The names of some areas in Atlanta—Blue Heaven, Cabbage Town, Lightning, Summerhill—are as colorful as the city is not proud of them.

These are the names of some of Atlanta’s worst slums and 20 Atlantans, including Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan, have been charged with finding answers to the festering problems in the areas.

“We must do more than just study…we’ve got to halt the frustrations of those who have complaints,” said Irving Kaler, chairman.

“I think implementation of a program is our role and we should cite agencies who fail,” the Rev. Sam Williams, pastor of Friendship Baptist Church said. “I want to see if the white poor and Negro poor have different problems.”

“I don’t think the status of the commission should be subservient. It’s important we work for them (city officials) but with the people of Atlanta,” Archbishop Hallinan said.

These were some of the comments as Mayor Ivan Allen’s newly created commission of white and Negro members assessed its role in the future of Atlanta. They discussed a program to try and relieve the suffering of many persons.

Miss Helen Bullard, chairman of the program committee, read the report which proposed immediate action for the following areas: Blue Heaven, Cabbage Town, Mechanicsville, Summerhill, Vine City, Lightning, Scott’s Crossing. Other areas—Pittsburgh, South Atlanta, Plunkettown, people’s town—were immediately proposed.

Miss Bullard said one of the first recommendations to the mayor and board of aldermen would deal with furnishing and standardizing services in the areas with all the other areas of the city. She said the information should be obtained by holding open hearings to which the public, neighborhood organizations and interested individuals be invited.

The first public hearing will be held Feb. 16 at City hall at 7:30 p.m. A second meeting with agencies will be held Feb. 23 and meetings of three-man teams from the commissions will be held later in the neighborhoods.

“In one visit to one neighborhood, you’ll hear enough to keep us busy for five years,” said T.M. Alexander, Sr.

Other meetings will be held with agencies dealing with community problems, education, equal opportunity, job opportunity, recreation, housing, law enforcement, welfare, health.

The report said the program should be explained to churches who might be encouraged to similar or other community programs.

The commission, in its first step toward implementation, nominated Mrs. Walter Paschall as its executive director. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Agnes Scott College and since 1961 has been executive director of the Council on Human Relations of Greater Atlanta.

She is serving on the board of the Atlanta Urban League and is a member of the American Civil Liberties union. Mrs. Paschall is a former president of the League of Women Voters of Georgia and in 1962 received a Good Neighbor Award from the national Conference of Christian and Jews.

Rabbi Jacob Rothschild said The Temple has set aside $5,000 as part of its celebration of its 100^th anniversary for a good citizenship award from the commission. He said proceeds of the trust fund will be used for the award.

Members of the committee are Robert Dobbs, Miss Bullard, the Rev. Joseph L. Griggs, Archbishop Hallinan, Kaler, Roland Maxwell, Joseph Haas, Mrs. F.W. Patterson, C.G. Ezzard, Vice Mayor Sam Massell, Jr., Rabbi Rothschild, Mrs. Sara Baker, James O. Moor, A.L. Feldman, Al Kuettner, Mrs. Mary Stephens, the Rev. Mr. Williams, M.O. Ryan, Hamilton Douglas, Jr. and T.M. Alexander, Sr.