AME's Church Letter to Arkansas Plan Committee

              ethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
• FOUNDED IN 1863 •
424 WEST NINTH STREET LITTLE ROCK. ARKANSAS
TELEPHONE FR 4·2891
RUFUS KING YOUNG , PASTOR


MRS. C. DELOIS COCHRAN
SECRETARY-BOOKKEEPER

MR. L. N. SMITH
SEC'Y OFFICIAL BOARD
AND STEWARDS

MR. EARL MOSES
SEWARDSTREASURER

THE PARSONAGE
2304 RINGO STREET
PHONE FR 2-1211

DR. J. V .JOROAN
SEC'Y TRUSTEES

MR. P. W. WADE
TREASURER TRUSTEES

April 23, 1958


Committee For Arkansas Plan
Mr. Joshua K. Shepherd, Chairman
P. O. :Box 1837
Little Bock, Arkansas


Dear Mr. Shepherd:


This comes to acknowledge receipt of your letter as of April 7,
1958 containing a copy of the proposal which Mr. Herbert L. Thomas, Sr.
presented to the State Board of Education for consideration as a means of
working toward a solution of our perplex school problem in the area of
segregation or integration. As suggested in your letter, I shared the pro­posal
with the leaders in our church and got their reactions. Our Trustee
Board at its regular monthly meeting took the plan under consideration.
They were impressed with the sincerity and conscientiousness on the part of Mr.
Thomas in his effort to find a solution to the problem, and we wish to commend
him for his noble undertaking for we feel that such efforts to re­establish
the lines of communication between the races should never be re­linquished.
However, the Board voted unanimously to oppose any plan that
would have the Negroes withdrawn from Central High School.

We truly hope that you will be able to understand our position in
this particular instant and we will remain opened to further discussions or
suggestions in this matter.

Sincerely and Prayerfully yours,

[Rufus K. Youg,Pastor, signature]

RKY: cdc

" THE CHURCH IN THE HEART OF THE CITY WITH THE CITY ON ITS HEART "