PageA4 Winston-Salem Chronicle Thursday, Februaty 4.1988
■I? V:.
Winston-Salem Chronicle
Founflad 1S74
ERNEST H. Pin
Pud 'sher
MICHAEL A. Pin
Ass s‘ant 10 tre Publisher
ANGELA WRIGHT
Ma^agi-fl Ector
JULIE PERRY
Aavenis-'“s Ma'’ager
NDUBISI EGEMONYE
Co Fojncer
ELAINE L Pin
Office Manager
YVONNE H.B. TRUHON i
P^od-ct cn Manager
Tell us more, Jimmy
DON'T stop now, Jimmy. Tell us more.
Tell us that you don't know why the people at CBS
fired you when they feel the same way that you do about
Afro-Americans.
Tell us that you have actually heard many other
whites make uglier, dumber statements than you did
about Afro-Americans.
Tell us that the terrible situation that Afro-Americans
face is the result of a deliberate plan by powerful whites
to keep Afro-Americans in a second-class position in
America (and elsewhere).
Keep talking, Jimmy.
Tell us that, just like other whites, you got your ideas
about Afro-Americans from your parents, who got them
from their parents, who learned them from their parents
and (sorry to tell you this) but you have taught your
ideas to your kids, who are teaching them to their kids,
who will teach them to their kids ... and on and on and
on.
Tell us that in spite of the remarks of former Agricul
ture Secretary Earl Butz ("one of blacks' main drives is
for sex"), A1 Campanis (blacks lack intellectual "essen
tials"), Howard Cosell (see that "monkey" run) and
Jimmy the Greek ("blacks are bred to be athletes") noth
ing has improved for Afro-Americans and nothing prob
ably will.
Tell us that whites actually fear the prospect of com
peting against the very Afro-Americans whom they label
as inferior.
Tell us that what you actually meant was that Afro-
Americans want too much.
The next thing you know, they'll be wanting to own a
team. Now that’s really going loo far.
Tell us that Afro-Americans sure are "nice" people
(although a little strange) because no matter what ugly
remarks whites make about Afro-Americans, there is
always an Afro-American "leader" who will forgive
them (Bill Cosby, Jesse Jackson).
We're still listening, Jimmy.
Tell us that the football players' strike did not pit the
owners against the players.
It really pitted white owners (who make most of the
money) against Afro-American players who bring in the
crowds. (You know who won, don’t you)?
Tell us that we should praise the Greek instead of
burying him because he gave us insight into why Afro-
Americans don't get that nice job that they apply for.
Now we know how whites really feel about us.
And tell us, Jimmy, that the next time you make a
derogatory statement about Afro-Americans, you'll make
it in the back room behind closed doors where only your
friends can hear you — just like the other whites do.
- Dr. Charles W. Faulkner
HEMASONCeAMIMR
BUT NOW, NO POLL,
mm, NO
On justice for Tawana Brawley
NEW YORK - Tawana Brawley
was a 15-year-old honor student She
was on her high school cheerleading
squad and even ran track Today she
can barely walk and has become a
recluse.
What happened to change
Tawana so completely began last
Nov. 24 in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. On
that day she was abducted by a white
man with a badge, a man she identi
fied as a policeman. He took her to a
wooded area where, for the next four
days, tliis young girl was repeatedly
raped by her abductor and five other
white men. As she said, "He showed
me his badge and told me to shut up
.... I was hit in the head. When I
woke up, tliere were lots of men
around."
On Nov. 28, Tawana was found
cowering behind an apartment build
ing, encased in a plastic bag. Her hair
and body were covered with feces,
and the worlds "nigger" and "KKK"
had been scrawled on her body.
Since then, Tawana has spoken
very litde. She lies huddled under a
blanket at her home, cuddling a doll.
She is getting the necessary profes
sional help. But, equally important,
she has been surrounded by the heal
ing and strengthening love of her
family and her community. As she
; says, "It's getting better."
Her lawyer, activist attorney
Alton Maddox, has called for the
appointment of a special prosecutor
to investigate and prosecute the case.
It was he, alaig with attorney C. Ver
non Mason, whose valiant insistence
police who are under suspicion.
When local white police officers
entered Tawana's hospital room to
question her shortly after the attack.
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
By BENJAMIN CHAVIS JR.
A
resulted in the appointment of a spe
cial prosecutor in the Howard Beach
trial. The wisdom of that demand was
borne out by the recent 10- to 30-year
sentence handed dpwn against the
first defendant sentenced in that case.
It is also bwne out by the escalating
incidence of racially motivated vio
lence which has become pervasive
throughout New York state.
It has become clear, with the rise
of racially motivated violence
throughout the nation, that a perma
nent special prosecutor should be
appointed to prosecute these cases in
every state, not just New York. Local
district attorneys are simply too influ
enced by the attitudes and biases of
the local police, their neighbors and
their communities to rise above them
when their areas become polarized by
racial turmoil.
It should also be remembered
that in Tawana's case, it is the local
they were forced to leave. Said
Tawana's mother: "She shook with
fear.... She was terrified. I had to ask
them to leave. It was too much for
Thwana to handle."
Recently District Attorney
Vfilliam Grady , whose office was
handling the grand jury investigation
(rf Tawana's case, abruptly withdrew,
admitting, to "a potential conflict of
interest." He said: "... Evidence was
developed that could create an
appearance of impropriety on the part
of the district attorney."
The demand for a permanent
state special prosecutor is based on
the same rationale as was used by
activists during the civil rights move
ment of the '.60s when they called for
Justice Department investigators. It
was clear even then that local law
enforcement officials who lived in
Please see page A5
Black History Month is here again
NEW YORK - It's Black His
tory Month time once again. My
television theme for the entire
month of February is called: "The
Ethnic History of Black America:
Questions and Answers." Looking
at us freun the vantage point of an
ethnic group in a culturally plural
istic society, rather than a "minori
ty" in a white-majority sea, makes
Afro-Americans an economic and
political powerhouse — like all
other ethnic groups.
My Black History Month spe
cial issue of Tony Brown's Journal
magazine will also carry the same
theme and information. Of course,
free issues are available (first-
come-first-served until they run
out), as usual, to readers of this col
umn. You can receive 200 per box
for the cost of shipping ($20 for
each box). You can order at 1501
Broadway, Suite 2014, New York,
N.Y. 1(X)36. Send check or money
ordCT.
On television with a live audi
ence (and our audiences are "live" -
- and in living color) we will use
experts on various aspects of our
past to teach and quiz (if you want
to join our live television audience,
write us). That's right, we're going
(3) Who chopped down the
cherry tree and could not tell a lie?
If you only got No. 3 correct,
you heed to watch our series on
public television during February
and read our Black Histwy Month
TONY BROWN
Syndicated Columnist
CHRONICLE CAMERA
to conduct a four-part quiz on
national television to see how much
of the country knows about the
impact of the Afro-American expe
rience on America and the world.
Let's see where you are. Try
these:
(1) Why did hundreds of thou
sands of Afro-Americans migrate
from the South td the North
between 1915 and 1940?
(2) Name America's five Afro-
American presidents.
special
nal magazine.
The first of four topics dealt
with on national television and in
the magazine is "Field to FactCHy."
It covers the exodus of Afro-Amer
icans from the rural South to the
urban North between 1915 and
1940 and tours the Smithsonian
Institution’s National Museum of
American History's exhibitiem. You
Please see page A5
Yet another
sports dust-up
TO BE EQUAL
By JOHN E. JACO^
NEW YORK - Last spring it
was A1 Campanis of the Los Angeles
Dodgers who caught flak for remarks
that indicated that Afro-Americans
don’t have the mental equipment for
frait-office management jobs.
Now, it's "Jimmy the Greek,"
who was dumped from his CBS
Sports job as commentator for a
remarkable interview he gave that
indicated that Afro-Americans were
taking over professional sports and
head coach jobs were all whites hat
left.
So pro sports once again haw
the spotlight shining on them, witi,
fresh attention to stereotyped myths
about alleged black biological superi-
ority in athletics and alleged short
comings in other attribute.
.It's a rerun of last year's story,
but wi± a new twist. To be fair to
both Campanis and "Jimmy the
Greek," though, both men are
advanced in years. They grew up at a
lime when such racist and ethnic
stereotypes were like mother's milk
to most American.^
And for most of their lives,
Americans were identified by their
ethnic background and carried the
baggage of racial and ethnic stereo
types. "Jimmy the Greek's" nickname
is an example. People were seen as
members of an ethnic group, not as
individuals. There was a lot of lip
service to brotherhood and equality,
but the reality, as reflected in the laws
of the land and the way people
thought, was very different.
Poor "Jimmy the Greek" was
even under the impression that the
remarks he made about black athletes
were complimentary! That shows you
how deqrly embetkied such attitudes
are.
So it's easy to make fiin of the
"Jimmy the Greeks" and the A1 Cam-
panises. And it's easy to make them
scapegoats - fire them from their
jobs ami deny respcosibility fw whai
thq' said.
But in fact, their statements
aren't just boners committed by ^ane
old jocks who are out (tf touch with
today's thinking.
Rather, they reflect the wld
those men move in - a world in
which Afro-Americans are indeed
considered to have natural athletic
prowess without the smarts to handle
the "thinking jobs" - such as manag
er, general manager and bead coach.
Irtmically, as "Jimmy the Greek"
was committing his gaffe, Doug
Williams was leading the Washington
Redskins to a playoff viettwy - the
first black quarterback to bring a
team to the Super Bowl - and win it
Williams was hammering anoth
er nail into the myth that says black
athletes can run faster and jump high
er, but they can’t think and they can't
lead. (Quarterbacks are paid to think
and to lead — and Williams has
showed himself a master at both.
It's important to counter racist
statements, but anyone who thinks
that's enough is fooling himself, for
the real problem isn't what "Jimmy
the Greek" and others like him say,
but what the people who ccmtrol pro
sports and the m^a think -- and bow
theyocr.
All those pro football owners
and general managers who con
demned "Jimmy the Greek" haven't
Please see page AS
Carver High students discuss discipline problems
A recent study conducted
by the Fullerton, Calif., police
department and the California
department of education com
pared the leading school disci
pline problems of the 1980s
with the problems that existed
in the 1940s. The study listed
the leading discipline problems of
the 1940s as: talking, chewing
gum, making noise, running in the
hallways, getting out of place in
line, wearing improper clothing
and not putting paper in wastebas
kets. The leading discipline prob
lems of the 1980s were: drug
abuse, alcohol abuse, pregnancy,
suicide, rape, robbery, assault, bur
glary, arson and bombings.
Chronicle Camera decided to
check with local students to get
their views on thi§ issue as it per
tains to their immediate environ
ment We spoke with teacher Hal
‘Teachers
don't have
enough power
to take care of
drug-related
discipline
problems".
Jill Doss’\i
12th Grade
"There is a lot
of prejudice
towards school
mates that stu
dents learn at
home from
their parents."
TTacI Brewer
10th Grade
Tise’s journalism class. The stu
dents cited several discipline prob
lems such as guns, knives and
drugs in school. Several students
felt that there was a general lack of
respect on the part of students for
their teachers and their peers. One
student noted that students were
"Students have
no discipline
and no respect
for their elders,
their peers and
for school
property."
Jenriain Sumler
11th Grade
not afraid of teachers and did not
respect authority. Teachers and par
ents were not held blameless.
Some students commented that
parents tended to close their eyes
to discipline problems and that
some teachers were too easy on
disrupave students. Another stu-
Kids don't
hdvp the iinht
atliludi* dboul
schools and
teachers. They
give teartiors ,i
hard limr "
Itcinona Cor
nelius
12th Graded
dent commented that teachers
lacked suftlcient authority to deal
with problematic students. Some
students cited problems of racial
intolerance, Nazism, alienation and
a general attitude of rebellion, hi
one instance, too much emphasis
on spoAs was also cited.
"Drugs hv,-
school ara a
problem
becauso duiino
open lunch
stiidenls can
do anything
they want to."
Sam Puryear
121h Grade