Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Nov. 10, 1994, edition 1 / Page 8
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OPINION/LETTERS Winston-Salem Chronicle Ernest H. Pitt, PubiiNhcr/Co fou/?kT Nihbisi Eclmo.nyl, Co Founder Richard L. Williams, Excculiw Editor Elaine Pitt, Director ot Commumt> Relation*? MlCHALL A. Pitt, Advertising Manager - MEL W HITE, Bu>inev> Manager 1,? ? ' ; Republicrats Get Us Again Forsyth County voters made a sharp right turn in Tues day's election and African American voters were left holding a bag of. air. " ? , ? 1 ' : / ' . ;v'; ^ While African American democrats continued their pat tern of voting along party lines, hordes of white democratic - voters cast their ballots for republicans. - . ? Even with meaningful support from whites for Nigel Alston in the at-large school board race, the republicans who make up only 37$ of registered voters imthe county, made a clean sweep in all the contested school board seats except in the predominately black district 1. The unofficial election results makes -three resounding stalemenK fnr Afrir-.m Amorirnn voters in Fnnylh nmniy One, were it not for districting, we would probably have no representation in Washington, Raleigh or Forsyth County. Two, it appears that whomever is tilling us to vote along party lines evidently. is out to lunch or refuses to team the lessons of past elections. Three, we need greater involvement within the republican party so that all of our votes cannot be discounted again as they were Tuesday, v We have said this before but it is worth repeating. African Americans represent 355c of the democratic vote. We have been so loyal for so long until the democrats take us for granted and thle republicans simply write us off. Instead, the republican party focuses on white conservative democrats (to* make up the margin they need to defeat the democratic party. That, in a nutshett7l*fwMrthey did here. ~ ^ |t is jlime for African Amen cans to disconnect their one party neon sign. As a numerically minority in voting power, the only way we can leverage the strength of our voting block is to keep both majoj* parties working hard for our vote. We should be the swing vote not conservative democrats or as we - have called them ^Republicrats." It may even be time for us to form our own political party. At least it deserves some active and serious discussion. ' ______ ^ , ? -r- ? ? . . . c; Postal Sew ice Lacking - . ' ? ' ' - ' , ' . V" ? Postal workers at North Station have been encountering what they claim to be racial discrimination by management. If their claims are true, there needs to be some redress from postal authorities ? However, if local postal management's response to them is what it has been to us, we must sympa thize with those postal workers at North Station. - ? We have placed several calls to local management, who arc yet to respond to a reporter** calls. In fact. Congressman Mel W att's office staff has been attempting to intervene in this . matter, but as of yet they have not been able to get local man agement to sit down and discuss these issues. Rightly or v wrongly, these postal employees deserve an opportunity to be heard and to be treated fairly, honestly and with a level of respect. The U.S. Postal Service is a quasi-governmental agency and inasmuch is required by law to be fair and non-discrimi natory. It may turn put that these workers' claim may in fact be false, however, that is not the point here. They deserve to be treated with respect. We encourage Postmaster Mark Mat ics to address this matter immediately and not to allow these complaints to fester, to grow and to continue killing the moral of people whose jobs are so important. All business owners know that disgruntled employees can be extremely disruptive to a business. In the case of the local post office, disgruntled employees potentially affect all of us . through poor mail service, which adversely affect postal rates. We will continue to press for local management to address these serious grievances. We also encourage Con gressman Watt's office to continue to press the local post office management to properly address these issues presented to them by -these workers. Furthermore, we will ask Con gressman Watt and the House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service to put in place an outside, independent investi gator to determine the facts in this matter. Did You Know ... That the nation's incarceration rate has more than doubled since 1984? In l(W4, 187 of every 100.0(X) Americans were in state arid federal prison. Today, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. 373 of every 1(X).000 Americans are incar cerated. But those who- believe that jailing people stops crime are in for a surprise. A new report from the National Crime Victimization Survey reveals that violent crime went up again ear ? continuing a seven-year upward trend Chief Justice Says Feds Help to Fight Discrimination To the Editor: Tuesday. October the 25th_i, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist ? of the U nited "States Supreme Court spoke to an audience at Wake Forest University. in celebration of 100 years of. Wake Forest's Lau School. ? While admittedly. 1 did not hear his entire remarks. 1 am none the leKs troubled b\ the tone and sub stance of those remarks the were reported in the Winston-Salem Jour nal on Wednesday. October the 26th. " " ~ X ' . Chi,et Justice Rehnquist spoke about his misgivings about the step by-step federal iz^Ct ioji by Congress, of state power and Responsibility. He traced the history of the- fed eral government's sci/er of state power back to the formation of the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate the. railroads after ttrcr~ ' Civil War. through the enactment of ? fedeial labor and ctvii-nghts laws>. The federal government would not have had to intervene in state v matters if the state themselves had been doing a better j?b_of fighting discrimination' against minorities, women, and the poor in matters of housing, education, the work place, and the criminal justice system. Regulation of the railroads was not the only function of the lnter state Commerce Commission whefr it was founded after the civilvwar. it purpose was also to stem the tide of state's riiihts to return slaves who ? C . V ? ? " v I had escaped to the north from being brought hack lo .southern states who ^~^ad long prospered from -the total inhumane treatment of a great black people. v Civil-nghtN and \ ytiog-i ights . Ia>\ were cnactOd in part' to do awa> with a Vvstem that allowed black people in large numbers vto be denied the right to vote. Blacks were required to pass a literacy test" to be able to Note or. thc\ could be ' grandfathered it the it: Mathers owned land which in' the da\ was unheard of. Whites almost always qualified, there by ensuring that, t he \ vyiuld always ha\c legislators who passed laws soIcIn ' tor 'the benefit of -one race ol pcoplf. ' ? Where else could oi should we . look for relict but the federal gov eminent*. c\'cn ili.moh m ? ~1m> vku>\ even it has proven to be sloss to act. - .. 1 --- ? ? Justice Rehnquist also alluded to the rise, in violent crime in our 7 ? . < ? urban areas and the role the federal government is being asked to play in our. regaining a semblance of quality of life. The federal govern-/ ment has to do more to control the flow of drugs and guns into this .... Good (^overage _ > ; ? i To the Editor: . The RJ. Reynolds High School administration, coaching staff, foot ball players/ (J. V. & Varsity) and myself appreciate your efforts in covering J.V. Football this year. 1 feel Jerome Richard has done a *? f " ' * ' ? '* ? ' ? ' * still heavily armed and dangerous. 1 am appealing to you most respectfully to use your good offices to once again create public aware-, ness relative to the on-going Liber ian conflict. It is most important that the black community in this area and across these United States, especially the Congressional Black Caucus, become more involved with CHRONICLE MAI LB AG Our Readers Speak Out countrs in general, and into our neighborhoods in particular? ^ It is a sad commentary hut true, that crack and guns are more preva lent in our communities that even a ftbran card. We as a society cannot afford to go back to state's rights ill we are to ever see the day when we are no longer held virtual hostages tn our town communities. Blacks, women, and workirfg class people should always have the possibility of the federal govern-1 ment 's intervention as a last remedy against "the ineffectiveness of the state's to deal w ith problems within their ownlbbrders. The.Rodney King case in California is a prirhe longer be the largest minority in the eountrv and states wjll be less toler * t ? ? 9 * ant of our needs because while the number of people silting down to the tahle jwill-gjow. the pie w ili remain the same size. ? We have. to vote, and take a more aggressive posture in the polit ical process where states will take us serious about ourf desire to improve our qualit> of lite. To know that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States would suggest otherwise to a group of law vers, who incidentally a large number of our people will almost certain I \ come in contact \snh. scares me to death, and is v should you too. - . . : I don't have all the answers to .ill ills hut 1 linnht v?ry serioush it man) were to be found 'in Rehnquist's remarks. Steven A. Flovd super job and look forward to work ing with him in the future. James Alexander I ^ Head J.V. Football Coach Head Wrestling Coach ? ? Civil Crisis : < * iv ? ?? To the Eidtor: Please allow me to the opportu nitv to once again resurrlect the Liberian civil crisis, Which^seems to be completely removed from the radar screen of the media. For five years now. a vicious, and bloody civil w^r has continued in the West African Republic of Liberia, the oldest independent nation in Africa. This war, accord ing to conservative estimates has caused the deaths of over 250.000 Liberians. There exists a very close histor icaT and cultural relktionslrtxr" between Liberia and the United States, a relationship that seems to be of no significance to many Americans, especially so when they continue to remain silent as they watch Liberians die from bullets and disease from day to day. Malnutrition, disease, hunger, poor sanitary conditions, lack of access to health facilities, as well as no communications links -in may areas, have exacerbated the situa tion. On grounds in Monrovia, the capital, there exist a large contin gcnt of African peace keeping troops as well as the' LinitediNations Observer Mission. But despite their presence, the warring factions are the Liberian situation. ' , t Please allow me to publicly acknowledge and say a special thank's to a few African-Americans ? within this community who have always don^ whatever they could . u/ifhin thfjr pnupr tnr 1 ihrria anH ? Liberians in particula. They are: Maya Angelou. Alderman Nelson Malloy, Larry Womble, Virginia Newell, Delorjs Smith, Tim Jackson and Diane George, to name a few. v Mathu H. Gibson Chairman, i Board of Directors ULAA Support Yourself . . ? ? i To Ihe Editor: As a' independent cab driver I am deeply concerned about the lack of support from the black commu nity for it's only minority-owned! cab company. The old Negro saying that blacks deliberately boycott their own business should be dismissed. ? Remember your support i$ our suc cess. . Ali Shabazz Gold Eagle Taxi Gab Service About letters . . . Tho Chronu le welcomes letters as bell as guest column. from lis reader s Letters should be ai totii ire as possible and should be typed or legibly \. printed The letter musi also include the name. ? address and telephone number of the writer to ensure the auihenin ity of the letter Coiumns^must \ follow the same guidelines ^nd will be published if the v are ot interest to our ?><?? rr.il ^ tm Chronnle will not publish any letters or columns ' thai arrive without this information Hr reserve the right to edit Letters and columns for brevity and ilarirv Submit letters and columns to Chronicle Mailbag. f 0 box lhJt> "Preventing Crime ? arid Dreams Deferred" ' li is otten said lhat our com ill a n 1 1 > in lacing its worse crisis since sla\er\ . Our streets arc less sale, our children are be mi' k illed in record r numbers, and da\ alter da\; in our neighborhoods, churches, and schools, we've seen the tragedies born of frustration, and loo many of what Langston Hughes called "dreams deferred." ; But. in our struggles against crime and violence, we've also seen _ the unsung heroes who line our streets ? parents working hard to teach their children right from wrong, community organizations reaching out to steer the next gener ation along the right track, and young people who. with a little, encouragement, and a lot of courage, are reaching up towards , the stars ? and'be\ond. I'm talking about eighteen year-olds like Lawanda Jones of Texas. Lawanda grew' up i?f the West Dallas Housing Projects with the burdens'Y*! poverts. illness and drag addiction tearing at the fabric of her family. And when I h e pressu r c s at home became too much to bear, she decided to drop out of high school just two months sh> of graduation. But her support system a school counselor and a mentor at ' her Boys and Ciirls Club wouldn't hear of it. fhc\ became a second . fainih . helping her overcome obsta cles and draw upon her personal strengths to build a better life. Todas Lawanda is a freshman at Hast Texas State University., with a lull scholarship in English, anibi tions to pursue a Law degree and an unlimited future. at her fingertips SuvCCss stones likerLawanda's ,mv tvine w.'?ti. i. ??\ei the. nun ;?v At the Department of Health and Human Services, wc. just announced a S4.25 million grant to 16 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to establish violence research and prevention programs on their campuses. This moans that we can better lap into the strength within our black colleges and universities, some of our community's most respected and cherished institu tions.and use that power today to fuel the solutions of tomorrow. It means that business majors will help families develop budgets, and stick to them; sociology majors will work with social services agen cies to help match residents with job training programs: and education majors will work with children to help them finish their homework and succeed in school. And it means that students and faculty members concerned with the violence they see going on right out side their gates will now be able to lock arms with the government and community organizations to heal our wounds and save our children's lives lr'v th^ saree-way with- the recently passed Crime Act. We know that there's no single solution to the wave of senseless violence that has engulfed our coun try. It's a delicate balance and this .. bill strikes it. just right. It includes more police officers, additional prisons, tough new penal- ? ties for violent crimes, and a ban on . mifitan style semi-automatic ?is>ault weapons. However these measures, by themselves, arc not enough; we also need to break the vicious cycle of crime and \ iolencc before it starts. I hat's vsh\ the Crime Act * hk ludcs a major investment in pre vention w ith support tor: Community centers to provide young people safe heavens in their neighborhoods where they can go for healthy activities and help with their problems after school, on the weekends and during the summer. The Violence Against Women toward and shoulders to stand on. 1 believe that the Crime Bill andvjhe grant to our HBCUs repre sent substantial, steps forward, but they are not cure -allsr The fact is, government alone will never solve our crime problem. Crime prevention must be a ISSUES & ANSWERS By WALTER BROADNAX Act. which includes a national hotline, rape prevention education. ? . and support for safe places that help battered women and children get out of harm'* way. Drug Courts that use the lever age of the .court system to make sure that nonviolent drug offenders ? receive treatment, get off drugs, and stay olit of trouble. / Community youth academics "That ~ give dropouts and troubled youths second chances at an education and a future. And flexible funding for your community so that you can choose the best crime prevention strategies to meet your localneeds. Opponents of the Crime Bill called the prevention programs "pork." but 1 call them "smart." Smart because prevention is about making an investment in our chil dren. It's about reweaving the fab ric of our communities in troubled areas instead of giving up. And it's about providing overs generation of young people vMth goals to aspire matter of personal responsibility. * Because it's going to take every sin gle one of us especially parents, teachers, clergy, businesses, the media, community leaders, health care professionals and institutions, both public and private joining hands to take back our streets; and child by child, adult by adult, and block by block, turn our communi ties around. At his recent address before the joint session of Congress, Nelson Mandela told our nation: "The suf fering of one shall. ...inflict pain upon the other. ./.we are human, together or nothing at all." ' We must strive to be human together, strive to break the grip of violence, and in Langston Hughes' words, become "free within our-, selves." That's critical for our country. 1 And it's only going to happen when we cra<!R down on crime and lift up the next generation. Lifting them up is much tougher than writing them off, but it's far more produc tive. Just ask Lawanda Jones. (Walter Broadnax is Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services )
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Nov. 10, 1994, edition 1
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