Page2A - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thuisday, June 24,1993
t'T
PHOTCVCALVIN FERGUSON
'Mark Richardson says black companies acquired 35 percent
of the contracts for the preparation of the proposed NFL sta
dium site and pledges more opportunity if the league expands
!here.
Denny's Controversy
At Heart Of Debate
Jackson
: Continued From Page lA
: NFL Commissioner Paul Ta-
: gllabue to express his dlssat-
: Isfactlon with Denny’s and
to block the Richardsons'
bid, although they deny any
wrongdoing at Denny's.
"I think the people of Char
lotte are deserving of an NFL
. team (not to say that other
; cities are not
; deserving as
• well), but
' whether this
Is the right
ownership
group in
Charlotte or
not is anoth
er matter,"
Jackson
wrote Tagll-
abue last
week.
"Charlotte Is deserving of a
team, but under what condi
tions? "
The NFL, where 68% of Its
players are black, has been
decisive on race-related is
sues In the past. The league
snatched the 1993 Super
Bowl from Phoenix, Arlz. af
ter voters defeated a measure
to make Martin Luther King
Jr.'s birthday a state holi
day. Phoenix has a football
team, the Cardinals.
Gene Upshaw, executive di
rector of the NFL Players As
sociation in Washington,
was on a business trip and
unavailable for comment at
press time.
At the NFL's offices In New
York, league officials are
keeping an eye on the matter.
'We're aware of the situa
tion," said Greg Aiello, the
NFL's director of communi
cations. "It's fairly clear the
Richardsons have responded
positively to the charges."
Giving A Fair Share
Denny’s entered Into nego
tiations with the NAACP on
a Fair Share agreement last
year, long before the current
flap. Recently finalized, the
agreement allows the civil
rights organization to moni
tor hiring and treatment of
minorities. In April. Denny's
signed a consent decree with
the U.S. Justice Department
to end bias at restaurants na
tionwide. If Charlotte gets a
team. It would have a Fair
Share pact with the Char-
lotte-Mecklenburg NAACP.
"Kelly (N.C. NAACP Presi
dent) Alexander and I are
working on It now," Mark
. Richardson said. 'We hope to
have It completed by the end
of the summer."
Black leadership. In the
form of Jackson and NAACP
Executive Director Benjamin
Chavis, can't agree on Den
ny's merits. But there’s no
doubt who the NFL believes.
'We know Jerry Richardson
has been working closely
with Ben Chavis since 1992,"
Aiello said. 'We're aware of
what Jesse Jackson has said,
but we also know what Ben
Chavis and other NAACP
leaders tn the Carollnas are
saying."
Richardson Sports' efforts
to ensure minority represen
tation has gotten lost In the
Author Cornel West
Headlines Unitarian
General Assembly
Contiiiued From Paje lA
29.
More than 2,500 Unitarian Untversallsts from member con
gregations of the association are expected to attend and par
ticipate hi workshops, business meetings and worship servic
es.
An entire day of the assembly wlU be devoted to the Issue of
racial and cultural diversity. The keynote speaker June 28
will be Dr. William Jones, a Unitarian Unlversallst minister
and educator who has, after more than 30 years of research,
developed a philosophy of societal pluralism and a model for
conflict resolution. The remainder of the day will consist of a
variety of focus groups, workshops, performances, hearings
and videos around the Issue of diversity.
The theme this year Is "Unlversallsm; For Such A Time As
This."
The general assembly will vote on resolutions on choice,
justice for indigenous peoples and violence against women.
Other highlights will Include;
•A lecture by Jean Bertrand Aristide, deposed president of
Haiti, June 27, 4:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center.
•The premiere of the new hymnbook, "Singing by the Living
Tradition."
•The annual Ware Lecture June 27 at 8:30 p.m. at the Per
forming Arts Center. Marian Wright Edelman, founder and
president of the Children's Defense Fund and author of 'The
Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours,"
will be the speaker.
In addition, delegates wlU elect a new president and modera
tor of the board of trustees.
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(Subject to Availability) • Sales Director A1 Austin
torrent of publicity over Den
ny's difficulties. But with
more attention going to the
football operation, Mark
Richardson said the organi
zation Is starting to assert Its
position.
'There’s so many different
areas of this project that It's
been hard to communicate
aU of them tn this short peri
od of time," he said. 'We feel
that now is the proper time to
help everyone understand
the opportunities that will be
available as the project kicks
off the ground."
Richardson points to the
preliminary phase of the
proposed stadium's prepara
tion, In which black-owned
firms received 35% of the
contracts.
'We're proud that we had
41% MWBE participation,
and we're proud that 35% of
the work went to minorities,"
he said. "Not only are we
proud of that participation,
we're proud of the quality of
the work."
If Charlotte lands a team,
blacks will have a hand In
buUdlng the stadium, Rich
ardson said. Carol Lilly, a
black woman, has been re
tained by Richardson Sports
to help secure minority con
tractors for the project and to
field concerns and sugges
tions from the Afrlcan-
Amerlcancommlnlty.
The team’s front office
staff, which Is expected to
reach about 150, will also
have a diverse look, Richard
son said. Today's 10-person
Richardson Sports staff in
cludes four African Ameri
cans.
African Americans from
North and South Carolina
met Wednesday at Little Rock
AME Zion Church to discuss
unity. Several speakers
wanted to make sure that the
public did not get the Impres
sion that they were against
Jackson or the NAACP.
Mecklenburg County Com-
mlsioner Bob Walton said
blacks 'Want cases of allega
tions dealt with conclusively
and decisively. We want to
know what kind of agree
ment the Richardsons will
put In writing.”
The group Indicated In a
written statement that they
support the concept of an
NFL team if Flagstar resolves
the charges made against It.
Twenty percent participation
by minorities In the expan
sion team's operations was
suggested as a fair goal.
Across from Little Rock, a
capacity crowd at the Afro-
American Cultural Center
listened to Mark Richard
son's version of Flagstar's
Involvement In the black
community.
He expressed an Interest tn
contracting with minority
businesses In accordance
with the Fair Share agree
ment.
Richardson said, 'We're go
ing to win this franchise to
gether. When I say together I
mean North and South Caro
lina, blacks and whites."
Staff writer April Turner
contributed to this report.
Meeting In Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Reparations Demanded;
Charlotte Resident Is
Elected To National Post
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SPECIAL TO THE POST
African people from all
over the U.S. want the feder
al government to pay repara
tions for past Injustices.
And It'll take more than 40
acres and a mule.
Blacks converged on Baton
Rouge, La. June 11-13 to at
tend the fourth annual con
ference titled "Reparations
Now." The conference was or
ganized by the National Coa
lition of Blacks for Repara
tions In America (N'Cobra).
N'Cobra Is an organization
created to address the Issue
of reparations for African
people.
Charlotte optometrist Dr.
Paula Newsome was elected
national treasurer of the or
ganization.
Reparations are payments
to make up for the crimes
committed against an Indi
vidual, people or nation. As
It specifically relates to Afri
can people, it means com
pensation for hundreds of
years of free labor.
The concept of reparations
dates back hundreds of
years. However, over the past
few years, the movement has
been gaining considerable
momentum. In 1990 and
1991, congressman John Co
nyers of Detroit Introduced a
bill for reparations for black
people In the United States.
Originally titled H.R.A
1684, conference members
voted to change the name
from Bill 1684 to H.R. 40 to
reflect the 40 acres and a
mule and $50 which was
proposed as just compensa
tion for the "Freed Negroes"
some 130 years ago. If
passed, the bill would create
a commission to study the
affects of slavery, discrimi
nation, and racism on Afri
cans In America and make
specific recommendations
concerning reparations.
The conference launched a
drive to solicit African peo
ple and supporters of Repara
tions to sign a petition
whereby the National Black
Caucus could co-sign on the
bill thereby providing the
necessary political muscle
for H.R. 40 to pass. Members
were further charged with
encouraging supporters to
contact their representatives
and Insist that they support
the bill. Carolinians are be
ing asked to contact con
gressman Mel Watt and In
sist that he lends the support
of his office to this effort.
Several commissions were
set up to facilitate the overall
goals and objectives of the
organization:
• Internationalization;
• Organizational develop
ment:
• Human resources:
• Economic development;
• Education and Informa
tion;
• Youth.
Working groups were esta
blished to set action plan for
Implementing strategies that
were developed at the confer
ence during workshops.
N'Cobra elected Its national
officers for the 1993-94 term.
The new co-chalrs are Kalon-
ji Olugsegun of Washington
and Johnlta Obadele of Ba
ton Rouge. Ken Small of New
York was elected secretary.
Six additional board mem
bers were elected to fill posi
tions at-large. Queen Mother
Moore, a pUlar tn the move
ments for reparations and
Imarl Obedele were appoint
ed board members emeritus.
Next year's conference wdl
be held In Detroit.
Emery Sharpe
’^anager"
omiEii
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ATTENTION
PASTORS
AND THEIR SPOUSES
You're invited to
The More Than Conquerors
Pastors School
July 6 thru August 12
Registration: June 21 - July 5
Classes to be held at: 1501N. 1-85 Service Road
For more information contact Dean John L. Adams at 391-7339