2A
NEWS/Xtie Cftatlsne $o«t
Thursday, July 7, 2005
N.C. DOT pushing for end of racial goals
Continued from page 1A
tractor availability Also, she
said the bill is the recom
mendation of a recent dis
parity study that is required
by state law every five years.
“The 2003 study recom
mends that NCDOT foUow
federal guidel^es which
requires specific project-
based goals for federal pro
jects,” she said.
Memory said the annual
budget for road construction
is approximately $1 bilUon,
while the department’s total
budget is about $3 billion.
From Sept. 2004 to May
2005, NC minority business
es received 4.4 percent ($28
millinn ) of state dollars and
2.4 percent ($19 millions of
federal dollars.
Isaiah Green, president of
Eiqual Treatment Now, has
been watching the minority
contracting bills in the
Legislature closely
Green was happy to see
House Bill 237 die at the
Senate this year. The bOl set
goals for Afiican Americans
to win federally fimded pro
jects at 10 percent.
“It was a victory for us,”
Green said. “My contention
is that it should not be just a
mere goal. Instead, it should
be the law. It should be man
dated that they get no less
than 10 percent.”
Title 6 federal regulations
prohibit any form of discrim
ination- in employment
where federal fimds are
being allocated.
“We have been putting
pressure on Nortii Carolina
to compel them to do the
right thing with federal
funds,” Green added.
Camell Robinson, chair of
the N.C. Black Leadership
Caucus, vehemently opposes
Bill 1127. Robinson does not
understand why the state
attorney general, the gover
nor and DOT officials are not
supporting economic inclu
sion for Afiican Americans.
“The attorney general
should be up fiont and center.
trying to win this case for
minority contractors,” said
Robinson, who said white
general contractors are push
ing for the bill.
In 2003, minority business
es received $35 million in
contracts and women-owned
businesses $102 million. In
2004, that amount increased
to $108 miUion for minorities
and $154 million for women.
Memory said the increase
is the result of expanded out
reach and training to minor
ity businesses. In 2002, DOT
Secretary Lyndo Tippett
formed the Minority
Contractor Expansion
Coimcil that recently set up a
new mentoring program that
pairs experienced prime con
tractors with smaller ones.
Memory added that the
agency also reorganized the
Office of Civil Rights to allow
the division to focus more on
business development.
Mexico stamps criticized
Watt
Continued from page 1A
Mexico recently issued a
series of five stamps bearing
the image of Memin
Pinguin, a black boy with
thick lips, bug eyes and
exaggerated physical fea
tures. He appears in a popu
lar comic book that dates
back to the 19408.
In an interview with the
Associated Press, Fox said,
“Frankly, I don’t imderstand
the reaction. Let’s hope they
inform themselves.. and
later form an opinion.”
Jackson,
who is work
ing to ease ten
sions between
Latinos and
African-
Americans,
has already
formed an
opinion.
“It is ofl'ensive, and I think
the Mexican government
should apologize,” he said in
a statement. “It is harmful to
international relations. It is
harmful to the African
American and Hispanic
Coalition we are trying to
build in this country”
Congressional Black
Caucus Chairman Mel Watt
(D-N.C.) also called for the
stamps’ removal.
“The members of the
Congressional Black Caucus
find the stamps insensitive,
racist and an insult to people
everywhere and we call on
President Vicente Fox to
recall the stamps immedi
ately and to issue an apology
to all people of Afncan
descent,” Watt, a Charlotte
Deomocrat, said in a state
ment. “The stamps are offen
sive and perpetuate a nega
tive stereotype of people of
the Afncan Diaspora.”
Jackson has asked
President Bush and
Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice to inter
vene.
“It is their job to defend
America from any foreign
insult,” Jackson said. “Our
government did not defend
our honor. If this was Iraq,
you would expect our
President to defend our
honor. This should be an
insult to every African
American in his administra
tion and those serving in
Iraq. Secretary Rice, like the
rest of us, is being depicted
in a negative maimer. A cul
ture is expressed through its
art. And this art is a cultural
affiont to not only black peo
ple in the U.S., black people
in Mexico, but black people
aroimd the world ”
However, President Fox
contends the images are not
offensive.
“The other minorities or
the Afhi-Americans or
Delivering
news that
comes
home
Cl^arlotte
Latina, I would suggest to
them that they first, read the
magazine, get the informa
tion and then express pub
licly their opinion,” Fox told
the Associated Press. “On our
side, we know that all
Mexicans love the character
and we’re going to keep it
where it is as a recognition.”
Additional reporting bv Herbert
L. White of The Charlotte Post.
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