Page A4-The Chronicle, Thursday, September 19, 1985
Winston-Salem Chronicle
hounded 1974
ERNEST H. PITT, Publisher
NDUBISI EGEMONYE ALLEN JOHNSON
Co-Founder Executive Editor
ROtIN ADAMS
ELAINE L. PITT Assistant Editor MICHAEL Pin
Of/ice Manager Circulation Manager
OUR OPINION
Williams-Henry Burke Halrston Womble
The aldermanic races
THERE HAVE BEEN few dull moments in the Northeast
Ward aldermanic race, where two strong-willed,
hard-working candidates have pounded the pavement, and
sometimes one another, since early summer.
Vivian H. Burke, the seasoned incumbent, and Victor
H. Johnson, the high-spirited challenger, give voters an
antvalino if U^a '?- 1?
u|/pvu>iiigt ti uii i iwuu | ciiuict > l vvU 111U1V 1UUCU5 wno DOin
clearly have the credentials to make a difference in City
Hall.
Johnson is a worthy opponent who isn't afraid to lock
horns with an entrenched incumbent. He says he can provide
"innovative, creative leadership," and he probably
can. He has focussed his campaign on employment,
especially among youth, the alarming crime rate in the
black community, and what he feels should be a much
greater commitment by the city to provide better housing.
Johnson also proposes an "economic summit conference"
involving city and county leaders to more effectively chart
the futures of both Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.
Johnson has worked tirelessly with black youth in the city,
quietly making inroads in such endeavors as voterregistration
drives.
Mrs. Burke likes to point to her track record as an alderman,
and if we were her, we would, too. She is chairman
of the board's Public Safety Committee, and she has a
reputation for looking out for her constituents.
The aldermen have made marked progress in the areas
of housing, jobs, public safety and human relations, says
Mrs. Burke, though much work remains to be done.
For her part, she introduced the city's Minority/Women
Business Enterprise plan as a resolution on the board, in*
i i ^ i ^ - -
uuuulcu me cuy s amrmative action plan and has
spearheaded a number of physical improvements in her
ward, both in housing and in recreational facilities.
Mrs. Burke also has prodded the city manager to investigate
the police department's handling of the Darryl
Hunt case, and prodded him again when she felt he might
be dragging his feet.
More importantly, Mrs. Burke seems to firmly understand
the concept of uwe" on the Board of Aldermen when
discussing the city's progress and problems.
She knows the inner workings of the board and the give
and take required to get something done.
Bearing Mrs. Burke's experience in mind, we support
her for alderman in a race in which it is unfortunate that
there must be a loser. Johnson would be a clear choice in
other races during other years.
Mrs. Burke, however, has earned the right to finish
many of the projects she and the current aldermen have
kaoiin
V/WJUJ1.
Elsewhere, the tussle for the North Ward seat that had
been incumbent Larry Little's for the asking is like a
driver's license exam line at lunchtime.
Since Little chose law school over another aldermanic
term, would-be successors have surfaced from all over the
place. Some are fairly frivolous in their bids ? or ought to
be ~ while others are serious candidates with well-thoughtout
programs for action.
In the Democratic primary, we support Patrick
Hairston because of his long-standing commitment to
positive change in the community and his knowledge ol
how the aldermen work.
Hairston has been an unofficial alderman for years
already as NAACP president; he merely has not had the
official title or a vote.
Among the other Democrats in the North Ward,
Ghuneem Furqan impresses us with his refreshing ideas
and sometimes shocking candor. The cornerstone of his
ideas is self-help for blacks, and we like that. We are encouraged
that he has sought political office, and we hope
i : 11 - - ? -
nc win run again in tne ruture.
Eugene Bailey has encouraging idealism but also seems
politically naive. Bailey, who characterizes himself as a
"sleeping giant" in the North Ward, needs more seasoning
before he wakes.
In the Republican primary, we endorse Diana WilliamsHenry.
A self-proclaimed "liberal Republican/'
Williams-Henry says she "can't be controlled by any one
group" and is intelligent, articulate and well-versed on th<
issues.
Among the planks in her platform are "opportunity
Please see page A10
Farrakhan's
NEW YORK -- Minister Louis
Farrakhan told 10,000 people at a
Washington, D.C., rally recently
that two Jewish leaders had appeared
on my TV program and
said something had to be done
about him.
4 4What is it that you intend to
do?" Farrakhan is reported to
have asked.
His challenge to Jewish leaders
and their problems with him need
to be put in context, or you might
say, out of the context of the
black community's agenda.
Farrakhan's views and Farrakhan's
relationship with Jews or
any other prominent black
person's views - cannot be allowed
to dominate the black community's
agenda.
ine searcn for a cure to the
economic and social ills of
African-Americans must instead
be of primary importance. But
the strategy of the major Jewish
organizations seems to be to get
black people to make Farrakhan
a priority.
How would blacks handle Farrakhan
- even if they repudiated
him? Stop him: from speaking,
keep him out of the Washington
Post (a white-owned paper that
gives enormous coverage to his
activities) or off of the TV networks
that find him a convenient
ratings object?
If White America's establishment
can't stop Farrakhan and
continues to report his every
word, what do the Jewish leaders
Vivian Burke
To The Editor:
As a community leader, a
i 1 -c ? -
icuicu icatncr 01 years ana a
citizen of Winston-Salem, I have
had the privilege of witnessing
and reading of the acts of many
city aldermen, both white and
black.
Alderman Vivian Burke of the
Northeast Ward has accomplishl
ed more to help all of WinstonSalem
than any other alderman
has done in 10 to 12 years.
: Do you know why? Because
i she does not "pussyfoot"
( around. She is not afraid to speak
out for what is right. If we had
just 50 more people in certain
positions in this city willing to
speak up and not afraid to do it,
r we would have a fine city and be
proud to say we believe in the
best for everyone.
; I am not in Mrs. Burke's ward,
? but I am asking every person in
the Northeast Ward to let us have
her back again, and again, as
alderman.
' Alderman Burke's concern for
better housing runs deep.
She has organized the Nor?
theast Neighborhood Council,
making the area eligible for Communitv
Develnnment fnnH?
She also has worked closcly
1 with the Housing Authority staff
to modernize the Piedmont Park
Housing complex.
Alderman Burke had worked
i diligently to open up opportunities
for minorities and
?
women and to get an affirmative
* action program that will set a
good example for the private secr
tor.
She introduced the resolution
( "to
appeal to Bla
TONY BROWN
syndicated Columnist
think blacks can do?
I explained to the two Jewish
leaders on my program that Farrakhan's
primary attraction to
Byj^ j|
Farrakhan at Winston-Salem St
those he draws to his speeches is
based neither on his version of
Islam nor his views of Jews,
Israel or the Middle East, but on
his emphasis on self-help and
economic development.
A week later, a lengthy article
in the Washington Post reported
on interviews with a variety of
n/\?% \4 ?r II "
iiv/ii-iTiuauiu supporters ai rarrakhan's
rally and found that
their interests were primarily in
the area of economic developNo
pussyfin
CHRONICLE MAIIBAC
Our Readers Speak Out
for the Minority Business Enterprise/Women's
Business Enterprise
program, adopted by the
Board of Aldermen in July 1983.
Alderman Burke has furthered
her education in areas to better
protect the interests of our youth.
Starting as a teacher, she saw that
our youth needed guidance for
I SIR.. WHAT PD pot! I
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IPfiE
l NO...IM, .. f
TALKING ABOUT
CQMgfVRABlr f S*I '
^ WORTH,
the world that they would encounter
after high school. Alderman
Burke now serves as a middle
school guidance counselor.
Even after school hours, for no
pay, Burke has worked for the
best for our youth.
Among Mrs. Burke's other accomplishments:
The installation of new
physical fitness and playground
equipment at Bowerv Boulevard
Park.
Tennis courts and lights in the
Carver School area.
The acquisition of $640,000 to
purchase the land and to erect a
1 THE OTHER HAND.
'.DOCTOR Die TILL ME J
STAY OUT OF TUE.SUN j
iQ
o
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ck America
**
mcnt.
Farrakhan is not leading any
broad-based anti-Jewish movement
among blacks. The AfricanAmerican
community is not antiSemitic
and does not embrace
philosophies of hatred. Blacks
are, by nature and culture,
jgRr
, Tl
Ik I
ate (photo by Art Blue).
tolerant.
Blacks are even tolerant of
white racte1r!,h f:F&v oth# gftftips
in Americp
loyal to a country that treated
them as America has treated
African-Americans. This is a
lesson that many Jewish leaders
obviously have not learned.
And they make a mistake in
goading their black friends.
Twelve major national Jewish
Please see page A5
j ting around
i
recreation facility on Carver
School Road.
The development and renaming
of Northampton Park in
honor of the Rev. William R.
Crawford.
The renaming of East Winston
Park as Rupert W. Bell Park.
This park also received a brand
JQ J?1 I ABOUT
new recreation center and parking
lot.
Please vote Sept. 24 for Mrs.
Burke.
Orressa H. Hauscr
Wins ton-Salem
Thanks From The Y
To The Editor
This is just a note to express
our sincere thanks and appreciation
for your comments made in
Please see page A12
CHILDWATCH
Teen pregnancy
costs all of us
X
By MARIAN W. EDELMAN
Syndicated Columnist
WASHINGTON - Teen
pregnancy costs all of us ?
sometimes in ways we don't
realize.
First, there are the known
social costs. Children who have
children often end up dropping
out of school, only to face
joblessness and a higher risk of
living in poverty. In the black
community in particular, we
I?Bpw that high rases of teen
parenthood are damaging the
social fabric.
_ But, whether we realize it or
not, teen pregnancy costs all of us
in another way: in our pocketbooks.
The families and friends
of teen parents know this because
they often must pay many of the
medical and other costs of tooearly
parenthood. The rest of us
pay in a less direct way - through
tax dollars that support the
government-provided services
that young people often need if
they have children before they are
ready.
There are no formal estimates
of the national cost of teen
pregnancy, but it clearly amounts
to billions of dollars each year.
Take the state of Illinois, for
example. A new, first-of-its-kind
? study prepared at Northwestern
University has found that "teen-.
k age pregnancy and its associated
% problems cost the citizens of Illinois
an estimated $853 million
annually." Each Illinois
household is paying an average of
$202 a year through higher taxes,
individual cost outlays and higher
costs passed along by business.
~ ?Thfi* money pays for such
teen-pregnancy items as
deliveries, newborn care and
medical attention for infants, and
income supports, Medicaid and
day-care services for teen
mothers. The report does not
even attempt to tally the longerterm
social costs, such as
unemployment and poverty.
Two sectors in Illinois are bearing
a disproportionately heavy
cost burden, according to the
report. The first is the state's
poor families. Although the
government bears some of the
costs of teen pregnancy among
impoverished Americans, poor
families must somehow scrape up
the money to pay for what
government does not provide ?
for example, virtually all of the
$151 million spent supporting
children who are not covered by
income-support programs.
Second, Illinois businesses pay
SI54 million a year, primarily
through the portion of their state
and federal taxes whirh
? - -- ? ? 5VVU
toward the programs that provide
teen pregnancy-related services.
The estimate would be even
higher, the study points out, if
other costs, such as absenteeism
and employee training, were added.
Despite the huge price they're
paying because of teen pregnancy,
the report notes, Illinois
citizens are not spending very
much to prevent it: The state
allocates only $22 million a year
to family-life education and
family-planning programs.
ii is nmc mc siaie 01 Illinois ?
and the rest of this nation ? stopped
being penny-wise and poundfoolish
about teen pregnancy,
i Our challenge is to persuade our
fellow citizens that, if we all inf
vest time, energy and dollars in
trying to solve the teen-pregnancy
problem today, we all can save
many more dollars in the future.
Our pocket books would be better
off - and so would our society.
(
Marian Wright Edelmart is presi1
dent of the Children's Defense
Fund, a national voice for youth.