Law: ESR's . By CHERYL WILLIAMS I Chronicle Staff Writer This article Is the first In a series on United Way-funded programs that particularly I affect the black community. I Homelessness, joblessness and hunger don't discriminate, says the director of the 22-year-old Experiment in Self-Reliance Inc., | a community-action agency formed during President I Johnson's "War on Poverty." I "When people talk about I poverty, they're not just talking about one age group," said Robert B. Law, executive director of ESR. "There are children who are born into poverty. We _ ? - - aisu run into oiaer people who have no pensions or Social Security. There's a group in the middle, too, at an age where they " can be employable but do not have skills." While helping others survive, < ESR must fight Jo stay alive I itself. Because of continuing funding cuts, Law said, he spends much .1 of his time making sure enough i % money comes in. "Since Reagan became president, our budget has been cut by 40 percent, and we lost 20 people on our staff," he said. "Ronald Reagan is ideologically opposed to programs for the poor." Established in 1964 with a grant from the N.C. Fund, ESR was designated by the county as a community-action agency in 1965. /. % .. Its main office is located at 1621 E. Third St. * , Law said ESR has a threefold purpose: to mobilize resources at the community and state levels, to be an advocate for poor people and to be an agent of institutional jjChanges. ESR seeks to break the cycle of. poverty through the many programs and services that it offers. Several of those programs are aimed at helping the elderly. They include: Dietitian-approved lunches for thousands of elderly citizens five days a week at seven locations in the city and county. nun t 'Roots' creat il.iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.iiiiiiiiii.iiiiiiiii.iimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.il speak as a spokesman for all of Blac) he said he feels there are a variety of i problems confronting the black fami * ! "First, before I speak to the issue,! I don't see black people as a collective "It always bemuses me when people < and say, 4What are black people thi are so many black people in this co know what they're all thinking. Ho see is that the black family is in a st; different reasons.v : In discussing reasons for the chanj tional black family, Haley noted t range of blacks who are ''doing f; whites" and "a large number of blac in terrible urban situations A* Educational differences between t women, Haley said, are also alterinj the black family by producing a larj single black women who feel they are 9 compatible black husband. However. Halev said manv of the ing blacks are self-inflicted and mus blacks themselves. ; "At the risk of being criticized by 1 feel that many problems that beset bl our own fault," Haley said. "We Y tendency to want other people to < blems for us. Many things that we ] pen, we could prevent if we chose to improve - and we do wish to improv lake steps on our own to do so." Illustrating his point, Haley told i drug sellers today are successful bei allowed to be. He said that he rem ;when someone selling drugs in h !would be chased out of the area. Haley said there is a lack of co issues in today's black communities. ; "The tour Michael Jackson anc made a few years ago raised mi dollars, and people somehow got thi to go see the show," said Haley. 4 ; raise a fifth of that with a tour of t anything else which has a direct n black family. We just don't feel pres as much as we could." Turning the focus to the phenomi " ' j % impact maki L*. ifl Bp5^> ^"' \l " ^ ^fe^yg Hi \ ? , #. -* * * ******* -?^,' ;' V; J'*#**4*# jJm^Vy ** * %\*, * * "'*' fWfwT'V # s \ ' m "_*?* , ** * * -' "* Dalvin McDaniel Jr. caulks arou barker). - The Congregate Housing Services Program, a five-year research project that seeks to keep as many of the elderly as possible in their own h&nes rather than in nursing homes. The project is composed of 96 housing units for the elderly located in the rear of the ESR building, Law sard] w~? A Weatherization Program that serves not only the elderly but handicapped aiuUow-income residents, "You impact on people's li realize you do it, but it maket The service helps residents cut fuel costs, Law said, and it includes weather stripping, caulking, replacement of broken win aows, glazing, overhead insulation and underpinning. Social and educational activities that are sponsored for the elderly through Senior Opportunities and Services."Workshops are held in areas such as health, nutrition and money management. In addition, ESR operates two imiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiMjiiiiiimiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii or From Page A' iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitmitiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiii c America, but his "Roots'* saga reasons for the mon belief, the b ily. burst of enthusia said, was not a n I must say that of one mle thjn !, Haley said. thing :ome up to me lin lic, nking? There sisters taiking at untry. I don't Hal said .lack men and Th^discovery,-! I the status of . blacks seem to ki ger number of "I think 'Root! unable to find what is called th "Oftentimes it is problems fac- roof of a big ho t be solved by culture we live in then we scoot 01 black people, I scoot back, ack people are "I find it bem lave too much very little about b solve our pro- people know a lot permit to hap- because black pe . If we wish to homes, and every e -- we need to together and com sequently they kn the group that and who was sr cause they are whose child had < embers a time was a Southern p is community Haley, who als Malcolm X," is v ncern for real ing." The book, i of finishing, will! 1 his brothers town that, "like i _ 1 4 t !tf f - ** jiuimuions 01 was oypassea oy it $30 together Haley appearec 'You couldn't book which will f he NAACP or said, will tell the leaning to the black millionaires sed to improve straightener to bl "It's as about snal success of Pie t ~.u?.. .. .. A v li. jIB_ nd the window of a Patterson / programs that are employmentoriented. The Learn-to-Earn program helps dropouts get their GED certificates, while Employment Services, started in July, helps match jobs with people. The program also offers information to job seekers on the kind of attitude they need to have in order to keep jobs. Since its beginning, the program has served 78 people, Law said. Twenty-five have found jobs, he said. ves. Sometimes you don't > it worthwhile. " ^ ? Robert B. Law ESR also supplies short-term emergency help through two of its programs. Its Problem Center helps pay the cost of rents, utilities, food, medicine anri nth#?r #*vr**?r?c*?c ? %/? % v/ipvllOVJ UU1 " ing crises. In addition, its staff members provide financial counseling, helping clients work out budgets when necessary. "We try to help people help themselves," Law said. The Problem Center makes referrals as well. The staff at the center works in conjunction with iiiiiiimmiiiiiiiiiiiifiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiimiiiiiimimiiii I , Haley said that, contrary to comook did not result from "a sudden sm or inspiration." The book, he latter of spontaneity but a matter g attaching itself to another little ening to my grandmother and her out when they were little girls," ey talked about Chicken George nd I got curious about the stories I d him to spend two years compilith records and other information ipiled something he said "looked a book." ; success of "Roots" pointed out people know about black people, tie- said,?was surprising- because low so much about white people. provided insight for people into e black experience," Haley said, as if we all live under the same use, but in terms of ethnics and different rooms. Every now and it to meet one another and then using how white people know so lack people and, conversely, black about white people. The reason is ople were domestics in the white weekend the domestics would get pare notes after church, and conew evd-ything about who was sick leaking around with whom and lone what in the white families. It henomenon!" \o wrote "The Autobiography of working on his next book, "Hennivhich he said he is within a month t>e the story of his childhood in the a thousand more Southern towns, the main roads." 1 most excited, however, about the ollow "Henning." That book, he story of Madame C.J. Walker, a s who made a fortune selling hair ack women. as exciting a subject as you can iase see page A14 ? hwhile jpr | ^r jMp^ ^ , T. v *v^i'^3|j|^| jBPC*' *?' * ' '^?4ni?fl r ;J^.'-^i..i --- ;- i^ZM : . ? *1 s? ^ . ... * : .x< <" * a w iji r^^- i **** ^F' *K" '. ' ';.?. 3 Avenue home (photo by James % ? . - 2s other emergency assistance programs in the area. Another crisis-intervention program, ESR's emergency shelter on Burton Street, temporarily houses people who may have lost their homes to fire, evic- ~~ tion or other misfortunes. ESR also operates a community-center at 1318 N. Jackson Ave., where workshops and programs are offeree! to the com-. munity. Eighty percent of the people ESR serves are black, although 45 percent of the county's poor are white, Law said. Thus, ESR is better-known in the black community, he said. Law, who has been ESR's executive director- since January, replaced Louise G. Wilson, who a v?ii VU ESR has a 36-member board of directors and employs 44 staff members, he said. Despite continued cuts in fun- , ding, Law is determined to keep ESR going because he feels the agency does change people's , lives. 4 4 You impact on people's lives," he said. "Sometimes you don't realize you do it, but it makes it worthwhile. ..." 1WH at your local Pharmacy r> , 2 71 S3 Worth Itbtfty ttrwt 3. iMtHRWHi'i Rin. M14 * 4 2142 WwghtBwn StrMt WM2JEMKSM2SEEK i The Chronicle, Thursday, t ?v The Law Firm Of t Announce The, MICHAEL R. BACKGROUND: Born ? Canton, Nortf Education ? B.A. Wake f M.A. Ed. - Wi Law Degree Automobile Accident (and c Workers' Compensation Traffic Offenses Custody & Divorce Evening and We< BOWDEN & GR 107 N. 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