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Oar Freemen Depends
IVords of VJte'Jcm
That man U indeed a personality panper who
cannot afford a' joke on himself now and
then. Esther EbersUdt Brook
VOLUME E5-NUM3ER 4
".READ BY OVER 30,000 DURHAMITES
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SATURDAY. JANUARY 22. 1977 ,
TELEPHONE (919) 6834537
PRICE: 29 CZNTS-
HITCtlHU SAYS
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(CCNS) The Honorable
Parren Mitchell, Chairperson of
the Congressional Black Caucas
spoke at the Durham Civic
Center and was honored at a
reception: sponsored by the
alumni of Durham Business
College. He was also honored
at brunch In the stately home
of Soul City Developer Floyd
McKissick.
While in North Carolina,
the outspoken Mitchel continu
ed his ught against Attorney-General-designate
Griffin Bell
and took the opportunity to
speak out on the Wilmington
10, the crisis of black leader
ship, and a few local issues
Black
RALEIGH (CCNS-The
first week of the North Caro
lina Legislature got under way
with its six black legislators
getting chairmanships and key
committee assignments unpre
cedented since the period of
Reconstruction in North
Carolina. Four black legisla
tors in the House of Repre
sentatives were interviewed on
their jobs at the legislature and
most have already keenly de
veloped their legislative agenda.
All but one oppose the re
enactment of the death
penalty. All favor creation of
a fair employment practices
commission, more judges and
court personnel and more
blacks on the Board of Gover
nors. AS have served at least
one term in the legislature and
three are lawyers; one a misjs-;
tet lad two real estate broken.'
AH represent heavily populated
urban areas except Dr, Joy
Johnson, who represents a
rural, populous black and
native American county.
Rep, Joy Joseph Johnson,
Robeson County minister in
the town of Fairmount, has
been appointed chairperson of
the Human Resources Commi
ttee and a member of the .
Corrections Committee of the
House of Representatives. Now
serving his third term, Johnson
is opposed to re-enactment of
the death penalty, but thinks it
"Delta Women and the
Community-Working Together
to Meet Human Needs", will be
the theme, of an all day con
ference sponsored by the Dur
ham Alumnae Chapter of Delta
Sigma Theta, Inc. A public
service sorority, the Deltas wfll
present challenges and man
dates to community leaders in
the Research Triangle area on
Saturday, January . 22, at the
Governor's Inn.
Activities are divided into
four sessions; the first two, for
the members of the sorority,
" include a Founders' Day Cele
bration address and a
luncheon. The second two
sessions, for the public at
, large, will consist of four con
current workshops and a
reception.
:j For the first session Mrs.
.Thelma T. Daley, Delta
; National President will be the
1 keynote speaker.In addition .
to presiding over 87,000
Deltas, Mrs. Daley is a
nationally recognized guidance
and counseling professional.
She also presides over 41,000
members American Personnel
and Guidance Association.
Currently . serving as
Director of. the Career Edu
cation Program for the
Baltimore County Board of
Education, Mrs. Daley was re
cently appointed to a three
year term on the 14 member
National Advisory Council on
Career Education. Her many
outstanding contributions at
the local, state, and national
levels in career education, in
personnel and guidance, and in
To QoGtf
such as the enslavement of a
' Durham man against his will
at a sweet potato farm last
October.
Mitchell said that the
failure of national news media
to expose the case of the
Wilmington 10 has resulted in
the "grossest miscarriage of
justice of aA times." He said
that the lack of interest by
national press in major rallies
in support of the Wilmington
10 in his own state of Mary
land was part of an unwritten
agreement among the "racist
forces but we should not stop
the struggle to free Rev.Ben
Chavis and the Wilmington 10
Legislato
may pass this session of the
Legislature. Dr. Johnson is also
the President of the General
Baptist Convention of North
Carolina, the largest black
church group in the state.
Johnson expects to use the
influence of the chairperson
ship of the Human Resources
Committee to " get eligible
North Carolinians speedy assis
tance from the Department of
Social Services around the
state." Johnson also puts em
phasis on developing legislation
to prevent ineligibles from re
ceiving assistance, not only
welfare clients but. professional
providers of services who often
overcharge the state.
Johnson says hell work
toward passing a fair employ
ment practices;, act which wfll
outlaw Hiring
crimination based
and religious affiliation. 'He
t . . '
would support legislation that,(
would set up a fair employ
ment practices commission to
enforce the act and give the
commission power to subpoena ,
records and witnesses for in
vestigative purposes. A similar
bill wis introduced late in the
last session but 'did not pass.
Overcrowding in the
state's 77 prisons will also be a
concern of the veteran legis
lator. While not primarily in
terested in "constructing big
buildings, I am concerned
human resources development
have merited her several awards
and citations.
At the luncheon - the
second sessionJ)urham Mayor
Wade Cavin wfll present a
special proclamation to the
Durham Alumnae Chapter.
MS. THELMA T. DALEY,
Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.
GiGGA COG)!
until they are out."
According to Mitchell, one
of the causes of black power
lessness is "a kind of self
serving attitude of many of our
blacks who have moved into
comfortable positions and
don't want to rock the boat."
He said the move away from
confrontation politics endan
gers all of the gains that were
made during the turbulent
sixties.
"If my legislature in Mary
land decides to redraw the con
gressional district lines, I'm out
now. The same thing could
happen to Barbara Jordan,
Louis . Stokes or anybody.
rs Voice Their Concerns
about medical care and other
services to those in prison
including rehabilitative pro
grams and early release." John
son says that many of the
state's 13,000 inmates particu
larly blacks and poor people
do not receive fair trials which
also would reduce the large
numbers in prison. '
Representative Richard Er
win of Forsyth County is serv
ing a second term and is Vice
Chairperson of the Appropria
tions Committee and Vice
Chairperson of the Courts and
Judicial Districts Committee.
He is also a member of the Pro
fessional Law Enforcement and
Personnel Practices Committee,
the Committee on Higher
Education and the Corrections
Committee.
i. ' , a. Aj.ii,i
how the funds of the state are
spent and where, His coveted
position on the Appropriations
Committee on Education wfll,
he believes, give him signifi
cant input into the manner in
which education funds are
spent.
Additional judges and
court personnel are needed, he
says, to have speedier trials for
the "criminal offenders be
cause when people feel that
punishment is emminent they
are less certain to commit
crimes." Erwin, a lawyer, says
Sorority-community inter
relationships wfll highlight the
afternoon sessions'. Four con
current workshops, beginning
at 2 p jn. wfll feature what
Delta women, can, should, and
must do for their , communi-
Continued On Page 7
NATIONAL PRESIDENT,
"There are some blacks
that have achieved money, The
economic system could work
to wipe them out overnight,'
Mitchell said; He continued
saying that the common factor
among blacks, "is not the
Constitution, not the Bui of
Rights, not the appointment to
, the IBM Board but our black
ness." '
Mitchell stated that direct
action and confrontation poli
tics is much needed. He ays
that the income gap between
blacks and whites has increased
because of cessation of direct
action. .' t, '.. .
The result of stopping
additional superior court
dRes, appointed by Governor
unt if the legislature win
approve more judges, would
hopefully be black. At present
there is only one black su
perior court judge, Ronald
Barbee from Greensboro.
Erwin is in favor of the
death penalty, re-enactment
but only in cases of contract
murders, "where A employs B
to kmc." -j
Erwin is against a proposal,
to elect the members of the
Board of Public Education be
cause he fears that the number
of blacks on the Board win
possible decrease. The Board is
comprised of 11 members that
are appointed by the governor
and confirmed by the General
Assembly. Only three blacks
toysjepreiim the: Board, Dr.
unaer we Kerr
Scott adminis
tration and Representative
Richard Erwin was appointed
by the Robert Scott adminis
tration. Erwin and St. Augus
tine's CoUege President Pre
zeUe Robinson serve on the
committee. Only Robinson and
Erwin are currently on the
Board.
' On right-to-work legisla
tion which some of the labor
ites caU the 'right-to-work-for-Iess'
law, Erwin says that he
thinks, "If there is a union
shop and an employee receives
the advantages of union nego
tiation with management
then the employee should pay
his share of the bargaining
process." He says that he "kind
or favors collective bargaining
for state and municipal govern-
Continued on Page 3
A Meiv Order for A Meiv Age
ATLANTA, GA. (CCNS)
- "We want to be able to say
tat the years ahead when we
t meet that we began an agenda
' for a New Order for a New Age
fa January, 1977." ' Coretta
Scott King's exhortation in her
keynote to over 400 indivi
duals from across the U. S.
attending the Full Employ
ment Conference was repeated
by the well-known speakers, by
leaflets, conference packets,
banners and buttons. Some
conference participants ex-
S rested surprise at the
ottons commemorating the
event which, were produced
and donated by McDonald's
fast-food chain. Judy Garrison
Project Co-ordinator of the
Southern Organizing Confer
ence from Birmingham, Ala
bama, noted that "The buttons
' dont have - a union "bug"
(indicating production in a
union-organized shop)." Anne
Mitchell, coordinator of the
N. C. Alliance Against Racist
and Political Repression added
V. : .and McDonalds is in
famous for the low wages paid
its employees, primarily youn
young people."
The FuU Employment
Conference was organized by
the Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Center for Social Change in
. Atlanta, as part of four days of
celebration in honor of King's
' birthday. Participants were
urged by the enthusiastic
speakers to join the demand
for fuU employment, united by
the conference theme , of
A New Order fore New Age."
: 'the direct action is that we
have accepted the condition
of permanent unemployment
tfor; black people in this
, country. You can't negotiate
those things around the table.
They are changed in terms of
pressure applied skillfully and
persistently"
Asked how long he
thought it would take for the
frustrations of blacks to funnel
into confrontation politics, the
Maryland Congressman said he
didn't know but did say, "I
don't care what group it is,
every group has a toleration
level for frustration. Whether it
was the Hungarians over there
under the Soviet Union and
A Special
Help
This is a personal appeal which I am mak
ing to all of the friends of humanity who live in
Durham arid vicinity.
I am appealing to you to join me and a
group of deeply concerned persons from
Women-In-Action, Operation Breakthrough,
Department of Social Services in a united
effort to alleviate the suffering which many
senior citizens and children are suffering here
in Durham . I am deeply touched by the news
that there are hundreds of children and senior
persons in Durham who must go to bed each
flight cold, get up each morning cold and spend
Jthe . long- houri it ..the day, in homes far below
e t being tfcnhr
v fort. . . ' - Uv ;
These are our neighbors - our brothers and
. sisters, and we remember what the Master says
about " inasmuch as ye did it unto the least
of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto
me". The high cost of coal, oil, gas and electri
city have made it impossible for many who live
on low, fixed incomes to provide sufficient fuel
to heat their homes.
They need our help, and I am calling upon
all persons who want to alleviate suffering to
come forth now and help us to aid in this des
perate condition. Those who are willing to help
please send $1, $5, or more to THE EMER
GENCY ENERGY FUND, P. O. Box 1470,
Durham, N. C. 27702
This is our chance here in Durham to let all
of the unfortunate among us know that some
one cares about their suffering and their needs.
C. E. Boulware
National leaders many of
whom struggled with Martin
Luther King in the SO's and
60's in this country, address
ed the conference and togeth
er urged pressure be put
on the Carter Administration
to fulfill the needs of Ameri
ca's minorities and poor.
Joining Mrs. King in key
noting the conference was the
Honorable Augustus F. Haw
kins, congressman from Cali
fornia and co-sponsor of the
Humphrey-Hawkins employ
ment bifl in Congress. He re
minded the body that "
we must not overlook the
extent to which we have
made this issue (full em
ployment) part of the success
of changing administrations
.... .We must not surrender
our victory now to forces
which have imposed on us
these economic policies. Those
who won stood for economic
justice ... ; it would be a
mistake for us to , . . wait to
think the matter is over. We
must insist that we who won
(the election) should be in
cluded in the economic de
cisions that effect our lives
. . . , Jt is necessary to see,
some black faces, some women
some Chicanos . , v " Hawkins
Suoted Ossie Davis, "It is not
le man but the plan." He
reminded the audience that we
must carefully look at the e
economic plan, for "admin
istrations come and go, . . .
and sometimes even friends
get pressure to cause them
to modification." For fuU
they knew they couldn't win
but they still exploded be
cause they had reached their
toleration level for frustration.
Certainly blacks in America
have a toleration level
for frustration. What the exact
point is, I don't know.
"How much closer we
need to get to that breaking
point in time span I don't
know. But unless something
happens that affects the lives
of the masses of black people
, . . . unless the lives of the
masses of black people drasti
cally improve for the future, I
see that toleration level being
reached and an explosion
taking place."
Appeal To
employment, there must be
fair employment, he emphasi
zed, stating as well that the key
is "useful employment at
decent wages. It is and remains
the responsibility of the
federal government to fill tha
right." He closed with tnt
challenge that "we must not
wait another moment to
unite economic v'th social
justice."
Addressing the relation
ship of the criminal justice
system to fuU employment,
former attorney general
Ramsey Clark stated that, "We
have a permanent unemployed
class of millions, and do we
understand that?" He noted
that people want to work, and
to share their abilities that
are needed today . . . is eco
nomic emancipation . . . . The
profit motive wfll not be
enough."
Introduced by chairperson
for the afternoon session David
Livingstone of District 65 with
the words, "Never was there a
time when the voice of Ossie
Davis was not heard," Black
actordirector Ossie Davis was
welcomed with a joyous stand
ing ovation. Addressing the re
lationship of M employment
to the, arts, Davis cited
statistics and studies to con
clusively illustrate the econo
mic role of the theatre in
America, "$53 million goes
to the economy of New York
, City alone." He continued with
the sobering statement that,
"We are today disturbed in our
Continued on Page 3 i
Needy
PARREN JL MITCHELL during his recent
speech in Durham's Civic Center.
NATIONAL
mmwns
MINORITY VOTING POWER
ATLANTA, GA. - Growing minority political power was
evidenced in the election of 420 blacks to public office in the
South in 1976, according to John Lewis, Executive Director of
the nonpartisan Voter Education Project (VEP).
"This is another major step toward an interrracial demo
cracy in the South, but the increase of black elected officials
and the impact of the black vote in selecting a President in 1976
should not lead to the conclusion that the voting rights battle
has bee won," stated Lewis.
"VEP research estimates that only slightly over half of the
seven million blacks of voting age are registered," Lewis pointed
out. "Of that number, approximately 60 to 65 per cent actually
voted in the national election in 1976. This is an improvement
over previous years, but it means that only 36 per cent, or a
little more than one of every three blacks of voting age in the
South, actually voted. To have meaningful representation in
government at all levels, we must do better."
USE IRS TOLL-FREE PHONES
tax
payers are calling the wrong telephone number for Federal tax
assistance, says Robert A. LeBaube, IRS Director.
"Many people are calling the local IRS number listed in
their telephone director for assistance on tax problems," Le
Baube remarked. "The number they should be calling is the
toll-free number 1-800-822-8800. If they are concerned about
having to wait for an operator to come on the line, they have no
cause for concern. Right now, our average waiting time is less
than 30 seconds."
The Director added that persons contacted over the local
phone lines are mainly audit and collection employees. Over
the toll-free system IRS has a large staff of taxpayer service
representatives who answer tax questions all day long.
NAACP OPPOSES BELL
NEW YORK - The NAACP this week stepped up its drive
to block the confirmation of former Federal Judge Griffin Ben
of Georgia as U. S. Attorney General.
In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on
Wednesday, January 12, NAACP Washington Bureau Director
Clarence MitcheU, declared that "it is incredible that Mr. Carter
would name Mr. BeU as his choice for the highest law Officer
in the executive branch of government."
MitcheU's strong testimony in opposition to President
elect Carter's nomination for the Justice Department was
supported by the NAACP National Board of ,Directors, which
on Monday, January 10, adopted a resolution decrying Mr.
Bell's record as a law officer in Georgia and a Federal appeals
court judge.
On Thursday, NAACP Administrator Gloster B. Current
followed up these actions by sending telegrams to key NAACP
branches around the country urging them to demand that the
Senate Judiciary Committee and their Senators reject the nomination.
OPPOSES BELL Clarence Mitchell (left) head of
tht Washington Burtau of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) arrives
January 1 1 at a hearing of tht Senate Judiciary
Committee to oppose tht nomination of Griffin Bell
to bt attorney general. At right is Stn. Charles Mathlis,
Rr-Md.(UPI).
4t
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