, 4 THE CAROLINA TIMES SATURDAY, 0CTC2E& 3di4$32
Geo. Frazier Swirls in Controversy, Credting Some of His Own Storms
By Donald Alderman
, Standing in the pulpit of Mount
Zion Baptist Chruch on Fayetteville
Street last Sunday, George Frazier
leaned over the podium, pointed to
the small crowd of NAACP
faithfuls and "preached" about
problems that, in his judgement,
hinder black advances.
"Some people somewhere need to
stop talking about guns and start
talking about human needs," he
said, referring to cuts in federally :
funded social programs and record. .
increases in defense spending.
His audience, about forty people,
sitting in the sanctuary's perfectly i
aligned oak pews, responded with ',
enthusiastic "yeahs and "that's
rights."
Strolling to the other side of the
pulpit, Frazier barked out another
concern, beckoning for agreement
, -from the audience.
"They send us off to war tell us ;
we're fighting for freedom and
when we get back, we still aren't
free," he said. "And that's not all,
when we come back, deranged from
that agony, they shoot us down in
the streets like dogs."
Frazier's reference was to the re
cent fatal shooting of a black Viet
nam veteran by a white Duke
University public safety officer.
In many ways, this pep talk is a
monthly ritual for Frazier, 54, presi-,
dent of the Durham Branch of the
NAACP, a group that he calls "the
greatest organization in the world."
Frazier, a rather compactly built 1
fellow with salt and pepper, .
closecropped hair and an outgoing
style that borders on the flam-'
boyant, is certainly outspoken, if
nothing else. - , '
Moving easily from casual dress,
such as shirt and slacks, to expen
sive three-piece suits, Frazier jevels
in his rather frequent one-on-one
confrontations with white power
brokers. At the first hint , of
anything he sees as an injustice or a
mistreatment of blacks, Frazier will
dash off a biting telegram, call a,
hasty press conference, or simply '
issue a statement to the press. Often
it is not clear if his confrontations,
his outbursts, are Frazier the citizen
or Frazier the NAACP branch presi-.
dent. "
But whatever the role, it is clear,
that Frazier likes being NAACP
president.
"I've been riding this ship for a
long time, since 1948," Frazier said
during an interview following Sun
day's meeting. The Durham Branch
meets every fourth Sunday at
various churches throughout the
black community.
Frazier's reference, to a ship
described the Durham Branch and
he has been captain of that ship
since 1978 and co-captain four years
prior to that.
The Durham NAACP branch is
in its 61st year, and, according to
several insiders, is one of the most
effective local branches in the state..
For example, local branch treasurer
Redditt Alexander says the branch is
solvent, . and almost never :.
Overspends its budget, though it '
operates a fulltime office,
something that most local branches i.
don't have.
Many of these things, such as the
local office can be attributed to
Frazier's leadership, according to
insiders. ' -; ' :
But while Frazier appears to have ;
brought a certain amount of stabili
ty to the branch as president, he also
brought an outspoken character and
. demeanor probably unseen before.
His style of leadership often creates
controversy that sometimes boils
over into disenchantment, but
Frazier weathers it all like a sea-;
tossed ship rocks through a stormy
night. -
For example, when Frazier earlier
this year managed to get a small
group of his 23-member executive
committee to endorse the controver- j
sial downtown civic center bond
referendum, his engineering of the
issue produced a lot of talk, but no
censure, and in fact, not much
disagreement of any substance.
The acceptance was, in fact,
somewhat surprising since Frazier's
move, according to an investigation
by The Carolina Times, broke a
tacit agreement between the
NAACP and three other local black
groups to present a Unified front to
the downtown civic center sup
porters. But ultimately, Frazier's early;
support ' was vindicated as the
Durham Committee and the Hayti
Development Corporation openly
supported the bond referendum in.
exchange for certain concessions
from the downtown interests.
Then, scarcely more than a month
later, Frazier, a machinist, who also
'raises race horses on his 60-acre
farm in southern Durham Couhty,
moved boldly again in opposition to
the Durham Committee.
Upset because the Committee
switched' its endorsement from
Sheriff Bill Allen in the June
primary to his opponent, Roland;
Leary in the July runoff race,
Frazier pulled a bold move.
Designed, in his own words, to.
confuse black . voters, Frazier 1
printed up a marked ballot, very,
similar to the ones that the Durham :
Committee has been issuing for
more than 30 years. All of the en
dorsements were marked correctly
except the one in the sheriffs race.
The Committee's ballot showed
Leary as ths favorite candidate,
while Frazier's ballot showed Allen ,
as the endorsee.
It is not, clear how much confu
sion Frazier's ploy caused, or how
many blacky votes he steered to
Allen, since Leary whipped him
soundly, by more than 10,000 votes.
But, again, though many members
of the NAACP are also members of
the Durham Committee, there was'
no public outcry of foul.
The organization appears to over-.
whelmingly support Frazier and his
' tactics, especially the 23-member ex
ecutive committee. The executive
committee is composed of chairmen
of standing committees, such as the
Legal Redress Committee ' and
',' others..' -'r.-- .
"He loves the NAACP better a
than a hog loves , slop, " said Msf
Alice Wilson, chairman of the
Freedom Fund Committee. I think
that whatever decision he makes, he
makes it in behalf of everyone, for
freedom, justice and equality." '
But beyond Frazier's love for the
branch and his position, Alexander,
a local realtor and branch treasurer, -sheds
some light on why there might
not be any more resistance to
Frazier than there is.
"He spends a lot of time on
branch business," Alexander said,
noting that getting rid of Frazier
might be worse than abiding with
his tactics, "and some of his own
money. You might not be able to
find a better person. There1 really
aren't that many people who want
the job." . y
And so chances are real good that
when local branch members gather ,
in December, as they do every two
years, to elect branch officers,
Frazier will still be president.
Right now, he's the only can
didate for the job.
;A nominating committee, named
at Sunday's meeting will present a
slate of proposed officers at the
group's November meeting. The
elections will be held at the
December meeting. Though the
nominating committee will present
just one non-competitive slate,
nominations can be made from the
floor by bona fide members who
have paid the annual $10 member
ship dues. .
Frazier is not anticipating any op
position, not even to speak of
defeat. Closing Sunday's meeting,
he said: "I pray that when the ship
sets sail in January, we'll all be
aboard."
In conclusion, Frazier says his
convictions, not politics, enable him
to withstand storms of controversy,
even those he creates.
"r don't mend any fences. I don't
tear any down," he said. "I make
decisions on my convictions and on
what's good for the total black com
munity, not me or any individual. I
don't -cri flee principle at any time
for any reason. I try to keep my eye
planted on the prize and the prize is
freedom."
Frazier, who grew up in Durham
' oil Merrick Street, the youngest of
eight children, says the hard times
and lean years of his childhood
helped shape the tough,
unapologetic person he is.
...; "I grew up in a poor and broken
family, but proud. My mother
washed and ironed on a scrub board
,for white people until my brother r
bought her a washing machine. My
Imvther always told us that even
i though we were poor and ragged,
we could be dean and proud."
; Frazier dropped out of Hillside
High School in the seventh grade,
but later earned a high school
equivalency certificate in 1949. He
also received a certificate in accoun
ting from Durham College in 1954,
i and has taken courses in real estate
and insurance. ;;- v.,-v ;.. t
He served in the Navy during
WWII from 45 to '4? and in the Ar
my during the Korean War from '50
to '53. After his last stint in the Ar
, my, Frazier came back to Durham
and worked for a coufie of years as ,
a Pepsi-Cola salesman the first
black one in Durham. After a cou- "
pie of years shuffling between
Durham and Atlantic City, New
Jersey, working here and there, he'v
moved to Newark, New Jersey,
He spent" the next 16 years there
working in an unemployment of
fice, and in a bail bond office. At
one point, he ran his own bonding
office. He first got, involved in
politics there, starting a political
group nammed after himself that he
says still exists.
1 Frazier met his wife, Edna, in I
New Jersey, but she's a "homegirl"
from Fuquay-Varina. They have
three daughters and a son.
As head of the local NAACP, one
of 130 chapters across the state, ;
Frazier boasts of having the highest
number of life memberships of any
chapter in the state, and of having
one of the most financially stable
chapters.
Recently elected as 3rd vice presi
dent of the state NAACP, he says
his personal philosophy is to "love
they neighbor as thyself."
He says "the upward mobility of
blacks should depend in large part
on a positive strategy to increase
economic conditions."
"Truthfully," he says, "the milk
has been warmed over and given
back to us. Blacks have advanced in .
certain areas but not overall. We
can drink at any water' fountain,
ride anywhere on the bus and use
any restroom," but we don't own ,
much... We haven't moved in the '
direction that's most important and
that is up the economic ladder."
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(Continued from Page 3)
sterile by taking the
pill," he said. "There is
no delay in conception
following removal of an
IUD or a pregnancy
where a diaphram re
mains in a dresser
drawer."
He advised both IUD
and oral contraceptive
users to avoid pregnancy
two to three months
after discontinuing con
traceptive use,
Droegemueller said if a
woman becomes preg
nant during the first cy
cle following discon-'
tinuation of the pill, she
should be cautioned that
her calculated due date is
only a vague approxima
tion. "Women who use
IUDs should see their
health care provider
without delay if they
miss an anticipated
menstrual period or if
there is scanty flow dur
ing their menstrual
period," Dgregemueller
"said. "If a woman con-,
ceives with an IUD in her I
uterus and the IUD re
mains in her uterus, the
instance of spontaneous
abortion is between 50
and 60 percent. If the
IUD is removed or spon
taneously expelled after
pregnancy is conceived,
the incidence of spon
taneous abortion is less
than 30 percent."
Droegemueller said if
the IUD pregnancy is
fortunate enough to pro
gress to the last three
months, medically it
should be considered
high risk.
He also said that,
although the evidence is
not clear-cut, it does not
appear that spermicides
or oral contraceptives
taken inadvertantly dur
ing early pregnancy are
associated with birth
defects.
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RE-ELECT
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Bill will continue to work for:
The extension of water and sewer lines
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v RE-ELECT i ,
WILLIAM V. BELL
. r '.. Democrat
Durham County Commissioner
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