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Race, women and health · Claim record

Asked in 1952 why the Society tolerated segregation at its assemblies, The Watchtower answered that separate meetings were better than none, that segregation was "the outgrowth and hangover of slavery" and that since the apostles had not campaigned against slavery Christians should not campaign against its "lingering trace", and told those affected, in Paul’s words, "Do not let it worry you". It added: "Really, our colored brothers have great cause for rejoicing. Their race is meek and teachable, and from it comes a high percentage of the theocratic increase."

Claim ID claim-attitudes-race-1952-segregation-defendedConcerns 1 February 1952Explicit statement
Explicit statement · 1 February 1952 Verified

Asked in 1952 why the Society tolerated segregation at its assemblies, The Watchtower answered that separate meetings were better than none, that segregation was "the outgrowth and hangover of slavery" and that since the apostles had not campaigned against slavery Christians should not campaign against its "lingering trace", and told those affected, in Paul’s words, "Do not let it worry you". It added: "Really, our colored brothers have great cause for rejoicing. Their race is meek and teachable, and from it comes a high percentage of the theocratic increase." The Watchtower, 1 February 1952

The organisation’s position or later explanation: The article states that the Society never held separate meetings and baptisms "when we can have them together", and that breaking segregation law would have brought "mob violence, and possible loss of life".

Show the evidence (1 source)
Primary JW publication Verified

The Watchtower, “Questions From Readers”

1 February 1952 · pp.94-95 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society

“[Reader’s question] If the Watchtower Society is free from racial prejudice, why does it tolerate segregation at its assemblies in certain sections of country? Is this not a course of compromise? [The magazine’s answer] … We never have separate meetings and baptisms when we can have them together. But when impossible, shall we have separate meetings and baptisms, or none at all? … To buck the segregation laws would bring on disruption of the witness work, halting of it, mob violence, and possible loss of life. Only laws prohibiting gospel-preaching will we buck at that price.”

The reply argues that segregation is "the outgrowth and hangover of slavery" and that since Paul did not campaign against slavery, Christians should not campaign against its "lingering trace". It advises those affected, in Paul's words, "Do not let it worry you". It adds: "Really, our colored brothers have great cause for rejoicing. Their race is meek and teachable, and from it comes a high percentage of the theocratic increase."

Official source

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. The whole article was opened on the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026, read from the document’s own HTML and read again independently on the same date. The document carries page markers for 94, 95 and 96 and the printed citation line "w52 2/1 pp. 94-96"; the answer on segregation occupies pages 94-95, and a second, unrelated question in the same column — about a health folder — runs on to page 96. The question is signed in the magazine "—F. C., Wisconsin". The square brackets in the quotation are this ledger’s marks, showing where the reader’s question ends and the magazine’s answer begins; every word outside the brackets stands as printed. The answer does not open with the words quoted: it opens "Why do we tolerate the segregation laws and policies of certain governments and organizations of this world?" and four sentences follow before "We never have separate meetings". An earlier version of this record ran the bracketed label straight into that sentence with no ellipsis; the ellipsis is now there.

Corroborated by. src-race-w-2011-1215-thompson

Notes. The article is still carried, word for word, on the organisation’s own online library at the URL given.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-race-w-1952-0201-qfr-segregation

Claim page Correct or update

A direct link to this claim is https://jwtruth.org/evidence/claim-attitudes-race-1952-segregation-defended/. Every source above opens the original document or the best available copy. If you believe the wording, date or context is wrong, report an error.