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i V 1 • ^Jianotte s r astest Growing Community Weekly” | black consumers
VOL. 3 NO. «T^^^ll^MM"M^W,,IBigaiaagiagBM^"i^g5^i« ‘ ' •“•-1” —^ ~ - . _
^_CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA-282Q8-Thur8day7jun^——
««r.. - -PRICE 20c
By Jeri Harvey
Poet Staff Writer
Mirtam Watson says she
was “surprised and pleased”
when a local photographer
saidhe felt she could be a Poet
Beauty of the Week but one
look at her picture should tell,
our readers why he made that
observation. _
With 135 pounds neatly dis
tributed on a 5’6” .frame, and
dark brown hair and eyes,
Miriam is an attractive addi
tion to our parade of beauties.
The (laughter of Mr. and
Mrs. John Moses, Miriam is a
Gemini, was born in Charlotte
and attended West Charlotte
High School. Typing was her
favorite subject. Following
that interest, she moved to
New York and matriculated at
Monroe Business School and
graduated with a degree in
Secretarial Science. New
York was home for about
seven years before she return
ed to Charlotte and a position
as a secretary with American
Credit Corporation.
■ One of four children in a
“ family of three girls and one
boy. Miriam has a three year
old son of her own, Jeffrey.
Much of her spare time is
filled taking Jeffrey to the
park, on picnics and the like
but there’s still time for tennis
leeaons, reading romantic my
stery novels and occasional
entertaining. A small group of
compatible people, something
nice to drink and the sounds of
Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole
and Earth, Wind and Fire are
the ingredients Miriam mixes
to make a good time when she
entertains.
Most of the spare time acti
vities ire shared with her
fiancee, Philip Flowers, whom
she has known for about two
years. Philip, originally from
Hickory, is a supervisor at
General Electric and is also
Miriam’s tennis instructor.
We asked if taking lessons
from someone 90 close pre
sented any difficulties, and
she said, “No, he’s very pa
tient with me.” No wedding
date has been set but the
happy day will probably be
this year.
Miriam’s choice for the per
son she most admires is her
mother, Mrs. Glennie Moses.
The reason given was “My
mother did a good Job of
guiding me and the advice she
gave was always sound, even
when I didn’t listen.”
Mrs. Evelyn Floyd was her
favorite teacher in high school
because, “She cared. She took
time to listen."
If I- could have one
wish," our beauty said, “1
would like to see more
progress in the area of race
relations here in Charlotte.
She admits there has been
much positive change, but
notes that particularly in the
business woqjd, Blacks are
severely under-represented in
positions of power. In this
regard she feels Charlotte
compares unfavorably with
New York.
In other ways Miriam finds
the small town atmosphere of
Charlotte comfortable and she
looks forward to rearing her
son here and planning a future
with her husband-to-be.
Recently Miriam decided to
pursue a modeling career on a
part-time basis and we at the
Post wish her luck and look
forward In iMina a# k..
Workshop Set For
Clerks, Secretaries
The Personnel Administra
tors of North Carolina and the
Department of Public Instruc
tion's Division of Personnel
Relations is sponsoring a
workshop for secretarys,
clerks, and other personnel
associated with personnel ad
ministrators in Educational
Districts, six, seven, and eight
on Tuesday. June 7. at the
Sheraton Inn in Hickory, N.C.
For more information con
tact Robert Boyd, Division of
Personnel Relations, Depart
ment of Public Instruction.
Raleigh. N.C. 27«ll, or caU
(•!•) 733 24*1
Mental Health Center
*
Sets Coping Workshops
oy uacquie LCVister
Post Staff Writer
Have you ever been curious
about transactional analysis?
Are you having problems
coping with aging? Workshops
on these and other areas of
"Interest are being conduetod
by the .Mecklenburg County
Mental Health Center during
the month of June.
Coping with Aging, Intro
Concord Rally
Held For
Ronnie Long
Concord, (CCNS - A rally held
on the anniversary of Ronnie
Long s arrest, which subse
quently led to his being charg
ed with rape and first degree
burglary was attended by
nearly three hundred people,
most of them black and resi
dents of Concord.
Held in Caldwell Park, in
the heart of the black commu
nity, the rally featured seve
ral events that were happen
ing simultaneously, including
a fish fry to raise money for
legal expenses.—
William Posey, chairman of
the Ronnie Long Defense
Committee, spoke and gave a
synopsis of the activities of the
committee over the past six
months. Ike Long, Ronnie’s
father, thanked the crowd for
the support that had been
shown Ronnie over the months
following the trial.
After a five day trial, Ron
nie was found guilty by an all
white jury In October, 1976, of
twin charges of first degree
' burglary and rape of the wi
dow of a Cannon Mills execu
tive. Seven of the jurors work
ed for Cannon Mills, which is a
major force in the economic
life of the community.
Several black women in the
crowd listenening to speakers
and sang about Long wonder
ed would it all get Ronnie
free?
auction to T.A., Families of
Chronically Disturbed Pa
tients, Birth to 18 months and
Alternatives for Mothers of
Young Children are all topics
from which you may choose if
you wish to participate.
The Coping and Aging work
- .Unp ,i i|i ?-"phfifjj7e strategies
for personal growth and en
richment for those 65 and
older. The schedule for this
workshop is 9:30 - 11 a.m. on
Mondays, June 13, 20 and 27.
The Introduce Yourself
to T.A. group will study the
basic theory of Transactional
Analysis and how it relates to
interpersonal communication.
Wednesdays, June 1, 8, and 15
from 7-9 p.m. is the time given
for this group to meet.
The Families'of Chronically
Disturbed Patients workshop
is a group to be comprised of
-families who have & member
that is considered a chronic
mental patient. Emphasis
will be placed on early detec
tion of symptoms and more
effective management to a
void hospitalization. The time
for this workshop is 2^4 p.m. on
Thursdays, June 9, 16, 23 and
30.
For those with children, two
workshops, Birth to 18 months
and Altlernatives for Mothers
of Young-Children are being
offered. The Birth to 18
Months group will concern
itself with the development of
both the child and the parent
during the first 18 months
after child birth. Alternatives
for Mothers of Young Children
is a concentrated study aiding
in the development of a mo
ther’s self-esteem and plan
ning for the future. The Birth
to 18 Months group will meet
on Wednesdays, June 15, 27,
and 29 from 9:30 - 11 a.m;
Alternatives for Mothers and
Young Children will be held on
Tuesdays, June 7,14, 21 and 28
at 9:30 a.m.
To register for the Mental
Health Center workshops, call
Mary Jo at 374-3211 between
8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Mon
day thru Friday. The cost for
each workshop will be $5
unless otherwise stimilated
- - JACKIE ROBINSON
...Young executive
Robinson Manages
Northwestern Bank
j jl/vuui an
Post Staf Writer
Jackie Robinson started
working for Northwestern
Bank as a management train
ee in January of 1976 and is
now the only Black Northwes
tern manager in Charlotte.
A native of Rock Hill, S.C.,
and a December '75 graduate
of Johnson C. Smith Univer
sity where he received a B.S.
degree iri Business Adminis
tration, Robinson worked for
Northwestern Bank in Char
lotte as a management trainee
for six months and as an
assistant branch manager at
the Pineville Road office be
fore being promoted manager
in January of '77.
"I was lucky,” Robinson
said, “because in the summer
of '75 I had an internship with
the Ashland Oil Company in
Columbus, Ohio." Robinson
added that this internship with
AdhlanH HiH nnl cruk^ifi/tollo
relate to banking, but said it
was in relationship to the field
of business.
Having been in hjs new
position for five months, Ro
binson says he is very happy
with his job. “I like to help
people, especially older peo
ple, by doing a service for
them," Robinson said.
Robinson has found out how
ever that the banking business
isn't always pleasant for he
sympathetically revealed that
one of his hardest tasks in a
day’s work are turning down
some people who seek loans.
"You can't always justify
making a loan,” the young
executive said. "A lady with
four kids who had lost her
husband, living on an income
of $500 and wanted to buy a car
came to us for a loan.” Robin
son said that after careful
study it was found the lady
was not eligible to receive the
Current Federal Funding
Period Expires June 30
By Hoyle H. Martin Sr:
Post Executive Editor
Central Piedmont Commu
nity College will discontinue
the Offender Aid Program
(OAP) when its current fede
ral funding period expires on
June 30.
Mel Gay, vice president for
~»tUfl(*Ht j>ui vices, said tho ter_
mination of OAP is related to
the fact that a second year of
federal funding would obligate
the college to continue the
program in 1978-79 through its
regular budget He added, ‘a
Revenue Sharing
Office Gets
Black Director
—-WASH!MGIflN. D C.-Ms. _
Willi Delaney has been named
special assistant to Alexis M.
Herman, director. Women's
Bureau, of the U S. Depart
ment of Labor
As special assistant, she
makes and schedules appoint
mvmo VI UIL Ull tv, IUI , JCI V CO
as liaison between bureau
staff and director, controls the
flow of incoming correspon
dence and other paperwork,
and handles a variety of other
specialized duties.
Before joining the Labor
Department, she was with the
White House January 10 to
March 1977, after serving as a
director of volunteers at the
Carter campaign headquar
ters in Atlanta.
A native of Washington,
D.C., she relocated to Atlanta
in 1972. Then a homemaker
out of the work force, she did
volunteer work with many
community organizations
such as the Martin Luther
King Center and the City of
Atlanta Consumer Affairs Of
fice.
In 1972, on reentering the
work force, Ms. Delaney wor
ked for about nine months
with the Federation of South
ern Cooperatives in Atlanta.
.This position was also the first
placement made by the At
lanta Minority Women Em
ployment Program of R-T-P,
Inc., which was then headed
by Mr Herman
From 1967 to 1972, she was a
secretary with the D.C. Rede
velopment Land Agency, an
orientation specialist with
Northern Systems, and assis
tant to the vice president of
the Center for Governmental
Studies, all headquartered in
the nation's capital
A graduate of Martha Wash
ington High School, she at
tended Catholic University,
Washington, D C
She and her son, Damon
"Puncho" Delaney, are resi
dents of the District of Colum
hifl
tighter budget anticipated by
the college makes this impos
sible."
The Offender Aid Program
is a coordinated and coopera
tive effort of the Department
of Correction and CPCC that
makes counseling and educa
tional and vocational training
available to persons on proba
tion ui paiulc. Reportedly tho_
program has had an 80 per
cent success rate with 155
participants assisted by four
counselors in its first five
months of operation.
The current year's program
was funded by the Federal
Law Enforcement Assistance
Administration at a cost of
$169,000. The funds included
costs for a director, four coun
selors, a secretary, office sup
plies, telephone and maiTser;
vices, client tuition, books,
supplies and stipends, insu
rance and retirement benefits,
liowevei, due-to the late start - __
ing date of the program only
About half tho fitnrlinn t»ill
have been spent by June 30
The May issue of a newslet
ter, published by the staff of
the OAP, disagrees with the
college administration's sta
ted reason for terminating the
program. The newsletter con
firms published reports in
their belief that "the termina
tion of the program is in part,
due to the controversial issue
involving the hiring of T J
Reddy and criticism from the
District Attorney, Peter Gil
christ.”' In December Gil
christ had voiced opposition to
Reddy’s employment as a
counselor in the program on
the ground that he is a convic
ted felon who he - Gilchrist -
had no confidence in. How
ever, Gilchrist apparently o
verlooked the questionable
circumstance surrounding
Reddy 's conviction, the news
letter indicates.
Reddy was quoted in the
newsletter . as saying, "My
being hired at CPCC did not
violate any employment pro
cedure.”_
The newsletter further notes
that in a letter from OAP
director Harold Parks dated
December 7 Gilchrist was ad
vised that Reddy would not be
involved in referrals from the
DA's office. Reportedly, Gil
christ ignored the letter
The newsletter says also
that CPCC's contribution to
OAP has been only five per
cent in the form of “in kind”
contributions, that is. only
office space to house the pro
gram Finally, the newsletter
said new funding might have
been available if the CPCC
administration had submitted
an application to the Govern
or’s Commission on Law and
Order prior to April or If the
college had chosen to "host"
an application through the
Goals and Standards provi
sions of the state's Criminal
w
LOVELY MIRIAM WATSON
...Talented gemini
Miriam Wateon—
in tjducation aee n0D,n80n on rage n
Black Youth Face Extreme Crisis?
Rv O Tmani ITKnm Aim __#
• (V.W.P.)
Dr. O.A. Dupree, of Shaw
University, and National Di
rector of Education for the Phi
Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.,
is alarmed at what he des
cribes as the “Crisis In Edu
cation” for today’s young
black minds.
"A combination of extreme
ly negative factors, poor coun
seling, busing, the administra
tive structures, dropout rates,
and a lack of community
Involvement on the part of
black parents have crystalliz
ed to form what has to be
termed, a ‘Crisis In Educa
tion,” and that crisis is a real
one," claims Dupree.
‘‘Our black communities
need to regain the control of
our childrens' education. The
educational system as it is
now set up, is working to the
detriment of black young peo
P»« ” .
Dupree stated, “what is
happening in the schools today
is. the demoralisation of black
children. Integration was
started by the majority to
dilute black leadership poten
tial, and to construct and
control integrated institutions.
Busing is a gimmick used to
keep things confused and
y uicoaiuimi rt
study of the trends in black
education reveal that across
the nation, few blacks are
enrolled in the college prepa
ratory courses The result of
this is the total deterioration
of our black institutions of
higher learning Also, in the
1960's there were over 300
black high school principals in
North Carolina Today there
are less than 20 A check with
the State Board of Education
verifies Dr. Dupree's findings
Dupree stated further, "the
high school and elementary
school dropout rate is alarm
ingly high It ranges from a
high of 10.4 percent in Warren
County, to a low of 5.8 percent
in Watauga County, currently
the drop-out rate is 5.8 percent
in Raleigh and 6.2 percent in
the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
school system.”
Contacted by phone, School
Board Chairman Philip Berry
said he would take issue with
anyone who would claim the
dropout rate for blacks in this
system was excessively high
Berry said, I’ll have to check
the figures and get back to you
to insure you have the correct
picture. " Berry did not return
our call, and several attempts
to reach him proved unsuc
cessiui. However, Dr. Wayne
Chulrh at the Board of Educa
tion did corroborate the figur
es of Dupree, currently the
dropout rate of Black students
in the Charlotte system stands
at 6.2 percent
‘‘As long as we continue to
leave the education of our
children in the hands of the
majority, continued Dupree,
they will continue to be indoc
trinated with values that will
directly benefit that majori
ty.”
What are the options9 "It is
my responsibility, as National
Director of Education of the
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity
Inc., to contact the various
federal and local agencies
concerning the problems fac
ing black people in education,
and to formulate a plan of
action. In my capacity as di
rector. I have founded a state
wide organization and incor
porated a program to be im
plemented on a national level.
The program has two phases.
Phase I is a program organiz
ed into com ponents and strate
gies that lead to the desired
goal of reeducating our youth
Phase II concerns a National
Commission on Education
with local affiliates as subsi
diaries
I
Gty Schools Receive
Leadership Training Grant
Dr. O.A. Dupree
...Shaw professor
black children in the minority
This kind of situation breeds
disgust with the result being
no motivation on the part of
students to learn, and a lack of
caring counselors "
To emphasize the dimensions
of the "Crisis In Education,"
Dupree offered these startling
facta. Today's high school
curricula are divided into
what are termed track sys
tems. These tracks are com
posed of remedial courses
which lead to non-professional
Jobs, and rigorous courses,
which lead to college and
Charlotte Mecklenburg Sch
ools have received a grant
for over $17,000 to provide
leadership training to some 30
administrators in public and
non-public schools
As part of this training, the
administrators will attend a
workshop. August 1-5, at the
Quail Roost Conference Cen
ter near Durham. In addition,
for six days during the next
school year, these administra
I
tort will participate in follow
up sessions to evaluate their
leadership skills
The grant, made possible
through the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act Ti
tie IV federal project, is de
signed for school administra
tors who have new assign
ments and roles. This project
will be particularly effective
under the recently decentra
Hied system