V
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THis&UWMCMWM
CAN WITH
77?e Unfinished Business of Civil Rights
There's one thing opponents of civil rights
and some supporters of civil rights agree on.
Both say there has been .significant, progress
made by blacks in the past two decades, and
that less emphasis should be placed on the
plight of the poorest of the black community.
They come at this conclusion from differ'
ent directions, of course, Traditional oppo
nents of civil rights movement refuse to accept
the need for more action to end poverty and '
discrimination, just as they opposed earlier
efforts.
But some in the civil rights movement make
an argument that goes roughly like this:
"The Great Society programs of the sixties
got many people out of poverty. Yes, new pro
grams are needed and old ones need to be
strengthened in order to complete the job.
But stressing the terrible plight of the poorest
leads to a defeatist attitude. People will say
that if so many are still so poor, then govern
ment programs don't work and we shouldn't
start new ones."
I don't buy that argument at all
If we concentrate on the real progress some
of us have made, we will destroy the possibility
of progress for the many more people who did
not share the advances of the sixties.
In fact, stressing the positives would just
lull public and politicians alike into thinking
the problem is pretty well solved and new steps
are unnecessary.
Worse, theyU condemn the poor for not
being able to climb out of poverty, even with
government help. That in fact is what is hap
pening today.
I think we must continually remind a for
getting nation that while the Great Society
programs did work, they ' were larger half
hearted, underfunded, and reached only a small
portion of the poor. ;i:-.'. ;
In fact most of today's federal programs
exclude more people who are eligible for
participation than they include, r
We affirm the real success story of the sixties
- that black people made greater economic,
social and political progress than m any
previous period. But the fact remains that the
masses of black people did not make significant
progress and the recessions of the seventies
eroded many of the gains that had been made.
Instead of looking backward at the recent
past we've got to look forward to the measures
necessary to complete the movement for civil
rights and greater equality.
The big ticket items on the shopping list of
necessary measures are familiar - full employ
ment, national health, youth development, bet
ter schools and housing, and others.
But there is also a need to make existing
civil rights laws more effective. There's a
difference between passing a law and imple-
Vcrn on E.Jordan, Jr.
seoeooeeeeooooeoeoeooooooooefQp '
mentingit.
We've got a fair housing law on the books,
but ft has w teeth. Congress is stffl delaying (he :
necessary passage of amendments that would
eriforce the fair housing law. ' '
Some laws have to be implemented through
private action. We've got fair hiring laws, but -there's
still an enormous job ahead to help
'employers devise and set up effective affirma-'
tiro action programs, training programs, and '
similar actions.
Prospective employees have to be counseled
. and taught work habits, skills and attitudes
demanded by the work place.
Voting rights are guaranteed, But the mere-.
dibly low black voter turnout means a massive
job in educating people to utilize their newly-
won rights in their own interests, and to parti
dpate in the democratic process.
I could cite numerous other instances as .
well. But the point is that the civil rights '
movement is far from over - not by a long
shot.
The imperfectly drafted and implemented :
laws and the need to help people benefit from
federal laws arid programs places a tremendous
burden on community-based agencies.
And that burden won't be made easier by
the advice to take a low key attitude toward
the neediest and most disadvantaged of the
people depending on them for services and
advocacy.
Twelve Months After
Humphrey-Hawkins
The Quota Controversy
Gerald C. Home, Esquire
OOOOOOCOOOOOOpOOOOOOOOOOSOOOOOOOOOCOQOOOOOOOOOOCJOOOOO
Robert L. White
October 27 marks the first anniversary
of the .enactment of the Humphrey-'
Hawkins Full - Employment and Growth
Act. Why,is it that twelve months after a
law has passed, it has not been implement
ed, and in fact, unemployment is ; stills on
tlwrjse? ' , . ' ; ' ;, (' '
' Instead of addressing the problem of f
.putting1. AmericalB )
emphasis is i on awa4eritbiauMsiaed Tu4aBtav-
.low, growth higit interest rates, and tifeht ! '
money. It is af too easy to approach a
problem radejmkally when one is removed
MJtenrttTof ;xIW,!aBW
jobs and warmed up the economy.
Prior to the time Roosevelt was sworn .'
into Office, the rapid loss of jobs cast ai
cloak of darkness over the nation that was
as devastating as any preceding period in '
history. Blacks were especially hard hit and
because of the then existing economic and
social conditions; we we're practically
helpless to change things. '
: We' are no longer helpless. ;Vbter regis
tration js not; the nightmare .it used to be.
We have seen our bloc of votes' send a man
to the' White House. This should give us the
t wjemployri
The issue of quotas has been a
troublesome one for erstwhile advo
cates of the civil rights movement.
Pro-Zionist groups especially - e.g.
Anti-Defanurtion i teague, World
Jewish Congress - have argued that
quotas are anti-democratic and vio
late the "merit"; principle. Prof.
Nathan Glazer has devoted an en
tire book to this question and pun
dits from William F. Buckley to
Evans & Novak have pilloried the
use of quotas designed to include
groups previously discriminated
against - eg. blacks.
What is behind this controver
sy? Are the words of quota's critics
true? .,
In a word: no.' Let us approach
;en stanapomts;. . WwvsVvl.iW
centagesV I . say that for7 each pefsoh who
needs a job and dbefc .'(b'W for
that person, Jhei ratd f uirnplbyment is
100 per cent' .. :'. ' .
. A number one priority for every black
American for 1980; should be to elect
persons to office who will put us back in
, 'thV work force. To earn a living and to
'share, in the fruits of this country is our
inalienable rjgbi." '"' ; ? :
October 29 is the generally agreed upon
50tli : Anniversary .of the stock market
crash ' that pushed ' the 'country into the
Great Pepression Some of us will remem-
.ber that; it ' was pVesident Frankhtt' . D.
IUose'vettyil''j';;;; w''vti'.big
' deal that gave , ..us a square deal,' created
The first step, is to stoke sure that you,,
your family and fjriends register to vote.
( know, that I-have, mentioned this before
and I will; hb doubt, mention it again m
future columns:. The importance of voter
- participation: cannot be overemphasized. f
It, sju)uld h-7-(3uojbitm .'hornet;
churches, school roOr and pool rooms; .
t- Sext, we . mus.t, carefully . evaluate the
platform of each political candidate. If the
pledge is moire to bring peace in the Middle
East without , mention ot a workable solu
tion to the unemployment situation, then
y he or she is not a candidate worthy of the
black vote.
..- v Our problems here" at home must take
precedence oyer all others.
" there is no struggle,' there is no progress. Those who propose to
favor freeclonV arid, yet depreciate agitation are men who want crops
without plowing up' the grpund. They want rain without thunder and.
hghtning. They ''4Wtte'ooeuu majestic waves without the awful roar .
of iti waters.
-Frederick Douglass
i'VMt of all.' since whett has tiie "-"." t i
so-called '"merit principle" been
used to, say, get into school Npr
. more importantly, get a job. Any
body knows, for example, the way
. . judges are selected in the Bronx,
Brooklyn and other areas of this
country know that "merit" has
. 'nothing to do with it. These judges
are selected, on the basis of their
service to a Democratic Party club
or leader, riot pn the basis of schol
. arship or trial, skills or the astute
ness of one's legal reasoning. If you
. don't believe it, there are a number
of books, that document it;-just
thumb through any book on urban
politics, e.gi Jack Newfield's and
- Paul deBrul'l The Abuse of Power.
It is only when there is talk of more
. black representation via quotas is
, the red herring of "merit" raised.
minority hiring, "objectives" for
recruting blacks, suddenly the value
of having focused aims and goals
disappears. What demagogic poppy
cock!! The same business world that
demands quotas for Japanese steel
and color TVs, French wine and
cheese, Brazilian shoes, West Ger
man coal, and on and on, suddenly
attacks quotas when it comes to
blacks. What about the "merit
principle" for these import items?
The fact is that quotas are not
the issue, the purpose of quotas is.
When quotas are used to exclude
Jews and blacks from colleges, as
happened so frequently in the past,
this is to be condemned. But when
Quotas are used to include blacks
'ITT1 f Tf- and other disadvantaged groups,
The same holds true for hiring
in the corporate world. First of all,
what does "merit" really mean in
this context. Does an all-A average
mean necessarily that one is equip
ped to sell brushes or advertising
or supervise a staff or plan a hard
hitting business strategy? Of course
not: Less quantificable measures
e.g. organizational skill, aggressive
ness, a cool head, etc., are probably
more important. ,.
But even if one grants the point
that "merit", e.g. a grade point
average,' should be the guiding de
terminant, the Fact is that the
corporate world does not follow
that principle in any event. A
front page article in the Wall
Street Journal of September 19,
hiring standards can be. Corporate
recruiters in this article freely
admit that they discriminate against
blacks because they , don't . feel
"comfortable" around them or feel
"threatened," by them. Then they
go so far as to say that they turn
thumbs down on candidates on
such "meritorious" bases as whe
ther or hot the person had. a dark
suit on (!) or a white shirt (!) or if
they peeled an artichoke correctly
at dinner!!
CompalintS about goals and quo
tas are especially hypocritical when
coming from the corporate world.
"Management by objective" is the
basic credo of the business world.
The works of Peter Drucker on this
.subject can be found in every cor
porate library. But when it comes
to quotas for blacks, goals for
fafofe'(A.v this is to be condemned. But when
fire is used to .temper steel in order
to construct a building, this is to be
applauded.
And despite the rumblings of the
pundits, the courts agree. Nine of
the eleven circuit courts of appeal
have endorsed the use of goals,
numerical remedies, quotas, etc.
The Supreme Court in Weber v.
Kaiser Aluminum has put its im
printer on quotas.
But let us make no mistake.
Only pressure from the civil rights
movement has caused quotas to be
imposed to include blacks in areas
where we were unrepresented pre'
viously. And only continued pres
sure will maintain quotas so that we
will not be consigned to a fate of
"hewers of wood and drawers of
.Water."
'oocteTOirxcicci 'M"irnrHtoofwyi
Is There a World-Wide Move to
the Political Bight?
Laura Parks
ifegs ; jtt SMd ltrjov;
' p&&Xi 1776 1853
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SLAVE FROM SANTO DOMINGO HIS ,
rr HIM Ttf NEW YORK DUR
ROLUTiONWilLE IN
STER DIED iN0VERTy,,U
ftiftPGMtm HlSVyiDOW INUJXOry MEARNEp'
" J fADULOU3 AS A HAinDRSERAFTER
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j SHS 2MARR:SOtHS VT1D0W SETTOUSSAfNT
Politicians and prbpagan- vote, the non-socialist left,
dists qn the Right have in- by contrast, scored impres
tensified their efforts . to . '.'-sffe gains,
convince the political multi- ' Following Sweden, the
tudes that there is' an on
I going and irresistable worldr
wide, conservative s? trendi
Their aim is to create a'p'sy-;
cbological climate; made of
conservative rhetoric 'and!
conservative trendists usual
ly cite Britain as another
piece of evidence, to prove
their, case for a "conserva
tive t revival. The -conserva
tive did in fact win the
mind bending exaggeration!". British election, but it Was a
iased on the. flimsiesl of V victory given to them by the
evidence, to . prove tiheir British eauwalent of our
claim. ,1 r , . ' ji- ',. midd(e and upper class com
A few years back, Cojr' ' rmthities, Vorking Britons
servative oublicists were voted for the welfare state
mote than delighted .hefl .
Sweden's welfare ' priente .
Socialists were ousted from
rp.They. ruled Sweden-,
for a.' very1 long : time - ana r
t, theft oiistk was considered ;
by 'a the ' Conseryativel ? 'pgi-l
Labor Party and defeated
almost all conservative can
didates ' and' incumbents
rjrunningv in the industrial
, heartland of the country .
i'w"T6 . date,' conservative
s haye been extreme1
mnxt ' m cionifiMn . .Thv lv bad tiut to manv oarts of .
Teasoned lhat if the Sweaes"' the country .even fhe conser-,
rejected ithewelfare Estate . : yativeai -s are 7 lining up in :
for. a copservalivf govern' Opposition to the Big Busi-.
' meril, . then. surely? theTrest i-'IpipBc.ieiooused') by
'Of the -world could rw't jbe V
far berund v v " -i goVenmient.) Iri Britain; thj.
' Now. after 'bht WrmiM"'KaseratiVe. : .iWicies 'are
bffieetHe Swedish cdtoset-cquj,
yatiyes rhanaged -ol renunib trya andejorjfrontV '
- in power - by i pne si.v: ,uoia are;expeca,.perween..;
which was given to'them byJ labor and the Conservatively
ine weauny. vunnau voting, , uiw w, m uio. '.wgr
i"rrom, their ' socMre;ay C' Os: when .COTtfrontatloni
ground's along the suji, baked V'took, place under:the con-"
rthorei qf the"" world;, IJhe tMtiWi: Prime.; Minister.
fconservativi tttiamaeAil td' V tkltamMn! '
remain In ;. jpower: bjf wer forccd out of bffk
n another part of the
world, in India, the conser
vatives professed to see in
the defeat of Indira Ghandi
a historic triumph for the
Indian Conservative Janata
Party. The Janata Party
tried to bring Indira Ghandi
to. trial and prison, but the
poor and the working multi
tudes staged impressive
demonstrations in her be
half. The , Janata leaders
backed down.
Today, Indira Ghandi is
being joined by some of her
enemies, who now recognize
that the policies of the
Janata Party cannot solve
the immense problems fac-'
ing India's 6W jnillion
people, 95 of whom live
at this subsistance level,
barely avoiding starvation,
and seldom living beyond
fifty years of age. ,r,
h Citing these, alleged
moves toward C6nservatism,
the Conservatives in :;the
VS: are attempting to
create 1 psychological band
wagoji, fortheir 7 cause 1
arnone the American voters.
."They would attempt : to
push - Cbneress v and 1 th
President V now: caught 'be1
ween r the prospects j of
runaway f inflation nd aV
pression, 'to ' enact policiei"
that Would m fact Increase
the :darteer of a debresslon
without eliminating infla
tionary pressure. In short,
they would do all in their
. power to do their best for
Big Business at the expense
of the country as a whole.
' .At times, conservative .
chatter sounds most alarm
ing. But as in. other parts
of the worlds ; their
chances for permanent suc
cess are small. Conserva
tives must know by now
that the economic and
political worlds of the 1929
Boom and Bus era are gone
forever. It was that age
that fed and encouraged
the conservatives until they
Continued on page 19J
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