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The Rural Slums At the Bottom- - Th&Migrant By PINCER LEAVEN Mrs. Ojetter Altman is in the mi- grant stream. Her husband picks potatoes; he earns 10 cents for every sack he can drag back to the grower. In a few years his job will be done by a machine. His family is burden- ed with debts. He has borrowed, bor- rows and will borrow probably for as long as he lives just to try and catch up. But he, his wife and their eight children are lucky. They almost own an automobile. They have two rooms in a shed with the fortunate designa- tion of \one of the better migrant camps in the country\; for them, the Altaians pay $14 a week rent. Else- where they pay $25 a week for much worse. Richard Frost sits in the kitchen- dining room of the camp. His eyes are yellowed and tired. When asked why he isn't in the fields, he says: \I just couldn't work today. I feel sick; I just feel so sick.\ He sits in the least oppressive room of the camp. Dirt tracked in over the years covers the floor. Empty milk bottles, open loaves of bread, all with a rich growth of mold, are scattered among plates and cups and saucers and pans encrusted with the remains of last week's meals; 12 bas- kets of a nation's fragments. And all the odors of systematic desperation, flushed tidily out of comfortable lives, lie trapped inside these four walls. A reporter who visits any migrant camp In the 12 counties of the Roch- ester Diocese can meet people like Mrs. Altman and Mr. Frost. Hun- dreds of them live in very same des- peration and degradation, totally un- believable to prosperous people with- in the same parish. The subjects of these articles are the hopeless and often helpless vic- tims of a farm-system in Schuyler County where a diocesan project call- ed REACH is functioning in the Per- kinsville parish of the Sacred Heart. The rural poor, but at this season the migrant workers in particular, are the daily concern of Father Tim- othy Weider and volunteers who give reach to REACH. Today, the migrant is at the bottom of a labor-management hierarchy through which it is impossible to rise. He answers to a man known as the \crew-chief who answers to the farmer or grower, who in turn an- swers to the processor who puts food on our table. In February of each year individual farmers up and down the East Coast contract with an agent in the South for a labor force. This agent is the \crew-chief\. It is his duty to get people to work on the farms. He may have such people at hand who work for him throughout the year; often he will have to depend on the unem^ ployed masses In the urban centers for the people needed. If the individual migrants do not have cars, he will, for a fee to be taken from their paychecks when they begin work, provide bus trans- portation to the work site. Enroute, and on days when there is no work, •his wife will cook meals for the migrants at one dollar per meal. Again, a fee to be taken from the next paycheck. OccasionaUy no written record Is kept of these withdrawals from the migrant's pay, and the tabulation is found solely in the crew-chiefs memory. Everyone has problems: this year in New York State the potato har- COURIER-JOURNAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF ROCHESTER ±J Friday, Oct. 1 1, 1968 Page 7 NEWS OF THE DIOCESE Catholic Interracial Council 'Block-Busting' Draws Fire MRS. OJETTER ALTMAN # vest is threatened by anematose, a white fungus corrupting the tubers. The farmers are losing money from the outset This year one 'load' of mi- grants arrived early and had to be housed and fed by the crew-chief for almost a month before they could work. The crew-chief is losing money from the outset. This year some migrants will ex- haust the harvest\ season and yet be so far in debt to the crew-chiefs that_ they will not have money for the last meal in New York, much less funds for transportation home. According to Cleo Saunders, a rep- resentative to the migrants in New • York from the AFL-CIO, the major problem to be overcome in trying to correct such a situation is the feel- ing of helplessness that the system has inspired. Both reticence to speak for fear of retaliation from the crew-chiefs and the growers, and the feeling that even if one did speak out the results would be minimal have contributed to the problems' continuance for generations. It is here that the labor unions hope to prove most useful. By pro- viding an organization which will back the migrants' demands, both a sense of personal power and a struc- ture of political power may be built. The philosophy which guides Fa- ther Welder's Project REACH in Perkinsville follows much the same line. He describes his efforts as \long range, practical, realistic programs helping the poor help themselves find new horizons.\ His program js to aid the migrant, the re-settler, the marginal farm fam- ily in finding alternatives to poverty and the courage to act-on-those al- ternatives. One facet of the migrant priest's project has proven of immense value To the laboring mother. Ordinarily it is necessary for her to bring her very young children into the fields while she works. There the child is subject to any number of diseases and chemicals in the soil as well as inadvertant neglect. Father Weider established a day- care center in Perkinsville to help ease this situation. The migrant mother brings her \child there dor- ing the work day to be cared for by a number of volunteer \mothers\. Most of the children arrive at the center sick and malnourished. All are anemic. Sister Regina Marie, a registered nurse on special assign- ment to the project from St. James Hospital remarked that a lack of vewpment of all the children. \Fred- NATHANIEL SMITH die is a year old. He hasn't the strength to stand up. We've been trying to make him walk.\ This re- porter picked the child up and he fell asleep in his arms right away. \He looks six-months old,\ Sister said. Father Weider spoke of a life saved at the center. \One child was brought in who was dying from de- —hydration.-When-the body- below a certain level the electro-sta- tic balance is lost and the person dies. Doctors told us the child had less than 24 hours to live. We saved his life,\ he said. At the center all children receive food, clothing and . medical attention. \S& Father Weider recognizes the prob- lem requires much more of Project REACH. To face it, the migrant priest has established a clinic which provides a mobile health-education unit, educational programs for adults and teens, a self-help housing pro- gram, and organizational programs. More is on the way. (Next week: The Grower and the Processor: Looking at the migrant from the top.) Marchers For Peace walked in front <ft Sacred Heart Cathedral last Sunday morning with placards suggesting to Mass-goers that peace-efforts should concern all Catholics. Catholic Pickets Urge End to Vietnam War Nearly 50 Catholics of the Roches- ter Diocese carried peace banners in a quiet demonstration at the front entrance of Sacred Heart Cathedral last Sunday morning. Six Sisters of Mercy and two Jesuit Scholastics also took part in the line of march affirm- ing their concern over the.yietnam war. They did so to make \a sign of fidelity to the moral teachings of Jesus, Our Pope and our bishop, who, in conscience spoke out onJuly '30, 1967,\ according to a statement which they circulated. The statement also cited the en- cyclicals \Pacem in Terrls\ and Popu- lorum Progresslo\ which they said should be proclaimed \with as much vigor\ as \Humanae Vitae.\ Mr. George Hezel, S.J., one of the marchers said: \We do this because of our own silence in the jjast as far as the war is concerned.\ Mrs. Philip Pino, also marching, said: \We march at the cathedral because we wish to contact all the Church, Lay- men and Clergy, and ask . them to ,1 help end the war.\ While most of the Sacred Heart pa- rishioners who saw the marchers and banners as they came to the Cathe- dral Masses smiled cordially at the demonstrators or stopped to inquire about the reasons for pacifism, there were occasional-evidences of resent- ment. One young sister in the line of \march was called a \Russian Nun.\ Father John S. Hayes, the rector of Sacred Heart said that he was \muchJmpressed-by— the-orderliness- of the demonstration.\ Father Hayes personally greeted many of the marchers individually. His sermon on Sunday was On the topic of consci- ence. Dr. George McVey of Antlers Drive in Brighton, was principal organizer of the demonstration. The signs which carried quotations from the writings and speeches of both Pope Paul and Bishop Sheen on the hor- rors of war Were hand lettered by Mr. Jack Podsladlo, S.J., an art in- structor at McQuaid Jesuit High School. \Block-busting\ tactics of some real estate salesmen when Negro minorities seek more adequate hous- ing, were indicted in Rochester Sun- day night at the first in a series of meetings sponsored by the Catholic Interracial Council. More than 100 persons, including several priests and nuns, attended the \dialogue-seminar titled \Confron- tation: Black and White,\ in St. John the Evangelist's School hall, Hum- boldt Street. Six more sessions are scheduled in the same hall on successive Sundays from Oct. 13 through Nov. 17. Purpose of the meetings is des- cribed as \developing a greater sensi- tivitv to ths issues and attempting Jo find better answers to the perplex- ing problems of promoting under- standing and cooperation between black and white people in our so- ciety.\ Last Sunday's meeting, based on difficulties in bringing about inte- grated housing, featured a film, \No Hiding Place,\ and a talk by H. W. (•Bud) Bush, representing the 19th Ward, Community Association. Films and speakers, followed by small group \dialogues be the format for remaining meetings. Per- sons taking the course will be expect- ed to read and discuss two books — a digest \Report of the National Ad- visory Commission on Civil Disord- er\ and \Black Power.\ They also will be expected, accord- ing to Paul W. Brayer, CIC president, \hopefully to become involved in some meaningful and direct action, to help bring about the substantial change in our 'white racist' society which will be necessary before the problem of interracial injustice will be solved.\ Monsignor Charles V. Boyle, pas- tor of St. John's welcomed the group and expressed confidence that cur- rent difficulties \will be solved if we apply the teachings of the Gospel — although there is an urgency that admits of no lethargy.\ Brayer announced that meetings will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. and will adjourn at 9:30. The schedule: Oct. 13—Goals of the Black Revolu- tion—what are they? Speaker, Mrs: Alma Green. Oct. 20—Employment and Under- employment of Black Americans — what should we do about it? Ray- mond Hensler. Oct. 27—An Analysis of the Kerner Commission Report, by Black Amer- icans; Father Paul Brennan. Nov. 3—Education—equal or un- equal; Pat San Fillipo. Nov. 10—Confrontation: Black and \White—where can we go from here? James Dobson. Nov. 17—What Can I Do?—answers to your commitment dilemma; Mon- signor Boyle. St Mary's Hospital Outlines New Policy Diocesans Attend Trial in Maryland By PATRICK FARREN (Special to the Courier-Journal) Baltimore, Md. — The trial of the CatonsvUIe Nine may not be the Church's greatest moment in the peace movement, but it was the mo- ment that significant segments r—»• both local and nattonH-*-r oT>the3 clergy and laity aligned themselves directly with it The nine anti-war demonstrators accused of burning draft board files last spring with homemade napalm, went on trial in Federal Court as more than L500 chanting people link- ed arms and marched through the streets of Baltimore in support of the defendants. In addition to the three hundred- strong contingent from Cornell Uni- versity, spectators and participants from the Rochester Diocese number- ed about a dozen. The Catonsville Nine incident took place on May 17, 1968, when nine Roman Catholics invaded Local Board 33 in Catonsville, Md., and seized 600 individual Selective Service files. They took the files to a parking lot outside and burned them with napalm, which they had made from a recipe from the Special Forces Handbook of the United States Gov- ernment Mother Mary Bride, Mother Gen- eral of the Sisters of Mercy, in Washington over the weekend for meetings of the Mission Secretariate, was among those at the opening of the trial on Monday. She said, \I don't expect everyone in my com- munity to understand, but I know all will respect my making a respon- sible decision to come.\ Dr. George McVey, who serve!! as liason between the nine and their lawyers and representatives of the media said: \Both the government and the Church are Insensitive and largely irrelevant to the needs of the people. We hope our participa- tion will contribute to the enlighten- ment of other Individuals. By our participation, we are witnesses to the necessity of change within the Church.\ Sister Dorothy Keefe, director of the Rochester Headstart program spent three days at the trial and said: \Those of us here cannot speak for our communities; but we have hidden behind the Institution for too long and must face these is- sues as individuals. This putting of oneself on the line will .serve as a ray of hope for others in the Roch- ester religious communities.\ Phillip R. Gagin, S.J. and Thomas Sable, S.J., 1063 graduates of Aquinas and McQuaid respectively, were among the group of Jesuit seminar- ians from Weston College in Massa- chusetts. They cited the influence of Father Daniel Berrigan as a determ- ining factor in their attendance, as it seemed to be for many of the par- ticipants. Father David Connor, assistant Catholic chaplain »t Cornell Univer- sity attended with the delegation from the Ithaca campus. He said, \In this end In other Important issues, the clergy Is having to be led by the people. But we've got to be will- ing to be both in and of what's hap- pening with the people wherever great moral questions are being rained.\ Professor Robert McLaughlin, who teaches Philosophy at Saint John Fisher College, said he came from \a desire to become educated on the peace issue.\ Dorothy Day, founder of the Cath- olic Worker Movement, was also there and said that Catholics must continue \acts of peaceful sabotage . . . against an alliance of Church : and State which has gone on too long\. She stated that the action of the Catonsville Nine is \the begin- ning of a revolution also against what needs .to be .changed within the y nDhurcff'. r,-*- OTO. . *\«n I St. Mary's Hospital, engaged in a study of how it MIL Joest utilize its facilities to meet future health needs of the Rochester Community, has voted to build closer ties with area colleges and universities. Contradicting a local report that St. Mary's plans to close its doors in order to concentrate on training practical nurses, the board of .di- rectors of St. Mary's Hospital voted _ in favor of a policy that will make\ the hospital's clinical teaching facili- ties available to a broader segment of the nursing education community in Rochester, as a means of aiding the rapidly expanding nurse educa- tion effort, and also to bring a great- ter number of nurses to St. Mary's Hospital for clinical experience. According to a statement Issued: \The hospital will accomplish this in two ways: by initiating further efforts immediately to establish closer ties with Rochester area uni- versities, colleges and junior col- leges; and, by establishing a plan to i phase out)St. iMary'ai Hospital Schooln w tof Nunlng-in 197U> < . ,< .;•,> - \This means triat, with the Fresh- man class which has just begurustud- ies at the school, St. Mary's has ac- cepted its last class. This class will have the distinction in 1971 of clos- ing the school in its 80th year as an important source of nurses in Roch- ester and beyond. \St. Mary's Hospital will seek to build a correspondingly significant role as a source of clinical teaching for the collegiate schools within the region. \By making its teaching facilities available on a much broader basis to the Rochester area, the hospital will expand its impact on nurse edu- cation by bringing it into contact with more student nurses than is now possible without a correspond- ing expenditure of government, tax- payer, or private funds.\ The decisions announced this week were made after consultation with rae lAstocUtlon. 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