THE SOULER
VOL. I, NO. 2, NOVEMBER, 1988 THE NEIGHBORHOOD YOUTH BOARD ASSOCIATION, WINSTON-SALEM, N. C. PRICE — 15 CENTS
’Til the Least of These . . .
Why Are All Black People Poor?
We, the young Black people of
this city, do hereby stake claim to
our inalienable rights to Life, to
Liberty, and to the Pursuit of
Happiness. We know very well that
property is the only power capable
of protecting the political freedoms
and the rights of individuals.
The only real explanation for
our current conditions of economic
destitution lies in the past 350 years
of economic slavery and the subse
quent years of economic injustice
through a continuation of colonial
ism. This exists even into the pres
ent stormy year.
The plantation style of organiza
tion still is basically an economic
system. The inner city, ghetto, is
seen as a poor, destitute, and
decaying territory. However, when
one examines the underlying eco
nomic dynamics, he finds that this
is far from being the case.
Upon examining the Gross Com
munity Product of any ghetto, one
finds the basis for a very vital and
solid economic health. Except of
course. Black people nationwide
had a Gross Black Product of $35,-
000,000,000.00 five years ago, as
just as in the nation as a whole, so
in the ghetto, those dollars went
immediately out of their hands.
They took swift flight to the areas
outside, to enrich the environments
of the alien merchant, landlords,
industrialist, and storekeepers.
Thus our Black community of
East Winston may have earned
$10,000,000.00 last year, but very
little of that money stayed in East
Winston to enrich its territory.
Therefore, our first and very
serious drainage problem is a
dollar drain, and coupled with it
is the lack of any economic multi
plier effect.
—Maulana Armed
BLACK POWER
I can clear a beach or swimming pool without touching the water,
I can make a lunchroom deserted in less than an hour.
I can make property value drop by being seen in a realtor’s office.
I alone can make the word of God have little or no meaning in a
Sunday morning service.
I have power, BLACK POWER!!
N.Y.B.A. Artist
Will Attend
Local School
Robert Johnson, an artist for the
N.Y.B.A., has been accepted at
the North Carolina School of the
Arts and has begun to make prep
arations to attend.
Robert is a graduate of Atkins
High School. He is employed by
the Association. He presently at
tends the Arts Council once a week.
At the age of five, Robert’s in
terest in art began as merely a
hobby and at the age of eight, he
really became interested in the
arts. Robert draws most of his
pictures of landscapes and por
traits by following the techniques
of Joshua Johnson, the famous
Black artist of the 18th century,
and Robert S. Duncanson.
Robert has reached a stage in
his maturation that depicts h i s
own style. Since becoming a mem
ber and employee of N.Y.B.A.,
Robert’s fame has spread twofold.
We are proud of his achievements,
and we wish him much success in
spreading N.Y.B.A.’s Cultural Com
mittment throughout Forsyth Coun
ty and North Carolina.
—Faye Switzer
House of Commons
Makes History
Sunday, September 27th, the
N.Y.B.A. House of Commons was
the center of attraction for ap
proximately one hundred and
twenty-five people. The occasion
was the formal opening of the
House of Commons, headquarters
for the Neighborhood Youth Board
Association at 1018 N. Patterson
Avenue.
NEWS BRIEF
Artists at the House of Commons
displayed their black art in the
Gallery Lounge at Wake Forest
University October 3rd through
October 8th.
Tutorial Classes in Math, Eng
lish, History and Foreign Langu
ages have begun at the House of
Commons. Classes are held on
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
at 5:00.
Sex education classes are being
held at the House of Commons.
The sessions are held monthly.
Neighborhood Parents Board As
sociation (N.P.B.A.) was recently
formed at N.Y.B.A. Cynthia Terry
is chairman of this project.
The N.Y.B.A. Speech Choir is
rehearsing selections from ‘God’s
Trombones’ by James Weldon
Johnson. The choir will make its
first presentation within the next
few weeks.
N.Y.B.A. is making much prog
ress in their city wide Old Car
Clean-Up Campaign, named “Hemi
Haulers”.
MRS. LOUISE G. WILSON
Prior to the opening of the
house, a program was held on the
lawn in the back of the house.
Miss Ruth Mack, president of the
Association, acted as mistress of
ceremony. Speakers included: Mrs.
Florence Creque, Frankie Barnes,
Mrs. Lee Fay Mack and Miss
Dawn Lankford, ESR employees,
and Miss Margaret Tucker and
James Miller, N.Y.B.A. members.
The program terminated with the
dedication of the Association’s
Afro-American Library in honor of
Mrs. Louise G. Wilson, director
of the Experiment in Self Reliance.
Mrs. Wilson spoke with tears in
her eyes as she told the youths
to remain faithful to the past and
committed to the future and prin
ciple that all men are created
equal.
Mr. Shedrick Adams, coordinator
of the Association, escorted Mrs.
Wilson from the lawn to the front
of the house, where she was given
the key to open the door to the
library. A portrait of Mrs. Wilson
was unveiled in the library. A
sign under her picture read: Mrs.
Louise G. Wilson, “B i g Lou”,
Beautiful Black Lady; honored by
N.Y.B.A. for Love, Leadership and
Courage.
(Continued on Page Four)
Black" Is Beautiful