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October 31, 1969
Miss Alice Childress
800 Riverside Drive
New York, New York 10032
Dear Miss Childress:
I am ashamed to answer your letter at this late date; however, I would prefer to answer it, rather than have you believe I never received it or that I did and didn;t care enought to send a reply.
I am sure that although several months have passed since you first wrote that your concern remains the same; I have searched my mind about possible sources of community support.
I must confess that the only possible people I think who might help raise this issue with the Atlanta community have rather limited audiences, but I will refer you to them nevertheless.
One is: Ben Perry, News Director,WAOK, 110 Edgewood Avenue, NE Atlanta, Georgia. Perry is a black newsman at this white-owned but black-oriented radio station, and is always vigilant in searching out transgressions against the black community's interest.
Another possible source of support would be Mrs. Bernice Reagon, who lives at 242 Ashby Street, SW, Atlanta. You may
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know Mrs. Reagon, but if you do not, she is an ex-SNCC worker, and presently a singer. She knows many more people in artistic circles in Atlanta than I do, and also might refer you to others.
I might also suggest that you ask Baldwin Burroughs for the names of the theatre critics on the two white dailies. I am at a loss to describe their political and racial biases, but I do recall once reading review by one of them and being struck that one of the two seemed more decent than you might expect.
Finally, let me suggest that Atlanta and Atlantans are more sensitive to criticism from outside than they are to the same criticism from inside this community.
If you know of anyone onethe drama staff of the New York Times, for instance, a well placed story there would affect people here more than headlines in the Atlanta Journal or Constitution.
Again, let me apologize for my lateness. If I can ever help you with anything beyone the feeble suggestions above, please don't hesitate to write again.
I promise to answer sooner, at any rate.
Sincerely,
Julian Bond