14 TKE CAROLINA TIKES SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 1582
Editorials '
Welcome Students
To all students who recently arrived for the first time, or who
are returning to classes at NCCUjwe extend a hearty welcome.
Welcome first, of course, to the university, a laboratory of
preparation that in many ways will determine both the direction
and the substance of your future.
Welcome also to purham, a city that sometimes, even to those
of us who have been around for awhile, appears to be caught in a
time warp. But Durham's future is bright. The challenges here are
diverse and exciting. We hope you will come to consider Durham
not only as where you go to school, but as your home, as well.
But the success of your relationship with NCCU and with
Durham will depend largely on what you put into it . 1
There will be problems with the school, but before concluding
that the problems stem solely from the nearsightedness of univer
sity officials, why not first find out in what ways you may have
contributed to the problem, and invest some energy in solving it.
There are certainly things wrong with Durham, as there are
with most places, but before writing this city off your list because
of its shortcomings, why not share with us your insight; your .
energy, and your perception on what can make this city better.
We trust that you will view this newspaper as your newspaper,
and we'll make a deal with you. We'll give you every week our
very best view of the story behind the story on what's happening
in Durham that affects you both as a student and as a citizen. But
there will be times, of course, when our view won't be the same as
yours.
When you disagree with' us, write to us. We'll publish the letter
and give you the same access to our readersthat we have. Even
when you agree, write to us. We'll publish those letters too.
The bottom line in all of this is that the substance and value of
your stay in Durham and at.the university is predicated upon your
willingness to work hard to make it one of the best experiences of
your life, one that will help launch you to a bright and successful
future. " V " -
... i'i
Civil Rights and Uncivil Wrongs
' According to a recent report in the New '
York Times, the Harvard Black Law Stu-
dent Coalition and the Harvard Third
World Coalition arc calling for a boycott
of a Harvard Law School course on race ;
and legal issues because that course will.
;in part, be taught by a white civil rights f
lawyer. The lawyer in question is Mr. )
Jack Grccnbcrg, executive director of the
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational
Fund. ' .
The leaders of the boycott arc pro
testing Jack Grccnbcrg' s appointment for
two reasons Because ? he is white, the
students believe that Mn Grccnbcrg, is, in ,
the words of the Third World Coalition. 1 .
unable to "identify and empathize with ;
the social, cultural, economic, and , ,
political experiences of the third world
communities." Secondly, the students arc
; opposed to Mr.'f Greenberg's serving as
"director of the. NAACP Legal Defense
and Educational Fund, again presumably .
because he is not blacks ....;
The objection to Mr. Greenberg's role , ,
in teaching the Harvard course and to
heading the Legal Defense Fund simply
because he is white amounts to nothing
more than blatant racism, i.e., the denial
,of a person's right to pursue certain ac
tivities solely on account of his race. .
Blacks, as victims of racial discrimina- ;
'tion should be the first to reject the view
that race can disqualify one from any par
ticular pursuit. 1
Anyone who objectively examines the
record will conclude that Jack Green berg
is eminently qualified both to teach civil
rights law and to direct an important civil ;
rights organization. Indeed, during . his.
twenty years as head of the Legal Defense
Fund, Mr. Grccnbcrg has shown himself
to be one of our country's most effective a
fighters for racial justice and civil rights. ,
Over the years he has directly participated
in many of the landmark civil rights vic
t tones which ' have been won in our
nation's courts.
What, then, one might ask, has provok
ed the militant protest of Harvard Law
School's young blacks? Today, black law
students at Harvard feel frustration at the
facHhat their less privileged counterparts
in the ghetto arc suffering unemployment
rates approaching fifty per cent. They feel V
great unease over the current administra
tion's callous disregard for such matters
as equal employment opportunity. They
arc angry at what they rightly perceive as
an abandonment by the federal govern
ment of its legitimate role as a leading ad
vocate of civil rights. In this context it is
entirely understandable that ' these
students would seek to make their voices
heard. It is regrettable, however, that
their militancy and sense of social respon
sibility manifest themselves in this fun
damentally destructive and irresponsible
way. ' . " '
Harvard's young blacks are pursuing
their education not only as a result of
their abilities, but also as a consequence
of the opportunities opened to them by
the civil rights battles waged both inside
and outside the courts. It is ironic in- .
deed perhaps tragic that they would
5 By Bayard Rustin
A Philip Randolph Institute
; vent ; their rage on Jack Grccnbcrg. a
talented and sensitive man who has con-
; tributcd in no - small measure to the
freedom and dignity of young black
; Americans.
There is something else underlying the
black protest at Harvard. It is the
1 mistaken view that, xomchow.-lhc issue of
civil rights is an issue which is exclusively
black. Nothing could be further from the
truth. Civil rights is an issue of universal
significance and, as such," should be im
portant to all Americans. Civil rights,
moreover, is an area in which progress
cannot be attained-without the building of
a strong and wide-ranging coalition of
blacks and whites. Christians and Jews.
Blacks, despite their large numbers, con
stitute a minority in American life. They
cannqi achieve progress by going it alone.
Attacks such as .the one against Jack
Grccnbcrg may have the harmful effects
of discouraging idealistic whites from par
ticipating fully in the battles for civil
rights and social justice. .
We don't need to worry about Jack
Grccnbcrg. He will not be discouraged
and his, organization will continue to
make a contribution to the advancement
of racial justice and human rights. We
have more cause to worry about the
leaders of the Harvard Black Student
Coalition. Unless they change their
perspectives they will be ill equipped to
serve the cause of civil rights, a cause
which their recent actions have served to
undermine.
Blacks and Republicans
Recent articles in The Carolina Times have reported that
Republicans have renewed interest in attracting blacks to the par
ty of Lincoln.
While we agree that black voters should not tolerate indif
ference from the Democratic Party, we don't agree that
Republicans should use that as the only justification for their
pitch to black voters.
Politics, as we all know, is the art Of compromise, which means
simply: "I'm willing to concede a little in exchange for your little
concession."
Therefore, we'd like to hear some conversation from the
Republican Party that speaks to a two-way street of mutual con
cerns, because in the words of Jesse - Jackson ''Blacks have no
permanent friends, .no permanent enemies, but we do have per: '
manent concerns."
We suggest that Republicans must be willing to seriously ad
dress these concerns before blacks in wholesale numbers should
begin putting their names on the rolls of the Grand Old Party.
The Garbage System
Cn Be Improved
Citizens of any city or county must either make local govern
ment work better, or they must suffer the results of mediocrity,
Durham's garbage collection is a case in point.
As was reported in this newspaper last week, Durham's large
garbage collection, system does break down occasionally.
Sometimes, the breakdown can be blamed on municipal officials
who have failed to! push the right buttons to make the system
work as it should. Sometimes though,, citizens cause the
breakdown, either. because they just don't know everything they
need to know to make it work, or they simply don't put enough
emphasis on the issue.
So, if the system is to work to its optimal effectiveness, then
citizens must dp their part, and sanitation of ficials must do their
part also. , ' -, .
We'd like to share three points that we think will help out.
Every citizen should know everything heshe needs to know
to help make the system work better. If you have questions, call
the department of sanitation and get some answers. , , ,
Citizens should hot tolerate breakdowns; If your garbage
isn't picked up, call the sanitation people and'report it. If it's not,
picked up again; call again.,
Sanitation officials should launch an effort now to determine
the pattern of breakdowns, a method that will reveal where the
system tends to break down most often and why. And once they,
have that information, local government should move to correct
the problem, no matter how controversial the. correction' might
be; : . . ' ' "i v
Reagan's Turnarounds
By Congressman Augustus F. Hawkins
Anyone who has ever been to
Washington during the summer months is
well aware of the heat, humidity, haziness
and pollution. Medical authorities cau
tion those with delicate medical condi
tions as to precautions to be taken in such
.weather. However, this year, the bad
' summer weather is made worse by all of
.' the hot air and haziness issuing from the
.White House and make no 'mistake,
this hot air and haziness will prove
dangerous to the interest?, 6f millions of
Americans. ,.,
Even those in the political stratosphere;
are i hot ifffmShtf f&flf&tfftEftDf the bad
weather or so it seems. The recent flip-'
flops of the Reagan Administration on a
variety of issues might as well be at
tributed to the weather; because there has
been a disregard of rational, constructive
and realistic proposals on the part of the
Administration'.
Take for example the recent resignation
of Murray L. Weidenbaum, former chair
man of the President's Council of
Economic Advisors. In mid-July, Mr.
Weidenbaum was quoted as saying,
"Clearly, we have bottomed out of the
recession. ''.This comment1 was based on
the release of a Commerce Department
report which indicated that the economy
had moved up slightly in the second
quarter of this year, after two straight
quarterly declines. Mr. Weidenbaum's;
comments were given further support by
the White House when a press aide com
mented that the figures indicated a "tran
sition stage between recession and
recovery...a turning zone in the economy
situation." Despite these hopeful words,
Mr. Weidenbaum felt compelled to resign
shortly thereafter. In regard to the same
report, the President, said, "I think we
. have bottomed out... the signs are kind of ,
mixecj when you bottom out in a reces
sion." seems thalJhe President has ; discarded his
rhinestone studded rose colored glasses.
. In a prime time news conference on July
28, President Reagan was whistling a dif-
; ferent tune. However, he persisted in the
worn out and long overdue promises of
his days on the campaign trail. During
this news conference, the President called
for Americans to bear with him a little
longer. He explained that the road to
economic recovery would be a long and '
difficult journey. Nowhere was there a,ny
remembrance, however, of campaign pro
mises that Reaganomics would create
millions of new jobs for America.
Almost simultaneously, the U.S. Senate
has produced a bill which will amount to
the biggest peace time tax hike in history
and with the approval of the President.
Business In The Black
This is truly ironic in that just last year,
the President pushed through the Con
gress the enormous tax cuts which have
only added to the already enormous
Federal deficit.
Despite claims that, the problems we
face now arethe result of the actions of
past administrations, it is a fact that the
Federal deficit has ballooned under Presi
dent Reagan. For example, in fiscal year
1979 under President Carter, the Federal
deficit was $27.7 billion. Sadly, the pro
jected Federal deficit for fiscal year 1982
will be approximately $130 billion. This
conservative figure of $130 billion
represents a 450 increase in the Federal
deficit in three short years.
, mi i ucmg wrmcn, mere are in
dications that the Administration is about
to change its position on the issue of the
extension of unemployment benefits. The
administration is reportedly discussing a
Compromise on this subject with the
members of the Senate Finance Commit
tee as a way of bolstering state unemploy
ment insurance funds. If this is true, this
will go on record as the most fantastic
flip-flop on record, because who can
forget President Reagan's characteriza
tion of the unemployed as freeloaders.
But then, after all, the chill winds of
November are not far off.
Protection's Pitfall Is Profits
Silent Suicide for Society
.Jean Baptiste f ,
1
Pointe DuSable
' CA. 1745-1818 " ;
Born in St. Marc, Haiti, of
mivoH norante ,. tin , tni4ir.A
Trance. In 1772 he built a trading
nnct noor falsa HAir-hint ,uhh ' K c-
fjvji tijui LUiif iriHiliyail, mill . jpzv-
a we Indian. ; name : of
, ' 'Bschikagbu. ' : The busiest
. center between St. Louis and f)
Montreal, it grew to be America's
, second lamest city' A (
Chicago!, , . ' Continental Features ' .
r s
f
What has over 20,000 feet that is being
chopped off by two poisonious gasses in
the ; atmosphere? Answer: The En
vironmental Protection Agency (EPA) in
its. present state. A study in slow suicide
sought by the greedy. Getting control of
tfie one agency which has in the past 1 1
years pushed American industry- to pro
vide first for humanity!s welfare is a con
! quest for the White House, and wayward
industrial leaders in America,
This 10,000 employee department is
like the civil rights division destined under
this administration to become an impo
tent agency. The clear aim of Ann Gor
such, Administrator, EPA, is to cut down 1
as many EPA regulations as quickly, if
not callously; as possible, pretending all ,
; the' while not to be jeopardizing the lives
of literally countless Americans living and
yet unborn. 1. '
'. Mrs. Gorsuch got her grounding in Col
orado, where "she was responsible for the
repeal of more than 70 sections of (Col
orado state) statutes' that were obsolete,
duplicative or unnecessary." But by
whose standard does she state this in her
EPA i printed biography. Themes like
i. "obsolete, duplicative? or unnecessary"
are like beauty in the eyes'of the beholder
only,. - , ,, .a v .. .
In fact, Mrs. Gorsuch'P she still wears
her wedding ring despite her divorce
' was an employee of Mountain Bell
, Telephone Company in Denver while she
'.served jn the Colorado i House of
Representatives. A lawyer by trade, she
looks good over a podium. Properly
dressed, all white in white suit and shoes,
she soothed the sizable crowd that came
to hear her comments especially on releas
ing already recalled dangerous General
Motors cars.
Curing conservatives' concerns is a
specialty she thrives on. Dressed like a
white knight Mrs. Gorsuch kicked every
.environmentalist in the staid Com
monwealth Club of California luncheon
meeting last month in San Francisco
Steam rolling environmentalists is
evidently her style. She approved without
precedent the running of over 675,000
GM cars on the streets in spite of their
known pollution problem by accepting a
GM promise to produce enough new cars
that supposedly will be enough pollution
free to compensate for the existing killers
on the road.
Whether or not GM can sell at least that
many cars which will have a lower gas
mileage and no doubt a higher price than
the killer cars should keep statisticians up
all night. Begging the question of why
these less pollutant models were not being
sold in the first place. No one need ques
tion the administration's aims, according
to the EPA administrator.
When it comes to the environment, she
says there is "room for a great deal of
compromising.',' Could be she might com
promise too much protection for too little
profit. Then again, if it's the other way
round, it's slow suicide.
I
By Charles E. Belle -
(DSPS 09I-M0)
' L.E. AUSTIN
Editor-Publisher 1927-1971
, 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 thunder and lightning;
They want the ocean 's majestic waves without the awful roar of its waters.
Frederick Douglass
(USPS 091-3801
. .
(Mr$.) Vivian Austin Edmonds
. , Editor-PubHsher
- ' KannethW. Edmonds
Qonoral Managsr
L.M.Austin
Production Supervisor
. ' ' . Milton Jordan
Executive Editor
Curtis T. Perkins
Contributing Editor-Foreign Affairs
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