Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / June 16, 1979, edition 1 / Page 6
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t i 1 I s T ei t; is la A al n y (t t g F ' I b o 8 e v F i c n D a a f 1 t I S u ; U t ! t! -M r c a s 1 ; , It F t i J i : i a fl I i I . J ; 2 THE CAROLINA TIMES SAT., JUNE 16, 1979 v "IT'S THE SAM AS IT ALWAYS WAS, IUT IT'S GoImG TO IE DIFFERENT THIS TIME' ' . . '..! . . , ' ' .-.. ' - .)..'.. -L.i.i.' WAV.vAIWAVAVyW.'AVWWMfl - mw:wxwx-: "vv ; , . ,. , . . . ... 1 io-de-equai -J' JOBS ARE THE TOP ISSUE By Vernon Jordan EXECUTIVE DISECTOR, ' NATIONAL ' LEAGUE PRESIDENT CARTER IS RIGHT The nation still refuses to confront the , crucial issue of mounting unemployment, especially among blacks and yoilng people. Experts are still talking about a slowdown this year, perhaps even a full-scale recession. But few seem concerned that even as we!re supposed to be wallowing in porsperity near ly six million people are officially counted as jobless. v And if you countthe discouraged workers who have given up hope pf finding wor-k, involuntary-part-time workers, and new en trants inter the labor force, the ranks of the jobless almost double. Black unemployment remains extraor dinarily high we.ll over double the white fate,' Of ficial national unemployment figures mask' the full extent of joblessness in many cities and states, and they hide the true im pact on blacks. In some big states, black unemployment is triple that for whites. In 1978, fewer than five per cent of white workers in Illinois were unemployed, but about fifteen per cent of black workers in the state were jobless. Six per cent of white Pennsylvania were out of work in 1978, but the balck rale was triple that about elghteerj per cent. , And those are the official, understated unemployment rates. If white workers were unemployed in the numbers black workers are, Congress and the Administration would be falling over themselves to expand job pro grams arid get people back on payrolls. Instead, there is a mix of difference, and comforting statements about how the, total number pf jobless are shrinking, - Racism can't be ignored as a factor in this national indifference. As long as unemploy ment is concentrated among blacks, America appears to be content to go ,about it$ , business, cutting federal' jobs programs, clamping a lid on food stamp, spending, and refusing to implement job and income maintenance programs. And to. ' soothe their; consciences, many people simply, blame, the jobless for their, plight. I am constantly bombarded by letters and statements frpm people Who claim there are plenty of jobs; available and that blacks are just too lazy to get out there an4 find work. . i-tfV: . ' -I ' "-h'v As proof, many people cite the newspaper want ads. Pages upon pages of job openings listed, even in cities where jobless rates are high. ' ', Well, a few months ago Washington Post reporter Martha Hamilton looked at those want ads, She picked a day on which over,. 1,000 jobs were listed,. Observation number ; one on that day 77,600 people wer1 unemployed, or over seventy people for each job opening! ., '.. "," Of the jobs offered, nearly one put of five , could be eliminated immediately.. Some; were for part-time work, some were come-ons, some required moving out of town, and others required special tppls or licenses. . Another fifteen per cent; were for profes-, sional managers, a group with, very low. "7 mWVAVAV.VAV.V.y.AWJAW IwWAV.'iW.WAW.VV.'WAWAV unemployment levels. Another; 22 per cent were" f Of -skilled craftspeople, gainly j rarely oundrnong the hard ; core-inner city A. auaiter of the iobs were for , clerical po?ition$. Thanks to infpripr educational op portunities; and keen competition for skilled offiqejwprkers, , fevy,, of those, jobs become ' available to the inner city poPr. - , 4 Sp what's left? A fpirth pf the jpbs adver tised were fpr unskilled wprkers. Thpse jpbs were snapped, up quickly, with many ap 'nlica,nts..for eaqh bp,enifig. Thtisfe 'sp, called , , Vlazy'VlReppl line up h0urs, befo'r? bpening :time,to grab' what' jobs .they can. And for levery,; ftounavpewolC janjMXlow .v !paylnii;unskaied j6b maftare'tuTwd Away. ,: Sp yire goes the argument that 'plenty pf jobs are available, just look -at the rJapers. : the fact i? that few jpbs are available for un '. skilled, poorly educated.prkei? 'the pep ple niost in need pf jcbs'. " .' " 1 . i yesj.'jbbs alre avaifebK biut 'there; is a mismatch between, the jpb! requirements and the skills pf. tb pepple afaflablepf, WPrk. . Spmetinies , tht t ihismatch js ' jaitifidl '-eioyers'demw'tredehtials Pf, Skills that ,cpuld be taught on $4Qb .pf needed at all. Many jobs t6d4y demand high school diplomas or even college diplpmas fpr wprk ' ' that used to be performed by pebple With pn ly elementary school educauori'. " ' ' So there are many more people out of work than there are available jobs. And this is no temporary, phase, but a permanent . feature pJou ecbttom' V, , Those who favor the racist regime of sduthjsrif. , Africa have opposed President Jim my Carter's decision " not to lift' U.S. economic "sanctions . against Zimbabwe (Rhodesia). '; 'V, The President is right. We congratulate him for taking a stand for right even though jt this ; must not be interpreted as a total basis for changing this country's official position toward human rights. The so-called ''Slack ma-"j ' jority" government headed by! Bishop Abel Muzqrewa is -the jbke of the century:' Twenty ,i eight of s the 100 seats ai the OUR NEU DAY BEGUN RELINQUISHING POLITICAL POWER '. iJ ill ': i ( (i Ml i . it- '. i li..? : : iV '3 i-.. -nr. -'(!; i' '. By Benjamia L Hooks ,fif. is an unpopular one at time, . :.i,:,. :m.. eovernment are -reserved for - 1 whiter who hold veto nower In wn1 must be viewed as an almost un- ,. ..wnitesnopio 1 " pr'ecfedented move, President Carter scolded "Over the votes Of the 72. HOW-; .ry -lack Americans for hdt; exercising their t ' . could the 72, untief such cir-1 "l fight to vbte to help overcome what he quite ' .ovLo UrtccSKlw' XU' ' correctly1 characterized as J,the cancer. of ' cumstan?es, j. ppsswy . VWU- ; ,v. raciaUnjustice" that "has always been near "'-were vheithei'Ffreeranop.i MtMl Uwu?,i fc-WiilM&to'Jfail&& mmmcasmwia ' swwiflriif&ii eeAHmbftbiisf!? whose momWs'weryiipireUr'v'' ( allowed to vote? 'What about the thousands pfrefugpes1 now-';;;; - vi !.;. t f. n; historic note. i jr ; -;; As a result of his open embrace Of ; the: ' c tfcrnftWr -hifetrr M 'il i if .'i . ..... .Tr i nT.f iki... I The Rhodesian . elections, which many' in; this1 country have hatted as ,"fxeg and faijr-' ' Consider, if you will, that if bus rolls intp, .your neighborhood, all voting age adults are rdundeP point , herded to the polls j and watched while ' ballot?; re marked. Americans would yell "bloody murder", to the tops ,of their . voices. This is what happened in the ; so called "free and fair" ; elec 1 tions in Zimbabwe. Of course some semblances of free and fair election were staged fpr observers and television camera crews. Ian Smith is nP dummy. He knew the impor tance of what the world saw and heard. These charades chances of success?; " : ?t ?(.; i v. : s traditional victims of racial discr.iminatipa h without the 1965J VntinflriftiahtcifA i,:. . v.. 'MQt.k Vfc " ' i chances of victory in: 1976 wpuld hardly have ''been possible; iTheipa'ssagi' of ithat act represented one of the bloodiest and human- move- living in camps in ; Botswana!) : merit ' exercised at thera41-year: old black Gheyney State College in Pennsylvania just ! three days after the NAACP'celebrated the silver anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision outlawing "separate but equal" facilities. Mr.' Carter's association has . often been criticized as being ! more symbpjie than hvsrecPrdypfHaohlevement onuqaalvprcaauoiy iomtmp phases itf'thfc'tJrvil Mgtts i irams .with-srexp-essians ofiSjuBfiQrtjfef maab:)) b ni -Ail DiacKS. js a rcsun, mey nave juuuu ins, achievement record disappointing.; ; ,to ;: , n As a result of his open embra.ce of tradi tional victims of racial discrimination, Mr. ;and ;: othef 1 hbrdetfrte states 1 " - "How are we going to have the leadership r;- r;lffl.i T9?:i' to fight for equal opportunity and" affir mative action in jobs, schools and housing if even the act of voting is too great an ef- . fort? " he wondered. . w " Given the fact that without the nearly total support from black voters in 1976 Mr. Carter would not now be President, it is understandable that he appreciates the who fled their ..homeland in,:, fear of their very lives because ' they opposed Ian Smith's .in-..: human apartheid policies? ' Though;he f U.S . Senate Ap,fM-A lil'UmftrnmicA mnvfJI potential;' political clout ot America's, sun s; able to defeat. an incumbent president, and UClaLCU O, WUiptVUUZV UlUVC nijiii. minnrit brniin Mnt' nnlv thnt -fhiit tliii'i. WmWinn nrtvt vmI wnuM Via' 1U1 Mai WUw V T W l A W W J . ' .V- RllJ W11UIIWWJ lill k WWIWVIIV1I IVHI 1 V U1M UV But is' signaUed kn histifi-W'-victory that, ' prpperly !utiliied', cduld be ontf pf the most Significant - stepping" Stones' to full i racial wSSrS S ifivk& their Some critics attempt to Compare his record , hrnthM- fifl lUtei n tirhan eenfen th- of achievement on social programs with; his lu M". a?fliRS? K expressions of support, for blacks.3 As ai , .rf , ";, result, they have found his ,acbieyement; ,, -ytpe political , tragedy pf bfaks.n such record disappointing, . ' cities as fIew York, Philadelphia,' Boston, One of President Carter's indisputable Hartfordv Coriri., Chicago and'elsewhere is strengths,, however, clearly iS; political . that their political power isalmosminiscule realism. Without his geniiis for sizing up compared to their, numbers ,Cn of. the na- voter sentiments, he never would have been tional level, the traeedv is the same. Soecial . interest; .groups catf , maneuver, jfltacks on to etenthe sanctions ; ;i through December 1 three iy vyeeks, agobn a 75-19 vote, :j::vTuesdknigHt!s vqt of 52-41 , thoughv still a defeat shows15 strengthening of support fpr ... ' the President's position, " 'f ' " there is nb struggle, there is no progress. Those who propose to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the -ground. They want rain without thunder and lighting. They want the oceans majestic waves without the awful roar of its waters."" . ' Frederick Douglass Mr. Carfer. a southerner, has to' a large ex- tent prided" himself on his lifelong 'associa-i ' tion with blacks. His close friendship with the Martin Luther King family, his open expression of ? (affinity for blacks, has recent vacation on the nearly all-black Sapelo Island off the : Georgia coastline where he and his family worshipped in an all-black Church proudly savoring cultural delicacies afterward all distinctly differentiate Mr. Carter from other avowedly liberal presidents, except : - Lyndon Johnson, another southern of ,' j j aimmea. '.. j; -. . ii His often-repeated statements that he will not challenge President Carter next year not withstanding, Masschusetts Senator Ted s Kennedy looms as a major; threat. There is also California Gpy. Jerry Brown whose : non-orthodox form of politicking could very well undercut fatally Mr. Carter . Given these prospects, the" President almost desperately needs good political in surance. Blacks still represent that oppor tunity. In moving to awaken black political consciousness, therefore, what are his v. almost every major issue that cpneerns them. But it makes a little, sense to complain against racial' injustice ; and .exploitation when blacks themselves do not, utilize the " power they now have.- Blacks ;havethe op--; portunity to register and vote. iYetthey do nOt dO SO. l. 1;: tWrtU'),' The NAACPv recognizing this .problem, has therefore shifted its jypter, education pro gram from Birmingham to Detroit. Our branches around the nation have been alerted to this, crisis.. It, is time, for black Americans now to join in developing their political might. , , .,, &0S Tou Should Kno7 N ELSOM e ORN - 4 .r. ) s :anSAnd UNIVVSHE SOON JULY 19,1875 IN NEVVf j GRADUATE OF STRAIGHT WENT NORTH TO TEACH IN COLLEGE WMs.,, SHOWN HERE AS A YOUNG LADY7AT THE TIME SHE ORGAN IZED THE DOUGLASS PUBLISHING COHARRISBURGHL PA. SHE EDITED MANY IMPORTANT BOOKS BEARING ON NEGRO LIFE ON MARCH 6 1 8 93SH E .M A R R I ED THE POET DUNBARSHE WAS FAMOUS IN WORLD WAR 1 AS AN ORGANIZER OF WOMEN FOR THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF DEFENSE fT'Conor . l M"i v-w.v.H.w.x.:.y. essman Hawkins Column I'LL TAKE BUTTER OVER GUNS The. battle over the 1980 Congressional budget has a mean one, involving an attempt by liberals to increase the human needsside 6f the budget resolution:. In the Housever sion of the bill $1.9 billion was added for defense purposes, while $1.8 billion was cut for education and training programs. Liberal House Members were' upset with these factors in the resolution, because these factors closely paralleled the Senate version , of the resolution and because they provided no "real choices to spend real dollars," in the words of one of my colleagues, . In fact many Members in the House, felt that the budget resolution, was overly geared for defense, and poorly prepared to deal with problems relating to the human needs of this society. .. : ' - The emphasis of both the House and Senate Budget resplution, in my view were too defense or security oriented, and in ef fect placed human societal needs in a secon dary spot, '''.; And there was great expressed concern in the Congress over this issued This concern has not abated, anp"will continue in the Con gress, especially when the Second Budget Resolution comes up for final and binding approval, by September 30,. 1979.' " In the context of this question of the over utilization of -our budget for defense or mmmmll AuQustus F. Hawkins security matters; former. Secretary pj;rr ther fprgoOd, t. A -i . n i -i a it iU . hi i j 11 i: Defense and npw President of the World Bank), Robert McNamara, recently presented his views on this subject at the University of Chicago. . r . - His view is that we have become so securi ty obsessed, that we are failing to properly' address sensible investments in needed social services and he notes that: "A society can reach a point at which ad ditional military expenditures no longer pro vide additional security."' Not only have we become overly commit ted to bigger and better bombs, but we are doing this in such a way, says McNamara that these forced reductions in our social ser vices are only going to erode security rather than enhance it. - v ; ; Just in dollars alone, the nations in the world are spending $400' billion on bullets, bombs and bombersvThey are also further ing their weaponry sophistication by spen ding $30 billion in weapons research and development. f v What a waste? McNamara believes that our definition of security is not out of date. I support his thesis, because security to me means that secure people don't need better bombs. Secure people become additionally secure with proper attenti6n being paid to meeting inc. adeauate nutri tion, effective health "care, good schools for ineir cnuaren ana secure employment tor those who want to work. . -Mo-prie can convince me that 100 more anteaaclear submarines, are going to make 1 mrarrjMmore secure now. than with those alreadyon hand. -But I will certainly feel a lot better know iing that we are using most of our resources 'for 'the toremary objective Pf fighting human ' misery;'!; ; v. " ; ;; ,(.;Wbata wasie? '.'v;,' ; McNamara believes that our definition of v seicurity (is not out of' date.( I support his thesis, ' because security to me means that secure people don't need better bombs. Secure people become additionally secure with proper attention being paid to meeting theft tieed fpr gppd housing, adequate nutri tion,' effective health care, good schools for their children and secure employment fof those who want to work. v No one can convince me that 100 more anit-nuclear submarines, are going to make . me any more secure now than with those already on hand. , ( But, I will certainly feel a lot better know ing that we are using most of our resources for the primary objective pf fighting human misery. - - .
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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June 16, 1979, edition 1
6
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