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qS/ZD/^,'^ i-Z NC Z^ 514 mtes VOLUME 74-NUMBER 14 DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA — SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 1996 TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913 PRICE:30 CENTS NCCU Alumna is Commencement Speaker See Page 13 Organizations Unite to Expand Homeownership For Minorities Ttie Metro Herald (Alexandria, Va.) reports Freddie Mac, a national mortgage company, is linking with networks of Lurches and housing organizations across the country to ' foffli coalitions to expand access to home financing for at least 150,000 iow-and-raoderate-income and minority homebuyers. Fred- pie Mac’s community development lending strategy unites the corporation, in two separate agreements, with the Minori ty Enterprise Financial Acquisition Corporation (MEFAC) and HomeFree USA. MEFAC, a for-profit corporation, focuses the resources of the 12.7 million members of the Na tional Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. and the National Bap tist Convention of America, Inc. on the economic redevelop- lent of communities served by its local churches. [oraeFree, a Washington, D.C.-based, not-for-profit organi- jtion, educates and prepares potential homeowners, sourced trough a network of churches and religious social service irganizations, through its "Crusade for Homeownership" ogram. The Freddie Mac/MEFAC alliance and the Freddie lac/HomeFree alliance will work together in certain d communities and separately in others. Black College Sports Page See Page 12 Are We Becoming ^Blind Believers* See Page 10 Supremacist Hate Groups Find Army Bases Attractive 'Army bases are magnets for white supremacists and other hate toups, and leaders of elite Special Forces units believe their troops re being recruited, according to a report launched by African- .itierican Secretary of the Army Togo West. A result of a racially- lolivated killing of a black couple by white two soldiers near Fort liagg, home of the 82nd Airborne Division, the report says one in six ildiers has seen "extremist or racist material" — from recruiting osiers to Internet e-mail. Circuit City Sued The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs reports it has filed a nation wide class action suit against Cir- inilCity, the nation’s largest retailer of consumer electronics and ap- iliances, alleging race discrimination by management against tfrican-American store employees. Plaintiffs seek injunctive and nonetary relief for what they describe as a pattern and practice of dis- rimination in hiring, promotion, compensation, discipline and leniiination. The lawsuit against Circuit City, a national retailer with 15,000 employees across the nation, will potentially affect thousands of black employees, former employees and unsuccessful applicants. A related class action for race discrimination on behalf of African- imerican employees at the company’s Richmond, "VA headquarters tas filed last fall and is pending in U.S. District Court with a trial cheduled to begin in July. Black Monument on The Mall Needs Help The Black Patriots Revolutionary Memorial, the first Washington D.C.) Mall memorial dedicated to the achievements of African Imeticans has been approved by Congress but is in peril. The final lush to raise the $6.5 million needed for it to become a reality must K completed by Oct. 1, 1996. General Motors Corporation, [presented by its Vice President William Brooks, has pledged $1.5 lillion and will match other contributions. Call 1 (800) 888-9811 to lake a contribution toward the Black Patriots Revolutionary lemorial. Campaign for Paul Robeson Stamp The Black Americana Studies program at Western Michigan Uni- miy is sponsoring a celebration of Paul Robeson’s 98th birthday iTuesday, April 9 which, according to LeRoy Wolins, will be the lunch of a two-year campaign to have a U.S. postage stamp honor IS 100th birthday. Robeson first won fame at Rutgers University, here he was one of the first African Americans to play football at a iijor college. He led the team to a national championship, ubeson, who was versatile in many fields, acted in numerous films, ably "The Emperor Jones." Wolins, a friend and admirer of obcson for over 60 years is leading the movement for the stamp. Mins can be reached via: Post Office Box 487, Pullman, MI «50. Telephone (616) 236-5880. Minority Professional Career Forum Cnmson & Brown Associates, the nation’s leading diversity recruit- u ’ holding its first Minority Professional Career Forum 21-22 at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston, Mass., from 3 to 8 ".The event offers professional candidates the opportunity to meet ® leading employers in marketing, sales, hi-tech industries, and •cial services. Crimson & Brown Associates specializes in help- ! top-tier companies attract hard-to-find candidates, primarily "Ohties, women, international students and professional candi- les. Mack Women: You Got to Move ta women who are having trouble shedding pounds, consider “1A study suggests that the metabolic rate of overweight black Wen at test is about five percent slower than that for white women. SECRETARY RON BROWN "He was one of the best advisers and ablest people I ever knew." — President Clinton Louis Farrakhan Receives ‘Newsmaker of the Year’ Award By James Muhammad Special to the NNPA From The Final Call WASHINGTON, D.C- — This government has never pennitted a black person to gain influence over black people where they don’t con- trol the actions of that person, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan told a capacity crowd of black newspaper publishers and journalists recently at the National Newspaper Publishers Asssociation’s annual Black Press Week dinner in Washington, D.C. "But you know and they know that they do not control Louis Farrak han....that you are looking at a free black man. And because I am black and free and because I refuse to bow to any power except the power of God and truth I must be maligned, crucified and even killdd," the leader of the Nation of Islam said. Min. Farrakhan’s biting words came in defense of his recent World Friendship Tour to African and Muslim nations which has been called anti-American in the media and by members of Congress. He told members of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), who had invited him to receive their prestigious "Newsmaker of the Year Award," that he never betrayed the confidence, love and sup port of the millions of black people who participated in and supported the Oct. 16. 1995 Million Man March. His tour of 19 African and Muslim nations sought to bring themes of Atonement and Reconciliation to those countries and to establish Oct. 16 as World Day of Atonement, he said. I feel it is my duty to come to you to explain my actions and my words, Min. Farrakhan said, referring to the media misportrayal of the trip and the call for congressional hearings on the legality of his visit to Libya and Iraq, countries facing U.S. sanctions. "It appears there was and is another plan and another design." White House officials and several congressmen have labeled Min. Far- rakhan’s visit to Libya, the Sudan, Iraq and Iran as a "thug fest" and as cavorting with dictators." Not mentioned in many of the reports, how ever, was his visits to Senegal, Gambia, South Africa, Zaire, Ghana and other African countries, as well as Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The media has charged Min. Farrakhan called America the "great Satan during a speech in Iran and have associated other words disparag ing of the American government to him. When the Muslims shouted, "’Down with America,’ 1 said America is not your problem, Israel is not your problem, the West is not your prob lem. Your problem is your deviation from the path of God as laid down by Prophet Muhammad," Min. Farrakhan said, adding that he encouraged them instead to say, "Up with the Qur’an, up with truth, up with righi^jusness." Min. Farrakhan said the media is attempting to diminish his support among blacks — as they have other black leaders — by misquoting him and taking out of context many of his words in their articles about his visit to the Muslim countries with which America has problems. Citing Marcus Garvey, the Minister said, "We went along with the U.S. government and crucified our brother only later to learn how great a man he was." On W.E.B. DuBois, he said, "Because he became international, because he dared to challenge racism....they (the government) took his passport. He suffered rejection from you whom he loved....worked for....died for. His own people disowned him because the white media said he was not a good person." Min. Farrakhan said Paul Robeson, Adam Clayton Powell, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were also vilified for their out spoken stance on behalf oPblack people. The outspoken Muslim leader congratulated the NNPA, which consists of some 220 newspapers, for not bowing to pressure and withdrawing his award. "Tonight is a celebration of sorts....of the characters of the NNPA," the Minister said. "In times past, whenever a black person was castigated and maligned in the national media, Negro persons, unenlightened persons would have withdrawn the' nomination of Louis Farrakhan and apologized to the white community for having made a mistake. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown Dies in Air Crash U.S. Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown was killed Wednesday, Aprii 3, in the crash of a U.S. military plane in Croatia. He was 54. Aboard the mrcraft at the time of the crash were six crewmen and 27 American business leaders and officials of the Commerce Department There were no survivors. The crash reportedly occurred when the plane ran into a mountainside 1.8 miles from Dubrovnik airport, during a severe storm with blinding rain and heavy fog. REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ABOUT SECRETARY OF COMMERCE RON BROWN THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Dr. Good. Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice President and the First Lady and the members of the Cabinet and I wanted to come here to be with the employees of the Commerce Depart ment at this very difficult hour. Hillary and I have just come from Ron Brown s home, visiting with Alma and Michael and their family and friends who are there. And we wanted to come and spend a few moments With you. As all of you know, the plane carrying Secretary Brown and his delega tion, including a number of your colleagues, business leaders and mem bers of the United States military, went down today near Dubrovnik, Croatia. We do not know for sure what happened there. But I wanted to come here today, as it is almost Passover for American Jews and I know a lot of you will want to be leaving soon, just to have the chance to say a tew words to you. The first thing I want to say is before I left I asked Alma, I said, "Alma, what do you want me to say when I go to the Com merce Department?" She said, tell them Ron was proud of them, that he liked them, that he believed in them, and that he fought for the Com merce Department, and tell them that you’re going to do that now, which I thought was an incredible thing. (Applause) I’ve known Ron Brown a long time. I was always amazed at the way he was continually reaching out trying to bridge the differences between people, always trying to get the best out of people, always, believing that we could do more than we have done. In a way, this job was sort of ready-made for him at this moment in history, and he loved it very much. Most of the time, Ron Brown spent using the power of the Commerce Department to find ways to give opportunity to ordinary Americans, to generate jobs for the American economy and build better futures for American citizens. But when we met earlier this week, right before he left for the Balkans, he was so excited because he thought that, along with these business leaders and the other very able people from theCqiii- merce Department on this mission, that they would be able to use the power of the American economy to help the peace take hold in the Balkans, to help people in that troubled place have the kind of decent, honorable and wonderfully ordinary lives that we Americans too often take for panted. And he was so excited by it. If you saw any of the clips on the television that have been showing today about his meetings yester day, you could see that. I just warn to say, on a very personal note that 1 hope all Americans Wday will be grateful for what all the people who were on that plane did for the military personnel, for the business leaders who didn’t have to go on that mission, who did it not out of a sense of their own profit, hut-out ot a sense of what they could do to help America bring peace. - ' To all of the wonderful people in the Commerce Department that were on that plane, some of them very young — one of them who came to our campaip in 1992 thinking the most important thing he could do was to rpe a bicycle across the country, asking people to vote for the Vice Pres ident and me, wound up a trusted employee at the Commerce Depart- menl. ^ To all of their loved ones and their families, their friends, I want to say 1 am very grateful for their lives and their service. I also want to say just one last thing about Ron Brown. He was one of the best advisors and ablest people I ever knew. And he was very very good at perything he ever did. whether he was the Commerce secretaiy or a civil rights leader or something else, he was always out there just giving It his all. And he always believed that his mission in life was to put people’s dreams within their reach if they were willing to work for it and beliefs in themselves. When we were over at his home a few moments ago, Alexis Herman who, as many of you know, used to work with. Ron at the Democratic Committee and they’ve been friends a long time, told me that his favorite scripture verse was that wonderful verse from Isaiah: They who wait upon the Lord shall have their strength renewed. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and faint not. Well Ron Brown walked and ran and flew through life. And he was a magnificent life force. And those of us who loved him will always be grateful for his friendship and his warmth. But every American should be grateful that at a very difficult moment in our nation’s history, he made this Commerce Department what it was meant to be an instrument for realizing th-> potential of every American. For dl of you who played a role in that, j ask for your prayers for Secre tary Brown and his family, for your colleagues and their families, for die business leaders and their families and for our beloved military officers and their families. And I ask you always, always to be fiercely proud for what you have done and very grateful for the opportunity to have done it. I d like to ask now that we bow for a moment of silence. Amen. Thank you.
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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April 6, 1996, edition 1
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