IfOLUME 72 - NUMBER 19
USPS 091-380
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA — SATURDAY, MAY 14, 1994
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News Briefs
apartheid is dead in south AFRICA
JOHANNESBURG — The world’s last great formal racist institu
tion was dumped onto the trash heap of history last week as the
Nelson Mandela-led African National Congress (ANC) swept to
victory in the first ever democratic elections in South Africa, While
the formal system of white minority rule and the laws which
maintained it had been crumbling for years, the ANC victory offi
cially ended the system known as apartheid. Its candidates even
won small majorities in areas of the country where the ANC was
not supposed to be strong. The National Party (virtually all white)
of out-going President F.W. de Klerk placed second with about one-
third of the vote. The Inkatha Freedom Party of controversial Zulu
Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi captured approximately 6% of the
vote. Taking over this week, the first order of business was to elect
Mandela the country’s first black president, marking the true end of
a system in which five million whites ruled forty million blacks,
MANDELA FACES TREMENDOUS PROBLEMS
JOHANNESBURG — The system of apartheid was good to the
minority white population in South Africa. It gave them power and
the highest standard of living on the African continent. But apart
heid’s legacy confronts President Nelson Mandela with a myriad of
problems because the system was based on super oppression of
blacks. The result: about half of all blacks do not have jobs; the vast
majority of young people do not have high school educations; and,
jhlack family structure has been significantly damaged in urban
areas. Further, apartheid’s divide and rule tactics helped create divi
sions and animosities among various tribal groups. The Zulus, for
.example, could be a source of disruption, as well as right wing
'whites who want a "white only" homeland in South Africa. Many
blacks expect the Mandela victory to immediately lead to a hetter-
rwent in their standard of living, but given the enormity of problems
iMandela faces, it will take time for solutions to be widely felt.
BLACK MAYORS DECIDE TO BACK
^LINTON HEALTH PLAN
^ WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Clinton recently received an
enthusiastic reception from the National Conference of Black
Mayors meeting here last week. And he walked away with the orga-
kization’s endorsement of his embattled national health care plan.
Clinton told the gathering, "We are facing our problem and we’re
seizing our opportunities." Despite the reception, several mayors
voiced opposition to the Clinton crime bill ("three strikes and
you’re out") fearing that it will result in more and more young
blacks going to jail while fundamental social problems are left un
addressed. Over 100 black mayors were at the conference.
INFANT DEATH RATE DECLINING BUT
RiCIAL GAP WIDENING
ATHENS, GA. — According to government figures released last
-week, the infant mortality rate is declining for black and white
babies, but the decline for whites is faster. The result: By the year
2000, black babies will be three times more likely to die before
their first birthday than white babies. Infant mortality rates were 7.3
of every 1,000 white babies dying before their first birthday while
17.6 of every 1,000 black babies die before reaching one year of
age. The primary cause appears to be mothers who do not get
proper prenatal care and give birth to low birthweight babies. Such
babies are less likely to survive.
‘MAGIC’ JOHNSON TO OPEN
THEATER COMPLEX
LOS ANGELES — Former basketball superstar Earvin "Magic"
Johnson and the Sony Corporation have announced plans to build a
12-screen multiplex theater in the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw section
of Los Angeles. Johnson and representatives from Sony promised
the complex would be just the first they plan to build in minority
areas. The complex is expected to cost between $11 million and $15
million.
REGGIE JACKSON’S FATHER DIES
Philadelphia, pa. — The father of baseball great Reggie
Jackson died last week in Philadelphia. Martinez Jackson was 89.
During his youth he had been a second baseman for the Newark
Eagles of the old Negro Baseball League.
CONSERVATIVES PUSH HARSH
anti-welfare PROGRAM
Washington, D.C. — while blaming the nation’s welfare sys
tem for everything from the increase in crime to out-of-wedlock
births, a group of mostly Republican conservatives last week an-
nounced a plan that would dismantle the [current] system. Under
H's proposal, unwed mothers and non-citizens would he disqualified
fom
receiving welfare. And if the mothers are unable to take care
their children without public assistance, they would have to put
Ibem up for adoption or in government run orphanages. The group
■s led for former Reagan administration drug czar William Bennett.
Oee critic of the proposal said, "First the welfare system weakened
Ike family by driving the man out of the home since mothers often
Weld not get aid if a man was present. Now, these white conserva-
want to totally destroy the family by driving the mother out of
Ibehoi
'me and putting the childm in institutions."
A NEW PROGRAM for chil
dren of Head Start at Operation
Breakthrough has been initiated.
It is a transition from Head Start
into elementary school. The chO-
dren visit various elementary
schools in the area, and meet
teachers and students. On April
27, we caught these children and
Coordinator Joyce Peterson at
Fayetteville Street School, where
they were introduced to the prin
cipal and assistant principal and
various teachers at the school.
(Photo by Ray Trent)
Black Leaders To Meet In
Baltimore For ‘Unity Summit’
By Sonya Ross
WASHINGTON (AP)'- Black
leaders will gather in Baltimore for
a "unity" summit bringing together
diverse black groups, but it was un
clear if Nation of Islam leader
Louis Farrakhan would be in
cluded.
The NAACP, which is sponsor
ing the event, had said in February
that Farrakhan would be involved.
But when asked if Farrakhan was
still included in plans, NAACP ex
ecutive director Ben Chavis said
"we would rather not respond to
that question." The Baltimore meet
ing grew out of a "unity" pledge
taken last fall by Chavis, Farrak
han, Jesse Jackson, Rep. Maxine
.Iters, D-Calif. and Congressional
black Caucus chairman Kweisi
Mfume, a Democrat from Balti
more. *
But some of the leaders, particu
larly Chavis and Mfume, have been
under pressure to distance them
selves from Farrakhan after one of
his aides, Khallid Abdul Muham
mad, made anti-Semitic statements
in a speech before college students
last November,
Chavis also drew heat from the
NAACP’s board of directors for an
April meeting in Detroit with about
40 nationalists. Pan-Africanists and
others, to discuss "a pro-active, in
dependent African agenda," appar
ently without the board’s knowl
edge.
That meeting fanned a philosoph
ical dispute between Chavis and the
board over which issues the civil
rights organization should empha
size as it reinvigorates itself.
Chavis said "there was no sig
nificant opposition within the
NAACP" to holding the summit,
"The planning and sponsorship of
the summit has been an internal
process within the NAACP over
the last nine months," he said. "It’s
not a Ben Chavis summit. It’s an
NAACjP summit." The civil rights
group was considering five cities as
possible sites, but settled on Balti
more because that is where the
NAACP’s headquarters is located,
Chavis said.
Chavis would not reveal when the
meeting will be held, or who was
invited.
International Report: School
Choice Can Worsen Segregation
By Carole Feldman
WASHINGTON (AP) - School
choice, increasingly allowed in in
dustrial countries, may result in
more segregation of rich and poor,
white and minority, and lead to the
deterioration of all but the most
desirable schools, an international
study says.
"I think school choice is going to
be seen more and more," said
Donald Hirsch, author of the Orga
nization for Economic Cooperation
and Development study. "It’s based
on parents becoming more choosy,
parents considering education more
important. They no longer assume
their local school is the most ap
propriate." If countries stick to the
concept of "a single, local public
school for all children," parents
who can afford to are likely to find
their own means of choice, whether
it be sending their children to pri
vate school or moving to neighbor
hoods with high-quality schools,
according to the study.
Choice has been around for
decades in the United States, but
the debate recently has centered on
extending iHo private schools.
California voters last fall over
whelmingly rejected a referendum
to provide tuition vouchers to stu
dents who attend private schools.
Similar proposals also have been
rejected in Colorado and Oregon.
In one case being watched care
fully, poor children in Milwaukee
have been given state vouchers
since 1990 to attend non-religious
private schools.
Australia, the Netherlands, New
Zealand and Sweden all provide
some federal support for private
schools, according to the report,
scheduled for release Friday.
The study found no evidence that
the competition created by choice
improves school performance. But
it said choice can enhance such
things as leadership and sense of
mission. "Choice that increases
consumer satisfaction can be seen
as desirable not only for its own
sake, but also because parents and
children who support a school help
to make it more effective," the
OECD said.
At the same time, the study
found, "there is strong evidence in
a number of countries that choice
can increase social segregation."
This results when higher-income
parents are more active in choosing
"desired" schools and those schools
are in better neighborhoods.
The OECD recommended that
countries pursuing choice provide
greater . diversity by creating
schools with varied educational
philosophies or specializations. It
also recommended that popular
schools be given money to expand
and that disadvantaged groups be
given more information and help
with transportation.
The study examined choice pro
grams in Australia, the Nether
lands, New Zealand, the United
Kingdom and the United States.
In Australia, the government has
provided subsidies to all private
schools since 1973. "The existence
of public subsidies has undoubtedly
helped Australian private schools to
survive and grow, and for Catholic
schools in particular to improve
their educational content through
better resourcing the report said.
As far as the independent schools,
the report said, the beneficiaries are
those who can afford them. In
1991, 19.5 percent of Australian
schoolchildren were in Catholic
schools and 8.4 percent were in in
dependent schools.
In England, children may apply to
any public school and must be ac
cepted unless it is full, the report
said. The country also has linked
^school funding more closely to the
number of students enrolled. Yet,
the report said, the system has
failed to achieve its goal of creating
more diversity in the school sys
tem.
The Netherlands finances public
and private schools on an equal
basis. Two-thirds of all primary and
secondary students are enrolled in
privately governed school, most of
them Catholic or Protestant.
Dutqh schools segregate students
by ability, and there is "de facto
segregation in some cases by race
and by class," the report said.
New Zealand has given its local
schools autonomy, opening the way
for competition for students, the
report said. Since 1975, private
schools in New Zealand have been
able to become part of the state sys
tem, but many have opted not to do
so because of state regulations.
In Sweden, private schools
receive grants for at least 85 per
cent of the cost of educating stu
dents in the local municipal system.
FBI, Durham Police: City
Gave Some Loans To
Ineligible Parties
(AP) - FBI agents and Durham
police are scrutinizing at least three
cases in which the city gave hous
ing renovation grants or loans to
people who might have been in
eligible.
In each case, the recipients either
had close ties to city housing offi
cials or are suspected of violating
income eligibility rules.
The FBI and police began their
probe of the city-county Planning
Department’s housing ^services
division about a month ago. They
are examining several programs
financed with city housing bonds
and U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development grants.
City Manager Orville Powell said
it is clear that city officials were
not properly checking to make sure
loan recipients were eligible for the
money. He said he will meet with
Planning Department officials next
week to discuss the problem.
"It suggests we have a managerial
problem I should have seen and
corrected a long time ago," Powell
,said.
Meanwhile, a HUD representa
tive is scheduled to visit Durham to
compile an annual report on the
city’s housing rehabilitation pro
grams.
Raymond Clapp of HUD’s
Greensboro office said the visit is
unrelated to the criminal investiga
tion. The agency’s last review came
in April 1993.
"A year is up," he said. "It’s time
^o do this."