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14 THE CAROLINA TIMES-SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16. 1982 LETS WORK TOGETHER FOR A SAFE COMUNITV . ""mr ;t;-r - ' To Be Equal Editorial .Bfep lira Should Keo;?. Da7eHae fK5?Pq inI I I I I ni v 1858-1931 Kin In Hotlyldaysburg, Pi., he mov ed to Janesville, Wisconsin. His father died leaving a large family In poverty. Williams entered medical school at Nor thwestern University.' He graduated in 1833, but stayed there as an anatomy instructor! In 1891 he founded Provi dent Hospital in Chicago, helping, to set up the first training school for Negro nurses! Later, President Grover Cleveland appointed him to head Freed man's Hospital in Washington, DX.! . .. ... .A, ' The Shrinking Black Middle Class '-. By John E. Jacob FYorutive Director. National Urbo It seems only yester day that the media were selling the myth of the .. black, middle ' class, which they redefined in such a way as to include 5 the majority of black people. " i" ., Without denying the growth of that class in the sixties and seventies, . and without questioning. its . importance, an observer would still have to conclude t that it represented not some emerging new majority but rather an oasis in a desert of poverty. One reason why we don't hear that much about the growing black middle class these days may be because it is no longer growing. While the white middle class too, faces difficulties in an age of recessions, the erosion in its living stan dards is far less serious. That is not meant to be callous or to reflect indifference. Rather it is to simply indicate the truth of a . situation in which the white middle class has the resources to sustain even a prolonged period . of hard times , while the black middle class ; is composed of families .. whose middle class, incomes have only recently been ' attained They have had little chance to build an earn ings and savings cushion against hard times. And let us not forget that the current Depres sion impacts blacks, much more than whites, if only because the last hired, first-fired tradi tion means the loss of newly- won "jobs for blacks. The federal government layoff pat terns fully reflect this. , Because government agencies were often will ing to hire blacks when many f private sector businesses; were not, disproportionate numbers of blacks work ed for the government . In the past ten years some of them began ttf achieve the ' ad ministrative and super visory positions we think of as being "middle class". But the federal pro gram cuts have had their greatest impact on those . minority administrative employees. They have lost their jobs at twice, the rate of non-minority administrative workers in the current round of . federal layoffs. . Overall, in all posi tions administrative and otherwise for every two non-minorities that lost their - jobs ihrough the federal staff reductions, there were three minorities laid off. A similar pattern holds for state and local governments that are also tightening their belts. And it holds too. for the private sector jobs where minorities and women are relative newcomers. . Other signs of pressure on the black middle class are found in the sharply higher rates of business failures, "personal bankruptcies, and home mortgage foreclosures. While there are no even earning middle class status leaves black peo ple . vulnerable in . our society. i The- expansion of a confident, secure middle class ' is a necessity if definitive breakdowns by black people as a whole are to make significant progress, and that is why the current crisis afflic ting that relatively small group is of such immense importance to all black people and to the nation. For most Americans, "making it" means hav ing the attributes of mid dle class status a home, a car, a steady in come. The Great Society programs of the 1960s, by opening opportunities for work and education. helped bring that dream race on sucn Key in dicators, it is reasonable to assume that : the newest and most vulnerable part of the middle class including much of the black mid dle class are disproportionately af fected by these phenomena. . The tragedy of the black middle class lies in its betrayal by a system that barred the way to middle class income and status for so long and then, shortly after lifting closer to reality for those barriers, dealt such millions of whites and a crushing blow to peo ple who played by the rules of the game and deserve better. The terrible message that sends to the low in come majority is 'that blacks. The Mean Socie ty cutbacks of the 1980s threaten to plunge them back into hardship ajnd disillusionment with a system that failed them. 1 il I ihO Let's Do Something About Crime Conversationally, crime is like the weather: everyone talks about it, but no one does anything about it. And when it comes to crime in the black community, most of it committed by blacks against, blacks, the conversation is even less productive because the issue gets bogged down in a lot of other issues. Racism is the major issue that colors any discussion of crime, and what can be done about it in the black community. Many blanks resist the concept of "get tough' on crime because they feel that such an attitude sanctions a "police open season" on black people. These people point out that while law enforcement officials ap pear ready to "get tough" on certain so-called street crimes, they appear even readier to wink at so-called white collar crimes. But that discussion notwithstanding, the black community suf fers from crime, the most of which is burglary, robbery, and various levels of assault, up to murder. .v r We must do something! But what? Studies and statistics show that most of today's crime, par ticularly violent crime and most property crimes are committed by repeaters, So-called recidivists who spend most of their lives walking in and out of prison's revolving door. If we can do something about recidivists rehabilitate them maybe we could make a significant impact on the levels of crime in our com munity. We have to be able to show criminals how to stay out of prison, and how to begin leading more productive lives. WE HAVE TO DO THAT! We can't wait for a federal pro gram, or someone else to do that for us. But how can we reach recidivists? Basically, there are three categories of people who must be in volved in any effort to help criminals stay out of prison, and to change their lives as wetl. They are: the recidivist, his or her fami ly, and potential employers. Thus, we must develop in Durham an effort to involve these three groups in the process of change. We suggest the following: A comprehensive public education program designed to help all of us better understand crime, why it occurs and how it can be changed. All media serving the black community should be in volved in this educational effort. A family-based counseling and advocacy program should be developed to help mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, children, etc., deal better with the recidivist, first while he or she is in prison and finally when they get out. , A training program for employers and others who have to make hiring decisions to help them better evaluate the level of rehabilitation in a person applying for a job who also has a prison record. Who's going to pay for all of this? We are! There are currently enough resources in the black community to launch this program, and we at The Carolina Times will soon call on many of you to aid us in an effort to take a positive step toward solving our crime problem, and to relieve prison overcrowding. ' And when we call on you, don't give us excuses. Give us your help, because if you haven't been victimized by crime yet, just wait, your turn is coming. The Vibrancy of Israel's Democracy By Bayard Rustin A. Philip Randolph Institute The viciousness and inhumanity' of the massacre of Palestinian refugees in West Beirut has resulted in a worldwide outcry. Yet nowhere has that protest been stronger or the public . demonstrations larger than in Israel, where the people have been outspoken and une quivocal in their con demnation of the murder gathered in" a huge pro itest in Tel Aviv deman ding an open investiga tion to determine the ex tent of the Israeli leader ship's involvement in the Beirut massacre. As so meone who spent half a year coordinating and laying the groundwork for the 1963 March on Washington, in which 250,000 demonstrated, I can only t marvel at the of hundreds of Palesti magnificence of this nians by Lebanese Chris spontaneous expression tian militiamen; ' .M of Israel's conscience, in ,? Israeli writennd ar-,which over 10 of her tists, trade' unionists-antfc people participated. The public expression of Israeli outrage over religious leaders, as well as prominent spokesmen across the efntire Israeli political spectrum, have joined in the denuncia tion of the heinous crime in Beirut. Members of Prime Minister Begin 's cabinet have resigned to protest his reluctance to launch an independent Inquiry. A massive chorus of voices has call ed for the resignation of Defense Minister Ariel Sharon, Many Israelis have called upon Prime Minister Begin himself to resign. On Saturday, September 25, some 400,000 demonstrators their government's mishandling of its volun tarily assumed respon sibilities in West Beirut is a testament to the vibrancy and vitality of Israeli democracy, and its fundamental commit ment to humane values, At first; Prime Minister Begin resisted calls for an independent inquiry into the extent of Israeli complicity in the Beirut massacre. But that enormous domestic public outcry pressured the Prime Minister and Tiis cabinet into a startl ing reversal of, policy.' There now will be an independent judicial commission of inquiry .. into the massacres in the Sabra and Shaliat refugee canrbs. This in quiry should and must resolve all questions con cerning the guilt or in nocence of Israel's government and military eaders. On the basis of ;he facts uncovered in that inquiry, the Israeli people and their elected representatives will be able, through he,! democratic process, toj determine the fate on those found culpable. In thewords of Labor Par ty Chairman Shimon Peres, "The question arises whether these statesmen who made the terrible mistakes can re main in office." - That indeed is the heart of the question that all Israelis will have to confront in the weeks ahead. Yet the very fact that Israelis will have the freedom to .answer this question is a testament to the strength of , their democracy. Just as in our own country, the im peachment process led to the resignation of Presi dent Nixon for his in volvement in the Watergate coverup and just as the judicial pro cess led to the punish ment of those guilty for the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, so in Israel the democratic process will be the ultimate arbiter. Out of the shock of Shaliat and Sabra have come the first stirrings of a way out of the Middle East's latest tragedy. And as we justifiably join the chorus of con demnations of theBeirut mai;e)Vwg , can, only hope that the new Lebanese President Amin Gemayel will follow Israel's example and launch his own in dependent inquiry to ounish those directly esponsible for the outrage. Such a move would augur well for the new Lebanese President, who faces the difficult task of constructing a stable and democratic society. The events of recent days serve to restore our faith in the judgement of the Israeli people. The have made absolutely clear, that not external pressure, but the internal expression of Israeli morality and conscience, led to the establishment of the independent judicial commission of inquiry. This recent turn of events can comfort us, "but it should not surprise us. For it is another af firmation of the wisdom of the people the fun damental tenet . of democracy. Americans should recall the long and tedious process that led to the Nixon impeach ment hearings. We should ( recall that calls tor nis-resignation were ineffective until that pro cess was well advanced. We can hope that the Israeli judicial inquiry will be prompt and speedy. But the recent expressions of cons cience should make us confident that Israel's people will act wisely and democratically to set their own house in order. We should recognize that in launching their com mission of inquiry the Israelis are on the right course. Calls by out siders which prejudge the outcome may well prove counterproductive. Business In The Black Business Breaks Produce Bargains v Buy Bargains Only By Charles E. Belle "Change is merely an opportunity for profits." People ,whc understand this theory are true capitalists. Con-. sider. for example, the ' record number, of damages being done to businesses and , in dividuals in this country. Counting business failures alone will" fake you back to rhe 1930s to surpass ' this year's number of failures. Facts indicate a record number of , 32 million Americans including 12 million children under the age of 18, lived in homes last' year with in comes below the official ly described poverty line. Looking into these ashes an entrepreneur will emerge with quite a few , bucks. A bit disgusting perhaps, but, never theless, a familiar story. How does one find a for-' tune in such misery...? U is necessary .to think positively at ail limes in order to turn a profit. "When sold a lemon, make and . . ; sell lemonade." A bit dif ficult and messy, but not an impossible task. The world will survive or not survive this ad ministration. An alert in dividual will want to come out ahead not behind in spite of the barriers. . Believing it's better to be on than off the boat. Because there has been and will continue to be for the next year at least so much damage to the U.S. economy oppor tunities will abound for good buys. Be careful. There arc bad buys as well as some good ones. One must first clearly determine what you wish f to purchase; whether it is a consumer product or a production facility. Find competent and knowledgeable people tc , help evaluate all prospec tive purchases. Consklci your individual interests, temperament, skills and experience. In addition to the personal and financial reasons for a purchase of any kind, consider the potential of the purchase Fads come and go. Trends can be just beginning, midway or at" an end. Everything from food and clothing to a company can be classified on a scale of start to finish in the final analysis. A sale is often made because of a significant reason on the - seller's part. Problems j par ticularly in this poor economic environment often beset the seller andor his product. Perhaps this -docs not make the product poor, but pays less if the seller is at a handicap. "Cash is king." Obvious fac tors like failing health or business, as well as in creased competition or obselesccncc should not be forgotten by the buyer. . The present and future earning power of a business or pleasure from a product arc of prime importance. If a business is not a least equal in earning power to an outside investment in securities, like stocks and bonds, or a product is inferior to other pro ducts but cheaper, do not buy. .Eventually, with the damage to the economy being 1 done now by the administra tion, anyone with a buck will easily with a little en treprcneurship , earn several bucks for each one spent, - Lb. AUSTIN Editor-Publisher 1927-1971 (USPS 091-380 (Mrs.) VMin Austin Edmonds Editor-Publisher Ktnnsth W.Edmonds Gsnsral Manager Milton Jordan Executive Editor C. Warren Massonburg Advertising Director L.M. Austin Production Supervisor Curtis T. Perkins Contributing Editor-Foreign Affairs Published every Thursday (dated Saturday) (except the week follow ing Christmas) hi Durham. N.C., by United Publishers, Incorporated. Malting address: P.O. Box 3825. Durham, NX. 27702-3825. Office located at 023 Old Fayettevllts Street, Durham, N.C. 27701. Second Class Postage paid it Durham, North Carolina 27702. .'" Volume in. Number 41. ''.; POSTMASTER; Send address changes to THE CAROLINA TIMES, P.O. Box 382S, Durham, N.C. 27702-3829. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One year, $12.00 (plus 48s sales tax tor North Carolina residents). Single copy 30e. Postal regulations REQUIRE advance payment en subscriptions. Address all communications and make all checks payable to: THE CAROLINA TIMES. - NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE: Amalgamated Publishers, Inc., 45 West 45th Street, Now York, New York 10038. Member: United Prose International Photo Service, National Newspaper Publishers Association, North Carolina Black Publishers ' Association. ;. - : Opinions expressed by columnists hi this newspaper: do not necessarily represent the policy of this newspaper. Thla newspaper WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE for the return of un sotlcled pictures.
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Oct. 16, 1982, edition 1
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