; VOLUME 55 NUMBER 12
"READ BY OVER 30.000 DURHAMITES'
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 1977
TELEPHONE (919) 688-6587
PRICE: 20 CENTS
A nn
mum
- K
mm
Medicaid Recipients Ilavo
9 Months To Savo $100,
SaysVJaddoll
HENDERSON (CCNS) -Ait
official of the N. C. Depart
ment of Human Resources has
called uoon the N f Attnr.
ney General to give a ruling
on whether a Henderson hospK
tal can charge SI 00 to medi
caid patients that seek to have
their babies delivered. .
Robert Watkins, an 6ffi
cial in the Recipient and
Patient Services Section of
the Human Resources Depart
ment described the policy of
Maria Parham Hospital as "not
within the spirit . and philo
sophy of helping poor people",
but point out that; was just his
personal opinion.
The policy was first im
posed upon recipients of the
federally funded medicaid pro
gram in January. Watkins said
the - administration of Maria
Parham Hospital did not con
sult the state prior to making
the policy. One of the policy's
first victim's was 25 year old
Georgia Brown who tried to
get - admitted to the hospital
for? six hours on January 22
but was turned, back because
she didn't have the, $100
deposit.. Her doctor had sent
he? to the hospital for ad
mittance so he could induce
labor and encipher problem.
r--o t v
Hospital administrator
Samuel Waddell said the $100
is charged only as a deposit
that is refundable after the
medicaid recipients are dis
charged and bring medicaid
labels for the baby to the
hospital from the. local Vance
County Department of Social
Service. He says that DSS
regulations at the state level
prohibit issuance of medi
caid labels to cover the un
born child's bill until de
livery. But he says the reason
for the $100 deposit is that
some medicaid patients fail to
bring back to the hospital the
medicaid labels which allow
hospital reimbursement. v
Waddell said that having
babies is "not considered as
an emergency and should not
be a hardship on anyone be
cause they (medicaid reci
pients) have nine months to
save that $100."
However, the policy was
adopted by the hospital board
in January and implemented
the same month. Georgia
Brown and several other Hen
derson and Vance County resi
dents did not know about the
policy until they tried to get
admitted to. have their babies.
Georgia Brown finally got
admitted when black Vance
County civic leaders called
County Commissioner Billy
Hughes who called the depart
ment of Social Service Direc
tor who called the hospital and
was able to get Ms. Brown ad
mitted. But the others, which
hospital Business Manager Basil
Asbury says are more than 1 5
a month, are forced to ride to
Duke Hospital in Durham or
Wake Hospital ; in Raleigh.
Both are approximately a one
hour drive from , Henderson;
A similar policy was im
plemented by the , - hospital .
several years ago. During that
time several babies, were born
en route to Duke in ambu
lances and the back seats of.
automobiles. Public ; outcry
' nt Ua tima !iricH thp nnlirv
. frt Via nhanaeA
. The policy is not favored
by some of the ' County
Commissioners but they have,
no input.; in policy decisions
and no monetary control over
the ' hospital which is pri
vately owned ,: although the
county gave $250,000 toward
its construction.
Commission Chairperson J,
Nelson "Pete" Faulkner, a re
presentative of the Maria Par
ham Hospital Boardf from the
County Commission, question
ed about the policy said that
"its going to take some study
to see what we can do."
Prior to the adoption of
the policy in January the hos
pital board requested $195.
000 from the commissioners
but did not receive it. Chair
person Faulkner said "with
out some say so, we can't
doit".
Another commissioner,
Billy Hughes, who initiated the
action which got Ms. Brown
in the hospital, said the county
needs it's own hospital, but
did not know if the commi
ssioners would support the
cost of building a new one.
THIS IS NAT! POISOH
FklEVEklTlOU 7 EEK
WASHINGTON, D. C According to statistics from
the Department of Health, Education and Welfare,
approximately two hundred children die each year from
the affects of lead poisoning. Thousands more are
potential lead poisoning victims and could suffer per
manent mental retardation, brain damage, blindness or
; even death. --KWv-
One of the causes of lead poisoning is the ingestion of
old, ore-World Wtr U leaded paints, containing up to 50
' white f'fn'iW-mtfA, thW:wlfs pf
bid buildings, especially In- Inner-city areas. If this old
paint begins to peel, It can be eaten by children and cause
lead poisoning.
The most notable symptoms of lead poisoning in
children are stomach aches; irritability or easy tiring, and
frequent vomiting. If your child has any of these symp
toms, and has been seen eating old paint chips, the
National Paint and Coatings Association suggests
immediate medical care.
If you live in an old house, and the paint is peeling,
limit your child's chances of contracting lead poisoning
by taking the following steps:
1. Sweep any peeling paint off walls, woodwork and
ceiling with a stiff brush or broom. Then, be sure to throw
all loose pieces away.
2. Keep looking for new paint chips and peeling
paint. Sweep them away before small children get them.
Keeping the lower parts of walls free of peeling paint is
most important. This is where small children can reach
it most easily.
3. Don't let children chew on woodwork, stair rail
ings or other places which have been painted -- even if the
paint isn't flaking.
4. Give children safe things to chew on crusts of ;
bread, toys made for chewing.
5. Tell big sister, big brother and baby sitters not to
' let children eat Pnt chips or chew on woodwork, stair
railings or other painted surfaces.
If lead poisoning is caught early, the child can be
treated and cured.
Vilbcrt TatuciTo
CHAPEL HILL - Wilbert
A. Tatum, a Durham native,
who is director of the Mayor's
Midtown Action Office in New
York City, will lecture on "The
Resurrection of the Central
City through the use of Zon
ing, Planning and Economic
Tools" Friday at 3:30 p.m.,
102 New East, in the depart
ment of city and regional
planning at the. University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Tatum is resposible for
coordinating development
from Hth St. to. 59th St. in
Manhattan, including the Gar
ment District, Times Square
and 5th Avenue, according to
Jerry Levin of the speakers
committee in ; the department
of city and .regional planning.
A .former director of Ur
ban Renewal In Central Harlem
and deputy Burrough President
of Manhattan, Tatum 1 is vice
chairman of the board of
directors of the Amsterdam
. News and the Inner City
Broadcast Association.
He has served as an ad
junct professor for the New
School for Social Research in
New York; City and at York
College of the City Uni
versity of New York. He has
also lectured on "The Negro
in America" at Stockholm
University in Sweden. .
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MECHANICS AND FARMERS BANK 1977 STOCKHOLDERS MEET-
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Asheville Mobilizes for April 9 March
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Restored To
". onogemcnt A iter U0
The National Association
for the Advancement of
Colored People Washington
Bureau announces that native
Durhamite, David W. Stith, an
employee it has represented be'
before EEO officials at the
Department of Housing and
Urban Development and the
Civil Service Commission, has
, finally been restored to his
position as director, manage
ment division, Greensboro,
area office, over 1 1 months
after his removal on adverse
action charges.
After Stith filed a com
plaint of discrimination. Hous
ing and Urban Development's
EEO director found he had
been discriminated against and
ordered him restored to duty,
with back pay, in October of
last year,. However, apparently
due topressure from former
Ford administration officials,
. this decision was reversed the
following month.
. The NAACP, after seeking
, in vain to have HUD reinstate
, the original decision, took
Stith's case to the Civil Ser
vice Commission. In January,
'-'I
,' m riini.i.r..iMmm i.jm.
ASHEVILLE (CCNS) them in, or having the state
About fifty people attended f do il for yu' &nd tncy would
gathering in support of tliit probably say yes," stated Gun
upcoming April 9th Witnes tef- emphasizing that most
Against Executions in Atlanta, PeoPle do not look at tne facts
Ga., in a kickoff of the cant in such cases. Rev. Wiltshire, of
paign to build for the marchj the Asheville-Buncombe Co
Held at the Asheville Juncl operative Christian Ministry,
tion, a coffeehouse : that hat showed the connection
lona been the focal Mint for between the state of the North
liberal and radical causes, in
Asheville. the program Featured
musical enten aintne n
v f
; speeches -ami aeafcW.theJf lf? Put PPjtal punish
beans and rice. " ""' ' menr "back on Ntthe- .books.
The oroeram was or-
ganized by Kay and ,Andy
Griffin, organizers for the
Witness Against Executions
and featured Judi Dod and
Andy Cohen, who provided
musical entertainment. Re
marks were given by Rev.
David Dod of the Craggy
Prisoners Support Group,
based in Asheville, Rick Gun
ter, associate editor of the
Asheville Citizen, the Rev.
Robert Wiltshire, of the Ashe
ville Buncombe Cooperative
Christian Ministry, and Jim
Grant, of the North Carolina
Alliance and the North Caro
lina Coalition Against the
Death Penalty.
Gunter related some of the
events in his life that led to his
conviction that .the death
penalty was wrong. During his
talk, he emphasized that for
most people the question of
the death penalty is an emo
tional one. "Ask the average
person the question 'if some
one were to kill your family,
would you be in favor of doing
DURHAMITE
Position As IWD Director,
s
DAVID W. STITH
in a precedent setting action,
the Commission ordered HUD
to reinstate . the original . de
cision.. Stith was rehired, but.
despite the. Commission's
order, he was not given his
old job. Rather he was detailed
to a position, the main func
tion of which has been describ
ed as "counting : paperclips."
1 1
1
Carolina Correctional System
which has been described as
barbaric, and the attempt by
capital pumsnmem is ine.u -
timate punishment," he stated,
"It is indicative of the men
tality designed to wreak re
venge, rather than rehabili
tate." Grant spoke of the need
for people to put your "Rear
ends on the line, if you expect
to be heard by the powers that
be. People in this country
stopped the Vietnam War by
taking the campaign to the
streets -- and that is what we
are going to have to do to end
capital punishment once and
for all"
In closing, Kay Griffin re
minded the people of the need
to get together again to finalize
plans for the trip to Atlanta.
The Demonstration, which
will begin at the Martin Luther
King Memorial, will feature
such black spokesmen as Julian
Bond and Ralph David Aber
nathy. along with John Lewis.
The Easter Sunrise Service will
be conducted by Rev. Martin
Luther King, Sr., and is sche
duled for Georgia Plaza Park
at 6 a.m. the next day.
Decision
Finally, after further
discussions he was reassigned as
division director in the past
week. Now, however, he
faces possible transfer to
another area. The NAACP has
written Secretary of HUD
Patricia Harris, advising it
would consider, this an act of
reprisal and asking her to
prevent its occurrence.
As a result of the
outcome of his complaint,
Stith will receive approxi
mately $32,000 in back pay as
well as retroactive employee
benefits.
The NAACP Washington
Bureau . worked closely
throughout " the : proceedings
with the Office of Representa
tive Parren Mitchell, chairman
of the Congressional Black
Caucus." 1
a
BOYS CLUB WEEK
MARCH 27 APRIL 2
Support John Awv BC
(See Story Page 6)
rrO
Stockholders of Mechanics
and Farmers Bank held their
69th Annual Meeting on Mon
day. March 1 4th in the lobby
of the home office of the Bank
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Carmichael Barred From
Shaw Speaks Af UfJC
CHAPEL HILL (CCNS) -Stokely
Carmichael, once
chairperson of the Student
Non-Violent Coordinating
Committee (SNCC) that raised
across the South and nation
demands for Black Power in
the mid-nineteen sixties, lec
tured to an all black group of
students and some community
people at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill
last week. His Chapel Hill
speech followed his being
denied permission to speak ut
Shaw University in Raleigh.
Denouncing capitalist ex
ploitation and predicting the
eventual overthrow of U. S
imperialism by its workers, and capitalism can co-exist and
Carmichael lectured on the develop simultaneously with-
advantages of life under out conflict. He consistently
socialist government as told his audience that corn
opposed to "profit by any Continued On Page 7
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Afpinsfl Jotrasosa4ee CAP
SMITHFIELD (CCNS) -The
North Carolina office of
the Equal Employment Oppor
tunity Commission (EEOC) has
found "reasonable cause to be
lieve that" the " Johnston-Lee
Community Action Inc., fired
in December 1975 a woman
because she was black and be
cause she opposed unlawful
employment practices in the
agency.
Harris Williams, Director
of the N. C. EEOC, informed
Gloria J. Bryant of Raleigh
anu ine jonnsion - uee
Community Action Inc. JL
CA) of EEOC intentions to
conciliate the dispute, if the
dispute cannot be settled by
bringing the parties together,
court action will follow, Harris'
letter said .
The EEOC investigation
disclosed that Ms. Bryand, was
employed as Director of Hous
ing and Community Develop
ment and had complained of
unlawful employment practices
to the EEOC on June 30,
1975. The letter said that two
months later, Ms. Brvant was
fired by then Executive Direc-
iff Wn
uifti "'' u i tuts- r-, a r i i
JOURNALISM CONTEST WINNERS - From l-r Howard University Schocl cf
Communications conference coordinator, Peggy Pinn, joins In congratulating jour,
nallsm assay winners Evelyn Bailey.of Clark College, Atlanta; Peter Harris, HUSCj
and First placer Kenneth Campbell of East Carolina University, GrssnvUit u
Washington, D. C, publisher, Calvin Rolark and HUSC Ddean Uonel C. Csrrew,
Jr., shake their hands. Awards were made at HUSC's sixth annua' communications
' conference recently at Mayflower Hotel In nation's capital. (Photo by Roy Lev.;:.
MECHAIXS & FARMERS
located
Parrish
at II4-I16 West
Street, Durham,
Approximately 280 stock
holders were represented by
proxy and 85 others were
means necessary under capi
talism." Giving an example of 1956
cars being build better than
1977 cars, although technology
to produce more efficient and
longer lasting cars has im
proved. Carmichael said
"technology and science are
now used to exploit rather
than serve our people."
He said that under social
ism the objective of govern
ment is "service to humanity "
. . "through people owning
and controlling the means of
production."
Carmichael criticized as
liberal theories that socialism
tor Paul Keller and reinstated
on the same day "due to lack
of sufficient documentation."
Ms. Bryant had complain
ed that males, particularly
white males, had received
higher salaries than women,
particularly black women hired
at the anti-poverty program
performing the same or
similar duties. The report
further disclosed that a white
male was hired by the agency
and placed under Ms. Bryant's
supervision at a greater salary
than she was naid
In November 1975, Gloria
Bryant was given an "average
overall" rating on her per
formance evaluation. She said
that evaluation "was the
poorest evaluation I received
in my seven years employed
there." The EEOC found that
following the evaluation and
"absent any written warnings
or reprimands, Keller fired
Ms. Bryant.' Only a few days
before Ms. Bryant had appeal
ed to the Johnston-Lee Board
of Directors for an increase in
pay despite Keller's objections.
The board overrode Keller and
present in person for the
purpose of hearing the reports
for 1976 and for the elec
tion of Directors for the en
suing year.
John H. Wheeler, President
of the Bank, discussed the
highlights of his printed report
which had been mailed to all
stockholders along with the
formal notice of the meeting,
the required proxy material
and a copy of the year end
Statements of Condition and
Earnings certified by Haskins
& Sells, Certified Public
Accountants.
Highlights of the report
indicated that the Bank's
assets at the end of 1976 were
$41,404,817 and that net
earnings for the year were
5241,404 or $1.71 per share.
The report also noted a 23.
2 growth in Demand (check
ing) Accounts and a 1.9
decline in passbook Savings
Accounts. Also noted was a
$968,000 increase in Loans
Outstanding and an excess of
$162,126 of the market value
of securities held ($16,960,
533) over their book value
($16,798,407). Capital funds
increased from $2,857 at the
end of 1975 to $3,044,899 at
the end of 1976 and earnings
Continued On Page 21
gave Ms. Bryant a salary in
crease commensurate to the
rate paid white male program
directers in the agency, on the
principle of "equal pay for
equal work".
Ms. Bryant charged that
she was fired "in retaliation for
my opposition to unlawful
employment practices which
violated Section 704(a) of Title
VII of the Civil Rights Act of
1964." That section makes ft
illegal to discriminate against
any person because he or she
has made a charge, testified, or
participated in any manner in
an investigation under Title
VII.
Keller is no longer Execu
tive Director of the JLCA, but
is now a member of the board.
He was replaced by Leon
Penny who was formerly
Deputy Director and gave Ms.
r 1 L4 M
Dry an i ine average, overall
rating" that she complained oL
If conciliation of the dis
pute is not accomplished by
the EEOC. section 706(b) of
Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 allows Director
Harris Williams to iniate a civil
suit to enforce an EEOC order
to settle the dispute.