National Historic Unity among Leaders at Congressional Black Caucus WASHINGTON (AP > ? The grassroots, spiritual, middle-class and political standard-bearers of black America overcame their long time disagreements and came together last week. During the annual meeting of the Congressional' Black Caucus. Jesse Jackson. Louis Farrakhan, NAACP Executive Director Ben jamin Chavis and Rep. Kweisi Mfume shared the spotlight without rancor or criticism. "That was something very impressive," said Peijfy Chapman, a 22-year-old rapper called Tragedy who had the type of childhood that would earn him such a name. "I'm tired of seeing us flip on each other, in public." Yet, tragedy found faith when, before his eyes, the black political figures who say they repre sent people like him actually sat down and hashed out the differences that have kept them apart. ? Chapman, a member of a panel on rap music at the caucus, inten tionally had stayed away from the leaders' session, believing it would deteriorate into a public black fam ily feud. He watched it on tele\i sion in his hotel room and saw what seemed to him a dream come true. Last Thursday morning. Chavis and Jackson stood in a hold ing room. Chavis seemed edg\ and skeptical, while the usually smooth Jackson, a two-time presidential candidate, looked like he wanted to bolt. Farrakhan. leader of the Nation of Islam. He had come to claim his place alongside mainstream black power brokers. But Farrakhan and Jackson were on the outs, over anti Semitic comments and political dif ferences of opinion. And Chavis was sore at Far rakKan for news articles condemn- . ing him and others for denying the Muslim minister a chance to speak at the 30th anniversary March on Washington last month. "It's time to have a full air ing. now," Chavis said. "Hopefully, there will be greater clarity on the renewed importance of challenging racial injustice." At one point. Farrakhan started, then cut off, an attack on Jackson, who said black Americans have been winning the battle against racism since passage of the 1964 down legal segregation. "Reverend Jackson, I submit on one hand we're winning," Far rakhan said. "Ignorance is the worst Act, which struck ? --"TH *T T,~ ' B3 Jessie Jackson enemy of the rise of our people. -That ignorance is. fed by corrupt leadership. ... We've got to unite at the top to develop strategies to free our people." Then Farrakhan glowingly praised Jackson as a brave man, a loyal friend and someone he loves. "The media does not want a united Farrakhan and Jackson," he said. ? Jackson sat quietly through Farrakhan's praise and the wild applause it brought. Then he said: "That's precisely why leaders, knowing the nature of media, must speak to policy and direction." Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., fought her way onto the panel domi nated by men. "I'm a black woman. I'm a sister." Waters said. "There is a concentrated, organized effort to keep our voices down on the discus sion of race." Chavis apologized to Far rakhan for the march mishap ? and asked for an apology in return. They decided to work it out in private. "The question is. Will we have mutual respect for our differ ent perspectives ?' ' Chaus asked. "We need to work together, more than we've ever worked together.*' "I just do not want the forces we must fight to get oft the hook cheap." Jackson sa fd7"" Oppressors do not have a retirement plan.- The oppressed must change then minds. We must stop the fratricide." "Only in unity can we end racism from a power perspective." Farrakhan added. "We don't have to sit around begging white people to do for us what we can do tor our selves." - r Mfume, a Democratic con gressman from Mar\ land \\ ho heads the black caucus, capped the day- by declaring his~4t)-meruKei group, would work jointl\ with Farrakhan on legislative matters. "This is a new day in many respects," he said. Success of White Students Amplified, Test Results Show RALEIGH (AP) ? National exam results show that North Car* olina's black students are competi tive with black students nationwide. However, the state's white students finish well behind other whites in the nation, the test results show. "It is something we have real ized for some time now, but it is dif ficult for peuple to grasp the impli cations," said Suzanne Triplett, t^e assistant state superintendent who oversees North Carolina's testing program.? In effect, -it means ?i tend to inflate the grades of white students more often and don't chal lenge them as_we_ should. That makes it very difficult for them to compete nationally 7*?"? The gap is evident when the results of national exams are broken down by race. It confounds a popu lar notion that North Carolina's rankings can be attributed to its large population of poor blacks and rural students. The state has one of the highest percentages of rural resi dents in the country and ranks 16th in its percentage of minority enroll ment. But the test results suggest that it is white students who find it most difficult to compete nationally, primarily because they aren't work ing hard enough for the grades they receive, educators say. In math and reading exams, for example. North Carolina black students easily reach the national average for blacks. White students' scores, however, lag behind the national average for. white students by about 10 points. While they are doing better against blacks in other states. North Carolina's black students on average still score ^veTT below white ~st ude n t s on all national exams. College officials who see the competitive difference stress the need for improvement among both races. "It's important to recognize how individual groups are perform ing. but you have to be careful about drawing conclusions." said Lloyd "Vic" Hackley, chancellor of **ayet teville State University: "North Car olina's black students are more competitive, and I notice that here, but the gap is still dramatic between blacks and whites. And eventually, everyone competes against each other." ? The pattern of black and white achievement repeated itself -q'Vf'inl timr ? this yenr when national test scores were released for elementary and high school stu dents. North Carolina's black eighth-graders, for example, scored two points above the average of blacks nationwide on a math test released in April ? a ranking of 1 8th in the country. North Car olina's whites scored 10 points below whites nationwide on the same test ? a ranking of 33rd. The state's black students scored 19 points behind the national average for blacks when SAT results were released in August. Whites scored 34 points behind whites nationwide. Blacks from North Carolina scored three points above blacks nationwide when results of the national reading test- were released last week. North Carolina's white students scored three points below white students nationally. ItisaU clear when the state's black students started to become competitive among blacks nation ally, but their current standing is an obvious improvement over tne past. " In the early 1970s, state offi cials found North Carolina's blacks^ were roughly two academic years behind blacks nationwide _ far more than whites at the time, said Bill Brown, director of accountability r services for the state Department of Public Instruction. Triplett offers two possible reasons for the disproportionate gains. First is a trend among teach ers to inflate grades of those "^ho are given A's an$ B's on their report card ? a group that is predomi nant^ white. When those students take a national test, they find it diffi cult to keep pace with students in other states who had to work harder for their top grades. The second reason is the effect of state and federal programs Muring fho pnt]f twn Hpmrlps Most have focused primarily on the low est performing students ? a group that contains a large percentage of the state's blacks. As their basic skills improved, they became more com petitive at the national level. Teachers hired with federal Chapter 1 money have spent hours drilling disadvantaged students on basic math and reading skills. While the S6 billion progra'rr :s being revamped after heav\ criticism about its effectiveness. it's clear that some children were helped. Triplett said. an inefficient program and a total failure." she said. Still, state educator^ see the competitive- level of North Car olina's black students as .t stepping stone in a long journey to improve all scores. "What has happened v.ith our black students represents pi ogress, but it is not enough." said Henrs Johnson, the assistant state superin tendent who oversees North Car olina's classroom curriculum. "All of our students can evceed the national average it ue do out jobs. It's a matter of ha\ mg the u ill to do it." u Miss South Carolina , Kimberly Clarice Aiken, left , reacts after she has realized she has become the Miss Amer ica 1994 in Atlantic City , SJ. At right , first runner-up , Vf/ss Georgia, Kara Martin. Family, Friends Say New Miss America is Humble and Talented COLUMBIA . S C. (AP) ? Kimberly Aiken is still a teen-ager, but she can easily handle her responsibilities as the new Miss America, her mother says. "She's poised, calm and has her head screwed on right, espe cially when she's trying to help peo ple," Aiken's mother. Valerie said Sunday. Valerie Aiken didn't think her daughter would win as an 18-year old, but she thinks judges were impressed by the Columbia resi dent's maturity and elegance. Maturity and elegance had nothing to do with the reaction of Aiken's dormitory cheering section at her former school, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. "Some of us were hanging out of the window screaming. 'Go Kim! Go Kim!' Everybody's so shocked she got it. but we all knew she could do it." said Kendra Pough, 18. Aiken's ctassmate at St. Andrews Middle School and Columbia High School. Columbia High chorus teacher Conchita Eden?,, one of Aiken's vocal coaches, said she is still trying to come down from the excitement of seeing her humble and kind pupil win. "She has never been one to want to seek all of the glory. And that voice of hers, I tell you, it's heavenly ? God sent," Edens said. Kimberly Aiken's boyfriend of 1 1 months. Louis Barber, whom she met while at school in Charlotte, said he was overwhelmed when he realized his girlfriend is Miss Amer ica. ,4I had to sit down." Barber said. "I felt fainty." Columbia Mayor Bob Coble planned Sunday to send Aiken a telegram of congratulations. Although the date has not been set. Aiken's homecoming will be declared "Kimberly Aiken Day" in Columbia, Coble said. >m ri with Imported Canadian or on the rocks, its smooth, light taste says* "play it again. ***** Co C?wd