PAGE FOUR
THE BENNETT BANNER
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1987
Black owners surveyed
Kfty-four p>ercent of black busi
ness owners reported that their
businesses were based at home
in 1982, according to a first-time
survey rep>ort released by the
Commerce Department’s Census
Bureau.
The sui^ey, which excluded
large corporations, was conducted
by the Census Bureau and funded
by the Commerce Department’s
Minority Business Development
Agency and the Snoall Business
Administration.
The report says about 56 per
cent of women business owners
operated out of the home com
pared with 51 percent of white
male owners, 47 percent of His
panic owners, and 43 percent of
Asian and other racial minority
owners.
The report covers the number
of firms and receipts in 1982, and
for owners: age, marital status,
education, veteran status, work
experience, hours worked, per
centage of income derived from
the business, year and method
in which the business was ac
quired, year the business was
started, home-based businesses,
starting capital, sources of bor
rowed and equity capital, net in
come, percent of women and mi
nority employees, percent of
minority customers, and exports.
The data are shown for owners
of nearly 6.9 million white male-
owned firms; almost 2.9 million
women-owned firms; over 339,000
black-owned firms; some 256,000
Asian and other racial minority-
owned firms; and more than 248,-
000 Hispanic-owned firms.
Here are additional highlights
from the report:
• Nine percent of black owners
had never worked a full - or part-
time job prior to owning their
business compared with 11 per
cent of Asian and other racial
minority owners, 10 percent of
Hispanic owners, 8 percent of
women owners, and 5 percent of
white male owners.
• Fifty-three percent of black
business owners reported that at
least half of their customers were
minority compared with 40 per
cent of Hispanic owners, 36 per
cent of Asian and other racial
minority owners, 18 percent of
women owners, and 15 percent
of white male owners.
• Only one-fifth of black own
ers began with more than $5,000
in starting capital compared with
43 percent of Asian and other
racial minority owners, 35 per
cent of white male owners, 30
percent of Hispanic owners, and
22 percent of women owners.
• About 11 percent of black
business owners had to borrow
more than half of their start-up
capital compared with 18 percent
of white male owners, 16 percent
of Asian and other racial minority
owners, 15 percent of Hispanic
owners, and 12 percent of women
owners.
• Half of black business own
ers were over 44 years old com
pared with 48 percent of white
male owners, 44 percent of wom
en owners, 42 percent of Hispanic
owners, and 37 percent of Asian
and other racial minority owners.
• One-third of black owners
derived at least half of their in
comes from their business, and
one out of five depended entirely
on their business for income.
City Stage is coming up
by Tish Richmond
The 8th annual City Stage cele
bration is happening in downtown
Greensboro Oct. 10 and 11.
In honor of the planned new
Cultural Complex and the reno
vation of the Carolina Theatre, a
theme of “architecture” has been
adopted for this year’s festival.
The traditional First Union 10k
Run for the Arts starts the festival
activities on Saturday morning at
8:30. A 5k Walk for the Arts is
a non-competitive 3.1 mile fit
ness walk that will follow the
race. Registration forms are Avail
able from the United Arts Coun
cil. All registrants receive a long
sleeve T-shirt and ARTScard and
are eligible for a random drawing
of prizes. Prizes include compli
mentary dinners, sports club
memberships and Nike running
shoes. Registration will be held
Oct. 9 from 6 to 9 p.m. and Oct.
10 from 6:30 to 8 a.m. at the
Greensboro YWCA downtown for
those interested.
Great food, entertainment, and
interesting crafts are included at
each festival. This year the fea
tured attractions include Kinder-
Kountry, just for children. Activi
ties include pony rides, storytell
ing, a petting zoo, the Natural
Science Center Sciencemobile and
other attractions. Children will
love the arts and crafts area with
clay modeling, edible jewelry
making and maze painting. An
other featured attraction this year
is the folk life area on the grounds
of the Greensboro Historical
Museum. Two husband and wife
teams will join the 20 folk artists
in demonstrating 19th century
crafts such as tinsmithing, pot
tery, quilting, candle-making,
apple-cider making, woodcarving,
natural dyeing and spinning,
blacksmithing, and more.
In a first for City Stage, the
Carolina Theatre will have indoor
entertainment Oct. 10. Several
member agencies of the United
Arts Council will feature their
student performers, including the
Civic Ballet Theatre and students
from the Young Artists Orches
tras of the Eastern Music Festival.
The Community Theatre of
Greensboro will offer a sneak
preview of their upcoming pro
duction of “Dames at Sea,” a fun
1930’s musical.
Music will fill downtown
Greensboro with a variety of live
musicians. Scheduled to appear
at this year’s celebration is jazz
pianist Ahmad Jamal, well-known
Southern rock group the Charlie
Daniels Band, female country stars
Sylvia and The Girls Next Door
and two beach music bands. The
Showmen and the Tams.
City Stage will occur from 10
a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 10 and from
1-7 p.m. Oct. 11.
East vs. West
Student suffers
cultural shock
a colimm
by Shawane Lassiter
Japan. Exotic, full of wonder
and intrigue. The home of geisha
girls, the Tokaido Line (Bullet
Train), cherry blossoms and Fuji
yama (Mount Fuji). This land of
beauty and excitement is my
home.
On my way to Bennett, £is I
stepped off the airplane at the
Maryland Airport near Baltimore,
I noticed a change. There wasn’t
the hustle and bustle of little
slant-eyed people scurrying like
ants, like at the Narita Airport in
Tokyo. I didn’t hear the call of
“Konnichiwa, Genki desu ka?”
(Good afternoon. How are you).
I didn’t smell the acrid odor of
dry seaweed ready to be made
with sushi. There were no pink
and green denwas (10 yen tele
phones) nor taxicab drivers fitted
in their immaculate white gloves
ready to take you to your destina
tion.
I immediately became disillu
sioned with the hostile, arrogant
attendants, the washed-out bums,
the beggars, the slow pace at which
everyone moved and the garbage.
America, the land of opportunity
where everyone could get a
chance, where everyone receives
an education. Right away, I missed
the conformity and the uniform
ity of beautiful Japan.
I ached for the smell of the
crisp, clear mountains, free of pol
lution, and the sight of the moun
tains lit up at night by the sparkl
ing city lights. Instead, the pris
tine mountain atmosphere was
replaced by smog, gaudy city
lights and police sirens. The tran
quility was gone.
The splendor of Japan can be
offered in a contrast of day and
night. During the day you can visit
the hot springs where nude bath
ing by the wealthy is popular.
Shopping at the Kyomachi (out
door maU) for fashions created
in Tokyo, Paris and Milan is an
interesting excursion. Often a nice
hike through the mountains is an
enjoyable pastime as is a relaxing
30-minute cruise on a large red
pirate ship to see the beautiful
99 islands of Kyushu Island.
During the evening you can
visit Sake Town and experience
the wonder of the geisha girls,
sake drink, Asahi, Suntory or
Kirin beer or just plain old Bud-
weiser and Jack Daniel’s. The
pachinko parlors (slot machines)
are a frequent activity for the
Japanese. There are many night
clubs that favor American music,
or you may enjoy pub-hopping in
Sailor Town at Charlie Brown’s,
Woodstock’s or the Kiyoko Club.
Although I miss the conformity,
the safety and beauty of Japan,
I miss most of all the respect.
As a black American and a
daughter of a sensei (teacher or
professor), I was looked upon
with higher regard. Not once was
I demeaned for my color or na
tionality, nor was I made to feel
inferior.
A caste system does exist among
the Japanese, but it is based on
money not color. Maybe it’s be
cause everyone in Japan is the
same. America is comprised of
people from many ethnic, social,
and religious backgrounds. Diver
ity can create Intolerance.
In Japan, I didn’t have to think
about the Ku Klux Klan. All I
knew and understood was that I
was someone; and most of all,
I was treated with hospitality and
love. I befriended many Japanese
people who will be lifelong friends
and members of my family.
I miss my home in Japan a lot,
but I left with the promise of re
turning again shortly and with
the knowledge of love and racial
tolerance in my heart. I’m glad
I can say to the country that is
now my home, ’‘Sayonara, mata
ashita.” (Goodbye, see you later.)
Coming Attractions...
Founder’s Day Celebration Oct.
Fall Break Oct. 17-20
Library gains grant
PHOTO
CONTEST
1 St PRIZE-$300.
2nd PRIZE-$200.
3rd PRIZE-$100.
DEADLINE;
DEC. 31,1987
Give us your best shots! The Arthritis Foundation is
looking for creative photographs for our publications.
Cash prizes, macJe possible by a special grant from Pfizer
Pharmaceuticals, will be awarded to the winners.
Black and white prints, slides and color prints
are eligible. For more details contact:
Arthritis Foundation - Photo Contest ^ A
1314 Spring St., N.W., Atlanta, GA 30309 ARTHRITIS
Telephone: 404/872-7100 foundation®
by Charlcie Pettway
Thomas F. Holgate Library
has received a $105,000 grant
from the Southern Education
Foundation (SEF) under the
Black College Library Im
provement Project.
The money will be dis
bursed in payments of $35,000
over a three-year period. It
will be used to increase the
library’s holdings in the area
of the humanities, to improve
library use by promoting
stronger relations between
students and faculty and to
provide for the professional
growth of librarians.
Head Librarian Ednita
Bullock and Dr. Charlotte
Alston, chairwoman of the
humanities division, sub
mitted the proposal which
secured the funds. They could
not be reached for comment
because they were attending
a grant-related workshop in
Atlanta — “Enhancing the
Humanities in Black 0)llege
Libraries: Toward the Year
2000 and Beyond.”
Dr. Virginia A. Tucker,
chairwoman of the communi
cations department, hailed
the arrival of the grant. “This
is a major step in our ongoing
commitment to enhancing the
possibilities at Holgate. Mrs.
Bullock and Dr. Alston de
serve the congratulations of
the entire college,” Tucker
said.
According to Dr. Martha
Gleaton, associate professor
of English, “A grant like this
one is cause for celebration.
It fulfills President Scott’s
acronym BEST — ‘Bennett
excellence still thrives.’ My
students and I will benefit
greatly from the new acqui
sitions.” Gleaton teaches CS
104, the research-paper writ
ing course that involves heavy
use of the library.
SEE awarded $650,000 in
grants to 11 other historically
black colleges.
Fatal Attraction: Close steals the show as psychotic
“Fatal Attraction” starring
Glenn CJlose and Michael
Douglas is a i)sychological
thriller.
This movie is reminiscent
of the early 70’s movie, “Play
it Again For Me, Sam,”
where a one-night stand turns
haywire.
Douglas portrays an e-
volving New York lawyer
with a lovely wife and daugh
ter. Life goes on rather nor
mally until he meets Alex
(Glenn Close) and their pas
sionate affair turns his world
upside down. Close does an
excellent job as Alex, an in
secure book editor who can’t
let Douglas go.
The recent family trend is
evident in this movie. The
writers, actors, and directors
do a great job in projecting
the turmoil of the situation.
Douglas is consistent with his
character who comes across
as heavy with guilt and des
peration to spare his family
from this “crazy woman.”
Glenn Close, who made her
self known in such movies as
“The World According to
Garp” and “The Big Chill,”
excels as the anxious and
eventually psychotic lover.
Alex is a little-girlish, very
insecure woman who has
managed to function in soc
iety until she meets Douglas.
After this, she slips farther
into insanity, which she por
trays well.
This movie has touching
family scenes, tragic situa
tions and a gripping climax.
“Fatal Attraction” is now
showing at the Carolina
Circle Mall Theatre. I recom
mend it for anyone in the
mood for passion and sus
pense. (Tish Richmond)