Digital History>eXplorations>Lynching>Anti-Lynching Legislation of the 1930s>L.C. Dyer's Letter to Walter White

L. C. Dyer's Letter to Walter White (January 28, 1935)

Source: NAACP Papers, Library of Congress

"I see in the February "Crisis" that you are giving considerable space to anti-lynching legislation in the present Congress. You are too smart and you have had too much experience with this subject to believe that the present Democratic Congress will enact any legislation of this kind. You, of course, remember that it was the Democrats in the Senate who prevented this legislation being enacted into law at the time it passed the House of Representatives.

You and the "Crisis" ought to tell the colored people the truth, which is that there is no chance whatever for this legislation in the present Congress. The colored people are wasting their time and postage in even writing to members of the Congress urging the enactment of it. You ought to be fair with the colored people in this matter and tell them that no Democratic Congress will ever enact anti-lynching legislation with any teeth in it. I trust that you and the "Crisis" have not been deceived in this matter like a lot of colored people were in the last election.

Of course we all know that some colored people sold out principal for a mess of potage. The race as a whole suffers for this. If the "Crisis" is to continue in this deception I hope you will discontinue sending it to me."