1 THE CAawJNA TiFS-SATURDAY, ATX M, 1SC2
Editorials ' " -
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There's A Message For Blacks
All over the nation, even as many among us cry the tears of a
youngster whose- "federal" lollipop has been snatched away,
there are many, many other blacks preaching a pew message.
It is a message of self-determination, a message that is much
more hopeful, practical and far more positive in its long range
impact than the drohing litany of doom spilling from the mouths
of some of our older leaders. ' ' '
The message rings forth from Greensboro where A&T's new
Chancellor; Edward Forrfsays enthusiasticallyYthat for black col
eges to survive, they must build strong internal systems, hire
highly skilled specialists to manage those systems, retain and at
tract highly competent teachers and compete in the mainstream
for the best students, while maintaining the university's tradi
tional heritage.
In Durham. Dr. Mabel B. Phifer, president of the Moton
Memorial Institute, speaking to alumni and friends of the five
historically black state universities, challenged North Carolina's
blacks to give $100 a year for the next three years to a black col
lege of. their choice.
"We've got to stop 'fun-raising'," she said, "and start fun
draising, arid the easiest way to do that is to write a check."
And in Chicago, a black Catholic priest says: "We cannot
determine our destiny until we accept responsibility for each
other." . ' ' '
And so the message is clear and the challenge is before us. That
challenge is frighteningly simple: If not now, when? If not you,
who? .
The Word Is Out
Weil, folks, the word is out. Black America, with an annual
gross "national" income of about 5)50 billion, making it the
world's ninth largest consumer, "nation", is not poor.
So, it's going to be fairly hard to convince many people to be
sorry for those of us who need some help. ? ' ..
The emptiness of much black rhetoric has been exposed also,
and so a lot of what is being said about oppression discrimina
tion, etc., is falling on deaf ears. In fact, America's guilt-bank is
about bankrupt.
And just in case you have not heard, we (black Americans) are
smackdab in the middle of "the age of destiny". In other words,
they're draining the baby pool that we've been wading around in
for , years. And now we must either learn to swim in the
mainstream or drown.
Yep, that's the word that's out. m
The day of protest has died. Today and tomorrow are days of
competitive contests, j, ' .
Yes, the word is out: we've !got to stop hoping that whites will
somehow benevolently, finance our:. survival and success. If we
don't, do it, it. won't get done, .. r. ' ': , ,r - 5 - v V
And so the final word is simple: dig deep, come up with all the
money you can, and put jt to work, because if we don't the last
word we'll hear is DOOM. ' . , .
On The Longer Days
Daylight saving time is upon us again. The time to SPRING
forward, and what a joyous time it is. Suddenly now We get about
anjextra hour of sunlight.
Now after work, we can play a little softball, work in the
garden, walk in the park, and do a number of things that are just
a lot more fun in the waning warmth of the day. ; '
But gaining an hour of daylight also obviously means that we
lose an hour of nighty And that hurts the sleeping time. And los
inii an.hour a night of sleep means that by the time we FALL back
fo Eastern Standard Time on the last Sunday in October, we will
be 180 hours behind on our sleep.
Boy, no wonder we feel so tired in the wintertime. '
If there is no 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
tliunder and lightning. They want the ocean's majestic waves
without the awful roar of its waters.
v . v - Frederick Douglass
'
To Be Equal
Mixed-Op Priorities
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v As an example of mixed-up federal
priorities, it would be hard to beat the
. plan to spend over $4 billion to relocate
people in the event of a threat of a nuclear
attack.
The Administration is under the illu
sion that eighty per cent of the population
could survive a nuclear attack, and that it
could move two-thirds of the population
to "safety" within a week of an imminent
nuclear war. : 1
' The plan says it can move us by Staking
' advantage of extensive U.S. transporta
tion resources. I wonder if the plan's
author ever tried leaving a major city dur
ing the rush hour or has traveled on those
'"extensive, transportation resources."
Last I heard, the time warning for a
nuclear attack would be something like
fifteen minutes. Why does the Pentagon
expect an enemy to give us as much as a
week?. Or does it think they'll mail a
declaration of war through the U.S.
postal service?
Someone also ought to tell those plan
ners about radiation. An all-out nuclear
attack would leave most of the nation ex
posed to lethal fallout. And what are the
, evacuees supposed to eat and drink while
waiting for the all-clear, signal?
But that suggests possible, new avenues
for civil defense. For example, the foot
' stamp program could be expanded to en
sure the evacuees will be able to buy food.
Surely, federal improvements in mass
transit systems should be part of the plan.
M flLS pSiipiIg
, Since so much money is available to the
Pentagon these days maybe ; it could,
establish a transportation arm to fund im
provements in our deteriorating bus and
; subway systems.
The plan would be too silly for com
ment if it did not indicate how out of
touch with reality some officials must be.
The threat of nuclear war is so serious
that even hawkish citizens favor a nuclear
Jreeze agreement tqjialt the escalating
arms race.
I
- Contrary to what some officials say, a
nuclear war would be unwinnable. And
contrary to what even the President has
said, there is no such thing as nuclear
superiority. One side may have a few
more missiles than the other, but the blunt
fact is that both the United States and
Russia have far more weapons than are
necessary to completely obliterate each
, other.
. A Senate committee slapped the plan
down within hours of its unveiling, but it
still, approved an increase for civil defense
spending. .''-.:
A few days after this fiasco, the March
unemployment figures were released,
showing more Americans put of work
than at any time since the Depression. The
jobless rate for ; blacks was an
astronomical eighteen per cent almost
one in five. And even that figure
understates the true total since discourag
ed workers and parttimers who want to
By John E.Jacob
Executive Director, National Urban League
W2"g g gg 113 s m m g e
work full time are not ( counted as
unemployed. . L ; a .
Anyone concerned about .America s
defense has to realize the policies that
weaken our economy and waste human
resources are a greater danger than any
foreign foe. , '
- One c&use of our economic weakness is
the enormous resources sunk into
wasteful military spending. Billions are
' going for tanks that break down, for
planes that are obsolete before 4hey are
produced, and for weapons systems so
loaded with unnecessary electronic gear
they won't work under battle, conditions.
At the same time, job and training pro-
Vams1 that upgrade the p kills of our work
force, and social programs that enable
poor people to survive to get a decent
education; and to take advantage of op
portunities, are brutally cut.
What good are alUhose sophisticated
weapons if We neglect the investments in
education that produce people with the
skills to maintain them? What good are
military contingency plans if cuts in infant
nutrition programs result in fewer people
healthy enough to serve their country?
4 Even an Administration devoted to a
military buildup has to understand that it
can't just throw money at the Pentagon to
get a strong defense. Ultimately, military
strength depends on an educated, skilled
population with a strong stake in society.
Cuts In Education And The Flight of the 'Floogie Bird
By Congressman Augustus F. Hawkins
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At a delegation dinner in 1948, Presi
dent Truman responded to critics of his
: progressive initiatives by offering these
comments, ". . ; .Those men who live in
the past remind me of a toy I'm sure all of ,
you have seen. The toy is a small wooden
bird called the 'Floogie Bird. Around the
Floogie Bird's neck is a lapel reading: 'I
fly backwards. I don't care where I'm go
ing. I just want to see where I've been'."
Thirty-four years later, these words
outline a scenario which is about to un
fold should the Administration persist in .'
its efforts to cut funding"' for educational
services for our nation's children and col
lege students. Once again, we may be
witnessing the flight of the 'Floogie Bird'.
Back to a time reminiscent in our history
where only the well-to-do could afford an
education.
significantly over those of children in
need but not served by Title I.
Under President Reagan's current
budget proposals, only $10 billion would
be allocated for all Federal education pro
grams, down from $13 billion in 1982. As
a result many young people will find the
cost of a college education out of reach.
Similar cuts in vocational education
would deny thousands of students a
chance to obtain a marketable skill and
shot at a worthwhile career.
In Los Angeles alone, these cuts could
mean that the school district may lose $62
million in Federal education assistance,
and as a result may be forced to terminate
nearly 4,000 school employees.
Along with most Americans, I believe
zealous budget cutting activity which
resulted in the Omnibus Reconciliation
Act, is now being felt by the public. The
Administration and some Members of
Congress are trying to explain the ra
tionale for these cuts, and now seeing the
hunian implications, are finding it harder
and harder to do so.
It is apparent that the Administration
has lost sight of the vital need to continue
to advance the educational achievement
of our childrenAmerica's visionary con
cept of a better land filled with opportuni
ty for all has somehow been suspended.
For what meager budgetary savings might
be realized now, will surely be lost in the,
years ahead. More importantly, the
negative impact of cuts in education will
do irreversible damage to our children.
aujunatwnasvestedr tne imagination of
Among the most disheartening of the .mojingiihe, his policy maker Is the
itminirfrtiiin.'h i- r . i m.r ciiiMrM 'On jnutl. ... timpfocc truth that mimt hf rpstatpri and
Administration's Cuts in education is the
budget reduction in Title I of the Elemen
tary and Secondary Education program.
First enacted in 1965, Title I of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
was designed to provide remedial and
compensatory instruction in reading and
mathematics for educationally disadvan
taged children living in low-income areas, j
Through Jhe, years; recent evaluations'"
have demonstrated .that this is a program
that works. Title I services improved
children's reading and math scores '
our children. By investing in our young
people, we invest in the future of our
country.
During testimony before the Education
and Labor Committee, Secretary of
Education Terrel Bell agreed that
although Title I programs have worked,
they still must be cut because of
'budgetary constraints'. It seems that
everything the Administration's budget
axe falls on, is justified by the cold and
impersonal phrase, 'budgetary i. con
straints', regardless of their positive
return to society, The impact of the over-
translated in practical terms; a legitimate
foundation for progress is based on a
country's capacity and willingness to in
vest in it's citizens. This is the message
that must be carried to Mr. Reagan, and it
is incumbent on all of us to make sure he
hears it above the rhetoric.
Like the small wooden toy, the 'Floogie
Bird', the Administration is thrusting the
educational potential of America
backwards. It is up to the American peo
ple to let the President know he is going in i
the wrong direction.
.t ?X- zsi zzi :
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sp sa s as 53 i
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Civil Rights Journal
Farewell To Rehabilitation
By Dr. Charles E. Cobb
Executive Director
United Church Of Christ
Commission For Racial Justice
a es a sa :
The importance of due process within
our legal system and the administration of
justice is our only protection against the
arbitrary rule of government. One of the
oldest legal procedures employed to en
sure that protections of the constitution
are uniformly applied throughout the
country is the writ of habeas corpus. This
doctrine originated from English ConK
mon Law and was then used to order the
jailer to produce a prisoner in court. -
Today, the writ is primarily used by in-
mates in state prisons who are requesting
that the federal courts review the constitu
tionality of their convictions, after the
state courts have refused to provide such a
review.
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Born in Columbia, S.C.; in 1871, educated in New Hampshfa
he was class orator and co-editor of his college paper. He got his
Ph. IX. in, 1895: his MO. from Jefferson Medical, College;
Philadelphia; in 1906, As a' scientific researcher, "he made
medical history with his pioneer work on the causes arid preven-
Hon of tuberculosis. He was atso a celebrated chronicler of
Negro history .t
,-.. ; , . '. --Continental Features
x
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The Attorney General, William French
Smith, has frequently referred to the in
convenience involved in what he has term
ed a Mflood" of habeas corpus petitions '
by state prisoners. Why it is so inconve
nient' for approximately 600 federal
judges to hear an annual average of 8,000
petitions which means each Judge must
read only thirteen petitions, totally eludes ..
I me. iVi', v-' W't-.u vv.v? 'y:;i-:i
The Reagan ' Administration has
responded to the whinings of Mr. Smith
, by sending legislation to Capitol Hill seek
ing to limit the availability of habeas cor
pus relief. Under the proposed legislation, .
vthe Federal Court? will be barred from
hearing these petitions if the prisoner does
not complain within one year after all
stat&appeals have failed or if he has un
successfully litigated his claim in the state
court. ' , i
Have the Attorney General and the
President forgotten that fairness : and
equity, and not convenience, are the
"hallmarks" of our judicial system. ; .
I am hot saying that every prisoner has
a legitimate constitutional claim. But if it
is just one innocent prisoner who was con- -victed
in an unconstitutional manner,
then the courts should be required to hear
their claim whether it be one or ten years
later. They must maintain the commitmet
guaranteed by th- cqnstituion of due pro
cess. ' i .
We must nr t allow the President or the
Attorney Ge leral to renege on this com
mitment. ,
- .::;UiY . J'.;"A;;":o':;
... the only genuine, long-range
solution .for America) lies in an attack ,
mounted it every level upon conditions'
that bre 'despair and violence. ... All of
us know what those conditions are: ig- !
norance, discrimination, slums, poverty,
disease, not enough jobs. ,
' Lyndon B. Johnson '
I.E. AUSTIN
Editor-Publisher 1927-1971
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