Forum The High Cost Of Racism Study after study shows that racism costs the nation billions/m lost productivity and social disorganization. But all those studies put together will sometimes have less effect on the ' discriminators than a few well-placed lawsuits or public scandals. Just recently, for example, we had the highly-publicized incident where the of can baseball and football teams. The net effect of the Schott scandal is healthy ? it sensitizes people to racism in high places and forces a closer look at the dis criminatory hiring patterns that pervade pro fessional sports. If momentary public embrace is the price owner the Cincinnati Reds, Marge Schott, was subjected to public humiliation and suspension from organized baseball for a year. Her peers in the executive suites TO BE EQUAL By JOHN E. JACOB of organized sports probably breached a sigh of relief that it was she who wa^caught, not them. It's generally known that racial slurs are common among baseball's top brass, although it seems that Schott's comments were a lot more colorful than most, as well as being directed at just about every available racial and minority ethnic group arou nd 7 But I'm less exercised about what Ms. Schott said how she acted ? virtually barring African Americans and other minorities from jobs in her organization. She had to grudging "hire African Ameri can players since no team could w in without them. But while those black and minority play ers drew fans and enriched the team's coffers, their brothers and sisters were denied employ ment opportunities in the front office and in the dugout. As part of the "price", of settling the scan dal caused by her slurs, the Reds reportedly have instituted an affirmative action program, and they now have a Latino manager. Ironically, the ultimate result is to strengthen the Reds organization since it can now draw business talent, as well as playing talent, from a more diverse population. But organized sports can't take refuge in handing out light punishments to individuals bought in public scandals, for the real issue is fair hiring and promotion practices. * ? 1 Professional sports are big business. If major companies can ftnd, train ami promote minorities throughout their organizations, so organized baseball has paid for Ms. Schott's racism, some companies are finding that racism has an immediate monetary cost, as well. While the Reds' owner was suspended, a court awarded $105 million to African Ameri can victims of job discrimination by Shoney's, inc, the restaurant chain. Not only does Shoney's have to cough up that large sum, it also will be under court supervision for ten years to ensure that it adheres to fair employment policies and prac tices. According to testimony, the former chief of the company was so prejudiced that when he visited the company's restaurants managers told blacks employees to hide until he left. The company used color-coded employ ment applications to track the race of appli cants, and when blacks were hired they were stuck in kitchen jobs and denied promotions. The court's decision sends a signal to other companies that discriminate ? racism has real bottom line costs that no company can afford. It also has costs the nation can't afford ? huge costs to productivity and to the social fabric. America won't be able to complete suc cessfully if it refuses to make full use of the potential and the abilities of all of its people. And that reality holds for a ball club, a restaurant chain, a multinational giant,, and the total economy. Racism costs, and even in 1993 that lesson still has to be learned by too many employers and citizens. Support ESPY's Empowerment Times arc changing and inside of at least one federal department there is a "brother" who is taking care of business in behalf of "the least of these. ".Secretary Mike Espy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced his intention to help lead the way for the "empowerment" of millions of people who are trapped in the deepening pit of povcrt> in the United States. Erom the Delta of Mississippi, Secretary Espy has a I realty distinguished himself as an effective adminis trator who cares about the poor. Yet. Epsy's care about the poor goes beyond sen stressed the importance of giving people the opportunity "to get out of poverty rather than helping the poor to stay locked in poverty." He accurately stated. "We spend billions of dol lars t help poor people subsist. ..but, unless they accumulate assets, the poor will always be poor." Epsy's empowerment .policy puts the emphasis on asset accumulating? When Mike Espy was in the Congress he CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL By BENJAMIN F. CHAVIS, JR. ? timcntality. He has correctly Mated in our opinion, more clearly than most that the ques tion is not how to help the poor, but how the help eliminate the institutionalized poverty and discrimination that keeps the poor in the status of being ptx>r. It is refreshing to watch this progressive African-American leader take the initate to rescue the term "empowerment" from the right-wing reactionary forces who, -fJu'rihg the Reagan-Bush years, attempted to deny that racism had an undcrgirding relationship to the impoverishment of the African- American community. In the past there were many who had argued that "self-help" programs were the key to uplift the downtrodden, but the use of empowerment language prove to be merely a rhetorical device. And as a result during the last twelve years there was an official ten dency to blame the victims of poverty for their victimization, and to let social responsibility dissolve in the face of an no-caring attitude in the previous White House. Several weeks ago. Secretary Espy addressed a conference in Washington spon sored by The Empowerment Network, a non profit organization that emphasized commu nity empowerment and social action. Epsy P ? was one of the few members of Congress who ? championed the cause of those in poverty. His Mississippi roots and experience in the strug gle for justice and empowerment have helped to steer his vision in the right direction. As Secretary of Agriculture, Espy has supervision over the programs involving food stamps, feeding programs for pregnant women 1 and new mothers, school lunches, and rural development projects as well as many other important programs. We believe that Espy will bring a new and more constructive administra tion of these program. Again the issue is how to reduce the num ber of those in poverty and work over the long term toward the goal of eliminating poverty. When leaders of this new administration do or say something that appears to be on the right track it is important to let them know. Espy has shown that he is a leader who is sensitive to the needs of others and that the same time he has the courage to challenge our community to be more involved in the long term struggle toward full empowerment and development. Now is the time to move for ward and regain some of the progress that was dismantled by Reagan-Bush. This Week In Black History Pan-African Congress , organized by W.E.B. Du Bois, met at Grand Hotel, Paris. There were fifty -seven delegates ? sixteen from the United States and fourteen from Africa? from sixteen countries and colonies. Blaise Diagne of Senegal was elected president and Du Bois was named secretary. HI, HONEY, IT'S ZDNK. I'M a unit UOWEP ABOUT WJR SHIPMENT. IT HASN'T ARRJVEP YET... OH, NO- 1 KNEW I SHOUiP HAVE USED F?CEX ' 1 bUAS> HELLO? HO LP THE ANYONE PHONE, THIS HOME-2. MAY BEIT,.. I NEED SOMEONE WSI6NFVR 18 BALES OF MARIJUANA. / you CXPN7 WRAP ITT / ' mstfr TIME. HI, MAN. \$ THIS 98527 MO HC COAST HGHUJAY * 1*00 V&l CUAfTU* CORN51L; HEARS THIS! CD o e?p' W 9\P! SPECIAL OFFER . . . Commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History Month $2272* 'One year subscription (Regular subscription 30.72) Name The Chronicle . . ? For behind the scenes reporting. Informative, provocative, i c,tr vigilant! | Pho"' L ' | Winston-Salem Chronicle , P.O. Box 1B36 Winston -Salem. NC 27102 (919) 722-8624 I I Addre?? I State ' Zip Enetowd $22.72 rkw Mootx 4*n~ry ?