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tlTlje Cl)arlottE
Vol. 15, No. 2 Thursday, June 8,1989
THE AWARD-WINNING "VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY"
50 Cents
Debate: Does
Required Test
Mean Much?
FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTV FOUR Msnlora received di
plomas during the 49th annual commencement exercise
at West Chailotte High School held Wednesday. CPhoto,
left) Mack Adams m recieves congratulations from
Principal L.H. Layne. (Photo, right) Carlton Anderson,
Senior Class President, delivers the charge to the Class
of 1989.
Photot/CALVIN FERGUSON
Graduation Day For lions
By HERB WHITE
Post Staff Writer
African-American students In
Mecklenburg County scored
better on the N.C. Competency
Test this year than any other,
but there are differing opinions
as to whether It signals Im
proved academic performance.
The test, given to sophomores
across the state, measures bas
ic skills In reading, math and
writing. Students are required to
pass all sections to receive a
high school diploma.
Students who don't pass on
the first administration are giv
en additional Instruction before
retaking the test In the Junior
and senior years.
The local results, released last
week, showed a higher percent
age of black students passing
the state-mandated test. Eighty-
five percent of high school
sophomores passed the reading
test compared to 71 percent In
1980. African-Americans
passed at the math portion a
rate of 79 percent, compared to
62 percent In 1980. White stu
dents passed at a rate of 97 per
cent In reading and 96 percent
In math.
While the numbers look good,
don't put too much stock In It,
says school board member Ar
thur Grlfiln.
"The skills required In the
competency test are below the
basic skills level that people
need to function In the larger so
ciety," he said.
But Sue Henry, the school sys
tem's testing specialist, says the
Improved scores are a positive
step. Black Improvement can be
attributed to several factors. In
cluding the full Integration of
public schools and more em
phasis on remedial Instruction.
"The most exciting part Is that
over the last 10 years, the num
ber of black students who are
passing It the first time is in
creasing, where when the test
See DO IMPROVED On Page 2A.
By JALTNE STRONG
Post Editor
Saying. "We are only failures when we fall to try." Cailton I,eiu
ane Anderson, an 18 year-old senior at West Charlotte High
School, delivered the charge lo !he Clas« of 1989 at W^est f'har-
te High Suhiiol during rommencemeiil exercises Wednesday. '
Tile Senior Class President told the audience of 544 West Char
lotte graduates and hundreds of parcuils, relatives and friends,
"Do not allow anything to keep you from reaching your fullest
potential."
He also spoke of overcoming obstacles in the futun>. His speech
was made poignant by the fart that-Carlion h.id jiisi man.iged
one hurdle and learned what It took to come out on lop.
ITie day before gradu.itlon Carlton was meeting with school of
ficials U) rectify a situation that had almost meant his exclu
sion from the National Honor Society.
( .iillMii and hjs mntlu i 1 Xt’.'ii’i'.ori h,il to call on .issN-
tance fiom School Boaid nicniher Arthur Gritlin and Danlta
Goodwin of tlie Equal Opporlmmy Office of Charlotte-
Me t k'c'i’uiiK. Schools lo h.we the problem e oirecled
Carlton was rrin.staied in ihc lionor .«.ocicty Ju.si in tune lo
pioudly wear ihe gold stole, which .sigrilfii-d Ins membership, lo
gradual ion rereinoiiics.
For Carlton and ihc other West CharloUe graduates, com
mencement was a billerswrct oct.ision. These students had re-
cenlly inounu d Ihc to-.c of one ol Iheir clas.srnates, the victim of
a homicide last montl
‘Wet.l f hailoltc had Us moments ol pain and tiagedy. said
gUKsl speakc.i Hob .mii.ui ofV.'BiA IV
"Bui you have faicd llic glaic 1.1 piililii iry with dlgniiy and love
for one arHdher," the .iiictii.ii.i.ni 1 >id th 'j.ulii ii
Goldsboro NAACP
Pressures Police
GOLDSBORO, N.C. (AP) — The
NAACP has asked Goldsboro
City Council to remove from
duty two officers Involved In the
death of a man who died while In
police custody during a drug
raid.
"Because these policemen failled
to adhere to that portion of the
police code which requires them
to protect life; and, because In
making an arrest they failed to
use good judgment In the selec
tion of arrest procedures, we pe
tition you to withhold from
them the privilege of continuing
Black Agencies Go
To County Coffers
By HERB WHITE
Post Staff Writer
Mecklenburg County agencies
serving the African-American
community did pretty well at
budget time, getting most, if not
all the money they sought from
county commissioners.
That pleases Bob Walton, the
only black on the seven-
member board, who said Afri
can-American agencies are tak
ing a more active role as lobby
ists.
Five agencies that are consid
ered by the county to be outside
agencies—the Urban League's
word processing training center
and Teens 'N Touch, Afro Ameri
can Cultural Center, Johnson C.
Smith University and the Geth-
semane Enrichment Program-
received money from commis
sioners Monday.
The cultural center also re
quested $70,500 from the city,
the only African-American
agency to do so.
Walton said blacks are getting
back a share of the money they
help put into the county's oper
ating budget, which will be
$402.5 million In the 1989-90
fiscal year.
"All citizens, black and white,
pay their taxes," he said. "So you
can't say black people are pay
ing taxes and not getting servic
es, because they are. Everybody
pretty much got something."
The Afro American Cultural
Center was the biggest winner,
getting $46,410 for an after
school cultural arts program for
children In First Ward. Last year
the center recleved $12,500.
The local Urban League was
awarded $26,709 for Its word
processing training center and
$61,143 for Teens 'N Touch, a
program directed toward Inner-
city youth.
Other black-oriented pro
grams, Walton said, benefit indi
rectly from the county because
they get money on a contractual
basis.
Wedton's proposal to give com
missioners a $2,600 raise over
the next two years went down to
BLACK AGENCIES
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Urtxin
League Word Processing Cntr.
$26,709
Teens 'N Touch
$6M13
Afro-American
Cultural Center
$46,141
Johnson C, Smith
University
$11,191
Gelhsemane Enrichment
Program
$106,270
defeat, he says, at the hands of
colleagues "who like to play to
the public." Walton said that as
many as five commissioners
had earlier supported a boost
from the annual salary of
$16,800 to $20,000 a year.
"It's always a controversial is
sue," said Walton, who proposed
the pay raise.
Improving commissioners' pay
is necessary because the job re
quires full-time service, Walton
said. Being available to constit
uents and the requirements of
meetings and panels has made
the position more difficult than
when he first joined the board in
1978.
"Regardless of who sits on the
county commission, It's a time-
consuming thing and there
should be reasonable compen
sation for your time and energy,'
he said.
"It's obvious that It's becoming
a full-time job. The demands of
the job are a lot greater than
they were when I started 11
years ago."
OrganlMtloni r«cehrlng county funds for fiscml
year 1969^:
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Urban League Word
Processing Training Ccnter~$26,709.
Teens 'N Touch—$61,413.
Afro-American Culttuml Center - $46.141.
Johnson C. Smith Unhrerslty-$11,191.
Oethscmanc Enrichment Prognun-$10€,270.
to 'protect' the citizens of Golds
boro," Dorothy Whltted Hardy,
president of the Goldsboro-
Wayne County NAACP told the
council Monday night.
James Earl Swan died In a pio-
llce car. He had been Involved In
a scuffle with officers during the
drug raid.
Although a grand jury declined
to charge the officers, Mrs. Har
dy said the judicial process In
the Swan case was swayed by in
formation presented to the
See SWAN On Page 2A.
AIDS Cases
On The Rise
In N.C.
RALEIGH - AIDS cases In
North Carolina have risen
steadily during the last year, ac
cording to State Health Director
Ron Levine. As of May 24, 1989,
854 AIDS cases, including 425
deaths, had been reported In
North Carolina since the dis
ease was required to be report
ed tn January 1984.
To date, 836 adults (757 men,
79 women) and 18 children have
contracted AIDS. Cases have in
creased 62 percent In the past
year. The increase is even more
significant, according to Dr. Le-
■vlne, given that there are thou
sands of other North Carolin
ians who have HI'V positive but
who have not yet developed
symptoms of AIDS.
'There Is 'no question that we
need to be greatly concerned
with AIDS in North Carolina,"
Dr. Levine stated. 'There is, how
ever, reason for optimism. We
know how AIDS Is transmitted;
we know how to stop the spread
of the disease. Every citizen can
play a role; educator as to low-
risk behavior Is the key."
Racial Differences And Infighting Plague State's Largest Teachers' Group
RALEIGH (AP) — Part of the re
cent division among board
members of the state's largest
teacher’s group stems from ten
sions that have persisted In the
organization since it was forged
in 1970 out of the white N.C. Ed
ucation Association and the
black N.C. Teachers Associa
tion, observers say.
The N.C. Association of Educa
tors sa3re It has taken steps to es
tablish racial harmony by
adopting guidelines that guaran
tee that at least 25 percent of its
board and staff members are
black. Further, the executive di
rector and his or her associate
cannot both be white. Currently,
about 21 percent of the associa
tion's membership and nearly
40 piercent of Its st^ are black.
StlU, there have been disputes,
usually over hiring. Board mem
bers fought in 1986, for example,
over whether to promote K.Z.
Chavis, a black man who later
died in a car accident, to execu
tive director or to conduct an
open search. Chavis got the job
during Karen Carr's Ikst term as
president, and some former
workers and board members say
they did not get along well. Ms.
Carr insists they got along fine.
Gladys Graves, a former NCAE
president who Is black, said In
an interview last fall that dur
ing her two terms as president,
she had received anonymous
notes asking, 'Whenever there Is
a black president, why are so
many black people hired?"
Last month, during the state
convention of the NCAE In Ra
leigh, a bouquet of black bal
loons with an unsigned thank-
you card was delivered to three
white members of the board of
directors.
Some said It was a sarcaistlc jab
directed at the three board mem
bers who voted with 10 black
members to reinstate Bernard
Allen, a black lobbjdst who had
been suspended after fighting
with executive director Thomas
Husted, who Is white.
Some board members think
the balloons were sent from sup
porters of a predominantly
white rival faction, led by Ms.
Carr, that wanted to see Allen
ousted.
Ms. Carr said she and her group
had nothing to do with the bal
loons and said she was appalled
that anyone would suggest they
did. "I have no Idea who did It,
and 1 absolutely don't condone
it," she told The News and Ob
server of Raleigh.
The Incident Is an example of
mistrust and division -— largely
along racial lines — among the
24 voting members of the board.
The teachers' group has 47,000 them black — voted to oust
members. Husted and Francis Cummings,
The split became public May 20
when 13 board members — 10 of See N.C. TEACHERS On Page 2A.
Inside This Week
Editorials
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6A
Obituaries
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Entertainment..
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Sports
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Lifestyles
Pg.
1B
Classifieds...
. Pg.
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Church News..
Pg.
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Alliance
., Pq.
11B
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