUDIO

RECEPTION DAYCARE

OFFICES

PALMER HOUSE

YMCA/ YWCA

ST.

MARTIAL ARTS

WELLNESS CENTER

BASKETBALL COURTS

SWIMMING POOL

RECEPTION

OFFICES

AU S NAS

NASSAU INN

NASSAU HALL

STARBUCKS

WITHERSPOON GRILL

PRINCETON PUBLIC LIBRARY

Y(M/W)CA Princeton Location and Facilities Maps

A map of the YMCA/YWCA building and grounds.

SECTION II: THE WITHERSPOON Y.M.C.A.

History. Despite considerable effort, it has been difficult to secure much defnitive information about the early days of the Witherspoon Y.M.C.A. This information should be gathered before it is lost into obscurity, because it will present an interesting picture of the growth which has accompanied the emergence of leadership among colored people. The early history was closely tied up with the Town Club. The Y.M.C.A. building is owned by the Club, and during the earlier days, a group of members used to serve as the Board of Directors of the Colored â€œYâ€?. There has always been a group of colored people associated with this white Board of Directors. While at first, the colored brethren functioned exclusively in an advisory capacity, they gradually demonstrated that they possessed real executive ability. While Mr. Phil Robinson was Chairman of the Board, there was an important change

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

in organization. The colored group became the Board of Directors, with complete autonomy. Mr. Howard Waxwood was the first Chairman of the Board, and he continued in office up to the present. Several members of the white Board continued to act as a consulting committee. Some of the men who were associated with the early history of the “Y”, both before and after the disbandment of the white Board, are: George Wintringer. A.F. Bearmore. W.M. Rankin. Mr. Sendquist. Mr. Mc Williams. Frederick Fisher. George Mc L Harper. John H. Prescott. Luther P. Eisenhart. With the accession of the colored Board, a new era in the work was marked. Up to that time the work was quite largely carried on by the white people for the benefit of their colored neighbors. The white Board is to be complimented for having realized that the amount of good which the “Y” was doing for the entire Witherspoon community would be very greatly increased by allowing the colored men to have the admin-

1930 YMCA Survey: The Witherspoon Y.M.C.A.

istration of their own work in their own hands. While the earlier work probably consisted largely of an effort to bring to the attention of the people the aid which can be derived from Christian principles intelligently applied, the present feeling seems to be that the work of the “Y” must reach the community in a larger way, that the real community needs must be felt, and that plans must be laid to meet them. It is from this point of view that this study has been made. Building. The present Y.M.C.A. building is an old residence, ideally placed at a corner which is passed by most of the young colored men as they return home from their work. The house has many imitations for the kind of work to which it is devoted. On the top floor is a pool room with two tables, a small office for the Secretary and a lavatory. Downstairs, just inside the front door, is one long room which can be divided by closing double doors, into two rooms, one having the checker-boards and piano and the other a table covered with magazines. Its floor was under an inch of water the last time it was visited by the survey staff. The entire building is decorated in dull

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

and tawdry fashion. There is no doubt but that Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglas, General Grant and others are appropriate people to be protrayed upon the walls of a colored Y.M.C.A., but the presence of such large and colorless likeness could probably be improved upon by more modern and chearful subjects. Since one of the functions of a Y.M.C.A. building is to attract visitors, a small expenditure for making the quarters more attractive should pay big dividends. It would be interesting to know whether the present condition of the building does not have a lot to do with the relatively few young people who were observed in the building by the staff during their three weeks in Princeton. The building compares unfavorably with most of the homes which were visited. It was said that before the last few months, there was considerable vandalism, even by the â€œYâ€? members themselves. While this is regrettable, it can rather easily be understood when everything in the building is dingy and ancient. The supply of books which are supposedly to be read by the young members is made up very largely of discarded novels, text books, classics and dictionaries, which were found in the best homes of Princeton in the golden nineties. In the past few months, the Secretary has engineered a number of improvements in the appearance of

1930 YMCA Survey: The Witherspoon Y.M.C.A.

the outside of the building. A wall has been built in the front and partly along Greene Street, and the tennis court and lawn have been put in fairly good shape. Some of the functions of a Y.M.C.A. building are: (1) To attract boys and furnish them with a place to spend their spare time. (2) To house groups of boys and young men who desire to meet for social, educational and religious purposes. (3) To furnish facilities for recreation, such as pool tables, tennis courts, bowling alleys, a dance floor and gymnasium. It is interesting to note that when examined with any one of these criteria in mind, the present building is found to be quite inadequate.

INTERVIEW WITH

JAMES FLOYD

PREVIOUS PRINCETON MAYOR January 6, 2015

What kind of controversy surrounded the construction of the building extension of the Princeton Arts Council, which is located where the Witherspoon YMCA used to be? Well the Witherspoon YMCA, or the black YMCA, or the colored YMCA, was long before the Arts Council. The Witherspoon YMCA moved out of that building, and consolidated with the greater YMCA in the 1950â€™s, and the Princeton Arts Council did not take over that building until 2008. In the interim, the building was a community center. In terms of the surrounding controversy, there was a question raised to the zoning board that had to deal with the Arts Council officially assuming the building and making modifications to it. When the Arts Council applied for a variance to modify the building â€” which at that time was the remnants of the community 39

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

Interview with James Floyd

discussions were brought to the attention of the Arts Council, that the building was not in ordinance, Graves refused to make any changes; that was his building, his structure, and he was going to stick with what they had. If it had been in the Borough, they would have had to bring it up to compliance. But it is in Princeton Township, so it is not in compliance now, and it was not compliant when they applied for the variance. Now, one may interpret that as being something that aggravated the community. But it had nothing at all to do with the consolidation of the Y’s. That took place long before the Arts Council and its modification or the new building. Photo of the new Princeton Arts Council building, designed by architect Michael Graves, and which sits where the old Witherspoon YMCA used to be location. Courtesty of ShopPrinceton.com

center — they wanted to modify the building into what it is today. At that time, there were two separate municipalities; the Princeton Borough and Township. The Art Council building is in the Princeton Borough. There was a zoning ordinance that said if you want to modify a non-conforming building — that is, if a building as it sits not in ordinance — then you then must bring it back up to zoning ordinance compliance. That’s not necessarily a racial or neighborhood controversy, it affected everyone. I doubt that anyone outside of the neighborhood had any real interest. So they got variance to modify the building. The main entrance is a modification, and there are other modifications as well. That was done by architect Michael Graves. And when the initial 40

Now the origin of that building was built under the old Works Progress Administration, and as everything in the neighborhood was then, it was bounded by a street you’ve never heard of: Jackson Street. That’s because Jackson Street doesn’t exist anymore. The African American community, we were relegated to was bound by Jackson, Witherspoon and John Street, and it extended down to Birch Avenue. The old Community Center and park was where the old African American sports used to take place. So the question surrounding that entire area, which is of interest now, is how should that area be zoned? There are contractors pressuring the zoning board and municipality to make it more commercial. And that we are against that. We had a town meeting, and 45 of us voted to remain residential. But relationship to the Y is different set of circumstances altogether. When new y was built, there was a provision in the bylaws, that the executive director of the older Y would then become the executive 41

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

director of merged Y’s. Well, that didn’t take place because the Witherspoon YMCA was the older of the two Y’s. What was the Community Center like? Was it still primarily used by Princeton’s African American community? The Community Center was primarily an African American community center initially. Then under Anne Ries, who took it over — who happens to be caucasian — she started the beginnings of an arts building, which was supposed to be open to all members of the Princeton community. They had arts, primarily the visual arts. There was a group of directors and such who wanted to expand it and make it more “upscale” — thats another word for, “We don’t want African Americas hanging around there.” There are all kind of code words and subterfuge actions that take place, like that. So then Princeton Future came out with full page ad about how they needed the zoning board ordinance for any modifications. And if they decided to grant the variance anyhow, the you really don’t have a last defense. Now keep in mind there were other noncompliant things in the neighborhood, and that grew out of the fact that this was the neighborhood that we were relegated to. We lived there, and we couldn’t go to restaurants uptown or anything like that. So we did have what some people would call commercial areas, because we couldn’t go uptown so they said, “Let’s give something to them” — that’s another code word. Now contractors want to convert Witherspoon to a commercial zone rather than residential, and they can justify it, saying, “Well there are some 42

Interview with James Floyd

commercial areas already there.” But that’s just because in days of segregation, they had to have stores there, because they couldn’t go anywhere else.

Photo of a YMCA-hosted dance. The image shows how, though the event was integrated, the room itself became segregated by itself. Photo courtesy of the Princeton Historical Society. 43

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

What made the YMCA so much more of a focal point than the school or anywhere else? What about it made it such a focal point of the African American community? Well it was really focal point, and unlike the school, a lot of the adults went and supported the Y as well. That said, there was no place else to go except for the Lodges, the Masonics and the American Legion. Those were the places we could go, and in the those places, in the Masonic temple, dances used to be held as well as other social affairs. The Y was the focal point of the black community, and it had an African American director over the years. For a lot of kids who associated with anything social, that was the association. They had good athletic events, they were part of league around Jersey, and they played basketball up on Quarry Street, and played other sports where the community park is now. It was the only game in town, you couldn’t go anyplace else. The so-called caucasian Y down on Johns Street was originally owned by our Italian friends. I’m not being pejorative here. The Italians came over to build the university. They were stone masons. After the Irish moved out of the neighborhood, the Italians moved in and working two jobs or so and building housing. Then, African Americans would come over and would start buying some of those houses. In other cases, absentee landlords would buy up some of the houses and set up rental units. Nowadays, absentee landlords, gentrification, its all the same. That community has gone from 90-something percent African American, to probably 10-12%. Absentee landlords are 44

Interview with James Floyd

still there, but why rent to a single family when they can rent to 12 or 15 of our newly arrived hispanic friends. Then they can charge them whatever they want, and the municipal government doesn’t ever intercede. Do you see anywhere in Princeton now, that currently serves some of the same function as the Witherspoon YMCA did then? A place that acts as a focal point for Princeton’s African American community? No. No. No, I don’t. That was the focal point, but an awful lot should also be attributed to the African American faith-based institu-

The location of the current YMCA/YWCA before it was built. It opened in 1957, when the Witherspoon YMCA merged with the rest of the greater organization. Photo courtesy of the Princeton Historical Society. 45

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

tions. They had much more than just church sermons, and brought up issues about why is there racism, and how do we deal it. Back when Woodrow Wilson was down here, the university was as prejudice as it comes; it was extremely racist. Princeton grads were the folk who really ran the town. If they came out, and stayed here, they were the ones on the governing and ruling bodies. Keep in mind, African Americans worked for the university and the seminary, and that was the main source of income for the whole African American community. Some could occasionally getting jobs working for private families. So the whole town was relegated to segregation. I was shocked when I moved to Princeton in 1946, and the public schools were still segregated. I was one of the first African Americans to serve on one of Princetonâ€™s governing bodies. I worked for Trenton when I first came here, for an international firm, so I didnâ€™t have the same allegiances to university or Princeton families that a lot of folks had, so I could speak the best I could for the African American community, and speak about the actual issues, and the way things really were, and how to try to make things better. The Y was the primary focal point of the African American community back then, but faithbased institutions were equally as important. They were much more active than they are now, and had many more meetings during the week, and were much more involved in the black community.

SECTION III: RACIAL TRENDS.

The growth of 64.9% for the negroes is much greater than that of â€œall others.â€? What may we regard as the causes of this? If they can be properly indicated, a study of this will help to forecast the future growth of the community. This should be most valuable information in considering a building program to meet the future needs of Princeton. Several reasons which undoubtedly contribute largely to the phenomenon are worth of mention: (1) The town has grown so that its demand for domestic labor has greatly increased, and naturally some immigration has followed. Several undergraduate clubs have either been formed or expanded, new real estate developments have drawn a new commuting element to Princeton, and undoubtedly many homes which employed only one maid immmediately after the war, now desire two or more. This fact is supplemented by the

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

immigration restrictions which make it increasingly difficult to get white servants. The result has been to tempt the negroes from the south in ever increasing numbers to avail themselves of greater opportunities, both in northern homes and factories. (2) Another factor is the larger number of colored men who enter “other work” and “skilled work” categories as listed in the chapter on economic level. (3) A final factor lies in the tendancy of every community to gradually build up its own stores, restaurants and tailor shows, and to establish its own professional men. This process is just starting in the Witherspoon area, and it seems likely that the colored population will continue to increase more rapidly than the rest of the community. This of course implies that whatever plans for bettering conditions are put into effect should either provide for a colored group somewhat larger than that which exists at present, or else be capable of easy extension. The very large increase in the number of italians shown by Table I deserves a word. While the old Italian settlement in Princeton was along John Street, rather centralized

1930 YMCA Survey: Racial Trends

and apart from the rest of the town, the new migrants are now settling behind the new High School and to the east end of the borough. The old neighborhood is slowly being taken over by colored people. Dorothea’s House, the Italian Neighborhood House, reports that they do not find the needs among Italians today which were prominent when the house was established. The old residents are now being aided by the normal social agencies such as the schools and churches, while the new migrants come largely from thickly populated urban centers where the tendancy for them to stick together and resist American culture had already been weakened. Although the Italian and Negro groups have been growing much more rapidly than the rest of Princeton, they still constitute a smaller proportion than one might imagine. There are few towns and cities in New Jersey with higher proportion of Negroes than Princeton. When the 1930 census figures are released a comparison should be interesting. During the last ten years, such extensive migrations have taken place from the South to large cities that it’s probable that Princeton’s gain of less than two percent will have been surpassed by many cities. If the migration from the South continues in appreciable numbers, stationary or decreasing Negro communities will be very hard to find.

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

Economic Level. Data on the economic level of the Witherspoon Community indicates the general opportunites which the youth of the community are able to enjoy. Further, it should furnish a basis for calculating the approximate ability of the community to support an organization established for its benefit. This chapter will therefore deal with types of employment of Negro men, showing figures for 1919-1920 and 19291930 wages; with employment of women and other devices to supplement the income of the male member of the family; cost of living; business enterprise; and other general indications of welfare such as bank savings, home buying, etc. Types of Employment. Princeton is conspicuously a residential town. It has always been so, and there is every indication that it will continue as such. Problems of grimy industry are therefore no immediate concern of Princeton citizens. Workers find employment largely in the building trades, domestic service and personal service. The greatest percentage of Negro men are employed in domestic service. Nearly threetenths of them are employed in unskilled labor. The 37 whose employment is not stated may be accounted for either by the fact that they have

1930 YMCA Survey: Racial Trends

just reached their seventeenth birthday and are employed at home, or that they are part time workers, or that they are loafers about town. Thus the type of employment that engages the third largest number of colored men is personal service. A negligible number (17), or 2.6% are skilled workers. Only 3.4% of the Negro men are in business. Their business may be classified as follows: Social clubs 3 Restaurants 3 Barber shops 3 Tailoring and pressing 2 Grocery 2 Confectionary and soda 2 Rug Cleaning 1 Interior Decorators 3 Contractors 2 Builders 1 22 The majority of these shops are small, poorly stocked and dingy little places with careless proprieters. Four deserve special mention: the rug cleaning establishment, a restuarant and a barber shop on Witherspoon Street, and a grocery store on Leigh Street. Five additional enterprises operated by women, and not included

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

above, will be found on a following page. There have been no important occupational changes over the past decade, although it is interesting to note the trends. Domestic service, personal service, and unskilled types of work engaged the majority of Negro men in 1920, as they do in 1930. Although the percentage of skilled workmen has doubled over this period, there seems little likelihood that the number will increase greatly in the near future, due to trade union restrictions on Negro membership. The absence of two ministers from the community accounts partly for the decrease in the professional class. It should be noted also that a colored physician has recently opened an office in the community. Wages. Since more than 52.8% of the colored men are at present employed in domestic and personal service, we shall consider the wages paid for this kind of work. The average wage paid waiters in the university clubs is about $65. per month with board. Taking this as a representative of the month wage of domestics and personal servants — adding $35. for board — we find the average yearly wage for the “season” of nine months to be $900. For the group of unskilled workers which includes pick and shovel men, hod carriers,

1930 YMCA Survey: Racial Trends

helpers of all varieties, and delivery men, the wage of the pick and shovel man may be taken as the index. This wage is $6.40 per day for five days per week. They are usually employed for about nine months each year. Therefore their average yearly wage will amount to $1152. for the “season” of nine months. To carry this analysis further: add the percentage of unskilled laborers to the percentage of domestic and personal servants, and we find that 82.1% of the Negro men are engaged in these three occupations. In order to get the weighted average annual wage of the combined groups, multiply $1152. by 189 (the number of unskilled workers), and multiply $900. by 340 (the number of personal and domestic servants). These products combined are $523,728. Divide this total by 529 (the number of unskilled, domestic and personal servants) and we have a weighted average annual wage of $990.03 per worker.

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

YMCA Baseball Teams

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

YMCA Baseball Teams

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

YMCA Baseball Teams

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

YMCA Baseball Teams

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

YMCA Baseball Teams

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

YMCA Baseball Teams

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

YMCA Baseball Teams

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

YMCA Baseball Teams

SECTION IV: CHARACTER AND THE COLOR LINE.

One of the most difficult and embarrassing jobs on the face of the earth is that of the colored Y.M.C.A. Secretary. His financial support comes partly from Negroes and partly from white people, and it is his task to teach the brotherhood of man, irrespective of nationality, color or creed. There is lamentable discrimination solely on a basis of color in Princeton. It exists everywhere in America. The average boy who listens to the Secretary is unaware of the great difference between how people profess to aspire to live and how they actually do live. With the modern northern public school system, and the Negro press constantly emphasizing these irreconcilables, the Negro boy or girl of high school age who is not keenly aware of the situation is naive indeed. The difference between what the Secretary says and the kind of racial attitude which he accepts, willingly or unwillingly remains in the minds of the young people to constantly undermine

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

his work with them. The boys grow cynical and laugh at it all. In the midst of this, the Secretary must carry on. How can we help him? White people are often heard expressing despair for growth of Negro character. So much time has passes, and so little has been accomplished. Is their despair warranted, we may ask? Is not the marvel of the situation that so much has been done, under such great handicaps and in such a short time? What is meant by character? Some define it one way and others state it in different terms; but all agree that its essence lies in the degree of dependence which can be placed upon a certain individual acting in a certain way under certain conditions. Some forces help to increase the amount of this dependence which can be placed upon individuals. These are character-building forces. There are also other forces which derease the dependability of people. These are among the character-destroying forces. Since the Civil War, the American Negroes have been subjected to several very strong and persistent forces from this second group. Two of these deserve special mention. The all-important adjustment between the individual and the situations in which he finds it necessary to live has been disturbed, first by the wholesale uprooting of colored people from pre-war rural situations

1930 YMCA Survey: Character and the Colored Line

to be placed by the migrations in urban competitive situations. Secondly, compulsory education has so changed the very personality of the Negro, his aims, hopes and plans, his dreams, values and even his intelligence, that to expect good adjustment between this new individual and the new situation is indeed asking much. There is no justification from despair. The fact that the colored people have come through the trials of slavery and post-war adjustment as well as they have, promises much for the future. The psychology lurking in Christâ€™s admonition to forgive a man as many times as seventy times seven was not very well understood by our strict forebearers, who believed that to spare the rod would spoil the child. And this point of view has continued up to the present day in many homes. However, there has been a change lately. For example, in the treatment of delinquent children, modern educators have taken the more generous point of view. The teachers in schools for such children put less emphasis on punishment and more on respect for the childâ€™s personality. This same change has come in psychology with respect to the education of normal children. Unjust or severe condemnation does little good. This is very generally accepted. It has been found to destroy character,

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

and not to build it. Self-respect has come to be considered as essential for building character. With wayward children who are lacking in self-respect, it is nurtured by the teachers who give respect to the children freely, perhaps even more than they deserve. Many people in Princeton are beginning to despair of even hoping for more dependability among Negroes in the future. Many times during the three weeks of this study, such remarks have been heard as “Princeton colored people are dishonest, unreliable, lazy and thriftless. They will never improve. It is in the Negro blood, particularly in the mulattos.” If there is any truth in these views, this situation is indeed very serious. In any case, it is serious enough so that any reasonable suggestion for increasing the speed of character development among the Negroes must be given fair consideration. Yet every such suggestion must frankly recognize prevailing race attitudes, and must count on their continuance for many generations. What can be done? We may ask whether this bestowing of respect on the colored people would have the same character-building effect that has been described by Christ, and by modern educators. We may ask whether such generous consideration can be given today by enough people — in spite of the prejudice — to

1930 YMCA Survey: Character and the Colored Line

show results. It is our contention that it can be, at least in Princeton, and in the following paragraphs an attempt will be made to say how. Without going into history, it may be safely said that colored people are especially sensitive to approval or disapproval, respect or disrespect, manifested by white people. Consideration shown for a colored postman or butler will make him particularly careful to try to be reliable, while repeated discourtesies will of course have the opposite effect. Even many Negroes who are apparently unmoved by approval from their white emplowers are in reality deeply affected, although because of a defense mechanism built up as the result of numerous earlier rebuffs, they may not show it. Such an example would be the “high hat” cook, who, after receiving a raise in pay, and perhaps birthday presents for her children, walked out just at dinner time because her employer brought home three friends for lunch when she had said there would only be “one extra”. She undoubtedly appreciated deeply the kindness shown to her; but a series of acts implying that the cook didn’t really matter impressed her deeply. Her feelings were already sensitive from previous similar experiences. This consideration she hoped for above everything else disappointed her again.

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

Consideration and disrespect can be shown in many forms. Personal contacts nearly always result in one or the other. But they can be shown in more striking forms. For example, actions taken by political, economic or educational institutions may have a crystallizing effect upon the atitudes of every colored man in town almost immediately. It might be that no white man would be taken into their confidence. The comment has been made to the investigators many times recently that the children in Witherspoon School, which is entirely for colored children, are always given second hand books. Think of the effect of this on the children and their parents over the school period of nine years: it is a constant reminder to them that the Board of Education does not have the same regard for the Negro children that it has for the white youngsters. This breach of justice is disturbing to them. Perhaps it should not be, but the fact remains that it is. It does not help self-respect, and consequently character development is impaired. It makes the work of the Christian Associations and the churches more difficult. It makes it necessary for them to shun the central messages of Christianity, and instead to stress athletics, socials and money-raising.

1930 YMCA Survey: Character and the Colored Line

It is quite generally believed, or at least feared, that the operations of the Municipal Improvement Corporation have as one of their secret aims to run the Negroes out of Princeton entirely. To believe this would affect anybody; especially is this true of a sensitive race. To have the people whose approval he desires above all else show such an attitude toward him and his people would make the staunchest person lose interest. Such an idea affects the work of nearly every colored person in town. The young man who drinks and gambles amy have spent hours pondering over the implications of what the white people are doing. Of course the facts of the cases, the schoolbooks and the Municipal Improvement Corporation may not justify the beliefs. This is of little importance. The beliefs start their work when they spring into being. They are just as strong when they are false as when they are true â€” provided only that they are believed. The existence of these beliefs hurt character, and they make the position of the colored â€œYâ€? secretary even more difficult. How can they be eliminated? It is inevitable that from time to time such beliefs will become prevalent. They tend to travel chiefly with the credulous and they spread with speed and intensity in inverse

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ratio to the amount of education which the people have enjoyed. Some means should exist by which they could be encouraged to come to the surface. The fallacious beliefs would be disclosed, and good will would result from acting to clear up the causes of the true community has just such a good group, and it is the privilege of the champions of law and order, regardless of color, to aid this group in gaining and maintaining an ascendant position. There are numerous occasions when the superior experience of a white woman might be of great value to the colored mothers of girls who insist upon late dances, etc., etc. Similarly, white church people can give advice to colored church people. It is a fact that white Congregationalists often ask advice from whites of other denominations, and it is hard to see why the same relationship should not exist crossing the color line. It would greatly help the colored group of high ideals in establishing its standards, and it would be conducive to mutual understanding between all concerned. These meetings, with the interracial contacts they would encourage, should bring the best people of each race together, a phenomenon seldom seen today. If it is true that colored people tend to imitate whites, this would make it possible for them to imitate the best white culture,

1930 YMCA Survey: Character and the Colored Line

rather than that seen in the movies and through casual contacts. Princeton is truly a unique community. It has great intellectual power, both in the town and in the University and Seminary. The average wealth per capita is very high, and the town is small enough so that by using these powers almost any desired results can be attained. There is great need for a larger number of communities which will face frankly and reverently the challenge of a colored population already educated to appreciate its power and its constitutional rights. The sooner an openminded attitude is developed in this land, the less likelihood will there by of a development of deep and beliefs. Some of the points in existence today which should be discussed are: Activities of Municipal Improvement Corporation. Discrimination in the Princeton Hospital. Discrimination in the schools. Discrimination in Police enforcement. Necessity of living in Township, when interests are all in Borough If a council of the residents of the Witherspoon community could be formed under local leadership, it might be helpful. It would

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function to catch up all questions of popular interest, to examine the true facts and to take action when necessary. In most communities an interracial committee would be formed with equal colored and white membership. A two-race committee is necessary, where the first step must be an invitation from the white people for the Negroes to talk out. But the form is unfortunate, as it suggests black versus white alignment. The investigators feel that this is not necessary in Princeton, and advise against it. The colored people know they have many white friends, (and this is only one of the ways in which Princeton is a unique community). It is suggested that the colored people themselves establish a Witherspoon Community Council, with or without Italian members, and that white friends be consulted whenever necessary for counsel or advice. After deliberation by the residents who are on the committee, all recommendations and requests should be presented to the proper authorites, or if they are not politcal in nature, a special committee should be organized to meet with the colored committee. There is another very important function for such an inter-racial group. In every community, black or white, there is one group of people with moral ideals and another with the

1930 YMCA Survey: Character and the Colored Line

opposite. Whichever of these groups is in the saddle determines the bitter racial strife. America has few towns to which it can turn to as it can to Princeton.

INTERVIEW WITH

NANCY FAHERTY

YWCA DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT October 16, 2014

I guess my other area of interest is kind of in the whole racial integration side of the organization, and kind of what the history of that is. Was that the goal of the YMCA or YWCA when it was created? Or was that something that came along later? I can tell you what stays with me. In the 1920’s, when we started, the YWCA Princeton was the first place a woman could swim in public. And then in the 1950’s, during racial integration, it was the first racially integrated pool. In the 1970’s, when women began to have mastectomies for breast cancer, as medicine changed, they were kind of just sent home with a mastectomy. And then they had lymphedema and all sorts of side effects, which were not treated 89

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as they are today. So women got together, and found that aquatics helped them with the lymphedema, and the pain they were feeling following a mastectomy, and that’s the way our breast cancer resource center was founded about 40 years ago. So I always say that there are magical moments that happen at this YWCA, and when we say we eliminate racism and empower women, it’s really all about human equality. I think human equality is not just about a racial issue, and human equality is not just a woman’s issue, and human equality is not just a sexual issue. So human equality is across the board, with a lot of marginal groups, and until you’ve been living in the margins in some way, you really don’t understand the injustices. But now that we’re more open about who is on the margins, and how they’re feeling, communication is different. I think people are realizing that no one should really be living on the margins, and if there was true human equality, there would be no margins. It’s funny, when I first got interested in the work of the YWCA, my biggest thing was, why do women always come second? And why in our own women’s organization, does our mission statement read, “eliminating racism, empowering women?” And I said why do we always come second, even in our own organization? It didn’t take me long to realize that there is no first or second, and until we achieve human equality, it doesn’t matter if it’s racial equality, or gender equality, or sexual equality. So that’s what we work to do. Be inclusionary. 90

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And what kind of things does the Y do, currently, to promote racial integration and gender equality? Every thing that we do is intended to stay true to our purpose. So the YWCA has been a community center on the corner here of Paul Robeson and Bayard Lane, to provide things like camps, swimming, dance, a place for people to meet, a place for newcomers to come she they’re new to the Princeton area, and that will never change. But we are part of a greater movement. We are part of the World YWCA and the YWCA USA. In that greater movement, we do our advocacy work. So the World YWCA is focusing on things like human trafficking, and child marriage, and even the ebola breakout has affected women more than men. The UN just had discussion about that the last couple of days, and well, there are more women on the front lines of the healthcare facilities from the professional standpoint. And from the layman’s point of view, women have less access to health care. A lot of women’s health care comes through a man’s benefit policy. Also education, worldwide, women are often less educated than men. So the education as to the acquisition and spread of the disease is less, and access to quality healthcare is less. So they’re seeing that women are being affected by this virus, I think it was like 63% was the number I read, but don’t quote me on that. And the UN and the World Health Organization were trying to determine why.

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Interview with Nancy Faherty

allows a women who has been a victim of domestic violence to flee her perpetrator. So if a woman from another country is the victim of domestic violence, she can flee to here. But right now, because of everything that’s going on, we’re saying we’re only going to issue ten thousand U visas per year. So that means that woman number ten thousand and one, and above, get sent back to her perpetrator. Now how right is that?

Photo of the 2014 YWCA World Service Council Meeting to which served as a platform to understand the challenges facing women and familes in different parts of the world and how the local YWCAs are responding to the needs of the community they serve. Courtesy of YWCAPrinceton.org

So those are the things we always did. On the national level, there are three issues that we are advocating for. The first and foremost is comprehensive immigration reform. Until comprehensive immigration reform happens, we find that there’s a lot of equality issues for women. Of course, this has an economic factor that causes a lot of legislators to pause, but really we need to keep women, children and families together, number one. Number two, right now there are only ten thousand of what they call U-visas. A U-visa 92

We advocate, can we take this big piece of legislation, and carve out this one paragraph, and change that number to meet what we’ve identified as the need. So these are the things we advocate for in comprehensive immigration reform. We also get very offended that it can be thirteen years, the path to citizenship, and thousands of dollars. So for our English as a Second Language program, we’ve been able to help people achieve citizenship, and get their high school equivalency diplomas. And by doing it with them, we can testify how difficult it is. The next issue is the federal budget and sequestration and how all the federal block grants just got frozen. Do you know what they did to childcare? (laughs) It caused a lot of working mothers who were working poor, who need childcare to go to work, to not have the subsidies they need to make the equation happen. When childcare subsidies are cut, the women who are working at lower salary jobs cannot afford childcare. Right here, in our nursery school, 70% of the kids have families that are 250% of the federal poverty level, of $39,000 a year. Imagine, even in central 93

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New Jersey, in the Princeton area, trying to raise children, even on eight, ninety thousand dollars a year; to have the kind of lifestyle that their peers have, to be on a level playing field, to have the right medical care. Even with that, I can tell you one woman who was giving target of half of her paycheck for health benefits. So even after she’s making $39,000 a year, she’s paying $10,000 a year of her take-home pay to have health insurance. It’s those kinds of things, where we have to look at the federal budget, and while we need to balance the budget, why do the underserved always get targeted? Why do we always target those who can’t speak up as well? Then the third thing is gun violence. The doors that you couldn’t come through to come see me today were put up after the Connecticut tragedy in Sandy Hook. So guns, and gun violence, and domestic violence. New Jersey, fortunately, is a state that has bester gun laws than most. But there are only twelve states I believe — and don’t quote me on that either, because it keeps changing — that require mandatory confiscation of guns when a restraining order is put on someone. So now say that you put a restraining order on me, because I’ve been threatening you, and you get it, because you have evidence that I’ve been threatening you. In some states, my guns are not confiscated. So now, you’ve been bold enough to put a restraining order against me, but you still have to walk around every day knowing that I carry a gun. How much sense does that make? 94

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So those are the three things that we join our sister YWCAs on capitol hill to advocate for. Comprehensive immigration reform, the sequestration of the federal block grant issues, and gun control as it pertains to domestic violence and violence against women. So the Violence Against Women Act, which is called VAWA, was instituted twenty years ago. So on March 13 of 2014, we celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the act by reauthorizing it through congress. Nine of our congressmen didn’t vote for it. So we like to remind people who they are, and get women out to vote. Why would you vote somebody back into office who decided not to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act? And why would you take something that has had twenty years of success and take a step back from it? Many times it’s about the children. People say, “Why are women so different in domestic violence issues?” I guess we’ve seen high profile cases where it was the woman who freaked out, and yes, that can happen. But so many times the woman is the primary caregiver of the children, so not only is the woman protecting herself, but she is also protecting the children. And usually in dysfunctional home environments, it’s the woman who is in charge of the children. So it’s women and children. And we say “women and families”; we advocate to empower women and their families, and that includes husbands and men, and fathers and sons. So we’re not all about dividing the sexes, but we are about empowering 95

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female heads of households, and female heads of families, because if the household is functional, and the family is functional, and the household is happy, and the family is happy, and everyone has a healthy woman’s economy, guess what? There’s a ripple effect. What kind of stuff on a more local level, in the Princeton area do you do? What is the YWCA’s relationship with the greater Princeton community? With the greater Princeton community we do several things. Our hallmark program is the breast cancer resource center. We help anyone who walks in with a wig, a prosthesis, free counseling, and we help the woman and her family through breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. We have a transportation program, a meal program; anyone who walks in, no one gets turned away regardless of ability to pay. Women who can’t speak english, or have major cultural differences, we’re also able to address that. So if someone comes in and can only speak Chinese, we have people in our English as a Second Language program who can help her through the breast cancer resource center. The English as a Second Language empowers women. We are helping women learn how to speak english, helping women get their high school equivalency tests, we’re helping women get placed in jobs following that, and we’re helping women become naturalized citizens. So our ESL program eliminates racism by helping people assimilating to America feel comfortable and confident in America, and it 96

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also helps women by helping them over some of the hurdles that they face by coming to the country and not being able to speak English. My very first day on the job here was right around hurricane Sandy, in November of 2012. When I walked in, there was a young Chinese woman holding her baby to her breast. I didn’t understand what she was trying to tell me, but we found a translator, and she said that her husband was working for the university, and was sent on a business trip. She was left behind in housing with the baby, and she said that her husband had told her that she’ll learn english as she goes along. Well, she didn’t understand the evacuation orders, she was afraid for her brand new baby, and the university sent her here for us to help her, and we were able to. It is that kind of thing; do you learn english as you go along, when you’re in a new country and in a new town with a brand new baby, or do you prepare yourself, that a hurricane could happen. She found the confidence to say, “Well my husband said that I’ll learn as I go along, but I told him that I’m going to learn now.” We put her in classes, and were able to get child care, and were able to welcome her to the community, and she wound up being with other people who were new to the university town too, and made friends. In addition to learning english, she met people who were in her same situation, and that’s what the YWCA does. We have a signature event called Tribute to Women, and that’s held every March, and every March we find exceptional women who 97

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Interview with Nancy Faherty

are unsung and we bring their stories to the spotlight. We have about 450 to 500 people at the Hyatt Princeton, and it’s a process in getting the community to nominate, and getting a selection committee to select, and then honor these women. But we have a class now of 310 women who have been honored over the 31 years of this program that have an alumni association. So now they have a network of other women who were honored for all the same reasons, who have the same set of values, the same wants and ambitions for this area. We had an In-the-Pink fashion show for our breast cancer resource center last Friday. It’s a fundraiser, but it’s also a celebration of survivorship. Again, it’s the process. YW women are all about process. We take breast cancer survivors, ask them if they would like to model, put them through a process, have them work with the fashionistas of Lord and Taylor, and they model after losing their hair, losing their breast possibly, going through radiation, chemotherapy, hell and back, and they get to look beautiful with bright lights on them and their families there with them, cheering them on. It’s a process of being selected, volunteering to be a model, meeting other survivors, going to Lord and Taylor and getting personally fitted for clothes, going to the Westin and ascending steps to a runway, and modeling in front of your family and friends, and saying, “I’m back.” What I’ve learned from my fellow YWCA women is that everything we do is a process that eliminates racism and empowers women. Yes we have numbers that we can speak to, and we have certain things that we do that we 98

Photo of the 2008 In the Pink, breast cancer awareness fashion show, starring breast cancer survivors, courtesy of YWCAPrinceton.org

can speak to, but everything that we do when we get action-oriented women together is a process to find out, “What are you feeling, what are you seeing, what needs to get done, and what can we do together to change those feelings to the positive, to change the vision to the right one, and to get it done?” Anything is possible when we give women that environment to come together and say, “We want to do this.” 99

Y(M/W)CA Princeton

Photo of the 2008 Crafter’s Marketplace, held in the John Witherspoon Middle school, where women can come and sell their wares. Photo courtesy of YWCAPrinceton.org

We have a crafter’s marketplace that’s going to be coming to John Witherspoon middle school in the end of November, always the weekend before Thanksgiving. It’s also 40some years old, and it celebrates the talents of artisans, many of whom are women, and we try and teach artisans that it’s not just something you do at home for your relatives, this is a gift and a skill and an art, and many people are becoming entrepreneurial based upon learning that that is a possibility. We empower women where some skills may seem soft, but they can be marketed and entrepreneurship can be something equally sought after, as well as developing your art. Our Newcomers and Friends club meets twice a month, once for coffee and once for lunch, and anyone who is new to the area is welcome 100

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to come. That group will take people to New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, the beach, the mountains. So you’re alone, and you’re new to the Princeton area, but you don’t have to be alone, and we’ll show you where we’re at. We’ll also connect you with common-interested people, and now you have a family. Many people who come to Princeton come alone. For people who are connected by ancillary, like that woman I talked about earlier, her husband was connected to the university, but she wasn’t really, and so she was connected to no one when she showed up here with a baby and said, “I’m scared.” I’m sure he didn’t want that to happen. He went on a business trip, not thinking hurricane Sandy was going to happen, and the university helped her, but still, as they were helping her, she wanted to do it one her own. So they directed her here, and she was able to actually enter into the ESL program, understand how our childcare works, and have a support system. So now we have Marwick Stanworth, the new housing development that’s right behind us. It has a lot of young professors and staff who are working for the university living there, so on September 4th we had a welcome party for them. It wasn’t about having an open house and trying to sign them all up. It was, “We’re just going to put some music, food and games for your kids in the backyard of Bramwell house; come over.” They had such a good time just getting to know each other, without inviting each other to each other’s homes, and initiating. Everyone came together and we were at about 62 people, they shook hands, and we were just the conduit; “Welcome to 101

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the neighborhood, we’ll put out the cookies and juice and turn on the music, and entertain your kids while you get to know each other.” It’s important that they get to know each other, because as young families, they’re going to need each other, because you can’t always be there for your kids, and the busses are going to drop them all off on the same corner, and all ten of them don’t have to be at the corner, and you can help each other. Every day, and everything we do, our mission is an action. People ask me all the time, you know, produce numbers, produce impact, produce effect, and we’re willing to do that, and we put some scientific data behind what we do. But I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to put scientific data behind those experiences that I just told you about. We just had a priest, an Indian priest, from a Roman Catholic church in the area who came here, and he said, “My sister has cancer, and I’m going back to India to minister to her.” We said, “Is it breast cancer?” and he said, “Yes,” but he wouldn’t use the word “breast.” So he said, “It’s shameful that she lost her hair, the family doesn’t know how to handle it.” We equipped him with prosthesis, wigs, scarves, educational materials, and the confidence that he was allowed to talk with her about it when he got back there, and that it was going to be okay. And even if the rest of the culture didn’t understand that, he was going to be the conduit to make that change. All he had to do was say what he learned here, and he was bringing back what he learned home. 102

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So how many times did that happen? Once. What is the impact? I don’t know. But once was enough for me. With that, with the Chinese woman during hurricane Sandy, with a lot of what we do, once is enough, because all of those ones that happen every day, every other hour, equal a lot. It’s just all different scenarios, because we meet people where they come to us. No matter what the need is, or no matter what someone wants to process, or think about, or talk about, if they feel strongly enough that the YWCA can help them, we have them come in. We have 28 full-time people and 100 part-time people, with after-school programs going, so we have enough people that there is always somebody who can sit and talk with whoever is coming in. Now how the YWCA and the YMCA differ, is they’re two different national charters, just like the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts. Back in the day, it made very much sense that the boy’s program was on one side of the building, and the girl’s program was on the other side of the building. Schools were set up that way, with girl’s entrances and boy’s entrances. But a lot has changed since this building was built in 1956, and now the YMCA and the YWCA are two distinct organizations that really need to find their own way as to where they’re going. The YMCA promotes strong bodies and leadership, and the YWCA eliminates racism and empowers women. I was talking to someone at the library and they said, “The YMCA’s mission really is being replicated by so many other organizations.” There are gyms on every corner, and 103

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leadership programs in every school. But unfortunately, the elimination of racism and the empowering of women are both still somewhat of gray areas. The elimination of racism is not actually part of the YMCA charter, though all community organizations should be working to eliminate it.

Interview with Nancy Faherty

ratings. It’s so pervasive, and we can’t go away, because we have to keep telling these stories, of why we do what we do. As long as there are people on the margins, the YWCA needs to be here.

As you know, racism has many different heads. Racism as we knew it, as black and white, is not the same thing as we know it with religious differences, or with immigration reform. It’s not a black-white issue, it’s not about everyone swimming in the same pool, it’s really about trying to maintain cultural identities in this melting pot of a country without being bullied to do otherwise. That is what we’re trying to maintain. My daughter works in TV up in New York City, and she was at a meeting, that basically said that with the sitcoms that are on TV right now, if they embrace homosexuality in a positive way, they can be racially offensive. And if they embrace racial integration in a positive way, they can be homosexually offensive. To get the laugh. Look at Modern Family. It shows homosexuality in a very accepted family way, but then Sofia, the Latino mother is exploited: high heels, big boobs, long hair, crazy. All the time. And no one is offended by that, but they’re still going for the cheap laughs. So how far have we come? If you watch the sitcoms, you’ll find that they will be very open and accepting of a new social norm, but they then will find some other marginalized group to make fun of for the laugh. And that’s racism, and that’s disempowerment, for the purpose of the laugh, and 104

Photo of the YMCA/YWCA from Paul Robeson Street, out front. 105

REFERENCES

1930 YMCA Survey courtesy of the Princeton Historical Society. YMCA and YWCA mission statements taken from their respective websites. James Floydâ€™s interview was conducted by Matt Rogers on 1/6/2015. Nancy Fahertyâ€™s interview was conducted by Matt Rogers on 10/16/2014. Photos on pages 43, 45 and 58-73 courtesy of the Princeton Historical Society. Photos on pages 92, 99 and 100 courtest of YWCAPrinceton.org.

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