The integration of the American Bowling Congress: the Buffalo experience

Afro-Americans in New York Life and History, July, 2005 by James H. Rigali, John C. Walter

          Dear Bill: I know that on September 6th, the following will be
        on hand in Buffalo to open a new bowling alley:
      * John O. Martino, President of the American Bowling Congress,
      * Steve Dorsick, President of the New York State Bowling
        Association,
      * Steve J. Czerwinski, President of the Buffalo Bowling
        Association,
      * Mrs. Gene Leffers, President of the Bison City Ladies' Bowling
        Association.
          It might be worthwhile, since you are going to be here on the
        8th and the 9th, to possibly plan to come a little in advance,
        and try to arrange an interview with them. What about it? (21)

In response, Oliver informed Livermore that he did not think that a meeting with the ABC leaders in Buffalo would serve any useful purpose, because he had met with them on April 16, 1947, in Los Angeles, in support of the Catholic Youth Organization resolution opposing the discriminatory clause in the ABC's constitution. There, he said, "the ABC turned a deaf ear to our proposal." Oliver confirmed that he would be in Buffalo on the evening of the 8th, that he would be staying at the Buffalo Hotel, and would "certainly like to see you at that time to discuss the matter further." (22)

The August 15th meeting apparently stimulated the Buffalo Committee for Social Action to action. On October 2, in a meeting presided over by the Reverend Father Joseph E. Schieder, the discriminatory practice of the ABC became the main topic. In attendance at this meeting were Betty Hicks, Victor Einach, Olga Madar, Max L. Dozoretz, the new Chairman of the Buffalo-Area Committee, William Lang, Associate Director of the CYO, Edward Gray, Sub-Regional Director, UAW-CIO, and William J. Ryan, Vice-Chairman of the Labor Committee to Combat Intolerance, otherwise known as the LCCI.

At this meeting, the LCCI presented its resolution, in opposition to the ABC charter that membership be restricted to "white male sex." The LCCI resolved that the ABC's discriminatory clause was un-American and invalidated the spirit of the American Constitution. The LCCI further resolved that it had "gone on record as militantly opposed to the existing policy of the American Bowling Congress" and recommended that labor and the trade union movement unite in "combating this unfair practice in play" by taking "such militant action as your union thinks is in keeping with the spirit of democracy or for fair play." (23)

RESISTANCE STIFFENS IN BUFFALO

The recalcitrance, stubbornness, and indifference of the ABC to the suggestions of the Buffalo Regional Committee for Fair Play in Bowling, as well as the pressure from the National Committee, caused a change in oppositional tactics by the Buffalo Committee and the National Committee. This change was reflected in the response of Jessie Corona, International Representative of the UAW-CIO Recreation Department, writing in behalf of Madar to Harold F. Wood, the Recording Secretary of Local Union #7742, in Buffalo, who had asked what was the bowling program being mapped out by CIO International Executive Board. The CIO, locally and internationally, Corona responded, was assisting local union recreation chairmen to "secure alleys which will enable them to organize unsanctioned leagues." Furthermore, he said,