Editorials & Comments—
Nation Faces Leadership Crisis
While local economists and
banners speak cautiously about
expectations of continued
prosperity in the Charlotte area,
the nation appears to be facing
another leadership crisis based
largely upon a declining
economy.
The developing characteristics
of the nation’s newest leadership
crisis has culminated in a recent
TIME magazine poll which
concludes that a majority of
the country’s registered voters
don’t want President Ronald
Reagan to seek a second term of
office. While 37 percent of the
registered voters polled said
they hoped the President would
seek a seeond term, £2 ^percent
said they hoped he would not run
again. Ironically, in the South
and West regions where Reagan
received his highest voter
; support in the 1980 election, those
opposing his reelection are in the
majority.
TIME says in this week’s
publication, “Public confidence
r- -in Xthe President’s) handling of
the economy is draining away
because of worries about reces
sion and unemployment.” TIME
• continues, “Support for his
foreign policy is diminishing and
growing fears about a nuclear
war and U.S. intentions in
Central America.”
While 48 pereent of those
polled expressed trust in Mr.
Reagan, another 51 percent ex
pressed “doubt and reserv
ations” about the President.
These “doubts” are based on
more than mere opinion. For
example, 19 states had unem
ployment rates in January of
more than 10 percent (N.C.’s
rate was 9.1; Mecklenburg Co.,
5.3); upper income people are
— spending tneir tax cut income to
pay bills, they’re not saving as
Reagan had projected; and the
_air controller-management pro
blems continue despite the
President’s mass firing over a
—year ago.____
As if this is not enough, many
of the nation’s leading econo
. mists and business people
foresee ‘’slow and agonizing
economic decay, corporations
edging closer to bankruptcy,
1,000 or more savings and loans
slipping into insolvency, and
unemployment gripping one in
ten workers.” The evidence of
such decay has been mounting
for at least three years. The
nation’s production is down,
interest rates and business fail
ures are up, and a growing fear
the recession may linger
indefinitely.
These developments and the
unfortunate assumptions that
one man and. his_p©liey^ - the
Presdient - can solve all the
nation’s ills has lead to a leader
ship crisis. Tt is unfortunate ton
that under the American politic
al system candidates try to
influence voters that they have a
solution to all the nation’s ills
and when they fail, as mortal l
men, too often do, they are
criticized and driven from office.
It would appear that the only
way to ease the leadership crisis
and begin to effectively deal with
the nation’s economic problems
solve the nation’s problems, (2)
recognize that the complexity of
our economic problems cannot
be solved in a short four-year
period within the philosophy or
policies of a single political
party, and (3) voters must
recognize the need to assume
some responsibility, collectively
and individually, for helping to '
cope with the various economic
issues we are facing.
Until the American people
begin to recognize what is in
volved in these three points we
can expect reoccurring leader
ship crises and frustration. For
example, the nation needs to
recognize that the depths of our'
economic problems are such that
it will take a 15-20 year period of
planning and bipartisan public
policy transcending presidential
administrations to effectively
reduce this approach would
—allow for stronger leadership,
more positive results, and
reflect a new sense of maturity
not yet evident in America.
Lrastonia: A Household Name!
In recent years a number of
long-time established news
papers have had to discontinue
publishing in the face of
changing times and the public’s
desire for the instant news cover
age offered.by television.
In spite of this trend, it is
pleasing to see that efforts are
being made to maintain the role
and place of the printed media in
America life. We are referring
specifically to recent action to
merge the Minneapolis Star and
.the Minneapolis Tribune into a
single newspaper.
In Philadelphia, where two of
four daily newspapers ceased
publication within a two-month
period, two weekly newspapers
have emerged. One of the weekly
- The National Leader - is aimed
at black readers. Claude Lewis,
a black columnist with the now
defunct Philadelphia Bulletin,
plans to publish his first edition
on April 29. He said he hopes to
sell over 50,000 copies for one
dollar each or $26 for a year’s
subscription.
The Post wishes the National
Leader much success in its
beginning efforts.
•7 ■ ' *
Wanted.... JOB
Tony Brown’s Comments
Coach Fights Racism With Victory
Dan Rather of the CBS
Evening News summed it
up: “I can’t say enough
about the man...He really
cares about those young
people who are playing for
him.”
But Dave Kindred of the
Washington Post described
him best. “John Thompson
is what he is: a great
basketball coach...Great
coaches produce teams
that are their mirror
images, for they teach life
as they learned it.”
John Thompson is the
most successful basketball
coach in Georgetown Uni
versity's history His play,
ers call him a wise man;
his media detractors use
racist definitions such as
“the Idi Amin of Big East
Basketball.”
However, that’s hardly
news to the pragmatic
Thompson who coaches at
a Washington, D.C. school
which, wrote Kindred in
the Post, "20 years ago had
Blacks on its basketball
floor only when they came
with the other teams.”
Now you know why
Georgetown has not been to
the NCAA finals since
well, Stneer Moreover; ~al “ -
though this column is being
written even before the
Hoyas win the semi-finals,
I'm convinced they will win
the championship.
Win or lose, however, two
facts are already con
firmed: the five Afro
American young men at
Georgetown are the finest
or among the finest basket
ball players in the land and
their Black ^oach is pro
bably the best coach in all
of college basketball.
White sports announcers,
in an apparent attempt to
deny this reality, call
Thompson a coach who
“gets along well” with his
players. Translated: His
only talent is his shared
ghetto background. At the
same time, they cannot
heap enough “well
coached” praise on
mediocre-basketball stra
tegies such as Boston
College’s. The difference,
of course, is a White coach
and a much-Whiter team.
By the wav that’s the wav
you spell R-A-C-I-S-M.
'There’s another innuen
do that shows up in the
White-reporting on Thomp
son. It suggests that he is a
little paranoid about the
exploitation of Black col
lege athletes-“he distrusts
a lot of people, including
the curious media," Kin
dred wrote in the Post.
“Thompson still sees a
congregation of sinners
who would use young Black
players and discard them
without educating them.
His work will, in time, help
change the perception that
college athletics by defini
tion abuses Blacks,” added
the Post sports writer.
Thompson does not dis
trust a “curious media,” he
distrusts a racist media
which resents his success
as an intellectual, a thinker
who can out-think Whites in
a similar capacity. Neither
is his observation of ex
ploitation a “perception.”
—One study of Black ath
letes at White schools
showed that only one out of
every 250 graduated from
college. It is also a fact that
they are not recruited with
any educational benefit in
mind. Georgetown is pro
bably, because of Thomp
son, the single exception to
this rule. Virtually all of
the Hoyas finish college.
On the other hand, look
what these young Black
men-and a Black coach
are doing financially for
Georgetown University.
When they won the Western
Regional final, Georgetown
got a hefty $440,000 reward
- ana mat's! only one game.
And on the heels of this
opportunity, a Georgetown
official announced more
opportunity. “We’re going
to be announcing a $115
million campaign.” To ca
pitalize on the literal scent
of victory, the school’s pre
sident and fund-raisers
went to the New Orleans
finals to meet with other
financial sources who like
the association with a win
ning team.
The Hoya Hoops Club, for
example, raised a record
$70,000 this year. Another
booster group, the Hoyas
Unlimited, exceeded its
$100,000 goal. Thanks,
again, to the basketball
team.
“Tony Brown’s Journal,”
the television series, can be
seen on public television
Saturday on Channel 42 at 8
p.m. It can also be seen on
Channel 58, Tuesdays at
7j30 p.m.
By Rev. John Perkins j
— Walk_
Your
Talk
Kev. Perkins
^Mack-Community
Facing A Crossroad
We in the Black community are facing a
crossroad. In order to move from this
crossroad, we need to establish leadership
that will provide the incentive to ignite
creative spiritual and moral revolutions.
A parallel to the condition that we are |
facing is found in the first chapter of
Romans. Paul’s life had just been trans
formed by an encounter with Christ. Prior
to this, Paul was a scoundrel. By examining
his new nature, he knew first hand about the
power of the gospel to change one’s life. He
then began to preach about this power that
now engulfed his life, telling others that
their lives could be changed also.
In this same chapter, Paul talks about the
condition of his day. In verses 19 and 20, he
says: “Because that which may be known of
God is manifested in them; for God hath
showed it unto them. For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world
are clearly seen, being understood by the
things that are made even his eternal power
and Godhead; so that they were without
excuse.”
What Paul is saying is that the creation
alone should have been sufficient in
establishing zeal for obedience to God. But
this is not true. Man does not come to know
God by creation alone. After clearly defin
ing the condition, Paul finds a solution.
In verse 21, Paul says, “Because that,
when they know God, they glorified him not
as God, neither were thankful; but became
vain in their imaginations, and their foolish
hearts were destroyed. Professing them
selves to be wise, they became fools, and
changed the glory of the uncorruptable God
into an image made like to corruDtable man
and to birds and four-footed beasts and
creeping things wherefore, God gave them
up.” This is Paul’s description of mankind
without God.
We are facing simular conditions in our
nation, and in the world. Paul’s solution to
the problem is found in Romans 1:16. “For I
am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for
it is the power of God unto salvation to
~everybqe that belleveth tu the Jews fiist,
and also to the Greek.
Paul reveals in the above passage his
belief that the Gospel of Christ, God’s love
lived out and presented through preaching,
can transform people’s lives. He also
believes that this cannot happen if we are
ashamed of the Gospel.
There is indeed power in the gospel to
transform lives, but the gospel must consist
of both words and deeds in our present
ation of it. It is important that we live out
the Gospel as well as proclaim it verbally. I
believe -that if community could
unite our hearts and lives together and
began to creatively present the gospel in
words and deeds, lives would really be
changed. This is the only way to establish
the leadership that is needed to move in the
proper direction from this crossroad. I am
committing my life to this task. Will you
commit yours to this task? Together we can
make a difference not only in the Black
community, but in all America as well.
THE CHARLOTTE POST
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I From Capitol Hill
Reagan Administration Lacks Commonality With Hacks
By Alfreds L. Madison
Special To The Post
President Reagan re
sponded to a question about
some of his Black appoint
ees by saying that they
share his views. Since
some of his recent key
appointees certainly are
not exemplary of the most
qualified Blacks for the
positions, it appears that
the President had to resort
to Blaeks of lesser qualifi
cations to curry out his
views or either he has
adjusted his ideas to fit
them into the mold of
Blacks with whom he or his
advisors are acquainted.
Rev. Sam Hart who was
appointed to the Civil
Rights Commission
seemed more of a clown
than a person eligible for
public office. His statement
that homosexuals don't
have any civil rights and
that their sexual habits are
by choice-their choice is
immoral, cast him in the
role of a psychologist and
God's chief determiner of
morality. Outstanding psy
chologists have not been
able to determine whether
one is born with homosex
ual tendencies or whether
these are acquired. It is
hard for a person who
• i
Alfreds L. Madison
believes in a just God to
feel that He has condemned
to an eternal hell such a
large group, as the homo-,
sexuals, irrespective of
their deeds Sam Hart was
a choice of the conserv
active Christian right, Hart
also plays Jerry Falwell's
records on his radio
station. Both Pennsylvania
Senators and several of the
Congressmen objected to
Sam Hart's appointment
The good Reverend was so
disinterested in the Ameri
can political system that he
hadn't voted between 1966
and 1981, and only then
after he had been contacted
for the Civil Rights
position
William Bell of Detroit
was President Reagan's
nominee for Director ot uie
Equal Employment Oppor
tunity Commission
(EEOC). He was almost an
unknown until he ran for
Congress in 1980 against
John Conyers where he re
ceived only five percent of
the votes. Bell ran an ex
ecutive recruitment ser
vice called BOLD CON
CEPTS During the peak of
his business he had no
more than four employees.
He and his wife were
among the four Bold Con
cepts placed no more than
two people during each of
the last three years. The
organization had no identi
fiable budget, and much of
the overhead was supplied
by others with Mr. Bell’s
brother being the’ chief
donor. Such a background
seems quite unlikely to
qualify Mr. Bell for head of
an agency that has, even
with the Reagan reduction
of funds, an annual budget
of $140 million and 34 hun
dred employees. There was
such a deluge of witnesses
from civil rights and other
organizations testifying
against the Bell confirm
ation, until his appointment
was killed.
The President later
tapped Clarence Thomas
a*
tor the EEOC Director. He
is a graduate of Holy Cross
Seminary and obtained a
law degree from Yale. Mr.
Thomas worked in the
office of now Senator John
Dansforth when he was At
torney General of Missouri.
When Mr. Dansforth was
elected United States
Senator, Thomas became a
lawyer for Monsantos, a
big corporation in Mis
souri. Then later. Senator
Dansforth brought Thomas
to Washington as his legis
lative assistant, where he
remained until he headed
the Office of Civil Rights at
the Education Department.
Recently, civil rights law
yers have filed contempt of
Court charges against Mr.
Thomas. Mr. Thomas ac
knowledged that he had
ignored the Court order
because he was attempt
ing to settle matters by
negotiations. These actions
are certainly to surface
when Thomas’ name
comes up for confirmation.
Clarence Pendleton, the
Administration’s Civil
Rights Commission ap
pointee who was the San
Diego Urban League Direc
tor is being oppsed by civil
rights organizations. The
Senate Judiciary confirm
ation hearing of Pendleton
was set at a time when
most of its members were
functioning in the different
appropriation committees’
meetings on the budget. So
only Senators Grassley,
Domenici and Specter were
present. Both Grassley and
Domenici are highly con
servative. Pendleton was
questioned by these con
servatives on busing, af
firmative action and voting
rights. He said he opposes
busing, is against quotas,
timetables and goals in
affirmative action and that
he is for extending the
Voting Rights Act as it is -
he has trouble with the
effects test and favors
proving intent. This means
that he is against the House
passed Voting Rights Act
which calls for changes,
and the effects test, be
cause intent is just about
impossible to prove. Pen
dleton said he concurs with
the views of Sowell and
Williams. These are two
Blacks whom the Admin
istration and congressional
conservatives have chosen
as the most Important
Black spokespersons. What
these conservatives fail to
realise is that Sowell and
Williams reiterated their
conservative views back to
them and the conservatives
swallow their own anti
Black progress ideas while
rapidly alienating just t
about all Blacks. The
Sowell and Williams follow
ing consists only of white
conservatives.
When Pendleton was
asked to comment on the
recent t«*t aurgr 1
blished by the Army, which
showed that Blacks scored
lower than whites, he said
that Black parents and
Black communities must
see that their children
learn and teachers teach.
He ignored all the educa
tion inequities and other
injustices meted out to
Blacks. Pendleton said, in
a media interview, that he
favors supply-side econo
mics with its "trickle down
theory." He stated t he
is not for rais the
poverty level but for In
creasing wealth. 9 also
said that he carry
out the President' views.