Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / June 23, 1979, edition 1 / Page 4
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* r Page 4 The Chmnlclf, Saturday, Jane 23. ,f)7? VIEWPO I his month. Black Enterprise magazine has unveiled its annual listing of the top 100 black-owned firms and of black-owned insurance companies and financial institutions. The firms, whose total revenues exceeded $1 billion, represent a powerful testement to the entrepreneurial - drive among blacks, particularly in light of the fact that ____ 77 of the 100 firms have been formed since 1969. However, there is one characteristic of the list that is disturbing. None of the firms listed in the top 100 businesses are from North Carolina. Should one think that not odd, North Carolina is one of only two Southern states (the other is Alabama) not represented on the list. Maine and Vermont are the only - other two states east of the Mississippi without a black-owned firm in the list. Wait, one says. Isn't North Carolina Mutual of Durham the world's largest black owned enterprise? ? That's true.?However, N.C. Mutual and the hometown? Winston Mutual, the tenth largest black insurance company in terms of insurance in force, are listed among the insurance firms. Although we should be verv nroud of th? jnents of these two firms and the service they render, their isolation as sizable btlck enterprises in this state is striking. BE's figures show the continuing need for the building of a diversified black economic base here in the state -one that combines family owned retail establishments and service business with manufacturers, wholesalers and financiers. The same need exists all over the country. For instance, in May, Fortune magazine published its list of 1 the top 500 industrial companies in the U.S. Their sales surpassed $1.2 trillion. However, only 12 of the top 100 black businesses were manufacturing firms. The largest number among the black business list was made up of 39 auto dealers. The achievement of the economic base necessary will take a mammoth effort. As we noted before, the current success of black businesses has occurred since the beginning of an awareness that the barriers which have limited minority firms should be removed. That awareness has been shunted aside in the national rush against affirmative action. Yet there are still laws at the federal level which make it possible for minorities to participate in "government procurement and receive technical assistance. Now needed are similar policies at the level of state and local government. Gov. Jim Hunt has continually talked about helping minority firms obtain state contracts, but has yet to do anything tangible in that regard. Locally, our elected and appointed officials don't even ( Does East \ . . Need a Ban Chronicle Camera went to Sunrise Towers high-rise apartments for senior citizens to find out , 0 reactions to the news I that there could be at ' ^ 1 U H least one new bank i AjJf Kj branch in the immediate ' IL - H| Mrs. Eitle Mae /| MM Wilson ~4'I'd like it to be .Tv i w" 1 U mm a Wac*10V*a branch. A,* HH Mm They're about the best IBH H one" onc * ( F B mm Lawrence Williams -- n ]JB y HH "I *ccl 8??d about it. ImT ii i WmJ HI That would be the finest H ilV t* Eflffi thing that could happen l/ j W ; ... ::'ak^ mH for us older people. H Jy| ?%. H ^ght now I have to do fclfjP - downtown to use the [i [v- T $ M bank. I also think it 1 1 mm ^^E^JkLrV A >\ nfl would cut down on old people being robbed." Thomaa Vftnghn - "I would welcome it. These people around here are mostly older people. With a bank in the vicinity, they wouldn't have to pay the expense of cutting to the \ * . V : Sx x s HINTS ed </ ^ Member North Carolina Black Publisher's Association T-li -- TTV-T'-I ii ?TT1i<1 i ii i rn - i-i i V ;S5 V/OITOOK ^1-/ . talk about it, unless there's a federal requiremc. ; to do so. The real advances in black enterprise will have to come from within., . When blacks pool their funds for investment, Whenblack consumers buy selectively, considering whether. dollars wiy return to their neighborhood, then we will see the construction of the economic base which will translate into real power for the black community. As a number of observers have commented recently, Winston-Salem's black population has adequate resources to establish ao extensive economic base of its own. ? Through development and investment of the $180 million in revenue we receive such that each dollar would change hands again and again, blacks in the city could create a model for the whole country to observe. With our own efforts, we could deal with problems such as youth unemployment and community development. What it will take is a conscious decision on our parts to stop enriching others without some positive gain to ourselves. -\ lA/inctnn 1 w v I bank and they could get \JJML I their business done ' $^p I Columbus Hammonds / 1 3k I - 4iI feel it would be very ^ f l l useful. It would be such " jt!M I a help to us old people. m. ?l ? ^ I It would save us a lot of Williams steps and save us a lot of ^ change. We ffeed a I grocery store too. I You've got to walk all , . the way to 5th Street to I a loaf of bread. You I see, a lot of people's incomes aren't high J I enough to meet their \ I expenses and then also / V pay somebody to do I things for them. It *'jf4 I would be the best thing ^BHI^ ' that could happen. j >x Vaughn " I \ Wilson Hammonds % c? *> -' ? * * itorials j^ Geti jju ^ii?ii mm**mmmm****?*m ammm.m [WGZBlacks Am I ^ [Junes P. Comer and Alvin F. Pousulnt are psychiatrists and the authors of the book "Black Child ,Care." Dr. Comer Is professor of child psychiatry and associate dean for student affairs at Yale University of psychiatry and associate dean for student affairs at Harvard Medical School 3J * Dear Dr. Coiner: I'm writing about your column in which a black mother says her 9 year old son was sad because he didn't have any friends in his predominantly white school. As far as 1 can see (which probably isn't far enough), it's all the mother's fault. My gosh, what does she expect? If a white 9 year old lived in a black community, he would be treated exactly Any child is infinitely more comfortable among his own kind and all this experimentation and force to make it otherwise is never going to work. L.J. Dear L.J.i If you remember, my suggestion to the mother was that she not immediately jump^ to the conclusion that her son's problem was entirely racial. I pointed out that children of this age are often not able to talk directly about their most troublesome fears and worries. They often draw the attention of their parents to their problem by focusing on or exaggerating a situation they know will get their parents' attention. I suggested that the mother visit the school and observe for herself before making any move or drawing any conclusions. Here is part of the mother's second letter to me: "1 did investigate the matter with an open mind, as was suggested in your column. I was observant of my son's behavior at play and in the classroom. "Certainly he was not accepted by everyone, but he had his fair share of playmates and friends. I haye talked with Edward's teacher and I have found her to be pleasant, reasonable and a personable individual. Edward does pot appear to be tense when talking to her or about her. He appeared relaxed in the classroom." Jhe jnother^cnt on to describe a family situation that appeared to be largely responsible for tfrc behavior of her lllilllllltllllllllllimilllllUllltllthlltlllllttfllllllllllllllllllltlllMIMtlllHftllHfllllllllllMIIII Speaking Oi lllllllllllllllllllimillllltltHIIIIUJIIllUllltlHIIItllllllllllllllllllHIIIHIIiamiltlltttlHIIIIHII Dear Editor: racial isolation as far a It is our belief that a justice is concerned. T critical need exists for the substantiate the >abov Board of Aldermen to im- comments, let's examin mediately appoint a "Citi- an incident which occurrei d n l?? in ?cu9 runtc ncvicw DUaru ?" vuj iw^iuij. to immediately focus on On Friday, June 1, 1979 and review this matter, to police were summoned to investigate certain inci- black residence in the cit dents to insure citizens by a white citizen wh receive fair treatment, and alleged that > some youn] also reprimand law officers blacks had stolen parts 6f when.they use unnecessary bicycle from a white* youtl force. and had. incorporated th If unionization takes parts into a bike that th place without this appoint- blacks were now using, ment of the Board, we shall Upon arrival, the whit be allowing officers to com- policement went to th mit brutality, murder, and house next door rather thai other ungodly acts sane- *be house they had beei tioned by a union hiding summoned to and began t behind the doctrine of "up- search the premises fo holding the law." stolen parts of the bicycle. Union affiliation in a Th? resident of this hous< desirable as well as deserv- asked the officers t able equity in some instan- present a search warran ces of assuring that emplo- and stated that she woul< yees have representation call ber attorney if the; and also the right of collec- could not produce one. tive bargaining. But, on After making this state the other hand, to a^ow law ment the policemei enforcement officials to be- became violently upset come a part of such an made threatening remarks organization is absurd. an<* began to manhandl This end of unionizing anc* handcuff the fou can encourage brutality and female residents of thi allow law enforcement offi- household. The ladies, ii cers to hid behind the law turn, began to use abusiv. claiming to be upholding language due to the police justice in an unbiased men's radical actions. manner. Inevitably, they were ai We, as citizens of our rested and charged wit city, must make it known to assaulting, cursing, ob our Board of Aldermen that structing an officer, an we are against the unioni- inciting violent acts agains zing of our law enforcement the policy by cursing, officers because we fear These ladies were also ai corruption, brutality and leged to have scratched an< v J " ? * columns j^wrPMfoposff^^Kaff^^gss^&aas^^ m^?|: ong Whites^^?| Dr. Aiv^n F. Poussaint I ' 1 j son. She is now taking steps to deal with these problems. Had she focused on the racial charge made by the youngster, she might have missed the underlying problem and 'made moves that would have further ?complicated her son's life. : ^ It's not true, as you suggest, that human nature or - ' normal child behavior necessarily leads to the rejection or abuse of people who are different. Children appear to be unaware of racial differences until somewhere between two and four years of age, usually about three. Their first comments are usually quite neutral inquiries about differences in hair texture, skin color, and other facial features. s Whether their responses become positive or negative depends on what they are told and how the older children and adults around them respond to people-who are" different. In communities where the adults feel inadequate or insecure and most put down a person of another group to feel good about themselves, their children learn to do the same. You indicate that a child in a supposedly experimental __ or forced"siuTatiotT might not be "comfdrtableT As I 7~ mentioned to the mother, racial isolation, rejection and abuse without adequate support could have been harmful to her child. I suggested that she consider moving if her son could not be comfortable. She indicated that this is not the case, and has decided to remain in that community to keep her son in that school. This mother made a free and conscious choice to live where she wants. That is a decision most fundamental to American democracy and one would expect every good American to support that right. Imagining racial conflict where it doesn't exist in order to maintain- *ad~4us^jfy inappropriate racial attitudes will not help American s|to learn to get along. Certainly there are people, places and times where serious and potentially traumatic racial conditions do exist. But it's important to do as this mother did - to investigate withjm open mind before drawing conclusions and taking action. [If you have any questions for the doctors, send your , letters to 41 Getting Along;M care of this newspaper.] 1e) 1979, Summit Press Syndicate ut Rodney Sumler r, i 1 " ? s bitten the officers, but no manager's daughter, took o weapons were involved. place. But she was exonoe Our question is -- do rated by the so-call "court e black females in this case, of justice" and found not d or, are blacks in general, guilty. In this case, the given the same treatment police officer stated that >, by law officials as whites Ms. Powell cursed him a are? The answer, as we see three times but he did not y it, is "No." use violence. Was it beo A short period of time cause she was: g elapsed before a similar a incident involving our city See Page 16 1 e |f Winston-Salem Chronicle 1 e | Founded 1974 | n | | " | Ndubisi Egemonye * J . President | e 1 1 o f 1 t | Ernest H. Pitt I 0 i Editor/ Publisher *1 : 1 I B John W. Templeton n I ft Executive Editor 1 r | Robert Eller Yvette McCullough | * | Sports Editor City Editor | | Elaine L Pitt ? r_ I Ottice Manager 1 iThe Chronicle welcomes news items. Deadline fori d 1 handwritten materials is Monday at 5 p.m. 1 t iTypewritten materials; Tuesday at 5 p.m. Letters toff I the Editor should be signed and should have the ! |. Iname, address and telephone number of the writer.!
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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June 23, 1979, edition 1
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