Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / April 19, 1986, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
C BC . ■ U'f*' . •• / number 15 DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA Says It Can Be Done N.C. Mutual Seeks To Be Insurance Leader lion Jordan ;dy, III> preisident ecu’tive officer of 1 Life Insurance ,nts his firm to be , 20 of the nation’s ipanies, giving it a the lion’s share of on dollar insurance ,0 insurance com- le 2,000 firms, have ,f the nation’s in- less, according to Analysis f US,” Kennedy said ormal press briefing lave to share what’s ^hieve that goal, in the top 10% of I insurance firms, a $200 million $1 billion com- in impossible task,” I “What we have to few income sources e us the money to a combination com- 'ordinary life com- s where the action is I ce industry.” itrategy to move he top 200 firms to nters on diversifica- dy explained, and ! cation centers on ident characterized Jfields we know )OUt.” il’s growth strategy gnd diversification, ly is also expanding operations, develop ing new products, moving into new markets, and slowly relin quishing markets that are no longer profitable. What it all means is that Mutual is changing, and while that change could portend quite a number of economic advantages, it also could mean an equal number of risks. Diversification is the heart of the strategy. The areas of diver sification include: *A new subsidiary that will begin soon competing to manage pension funds. *Another subsidiary that will specialize as an originator of mortgage loans. *A subsidiary, already operating, in land development. *An investment in developing cellular broadcasting systems. Areas of expansion in the in surance industry include: *Operating two subsidiary in surance . companies in the Washington, D.C. area that function principally in the Euro pean American market. *Developing new insurance programs that should be attrac tive to a more affluent consumer. *Transferring current customers from paying weekly premiums to paying monthly premiums. Problems associated, both with diversification and expansion in clude: *The scarcity of qualified African Americans in many of the fields were Mutual will be operating. According to Ken nedy, it is important to find African Americans to staff some of these slots because they pro vide useful role models for younger African Americans. *Alleviating the potentially negative public relations that could accrue from the changes. *Maintaining equitable economic health while diving into much more highly competitive areas of business.. The basic risk associated with all of this is simply that Mutual could, without a careful balanc ing act on the economic tightrope, almost altogether lose its image as a predominantly African American managed firm. But Kennedy contends that his company can diversify, expand, minimize the risks and overcome the problems. ‘‘We have some considerable expertise in lunning a business,” he said, “and much of that can spill over into other things. In some of these areas we’re ventur ing into, though, we don’t have the technical knowledge and ex perience, but technicians can be bought, and that’s what we plan to do where we have to.” Kennedy explained many of Mutual’s plans during a luncheon and informal press briefing for representatives of print — mo.stly the state’s African American managed newspapers — and broadcast media. The discussions which included several other Mutual officials oc curred as the company celebrates the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the national home office on Chapel Hill Street. Mutual, operating in its 87th year, is the biggest and one of the oldest insurance companies in the country managed principally by African Americans. It has more than $211 million in assets, and about $8.2 billion of insurance in force. MERRICK-MOORE SCHOOL JUNIOR BOOK REVIEWERS from Miss Susan Ciirlee’s third grade smile for the photographer after participating in Library Week activities. They are (1-r): Jaye Clayton, Rob bie Flanagan, Misty Dickerson, Chad Jackson, Katisha Freeman, Latoya Cooper, and Steven Harrington. (See related story and picture inside.) Paula Giddings Says African American Women Have Written A Rich History /es Markham Continues Political Life With State Senate Bid )celyn Daniels ji/f Writer iccording to Charles |in his blood. And he tinue that public ser- itate senate for the ining for several said during a recent First, I have a family :! public service that hundred years.” |s grandfather, John n, was Durham’s se- ferk in 1870 and serv- n commissioner here I iial grandfather, Ed- ckney, was Durham St county attorney ;ame mayor, larkham is running ersonal interests. 'e been in some form of public service all of my adult life,” he said, ‘‘I’ve worked in politics at the national level and at the local level. But I’ve never held office at the state level.” . ‘‘And third,” he added, ‘‘for the first time in many yea,rs, peo ple will have a choice to vote for a Republican. We need a two party system in this state. And 1 think we are certainly approaching that. We have it in the state and national races and we need it on the local level, too.” ‘‘I think healthy competition is good,” he added. ‘‘And 1 think 1 have the experience and name. Win or lose, it helps contribute to the base. I think people should have a choice, ‘‘1 have a high regard for both Senators Hunt and Royall,” he continued. ‘‘And I don’t intend to run a negative campaign. But I’m quite sure though, there will be differences on the issues.” Differences between him and the more liberal groups such as the Voter’s Alliance, People’s Alliance and the Durham Com mittee on the Affairs of Black People, Markham said, lost him the last mayoral race to “Wib” Gulley, ‘‘I think I had cooperation with the two councils that i serv ed,” he said. “I think we did more constructive things for Durham than had ever been done before. 1 certainly won’t let them forget that. ‘‘I think that’s a strong factor in my candidacy,” he added. However, it was not enough to win the mayoral election last year. Markham said he hopes more than 25% of the voters (the (Continued On Page 2) By Jocelyn Daniels Staff Writer Part 3 of 4 A Wednesday afternoon break in the ‘‘Black Women’s Leader ship: Challenges and Strategies,” conference held March 2, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, gave the participants a few minutes to absorb the in formation disseminated to that time. A Student Open Forum on ‘‘Nurturing Leadership Skills on Campus in Preparation for the Future,” brought insight from students from UNC, Bennett College in Greensboro, Duke University and North Carolina Central University in Durham and Meredith College in Raleigh, about how leadership skills were being developed and nurtured on these campuses. The second day of the three- day conference concluded with the 8 p.m. address on ‘‘Black Women’s Leadership: A Historical Perspective,” by Paula Giddings, author of ‘‘When and Where I Enter: The Impact of Black Women on Race and Sex in America.” Ms. Giddings began by acknowledging how important such conferences are for African American women. ‘‘We need to have meetings,” she said, “not in terms of crises, but to also celebrate ourselves and our history, and to reaffirm ourselves. We have to be careful to stress the positive at the same time while we discuss our pro blems.” In her book, Ms. Giddings talked about history, from many viewpoints. “These crises are not new,” she noted.'“The early 19(X)s had an uncanny parallel to today. But we’ve been successful. If we hadn’t been successful, we wouldn’t be here today. “Yes,” she continued, "we’ve been here before. We’ve been here together before in the midst of crisis. And our tradition has been not one of weakness, but strength, not pulling away, but toward each other, of Sojourner Truth, who said, ‘Being free when others were not, meant nothing.” “The history of black people,” she added, “is a history of men, women arid family pulling together, even when slavery pull ed them apart.” Ms. Giddings praised African American women of the past for their incredible strength. “Black women even managed to humanize slavery,” she said. “I doubt if any other race of women could have brought the family up under those cir cumstances.” One heroine she cited for great accomplishments in the midst of danger was Ida Wells who, through her newspaper, spoke up against the injustice of lynchings of black men. There was also Lucy Laney, who built schools and tried to meet health needs through clinics. The money for such pro jects came out of the black com munity. “Black women knew that they needed political power,”, Ms. Giddings said even of that period. “And as a result, black women fought without hesitation and more than the white woman for the right to vote. “White men feartd that if black women became enfranchis ed in the South,” she contended, “it would be the end of'white- supremacy. Political power for black women meant political power for black people. And black women (unlike white women and white men) ^^ever felt they had to be less so black men ^ could be more. “We’ve been here before,” she reiterated. ’ (Continued On Page 6) Darryl Smith Has A Plan To Improve D.A. ’s Office i icelyn Daniels taff Writer a saying that if you ' a better suggestion Siething, then you P your mouth shut. r tyl G. Smith doesn’t problem. He’s not ini the job that the pre- B attorney of Durham |nd he has plenty of s about how to do the Jaggestion is elect him ,ce. a moment’s hesita- an attorney in civil al practice, wiindl e thinks the problems i.A.’s office and how K corrected. |id he has reached this conclusion after careful and thorough examination of the situation. It’s a practice he grew up with and one passed on to him by his parents. “As a child,” said the 34-year- old attorney, “I often wondered why things were as they were. I wondered about everything. I was very curious and inquisitive. I always wanted to know how something worked. And I also had a pioneering spirit.” That spirit led him to work as a child cutting grass, selling newspapers or doing anything to teach him responsibility. Then his parents gave him a solid foundation for life — education and experience. “I learned from my parents to read a lot,” he said, “and they always told me that I could always be and do whatever 1 wanted. They exposed me to various things and experiences, including traveling around the country.” All of these factors have figured into the Darryl Smith of today who wants to help those in trouble. Although a native of Washington, D.C., Smith spent a lot of a time in North Carolina, his parents’ home. A’fter finishing high school in Washington, he continued his education at Boston University School of Public Communica tions where he earned a bachelor of science degree. That yearning to help others (Continued On Page 3) A $25-MILHON HANDSHAKE — William O’Connor, seated at left. Vice Pge^denU and Human Resources, Philip Morris Companies Inc., and Arthur W. "'’'ile. right, » agreedTo ' owned and operated United Mutual Life Insurance Company are pleased that P^dip Morr * 8 nlace $25-million in group life insurance with the Harlem-based firm. George R. L , „ tstdfn' and Treasurer, Philip Morris Companies Inc, said he hoped the PhiOP Morris act.on wo Id en courage other major business corporations to do the same thing to help strengthen black businesses.
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 19, 1986, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75