Editorial And
OpinipnEage
tr?"
Why not ask Fred Williams
o
to step down as president of
Robeson Community College?
This columnist is continually amazed at the racial attitudes in
Robeson County as this 1 continues to monitor the on-going
Robeson Community College debacle, and note, from time to time,
the public relations effort directed against the college's board of
trustees, the minority members in particular The Robesonian
keeps up a steady tatoo of editorials lamenting the actions (sic) of
the RCC trustees. The daily newspaper believes "some" of the
board of trustees should resign I believe it would be far more
appropriate for the president to step down than some of the trustees.
After all. who's in charge here?
President Hany S. Truman said it best: "the buck stops here!"
when referring to a particular political firestorm erupting around
his presidency. President Truman was saying, in essence. "I am in
charge and I take full responsibility for what happens during my
presidency." Not in Robeson County. The president of Robeson
Community College is a White; many of the board of trustees, in
particular, those who have raised most of the questions about Williams
and RCC's.hiring practices, are minorities.
Is it any surprise that the Robesonian has seldom if ever said
any unkind words about the Fred Williams legacy at RCC? No.
The county newspaper 's editorial fire is most of the time directed
against the Indians and Blacks on the board of trustees, with specific
potshots directed mainly against Johnny Hunt (Indian) and
Thomas Jones (Black).It is usually RCC's board of trustees that is
attacked, never the president. As 1 see it. the daily newspaper has
often published racially-insensitive editorials, and news stories,
on this particular subject.
In most situations in America, the president, or chief executive
officer, takes credit, or is blamed, for any accomplishments or
shortcomings on his/her watch. Except in Robeson County! Our
daily newspaper seldom attacks White office holders, and hardly
ever passes up an opportunity to lambast minorities, either Indian
or Black, as the situation dictates
Now. Martin Lancaster, president of the state-wide community
college system, has announced via the media that he is going
to send an observer to future board meetings of the trustees at
RCC. This columnist wishes he were on the RCC Board of Trustees
at this time. If so, an EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunities
Commission) complaint would be strongly considered as a
legal recourse against the public lambasting of trustees, especially
the minorities. Mr. Lancaster. Mr. Williams, and other deserving
parties, would be recipients of at least an EEOG complaint, and a
civil rights Federal lawsuit would be a possibilitiy too. 1 see real
grievances here. Sadly, the trustees hav^ been editorially intimidated,
and have pulled in their questioning horns about employment
at RCC. As I see it, RCC trustees have been maligned generally,
and some of their civil rights might very well have been
violated As noted earlier, it just never stops, the Robesonian Newspaper.
and now Lancaster, continue to malign people of color.
This kind of boorish behavior must stop. Why not ask President
Fred Williams to step down as RCC's president? And 1 believe
Martin Lancaster should step down as well: he has not been
conciliatory or stately at all
Again, this columnist publicly calls on Lancaster, Williams,
and the present board of trustees, to provide the public with the
demographics showing the hiring of personnel at RCC over the
last five years. The results will show, as 1 see it, a woeful employment
record, and an inequitable distribution of the races in the
employment pool at RCC, especially in the administration and
faculty. If the record exposes what 1 think it will show, the questions
about hiring are in order and constitutionally correct and
necessary.
***
Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything
about it.
?Attributed to Mark Twain
\ Minnie ifffj
String the Seed
"And Joseph said unto his brethren. I die and God will surely visit you and
bring you out of this land unto the land which he swore to give Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob." (Genesis 50:23)
i "And Joseph swore an oath of the people of Israel, say ing. God will surely
visit you and you shall carry up my bones from here. So Joseph died being an
hundred and ten years old and they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin
in Egypt." (Genesis 50:24-26)
"God told Abraham, know of a surety that thy seed shall be a sojourner in
a land that is not theirs and shall serve them; and they shall be afflicted four
hundred years." (Genesis 15:13)
The Holy Word of God has many times been tried in the fire. God said in
the beginning was the word. It does not matter whether you believe that
mankind dates back to the primitive ape man of 500.000 years ago or sprang
up full grown from the mind of the creator. In any event, there had to be a first
cause- a creator- some power had to bring to this earth a germ of life. In the
beginning, this earth was just a fire mist. Six thousand or a billion years, what
does it matter? What does matter is that someway, some how. life came to this
planet. Life, nature, plant, animal, man.
Life is here and it has always been here and it has been threatened by every
kind of danger, from danger from floods, from earthquakes, from droughts,
from desert heat, from glacial cold, v olcanic eruption, but each new danger
was merely an incentive to finding a new resource, to putting forth life in some
new shape.
To escape danger in the w ater, it sought land. When pursued on land, it will
take to the air. To breathe in the sea. it developed grills. Stranded on land, it
perfected lungs. To meet one kind of condition (danger), it grew shells, for
another a sting to protect. To protect itself from glacial cold, it grew fur. In
temperate climates, hair. When subjected to alternate heat and cold, it
produced feathers. But even from the beginning, it showed its power to meet
every changing condition, to answer every creature's need. Oh. my friend, had
it been possible to kill this Life Germ, it would have perished ages ago. when
fire and flood, drought and famine followed each other in quick succession.
You and I will see that obstacles, misfortunes, cataclysms, were to it merely
a new opportunity to asset its power. In fact, it required obstacles to awaken
it. to show its energy and resource. The great reptiles, the monsters, beasts of
antiquity, passed on. But the life principle stayed, changing as each age
changed, always developing, always improving."
"So God said to Abraham, know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger."
Jesus said. "Except the seed fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone, but
if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." (John 12:24)
Now we see Joseph saying to his brethren, "I die and God will surely visit
you and when he does, ye shall cany my bones up from here." (Genesis 50:2425)
Here the people w ere given a mission and Joseph had inspired his brethren,
saying "God shall surely visit you." Here they would accept a mission in life
that would continue the promise of God and the promise was "I will visit you."
God had said to Abraham, "Four hundred years will they be a stranger in
a land that is not theirs." (Genesis 15:13) The point Joseph wanted his brothers
to see was that God was going to come back for him. God would send someone
to bring out his people form bondage and when he did, Joseph said, "Remember
me." Joseph knew if he did not motivate his people with a vision, it would be
unlikely that they would develop a useful ministry.
Can you imagine for over four hundred years, someone or somebody was
in charge of a dead corpse? They must have made daily checks to that tomb.
checking on Joseph's body.
"Now during this time, while the people were in Egypt, there arose a new
king who knew not Joseph and the people began to be more in number and
they were afflicted with burdens, their hands were put to the boiling pots, and
they built cities for Pharaoh (treasure cities)." (Exodus 1:1-12)
The children of Israel served with rigor, their lives were bitter with hard
bondage in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field and
they made them serve with rigor. And yet they had a duty for over four hundred
years to keep an eye on the corpse of Joseph. And beside the labor and toil, the
king of Egypt said to the midwives, when you do office of a midwife to the
Hebrew women and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill
him. (Exodus 1:16) And every son that is bom ye shall cast into the river.
(Verse 22) ' r . r
You do remember our earlier statement, in the beginning God? Also Joseph
dead and embalmed and the people watching this corpse. Can you imagine the
folks could have said. Joseph said God would come, but it has been over four
hundred years and nothing but hardship.
Then the scripture said "And the woman conceived and bare a son and he
was a beautiful child. She hid him." (Exodus 2:1-2) "She took for him an qrk
of bulrushes, dabbed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein.
Now she called his child Moses because I drew him out of the water." (Verse
10) . ,
Now let us move along. Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law,
and it was here that the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire
out of the midst of a bush and this bush burned with fire but was not consumed.
(Exodus 3:1-2) "And God called unto him out of the midst of the bush and
said, Moses, Moses and he said here I am." (Verse 4)
Here Moses was about to discover his mission. God said I have surely seen
the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry by reason
of their taskmaster. (Verse 7)
So, God said Moses I want you to go down to deliver them out of the hand
of the Egyptians and to bring them up. Now if you read the story of Moses and
his deliverance of God's people. Y ou will notice in Exodus 13:19 "And Moses
took up the bones of Joseph with him, for he had solemnly sworn to the
children of Israel saying I will visit you and ye shall carry up my bones away
from here." Can you imagine watching over the bones of a corpse for oyer four
hundred years? Now on the backs of a man walking into the direction of a
promise that they would enter a land flowing with milk and honey. Now in
this journey of the wilderness would be another forty years of murmuring and
complaining, some one still in charge of Joseph's bones. Even when they
encountered this land it was of giants, a people great and many, some one was
there standing with the bones of Joseph. Even after the death of Moses, Joshua
who took his place was going to be responsible for the bones of Joseph.
When the children of God stood on the brink of Jordan and they were
commissioned to stand still in Jordan, the bones of Joseph were there on the
backs of the people. And the Bible tells us that the Lord of the earth passeth
over before them. (Joshua 3:8-11) And the water rose up in one heap and the
people passed over. (Verse 16)
when the people compassed the city with the men of war, Joseph's bones
were there. When they were to go around the city once and when the trumpets
were blown, Joseph's bones were there.
When the people marched and shouted, 1 believe Joseph's bones were in the
midst. When the wall fell down, his bones were there.
When you finally come to Chapter Twenty-four of Joshua, Verse 32 "And
the bones of Joseph which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, were
buried in Shechem in a plot of ground with Jacob, bought from the son of
Hamor. And it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
Let me ask you the question: have you discovered your mission? My friend,
the world's greatest discovery is not your radio, television, airplane, hydrogen
bomb. It is not the atomic energy. The greatest discovery is the life. You have
a mission. You may not discover it yet, but you do have a mission.
Have vou ever asked the question. If this soul is akin to God, why has it been
placed in the body? If heaven is our home, whv are we here? In other words,
w hat is the purpose of human life?
My friend, we have been placed on this earth in order to enable ourselves
bv seeking after goodness, to subject our vv ill to the w ill of God. to do that which
is w ise and good This, mv friend, is our life's great business. All other aims
however worthy are subsidiary. If they do not promote it. they are worthless.
We saw that the people of God' were in co-partnership with God in his creative
work which is our privilege of our soul. Ifyou want to know what your mission
is. it is submission, a merging of self in the universal scheme. This is our
supreme duty. This is life. When we fail to submit to God we cease to be man
Duty and faith is our obligation Yet we are free agents. That is we can obey
it if we choose. You and I are never forced to do w rong Our moral destinies
are in our hands. "Choose death or choose life. See. I have set before thee this
day life and good and death and evil. Choose then life."
The people of Egypt could have counted Joseph as foolish, accusing him of
not know ing what he was saying. The people had freedom of will and could
have left him in Egy pt, but without Joseph there would be no freedom.
Human freedom is not absolute. It is limited. We are free agents in so far
as our choice between good and evil is un-fettered. but the condition in which
the choice is exercised is dependent of ourselves. Whether you are aware of it
or not. heredity is real. How you and I live before our families is extremely
important. Our sins are passed upon our children to the third and fourth
generation. Have you discovered your mission? Let me help to inspire you to
carry on the mission for Christ, As Joseph was a corpse to the backs of the
people, so is the cross to the backs of believers. First let me ask you this
question: are you saved? Have you met Christ yonder at the foot of the cross?
Ifyou have, then you have salvation. You have been delivered from your sins.
Now. listen carefully, here is the real test. Ifyou believe in the divine Lord, then
you have a duty. You must show reverence to him. His will becomes your will.
You have an impulse of an obligation toward him. You and I feel we owe him
certain duties, reverence to God. You see it is impossible to believe in a divine
being w ithout feeling a sense of obligation.
When you discover your mission, there is what is called a disciplines test.
One man said to Christ, "Lord. I will follow thee wherever thou goest. Jesus
replied foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man
hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, follow me, but he
said Lord permit me to go first and bury my father. And Jesus said let the dead
bury the dead, but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another said.
Lord. I will follow thee, but let me first go bid them farewell who are at home.
Jesus said unto him, no man having put his hand to the plough and looking
back is fit for the kingdom of God." (St. Luke 9:57-62)
Several years ago I was in a meeting and there was this young man there
and he stood up and said the Lord had called him to his ministry and he needed
to start quickly. The young man was a salesman and he said "first I need to go
and do something." Sad thing is he never did come back and to his day he is
still out there somewhere without a mission. Jesus knew if they were to return
home, they would not return and follow him. When you discover this mission,
remember that you are sent. "And he sent messengers before and they went
and entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him. And they
did not receive him because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
When James and John saw this they said Lord wilt thou that we command fire
to come down from heaven." (St. Luke 9:54-57)
When you discover your mission there will be folks who will not want to
hear his word. James and John had been mistreated so awfully that they
wanted to call fire upon the people.
Let me close with this. Jesus is coming back. Coming back for those who
are dead and alive in Christ, a seed that is going to rise at the sound of the
trumpet. Death is a stalker. Its mission is to kill, but you have life. God is God.
He has no opposition. The Devil wascreated. He is no opposition to God. From
Adam and Eve. Cain and Abel. God has always come through. When the
promise of a flood was to come, Noah without as much as a dictionary knew
how to rescue his family. Yonder in the wilderness, when the water was bitter,
God commanded a tree to be tossed into the water. When death of starvation
came upon God's people, birds covered the air and land. When the Red Sea
tunned above its bank, God rolled it back for his people to cross. When Joshua
stood yonder at Jordan, the command was a tip of the toe and the waters rolled
back. And God said, "On your way to the other side, set up twelve stones,
telling others that you have been this way."
When Jesus came out of the wilderness he cried out, "The Spirit of the Lord
is upon me." In other words, Jesus was saying, I am filled with God, "because
he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to die poor. He hath sent me to heal
the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and the recovering
of sight to the blind, to set at liberty they that are bruised." (St. Luke 4:18)
Jesus came and took upon his back our cross and made it his cross. You ana
I did not understand sickness, broken-heartedness, blindness and how to gain
our sight. But Jesus came as he promised to come. He kept his mission.
1 tell you, folks, Jesus is life. He is going to come again. If he were not to
come in my life time, I am sure that he will do for me as he did for Adam and
Eve's family. Some preacher will rise and preach and build up God's word and
my family and your family will be saved. Why? Because we reverence him.
Our impulse is to obey him and better still we have been commissioned of
Christ.
?^?Bfc? TtTJ??
Little Miss Lumbee
visits rest homes
Little Miss Lumbee Takonna Lyn Bullard enjoyed visiting and giving
Christmas cards and other presents for Christmas gifts as well as singing
and dancing at the various rest homes she visited during the holidays. Some
of the rest homes she visited in Robeson and surrounding counties were
Highland House, the VA Hospital, Greystone Manor, Sun Bridge Care and
Rehabilitation Center.
Little Miss Lumbee is shown above and with some of the residents she
visited.
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