Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / June 24, 1993, edition 1 / Page 7
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ThursHav. Tune 24,1993 - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Page7A Increase Funding To Help Office Of Minority Affairs Do Its Job The writer is president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg League of Women Voters. The Office of Minority Affairs is the most visible token of Mecklenburg County's concern about racism. Neverthe less, this year again that office is a temporary item in the county's budget. The League of Women Voters of Charlotte- Mecklenburg is urging the County Commission to stop its yearly debate about the need for that office and put it into the budget permanently with fuU funding. Early this year, the League of Women Voters of North Carolina askgd each of its local Leagues to identify its sin gle most serious social problem. The board of our local League named racism for Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Last week Charlotte-Mecklenburg League members were among leaders of 15 big city Leagues meeting in Washing ton. That coalition identified racism as being at the core of many of the nation's most serious problems. I wonder if, in all of those other cities, the only office dealing with racism is considered temporary. BErrry seizinger Charlotte Ordinary People Do Great Things They're Not Household Names, Just Individuals Who Make A Difference By James Stxoud SPECIAL TO THE POST We are bombarded dally with the trumpeting of public fig ures and the good works they are doing for the poor and under privileged. We see the mayor, council people, commissioners, and all the rest, smiling into the camera as they go through their "Photo Op" sessions throughout the city. Rarely do we hear of "regular" ordinary people who carry the real burden of letting the less fortunate know that there is someone who cares. Three of these "little" people who make a positive difference in the lives of others: • Claire Hurst: A social worker with a private foundation that services pregnant teenagers. Claire, in private life, also serves as the minister of Reeves Temple AME Zion Church In Davidson. One of the other many ways in which Claire makes a big difference is through her Neighborhood Ministry. It is nothing for mal, but totally effective in that the children of BlddlevUle love her. Stroud Self-Help Beats The Media A recent report by televi sion's 60 Minutes called into question - again - the main stream media's ability to ob jectively report on black self-help success stories. On the other hand, there is little debate concerning the media's ability to report the failures, ineptness, chican ery, incompetence and crim inality of some black people. But self-help success seems to present problems of objec tivity. I distinguish self-help (es pecially economic) success from athletic or performing arts success which have out comes which are objectively observable. That is, they have agreed upon rules which eliminate cheating. Therefore, the player who scores 50 points is a better scorer than the one who scores 10 points. But solving complex eco nomic problems (where the rules don't necessarily deter mine the outcome - because cheating cannot be ruled out) and the subsequent social and psychological manifes tations of economic poverty cannot be judged objectively. It allows one to judge the winner subjectively. For example, how in the world could a group of 300 rural, poorly educated Mis sissippi blacks possibly go from welfare checks to own ership of a financial empire worth $20 million without any government help - solving the problems of ra cism emd poverty? But as a result of doing just that, 'The Company's" prop erties today Include: three restaurants; a steel fabricat ing plant; three funeral homes: meat-processing plants: 15 farms with 4,000 acres; and "one of the South's most successful hog-ralslng farms - all of which provide meat for the Reach process ing plant and, ultimately, the enterprise's restaurants," the Post story explained. Of course, the Post (as did 60 Minutes later on) ran down the local "black leader" (In this case, a NAACP "leader" who detested black self-help philosophically and was hostile to Bishop Luke Edwards personally. Names like Jim Jones, Rev. Sun Myung Moon along with "mind control" and remin ders of "Indentured servi tude" were laced throughout the story. I don't accuse the Post or 60 Minutes of racism. But It Is obvious from their reporting that they don't rec ognize that the real genius of black people is not found In leaders who work at being leaders and believe in white people rather than them selves. TONY BROWN is a nation ally-syndicated columnist. What she does Is bring them, both boys and girls. Into her home for lessons of life. She teaches them the work ethic by having them organize car washes, yard sales, and the like. She teaches them discipline and courtesy, table manners and deportment. When she scolds them. It Is firm, but rvlth love. Her home Is open to them for any reason, any time. The at mosphere is one of safety, confidence and trust. These are the things often missing In their homes, and for the lucky few. It is found at Claire's home. • Betty Marlin, RN.: Betty is a community health care provider. Her clinic, locat ed in the Blddlevllle commuiUty, provides preliminary exam inations, doctor/hospital referrals, weight control programs, and at prices the people of that community can afford. Here you can get a physical for $25, self care counseling for $2, nursing care, (limited), $2 and a host of other health ser vices for an average of $8 per procedure. With nursing salaries being in the starting range of the upper $20s (thousands), I asked her why she would come to such a poor neighborhood to practice her craft. Her answer was to the effect of "This Is where I'm needed." To see and talk with Betty Is to witness a person who has found their work. She extends the services of her clinic to anyone needing health care or counseling, without the slight est regard for whether or not she will be paid. In leaving her, I could not help but ask her to express her one wish for all mankind. As was typical of her, she stated "My one wish for mankind is for us all to be well, whole, and holy." • Richard McCullough: Richard ("Richie" to me) is a contract worker for the Char lotte/Mecklenburg School system. He works as a general as sistant at Carmel Junior High. His work brings him Into con tact with the children in the In School Suspension Program, that is, children who have been determined as problems In the classroom. Richard uses his ability to identify with those "problem" kids to get across a very important message. That message is: "You are here to get an education as a means of survival in to day's world." Global Networking For Profit By William Reed NATIONAL NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION With the second Afiican-Afrlcan American Summit in Gabon just over, the major ques tion confronting blacks here, and there. Is "where do we go from here?" While the major ity of participants In the Gabon Summit were civil right leaders, or clvd rights leaders who've crossed that thin line and are now politicians, the actual feat of bringing blacks into the New World Order will be on the backs of those of us engaged in trade and commerce. While Rev. Leon Sullivan's Gabon summit provided headlines about "blacks bonding," the bottom-line results for blacks' economic development will be drawn by those people among us who are really about the business of doing business. For those blacks who derive more pleasure from cashing checks than taking pictures with so-called "leaders," there are two active economic groups that they may wish to use toward International networking for profit. The Washington D.C.-based International Exchemge Network (lEN) and the Internation al Black Network Elxchange (IBNE), based in Addison, Texas, are African American- headed groups whose focus is to promote the professional and financial networking of blacks toward aiding in the expansion of Af ricans and Caribbeans into the global mar ketplace. Rather than petitioning the White House and Congress to "please do something for us and our kin," these groups have direct ed their attention toward; matching business Interests of blacks; coordinating joint ven tures and promoting the products and servic es of African American-owned businesses and those of black manufacturers, world wide. According to Malcolm Beech, president of the International Elxchange Network, "It's not often that a large group of African American businesspeople have an opportunity to partic ipate in the birth of a new wave of economic development activity." Beech's group is host ing a Southern African Trade and Investment Conference in Washington, July 16 and 17, to allow blacks in this country to see the broad range of economic opportunities emerging in Sub-Sahara Africa. Former U.N. Ambassador Edward Perkins' comments shows the poten tial of the conference, "I think that coopera tion with African nations or with African in dividuals engaged in various kinds of projects in Africa vriil help Improve the economic de velopment of Africa and the economy of this country." Beech, who is a former president of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, says that, "If you missed the chance to get In the gravy train that drove America's economy In the '50s and '60s, the next train is now pulling out, and we don't need to wait for the government this time. Sub-Sahara Africa Is a huge market place with a combined GNP (gross national product) of $248 bUllon. The potential value of exports into African countries is over $55 billion." The 47 Sub-Saharan countries, which includes industrialized South Africa, have a potential consumer population of over 535 million people. The "Made in USA" Trade Mission Is sup ported by both the lEN and the IBNE, and is scheduled for Sept. 7-16. The preparatory trade and investment conference sponsored by INE, in partnership with Howard Univer sity's Small Business Center, wUl be held in July at the Howard University Inn. People in terested in international trade opportunities should call the lEN at (202) 722-2465. WILLIAM REED writes about urban issues for the National Newspaper Publishers Asso- Freedom Equals Responsibility By Dr. Paula Newsome SPECIAL TO THE POST only place in Charlotte that is interested Where are the responsible leaders? Where are the re sponsible people In Char lotte? A 5-year-old is out In a van at 12:30 at night and the van is fired on. Where are the responsible leaders In Char lotte? A 34-year-old larger- than-life professional foot ball player dies of a heart at tack related to cocahie abuse. Where are the responsible people In Charlotte? Our leaders host a sympo sium to talk about cruising in Freedom Park, which really was a non-issue. Where is the symposium to talk about taking our neigh borhoods back from the drug dealers? Where Is the planning ses sion for self esteem for our youth and adults? Where are the rites of passage classes for our males and females? Where are the real truth classes about our heritage? Is Walls AME Zion Church the Newsome In teaching Africans their history from a spir itual base? Is Rev. Casey Kimbrough the only minister willing to challenge the Miche langelo ver sion of Jesus the Christ as a blue-eyed, blond savior? Where are the responsible church communities who are willing to go out into the neighborhoods, pick up chil dren, take them to their sanctuaries, design pro grams for them and feed them for the summer? Where are the retired teach ers who used to make us learn In their classrooms? We need you to tutor our chil dren who are lagging behind In every type of skill, espe cially reading. Where are the summer reading and math His manner of communicating with them is through his "rap." He speaks in rhythmic sentences that the kids listen to without losing the Intent of the message. Teachers often ap proach him with questions on how he does it, and he has no answers except to say, "I love 'em." He calls them his kids, and to see the positive results of his work and influence Is to see love at work through discipline. I take the privilege here to thank Claire, Richie, and Betty for all of Charlotte who do not know of your works, and share with you the certainty that God has appointed the three of you to serve him in your own Individual kind, loving ways. Thank you for the privilege of knowing you. Save Allen University JAMES STROUD is a Charlotte writer. Graduates from Allen University in Colum bia, S.C. will reunite in Charlotte for the "Save Our School" reunion this weekend, June 25-27, at the Adam's Mark Hotel. Allen, a struggling black college, has sur vived many hurdles over a period of 123 years. Through it all, graduates have con stantly pooled resources to maintain this In stitution. Allen has graduated thousands of teachers, doctors, lawyers, musicians and other professionals who continue to work in WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND? Your opinions are important to The Post and Charlotte. What are your feelings about Issues like health care, education or crime? Write The Charlotte Post P.O.Baz 30144 Charlotte, N.C. 28230 or FAX (704) 342-2160. We edit for brevity, grammar and clarity when applicable. Please leave a daytime phone number and your name. All correspondence becomes property of The Charlotte Post. Changing Attitudes About Violence In U.S. programs? Our kids can not afford to take breaks! Where are the responsible citizens who are saying we are sick and tired of our neighborhoods being de stroyed by hoodlums, thugs, and cocaine? Where are the retired nurs es and doctors and even the practicing ones? Why aren't we out one Saturday a month sponsoring "a come as you are" clinic? If we all took some respon sibility, we could clean up our community both literal ly and figuratively. This ac tion would truly lead to Im provement. Freedom Is not free but cer tainly carries with it a big price tag - responsibility. In order for us to be free, we as a community have got to ac cept the responsibility for our children, our education, our religious Institutions, our families, our extended families and most Impor tantly, ourselves. DR. PAULA NEWSOME Is a Charlotte optometrist. support of their beloved alma mater, and to keep it open for other students, especially those who have had difficulty being accepted in other colleges. This weekend, Allen alumni come together again to present some of these alumni to help raise funds for the school. On behalf of the students, administrators and alumni of Allen University, we Invite all of Charlotte to come and help us "Save Our School." Please call 392-9475 for informa tion. LuCile Ivey-Norton Every four hours in Ameri ca, a black child Is murdered, a young black adult Is mur dered and a white child dies from firearms. Every six hours In Ameri ca, a black child dies from firearms, a white child is murdered and a young white adult Is murdered. In 1990, two out of five black male high school stu dents reported carrying a weapon - more than half of them firearms - in the previ ous month. Guns and violence obvious ly aren't just "a black thang," but our community Is suffer ing so greatly that we need to stop whatever we're doing and pay attention. We're In danger of becoming our own worst enemy; more young black then die from homi cide each year than we lost In all the horrible decades of lynching. When It comes to the harm that guns are causing our children, our youths, our families and our communi ties, the alarms are sounding loud and clear. Something has got to change. A new survey by Louis Har ris of LH Research shows that more Americans are supporting measures to limit gun violence. Interviews with a cross-section of Americans revealed that 77% of adults believe young people's safety Is endangered by all the guns that are around and only 29% feel that most children are safe from violence in the schools. When asked how much the availability of guns have contributed to the epidemic of violence that is engulfing all of America, 61% nation wide say "a great deal" and 20% say "somewhat." The strongest feelings about the relationship of guns and vio lence came from women, blacks. Latinos, and parents of children under 18 years of age. However, even 41% of all National Rifle Association (NRA) members say they be lieve guns have contributed to the violence in our world today. How bad is it? The Harris survey tells us that: • 18% of all adults, 20% of all parents and 30% of blacks report having had or knowing someone who had "a child who was wounded or killed by another child who had a gun." • 15% of all adults, 19% of all parents, 22% of Latinos and 33% of blacks report "knowing a child who was so worried that he or she got a gun for self-protection." •Fully 91% of all adults and 92% of all parents feel that there is "more violence in the schools than when they were growing up." These numbers are just the tip of the iceberg: the situa tion Is growing worse by the day. The good news is that at titudes about guns and vio lence are changing. MARIAN EDELMAN ts president of the Children's Defense Fund. ii 1
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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June 24, 1993, edition 1
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