5A
OPINIONS/ The Charlotte Post
January 25, 1996
4
tm
Taking computer
technology to the
minority community
By Renard Hudson
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
Over 200,000 computer convention attendees
invade Las Vegas for one week in November to
see, feel and hear what the world will be like
in the coming years.
The event is called Comdex and it is an
amazing experience, viewing eye-catching com
puter hardware and software demonstrations
while trying to avoid being knocked down by
the overflowing crowd. What we regarded
years ago as science-fiction has rapidly become
reality; computers have enabled us to learn
faster and Comdex has proven to be a V2duable
means for developing new skills and sources of
information.
As I walked down aisle after aisle meeting
and greeting movers and shakers in the com
puter industry, I noticed that something was
missing. I turned to my right and then to my
left trying to pinpoint what was missing. Then
it hit me. Where were the African American
and Hispanic computer businesses and con
sumers? I could almost count the number of
minorities that were there and it was a very,
very small percentage. The fact is sad but true,
we are being left behind again! We have
always lagged behind when it comes to using
technology and it looks as though this trend
will continue because only about 28 percent of
all computer users are minorities.
Computer technology is creating two soci
eties: A wealthy class of people who can handle
the demands of computerization and another
class who seem to have given up on all hopes of
understanding technology. The latter may go
the way of bulky mechanical machinery. Like
the old equipment, this class will be thrown
onto the garbage heap of humanity.
I often interview African Americans who
work on computers on their job and find the
majority only want to perform the specific com
puting operations they need to help them with
their work.
Providing our community with a conceptual
frame of reference is the only realistic way to
teach. This will help us retain a knowledge
base from which we can teach ourselves and
our children.
A great challenge facing our community is
keeping abreast of the vast amounts of new
technology and developments introduced each
year. The danger is most minorities will not be
capable of coping with the demands of comput
erization and even if they are, they may not
have the desire to do so. I meet individuals
each day who are unaware of the many oppor
tunities that exist within the computer indus
try. They do not know because there are very
few resources available that provide the minor
ity community with continuous information
about computer technology.
The African American and Bfispanic commu
nities have faced numerous technological and
economic challenges of this magnitude in the
past and we have found ways of dealing effec
tively with them. Our community, however,
cannot continue to just "deal" with challenges.
We have to take the initiative to be visionaries
or else we always will be left in the dark!
Minority radio stations, newspapers, maga
zines, and television programs have to start
using their powerful forum to inform the
minority community about benefits and oppor
tunities within the computer industry.
Community leaders, political leaders, colleges
and organizations are also vital links to the
computer information superhighway and they
must do their part to bring computer technolo
gy to the minority community today!
Working in the computer industry has provid
ed me with a great opportunity. Although it
has been a great experience, I still cannot get
over the fact that minorities are scarce in this
industry. From buying computer technology to
selling it, somehow we have been lost in the
shuffle. I have always wondered why computer
companies have never targeted the minority
market. I have also wondered why people of
color are seldom portrayed in computer print
ads and television commercials. Finally, two
years ago, I stopped wondering and started
writing my book “Taking Computer
Technology to the Minority Community.” My
goal is to motivate, inspire, and inform each
individual about the many opportunities and
computer products that exist and will exist
within the computer technology industry.
Please do not forget to do your part to bring
computer technology to the your community
RENARD HUDSON is the president of
Startup & Survival Group and author of the
book “Taking Computer Technology to the
Minority Community.”
Is Washington becoming irrelevant?
By William D, Eggers
SPECIAL TO THE POST
RALEIGH—Get ready,
Raleigh. Look sharp,
Charlotte. Congress is about
to give you a big surprise.
In the most monumental
shift of authority since the
New Deal, power will soon
start flowing from the
Beltway to the states.
Hundreds of billions of dollars
worth of federal programs,
ranging from job training and
transportation to welfare and
Medicaid, will likely be sent
by early this year to state cap
itals from Raleigh to
Sacramento.
While this “devolution revo
lution" is being mourned in
some corners as the utter
abandonment of federal oblig
ations, in reality, moving
power out of Washington,
D.C. is the best thing that
can happen for
American
democracy.
not because it's trendy, but
because it’s an economic
necessity. Likewise in politics,
economic reality is relegating
central planning to the dust
bin of history. In some cases,
there may be a compelling
reason for maintaining cen
tralized control, such as the
need for a coordinated nation
al defense. But as a general
principle, for efficiency's sake
we should be increasingly
devolving power away from
centralized bureaucracies.
More than simply efficiency is
at stake though. We must
return to our roots as a self-
governing people. American
democracy has largely deterio
rated into a spectator sport.
The personality politics of
television has transformed the
ideal of self-governance into
the Quixotic search for the
recently as 1929, federal
spending totalled only about 3
percent of the Gross National
Product. Today, the 535 mem
bers of Congress control about
one-fourth of America's GNP.
Such highly centralized gov
ernment carries unacceptably-
high costs, both in terms of
efficiency and democratic
accountability.
Our swollen federal govern
ment is incompatible with the
demands of a modern econo
my. In today's Information
Age, large, centralized
bureaucracies - whether in
business or government - are
at a disadvantage to their
decentralized competitors.
American companies are
decentralizing, empowering
workers and establishing
autonomous business units.
In a healthy
democracy, citizens are active
ly involved in their own gover
nance - and not simply on
election day. Average
Americans rightly perceive
that they have little or no
influence over what occurs
inside the Beltway. (Do you
know any parent who has a
clue what is in Goals 2000, the
set of national education stan
dards?) Americans need to
reconnect with the political
process. Devolution brings
government closer to home,
which helps accomplish this.
But how should we go about
devolving power back to cities
and states? Block grants are
currently in vogue. Though
well-intentioned, block grants
are not a long term solution.
Anytime states are spending
"federal dollars," they have an
incentive to ride the system
for everything they can.
Consider what New
Hampshire did with Medicaid
reimbursement. Using a loop
hole in federal law. New
Hampshire managed to gener
ate an additional $366.6 mil
lion in federal funds in 1992
and 1993. Only about $44 mil
lion of that went to hospitals,
while $322.6 million went to
cover a state budget deficit. "It
was a scam, no doubt about
it,” said one state legislator
who helped devise the scheme.
"We 're fimding our state judi
cial system, our highway pro
gram, and everything else out
of a Medicaid loop
hole, which is
being funded
out of the
[ fe d e r a 1 ]
deficit."
The loophole
wasn't an acci
dent. New
Hampshire's pow
erful Republican
Sen. Warren Rudman
inserted provisions in a
key Medicaid bill during
the final hours of 1991 to
make sure New Hampshire
got its federal goodies. New
Hampshire serves as one
example of why the ultimate
goal of policy must be to trans
fer as much power as possible
from government to individu
als and local communities.
Once citizens see the true cost
of local programs now being
financed from Washington,
they may not think the pro
grams are worth the tax dol
lars spent.
This column was adapted-
from Revolution at the Roots:
Making Our Government
Smaller, Better, and Closer to
Home (Free Press) by Reason
Foundation analysts William
D. Eggers and John O'Leary.
Big fisli. Little Bsli
By Eric Kearney
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
The United States Supreme
Court is playing politics with
race again. This time, the
Supreme Court is addressing
two voting rights lawsuits;
one from Texas, the other
from North Carolina.
At stake are congressional
seats which are "reserved" for
African Americans and
Hispanics. The Supreme
Court's decision will impact
African American and
Hispanic gains in Congress as
well as the manner in which
districts are drawn on the
state level. Effectively, the
choice for the African-
American community is this:
Would you rather be a big fish
in a small pond or a small fish
in a big pond? With that ques
tion, the Supreme Court,
Department of Justice and
state legislatures, fail to con
sider, in their dizzying frenzy
to intellectualize, is that the
African American community
does not care about the size or
shape of the pond (or district),
but whether we are given an
opportunity to fair representa
tion. The cesspool of politics,
redistricting and African
American representation and
voting rights began with the
1995 (Jeorgia case of Miller v.
Johnson. In that case, the
Supreme Court held that a
Georgia congressional district
was unconstitutionally drawn
because it attempted to maxi
mize the number of African
Americans in the district in an
attempt to increase the
chances that an African
American would be elected.
Effectively, the Supreme
Court required the strict
scrutiny of the highest level of
judicial review under the
Constitution - in those cases
where race was the "predomi
nant factor," motivating the
legislature in drawing or re
drawing a district. In order for
a redistricting plan to survive
The Supreme Court may
limit African American
representaton in Congress
it must be narrowly drawn to
achieve a compelling govern
ment interest. The Supreme
Court made this pronounce
ment in light of attempts by
Southern states to comply
with the Voting Rights Act
and to provide an African
American presence in
Congress. Instead of support
ing these worthy goals, the
Supreme Court made it
tougher for them to be
achieved. The Texas case.
Bush V. Vera and the North
Carolina case, Shaw v. Hunt,
provide the Supreme Court
with the chance to modify and
clarify its decision in the
Georgia case, or it could make
the requirements more severe.
The states of Texas and North
Carolina attempted to comply
with the Voting Rights Act
and the Department of Justice
by creating what are called
"majority-minority districts."
A majority minority district is
a congressional district in
which a racial or ethnic major
ity makes up the majority of
the population or the majority
of the voting-age population.
Some Southern states, such as
Texas and North Carolina, are
required to obtain approval
from the Department of
Justice or the U.S. Distlict
Court for the District of
Columbia when changing or
implementing a redistricting
plan. These states must
obtain approval because of
past discriminatory voting
practices. Further, when
implementing redistricting
plans, the Department of
Justice has instituted the cyn
ically sounding, "max-black"
policy. That is, the
Department of Justice
requires these states to maxi
mize the number of minority
districts. The facts of the
Texas and North Carolina
cases are similar. In the Texas
case, six white Republicans
challenged two majority
African American and one
majority Hispanic districts.
The trial court held, in holding
the districts unconstitutional,
that the three districts were
not narrowly drawn. The
NAACP Legal Defense and
Educational Fund, however,
argues that the Texas districts
were drawn not only to include
greater minority representa
tion, but for additional rea
sons. These additional reasons
make all the difference. The
districts were drawn, the
NAACP Legal Defense and
Educational Fund argues, to
meet the demands of the
Voting Rights Act, protect
incumbents and maintain par
tisanship in Texas elections.
In the North Carolina case
there is a challenge to the two
majority African American dis-
tlicts. One of the districts is a
rural distlict with a 53.4 per
cent African American voting
population. The other district
is urban with a 53.3 percent
African American voting popu
lation. In defending the dis
tricts, the state of North
Carolina argues that the dis
tricts satisfy: a community
interest in having both rural
and urban districts; the one
person, one vote rule and the
interest of protecting incum
bents. Opponents of the dis
tricts state that the Voting
Right Act does not require the
creation of these distlicts and
that the distlicts are not nar
rowly drawn.
Eric H. Kearney is a
Cincinnati attorney and pub
lisher of News, Information &
Pictures magazine.
Simms: Thank you
Letter to the Editor
The writer is president of Transamerica Life
Companies' Reinsurance Division.
The Charlotte Post is an important voice of the
African American community in this city. That's
why it is such a great honor to earn your
Newsmaker of the Year award.
One of the most thrilling moments of my life
occurred almost 10 years ago when the
Transamerica division I run became number one
in the industry. I've since learned that it really is
more difficult to hold on to a title than to earn
That's how I look upon my selection as your
Newsmaker of the Year. My personal challenge
now is to continue to live up to the honor'that you
have given me. I'll do my best.
-Bill Simms
Charlotte
Coach explains job try
By Tim Harkness
SPECIAL TO THE POST
Based on conversations and comments with
friends and alumni in the Charlotte area, there is
a need for me to clear the air and set the record
straight about my attempts to secure the job as
head football coach at Johnson C. Smith
University. It has been said that I came to the
interview unprepared, improperly dressed, that I
priced myself out of the job, and that I intention
ally blew the interview. It is also being said that I
did not present myself in a professional manner.
Let me assure all of those concerned, none of
these are true and for lack a better term, all are
outright lies.
As for the interview and the selection of the
coach, I know exactly what was done during the
search and selection process for the head football
coach and how the decision was reached. The
actual selection had little to do with the process,
thus the need to discredit me. But because I am a
professional and love my alma mater I have cho
sen to keep this information to myself and move
on with my career. I do not wish to undermine the
athletic program at Smith and the progress it is
trying to make.
I have no axe to grind with anyone at Johnson
C. Smith, but it is quite evident that someone has
one to grind against me and my reputation. When
the job was awarded I was truly disappointed. I
dealt with my disappointment, put it behind me
and moved on. I’ve been rejected by Smith twice.
Each time’ it has happened I just figured the time
is not right yet. I have never held any hard feel
ings toward those making the selection. It was
not until a month before we went to Charlotte to
play Smith that I began to learn the extent of
damage being done to my reputation and name. I
continue to hear these things being repeated to
this day!
On Feb. 28, 1995 I was more than prepared for
my interview. I was professionally dressed in a
suit and tie. I arrived 15 minutes early, so I was
on time. I was neatly shaven and hair was
trimmed. I admit, I did not provide any handouts
or “bells and whistles.” I put my loyalty and expe
rience on the table for all to evaluate. This may
have been a mistake on my part but it surely does
not indicate unpreparedness.
I presented a plan for success to the president
and the search committee. I was forthcoming and
answered all questions asked of me. The only
thing I asked for was a commitment from the
administration to support football the way acade
mics are supported.
I felt the interview process was fair and done in
a timely manner.
On Feb. 28, 1995 I interacted with six people
and six people only. They were the president and
five members of the search committee. I arrived,
interviewed, and left Charlotte. So anything
being said about me originated from those six
people. I have done nothing to hurt or discredit
any of these people. I know of no reason either
would have to want to destroy me or my career. It
truly hurt me to hear what was being said about
me. If they needed a reason or excuse as to why I
was not selected they only needed to tell the
truth. The truth of the matter is that they felt I
was not the best man for the job, which is reason
enough for me: The only reason they would have
to discredit me with lies is to justify an unjust
decision.
Everything I did in seeking the job was correct
and professional. Yet, I have not, to this day,
received any official notification from Johnson C.
Smith that the job has been filled or thanking me
for applying and I was not chosen. You know, that
“Thanks but no thanks” letter you get when you
are not the one. As an alumnus I at least expect
to get officied notification about the decision.
I would like to thank all concerned for your time
and attention to my efforts to tell my side of the
story and set the record straight. I did not want to
ever address this matter, but it simply would not
go away. I’ve worked too long and too hard to let
someone destroy what I have earned. With this
communication I have said all I never wanted to
say. I know I will not be able to reach every one
who heard the other side but maybe those of you
reading this can help clear my name among our
friends and alumni. I love Johnson C. Smith
University. I always will. Johnson C. Smith gave
me the opportunity to dream and be successful. I
am forever grateful. This is not about revenge or
spite. It is about fairness, truth, and understand
ing.
Johnson C. Smith University graduate TIM
HARKNESS is offensive coordinator at Lane
(Tenn.) College, where the Dragons won nine of 10
games last year in his first season. He has also
coached at several NCAA Division I schools and in
the National Football League.