The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

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Chapter 3 - Overview of Rites
slavery. Therefore, Prince Hall Grand Masters have continually emphasized the
importance of the ballot. In order to avoid direct political conflict within the
lodge, black Masons sometimes tricked by discussing the problem of voting
without reference to any specific election or representative. Generally, it is "far
more common to find exhortations to register and vote as a general duty than to
find political electioneering." 293 However, there were some more radical
Masonic bodies and journals taking an active interest in political activity. For
example, the National Fraternal Review, the official journal of Illinois
Freemasonry, spoke out against one of the front runners in the race for the
Democratic presidential nomination, Senator James Reed, in a 1927 editorial:
The article suggested that Prince Hall Masons and blacks generally
should realize that the man was an expert manipulator of Negrophopia
[sic] and a danger to the American black man. The next year the Review
engaged in a campaign to convince its readers that the blacks of
Chicago should elect their own black congressman. The very fact that
whites had discriminated against blacks and pushed them into a ghetto
now provided them with the means of self-protection, if only they
would vote as a united group. A few months later, the journal went even
further, beginning to sprinkle throughout its pages articles and 'fillers'
supporting specific politicians, and pointedly noting their Prince Hall
Masonic affiliation. 294
Thus, the recommended voting as a "united group" of black Masons could
have a certain impact on nominations. Another political decision with which
black Masons interfered was the question of education. It was seen as the single
most important factor in achieving success, and its quality needed to be greatly
improved. In the eyes of black Masons, white candidates who do not stand
firmly for black rights are prone to lose the black vote. Leading black Masons
suggested to the brethren to resort to the polls and pick representatives who are
responsive to their demands: "In their efforts to improve Negro education, the
Prince Hall Masons have found that pressure on local officials, and voting for
progressive school administrators and politicians, were complemented by direct
lobbying in the state legislatures." 295 We can see that not only on a local level,
but also on state level the black Masons tried to demonstrate the inferior
conditions in black schools, in order to achieve improvement. They repeatedly
sent representatives to the state legislature, in order to persuade it to raise the
appropriation for black education. If one Grand Lodge had accomplished such a
task, other Grand Lodges followed the example.
Most Grand Lodges have maintained committees on education which
each year make recommendations to the membership. It has been quite
293 Cf. Muraskin, p. 226.
294 Ibid, p. 225.
295 Ibid, p. 227.