Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / April 19, 1984, edition 1 / Page 2
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& comments Hoya Champs Forever? iwenuy we. noted in this column that Georgetown Uni versity’s basketball team and it eloquent coach, John Thompson, have been treated with undue and unfair criticism by the news media. Much of this negative press copy has arisen from the press’ anger that coach Thomp son is not accommodating in allowing the media free reign to interview his players, thus in vading their privacy and dis rupting their concentration on both their academic studies and basketball. in addition, there is the specter of racism, not an allega tion raised by us, but rather by (pe white news media. As Peter Axthel wrote in NEWSWEEK POCently, a successful -> Of a dozen black kids with a I_; coach, a specter that, even in our enlightened times, may leave kWpae viewers uneasy.” In effect, chech John Thompson ~ reached a level of success on his own terms as a black man in a competitive world dominated by white people. He is, therefore, a threat in the narrow minded-. ttcssoT some because he dared to win a national NCAA basketball championship without the mis placed values, the exploitation of his players and the placing bas ketball ahead of the primary purpose of Georgetown Universi ty, that is the education of its , Because John Thompson has succeeded in the mawiPf that be has, many are now beginning to ask how and why, and the . white news media has begun to exhibit a new sensitivity if not respect. First of all, America loves a winner and John Thomp son was a winner in 1984. How ever, Mr. Thompson’s winning was and is not rooted merely in his coaching talents. He is first and foremost a man with a philosophy, a set of values and a form of self-discipline that a lot more Americans, both black and Own Beliefs Significantly, too, and in his own modest way, coach Thomp son would undoubtedly say that - it is easy for him to be as he is because the Georgetown Uni versity environment in which he lives and works is character istic of his own beliefs. For , the foundation for de a successful basketball program, in Thompson’s way of thinking, is to let his players know that they are students first and athletes second, and that . there is a great Mg, real wnue, could well do with, world out there beyond basket ball. It is for this reason that 42 of the 44 basketball players Thomp son brought to Georgetown University have graduated with earned degrees. It was in the same context that one of the Georgetown players said after their NCAA championship win, “We don’t know what the sports writers have said about us be cause we read the business section of the newspaper.” ■ Colman McCarthy of the Washington Post said he is not surprised “...that coach Thomp son, a man who thinks in terms of values and not success, has flourished at Georgetown. The university...is making some con tributions that are as impressive _ as the rise to excellence of its basketball program.” Con „nity Action What Mr. McCarthy is re ferring to is what Georgetown calls its “Community Action Coalition.” It is a social action oriented group and is the largest -student-organization on the am pus with over 500 members. The student members tutor refugees ' in the RngHah. langugage, work in medical clinics, aid the el derly, provide shelter for home less women, assist in soup kitchens and raise money to aid and assist the poor. Thus, when coach Thompson tells his young players that there is a world out there beyond basketball, he’s paralleling the university’s broader philosophical view tfiit there is a world out there beyond the wall of the academic class room that has needs that must be addressed now. -rlt seems almost tragic that as a nation, we tend to wait for the successful exploits of a sports team - an NCAA basketball championship - before we are interested enough to inquire about the .more relevant life meaning aspects of Georgetown, or for that matter, any other university. Georgetown’s Com munity Action Coalition and its philosophical foundation is un doubtedly something that needs ' to be repeated on other uni versity campuses where in too many cases the only media at tention received centers around the school’s policies on who can drink beer and where. Georgetown’s basketball team may be a powerhouse for years to come in part because its players stay in school for four full years to earn degrees. ^TORYa» £ k HEAR nothiho United Community leoder»htp...Needed Now 1425 Scotland Ave. Charlotte, N.C. 28207 Tel. No. 374-0276 Dear Editor: * Rarely in our lifetime have the Democrats in the Mh District had the op portunity to vote for a candidate with ai many outstanding qualities as D. G. Martin exemplifies. His intelligence, integri ty, compassion and humi lity, make Mm an extra ordinary person. D.G. has unseUtthly given so many the Civil Service Board as chairman, Nature Museum Board, McCrorey YMCA Board, United Way Board, a* weU aa an elder in his church, Siegie Avenue Preebyterian. These are just s lew of the many ways D.ft has tried to enhance tbelivesofallof Hh. In addition to all of these qhaUttes, D.O. is very rs tpwaihle on issues of eco nomics. While he has: a genuine ooocern for the problems our com that proposed solutions to those problems must be coupled with appropriate sources of revenue to fund them. He believes that our country must become more disciplined and adopt a "pay as you go” concept for all programs. In sum mary, lie Is a fiscal coo servative with a social conscience. ,, We urge the Democratic voters in the 9th District to send D.G. to Congress. Sincerely, Katy a Raleigh Shoemaker Burden Of Public Service i April 17, ISM . - Davidson, N.C. . Dear Editor: During the nearly 20 years of my residence in Germany and travels throughout Europe and mueKbf the western world, it ha* become increasingly difficult not to share die dismay and growing fear' my friends in politics and business and my col* leagues in the arts express * ' • concerning the quality of America’s leadership and the selfishness and dan ger of her domestic and foreign policies. It is a sourcq of great pride and relief to know that there afe still men and women of the calibre of D.G. Martin willing to assume the burden of pu blic service. Since we were boys to gether in Davidson, I have never, known him -to be other than fair, honest, energetic, intelligent, and courageous. I fervently hope the people of this district will avail them selves of the opportunity to be led and served by so fine a man. Sincerely, William Workman, Mns.D. Principal Lyric Baritone ’ Frankfort Opera West Germany the CHARixxrre pogrr “THE PEOPLE'SNEWSPAPER’’ Established 1918 Published Every Thursday by The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc. Subscription Rate 917-08 Per Year Second Class Postage No. 905500 , Postmaster Send 3579s to: 1531 Camden Rd., Charlotte, N.C. 28203 Telephone: 704-379-0496 'll. Circulation: 11,023 ,tj IQ* Years of Continuous Service ■ Bill Johnson Editor, Publisher .. Bernard Reeves General Manager .Fran Farrar Advertising Director . „Panncttc Gaither Office Manager Second Class Postage No. MS5M Paid at - Charlotte, North Carolina Under the Act of 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. im s. MIcMgaa Ave. 45 W 45th Mt* 14*3 CMcag*. IN. 44414 New York, New York 14434 Calumet 5-4244 212-444-1224 from Capitol Hill Defunding Civil Rights Commission Special To The Pest Just what happens to the Reagan Civil .Rights Com mission is a test of mem bers of Congress’ stamina to carry out the purpose for which the Commission was created or whether they will tuck their tails and bow to the misguided Commission agenda of the Reagan Administration. There certainly can’t be .any doubt - even in the minds of the most medi ocre intelligence • in the nation that this present Civil Rights Commission has abrogated aD of its independence. President Keagan s own words; “..that he was not getting any pleasure out of the original commission” and Ed Meeae’s saying the Commission’s responstbili ty is to communicate the President’s goals and ob jectives; reasons reported in the press for replacing Smith and Ruckeiahaus, Linda Chave’a Commission agenda which follows the highly conservative Heri tage Foundations’ recom mendations, all are proof of S Commission that Is the Administration’s mouth piece. Mr. Reagan has captured the aril Rights Commis sion, changing it from a non-political independent agency, whoa all forces respected for its impartial views in carrying oat the purpose for which It was Alfreds L. Msdlson created. The Hqtwe Appro priations Committee has held hearings on whether or not to defund the Com mission. Representative Pat Shroeder, speaking for the Congressional Women’s Caucus said it was a sad day because tbe Com mission has changed its role from fact-finding to one of writing proposals based on philosophical views. The present Com mission says it will view continuing disparities be tween racial and ethnic groups as not necessarily a result of philosophical per spective, thus recasting the Social Indications Report ki a new philosophical per spective on discrimination *1 purpose in creating the Commission, Clarence Pendleton, Commission Chairmen, said, “I bring my own experience to the table.” Being Jubilant orar the newly constituted Com misslun,. Pcudlcton con tinued, “We in the new Commission can do any thing we want." The Wash ington Post reported Pen dleton as saying UI think some of these people for get who woo the fight." These statements of Mr. Pendleton reminds one at a child being jubilant over the fact that he baa taken another’s toy. Staff Director Linda Cha ves baa said the her views are consistent with the "average American." It waa pointed out at the bearings that Commission members were not elected either aa delegates or trustees to represent the people’s views, but they are mandated to fim&g facts and recom mendations. A witness from the Na tional Organisation of Wo men stated that Pendleton and Chaves have said they are against ERA. This is Rodald Reagan s view also Commissioners’ pef sonal ideas afceuld not be injected into the Commie sion’s mandates. in the State of Washing too, the Courts awarded w«n«o back equal pay for comparable wort to man. Unde Chaves refers to the comparable worth iasue as "a radical notion and dan ffpfntlf ** It denounced uao of af firmative action goala and tlihetablea tar the promo tion at blacks amt wo cancelled a study on the effects of budget cuts on predominantly minority coUeges, It will study ad verse consequences of af firmative action on Ame ricans of Uasteftf add Southern European des cent, resolved that the new Commission it not bound by the policies of the old Commission, and that it will reassess the use of busing as a means of dese gregating schools. Always in ths past, the Commission members have met and together they have set the agenda. TUs time staff director Chavez preseated the agenda to the commissioners and the ac cepting vote was S to a. Dissenting votes were the non-Reegan appointees For the 38 yeers of the Commission's existence, it has held bearings on tosuaa. Chaves has an nounced that no Commit •ion hearing will be held during 19S4 and 10B6. In •tnnd, there wifl be con sultations with people m toctod by and voted on by theCommission. 'IbetBusl vote Is 0 to 9. Witnesses saM that view* and com plaints from the people can only be ascertained through open bearings. This present Commission to following the Keegan • efforts of overturning dvfl rights gates. swrmaAfauNA I . . !.. ___ Sabrina . Sabrina Johnson’s “Scope” will reappear neat week. Jackson Makes Point Jesse; Jackson has demonstrated clearly voters are feel they have a genuine stake in ^e election process (With afftdfcTrguhH finally in from Super Tuesday, blacks may have-comprised “SWWKSg* about 25 percent of the white vote turned out.) In the Southern primaries and in fT linois, where there is a sizable black vote, Jackson inspired a record turnout, and many of those were brand-new voters. unnappuy, Jack son has finally been lured into saying that whites will not support a black candidate, with the implication that blacks might as well stay home In November. Jackson later told some close as sociates that he re gret ed making the racially polarlz Jesse uig statements ana aoes not intend to venture into the quagmire again. v But the main lesson of the Jackson candidacy ought not to be lost on strate gists in the Democratic Party. And that is, the black vote can be —motivated first to register and then cast ballots in the electlorf. T30tr they are—no— different from the rest of the electorate; they need a compelling reason to take the time and trouble to participate in an election. „ * It is clearly up to the Democrats to come up witfi that reason. For the Democrats probably cannot win the election without a heavy black vote. •Assuming .that Jackson will not be on tte Democratic ticket in November, the next question is, how does an orthodox Demo-* cratic ticket of two white males, one con servative and one moderate, motivate blacks to return to the polls in the same numbers that brought them out on Suner Tuesday? Will boring in on the fairness issue and the • Reagan Administration’s sorry record in civil rights be enough to turn out black voters again? —* Probably not. Remember, the black voters who turned out on Super Tuesday didn’t go to the polls-as many of us did-to vote against something or someone. In stead, they chose to vote, for the most part for Jackson. h Even when Jackson’s campaign has run its course, it is important that the Demo crats keep him active on their behalf, stumping Georgia, Alabama and Missis slpprsfifl-continumg to keep voter regis trars busy in all three states. out even tnat may not be enough. Jesse Jackson, the cheerleader, is not the same as Jesse Jackson, the Presidential candidate. If the Democratic brain trust wanted to show some real imagination in striking out to retake the WhiteHouse, it might consider taking the boldest stroke of all that would win an overwhelming black vote: Put a black candidate on the ticket as Vice President. Jesse Jackson probably would not be acceptable for a couple of reasons, mm being that his candidacy, whether ^by accident or design, does indeed tend to polarise voters along racial lines. But what about Andy Young? He has made a superb mayor of Atlanta. His political support crosses racial lines. The fuss about some a* his activities as the ambassador to the United Nations in the Carter Administration, has been eclipsed by his phenomenal performance as ambassa dor mayor of Atlanta. m addition, he to an intelligent and talented politician with a solid under standing of. how Reagan has failed both domestic and foreign affairs. Oli, 1 know, the wise men of the Demo cratic Party will guffaw at the absurdity of having an Andy Young aa the Vice Presi dential nominee, when everybody knows that what the Democrats need to a Southern white conservative, probably a U.S. sen ator, on the ticket But will they be guffawing on the morning after the election when the headlines read: “Reagan wins second term?" /i-rtt*;-. ;rf '*iiitrini)1 •a; •**»;!*»*
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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April 19, 1984, edition 1
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