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J njiarlotte 8 r astest Growing Community Weekly” ~ | black consumers
PRICE 20c
Low Income
Can Get
Assistance
By Sandra Bowers
Post Staff Writer
If you live in one of the
Charlotte Target Area, need
fuel and running short of cash
because of the severe hard
ship of the unseasonalbe cold
winter, you’ll be happy to
learn that there is an agency
here that can assist you.
According to W.H. Draddy,
Director of Management for
Charlotte Housing Authority,
persons living in target areas
Grier Heights, North Char
lotte, Cherry, Third Ward,
West Mnreheari First Ward
Southside Park, Five Points
and West Boulevard-are eligi
ble to receive $50 allocation
for the City of Charlotte from
the winter crisis assistance
program. "The money must
be used to purchase fuel, oil,
coal or firewood," Draddy
said.
To apply, contact Family
Housing Service, Inc., 403 N.
Tryon Street at 375-4409 or
375-4494.
Citizens having difficulty re
siding in the nine target areas,
were allowed a maximum of
$50 worth of fuel, and those
who need fuel can apply for
help until the end of March.
An amount of $15,600 that
was left from its winter crisis
assistance program can help
tenants living in the nine
low-income areas of Char
lotte keep warm and the
$50,000 Community Develop
ment Department, which also
expires at uie ena ot March,
^ has provided fuel, money and
ouier help to more than 450
poor persons here since it
began Feb. 1.
Through Feb. 25, 239 homes
were winterized with plastic
weather stripping and 50 gal
lons of oil, a half ton of coal,
and a load of firewood were
made available for 455 per
sons or up to $50 cash to help
pay gas or electric bills.
City Council authorized the
program after the plight of
poor families and elderly peo
ple trying to survive one of the
coldest winters on record in
unheated and underheated
homes was brought to public
attention.
The city has spent $14,167 to
buy fuel and make cash pay
ments to residents of the
target areas. The average
spent per home was about $36
-- $13.95 less than the $50 per
home allocated in the pro
gram budget due to the fact
that many residents had
small oil tanks that wouldn't
hold $50 worth of fuel.
About 220 persons who have
applied for help have been
referred to other agencies
because they didn't live in a
community development tar
get area.
IXMjperauve
Office Bancfuet
Scheduled
Students, who work part
time while attending school
through the Charlotte-Meck
lenburg Schools Cooperative
Office Occupations (COO)
program, will entertain their
employers with a banquet
Thursday, March 17, 7 p.m. in
the Independence Barroom at
the Radisson Plaza Hotel.
■ ii i ■■ ■ ——■
■\X- ,
...II it weren’t for FOOLS
WISE MEN couldn't make t
LIVING.
_ MS. WILLIE MAE BEST
...Graduate ofJBarber-Scotia
Ms. Willie Best
Is Beauty Of Week
By Melvetta Wright
Post Staff Writer
The ambitious Libra-born
lady who represents the Post
as Beauty of the Week in this
issue is Ms. Willie Mae Best, a
native of Hartsville, N.C.
-Ms Best is a grartnatp n(
Barber-Scotia College with a
Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in
Business Administration.
While at Scotia she was an
honor student, the captain of
the cheerleading squad and
became a member of Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority.
The daughter of the late
Rufus Best and Mrs. Sarah
Best, our Beauty later plans to
return to school, probably the
University of South Carolina
in Columbia, where she will
pursue a Master's Degree in
Business Administration. But
presently she is employed by
Collins and Aikman as an
Industrial Engineer. She is
one of the first Black women
to hold an executive position
with this company and sees
the job as having great possi
bilities for promotion. Among
her other many duties, Ms.
Best visits various colleges
and universities for the pur
pose of recruiting qualified
students for the company. She
was recently transferred from
Charlotte to Spartanburg SC
Our Beauty was one oi xuz
many persons who enjoyed
seeing "Rich Man, Poor Man,
Book II” on television and was
disappointed, as were many of
us, when the series went off
the air. But she is pleased
that her other favorite pro
gram, "60 Minutes,” still airs
"60 Minutes" appeals to her
because "It gets down to the
roots of things and is very
informative to the public ”
Ms. Best's favorite actress
is Diana Ross because she
feels that Miss Ross possesses
> the same type of ambition that
she herself has.
Her parents are the persons
who stand at the top of the list
of those she admires the most
because of the way they over
came the struggles they en
Hearing Set For
General Revenue
Sharing Fund*
The Charlotte City Council
has scheduled a public hear
ing ior Moridiy. M1KII' 'X BT .1
p m. in the Council Chamber
at City Hail to receive com
ments and suggestions on the
possible uses of General Re
venue Sharing Funds for fiscal
■ year I97R
I
countered in rearing four
children and the guidance
they sought to give their off
springs.
Our Beauty's favorite colom
are, naturally, red and white,
and she enjoys that "good ole
homecooking." While talking
to one of Ms. Best 's admirers,
this reporter discovered that
she can really "burn a pot ",
Born October 2, 1953, Ms.
Best exhibits those characte
ristics that seem to have been
incorporated into the form
from which all Libras were
made. She’s likeable and easy
going. She's patient and be
lieves that "the best way to
get around any problem is to
go through it."
Appropriately, Ms. Best be
lieves that beauty lies in the
personality of an individual
rather than in the physical
makeup. If this is true, and
many believe it is, then Ms.
Best is truly a beautiful per
son. And, so as not to disap
point those who disagree and
believe that beauty is a pretty
face, our Beauty fits well in
that category, also
Congratulations and best
wishes are in order because
our Beauty hears the tinkle of
wedding bells coming closer
and closer. She declines giving
a dale at me time, but says
that it will happen in the very
near future
Hats off to Ms. Willie Mae
Best, an ambitious, indepen
dent and appropriately cited
Beauty of the Week.
Blacks Warn
‘Turn Cities Around Or
Parity Objective Is Doomed’
Food Stamp
Office Opens
New Site
The Mecklenburg County
Food Stamp Office will open at
its new location on the fifth
floor of the East Independence
Plaza Building, 9S1 South In
dependence Boulevard, Mon
day morning, April 4, accord
ing to Larry Goolsby, Eligibi
lity Director for the program.
The last day of operation at
the present location, 800 Briar
creek Road, will be Tuesday,
March 29. The office will be
closed Wednesday, March 30,
through Friday, April 1, to
allow time for moving into the
new offices.
The office telephone number
will remain 374-2677.
The new location is at the
intersection of South Indepen
dence Boulevard and South
McDowell Street. It is located
at City Bus Route No. 3. Free
parking space is available
adjacent to the building, with
access from South Indepen
dence Boulevard and South
McDowell Street.
Goolsby said he expects the
new location "will-better ser
ve the needs uf fu<xl stamp
clients" and he expressed the
hope that “inconvenience due
to the move will be kept to a
minimum.”
The relocation was approv
ed by the Board of County
Commissioners, based on re
commendations made by the
Mecklenburg County Board of
Social Services. The move was
necessitated by a termination
of the County’s lease for space
for the Food Stamp Office in
the Merchandise Mart Build
ins.
11th Graders
To Attend College
Outstanding students in the
Charlotte area will have a
chance to attend college while
still in the eleventh grade.
The University of North Ca
rolina at Charlotte has re
ceived a $14,173 National Sci
ence Foundation grant to al
low 25 high-ability students to
participate in an urban envi
ronmental study program.
Information may be obtain
ed from Dr. Gerald L. Ingalls
of the Department of Geo
graphy and Earth Science at
UNCC (Fhone 597-2293).
—. —
UNEMPLOYMENT HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL
~~.~Idle workers linger behind post office
Black Community Accused
Of Moral Incompetence —
ay u imama Uhura Aka
(V.W.P.)
Special To The Post
In every community in the
United States, there are home
less, wayward, and some
times destitute individuals,
and our beloved Queen City is
no exception. It, too, has its
share of individuals who are
less fortunate than you are,
and the least of these have
their own particular meeting
place. If you are no stranger to
the Queen City you have the
spot, its one square block
bordered by West Trade and
West Fourth Streets on the
north and south, and by South
Mint and South Graham Str
eets on the east and west.
The center of the Block is
occupied by the Charlotte
branch of the United State
Postal Post Office. At one time
or another all of us have had
reason to pass this particular
spot, because Charlotte has
not yet become the megalopo
lis that would not require us to
venture into the heart of the
city. And how ironic, that it's
in the heart of the Queen City
where you will find its most
needy citizens
It is an indictment of the
universal society that these
individuals are forced to live
as they do, but to bring the
matter closer to home each
one of us bears a responsibili
ty to aid these people, thereby
ajding the entire community.
Case in point, I would like to
introduce to you one Mr. Os
car Hardy. Mr. Hardy is an
ebony colored black man. who
stands over six feet, and his
gray hair and beard are close
cropped about his head and
face. Oscar will be 57 years old
this coming Sunday. He was
born March 20, 1920 in Gaston
County, N.C. Mr. Hardy is not
a resident of Charlotte. I
suppose you would classify
him as a transient, one who's
just passing through. He does
have family living here in the
city, a cousin in Cherry, a
nephew in Griertown, and a
few relations in Huntersville,
so I guess you can say that his
"roots" have branched out
and held firm here
His home base though is in
Gastonia where he lives with
his youngest sister, her hus
band and their nine children
He's seldom there more than
three days out of a week,
thoughh. You see, Mr. Hardy
has a bit of the wanderlust in
him. He frequently commutes
as far south as Spartenburg,
S.C. He also goes to Kings
Mountain as often as he can.
Not very much of a wander
lust if that's as far as he goes,
you say? Oscar Hardy has
been blind since birth, which
makes his travels border on
the adventerous.
I met Mr. Hardy on that
block one night last week
while out seeking a conversa
tion with those who frequently
gather in back of the main
post office As I walked up I
noticed that he was blind and
that his hearing is very keen I
had on rubber soled shoes and
was nearly 10 feet away when
he spoke to me, "Hi ya' doin,
can you help me out there’’"
As I dropped a few coins in his
ashtray I asked him if he'd
mind my sitting down. "Help
yourself" he replied As we
began to talk about this and
that. I realized at once, here is
an intelligent individual who
has a definite opinion of him
self, his peers and society. I
asked if he'd mind mv askinc
him a few questions about
himself "No, fire away,"
was his reply I then asked
him to tell me the highs and
lows of his travels, what he
has been exposed to and been
involved in Oscar Hardy un
folded in front of me life,
some of it as t know it. hut
then life as I hope no one
should ever have to see He
told me that he goes where his
mind leads him experiencing
life as it is but. trusting in the
Creator to make sure that he
makes i! back alright
Mr Hardy attended the
School of the Blind in Raleigh.
N.C "You can learn just
about anything you want to
learn at that school' he told
me. but he quit at the age of 17.
because hp becamp "tired of
being bossed around and a
bused You see a majority of
the staffers at the school were
•fftltfe and prejudiced and «4nu>
respcctor of disability
Hr continued. "Life is rough
on a blind man. you can't
enjoy life like you want to.
S. r BLACKS on Page Ifi
Minorities
Efforts
Jeopardized
The efforts of minorities to
ichieve economic parity in the
oreseeable future are serious
y jeopardized by steady dete
■ioration of the nation's cen
:ers of commerce, according
x> the head of the nation's
>ldest national business or
ganization. Dr. Berkeley G.
Burrell, tenth President of the
National Business League, to
lay warned that unless mino
rities can produce a healthy
sconmic climate in their com
munities, efforts to achieve
economic parity may well be
doomed. Said Burrell: “A
mong the many obstacles con
fronting us, the one. 1 think,
which most threatens to un
dermine and destroy our pari
ty struggle is the absence of a
national economic policy for
the revitalization of America’s
centers of commerce. Thus,
turning our commercial cen
ters around and restoring
them to patterns of productivi
ty growth must become a
national priority."
Addressing the Mid-Winter
Conference of - the- National
association of Minority con
tractors, sponsored by the
Minority Contractors Re
source Center, Burrell decried
the steady deterioration of our
urban communities and noted
the impact of persistent eco
nomic stagnation on the Black
community, saying: “Our cur
rent problems of inflation and
sluggish recovery from the
worst recession since the
Great Depression, place tre
mendous pressures on unsta
ble income areas As a result,
the Black market is seriously
depleted "
Burrell noted that Booker T
Washington founded this or
ganization when he concluded
that there was a need for a
structure that could bring
Black business persons toge
ther for consultation and to
secure information and inspi
ration from one another
Washington had an abiding
faith in America, but he had
an even greater faith in Black
America According to Bur
rell. that faith is being severe
ly tested today because the
same issues and concerns that
confronted Black Americans
in 1900 still confronts them
today He continued "Four
hundred years after Blacks
helped to create the first
American enterprise through
the trade of their lives into
bondage we are still a poor
race For when we divide our
total assets among the mil
lions of our population, it does
not represent a very large.per
capita
Turning to the plight of
minority contractors, he not
ed "(If all Federal contracts
awarded. 74 percent of them
went to big business Only 2g
percent were awarded to
small business firms, despite
the fact that the small busi
ness community represents M
percent of all business firms in
the country Yet, of the M
percent that went to small
business firms, 25 3 percent
were awarded to white small
businesses That means that
only seven tenths of one per
cent of the MO billion worth of
Federal contracts went to you
rmm»nty uunirgewm
Burrell urged the minority
contractors to Join in the
parity fight to demand their
fair share of huge government
expenditures
Neighborhoixl Organization*
NWCAA Brings Community Changes
By Hoyle H. Martin Sr
Post Staff Writer
The Northwest Community
Action Association, a federa
tion of 12 neighborhood or
ganizations, has been success
ful in initiating "drives" and
"protests" that have resulted
in IS community improve
ments during its 4-year his
lory.
Under the direction of L C
Coleman (Westside Improve
ment Association), Howard
Campbell (University Park
Improvement Association)
and the leadership of the other
10 affiliated organizations,
projects including additional
school buses, increased black
voter turn-out, neighborhood
rezoning, the building of parks
and sidewalks and the rerout
ing of truck routes were suc
cessfully pursued Working
behind the scene effectively
advising and assisting this
leadership has been Dave Ble
vins, a professional communi
ty organizer, formerly with
the Charlotte Area Fund and
now operating independently.
Furthermore, officers and
members of NWCAA have met
with representatives of nume
rous City departments (Engi
neering, Public Works, Traffic
Engineering. Planning Com
mission etc.) to gain informa
(ion about the City's plans for
road construction, the location
of parks, new sidewalks and
neighborhood zoning. NWCAA
has also appeared before the
City Council and School Board
HA-Ajiumber Jd occasions to
express their member organi
zs(ions' concerns. In this re
gard, for example, tyWCAA
was instrumental in ttnvinc
ing the Planning Commission
to hold a Public Hearing at
West Charlotte High School
when none was scheduled for
any Black neighborhood In
addition. NWCAA has con
ducted many neighborhood
meetings to assist in organi
zing people to take action
offensive to their neighbor
hoods.
Among the specific achieve
ments of NWCAA are:
(1 > Protests by the Hoskins
Action Committee over the
unsafe conditions in which
their children had to walk to
school The School Board pro
vided a bus for the children.
(2) Failing in its effort U
defeat a bond referendum on
. April 10.1877. NWCAA ntvtL
theless was responsible for a
Black voter turn-out that was
three times larger than for a
similar bond referendum a
few months earlier,
In commenting on these
■ irt «
L C. Coleman
-...flWCAA leader
efforts NWCAA president L C
Coleman said. We seek no
reward, but to see an improve
ment in the quality of our lives
through a better living envi
ronmenl