-T HE CAROLINA TIMES SATURDAY. SEPT. *, IW»
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EDITORIALS
Showdown at the Housing Authority
The Black community should mark
a coming event as a day to remember.
On that day, the Durham Housing
A uthority will be called on to answer
cl targes that it is a racist institution.
The Carolina Times lias reported on
tl ic Authority's recent attempts to
b lock the work of Charies Tillman,
who is the only Black person in the
a dmiilistration of the Authority. As
director of Community Services, Till
i nan has been trying to sec that the
Authority treats its Black tenants
with nrspect and equality.
The two Black commissioners on
the Authority's board have now
cleared the air by publicly cliarging
the Durnam Housing Authority with
not only discriminating on racial
grounds, but also of approving of past
racial practices.
E. W. Midgette and Artis Plummer
brought things out into the open
at a recent meeting of the commis
sioners. They pointed out that a
new organization chart, drawn up by
executive director Carvie Oldham, re
duces Tillman's status from adminis
trator to staff employee. Midgette
and Plummer said this would make
Tillman's work "meaningless."
The two commissioners pointed
out that Tillman is the only Black
person in the administration of the
Authority, which has a tenant popu
lation that is about 92 per cent Black.
The commissioners said stripping Till
man of his effectiveness would be a
severe blow to management-tenant re
lations, which are already in an appall
ingly bad state.
The Board of Commissioners de
cided to wait until another meeting
to take up the matter.
Between now and then, we hope all
fair-minded Durham people will show
their support for Midgette, Plummer
and Tillman in this effort to retain
at least a portion of representation
for the Black community within the
Housing Authority, which is the single
nost influential agency in our com-
We trust all our black readers and
our fast growing numbers of white
readers will observe with close scru
tiny and careful thought the letter to
the editor which appeared in a recent
issue of the Durham Sun entitled,
"Church Resolution Brings Court
Threat." According to the Sun's edi
torial the threat came as a result of
the action of the Ohio Conference of
the United Church in charging that
one of the leading companies by its
present policy is playing a leading role
in the economy of the area of Africa
which it operates. Most readers will
guess that the section mentioned is
that of South Africa now considered
by many as the lowest and most
damnable spot of human habitation
on earth. In the second bombshell
explosion of the Herald editorial page,
appears a letter to the editor, from
one James Smith, which quotes
Abraham Lincoln's statement made in
Charleston, Illinois in September
1858 as follows:
"What J would most desire would
be the separation of the white and,
black races. I will say then, that
I am not, nor ever have been in
favor of bringing about in any
way the social and political equal
ity of the white and black races
that I am not, nor ever have been,
in favor of making voters or
furors of Negroes nor of qualify
ing them to hold office, nor to in
termarry with white people; and
I will say in addition to this that
there is a physical difference
between the white and black races
which will ever forbid the two
races living together on terms of,
•Oct*! o*4 political equality. And
¥*UfMMh at they cannot so live,
munity. As The Carolina Times has
said before, this is a matter of concern
to us all.
Midgette and Plummer did not
merely oppose the demotion of the
Community Services department.
They made some constructive sug
gestions as to how the Authority
could re-structure itself in order to
work fairly and efficiently with Black
people. Among their suggestions:
- Hire a Black person as deputy
executive director of the Authority.
- Hire more Black people at all
levels, to include the central office;,
and at pay scales equal to that of
white employees.
- Reduce the gap between the sky
liigh salary of executive director Old
ham and the rest of the staff.
The Durham Housing Authority
has a history of behaving with cal
lousness and total disregard for what
the Black people of this city think
and feel. This is true not only for
Black tenants of the Authority, but
for the total Black community. Any
one who recalls the proposal for the
Bacon Street project will remember
to disdain which the Authority had
showh for community feelings.
The commissioners will have an op
portunity to strike out in new direc
tions. They can retain the position of
Community Services on /an equal level
with other departments. The commis
sioners can adopt, either completely
or with modifications, the recom
mendations of Midgette and Plummer.
In short, the commissioners can take
action to say, "This is a new day at
ti:e Durham Housing Authority."
Or the commissioners can vote to
stand still, or worse;, take a step back
wards, and the trouble between the
Authority and the community will
worsen.
We wiU be watching to see what
the Housing Authority decides to do.
We hope all concerned Durham resi
dents will be watching with us.
It Will Be Signed
while they do remain together,
there must be the position of
superior and inferior, and I, as
much as any other man, am in
favor of having the superior posi
tion assigned to the white race."
Well, 'integration and equality of
citizenship will come, as freedom
came to the four million blacks in
the days of Lincoln and there will
stand in that hour of transition, in
addition to the 22 million blacks of
this nation, the power of Almighty
God and the growing millions of pro
gressive white citizens who are truth
fully dedicated to the proposition
that all men are created free and
equal., irrespective of race, creed or
color.
So whether destiny decrees that it
come now, tomorrow or next day, it
will come. The growing throngs of
adult and progressive young whites all
ovsr the nation whose members have
become sick and tired of the hypo
crisy, want the freedom, not only for
the blacks, but for themselves and
their own sickened consciences which
they have endured in the name of
Democracy for over 300 years. Like
wise, whether President Richard Ni
xon signs it or not the document
against segregation will eventually be
i igned by him or a successor. It will'
'oe signed in obedience to those words
declared by the Almighty over 4,000
years ago that, "Out of one Mood
God created all nations of men for
to dwell on the face of the earth."
The Causes Of Unrest Remain
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Weekly Sunday School Lesson
For September 6, 1970
YOUR BIBLE IS YOUR MAJOR TEXTBOOK: STUDY IT
LIVING PEACEABLY WITH
OTHERS
Scriptare: Genesis 26; 17-29; De
▼•Uoaal Reading: Romans 12:
14-21.
Memory Selection: If possible so
far as it depends upon yon,
live peaceably with all. Ro
mans 12: 18.
17. And Isaac departed thence,
and pitched his tent in the val
ley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
18. And Isaac digged again
the wells of water, which they
had digged in the days of Abra
ham his father; for the Philis
tines had stopped them after the
death of Abraham: and he call
ed their names after the names
(>y which his father had called
them.
19. And Isaac's servants dig
ged in the valley, and 'found
there a well of springing water,
90. And the herdmen of Gerar
did strive with Isaac's herdmen,
saying, The water is ours: and
he called the name of the well
Esek; because they strove with
him.
21. And they digged another
well, and strove for that also:
and he called the name of it
Sitnah.
22. And he removed from
thence, and digged another well;
and for that they strove not;
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and he called the name of it
Rehoboth; and he said, For now
the LORD hath made room for
us, and we shall be fruitful in
the land.
23. And he went up from
thence to Beersheba.
24. And the LORD appeared
unto him the same night, and
said, I am the God of Abraham
thy father; fear not, for I am
with thee, and will bless thee,
and multiply thy seed for my
servant Abraham's sake.
25. And he builded an altar
there, and called upon the name
of the LORD, and pitched his
tent there: and there Isaac's
servants digged a well.
26. Then Abimelech went to
him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath
one of his friends, and Phichol
the chief captain of his army.
27. And Isaac said unto them.
Wherefore come ye to me, see
ing ye hate me, and have sent
me away from you?
28. And they said. We saw
certainly that the LORD was
with thee: and we said. Let
there be now an oath betwixt us,
even betwixt us and thee, and
let us make a covenant with
thee;
29. That thou wilt do us no
hurt, as we have not touched
thee, and as we have done unto
thee nothing but good, and have
sent thee away in peace: thou
art now the blessed of the
LORD.
FOREWORD: The thing which
gave rise to the division and
strife between Isaac and his
neighbors, was the constant in
crease of Isaac's wealth. It did
not matter to the enemies that
he had, put forth much toil
much industry and astute busi
ness management. The Philis
tines resorted to evil efforts to
stop the flow of his prosperity.
To cut off his water supply by
stopping up his wells with dirt,
was a most provoking example
of unneighborliness. The act was
one that could have brought se
rious conflict.
This unfriendly act was prob
ably, as the text indicates, the
outcome of envy and unmitigat
ed jealousy, rather than in
spired by fear that Isaac in dig
ging and possessing wells was
tacitly claiming the ownership
of the land. And the Philistine
monarch had caused the sus
picion that he had instigated the
outbreak of hostilities amongst
his people, by saying to Isaac,
"Go from us (a royal command,
rather than a friendly advice):
for thou art much mightier
than we." "And Isaac departed
thence," perhaps with remon
strance, but without offering re-
Which Way Now?
fTHE August issue, of Ebony has a provocative series of
J. essays on Which Way For Black Americans libera
tion, separation, or integration.
Spokesmen for all points of view are articulate and.
within the limits imposed by their basic outlook, informative
and convincing. It is good to find the debate carried out on a
high level, without the name-calling and the abuse that often
marks disagreements in strategy.
My own article in the magazine dealt with the fact that
we are already separate and that "apartness" from the
general society has resulted in black people getting the short
end of the stick in every facet of life.
I argue for an Open Society that blacks should wor £
toward wjth their white allies. "The black man's best hope,"
I wmte, "lies not in a narrow separatism or in the cultural
suicide of assimilation, but in an Open Society; a society
.founded on mutual respect and cooperation, and pluralistic
group self-consciousness and pride.
"The Open Society toward which we must strive is a
society in which black people have their fair share of the
power,, the wealth, and the comforts of the total society. It
is a society in which blacks have the options to live in a
black neighborhood or to live in an integrated one; in which
blacks have control over decisions affecting their lives to the
same degree that other groups have.
Settle For Nothing Less
"It is a society based on mutual respect and complete
equality. There isn't a reason in the world why we should
settle for anything less The struggle may be long and dif
ficult, but nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved with
out a struggle."
The first thing black people must do to bring about this
Open Society is to achieve a unified position. The gap be
tween philosophical viewpoints in the black community is
not as wide a* it may seem.
All blacks are united on the basics: that we are exploited,
suffer from racism and discrimination, and that there must
be some basic changes in the institutional structure of our
society that would end these conditions.
Broad as these points may be, they offer a start for
blacks to come together behind some key assumptions in our
society and with that as our starting point, we can go on tt
forging a broad agenda for change.
The time has come for black people to be really serlou*
about winning our fair share of the power and wealth in this
nation, and to avoid the pitfalls of romantic adventurism and
the kind of sniping attacks on other black people that ha*»
marked our paat disunity.
Such verbal sniping is a reflection of the "slave mantelU
ty" that allows blacks to openly attack other blacks white
being very careful not to offend white people and white in
stitutions.
sistance, as becomes a man of
God (Matthew 5:5; Rom. 12:17).
LESSON OUTLINED: I. Seek
ing Ways for Peace. Vss. 17-21.
11. Divine Protection. Vss. 22-25.
111. Good For Evil. Vss. 26-29.
CENTRAL THOUGHT: Many
men then, and now, try all ways
to find peace except the right
one.
COMMENTS ON LESSON:
I. Seeking Ways for Peace:
Envy, one of the works of the
flesh, a frequent characteristic
of evil men; and an occasional
infirmity of pious souls, ar strait
ly forbidden by the law of God.
This vice is commonly excited
by observing the prosperity of
others. Moreover, it is usually
accompanied with some degree
of hatred, and inevitably tends,
as in the case of the Philistines,
to hostility, secret or open. But
the patriarch did not strike back
—he intensified his efforts in the
direction of success. He contin
ued to dig wells. He was not ap
peasing anyone, he simply sought
ways that would lead to peace;
trusting in God to prevent the
violence that loomed so eminent.
11. Divide Protection: The
growing power of the patriarch
had fiDed the monarch's mind
with alarm. Interpreting the
character of Isaac by his own,
he conceived it impossible to
possess large resources without
using them to «c(JTIlre domin
ion QjriMi ftTTirr" Modern kings
«tna statesmen are scarcely fur
ther advanced, the prosperity of
neighboring empires being com
monly regarded as a menace to
the liberties of their own.
Isaac's action becomes a sym
bol of the mission of Chris
tianity, as regards both nations
and individuals, to show how
power of every kind can be pos
sessed without injury, and wield
ed with advantage, to the high
est interests of others. This atti
tude of mind and heart can
only obtain when individuals and
heads of state, can see and trust
in the Divine protection of God;
because He is Just, and will "do
right." The spirit of vindictive
ness must be submerged, and
the right spirit of tolerance and
forgiveness must gain acendency
in the thinking and actlnu of
men. Men must know that theif
success is not built upon their
industry and ingenuity, alone, but
that they are dependent upon the
mercies of God, and upon Hia
(kCaiSiuCliMi
Swwirriini
Published every Saturday at Durham. N.C.
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WHITNEY M. YOUNG
Divine protection in every way.
and in everything. Isaac did not
only see the Hand of God. but he
trusted in Him.
111. Good For Evil: To live
with this kind of concept, which
is the way of our Lord, calls for
implicit confidence in God, and
an utter dependence upon Him
to lead and direct our ways. We
cannot make peace our way! We
must use the plan of God.
This plateau on which we are
called to live requires patience,
or the exhibition of a meek and
unresisting spirit, in submitting
to injury. When Abimelech re
quested him to leave the town of
Gerar, he left. When the Philis
tines filled up his father's wells,
he quietly dug them out again.
When the herdsmen of Gerar
wrangled with his shepherds
about a spring, he simply gave
it up, and sought another; and
when this too was disputed, he
retired and sank a third. And,
in all of this, he became a sym
bol of our Lord, and His re
quirement placed on everyone
who will "take up his cross and
follow me." It is God's grace
which affords quiet neighbor
hoods to reside in, easy circum
stances to live in and hopeful fu
tures to trust in; and it is piety
in us to acknowledge that grace.
FOR MEDITATION
SIDELIGHTS ON LESSON:
A Covenant Between Men
The nature of pro
posed covenant was ademand
for a formal alliance, confirmed
by the sanctions of religion.
"Let there be now an oath be
twixt us, and let us make a cov
enant with thee." The object of
it: his own rather than Isaac's
protection. "That thou wilt do
us no hurt." Most men sus
pect their neighbors sooner than
themselves. Christianity requires
Christians to be careful of their
neighbor's interests as of their
own 'Philippians 2:4). The mo
tive of the covenant was: partly
selfish fear, and partly a recog
nition of Isaac's goodness. "Thou
art now the blessed of the Lord."
Men can see the good works of
those who are guided by the
Lord.
Isaac's reception of Abimelech.
was one of cautious inquiry.
"Wherefore come ye to me?" It
is prudent to try injurious men
before we trust them. Overlook
ing, as became a good man,
their too favorable account of
themselves, he gave them wel
come to his hospitable board.