Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / June 3, 1976, edition 1 / Page 2
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awn d commcnu' Schools Society’s Scapegoat By Hoyle H. Martin Sr. Post Staff Writer For many many years busing was used to maintain segregated school systems in the south and for the simple need to get youth to and from school in many northern largely rural communities where there were not sufficient numbers of blacks to make any difference. It appears therefore that much more incredible than 22 years after the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled (1954) that separate schools are “inherently unequal,” the nation should be emboiled in a busing controversy in a presidential cam paign. Even more incredible is the fact that the burden of creating a truly democratic society has been given largely to our public school systems. The fact is, the ultimate solution to “busing,” job descrimination, urban blight, political inequality, and a host of other socio-economic pro blems is in open housing. However, since the right to own, use and dispose of private property is the “sacred cow” of the American eco nomic system-a system that per mits racial exploitation in sales and rentals-we have segregated neigh borhoods. The public seems not a ware of or too biased in its own thinking to recognize that real estate barons, both black and white, pro mote segregated neighborhoods and use blockbusting tactics to rip off renters and owners of property to increase their profits. The so-called opposition to busing is a code name for the desire to maintain segregated school in segre gated neighborhoods, in many cases in neighborhoods where children are "bused” to private schools on the pretext of opposing busing to a public school. It is obvious therefore, that it is opposition to integration that really concerns some people, not busing, and, that “busing” is a threat to the ethnic pure neighbor hood. Given this situation, the POST thinks it is high time that the Ameri can people come down out of the emotional clouds generated around "busing” and begin to realize that while in this continued emotional state the politicans and profit moti vated unethical real estate dealers are reaping big gains. In the mean time, turmoil continues and the busi ness of educating American youth suffers, its every one’s America, to make it better everyone must have a chance to share equally in whatever is better. r resident r ord And ousing President Ford s proposal to the Justice Department, that it seek to intervene in a school desegregation case and ask the Supreme Court to “reexamine busing” is simply incre dible. Since 1954, the federal govern ment has generally sided with those seeking to implement the High Court’s ruling in the landmark Brown decision: that racially segre gated schools “are inherently un equal.” Even with the new Justices J that have joined it in recent years, the court has held to that tenet. As recently as 1971, under Justice War ren Burger, in the Swann case, the suit that challenged the desegrega tion plan for Charlotte, N.C., the Court unanimously upheld busing as “a normal and accepted tool of educational policy”-one means a mong others to desegregate public schools. Now President Ford, and his Attorney General Edward Levi, are seeking to reopen a settled issue. As a House member, Gerald Ford invariably supported Congressional attempts to undermine federal school desegregation efforts and the mandates of the U.S. Supreme Court. As President, that still seems to be his bent. Although he denied there was any political motivation behind his directive to the Justice Department, it is hard to believe it was entirely accidental that the news the Department was thinking of intervening in the Boston school case broke just before the primary in Michigan, a state that has had its share of busing controversies in the past^ not that the story was still making headlines on the eve of the primaries in Kentucky and Tennes see, two other states with busing problems. Whatever Ford’s motives, how ever, surely a move that draws praise from Louise Day Hicks and other Boston leaders of the resist ance to a court desegregation order, should suggest to the Administration that it is treading on dangerous ground. Something On Your Mind? Something on your mind is the name of a column devoted to our readers of this newspaper-as long as it relates in some way to young people, regardless of age. It will be written by you and about whatever is on your mind! So, if you have something to say...WRITE ON! Some subjects that may be of special interest to you are: Drugs, Generation Gaps, Welfare, Gangs, School, Going Steady, Police Revo lution, Whites, Blacks, Integration, Busing, Draft, God, Negro Chur ches, etc. Or any other subject you want to write about. Remember it’s your column. Your article should be at least 250 words, type-written and double spaced preferred. Include your name age, school and a clear photo, and send it to the Editor, Charlotte Post Newspaper. ■ ■ > THE CHARLOTTE POST “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 Second Class Postage Paid at Charlotte, N.C. under the Act of March 3,1878 Member National Newpaper Publishers Association North Carolina Black Publishers Association Deadline for all news copy and photos is 5 p.m Monday. The Post is not responsible for any photos or news copies submitted for publication. 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 -— THAN I HAVE BEEN IN A LONG ^ TIME. DR. HAMILTON SAID HIS m.. ENCOURAGEMENT DID NOT COME L FROM THEENLIGHTMENT OF WHITE PEOPLE, BUT FROM THE DETERMINATION OF BLACK JR®, PE0PL E TO DO FOR THEMSEL VES. DK.CHARLES V. HAMILTON TEAMWORK^ SELF-HELP 3..d SELF-DETRMINATION p 4* Blacks9 Destiny In Own Hand I. . .DOWN . TO i BUSINESS DR. BERKELEYG BURRELL President, National Business League m America - The Time Is Now To rehearse the impact that inflationary, recessionary and energy crises of recent months have had on minority enterprise seems a particular ly gloomy exercise. In too many instances the facts are more apparent than many care to admit. It seems that our time is better spent exa mining the economy ahead, and determining where and how Black america must pro ceed in light of that examina tion. History has borne out one prevailing truth and that is - business and government can not build repressive and pro tective devices to control or punish minorities desperately seeking equality, without at the same time plunging our free enterprise system into a death struggling gutter sur rounded by armed forces where customers can’t get in and the businessman can't get out. The twentieth century war against economic inequality is now in its virulent stage. At the same time, the year 2000 the turn of the century--is fewer than 9,000 days away. In the weeks between now and then, we will be put to a severe test of our resiliency, re sourcefulness, creativity and strength. You will have more changes to make, more major issues to confront, more problems to solve, more demands to meet than in any comparable period in this nation’s history. Rest assured, we cannot af ford to spend idle hours “na vel-gazing" while the tide of events sweeps over and be yond us. We must use time as a tool, not as a couch. We must assault every battlefront with vengeance and conviction. , Qnf; of our most immediate battles will be waged in the labor market, where the list of fatalities and casualties has become mindboggling. Nearly nine million Americans have already been displaced. An estimated eight percent of those working are currently under-employed, or more ac curately, working in positions far below the level of their academic training. According to the U.S. De partment of Labor, the prog nosis for the future is equally discouraging. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 1980, just five years from now, there will be a surplus of 140,000 college grad uates each year. Between 1962 and 1985, there will be more than 18 million high-status jobs available. Unfortunately, as many as 22 million college graduates will be competing for those jobs. Thus, by 1985 there may be as many as 2.5 i college graduates competing for every available profession al job in the labor market. Compounding that crisis is the estimation of a influx of 120, 000 trained professionals im migrating to America annual ly, who will increase that level of competition. Against these projections, students and graduates a round the nation are necessa rily reassessing the funda mental purpose of education, and its relationship to econo mic development. Many are already convinced that educa tion can no longer be consider ed an economic investment, or an instrument which serves :he economy or the economic aeeds of students. For them education is no automatic for mula for economic escalation. \nd their beliefs or fears are gradually being documented by empirical data. What must we do? Black graduates who will assist in he structuring of our race in he future, must be determin ed and committed to suffer no longer. They can no longer be :ontent to watch their white counterparts, with compara ble academic achievements, go out and acquire ownership >r control of large multi-na ional corporations in which blacks are expected to work. Secondly, we must charge >ur political representatives >n the local, state, and nation il levels with the duty and esponsibility to nudge the ‘Free enterprise system” vhen it fails to provide ade quate benefits for the “have lots” and the disadvantaged segments of our nation. Hold them accountable and re sponsible. i^HMKBB99 TO BE EQUAL VKHNON K. JORDAN JR. Politics And Busing Whatever the outcome of the Boston busing crisis and the appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court to modify that city’s desegregation plan, if is clear that busing is on its way back as a political football. That fact alone says something about Ameri can politics and about the nature of leadership on the national and local scenes. A little history is in order. In 1954 the Supreme Court ruled that segregated school were unconstitutional. This means that almost all students graduating from college this spring were born after that decision - and almost all of them have attended segregated schools. In effect, there’s been a twenty-two year moratorium on ending segregation in America’s schools. The constitutional rights of white and black children to be educated in desegregated schools has been ignored. Imagine the outcry if constitutional rights to free speech or the press were suspended for so long a time. But on this issue, there has been resistance and sabotaging of court orders to bring about the end of segregated schools. In 1971 the Supreme Court ruled that federal district judges have the right to order busing or other means of desegregating the schools if local officials refuse to do it. In many towns, officials read the writing on the wall and abandoned their attempts to frus trate the process of desegregation. They formu lated plans with community participation and in those areas, no one hears any more about “forced busing” or court orders. mu in oiner ciues, and Boston is one of them, school officials refused to cooperate, refused to follow the law, and refused to lift a finger to desegregate. Instead of trying to win community acceptance of desegregation, those officials abdicated their moral and official responsibili ties, thus insuring that the courts would do what they themselves were too cowardly to do. Such local officials also made a political football of busing. They preached massive resis tance, just as die-hard southern segregationists did back in the ‘50s, and they helped to fan the flames of discontent. Boston’s rock-throwers got the headlines and were properly condemned, but the real culprits were those officials who had the power to bring about peaceful change and instead, encouraged resistance that inevitably leads to violence. Instead of backing the courts, successive national Administrations have themselves ques tioned the wisdom of busing and intervened to worsen matters. They have forgotten that busing in this context is no longer a matter of opinion, but a proper means to remedy illegal denial of constitutional rights. Given that situation, the responsibilities of leadership demand frequent and public support of the courts by the President and by other top national officials. One recalls that President Eisenhower had misgivings about the original Supreme Court decision of 1954 but he under stood that the limitations of his own background had to be suppressed and never said a public word against the Court’s action. And when the Court was challenged, he sent troops into Little Rock to uphold the desegregation orders there. The real problem lies in the rampant unconsti tutional segregation that still exists. Democrats Will Win In November By Gerald Johnson As the election year winds down, all of the candidates are beginning to pull all of the plugs. Lying, stealing, cheat ing are just a few niceites that the candidates have afforded themselves in the quest for the highest political spot in the country; the presidency. It looks almost certain that a democrat will be elected president. I must say that I won't be disappointed by this fact either, seeing what the Republicans have to offer for this position. Before going any further I must interject that I'm bi-par tisan If you're a Republican you might not believe that after reading this article But it is true. Now,... President Ford has lowered himself and the office of the presidency in trying to obtain electoral votes In seeking e lectoral votes he has made two big mistakes that will undoub tedly cause him to lose the majority of black votes. The first Boo Boo occurred when the President made ra cial changes in the food stamp program. Almost everyone would agree that the food stamp program has its inade quacies. All government pro grams do simply because they are poorly administered. But to callously try to correct these inadequacies usually causes more harm than good. President Ford in attempting to rectify the problem of those individuals abusing the food stamp program has actually hurt a lot of individuals in dire need of food stamps. The urgency to get his pro gram into action indicates to me that he was attempting to passify those individuals who are against the welfare pro gram. Secondly, President Ford recently and purposely ignited the embers of anti-busing into flames He instructed his at torney general to take a city as a test case on busing, and use the test case to review the 1954 decision made by the courts This was done prior to three primaries which meant a lot to the President. Obvious ly this was the rationale be hind ordering attorney gene ral Levy to do such a review. Well, busing has been a splinter in our society simply because we don't have the leadership to enforce the law. Obviously, if a man acting as leader has reservations about a law. it will cause constant polarization between the pro and con forces. After the primaries the Pre sident said he was misunder stood. If the President can not stand on his record as Presi dent and if he must stoop to dirty tricks in order to be re-elected, then I don’t feel he deserves to be President He has proven himself to be callous, inconsistent and eva sive on misdkty affairs and I think he should be Mr. Ford after November. The Republicans are also offering Mr. Ronald Reagan as a possibility for the presi dency. I never thought I would see Ronald Reagan do any thing as poorly as he did at acting. I guess I was wrong. Acting has his politicing beat thumbs down. I might add that I can not distinguish between him doing one over the other His campaign has been skill fully directed at criticizing the Ford Administration. How ever, as most critics, he never offers a program to replace the one he is criticizing. This is the one he is criticizing. This by no means places Ford a bove criticism. The biggest disappointment Reagan has given out thus far (This is due to the fact that it was the only time I ever took time to listen to what he had to say) was his criticism on Kis singer’s diplomacy with our African Brothers. Kissinger recently visited Africa and made it clear that the United States would not give African countries any type of support if that country was under ’Minority Rule”. The speech was directed at those few whites in Rhodesia and South Africa that rule many Blacks. The blacks have started a coup d’ etat in Rho desia. Until recently the Ford Administration had thrown their hats in with the white minority When the Black Af ricans seeked help from the communist nations and got it the Ford Administration chan ged sides. Ronald Reagan feels that the white minority will be slaughtered as the I power shifts from the WhiU j Minority to the Black Majori ty. He feels the move is a gooi ten to twenty years away I Reagan is wrong. His opinion on foreign affairs are onlJ surpassed in error by his opfl nions on domestic affairs. His opinions on domestfl affairs are a closely guard! secret. Several accusatioil have been made against tl Ford Administration conceit! ing high taxes, unempltJ ment, etc, but this sort of thtfl is standard campaign prorfl dure. Hence Ronald Reapfl will remain Mr Reagan affl the election. j I>on't get me wrong, thoufl The democrats will not wir^| merit Rather they willfl elected by default The c<i® try has had enough from iH Republican Party for awhll, ttut just in case I'm wroi^| have may tap dancing j.'1!. and cane ready. | O K Hit it .Sharon in thel^f of G Way down upon tfl •Swannee River Yes Sa B’fl
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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June 3, 1976, edition 1
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