T
Pqqo 2, The Corolino Indian Voice
Food
for
Thought
An Alternative to the
Robeson County
Board of Education
-AN EDITORIAL VEIWPOINT-
I’hursday, October 28, 1976
MUSING
Reasonable Locklear
To the Editor:
This is Written to whom it
may concern, , The subject is
“Food for Thought.’’
Do you really want to be a
volunteer social worker?
Yes, a lot of people will say
they do want to help others,
but do they really mean what
they are saying?
Do they realize what it takes
to be a social help to others?
Are you willing to give of your
time, money, and work to help
some one in need?
A LETTER TO BRANDI
AN EXPLANATORY NOTE:
I hope my readership will
forgive my personal touch this
week. Barbara (my darling
wife) and I experienced the
birth of our newly-born dau
ghter, Brandi Nakell, last
Thursday afternoon. Needless
to say, I am exhilirated and full
of ideas and thoughts concern
ing, her future and all the
children who will follow us
down this sometimes frightful
path of life.
Dear Brandi:
We simply assumed you
would be a boy. If so, we had
meant to name you Berry
Nakell. We wanted to name
you in honor of Henry Berry
Lowrie and Barry Nakell. I
want you to always honor them
and carry their names proudly.
As an afterthought, in case
you might be a girl, we
decided to name you Brandi
Nakell. Brandi, when you say
it outloud and trill if off the
tongue, brings to mind the
memory of Henry Berry Low
rie, the hero of your father.,
and your mother...and of
every Lumbee Indian (or
Tuscarora)! have ever discuss
ed the matter of heroes with.
school board for the Robeson
County School Unit (mostly
Indians). I am so happy that
you will not have to suffer the
evil ramifications of double
voting like your father and his
peers did. Do not ever treat
anyone with a lack of respect...
especially if they are Indians.
For generations to come, we
will react to the evil nature of
double voting and we, in many
instances, will not understand
exactly why we are disrespect
ful to one another. Double
voting did that to us but we
will overcome that mental
state, that heart rending ab-
beration of people walking
around thinking and doing evil
against one another because
we were taught to be disre
spectful to one another by our
enemies in high political plac-
You and your peers are our
future. You can walk out into
life thinking well of yourself.
You are our future, our hope,
our salvation.
Brandi is agression and
pride and stick-to-itiveness.
Brandi is a name that is
portent of warriors; for instan
ce, you can brandish weapons
of truth and integrity and
openness against our common
enemies. There is Marlon.
Brando and Brantley Bine,
both models of forthright and
truth seeking people. Brando
is an Anglo Saxon but he iilces
Indians and helps them when
ever he is able to do so.
Brantley Blue is a Lumbee like
we are; he is the first Indian to
ever serve on the U. S. Indian
Gaims Commission. He is a
seeker of truth. He has helped
articulate our grievances and
forged new directions for
our people--the Lumbee Indi
an. Brandi is a good and
decent name and a reminder of
those who exemplify Henry
Berry Lowrie. Be proudof who
you are and what you are. Do
not consider yourself better
than anyone else... BUT DO
NOT CONSIDER YOURSELF
ANY LESSl YOU ARE SOME
BODY!
Barry Nakell is an Anglo
Saxon, Jewish I think. I have
never really asked him, It
seemed so unimportant. We
were in a battle together and
we never really stopped long
enough to explore our respec
tive blood lines. We fought a
common evil, a common dan
ger...and we prevailed. He is
my friend and my mentor and 1
hope that you will honor Barry
Nakell and think well of him.
He helped to loose a mental
shackle that would have been
placed around your heart and
mind and soul If we l\ad not
knocked double voting asund
er in the federal courts of the
We named you also in honor
of Barry Nakell. a lawyer, a
friend of the Lumbee Indians.
Barry Nakell is a professor of
law at UNC-Chape! Hill. He
was our attorney when we
(Indian parents) went to court
and fought the evil double
voting system. We won the
case and double voting is no
more. Beginning with the
upcoming elections, Nov. 2.
1976, double voting is outlaw
ed. Double voting was an evil
system whereby citizens in the
five city school units (mostly
white) voted on their own
school board elections and also
voted on the election of the
So. do not brandish the
shotgun, the tart tongue, the
back biting tongue. Talk about
the issues, engage those who
disagree with you in dialogue.
Be frank with them, speak
quietly but firmly. Do not hate
those who oppose you, but do
not be magnanimous for the
wrong reasons. DO NOT
STRIVE TO BE AN INDIAN
HERO WHO BARTERS WITH
THE VOTE AND MIND AND
SOUL OF YOUR INDIAN
BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
Share the mantel of responsi
bility with them. Be a grass
rooter, a woman of the people,
a friend of the down trodden,
an enemy of those who
attempt to enslave your mind,
and damper the spirit of your
being. Cry with those who are
hurting, share with those
in need. Love others easily.
Love is natural and right and a
force to be reckoned with in
the Universe.
Love your heritage, your
special quality; YOU ARE A
ROBESON COUNTY INDIAN,
a truly remarkable being.
And always remember that
you are surrounded by love.
Your Father,
Brace
NC. Dial 52/-«05
pemBCotec^Nui^?
Open letter to
conscientious voters
Dear Voters; Your
share of the nation’s debt
is reported to be
$114,818.00. No joking!
With a $5 trillion total
bill to account for our na
tional debt, looks like we
are at the bottom of the
“pork barrel.”
While we have been
working to make ends
meet, some politicians.
have been racking up
debts and liabilities m our
names — deficits which
we’ll have to pay for in in
creased taxes, inflation or
•both!
Here’s our alternative.
Unless you want more of
the same let your Con
gressman know you
mean business on Elec
tion Day- Vote for fiscal
resTOnsioility. Your voice
is neard loudest at the
Polls. Let’s use them, -ij ,
A Friendly Rebuttal
1 read in the paper and lister
to the TV and radio, they say
that the rich have become
richer and the poor have
become poorer. Yet, what is
being done about it?
Dear Mr. Barton:
We are only hear a year and
came to Robeson devoid of
racism due to our background,
experience and Christian be
lief in the knowledge that God
created all of us to serve him
and that Jesus said we should
love one another; especially
those in the Christian family.
We are aware of the three
“races” in the area: it was
mentioned to us in many ways
by persons on all levels. Our
adjustment to this area has
been helped by all three races;
on the other hand, all three
races have taken a good shot at
“skinning” us. All three races
are just as good or rotten as
their morals will be allowed to
guide them.
the October 7 issue is offensive
to us. Also, we took an ad with
the Carolina Indian Voice
believing it was work being
done by our Indian neighbors.
Instead, we learn it is done by
an outside white organization
located in Boise, Idaho. There
is nothing holding back the
Indian population as much as
their own general lack of
vision..to do all things they
can do on their own initiative.
Our senators, congressmen,
and even down to our local
officials have voted themsel
ves pay raises. Have we voted
a pay raise for the poor?
Many people throughout Robeson have asked
why we are taking such a strong stance against
Shirley Britt; after all, the worst that can happen
is that the new Board of Education will be
composed of six Indians out of nine available
seats. The answer is simple; The Indian and
Black people of this county can not allow white
politicians with Mrs. Britt’s racial attitudes to
continue to occupy seats of power if we are to
expect white attitudes to change. When liberal
white candidates, such as Earl Musselwhite, go
down in defeat, while candidates, such as
Shirley Britt, continue to be successful, how
can we expect other white candidates to espouse
causes that are good and right for all people?
Politicians, as a rule, do whatever is necessary
to be successful—even if that means calling an
Indian a “Croatan” or a Black a “Nigger.”
WILL BRUCE BARTON MELLOW
WITH FATHERHOOD?
Now for practical matters.
We bought our home, all new
equipment, patronize repair
services and business organ
izations of Indian ownership.
We do our banking at Lumbee
and most of our grocery
shopping in Pembroke and
have supported “Strike at the
Wind” at every opportunity
and we are white.
I don’t think many of our
Indian neighbors share the
explosive attitude of the
“manifesto”...maybe that is
their weakness, but it would
be a shame to see what is
being built and gained...lost
thru something as insignifi
cant as air conditioners..when
what is needed is an active
participation by the Indian
citizens so that their leaders
know they are supported in the
merits of their cause (whether
the result is failure or success)
and the matter of condescen
sion from any source will be
eliminated.
Do you know or have you
thought about it, but the same
money that pays our officials,
that pays our business people,
professional people, and etc. is
I the same money, comes from
I the same pot, also buys
I food-stamps, pays for welfare,
■ feeds the poor, etc. It all
comes from the treasury and
goes around in a circle, only
difference is that as it goes
around in a circle, some people
get more of it.
Yes, I hear a lot of people
say, I work for my money. I
earn my money. No one gives
me anything. Lord forgive
them, I say. I have noticed that
some of the people that work
the hardest, make the least
amount of money. Why?
Th& editorial manifesto of
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. El Roy S. Pearsall
Safari Campground
Route 4 Box 60
Lumberton, NC 28358
Oh yes, someone will say
they don’t know how to
manage their affairs or they
wouldn’t work if they had the
chance.
On These
Prison Grounds
It is easy to say why
someone else has failed in life.
But it is a lot harder to tell or
show someone else how to be
successful. If ?cu don’t believe
me, just tty-tieiplng others for
a while,
I know God saved my soul
from sin. Peace, love and joy
since God stepped in. Althou
gh my hearing is filled with '
sorrow, and my grief is hard to
bear, although I feel like
crying, my God is always
there. I sit inside a dusty cell,
awaiting to be tried. I’ve
prayed and prayed unto the
Lord, so many times I’ve cried.
But God will never forget me,
no matter the nature of my
crime. The times I feel that all
hope is gone, he steps in right
on time.
deserted and depressed, pray
ing is all 1 need to do, and my
God will do the rest. 1 can’t
speak for anyone ese, I can
only speak truly for myself. He
told me of a life to be
wonderful for all eternity. I
once was lost, but now I see. 1
know my God has plans for
me. My burden is heavy and
hard to bear. I would not make
it alone. The greatest of love
we all should share, my Lord;
our God, at 'thy throne.
We don’t have to drive very
far from otr home in Robeson
County to see poor people, or
find someone in need. We can
see people living in sub-stan
dard housing, without a bath
or a kitchen sink, etc
I am thaikful that due to the
efforts of some of our officials
and othei people, we are
making some progress. But
the battle is not won.
So whenever 1 feel lonelv.
Rozell Hunt
Raleigh, NC
Not longago, I saw a young
man and woman walking along
the side of the road, each was
carrying a child about two-
three yearsold. It was raining
and 1 wondered why these
people were out in the bad
weather. Someone stopped
and gave them a ride to where
they were going.
from HISTORrS SCRAPBOOK
DATES AND EVENTS FROM YESTERYEARS
November 5, I946-A new career in politics gets under
way as 29-year-old John Kennedy is elected to a seat in the
U.S. House of Representatives.
NovemI»r 6. 1869-The first formal intercollegiate foot
ball game is played at New Brunswick, N.J., between
Princeton and Rutgers.
1 came home, but couldn’t
get them off my mind. I began
to inquire in the neighborhood
as to who they were. No one
seemed to know, nor did they
seem to care either.
Some time later, 1 saw the
Air conditioning of school classrooms is
definitely not a priority item of Mrs. Britt
either. Had it been left to Shirley Britt the Indian
students in Pembroke would still be attending
school in windowless rooms without air
conditioning. How can anyone be expected to
learn in a room where the temperature exceeds
ninety (90) degrees? Shirley Britt would spend
thousands of dollars in legal fees to keep
double-voting, but not one cent for air
conditioning to better help Indian school
children to learn.
A leader who has
an agenda for action.
For the past four years, we have
been standing still in North Caro
lina. We need to be moving for
ward again.
We need a governor who will
provide real leadership. We need
a governor with a realistic agenda
for action.
Jim Hunt will be that kind of
governor. His program is a total
commitment to education, to safer
communities, and to those mea
sures that will most aid the work
ing men and women of North
Carolina.
He knows what needs to be done
And how to do it.
Jim Hunt will get our state mov
ing in a positive new direction. We
need his leadership as governor.
Jim Hunt.
Paid for by the Jim Hunt Committee.
November 7,1805-Lewis and Clark, explorers, sight the
Pacific Ocean for the first time thus proving that America
is a vast continent stretched between two oceans.
November 8, 1793-The Louvre Museum in Paris is
opened to the public for the first time.
November 9, 1933-President Franklin Roosevelt
creates the Civil Works Administration (CWA) as an
emergency agency to provide jobs for more than four
million unemployed men and women.
November 10, 1917- 41 women from 15 states are
arrested outside the White House in Washington for suf
fragette demonstrations.
The ol’ boy called me: “IT’S
A GIRL!” And you could see
’em a grinning over the
telephone wires. The boy was
excited, no doubt about it. He
never once mentioned double
voting or the evil court system
or his favorite candidate,
Camell Locklear. He just kept
saying, over and over, “IT’S A
GIRLl”
Carnell?” Says 1 to myself,
that Bruce Barton is as smart
elecky as ever.
And or Reasonable grinned
a little to himself. How about
that? Uncle Ol’ Reasonable!
Another warrior, another In
dian to vote and take part and
see that 01’ Reasonable’s
fussing and cussing ain’t in
vain.
And I thought to myself, will
the ol’ boy become mellow
with fatherhood? Then, just
before he hung up to dash
back to the hospital, he said,
“Check around and see how
the voters are feeling about
I just wish' she was old
enough to vote for Camell
Locklear. He is a going to
need ever’ vote he can get.
Congratulations, Bruce and
Barbara! And welcome to life,
Brandi!
-AN EDITORIAL VIEWPOINT-
Shirley Britt, by her record, has shown herself
to be totally unsympathetic to the needs of
Indian and Black children. Shirley Britt
consistently fought to preserve the evil
double-voting system. This double-voting
system, which Mrs. Britt fought so hard to
preserve, was largely responsible for white
domination over a school system that is eighty
(80) percent Indian and Black. Shirley Britt
voted to retain the present county school
administration, including Young H. Allen, over
the objections of most of the parents of the
children attending county schools. In the
aftermath of the federal court decision breaking
double-voting, Shirley Britt refused to
compromise with the Task Force to Break
Double-Voting on the length of Superintendent
Young H. Allen’s contract. The Task Force felt
that the contract should be limited to two years
so that the new board of education-being a
board which will actually be representative of
the parents of the children attending county
schools—could decide who the new
superintendent should be. Shirley Britt,
however, refused to budge; from her then
position of power she ran roughshod over the
wishes of the vast majority of the people within
the county school district. Furthermore, she
voted to authorize the county school board
attorney to intervene in the double-vote suit on
the side of the defendants. Such intervention
cost the county taxpayers several thousand
dollars in tax monies which could better have
been spent educating county school children. It
would seem, however, that school children rank
a distant second to political considerations in
Shirley Britt’s scheme of priorities. Y.H. Allen
is superintendent for another 4 years with a 5-4
vote. Shirley Britt is one of those 5 votes.
Too Many Indions and
Blocks tried & convicted
in Robeson Courts
People tend to look at alleged crimes on the
surface. Sociological root causes are never
examined. Crime is an abberation, a
manifestation of our society as a whole.
An interesting observation is the fact that an
over whelming majority of those charged,
convicted and incarcerated in Robeson County
for crimes (sic) are Indians and Blacks with the
majority of them being young male Indians and
Blacks. We do not pretend to be jurists; we are
commentators on the social scene before us.
All we know is that there are no Indians or
Blacks in the office of District Attorney Joe
Freeman Britt. Seemingly, too, he enjoys :
sending people to prison or death row. That is
not the answer: send them off to prison and they
will return more hardened than ever. Some of
them will be lost forever from the redeeming
qualities of life.
Let’s look at the root causes of crime and quit
treating the symptoms. It is time for Joe
Freeman Britt to be compassionate and
understanding instead of appealing to the
“switch pullers” in our midst. It is time for
Robeson County to affirm that all
people-Indians, Blacks and White-will be
treated fairly and equitably. It is time for
Robeson County to purge herself of racism and
ill treatment of people because of the color of
their skin. It is time for affirmative action in
employment, including the office of District
Attorney Joe Freeman Britt. An Indian or two in
his office might possibly help us save our young
people rather than send them off to prison with '
ihorsh sentences or, worse than that, the
defeating straits of Death Row.
Of course, the voters of Robeson County serve
as jurors every four years. They might wish to
sentence District Attorney Joe Freeman Britt in
1978 by turning him out of office. That is their
perogative.
Tax Increase Seems
Reasonable for
The question we pose is simple: Does your
child really need four more years of Shirley
Britt's racial oftitudes? As things stand today,
Shirley Britt will receive one of the five
four-year terms of office on the new Board of
Education. It is our firm contention that she
does not even deserve a seat on the Board that
will decide the future of thousands of Indian and
Black school children. We have an alternative:
Camell Locklear has proven himself to be a man
who is not afraid to speak out for what is right.
We need Camell Locklear protecting our
interests on the new Board. How can we expect
other Indian and Black people to fight for us if
we do not fight for them? Camell Ixicklear is as
Indian as anyone in Robeson County. The time
has come to help those who have helped
ourselves. Replace Shirley Britt with Camell
Locklear on November 2. Vote for every
Locklear on the ballot.
Pembroke Fire Dept.
-An Editorial Viewpoint-
one of the things to be voted
on November 2, 1976 is the
matter of whether voters with
in the Pembroke Fire District
will vote a 10 cent per SlOO Tax
Evaluation on themselves in
order to improve the quality of
fire protection in the Pem
broke Fire District.
$30,000 and other fire fight
ing equipment. With a fulltime
fire chief. Ray Hunt, and one
assistant, secured through a
CETA Grant, the town now
offers 24 hour service to those
within the fire district.
Residents within the four
mile radius of the Pembroke
Fire District have recently
experienced a reduction of
approximately 15% in their
insurance rates because the
Pembroke Rural Volunteer
Fire Department has secured a
9A Gassification from state
and county officials. Officials
of the Pembroke Rural Volun
teer Fire Department attest
that the nominal tax for fire
protection within the Pem
broke Fire District would
further reduce insurance pre
miums of residents within the
district if the rating were
allowed on November 2.
The firemen declare that with
the special tax, they will
provide better and faster ser
vice.
The Carolina Indian Voice
has been, in the past, im
pressed with the voluntary
effort of the Pembroke Rural
Volunteer Fire Department.
They have served the com
munity well. It seems reason
able now for us to help those
who have helped us in the
past. Additionally, those who
have not been declared a
resident of the Pembroke Fire
District are requested to do so .
when checking in to vote.
The tax would help the fire
department secure better fire
fighting equipment and help to
upgrade their present equip
ment. The department, made
up of 36 volunteer firemen,
has, through community
drives and their voluntary
services, purchased 2 fire
trucks worth approximately
Editor's Quote Book
We are judged by what
we do and not by what we
claim to do.
William Feather