i -
Page 2-THE CHARLOVi e. PdST Thursda^. Marcli il. iaT7
■L-.f
iCdi &
comtdH
BLACK BUSINESS MEN AND POLITICIANS
SHOULD BE IN THE FOREFRONT OF LONG
RANGE PLANNING FOR IT IS ONLY
THROUGH ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL
CLOUT THAT ETHNIC GROUPS HAVE BEEN
ABLE TO MOVE UP THROUGH SOCIETY.
THE FLIGHT OF
CAPITAL FROM
BLACK COM
MUNITIES
V
LudierHodge8-AManForOm*Tlme
By Hoyle H. Martin Sr.
Post Executive Editor
In the aftermath of Watergate, the
American people have become ever-
mindful of the need to identify and
encourage ethical business, civic
and reli^ous leaders to enter public
service. It is for this reason that the
Post was pleased when Luther H.
Hodges Jr. announced in January
that he is seriously considering
becomi^ a candidate for the U.S.
Senate in 1978.
Hodges, 40, is board chairman of
the North Carolina National Bank
and the Manpower Development
^Corporation (MDC), and immediate
jx>st chairman of the Charlotte
-Chamber of Commerce.
His position at NCNB gives him
considerable power and influence in
^th the corporate and civic com-
;>munity and reportedly, a salary of
-i$12S,000 yearly. While such accom-
'^ilishments and its accompaning
“jsecurity would satisfy most men,
j^odges is considering giving it all up
hfor a job that pays less than half his
^current salary and involves the
insecurity of possible recall every 6
’.years.
.1 Embracing the insecurity of poli-
'^cs at the cost of corporate securi-
and power, Hoc^es reasons it’s a
r^mall price to pay for his quest of
T^iewohaRenges and his desire to be a
)=public servant. Yet, the youthful
“looki^ bank. executive, does not
'insider his interest in public ser-
HfVice an abandonment of his involve-
ajnent in business affairs. For exam-
aple, he was quoted recently
TO
BE
EQUAL.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. ^
Affirmative Actioii Rufing Due
4
Sometime this year the Supreme Court will
hear a case of crucial importance to blacks and
other minorities. It’s the old “reverse discrimi-
natiim’’ vs. affirmative action argument, ai^ the
Court’s ruling will have a major influence on
university admission and employment polkntt.
The issue came from the Court two years ago,
in the De Funis case, but the Court ducked it,
refusing to give a definitive ruling.
LUTHER HODGES JR.
...NCNB Board Chairman
as
'sayuig.
business can’t be done
(of government).’’
HrM(»« significantly, Hodges told a
-i-College-Business Forum at Johnson
90. Smith University last year, our
''^corpevation (MDC) is ‘using govem-
2oment'and private funding...to match
•iunemployed and underemployed in-
'^dividuals to training and'
further,"^Bqsi
'4)egin ’te i^ruit in areasH has
,.ignored or specifically excluded in
the past — such as in black colleges
''' and universities and among the
[^!poor, underemployed, and high
i„school dropouts.’’
Hodges’ people orientation and his
„ commitment to a philosophy of
L. corporate social responsibility does
='‘not end with job training and em-
■ ployment. Under his leadership,
J..NCNB has ^ven significant support
to minority business and institute a
•* low-income loan plan for high-risk
' ;customers. In the latter case, the
j', pilot program fell shm't of the
expect results due to a sluggish
economy resulting in a financial loss
to the bank. However, in characte
ristic fashion, Hodges held to the
view that business must be people-
^ oriented as well as profit-oriented
and thus considered the loss an
to the business, civic and education
al community. He has demonstrated
a sensitive concern for the needs of
minorities and the poor. He has
accepted, with a maturity beyond
his years, a rapid rise up the
corporate ladder from an NCNB
cre^t trainee in 1962 to the board
chairmanship in 1974. He has illus-
trated the courage to remind ma-
nagement that it has a responsibility
-to workers as well as to the lai^er
community from the standpoint of
working conditions and environmen
tal needs. Finally, Luther H. Hodges
Jr. is a man of high moral character,
honesty and int^rity.
The son of an “enlightened capi-
tolist’’ who became govempr of
—North Carolina and commer^^e-
cretary in the Kennedy adminisva-
tion, Luther Jr.!
Chapel Hill and the Harvard Busi
ness School. He is married to the
former Dorothy Duncan of Monroe,
N.C., and they are the proud parents
of f^d^ipwn^n, Ann, 16,'aod Luther
-, -111^5. -••••: ,
Possessed with the kind of ethical
business-political philosophy that
public officials need in order to deal
successfully with the problems of
our times, Mr. Hodges is a man of
our time and the type of individual
we so desperately need in public
* service.
Blacks^ Destiny In Own Hands
Now it’s back, with a white Californian, Allan ,
Bakke, suing Uie University of California at.
Davis fw twice turning down his application for;\
medical school while reserving 16 out of its 100 ^
openings for disadvantaged applicants.
The University says it has over 3,000 people
applying for admission, and reserves those 16
slots to help integrate the school and the
prrfessim, and to fulfill the compelling need for—
>1
Standards AndPhiralisni
In these times of the crisis of the
cities it was Hodges again who put
things in perspective when he said,
“No city seeking a high quali^-of-
life for people can long afford to
Education cannot be equal
as long as selection and rejec
tion is a built-in process. Exis
ting tests which arrange peo-
a single scale
high, average and low are
based upon a single cultural
standard and upon programs
which are limited in scope.
The conflict which results
froHL. trying to fit diverse
-peo|Mae tote racMs created for
only one group has already
bem witnessed in cities where
large numbers of minority
children have been turned off
and pushed out by schools
which recognize only one kind
of intellectual strength, one
kind of talent, and one set of
measuring standards.
, We have grown so accus
tomed to these single stand
ards and priorities that it
becomes difHcult to imagine
how a school system could
function without them. We are
^investment in human development.
,, What do these actions tell us about
j the man Luther H. Hodges Jr? He is
a man who has made a significantly
_^wide, yet unassuming, contribution
stand still in our i:apidly changing
world.’’
Finally, Luther Hodges’ personal
success has been surpassed tmly by
his concern for people and his efforts
to help the less fortunate to achieve
a measure of dignity and opportuni
ty. Such unselfish concerns in a
world of selfish people leads us to
call Mr. Hodges a man for our time,
a man deserving of support because
he has supported so many others.'
We salute Luther H. Hudges Jr.
and wish him well in his possible
pursuit of a U.S. Senate seat.
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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Charlotte, N.C. under the Act of March 3,1878
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fearful that children will not
really be “educated" if we
don’t stick to the old educat
ional pri.grams, and we fear
that "ex ei ybody will get by" if
we don't use the old standard
measures as a watchdog. But
those who challenge these mo
no-cultural standards are not
asking that they be abandoned
or discarded altogether, but
that we develop a wider range
of standards and measuring
devices, and that we broaden
our entire concept of what
education ought to be about.
Underlying the call for a
wider range of options is the
concept of cultural pluralism,
which must accompany the
effort toward integrated edu
cation. The concept of plura
lism means more than just a
mixing of races or cultural
. . It is a recognition Uint
each culture has something of
value to contribute to the
whole. On the individual level,
it means that every child in
the educational system must
be regarded as a.person who
has talent and "m|wl^ties
which must be naco^^ied,
respected and allowed to de
velop to the fullest. The
concept of pluralism simply
cannot fit into the old tradit
ional pattern of education; it
calls for a wider range of
programs and options which
will allow room for every
child’s fulfillment.
Many educators believe that
today’s society calls for more
than the ability to read and
write, and that traditional
programs should be expand-
an article which appeared in
National Elementary Prin
cipal, Vito Perrone suggests
that we use other means for
measuring thg prni-g«« nf
learning and that we make
standardized tests a “very
small part of a larger and
more important evaluation
fabric". .
■ GhSBgjng times call for a
ajuLatgulSillJ;
^^S^iblC^haiig onto thos^
traditions and devices which
keep one group in a priviledg-
ed position, we are helping to
perpetuate a system of ine
quality.
Savannah State
more minority doctors.
Nationally, only about two percent of all
doctors are black, a situation that is clearly the
result of racial and economic discrimination. As
a result, black - and other minority - conununi-
ties suffer denial of medical services and equal
access to medical care, as well as being deprived
of role models, citric leadership, and sympathe
tic professional assistance.
And the University isn’t just taking anyone for
those reserved slots; the students are all
qualified. While they may have somewhat lower
test scores than tte wUte applicants for the
majority 84 entrance slots, such scores often
reflect cultural bias and aren’t accurate predic
tors of later success.
In choosing to give added weight to an
applicant’s diradvantaged background, schools
and employers recognize personal attributes not
reflected in test scOT^ThaTsuggttl professional
success. For a poor black or chiegno to get to a
certain level indicates he’s got ability, drive and
perserverance. So a little extra boost to help him
cpmjpete with advantMed ■ persMis for such
That’s the principle too, behind such preferen
tial treatment as veterans points on civil service
exams, and all institutions have long histories Of
special favored treatment for alunmi, friends,
and others, as well as long histories of outright
negative discrimination against blacks and other
minorities.
Hosts Annnal
ed, not only to meet the times,
but to promote every child’s
intellectual strength or talent.
Sheldon White of Harvard Uni
versity believes that the old
mono-cultural IQ tests should
be replaced by tests of pluTal
abilities. He suggests that we
develop and use a testing
system which would "recog
nize in some official sense that
human excellence and human
social utility come in diverse
forms”. Milton J. Gold, au
thor of EDUCATION FOR
THE INTELLECTUALLY
GIFTED, suggests that we
“use intelligence tests intelli
gently" by making it just one
of many indexes of ability. In
PrcM Institute
Savannah State Ck)llege’s
Office of Public Relations will
host the 26th Annual Southern
Regional Press Institute April
1st, and this year’s director,
Gus Howard, says it should be
one of the best ever held.
The theme for the Institute
this year is “'The American
Press-From Its Roots To
Now," and Howard believes
guest speakers Kalamu ya
Salaam of Black Collegian
Magazine and Ms. Marcia
Gillespie of Essence Magazine
will really reinforce that the
me. "Both are what I call
pioneers, for Black Collegian
was and is the only magazine
of its kind, as is Essense.
It is hypocritical for society to finally acknqyr-
ledge that past discriminatimi was unconstitu
tional and then refuse to take adequate steps to
remedy the effects of that (Uscrimination
ough reasonable-positive racial considera-
ti^ns on the grounds
discrimination.”
that would be “reverse
The outlook is troubling. Lower courts rul^ in
Bakke’s favor, sayi^ that the {X’ogram’s goals
and classifying applicants by race are constitu-'
tional, but that the University’s system of raciaf
preference violates the equ^ protection clause
of the Constitution.
And there is suspicion that the University
wouldn’t mind losing the case. It’s not tlie
strongest example of affirmative action that
might have come up, and America’s educational
establishment has never been very keen about
expanding opportunities for blacks and other
minorities
Pride Lacking Among Blanks
By Gerald O. Johnson
I have noticed a lack in
black profeationaliam in
black business in Charlotte.
Those businesses catering to a
black clientele seems to be
non-chalant about how they
present their product to the
customer. Let me give you an
example. When I first moved
to Charlotte I bought a house. I
wanted the sun room on the
house remodeled. I called a
black construction company
to give me an estimate The
owner came out. looked over
what I wanted done and said
he would write up an estimate
and gel back in contact with
me Three years and one room
additional later and I haven't ■
heard from him yet. I called a
while remodeling agency that
came in and.did the job
Ironically enough the white
agency subcontracted the job
to a black carpenter who did
an excellent job ^hc point
here is that Blac.^ are un
doubtedly qualified to do a
professional job. yet they lack
the professional diplomacy to
contract jobs. It is inexcusable
for any business to ignore a
potential customer.
My wife started seeing a
black gynecologist for her
medical services, but switch
ed after feeling tlmt the doctor
was too insensitive. She was
not the only defector. Over
hearing conversations my wi
fe would have with friends it
became apparent that many
felt the same way.
Again professional diplo
macy overshadowed profes
sional ability.
Gubs, restaurants, insur
ance agencies, and the like all
lack the profeasional air.
Therefore the mood of skepti
cism about doing business
with Blacks in real.
But how real is it? As Blacks
needing services rendered, we
are
help add to the unprofessiona
lism of Black businesses. It is
a fact we as black customers
give black business a hard
way to go Black workers
produce less when working for
Gerald 0..1«i8CT^
Blacks. Blapk oummers ...
less willing to pay Mack col
lectors. Mack customers are
less willing to pay a Mack
company for servtcee render
ed the same price that they
would pay to a white company
for the same services. Taking
, all this into consideralion and
realizing that a Black busi
nessman's primary clientele
is the black public where as
the white businessman’s cli
entele knows no color, the
black business is hurting.
Moreover, jealousy plays a
dominate r^ in black busi
ness. Mack customer relation
ships, A lot of Blacks refrain
from helping Mack businesses
because they don’t want
Blacks to get ahead. In other
words there are those who
purposely anchor black busi
nesses, The reason for this is
my theory of "Failure Ratio
nalisation.” It works like this:
Thess Blacks can rationalize
their failings simply by using
race as the reason. By saying
tfiaf wfiftes liave had all the
opportunities/ they can relax
with their shortcomings. But
as more Blacks succeed In
business it begins to put the
reasons for failure where It
belongs, in the lap of the
individual.
It is obvious that black
capitalism suffers because of
the skepticism between black
business and black customer
With a limited customer base
a black business has to be
understaffed. The neccessary
revenue is not forth coming.
'This causes a situation where
by the owner of the business is
likely to be the sales man, the
worker, the bookkeeper and
etc. This obviously limits a
person’s ability at diplomacy.
All small businesses lack pro
fessionalism for this reason.
As members of the Mack
community we all should try
to help build pride and profes
sionalism in our community.
As businessmen we should
not use the lack of personnel
as an excuse for not giving
customers the very best ser
vice we can offer.
stand the shortcomings and
handicaps of the Mack busi
nessman and realize that witl
our support most of thew
shortcomings can bt ower
come.
Remember, North Carolini
Mutual, Johnson and Johnson
and Johnson PuMishing Com
pany, didn’t sUrt out as largi
corporations. Allof these com
panies sUiied as one mai
operations much the sami
way as small businesses are li
Charlotte now.
With support, hard work
and pride in ourselves as t
community we could tun
mountains.
NEWS FOR YOU!
As Mack laborers for Mack
businesses we should dk> our
jobs the best we know how and
not try to take advantage of
the business because It Is
black.
As consumers of services
rendered by black businesses
wc should try to give our
support. We should under-
Do you have a topic that you
would Uke my opinion sn?
Write to "As You See It" In
care of The Charlotta Post.
You may Include an opinion of
you^ own Jf you like (or
prigQng along with ihy opi
nion. I will give you my honest
and candid opinion sn' any
topic.