Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Feb. 12, 1976, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
cioridij d compel i Federal Buck Passing Must Stop , The federal government has pass ed the buck on Black America for the last time. When Black America asks for equal employment - we get the Title i VI - affirmative action disclaimer. >' When we ask for economic develop ment, Black America gets the Title VI - affirmative action disclaimer. When we seek equal opportunity to succeed, we are reminded that title VI guarantees us that right which is “augmented by the government’s commitment to affirmative action.” It’s a certainty that only black folks really know how Title VI works or doesn’t work for them. And America can rest assured that des pite the great hoopla and gnashing of teeth that accompanies the institu tion of Title VI regulations, it has produced far more attention and effectiveness in foster-a hatred of quota systems and the charges of reverse discrimination. The folly of it all rests in the fact that the instrument that is charged with the implementation of the regulations has not been provided with a mechanism to enforce them. A_il I ruiutuci bdu uuimneniary on me American system of justice is the actual length of time it has taken this country to understand what Title VI should mean to the restric tion of discrimination against black people. Indeed, there has been a preoccupation in finding ways they could get around the regulations. Compare that with the time it has taken for everyone in the nation to hop to the tune of Title IX regula tions which guard the rights of this country’s majority female popula z- tion. That comment is not chauvin £ ism rearing its head. Certainly black women do stand to gain through the implementation of these new guide ' lines. The unfortunate part is that these new federal “initiatives” have attracted more attention in the few months since their inception, than in all the years we have sought justice for the black community through this same type of mechanism. All of this bears out one fact. That " is, discrimination - in all its pervert ed forms - is very much a part of the contemporary scene. Black Amer ica is going to have to stand up and tell this country what it will and will not stand for, and the time is NOW! What this country must under stand first is that Black America cannot be treated as a monolith. Monolithic means simply that some thing exhibits uniformity or is per ceived as undifferentiated or as a single unit. tVTl. . At • , • . m . . TTucuiei 11 is me ieaerai govern ment or the corporate -private sec tor, the majority community addresses Black issues, concerns, and requests as just that - BLACK, Regardless of the internal structure of the agency, department or com pany which can channel white America's requests to the appro priate component which handles specific requests according to their content. Believe me, ALL Black issues are dealt with in a single category by the resident token black or by the resident in charge ot blacks. That practice in itself is discriminatory in that it confines our ability to draw our equitable share of the action. It is these practices which have forced NBL to the roof tops of our ghetto slum highrises and into the gutters of the barrios and reservations of this nation; to de mand parity for the people. We must attack the federal government for passing-the-buck in response to demands by minority America. One of the most blatant . examples has been in the fed’s response to our call for the formal establishment of minority economic participation in the nation’s propos ed plan for the reorganization of the bankrupt railway systems in the Northeastern sector. While the nation chastises those on welfare and actively seeks the demise of that system, the govern ment has created an even greater breadbasket. America’s multi-bill ion dollar plan to revitalize the • nation’s railway system has become this country’s newest welfare line. Rank and file big business has already declared their squatter’s rights. The fact is that the govern meni proposes 10 sinK 011110ns ot public dollars in subsidies to the majority business sector. Camo flaged welfare by any other name. At least one U. S. Senator has estimated nearly $100 billion, yet the plan provides no provision for a guarantee that minorities can parti cipate in the profits to be accrued or the aspects of investment and em ployment potential which spell economic development. This government would be very content if we were to spend the rest of our lives supporting such ventures as consumers, dropping the coins in the meter to benefit the coffers of the majority. This would be a different issue if we were talking about white money or corporate money that would be spent in this railroad project. But we are not. We are talking about tax payers’ money - yours and mine. And there is no way we can sit by and let the tide of oppression sweep over our people again. We must ‘ demand what is rightfully ours. As it stands now, the plan for the rehabilitation of the bankrupt rail roads is called the USRA (United States Railway Association) Final Systems Plan. The plan has been completed and sent to Congress for action. Under the present design, the Congress is without changing their content. That fact I find unbeliev able - mond-boggling. What the federal government is saying to Black America, or any other minority, is that this plan is more sanctified than the Constitu tion of the United States. Even that protector of freedom and justice is not so revered that-it cannot be changed to meet the needs of the people. But the country’s railroad plan has no means for amendment. With that factor tucked in the back of their minds, the federal agencies who are major participants in the development of the proposal can turn to us and suggest that the traditional funding sources of minor ity economic ventures be approach ed in this matter. Buck-passing one more time. ~ 1 REPORT FROM Ji*mWoshin9foj2 Child , Family Services Act BY Jim Martin 9th District, N.C. In recent years there have been a number of proposals introduced in Congress to establish child and family devel opment programs throughout the Nation. They generally build on the model of the head start programs approv ed by Congress during the rapid expansion of social programs in the 1960’s. une oi mose proposals introduced during the 94th Congress has cre ated quite a stir as evi denced by the amount of mail I’ve received on the subject. The contro versial measure is call ed the Child and Family Services Act, and to date, no one has written my office in support of it. I share the views of parents who wrote, “we feel the responsiblity of raising children belongs to the parents, not the government”. This Chi ld and Family Services Act does involve too much government in trusion into child rear ing, and should not be enacted. The bill seeks the wor thy objective of encour aging single parents to get off welfare depen dence and go to work, by providing day care centers for their child ren. This would require some reasonable amou nt of federal financial assistance as the parent first begins employ ment, but it should later phase-out government assistance as the par ent’s new job stabilized and paychecks started to become steady. This bill goes too far in dic tating standards and oddly, would prohibit the use of federal funds at day care centers whi ch use vacant class rooms m cnurcnes. mat is an unacceptable per version of Church-State separation. One idea that really troubles me is consign ing the infants and tod dlers to the guidance of a new cadre of social workers drawn from the “otherwise unemploy ed”. Some in this cate gory might be qualified, but “unemployment” should not be the prin ciple qualification. Many of my consti tuents who have written about the Child and Family Services Act mentioned that they were doing so because of an unsigned mimeo graphed circular. The circular described the bill as proposing a Char ter of Children’s Rights, including the “right” to refuse and sue their parents. As much as I oppose this bill, I must clarify that there is no such provision in it. Fur thermore, the bill act ually compels no one to put their children in day care. That notion and the so-called Children’s Bill of Rights appear to be the imagination of some of the ODDonents of the bill designed to scare up opposition to the proposal. It’s an ex tremely risky tactic and could backfire. The dan ger is that legislators might be led to oppose the bill only because of publicity on the Charter of Children’s Rights des cribed in the unsigned circular. Then on learn ing that the bill actually contains no such fea ture, many may be dis posed to vote for it. Rather, we should op pose this bill because it is too expensive, too anti-religious, too much like “make-work” and has too much govern ment interference. I f 4 r* TO Lester Granger An Unsung Hero When Lester Granger died early in January.' little attention was paid to the event and while some older people vaguely recalled the name, others knew nothing about the man and what he stood for. That in itself tells us something about the - shameful way contributors to our achievements and our heritage are shunted aside and forgot ten, even in their lifetimes in the constant pursuit 4 for new and ever more exotic people and issues. It is especially important, then, that we take advantage of the Black History Week celebra tions to recall not only Lester Granger’s contri butions, but those of other unsung black heroes, men and women who not only survived the days of blatant racist oppression, but led the fight to end it, a fight whose beneficiaries we all are. And the fact that this is the Bicentennial year makes it all the more important for the Lester Grangers of our history to be brought out of the unfair obscurity of the past and restored to their rightful place in our nations history. Granger was executive director ot the Nation al Urban League for twenty of the stormiest years in our history, from 1941 to 1961. He presided over mat agency through a World War, the desegregation of the armed forces, the Korean War, and the beginnings of the southern civil rights movement, he did it with distinction. In the 1930’s, when all unions were suspect and blacks were prevented from joining them both by racists who refused to integrate their unions and by local forces that tried to stop blacks from organizing anything themselves, Granger led the fight for unionization of black labor. Through the Urban League’s Worker’s Council movement he directed, he recruited black work ers to join unions and if white unionists refused them membership, to set up union locals of their own. Often, such work meant risking his life. When war loomed, he was one of.the key.men who backed Phil Randolph’s plans for a March on Washington, leading to an executive order opening defense plants to black workers. And when war came, he helped set up placement programs that got blacks into those defense jobs. One of his big targets was military segrega tion. How many young people today know that blacks were segregated into separate units up to the Korean War in the early 50’s? It was largely through Granger’s efforts that the armed forces became integrated; in 1945 he conducted a personal study for the Secretary of the Navy that resulted in breaking down racial barriers in that service. wnen me supreme Court ruled school segrega tion unconstitutional, Granger loudly backed the decision, bringing down upon his organization the full wrath of the frustrated southern segrega tionists whose locally powerful pressures resul ted in a drying up of funds for some local Leagues. But Granger held firm and the organi zation weathered the storm. He took over a debt-ridden Urban League and shepherded it through one of the most unstable periods in American history. At the end of his reign the League was stronger and more solidly entrenched than ever before, and black people # had make significant advances, at least in some small part through his efforts. Men like Lester Granger must not be permit ed to fade into obscurity. L- ill .,p* Contributing To Charitable Organizations By Gerald Johnson The North Carolina Depart ment of Human Resources recently released a report on charitable organizations in North Carolina. The report was quite revealing and it strengthened my convictions >n not giving to charitable organizations. The report claimed that soliciting for charities is the third largest industry in the U. S. with a 25 billion dollar operation. The Better Busi ness Bureau said 10 percent of these opeations are total rip offs and another 45 percent practice fraudulant or defic ient accounting practices. All this is to say that your gift to a charitable organiza tion more often than not will end up in some swindlers poc ket instead of with the charity. As I See It all contributions should be delivered directly to the people in need or to estab lished organizations. Never give to a door to door solici tor. It is truly a shame when you think that the gracious art of giving has become a racket. What is worse I am not in that line of work. Oh. well. BUY CENTENNIAL Speaking of rackets the whole country is being taken by the bicentennial rage. Everything, everywhere is pushing this 200th birthday down our throats. Bicenten nial coins, bicentennial toilets, you name it and they’ve got a bicentennial of it. The trouble is the 200th birthday has no real significance to the people I t Gerald 0. Johnson except for buying purposes. Businesses have used what should be a solemn occasion as a gimmick to boost sales. Hence the "bi" in bicentennial t I should be "Buy". No one Is concerned with the history of the country, the meaning of this event, or any thing but the price placed on the junk that is being sold. But then what should I ex-' pect when this nation took "Christ " out of Christmas and replaced it with an unknown — "X” for Xmas. What all this means is that the country has lost its sense of values. The dollar bill has become the ooly in which we trust. "How much" has be come a synonym for this coun tries worth. We all sat idlely by while New York was going to the wolves Why? Because of money. The persons elected to our highest offices aren't elected on a basis of ability, but rather on a basis of capi tal. How much capital they can allocate for campaigning Churches spend most of their time fund raising for bigger churches. Law enforcers are breaking the law. People are killing, stealing, selling their bodiw.Why? For Money Money is a means to an end but not the end itself. Life is about people loving people. Until people stop doing things for the love of money and start doing things for the love of people, then this country will continue to go to the dogs. What we should be doing this bicentennial is getting our heads on straight. We need to learn our history because a man can't know where he is going until he finds out where he has been. How about (his for .thought! Rome started slow, built itself into one of the most powerful nations in the world then cor ruption set in and Rome fell. Look at Rome today. This is what we should be thinking about this bicentennial Where have we been, where are we now, where are we going. Until this sort thing is a prior ity we want celebrate a quad centennial. THINK ABOUT IT! Ideas make this editorial page worth reading ,If you have an idea, whether it agre es with us or not, write it down and mail it to us We would like to let your friends kno what is on your mind. If your letter is in our hands by the time we receive our Tuesday morning mail, your idea will be given considera tion for publication. - I MU. I.UAKLU TIT. FUST ' • “THE PEOPLES NEWSPAPER” Established 1918 : Published Every Thursday By The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc. 2606B West Blvd.-Charlotte, N.C. 28208 Telephones (704 ) 392-1306,392-1307 Circulation 11,000 57 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS SERVICE Bill Johnson .Editor-Publisher Gerald O. Johnson .Business Manager Rex Hovey .Circulation Manager Secbnd Class Postage Paid at Charlotte, N.C. under the Act of March 3,1878 # Member National Newpaper Publishers Association North Carolina Black Publishers Association National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc. 45 W. 5th, Suite 1403 2400 S. Michigan Ave New York, N.Y. 10036 Chicago, 111. 60616 (212) 489-1220 Calumet 5-0200 _ _ UHITEY COULD, fOR ALL \TRYIT, YOU'LL 1 INTENTS, AMD PURPOSES PUT LINE IT-ITS , HIS6UNS AWAY.WE'VE ALWAYS GOOD FOR YOU, BEEN ABLE TO HILL OUR— /***■ 1-1 SELVES BETTER THAN HE CAN. T NOW WE SEND EACH OTHER S DEATH IN SMALL BA6S. L CLAYTON RILEY l LIBERATOR l ./ , \\ YKHNOX K. JORI) \X JR. i/ Time For Action In The Black Community
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 12, 1976, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75