Fighting The Influence
Of Drugs:
A Personal Account
LIFEST!aES/J»AGE IB
Black Social Workers Face Challenges
UFESTYLES/PAGE 2B O
Logan On Show At Light Factory
ENTERTAINMENT/PAGE 7A ^
nrje Cfjarlotte
Vol. 14, No. 18 Thursday, September 29,1988
THE AWARD-WINNING "VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY"
Martin: Move Toward
Black Economic Gains
50 Cents
By Jalyne Strong
Post Editor
"We come to Washington to de
mand Jobs and Freedom —
again."
John E. Jacob, Proaldent and
CEO National Urban League
at the March on Waahlngton
25th annhrofaary, August 27, 1986
"Black people are economic
caricatures In this country. In
our Judgement, blacks are still
preoccupied with peace, freedom
and civil rights; still trying to
revive a war that weVe won."
The latter statement Issued by
Dr. Freddie J. Martin, President
and CEO of the American Insti
tute for Economic Development
(AEID), Is meant to trounce the
first statement by Jacob and the
defeatist attitude of black Amer-
lc2ms who continue to plead for
Jobs and freedom when. In Dr.
Martin's estimation, they
should be asking, "Where’s the
money?"
"There comes a time when In
dividuals must move on," said
Dr. Martin during an Interview
prior to his speaking engage
ment with the Carolina Assocla-
Dr. Freddie Martin speaks on the state'of Mack economic'
tlon of Black Women Entrepren
eurs (CABWE) in Charlotte last
Friday.
"Blacks don't march on Wash
ington for money. Black people
are not Interested in money.
Phsta'CALVIN FEMUtON
They're Interested in civil rights
and education. Therein lies our
downfall."
That may be what Dr. Martin
believes now, but In his cris
scrossing the countiy, particu
larly the southeast, he's doing
what he can to amend that situa
tion.
The AIED Is a corporation
with a twofold purpose: for one,
it conducts research and formu
lates strategies for economic
and business development In
black communities: secondly. It
monitors legislation on Capital
Hill that Impacts on black eco
nomic development.
Bolstered by some disturbing
statistics about black econom
ics, Dr. Martin is on a mission
to change black people's behav
iors concerning money and Its
uses.
"We concluded In January of
1988 that the so-called
'commitment' of the Federal
government to black economics
is non-commitment," said Dr.
Martin. "For blacks to enter the
mainstream, going by the theory
of quotas for contracts and
grants is wrong.
'We should get them because we
have a right to share In the busi
ness. Because we pay taxes.
See BLACKS On Page 2A
Fulani Seeks New Alliance Of Voters
By HEittB WHITE
Post Staff Writer
Lenora Fulani, an Independent
candlate for president, believes
black America h2is to flex Its po
litical muscle by changing Its
voting habits.
, The New Alliance Party candi-
(date said In a Monday interview
the dominant national parties
have turned their backs on peo
ple of color In general and
blacks specifically.
The Democrats, she said, think
they have the minority vote
tvrapped up and the Republi
cans don't even bother to ad
dress their concerns.
So, to get their attention, Fula
ni wants to take the black vote
away from Democrat Michael
Dukakis to hand the White
House to Republican Georce
Bush. *
'We need to take our vote and
teach the Democrats they can't
take our vote for granted," she
said.
Fulani Is the first black candi
date to be on ballots In all 50
states and Washington, D.C. She
Is also the first black woman to
receive federal matching funds
for her campaign.
The Democrats haven't includ-
Dr. Lenora Fulani. Independent candidate for
President of the United SUtes. ezidalns the rea
sons behind her Independence to Johnson C.
i ^CE PER^...yes. he was, when the Ixwesei^ stopped a°ttte
>' Chanotte Coliseum. See mos» In Sntert*inm4mt/Pi||^ 7A.
Drug Tests Unreliable
Photo/TONY WHITE
Smith University students. Fulani spoke at the
university Tuesday.
ed minority issues In Its drive to
election day and the Republi
cans have bypassed black con
cerns altogether. Fulani
charged, which doesn't make It
an alternative.
"(Voting for either party) would
be totally stupid," she said. "You
don't vote for someone who's
been kicking you in the teeth. As
far as Dukakis and Bush are
concerned, choosing between
them Isn't really a good choice."
Those choices—or the lack of
Students And Youth Targeted For Voter
Atlanta, GA - The Sammv ...
them--may bring millions of
black voters to the New Alliance
camp, Fulani hopes.
'The black community Is sick
of (Dukakis and Bush)," she said.
See FULANI On Page 2A
RALEIGH (AP) — Drug-testing
laboratories failed to detect Ille
gal drugs as much as 31 percent
of the time In a nationwide
study of 50 labs conducted Re
search Triangle Institute, au
thorities say.
The study also found that the
labs had a much lower, but still
significant, rate of false
"positives," In which drugs were
Indicated in urine when none
were present. The survey was
published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association.
The findings raised several
questions about the Increasing
ly common practice of testing
employees for Illegal use of
drugs.
"What’s disturbing are that ad
verse decisions on people's lives
are being made on the basis of
laboratory results that may not
be reliable," said Loren Siegel,
special assistant to the executive
director of the American Civil
Liberties Union In New York.
"Millions of Job applicants are
being tested, ” Siegel said. "Those
tests are not generally followed
up ty confirmatory tests."
The error rate reported In RTTs
study was much higher than
some surveys by other profes
sional groups, partly because It
scored the results differently
and partly because It set stricter
thresholds for accuracy.
'We felt this would be a better
test of the laboratories’ ability
to detect drugs," said Dr. Robert
Blanke, professor emeritus of
the Medical College of Virginia,
See DRUG On Page 2A.
Atlanta, GA - The Sammy
Younge, Jr. Voter Registration
and Education drive, a project
spearheaded by the Voter Edu
cation Project, has embarked on
an effort to register 30,000 mi
nority youth ages 18-26. Involv
ing 11 Southern states, the pro
ject began September 6th and
will run through October 11th,
and Is named In honor of Sam
my Younge, Jr., an Afrlcan-
AmerlCEm student killed In 1966
as a result of his activities with
the student Non-Violent Coordi-
naUng Committee (SNCC).
During the past 20 years vari
ous organizations have made at
tempts to Increase the level of
political Involvement of minori
ty non-voters. However, very few
have been successful In attract-
fng greater partlclpatlort of
young, minority voters over any
length of time. According to Ed
Brown, Director of the Voter Ed
ucation Project, "This project
will be one of the most Eimbl-
tlous efforts to register minority
youth and students."
Sammy Younge Jr.'s name Is a
symbolic point of departure for
black students to reacqualnt
themselves with their past as
well as to stimulate new discus
sions of what the ballot Is to be
used for. 'VEP hopes with this
particular campaign to provide
an institutionalized means for
Involving black students and
youth In the political process.
VEP seeks to end the under
representation of young Afri
can-Americans In the political
system £md reawaken a critical
political consciousness In order
to foster resolutions to not only
student and youth problems but
the Issues which beset the over
all black community today. Ac
cording to the Project Director
Ajamu Baraka, two of the under
lining £md long-term goals are
(I) to develop an understanding
of and appreciation for the his
torical contribution students
and youth have made toward the
extension of democratic rights
for African-Americans and (2) to
develop a more politically In
formed student and youth voter
registration network. He re
marks, 'There Is a compelling
need for black students to orga
nize themselves Independently,
not only to vote but to come to
terms with the Issues that black
people face today. The vote Is
only a tactic toward other goals
which have to be discuss and
acted upon".
The Sammy Younge, Jr. Voter
Registration Coalition has
called upon local, state, and city
governments, as well as student
government associations and
statewide student associations
to designate September 26
through October 2, 1988 Sammy
Younge, Jr. voter registration
week.
Registration Drives Across America
^ Young Jr.: A Brief Portrait
Blacks Want To Join N.C. City's Housing Board
r Sammy Young Jr. was born in
Thskegee, Alabama, on Novem
ber 7, 1944. He was bom Into
what was an essentially tradl-
Itfonal black middle class family.
He attended local Catholic
schools and eventually ended up
at Cornwall Academy In Great
Barrington, Massachusetts
(home of Dr. W.E. B. Dubois).
Like many young people unable
to escape the reality of being
Jblack In America, Sammy begsm
to experience the anxieties and
voice the concerns about the
conditions of his people In the
South.
He returned home to attend
^skegee InsUtute High School
^d upon graduation. Joined the
^nlted States Navy. He was re-
^ased on a medtci discharge In
summer of 1964 and en
rolled at TUskegee Institute in
^nuary, 1965. It was at this
point that SammjT's political ac
tivity began. Uke many young
black people of that period
Sammy's political awakening
was Inform^ by raw experience.
The brutality, beatings and eve
ryday harassment of cMl rights
workers compelled him to get
Involved.
Beginning In March, 1965, he
worked with TUskegee Institute!
Advancement League fflAU arid
the Student Nonviolent Coordi
nating Committee (SNCC). With
SNCC, Sammy developed his
skills as an orgJmlzer and edu
cator. He worked In voter regis
tration drives throughout South
Alabama and Mississippi and
led boycotts of white Tuskegee
merchants. Sammy was a rebel
"With many causes, he was also a
young man dealing with every
day pressures: school work. In
terpersonal relationships, his
family and the character of tra-
dlUonal black Tuskegee life.
Sammy's political activity
moved him Into situations that
were harassing and dangerous.
At age 22 he was shot In the
back of the head by a white gas
station attendant when he
sought to use the "white toilet."
Sanimy’s life and work were only
Just beginning. He was the need
to look at his people’s lives and
make the decision, a genera
tional one, to break with the
past and challenge the status
quo.
Sammy's life ■w^s a fascinating
example of courage and selL
change. One to be understood
and emulated by the currentty
generation of students and
youth In all its positive respects.
It is to Sammy Young Jr. and the
imtold thousEmds of young peo
ple who struggled courageously
then and now to discover their
historical mission and to fulflU
it that this drive is dedicated.
RALEIGH (AP) — There have
been no black members on the
Benson Public Housing Bomd
smee It was formed In the early
1960s, even though more tham
half of the residents of Johnston
County public housing are
black.
Now, black residents want
Mayor Chmles Matthews to ex
pand the board from live to nine
members, and to Include minor
ities and a public housmg tenant
on the new positions.
Matthews said that he was
sympathetic, but Is not sure
what he can do about the prob
lem. The mayor said state law
gave him the authority to ap
point board members, but not to
expand the board. The board
governs the operation of the
Benson Housing Authority.
"I agree that there has been a
problem and it Is a problem I
have been remiss in," Matthews
said. "But I don’t have the means
to Increase the number of mem
bers. I think my authority is
limited to appointments."
Reggie Holley, spokesman for
members of Citizens for Respon
sible Government, said most «f
Benson's black population live
In public housing and 62 percent
of the public housmg tenants are
black.
"Many black tenants In public
housing feel the board Is insen
sitive," Holley said. He said
some "elements" were trying to
keep blacks off the board.
Inside This Week
Editorials Pg 4a
Obituaries pg. 4b
Entertainment Pg. 7A
Sports Pg. 7B
Lifestyles Pg. ib
Classifieds Pg. i2B
Church News Pg. 3B
The Alliance Sec. c
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