Newspapers / The Charlotte post. / Sept. 11, 1975, edition 1 / Page 2
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cmm c conuncmj Roots Of Black Inequality economics of Racism, U S.A. At the present historical moment the vast majority of the Black citi zenry of these United States, as a matter of fact, the vast majority of all citizens of color in the U.S.A.* are living through one of the most diffi cult periods of their livds. Inflation and unemployment are taking tremendous toll of a standard of living that has never been other than critical for them. Ghetto dwel lers, because of miseducation and., deprivation of skills in the industrial field have consciously been made “the last to be hired and first to be fired.” This is their normal condi tion. Now facing a major crisis of this system which has penetrated every social sphere, they are the first to be forced off the jobs they got. They will be the last to be r^Kired, if at all. It is at such a critical hour that the Economics of Racism, H.S.A.: Roots of Black Inequality, by Victor Perlo, one of this country’s leading economists, appears on the scene. This book is published by Interna tional Publishers, 381 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10016. It is a historic document. Just a casual survey of its table of contents will give to class conscious labor leaders and those seriously participating in the Black liberation struggle an awareness of its far-reaching eco nomic, political and ideological sign ificance. In its introduction, it says: “The book examines the question of responsibility. Who causes and perpetuates discrimination? Who organizes resistance to ending it? Who profits from it?” Perlo documents the answers to these vital questions. In ferreting out the trouble he writes: i imi_ • . , is iiuw a uoinprenensive set of legal guarantees of equality in education, housing, employment. But the enforcement of these laws is in the hands of a social class that profits from inequality, and which throws up an infinite series of road blocks against making the laws ef fective. Of course, what is called “educa tion” is, particularly in the realm of the humanities, miseducation bring ing false social values to Black as well as white. And, without mass pressure, the progressive laws that were passed may well be nullified through adverse action by the judici ary or the administrative branches of government. The conspiracy of government is the bulwark against the enforcement of progressive legislation. The guarantees are false promises. Perio says: “This book is offered to Black readers who, it is hoped will find material of use in their libera tion struggles.” It is offered, too, to white readers who, the author says, “must be convinced that they have everything to lose by permitting or encouraging the apartheid trend.” What they have lost is shown by the crisis. “Discrimination against Blacks adversely affects white working people in many ways in addition to the downward drag in earnings.” The downward drag on national morality is also shown. The percentage of Black employ ment of total employed by large private employers and major occu pational groups is described in . detail. In his scathing criticism of the system of capitalism and its racism the author deals exhaustively with the futility of Black capitalism and quotes Dr. W.E.B. DuBois who wrote: I saw clearly that the solution of letting a few of our capitalists share with whites in the exploitation of our masses, would never be a solution of our problem but the forging of eter nal chains.” This is said without denying Blacks the “right” to enter the sphere of man’s exploitation of his fellow man if the desire is there. But Perlo adds, a study of the National Industrial Conference Board which concluded, “To date these efforts have had little overall impact.” Coming to labor union influences Perlo holds that: “It is in the self-interest of white workers to recognize that their gene ral needs as workers can only be met with any degree of sufficiency and security to the extent that the spec ial needs of Black workers are met simultaneously.” The emphasis is his and the evi dence of this self-interest in provid ed. Policy Of The Post The Charlotte Post is a weekly ' newspaper devoted to the black community of Charlotte. It is not nor will it ever be the policy of this newspaper to cover news outside of the realms of this locale. Our commitment is to you - our news is about you and yours. The Post makes no attempt at covering world-wide or international news. Any newspaper on the stands offers this. We pride ourselves on being the only one on the stands where black people in Charlotte don’t have to kill or steal to make it in print. It is past time for the unheard of news in Charlotte to be heard. The Post welcomes the challenge. The Charlotte Post has been under new management since June 1. 1974. Since this time, we’ve been trying our “gosh darndest” to bring you the best weekly newspaper in the area. And with your support we have done well. However, there is still a lot to be done. A lot of news is getting past us because we don’t have a full staff to cover it. We need your support. Here is what you can do. Have your church or civic group contact us about setting up a program with your organization to get subscrip tions to all of your members. This alone would enable us to hire more personnel to cover a wider range of Charlotte. To bring you the best coverage of the black news in Char lotte is our goal. With your help that goal is only a step away from reality. • BLACK PEOPLE NEED ONLY THINK BACK A FEU years;-v-TO RECALL HOW THEY WERE BUSED FAR FROM HOME PAST NEARBY PREDOMIN ANTLY WHITE SCHOOLS TO ATTEND ALL-BLACK ONES' VERNON E. JORDAN. JR. Whites Were Not Against Busing Then!! •■-^-■-r?—. -- REPORT FROM Washington Peace In The Mid-East The most dramatic achievement of diplomacy in many years has been the recent agreement between the governments of Israel and Egypt to create a demilitarized buffer zone in the Sinai. This allows Israel to continue an extended perimeter of defense to her southwest and allows Egypt to restore sovereignty over the vital Suez Canal. Above all the two nations have pledged to restore their ancient differences by peaceful means rather than .military force or blockades. ' Certainly Secretary of State Kiss inger and his staff deserve our gratitude for their part in forging this agreement and the atmosphere which permitted it. Any such proposal deserves care ful scrutiny. So far, most of the attention surrounds the use of 150 or so American technician-volunteers to operate surveillance eauinment tn detect violations of the agreement. This causes some to fret that this responsibility will trap us into ano ther role as military defender of another nation - as in Vietnam. The essential difference this time is that both Egypt and Israel want us to hold this neutral responsibility, both having entered into the agreement based on their respect for our inten tions. Without the United States participation, the agreement could not last. Without us, the United Nations could not sustain an unbias ed peace-keeping force. The U.N. majority is too sympathetic with Egypt. So the alternatives are: (a) either we help keep these nations from each other’s throats, or (b) permit by inaction an eruption of hostilities as had been brewing anew for months. The worldwide impact of such military and economic uphea vals make the later alternative unacceptable. The Recess Issue (Again) Congress has just returned from a month long recess and is already gearing up for another short recess to begin September 12. It’s no wonder that the public has lost confidence in Congress. The leader ship doesn’t want Congress to stay in session long enough to prove itself. It has already shown its inability to act on major issues. The Congressional Quarterly just reported that the agenda of unfinished business is today about the same as it was back in January. _____j it • . __ i/vtvrccii 11 ww diiu UXC CIIU OI 1NOV ember, 16 days have been set aside as recess periods for Members of Congress. That’s equivalent to over three working weeks. The argument for all of this recess is, of course, to allow more time to work with consti tuents and sound out their concerns back home. You would think enough had been learned about public atti tudes towards issues during the August recess, that we could now make some decisions on matters relating to energy, tax revision and reform of the welfare and food stamp programs, just to name a few. On the other hand, there are bills languishing in House or Senate com mittees that, if enacted, could ser iously harm the free enterprise sys tem - such as the massive consumer agency, $100 billion worth of national health insurance, legalizing second ary boycotts. TO BE EQUAL Violence In The Schools The beginning of the school year should be welcomed by young people anxious to get back to their studies, but in all too many cases it will be characterized by fear of violence. Each year there are reports of assaults vandalism and worse in the nation’s schools. No area seems to be immune, city schools and rural ones face a rising tide of anti-social behavior and violence. In sonje_places, many students tote knives and even guns to their classrooms. The inevitable response to this has been demands for more police in the schools and imnncifiAn f a J j:_• i* ... *-™ ouiuc say inac Kias accused of breaking school rules should be suspended or expelled, and a few even argue for the return of corporal punishment. That’s predictable. Equally predictable is the failure of such steps. Turning the schoolhouse into an armed camp guarded by cops inevitably results in escalation of violence and a poisoning of the education atmosphere. True, some kids simply cannot continue to remain in the classrooms they disrupt, or to roam among the younsters they terroize. If only takes a handful of armed lo turn a school study h0Se°f terror for the majority that want to But simply kicking them out of school solves nothing. The system hasn’t devised wavs to hi 4.1_i._J » a . J -- uiai irccu special ireaimeni. suspen sions only deepen their frustrations and encour age them to act out their aggressive feelings. And dumping them into juvenile jails is a sure prescription for turning them into hardened lawbreakers. And there s a real element of hypocrisy when adults wail about youths packing pistols and then fight gun controls that would effectively cut off access to potential death-dealing weapons for all. '» Violent-prone and weapon-wielding young ' people can’t be allowed to bully their peers and teachers, but they also need concerned help.and. assistance that special schools can provide. Focusing on controlling the problem and not on the solutions can only compound the situation. To the extent that school violence is a reflec tion of societal problems whose origin is in economic and social disadvantage, it will only be solved when poverty, gross inequality and anti social attitudes are reduced. Educators must be aware of this, and of the futility of still more calls for more cops. A more realistic approach would be to exa mine what there is in the school environment uwl wme Kias on and allows the others to at least tolerate their behavior. A school in which kids are interested in their classroom work respect their principal and teachers, and have developed a cohesive school spirit is a school not likely to have discipline problems, no matter what kind of neighborhood it’s in. It s a lot easier for educators to blame social factors among their students and to call for more police than it is to face up to the very real failures of schools that bore their students and are infected by hostility. Of all the many factors so often mentioned in reports about school violence this one of school environment is the most important and most ignored. In fact, the drive to combat school violence could well become a factor itself in helping to build a constructive school environment. The key is cooperation between students, teachers and parents to make the school safer THE CHARLOTTE POST “THE PEOPLES NEWSPAPER” Established 1918 By A.M. Houston Published Every Thursday By The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc. 9139 Trinity Road - Charlotte, N.C. 28216 Telephones (704 ) 392-1306 392-1307 Circulation 11,000 57 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS SERVICE Bill Johnson.Editor - Publisher Gerald O. Johnson.Business Manager Robert L. Johnson.Circulation Manager Second Class Postage Paid at Charlotte, N.C. under the Act of March 3,1878 Member National Newspaoer Publishers Assoc ia lion National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc. 45 W. 5th, Suite 1403 2400 S. Michigan Ave New York, N Y. 10036 Chicago 111 m\e 489-1220 . Calumet 5-0200 * ..___ _ LCllCU CO OlcedilOf H NB Will Advertise In Black Media School Officials Amazing September 4,1975 Mr. Bill Johnson. Editor-Publisher The Charlotte Post 9139 Trinity Road Charlotte, North Carolina Dear Bill: I wish to clarfy with facts, the recent letter to you from Todd Branson regarding FUNB's declination of the sponsorship of the Johnson C. Smith football games. He said we gave him no reason for the decision and implied we were not interested in advertising on WGIV. A few points of clarification then: (1.) He failed to mention that I personally confirmed that “if we did not sponsor the J C. Smith games, we would De advertising on WGIV” - as well as all other Black radio stations in the state. (2.) He said “no reason was given" for the decision and indeed it was. The reason being that we felt the best audience for our advertising message was the "general" WGIV audience at other times than the football broadcast. (3.) When I asked Mr. Bran son when he needed a decision on sponsorship, he gave me a date to which we responded (According to his letter we turned him down "at the last minute.’’) Most certainly other poss ible sponsors were solicited, but Todd did not choose to discuss those. I hope his "selling" techniques differ with other potential sponsors. Cordially, Lynda L. Ferreri ■ Advertising & Promotion Department 2602-D Park Road Charlotte, NC 28209 August 28,1975 Letters to the Editor Charlotte Post 9139 Trinity Road Charlotte, N. C 28216 Dear Sir: I find it astonishing that schools officials closed schools because of high temperatures It was more amazing to real ize that parents of school children would be subject to such a decision. What are children made of these days? Silly Putty; which gets soft in hot weather, hard in cold weather and mushy when it rains. In%iy day we never heard of such an idea. What was air conditioning to us? It was open windows If it rained you got wet a simple deduction. Spring break was in June when school closed. My day was not that far back either I graduated from high school in 1970. Ebony Fashion Fair Coming October 26 ine world reknown and highly acclaimed Ebony Fashion Fair will come lo Charlotte on Sunday October 26 at 8 p m. in the Downtown Civic Center under the spon sorship of the Delta Zeta r. •-» — Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc The Fair will feature creat ions of some of the world's leading designers including St Laurent, Marc Bohan. Christine Cior, Jack Fuller. f * Nuance, and Willie Smilh. For additional ticket infor mation, contact Miss M L. Simpson at the A M E Zion Financial Department, 401 East Second Street. Room No 1. Dhone (333-4847 > from 8am. until 4 p m. • The Kbonv Fashion Fair is produced and directed by Ms Eunice Johnson Parents seem to fear that their children will break out in heat rash while the fact that they may not break out of ignorance does not shake them in the least. As for dicipl inary problems becoming more accute during HOT weather that should be check ed at home before the child enters school. Simply adding air conditioning and closing schools does not teach home training. If children are made of Silly Putty (which I doubt) then l^t’s close schools all year and save energy and tax (kArs. Parents should become more interested in quality education rather than heat rashes. If they don't these children are doomed to be silly if not putty. Sincerly, Sandra Slade
Sept. 11, 1975, edition 1
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