On Admission Of Black
Americans To Freemasonry

by Steven Allen Schwartz, MPS

How can we say that all men are
brothers when we actively or passively
exclude Black Americans from Freema-
sonry? How can we say that we meet our
fellow man ""on the level", if we fear
that admitting the first Black will lead to
Freemasonry being taken over by Blacks.
That's not putting much faith in a Black

Freemason'sjudgement. How can we say
that our Freemasonry upholds human or
civil rights, if we are content with the fact
that Blacks have their own Masonic
lodges?

Why do we wonder why our member-
ship is continually declining, whereas the
population is growing? What is happen-
mg to discourage young people, educated
and talented young people, from being
interested in Freemasonry? Could it be
that our actions are inconsistent with
what is taught to these fine young people
in public and private schools? Given the
personal struggles with injustice in our
own lives, can we really say with pride
that we belong to a lodge, group or club
which discriminates solely on the basis of
color?

What is noble and American about dis-
crimination on the basis of color? How
can we expect young people to see their
membership in Freemasonry as being
positive and affirming when Freema-
sonry is so blind to the principles of equal-
ity which we see applied every day in
stores, in restaurants, at work and on TV.
What does this aspect of ourselves look
like in the eyes of an educated and in-
formed society?

Do we judge a man on the basis of his
character, or his color? Is that how most
of us behave in our private lives? Is it
really a mystery that our membership
continues to decline? And if you think
that each and every Black American is
inadequate to be considered a member of
Freemasonry, then consider that each
and every Black American was con-
sidered adequate and equal when it came
time to defend our American way of life
in World war II (among other wars).
some of these men died for our country. I
personally have a problem with segre-
gationist social institutions when I con-
sider this point. So are we really following
our own principles of democracy? Is it
really fair to discriminate in Freemasonry
on the basis of color?

Who among us has had the courage to
speak for these concerns? And who is
afraid to speak out for fear of being ostra-
cized? Is this what it means to be a re-
sponsible Freemason and American? Do
the American ideals to which we pledge
allegiance only apply to Whites and not
to Blacks? And if we question our motives
more deeply, what do we find?


The Philalethes, December, 1990