Editorials & Comments
Joblessness And The Black Youth
As^the-natien’s-euFrent unem -
ployment rate rushes toward an
expected 10 percent, with black
youth joblessness already at 50
percent, conservative columnist
James J. Kilpatrick simplisticly
suggests that too many teen
agers won’t work.
In a recent syndicated column
Kilpatrick said that while many
find it “appalling” that we have
jobless rates fo 19.3 percent for
white youth and 50 percent for
black youth he has little sympa
- thy. for them because help
wanted 4ads in newspapers
-across the country have plenty of
jobs that youth even with little
skill can qualify for.
Mr. Kilpatrick notes, for ex
ample, that in Washington, D.C.
recently the postal service had
opened examinations for clerks
and carriers at $9.50 per hour.
Also carpenter’s helpers, garage
helpers and laundry helpers jobs
ranging in pay from $4.50 to $5
per hour were available. Fur
thermore, of 500 applications
issued in Atlanta for summer
_ jobs in 1980 only 80 were
returned.
It is undoubtedly and unfor
tunately true that many black
youth are more prideful and
-—assertive than in earlier years
-and thus are inclined to accept
only jobs witff a-career future,
not menial jobs. Thus, to this
- extent, black youth are no dif
ferent than the 700,000 people in
1974 as reported in TIME maga
zine, who became so discouraged
in seeking jobs that they just
gave up any hope of ever finding
employment.
Human Problems
Why then are so many people
unemployed if there are all these
jobs in the help-wanted ads as
Mr. Kilpatrick suggests? First,
for these jobs there are usually
far more applications than there
are actual people employed.
Secondly, black teen-age job
lessness has been largely un
responsive to changing economic
conditions. In fact black youth
unemployment has risen even
during periods of economic
prosperity.
What Mr. Kilpatrick, and
others like him such as black
economist ThomasSowell, fail to
understand is that no one fully
understands the problem behind
black teen-age unemployment,
.or how to resolve it, because it is
so complex.
The causes of black youth job
lessness ranges from sheer
racism to lack of skill, to trans
portation problems, to negative
attitudes from knowing that
_ white high school dropouts often
find work at Detier pay than—
blacks with a college degree, to
the absence of a family rooted
commitment to the work ethic, to
a prior prison record, to lack of
■■ ■
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Second Class Postage No. 965500
•THE PEOPLE’S NEWSPAPER’’
Established 1918
Published Every Thursday
by Thfe Charlotte Post Publishing Co.. Inc.
Subscription Rate $15.60 per year
Send All 3579’slo:
1524 West Blvd.. Charlotte, N.C. 28208
Telephone (704 >376-0496
__Circulation 7,151
104 Years of continuous Service
-Jr....,mf-dUor Piihli^Kpr
Bernard Reeves GeneT.I Manager
ran i-arrer Advertising Director
Dannette GaitherOffice Manager
Second ( lass Postage No. 965500 Paid At
Charlotte. North Carolina
t'nder the Act pf March 3, 1878
Member, National Newspaper
Publishers’ Association
North Carolina Black Publishers Association
Deadline for all news copy and photos is
5 p.m. Monday. All photos and copy
submitted become the property of The Post
and will not be returned.
National Advertising
Representative
Amalgamated Publishers. Inc.
s MkhiKan A\e. r, u . I.,th St.. Suite 11<*3
( hicuKo, III MMilh New York. New York 16036
f olumel .Y-0260 t2121 IM<M226
experience, to biased placement
tests, to the movement of jobs
from the cities where most
blacks live to the suburbs where
whites live, to the absence of the
“buddy system” in which people
often hire the children of their
friends, and so on.
These factors become real
when data from the U.S. Depart
ment of Labor, Bureau of Sta
tistics shows that since 1954
black youth joblessness more
than doubled from 16.5 percent to
35.9 percent in 1975 ancbnearly 50
~peicent in 1981.—
Positive Moves—
We believe, therefore, it is past
time for Americans to look
seriously for solutions to end our
nation’s most serious human
problem. To do less would be to
abandon over a million adults of
tomorrow to a human scrap pile
that could lead to new and more
massive riots and destruction to
our already ravaged inner cities.
What are the positive moves - the
positive steps that might be
taken to break the cycle of black
youth joblessness. First, there
needs to be generated a whole
new attitude by blacks toward
work, the work ethic, and in the
firm belief that in the words of
. I esse -m—ttin gnmi».
body.” As “somebody” let’s pro
ject role models of the 50 percent
of black youth who are employed
and ask how are they doing it and
why can’t I or other black youth
do it. Secondly, let’s abandon our
allegiance to the philosophy of
entitlement so wide-spread in the
nation in the belief that govern
ment or someone else owes black
youth a hand-out.
Thirdly, let’s renew our com
mitment to support black owned
businesses, a potential resource
for hiring black youth. Fourthly,
Jet’s s/top using racism as an
'excuse for securing gainful em
ployment. If one black with a
positive attitude and self
determination can overcome
racism in the job market, others
can too.
Finally, the attitude that black
youth have so much pride that
they won’t accept menial, low
paying jobs is in itself self
defeating. All successful people
start at the bottom of the income
ladder with a determination that
I’U move np in time, and those
who maintain that sense of
determination do move up.
In summary, persistently look
ing at the negative side of the
black joblessness problem
simply reinforce negative beliefs
that we can’t get work; there
~-ft)ie. wr rinn’t prt work ft shift
to the positive “can jio” phi
losophy will bring new rewards
and jobs we thought were never
there. “Try it, you’ll make it.”
I -—I
BLACK BUSINESS MEN AND POLITICIANS „.„******
SHOULD BE IN THE FOREFRONT OF LONG- 3B&V8X’
RANGE PLANNING, FOR ITIS ONLY THROUGH &5Eg"\
ECONOMfC AND POLITICAL CLOUT THAT
ETHNIC GROUPS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
MOVE UP THROUGH SOCIETY.
MICHIGAN CHRONKLE
__ , I
UNITED COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP- NEEDED NOW
Tony Brown’s Comments
■I
Black Women Speak Out
One of my most exciting
television programs this
year is “The Struggle
Within The Struggle,”
which deals with the ap
-piliwill nllllll Ul()inwi am
taking toward opportuni
ties - and problems.
Black women today con
stitute a major political
and economic force in the
country. However, their
ascent up the economic and
social ladder has not been
easy.
Black women have hi
storically evolved in an op
pressive environment.
Caught up in the shackles
of slavery, they were
forced to toil in the fields or
care for someone else’s
family. But the evils of
enslavement - the physical
pbuse, separation from
family and inhumane con
ditions - did not break her
spirit. Throughout the
years, she has remained
the cornerstone of her
community.
And as Black women
move into the 80’s, they
continue to struggle
against racism and sexism.
On. the average, black
women still earn less than
white men, black men and
white women.
Along with these pro
blems have developed new
dimensions: a redefinition
of sexual roles, a break
down of traditional family
structures, new systems of
child rearing and new
strains on their relation
ships with black men.
Women today are con
fronted with a broader
spectrum of options and op
portunities, particularly in
-nnraor rhmrre Anfl a new
psychographic profile of
the black woman is emerg
ing. To bring these dyna
mics into clearer focus I
talked to a representative
group of black women.
—One, member of the
panel, Jewell Jackson
McCabe, the Director of
Government and Commun
ity Affairs at WNET-TV in ,
New York and also presi
dent of the National Coali
tion of 100 Black Women,
gave this overview:
“There are one to one
relationships that one nas
and then professional re
lationships that one has,
whether it be with indivi
duals, groups or whatever.
“To break it down, to be
clear, we’re talking about
organized politics some
times in the private and
public sectors.
Ana sometimes we re
talking about in our home.
Dealing with the dilemma
of society that is a patri
arch, a society that econo
mically looks to the male
as the breadwinner and the
male as the image of suc
cess, and then dealing with...
our own society, which has
limited the success of black
men. Certainly if the issue
becomes black women, it
puts black women in a
peculiar position."
As black women move
into more visible leader
ship roles, the question
emerges, "Will black
women replace the tradi
tionally male-dominated
leadership?" Panelist
Wanda Bolton, an editor at
"Glamour" magazine,
answered that question. "I
think there’s opportunity
for black men and Mack
women to work together in
terms of leadership kinds
of things.
“I don’t think that that
HM happened as much as
we’d like to, but I think
black women are now be
coming a more visible
focus, a more visible group
of people saying some
things about what needs to
happen for black women.. I
don’t think it’s a matter of
whether or not we’re taking
leadorohip roles away from—
black men. I don’t think
that that’s the tactic many
of us would want to take. I
think it’s a matter of
sharing.”
Pam Moore, a new an
chor at KXAS-TV in Dallas,
Texas had this to say about
marriage: “I think most
women would like to have a
nice one-on-one relation
ship with somebody with
out all the competition of
who gets the job, who
makes what money. You’re
still looking for the old
traditional companion, but
you Ire also wanting some
one to build and work to
wards something with.
Some of these things still
exist. I mean the family
and those kind of feelings.
Aijd a lot of women I think
today Heel like it’s very
difficult to find a black man
who they can establish that
kind of relationship with.”
Nationwide, women are
changing the familiar out
lines of society’s social and
-economic makeup.
Black men should not
feel threatened by this new
emerging role. On the con
trary, blade women have
always been the pillar of
strength that held our com
munity together. They are
our mothers, teachers, pro
viders and inspirations.
"Tony Brown’s Journal,”
the television series, can be
seen on public television
Saturday on Channel 42 at 8
■f1" 11 r'r‘n "‘go ^ tffn on
Channel S8, Tuesday, at
7:30 p.m. Please consult
listings.
! By Rev. John Perkins
Walk
Your
mtk*■ ■»
Rev. Perkins
Needed? Pastors
Commit ::1 To Community
' : »r.
As the black community faces crises on
every side, our need for creative leadership
becomes ever greater. I believe that God
calls and ordains leaders. Through Biblical
history we can see that God raises up
spiritual leaders to lead the people out of
crises and help them to lead better lives.
Just as God ordained the family under the
leadership of father and mother to reacnj
nurture and discipline the children, so he
ordained the pastor-the spiritual leader-to
be responsible for developing the growth
and moral fahrkLQf the. community._
What is the picture ofapastor whdTulfills
this role? First he must have love and
compassion for all the people in the geo
graphical community that surrounds his
church, as well as for all the members of his
church. This love and compassion is
essential if the minister is to win people to
Jesus Christ, create a strong, nurturing
church body, and reach out to meet the
physical and social needs of the people in
the community.
in order tor a pastor to provide ef
fective leadership in a community-in order
for him to build up the community’s moral
fabric and reach out to meet the people’s
needs, the pastor needs to live in that
geographical community.
I believe an important factor in the
deterioration of our communities is the
absence of many pastors from the com
munities in which their churches are
~iucated.--The—two-Sundav-a-month pastor
who lives miles awaycanhotprovide active
and continuing spiritual leadership amid
the daily needs of the community.
It frightens me that especially in our rural
areas many of our black communities do
not have a full-time pastor. I look at my own
home town in rural Mississippi. It’s sur
rounded like the spokes of a wagon wheel by
seven churches in a five-mile radius, each
serving a particular geographical area.
Each church has 300 members or more.
But not one of them has a pastor that lives in
the community. Hie pastor of one church
drives up from Louisiana, 150 miles away.
Others drive from different parts of
Mississippi-50, 75 or 80 miles.
Even worse, perhaps, is that pastors wh<g|
do live in my home area drive out of the
community to pastor churches in other
areas of Mississippi. One of these pastors is
a good friend of mine, and I’ve talked with
him about his inability to take leadership
within his own community. If he did, it
would seem as though he were trying to take
over the position of the out-of-town pastors
who are officially in charge of the people.
As a result, this pastor has no daily
responsibility for people anywhere. He has
no daily responsibility for the lives and
needs of the people he officially pastors 50
miles away. And he-can exercise no
pastoral responsibility for the people right
around him at home. Neither community
then, has the kind of spiritual leadership
that it desperately needs. And the children
of both communities grow 14) in whatever
moral climate develops.
So it’s vitally important that a pastor live
-within tile community tiiat l^ is shepherd
exceeds 25 adults ought to have a resident
pastor.
From Capitol Hill
Reaganomics Have Caused Reaga-Mortis To Set In!
Alfreds L. Madison
Special To The Post
At present there are ten
million people out of work
in the United States and
fifty thousand small busi
nesses folded in the past
year Over fifty percent of
employment in the United
Sates comes from small
businesses. Two million
people have lost jobs since
July imi and it is predicted
mat unemployment will go
higher. '*
The Reagan Admlnistra
tion has adopted a policy of
fighting inflation by In
flating the cost of money.
People can’t buy houses
because interest rates are
too high, as a result, all
housing concomitants,
such as; building, selling
and manufacturing of fur
niture and all household
products have greatly
reduced, so there is a loss
of jobs
The big Reagan tax give
away to the rich has re
duced revenue by $750
billion. This was done
under tlie guise that tax
breaks for big corporations
would create new invest
ments and provide more
jobs Out of $95 billion
invested, over $55 billion
a
was invested in foreign
countries. The major coun
tries being Japan and
apartheid South Africa
where these businesses can
exploit cheap labor. They
have also invested these
huge tax credits in buying
stock in other businesses.
All of this has added to the
homefront unemployment
rolls. The American people
have been suffering from a
Fteaganomic progressive
cancer and with the Ad
ministration’s 1983 budget
proposal it seem that
Reaga-mortis has set in.
Because ot tnese con
ditions. the Congressional
Black Caucus is again
coining forth from its re
search center with a pre
vention for those with this
economic cancer signals
and a remission for those
who already have the dis
ease At a recent press
conference, Represent
ative Walter Fauntroy,
Congressional Black Cau
cus Chairman gave an
overview of the Caucus'
1963 Constructive Altern
ative budget that will be
presented in detail around
the 23rd of April. Unlike the
19B2 Caucus Constructive
Alternative budget which
Alfred* L. Madmon
produced a government
surplus, this 1963 budget
recognizes tne need for
lowering the deficit. IU
first objective is to reduce
the deficit substantially.
The Reagan budget, which
the Congressional Budget
Office says could go as high
as 9121 billion in 1962, 9129
bilUon in 1964 and 9140
billion in 1965. The Caucus
budget deficit will fall be^
tween 980 and 990 billion for
9963, 960 and 970 billion for
1984 and between 940 and
160 billion in 1985
The second objective is to
adopt a fair, humane and
economically balanced
budget The Administra
tion budget will produce
excessive waste and unnec
cessrv growth in defense.
excessive tax reduction for
big corporations and rich
individuals, reduction in
basic public services, while
placing devastating cuts in
basic aid to the working
poor and unemployed. The
Caucus budget plans to
correct these inequities
and compounded burden on
the poor. It will restore
funds to the social
programs. —__
The third, to reform the
tax system. The Caucus
budget will close the
egregious give away tax
loopholes that give excess
ible benefits to the rich and
places an almost 'mpos
sioie tax burden on the
middle and lower Income
people.
The fourth, It will estab
lish a saner and safer
national defense It recom
mends that defense spend
ing will be held at FY 1962
level. These budget makers
feel that the defense should
not be considered so
socrosanct that it cannot
receive the economic
hatchet The Constructive
Alternative budget calls for
a re-examination of some
of the proposed nuclear
weapons. >
The fifth, it will ensure
adequate social security
and support for the poor
and elderly. It maintains
cost of living adjustments
for the elderly on fixed
income and calls for 39
weeks’ compensation for
the unemployed.
i in Biaui, me Duagei Will
redesign our foreign aid
and military assistance
budget. The Congressional
Black Caucus has continu
ously insisted that the
Administration must real
ize that military aid cannot
solve the political and eco
nomic problems that many
of the foreign countries
face. In its budget the
Caucus win continue to
press for more equitable
foreign assistance to
nations of the world.
Representative* Gray,
Fauntroy and Mitchell,
who were preaent at the
preea briefing feet that the
congressional climate is
more susceptable to its 1983
budget than it was to the
1982 budget Failure of the
Reagan Administration to
create jobs, reduce the
deficit, and lower interest
rates have brought a strong
hue and cry from the
American public. So the
Reagan 1962 congressional
coalition is falling apart.
No longer is there a strong
Republican Administration
economic support.
Last year, the Black
Caucus budget received
only minimal attention.
Yet, the Democratic Study
Group said that of all four
budget plans that were pre
sented, toe caucus con
structive Alternative bud
get was the only one tA
really came up with ideas
for improving the eco
nomy. Mr Faun troy said,
recently, House Speaker
O’Neill and several others
said to Mm that they, really
came forth with the only
plan tliat would have set
this country on the road to
economic recovery. Faun
troy said his response was,
"I wish I had you last
year.”
Main DUi
A m«al'« main dish
should he-protein, since it
helps with a body’s growth,
maintenance and raooir