Racial Organizations

The November 10 issue of Chemical and Engineering News reports on a recent meeting of an NOBCChE members in New Orleans. That acronym stands for National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists & Chemical Engineers.
I'm certainly not against advancement of black chemists and chemical engineers. In fact, I have an emotional attachment to the subject, since my graduate school laboratory partner in 1943 was a black chemist. Lincoln Diuguid has been my friend for 71 years.
However, I continue to be concerned with the continuing efforts of minority groups to separate themselves from American culture. One of the precepts for the founding of the United States of America was to be a melting pot for various nationalities and cultures of the world. The presumption was that immigrants of these various cultures and nationalities would assimilate to a general society. This has been effective. My grandfather was a Hungarian unable to speak English. My father grew up on the East side of New York, subsequently became a banker, and I have worked many years as a PhD chemist. My grandfather was unable to assimilate to American culture and language, but his progeny were able to do so. It is inconceivable to me that there would have been any advantage to either the United States of America or to my family if we had retained our Hungarian language and culture and associated only with Hungarians of similar background.
On that basis I have to be adamantly opposed to all efforts of minorities to segregate themselves from national programs, where such programs exist without discrimination.
One of the objectives of the American Chemical Society is to promote the professional advancement of its members. This includes all races of black, white, green and red, as well as Americans of at least 140 or so original nationalities. I see no reason why black or Hungarian chemists would have to go off on their own to establish individual segments of promotion, which would only have the effect of weakening the development of the whole.
If black chemists and engineers need to associate with each other for recreational purposes, that seems justifiable, but for professional basic needs, it can only do damage to the coherence of our country. Would Blacks consider reestablishing programs where they could eat only in black restaurants and use black restrooms, because they would be excluded from using white facilities?