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IPlIBLIillFD FACH THURSDAYI
THE CAROLINA INDIAN VOICE
POST OFFICE BOX 1075
‘^Building Communicative Bridges
In A Tri-Radal Setting’*
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 52
PEMBROKE, NX. 28372
25c PER COPY
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1980
LRLS & ACLU FILE SUIT AGAINST
LUMBERTON CITY BOARD OF
EDUCATION FOR
CIVIL RlGHTSYlULAflON
Locklear new ‘Strike at Wind’ GM
Robeson County and Lumberton resi-
fcnts, assisted by the Lumbee River
I Services and th^ American Civil
iberties Union, filed suit today in
Ideral court charging that Lumberton
Btv Board of Education is violating the
■oting Rights Act of 1965. According to
fte complaint, the Lumberton City
Board of Education has implemented
Bree annexations of areas in Robeson
Kunty. even though the Department of
Istice has objected to them on the
Bounds that they are racially discrimi-
ptory.
'he three areas, known as Barker Ten
:. Lakewood Estates and Clyburn
ICS and Country Club, were taken
ito the city school systems between
167 and 1970. Their conbined popula-
2,270 persons, of whom 92
ircent are white, 1.3 percent are Black
id 6,2 percent are Indian. The City of
imberton as a whole has a population
lat is 67.8 percent white, 23.6 percent
Jlack and 8.4 percent Indian.
? the annexations created a new
Istrict for election of members to the
lumberton City Board of Education.
re required to be pre- cleared by
fction 5 of the Voting Rights Act of
B65. The changes were submitted to
Die Department of Justice on April 2,
Its.
lOnJune 2, 1975. the Attorney General
pf the United States objected to them on
' le grounds that he could not conclude
liat they did not have the purpose or
Tffect of denying or abridging the right
jo vote on account of race. The Attorney
lleneral said that “extensive contact
■ith minority group members, both
Backs and Indians throughout Robeson
County, indicates the existence of a
racially discriminatory purpose behind
the annexations, i.e., to assure that the
children of suburban whites could
continue to attenc} City of Lumberton
Schools, rather than attending the
predominantly-minority Robeson Coun
ty Schools.” According to figures
submitted by the school board to the
Department of Justice, almost 95
percent of students in the annexed
areas were white.
The complaint alleges that .the school
board for the last five years has ignored
the Attorney General’s objection and
has implemented the three annexations,
allowing Robeson County students to
attend the Lumberton City Schools and
persons living in the effected areas to
vote in school board elections.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit say they
want the Voting Rights Act fully and
faithfully enforced: They haveTcquest-
ed that a three-judge court be convened
to enjoin any further use x)f_ the
objectionable annexations.
Terry Blackwood and Laughlin
McDonald, attorneys for the plaintiffs,
said today that non- compliance with the
Voting Rights Act is not an isolated
phenomenon. “Unfortunately, there is
still resistance in the South to full
political equality of minorities.” Noting
that the-pre-clearance provisions of the
Voting Rights Act will effectively expire
in 1982, they claimed that “flaunting of
the Voting Rights Act has been fairly
commonplace and points up a clear
need for continued protection for
minority voting rights.”
IN 1975 the Attorney General, stated
ifSriojui
Blackwood, “found substantial eviden
ce that the boundaries of these
Lumberton School annexations were
outlined in a convoluted, meandering
fashion with the result that Blacks and
Indians were virtually excluded from
the three annexations in question.”
Julian Pierce, Director of Lumbee
River Legal Services and Jeanne
Chastain, head of the Lumbee River
Legal Services’ Indian Law Unit,
commented, “Exclusion of Blacks and
Indians froqi these annexations was a
clear violation of the Fifteenth Amend
ment.
McDonald said that the ACLU has a
case similar to the one filed today
pending in the federal courts in Georgia
involving the failure of the Sumter
County Board of Education to comply
with objection by the Attorney General.
The Sumter County Board, whose
members once included President Car
ter, was notified by the Justice
Department in 1973 that its system of
at- large elections was unlawful. “In
spite of that objection." McDonald
says, “the school board has continued
to hold elections at-large.” A decision
in the Georgia case in expected soon.
Lumbee River Legal Services is an
affiliate program of Legal Services of
North Carolina, and has recently been
designated by the Legal Services
Corporation to offer assistance to the
low- income residents of Cumberland
County beginning in .early 1981. The
ACLU is a nationwide non- profit
organization which advocates for civil
rights.
For further information, contact Terry
Blackwood, Lumbee River Legal Servi
ces, P.O. Drawer 939, Pembroke, NC
28372, telephone 919-521-2831 : and
Laughlin McDonald. ACLU, Suite'355,
52 Fiarlie Street, N.W., Atlanta.
Georgia, 30303, telephone number 404-
523-2721.
CARNLLL LOCKLEAR
Carnell Locklear. 39. a native
of Pembroke who attended Pem-
bioke State Universilv in 1961-
ti2. is the new general manager
of “Strike At The Wind," the
outdoor Indian drama which will
enter its sixth season next year.
Locklear, who graduated from
Pembroke Senior High in I960,
has porlraved the role of “Boss
Strong” for five years in the
play. He plans to continue that
role while serving as general
manager.
In October the First American
Showcase oran./ation of Pem
broke raised iS.OOO. part of
which was used io send Locklear
(o Hollywood for some auditions.
After spending some two weeks
there, he retinfbd ami said hi-
.tudiiions were '‘very posnive
but noshing definite had been
decided.”
His contract as general mana
ger of "Strike At The Wind”
began Dec. 1. and he plans to
devote his full energies to
making it a success. Locklear
will be the fourth GM of “Strike
At The Wind,” succeeding Rock
Kcrsliaw,
I am ready to sacrifice and to
listen to any suggestions that
will m >kc the drama a success.”
he said. Locklear also wants to
encourage everyone within a
bO-miie radius of Pembroke to
get behind the drama. He
describes the play as “strong
and unique, a drama in which
ihe people who live in the
Pembroke area act out the
voles."
i'’rior to becoming GM of the
drama. Locklear worked for the
state of North Carolina for seven
years. He served for the last
three years as a field represent
ative for the N.C. Department of
Natural Resources and Com
munity Development. The coun
ties for which he was responsible
were Harnett. Sampson. Bladen,
Hoke, and Scotland.
He is very interested in the
fact that Gov. Jim Hunt is
encouraging the movie industry
to film more movies in North
Carolina. He hopes to work with
a New York group which is
talking of doing a documentary
on the American Indians of
North Carolina.
Locklear is married to Peggy
Lee Locklear. I hey are parents
of five children: Michelle, II:
Fdnu.uL 10; Shawn, 8: Quenn-
deli. 0, and Wynndion, 4.
“SiriKe At 'I'he Wind” has
offices in Old Main.
PEOPLE
AND PLACES
AND THINGS
of-
Holiday Greetings
Merry Christmas!
From the staff of THE CAROLINA INDIAN VOICE newspaper and SUPERIOR
OFFICE SUPPLIES. We wish a prosperous and joyous Christmas for you
this wonderful year. May God bless each of you as 1980 comes to an end. We are
looking forward to 1981 with great anticipation.
“BRUCE BARTON XONNEE BRAYBOY “RICKY M. BARTON “ANGELA
JACOBS “GARRY BARTON
SPECULATION ABOUT HOUSE SEAT
NARROWS TO DIAL AND WOODS
“Make a joyful noise unto the
Lord. . .” Singing loud and clear
tnd all together ...
“Merry Christmas everyone!”
It's the talk of Robeson County; who
will replace Rep. Horace Locklear in the
North Carolina House of Representa
tives? Locklear announced in last
week's issue of The Carolina Indian
Voice that he was resigning from the
House because of“personal, family and
business reasons,” noting that the seat
had become a full time job.
Speculation initially centered around
Herman Dial, the chairman of the
Robeson County Board of Commission
ers, but Dial dashed the talk about his
replacing Locklear by saying, “1 believe
1 can better serve the people by staying
where 1 am...”
A number of notables have been,
mentioned in recent days, including Dr.
E.B. Turner, Lumberton’s erudite city
councilman and and Bob Davis, a
former member of the House of
Representatives. Both are Black. Davis
was toppled in the last election when
Bill Gay, formerly the principal of
Lumberton High School, outpolled him
dismantling the fragile tri- racial
representation in the General Assem
bly. Both Gay and the other Represen
tative -David Parnell —are white.
But most of the conversation in the
county has centered around Adolph
Dial, chairman of PSU’s Indian Studies
Department or Ruth Woods, director of
Robeson County Schools' Indian Edu
cation Program, as possible successors
to Locklear. Both are Indians; both are
well respected in the professional and
political circles.
Others mentioned have been'Ronald
Revels, a member of the North Carolina
Commission of Indian Affairs’ board of
directors; 0. Tom Blanks, who made a
spirited but unsuccessfuiy bid for
sheriff in the early 70s; Dexter Brooks, a
Pembroke attorney: Dr. Dalton Brooks,
head of institutional research at PSU;
and Herman Dial, noted earlier, who
has since denied any interest in the
seat.
The successor will be named by
Governor Jim Hunt after receiving a
recommendation from the legislative
committees of Robeson, Hoke, and
Scotland County’s Democratic Parties.
Wyvis Oxendine and Landa Gaddy, an
Indian and Black respectively, repre
sent Robeson County. The committees
are allocated votes on a pro rate basis
with Robeson County holding the
majority of votes based on the over
whelming number of democratic voters
and populace in Robeson County.
At press time Locklear still had not
officially resigned by submitting an
official letter of resignation to the local
democratic party chairman
CHRISTMAS
SPIRIT IS
J EVIDENT
HIGHFILL RESIGNS AS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
At the Nov. 20 Council
Governments Board meeting,
Executive Director John V. Highfill
tendered his resignation to the board
effective Jan. 2, 1981. Highfill has been
with the GOG since January of 1974 and
stated that he had seen a lot of changes
• and that “improvements still need to be
made, but it is a strong and
increasingly effective organization well-
prepared for the future.” He said that
he will be parting with some sense of
loss at leaving the work of regional
councils and the many friendships and
associations he has enjoyed over the
years, but he was confident of the
successful future of the COG since “the
COG Board and your member govern
ments are more positive and supportive
now toward the COG concept than I
dared hope a few years ago. ’ ’ He
stated, “I deeply appreciate your long
support of my staff leadership and,
equally important, your support of the
COG concept. However, over the last
couple of years I have begun to find less
challenge and a limited opportunity to
learn and grow as a professional
administration and planner.”
The Board unanimously accepted his
resignaton with deep regret and unani
mously voted to give him a resolution of
appreciation and commendation for his
dedicated work with the council.
The COG Board has advertised the
position locally and nationally with
applications due by Feb. 2, 1981. A
screening committee of the Board will
establish a selection criteria and then
interview a limited number of appli
cants in Feb. or March.
9HCOMES TO LUMBERTON
On Dec. 15, 1980. the City of
Lumberton will inaugurate its 911
telephone system in cooperation with
Southern Bell telephone. Tht 911
number will be the second in Robeson
County following the Town of Fairmont.
This concept allows any person in the
county with the 738 or 739 exchange to
dial the three digit number and be put
in immediate contact with either fire,
police or rescue personnel. This system
is significantly faster and easier than
the normal seven digit i iber which
911 replaces, since residents do not
have to look up a number but can easily
remember 911. Also, persons trying to
call the number at night in the dark or
who are blind can more easily find the
911 digits on their telephone than they
An Update —
Christmas
Appeal
The Christmas appeal for Lumbee
Regional Development Association’s
(LRDA) Community Food and Nutrition
Project is not final yet; monies ace still
being received as we go to press early
because of Christmas falling on a
Thursday this year.
We are publishing early (actually on
Tuesday although the issue is still
officially dated Thursday, December 25,
1980) so that we may share the
Christmas season with our families.
We will give a final accounting in next
week's issue of The Carolina Indian
Voice. To date more than $1100.00 has
been raised for the emergency fund of
this fine program- LRDA’s Community
Food and Nutrition Project. Thanks to
all of your for sharing with those less
fortunate than yourselves this Christ
mas season. Your giving is what
Christmas is all about.
Merry Christmas to all of you.
The offices of The Carolina Indian
Voice will be closed Wednesday (Dec.
24) and Thursday (Dec. 25- Christmas
day).
The offices of The Carolina Indian
Voice and Superior Office Supplies will
re- open Friday, December 26, 1980.
Holiday
Hours
The Robeson County Public Library
will be closed for the Christmas Holiday
on December 24, 25, 26, and 27. The
library will be open Monday, December
29 from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and
Tuesday, December 30 from 9 a.m. until
9 p..n. The library will be open
December 29, 30. 31 and closed on New
Year’s Day, Jan. 1.
TURNER ELECTED TO LEAGUE
BOARD
Lumberton City Councilman Dr. E.B.
Turner was elected tu the Board of
Directors of the North Carolina League
of Municipalities as the representative
from the 7th district. Dr. Turner
assumed his responsibilities for the
second year at the League’s 71st Annual
, could find the normal 7 digit number. Convention in Raleigh last October.
ihe Christinas Spirit is evident at the Lumberton Correctional Unit too. A numoer (rf communi^-
people joined the Eagle Claw Jaycees Friday for a number of festive activities, including home
cooked barbeque and other niceties following talent presentations by CameU Locklear, the
irrepressible “Boss Strong” of ‘Strike at the Wind!’ fame and now general manager of the popular
outdoordrama; Miss Lumbee, Brigette Brayboy; her chaperone, Mrs. Florence Ransom; Sue Curtin,
a volunteer; and the inmates themselves.
The Christmas extravaganza was organized by the inmate Jaycee club-the Eagle Claw Jaycees
and Ms. Nora Hunt and her staff. Ms. Hunt is program director at the unit; Harry Mitchell is
program supervisor.
It is rumored that Santa Claus appeared at the unit later in the afternoon.
Shown [left to right] are Sue Curtin, Nora Hunt, Carnell Locklear, Ms. Florence Ransom, Miss
Lumbee-Brigette Brayboy, and Harry Mitchell.