Forum
Rest in Peace
"A seed, until it is released, is only the
promise of a tree."
? Myles Munroe
How can you "rest in peace" if you never
release your potential? How can we, as a com
munity, be satisfied until we use all the resources
we have to realize our potential? How can we as
an African-American people ? a nation within a
nation ? afford to allow others tn determine our
future? ? ?
into an apple tree, which produces apples with
seeds to grow more trees to produce more
apples.
We are like seeds. For every girl we lose,
we lose a woman ... and every boy, a man. A
nation within a nation is being lost without bear
ing the fruit of its potential. We are willing pas
sengers on a journey into the year 2000 where
we will be nonparticipants.
The promise of a
great community is
within our reach, if we
only release the great
ness we have within.
The thought of
what we can accom-Jfl
GUEST COLUMNIST
By NIGEL ALSTON
plxsh takes on added
significance as we celebrate the 30th anniversary
of the famous march on Washington and begin
planning the second African-American Summit.
Are we going to take control of our future or
"rest in peace" and depend on others to save us?
Potential is unused success . . . latent power
what you can accomplish that you haven't yet
accomplished. Potential is a seed of greatness
waiting to be released. It needs watering, nurtur
ing and attention ? concentration of power ?
to fulfill its potential.
In case you have been "resting in peace,"
know that the alarm is ringing and the wake-up
call has been placed. If we don't get up now. we
may not have another chance.
It's time to consider the impact of the Hud
son Institute report, "Work Force 2000: Work
and Workers for the 21st Century." By the year
2000, the majority of new entrants into the work
force will be women and minorities. Not only
are the demographics changing, but we are
becoming more service-oriented and driven by
technology. Very few jobs will be created for
those who cannot read, follow directions and use
mathematics. How does this relate to our poten
tial?
We must prepare to be participants and
remember the golden rule. He who has the gold,
rules! And the "gold" is information and the
knowledge to use it.
We continue to bury our potential with
black on black crime, an increase in teen preg
nancy and hopelessness. Drugs and alcohol
seemingly rule the day. Because we are preoccu
pied with immediate gratification, we will be left
out of tomorrow. Our potential to be full partici
pants in society is diminishing daily. We cannot
allow the tragedy of our potential to go unre
leased.
_ The second African-American Summit is
our seed ? the promise of a tree. It is our oppor
tunity to come together to develop our agenda,
determine what our priorities are and go to work.
As we prepare for the summit, we can be
comforted by two previous successes ? legal
struggles to end segregation and the Civil Rights
Movement. Jeff P. Howard, Ph.D., a psycholo
gist and president of the Efficacy Institute Inc.,
points out the commonality of these two move
ments, whidil Wnkare applicable today as we
develop our agenda: Clear, compelling objec
tives, mobilization of a broad base of support,
clear, operational appiuaclies and a belief in the
capacity to achieve the desired results.
According to Howard, there can be no real
peace for us or pride in our status as beneficia
ries of the previous movements unless we take
control. As we watch so many young souls being
destroyed before our eyes, "Who will take
responsibility? If we do nothing, there will be no
meaningful future for us. .u. . , vn.>.
In every seed there is a forest,
in every fish, a school,
in every bird, a flock,
in every cow, a herd,
in every girl, a woman,
in every boy, a man, and
injsvery man, a nation.
? Myles Munroe.
The seed is planted. If we take responsibility
for it, we can all "Rest in Peace."
? ? Well, pick up the paper on any given day
and read the police briefings and reports of vio
lence that are robbing us of our potential. Wfc
have more young black men entering prison than
college. Two out of four black men age 17-24
are either in prison, on parole or probation. Fifty
percent! And most without a high school educa
tion.
A major segment ,ot African Americans who
could make up the majority of new entrants into
the workforce by the year 2000 are, instead, in
jail ? preparing to enter our new jail, underedu
cated, miseducated or undeveloped. At a time
when we should be positioning ourselves to
release our potential, the seed is being buried.
' Consider an apple seed. Within it is poten
tial, the promise of an apple tree. Until the seed
is planted and released, that's all it will be ? a
promise. When its potential is released, it grows
Losing Our Youths to AIDS
Is it possible that we could lose a generation
of our young people in the black community to
drugs, violence and AIDS? Yes, it is increas
ingly possible. Research information indicates
that violence is the largest cause of death among
black males, and the-*percentage of blacks in
prisons and youth
ease. After a period of time, the infected person
develops full-blown AIDS, becomes very sick
and dies.
This disease earlier was prevalent primarily
among homosexuals and drug users, who used
dirty needles. AIDS is now spreading rapidly in
detention centers is
astonishing.
Available infor
mation indicates that
more recently, the
number of persons
testing HIV-positive j
GUEST COLUMNIST
By J. RAYMOND OLIVER JR.
for the AIDS virus is*"^
growing rapidly. There are current indications
nationally that women are becoming infected
with the AIDS virus more often than men.
Women testing HIV-positive may infect men
but also may give birth to babies who will test
positive. Between 1991 and 1992. the number of
babies born in North Carolina testing positive
for the virus increased 42 percent.
In the city of Winston-Salem, when we
compare the number of AIDS patients by area,
j we find 33 percent live in zip code area 27105,
; and 29 percent live in zip code 27101, while
? only four percent live in area 27103. The
remaining cases are spread out over other areas.
If the present trends continue to increase,
we could project that one out of five persons
will die from violence, and one of five will die
from AIDS in the at-risk neighborhoods. It is
conceivable that drugs, violence and AIDS
could wipe out one-third of the youth in the next
10 years, particularly those who are at risk.
A worse case example can be found in
Africa. Kenya has a population where 35 per
cent of the people test HIV positive for the
AIDS virus. This means that the people infected
may not be living in 10 years. Consider also the
short life span of the children born to the
infected mothers.
AIDS is caused by a virus which breaks
down the body's immune system, thus rendering
the body vulnerable to many germs and infec
tions. The virus remains in the body for years.
An infected person miy not be aware or show
symptoms but is capable of spieading the <fis
the heterosexual population. The defense against
this disease is abstinence from sexual relations
or practicing safe sex, using condoms.
Efforts to convince teen-agers to abstain
from sexual relations has proven futile for many.
Efforts now by new Surgeon General Dr. Joyce -
lyn Elders and other concerned health profes
sionals and counselors are directed to teaching
young people how to save their lives by practic
ing safe sex.
It is the children who do not get the neces
sary and proper exposure in family, church and
school who are at risk. They stand on the edge
of disaster, because they do not have the matu
rity, discipline, moral value system or will do
what is necessary to survive in a society of rules
and law. These are the people who may be
destroyed by AIDS. Do they deserve to die
because they make a few mistakes?
If we would organize a massive public
information campaign and information centers
to emphasize the danger and the need for serious
discipline and self-control, maybe some of our
young people at risk could survive for five more
years to become mature and knowledgeable
enough to be health and productive citizens.
Otherwise, many who are 15 years ofB now will
not live to be 25.
If we do not help, by making available our
time and educational resources, we will be
guilty of the sin of omission. As our late Presi
dent John F. Kennedy said, and I am sure we all
agree, "Here on earth, the work of God must
truly be our own/'
Poonesbury
PRESIDENT KjNO.AS
PEAM OF MINOR: TY
A WlRS, I MOST
STReSUOUSlY PRO
TEST YOUR pe -
SEORE6ATCN
PLAN'
YOUR PROPOSAL &
coMPttTZir insens
TIVE TO TH? FEEUN&.'
MINORITIES ON 7Ht?
IS1 IT IS iLtf
ADVISEP, ILt-TlMBQ,
AND SMACKS OF
/ RACISM
//
PRESIDENT -K1N6, I PONT THINK
YOU APPRECIATE JUST HOKJ
V STRESSFUL T IS FOR A STUDENT
OF COLOR TO COME TO A TRA
DITIONALLY WHITE UNIVERSITY...
[ HJH5N YOU AdOUSH THEMt' PORM
[ ANP EAT/NO TA01&S, YOU'RE &
M0VIN6 VAUJA&lE SUnVR7 :
SYSTEMS IT'S NO SUR
PRISE THB KJP9 THINK
YOU'RE- A RACIST!
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RELATEP.
PEAN BROOKS, FOR YEARS MINOR
ITIES ANPIMMEN HAVE FOUGHT
Toee/Nowep in the canon i
SO WHY MUST THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS
BE 5JUPIEP APAKT FROM IT?
REPRESENT THE MUCJh MLMB
RACJAL, &i -GEM PER YOU'VE
/ STUPENT BANPEP
TD PROTEST
7HEENP0F
SEPARATISM.
SIR, YOU'RE NOT 6ETTIN6 IT - A
DEPARTMENT IS POUJCF. 9CPA RAU
ETHNIC AMP WOMEN'S COPIES
DEPARTMENT^ REPRE
SENT POWER TOPtO
PLEUJHCTVE HIS
TORICALLY BEEN
PtNIBP IV
YOU'LL F/NP ALL
26 OF OUR Pe
MANPS 0N7HAT
PtSK'
VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY
?i ? mi MHinitv The
' . viimunity.
This summer, there have been several clashes betu-.vf | . ;?n>! v-M.lent . ?>? ?'<
Chroniclc asked city residents how they felt that i ;!,<!: .??> H-- -"it ????. .
Here are there responses:
Alzie Sherard. 39
housewife
"T think the p<VlTce need
to be friendlier toward black
people. Sometimes, the
police treat people like ani
mals. If they try to be a little
kinder to them maybe they
won't resist arrest. It they
come into the community
more. 1 think blacks would
accept them more."
"The police i h
community- neeri to v.
together. The\ v i u ?
understand hi<: .m,1 tv i
solve problems :r, ;r
munity. Some polk . < M: . t
live in different an a
not familiar with the strr.L!
that we go through
n! ! ? t the com
.tii. young
\e the police
? u e \hovs them
? ?'!! eivr us more
- times we like
? ; . ? ^rutalitv. "
Laurence Henn . -
assistant ifianaeer