Father Aloysius Clarke has been administrator of the Archdiocesan Office of Urban and Rural Concern for several months. His many contacts with poverty have made him realize the massive job that faces society.

“I don’t feel a sense of defeat, but to a degree Atlanta has been resting on a false image. Some feel because the mayor is not an archconservative then the problems are half solved. They aren’t,” Father Clarke said.

His office was established to make priests and laity more aware of the poverty and deprivation among the poor in urban and rural work areas and to work with other agencies and churches in attempting to solve the problems.

Father Clarke said the job has been made difficult by the numerous pockets of poverty in Atlanta. “In other cities, the slums may be confined to a 30-40 block area, but in Atlanta they are spread across the city.”

He said he has been trying to do two things. “One is to work in these communities on a grass-roots level, to find out who the leaders of the communities are, if there are any, we’ve got to know the situations and perhaps single out one area and do one thing rather than spread our efforts. We need to find a place where nothing is being done and get people inside and outside of the area involved.”

“For example, some Catholics have been working in the Lightning area where so much is needed. People in Lightning need paint, books and games for the community center, typewriters to teach people, someone to work with the old and take them to the doctor. Transportation is always a problem in Lightning.”

Asked if he became frustrated when he saw so many needs in one area, Father Clarke said, “Sure it is frustrating. How can one effectively get anything done? How can one stir Christian consciences so people will become Good Samaritans. And the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan is appropriate in these cases, because these people have fallen among robbers.”

How do you lift poor people out of their apathy? Father Clarke said it takes the efforts of those who have the time and know-how. “Poor people know they need help. The Negro must know he has friends among whites, not because whites feel sorry, but because they realize that white and black men are brothers.”

Father Clarke said he hoped his office could become a supplier of food and clothes which would be sold at a low cost to poor people under an organization run by poor people. The profits could be used for emergency loans. “Loans are better than going to the rectory and receiving a handout from a ‘white Jesus,’” he commented. “I’m against the church only doling out money or goods.”

The priest said it is most important for people in a community to decide their needs. “We should always ask what their needs are, and not just say here’s what you need. We are also trying to establish parent clubs in certain communities to better the schools and to find out what their rights are - their rights as parents, their welfare rights, their rights to community services. People must know their rights to create a sense of togetherness, but it can’t be done in one day all over the city.” The needs of the people Father Clarke is trying to work with and help were illustrated in a visit to the Lightning Community Center. Nathaniel White, center director and a student at Interdenominational Theological Seminary, has been teaching people how to type without typewriters.

He has drawn the keyboard on a piece of cardboard, but now four typewriters are needed for practice. The center, sponsored by the Atlanta Recreation Department, offers classes in sewing, arts and crafts, and cooking. A course in Negro history is planned. But the center, like many others, is faced with the problem of trying to teach without needed equipment and volunteers.