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Dead.... :....26
Missing , . V. ............. 2
Murderer(s) Still Not Found
Wear A Green Ribbon '
nut""1
Words Of Wisdom
The dlamoid cannot be poUsied wfchoat frfc
tfoa, aor the mm perfected wUiioat iriafa.
:- " -Ciaese Proverb
Do'l be afraid to be differed. Your way maj'
Pan! Talbot
VOLUME 59 - NUMBER 18
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SATURDAY, MAY 2, 1981
TELEPHONE (919) 882 2913
f A-
PRICE: 39 CENTS
33 Votes Thwart Black-White Coalition
; c By frellie L. Jeffers
The black-white coali
tion of the Durham Coun
ty Democratic Party lack
ed the 33 votes necessary
to prevent the White con
servatives from walking
away from the county
convention with virtually
an all-white slate 6f of
ficers for' the state ex
ecutive committee, Satur
day, April 25 at Rogers-"
Herr Junior High School.
The two factions of the
county's Democrats had
'.been in caucus meeting
most of the week in an ef
fort to arrive at some
agreeable compromise.
' The black-white coali
tion had attempted to
negotiate for a black to sit
on the Board of Elections,
and the white conser
vatives were offered
several blacks for the posi
tion, but they remained
adamant in their deter
mination to keep the
board all-whiteV
The appointments to
the Board of Elections had
not been made at the start
of Saturday's convention,
and blacks and whites still
hoped for a compromise
to get a black on the
board.
Shortly after the con
vention began, Benjamin
Ruf fin, special assistant to
t i, I,-: - V
Governor Jin Hunt, took
the podium after Bob
Suggs, a Durham dentist,
was nominated for chair
man of the executive com
mittee, and called for uni
ty. Ruf fin retitecjLariston
Hughes' poem, ul Want
My Freedom Now"; re
quested and was granted a
seven-minute recess, ap
parently to negotiate fur
ther. But after the conven
tion reconvened,, and
Suggs was elected as chair
man without; opposition,
in a move that surprised
many of the black
delegates, Councilman
Carroll Pledger offered a
motion to elect the re
mainder of the executive
committee by slate. The
white ' conservatives'
33-vote edge carried the
motion and the' conser
vatives then offered ahd
elected their all-white slate
with the exception of .the
second vice-chairman,
A. j. Howard Clement,
III. ' , .
Rumors had circulated
before the convention
began that Clement's
name would appear on the
slate, and it was confirm
ed a few minutes before
the delegates were seated:
In spite of Clement's
name on the state, all
black, and some white,
delegates offered their
own slate and voted only
for their slate.
The sentiment, , of the
black-white coalition
leaders after the conven
tion was that the white
conservatives did not in
tend to offer them a
chance to have any input
in the Durham County
Democratic Party during
the next two years, despite
the fact that this group
had 47.5 of the
delegates.
Although black par
ticipation was a record for
Durham County at a con
vention, all blacks who
had been elected as
delegates from integrated
precincts did not attend.
However, the precinct
votes do not change when
delegates are absent.
Votes are counted accor
ding to how those vote
who are present.
The white conservatives
needed to include only one
black on its slate, accor
ding to party rules, but
blacks continually stressed
during the convention that
47 representation would
be necessary for blacks to
be equitably represented.
Black representation on
the state executive com
mittee is now roughly six
per cent.
Carmichael Stresses Need
For Black Unity At NCCU
. i V .r-1 ButhcU Howard ' (Afro-Americans aj
Marking The Locations
TWO MKMBKRS OK THE UNITKI) YOUTH ADHI.T ( ONFKRI hammer
a cross into' the ground marking the place where Aaron Wyt he's body was found June
24, 1980. The IJYAC members plated the crosses al each location where 23 bodies ot
black children have been found, all victims in Atlanta's missing and murdered
ill
case.
National March For Children
Slated May 9 In Atlanta
By Donald Marable
The Triangle 'Chapter of
the National Mobilization
Committee to fcnd
Children's . Murders iri
Atlanta ' met , Monday',
Apri'27, in Stanford War
ren. Library: to discuss an
avenue of reaching the
. May 9 march in Atlanta.
Ms. Rosalyn Pelles,
chairman of the Durham
group, sat among twelve
interested people discuss
ing transportation means
to Atlanta. They are plan
ning to rent a bus that will
seat 45 to 47 persons and
costing $1251 or $27 per
person. But the group also
considered renting a van,
because, Ms. Pelles said,
?'The people that have
been meeting have not
numbered over twelve."
The Triangle Chapter of
NMCECMA grew out of
Techwood Homes, a. large
project in Atlanta calling
for a national demonstra
tion in Atlanta on May 9.
The Triangle branch was
started by a combination
of people who have been
active with local civil
rights in the'Triangle area.
Ms. Pelles said, "I
don't think the Federal
government is trying to ;
solve the case ih Atlanta."
She mentioned the govern
ments slow financial
assistance, and the blam
ing of the parents, for the.
murders.
Of national concern is
that the killings are not
just happening in Atlanta
- Buffalo, N.Y., Motile,
Ala; Chattanooga,
Tcnn.; and Greensboro
were cited.
If you leel concerned
and want to be in Atlanta
on May 9, call Ms.
Rosalyn Pelles at 596-7449
and plan to attend the
May 6 meeting.
Social Workers Hold
Challenging Atlanta Meet
Over 2,000 black
human services workers
from across the country
attended the 13th annual
National Association of
Black Social Workers
Conference in Atlanta,
Georgia7, April 21-25.
Representatives were in at
tendance from Raleigh.
Durham, Chapel Hill,
Greensboro, Fayetlcville,
Winston-Salem, Green
ville, New Bern, Reidsville
and Charlotte in North
Carolina,
They heard some
challenging and thought
provoking comments
from TV personality and
syndicated columnist
Tony Brown who
challenged . the par
ticipants to save the black
colleges at all costs; Dr.
Bobby Wright, interna
tionally famed clinical
psychologist, - whose
eyeraising theory of
"mentacide", which he
defines as the "deliberate
and systematic destruction
of a group's mind with the
objective being the expira
tion of that group", evok
ed great concern from the.
participants who were
unaware of his incisive
and chilling research fin
dings. Public Safety Commis
sioner, Dr. Lee Brown
gave an up-date on the
status of the horrible kill
ings of the black children
and youths of Atlanta.
Other informative
speeches focusing on na
tional and international
African-American issues
were given by former
U.N. Ambassador An
drew Young, Grenada
Ambassador Ms. Dessima
Williams, Mayor
Maynard Jackson, and
NABSW's executive direc
tor, Cenie Williams of
New York.
A $5,000 NABSW
Scholarship' fund was
established in memory of
the slain Atlanta children
and will be administered
through the Atlanta
University ' School of
Social Work, Resolutions
. opposing ; President
Reagan's budget cuts, and
the block grant formula
were passed.,,. Letter
(Continued On Page 9)
Stokely Carmichael to a
gathering of approximates
ly 100 North Carolina
Cenntral University
Students, Monday, April
27, in front of the Alfonso
Elder Student Union
building. "If ' this were
true, I would have done it
myself a long time ago,"
he added. His appearance
was sponsored by the
Harambi Student Union.
On a mission to
"organize the masses,"
Carmichael stressed the
need for black unity the
organizing of blacks in
Africa, Brazil, the Carib
bean and the United
States
Citing the FBI, CIA,
the military, NATO, and
the Ku Klux Klan as "well
organized" enemies, Car
michael declared, "No
spontaneous effort can
defeat groups like the
Klan who have been
organized for over 100
years." He strongly em
phasized the lack of
organization of blacks.
"We can't even decide on
what color ribbon to wear
concerning the Atlanta
killings. Why? We are not
organized," he argued.
. Basing the liberation of
American blacks and
blacks everywhere on the
liberation of Africa and
appealing for a renewed
sense of black na-'
tionalism, Carmichael
told his audience to learn
about African history
especially before the ad
vent of white slave ships
as a means of inspiring
love and dedication to
Africa.
"Africa is on fire and
the Africans in America
us
As a revolutionist, Car
michael said his role is to
"put the people above
material things, not to
give them answers, but to
make them aware."
Referring repeatedly to
America's capitalistic
system as an enemy and
oppressor, Carmichael
urged blacks to be aware
of it's subtle daily
manipulation, ranging
from subliminal messages
in food advertisements to
glamorization of the Klan.
"We must destroy the
system that has been op
pressing our people for
500 years," he said. "If
you're not fighting every
day, be alert when you
read the newspapers,
watch TV, or listen to the
radio."
He also expressed
resentment of. America's
support of "backward,
fascist regimes the world
over" and predicted U.S.
support of South Africa's
apartheid system.
Opposing integration as
a tool to perpetuate white
supremacy, Carmichael
said the struggle for black
(Continued On Page 9)
1 . ; i '
I I 1 Qf
I T lit'
' r 1
Ir, -- (m jX
hav-
said. "Too many -
African-Americans are
ashamed of Africa,
because they are ignorant
of the culture."
Carmichael frequently
challenged his student au
dience. "What role are
you going to play in the
liberation of the masses of
our people?" he shouted.
"When your people are
oppressed, your active in
activity puts you on the
side of youf oppressors.
There is no middle
ground. If you are not
with us, you are against
ARMED WITH A MACHKTE. Iroy Wilson, jumpslfirough the door window of
an abandoned apartment in Atlanta after searching it. Volunteers poked through the
huge, but nearly deserted housing project, looking for clues in the slaying and disap
pearances of 26 young Atlanta blacks. UPI
Dropout Problem ' 'Instructional
And Attitudinal," Says Supt.
By Donald Alderman
The high school
dropout problem can not
be viewed as alienated
from other teenage pro
blems such as alcohol and
drug abuse, teenage
pregnancy, and juvenile
delinquency, according to
an education ad
ministrator. Each case is a symptom
of a whole problem and
must be viewed as such to
be effectively dealt with,
says Dr. Cleveland Ham
monds, superintendent,
Durham City Schools.
He says the problem is
an "instructional and at
titudinal" one of which
the causes range from
poor youth role models to
the negative effects of in
tegration. Many students, Ham
monds says, have not
"acquired the ability to
negotiate the system"
mainly because basic sub
jects were not mastered.
Consequently, he adds,
those students develop
"survival techniques"
teacher hostility, class
skipping which
adversely affect the learn
ing process.,
The "here arid now" at
titude of many students is
not conducive to self
discipline, Hammonds
says, adding, some
students do not appreciate
sacrifice, especially when
the benefits thereof are
long term.
The attitude problem
can be corrected if, at an
early age, stern instruc
tional discipline is issued
by parents and teachers,
positive youth role models
are demonstrated, and in
tegration is viewed in a
different context, Ham
monds says.
Black neighborhoods
were contained during
segregation. Therefore,
Hammonds says, parents
and teachers worked
together to create a desire-to-achieve
student at
titude. Now, in some
cases, parents defend their
children's lack of self
discipline, right or wrong.
Also, he adds, during
segregation, black prin
cipals and teachers had a
profound impact upon the
community. They were ex
cellent role models for
young people. However,
integration stripped the
black community of digni
ty and respect.
The segregated com
munity, Hammonds says, '.
was more together.
Parents helped teachers
and' students helped
students. Now there is an
individual and self
centered .sentiment
throughout the black com
munity. Blacks were seek
ing equal facilities and
materials, but integration
actually fragmented the
black community, he
adds.
Also, contributing to
the youth attitude pro
blem are black enter
tainers and athletes. Black
musicians have not, for
the most part, assumed
any responsibility, in pro
moting the good of all
blacks. Instead, they have
acted as a deterrent in
creating an underlying
push to achieve among
black youth. Popular
songs are about only
physical love and sex
which can be an educa
tional distraction, Ham
monds says.
He says athletics should
be perceived as a means to
a better life rather than an
end. Many students are
misguided because they
fail to realize that athletics
are not part of the main
curriculum-but extra., ;
Black youths must
realize that unlimited
social activity . and the
"here and now" attitude
negate the educational,
process. They tend .to"
deter indepth thinking and
the desire to learn and
achieve.
City Schools Offer "High Incentive Policy"
Trellie L. Jeffers
The Durham City
School Board approved
the second reading of a
new pupil attendance
policy at its regular
meeting; Monday night,
April 27.
Unlike the old atten
dance "policy. With an
ABS clause attached that
requires a teacher to fail a
student with sixteen
absences regardless of the
quality of work, the new
policy is more relaxed and
less punitive.
The philosophy in
troducing the policy
states, "The instructional
program is the greatest
single factor in the reten
tion of students. A good
attendance policy can sup
plement a responsive in
structional program."
The policy also states
that all students are ex
pected to attend school
180 days, but it makes
provisions for lawful
absences due to illness
death in
"lawful
causes."
School
that the
thusiasm
the family or
unavoidable
officials hope
greatest en
for the new
policy will be sparked by
the Incentive policy for
grades 7 through 12. This
policy is based on the
assumption that students
who regularly attennd
school will increase their
academic achievement,
and it give the students
who are in regular atten
dance and who are passing
a given course a chance to
be exempted from taking
final examinations. The
students however, who,
wish to participate must ,
indicate their desire in
writing to the principal
prior to the scheduled ex
ams. To be eligible for the In-;
centive policy, a student,
must not be absent more
than four times during the
school year if heshe has
obtained a grade of A.v
and the number of
absences allowed for ex
emption decreases by one
as the letter grade
decreases. ,
The new policy allows
students who are absent,
excused or unexcused, up
to fifteen days to make up
o fifteen days to make up
.the work missed for as
many as sixteen days out
of school, and it requires
that parents be notified
when a student has been
(Continued On Page 9)