Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / June 20, 1991, edition 1 / Page 3
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Black advancement changes studied By IRIS RAESHAUN r has a high probability rate of Speaai to the Chronicle becoming a high school drop-out, drug trafficker, or a premature par The 21st Century Commission CTt on African-American Males met ' , recently in Washington, D.C. to w. discuss changes needed for their ""'.data although the odds stacked advancement. The print media has e ac nla e a*? J added to (he publication of the sta- * ?hese atamungna^Jt tus of black rSes. I ,s not h^ to see tha job discnim USA Weekend, ihd the Chica- natI<!n he.ps th* b ac male 0 go Defender Newspaper , reported 'eniam m s p icamen y ^ Y Unemployment, poverty, and despair, lead some people into sell ? 23% of black lnen ages 20- - fag drugs. In any event, there isn't 29 are in prison, on parole or on m CXcuse for this and there will probation. " J never be a valid reason for anyone The leading cause of death to contribute to the number of , ? wmmmmm y ?W W W ?? ? A A 1/ I* l V VU U1V IIUUIU^I U 1 for black males 15-24 is homicide deaths, crimes, and robberies that ? 101.8 per 100,000. It is the occur due to drug sales or its use. fourth leading cause of death for Solutions suggested for their comparable white males 11.5 per salvation include: 100,000. y . Special schools that teach ? The unemployment rate them about their culture; also, that among black male teens in March will teach them respect and boost was 38.4%, compared to 18.6% for their self-esteem. white male te^ia. * # Male teachers who will, ? White applicants do face encourage, praise, admonish, and unfavorable treatment in 7% of job hug them, thus acting as a role searches but black applicants expe- model, most times replacing an rience discriminating practices absent father for some. almost three times as often. J . Black children should Furthermore, the black male gfhange their dialect by a technique known to linguistics as "code switching." ? The December 1989 issue of Money Magazine states "Blacks earn up to 26% less than whites with similar education back grounds." ? Continue their education. There are other considerations to keep in mind. Establishing a school with male teachers to be father-figures and role models places parental responsibility on them along with their academic responsibilities. This added criteria to the pro fession may not be embraced by them, since they are still arguing the fact that they aren't being paid enough money. Because some came from one parent, middle-class, or low income households, they do not have money to continue their edu cation. The availability of one of their resources, federally and privately funded scholarships, have experi enced cutbacks, and yet tuition Steadily increases. The athletic talent that some of the males possess that could earn them scholarships, is restrained by the changes and reg ulations of the ACT and SAT test scores. Could this also be a barrier to their welfare? In addition to their encourage ment to get an education, African American's are advised to change their speech to become accepted and successful. First in the 1980s there was the issue of black hairstyles in the business arena. Today, it is their dialect What's on the agenda to be changed at the turn of the centu ry? According to this data, black males already have to work twice as hard as their white male coun terparts for meaningful employ ment, and yet they are being pushed to do more and more and more. Granted, they should. However, the struggle for equality should not be limited to them alone. Once black males have ful filled their rightful duties by becoming respectable, self esteemed, self-motivated, educated individuals, what steps will society and corporate America take to rid us of the good old boy antics? Bias; 'Youth must be . . Continued from page A1 Bias' message is both powerful and timely. She said she continues her crusade to reach young people in the wake of her children's deaths "...because I believe that when I give a presenta tion they have impact and people's lives are being touched." . . She lost two her sons within a span of Jour years. Len Bias, an outstanding basketball player for the University of Maryland, died June 22, i986, two days aftet signing with the Boston Celtics of the NBA. 'His heart stopped after he took cocaine. Jay Bias died as a result of gunshot wounds Dec. 4,1990. * "It's a bitter pill <to swallow to bury a child and to bury two is especially harsh." said Ms. Bias as she walked to the Walkertiftn Middle School auditorium to make her addrqij "I should be in a mental institution as a result of this and as crazy as loon, ^ thanks to God's power I'm not. All honor and ^>ry goes to God because I have (no power," she said. ; ^ About 70 of thfrWadJfapA program, along with some of their parents and program advisors, listened intently to what she had to say. She spoke directly to the students and started her presentation by telling them she loved them, saw no black or white faces just beautiful young peo ple, that she intended not to offend anyone by her comments, antf that she (lid not care what people thought about her. She told them no matter what programs wefe available through foundation's like the Crosby, or the Sara Lee Corporation far too many youtfg people were still making bad deci sions. She called upon them to be their own moral agents1. She said they could not blame anyone else for the decisions they make. "Its about you and what you do to bring about change," Bias charged. "You have a responsibility to take a stand for what's rieht." Bias cited several reasons why young people make bad decisions including believing that buy ing designer clothes or hanging out with the "right group", or doing "what everybody else is doing" puts them in the "in crowd" and makes them popular. % ?j, r%. m L? n e >m v f'" :lr'' ' 1 V * ?<* - chronic* staff photo Terrence Dickson "There are too many young people wearing $200 hats with $20 dollar brains/ Bias said. "Its about what's on the inside." She said all too often young people make the mistake of believing that someone else's life is more exciting or better and to imitate that person. "The grass may be greener on the other side but they will find that it's still tough t&tut," she said. She said they needed to be careful about who they called friend and how they let those so called friends be more influential in their lives than the family they have lived with all their lives. She told them they had no power over alcohol and drugs and that when they used either that it was like saying, "I can hold fire in my lap and not get burned." A major point she drove home to her atten tive young audience was tne reality of their mor tality. "There is nothing wrong with dying," she said, "as long as you have someplace else to go." J % .v She said people often ask her what she means by that She said she tells them it is used to stimulate fear, "because young people fear nothing." What she had to say was still very much in focus for many of the young peoplewho heard her message. "I believe everything she said... I mean she lost two of her sons. If my friends want me to take drugs and if I can't be accepted in a group because I won't do this or that, then I just won't be in that group," said IS year-old Terrance Dixon. He said being labeled for not going along with what everybody else is doing might bother him a little but not that much. "The most important thing I remember about what she said was that sometimes when you stand for yourself, people laugh, and that's going to happen in life. But eventually they will follow me after they have heard what I have to say. That's what 1 believe," said 15 year-old Damian Anderson. "Ms. Bias has already been through a lot of the things and more. She's right about the kind of pressures we face today with drugs and sex and all. Nobody has the right to be telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing," said Patricia O'Neal, also a rising sophomore in the program. She said Ms. Bias presentation gave her more confidence about just being herself and not what others may want you to be. Melanie Crim said Ms. Bias knew a lot about what was going on in a teenagers life today because of what she said. She said there was a lot of pressure coming from everywhere about drugs and alcohol and sex. "But it's like Ms. Bias said, you have to say no. Besides I believe you should wait until you get married and have a monoga mous relationship with someone that you trust." The four year goal of the drug abuse preven tion program is to establish a norm among stu dents of what is acceptable behavior and habits in their peer group. Leadership program Continued from page A1 Salem, White Plains, New York, director since June 1985. The lives and San Francisco. She will bring a of both women have some interest* great deal of experience and talent ing parallels associated with the to The~organization," Irvin said, experiences each have had. Scippio's selection was made by a* Both women have two chil selection committee that included dren. Each is an arts enthusiast. Irvin, and other Leadership board Both women became graduates of and class members; John Anderson, Leadership Winston-Salem prior to Blanche Carter, William Hill, and becoming the program's executive James Grace, who chaired the com- director. Newman is a graduate of mittee. I, the first Leadership class. And both Scippio is a May 1991 graduate n women have a keen interest in the of the Winston-Salem Leadership future of Winston-Salem and how Class program. Scippio is the first African American to be erecutive director of the organization. She received her BA in Busi ness Administration at Howard Uni versity, and is currently a candidate for an MA in liberal studies at Duke University. As a graduate of Lead ership Winston-Salem* Scippio knows first-hand the challenges that this community faces during this decade. The challenge for Winston Salem in the 1990's is to create, pro vide and maintain opportunity for all residents. Leadership Winston Salem will play a major role in the the relationships between those that make a difference in the life of this community develops. The purpose of Leadership Winston-Salem is to work toward the continued improvement of the community through furnishing opportunities for direct or personal contact among community leaders. It promotes awareness among those leaders of the major issues affecting our community, helps them to develop an appreciation and under standing of each other and of the community's differing views, among other things. Each year 35 to 40 recognized leaders in both the public and pri realization of that goal and I would n vate sector are selected by the orga like to be a part of that team." !it nization from the applications that Scippio is taking over from ;? come in from the community. Margaret "Tog" Newman, who had "It was nice to have the class 3cen the organization's executive"* experience and then to direct it," said Newman. "The class is the heart and soul of the program and it is important that program be looked at as a whole unit, that is the class and the alumni, instead of as sepa rate entities." Scippio agrees, "It is vital as? director that you have a unique per spective of the process so you can see what works and what doesn't." "The class participants find the class rewarding and enriching," Scippio said. "From being in the class, they will know what comes next in the process for them, which leads them to some form of action and involvement Scippio said the Leadership format had proven itself over the years and she did see the need for any wholesale changes. "There may be a few minor enhancements, but nothing major," she said. Newman said she plans to con tinue her work with Leadership in a consultant capacity on special pro jects, such as a community orienta tion program for newcomers to the area. She also said she would be working with the Triad Leadership Network which starts in September. The network is a conjunction of Leadership Winston-Salem, Leader ship Greensboro, and Challenge High Point, that was coordinated through Piedmont Horizons, orga nized by the Forsyth and Guilford County governments for economic development planning primarily. Newman said she also plans to research proposals for seminars for Leadership graduates. "I've always got to have a community oriented program," said the self-proclaimed work-a-holic. "There's a great deal of satisfaction out of setting a goal and then looking back and seeing that you've achieved it," Newman said. V. For Scippio there is a similar drive and more. "I'm not only a work-a-holic. .Tm also very intense. When I elect to play, I'm very intense. I tend to take on projects that are challenging," she said. But she admitted taking over the Lead ership program may tone her down a little. Both women agreed that the greatest challenge to running the program was understanding the myriad of leadership styles that comprise the organization. "The greatest challenge is to enable them to achieve what they are after in the own leadership style," said Newman. "So we are continuing the dialogue Leadership teaches that helps us to talk to each other differently. And that is very important," Scippio said. ftlUtz ZUUiH. Winston-Salem's Best Paging Value! Low prices, 24-Hour Emergency Service & Southern Bell Quality ? Triad's Widest, Local Coverage Area ? No Connect Fee ? Regional & Nationwide Paging Available ? Free delivery & exchange ? 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Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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