Newspapers / The Charlotte post. / July 14, 1977, edition 1 / Page 2
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cmm c common j “New Discrimination”-Another View By Hoyle H. Martin Sr. Post Executive Editor In an article titled, “Teaching Kids the New Discrimination,” Meg Greenfield described in Newsweek magazine recently a conversation that took place between her 9-year old niece and 7-year old nephew as she inquired about their school ing. As the children exchanged points of view, one of them mention ed a special popular art class that they could not attend at then school because they are white. How ever, the little girl quickly noted that one of their friends had been accept ed for the class. Puzzled by his acceptance, the little boy said, “But he’s not black.” The little girl made it quite clear she knew that and noted that their friend was “part minority” so “He can go (to the class) because he’s half-Indian.” Ms. Greenfield referred to her young relatives conversation as “the weird and alarming side effect of our drive to achieve racial fair ness..^ preoccupation with bloodli ness and race and an acceptance of the idea that these are proper standards for deciding who will be treated how by the state.” After conceding that the special art class is part of the “redemptive efforts to _ eliminate the effect of years of discrimination against blacks and other racial and ethnic groups,” Ms. Greenfield says “the real issue is what we are doing to the values and perspectives of small children throughtout the countrv.” Racial Lnstmcnonus _ . It appears strange to us that Meg Greenfield would become alarmed over the impact of children making conversation over racial distinctions when the real matters of “values and perspectives” come from state run public housing that economic discrimination forces many black to live in. Equally important to Values is the broader question of the quanti ty and quality of education being made available to blacks in North Carolina and elsewhere. It is inter esting to note too that Ms. Greenfield and few other whites expressed concern about the “side effect” of racial distinction during the many years blacks were being raped of their birth right and denied their manhood. What our distinguished lady writer is saying is that she does not agree with a recent U.S. Su preme Court unanimous decision that said federal judges may order, remedial education programs for • minority students who have experi enced the past effects of discrimina tion. The evidence and significance of the Court’s decision can been seen in a recent North Carolina report that says race is a major factor in predicting how many students will fail in school each year. The report saidschoolswithahi^h^ercenta^e^ of minority students had high failure rates. The report also said a student’s family income, teacher qualifica tions and absentee rates were appa rently not as reliable indicates of failure rates. The POST takes ex ception to this view on the grounds that the level of family income is often a fact in the student’s values toward education -. and thus his motivation to learn.‘'Furthermore, family income is an indicator of the availability of general educational materials in the home - newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias and the like. In addition, the POST finds it difficult to understand the down grading of the significance of the student’s absentee rate and teacher qualifications as factors in student failures. Poor teaching, racially biased teachers - often due to ignorance - and-or teachers who assume that youth from low income families can’t learn certainly contri bute to student absentee rates and student motivation. An equally im portant factor in the minority stu dents’ level of desire or aspiration is the nearly 40 percent unemployment rate among black youth (20 percent for white youth) even with high school diplomas. It appears to us too that the report’s assumption that in addition to family income, teacher qualifica tions and absentee rates, the public funds spent per student and student - teacher ratios “made no difference” in failure rates is to disallow the impact of environmental factors on student achievement levels. Fur thermore, the report’s assumption clearly implies that minority stu dents are inherently inferior or biologically less able to learn than whites. There is certainly no scienti fic evidence to support such an assumption. Katel/f Failure ^ The report’8 staffement that mino rity student enrollment is “the key, almost the sole characteristic” for predicting the rate of failures in North Carolina public schools is a part of the new discrimination or phase two in our nation’s so-called attempt to create an integrated racially and sexually equal society. Phase two - the new discrimination - involves the entire range of physi cal, social, psychological, institu tional and economic processes in volved in changing values, behavior, beliefs and attitudes. It involves - often painfully - the use of “reverse discrimination,” black tokenism, partial resegregation, stronger civil rights enforcement andihe struggle of blacks to retain ana strengthen their own identity and a conscious ness of community. Yes, there is a “new discrimina tion” but as usual blacks carry th burden of its impact whether good oi bad. BLACKS UHOUAHT TO FIGHT PRIME BY BLACKS AGAINST BLACKS MOST NOT BE INTIMIPATEB. We Must Not Become Spectators To Our Own Doom LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Carolina Jam 11 Unreasonable July 12, 1977 The Charlotte Post Publishing Inc. P.0. Box 16071 Charlotte, N.C. 28216 To the Editor: Recently, while at an outing and with high hopes of having a fantastic time, my aspira tions along with many others were dwindled to almost nil as a result of an incident which occurred. This incident and my feelings are what I’ll relay to you and your readers. a am opcaivm^ ui iuc v^irw lina Jam II” concert which was held on July 4th. Basical ly, I to myself rarely do I create waves. Yet, when confronted face to face with intimidation from the employ ‘ SjgJ&SSAtSl to sidestep. To begin, there was an en trance fee charged which was unreasonable. Then, to put icing on the cake, an addition al dollar was charged to re enter the grounds of a twelve hour concert. There was no advance notice or announce ment to prepare you for the shock. This, I declare, is a good example of gouging the public. It was not so much the dollar, but the principal. The facilities were as follow; - concrete bleachers, a dusty race track of a field and to put it lightly - used port-a-johns. After conversing with many people, including the promot er for approximately two hours, my party and I were granted (so called special pri vileges) permission to enter . and exit the grounds at no , charge and even given special [ parking privileges. All of this was done out of goodness of the promoter's heart. i am a fan of good concerts when produced on a first class basis. Yet, if we, the general public, accept second class anything and first class rip offs, then what should we expect from future concerts? If these promoters continue to conduct concerts in this man ner, I personally will not attend one and will encourage everyone else to do likewise. I realize I am only one and my voice is small in this matter. However, if more small voices speak up, then rip-offs of the general public would screech to a halt. Sincerely, Charles E. Mackey Poet Plays Vital Role In Home July 10, 1977 Dear Mr. Johnson: ■srawesw Charlotte, I have come to respect THE CHARLOTTE POST as one of the staples in my home. First, let me say that esta blishing a reading and infor mative policy of local concern, is and always has been, ROU TINE whenever my family and I relocated in new cities and communities. To us, this matter is as important as establishing a home church or credit. Therefore, we have, to some degree, a working know ledge of communities and their printed publications... es pecially the Black press. When we previously had dis covered a Black newspaper in our city of residency, we immediately subscribed to that publication. Likewise, we did so when we moved to Char lotte. THE CHARLOTTE POST is now as much a part of our reading material as our furniture is to our comfort and relaxation. Understanding the vital role I black newspapers play in their respective communities and aware of the limitations and OBSTACLES placed upon them from other forces, re markable strides have and continue to be made by the Black press. Even though, many people are not aware of the Black press and many others fail to respect it, Black newspapers cannot be ignored by the reading and concerned citizen, nor the advertising merchants - be they Black or whatever. The influence of the Black press (editorially or advertising) strikes a pro found impact to its readers. The Black press is the one community vehicle that proudly places its reputation before the public-inprint and does so for the records to forever reflect. THE CHARLOTTE POST fits itiall in (Kata nn/1 m«mi ntkan categories. Your readership *>ust be large and honored - Tor m y family and I view YOU large and honorably. Thanks for being In Charlotte. Yours truly. The Taylor family Interest Appreciated July 9, 1977 Mr. Bill Johnson Editor-Publisher The Charlotte Post 2606-B West Blvd. Charlotte, N.C. 28208 Dear Mr. Johnson: I appreciate your interest and support of our semi-pro baseball tournaments in Le noir. I’m enclosing state tourna ment pairings and a news release. Please feel free to add to the news release. The pictures of Morris Field players arrived in today's mail. Thanks for providing these. I hope you can make it up U the tournament and I loot forward to meeting you. Best Regards, Ken Sipes TO BE EQUAL i Vernon E. Jordan Jr. I Welfare Debate Sharpened I The manner in which the Administration is 1 going about the process of coming up with a 1 major welfare reform package is almost a model 1 demonstration of its approach to basic issues. I First came a statement of principles, then an | announcement that the Department of Health, | Education and Welfare would proceed to refine a j plan based on the principles, with a target time set in the fall. The next, typical, step for this Administration was to have the plan get wide circulation. Key points of the plan have been in the press, summaries of HEW’s proposals have been circulated to major interest groups, and opinions have been sought. Whatever one may think of the substance of the proposal, there can be no doubt that in the welfare reform process, as in other policy aspects, the Administration pursues a refreshing openness long missing from Washing ton. Rut _ and it’s a hia hut — thp Administration’s fiscal conservatism is also displayed in this process. The basic starting assumption for HEW’s planners was that no new welfare reform proposal could cost more than the present cost of welfare and the cash value of related programs like food stamps. Starting from the assumption, there’s no way the ultimate welfare reform program can be the instrument of significant improvement in poor people’s lives. The only way that mandate to keep costs down can be implemented is by cutting benefits or eligibility or both. And that’s not reform - it’s a shuffling of cost categories that takes money from some poor people and gives it to others. A second problem with the HEW package, as it’s shaping up, is its emphasis on work. By ~ splitting the potential welfare population into two groups - those deemed capable of work and those who cannot work - the plan perpetuates the present system’s categorization of groups of poor people, one of the basic flaws of the welfare program. 1 * .. J A.IH. trhme mfeninff iin the KrirhfetV‘h£tt"of defining who can work, for example, what age should dependent children be for their mother to qualify as “employable,” the emphasis on a work requirement contradicts HEW’s own elo quent campaign to inform the public that most poor people do work full-time, and that very few people on welfare are capable of taking jobs. In addition, it ignores the failures of previous welfare-related work programs. Work must be provided through a national full employment program, but trying work to welfare is a proven dead end that confuses the public and plays into the hands of those who believe a welfare system should be punitive rather than helpful to the poor. One of the basic problems with the present welfare system is its entanglement in bureau cratic red tape and the impenetrable complexity of its often conflicting regulations. In framing its welfare reform proposals, as in its economic recovery program and other domestic intitiatives, the Administration has coupled openness and good intentions with tight-fisted fiscal concerns and premature com promises designed to mollify conservative opin ion, thus defeating its stated goals. THE CHARLOTTE POST “THE PEOPLES NEWSPAPER” Established 1918 Published Every Thursday By The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc. 2806-B West Blvd.-Charlotte, N.C. 28208 Telephones (704) 392-1306,392-1307 Circulation, 7,185 58 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS SERVICE Bill Johnson.Editor-Publisher Hoyle H. Martin Sr.Executive Editor Bernard Reeves.General Manager .Circulation Director Albert Campbell..Advertising Director Second Class Postage No. 965500 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. All photos and copy submitted becomes the property of the Post, and will not be returned National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers. Inc. 45 W. 5th Suite 1403 2400 S. Michigan Ave. New York, N Y. 100* Chicago. 111. 60616 (212 ) 489-1220 Calumet 5-0200 isee i c Dr. King Statue Drive Bad Idea? By Gerald O. Johnson The Martin Luther King Memorial Committee has fall en $37,000 short of reaching Its goal of $50,000 to have a statue of Martin Luther King con structed in Marshall Park. Why the project failed is not important to me, but the fact that the project was started in first place is important to me. It shouldn't have started at all. It is without a doubt that Martin Luther King Jr. was a great man. His greatness is being commemorating daily throughout the world. He will not be forgotten. However, in a time when the community is facing critical problems, $50,000 to comme morate anything or anybody is a waste of resources. $50,000 could send S under privileged youngsters to college. $50,000 could help clothe and feed several underprivileged fami lies for quite a while $50,000 could go a long way in necessitating the living in stead of commemorating the dead Somehow I feel that Martin Luther King Jr. would prefer using resources on the living and not the dead. Thus, to the Memorial Coos* mittee and to Rev. Bar nette I would like to say that, before you blame the black community for failing to come to the support of a project that you believe in, you should try and find out what projects the Black community believes in. In my opinion the failure of this project is not the fault of the black community but ra ther the fault of the project’s organizers, i ney took on a jo© without understanding all the repercussions I am going to give some free advice, here, to help those of you intending to do this sort of thing in the future. There are two major points that must be considered before you even attempt a project of any magnitude The points are: 1) Is the project salable ' 2) Is the project wanted by a substantial enough portion of the populace'’ The first point is based on a good idea that you use to convince people that they want the project The second point is based on public surv Gerald 0. Johnson veys to find out what the public wants and then simply give it to them. Note that statues comme moraing anybody fails on both points BUCK PRIORITIES Even though I don't think the black community is at fault on this particular issue, I do think the black community needs a rude awakening to their off beat priorities Any dance in this area is packed with the brothers and sisters dressed to kill, liquor by the gallons, bags by the pounds. Moreover, most dan ces cost 95 to 910 just to attend. If you ask the same brothers and sisters for a donation to a worthy cause and they can't cut it. It seems that we are working just to party. As long as we continue to operate in this mode, we will be working for a long time to come for the man instead of for ourselves. What is even more disgust ing than the individuals at tending these affairs is the organizations giving the af fairs. They raise money by giving affairs. Why? So they can give more af fairs; a vicious cycle that never ends We are partying our lives away. The reason that this is so disgusting is that everytime a project comes up that is black sponsored, we have to go to the white people for financial support If I were white I wouldn't give you a damn dime I would let you party your a-s right to hell Black organizations in con junction with black's support ing their affairs is a multi million dollar enterprise. This is a resource that must be brought together for the bet terment of the black commu nity. Black churches is another resource that is being wasted. Why? No organization to bring all of these resources toget her. Black universities are going to pot because of the lack of financial support. (Well, this isn't the only reason they are going to pot but the other reasons are different arti cles). Who is benefiting from black institutions? Black folks. Who pays for the opera tion of the school? White folks. White folks are dumb but they will soon awaken to the fact that they need not help black folk, if black folk can't help themselves In closing we have two choices! (1) We can start get ting it togetner Detore we arc forced to or (2) We can wait until we are forced to and tner it will be too late. Let's start getting it toget her. GONE FOR A WHILE Writing an article every week for anybody ia a very trying task and it requires me to take a leave of absence every once in a while. The writing is not as difficult as coming up with ideas to write about. You can aid me in this respect by sending me some of your ideas or just drop me a line and let me know what’s on your mind Presentation Set For Local Water, Sewer Study A recently completed water and sewer cost of service and rate structure study will be presented to the Charlotte City Council on Monday, July IS at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Cham ber at City Hall The public is invited to attend the presenta tion The study has been conduct ed by the Community Facili ties Committee (CFC) for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utility Department .
July 14, 1977, edition 1
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