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14-TKE CAROLINA TIMES SATURDAY, APRIL 17. 1532 : , Editorials Voter Education Must Follow . Registration V While we applaud the effort 'of "a large coalition of social, political and religious interest groups,v who have joined with two national civil rights organizations to generate interest in increased voter registration across this state, we do have some serious reser-. vations about this effort. ; ' .: C: ' - . v :' Our reservations are not critical in the sense that we think the -pilgrimage from Alabama to Washington, D.C., including rallies and voter registration drives in North Carolina should not take -i place. - ',:.,:, . Ratheri we wish to point out that the organizers of this effort must be cognizant of the many obstacles they face between trying to get new eligible voters on .the. registration books, and 'getting these same new registrants to the polls on election day. 1 We think that too often people who understand the importance , of the political process deride and belittle eligible voters who are ' not registered. Many people are unregistered because they frankly don't see the relationship between their day-to-day needs of food, clothes, shelter and some type of "fun" out of life arid whether they push or don't push a lever in a voting booth.S . . ; --.y , -' Sometimes, this view grows from their sad experience,- often going back to their parents, whrxvoted faithfully and died with thejr Ivies basically unchanged. . " v'' ; 'While we don't condone this view, we also don't" pass it off simply as apathy.-These people who will come through North Carolina, and those local and statewide folks who have joined their efforts, must work to leave behind them an education pro cess that carefully -and patiently explains to new registrants the ; importance of voting. 1 , Sad experience shows that eligible names on a registration book does not always produce voters. Affirmative Action: pssssa V 1 S Srg?5 ffg as ass aac , Black (Political) Power ' r . By Gerald C. Home, Esquire Thanks, Mr Clement f In another editorial in this column, reprinted from our Raleigh "sister'' , The Carolinian, the efforts of William A. Clement on the' board of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority on the behalf of black people are clearly explained. We just want to take this opportunity to say THANKS. Too often, we send our representatives off to do battle in the wild jungles of institutionalized racism and fail to either recognize or applaud their efforts. But the first time they erri we call them to task with the zeal born of "righteous" indignation. For, the record, institutionalized racism is defined as "those well intentional efforts, decisions and commendations, often by whites, that though hot overtly anti-black , fail to consider blacks "Ttryiable aspects of theeTfortsdecisions or commendations . ' . Irtereare indeed times when lour representatives sidestep these 'little" but sometimes nasty confrontations to wait for the bigger, fiofit "Rut' th thinoc art ImnrWant trtn anH it is inrtwrf to Mr -r The word that the Congressional Black Caucus (CBQ had the, best record on sample f votes ; opposing . Reaganomics, again underscores the critical importance . for alt poor and working people of having black political representation. bV; - Thus; it should come as no surprise that a number of black congressmen have been singled out by right-wing hit squads for defeat in November. . Gus Savage" the outspoken former newspaperman, V based in : Chicago, has -been a particular target. The Reaganauts have taken particular exception to his sharp attacks on U.S. foreign policy and his repeated call for slashing military spending. Some have been reminded of the. assailing of Martin Luther King because of his anti-Vietnam War stance. William Gay of St.touis, a fierce critic of Administration policies, is, facing the possibility of having to run in a district vastly different from the one he serves ;now. The 1980 census and the redistric-. ting it requires has put a number of black ' congressmen under the gun. . The assault on the CBC is symptomatic of the pressure faced by all black elected officials. The number of black elected of- ' ficials, in the United States increased by ,' . 2.6 between July 1980 and July 1981, according to the Joint Center for Political ; Studies', annual survey. Last year's in - crease was 6.6. ; ,k - . The 1981 increases were concentrated f narrowly in a few states. Similar to last year, Mississippi had the largest net in- crease in the number of black elected of ficials, 52. Georgia gained 43; Illinois and Kentucky each gained 17; Ohio gained 13 and Tennessee, 11. Texas had a net loss of 33 black elected officials. .vi , On the brighter side, the number of black officials has increased every year since the JCPS study was first published in 1970. In 1969, three scant years after passage of the Voting Rights Act, there were 1 ,160 BEO's in the country; as of Ju ly 1981, there were 5,03; Yet, blacks still hold a miniscule 1. 03 of all elective of fices in the United States. .. Presently, 340 blacks hold state-level offices; 36 hold regional offices; 465 hold county offices; and 542 hold judicial and law-enforcement offices. Quite revealing is the fact that by far .', the ; largest category of BEO's remain municipal officials: this year there are ! 2,383 up slightly from last year's total of 5,346. The second lamest category of ;BEOr is educatiori officials: The 1,255 , oiacK eaucation omciais represent What this panorama of figures shows is - that, although there have been a few gains, blacks do not hold meaningful levers of political power and that there is a v concerted effort to reduce what little, power is held. , As noted, the battle over redisricting ' , will have specific impact on black political : power over the next decade. In the south, " where the majority of blacks continue to reside, this issue is posed dramatically. : , This region js rpughtly 22 black and black numbers in state legislatures swelled to 126 in 1980, or. 7 of all' state legislative seats, up from 32 in 1970. But , . now, there are preliminary signs that this positive tide is shifting. '. ; - According to Steven Suitts, executive director ;of the Atlanta-based Southern . Regional Council, "White legislators in ' the south who were hostile to black voters . have learned constitutional law very well and they are crafting districts that are still keeping .black 'political strength at a r minimal level. In every southern state we've looked at, the protection of black voting strength is carried forth only as far as they, think the Justice Department or Constitution requires and , not one inch -' further." . ' , Exacerbating the situation is the fact that the number of black majority coun ties in the south is decreasing. Since " 1 - whites are still reluctant to vote for black candidates, this issue is decisive in deter- mining how many blacks will hold elective office. The number of black majority counties . in the south is decreasing at the rate of 2.4 per year, according to a recently released ' "study by the Voter Education Project. ' The study 'shows that the eleven southern states had 284 majority black counties in 1900, while today there arc on- ,, ly 89. The greatest loss since 1900 occur red in Georgia, which lost 47 counties, and the least loss in Tennessee, which lost ! one. Says the study, ;'?Of the 89 majority ' counties presently, 40 are experiencing . declines in black population and if the , present rate of loss continues, additional counties will lose their black majority by the end of the eighties. Blacks now make up only five per cent of county governing board members and the decrease in the . number of black majority counties sug-' , :gests that blacks will continue to be -severely underrepresented at the county : level." : , ; TTtis dismal Dil Of news isr compliciJed the fact that Big Business is increasing- coming into conflict with black tn- Again, we say THANKS.- J Other Editors Say From The Carolinian ' Clement On His Toes AtRDU ' - Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority (RDU) member, William A. Cement, (he authority's lone black member, should be applauded for bringing to the at- tention of the authority in a most effective way a typical oversight so often . perpetrated on the black community. ' ; ' . Clement," a Durham resident, by registering his opposition to the RDU in-; stalling an Exchange -ClulfFreedom Shrine" of 28 historic documents in the ' airport terminal, delivered a valuable bit of education to other influential . ( authority members, the Exchange Club (a national organization established in 1949) and the Triangle area community. . . . . ; - . Clement, noting the absence of any documents which "would show up the contributions that blacks have made to this great country of ours," emphasiz-. ; ed that "so much of our, history has been overlooked.' -' ' Mr. Clement, when making his observations, was probably conscious also V of the fact that overlooking black history is not an Exchange Club "Freedom Shrine"; phenomenon, but is. characteristic of the, American educational , system and American mainstream history traditionally. ' l ; ': Therefore, and conceivably, when Mr. Clement states; ."! was just taken ; aback that there were not selections that would point up the great ac complishments black people have made in this country,", he is speaking not just personally, in effect, but 'reflects an outlook held by millions of blacks. We appreciate the response toMr. Oement by one Exchange Club member that "Certainly, this is something the national club is going to have to revise." We would also note that the black community would have no objection (o "waving the flag on early American history," but we would urged the larger community to be aware that the black experience on these shores has been a , ; unique one, that, we are conscious of it, respect it for its virtues, and arc proud . of it as an integral part of the building of this natiop. -t.i ' A . We would paraphrase authority chairman A.C, Elkins' comments: "We think the entire community should be just as proud of all the early documents, from the black and white communities, that arc important In the formation Of : our country as we are." " t . , . - ' ' , . , You. Mr. Clement, are doing a fine job of .'staying on' your toes." T6.Be Egyal ,gS3S5 ,..,...'! . : terests on the electoral front.' - ' 'sion does not require disclosure of spen- ding to influence. legislation and this has " been used to steamroller and bludgeon certain progressive ballot initiatives. Rent rnnfmi initiative have been a particular target and the fact that so many blacks do not own their homes has meant blacks .have been hit especially hard by business' .actions. ' ' - Fortunately, blacks have not been quiescent on this front either. Black Con gressman John Conyers has initiated the "Parker-Coltrane Political Action Com .mittee", named after the celebrated jazz ' saxophonists Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, .i , . ' - "There are quite a few liberal PAC's in existence," he said recently, "but I have found, unfortunatelythat none of these ' will focus on the south; nor will, tney pay - attention to black candidates." The PAC's first major fundraiser was held in a Washington Jazz Club, Blues Alley. Conyers sought to clear some $12,00-$14,000. t:i W'iHjJ -O ' Parker-Coltrane is distinct from , the . . still-newer I Congressional Black Caucus ; Political Action Committee. "I like to think we influenced, in a positive way, the formation of the CBC PAC, which, of course, will focus on incumbents, rather than the support of new candidates. I should mention that Parker-Coltrane is a necessary complement to the CBC's political strategy of networking and pressure politics," said Conyers. Conyers' idea is necessary because blacks have less money to donate . to political campaigns. A 1980 survey by the University of Michigan found 6.5 of white voters contributed to politicians, compared with only 0.6 of blacks. Another hopeful sign is the develop ment of the National Black Independent Political Party Their August 1981 Con gress involved 1,000 blacks from thirty states. Though NBIPP is not about the business of electing blacks to public office at this; time, they are' organizing. Their' program is advanced and the party has caught fire, particularly in the south.; They challenge the two-party monopoly. ! NBIPP and Parker-Coltrane PAC arc ; just two of the more hopeful recent . developments that may help to reverse the precipitous decline in black political Arepresentation.Trie November elections. - must oe jocused on by the entire black ' community if this trend is to be reversed declsively.r ' - . . ' j Vt, IBB B Wsi'B's'ini 0G i . . . ,,? Uxor t.tik 3sr tnx . -: f College Guts Flunk Test By John E. Jacob Executive Director, National Urban League BBgg'33sssasaassiasBgssBsasgSBBasBaaaBSBBSSSS3ae,sars8Bs; The Administration's plan to take the ' hatchet to programs .- aiding college), students gets an"F" for "fairness and ; sound economic sense ; r It flunks on economic grounds because all education aid amounts to a national in-. vestment in the future. Helping to expand the ranks of skilled, educated people pays off in.' increased,, productivity, technological strength, and higher future tax receipts. j? ' 1 . v You would think that devotees of "supply-side economics" ' would, recognize the supply side advantages of a ,. better-educated population; but if these planned cuts are any indication, their ver-1 sion of supply side has no room for vital ; human investments. y" ' ' The planned cuts also fail the . all-i important fairness test. They move us toward what NYU " President John Brademas describes as a "two tiered system. . . .offering elite private educa-; tion for the rich, and state and municipal ' colleges' for everyone else.' , I Bound participnts are four times as likely I'm concernea aooui ie : Administration's budget cuts will have on sdtudents and cplleges in America, but . ,1'm most concerned about the ruthless at tempt to destroy programs that mean so much to poor people and vet cost the na tional treasury so little, Join The NAACP Today HiiS ilea SJoulfflfjm 1" 1 Umi 'Hi 7f ft - - l S - V' - .0 , Born In Cincinatti, Ohio, February 3, 1867, he attended school there and won his Master of Science degree in 1892. He did so well In the field of biology that he was awarded a Ph.D. summa cum laude in 1907! His far reaching discoveries on the habits of bees and ants are world famous. Continental Features ; directed at proposals to limit guaranteed ' loan programs and to exclude students from middle income 1 families from various aid programs. The trememdous public outcry will make it tough for Congress to go along with the Administration's f program, especially In an election year. But it would be premature to assume heavy cuts won't be made in student loan and aid programs. And if those cuts go . through, they ; could be devastating to black students and black colleges. ' dome blacX college presidents point out . virtually all their students are able to at- - . tend college only because of those pro-; ' grams. Eliminating or drastically cutting ' ; them would mean sharp declines in black , , college enrollment and endanger the ex . istence of many schools. Congress should ensure that low iiJ- come youths get a fair chance to complete .' . their education and that the schools serv-, ing them have the resources to provide 1 quality education. . ' . Aside from the; attack on loan and t general aid programs, the Administration : has targeted cuts at programs aimed at the poor, such as the Educational Opportuni-' ty Centers and programs. ; This program provides disadvantaged ' , adults with information about continuing ' ; their education and helps them to apply to . ; schools. Well over 100,000 people were', helped in a program slated for elimina-1 tionv Thi s small program easily pays for itself by helping many move from the ' welfare rolls to college and then on to tax- producing jobs. . . ; ' " Another program the administration '. wants to end is called Talent Search. It locates and; encourages disadvantaged. . " youth ; to enter college and provides : counseling and placement services. Last; - year it helped oyer 70,000 young people to ; enter postsecondary schools, most of , them from families below the poverty line. v v ,'' Special Services ! for Disadvantaged Students is another program in danger. The Administration wants to cut its modest budget by ten per cent, really. ' twenty per cent when one counts infla-, i tion's eroding effect. That will mean this! important counseling, tutoring and place ment programs will serve fewer than the . 15,000 whom it helped last year. ', : 1 And ; the Upward - Bound ' program, , which helps give low income ninth and tenth graders skills and motivation to go on to college, would be cut by almost two Jhirds. Ljjkemanyof the.Administration's v. planned cuts, this one wotild chop a pro- r gram that works. Studies show Upward 1 ! L.E.AUSTIN 7 Editor-Publisher 1927-1971 , f USPS09V380 v (Mrs.) VMM Austin Edmandt Edltor-Publlihtr Ktniwth W.Edmonds - ' GensrilMinaoer L.M. Austin . , Preductlon Supervisor ' ' S . ' Milton Jordan -TTT ' Jordan k Associates ,. - EdltorWAdvartlsing Consultant I Curtis T.Parklnf 1 ' Contributing Edlqr-Foraign Affairs . Published every Thursday (dated Saturday) (except i the week following Christmas) In Durham, N.C., by ' United Publishers, Incorporated. Mailing address: P.O. Box 3829, Durham, N.C. 27702-3825. Office located at 823 Old Fayettevine Street, Durham, N.C. , 27701. SKond Class Postage paid at Durham, North . Carolina 27702. t Volume 60, Number 15. ' """ POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE ' CAROLINA TIMES, P.O. Bex 3829, Durham, N.C. ' 27702-3825. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One year, $12.00 (plus . 48c sales tax lor North Carolina residents).. Single copy 30c. Postal regulations REQUIRE advance- pay ( ment en subscriptions. Address all communications end make ell checks payable to: THE CAROLINA TIMES. , ' NATIONAL ADVERTISINB REPRESENTATIVE; Amalflamated Publishers, Inc.; 45 West 45th Street, ' New' York, New York 10036. - Member: United Press International Photo Service. National; Newspsper PubUshert Association, North j Carolina Black Publishers Association. , i Opinions expressed ' by ; columnists hi thisi i newspaper do not Mcessarly represent the polcy of' i this newspaper. I'-. This newspaper WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE tor . the return of unttRdtsd pictures. , . :
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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April 17, 1982, edition 1
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