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* ? r ? Page A4-The Chronicle, Thursday, January 5, 1984 ' Wiqston-Salem Gt\r~x>i\icle Founded 1974 ERNEST H NDUB1SI EGEMONYE " ALLEN JOHNSON Co hounder ?tecuii*r Editor ELAINE L. PITT JOHN SLAPE Office Aisisti/u Editor > 9 ^ Tomorrow's Candidates The coming year will give black voters an opportunity to put their ballots where their mouths are. For one thing, four seats on the city-county school board will become available. The terms of former board chairman Marvin Calloway and Dr. William Sheppard, its present chairman, will expire, with neither man eligible to seek reelection. In addition, the terms of John Wood, a man whose ^ views often are unpopular among black parents, but who at least is forthright in stating those beliefs, and Garlene Grogan, whose record is dubious at best, are eligible to seek re-election, but have not indicated whether they will do so. The school board has a frayed relationship with the black community, and justifiably so. Its actions have been unfair, politically motivated and directly contrary to the best interests of the black community. Thus, NAACP Vice President Walter Marshall, who, like Wood, is forthright with* a capital *'F," has for months warned that black voters' wrath will be vented at the boar^ . come the general election op Nov. 6. And well it should. The problem is, in order to vote against someone, one must vote for someone. Who those individuals will be we haven't even 4 notion. But we do have some recommendations. One is Norma Smith, a math instructor at Winston-Salem State University who, with Alderman Virginia Newell's help and inspiration, has made the Neighborhood Justice Center a reality. Mrs. Smith is eloquent, thoughtful and hardly reluctant to speak her mind. Unfortunately, it appears that she would have to be coaxed into running.TTer candidacy would be well worth the effort. Other possible school board-candidates, none of whom has expressed an interest in running but all of whom merit serious . consideration, include Walter Marshall, Evelyn Terry and Ann Simmons. The only reservation we have about Marshall running is that he has been so effective and valuable to the black community as a non-elected advocate. ' Mrs. Terry was the choice of-a group of concerned black citizens to assume the Democratic seat vacated by state Rep. Tom Womble and eventually given to John Wood. We endorsed her candidaCy,thefl.dnd we encourage her to consider ^running now. Ann Simmons is a relative newcomer to activism in our r^mmiinitv i c nniotUr offor>ti?;o It mot; ?-?o o put- ? wiiiiuuiiii j "iiu u v^uivnj vi lvwuv v. ti uiajr wuuit a jui" prise especially to her that her name is mentioned "Here, but from all indications we've received, she would be a worthy candidate. She currently serves on the executive board of the JslAACP_ and is chairman of its youth board. Though we're' not suggesting that the talk of the school aboard candidates from the black community should end with this editorial and these names, we certainly hope it begins here. We needed to have started thinking yesterday about out political tomorrow in Winston-Salem. Crosswinds Baseball And Cocaine From the (Cleveland) Call And Post. Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn's suspension of four DlaveVs for one vear shows the concern within the hasehall establishment over the emergence of a drug culture among athletes. This culture is in addition to what was already an overwhelming problem with alcohol. Kuhn's action, while firm and positive, demonstrates that owners will not cope any better with the drug problem than they did with the Players' Association Contract agreement. They lack a well thought out, compassionate plan and the will and power to enforce it. Such a plan, similar to that used in the National Basketball Association, must be compassionate, redemptive and, if necessary, harsh. Kuhn seemingly doesn't always know when to be compassionate. Three of the players, all Kansas City Royals, were convicted Nov. 17 for "attempted possession of cocaine" by a federal judge in Kansas City, Mo. Two blacks, Willie Wilson and Willie Aiken, were sentenced to one year jail terms and $5,000 fines while another Royal, Jerry Martin, received the same jail term but was fined $2,500. The judge suspended all but three months of the sentence for all the players. .Kuhn said the fourth player, Los Angeles Dodger Steve Howe, had "repeatedly undergone treatment for drug abuse * i ?. i-5 ?i i i _ i _ ^ _ _i ^ i? uvcr uic paM ij niuiiuib anu nai> repeaieuiy viuiaieu me terms of his probation and has continued his involvement with illegal drugs. America's cocaine problem is epidemic, and growing, and nowhere is the paradox it imposes more visible than in Commissioner Kuhn's office. After many generations of overindulgent drunks who happened to be baseball stars, the game has bfeen infiltrated by Please see page A5 e ^ ** f I > ; - c THERE'S Mo GOOD REASON J THE MfcmfcS IN LEBANON "* ' THAT JUST goes ON AND C WWERE DOES AT STo? ? We Should: By CLIFTON GRA VES Chronicle Columnist On Jan. 9, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will celebrate its 75th anniversary -- 75 years of fighting for justice and equality for all of America's people. Indeed, as this winter reflects upon the nearly eight decades of the NAACP's involvement in the freedom struggle ? an involvement which has emphasized agitation, litigation and negotiation - I shudder to think of where we as a people would be had it not been for the courageous and persistent efforts of the NAACP, courageous and persisent struggles which resulted in the the organization being labeled "radical" and "communist." struc , ? ^ gles which resulted in thousands of its members and sympathizers being jailjd, terrorized, tortured and murdered. And all this simpty because the organization hafc attemp-^ ted to make America , live up to its $ professed credo. * To be sure, any entity which has been around as long as the NAACP is "subject to become stagnant and is therefore in need of transformation and revitalization from time to time. Yet, be that as it may, today the NAACP remains a viable institution, both nationally and locally, and one The Growin By JOHN JACOB Syndicated Columnist Lf? ? If you read the papers, the growing health care crisis is one of finances runaway medical care costs take a fast-growing share of the nation's resources. The federal Government foots almost a third of the nation's $300 billion health bill and the impact on the budget makes cost containment the hot issue in Washington. But that perspective is a narrow one. The real issue should be equal access to quality health care for all. That's not to ignore the importance of getting the nation's medical bill under control. But to limit debate on health policy to cost^is to ignore the more urgent question of keeping our people healthy. There is not necessarily a conflict between the two goals. Costs can be contained while at the same time equal access is ensured. But that may take a very different health care system. The present patch-work system evolved over time. The federal Medicare program covers health care costs of the elderly .while the state-run Medicaid program is supposed to ensure the poor and those who would be poor without aid in paying medical bills. ^ Private insurer*; through group in surance plans and individual contracts, cover many of the medical expenses of working people and the middle class. THe Job of TeAcHees \s To tcawj THE MINDS-OF OUe FUTURE ieadecs... % o KEEP BUT IF WE PUU KILLED _* ' r M - IF CeceuT i Support Our K which has changed and will continue to change (within the constraints of 1 its charter) as it persists in the ongoing battle for change in these yet-tobe United States of America. But, also, neither the NAACP (nor any grassroots organization committed to change and progress) can continue to exist, thrive and grow without the suDDort of black folk ? those of us who have benefited the most from the assert that the 4 I organization is citfton Grave* ' passe and has "outlived its usefullness." Others * claim* that the organization is "too ti white-oriented," "too conservative" 1 and "too narrow-minded" in its programmatic thrusts. But the fact of the matter is that * even today when a black worker is mistreated, a black student is unfairly suspended, a black man is brutalized by the police, or a black woman is denied a job, the very first place these people call is the local NAACP. g Health Cat But over 20 million people fall through the gap between federal and nrivotn inctiron/^o nlonr piMHlV IIIJUI U1IVV picillj. 1TIU31 aiC poor; a disproportionate number are minorities. They are effectively shut out of the system. Despite the mounting expenses of Medicare and Medicaid that are worrying Washington, those programs are not as effective as they should be. Medicare, for example, covers less than half of the total health expenses of the elderly. And two-thirds of poor people are not covered by Medicaid. Those that are, are subject to differing state regulations. 'Many states exclude two-parent families, childless "Despite the mounting expense, that are worrying Washington, th tive as they should be. " couples and Single persons from Medicaid coverage. Others won't cover the medically ('needy ? those earning a little over the poverty level. So there is a two-class poverty system operating ? with one group of poor people covered by Medicaid and others who are not. That system will be worsened by the various costcontainment plans and by federal belt-tightening, as- states make their" Medicaid nroorams more restrictive and as new user fees are instituted. By raising fees and restricting eligibility, costs are kept under control ? bi^pionly by squeezing more people into the no-man's land of denial of access1 to medical services. imSTiu \u out* vouth Advise of mobm pubposf, cjotmmcalt C\V\C?C\D6... 4 \ / ' u out, "mose \nho it hkve p\6p \vj vmw I ^ ^ ' history is *gutt - 'j? f\b0ut 50,000 1? [Y. \ .Si NAACP" It matters not whether the city is Chicago or Charlotte, WinstonSalem or Washington, D.C., Detroit or Durham, the NAACP continues to fulfill the,legacy of W.E.$. Du Bois, Walter White and Roy Wilkins, a legacy underscored by the belief found in Langston Hughes' -verse: O, yes, I say it plain, America never was America to me ? But this I swear America will he. Nationally, out of a population exceeding 30 million, less than 500,000 African Americans are NAACP members. Locally, the statistics are just as pathetic. - Nonetheless, in this 75th anniversary year, each of us has a golden opportunity to redeem ourselves and do our fair share to keep the freedom[ struggle's most venerable advocate alive and well. For as long as one black man is wrongfully imprisoneq; as long as one black..woman indiscriminately denied opportunity; as long as one black child is not afforded the right to a quality education; as long as one black person is inadequately housed, ill-fed or unclothed, sisters and brothers, there will be a need for our NAACP. Yet, as local branch president Please see page AS Crisis % The bulk of the federal health dollar goes to hospitals and nursing homes, but greater emphasis on primary care could be the key to longterm cost containment. That's because keeping people healthy is cheaper and easier thai* curing them when they are sick. There is now renewed interest in health maintenance organizations and similar departures from the traditional fee-for-service approach, that adds so much to the nation's health bill. 3 Such changes in the organization of health services, including greater reliance on neighborhood health s of Medicare and Medicaid ose programs are not as effecclinics, make more sense than the present setup in which the local hospital emergency ward serves as the primary care center for the medically underserved. We don't bear anything about national health insurance any more. That once-popular idea was buried by the swing to conservatism of recent years and by the massive rise in health care expenditures. With the budget deficit around $200 billion and likely to remain high in the forseeable future, a national health svstem with universal coverage - - ? ? , ? doesn't seem politically possible. Yet it may be revived as the key to both Please see page A 5 AMD PCfcPASe STUD6HTS SoUMDS LIKE, f OC SOCVWAL \Vi A WE: SHO0L0 B6 Hi&H-TfeCM sa\eTy V * Measuring Achievement By M4R/AN EDELMAN Guest Columnist There are many ways to measure the achievements of man - our literature, our music, our technological breakthroughs, our art, our steps_tQward world peace. But the most just and simple way is in the value we place upon human , iife. . ^ Children are dym^--iji the developing world at a rate of 15 "" million a year -- the equivalent of the entire under-5 population of the United States. They are not dying from war or natural disasters or exotic and incurable ailments. Most are dying from common childhood diseases that we know how to prevent easily and inexpensively -- measles,, whooping cough, diarrhea, starvation. Each year, some five million children die from?dehydration caused by diarrhea. More than three million die wracked by the high fevers of pneumonia. Another two million die from measles, 1.2 million from whooping cough, one million , from tetanus. For every child who dies, others live onrin hunger and ill health. The greater enemies of children . today are not crime and nuclear war; but malnutrition and infection. Children with even moderate malnutrition are three times more likely to get diarrheal infections and up to 10 times more likely tor die from illnesses like measles. In a vicious cycle, infection itself can lead to malnutrition, depressing a child's appetite, decreasing . the body's absorption of nutrients, rejecting rood by vomiting and draining life-giving nourishment. In the poorest areas of the world, children average 160 days of illness every year - a constant barrage of X^sickness that permanently stunts healthy growth in the vulnerable - body of a young child. } Three out of five of the ^orld's children are born in nations; where morejhan 50 infants die for every 1,000 live births. The United Nation's Children Fund predicts this j pattern will continue through the year 2000. Yet the solutions are so simple. Every six seconds a child dies I and another is disabled from a disease that could have been prevented through immunization. For only $5 per child, every child in the developing world could be immunized against the six major communicable diseases of childhood?measles* whooping ? cough, tetanus, diphtheria, tuberculosis and polio. .Yet, less than 20 percent of the developing world's rhilHren arp immiini7f?H parh vpar Several million young children may become malnourished every year because they are bottle-fed rather than breast-fed by their mothers. Breast-feeding is more hygienic and nutritious than bottle-feeding and also protects children against common infections. Yet millions of mothers in poor countries are turning toward artificial milk substitutes they cannot afford, do not need and are unable to use safely. Promoting the dangers of bottle feeding and the advantages of breast-feeding are not costly and have enormous payoffs. In the Philippines, infant deaths in one hospital were down 95 percent after an intense campaign to promote breast-feeding. Malnutrition underlies the death of several million children a year and stunts the healthy development of millions more. Yet only 1 percent of the world's children are visibly and obviously malnoursihed. More than a quarter of the developing world's children suffer from malnutrition that is invisible to the naked eye. Growth charts, which cost only 10 cents each, can help a mother iTK>nitor her child's weight gain and development and prevent up to half of all child Please see page A 5 OH, NO- VOU DON'T mNT To 61VE J THfckA Ik PM.SE SENSE,0F Si \N\?oCT*NGE \MM *
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Jan. 5, 1984, edition 1
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