NATIONAL
Tuskegee Airmen Chapter Named
for Former Tinker, FA A Employee
?
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ?
A new chapter of the Tuskegee Air
men Inc. named itself after Maj.
Tharles B. Hall, a World War II
fighter pilot who was the first black
man awarded the Distinguished Fly
ing Cross.
The new chapter of the orga
nization dedicated to the motivation
and inspiration of young people was
. inaugurated Friday bearing the
name of Hall, who died in 1 97 1 .
His widow, Delois, was hon
ored at the inaugural activities at
Tinker Air Force Base. She called
the organization an important part
. of black history.
* "My husband always said
; you have to provide a frame of ref
: erence to achieve anything There is
no better way to do that than for our
young people to know their his
tory," she said.
. . People need to know that
we have earned the right to be citi
zens of this country'- We worked,
fought and died for this country.' '
Hall, a former employee at
Tinker and the Federal Aviation
Administration, was a member of
the 99th Fighter Squadron, the first
black fighter pilots.
The squadron trained at
Tuskegee Army Airfield in
Alabama during the war.
Hall, who moved to Okla
homa in 1949 and went to work at
Tinker, was the first black man
awarded the Distinguished Flying
shoot down an enemy plane.
The training program at
Tuskegee Airfield was often
referred to as the 'Tuskegee Experi
ment" or "Noble Experiment" and
started as a civilian pilot training
program for blacks in 1939.
Two years later, the Army
Air Corps activated the 99th Fighter
Squadron.
That same year. Hall left
school at Eastern Illinois University
in Charleston, 111., and was accepted
as an aviation cadet at Tuskegee.
He flew 108 combat missions
before being sent back to the United
States to sell war bonds. After the
bond tour, Hall went back to
Tuskegee to train fighter pilots.
Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks , left , is greeted by singer Odetta on Wednesday evening , Dec. 1, in New
York. The reception, sponsored by the College of New Rochelle, honored Parks on her 80th birthday.
Housing Authority Supervisor Suspended for Noose Threat
MOBILE, Ala. <AP) ? The
Mobile County Personnel Board
suspended a housing supervisor for
tying a hangman's noose and threat*
ening to use it on a black employee.
The board voted along racial
lines 3-2 to suspend Steven Alexan
der for 30 days without pay and
require him to apologize to
Edelman
Pleads ?
For Black
Role
Models^ ,
Marian Wright Edelman
ALBANY, NY. ( AP ) ? Vio
lence, drugs, poverty and abandon
ment by their families have com
bined to create "the worst crisis
since slavery" for young blacks in
America, civil rights activist Marian
Wright Edelman told a gathering of
black leaders.
Edelman spoke Friday at the
start of a three-day meeting on the
plight of black youth in New York,
sponsored by black members of the
state Legislature. Conference-goers
presented a list of proposals on
issues such as violence, homeless
ness, education and employment to
New York Gov. Mario Cuomo on
Monday.
Edelman, president of the
Washington-based ' Children's
Defense Fund, said black youths are
despairing in the face of problems
such as drugs, crime, poverty and
broken families.
"I have never in my lifetime
seen the hopelessness that I have
seen in our young people," she said.
"The role model our children need
is not Michael Jordan, it's the per
son who lives two blocks away and
can give them a chance."
Adults must get involved in
their own families and community
organizations, either by volunteer
ing or contributing financially, she
said. "If you're not helping, you're
part of the problem," she said.
Edelman also encouraged
people to hold lawmakers account
able for their track record on aid to
children and families. "It's not what
they say but what's in the budget
that matters," she said.
Organizers said about 1,000
people attended the meeting. The
Rev. Benjamin Chavis, executive
director of the NAACP, spoke Sun
day.
mechanic Robert Sanders. Sanders
said Alexander tied a noose and told
him to "put your head in it and I got
the exact tree picked out to put you
on. . . /'
Sanders said he was not satis
fied with the suspension.
"It's nothing but a slap on the
wrist. If a black employee had made
that statement, I guarantee you he
would be out the door," Sanders
said after Thursday's vote.
Alexander said in a statement
his actions were not intended to be
racist and were done in a joking
manner. Pressed about an apology,
Alexander said, "Until such time
that I can talk to my attorney, I'm
not going to say anything."
Two black members of the per
sonnel board wanted Alexander
fired, but the three white members
said suspension was adequate.
"The vote this board took
clearly shows the insensitivity
regarding such matters/' said board
member Willie Nobles, who is
black. Board member Eddie Rehm,
who is white, shouted back, "We've
got to get off this black-white thing
and get back to right ancffcrong."
Rehm- said Alexander's behav
ior was unacceptable. Suspension
was recommended by Personnel
Board Executive Director Shannon
Weekly, who investigated a Nov. 3
complaint by Sanders.
"The fact that no malice or
vengeance was intended. I felt a
suspension was adequate. Mr.
Alexander made the comments jok
ingly," she told the board.
Alexander is a son of former
Mobile Housing Board Executive
Director James Alexander.
When it comes to buying a house, everyone has
reservations about the financial responsibilities. But
Wiibert Lee, executive director of Oakland Neighbor
hood Housing Services, Is changing all that. By building
and refurbishing homes, the ONHS has placed 59 families "
in homes they never dreamed they could afford. Eighteen
houses are currently under construction. Half of the ONHS
homes are bought by single parents who are generally the
most hesitant about home ownership. Not only does the ONHS
build housing, but they hold home buyer workshops to educate
those who have their doubts. Wllbert's goal is to empower
people and not let them fall victim to circumstance. For most
people, buying a home Is fulfilling the American Dream.
"Home ownership
builds stability in the family,
the neighborhood and
the community."
Wiibert Lee
Oakland, CA
Thank you Wllbert Lee for your dedicated efforts
toward providing quality housing to the Oakland
community. A donation of $5,000 has been
awarded to ONHS in recognition
of your efforts.
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