North Carolina Newspapers

14 THE CASOUSA TI5SES SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 1882! Editorials ; On The All-America City Project If Durham is named an All-America City, the designation will not be congratulations for a job well done, but rather an incentive1 to make that dream come true. . We believe the three projects cited by the All-America City, committee and described before competition judges in Seattle this week are all worthwhile efforts. But we also believe that these projects reveal a sad tradition of stereotypical thinking about black people in Durham, a thinking . that must be changed. And black people must inspire arid lead ! that change. For example, it is not enough to drive drug dealers underground in the Few Gardens area. There must also be some continuing effort to give youngsters in that neighborhood career alternatives to crime and failure. And while we concede that the Lincoln Community Center needs a new building, we view with mixed emotions the impen ding destruction of the old building because more of Durham's black history dies in the dust of its destruction. As for the economic development study that is the third project submitted by Durham's All-America City Committee to prove that citizens here work together to solve problems, we are not sure what "...jobs suited..." fpr poor people means, but it doesn't sound promising. We are not critical of the supporters who are trying to sell Durhamas an All-America City, as much as we are critical of the bLack people here! whose apathy has made the committee's claims a hollow mockery. Why, for example!, doesn't the black community initiate a "Big Brothers, Big Sisters" program aimed specifically at black youngsters in areas like Few Gardens who need some positive role models to react to, father than leaving them to be corrupted by ( thugs and hoodlums? Why isn't there a project to preserve Durham's black history? See the next editorial for more on that subject. . The question of economic development, especially for those black folks who are also poor, was examined in a recent editorial in this space when we called for the establishment of the Black Community Development Fund, financed," administered and con trolled by black people. .So, if Durham is named an All-America City, the black com munity should understand that the designation means nothing unless some black folks climb off their high horses, and some others struggle from their private hells to make it means something something beneficial forblack folks and everyone else here. We Must Save Our Past The crunching blade of progress appears to almost daily shovel another symbol of black community contributions to Durham in-,: to dusty oblivion. : -mv .-.v.::-. -,- Hayti is gone, and as far as we know, the story of its contribu tions to Durham will die with the last black person in this city who saw them firsthand. There is no permanent record. The old Lincoln Hospital where the lives of most of us both i began and have been preserved over the years stands doomed to -fall silently that a sea of parking pavement might forever cover its ' legacy to this community. We hear of plans to widen Fayetteville Street from Umstead to CecU, and we fear that "progress" will again bite greedily into our history, swallowing up the Stanford Warren Library, the Col lege Inn, Page's Grocery and maybe even W.D. Hill Community Center. ' ' . ' v And unless some; preservation plans are laid now, sooner or later. Hillside will go,Whitted will crumble and other valuable artifacts of black history will die as Durham steamrolls to Pro gress. -T' ' ; ' ' ."C r ; ' But this need not be so. Durham's leading black organizations, including The Durham Committee, the Durham Branch of the NAACP, NCCU, sororities, the fraternities, the churches and the, business com munity should name a task force now to begin studying creative and effective ways to preserve the story of contributions that black people have made to this city over the years. If we don't do this, then we are leaving our children a legacy of doom, because it is 'much easier to believe you're nothing when there's nothing around that you or your fathers have accomplish ed.' ; " ' - ' . Civil Rights Journal , - Black Economic Development , Under Gsnsrel Gcsrga Washington, tern February 22, 1732, soma 5.C00 f::;rc:3, tl:vcs end frca, fcught In tho r.:v:Ll!:n:ry VV:r! Wftsn l crossed tha C:!s2rej In 1776, two Nsgrcas, Ollvsr Crcnr;;::i tnd Prlnca AVhlppb, vsre with liSal J.W.C. Fcnr.fcgtsn fcand such fects t t!:::a it cb cf tha f.rst Hrgra histcrisns! Ha I'd a D.D. dsgrca freni ' llc!d!;burff U.-!v:r:!ty tzi prc:stad jgilnst slavery ifrci tlzxi ER'sisnd ta Eurcps! : CoOitntal Futures V The black community has a combined income of nearly 150 billion dollars per year." This translates into approximately 12.5 billion dollars per month available to the black community. Although I am not an economist, it seems to me that our banks and financial institutions might, develop some mechanism whereby even a small portion of this huge'dollar figure might be collected and utilized for the economic development of the black com munity. . : ' . Based on bur diverse geographic, social and political nature, the majority of this 150 billion dollars is being spent outside of the black community. Notwithstanding this diversity of location, the majority of To Be Equal v awssgsssgggasa r By Charles E.Cobb Executive Director United Church of Christ Commission For RacialJustice ' 1 blacks still continue to . attend i predominantly black churches. Perhaps : our religious and financial leaders might jointly develop a means of recapturing what was lost following integration. Namely, the spending of black dollars , within the black community. We now ap-." pear to live two lives with one foot in the black world and the other foot in the white world. Unfortunately, the majority of our dollars are flowing white. Some of our community organizations have been calling for accountability onf the part of corporate America, supported with selective buying on the part of black consumers. Now this is certainly a step in . the right direction, however, it will take ; more than.corporate dole-outs to make a" ' community economically viable. ' 1 ' . in my view, it is the responsibility of black financial institutions to provide ' direct assistance in our economic develop ' ment and growth, for that is where we will find economic expertise. As of June 1981, ' the nation's 46 black commercial banks ;.. ;had combined assets totaling 1.2 billion dollars. During the same time period, the, nation's 39 black savings and loan associations 1 represented 964 million . dollars in total assets. Now certainly these,; professional money managers have the ability and I believe, willingness to help "our community collect, use and manage 'our dollar resources. w Uv JohnE.Jacob I Executive Director, Natiphal IJrbah League inrtMrtiifttTmimniirrrrir Unemployment can no longer be passed . off as a temporary problem that will be -solved when the economy rights itself. A major bar to an expanding economy is precisely the large number of workers whose skills are fast becoming outmoded ' as robots replace them on assembly lines . and advanced electronics eliminates un- ,, skilled and semi-skilled work, It is useless for our leaders to tell the unemployed to look at all the want ads in the newspapers most of those are for computer programmers and other jobs for which there is shortage of people with the required skills. " ; The permanent unemployment -settling in to our economy and affecting a large portion of the jobless violates the most . precious of human rights the right to a job. That combination of violated human, rights to productive employment and the manpower needsof the economy strongly suggest that this is the time to institute a Universal" Employment and Training; . system that guarantees jobs and skills ' 'training to allow people to compete for j the jobs that exist today. ' There's plenty to do. The nation's in- frastructure is decaying rapidly. Roads and bridges need to be' repaired and ' rebuilt; rails and ports to be revitalized, homes,' sewer' lines and '.water systems ' Jobs For All . W f . . ,' -''2 ' .".' .. ' 1 ' need to be built. t , Such a program of national renewal would get our industries producing again. It would put people to work, paying taxes' and buying consumer goods. The immediate objection is that it would cost too much. That won't hold water. Unemployment costs too much ' the burden on the U.S. Treasury is about $30 billion for every extra point of ' unemployment. .) . So if you peg full employment as being a situation in which the jobless rate is four per cent, today's extra unemployment costs the government almost $180 billion a year, or almost double that federal budget deficit everyone is worried about. ' And while there is so much concern 'about the cost of a program that would i get our country moving again, there is not j the same concern about the tax cuts and loopholes passed last year, or about an overblown defense buildup costing one, and a half trillion over the next four " years. t v : Congress is considering a token job : training program that will cost about a; tenth of what the Pentagon plans to spend this year just on those weapons systems many experts say are either unnecessary or of dubious battle-worthiness. Any nation that can indulge in such ' wastefulness can not only afford to invest in its numan capital and in its economic . future it cannot afford not to. . A Universal Employment and Training system would also end the permanent depression in minority communities. With our economy changing so swiftly, grow ' ing numbers of blacks are in danger of, becoming locked into permanent .unemployment. It is no longer enough just to have a strong back and a willing spirit. Today's jobs demand skills and knowledge our young people don't get from inferior schools, , decaying cities and insensitive governments. Most of today's minority unemployed need to be retrained for . growth jobs in growth industries. A Universal Employment and Training : system needs the support of a business i community that knows it needs to have skilled workers and which faces the ' tremendous task of retraining present I employees for tomorrow's jobs. And it is the business community that ; knows the free enterprise system cannot j long survive a polarized society that locks , increasing numbers of people into perma nent joblessness. j So a partnership of government, in- . jdustry and community-based groups will be necessary to get a Universal Employ 'ment and Training program off the ground and save our n,ationri Business In The Black r 1 ' I, " 1 ' ' ...... Regression is Revolutionary Forget the Flat Tax By Charles E. Belle A few weeks ago the New York Times "had an article on the advocates of a Flat World Society. Some people have been presenting this proposition for political ; and social reasons. Regardless of one's : politica) views it is certainly a good enough social reason to get people together. After all it is perfectly harmless to holler into the wind just don't spit. Some students of propaganda are now suggesting a stated flat income tax is 'just what the doctor ordered to cure the U.S. economic woes. Well it will surely suit the rich, which is any married couple filing a joint tax return with over $85,600 of tax able income. Incidentally, in order to have that much taxable after deductions you should be well into a six figure ($100,000) a year income bracket. Believe it or hot Reaganomics recognizes you at that level to pay the current top income tax rate of 50 per cent thus reducing the taxes of those who pay less than 50 per cent, huh! Who dat The rear median family income for black Americans was $13,270 in 1981. Meaning'half were above and half of all U.S. black American families earned more. In fact, some forty percent plus of black American families in the U.S. earn ed less than $10,000 last yeari You can estimate the damage by distance from .$13,270 up to $23,520 for white American families or nearest to the poverty door for a family of four at $9,287 in 1981. Black ' Americans were not knocking on the door of poverty last year, they were living in the house with it! Now'then, at what level shall they set this flat taxerate, considering the tax bracket for a married couple filing jointly with $24,600 is already 25 per cent. Many politicians know the so-called middle class, ($35,200 to $85,600) of tax able income (33-99 per cent) tax bracket for a married couple filing joint return are being ruined by Reaganomics ever since the super rich made out like a bandit on the last tax go round. Running around like chickens with their heads cut off are conservative Democrats and Republicans recommending tax relief for the ripped off and the rupture group. This mythical group of middle class dreamers will still get what they deserve nothing. In time, a single generation or less will bodily revolt against any system which unfairly taxes the masses. The rich ' currently will slip by again if the middle class is successful in securing any tax relief ' based on a flat tax. "Toll-heads" even know the 25 per cent is less than 50 per cent. Especially on a cool million dollars a fyear. You no doubt have heard of the few thousand people who are millionaires that do not pay any taxes. But for each one there are tens of thousands who do and at a higher rate. Reaganomics ruined the most progressive tax system in the world. The fairest based on the ability to pay, not tax breaks. The need to eliminate loopholes should not be confused with eliminating an equitable taxing system. Cutting off your nose to spite your face is not any fun, especially if you bleed to death. A flat tax system will do nothing but reduce the budget and services to the needy citizens in the short term while set ting the seeds for a revolution in the future as the rich get richer and the poor and middle class get angrier. T.-3-TH"i '(DSPS 091.380) L.E. AUSTIN Editor-Publisher 1927-1971 What And Where Is Your Business ; By Luanna C. Blagrove Author and Business Consultant We often hear people comment, that blacks do not patronize other blacks in business ; and, of course, we can give a thousand excuses of why this is true that arc not valid. . How often does one take into consideration the product or service that the businessowner(s) have to offer? If bars and nightclubs are not my 'thing' there is no need for me to spend money in them because a black owns and operates one. Or, if my car docs not need repairing, there is no need for me to take it to the shop. Or, if I prefer to eat at home, there is no law that says I must go to a restaurant and buy a dinner because the owner is black. Or, if I do not need the .service of a carpenter or plumber that I must call . one anyway. In other words, the first consideration of why blacks do not patronize other blacks should be the product or service that is being offered. , I have never fully understood why many blacks expect service, get service, do not want . to pay the price for the service, and then call the busincssperson incompetent. In competence does exist in every endeavor, but I discovered many years ago that there are . two sides to every story and that in most instances we only hear one side the dissenter's. A dissent is that customer who has become dissatisfied with work performance or ser- vice in many instances through his own doings or refusal to pay for said service or per formance. ,r : - A major problem that I have been faced with in patronizing black businessowners is that not only I, but many other blacks in the same locale, do not know who the black businessowners are and the product(s) or serviced) that they have for sale. How can one , find a particular business that no one seems to know is in existence? , A rather inexpensive means for letting blacks and other potential customers in a com-' munity know what your product or service is and where you are located is to advertise in your black newspapers. Yes, I know that advertising is expensive, but by cooperative or sharing ad space with another or other businessowners, the cost could make the difference ' in increased sales. Another overlooked possibility for advertising is a few lines in the classified section of your black newspaper. Your ad does not have to be oversized to be seen and let potential . customers know what your product or service is and where you are located. (USPS 091-3801 (Mrs.) Vivian Austin Edmonds EdHor-Publshnr Ksnnrth W.Edmonds QtmralManaonr ' L.M. Austin Prtductlon Supervisor Milton Jordan Eitcutivt Editor Curtis T. Parkins Contributing Edltor-Foraign Altalrs .. Published ovtr Thursday (dated Saturday) (sxcapt the week following Christmas) In Durham, N.C., by United Publishers. Incorporated. Mailing address: P.O. Box 3829. Ourham. NX. 27702-3825. Otllco located at 123 Old Fayetteville Street, Durham, N.C. 27701. Second Class Postage paid at Durham. North CaraNnt 27702. 1 Vekinw 00. Number 33. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE ' CAROLINA TIMES, P.O. Box 382S, Durham, NX. 17702-3828. . SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One year, $12.00 (plus 48i sites tax tor North Carolina residents). Single copy 300. Postal regulations REQUIRE advance pay nt on lubscrlptlons. Address all eJey land make all checks payable to: THE CAROLINA TIMES. REPRESENTATIVE: 43 Wilt 49th Strut. NATIONAL ADVERTISING Amalgamated Publishers, Inc., New York, now Ten iuuw. .. . Member: United Press International Photo Service, National Newspaper Publishers Association, North Carolina Black Publshors Association. Opinions expressed by columnists Jn this newspaper dp not necessarily represent the policy oj this newspaper. This nowiMw WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE lor tta return ttpswMiclted pictures. ,; . .... .'-- ,. -. . ':. - ..