Winston-Salem Chronicle
722-8624 Or 723-9863
Ernest H. Pitt
Editor & Publisher
Isaac Carree, II
General Manager
Diana Roberts
Advertising Manager
Melvin Eaton
Circulation Manager
Winsfon-Salem, N.C.
Saturday September 3, 1977
Second- Class^
Self-Appointed
People who are running for public
office are generally very good about
keeping the press informed of their
activities. They call us on the slightest
pretext: (“Hello. I sneezed; thought
you’d like to know...”) So when one
candidate had been conspicuously
silent for several weeks, we called to
find out what was going on.
“Oh, I’ve been quite busy,” said the
would-be alderman.” Had a function
last night. You can read about it in the
regular paper.”
As Jack Bermy used to say:
“...WeU!”
We feel that a candidate running for
public office in East Winston who is
black and who does not recognize a
black newspaper devoted to East
Winston as a “regular paper” is not
only out of touch with the people, but
also out of touch with his/her own
identity.
We are making a sincere effort to
give coverage to those candidates who
want to reach the people of East
Winston; we assume that the others
only want the votes of “regular”
people, whoever they are.
This idea that “black is not as good”
is disturbing when it is voiced by
whites, and frightening coining from a
brainwashed black. When the idea
emanates from a candidate proposing
to represent citizens in a predominantly
black ward, it is appaling.
It reminds us of another recent
encounter with a ‘self-appointed
inferior.’ One of the black women
working with the “Miss Black America
of North Carolina Pageant” kept
referring to the Jaycees’ Miss North
Carolina Pageant as “The Real
Pageant.”
We’d Uke Angela Watson to know
that we think she’s every bit as
real-and official-as Cathy Fleming.
Take this as a bit of insight into the
minds of ambitious people. If they
forget you when they get to the top,
maybe they were just going there to get
away from you.
LEGISLATIVE
ALERT
Elementary And Secondary
Education Act
In 1977, the Congress will
review the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act,
which will expire in 1978
unless renewed. Title I of
that Act, which provides
funds for the educational
needs of disadvantaged stu
dents, needs to be strength
ened with assurances that aid
under the Title continues to
be targeted only for those
with most need for this assis
tance. Any effort to alter the
allocation formula so as to
dilute the current focus on
students from the lowest-
income families must be re
sisted. Additional incentives
for quality education and
teacher performance should
be included. We will continue
to work for additional assis
tance to traditionally Black
colleges and for minority stu
dents in higher education.
The Caucus also strongly
advocates passage of a com
prehensive child care bill,
making it possible for many
women who wish to work to
do so, and will be analyzing
carefully the proposals for
this legislation this year.
mMJL GAUNIWilKAlEKT
By Dr. Nathaniel Wk'ight, Jr.
Human Rights Activist
CITIZENS OR GUESTS
rhere has been a con
tinual—and partially fruit
less—debate in black and
white circles regarding the
relative “progress,” or the
lack of progress, on the part
of black Americans.
The debate, while appar
ently fruitless in some ways
and difficult of conclusive
determination, may be re
vealing and, in this latter
sense, worthwhile.
What the debate over
“black progress” does clear
ly is to identify, in a helpful
and clearcut fashion, just
what particular view of black
America is held by those on
one side of the quesion or the
other.
For example, it may be
perfectly reasonable for a
person to assume that black
Americans have made sub
stantial progress in American
life.
Blacks, as a whole, are
better off today in absolute
terms than were their parents
and grandparents. Blacks to
day may enter hotels which
once denied them access.
Blacks may attend integrated
schools. Blacks hold higher
paying jobs than they did a
generation and more ago.
The ’’progress” list could
be almost endless. And we
should never quarrel with
those who hold or preach the
“blacks have made progress”
theme.
What the holding of such a
wholly rational position does
is to reveal one of two basic
views as to what blacks are in
American life.
Those who genuinely be
lieve that blacks have made
tremendous strides reflect a
view which enables them to
compare blacks today with
blacks In the past rather than
comparing blacks today with
the white American main
stream*
The comparison of blacks
with blacks rather than with
the nation as a whole as
sumes implicitly that blacks
are guests in American life
rather than citizens.
If, indeed, we are guests in
American life, then any
crumbs—or even whole
loaves—which may fall from'
the master’s table will be seen
as a kind of progress in
relation to our own past
condition.
In fairness, probably fbe
overwhelming number of
black Americans represent
the “blacks have made pro
gress” point of view.
The other point of view,
which would lead to the ob
servation that black.s have
not made progress, wa-s per
haps enunciated or e>:pressed
best by the late Dr. Whitney
Young.
Dr. Young noted, to use
his term, “an unclosed and
unclosing gap” between
where blacks are and have
been, on the one hand, and
where while American main
stream is, on the other hand.
Young’s contention was
that any true racial progress
by black Americans can be
guaged not by comparing the
black past with the black
present. Rather, the only true
indicator of progress can be
made in terms of the extent
to which the black-white gap
has closed.
Implicit here is the as
sumption that clacks are en
titled to live fully inside of
the American mainstream,
sharing fully what others
have. Where we came from
in reference to other blacks
would be irrelevant. To what
extent the black-white gap
was closed would be the all-
important measure of pro
gress.
The Whitney Young as
sumption was that blacks
must not see themselves as
“guests” who are apart from
American life. Blacks must
see themselves as “citizens.”
fully entitled to precisely the
same benefits as those en
joyed by whites as a whole.
With this point of view in
mb^d, ii will be seen that, as
citizens entitled to share in all
the mainstream benefits, we
have not made progress. This
is demonstrated in the pre-
1970 figures below:
In 1947 blacks earned 51
percent of average white
earnings. In 1950, black
earning moved upward to 54
percent. In 1952, the figure
was 56 percent. In 1955, it
was 55 percent. In 1958, it
was down again to 51 per
cent. For 1961, the figure was
53 percent. In 1964 it moved
upwards to 56 percent.
Overall, there was a con
tinual fluctuation, with no
discernible trend toward
blacks sharing any “greater
proportion” than in the past.
While blacks, “as guests,”
may have “more,” still as
“citizens” we recognize that
we do not have the propor
tionately more” to which we
are entitled.
It is an all too easy—
and self-defeating—thing to
do to think of ourselves as
having come a long way “as
guests.”
If, however, as the late
Whitney Young so aptly ad
monished us, our goal is to
enjoy, as citizens, all of
America’s highest benefit
levels in the same manner as
the general while American
mainstream, then progress
will be made only when the
hitherto “unclosing gap” is
closed. □□
The Talking Flowers
Alice had been watch- “How can you be?”
ing the chessmen darting asked Alice. "All the
all over the checkered other players are making
plain when she decided to moves, emd you me just
rest her eyes for a while, sitting here in your...er...
Noticing a flower garden
nearby, she turned away
from the chessboard to
study the flowers.
“Flowers are much
more restful than chess
men,” she sighed.
“That’s what you think.
Stupid,” snapped a Vio
let.
“Can you talk?” Alice
blurted.
“Of course we can talk.
bed.
“Politics makes strange
bedfellows,” said the
Bluebell.
“And we haven't been
idle,” added the Violet.
“If you want to know what
we have been doing, ask
the White Rabbit. He has
been keeping a journal.
He writes down every
thing we do.”
“Why don’t you tell me
stand how you can play
chess. You don’t seem to
move. How could you be
effective?”
We never do anything what you have been
else,” said another flo- doing?” asked Alice.
“YOU don’t matter,”
answered the Violet.
“Everything that matters
is written in the White
call me Blue- Rabbit’s journal. If he
proper title is doesn’t write it down, it
wer.
“Excuse me. Blue
bell,” said Alice. “I never
met a talking flower.’
“Don’t
bell! My
Mertensia virginica; I’ll hasn’t happened.”
thank you to remember ‘ ‘Talking to you would
that. And Violet and I are be a waste of chloro-
special plants. We are in phyll,” Bluebell agreed.
the chess game.” “I still don’t under-
0WT7 BLACK MBOIA INC.
CHICKENS COMING HOME TO ROOST
To Be Equal
by Vernon E. Jordan, Jr.
Subsidy Programs
The sharks are circling
federal housing subsidy
programs and unless citizens
concerned with urban
progress speak out, they may
zero in for the kill.
The first sign that subsidy
programs were in trouble
came some weeks ago when
the welfare reform proposals
were being tramed. At that
time, there was talk in
Washington about ending
housing subsidies and putting
the money into the welfare
reform pot, adding to the
total amount of funds
available for distribution in a
revised welfare program.
After that trial balloon was
shot down there was more
talk about a housing tax on
the poor — reducing welfare
payments by the amount of
the subsidy, or a portion of it.
That argument rested on
the fact that relatively few
people eligible for welfare
assistance receive housing
subsidies. Thus, in the name
of making welfare more
equitable, such persons
would be deprived of their
housing aid.
Boiled down to its essen
tials, it means taking from
some poor p^ple to help
other poor people.
Well, those battles were
won. Both attempts to ditch
the housing programs sank,
but not without a trace. That
trace is the continuing threat
by the budget-balancers to
try to chop off federal housing
subsidies. Failure to get such
a step into the welfare
package only means further
attempts, probably coming
very soon since federal
departments are now
preparing next year’s
burets.
The behind-the-scenes fight
over the housing programs is
of major importance. At
stake is the federal effort to
improve housing for the
nation’s poor and to help
shape the social en
vironment. Just leaving
housing to market fcK'ces that
have proven unable to
provide decent shelter at
prices poor and moderate
income families can afford
means dooming our chances
for a constructive federal role
in provision of liveable
housing.
It is fashionable to attack
federal housing fffograms for
their past mistakes — the
high rise public housing
ocanplexes and the scandal-
ridden mortgage assistance
programs. But it makes more
sense totake those failures as
lessons and to build on them
by avoiding similar mistakes.
TTie government has yet to
really try out smaller scale
housing projects, mixed-
income housing, renovation
and similar programs that
offer hope of housing the poor
while stabilizing neigh
borhoods.
Distributing present valui
of housing subsidies to all th(
See Jordan, Page 5
HI/TOPV
mAKIHG
SLACK
HAPPEAIAQ
your power to help others,
and...”
Suddenly a giant car
penter’s mallet fell from
“We are very pretty, the sky. Alice jumped out
aren't we, Violet?” said of the way, but the mallet
Bluebell. landed squarely in the
“And we talk very well, flower bed, crushing the
We've had so much talking flowers,
experience,” added Vio- “How did that hap-
let. pen?” Alice wondered
“But do you know how aloud,
to play chess?” asked “I’m afraid it was my
Alice. fault,” said the White
“No-but we know that Rabbit who had appeared
if we get to the Eighth suddenly beside-‘her. “A
Square we can be queens, typographical error in my
We’d love to be queens, journal. Should have been
wouldn’t we, Violet?” ‘ballot’,’ not mallet. Oh
“Yes, Bluebell.” well.”
“The idea is not to just “I don’t think they
be queen,” Alice protes- would have made it
ted. “The idea is to use anyway,” said Alice.
(For your continuing
dar of major black i
please cut this coluni
and keep your own
book. Please mark th
of each entry.)
InternAtional News
Gaboa — Foreign n
ters of more than 40 Af
nations, comprising th
ganization of African I
met at Libriville with a
cult decision as to whic
tionalist leadership fa
from Zimbabwe (or R)
sia) to back.
Kenya — To comp
the conflict on the Sub-r
ran part of Africa, an al
attack of Kenya by
regular Somali troops w
ported in Nairobi.
Sonth Africa — A
man who kissed a
woman on the cheek
elevator was fined $230
Johannesburg court,
man had the alternatb
going to jail for 200 da]
Rome — Oliver Tai
president of the Africai
tional Congress, predicti
explosion in South A
He also said that South
ca’s 22 million blacks
now militant and woul
willing to take up
against the white apai
government in South A
Sooth Africa — The
African cecurity police
ed three blacks as al
guerrillas, described as
ing been trained in An
The police reportedly
caches of automatic fire;
raising concerns of a b
ening of international
port for a guerrilla r
ment.
Ethiopia — Home m
were being formed thn
poor has an attractive ring tc
it, but it is certain not tc
improve housing op
portunities. Each poor family
would not receive enough
extra cash to make it able to
rent decent homes while
exploitive landlords and real
estate speculators would jack
up rents and housing prices to
soak up the extra dollars.
At the same time, the
government would be
deprived of the opportunity
not oply to directly bouse
people, but also to influence
local housing policies. It
would be handcuffed in its
efforts to rehabilitate
decaying neighborhoods, to
halt neighborhood decline
and urban decay.
The government needs a
wide array of tools with
which to do the job and even
though tlie tool kit is almost
bare, that’s no excuse to toss
out the few remaining tools.
out Ethiopia and were
prised of older men, a
young men were drafte(
the war against the seces
ists in Eritrea.
South Africa — T\
blacks, allegedly membe
the African Nationalist
gress, were placed on trii
organizing an elabo
scheme to recruit y
blacks in Soweto and
where for terrorist acti
The United Nations-
zambique appealed to
United Nations Sect
Council for arms aid tc
fend themselves against
milled attacks by the
Rhodesian government,
Rhodesians claim the att
were justifiable reprisals
Mozambique’s harborin
anti-Rhodesian guerrilla:
Canada — The Ot
government announced
Urban Affairs agreei
with the United States
lishing a joint committsf
mutual policy developi
in housing and urban afl
Meanwhile, blacks
skeptical of the move
Canada has no major u
racial woes akin to thos
the U.S.A.
National News...On
Home Front...
Washington, D.C. —
unanimous decision, the
Supreme Court held
courts may order remt
classes for school chil
disadvantaged as the resi
attendance at racially
gated schools.
Washington, D.C. —
U.S. Supreme Court
that rape and “cop kill
were not, in and of il
selves, sufficient to waj
the mandatory death pen
These are offenses for ’
blacks disproportionJ
have been convicted.
Washington, D.C. —
vote of 6 to 3, the Sup
Court called for a revie
lower courts of school d
regation plans caliins
extensive busing in Oi
and Milwaukee.
Washington, D.C, —
gress acted to cut off f
for most abortions for
poor. Senator Edward
Brooke of Massachu
won an amendment pn
ing for federal funds foi
poor when “medically fl
sary.”
New Orieans, La. —
U.S. District Court issti
consent decree which wi
quire most of the large
in Louisiana, except Ne>
leans, to hire subsUi
numbers of blacks and
en for their police and
departments.