.4 - THS CAROLINA TIMES SAT., AUGUST 13, 1977
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ME. OF CAUSING REVERSE T.fe
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Threat To Affirmative Action
Public policy in this country has
verbalized a commitment to Affirma
tive action over the past ten years or
so. A series of Federal acts, during that
time, aUegedty-committed Ur society,
to the goal of equal opportunity for
blacks, women and other minorities in
education and employment. At their in
ception, the Civil Rights Act of 1964
and a series of Executive Orders were"
hailed as exciting creative approaches
for ending discrimination. ''Affirmative ;
Action" as a present remedy for past
discrimination, became a working
concept.
Soon after inception, Affirmative
Action programs and concepts were
burdened down with . catchphrases. -Huge
bureaucracies were established to ;
regulate compliance with the various '
federal regulations. A technical .
language developed to discuss the issue :
"goal," "timetable," "under-utiliza-.,
tion." Some Americans began to take
for granted the effectiveness and per
manence of Affirmative Action as a
concept.
Simultaneously many changes were
taking, place in this country - politi
cally, economically, socially and cul-.
turally . The cutting edge of the sixties
became the blunted and forsaken de
pressions of the seventies as noble
commitments became hollow ilusions.
The Black movement was the van
guard of the sixties. It gave impetus,
drive and direction to a mighty crusade
for equality in this country. The re
vohintionary zeal of the period was led
by blacks who were followed by those .
of all ethnic groups.
The marriage of liberal ideas with
liberation goals was a matter of grave
concern for many. At this point, racism
reared its ugly head and the liberal was
spun from the liberation and a new era
of vested interest white liberalism
moved in separate direction. .
Right after that the word "mino
rity" was instituted in phrases and sen
tences where the word black was for
merly used. The news media blitzed the
people with the wordJ Soon it was used
by almost everyone including blacks.'
The women's movement, which had
been staunchly opposed, was suddenly
palatable and found new and ready
allies.
Blacks, who had been the prime
movers for Affirmative Action, were
: kicked to the foreground and replaced
by minorities both , contrived and
: genuine, who sapped the dynamics
from the black thrust. '
White House advisers have misjudged
the Urban League's Vernon Jordan's
recent criticism of President" Carter's
administration with failure to care
about the poor and blacks. They've .,
circulated the idea that it. was self
serving and a product of competition
among black leaders for the top spot
among blacks. Immediate backing of
Jordan by the Congressional Black"
Caucus, the NAACP's Benjamin Hooks -and
other black leaders show that
Jordan's remarks were neither
"demagogic" nor "erroneous."
Misjudged
km . -rim
r i. M?&
Despite the shameful crushing of
the black man's thrust within the
Affirmative Action programs, that is
not the greatest story about Affirma
tive Action, The cold fact is that evi
dence shows conclusively that Affir
mative Action has never taken place.
At current rates, it will take 43
more years for black workers to achieve
levels of employment equal to their re
presentation in the labor force. Statis
tics show that? wbnien are farther be
.hind in the f orce than they were
twenty years ago. The earning gap
between men and women has increased
7 in that time. The average woman
now earns 57 of that earned by a
manwho is-similarly employed.
rThrwDting efmitfo'rJtbf Afir-J
mative Action in this process has been'
twisted to a description of the "pool of
applicants;" not the concrete measur
able movement of applicants out of
thatpool.
; Against this reality; that decisive ,
positive action has not yet been effec
tively taken - comes that charge that
affirmative action as it is practiced .
' amounts to "reverse discrimination."
According to this thinking, it is unrea
sonable and unjust to ."discriminate"
against qualified white males in favor of
blacks, women and : other minorities :
who, by some standards or beliefs, are
deemed less - qualified for the jobs.
There is a concerted effort - in the
courts,; in ; the ) legislatures, in ; public
forums - t6lin some way recast affirma
tive action as unfair and to remove it as
unfair and, to remove it as a principle'
from law. ' ,
We are qii the threshold of an im
portant Supifeme Court decision. We
' must be reminded of Plessy vs Fergu
son in 1896, The decision legalized the
separate but ;equal concept in educa
tion. American race relations struggled
under that burden for 58 years. Now,
81 years later, we stand at another im
portant crossroad, where the principle
in question is fair and equitable Affir
mative Action, which under the impos
ed and contrived banner of "reverse
discrimination" is being challenged.
Again the Supreme Court must make a"
monumental decision.
Unfortunately, the climate and
conditions are not favorable for a just
decision. The need for communication,
unity and activism is great and urgent.
-Walter Bremdnd
. Executive Director
National Black United Fund, Inc..
MEANWHILE..,
IhhreS one ;THIng;, cool About
SCHOOL dESEGREGATlON;..
lx ;
7;
Dcnjamin t. fJoofis
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Some of my colleagues and the trade press
have called it a going away present for me. "It"
being my proposal to the Federal Communica
tions Commission that in order for Blacks 'and,
other minorities to have a decent shot at compet
ing in the process of TV and radio license sales,
sellers of broadcast properties should give public
notice of at least 45 days in advance of proposed
sales. . ;....., : v-V-"'''
That way Blacks and minorities would be
able to bid for the properties along with those
belonging on the inside - The soalled "The
Good 01' Boy" network; However, I would like
to think that "it" was and is ultimately a gift to
the people, especially to the Blacks and other
minorities who have been historically shut out
of opportunities to bid in sales of TV and radio
properties, simply because they have not been
privy to the vital information of an upcoming
sale.
Present FCC rules only decree that notice of
sale must be publicly made 30 days before final
consummation of the sale which has already been
made. The rule ; however, do not permit a
competing interest to enter the arrangement. The
30-day notice is simply to allow anypne who
may have some reservations about the proposed
sale, or the parties involved, to give voice of their
objections.'
. The Commission would then decide if the
objections were of sufficient merit to hold a
hearing. But unless the objections are of a major
such petitions are seldom granted a hearing. My
proposal, which grew out of the concerns voiced
CoDfjropan
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The National Urban League's conference
irt Washington last week riveted the nation's
attention on the question of the quality and de
livery of the , Administration's presidential
campaign promises to blacks and the poor.
Both, of the major actors in this dialogue,
President Carter, and the National Urban Lea
gue's executive director, Vernon Jordan, have
squared off in opposite directions.
Mr. Jordan says, that "The Administration
ha formulated a iew foreign policy a new de- ;
fense..pi?licy;and a new energy policy, but It has
'not adequately addressed itself to a new do
mestic policy." 1 - -
Rejecting Jordan's view the President noted
that the Administration was working diligently
on reducing unemployment to at least 6.5 per
cent by the end of this year, and that in terms of
welfare reform he ' would try to insure that
"every single family has a member in it with a
To De Equal
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Blacks- Poor; Look For Signals
The speech I made to the National Urban
League's Annual Conference analyzing the
Administration's domestic policies and ex
pressing black diasppointment with the record to
date was based on my talks and travels all over ;
the country, and much of what I said has been
said by others as well.
The President appeared before the same
Annual Conference the next morning and gave an
effective defense of his Administration, as did a
number of Cabinet officers and other key figures
in Washhigton..- t
That kind of public dialogue is an important
phenomenon. It put some neglected issues back -into
the field of public discussion, where they
belong. And it informed the Administration that
a significant part bf its constituency is unhappy
with its performance to date. : ;
When the dust had Cleared and all sides
made their case, the situation facing black people
was. unchanged and the analysis I made of the
Administration's first six months was unaltered. '
The basic outline of that analysis is this: The
Carter Adminstration was elected largely through
; capturing solid black votes. Those votes were
given on the assumption that campaign pro
mises of full employment and urban revitaliza- -tion
would be fulfilled. To date, despite some,
significant steps in HUD's block grant program,
in youth employment, and other areas, black
(Tt MAKES Yoy awAR&I)
(3
Day Begun
at the two-day Minority Ownership Conference,
in April sponsored by the FCC,, was put forth as
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. ? - i
, I thought the impediment in respect to
blacks and other minorities was of such impor
tance in this instance. The Commission should
move promptly - to secure . dialogue . from
interested parties with an eye to making a rule
that would lighten the burden of blacks and
other minorities seeking to compete in the sale of
broadcast properties. Jfowever, with the excep
tion of two other Commissioners, there was not '
enough enthusiasm for this proposal. v . "
So on my last day as a Commissioner, July
27, it was. amended in Commission meeting to
make it a Notice of Inquiry into the subject. I
am pragmatic, o I believe that even though I
would rather have had rulemaking, an inquiry
into the subject will serve the same purpose. Ul
timately;' I believe such a rulemaking will be
effected. My only regret is that, I will not be at
the Commission to see it come to fruition.
In the transfer of radio and TV licenses, just
as in all other fields of corporate and industry
endeavor, it may not be so much what but who
.you know. Blacks and . other minorities are hot
members of the posh private clubs, nor do they
move in the upper strata social, business and
political circles of the decision-making white
power structure.
And since we do not, it is not hard to under
stand why we blacks own less than one per cent
of the nation's broadcasting properties. Even
when we do move in these circles, however, pre
How's Mr. Carter
guaranteed job, by government if necessary."
As with most things there is a middle ground
in these views, with the President not doing quite
as badly as Jordan thinks, nor is he (that is Mr.
Carter,) doing as good as he so states the case.
Those ofxus that are looking on are also
keeping the score cards watching and waiting for
the President to improve the quality of his per
formance (since I believe both Mr. Jordan and
Mr. Carter would agree that one's performance
can always be improved). , .;, , ( .;..,.
My score-keeping is naturally concerned ''
on the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment bill
(HR-50.S-50).
I was therefore immensely interested in the
President's statement linking welfare reform and
the guarantee of jobs by the Federal govern
ment for those.wanting to work.
Since the core of HR-SO is the establishment
expectations have not been fulfilled. ,
A basic reason for this may be that priorities '
are askew. Instead of full employment, balancing
the budget by", 1981 has become the top priority.
Energy, controlling inflation, and government
reorganization - have , all been given greater
urgency than a national urban policy, national
health insurance and other basic human needs
l programs. ';.;V7iUv .'
A case may be made for the importance of
the items the Administration has chosen to make
it priorities, but to the degree that emphasis on
balanced budets restricts its ability to inaugurate
needed social reforms, the hopes of poor people
will be frustrated. I understand the need for
balanced budgets, but human needs must have
priority.
And if the price of balanced budgets is con
tinued joblessness, poverty and urban deteriora
tion, then we're only laying the groundwork for
" possibly insoluble social problems in the 1980s.
The positive changes that took place in-the
1960s were arrested for much of this decade. To
some degree those gains have helped foster ex
pectations on the part of minorities and the
- poor that must now be satisfied.
' .; When Nixon and Ford occupied the White
House many people realized that little could be
expected in the way of social reforms, but that
Havvtims
Column
PmAT TWEP ANT HO
i i i
Executive Director IIAACP
vailing clandestine, suspicions and xenophobic
bordering on. racist, attitudes of some of the
.majority white corporate officials tend to fore?
. close us from insider knowledge that would put
; us oh track at. the competitive starting blocks.
John H." Johnson, publisher of Jet and
Ebony magazines,' owner of radio station WJPC,
Chicago, who also sits on many of America's top
corporation boards of directors, reveals that even
possession of keys to corporate executive wash
rooms does hot ; automatically or completely
open those secrets and intimate passageways to
specialized information so essential to meaning
ful decision making process in business. Other
black corporate executives have voiced the same,
concerns. J
There are those who say mat any amending
of the rules to notify ; the public of upcoming
sales would pose enforcement problems for the
Commission; that it would pave the way to
bidding wars that would price a station out of
financial sight. v
I say rubbish to both reservations while at
the same time realizing that there will be addi
tional enforcement problems, that competition
. for the properties will be stiffen
' But the Commission can easily handle the
former while the latter will test pur belief in free
enterprise., I believe the market- place given a
chance, is the most democratic of arbiters.
Nevertheless, the time has come to open this
process for access to all our people, not just the
privileged, "01. Boy Club" members. V
It is in the public interest for the Commis
sion to do so. .
Doing?
of a right to a job for all those willing, able, and
seeking work, the President's remarks come at
a timely and propitious time.
This rather new position taken by the Pre
sident on this matter, needs his further elabora-,
tion of course; but the fact that he's recognized
the significance of the Federal role . regarding job
guaranteesis a step in the right direction.
It does raise other questions however, since
the President indicated that this guarantee would
only be available to one member to provide for
jt&dollar resource needs, T ,
.What, would happen in fliis situation,' would
. ertiimy need rurther exploratiori. J, .'. '
In my view, the next few months are going
to be crucial, if we are to move closer to a
national commitment on full employment
It seems that hi this area at least, the Presi
dent is moving in a way which may open up new
Federal thinking regarding this nation's need for
a full employment economy.
By VETO E. JORDAN
gyyjiiHMMi ii mim.
:; -7
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
NATIONAL URIAH LEAGUE
situation changed in November. A new President
. was elected by a coalition of labor,, blacks,
minorities, poor people, and others who re
newed their faith in the political system in back
ing a candidate who promised jobs and reform.
, The President has proved adept at signal
? sending: By emphasizing human rights, he's sent
signals to the world's dictators to shape up. By
selling the Presidential yacht and other symbolic
moves, he's signalled his countrymen that the
Imperial Presidency is at an end.
Now, he should send some signals to the
poor people who placed so much faith in him
and in his Administration. He could make sym
bolic visits to urban ghettos, change the mis
. guided welfare reform plan, and express in
legislative terms his commitment to expanded
job-creation beyond the limited measures already
taken.
A new Administration can't do everything in
only six months, but it can set a new tone and it
can frame strategies it will follow in the next
four years. That's the point of the pressure black
people are now exerting on Washington - to re
turn the Administration to what we feel are its
true instincts of helping ease the lot of the poor.
EBEa3ffi3S5J
' L. E.AUSTIN
Editor . Publisher , 1927-1971
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