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Cabinet Selections Our Choices
By Hoyle H. Martin Sr.
Post Executive Editor
Two days before Christmas, pre
sident-elect Jimmy Carter complet
ed the selection of his 11-member
Cabinet and six other key cabinet
level appointments. Such appoint
ments are certainly an indication of
i: how the new president will attempt
•i to implement his election campaign
: pledges. Therefore, by analyzing the
!; collective and individual character
i; of these appointees, blacks can
i: begin to gain some understanding of
■ the extent of their reward for giving
: Carter 94 percent voter support last
£ November 2.
These Carter policy-makers and
: advisors have a particular signifi
!· cance for black Americans for two
i reasons. First, their selection, ac
: cording to one noted analyist, "ap
ï parently was influenced more by
i blacks and the...women's movement
: than by organized labor or the
• traditional powerbrokers of the De
» mocfâtic Party." Secondly, each
r appointment that was considered to
be controversial was in some way
i related to the "race issue."
»
Has Been Criticized
For example, attorney general
designee Griffin B. Bell has been
criticized by some blacks for his less
than enthusiastic support of school
desegregation while serving as a
federal appeals judge and for his
membership in three Atlanta social
clubs that exclude blacks. Dissatis
faction with Bell was heightened by
the fact that Carter's major black
supporters had strongly recom
mended that a black get the attorney
general post. Black influence in the
Bell appointment was nevertheless
evident by the fact Carter selected
Bell only after Vernon Jordan of the
Urban League had apparently turn
ed the job offer down and Andrew
Young had endorsed Bell.
Black influence was also evident
in the selection of Ray Marshall as
the new secretary of labor. Mar
shall, a Ph.D labor economist from
the University of Texas, has been
described as "a hardheaded liberal
who preaches that discrimination in
hiring, by race or sex, is economical
ly disastrous as well as morally
wrong." An expert in minority em
ployment problems, Marshall's ap
pointment was opposed by AFL-CIO
President George Meany and some
conservative factions of organized
labor.
Most Controversial
Probably the most controversial
appointments from a black view
point were in the appointment of
blacks themselves. Andrew Young
the Georgia Congressman, who
many had felt would be the most
powerful and influencial black in a
Carter administration because of his
early support and close association
to be the next ambassador to the
United Nations. *
^JVlanjMjlacksjve^
appointment because of the belief
that Young will be in a thankless and
difficult job where he may, on
occasion, have to support U.S. poli
cies on issues that are in direct
conflict with the interest of blacks -
such as the current southern Africa
crisis. Furthermore, and probably
more significant, is the belief that
Young's pre-occupation with foreign
affairs will not allow him to be a
consistent influence in the Carter
administration with regard to the
concerns of black Americans.
Finally, the selection of Patricia
Roberts Harris, the black Washing
ton lawyer as Secretary of Housing
and Urban Development was met
with considerable dismay. Despite
an impressive record as a law school
dean, an attorney, an ambassador, a
board member of three large corpo
rations, and a civil rights activist,
Mrs. Harris' appointment was
strongly opposed by many big city
mayors and others concerned with
urban affairs on the grounds that she
has no prior experience in urban
problem solving. This opposition
was intensified by reports that Car
ter made a quick decision out of a
desire to get a racial and female mix'
into his Cabinet to meet campaign
commitments.
Combining these appointments
with that of treasury secretary
nominee Werner M. Blumenthal and
Joseph Califano, HEW appointee,
what can blacks expect from the
federal government in the next four
years?
Improve Quality
The POST believes that all things
considered, Carter's nominees indi
cate a desire to significantly im
prove the quality of life for all
Americans.
Through an apparent combined
tax cut and jobs training program
instituted early in 1977 we believe
unemployment will begin to gra
dually decline as consumer demand
rises and economic growth expands.
Fur'hermore, we believe there
will be a lessening of urban blight as
greater attention is given to the
needs of our cities, particularly in
the ares of housing, health, traffic
congestion, welfare and pollution.
The POST believes also that pa
tience, cooperation and understand
ing by Americans - both black and
white - will be vital to helping Mr.
Carter making a good America a
better America. Cabinet appointees,
men with noble humanitarian ideals
and a sincerely concerned national
leader can only be as affective as
those who follow that leadership.
Having made the first step, that is,
the president-elect has selected his
cabinet and other top advisors, and
the public has had an opportunity to
express their views, and in effect,
influence the selection process, let
us now give Mr. Carter a fare
opportunity to be a President and in
so doing help him to help black
Americans.
BLAMING THE POLICE FOR THE ILL-TREATMENT OF BLACK
JUVENILES DOESN'T STOP THEM FROM KILLING OLD MEN AND
WOMEN. SITTING AROUND DOING NOTHING WON'T HELP
EITHER.
FACTS TUAT ARE NOT I
FBANKLY FACED HAVE A X,
NASTY HABIT OF STABBING
US IN THE BACK. {M
M HAROLD BOWD£N
« * ^?Z. \ Ή
Blacks' Destiny In Own Hands
The Reading Problem
feven tfiough there is much
controversy and disagree
ment over the cause of the
reading problem and the best
ways to solve it, there does
seem to be general agreement
that there is a reading pro
blem - if not a reading crisis in
the nation today.
Over the past twenty years,
the educational market has
been flooded with textbooks,
machines, devices and games
designed to improve reading
skills. Teachers, under tre
mendous pressure over read
ing scores, have desperately
tried out one teaching method
after another in search of a
miracle cure. Bewildered and
confused parents send child
ren to reading clinics and to
tutors, fervently hoping to
save their child from what
now seems to be considered as
the woTst of all fates - the
inability to read at a certain
level. It seems that concern
over reading skills has turned
into national hysteria.
In an article entitled "The
Politics of Reading" which
was published in Harvard
Educational Review (May,
1970), Dr. Neil Poetman asks,
what is reading good for? The
range of answers he received
from reading teachers were
the usual ones which most of
us would probably give if
confronted with the question,
but Dr. Postman challenges
these answers in a way which
should provoke serious
thought on the subject.
The answer which comes to
mind most readily is that a
child must learn to read well if
he is going to suceed in school.
After all, reading scores are
being used as the criteria for
moving from one grade to the
next and on up the educational
ladder. But Dr. Postman says
that this is hardly a satisfac
tory answer, since it only
amounts to a description of
the rules of the game but says
nothing about the purpose of
those rules. In other words,
why are reading scores being
used in this way?
To those who would answer
that one has to read well in
order to get a job, Dr. Post
man points out that there are
probably only a very few jobs
which require a reading skill
beyond what is called a 'fifth
grade level', and this scarcely
justifies the "massive, com
pulsory, unrelenting pro
grams that characterize most
schools."
Still trying to answer the
question, we can always pull
out an arsenal of cliches, such
as reading "broadens one's
horizon; maketh the full man;
is the key to knowledge; opens
the door to rich experiences"
etc., etc. Bat Dr. Postman
counters this by saying that
he doubts that one of a hund
red students will use his know
ledge of reading for any of
these noble and lofty pur
poses, but will probably only
use it to increase his know
ledge of trivia.
Whether one agrees with Cr
Postman or not, his question
comes like a breath of fresh
air in an atmosphere which
has become polluted with
myths, slogans, cliches and
false assumptions. Are we
correct in assuming. maÎ a
highly complex technological
society requires higher and
more complex reading skills,
even though technology is cau
sing us to depend less and less
upon printed materials for
information? Is there any real
problem in our society today
(such as rape, murder, war
and other acts of man's inhu
manity to man) which would
be solved by trying to force all
the children to read at a
certain level? Are there any
advantages in having higher
reading scores which could be
worth the risk of causing
thousands of children (of all
races) to feel intellectually
inadequate or rejected, and
therefore, angry, hostile and
rebellious toward society?
Could it be that our minds
have been so bombarded with
reading propaganda that per
haps we have begun to accept
as truth many things which
are not only false but which
are absolutely absurd?
Somehow, Dr. Postman's
paper makes one feel that
finding the right answers to
the 'reading probelm' may not
be half as important as asking
the right questions about it.
TO
BE
EQUAL
Vernon Ε. Jordan Jr.: j
End Of An Era
The twelve months
now drawing to a close
have been rough ones.
The depression of 1975
receded to recession le
vels, but the selective
improvement in the eco
nomy still left millions
out of work.
The so-called "pause"
brought a halt, hopeful
ly temporary, to the
recovery. Last month
official unemployment
figures were back up to
over eight percent.
Translated into real bo
dies, that means about
15 percent of the labor
force was out of work.
1976 was the year in
which it was announced
that the numbers of poor
people increased by ten
percent. It was a year
that saw continued
slack in housing con
struction, with new
homes priced higher
than most Americans
can afford and older
homes rising in price to
exclude larger numbers
of people from decent
housing.
ϋη the civil rights
scene, it was a year of
controversy over affir
mative action pro
grams, lessened en
forcement of anti-discri
mination laws, and
signs of further retreat
oi»496ueeiike buaieg,
o^Gifies ,continued, in
trouble, with major ur
ban centers like Detroit,
New York and others
closing schools and hos
pitals. It was a year that
saw many people latch
on to "planned shrink
age" as an urban strate
gy-kick poor people out
of the cities and bring in
the middle class, luxury
apartments and offices
to replace them.
Given all this, it's
hard to be optimistic,
but it is possible that
we have not just seen
the end of a pretty bad
year, but also the end of
an era.
1976, like the years
preceding it, was cha
racterized by a policy of
"benign neglect" of our
national problems. De
cisions and policies
were made based on
what will produce short
term stability and not
what will cure long
standing problems.
The attempt to re
solve race and class
conflicts was abondoned
and in its place came a
concern with a supposed
"silent majority" of
middle class citizens
that just wanted lower
taxes and less govern
ment.
That the majority wajp
not so silent and not so
negative became appa
rent in the election re
sults. The electorate's
rejection of a President
who was hesitant about
inaugurating programs
to- deal with our pro
blems is a sign that the
election of 1976 was a
mandate for federal ac
tivism to cure a sick
economy.
Thus, 1976 was differ
ent from the years that
preceded it in that it
may mark the end of an
era.
Whether it will in fact
be the end of the era of
benign neglect depends
in large part on Presi
dent-elect Jimmy Car
ter and his new Admi
nistration. Carter and
his transition team have
a plateful of choices
before them - appoint
ments to be made, alter
ing plans for federal
spendj^, fley policies
on mafli*wèr, health,
housing and a host of
others.
As those decisions are
made, we'll have a bet
ter idea of whether the
era that brought such a
wide-scale retreat in so
cial progress is over.
Meanwhile, black peo
ple, working people, and
concerned citizens have
to apply the pressure to
ensure their interests
are taken into account.
For black people the
period since the election
has been a time of hope,
just as the years preced
ing it have been years of
increased hardship. The
malfunctioning econo
my has caused erosion
in the ranks of black
businesses and the still
too small black middle
class, and has been ca
tastrophic for the blaclt
poor.
THE CHARLOTTE POST
"THE PEOPLES NEWSPAPER"
Established 1918
Published Every Thursday
By The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc.
2606-B. West Blvd.-Charlotte, N.C. 28208
Telephones (704) 392-1306,392-1307
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c
Television Fails Black People
Ru^:ija - . J.
—, —. α,χΛ \j. jonnson
As more and more integra
tion takes place on the idiot
tube, I have noticed a distinct
pattern developing as to the
role blacks play in relation to
whites.
For instance. Blacks are
either depicted as buffoons or
they are underminded altoge
ther. All of the black T V.
shows are comedies. This in
itself is not bad But because
there is no balance, depicting
Blacks in other areas it tends
to make us look like clowns
"All in the Family," "Mau
de," "Phyllis," and the like
are balanced by "The Wal
ton's," "The Family," "Rich
Man, Poor Man," and many
others.
There is a definite need for
us to be able to laugh at
ourselves But when laughter
is not coupled with a humanis
tic viewpoint as well, the
medium becomes detrimental
to the depiction of a people.
Thus. "The Jefferson's,"
"Sanford and Son." What's
Happening" and Good
Times" have no coupling
shows that depict Black peo
ple in a more serious light.
Hence, television has failed
to reflect the true image of a
society that it is set up to
entertain.
Moreover, a lot of television
shows have set out to integrate
the show by having mixed
affairs thrown into them. Un
fortunately, and even more
unrealistically, all these mix
ed affairs are centered around
a white male and a black
female Never have I witness
ed the reverse. Never has
there been a case when a
white female and a black male
had an affair going.
I think this is a very unheal
thy depiction of our society
because it tends to make the
white male omnipotent. It ex
ploita us as black males and it
even exploits white females
indirectly.
It is obvious that the white
male is attempting to prove
his domineering capabilities
by being able to control the
female sex both white and
By Gerald 0. Johnson
black.
The poor black male is still a
laughing figure while all (his
is going on. One night we see
Brenda Syke's become preg
nant by a white stud and the
next night we see J.J. Walker
acting like an ass.
This type of stereotyping
has a definite effect on young
people who very seldom ly
read, but take television as the
gospel. —.
The responsibility of chang
ing this inaccurate account of
Black life in America as seen
on television rest on the
"Black People of America's"
Shoulder.
The need for Black televi
sion writers is acute. No white
man can accurately describe
the joys and sorrows, hurt and
pain, love and hate, of a Black
man.
Until, however, television
can be changed to demon
strate true-to-life situations of
the black lifestyles, it will fail
as a responsible medium in a
very complex society.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Out with the old year in with
the new as we merrily sing
Auld Lang Syne.
As this Bicentennial year
comes to an end I can't help
but share with you some of the
joys and sorrows 1976 brought
me
I was nominated for "Who's
Who in North Carolina" and
Teacher of the Year at JCSU.
Of these nominations I receiv
ed neither. The reason was
because I didn't return a form.
The latter was because I lost
to a much more deserving
person, the Reverend Herman
L. Counts. I was separated
from my family for about
three months or sa My mo
ther, who means the world to
me was operated on for can
cer. A successful operation
that I am thankful for. My
brother, who I think the world
of, also, was taken into the
hospital. He is still in the
hospital.
The year brought its joys
and its sorrows, yet we only
know Joy because of sorrow.
So I feel no remorse. Since
tomorrow isn't promised to
me I'll do the best I can. I have
enough confidence in myself
to be able to say that I can
handle tomorrow come what
may. I'll go on saying this
until there are no more tomor
row's for me
As the New Year comes in I
have no doubt that there will
be times when I will stumble
but I will not fall Th*»'e will be
times when I will make mis
takes, but I shall use these
mistakes as a learning experi
ence so that I don't make the
same mistake twice.
There will be times when I
will show hate because with
out hate how can one know
love.
Hence I am ready for 1977,
good, bad, or indifferent. I am
not looking forward to a big
year because I haven't the
time to sit back and dream
I haven't the time to sit idly by
and feel sorry for myself when
things do not go my way.
I only have time for reality
To live life to the fullest. To be
myself.
In closing I would like to
thank each and every one of
you and to wish you a very
Happy New Year.
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