Regarding your article, “Civil rights groups face even tougher foe (Jan. 16),” perhaps you will fill out the story some time by taking account of the tens of thousands of African-Americans who now live in suburbs. (It is estimated that about 170,000 live in the south suburbs of Cook County alone, with a number of towns majority or significantly-and increasing-black).
In those municipalities, civil rights work of the “old kind” is greatly needed. So for spokespersons to say, in blanket statements, that the traditional civil rights organizations have outlived their purposes is to look at the state-of-affairs with blinders.
I have been associated with the formation of two NAACP branches in the south suburbs and fully believe that there should be more. Monitoring the behavior of the officials in municipalities is a time-consuming, never-ending task, because whites will continue to get away with any suppression and subordinations of African-Americans they can.
This world is not made up only of urban problems for black people, and the Tribune ought to take note of that with its reportage on African-Americans.
