Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / July 29, 1978, edition 1 / Page 1
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1 j'j J .3 B1 Winston-Salem Chronicle Voi IV No. 48 Saturday July 29, 1978 “More than 25,000 weekly readers” 18 Pages ★ 20 Cents ★ Black Officials Quietly Wield Power In Raleigh V; * - By John W. Templeton nn __ ... ..... , Dr. l^rWins first ininpH thp ..... . Dr, JobnLaddns ...called him boy Staff Writer RAXEIGH-When Dr. John R. Larkins, the governor’s special assistant for minori ty affairs, first began work ing for state government in 1942, there were only 26 black state employes in non-menial jobs. They bore such titles as “consultant on Negro wel fare, Negro subject- matter specialist” and “advisor to Negro schools on health affairs”. Those who worked in Raleigh, de- pite working for several dif ferent departments, w’ere housed together in a build ing several blocks from the main state government complex. Dr. Larkins now has an office in the State Capitol, a few feet from the govern or’s office and only yards away from where legislat ors used to greet him with, “Weil, what can I do for you, boy”? H&can point to improved climate for black state employes. “We’ve made a great deal of progress,” said Larkins, brandishing a long list of blacks currently in high-level state posts. The most conspicuous examples of progress are Howard N. Lee, secretary of natural resources and community development, and Judge Richard W. Er win of the N. C. Court of Appeals. Lee is the first black in the state Cabinet, and Erwin is the first black appeals judge. However, there are a number of other blacks strategically placed at high levels of state government in such non-traditional agencies as the State Bu reau of Investigation and the Commerce Depart ment’s Energy Division. To a large extent, these black officials labor outside the public limelight, yet some are able to wield in fluence unheard of when Dr. Larkins first joined the state. A good example is state personnel director Harold Webb, who holds probably the most powerful job out side the Cabinet offices. His office sets policy for pay, hiring, promotion, leaves, training, etc. for more than 72,000 state em ployes and 14,500 county employes paid for by the state. As a visitor sat in Webb's office, the personnel direct or picked up the phone and dialed a Cabinet member. It only took a “This is Harold Webb" to get Webb connected immediately. “It feels good to be able to get through like that,” said Webb afterwards, “it’s a recognition of the power of your office. If he wants to reclassify one of his employes, he’s got to come through me.” Webb makes no bones about how he got such an iSiee Page 2 Harold Webb ...calls answered ity Worker Jiarges Bi By Shaiyn Bratcher Staff Writer lespite the city’s claims progress in affirmative I, a black city employ es filed a complaint the EEOC charging :riniination. ;iirtis Dixon, who has in in city government for ars. has been one of the cks most frequently ationed as “good pro- ion matertial” by critics ity government, lixon, a senior systems lyst, was recently trans- red to the budget depart- nt, along with the other inbers of the evaluation ff. The director of evalu- n Allen Joinps was pro- ed to public safety co ordinator, while Thomas Fredericks, former budget officer, became director of evaluation and budget. In all the reassigning, Dixon was the only evalua tions employee who was not promoted. He was moved “laterally,” without in crease in rank or salary. Dixon will not discuss the details of his complaint or what compensation he is seeking. Dixon is a magna cum laude graduate of A&T pre sently working toward a PhD. in administration. Dixon is an Air Force vet eran and a former employ ee of the Experiment in Self-Reliance-credentials See Page 2 Aldermen Displeased City^s Hiring Policy Evasive Star -Crossed Lovers Shelia Blanchard and Myron West starred In a very unnsualy prodoctioD of Romeo and Joliet at N. C. School of the Arts. See story on page 9. By Yvette McCullough Staff Writer The Winston-Salem Board of Alderman finally received an opportunity to review the city’s Affirma tive Action program Wed nesday night. Deputy City Manager and Personnel Director A1 Beaty, presented the city’s hiring and promot ional policies at the meet ing. The meeting was held in compliance to a prev ious request by the City Manager Orville Powell. Black members of the board expressed dissatis faction of the policy, say ing it lacked specifics. “You can make statis tics do exactly what you want them to,” Alderman Virigima Newell si^id. “You still need to zero in Business Confab Assesses Needs Floyd B. McKissick By Sharyn Bratcher StaffWriter “Soul City will not fail,” Floyd McKissick assured his audience. “Because you can’t fall of the mountain. ’ ’ McKissicK, a former Na- ibnal Director of CORE and the founder of Soul City, was the guest speaker at a workshop on the “State of Minority Business” spon sored by the Mid-W’est Piedmont Area Business Development Organization. The workshop, held Thursday July 20 on the campus of Winston-Salem State University, featured a program of short talks from business specialists on vari ous aspects of minority business. John Mickle, a vice- president of Northwestern Bank, discussed the finan cing of a business. Richard Davis, an accountant, ad vised businessmen not to “do it all themselves,” but to hire an attorney or an ac countant to perform specia lized services requiring ex pert knowledge. Dr. Marlene Simpson, a professor at Winston-Salem State University, noted that many businesses never get out of the “infancey” stage. She urged busi nessmen to have written goals for their organization. Ernest Pitt, editor of the Winston-Salem Chronicle discussed the necessity of advertising in business. “Black businesses need to advertise more than any body else because the com petition is high. “Pitt said, your market segment is smaller. Most of us (who are retailers) can only sell to other blacks. When you have other black busi nesses and white busi nesses competing for the same dollar, the business that communicates to the potential consumers best will get the dollar. Here again is where media stra tegy becomes important. You have to pinpoint your segment and select a media th at keys in on them. ’ ’ The afternoon portion of the program was devoted to small workshop sessions in which businessmen could discuss problems with group leaders. John Duncan, founder and director of Mid-West Piedmont Area Business Development Organization, served as master of cere monies for the program. Floyd McKissick ad dressed the group at a luncheon held in WSSU’s Kennedy Dining Center. “The only time we had full employment was in slavery, ” he told the group. McKissick stressed the value of knowledge in cre ating a free and successful black economy. “If they gave blacks New Jersey, if they didn’t have the exper tise to run it, they'd still have to call in con sultants.” “If people keep know ledge from you, you’re al ready in slavery.” The purpose of the con- See Page 2 Women Who Have Abortions Victims Of Circumstance By Yvette McCullough StaffWriter Most Americans believe that, under line circuAlstances abortion may be the right” choice for a woman, and mother ed may be the “wrong” choice. The allowing women chose abortion because felt motherhood was the “wrong” hoicefor them. Bess, was not an inexperienced school ttl. but a 29 year old mother of four den she had her abortion. Her husband idn’t have a job and hadn’t had one for when she found out that she was 'fegnant. 1 was working full time at a good pay- '*8job. 1 was supporting my husband and ■'y kids and I knew we couldn’t afford pother mouth to feed.’* Bess said. “1 'dn ttell my husband I was pregnant be- ^iise he wouldn’t have understood how I 'dabout having an abortion and I wasn’t dout to take the chance of being talked having another child. I was thinking of the four kids I already had, I didn’t them to end up on welfare or something, if 1 couldn’t work.’” Bess went to her private physician and told him that she had been bleeding a lot and he admitted her to the hospital. for two days and the insurance paid for it.” Bess said. At the time Bess had her abortion it was illegal, and if her private doctor hadn’t cooperated she would have pro- ably resorted to a back alley abortionist. “I don’t know if he knew I was lying or “I think abortion should be left up to not, but he performed a DNC (Dilation the person,” Bess said. "You know more and Curettage). The DNC was like having about yourself than anyone else does, your teeth pulled. I stayed in the hospital Wanda is the mother of three children. Her youngest child was less than two years old when she found out that she was pregnant again. She had had a diffi cult pregnancy with her last child, and she didn’t want to take the risk of it hap pening again. “I had just found a good job and had gone back to work, when I found out I was pregnant.” Wanda said. “After my last child was bom my husband and I decided three childrfen were enough. I was going to have my tubes tied, but I was sick after my baby was born so I decided to wait.” Wanda said she and her husband both decided that she should have an abortion. “I called the clinic for an appointment and the woman asked me if I was sure that this is what I wanted to do. I told her it was. She said that they were only per formed on Wednesdays and Saturdays, by a licensed gynecologist. When you go, they take a blood sample, then you go into a room, undress and wait your turn. See page 2 on where we (blacks) are, in the city government.” Newell said that the policy was not impressive because a high percentage of blacks (77.19) are still on the lowest rung of the ladder. “What we need is a radical departure from tradition and all it tiikes is courage,” Newell said. Alderman Vivian Burke said that the plan looked good but she wasn’t pleas ed with it. She requested an additional breakdown of the number of minorit ies employees paid with federal funds. She also requested a break down of minorities employed in each department. Burk’s request and a handout, tha^ 5he piissed to other board members. set off a touchy discussion on legality. The handout, which was not made avail able to the press ap parently contained a breakdown of minorities, employed in each depart ment. Alderman Little said he had problems with the goals that the city had set for minority employees and that they should re evaluate the goals. According to the city’s report blacks represent 33.84% of the city’s work force. 10% are employed in administrative, 17% in professional, 16% in Technical, 14% in protec tive service, 22% in cler ical, 47% in skilled craft and 77% in serxu'ce main tenance. siiiuniinitiuiiiiniiiNi all for iMnilUtlllliMIMMb I • A top state education official is critical of proposed | I alternatives to diplomas. SEE PAGE TWO. 1 I •Winston-Salem’s Richard Erwin tells what it’s like I = to he a judge on the state’s second highest court. SEE I I PAGE THREE. | I • The Chronicle invites congressional candidates i = Neal and Horton to begin discussing the real issues. I I SEE EDITORIALS, PAGE FOUR. | I •The ‘Man with the Plan’ is the new director of the I I local Urban League. SEE PROFILE, PAGE SEVEN. I I •VIBES features coverage of “Don-t Bother Me, 1 = I Can’t Cope” and ‘‘Romeo and Juliet” plus the return | I of ROOTS to prime time TV. SEE PAGES EIGHT, = I NINE. I i •Chronicle Consumer features recipes and buying I I tips. SEE PAGE SEVENTEEN. | I •Robert Eller talks about the dissension-ridden | I Yankees in Black on Sports. SEE PAGE THIRTEEN. I jiiitiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMMiniiiMiiiiiiiiiiNiiiifiiiiiiiiiirmiiiniiiiiiiiniMiiiiiiA RALEIGH-He spoke calmly and without a trace of bitter ness as he told of the racial slurs he endured as a pioneer among blacks working for the state of North Carolina. He told of having to go back to his office, to dose the door and to cry after a tongue lashing about the failings of ‘‘—-rs" from the speaker of the N. C. House of Repre sentatives. He had merely requested the speaker’s sup port for a home for delinquent Negro girls. The speaker was Dr. John R. Larkins, the governor’s special assistant for minority affairs and a 37-year veter an of state government. The pain of racial discrimination no longer hurt the 63- year-old Larkins as he sat in his Capitol office with a visi tor, but the hint of another kind of bias-age discrimina tion-brought his blood to a boil. Earlier this year. Gov. Hunt appointed a second black special assistant, Durham activist Ben Ruffin, the former state human relations director. The appointment fueled speculation that Dr. Larkins was thought to be “over the hill, ” too out of touch with the black leaders of today. However, both Ruffin and Larkins deny that was the case. They are working together effectively, each using his own network of contacts in the black community statewide. “I couldn’t do this job along,” said Larkins. ‘ ‘ 1 welcomed Ben coming aboard. ’ ’ The Larkins-Ruffin situation, however imaginary, points to a real dichotomy occurring to some extent in the black community. To an extent, there is a generation gap between older blacks and younger blacks, particularly many of the See Page 3
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