r3
r,
" Our Community
TAj week we are begin ninA . u
that take a close look at Z Duke ""i'S
black community. From 01 Waper Department
: learned that th hla,l ,nmm ,L. JML"ZZJX r
i wandering battleship in need of a strong hand
or fKp Afm. Be sure to read all of these articles
and let us know what you think.
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(USPS 091-380) .
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25,1902
. Words Of Wisdom
It is seldom the difficulty that defeats as, bmt
the lack' of confidence id ourselves. ' :l
1 -Paal P. Parker, M.D.
:' ; ; 7
Plenty of honest men aever discover the tratb
their obstinacy prevents.
David Seabury
i
lllll HUP M (I nVH . . n
I . 1 Masons
To Meet In Raleigh
J J. "BABE" HENDERSON, . J,
ow Durham's longtime political activists,
, V the major problem in Durham's black,
community is constipated action and diarrheal
of the mouth. He says also that young bfacki
have to come out, get involved and take over I
And Donate $50,000
Bv Jackie Lane ? n.., (
r. r , . . ,t iiuiiim.1 one icwipicni 01 cipai project ior me iNcgro college rund.
conclave next. week, the
North Carolina Grand
Lodge of Prince Hall
Masons are expected to"
donate - more than
$50,000 , to : various
community leadership.
First Issue In A Series Of Three
Tine State Off Tie
Black
f" .lie!
m
JACKSON
CommennSty
,. J Jit J .
'if.
charities and other
'causes, according to a
.spokesman for the
organization.
This year, : as in' the
-past J 10 : years, the
be the Central Or
phanage of North
Carolina in Oxford, It is
expected to get a S20.000
donation.
' "This has been the
number one charity for
nearly 10 years," ex-
plained William A. Qe
r ment, the lodge's Grand
Master, and a former ex
ecutive with North
Carolina Mutual Life In
surance Company.
The Masons, officially
named the Prince Hall
Grand Lodge of Free
and Accepted Masons of
North Carolina, will
hold their 112th Annual
Communication at the
Royal Villa Hotel in
Raleigh, beginning Oc
tober 5 and running,
through October 7.
The keynote speaker
will be Maynard
Jackson, former mayor
of Atlanta, and currently
associated with the
Chicago law firm of
Chapman & Cutler.
Helping to finance
worthy causes is a prin- '
Lodoe. the snokesman
: aid.
In addition to finan
cial support, the Masons
also volunteer their time
throughout the year. For
instance, each member
of the A.S. Hunter
Lodge of Durham
adopts a.. child, brings
gifts and participate in,
Christmas festivities.
The orphanage, fund
ed by several sources,
uses the $20,000 for
general administrative
purposes, such as mov
ing youngsters from dor
mitories to cottages to
provide a more homelike
atmosphere," Clement
said.
"Our emphasis is to
improve the quality of
life for everybody and
particularly blacks,"
Clement continued.
The lodge's assets
total close to $1.5
million. Other gifts
slated to be announced
include the following:
$10,000 to the NAACP,
$1,000 to the United
ana JIJO.UUU m
payments to widows of
deceased lodge members.
Clement explained the
history of Prince Hall,
born in Barbados in
'4)
l! J
Several 'years ago, a popular hit song described a runaway child as Ualone
and confused, which way will you choose...? 7
The description aptly applies to the overall state of Durham s black Communi
ty today. , ,
thete 'mor? .ffiS ttv htH ir S bh Unsuccessful bid foj ship positions echo
County, lone iness pcompr.sp abouf 45" nef tirZP
Dr. Koontz To Lead Seminar
For Hiqh School Students
n excellence and ;; shared tyranny and the freedom
CLEMENT
1750, the first American
black to hold a Masonic
Charter from the Grand
Lodge in England.
At 15, Hall came to
Boston, according to
Clement, and became in
volved with the Revolu
tionary struggle for
freedom from British
Dr. Elizabeth
vades the black com
munity like a ' heavy
cloud of doom. '
Black men, dealing
wiih rhe issue on a per
sonal basis talk of being
alone because, in their
judgement, many black
women, and for the most
part other black men,
have abandoned the
struggle, sold out: for
material things, or opted
for personal ; oblivion
with drugs or booze.
Black women, noting
that when they think of
black men. thev have to
cent of the Prison
population, though they
are but five per cent of
(he nation's population;
and are more apt to be
brutal and insensitive, if
not married to or dating
a white woman. .
with strangers, and on
those rare occasions
when I party, -1 party
with strangers. We can't
get to know each other
because we're living
behind a lot of fronts.
Young Diacks in
leadership positions t?lk
about it, too. Said Erwin
Allen, director- of the
Durham Business and
Professional Chain:
"We don't have a team
. - KoontZfoTmer director ?her
a aP;k Americans from
, fill-inn hisii't vi iii nmh:im or Laoor ana me presi- 'vv "
'Lorieliness,'
ex
claimed one professional
woman, who asked not
be identified. "I'll tell
you about loneliness.
I'm married. I have, two
children. I have a good
job. But I live with a
stranger. My children are
strangers because I have
and that's, why we are approach to solving pro-loneljr.."-
blems here in Durham.
Black politicians talk, We have a lot - of
too, ot loneliness, h.m.
"Mickev" Michaux
hinted at it when he told something that needs to
I r a i rN i .4 .
mcmucrs oi me uurnam oe done tne oottom me
todav." said' kJ.I
?'Babc". Henderson, "is
i our inability to put
'together a sustained
unified effort. We all
seem to be headed off in
different, self-centered
directionstrying to go it
alone."
' ,4. . . (4IIUVI MUM
superstars, Juti no.eams-Iable that the black com-
An4 uiUam iiAn - J !. '.
?ui. .u wutiijug,HT munuy, -apparent Iv
A Study In Division
Committee' on the Af
fairs of Black People
that just a little over 1 5
of his campaign funds in
is that vou're nrobablv
going to have to do it
yourself."
Older blacks in leader-
fraught with loneliness"
seems to reel a long a I or
dered path of confusion,
headed no where fast.
!"l don't believe we are
(Continued On Page 3)
presi
dent of" the National
Education Association in
1968, will lead a seminar
for high school students
at North Carolina Cen
tral University, Satur
day, September 25. '
The seminar is spon
sored by Kappa Omicron
Phi, national home
economics honor society ,
and their teachers. It will
be held in the Diana S.
Dent Home Economics
Building from 9 a.m. to
3 p.m. Saturday.
The themes for the
seminar are scholastic
chell of NCCU's Public
Administration Pro
gram.
Dr. Koontz, now a
consultant and lecturer,
retired in 1982 from the
post of Assistant State
Superintendent for
Teacher Education in the
North Carolina Depart-
, ment of ' Public Instruc
tion. She served as a
I teacher in several North
Carolina school systems.
Hall - was an aboli
tionist, a patriot, an
educator and an
organizer.
One year before the
Declaration of In
dependence was signed.
Hall petitioned s the
Grand Lodge of England
for a charter which was
granted and delivered in
1787.
It was the only charter-
and was president of the issued io Marts nn hn
classroom teachers North American conti
department of the Na- nent v and legitimizes
tiona! Education Masoiirv ; amonc
Association in 1965. 4 blacks." Clement said. "
Rv Millnn .Inrrfan
Generally speaking there are two black com
munities in Durham an old one and a young One '
-As a matter of fact." explainecLLee Johnson, a
Mechanics and Farmers Bank vice president, "you
can say there are three black communities. One is
that elite group that pretty much ran things when t
grew up here, and stil runs most of it. Then, there's
the group of upper; middle class and middle class
blacks who Junction as a bridge group from the elite
to the masses, and then there are the masses."
Johnson, 38, a Durham native who worked his
way from a teller lohis current executive pdsj ion in
Durham s only black-owned bank, went on io sav
that one of the, biggest problems posed bv these
three black' communities is the fact thar manv
young people can't move into any leadership posi'-
The Black Community - The Old and The New
( )
i ,
LEE JOHNSON, vice president. Mechanics at.
Farmers Bank, is a member of the young faction In
the black community, the new community, so .to.
speak. He says he and other like him would like to
be more Involved if the older leaders will give them
a chance ' v - - - .
lions because the older crowd clings to them
tenaciously. .
, "For example," Johnson continued. "Maeeo
Sloan, Jr., and Skeepie Scarborough are l he onfv
t two relatively young blacks who sit on the boards of
. directors of Durham's three major black corpora-"
lions. And it is obvious to me that ir wc can net the
positions, we can't get the experience, and without
the experience; wc can't do a good job when the
lime finally comes."
Mrs. Tlorinc Roberson, a longtime communiiv
actvist, agrees: "There arc definitclv two black
communities in Durham," she said, "and in mv
' opinion we have not given voting blacks ample op
portunity to be really involved and io help make
some ol the leadership decisions that have to be
made in the black cbmmunitv.
Jiut just as yoii find Johnson, a member of what '.
can, be called the ,ncw" black communitv. and
Mrs. Roberson, a member of the "old" communiiv
siding on this (jucslion.: you can find equal cross
over agreement on the other side of the question.
"Ldort'j: agree that there arc two black com
munities, ap old one and a ncwionc," said Charles
Dayc. 38, a Durham native and law school dean at
North Carolina Central University. "I also don't
believe anyone is keeping young blacks from being
involved with the black community. All they have
to do is come out and be willing to work. But many
of them want to jump right into leadership roles,
and they haven't paid enough dues for that. But
anyone who wants to make a contribution to the
black community can do that and they don't need
anyone's remission .
- Coming down on the same side of the issue as
Dayc is J.J; "Babe': Henderson, chairman emeritus
. or the Durham Committee, thought to be Durham's
most powerful black organizatign.
. i"Thalv.'!d,ca K .nothing ".more,, than a myth,"
Henderson said, "an empty excuse lor not being in-
, volved. If young people truly want io be involved, if
they want to work for the betterment of the black ?
community, then all they have to do is come on out '
, and take over; But to many of us, and this includes
,. some of our young folk, are still fancy dancing. Wc
( on; iaM. masters at recreation, sports and playing,
, but when it comes to the hard work and the creative
strategizing or nation building, we fall far short,
, and those who fall the shortest are our young folk."
- This argument over the' power division in the
black community rages under the surface, rarely
surfacing publicly. But it has a devastating effect on
the local black community's ability to progress.
"Durham todav is in a statoTf4cansition.'' said
Erwin Allen, .33. a Durham nafrv$ -and Business
Chain director. "And the black community must be
in a position to take advaniagcol" the transition, bul
I fear we arc not in that position now."
Transition and positioning, two terms that spell
cither hope or despair for Durham black community-
Consider, the transition. "
For years. , Durham has been hovering' on the
brink of progress,-threatening to get moving, but
somehow the progress, that everyone seemed to
want never got underway. Now, however, there are
sonic new encouraging signs that Durham might be
ready to take its place as one of the state's major
i metropolitan areas.
' Despite some constant arguments and quite a
.number of obstacles, Durham's downtown
fcvitaliation program appears to be somewhat
underway. A feasibility study is scheduled to get
underway so that will ultimately set the tone for
what is developed in the former "heart" of
Durham's black community. Hayti. City officials'
recently released an outline of art economic'
development strategy for Durham.'and the city has
launched a comprehensive neighborhood develop
ment program to help improve the city's livability.
, ?; But how docs the black community take advan
' tagc of this transition, and move forward with the
' city? Here is. where the question of proper position- ?
ing moves to the forefront, and proper positioning
assumes a strategy. i-. v-v
V: "But the black community does not have a com-'
.''..prehensive, strategy designed to maximize our I
resources, and to take advantage of certain condi-r,
lions in the city as they occur ",-said Henderson.
"We don't have such a strategy because wc do a lot
of talk, but don't do much work. And we're going
to have to put up more of the money." ;
Johnson believes that Durham's black communis
ty doesn't have a strong, viable strategy to take ad
vantage of new opportunities because traditionally 5
black community power, planning and policy deci
sions were made by a handful of people. .
The tradition is longstanding. , '
A Twenty-five years ago or more, when anyone in
Durham referred to the "black community," an
immediate picture emerged. . -
Principle . features of . the picture then were a
handful of prominent blacks whose names would be
easily recognized in either Durham's black or while
communities. For the most part, these people lived
in what had come to be seen as the geographical
focus of black Durham -south, of the railroad
tracks, Hayti and beyond.
(he leading institutions in this picture included
N.C. Mutual Life Insurance Company. Mechanics
and Farmers Bank. Mutual Savings & l oan. St.
Joseph's and White Rock churches. The Durham
Committee on Negro Affairs (as it was known
then). North Carolina College (as it was known
then) and Lincoln Hospital (as it was known ihen).
The supporting cast in this picture included some
black business operators who owned small
businesses such as repair shops, service stations.
(Continued On Page 7)
flv Syr,-
r CHARLES DAVE, law school deaa at NCCU. '
says that all young people have to do to he involved
Is pitch la aid work hard, aad don't expect to be a
Mack leader overnight. -