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_ THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, February 21, 1985 Voiume 10, Number 37
Charlotte's !
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Achievers |
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. See Section B
Coca-Cola Celebrates
Black History Month
See Section C
SHAMARLA ELENA JACKSON
...J>e(i(e beauty
Bunny,’’ “Webeter,” and "Sesame
Street.’’ She also enjoys listening to
the music of Prince.
A four-year student of Miss
Donna’s School of Dance, Shamarla
has received one trophy for dancing
and three dance appreciation cer
tificates. These dance lessons, she
predicts, will help her reach her
ambition. “When I grow up,” says
Shamarla, “I want to be a ballerina
and a ‘Solid Gold’ Dancer.” For
now, she likes Up dancing best.
Shamarla also insisted that she
wants U be a flower girl. Her
mother’s friend told her she could be
the flower girl in her wedding,
Shamarla explains. But the wedding
hasn’t taken place yet. Shamarla
remains hopeful though.
Maybe she can pretend she’s a
flower girl during one of her
favorite activities called, “Let’s
Pretend.” She participates in this
program at the Children’s Theater.
She has Uken drama classes there
for two years.
Shamarla has also taken one year
of piano at the Community School of
the Arts.
All these creative instructions will
probably give her an advantage
during the “Little Jr. Miss
America” Pageant. The contest
involves a personal interview with
the judges, a gown competition and
an appearance competition.
Shamarla, who has three sponsors:
The Chimney Bee, Guerra Signs,
Inc., Dr. Richard Shanks, and Mr.
John Crockett, is all prepared for the
show. “I have a baby blue gown with
a sash bow, and I have my T-shirt
(to be worn with red shorts), and my
white shoes," she lists.
When Shamarla goes to compete
she’ll have to leave behind her
Cabbage Patch Doll, whom she’s
named Christine Hancock. But when
she has time, Shamarla says, “I
teach her to write her ABCs and I
give her plenty of love like my
Mommy gives me."
Her mother is Mrs. Patricia
Jackson.
If Shamarla wins the pageant in
Charlotte she will go on to compete
in the national program. If she wins
there she wilj undoubtedly receive
many prizes. But what she wants
most in the world, Shamarla admits,
ia “A Barbie doll house.” She
explains that she has five Barbie
dolls who are currently homeless.
Shamarla and her mother attend
South Try on Presbyterian Church.
President Reagan
zones and the Job training partner
ship act
iVo One Excels As Leader Of AU Blacks!
Who Are Charlotte’s Black Leaders?
_ J y
By Jelyne Strong
Poet Staff Writer
As a Black citizen in Charlotte,
alba has a civic coocern effecting
yourself or the welfare of your
community, who would you go to for
choice of a parson to aid you
would be difficult. The fact is, there
•re many people in this dty who
have been designated as “Mack
Community Loaders while there is
the additional fact that no one
esceU ga the leader of all Macks
‘“fore are loaders in educational,
medical, political, labor «»* em
fiantt Councilman Ron^per and
Rev. George Battle as the top
Black Leaders” that coma to mind
SarHh sfeJS,1 S$S I%idf2
the late Dr C.W Williams as
James Polk
• -Warts effectively
significant leaders in their respec
tive fields
Marsh picked James K. Folk, of
the Black Political Caucus. Rev
George Battle, for his work with the
School Board and Mel Watts, recent
ly elected to the State Senate Marsh
ako included Bob Davis and Bob
Walton
Though these parsons are per
ceived as ‘Black Leaders'' of the
Gbarlotte community both Coleman
and Marsh feel that a ko-called list
Rev. Oeerge Battle
Plays major rale
has the tendency to exclude thoee
whom Marsh calls, “the people who
work in the trenches ’ “There are
many people who work hard on the
behalf of their people yet their work
Is Ml acclaimed," Marsh explains
These people, be suggests, me as
l«M "Black Lenders" than the more
recognisable persons already men
tioned.
Coleman agrees, "One person
cannot say they are the leader of the
nee Black Leaders aa Pegs IK
City Inspection Is
No Guarantee Home
Will Be Problem Free
By Audrey C. Lodato
Post Staff Writer
You’re in the market for a home,
and you’ve finally found one that you
like and can afford. The standard
contract you’ve signed has an in
spection clause. You've been into
the attic and down in the crawl
space, and you’d just as soon not put
out any money that you don’t abso
lutely have to. How important is it,
really, to get a professional inspec
tion of the major systems in the
house, such as heating, plumbing,
and electrical? And besides, doesn’t
the City inspect a house before it’s
sold?
Although a certificate showing that
a house has met the minimum
housing codes must be obtained
— before the-«&a]£ of any house in
Charlote, Stanley Fisher, inspection
supervisor with the City Rousing
Inspections Department, empha
sises that a City inspector is only
looking for code violations. “We
check only for minimum housing
code standards," he advises. “This
does not require extensive research
on such systems as heating or
plumbing.” While the inspection
will reveal such problems as a
leaking roof, cracked windows, ex
cessive air cracks around doors,
leaking pipes, and dripping faucets,
and will check for the presence of
proper piers under the house and
adequate ventilation, it does not
cover whether or not the furnace will
work, or potential plumbing pro
blems, or the condition of the roof if
there isn’t obvious leakage
Urges Fisher, “A buyer should
have a more extensive research
done on major items.”
Julius Cousar. of J.C. Cousar
Realty and Insurance Co.,agrees.“A
• • ' J.C. Cousar
...Local realtor
_First In Series
buyer should have the right to have
an inspection written into the con
tract,” he notes, adding that the
contract should specify that it is the
seller’s responsibility to repair or
replace any items found defective.
“This is a safety rule. Most of the
people I sell homes to, I advise to. do
it, ’ he confirms. According to
Cousar, the cost of an independent
inspection of major systems ranges
from about $65 to about $110.
Muriel Helms, president of the
Charlotte Board of Realtors, also
recommends pre-sale inspections.
According to Helms, the agent who
is working with the buyer usually
arranges for the inspections The
buyer pays the inspection fee and
the seller usually pays for repairs.
Inspection fees vary, depending on
whether one firm inspects all the
systems or if a separate firm in
spects each system. Total inspec
tions, she says, range from about $90
to $125
Syd Chipman, a registered Profes
sional Engineer, formed Home In
spection Consultants of Western
North Carolina in 1979. Chipman
recommends an inspection even
before signing the contract “Unfor
tunately,” he comments, “most cli
ents sign purchase contracts before'
they call me. Some have lost their
earnest money, loan fee, and incur
red unnecessary attorney’s fees
when they were not willing to accept
the house with the deficiencies I
found.”
According to Chipman, many pur
chase contracts tally provide that all
equipment and utilities are working
at the time of ctoeing the sale, and
many inspection companies check
only this minimum requirement.
The engineer notes that builC£
codes address health and safety
issues and a minimum standard of
quality. “I think the usual inspec
tion which is limited just to seeing
that the equipment and appliances
are working is too little and too
late,” he remarks , adding, “I
-haven’t found much correlation be
tween the appearance or price of
houses and their inherent quality."
Chipman’s company offers a two
part inspection program, the cost of
which is tied to the price range of the
home under consideration. Fees
vary from $125 to $250 and above for
houses in the $200,000 range The
initial inspection is performed, with
the buyer present, before an offer to
buy is made. The second inspection
is near the closing date
Next week: The Post will take a look
at the availability of housing in
Charlotte at all income levels.
Black Voter Registration Turnout
Improved ‘"Dramatically In 1984”
Two-thirds of voting-age Blacks said
they registered and 56 percent
reported casting ballots in last
November’s presidential election,
according to a survey by the
Commerce Department’s Census
Bureau.
The Black voter registration rate
of 66 percent matched previous
highs recorded in 1968 and 1972, and
the actual turnout was the highest
since 1968, when 58 percent reported
voting. A total of 12 2 million Blacks
reported being registered and 10 3
million said they voted in 1984
compared with 9.8 million and 8 3
million in 1980
The 1984 registration rate was 6
percentage points higher than in
1980 and 8 over 1976; the turnout was
5 points higher than in 1960 and 7
over 1976. Young Blacks under 25
made the most dramatic gains,
increasing 12 percentage points over
i960 in registration and 10 in turnout,
both highs since the voting age was
lowered to 18 years. In 1960, the
under 25 Black registration was 41.1
percent and turnout 30.1
In the South, Black voter
registration rose 6 percentage points
over 1960 to 66 percent and in the
North and West combined, it went up
from 61 to 67 percent Black voter
turnout in the South rose from 48 to
S3 percent For the rest of the
country it grew from 53 to |9
percent
The White registration in 1964 eras
70 percent, or 1 point higher than in
both 1960 and 1976. The Wbtte voter
turnout of 61 percent showed no
change from I860.
Hispanic turnout was M piety is,
1964, net statistically different *006
1666. But the 1964 rate rises to 46
percent when ineligible non-cMeaqjf
are excluded. V »'
This survey was conducted two
weeks after the November 6
election T r
... Wallace
Wallac^^™1