Let Us Break Bread Together (ca 1954)

[Music] [Music] together when [Music] I [Music] Mercy [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] GL [Applause] [Music] iing pra [Applause] [Music] [Music] God you [Music] friends I am William Johnson superintendent of schools of the city of New York the film you are about to see tells the story of how the schools and community in one school district are working together to build Brotherhood their intervisitation program involves children and adults of different racial and cultural backgrounds this Partnership of all Races Creeds and colors has made an entire School Community a happier place in which to work and live New York has stood for several hundred years and still stands as the gateway to freedom and opportunity for thousands who seek to rebuild their lives in a land where man has work and labor has dignity who among you can give some of the reasons why people left their native lands to come to the United States of America many came because they wanted to be free to worship as they chose some came because they wanted to get away from the Tyranny and cruelty of Kings my people are free now they are proud to be Americans but the Negroes were brought here by wicked men who traded and slaves Japan is very overcrowded the people have little land so many Japanese came to this country because they wanted to farm we came a little while ago from Puerto Rico my father wanted work he wants to give me and my brother a good education people from every nation settled the United States of America the 8 million who live in New York City today are the descendants of original settlers or newcomers from all the corners of the earth there are more Italians in New York City and in Florence Italy more Chinese than in many a town in China more Negroes than in Monrovia Liberia it is hard to weld a city or a nation into Unity when its people come from so many different backgrounds every night has its own Customs habits dress manners language these create differences that are barriers to easy understanding people settle in close communities of their own racial religious or national group and tend to continue their own mode of life to realize the Great American goal democracy each citizen must wipe out his ignorance and his vanity in thinking himself better because of color religion or money he must recognize that it is only what a man is that counts all mankind white or black yellow or red loves and suffers hopes dreams and creates in the same human way I am a member of the Community Committee of school districts 12 13 and 14 Our Community Committee is dedicated to the ideal that all men are brothers peoples of more than 50 nationalities of every race color creed live in our area there was a job for these citizens and teachers to work on together to cut down the racial social and economic barriers that divide neighbor from neighbor an intervisitation program involving children and parents parents was proposed under the leadership of the assistant superintendent of the district citizens and local school board members social workers and Librarians clergymen of many denominations teachers and principal businessmen and parents organized the Community Committee and began the intervisitation program in 1952 the Council of presidents of parents associations cooperated enthusiastically in the proposed program the presidents of the parents associations are of the 30 schools in our area undertook to bring together socially people of the varied racial and National backgrounds through understanding among the adults we hoped to reduce Prejudice and hostility at the monthly meeting of the principals with their assistance superintendent they discussed an intervisitation program we principles know that most schools in New York City are representative of a cross-section of its population for the inter visitation program however we must plan to pair schools where housing and other factors have tended to separate people on the basis of race or nation of origin we must help these children and parents to build friendships with people in other communities the program began with two schools the next year four schools participated the following year 10 now 14 Schools are interv visiting in every case a school in a predominantly white neighborhood was paired with a school in a predominantly negro area all was not smooth at first when in each School principles and parents met to discuss the project I believe everyone is all right but what about the social implications of all this mixing children together why should I make my child believe that he is going to be accepted when I know that when he grows up he's going to be hurt I might as well spare his feelings by letting him live with his own now and help him later not to be hurt too much in each set of pair School the parents met with the principals teachers and Community leaders they discussed their doubts and finally decided that the project was worth undertaking in homes throughout the community hundreds of parents and children discuss the intervisitation program in each home many problems values and benefits were reviewed some children suffered mild anxiety Leslie had never known a child of another race do you think the girls from Harlem will like me she asked her mother Raleigh had never visited children outside his own area when he heard that he was to meet children in a white neighborhood he too was concerned teachers sensitive to the anxieties of children planned carefully to overcome them the children of each class were paired to become pen pal the Buddies corresponded and exchanged photographs plans were made to visit each other's schools and neighborhoods at last came the long awaited day ry's and Leslie's classes met and an intriguing game find your pen pal was played naturally the Buddies sat together this group began to plan a study of the United Nations to bring home to the children that many nations were represented in their Community the teacher invited parents and their friends to talk about their native homelands Jacqueline's mother was born in Austria one mother had come from the British West Indies Michael's mother talked about Israel another parent talked to the children about the customs of old Greece naturally children are interested in children they studied in detail UNICEF the United Nations Children's Fund the children learned too that since Wars begin in the minds of men hatred and Prejudice must be removed from the minds of men if ever there is to be real peace on Earth a committee of children went to the district audiovisual Center for a film on how UNICEF helps children in the world this Library organized and run entirely by parents became an important factor in developing Intercultural understanding the child of a native Korean came to tell them the many ways in which Korean children had been helped by UNICEF parents were welcome at every intervisitation session many came pictures of the United Nations became realities the day the children visited the United Nations the guide a native of Madras India showed the children a map of the world and told them how the nations of the earth meet as friends and work through the United Nations to develop the understanding and cooperation necessary to promote and assure peace they shall beat their swords into plowshare and their Spears into pruning hooks Nation shall not lift up sword against Nation neither shall they learn War anymore at lunch parents teachers and children discuss their visit to the United Nations now I can understand the United Nations makes friends of all the nations in the world by having delegates meet and talk things over just where we became friends by our classes coming together our classes wrote poems and stories about the UN United Nations I am so glad that my poem was picked for the class book UNICEF helps people it nurses and feeds the world's children and mothers and all the nations of the world it's our big brother won't you help UNICEF the children of both school held a small bizaar they wanted to raise money to be used for less fortunate children of other land the programs carried out in the 12 other schools all emphasized ideals of human behavior in Intercultural relations one paired group studied housing and what citizens can do to eliminate slums and to build modern housing open to all Races grades and nationality the study of civics and good citizenship in a paired sixth grade made the children undertake a cleanup Drive they interviewed shopkeepers and Civic leaders to win their cooperation in arousing folks to clean up their neighborhoods they held School Forums to get all the children parents and Community leaders to participate iate the children learned that persons of every race and every nation create great music they heard Helen Hagen an accomplished pianist who lives in our community [Music] play [Music] When the Children studied music together they learned to respect one another's abilities the dance served to develop friendship and understanding in another paired group The Murphy the juliard ballerina told the children about great dancers of many nations she delighted them by a demonstration of the modern dance and gave them a short lesson on the ballet the children studied folk dancing and a scotch child demonstrated the sword dance and another child showed an American favorite the tap Dan learning from each other strengthened friendships art emphasizing Ceramics was the program for a third grade paired group at the Museum the teachers pointed out that the variety and Novelty of the artist's Creations resulted from differences in their National cultures the children learned to admire one another's special abilities affectionate understanding grew what the children were taught in the intervisitation program was is expressed in a poem written by a principal in this District Raleigh and Leslie recited this poem when an official of Unicef accepted their gift for children in foreign lands how is it found this Brotherhood we seek not in the differences that pride has stored and padlocked in the meager mind the weak distinctions that the eyes and ears record not in the scornful lips the scoffing word nor even in the shrub of unconcern nor yet in Twisted Legends age has heard and iterates that youth believe in turn how found accept in likenesses we learn through love of each for each as we Rec call the Oneness of the fatherhood of all during the entire intervisitation program all parents have been working together they had attended the children's classes gone on trips with them Taken part in discussions with children with Educators and among themselves they had met socially and many friendships were formed flimsy barriers sustained by ignorant Prejudice were broken down Leslie's and ry's group organized an international tea in the school library for all those who had participated in the program the children served the team the members of the Community Committee were honored guests as were members of the education Committee of the American Association for the United Nations among the honored guests were the parents who now understood the significance which this Intercultural program held not only for their children but for themselves Leslie's mother was deeply moved to express her feelings and asked whether she might not say how she felt about the intervisitation program when this project started I had serious doubts I thought it would be dangerous or at best all talk but I am grateful that my my little girl has had this opportunity to work and play and talk with children who at first seemed different from herself it has been an experience that my husband and I consider a spiritual Adventure it has brought our family closer to the Grandeur of God through learning to know the heights to which all men can rise whatever their nationality color or or Creed so long as they have sympathetic encouragement to achieve the best that is in them I think our children understand what we mean when we say the Oneness of the fatherhood of all Abraham Lincoln said A house divided against itself cannot stand Thomas Jefferson said all men are created equal George Washington said the government of the United States gives to bigotry no sanction to persecution no assistance friends let us too keep the faith let us break bread [Applause] together praise [Applause] God when [Applause] [Music] I [Music] you