-THE CAROLINA TIMES Saturday, Oct 28, 1972
2A
I EDITORIALS & COMMEWT M
•♦•NOTE (The Editorial this week is In the
form of "■ Letter to Johnny" on the Ob
servance of American Education Week)
Dear Johnny:
To be young today is not only
to enjoy many advantages and
many comforts unknown to former
generations, but it is also to suffer
many trials and to cope with many
problems which did not plague our
foreparents. Most young people
are genuinely puzzled by the many
frictions and the deficiencies in our
society. Example—while many are
hungry and ill-housed, with no em
ployment or jobs, we are sending
men to the moon or building un
necessary defense weapons. Yet,
we must never forget that to do
anything today, my young friends,
you must continue in school to be
able to cope with the many prob
lems that each child or individual
must resolve. And of course, you
the students of now, are the ones
who will look ever onward to a
viable way of solving some of these
problems by building up the best
possible brain power you can ab
sorb. In other words, you must
let continuing education become
your top goal as well as your per
sonal priority as a seventh grader
now and as you go on towards the
top of the ladder to further suc
cess in high school and beyond.
I say to you, young friends—
"What time is it?" It Is EDUCA
TION TIME for you, you and you
and all our youth today. Are you
then one of the students in our
classes these days who are sitting
and waiting for something great to
happen—you know, the game they
call, playing the school games? If
perchance you are, then it is past
time for you to look to the values
that an education will provide if
you are willing to work hard and
apply yourselves to become truly
skilled in the art of communica
tions.
When I say communications, I
use it in the broadest sense, for I
do not mean idle talk or chatter
which does not require any effort,
but I mean the ability or capacity
to think clearly as you express
yourself by speech patterns which
include enounciation, pronouncia
tion and good grammatical expres
sion. Ex—Singular subjects, verbs,
etc. And along with this will go
the written word. Did you know
or do you realize that this is one
of the reasons that so many items
are required to be written? Such
repetition within your classwork
will help you develop your exposi
tion skills, the ability to write clear
ly after such thoughts have been
formulated within your mind.
I recognize that impatience
comes natuarlly to the young. Of
ten you may resent the manv bu
reaucratic time lapses between
pressing tho button and getting an
answer to your many questions or
actions. But again that too, takes
clear rational thought to come up
with the best and most logical an
swer. Your education will attempt
to teach you how to formulate such
logic and assist you in coming to
grips with these much needed
choices.
A good education will help you
to formulate what decision may be
needed—what to look at as you
make up your minds—to quit strad
dling the fence—in other words,
education will help you to do what
is best in the situation and not al
low you to become one of those
individuals that just ape their
friends, no matter what the cost.
Another value of continuing your
education will help you to choose
between the wise and the foolish,
between the safe and the unsafe,
and many times between the good
HALLOWEEN CAN BE SAFE
Traditionally, Halloween has
been a time for evening family fun
among neighborhood children and
their elders within their communi
ties. Many schools and commun
ity centers also plan activities.
It is important that efforts be
continued to preserve Halloween as
"family fun time." We know that
the usual run of hoax stories will
continue to pop up here and there.
However, if certain rules are ob
served all children can continue to
share in these traditional evenings
of family fun with their elders. It
can also be a safe time as well with
attention to simple rules.
Youngsters are urged to travel
only within their immediate neigh
borhoods for the tricks or treats.
Further, if possible, parents should
accompany their small ones within
their neighborhood. Children
should be counseled to take only
treats that are wrapped. This is
a health factor and should be care
fully followed. Goodies should be
eaten only after inspection at home.
and the bad, yes, even the virtues
and the vulgarities of life. This
again is education helping you in
your choices and assisting you to
make good, sound and even better
decisions as you climb the ladder
of success. You and I both know
that we must make choices every
minute and hour of the day, no
matter where one may be.
Did you know that millions of
persons are being destroyed and
ruined for lack of basic education
and job skills? They lack the
skills and know how which are
necessary to enable them to com
pete in this highly scientific and
technological age. Millions of
other Americans are unemployed
or under employed. Many are
poor, illiterate or what one calls
functionally illiterate. A great
percentage of North Carolinians
alone fall in this category. You
must continue on and get all the
education possible for future se
curity. I sometimes wonder if this
may not be the reason that many
turn to drug addiction, petty
crimes, then major crimes. You
must not let your motivation be
come filled with despair.
I say to you—education increases
our ability to enjoy more things
more and better, to live more rich
ly, more creatively and in greater
harmony with ourselves, our en
vironment and our fellowmen.
Education produces better parents,
better neighbors, better citizens. It
will give the nation wise, informed
leadership and as constituents, we
can make our choices and not allow
others to make all the choices for
us.
Yes, everyone in society benefits
from education. It increases your
productivity in human effort and
helps you to formulate and plan
according to your ability. Yes, we
even benefit from the education of
other persons. The sharing of
knowledge by students like you,
the interchange between teachers
and students, community efforts
and other regional, state, national
and international efforts make all
of us more aware of the needs of
others and the value of educational
enrichment by all.
Remember we are indeed living
in an age of change. This is a
"head" age, not a hand age. Peo
ple are needed who can think,
write, program compute, build and
repair machines as well as how to
be creative and flexible. Ma
chines have created new jobs, but
learning new skills requires a
trained mind. Education is the
prerequisite for most of these jobs.
The undereducated and u#-edu
cated are being crushed to the bot
tom and many are dependent upon
social welfare.
Not only must you continue your
education, but even in instances,
'•ou mu°t help other adults to look
to retraining and recycling of their
job skills. Just as our cars, clothes
and foods rechange, so must you
take in your educational training.
Do not let this opportunity to ac
auire and continue your education
fall by the wayside. Keep your
hunger for learning and even more
learning always alive, alert and
pble to cope with the many changes
that now face you.
What time is it my young
friends? It is EDUCATION TIME
for you and all other youths. What
time is it? It is a time for de
veloping your brain power and God
triven talents. The time is NOW.
For your education can and will
lead you from the blight of pov
erty, to a hunger for a better life
for vou and your posterity. WHAT
TIME IS IT? IT IS EDUCATION
TIME, my young friends and that
is NOW.
It also seems best to go out in
the early evening since darkness
falls much earlier. Motorists as
well as the little "ghosts and gob
lins" should pay careful attention
as they dart back and forth across
the streets.
There is no necessity for roving
gangs of teenagers to go about the
city, especially if they feel inclined
towards £he destruction of prop
erty. This is a time for the "small
fry" to enjoy the pleasurable ac
tivities that will continue to remain
in their thoughts for all time.
So let us try to observe Hallo
ween as a time for "family , fun"
among the neighborhood children
and their elders as well as keep
it safe for all persons.
Remember that many persons
will donate funds to UNICEF to
help provide services to children
across the world. Let us continue
to look to Halloween as a safe time
when all persons can get delight
from it as they watch "small fry"
engaging in such activities.
APATHY IS A LUXURY THAT BUCKS CANNOT AFFORD I
0 >•-
JOB ARE NEEDED NOW
The Federal government must
act now to put the millions of
Americans to work in vital public
services in education, health, sani
tation, environmental control and
crime prevention.
With more than 6 million per
sons currently unemployed and
some 13.7 millions of Americans
working at sub-standard wages,
the problem grows more acute each
day.
The seriousness of our unem
ployment problems will be lessened
only if the Federal government ac
cepts and takes its moral responsi
bility to plan and implement full
employment machinery for all per
sons able and willing to work. This
means that our priorities must be
N.A.A.C.P. In Action
• 1 For 1972-
FREEDOM FUND DINNER
HONOR ROLL
By JEREMIAH CAMERON
The approaching Freedom
Fund Dinner, to be held at
the Hotel Muehlebach on Sat
urday, Oct. 28, provides us
with another opportunity to
relate to the public one of
the main functions of the
N.A.A.C.P. nationally and lo
cally: to employ a variety of
means, all non-violent and!
legal, to bring about the free
dom iof black folks.
Nobody is free in this coun-j
try until he has the equal
protection of the law, until he;
has the social and economic
securities that abound for so
many other citizens of tfie
United States. Black people,,
despite a pitifully little more
economic "cream at the top,"
will not be free until the
same opportunities, privileges
and responsibilities are shared
by all.
Democracy has to be made
to work; justice has to be
made to work. The notion that
power concedes nothing im
plies that black people must
.iraw upon what resources
they have, and we do have
>ome money, and use those
resources as a stimulant to
force right to be done.
Monies received from Free
dom Fund dinners have been
and will continue to be used
to force a greater measure
of right to be done. For exam
ple, the Senate's rejection of
the Nixon - supported anti
bussing bill, already passed
by the House of Representa
tives, did not just happen.
The effective N.A.A.C.P. lob
by in Washington, D. C.,
headed by Clarence Mitchell,
made its influence felt in the
Senate—precisely as it did
in the rejection of two of the
President's appointments to
the Supreme Court.
We therefore salute the fol
lowing persons and organiza
tions who constitute the
N.A.A.C.P. Freedom Fund
Honet Roll - • - early-bird pur
chasers of tickets from Oct.
1 to Oct. 14:
GOLD CIRCLE TICKETS
(Life Members or Suscriblng
Life Members): Mr. and Mrs.
Henry E. Wurst, SSO; Dr. and
Mrs. T. T. Lowrey, SSO; Dr.
Jeremiah Cameron, $25; Miss
Dorothy Gallagher, $25; Na
tional Postal Alliance, SSO;
Dr. Albert R. Maddox of Se
dalia, Mo., $25; Mayor and
Mrs. Charles B. Wheeler Jr.,
SSO.
REGULAR TICKETS: Dr.
and Mrs. G. T. Bryant, SSO;
Laundry and Dry Cleaning
International Union Local no.
2, SSO; American Oil com
pany, SSO; William F. Kem-
reorganized to provide jobs for
Americans first.
Even though unemployment and
poverty continue to rise, manpower
programs nationally are suffering
drastic cutbacks. Community ac
tion Programs, employers of many
previously unemployed minorities
and low income persons are being
threatened with extinction.
The cutbacks of such programs
and jobs places more people on
welfare and lessons the incentive
or motivation to help themselves.
People tend to become more frus
trated and bitter.
Jobs and training programs must
be increased if all Americans are
to share in this great democracy
of ours.
per, $25; W. R. Tillmon, $25;
Robert P. Lyons, $25; Mc-
Neill Insurance agency, $25;
Arthur Anderson company,
S2OO (one table); W. H. John
son, SSO.
Diocese of Kansas City-St.
Joseph, SSO; Coca Cola U.S.A.,
Fountain department, $25;
KMBC-TV, channel 9, SSO;
Hon. Richard Boiling, SSO;
Ermon Dixon, $25; School
Service Employees Local No.
, 12, $100; Jones Store com
pany, S2OO (one table); Dazey
1 Products company, SSO; Sar
ca, D-B-A Associated Devel
opers, SSO; United Parcel
service, S2OO (one table); J.
WHAT OTHERS SAY
The November, 1972 issue of
Readers Digest presents Interes
ting articles by one black
and one white writer entitled
"JIM CROW MAKES COME
BACK BUT THIS TIME BY
BLACK CHOlCE."(Excerpts
from the article are presented
for our readers.)
Black seperatism is a poison
distilled from equal parts of
traditional white racism and a
'new, virulent black nationalism.
Self-segregation by blacks is so
wide spread that it now re
presents as grave a threat to
American society as white im
posed segregation has in the
past. These are the views of a
pair of distinguished journa
lists--who have surveyed the
bleak racial scene in America
and have concluded thatthe
two races "are as far apart as
they have been in half a cen
tury."
"The worrisome conclusion
almost everywhere is that the
Old American Dream of inte
gration is dead," writes former
USIA director Carl Rowan, whb
is black and his white collabora
tor, David Mazie.
One major com ponent of the
tragic situation is Negro disil
lusionment as the "glowing
promises " of the 1960's and
60's have turned to dust. Instead
of equal opportunity, what blacks
have found in a ten percent unem
ployment rate, one black In
three mired in poverty, hun
dreds of thousands on welfara,
and "normal " family income
L. Marain, $25; Townsend
Newspaper, SIOO.
Mrs. Christine McGee, $25;
J. E. Dunn Construction com
pany, $100; Western Union,
SSO; Parking Enterprises, $25;
Western Electric, $100; Rob
ert MacNeven, $25; Mr. and
Mrs. Louis T. Hurt, SSO; Tru
man Holman, SSO; J. I.
Case company, $25; Kroger
company, SSO; Merchants Pro
duce bank, $25; Merchants
Delivery company, SSO.
DONATIONS: J. Harold Ha-i
mil, $25; J. A. Clancey, $25;
Joseph H. Bruening, SSO;
Black and Veatch Consulting
Engineers, $100; Mrs. Jac-i
queline B. Walker, $5; R. C. \
Clyne, $25; Sealright com
pany, Inc., SIOO.
Tickets to the Freedom
Fund dinner, at which M.
Carl Holman, president of
the National Urban Coalition,
will speak, are available at
the N.A.A.C.P. office at 4115
E. 43rd St., 861-0113.
just 60 percent of that of
"normal" white families.
But if white society has
failed to keep its promises,
black society has also failed
to take full advantage of op
portunities that do exist. For
example, there were 68.000
blacks in U.S. colleges In 1971-»
a 200 percent increase from a
decade earlier. Yet for thou
sands of these students, college
means self-imposed segregation
and intellectual copping but
in "sop courses about btycjt
history," write Mazie and Ro
wan.
Such withdrawals are under
standable; a black youth mov
ing from the ghetto to the cam
pus is insecure about many
things, and his natural inclina
tion is to avoid gatherings where
the risk of embarrassment is
high. But black students who
demand Jim Crow doritorv
facilities and other "black only"
barriers, and white college ad
ministrators who give in quick
ly to these demands, are tra
gically wrong.
"For 95 per cent of the
blacks in college, success and
genuine pride will be achieved
only In competition with the
white majority," the authors
write.
Surprisingly, the article gives
high marks to the millitary for
its attmepts- ahead of those
in civilian sectors--to promote
true equality. Although blacks
comprise only 3.8 percent of th
' BitWl J'-BPw ■
I
?T -.- ■
* THE ARMY (II)
VERNON E. JORDAN, JR.
One key area that remains a '
trouble spot for racial tensions
in the Anny is the system of
military justice. On my recent
swing through U.S. Army bases
in Germany, I found that ma
jor reforms are needed.
In general, black Gls are
convinced they cant get justice
in military courts. Some of the
prisoners I spoke to at the
stockade in Mannheim were
certain that the court would
try to set an wxample of them
by giving them heavier sen
tences because they were black.
Another prisoner, awaiting
trial in a German court for a
civilian crime, was just as po
sitive that the German jury
would not give him justice.
Charged with robbery, the case
against him hinges on the word
of his former girlfriend who is
German. He feels that when the
jury hears of their affair, they'll
rush to convict him.
What matters In these
cases is leas the factual situa
tion than the way the black
prisoners perceive their state.
Unlike others accused of vio
lations, they know they may
not get fair treatment because
of racial bigotry and discrimin
atory practices.
They were relieved just to
have someone to talk to, some
one to listen to their grie
vances, someone to care. In
this instance that someone was
me, a visitor from the States,
but the Army ought to build
into its military justice system
a way to fulfill the need for
humane concern and support
At the very least, equal op
portunity officers ought to
take off their uniforms, and in
civilian clothes that remove the
barrier of rank, talk infor
mally with prisoners and other
soldiers and lend an ear and a
helping hand.
The system of justice ought
to be taken out of the com
mand system to liberate it from
suspicion of being a tool of the
military and thus convert it in
to a truly impratial judiciary
system. There's alio a crying
need for more black judge
advocates and for expanded
legal services for enlisted men.
A far brighter spot of my
Army's Offic6r Corpus, they now
make up 10.8 percent of the
total enrolknent in ROTC, wMcb
is the Army's main .source of
newly commissioned officers.
rfoth authors say that if the
poisonous polarization is to be
I halted, both blacks and whites
Do's And Don'ts
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trio was the unique experience
of seeing so many black of
ficers, some commanding key
combat unite. I was very
impressed with t#*® calibre of
these men, who were excep
tional in their bearing, their
competence, their skill and
their grasp of essentials. To
briefed by these officers was
an enjoyable lesson in profes
sionalism.
It was especially gratifying
to me that so many produst of
the black colleges. It is a tri
bute to these schools that they
can train such men, and another
Indication that the black col
leges are an important national
resource.
Perhaps the basic feeling one
comes away with from an ex
tended tour of Army bases is
the extent to which the Army
is a haven for whites and blacks
who would otherwise be mired
in poverty here at home. Many
of the Gls met in Germany
told me that the Army was the
first place they got three
square maals a day, hot run
ning water, an opportunity for
training, and a feeling of im
portance and satisfaction.
In effect, our country says
to poor young men that there
te no place for them here and
that they'll have to put on a
uniform and train to fight and
perhaps die, if they want toe
barest essentials of a decent life.
This is a terrible commen
tary on our society. It tells us
that our country has neglected
the productive capacities of
hundreds of thousands of young
men. It tells us that our nation
has failed to order its domes
tic affairs so that the poorest
among us has an opportunity
to be well-fed, well-housed and
to fulfill his needs and aspira
tions.
What I saw in Germany
was a U. S. Army groping
toward remaking itself into an
institution that brings together
members of all ethnic groups in
an atmosphere of mutual re
spect to work toward a common
goal. It has a long way to go
but it is at least conscious of
the problem, which is more
than can be said about many
people here at home.
must take strong action. White
society must work harder to
offer "the (oining, the pro
motions, the status that will
permit minority youths to be
lieve that they are not just "in"
'this society, but "part of it."