! Duke University Library '
i Newspaper Department
4 Durham NC 27706 ,
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FEB-29.i330
Words of Wisdom
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VOLUME 58 - NUMBER 9
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA SATURDAY, MARCH 1, ItSSI
TELEPKCXE (119) 22-2913.
PRICE: 30 CENTS
THE PEOPLE SPEAK
-By John McDonald '
What should we
etooD taN Mio
as.
blacks be aware of during
black awareness month?
' yv
William Lawrence To
Fill Vacant Seat
LI 7
t' X'.'- ..
.if ;f i V V'. ' f
Ms. Renee Wilder,
Duke graduate student:
We should be aware that
there is still an up-hill
struggle in terms of equity
in job opportunities- and
education. Remember the
past, but dwell on the
future. We must use the
past as a spring board to j
better future oppor-:
tunities. Awareness of self
and education are the keys
to further advancement.
John Lucas, principal,
Hillside High School: We
should bring into sharp
focus our need to excel in
all facets of daily living.
This need includes educa
tional, . vocational,
economic, cultural and
religious endeavors. We
should be mindful of how
fortunate we are to be who
we are a great people
with a great heritage. We
should spend time review
ing our history,
understanding the present
and developing strategies
for the future.
fci'iiiii'.i mwn
It took only a few
minutes Monday night,
February 25 for three
school board members of
the Durham City Schools
to cast their ballots in
favor of William
.Lawrence for the vacant
seat on the school board:
left by the death of John
D. Lennon. The an
nouncement, made by city
school superintendent,.
Cleveland Hammonds,
was greeted with applause
from the packed-house
audience that seemed
relieved to have the matter
settled.
MS. Beth Upchurch, 1
who had consistently
maintained that Dennis,
Nicholson be selected to
fill the spot, changed her
vote to make the decision
unanimous.
In a special board
meeting on Wednesday,'
February 20, Lawrence
had received two votes on
the first ballot and one
vote on ballots two and
three before a fourth
ballot chose David Wig
gins to fill the vacancy.
Wiggins declined the seat,
Friday, February 22,
stating that "personal
reasons prevented him
from serving."
Lawrence said that he
does not mind being the
school board's second
choice for the seat. "I feel
that I have something to
offer and I don't mind be
ing second, third or fourth
choice," Lawrence said.'
He said that his major
concern is that the
Durham City Schools pro
vide the best possible
education for the children
it serves.
Lawrence has a son at-.
tending Shepard Junior
High School and a pre
school age daughter.
Mrs. Thelma C. Len
non, the widow of board
member John D. Lennon,
had also applied for the
seat, but . she asked that
her name be withdrawn
before Monday night's
votes were cast.
T
; - a cus::;ess cetlc::;x.7 crjriua 1
lace
-The miss ceyelcpcekt met
SBrtiirf 1938"
Gsls Honor
Eight States To Give
Elderly And Disabled Cash
Instead Of Food Stamps
fv:-
Sister Tee Williams,
businesswoman: We
should be aware of the
ongoing plan to slow
down or stop our youth
from having a substantial
grip on the tools that are
necessary to survive. We
should realize that there
are people who would
destroy them out of fear
andor personal gain.
Because we are in trou
ble as a race, we need
black awareness and self
determination 365 days a
year.
Society is failing to train
our youth to their fullest,
capacity. This is society's
master plan. Only we can
initiate programs that will
save our children.
Ms. Pamela Bagley,
NCCU ' student: One
distinguishing factor that
should be brought to our
attention during black
awareness month is that
blacks have made signifi
cant contributions to
humanity, technology,
science, and many other
successful causes. We
should honor those suc
cesses and continue striv
ing for that level of
superiority.
WASH 1NGTON Beg
inning" in April, elderly
and disabled people who
are eligible for food
stamps will get cash in
stead of food stamps
under a U.S. Department
of Agriculture pilot pro
ject in eight states.
Monroe County, New
York; Dillon, Darlington,
Marion, and Florence
counties, South Carolina;
Cuyahoga County, Ohio;
Hennepin County, Min
nesota; East Baton Rouge
parishes, Louisiana; the
Portland, area (regions 1
and 2) of Oregon, Ver
mont, and Utah have been
selected to take part in the
pilot project, which will
run for one year.
In these areas,
households eligible for
food stamps. where every
member is at least 65 or is
participating in the sup
plemental security income
program will get a check
for the amount of their
food stamp allotment each
INSIDE
THIS WEEK
Durham Artists
Exhibit Collages
Entertiinmtnt
Section-ftgo 9
Churches Challenge
Sc-Jtii Africa
month.
program through which
the Social Security Ad
ministration provides
benefits for aged, blind
and disabled people.
"We hope to find out
whether providing cash in
stead of food stamps will
encourage elderly and
handicapped people to
take part in the program,"
said Assistant Secretary of
Agriculture Carol Tucker
Foreman. "We will also
look at the effect of pro
viding cash rather than
food stamps on food pur
chases." Currently, the food
.stamp program, ad
ministered by USDA's
Food and Nutrition Ser
vice, reaches about half of,
the eligible
-Dr. Murray Sends
More History On
Black Church
Page 15
Whits Shadow
Does It Again
PagtS
William H. McLaughlinIr., owner and operator ot Mciugmm ......,
responds as, one of three Durham businessmen who received plaques Thursday night
at the annual Durham Business and Professional Chain Annual Banquet. The other
recipients were: Tom Porter, owner and operator of The Copy Express; and Ira K.
Bradsher, owner of Bradsher Grading and Excavating. Others at the dais are Chain
officials. Photo by John McDonald
Systematic Racism Said Cause
Violent Deaths Among Blacks
By Trellie L. Jef fers
Recent reports show much nigncr rate than
that violent deaths have group members of other
become one of the leading socioeconomic income
killers amon& black
land womert between ane erouo was that systematic black pupils must include
blacks must have better
educational opportunities
thai will prepare them for
economy siaouuy,
take part if they can apply
and be interviewed at
places besides food stamp
offices. In some
demonstration areas,
elderly persons and people,
applying for supplemental'
security income will be
able to file an application
for food stamps at Social,
Security offices.
The project is authoriz
ed by the Food Stamp Act
households of 1977,
with aged, blind or disabl
ed members.
The project will also test
whether more aged and
i handicapped people will
A final list of project
areas will be announced in
the Federal Register after
budget negotiations arc
completed.
N.C. Tenants to Meet in City
Tenants in North
Carolina may soon have a
means of communicating
with each other. Plans for
establishing a state
chapter of the National
Tenants Organization
(NTO) will be presented
by Jesse M. Gray, ex
ecutive director of the
NTO, at an all-day North
Carolina conference in
Durham on Saturday,
March I.
The National Tenant
Organization works for
both public-funded
tenants and those renting
from landlords on the
private market. It has af
filiated groups all over the
country. NTO keeps a lob
by going in Washington,
D.C. and has four
representatives on the
Housing Task Force with
HUD. The NTO brings in
proposals from its af
filiated groups in different
states. It can also mobilize
to work for local strategies
or state projects affecting
tenants.
In the morning session,
workshops will be
presented on North
Carolina tenant-landlord
law and community
development (are these
federal funds being used
to benefit low-income
tenants in this state?).
Workshop leaders will in
clude attorneys Donald
Saunders of Legal Services
of the Blue Ridge in
Boone and Benjamin
Erlitz of the Legal Aid
Society of Northwest
North Carolina, Inc., in
Winston-Salem.
Organizer Pat Bryant of
Durham will deliver the
opening address.
The conference is a;
joint project of two
Durham-based tenant
groups West End Com
munity Action Group,
which deals mainly with
private housing tenants,
and the Durham Tenant
Steering Committee,
which is composed of
public housing tenants.
Durham Tenant Steer
ing Committee member,
Mrs. Norma Burton,
believes the attempt to
combine public, private,
and subsidized tenant in
terests to be an important
feature of the March I
event. "I think that this
state needs a private and
public housing mobiliza
tion committee for
tenants. There should be
better communication bet
ween private and public
housing residents. I think
the resource people com
ing in will be able to help
us accomplish this. It will
be very educational for
tenants in public and
private housing on condi
tions, polices, guidelines
locally and nationally."
Neighborhood groups,
experienced tenant
organizers, legal advisors,
and private citizens from
Wilmington to Asheville
have indicated plans to at
tend on March I. The con
ference will last from 9:30
a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at
McDougald Terrace on
Lawson Street.
NATIONAL
MONTH X 1
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..iVV 1
v 71
OnlyARmoteCktiiM
Deputy State Health Secretary Dr. DoaaM ReM telU
rtnorttn In Harrlsbura. Pa., last Thursday, thai there Is
nniv remote chance that th Itcftase
la
hvnnthvrnidum Mnoai ufiota la the areas arouad the
Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant U related to the release
of radioactivity following the unclear accident. At rtsht
b Bureau of Health Research Director, Dr. Cforft
Tokuhata. UPlPhoto
ages of 18 and 35 are kill
ing each other in almost
equal proportions.
These alarming
statistics have alerted
health professionals and
have prompted them to
add violent deaths among
blacks as one of the coun
try's major health
hazards. Consequently,
the- Minority Student
Caucus and the Student
Union Board of the UNC
School of Public Health
held a workshop Friday,
February 22 to attempt to
answer the question:
"Why Blacks Are Killing
Each Other?"
The workshop was led
by Dr. Darrell Hawkins, a
sociologist at UNC who
cited several sociological
theories that attempted to
give an explantion for this
serious problem. Most of
the theories, once examin
ed, seemed to contradict
themselves.
One theory, for exam
ple, was that blacks
descended from a
southern culture where
white men tend to murder
each other at a rate much
higher than those of other
states. (North Carolina
was cited as having the
sixth highest murder rate
in the U.S.). But conflic
ting data showed that
blacks in large cities out
side the South kill each
other at a rate, much
higher than those living in
small, rural . southern
'cities. ;
Another theory cited
was, that Africans are
violent and since blacks
are descendants of Africa,
they .. are inherently
violent. Statistics cited
showed that Africans do
not kill each other unless
they are living under the
colonial rule of a white
government, and that
murder in Africa tends to
be much lower than that
of both black and white
Americans.
The multi-variable
theory that economic
and social deprivation,
poor education,
unemployment and sub
cultural values was the
' cause that seemed most
probable to the group,
since poor whites and
poor blacks tend to
murder their own race at a
racism ; which , causes
frustration, demoraliza
tion, and helplessness
against v the oppressive
forces of the American
society is responsible for
the high murder rate
among Blacks. The other
leading killers which are
also being related to the ;
same cause are car
diovascular diseases,
cancer . and alcoholism.
These were also discussed
in separate workshops.
' Some of the solutions
offered by the group to
remedy the situation were
that
curricula that build self-
esteem rather than
dehumanize black pupils;
there must be a com
prehensive community in
volvement to attempt to
find further 'solutions to
the problem; and
whites and' blacks must
become aware of their role
in maintaining an op
pressive society.
The workshop par
ticipants were practicing
social workers,
sociologists and students
working toward graduate
and undergraduate degees
in a health career.
Durham YMCA Seeks
$900,000 In Effort
The Durham YMCA
launched a capitol fund
raising campaign last week
to modernize and expand
YMCA facilities in
Durham.
YMCA president Dr.
Craig Tisher of Duke
Medical Center said the
campaign will he headed
by Claude Sykes of
General Telephone Com
pany. A minimum goal of
$675,000 has been set,
with a "challenge goal" of
$900,000.
"The lower figure,"
Tisher said, "would pro
vide for construction of a
new Family Fitness Center
at the YMCA building
near Lakewood Shopping
Center, plus substantial
remodeling and moder
nization at both the
Lakewood building and
the Y's 23-year-old
building on Trinity
Avenue.
"If the campaign 1
workers and the com-,
munity are successful in I
reaching the $900,Xr
challenge goal," Tisher
said, "development of a
new five to eight acre site i
in northern Durham i
would be possible. In ad-.
jlition, we would be look-,
ing at the development of
a Family Aquatic Recrea
tion site 00 the Falls of ;
Neuse Reservoir' and con
struction of an outdoor,
swimming pool at Camp.
Kanata, the Y's residence
camp located east of
Durham ne,ar Wake
Forest."
Rembert Garris, Ex
ecutive Director of the
Durham YMCA, pointed
out that this is the first
community-wide YMCA
capital fund drive in
Durham since 1971, and
that it will probably be
another decade before the
Y makes such a public ap
peal. "We need an all-out
effort now," Garris safd,
"to enable the YMCA to
keep pace with the grow
ing needs off the Durham
community'
Marion Erwin, who
along with his father,
Frank, and his brother,
Dan, head the Campaign's
"Top Level" gifts com
mittee, announced that'
some money has been
pledged in advance gifts.
Erwin is also the Durham
Y's immediate past president.
1
Support
The
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