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19-TKECA3UXATISiE$ SAT., MARCH 29, 15S3 LETS W RK TOGETHER FOR A SAFE COflflUNITV 7, v ; ' fiwW b Hit Minorities Must Be Counted In Census By Vernon E. Jordan, Jr ; t crest, and a relevant agenda. We will ask the can didates to sign a pledge rather than merely issue oral promises of what they propose to do if elected. Further, we will ask the candidates to name their cabinet in advance so as to have a better idea of the character of their ad ministration. So the country needs both parties and all the candidates in this race competing for the people and their agenda. We sup port a vigorous debate between the parties, and , between the candidates within each party. Vigorous competition is heJnVTf W fiaiion ' ' the," democratic process. r Senator Kennedy is needed in the race (and should remain all the way, given the volatile nature of politics this year) to keep President Carter from moving even further to the right politically, and he can help to force the presi dent to come to grips with our vast and pressing domestic needs and pro blems; we need President Carter in the race to keep Senator Kennedy from taking the black and pro-, gressive vote for granted; I and we need Governor j Brown in the race to be a thorn in the sides of both of them. Presently, the campaign is preoccupied with non-: issues Reagan's age, Carter's travel schedule, Bush's personality (or lack of one), Connally's wheeler-dealer image and Kennedy's personal life. All of these "issues" com-! bined do not create one new job or reduce infla tion one percentage point. How can we get the canr didates to address the issues that concern us? Jackson Continued From Page 9 One of the ways to get the candidates to discuss the issues is to put forth a relevant political agenda, confront them with it everywhere they go through questions and direct, action, grade their responses and support the one who scores the highest marks. The following outline constitutes a broad ten point black political agenda: JOBS. The most impor tant issue confronting the nation generally, and black people in particular, is' jobs. Jobs are an alter native to welfare and despair. Jobs give one dignity and hope. Jobs provide an economic sup port base "f of the family structure. Black youth unemployment in par ticular is a disgrace. This theme, jobs, should be the single thread that weaves it way through the entire campaign. The Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act, passed earlier, was important, but merely established a , full employment policy. We now need a full employment plan, with a ' definite time table, that is , adequately funded. INFLATION. Inflation has been a problem since the Vietnam War. The January, 1980, Consumer Price Index indicates that inflation is rising at an eighteen per cent annual rate. January's 1.4 per cent increase was the largest monthly increase in six years. We are now con fronted with an economic crisis. Broadly speaking, , there are two basic ap proaches to combatting inflation: fiscal and monetary policy; or con trols. The current ap proach of using monetary and fiscal policy has fail ed. It is now time to imple- controls. . There ment. should be an immediate freeze on prices, profits, interest rates, dividends, rent and wages. There should.be a price rollback in effect until wages catch up with prices. The Presi dent, in consultation with Congress, and with input, from business, labor, human tights, community and consumer groups, should theft implement equitable controls on prices, profits, interest! rates, dividends, rent and wages for as long as necessary, and take whatever other steps are necessary to put the American economy on a solid economic founda . tion again: EDUCATION. Educa tion is preparation for Jjfe )and for the world of work. What plan do the can didates have to save and expand the black college? What is their position on desegregation or a multi cultural education? For example, the litmus test for them might be what! would they do about; Chicago, the most segregated school , system in the nation? Do they op pose busing, or accept it as' a means of complying' with the law? School systems are collapsing; around the nation e.g.! Chicago, New York, Cleveland which is reflective of a systemic economic problem. The old formula of funding' education through proper ty taxes has collapsed. What is their new economic formula for funding education, and, thus insuring that every school system and every; child . in this nation is guaranteed an adequately' funded and quality educa tion? Do they support the Packwood-Moyriihan bill I and approach to funding, education? Do they sup-j port high school students' getting a diploma and a Things You Should Know, John Henry CONYERS Born in South Carolina. He was the first Negro ever to be ad mitted to the United States Naval; Academy at Annapolis, Maryland ' admitted on September 21, 1872. The 1980 Census officially begins April 1, and it is the most important event of the year for minorities, perhaps even more important than the outcome of the presidential elec tion. That's because the census results will af fect just about every area of minority life. Part of the problems faced by minorities in the seventies derived from the fact that so many were counted out, affecting a wide variety of federal and state aid programs. The Census Bureau itself admits that it missed five million people in the 1970 cen sus. But while only one out of fifty whites was not counted, one out of fourteen blacks and one out of seven Hispanic-Americans were not counted. Almost one out of five young black men were missed by the census takers. Over the course of the decade that under count cost minority communities billions of dollars in job programs'and other social ser vices allocated in part on population figures . based on inaccurate census numbers. Apologists for the undercount claim that minority suspicions of official documents and government probers were the main cause. But more important was the failure to design procedures to ensure that everyone is counted. Major efforts were not made to penetrate suspicions and convince people mtmammmmmmrxzo: that it was in their own interests to fill out and return the census forms. It is questionable wl; jther the 1980 census will do much be oj that score. There's been little evidem concentrated advertis ing campaigns directed at minorities 'tne urban neighborhoods that are predc ely Spanish-speaking will be mailed in; English. s This year's census will rely mo (eavily on mail returns than ever befon hough pilot tests show this method resu... a lower compliance rates. The forms themselves could be simpler. Most families will get a form that supposedly takes fifteen minutes to fill out, but many will get a longer form taking nearly an hour. But do those time figures reflect the fact that many poor households are disadvantag- ed educationally? For them, even the short form will be a test of perseverance, and many may just ignore it. These and other shortcomings place a heavy burden on minority community organizations, churches and others to ensure; that people in their neighborhoods are counted. And that means providing infor mation and assistance so that everyone gets their census questionnaires filled out and mailed in. People have to know why their coopera tion is important. 11 One key reason is redistricting. Exactly one year from now the Census will release the official population figures to states and localities for the purpose of redistricting legislative seats. Without maximum minority participation in the census, Congressional and legislative seats may be redistricted out of black and brown communities and given to predominately white suburbs. Already, experts are predicting a massive shift in Congressional seats away from the big northern states to California and the South. If that shift is based on undercoun ting both northern minority communities and those of the South and West, then the little political power minorities now wield will decline even further. Census figures will also decide the distribution of some $60 billion in federal funds for revenue sharing, job training, educaitonal aid and other programs. They'll help set guidelines for equal employment op portunity programs. m State and local programs are also at stake. Census figures may be used to justify closing hospitals, libraries, schools and fire stations if an undercount suggests lower population than actually exists. So minorities have a special stake in being counted in 1980. We've been counted out in previous censuses, and that meant being counted out of jobs and programs too. We can't afford to be counted out again. - voter registration card at graduation time as part of ' citizenship education Since schools are cheaper than jails, yet a massive expansion and building of jails is currently taking place, what is their plan to reverse this trend and reduce the expanding prison population? FOREIGN POLICY. This also has job implica tions. Every $1 billion in trade deficits cost U.S. workers approximately 300,000 jobs. What is their proposal to balance "free trade" with "fair trade". We have yet to hear from most of the can didates on Iran. It is time they began discussing it, as well as, Afghanistan and the erroneous attempt to boycott the Summer for the territorial integrity of Lebanon? Normalized ties with the Arab world? The internationalization of the Holy City of Jerusalem? And world peace? What is their African policy? There are 25 million people in South Africa. Four million are white Afrikaners who con trol the country, and 21 million are black, who have no citizenship rights and are brutalized by the white minority. The U.S. government and 350 American corporations are in partnership with the whole minority apartheid regime. As the liberation movement of Africa suc ceeds, the U.S. is increas ingly on a collision course with all of the rest of Africa, nearly a half- billion people. What are lymftfsiAUom do be consistent and apply Tthey propose . tor . aouTrt the same criteria to South Africa's violation of human rights? What is their Middle East pea.ce and economic develop ment plan? Does it pro vide for Israeli security within internationally recognized boundaries? i Palestinian ' justice, the right to self-determination , and a homeland? Respect ; Africa in particular? IS their African policy coherent, comprehensive and consistent? What are their specific views on world peace and disarma ment? Do they support the signing of SALT II? ENERGY. Are their energy proposals labor or capital intensive? What will be the impact of their. energy policies and pro posals on the environ ment? What safety stan dards will be demanded? What is their position on the deregulation of gas and oil? HEALTH. Public hospitals in St. Louis, Los Angeles, Chicago and other major cities are either threatened with closure of have been clos ed. What is their plan to expand and upgrade these institutions? Which na tional health plan provides the broadest possible coverage, with the highest quality of care, with digni ty, and based on need and not merely one's ability to pay? Two black medical schools, Howard and Meharry, still train nearly 75 per cent of our black doctors. What do the can didates propose relative to ' 'brflife'se fnsfiftffldlis?1 "' TAX REFORM. Are they proposing significant tax reform or merely catering to the general tax rebellion? Are their tax in centives capital or labor oriented? Do they support an amendment to the Con stitution, or any other law, which would fix or . limit the expenditure of; public funds? URBAN POLICY. A 1968 White House Con ference on Housing found that we needed 2.6 million new housing starts per year (600,000 federally subsidized for low and moderate income families) over the next ten years. Twelve years 'later, we have yet to reach the 2.6 million goal even once, with the high point being 2.2 million housing starts. During several years of the Nixon administration, all federally subsidized hous ing was stopped. What is their plan to solve the na tion's massive housing problems? What is their mass transit plan and their economic development plan? How do they pro pose to end the continued massive discrimination frarial -and economic) in rARTICIP ATION-. Wc want to participate in the total fabric of the American society). What do each of the candidates propose to insure the in clusion and participation of black Americans in the political parties and governmental processes? Do they support the D.C. 'Amendment? Historically we have been discriminated against as a race (not because we deserved it - merit), and not merely as individuals within a race. What is their record and present position on affirmative ac tion? On minimum quotas? Do they support the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday (working day) bill? Do they support the Equal I Right Amendment, and Vwhat do they propose for getting it passed? VISION OF AMERICA. Since the U.S. is only four per cent of the world's population, and most of the rest of the world is black, brown and yellow, non-English speaking, non-Christian and poor, how do they see America's role in the world? Do they possess leadership, capabilities, and ,'t project ,-, ..leadership, qualities capable of renew ing a sense of purpose and meaning in the lives of our people and in the nation? If we demand that the ; candidates come to grips with this agenda, we will t have a better sense of what : the country may be like ; , during the first half of the j new decade. . ' Affirmative Action And Baseball: Time To Stop Playing Ball JN Mk 7L M w m y Ml -V. With the arrival of Spring, this country's summer ritual professional baseball cannot be far behind. This year things might be different as most observers are reporting that the major league owners will be forcing a strike. Another difference this year is that there is more awareness and determination on the part of the civil rights community to redress an abominable situation - dearth of blacks in the i front offices of major league baseball teams. That there is a critical lack of color in these i white collar positions should come as no sur i prise to those familiar with the history of racism in this industry. The old-timers among u recall the oicketlne. the protests and the pressure that tinauy cause a ine micgrsuun un the field in the person of UCLA star Jackie Robinson. The dynamic role of Paul Robeson and civil rights attorney William Patterson ("The Man Who Cried Genocide') plus the anti- 1 racist sentiment generated by the war agaiast j Nazi Germany were pivotal in this integration process. The irrationality of segregation Is , underscored by the. fact that black stars such as Josh Gibson, Judy Johnson, Jay "Cool Papa Bell and legions of others were deprived of an ' opportunity to earn a living at their chosen trade, despite their obvious r4merit" The con tinuing segregation of "Negro League'' stars in the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York is continuing insult heaped on a continuing injury. Since the day that Jackie Robinson first stepped on to the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers, there has been a continuing stream of black (U.S., Cuban, Puerto Rican, etc.) players adding lustre to the country's pasttime. Indeed, the National League's continued domination of the American League in AO-Star Games is attributed often to their preponderance of black players. v ITnfnrtiiAatfttv thli ratinh on tha field has not been duplicated off the This j is one reason wny Kev. josepn tawery oi tne Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC, called for a meeting with Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhm to discuss the cMl rights' community's concern with this lameat able situation. Despite thf urgency of the matter, Kuhn has dragged his heels-on discu-. ting the issue. . Perhaps this is because he would1 have diffi culty justifying the apartheid -like conditions in baseball's white collar positions. In the office of the commissioner, there are only two blacks -Emmett Ashford (bounced from being baseball's sole black umpire) and Monte Irvin In the fron offices of the clubs there are a , few blacks, e.g., Hank Aaron (vice president, player development, Atlanta Braves); Ernie Banks (member of Board and manager ot group sales, Chicago Cubs; Don Newcombe (director, community relations, Los Angeles Dodgers); Tommy Harper (marketing and promotions, Boston Red Sox); Brooks Lawrence (director, community relations, Cincinnati Reds); Jim Plummet (assistant director of promotions, , New York Mets); Minnie Minoso (public rela-1 tions, Chicago White Sox); and Darrel Joseph 1 (assistant controller, Kansas City Royals). A number of facts emerge from an exami-. nation of this list. First of aU, it is obscene mat major league baseball owners, who profit hand i aomery from the sweat of black players and the monev -f black fans can only see fit to hire a measly eight blacks m front office positions. Second of aU, with the possible exception of . Aaron and Joseph, the major function of the , blacks hired appears to be to keep black fans ' . turning the turnstfles ("group sales,' "public ; relations," etc.). The owners seam to-. realize that if they do need a token -blacky his job should be to make sure that the 'natives'' . dont rebel against dJscriminatoryractices by : staying away from the ball park. "TJoirdly, the . cwerwhelming majority of these blacks are ex players. What's wrong with that? 'Npthing necessarily. But why cant these owners self fit to hire some of the thousands of black business school (MBA's) and business adminiitration j grads exiting from universities every year. They i hire white MBA's, so why can't they hire 1 blacks? It can't be argued that "oualifled , blacks" are unavailable. The Affirmative , Action Coordinating Center by itself can supply a list of a hundred or more qualified arid experi-, enced blacks who could be hired and that Is not even our main line of work! Unfortunately, the issue of racial discrhni 1 nation is not simply limited to the front office. There are still significant examples of racism on the field. Why. is there only one btefc.umpire, . Eric Gregg, of the National UagueVthere are' . only frve black'umpires the minor leagueASOj BY GERALD C. HORNE, Esq. the prospects for a further increase do not seem ' bright. Where are the black managers? There are none in the majors and only one, Johnny Lewis j .of Gastonia of the Class A Western Carolina League, in the minors, Again, prospects for the I future do not appear bright There are about fifteen coaches in the major leagues. Not bad at first glance; but they are mostly segregated in the first base coaching slot and virtually barred from the third base slot, which involves more responsibility and duties. , Other areas are equally discouraging. Only ' : two teams have black broadcasters - Bui White of the New York Yankees and Mudcat Grant of Oakland - despite the surplus of articulate, heady blacks who could fill this role. , The technical crews that broadcast the games are vituaUy as white as Ole Miss's law school class of 1933. Of course, the sorry , statistics for baseball could just as well be cited 1 to condemn professional football which has no ! black head coaches, few assistant coaches, few ,; scouts, etc. Need we be reminded that the energy it took ; to integrate on the field must be deployed again in 1980. Can it be said that the black communi ty to gullible enough to pay hard-earned money j attigorting events in these inflationary times aBdsubject ourselves to interminable commer-! cials while watching games at home (note that a j hefty percentage of the money paid for com-' mercials finds its way back into the owners' pockets), when our community is suffering from record levelsJOf unemployment and the , teams are boycotting usjn hiring for front office posts? ShouldnVwt raise our voices m ' Swotest and demand affirmative action' hiring or white-collar positions? Shouldn't the black community of Florida where teams art presently in Spring training and in all of the major league cities demand either more hiring of blackf or an economic boycott? Clearly, protest can have an effect. The recent hiring of Elston Howard as "assistant'' to Yankee owner George Steinbrenner is directly attribu table to the publicity surrounding Rev. Lowery's protest. In any event, it is certain that It is time fof the black 'community to stop playing ball with baseball owners who take our money and then .spit in our eye, laugh in our face and refuse to put us on the payroll.
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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March 29, 1980, edition 1
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