Document 29: Cordella A. Winn to Mary Day, 18 August 1922, unprocessed collection of YWCA of Greater Baltimore, 128 W. Franklin Street.
Introduction
In the following letter, we see that Cordella Winn had been working with black and white YWCA leaders in Baltimore for some time. She was familiar with past difficulties that the 1920 agreement creating a Colored Branch Y was supposed to address, and apparently had visited Baltimore six months earlier to deal with problems on Baltimore's "committee of management." In this letter she confides in Miss Day (probably white) of the importance of getting "the right white women on that committee" and shares with her some guarded criticism of Mrs. Hitchens (probably black), to whom she wrote in document 28 above. The YWCA had committed itself to interracial work, in southern as well as northern cities, if not to interracial branches for young women, at least to the interracial organizing involved in encouraging cooperation between white and black YWCA leaders in many cities.
NATIONAL BOARD
of
The Young Women's Christian Associations
of the United States of America
600 Lexington Avenue
New York CityTelephone Plaza 4700-18
Cable Address Outpost New YorkAugust 18, 1922.
Miss Mary Day
Young Women's Christian Association
Baltimore, Md.My dear Miss Day:
I am writing to you about the Baltimore situation which seems quite serious at this time, as soon, we will have no worker at our colored branch when Miss Carter leaves August 24th. I am afraid that there is not the understanding with the women generally in Baltimore that we would like to have. I know you fully understand the situation, but I still feel there is a great deal to do with both our colored and white women to get them to understand the real relationship. Baltimore has been a hard place for a long time and it seemed after the agreement was made about two years ago, that things would work better in Baltimore, although; if you remember when I was there last February, I explained again the ideal plan and we hope to bring it about with the new women that are on our committee of management. I should like to know from you just how you feel this relationship has been progressing during these past months. Mrs. Hitchens, perhaps, does not understand, and the work is new to her. She is energetic and wants to go ahead, but not always cautious. Have you been able to help the situation as you see it? I hope the committee on colored work has been formed as I suggested. If we can get the right white women on that committee, half of our problem is solved, for I am sure your board of directors will in time understand. Enclosed you will find a copy of my letter to Mrs. Hitchens.
Sincerely yours, Mrs. Cordella A. Winn Secretary Colored Work, Cities. CAW/RG