Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Nov. 11, 1976, edition 1 / Page 2
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'MU t concnu Politics And Religion By Hoyle H. Martin Post Executive Editor There is an old saying, “politics and religion don’t mix,” yet this is iust what is taking place in a small rural community called Plains, Georgia. Plains, as everyone knows, is the hometown of President-elect Jimmy Carter, and of course, Plains Baptist Church is the home place of worship of the nation’s new leader. Significantly, and reportedly over ■ Mr. Carter’s objections, the Plains Baptist Church passed a resolution in 1965 that called for excluding “Negroes or other civil rights agita tors” from membership. Few j people outside of Plains would have ~ cared or payed much attention to this unchristian-like policy, except i for the fact that Jimmy Carter is the new President of the United States and a so-called black minister sought membership at this church, ! 40 miles from his hometown. On the Sunday before the national election, and the one Sunday since, Clennon King, a minister from Al bany, went to the Plains Church with the announced intention of seeking membership. He was greeted with locked doors and told that services had been cancelled. unaer ordinary circumstances, the POST would be among the first to condemn the church for its unchristian-like racist actions and apparent attitude. However, these were not ordinary circumstanial events. Clennon King, who had previously worshipped at the Plains Church, let himself be used as a tool for some narrow-minded Republi cans, who were obviously intent on embarrassing Jimmy Carter and possibly gaining a few black votes in the process. Obviously, with Mr. Carter getting 94 percent of the black vote, Rev. King’s plan did not work. However, what looms as conside rably more significant is how the American people - black and white - will interpret and react to the role Jimmy Carter plays as his little hometown church faces a crisis over the ll-year old exclusion policy. Columnist William Roseberry put the entire matte in perspective when the entire matter m perspective when he said, “Would his (Carter’s) resignation in protest from the Plains congregation alienate too many Couthem whites who, like most American church-goers, at tend segregated churches? Would a , declaration of his intention to stay with the church and ‘work from within’ to change its racist policies be considered by blacks as a too tame nonsolution? “Would it help, or only make matters worse with both groups, if he (Carter) should keep his Plains (church) membership but join a substantially integrated congrega* tion in Washington?” It appears to the POST, as well as Mr, Rasberry, that Mr. Carter quite obviously would have preferred to work with his church in attempting to resolve this racist policy without the fan-fair of publicity and the shadow of the office of the presi dency. We can thank the non-Baptist Rev. King, a man who allegedly served time in jail for not supporting his own children, for making a bad situation worse by tainting the Christain goodness in Mr. Carter by attempting to prostitute all that God would have men to be in a quest for political gain and a few pieces of silver. In God’s own time, aided by men who walk in the shadows of another named King, the Plains Baptist Church will be reborn or die from the sin it has carried these past 11 years. it ace Ana Economics The POST applauds the 200 resi dents of the five northeast Charlotte communities who met Sunday night to take action against blockbusting - the system of instilling fears in white homeowners that their property va lues are going to fall because a black has moved into the community. Step two in the “busting" process is to get the panicking white to sell his home, usually at a loss, and then the realtor re-sells the house to a black at a substantially higher price. This is all done in the name of profit at a cost of strained race relations and a divided community. It is refreshing to see citizens standing up for their rights, protect ing their property and at the same time promoting good race relations. Right on, it’s truly the American way. Post Hails Minority Fair The POST salutes and applauds the Second Annual Minority Trade Fair currently being held at the Charlotte Civic Center. Because of the success of the Fair last year, probably 200 buyers and 100 or more minority venders will make contact during the two-day event. Anyone who believes in the free enterprise system - the American way - should be proud of the efforts and contributions of all who are participating in the Fair. The POST extends its personal thanks and best wishes to “Chuck” and others involved in making this meaningful event possible. Support minority business, along with voting, it’s the only way out of inequality and economic denial. \ A For A Safe Community - Teamwork! —»■— I The Troll Under The Bridge mere is a common practice among Black families of turn ing a rather deaf ear to complaints our children may make about their teachers or about the school. This practice stems not only from the inhe rent wisdom of keeping a close bond of respect between all the adults in the child’s world, but also from the fact that for us, education has represented the bridge from poverty to a better standard of living. But we have become so intent upon getting our children a cross the bridge that we tend to minimize the danger which often lies hidden beneath it • racism. Racism in the schools has taken a heavy toll in urban areas throughout America, but since it strikes hardest against the children of the poor, the damage it does is almost always attributed to other social ills which accom pany poverty. The real name for racism in the schools is Rejection. Black children are rejected not only because of their skin color, but because of their speech pat terns and other cultural traits common to people who have been kept out of the main stream of American life. If we saw this rejection on a small scale, such as a parent's re jection of a child, we would be able to understand the hostili ty, frustration and rebellion of the rejected child. But be cause the rejection comes from an institution rather than an individual, and because it affects large groups of child ren rather than a single child, the pattern of rejection and its consequences is magnified to such outlandish proportions that it becomes strange and unrecognizable. If racism were color-coded it would be easy to identify the offenders and the victims. But it is not a color; it is an attitude. Attitudes invade the human mind in- the same manner in which disease in vades the human body - with absolute disregard for the co lor of the skin. The attitude is made up of distortions, half truths and generalizations which create the impression that one group of human be ings has a different set of psychological needs, respons es and motivations than ano ther, and which forms the illusion of superiority and in feriority. The contempt which is an outgrowth of this illusion is not only projected from one racial group toward another, but can just as easily be directed towards one’s own racial group. Regardless of wnere or wno it comes from, when little children are on the receiving end of this kind of contempt, the delinquency which it breeds eventually touches the lives of us all. Therefore, though racism may be born out of color differences, neither its vic tims nor its perpetrators are restricted to any one color. If children could describe racism in the same language which adults use to describe it, we would immediately recog nize it and launch an all-out effort to protect them from it. But children describe racism in children's terms, such as “They treat the other children better” or “I hate that school” or “They are not fair” and “I don’t ever want to go back,” and we respond to these kind of complaints with a lecture about the importance of school and the value of getting an education. If racism made an attack on the body, there would be a public cry of outrage against its vicious assault upon inno cent children. But it does not attack the body, it attacks the mind. It programs the children into believing that they are intellectual inferiors; it robs them of their creative potential, and it cripples their desire to set their goals in positive directions. —— 1 ■■ TO BE EQUAL Vernon E. Jordan Jr. j ■ The Next Four Years The election results heartened some and sorrowed others, but they provide only a clue to the course our nation will follow over the next four crucial years. Election campaigns offer so much empty rhetoric and so many contradictory statements that they can’t be taken as much of a reliable indicator to the future course of action. Histori cally, even Presidents have sharply switched policies for their second terms. # The road we take in the future will be charted in part during the next several weeks as the people involved step back from the hectic campaigning and look to the future. And it will be shaped in part by the shifting nature of the problems facing the country. Policy options not available because of the need to take primary and general election campaigns into consideration now become once more possible. For all the rhetoric we heard about bureaucracy, about federal spending, and about the government’s role, the next four years will feature a lot more of all three. One thing we should hope for from the next Administration is that our domestic problems become the target of a co-ordinated attack. Piecemeal policies never really work. With our cities engaged in a struggle to survive, intolerably .high unemployment and poverty, deteriorating housing and education and inadequate health care, there needs to be a concerted effort to deal with the whole range of inter-related problems. Thus welfare reform, for example, should be tied to reform of the tax system so grants become uniform, loopholes eliminated, and one - tax system can dispense income maintenance funds while collecting revenue from earners. i nat same income maintenance system should be seen as part-of an overall policy that includes programs to end unemployment and ensure a decent job at a decent salary for everyone capaWe-of ,w°rl|:.,iSi|ch a policy autqjnaticatfy. calls into being programs of housing construc tion, public service jobs in schools and youth centers, and other aspects of life. If such programs are co-ordinated we won’t find ourselves in the awkward position many saw in the 1950s when urban renewal was touted as the cure for urban problems, only to wind up forcing the poor from their homes and worsen ing the housing situation. A Domestic Marshall Plan for the cities is needed to help them survive. We’ve had an unofficial Marshall Plan aiding suburban de velopment for years, and now it’s time that resources, energies and talents were applied to encouraging urban development. Many would argue that the election campaign showed people want less activism in their government. I don’t believe that. The same polls that show suspicion of government also show support for job, health and housing programs that only the federal government has the capacity to do. Thus, the central guiding concept of the next four years ought to be the principle of equal opportunity and a final end to racial discrimina tion and its effects. .Yf® °J?ce *Jear^ a President declare in the well ./ t|)® C°n8r1ess. “We shall overcome.” We need land H leader^‘P commitment once again, and the time and place should be in the inauguration address on January 20. THE CHARLOTrE POST “THE PEOPLES NEWSPAPER” Established 1918 Published Every Thursday By The Charlotte F'ost Publishing Co., Inc. 2606-B West Blvd.-Charlotte, N.C. 28208 Telephones (704) 392-1306,392-1307 Circulation 11,000 57 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS SERVICE Bill Johnson... .Editor-Publisher Sidney A. Moore Jr.Advertising Director Rex Hovey.Circulation Manager Gerald O. Johnson.Business Manager Second Class Postage Paid at Charlotte, N.C. under the Act of March 3,1878 Member National Newspaper 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 I New York. N Y. 10036 Chicago. III. 60616 (212 ) 489-1220 Calumet 5-0200 Keep your out-of-town friends informed on what’s happening in Charlotte by sending them a copy of the Charlotte Post each week. The cost is only $8 per year. i it Vice Versa By Albert A. Campbell Editor's Note: Albert A. Campbell, our guest writer for this week is the publisher pf THE HIGH POINT, N.C. TRI BUNAL AID. The Black press has long been the only source available for Blacks to gain Black infor mation and also to freely express themselves. So often informational material sent to the other press with hopes of publication is refused for the same sillv reasons: “too late,” "unimportant,” "no space available." etc. Certain ly it's too late when the material is intentionally mis placed Surely importance de pends upon who you are; and, what’s important to Blacks just could be trivial to whites. Also, space is never available unless the information meets the biased approval of the editor. So then, the Black press has to carry the burden, as insignificant as it some 0 times may seem. There isn't, and never has been, another source. Even the so-called "Black radio stations" fall short of the necessary goal. Playing the music that at tracts the majority of Black listeners, those stations do little else. Gaining the atten tion of such a large percen tage of the Black community seems primary and that gold en opportunity to better in form Blacks is lost many times daily, Most material read is junk that should be considered degrading The small amount of news aired is hurriedly mumbled through so that the finger popping rhy thms of nothing can be rushed back to Leading no one no where’ But what can you expect’ After all. unlike the Black press, the radio stations are owned by whites; and in most cases, their only interest is money The black press, like any Mr. Campbell other, depends on advertising for its support. Consequently, one must help the other. If the merchants who advertise in the Black press are willing to help in dispersing news of interest to Black people, then, certainly, they should be re warded by your patronage They are not compelled in any way to spend money with your media. It is on a volun tary basis only. They have chosen to support the Black press knowing in advance the material published They de serve your support .. And on Drugs % Without getting entangled with all of the complicated legalities concerning the ille gal use of drugs, I’d like to express my attitude and posi tion on drug abuse. I do not wish to confuse the issue by attempting to clearify, nor align myself with the laws governing drugs. I simply wish to arouse attention to what I consider one of the greatest threats to the well being and safety of communi ties and their youth...assum ing that reports claiming youths as being the heaviest users are true. Taking into consideration the many drug cure programs now in use for addicts, I believe prevention is the most effective and best cure for the survival of our youth. By prevention I mean, methods of making drugs less attractive and glamourous. Likewise, training our young to better accent and deal with life's many problems that are often evaded through drugs. Help ing tomorrow's leaders, to day rests upon the shoulders of today's responsible per sons So often aulements are made: Addict* should be trea ted as medical patients rather than criminals; Police offi cers should channel addicts to withdrawal clinics instead of jail, such as methadone and other treatments. Someone even offered the suggestion that clinics administer heroin as bait to attract addicts desiring help but leery of synthetic drugs. All of these may in some way contribute to the cure process of an addict, however, in my opinion socie ty has failed these victims by waiting too late to lend a helping hand Must we continue down the road of failure and doom? Before its too late, consider the future .nfested with a majority of its citizens depen dent on drugs. Think of the increase in crimes and the dangers imposed on others. Is this the kind of future you would have liked to anticipate. We read police reports from large cities where drugs have become the “in-thing." Child ren are experimenting with drug, at the age, of ei|ht <$} liE*" !•>' ar*d becoming hooked by age eleven (||>. Well, don't allow yourseli the luxury of believing that these things only happen somewhere else They don't! Drugs are now in the local schools and on most corners. - Drugs can be bought almost anywhere in High Point And until some means is devised to. take away the attractiveness, drugs can very well be in your child's system, or a friend’s child The cure programs are good for now. but the prevention program will be good later. :
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Nov. 11, 1976, edition 1
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