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VOL. 4 NO. 9 """T^HARLO^EJWRTHCAR^INA'mS'T^irs'dav. Sphi «' .if—
----- - I'KICE 25c
Hew Act lo
Provide
200,000Jobe
WASHINGTON, D C. - Pre
sident Jimmy Carter has sig
ned the Youth Employment
and Demonstration Projects
Act of 1977, which will initially
provide for 200,000 job and
training opportunities for job
less young people.
The Act launches a broad
attack on problems of high
, ^employment and lack of
training among youths, 16
through 23.
It creates four new pro
grams under the Comprehen
sive Employment and Train
ing Act (CETA), which is
administered by the U.S.
Dept, of Labor's Employment
and Training Administration
_(ETA).
Initial financing will be $1
billion earmarked from the
President's economic stimu
lus program.
The new programs will em
phasize employment and in
creasing the employability of
JTUUUI9.
There will also be important
efforts to improve and coordi
nate training, jobs and career
development programs for
young people; and to explore
different approaches to pro
viding youth services.
Secretary of Labor Ray
Marshall called the Act “one
of the most important deci
sions initiatives of this year.”
He also said, “For the first
time, this country has a com
prehensive policy to deal with
the persistent and serious pro
blem of youth unemployment.
It’s Official Now;
Hodges To Run
For Senate
By Hoyle H. Martin Sr.
Post Executive Editor
Following months of testing
the political waters, Luther
Hodges Jr., former chairman
of the Board of North Carolina
National Bank, told support
ers at a “Hot Dogs and Hoo
pla" Wednesday night in the
Starlight Lounge at Ovens
Auditorium, “I am announc
ing today that I am a Demo
cratic candidate for the Unit
ed States Senate.”
“I take this important step
because I feel my training and
my experinece in the econo
mic and civic life of this state
equip me to make a real
contribution to North Caro
lina., and a difference in
U/nekin«ltAn
"My desire to serve is based
on a simple premise: a deep
1. J* for North Carolina. I have
lived in several communities
and cities in our state through
the years, and what always
has impressed me is the last
ing pride North Carolinians
have in their state.’’
Hodges concluded, "I share
that pride. I am proud of
North Carolina. But I am
concerned for it. We have
many problems here at home,
such as too few good paying
jobs, and too much poverty.”
Hodges' announcement pla
ces him among about eight
Democrats who have indicat
ed they may run for the Senate
seat currently held by conser
vative Republican Jesse
Helms. The primary election
will be held on May 2, 1978.
wmt'WA
A good LISTENER is not
only popular everywhere but
after a while he KNOWS
SOMETHING.
/
ATTRACTIVE CANDY STOWE
...Will try for big time
Miss Candy Stowe
Is Beauty Of Week
By Jeri Harvey
Post Staff Writer
If you happen to see the
name and face of Candy Stowe
on the cover of a magazine one
of these days, you can say “I
saw it in the POST first.”
Candy, who is our Beauty this
week, has recently finished a
modeling course and, if all
goes well, plans to head for
New York next June to try for
the big time.
It all began when she was
given a “beauty make-over"
by a local newspaper and was
spotted by a modeling school
recruiter. They contacted her
and convinced her she had the
potential to become a profes
sional model, with proper
training. Apparently, they
were right because photo
graphs of her recently sent to
the prestigious Ford Modeling
Agency in New York were
very favorably received.
Now that she has completed
the course, Candy is continu
ing to work toward a degree
as a legal secretary at Central
Piedmont in order to have
something to fall back on if
she isn’t successful as a mo
95 Percent Meet
Food Stamp Basic
Requirements
WASHINGTON--Over 95
percent of all households re
ceiving food stamps satisfy all
basic program eligibility re
quirements, Assistant Secre
tary of Agriculture Carol Tuc
ker Foreman announced to
day.
Assistant Secretary Fore
man said that new error rate
statistics, based on a sample
of 44,506 active cases during
the six months ending in De
cember 1976, show that 4.7
percent of participating
households failed to meet the
basic eligibility criteria. The
se households received 4.4
percent of the food stamp
benefits distributed during the
period.
The new findings reflect the
inclusion of both welfare and
nonwelfare households in US
DA's error rates for the first
time. Previously, the food
stamp quality control pro
grams surveyed only non
public assistance households,
who comprise about half of the
nationwide caseload. The sur
veys were broadened to cover
the entire caseload beginning
in July 1976, so that the error
rates would provide a more
accurate picture of total food
stamp operations
Copies of the survey-report
are available from the Food
Stamp Division, U S. Depart
ment of Agriculture. Washing*
ton. D C. 20250
dei.
The daughter of Paul and
Joan Stowe, she has three
younger brothers. Asked how
her family feels about her
aspirations, she said, "Well,
my parents are excited for me
because they know it’s some
thing I’ve always wanted to
do. My brothers still call mt
ugly, but you know how bro
thers are.”
When not in class or working
at modeling, Candy said she
likes to go disco dancing. It's
the only exercise she does to
keep in shape and it works in
spite of an appetite she de
scribes as “huge.’’ Spahgetti
is her favorite food
Candy lists herself as “a
vailable” when questioned a
bout her love life and you
interested young men can look
for her at the uptown Connec
tion, which is her favorite
dancing spot. She’s looking
forward to the Marvin Gaye
concert and asked to describe
what she’d probably wear, she
said, “Jeans, most likely, and
an odd top. I know most people
will be really dressed up so I’ll
do a switch and wear some
thing funky but nice.”
A 1976 graduate of Myers
Park High, 19 year old Candy
was recently seen on the Boys
Town Auction. She was one of
the pretty young ladies who
"dressed up" the set when
furniture or automobiles, etc.
were displayed. It was her
first major assignment and
she said she thoroughly enjoy
ed it. She has done some
modeling for charity affairs
before but nothing quite like
that.
Standing S’B" and weighing
116, Candy’s measurements
are 34-24-34. She hopes to
become a photographer’s mo
del and-or a run way manne
quin because “that’s where
the best pay is."
To Circuit Court
Kelly Alexander To Push
Chambers Appointment
Chambers
Has No
Comment
By Hoyle H Martin Sr
Post Executive Editor
Kelly Alexander Sr., State
Director of the NAACP, said
on Tuesday he plans to write
letters to President Carter,
Senators Robert Morgan and
Jesse Helms, and Attorney
Griffin Bell urging the a|>
pointment of civil rights attor
nev Julius Chambers to a seat
on the U.S 4th Circuit Court of
Appeals based in Richmond.
Virginia
Alexander's planned action
arises from the fact that
Chambers is one of five appli
cants chosen by an ll-member
selection committee seeking
applicants to fill a vacancy
created by the death of Judge
J Braxton Craven Jr earlier
this year. The selection com
mittee was.appointed by Pre
sident Carter
The N'AACP official said,
Forgetting he's black, think
of him (Chambers* as a legal
mind with an excellent acade
mic background, keen insight
into the hows of the legal
profession and analytical
skills; and he has successfully
argued before the U.S Su
preme Court in a historic
landmark school desegrega
tion."
Alexander added. "An alter
nate candidate <for the Ap
peals Court) might be Judge
McMillan whom I have no
qualms with He’s competent,
how ever.* blacks have histori
cally been left out of appoint
ments to the court bench in the
South, meaning the 4th and Ijth
district courts '
Chambers said in a tele
phone interview that he knew
little of Alexander's planned
letters, that he had not seen
nor talked with Alexander and
had no further comment on
the matter
Undoubtedly, Alexander's
decision to push for Cham
ber's appointment to the pres
tigeous S57,000-a-year lifetime
appointment is that in addition
to McMillan, there are three
other apparently equally qua
lified applicant-nominees for
the single court seat
ivaim j , v> ii(i i ii i/v I n
and McMillan have two things
in common They were both
key figures in the Charlotte
Mecklenburg School's dese
gregation plan that led to
county-wide busing Cham
bers was the attorney for the
plaintiffs in the suit leading to
busing and McMillan was the
judge who ordered the contro
versial school desegregation
busing plan.
Secondly, Chambers and
McMillan were both nominal
ed for the Circuit Court seat
inspite of not meeting some
job qualifications required by
the IJS Justice Department
Specifically, Chambers appa
rently lacks the required 15
years of legal experience ana
McMillan is already 60 years
old, the beginning age for
excluding nominees
Other nominees are Duke
L'ni Chancellor AK Pye; Du
ke Law Professor Wm. V.
Alstyne; and UNC Law Prof
Dickson Phillips
Finally, since North Caro
lina is the only state in the 4th
district, without a representa
tive on the Appeals Court
bench, all five candidates and
the eventual appointee are *
from North Carolina.
Industry Uqged
To Help
Minorities
The Carter Administration
again has communicated to
private industry its commit
ment to help minority busi
ness through enforcement of
the new $4 billion Local Public
Works (LPW) program.
Administration officials met
with about 30 representatives
of the surety, banking and
construction organizations to
discuss speedy implementa
tion of the new law.
LPW is a major item in the
Administration's economic
stimulus program. Under the
Act, as least 10 percent of each
grant in the $4 billion program
must go for goods and services
from minority firms. Jack
Watson, Assistant to Presi
dent Carter, who chaired the
meeting said, "The objective
of this requirement is to help
minority businesses grow, be
come self-sufficient and com
petitive by assuring them a
substantial market for their
goods and services."
Also addressing the session
were Commerce Secretary
Juanita Kreps and officials of
the Commerce Department
and the Small Business Admi
nistration. Secretary Kreps
told the group, “Presiden
Carter has made it clear tha
his Administration, in its poli
cies, initiatives and actions
intends to insure the right 01
all citizens to share in the
opportunities of this nation."
Watson explained that the
Administration is seeking the
help of the banks, suretj
companies and members oi
the construction organizations
to help overcome the critica
nrnhlems of working capita
and bonding which severely
limit the minority firms’ par
ticipation in this and othei
federally funded constructor
programs.
The contractors, banker
and surety representatives
were asked for very specific
help to make the prograrr
work. Watson and the othei
government officials request
ed an increased level of parti
cipation by the banks anc
sureties in government - spon
sored loan and bond guarantee
programs and told the con
tractors that the responsibilit)
is squarely on the prime con
tractor to subcontract with
minority subcontractors anc
suppliers.
* MOVING INTO ECO HOUSE
• tn„Tden[!li?d worker helps ECO director for the new ECO house
Jeff Campbell to unload furniture last week
I With Three Full- Tune Employees
ECO Has Three Main Goals
By Jeri Harvey
Post Staff Writer
The bus lumbers heavily
into its assigned space at the
terminal and sighs to a stop A
dozen or so passengers are
already in the aisle and as the
driver pulls a handle to open
the door, they begin to move
forward, happy to have reach
ed their destination and eager
for a glimpse of family or
friends who wait to meet
them, or anxious to get a cab
to go about their business or
pleasure One man sits quietly
waiting for the others to go
ahead before he rises from
his seat and makes his way
slowly off the bus. He wears
an ill-fitting suit and stiff,
new looking shoes and carries
t a small cheap suit case.
Once on the ground, he
stands blinking uncertainly in
the glaring day light before he
enters the terminal where he
sits down at the lunch counter
and orders a cup of coffee.
When the waitress returns
with change from the dollar,
he counts it carefully, down to
the last penny. After buying a
pack of cigarettes earlier at
the terminal in Raleigh and
a cud of coffee, he has exactly
$14.44 left. He sits d long time
with the cup of coffee, watch
\
ing other travelers come and
go. Finally, leaving the lunch
counter he wanders out on
Trade Street where we leave
him looking irresolutely up
and down the busy thorough
fare.
Though the above is a hypo
thetical case, the same situ
ation occurs somewhere in
North Carolina almost every
day, and in Charlotte more
often that you think.
You sec, our hypothetical
man tor it could be a woman)
has just been released from
prison Tried and convicted of
a crime, he has completed the
sentence meted out by the
courts, been issued a $15 “gate
check” (if he served 24
months or more), a second
hand suit and a bus ticket to
any town within the North
Carolina that he specified His
sparse personal belongings
are in the suitcase, he has no
job awaiting him, no family
and no friends, not even a
place to sleep. In his shoes,
what would you do"’
L .
We know what many wnu
find themselves in these cir
cumstances do; they find the
quickest, easiest way of mak
ing money that they can, and
sometimes this leads right
back where they started
prison. These are the "revolv
ing door" criminals you often
hear about
In 1973. a group of interested
citizens, some of whom had
had personal experience with
prisons, either by their own
incarceration or that of some
one close to them. some who
were merely concerned about
their fellow man; banded to
gether to form an organization
which they named ECO i pro
nounced "echo"). ECO stands
for Ex-Convicts Organization
and its three main goals are:
1) Provide service to prison
ers, ex-offenders and their
families. 2) Educate the pub
blic about prisoners' wants
and needs 3) Recruit commu
nity volunteers to work with
prisoners and their problems
Originally funded through
private sources and staffed by
volunteers, ECO now employs
three full-time staff members
whose salaries are paid
through the City of Charlotte's
Manpower Department (Fed
eral Funds dispersed by the
city.) Office space is provided
by Frist Presbyterian Church
and a $50 monthly stipend
comes from the Mecklenburg
Presbytery
Volunteers continue to do
nate their services
Among other things, the
program has helper) ex-of
fenders find jobs, housing,
assisted in crisis situations
with direct aid or referral to
other community organiza
tions. and organized seminars
and lectures in the community
relating to the Criminal Jus
tice System
Recently a new project was
undertaken which will provide
“room and board, and a moral
support system, to ex-offender
who either has no home place
upon release from prison or
who prefers to participate in
the ECO House program be
cause of problems related to
returning to his home environ
ment " ECO House is to be a
“program of self help and
self-education, designed to
create the positive attitude
necessary for permanent re
habilitative qualities and total
integration in a competitive
community ”
The house which will be
See ECO Or. Page ll
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Film
Will Be Shown Here Saturday
Post Staff Writer
In an effort to engender
enthusiasm among young peo
ple about the late Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., a documen
tary on the civil rights move
ment will be shown Saturday,
September 10 in Freedom
Park at 8:30 p.m.
Sponsored by the Dr. Martin
Luther King Memorial Com
mission of Charlotte, Inc., the
film is entitled "King: A Film
ed Record. Montgomery To
Memphis,” one of the most
acclaimed documentary films
in history. •
As a history of the civil
rights movement, "King” is
an unequalled educational re
source lor people oi ail gene
rations. More than a tribute to'
Dr. King, the film is a chroni
cle of the struggle for equality
and justice from 1955 to 1968
In it, the events are depicted
as they occurred, without edi
torializing, through actual
newsreel and television film
footage.
The film includes the histo
ric Montgomery bus boycott of
1955 which propelled Dr. King
into national prominence, the
lunch counter sit-ins and Free
dom Rides of the early 60's,
the inspiring 1963 March on
Washington, the police dogs
and firehoses of Birmingham,
the Selma voter registration
campaign, the Memphis sani
union worxers siriKe, ana
finally, (he funeral of Dr King
in Atlanta.
Dr. King's unforgettable
prose is re-experienced in his
sermons, “I Have A Dream,”
and ‘I Have Been To The
Mountain Top," in his "Letter
from Birmingham Jail," and
in his speeches decrying bigo
try and in opposition to war.
The music of the civil rights
marchers provides the sound
track for much of the film, as
well as the voices of such
artists as Mahalia Jackson
and Odetta As the mule
drawn cart bearing Dr King's
coffin moves down the street
in Atlanta, Nina Simone is
See KING on Page 5
Rev James Barnett
...Committee chairman