Wevston-Salem Chronicle Alice In Winstonland
'Hw
722-8624 Or 723-9863
Ernest H. Pitt
Editor & Publisher
The Chessmen
Isaac Carree, J7
General Manager
Diana Roberts
Advertising Manager
Melvin Eaton
Circulation Manager
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Saturday September 17, 1977
Is Urban Renewal Negro Removal?
' ‘Urban renewal is
negro removal, ’ ’ said Carl
Russell, and geographi
cally he is right, but there
didn’t have to be any
negro removal from big
business circles in town;
they were never there in
the first place.
The manipulation of
Parcel 129-C is a prime
example of the run-around
given to blacks. Dr.
Raymond Oliver bid on
that bit of Redevelopment
land, and was given an
option on the property as
high bidder.
Apparently, somebody
didn’t want him to have it.
He was given plenty of
time to develop the
land—and plenty of obsta
cles to prevent it. The
ABC Board would not
negotiate with him. Never
mind that he was the
highest bidder, that he
wrote requesting to talk
terms with them. They
just said no.
So Dr. Oliver got an
extension, some sympa
thy, and his deposit
back—but the white com
pany got the land.
Willis Sutherland of the
HUD office in Greensboro
says that he can find no
evidence of wrong-doing
in the Redevelopment
Commission, but they stUl
don’t think Dr. Oliver was
treated fairly. ‘ ‘Investi
gate the ABC Board,”
they suggest.
We suggest so, too.
When an agency uses
its authority to manipulate
land deals in the commu
nity, it is time to take a
very close look at that
organization.
Blacks may find it
difficult to break into the
land speculation cUque,
because the members are
old pros who know aU the
legal ways to trip up a
begiimer. ‘They have the
influence, the loopholes,
the money, and the ’Twin
City Club. Blacks must
use grassroots tactics: like
boycotts.
AU the chessmen were
lined up on the squares
looking very stiff and
formal.
‘ ‘Now what can they be
doing?” Alice wondered
aloud.
‘ ‘Taking the chess
exam,” said a soft voice.
AUce turned aroimd and
saw that the white rabbit,
his journal tucked under
his arm, had appeared at
her side.
“What’s a chess test?”
"AU the chess pieces
are asked questions to test
their knowledge of the
game,” said the White
Rabbit.
“I see!” said AUce.
“And the one with the
best answers wins?”
“No. ’The one with NO
answers wins. The object
of the game is to talk a
great deal without saying
anything.”
“I don’t see how one
can do that,” sidd Alice.
“Oh, they’re quite good
at it,” repUed the Rabbit.
“Watch.” He waved his
forepaw. “Oh, White
King! How do you feel
about affirmative action
toward the oysters.”
“Harump,” said the
White King,” Yes-affir
mative action, you said.
Reminds me of a
LongfeUow line: ‘Let us
now be up and doing.’
Speaking of LongfeUow,
when I was a boy...”
“See what I mean?”
asked the Rabbit.
AUce nodded.
‘ ‘Now you try, ” said the
Rabbit.
She saw ’Tweedle-Dee
and ’Tweedle-Dum on
opposite sides of the
board, costiuned as rooks.
‘"Tweedle-Dee!” caUed
AUce. “How would you
limit the power of the red
queen’s army?”
‘ ‘I would investigate
them with a—”
“You can’t say that!”
interrupted 'Tweedle-
Dum. ‘"That’s my ans-
“I thought of it first,”
said ’Tweedle-Dee.
“Did not. I had it four
moves ago, and any
way-”
‘ ‘Why don’t you talk to
the Red Knight?” asked
the Rabbit.
‘"The caterpiUar?”
asked AUce. “I already
have.”
“No. The other Red
Knight.”
AUce looked to the right
of the bishop, but aU she
saw was an empty square .i
“I don’t see anybody,”
she said.
“He’s invisible. Ask
him something.”
“Why are you invisi
ble?” caUed Alice.
SUence.
“You cant hear him
either,” said the Rabbit.
“Then what good is
he?” AUce wanted to
know.
Suddenly aU the chess
pieces began to shout at
once. AUce caught the
words “credibiUty,” and
“authority,” and “im
prove,” but she couldn’t
make sense of it at all.
‘ ‘I don’t understand, ’ ’
said AUce. “Is it over?
Who lost?”
“We did,” said the
Rabbit sadly.
WSSU Raises Its Sights
Winston-Salem State’s chancellor
Dr. H. Douglas Covington is a man who
is not wUling to settle for second best
from his university or his race-and we
applaud him for it.
There has been a disturbing tradition
among black schools for years to have
very low admission standards, which
has earned them a reputation for being
“last resort schools” for those turned
down by Duke and CaroUna.
But Dr. Covington has too much faith
in blacks’ abiUty to settle for that. “I’m
going after top students,” he says.
Good students will improve the
academic reputation of the miiversity,
which should give the ‘big boys’ some
healthy competition for research
grants, athletes, and scholars.
We also commend the chanceUor for
the way in which he intends to conduct
the transformation.
Students with low scores and poor
grades will be given tutoring and
special counseling. Remedial courses
wiU be required for those who need it,
so that the student who really wants to
achieve will be given every possible
chance. But—if after two years of trying
the student still can’t make the grade,
he is advised to go elsewhere.
Dr. Covington knows that there are
thousands of ‘ ‘young, gifted and black’'
youths in this country with unlimited
potential, and he wants to make WSSU
the kind of school that will attract the
best, and give them the best
education.
Right on. Chancellor!
I(LA1:K GiUl*inVEKillENT
By Dr. Nathaniel Wright, Jr.
Human Rights Activist
WELFARE STATE MIND-SET
A small group of men and
women involved with public
policy issues relating to our
central cities recently ad
dressed itself to the question
of what is frequently called
"Bootstrap economics” from
within the black community.
The essential question here
is what can blacks do for
themselves to help toward
their own economic develop
ment? At first, the sug
gestions were placed before
the group in rapid fire suc
cession. Then, suddenly,
there was a cloak of gloom,
when one person present re
marked: "But what are you
going to do about the "Give
me something’ mind-set
within the black com
munity?”
All those in the group were
black; and to some of them
the old Great Depression
theme:
/esuj Christ will lead me
AndF.D.R. will feed me.
What cause have we, then, to
fear?
was all too fresh in—or
etched deeply upon—their
memories.
A state of mind is crucial
in life decisions both on a
personal and social (or po
litical and ethnic) basis. That
there has been a "sense of
dependency” within the
black community has never
been a secret.
In order to enslave a man
or a woman—and hold a per
son in bondage securely—
one of the first requirements
is to instill in such a person
the greatest possible depen
dence upon the one who
woulcl be master. The black
community—which has been
one of the most severely
wounded by a deeply de
praved form of human en
slavement—has had a crip
pling sense of dependence
hammered deep within its
self-concept.
Not long ago, in reviewing
a doctoral dissertation soon
to be published in book
form, there appeared these
tragically telling words: “No
matter how variegated black
leadership may be, there has
been a strong inclination to
welfare-state economics...
which does not mix well with
the idea of self-help and
bootstrap economics.”
This is a terrible indict
ment of the systematic de
gradation to which black
Americans have been sub
jected, perhaps for so long a
time by white Americans that
it is now almost entirely
unconscious on white Ameri
ca’s part. This latter fact
deepens the tragedy and sore
ly complicates the difficulty
of "getting the white man’s
unconscious road-blocking”
stopped. White Americans
cannot be convinced readily
to cease an ingrained habit
which they will not easily see
as a habit on their part at all.
The message here was dra
matically underscored in a
smattering of trained black
professionals—almost all of
whom were clergymen, hence
leaders in the black com
munity.
A candidate for public of
fice spoke eloquently of how,
historically, "the greats” in
black America have not only
had outside help but also—
and perhaps chiefly—had
immense and seemingly in
surmountable outside obsta
cles "which only their own
personal grit and unconquer
able determination” could
enable them to overcome.
The .speaker urged that, a-
long with more governmental
help and local community
support, perhaps the most
important element for black
survival and success remains,
even today, a personal and
collective determination.
"Blacks must be of a mind,”
the speaker noted, "to say to
themselves and to the world
that, regardless of what does
or does not come, we shall
stick together.. .and "we
shall overcome!”
The speaker was not booed
but his words were met with
the stark silence of clear dis
approval. What the ministers
wanted to hear was what
black Americans were going
to get, not what we—regard
less of what comes our way—
must give of ourselves, if we
are ever to become a truly
self-sufficient people.
It was with the kind of in
escapable awareness in mind
that the small analysts con
cluded that what the Carter
Administration does for
blacks can never be more
than like "the two spot
calling for the Ace.” Help
from Washington is the “two
spot.” What we do with the
two spot is the most im
portant element. Otherwise,
when the "help from Wash
ington” is withdrawn by
public sentiment or runs out,
we will be not better off—
or perhaps even worse off—
than before.
A part of "the Ace” on
our part, then, must be—
in reference to employ
ment—the insistence that (a)
jobs opened to blacks are
permanent jobs, (b) jobs giv
en to blacks are at least in
proportion to our part of the
population, (c) iobs are af
forded at all levels in every
branch of the government,
and (d) job tests have “wid
ened standards” and not
"lowered standards” so as to
include us.
in regard specifically to
"widened standards,” we as
blacks have allowed our
selves in a foolhardy and self-
defeating way to get caught
in a trick bag. "Standardized
tests,” so-called, are always
“focussed tests” so as to give
positive consideration to the
attributes of the preferred or
powerful group.
3LAci; »Aeo\A ikic.
- LET NO MAN PUT ASUNDER
To Be Equal
by Vernon E. Jordan, Jr,
The Unsolvable Problem?
One of the most difficult,
perhaps unsolvable. prob
lems our nation faces is what
to do about illegal immi
gration.
It is difficult because we
know so little about it -
estimates of illegal immi
grants in the United States
range from four million to
twelve million, a spread so
wide that tiie truth is that
we simply don't know how
many there are. Nor do we
know if indeed they take
significant numbers .of jobs
away firom citizens and
resident aliens, if they
depress labor standards, or
even if they use social
services to an extent not
covered by the taxes they
pay.
The problem may be
unsolvable t>ecause. short of
putting up an Amenuin-
style Berlin WaU on the
Mexican border, or in
stituting police state tactics,
there may be no real way to
end illegal immigration.
To its credit, the Ad
ministration is trying to
curb illegals. It has produced
a program of sanctions
against employers of il
legals, tougher enforcement
of labmr laws and border
patrols to try to cope with
the massive inflow.
President Carter is also
asking the Congress to
legitimize the status of un
documented aliens already
in the country. Those who
entered before January,
1970 would be grant^
resident-alien status and be-
eome eligible for citizenship.
Hiose who came here
between 1970 and last
Jaanary would be able to
apply for temporary resi-
deney and permitted to stay
and wotk here for five years.
The problem of un
documented aliens is a tou^
one because equity and
bimess toward aliens have
to be combined with a
concern for the well-being of
our own citizens.
Most of the illegal aliens
are probably working in
sub-standard jobs, exploited
by employers who know
their workers won’t dare
insist on minimum wages or
fair labor standards for fear
of being deported.
That kind of exploitation
works its way through the
system by making it tougher
for citizens to find jobs or to
demand decent working
conditions. A large number
of citizens are already em
ployed at below-minimum
wages and in jobs in which
employers refuse to comply
with health and safety
regulations. The existence of
a pool of undocumented
workers willing to take
sweat-labor jobs at low pay
and subminimum conditions
drags down the whole labor
market.
So the President's pro
gram is correct in targeting
in on employers of illegal
labor, with stiff fines and
even prison sentences for
persistent violators. But
how effective that will be is
another story. Forged docu
ments are so common among
illegals caught at the border
that the only really effective
documentation would be
some sort of identity card or
work permit that couldn’t be
forged. And that would take
us all a long way down the
road towi^ tyranny -
thwe’s no place in this
country for mandatory ID
cards.
There are problems with
other aspects of the
program, too. Granting
either permanent or tem
porary resident is an
attempt at fairness. People
who have struck roots in our
See Jordan, Page 5
Semi-Monthly Summary.
HI/TORV-
fflflKine
BIRCK
HAPPEninG;!
(For your continuing i
dar of major black
please cut this columnX
and keep in your own ni
book. Please mark the f
of each entry.)
Gabon — The meetiiij
the Organization of Af|
Unity brought to Librei
the capitol, its greatest!
play of pomp. This oilJ
country, through which)
equator passes, is theweaf
est in black Africa, y
buildings and new roadi
had been constructed foj
O.A.U. meeting which 
several weeks ago.
Gabon — The Pair
Front of Rhodesia (or 1
babwe) won endorsemeij
the most representative h
faction in Zimbabwe
O.A.U.
Djibouti — Strateg
located at the southern i
of the Red Sea, the RepJ
of Djibouti formally
an independent nation,
country is the size of MJ
chusetts and has 210,OOO]
pie. It was formerly
French rule.
South Africa — Blackl
age -’ violence -spreadl
Queenstown- some 5001
south of Pretoria whd
secondary school was)
ablaze. Students have
demonstrating througl|
South Africa indicating \
spread black teen age urJ
Zimbabwe — White [
of Prime Minister Ian S|
have formed a conseni
splinter party which,
Smith’s party, rejects
principle of black maj)
rule.”
Kenya — Some 3|
Ugandans have fled to a]
boring Kenya in the
months, so a refugee se)
inNairobi has reported,
came with bullets
bodies. Nearly 1,000
refugees have come
Ethiopia in the past yes
Gabon — One ofl
major awarenesses to o
out of the recent 0.1
meeting here in Libnf
was that Idi Amin’s popf
ity is immense and
universal in black Al
One typical comment]
pressed in Libreville
“Amin is a disgrace to
Africa, but he is also]
most popular man on
continent. There is
tique of bigness and
gance about him that
nates the average Africa
you elected a king of
Africa, Amin would win
..On
(
M
National News.
Home Front...
Washington, D.C.—N
paper reports from h
major white newspaj
throughout the country
intensified an openly
black campaign on the is
of compensatory treat
to blacks for past discrii
tion, busing and quotas
principal thrust of the “
analysis” is to state as a
or an undebatable ass
tion that whites, as a w
have not been placed
privileged position as a
sequence of racial dis
nation.
Washington, D.C. -
Department of Health,
cation and Welfare or
colleges in the six stati
Oklahoma, Arkansas, ^
nia, Georgia, North Cai Htr
and Florida to end
bias. The order set
guidelines for desegrej
student enrollment, fac
and state college govf
boards.
The order provided
year initial deadline and
ified that the character
torically black college?
not to be affected,
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