Business In The Black ;
'J "ni n . t
i n,i aaiyaaors
r Elections
1 . v By Bayard Rustin
, A. Philip Randolph Institute
No recent issue in foreign affairs has aroused as : i
much heated controversy as the American role in EI ' -
Z?:?rv2 iJT: business suit - any member of the Black Business : Smith, ABEC Med cd Co., medical equipment
uuu. iuv7 wwua tuoi uuj vwuoi iucuwii n,.nhMAfrnn,m.. fVimViinina salM skills and : . sales? i
. country have argued that we have no business back'
ing what they assert is a ruthless, murderous junta.
,-Others have argued that the Salvadoran military is
the only force capable of preventing the victory of .
anti-American Marxist-Leninist guerrillas who
threaten the stability of the entire Central American
region and our own national security, 1
. - The American labor movement has taken a mid-
' M - ' 9. J iL . 11? .
cue position, u nas naicaieo .war, is wiiung 10 en- , &. . ZtiniA Historic Registered Landmark
dorse continued u.sr: financial assistance - to u tt" :r .rrr 1-T:: ,;,Ji k .. ,i m,.
Cocktails, Commitment, Commerce
. : . " ' Color of the Chamber.
. ; ' . ' : , By Charles E. Belle
What is smart, selective, strong, dark and wears a ! Taylor & Co., Certified Public Accountants; Pello
Chamber Of Commerce. Combining sales skills and sales; and, Earl H. White, Earl White & Co., con
Salvador so long as that country's leaders remain
committed to pursuing a policy of authentic land
reform, the cornerstone of social justice. American
labor has argued for a peaceful solution to this
tragic country's plight and therefore viewed elec
tions in El Salvador as a potentially important step ;
in a peaceful transition to democracy and stability.
. In calling for such a policy the AFL-CIO has
reflected the views of the leading peasants' and ur
ban workers' trade unions, believing that they
represent the sentiments, of the Vast majority of El
Salvador's working people. . ; i c ; 4
- When elections were called for late March, many
critics argued that they would be an unmitigated
boycott of the elections and the Leninist guerrillas
had boldly predicted that they would conduct a
military offensive that would paralyze the country
and make the elections impossible to carry out,
Some American newspaper pundits suggested that
; In'a country as noor as El Salvador. Deoole are
more interested in bread and land than in casting a
vote which may not affect their Ivies in the slightest.
Opinions on the voter turnout were offered from .
all circlet. Some predicted that fifteen per cent of El
Salvador's 1,5 million eligible voters would take
than 35-40.per cent, In Jhe midst of a dangerous ,
war, the argument went; most people would stay at
home. There could be no legitimate, election. . i
All of these opinions and analyses were made by
outsiders. Regrettably no one had bothered to con-
suit the Salvadoran people.
For on March 28th, they delivered their own ver-'.
diet on the electoral process. And that verdict was
I traveled to El Salvador to witness the elections
' as part of a non-governmental delegation organized
by Freedom House, a highly respected U.S. human
rights organization. I was able to witness the elec
toral process in numerous polling sites and to speak
with many ordinary Salvadorans. From most of
them I heard the same message: wnat tney wanted
.above all was an end to the bloodshed. They were
i voting, many told me, to
register their support for
peace. .
The outpouring of
voter participation as
tounded even the op
timists. When the coun
ting was completed, ap
proximately eighty per
cent of the , country s
adults had exercised their "
, irancnisc, auu uu
. Ail
despite uenirai
America's history of
electoral fraud and
military coups which
denied ordinary people a
say in determining their
country's future.
-The outpouring of
voters was a tremendous
boost for the democratic
process. These ordinary
people, many of them il
literate or uneducated,
were asserting that they
wanted to determine
their destiny.
The results of the
voting indicate that the
.moderate Christian
Democratic Party con
tinues to be thai
country's most popular
toral strength of the anti
democratic, right-wing ;
Arena Party surprised
many. But in the
Salvadoran context, that
party's demagogic pro
mise of bringing order to
the country by . wiping
out the guerrillas exerted
a great deal of appeal to
people : victimized by"
three years of
devastating and bloody
civil war.
The Arena Party is in
deed ' anti-democratic,
but if it seeks to act in an
I undemocratic way, it will
lose most of the signifi
cant support it won
through the ballot box.
For the very process of
democratic ejections has
created m unwritten
code of conduct to which
Salvadoran political
leaders must respond.,
Even the anti-democratic
guerrillas must confront
the reality .that the
.Salvadoran people do
not desire to take up
arms to change their
society, but prefer to
turn to an orderly
democratic and peaceful
process for resolving .
political differences.
. For Americans, par
ticularly for the. fifty per
of elidible voters
who did not vote in the
1980 Presidential elec
tions the ; fervor and
perseverance with which
,t.ie Salvadoran people
participated in their own
3f -tfttons stanas as a t
stewing example of how
is the right, to
sophisticated management, methods while making '
ao wun a marum in one panu b jwu ii.uwwt
your perception on business or life. Like forty other
folks, I found my way, to the elegant "Assay:
Office" restaurant and bar in San Francisco last ,
month for a meeting of the San Francisco Black ;
Business Chamber of Commerce. Considering the
plush and prosperous place the meeting was being
K-M in Motmnal Hictnrir Registered Landmark'
ttvaw u m . . uvt rc : - . t- .
building, boy were we impressed by its dapper black
American owner, Jimmy Thigpen. Of course, h$ is r
originally from Chicago like me that explains'
everything. Actually there were a lot of sharp and j,
curvy Csexkt" remark) people at the Chamber.
Coming together obviously for both facts . and
figures (another "sexist" remark). S;Si'J's
Furniture and antiques in tne Assay uutcc
sultants, constitute the chamber's executive board. .
Beautiful people with more business on their minds.
iThe thrust of the team "is toseek economic parity
and promote perpetual flow of opportunities to i
local black owned businesses.' Being membership!
. supported, they solicit all interested black American
businessmen and women to join the Chamber.' All
across the country, the concept of organizing and
SATURDAY. APr.l 24, 1:32-TH CAHCU.U t,.
Buying A Used Car
With An MAs IsM Warranty.
Fy North State Legal Services ;,
When you'rf buying a used car, one of the most
important thing! you'll need to find out is what ;
kmd of warranty comes wun tn car. a warranty
is the seller's WRITTEN promise of what be or she ,
will do if the car breaks down after you've bought
it. A warranty in writing should appear on the sales
contract you sign. If you can't find a statement
about what kind of warranty you have, ask the ;
seller to point it out to you BEFORE you sign. If
you don't understand the warranty, get the seller or
someone you trust to explain it. Your signature!
means you agree to the terms of. the warranty.
Know what the contract says before you sign it! .
v :; Car warranties, usually tell you 1) what kind of
repairs the seller will make on your car, and 2) now .
-operating with the aid of a Black Chamber of Com- lonz the warranty is effectivefter the sale. Not all
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proposed by the President will proliferate these :
Chambers; ' .
Coming together under a common banner for
more business opportunities is a sound business '
principal, particularly for black American people.
Our businesses tend to be small where the greatest -;
number of failures are found. Business failures are
restaurant and bar are old world cnarm witn ; u cnmoing snarpiy ail around, 1 ney jumped trom 44
modern chic cuisine. An enhancing and comfpr- :per 10,000 in 1978 to a rate of 83 pec 10,000 now;
table chamber to discuss commerce and personal jup 245 in fouryears. The family that plays,
compliments (see above for type of remark). Owner together; 1 stays together a lot longer; For a longer
Jim I nigpenwas not tne oniy Jim in pusmcss iw : uuamcw uic, oidts unencan ' ousmessmen ana ,
himself soliciting contacts for more -, available " women, should consider joining a black American
business. Jim Jefferson, Jefferson Associates, Inc.;
engineers; Frederick E; Jordan, Avent Associates
Inc., financiers; L. Andrew Jeanpierre, Jeanpierei
Chamber of Commerce now. It may not
enhance your survival, it may save your life.
only
OU 4BS ftll i
Mastering tho Collogc Financial Course
; Consult high school and college financial aid of-,
j fices. your state department pf education, and local
civic and professional organizations to see what
they - pffeir; ; Don't be reiuctant to apply, Most
You can ride the college tuition escalator without;,
falling off. Financial writer Roger Harris advised W
the May issue of Families, "Don't lose heart.
Ironically, in these worst times for college costs, it's
still tho, best of times for scrounging around for scholarship committees don't expect applicants to
various loans, scholarships, work-study aids and have genius IQ's. v '
other resources for meeting those costs." v And since housing costs play 4 large part in the
Harris points out that if you don't qualify for a rising cost pf college, you might, want to consider
Guaranteed Student Loan or the National Direct . cpoperative bousing. Students can trade their labor
Student Loan programs; you might check the 'Au-y for. cost savings, In one cooperative house at the
lliary Loan to Assist Students. According to Harris, , University of Michigan, student? were able to lop
MLike the federal student, loans, this loan plan sr
guaranteed by the government only it carries
fourteen per cent interest rate.'' - ; ';-fry5;
And scholarships are out there. "In fact," he
writes, "theres an estimated billion dollars a yfar
in scholarship and tuition-assistance grants waiting
tn he nlnrked from various donors." . i .r;f
The trick is to find out who is doing the offerin. k life.
I450-15OQ off the normal dormitory bill fprthe
schoo.1 year by working a mere four o six hours,
week., .-xv'C' ' "'.i.'-''.-h "'.'tlM
Harris compares searching for all the available .
financial aid to taking a course: "There's plenty pf
hard work involved, but if you master the course, it
could be the most important grade of your financial
:i : i t :ti :ts t :ti ttt Jt s& ui ; txt ,vt s ns it m ws ex in re; m. ti in ; txi itx m st ess a iw s ;k i
VAs Is" whkh means the seller is not responsible
for any repairs pnee you've signed the contract
YOU have to pay for any repairs. "As Is" is the '
same as NO WARRANTY Hpwever, used carT
dealers are required by law to let you know there is .
po warranty, the words "As Is. must appear clear
ly on the sales contract.
. ' A car sold "A$ I" is usually cheaper than the
same car sold with i warranty. Before buying an
"As Is" car, you need to find out what kind of
repairs may be needed and how much they could
cost. A test drive will give you an idea of the car's
condition and a chance to decide whether or not
you're comfortable with it. Let the engine warm up
while you check to see that the turn signals, lights,
high beams, win&bied wipers, heater, air condi-;
turning, horn, door locks and windows are all work
ins nronerlv. Cheek for even wear on the tire treads
and see if there is a spajre tire and tire jack. Open the
r it should $e smooth, Check for smoke out of the
tailpipes if it'? pJack p.r dark blue, it could mean
expensive engin? repajr5.
Drive tbe car at wast ten pules under all kinds of
conditions ''ppa highway, city traffic, bumpy
roads. Drive it at mph and apply the brakes
the car should Stop Quickly and straight. The steer
ing should not be loose. The car should move
through the gears, smoothly whether it's an
automatic or manual transmission. If it's a manual,
drive it p reverse fifty Vards or. sp if the car pops
out of gear, it could mean expensive transmission
work. ' :'
Make notes pf anything that is missing or doesn't
work well to mejltipn tp the seller later. Some used
! car dealers will fgrff to make minor repairs if you ,
buy the car. If so, make sure those promises are
, written on the contract.
In the long run. it may be worth the $10-$20 cost
of having a mechanic thorpughly check out the car.
A mechanic can tell you more precisely what work
1 t 1 ...... ...u .:ti
you can decide f the car is worth buying "As Is". ;
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