I Page A4-The Chronicle, Thursday, July 26, 1984 __________ Winston-Salem Chronicle hounded 1974 ERNEST H. PITT, NDUSISI EOEMONYE ALLEN JONNSON < n h'unitt' htemhvt tdiht/ ELAINE L. PITT mm mivnMSk n I Of In r ( tri uluitii* Stunugf 1/ Picture imperfect The people who own Penthouse magazine will sell lots of copies this month. In a move borne of sheer greed and opportunism, Publisher Bob Guccione has parlayed a series of nude black-and-white photos into a media event ? and several trips to the bank. Unless you've been marooned on a desert island during ? the past week, you know, of course, that the photos in question depict Vanessa Williams, the first black woman to be crowned Miss America, sans crown and clothing in sexually explicit poses, five of them with another woman. Penthouse also self-righteously mentions the hypocrisy involved in Miss Williams' status as the "exemplar of simon-pure American femininity," and, in a column signed by Guccione on the same page, boasts of the^'taste, energy, goals and ideas" of his magazine's readership. Both contentions are laughable, and display nerve that is about as raw as the bodies Penthouse regularly deoicts. In the meantime, the blow to Miss Williams' career will be, for at least a while, devastating. She has been asked to resign her title (to another black woman, runnerup Suzette Charles) and could bear the double embarrassment of being the first black Miss America as well as the first titleholdpr ever forced to step down. ^ True, she posed for the photos before becoming Miss America (Penthouse says the photos were Taken in September 1983, Miss Williams' mother that they were probably shot in 1982) and there is a certain amount of hypocrisy in pageants such as the Miss America contest, which tend to lay the saccharrine on in nauseating doses. But, as most of our parents tend to remind us in their 4 illdl I lie pasi SnOUlQ D6 placed in its proper perspective, and that we all deserve forgiveness for past mistakes. If Vanessa Williams is as resilient as she appears to be, she'll face the pain now -- then resume her life. Goodbye, Clifton It is, with apologies to Dickens, the best and worst of times for friends and co-workers who must watch Clifton Graves leave Winston-Salem soon. On the one hand, Graves has the type of talent and potential that require new horizons and fresh challenges. His job as an assistant city attorney in Connecticut will offer both. An added bonus, Graves has noted, is that he will be closer to his family, which moved from Winston more than two decades ago to settle in New Haven. On the other hand, Graves' youthful idealism, eloquence and social consciousness served him and the community well during his stay in Winston. In fact, if he has a weakness, it may be his tendency to involve himself in too many causes and organizations, from the NAACP to the Black Leadership Roundtable to the National Black Independent Political Party. But, with firm advice from family and friends, Graves eventually learned to slow down - at least a little ? and managed to reduce his level of involvement from very heavy to heavy. 4 We also expected the Georgetown University law school _ _i. A ^ _ ? ? JL * % - ? * ?- + political arena. After all, Graves, who calls all of us his brothers and sisters, has the rare gift to relate effectively to white and black, rich and poor, college faculty and high school dropouts, without shifting gears. And he was popular enough to merit not one, but two farewell parties. Anyone who knows him would have bet his last dollar that he was destined to run for something. However, that dream remains to be fulfilled, probably elsewhere, but you never know. The prodigal son may return home once again some day. men r\ew Haven can mourn his departure. About letters.... The Chronicle welcomes letters from its readers as well as columns. Letters should be as concise as possible and typed or printed legibly. They also should include the name, address and telephone number of the writer. Columns should follow the same guidelines, and will -published if we feel they are of interest to our general readership. Submit your letters and columns to Chronicle Letters, P.O. Box 3154, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27102. 41 J fW Iffll ) ^ wscmn ( ] OIF k wmmrn stoced on k SHELF Foe 12 MONTHS 1^ ^JMrnrbn Support tt ja_* By CLIFTON GRAVES Chronicle Columnist Author's note: In last week's column, titled "Far rakhan, Jesse and the Jews, "a sentence near the end should have read: "Hopefully, though, the ongoing controversy surrounding Jesse and Farrakhan, as well as the crucial issues they both have t raised,- will motivate you - be you, black, white, Jew, Arab or Muslim - to study, analyze, critique and challenge what heretofore has been spoon-fed you about Israel, Judaism, Semitism and Zionism. They are not the same. " The author and the Chronicle regret the c r r i/r At the risk of being labeled a "lame duck" citizen of this community, I nevertheless offer an opinion as to why everyone should support the NAACP's boycott of Food Lion stores. Simply put, the "selectivebuying" campaign being launched against the foreignowned and Southeast-based fKoin if W? a Isrt uuu vuaiu la niv, iuji i voui i after months of negotiation sessions proved fruitless. Black fam By JOHN JACOB Syndicated Columnist At a conference sponsored jointly by the National Urban League and the NAACP, major national black organizations came together to discuss what the hlark rnmmnnitv ran do to help strengthen the black family. All agreed that the problems facing black families in part stem from the inequities in our society that discriminate against black parity in jobs, in other key areas affecting family life. ' But, at the same time, it is important to strengthen individual self-discipline and community values. That suggests, too, a greater emphasis on male responsibility and the importance of the male role in family relationships. While concertrating on the wrongs of discrimination and poverty, it is also important to do what we can about the family's problem ourselves. Government and private sector action is necessary, as are the services and the concern black organizations ^an pro (iwHOHt IS * L096B.. BSA6*N \S~) (6CTVI6 To BEAT USA6MW ^ MANUFACTURED TO ~ RETAVL TOR %?i ri black female school dropouts leave school because of pregnancy. That's about 45,000 young women per year, or more than the number of black women who graduate from college each year. About half of those young mothers never get a high school diploma. So it is not surprising that the majority of adolescent mothers are poor; the median income of households headed by young black women is under $4,000. n..A i 1 I.! i-. t_ _ i_ ? nui ine snocKingiy nign incidence of poverty among MONMLE H*S JUST PICKED 66BALWVE FtiBACO h& HIS RUNNlVlft WTE ? ? PURCHASED BY THE PENTAGON POP *H35 oo B0U6HT BY CONCERNED TAXPAYER. i A IMI UUJtUU Others of you no doubt feel that you are too sophisticated and/or educated to actively participate (i.e., carry a sign, distribute a leaflet) in such a protest. ~ A few of you probably are shrugging your shoulders over such an effort, feeling perhaps that it is a waste of time 44 'cause white folks gonna do what they want to, when they want to," and, further, that "black folk ain't gonna participate anyhow." And finally, there is a segment of this community that makes the rather cogent argument that: The boycbtt should exclude? the East Winston store because some black folk have some stock in that store. The East Winston store has a black manager, Waverly Martin, and 90 percent black employees. The East Winston store has been a long time coming and does meet a serious need in this section of town (i.e., convenience and access for our senior citizens in particular.) Yet, with all du^tespect to the aforementioned concerns, reservations and arguments, Please see page A5 icism children is not simply caused by the growth in femaleheaded households. Those families are poor not because they are headed by women, but because jobs and training opportunities for disadvantaged single mothers barely exist. Racial discrimination is an important factor, too. More than two-thirds of black women family heads with children are poor; only about en means the end of school of bkwk>->fem&k&~ oTBecmAselfrTw -t *r? two-fifths of similar white families are poor. That tells us race is as important as the gender of the head of the household. Whites also have had similar growth in teen pregnancies and in female-headed households. Their rise in recent years may be large, but they still are a relatively small part of the white community. And they aren't penalized to the extent that black families are. Black families simply can't Please see page A5 (i 3oLd vivs/ a wew Sp\Sf7 ' 11 Letters - ? --rrrrt;^ More messages from friends The following letter was addressed to Chronicle Publisher Ernest H. Pitt. To The Editor: 111 c f a nr?lp tr\ nffpr rrvn _ J M llVkV IV VH VI VVI1 gratulations on your latest conquest: being named the best black newspaper in the USA! I was so glad that I was at the NNPA convention to see and hear what took place. Ail of us at the Journal are proud.ofLyau. . As f Ti c seliTof bldxk ~ newspaper editor in North Carolina, 1 have had a long and successful career (around 50 years). And I have never witnessed the attainments which you and your fine staff have reached, not to mention the very short time in which you have done so much ? about one-fifth of my career. It has been a great pleasure to work with you over the past 10 years. I hope that I will be spared to continue to work with you and that your success will be even greater than it presently is. You all have honored yourselves and the Tar Heel state ? not only our race, but all Tar Heels. ? God bless you all, and, in the words of scores of letters 1 have received from my readers, 4'keep on keeping on.*' Best personal regards to my friends at the Chronicle and ? ^ your family. T.C. Jervay Publisher The Wilmington Journal Wilmington A good feeling To The Editor: 1 want to extend my personal congratulations to you on the Chronicle's being selected as the best black f newspaper in the nation. It gives me a truly good feeling 10 see you ana your statt recognized for the outstanding job you are doing. I know there has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get you to this point, and I also understand the challenge now facing you to maintain the excellence. I have no doubt that the award will come vour wav acain npvt year, as will others. I look forward to touring your new facilities. Nancy P. Lovelace Media Relations Manager Wachovia Bank & Trust Co. _ \ swvifift ? The following letter was addressed to Chronicle Publisher Ernest H. Pitt. To The Editor: Congratulations to you and the Chronicle staff on your recent award and recognition. The Chronicle not only has provided a unique service to the black community, but I personally have found it quite informative and enjoyable. As recruiters for Hanes Knitwear, we have found the Please see page A5 D Li "lit; l!