Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Nov. 17, 1977, edition 1 / Page 2
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: JIM t common i The Challenges Of Change noyie H. Martin Sr. Post Executive Editor The tears of defeat are dry, the smiles of victory have faded into a note of seriousness, Charlotte has its first known Republican mayor in recorded history, and the City Coun cil’s return to district representation after nearly a third of a century has as a result become a relatively inexperienced body. Furthermore, ’The new City Council,” a POST story noted last week, “can properly be described as more of everything - more blacks (3), more women (4), more Republicans (4), more Demo crats (7), and more youth with the average of office holders being only /lO >» Now, more than a week after the election, many political observers and ordinary citizens are so per plexed by the magnitude of these changes that they are, for example, referring to Ken Harris’ victory as an “upset,” and they’re asking what happened, and how? The POST believes these questions can best be understood and answered within the context of a more significant ques tion, that is, what do the election results mean for Charlotte’s future and thus the quality of life for its citizens? The “what happened and how” questions were answered in part earlier this year when John Belk decided not to seek re-election as mayor and when a mere llVfc per cent of the city’s voters made district representation a renewed reality Viable Candidate Belk’s decision appeared ideal for Jim Whittington to make his quest for the mayor’s seat. Patiently waiting for the Chamber of Com merce and “Big Four” university types to temporarily leave the poli tical scene, and assuming the Repu; blicans lacked a viable candidate, Whittington sought the city’s highest political office on the assumed stren gth of his 18 years of past experience on the City Council. Secondly, in spite of a galent effort by Sam Smith and the Westside Community Orga nization, there appeared to be little real interest in district representa tion, a movement that Jim Whitting ton had strongly opposed. What happened? First, a small but vocal minority of city voters said they wanted district representation because local government was not adequately responding to their needs. Consistent with the wide spread apathy toward districting, only 27,698 citizens took the time to vote. However, 13,889 votes “for” and a 13,809 “against” gave district ing an 80-vote margin of victory. Secondly, Ken Harris, acting like an underdog and trying to stop Whit tington from becoming mayor by default, mounted a carefully plan jTed_cam£aign that enabled him to • capture southeast Charlotte and a sizeable portion of black and white votes in other parts of the city who traditionally vote the Democratic ticket. Furthermore, Harris capita lized on Whittington’s initial opposi tion to district representation. In the City Council races, the voters elected a more youthful and inexperienced group of lawmakers including three blacks and four women. What does it all mean as we move from the threshold of the last quar ter of the 20th century? First, it means that with 61 percent of the votes cast, Mayor-elect Ken Harris, has a mandate from the people to provide the kind of forceful and innovative leadership that has cam paign rhetoric promised. Secondly, Harris will need to give the City Council a sense of direction that allows for meeting the needs of both the city at large as well as the seven districts. District Concerns Thirdly, we believe the election results will place greater demands upon the City Council to respond more directly to specific community concerns without becoming involved in districting tug-of-wars. Thus, the district council persons must be knowledgeable and alert to their district responsibilities but pursue their district concerns within the context of the greater needs of the entire city. Fourthly, we believe that because the mayor and the majority of the council members are newcomers, a greater burden will be placed on the citizen to be actively involved in and aware of what local government is and should be doing. The history making 42 percent voter-turnout on election day was in itself an indica tion of citizen involvement and awareness. This must continue if districting is to become the viable force for an improved quality of life in Charlotte. Finally, the election shattered some of the apathy among black voters as a record 38 percent of them not only voted but exercised their independence of their tradition De mocratic Party loyalty by giving substantial support to Ken Harris. Furthermore, black support of Har ris and traditionally loyal Whitting ton white supporters who voted for Harris prove once again that Char lotte voters are bi-partisan and not hung-up on straight party loyalties. Thus, Charlotte’s future will not be one of the status quo and survival on the achievements of the past, but rather one of encountering the chal lenges of change for a better Char lotte for you and me. Let’s hope that the government we have created has the wisdom, insight, patience and determination to meet these chal lenges. *THE IMPORTANCE OP MAINTAINING ECONOMIC CLOUT IS OBVIOUS. CLOUT IS NOT MAINTAINED WHEN BLACK POLLANS ARE DOING INTO BUSINESSES THAT PUT THE MONET INTO THE SUBURBIA j SUBURBS INSTEAD OF BACK INTO THE BLACK COMMUNTTT ECPNGMT.' Blacks’ Destiny In Own Hands [LETTERS TO TH EJDI JO R An Open Appeal To Belgrade On Human Rights In The USA • McCain, N.C. Prison October 1977 It is from a torturous prison cell in the state of North Carolina where I make an urgent open appeal for human rights to the world community and to the assembled confer ence in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. As only one of many victims, I shall not keep silent for I am compelled to speak out con cerning human rights viola tions of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act by the United States of America. Please permit me to empha tically state that I in no manner wish to embarrass or unduly criticize my coun try. I love my country. And it is because I love my country that I come to publicly decry the domestic exploitation, per secution and imprisonment of innocent citizens for political, economic and racist motives. No doubt I will face repri sals and retaliatory punish ment for daring to write and speak these truths which ac tually are self-evident but I take the risk accepting what may come with courage. In the United States the present reality for millions of black Americans, Native Am erican Indians, Puerto Ric ans, Chi canos, Asian Ameri cans and other oppressed na tional minorities is that the violations of fundamental hu man rights and freedoms are commonplace. We constitute the so-called “underclass": the exploited and oppressed class. We are the victims of racism and monopoly econo mic exploitation. And yes, we are the victims of govern mental repression. The victi mization is partly manifest and evident in our national poverty, nign unemployment and unjust imprisonment. Not withstanding the rhe torical eloquence of President Jimmy Carter's foreign policy and human rights campaign abroad, inside our counti^ our oppressed national minorities are confronted with the con tradiction of continued racial discrimination, injustice, and inequality before the law. He re, equal justice under the law is only prescribed for the corporate rich and powerful. There are literally thousands of innocent people imprisoned solely because of their race -and poverty. Today in the United States, in violation of the Helsiaki Final Act, there are in fact many political “prisoners of conscience.’’ Therefore I make this open appeal for human rights in general on behalf of the mil lions of oppressed in America and in particular on behalf of the Wilmington Ten and all other political prisoners pre sently incarcerated in the Uni ted States. I send to the Belgrade Conference the de tails of the Wilmington Ten case not to present a single isolated case of human perse cution but to present our par ticular case as a clear factual example of the existence and continued persecution of the many political “prisoners of conscience” in the nation. In addition I have compiled a partial list of the names of those I know to be political prisoners and-or imprisoned victims of racial injustice. Lastly, I am insisting a brief Statement of Appeal to all freedom-loving peoples of the world. I pray that our cry for liberation, justice, human rights, and peace will not fall on deaf ears. Thank you. In Christ’s name. Rev. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. Nationwide Recruitment Information Dear Friend, It's that time of year again - our December issue. While we join sentiments with good will toward all men and all women, our December issue pursues that theme more actively. It highlights deci sions that will affect all our lives through 1978, and be yond. Included will be an exclu sive story on the historic up-coming National Women’s Conference, sponsered by the United States Government. Also included will be an article on the State Job Service Cen ters providing very sophistica ted job-finding and placement' services to assist both the employer and the employee. This vital service is examined in connection to nation-wide recruitment in the December issue. Anticipating that extra De cember rush, could we have your space reservations earli er than usual? Our deadline is still November 20th; but ple ase give us that little extra time we need to do our best for you. Season's Greetings from All of us at FORUM, Jerome W. Vozoff Publisher By Vernon E. Jordan Jr— TO BE EQUAL ! Vernon E. Jordan Jr. J Role For Black Psychiatrists One of the hidden issues facing American medicine is the dearth of black psychiatrists. This is an issue that goes beyond the narrow one of ensuring equal access to all professions for blacks and other minorities; it has a bearing on the social and educational issues affecting the black community. With mental health occupying an increasingly larger role in the public consciousness blaclc under-representation in the field becomes more crucial. There are only 450 black psychiatrists in America today - a mere 1.7 percent of the more * than 26,000. w The importance of increasing those numbers becomes apparent when we realize that the mental health needs of minority communities are largely unmet. The stresses produced by racial discrimination, poverty, and deprivation result in many instances where individuals need pruiessionai neip. Psychiatrists play a major role in determining the placement of children with special needs, in forensic programs, and direct psychiatric de partments in community general hospitals. Such hospitals control large budgets, jobs for new professionals, and often decide in a given community who is “mad” and who is “bad,” and who will get what kind of help or treatment. Help has to come from professionals with a sympathetic understanding of the social roots of personal mental health problems. In most instances, a black psychiatrist who has faced similar social and racial stresses, is better able to help. At the same time, there has to be greater efforts made in psychiatric training to acquaint professionals with the special problems faced by blacks and other minorities. The black Psychia trists of America have helped develop a curricu lum on black psychiatry that includes studies of the black family, black culture and other areas that impact on the black psyche. This is a development tjiat should fiOT be limited to centers of black meijical.fcducatfanr • but should be adopted by predominately white training centers, whose graduates will be dealing with minority patients in a vareity of settings, from office consultation to institutional care. Developing more black psychiatrists and sensitizing white professionals to the special problems faced by blacks will also impact on the educational system. This was brought home by a recent court case in San Francisco that seeks to bar the use of IQ tests to place children in classes for the mentally retarded. The suit was brought on behalf of 6 black children who scored 75 or less on the standar dized IQ tests. Such tests purport to measure intelligence. In actuality they only measure cultural and language experiences. That’s why middle class white children tend to score higher on IQ tests than do minority children. When the six were retested by black psycholo gists who reworded the tests to reflect the children s cultural and language experience they scored from 17 to 38 points higher. With so few blacks in professions like psychia try, minorities are forced to depend on white professionals who mav not fully understand their f needs. I 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 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 aod 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. 10036 Chicago, 111 60616 (212) 489-1220 Oalumet 5-0200 , I Early Gold Bowl Predictions? By Gerald O. Johnson On December 3, 1977 in Richmond, Virginia at 1:30 p m The Winston-Salem State Rams will clash with the South Carolina State Bulldogs in the 2 Annual Gold Bowl Game. The game will undoubtedly be the best clash between two predominately black schools this season. If there is any way possibly for you to be in Richmond on the 3, then treat yourself and be there. Both teams have proven to be powerhouses with the Ra ms carrying a 11-0-0 record and a 15 game winning streak against an 8-1-1 record for the bulldogs It is interesting to note that the Bulldogs lost and tie came from white schools. , To get a prediction on this game of the season. I called "Jimmy, the Greek.” "The Greek" informed me that he is not up on black football but he referred me to an expert in the area You gussed it. ole "Ned the Nigger." Well, we've all experienced Ned's predictions from last year Since Ned was anything but perfect last year, he dropped from the scene When I called "Ole Ned" he was happy to hear from me and he admitted being sur prised at the accurate predic lions being made by the Ch- r lotte Post Sports department He said that the business is going to pot because amateurs are doing well this year at predicting outcomes Well, I assured Ned that the reason I called was to get expert advice and that he was the best in predicting black sports. After swelling Ned's alrea dy inflated head he agreed to talk to me about the coming attraction. Here in essence is what he had to say. Ned feels that S.C. State has not preformed well with stiff competition. The two medio cre white schools that forced them into a calamity of mis takes proves that the competi tion in MEAC is far from competitive. S C. State lacks p potent passing attack and the kicking game is poor Fortu nately. with the calibre of teams they played myst of the season neit her weakness had to be demonstrated However, the strength of the defense and the power of the ground attack will keep them in the Gold Bowl The Rams whose offense is versatile and explosive is an exciting t4am to watch The defense is suspect, however. ByGeraldf^ohiwKi^ mainly due to inconsistencies The kicking game is excellent and this is where the game will be won Kermit Blount the Ram quarterback runs the option as well as anyone and his ability to throw from the option gives the Rams an explosive offensive punch Add to this good running backs and talented receivers you have the ingredient for a 11-0 season The Rams conference competition has not been as easy as the Bulldogs in Ned s opinion The Panthers of Vir ginia Union is an under rated ball club in the CIAA The Panthers gave the Rams all they could handle in Rich mond earlier in the season but lost due to a costly turn over in the 3rd quarter But the Pan thers were able to run and pass effectively against the Rams. Both clubs are excellently coached, but the Bulldogs will be able to prepare for the game more effectively since the coaching staff has no other responsibilities but coaching. Taking everything into con sideration the Rams will win by 3 in Ned's final prediction The advantage goes to the Rams because of the kicking game and the versatility in the offense Before Ned and I ended our conversation he told me that the Golden Bulls dismal foot ball season will soon be forgot ten by an impressive looking Bull basketball team Well, there you have it, Ned has spoken Since we are on the topic of sports. I might as well give you the prediction of this seasons basketball outcome , With a lot of good talent gone but still a lot remaining, (barring any eligibility pro blems) this season promises to be very interesting and well balanced' Last year's south ern division leader St Augus lines will tind it hard to repeat their last year’s perfor mance of 12-4 conference and 20-6 overall. The basic thing they still have in their favor is last year's Coach of the Year Harvey Heartley. Undoubted ly if the Falcons pull off the number one spot in the South ern Division this year, then he will repeat as Coach of the Year. The Falcons lost 3 key players to graduation, most notably All CIAA guard Sean Powell They will be in Hamp^ ton in February but just bare *y- , The Rams of Winston-Salem will be hurting in the experi ence category also losing its backcourt to graduation Don Helton and George Gibson, All CIAA and All Tournament, will be hard to replace The Rams, however, aren't crying to much because Carlos Ter ry, Mr. CIAA, will be return ing this will be enough along with Bighouse Gaines mastery coaching of the game to have Winston be number one in the .Southern Division. The Bulls of JCSU could surprise a lot of people if All CIAA performer Herbert Entzminger can perfrom to his capabilities. Coach Jero me Fitch bascially is in the building process but the Bulls should hold off Fayteetville and Shaw for a bid to the CIAA Tournament. Livingstone, Shaw and Fa yetteville played last year with very young teams. If all goes well these teams should prove a difficult but impossi ble obstacle to overcome. Shaw was the best of the three last year But look for Livingstone to be much improved. The 3rd thru 6th spots are up for grabs but 1 pick them like this 1( Winston-Salem, 2) St Augus tine's 3) JCSU, 4) Livingstone, 5) Shaw, 6) Fayetteville. The Northern Division will prove to be a dog fight again this year. The most improved athletic program in the CIAA, I think is on the Virginia Union Cam pus Even with the lost of Curvan Lewis at the center spot VU will vie strongly for the number one spot. If La ment Echols, Derwin Lilly, and Charles Benson return and plajrup to their potential, then VU will repeat as the number one Northern Division team Norfolk State had hoped to build their young team around Hay Epps the outstanding for ward But Epps applied for See EARLY on Page 14
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