Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / March 22, 1975, edition 1 / Page 4
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Page 4 The Winston-Salem Chronicle March 22, 1975 Editorials Rams Cage Team Deserves Support Congratulations and cheers are in order for Winston-Salem State University’s great basketball coach, Clarence “Bighouse” Gaines. Whether we realize it or not, coach Gaines is a big winner. He has won more games than any other coach except...what’s his name out at U.C.L.A. (John Wooden). That in itself is a great honor. But, when you look at the doubt and poor support that Gaines has gotten from the community in recent years, it makes his accomplishment that much greater, First of all, no one ever expected the Rams to win many games this year. But they did (23). No one really expected them to beat arch-rival N.C. A&T State. But they did...twice. Thej didn’t win the CIAA, but came awfully close finishing second. No one expected them to beat Barber Scotia nor win the NAIA District 26 tournament. But they did both. They did not do poorly at the tournament in Kansas City, Mot, either.They made it to the third round before falling to St. Mary’s. What is most disheartening, however, is the poor support given Bighouse and the Ram team. At one game held at the coliseum, the visiting team had more fans than did the home team Rams. That is disgusting. More than 9,000 fans turned out to see the Rams play in Kansas City. That was probably more than all the non-student fans the Rams had all year. The team deserves more support than that. There is nothing that can be done about that now. But there will be another basketball season at WSSU. If Bighouse is there the Rams will be as successful, too. They do deserve youi support...next season give it to them. ‘First In Freedom’ Has Ironic Twist Recently, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol released a statement saying anyone who covers the slogan “First in Freedom’’ on their 1975 license tags would be arrested. This seems ironic to say the least. First, the state prints the slogan on the license plates then says anyone exercising this freedom by covering the slogan will be arrested. This, however, is in keeping with the many hypocracies that abound in this country. This slogan is a blatant example of this hypocracy. Lets look at the facts. 1. North Carolina has 66 people on death row. The most of any state in the nation. 2. The state has cities that rank in the top 10% in the nation as the most segregated. 3. The state is still fighting the desegregation of its schools. These are only a few of the examples that can be cited to •efute the truth of the slogan. If it is against the law to cover the “First in Freedom” slogan then the slogan is obviously a bigger lie than ever. THE WINSTON-SALEM CHRONICLii is published every Thursday by the Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing Co., Inc. 2208 'N. Patterson Ave. Mailing address: P.O. Box 3154, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27102 Second class mailing privilege pending in Winston-Salem, N.C. Phone 722-8624 Individual copies 20 cents Subscription: $10.40 per year payable in advance [N.C. sales tax included] Editor-in-chief Ernest H. Pitt Society editor Linda Murrell Business editor Charles T. Byrd Jr. Publisher Ndubisi Egemonye Administrative assistant....Gloria J. Jones Opinions expressed by columnist in this newspaper do not necessaril] represent the policy of this newspaper. '‘'when I KILLCt? COfv,Mt/N(9T-tT WAS fi, SHC W^iS not ARMep,* william H-cALLtX. TO BE EQUAL By Vernon E. Jordon,Jr. ‘..A-:.:- Whitney Young died four years ago this month, and the loss of this great man to the nation is readily seen in this time of faltering leadership and national confusion. For Whitney was a great leader, a man who could get things done. And he was a man rooted in an assured sense of self and mission that made his every word and deed ring with authority. Remembering his great impact, I recently re-read some of his books and other writings, many of which are strikingly relevant today. In this time of rising poverty, for example, it is good to recall his profoundly humanist statement: “No one is meant to live in poverty — and no one is meant to tolerate the wrongs of oppression. Where poverty exists, all are poorer; where hate flourishes, all are corrupted, where injustice reigns, all are unequal. Our society is as strong as its weakest link, - thus the links that bind l)lack and white, poor and rich must be strengthened or we all will perish. Every man is our brother, and every man’s burden our own. Now is the time for the poor, the black, the oppressed, to unite and to turn our society around-for our own sakes and for society’s sake.” And participants in the on-going furor over “quotas” would do well to think about these lines, taken from his discussion of the “Open Society” in his book, “Beyond Racism”: “An Open Society has to be based on equality. This means neither the superficial ‘equal ity of opportunity’ that gets so much lip service these days, nor does it mean ar impossible equality oi achievement that assumes everyone will do as well as everyone else, regardless of innate differences. The mea sure of equality has to be group achievement: when, in each group in our society, roughly the same proportion of people succeed and fail, then we will have true equality.” Washington officials who want to cut corners on federal spending by trimming social security payments to the aged or raising food stamp costs to the unemployed would do well to re-read Whitney’s pioneer ing views about public spending for public needs. “I stand in amazement at a nation that produces about a trillion dollars worth of goods and services per year but feels it cannot afford to end poverty or to improve its schools. “Part of the reason seems to be that we have a strange notion that investing is spending. When a business borrows money to build a new plant, we call it investment and consider it good. But when a city builds a new schoolhouse -- really an investment in the human potentials of its children -- we say that’s government spend ing, therefore bad. “The problem is not mere semantics, it’s a reflection of a basically immoral outlook on human development in a nation that simply can no longer afford to waste its human resources the way it has in the past. “This country has mastered the art of landing a man on the moon, but it remains ignorant of the ways of feeding all its people and teaching all its children.” Abpve all, Whitney was a believer. He believed in change, and perhaps more important, in the capacity of this nation to change: “I do have faith in America - not so much in a sudden upsurge of morality nor in a new surge toward a greater patriotism -- but I believe in the intrinsic intelligence of Americans. I do not believe that we forever need to be confronted by tragedy or crises in order to act. 1 believe that the evidence is clear. 1 believe that we as a people will not wait to be embarrased or pushed by events, into a posture of decency. I believe that America has the strength to do what is right because it is right. I am convinced that given a kind of collective wisdom and sensitivity, .4mericans today can be persuaded to act creativel> and imaginatively to make democracy work. This is my hope, this is my dream, this is my faith.” am
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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March 22, 1975, edition 1
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