Forum
-low To Become The Education President
Rill (Tinton's commitment to education
et'oirn suggests that he will want to earn the
itle "the education president."
He can \Ain that title by targeting disad
vantaged students with policies and resources
(hat help them to academic excellence.
His Administration should expend federal
education funding, and shift*priorities so that ,
the children at greater risk of failure get what
ever assistance they need to excel in school.
But one of the most important things the
newTresident caTrtttr-fw education won't cost
a dime.
The presidency has often been called a
"bully pulpit" for focusing people's aUen^i^
on issues. That bully pulpit now can be a vem^
cle to help change people's thinking ^bout edu
cation.
Instead of peddling bromides like
dumped in "slim" classes, vs here their sup
posed lack of abilits becomes a self-fultilling
prophecy.
In a society where racial discrimination is
an every-day fact ot life, .it's not too hard to
figure out who gets onto the accelerated track
and who gets dumped.
Since children are led to belies e in Hie
same intelligence myth as their elders, those in
"gifted? classes come to think the> are smart
and those in "slow" classes believe tlies iust
can't learn.
But in fact, all children aie born with the
intelligence to develop and to "get smart."
Dr. Hoard says that development in a
process that adults have the power to manage,'
and if managed correctly, all children can
develop the ability to perform at a h it? h acade
mic level.
"choice." askhis .
predecessors did.
the - President
should use the
prestige of his
office to change
the underlying
concepts that
-doom American
education to fail
'ure.
M
TO BE EQUAL
By JOHN E. JACOB
Wc are locked v
into a traditional ? and wrong ? way of
thinking that says some children are born
smart, some dumb, and the rest between, and
nothing can change that.
But in fact every normal child has the
~ mental capacity to learn and to excel academi- -
tally.
- As Or. Jeff Howard, of the influential Effi
cacy Institute, has consistently pointed out ?
most recently in the Urban League's publica
tion, "State of Black America, 1993 -r- the
belief in the false ideal of innate ability has
been a deterrent to educating all of our chil
dren.
l)i Howard challenges the myth that intel
ligence is innate and controls people's devel
opment.
Hcf shows how it leads jo assessing intelli
gence in yery young children and then using
those assessments to determine how much edu
cation they are capable of absorbing.
Then vve track those youngsters through- -
out their school careers. Some are placed in
"pitted" classes where they are challenged to
develop further and faster, and others are
He says that if children think they can
learn, they will work hard ;?t1l and will lenrn. ?
or, as he says, "get smart."
Helping children believe in themselves
can'f he, as it sometimes is a "feelgood"
process of pumping up ihcir.jidl c^liiejn.
Rather, it is communicating to' them the idea
that schoolwork is important, that we know
they can do it, and that we v\ill help them to
succeed.
As children see their effective efforts pav
off, they will be willing to take on more chal
lenging assignments, and each new success
pushes the boundaries of" their accomplishment
further.
What docs this have to do with the "edu
cation president?"
Mr. Clinton should use the White House
as a bully pulpit to dcsfioy the invth ot innate
intelligence anil to get V\tnericans to believe
that all of our children ci?i lean).
By doing that, he c;yi change the damag
jng thinking that prevents so mrvm ?>t our jxm>
.. pie from mastering what they need to know ?<>
survive in this new Information Age.
African- American Economic Empowerment /
One of the highest priorities now facing
the African American community is the neces
sity define explicitly long-term economic
empowerment goals and to develop and imple
ment a strategic plan to effectively reach those
goals. Onemjilter that has caused great concern
had been a lack of a concerted national effort to
really deal responsively to the economic injus
tices of American racism.
There is no magic formula to economic
development. During the last thirty years there
have been numerous efforts by civil rights and
other organizations to launch various economic
development projects and programs at the local
and regional levels. But the truth i* that most if
not all of those efforts have been too limited in
scope and with too short of a time line. The
real its is that there ha?lf?ot been an effective
long-term economic development strategy that
? ? has involved massive numbers of African
Americans since the time of Marcus Garvey.
Again, this is not to belittle the good worlT
of many organizations that are presently
attempting to
make a contribu
tion toward the , J
economic uplift of
the.? African- Amer
ican community.
The point here is
to simply state the ^
obvious: "All of ~~ ""
the present efforts
within and external to the African-American
community to enhance overall economic
empowerment appear to he insufficient to meet
the economic needs of the African-American
community." While there are increasing exam
ples of tremendous individual economic suc
cess or in some cases the success of African
me n'c an" owned companie s , there is- a
growing economic disparity between the
majority of African; Americans and other
Americans who have not had to endure the ves
tiges dt ahject racial discrimination and eco
nomic exploitation. To he sure, we are not
advancing a justification for "hand-outs from
the table of the wealthy." To the contrary, we
are emphasizing what we believe will be a
major responsibility for the future of the Civil
Rights Movement.
Rconomic justice must he demanded, yet,
we must do more than just make a rhetorical
demand tor economic progress. Institutional
ized poverty is a moral insult amidst a society
where economic opportunity is mitigated by
race and class. 1993 needs to be a year of sober
reflection and strategic planning In .ill commuf
nities seeking a greater sense of economic jus
tice. In particular, the African American com
munity and all those national and local
organizations working to enhance the condition
of the people most niatginalizcd and exploited
must hand together like before.
As more and more predictions are being
made concerning an early upsw ing in the econ
omy of the United States, will the economic lot
of the African- American qjyjpmunity also
improve? History has shown that the socioeco
nomic conditions/of the African American
community have not always improved at the
pace of economic growth foi the nation as a
whole. The frickle down theory has not worked
to the benefit of the majority <?l thins million
African Americans.
First, African-Americans must invest in
the uplift of the community not tor the short
term but for the long term development trnah ?
the entire community. Hie economic intra
structure of the African American has to lv lit
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
By BENJAMIN F. CHAVIS. JR.
crally reconstructed to meet the new demands
of the present historical moment
Some of those who are advising President
elect Clinton on economic matters have inn
tinely referred to investment as "clearing some
thing that will add to the economy's ability to
produce later on." rathei than " contributing to
the .economy .13 ut what those who would eco
nomically discriminate against the African
American community do not lulls undeistand
is that the spending of the Abie an Xinctican
community is more than a billion dollar ;i
year economic force in the nation's cconoim
Hie problem in "spending is not the same
thing as "investing. We must invest not nisi m
banks and other financial institutions Our
highest priority ought to be to invest ;ill that we
can in our youth: financially, education. ilk md
spiritually. What are our long term econnmie
goals and how are we gomy t<> at *'>? ?e 'h ?sr
goals? These arc tV ?,.
answered it we arc to m-i. ??
ing the dream of true African \nn nc.tn eio
nomic empowerment.
LISTEN TO THIS: "PEAR GUYS.
po you ever cutaway
FROM AN ONGOING STORr
TO COMMENT ON A BREAKING
NEWS EVENT? SiNCEREOY.MT.,
LONG 06 AC*"
V
-
\M.T : NOUJAY! UJE UXXJLP
?ver compromise The fvcjng
MP STRUCTURE OF A PLOTL/NE
JUST TO COMMENT ON SOME TOPI
CAL EVENT, UNLESS, OF COURSE,
K IT UJERE UNIQUELY OUTRAGEOUS...
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COVER-UP 7
WHAT COVER UP*
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HATE PACKING*
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(O
OKAY, U/HERE 15 IT?..
LEFT 'T RJGtfT HERB
/N My OFFICE ? ?
DAMN... PON")
WANNA LEAVE <
MTHOL/T IT... /
99119
Ai
fll
BAR .'YOU
SEEN MY
?1^
UM NO.
.NOT SINCE
HONOR * CHR/STMAS
MR. PFtES'PENT, WE'RE TAKING
A LOT OF HITS OVP? THE
MISSING WOES OF YOUR
-1 ' PlAR).
we neep to PEVEtOP a
PLAUSIBLE RAT/CjNA i? FOR
WHY WE'VE WfTHHEW KEY
SECTIONS FROM THE SRE -
OAL PROSECUTOR.
HOUJ ABOUT IF BUT THAT
WE SAY, "HEY, POESN'T
GCTTA^JT THOSE EXPLAIN
FA&SBEHINPUS, WHYTH&'&
GCTTA MOVE ON. * MISSING. J
THE 000 W MILLIE S A
ATE THEM ?
v seif. no one p
\ m.ievB rr
sirwrvr .
hAP ANOTHER
REOUES1
rROM JUPGt
WAIGHR-OR
MOT GONNA DC 17
WONT 6IVENHIM,
THAi PRTSElIP'NG
AY All HE Ntt &
T GO." HEY, BUSH,
CLP OF LOOP'"
LISTEN TO THESE EXCERPTS FROM
IWPIARY: "NOV 24 W? WENT TV
MATING, COVER-UP THING P/S ?
cussep. bltwasn n paying apen
. T10N SAME AS IF. ^07
If?,., -J really THERE. "
ANP HOUJ ABOUT THIS - "NOV. 25,
1987. JUST REMEMBEREP 1 HEARP
NOTHING AT JAN. 7, 1986, MEET
ING WHEN REAGAN TOU> US HE
FAVOREP ARMS FOR HOSTAGES..:
'. MlBI HAVE
PffN OUT
TAK'NGA
WHIZ Of
something :
s^UVOOU1
ENOUGH
SAIP, SI* ?
AMONG THL MA/MY QUESTIONS THAT
MR PUSH'S CHR&Ttfe COVER-UP ?
ARE. ^HESE PIP THE
PRESIPENf PARPONMR WEINBERG
TR TO AM. W HAVING TP TESTIFY A -
sou 7 m own Ron inirangate?
ANP WHY PIP MR. BUSH HdAiT YEARS
TO PROPUCE NOTES HE ClAlMEP
HE NEVER HAP? WHY PO ENTIRE ?
SECTIONS APPEAR TV BE MISSING*
WERE THE TRANSCRIPTS "EPHEP"
BEFORE THEY WERE TURNEPOVER* A
WHETHER OR NOT THESE QUESTION
APE EVER FULLY ANSWEREP, ONE
THING HAS NOW BECOME CLEAR
GEORGE BUSH WILL BE REMEM -
BEREP AS THE PRES/PENT WHO
CDVEREP UP THE IRAN6ATE SCAN PAL ..
^ SO WHAT S THE PEAL,
> GRJPFlhi? INPICTMENT OTY?
PON ? WAN 7 TO PO THE GRANP
7 'FY 7H'\'G;M07 PI&N/FIEP.
YOU MAY NOT HAVE ANY CHOICE,
SIR. YOU' RE BEING INVESTIGATE P
BY THE SPECIAL-PROSECUTOR
FOR ILLEGALLY WTTHHOLP/NC* fo
POCUMENTS HE COU LP MAKE /II
IT STICK... x
NOW, NOW, PONT
SET CREEPY HE'S
PONE FNCVGH
FOR US r^TT*
; SIGH-... MAYBE I
SHOULP JUST PARPON
MYSELF. CONSTITUTION
ALLOWS IT. C0ULP8&
THEWAYTOGO...
4 graduate of Adelphi University.
Dolores Smith served as
president of the Warren-Trumbull
Urban League in Ohio before
coming to Winston-Salem in
1989 She also heads her own
?.cr.rijiimg Vr\ Hchshc CultwaJ
Pay Tribute o
Mar .% Luther King Jr.
at
WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY
January 14, 1993
7:00 p.m.
? Unity March
7:30 p.m.
C om mem oration
& Candlelight Service
K.R Williams Auditorium
featuring
Dolores "DM Smith
P'oMrlrr.' /('tO. W-S Urban