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omis tconicnu "King" In Perspective By Hoy le H. Martin Sr. Post Executive Editor NBC-TV's six hour, three-part series, "King," was a dramatization that chronicles 16 years in the life of the late Martin Luther King Jr. More significantly, the film was an intimate close-up look at the personal fears, frustrations, cou rage and doubts of a reluctant hero. Specifically, the film shows how King was reluctantly drafted to lead the Montgomery bus boycott and quickly developed into a courageous and determined leader by respond ing to the historic demands and needs of the times. "King" was a drama not in the commercial exploitation sense, but rather in the fact that he said on August 3, 1968, "I'm happy tonight. I'm not fearing anything. My eyes have seen the glory of the Lord. It doesn't matter to me now because I've been to the mountain top, I've seen the promised land," then, a few hours later he was killed by an assassin's bullet. Now that the epic story has been viewed by millions of Americans, we might ask, what does it mean or what should it mean for us both black and white now and in the future? We asked the same question a year ago following the viewing of Alex Haley's "Roots." Again, the answer to this question depends on how we react to the story, a story that has its roots in "Roots" and a story that should give us a greater sense of where we are today in just 10 years since King's death. Undoubtedly, some, both black and white, believe we have made great progress as a result of King's efforts and since his death. Others probably feel nothing has signifi cantly changed. Whatever our personal feelings, "King" was a chapter in the strug gle of the human condition, in the flight for justice and equality, and a reflection of our immediate past that should motivate us to have a more positive future · that is - a future with less hatred and more under standing. Abby Mann, the writer and direc tor of "King" said, "This is the story of a man who wanted to carry out the concepts of Jesus and was destroyed (like Jesus himself) because of it." Hopefully, "King" is a reminder that such destruction is a threat to our personal safety and humanity itself. NNPA Guest Editorial One Voice For Equal Employment πυι since me passage ol the 1964 Civil Rights Act has a President or Congress taken sweeping action to improve equal rights. Now the Pre sident's Task Force in the Office of Management and Budget has pro posed a civil rights reorganization that would create a single-mission equal employment agency under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission J t is about time. Today 18 different agencies en force 40 separate equal employment requirements. This has greatly hin dered effective enforcement and contributed to the astronomical un employment rates that plague black communities. The proposed OMB reorganization is more modest than most civil rights groups would like. Over a period of several years, EEOC would get jurisdiction over the Of fice of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and equal pay and age discrimination functions, now in the Departmnet of Labor, as well as civil rights protection for Federal workers, now in the Civil Service Commission. In addition, the pre sent unwieldy authority of four agencies to jointly decide equal employment opportunity policy wou ld be transferred to the EEOC. In spite of the drawn out timetable, the proposal should be supported be cause it moves us closer to the dream of a single agency to enforce equal job rights. To their credit, the black summit I of 15 civil rights leaders extracted a promise from President Carter when they met with him last month to send the proposal to Congress. Virtually all the groups protected by Title VII of the CivU Rights Act - blacks, Hispanics, women and older workers - have indicated support for the package. With this broad coali tion of support, the President is expected to send the OMB package to Congress as is. But there are a few vested-interest voices within the Administration, notably the Labor Department, who remain unreconciled to the concept of a single-mission civil rights agen cy, because they would lose func tions. But the virtually unanimous support of the protected groups as well as of such powers as the United Auto Workers ought to settle the issue. The impressive reforms underway at the EEOC leave little room to doubt its capacity to handle new functions. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the new head of the agency, has already made inroads into the back log and instituted new case process ing and management systems that are turning the agency around. Her plans for class actions to help large numbers of blacks are welcome. It is time for civil rights to have its own full-service agency just as Labor and Agriculture and Energy do and just as most functions do which are taken seriously by the federal government. ANGER, FRUSTRATION, HOPELESSNESS, IS THE PICTURE THAT EMERGES WantecL^Jobs Killing Their Hopes And Dreams By Bayard Rus tin An emptiness, a void des cended upon the nation with the death of Hubert Humph rey. We have loet a dear friend, a brave and enthusias tic warrior for social justice. He represented the best in America, the promise of de cency and democracy for ail our citizens, the continued renewal of feedom. He believ ed in the goodness of our people and in the responsibili ty of our institutions to create the conditions in which good ness might flourish. His was not a naive faith that ignored evil,; he saw injustices as an enemy to be defeated by the forces of reason, compassion, and understanding. No cause was dearer to Hubert than civil rights; no man's-contributions were more érucial, untiring, ior in dispensable than his. The mo dern civil rights ere can truly be said to have begun with his call for a strong civil rights platform at the 1948 Democra tic national convention. "The re are those who say to you 'We are rushing this issue of Civil rights.' I say we are 172 years late. There are thoee who say, 'This issue of civil rights is an infringement of states' rights.' The time has arrived for the Democratic Party to get out of the shadow of states' rights and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights. People - human beings - this is the issue of the 20th centu ry." He was always at the head of that great, still uncom pleted march, ever faithful to that dream. He rallied Con gressional support for the 1963 March on Washington ands guided the 1964 Civil Rights Act through the Senate, over coming a bitter 57-day South ern filibuster. It was not only among the greatest legislative and moral dramas in the history of American politics, but also a landmark chapter in the expansion of freedom. Never has one man, over so long a period, so fully and forcefully represented the as pirations and hopes of the deprived, downtrodden, and unfortunate. He embraced un fashionable causes and throu gh a persistent and often lonely advocacy transformed them into reality. He was the prime mover behind medi care, the Peace Corps, the Food for Peace Program, and much of the most important social legislation of the last thirty years. His politics combined ima gination, moral idealism, and responsibility. He was not a frald to dream, to innovate, bin he did not overlook the importance of achieving, ra ther than simply advocating, change. He understood the necessity of mastering politi cal power for the service of social justice. That he never served as President was a tragedy, not so much personally for Hubert Humphrey but for the nation. He could have done so much good for so many. It is an irony that many who not so long ago denounced him a passed and old hat came to recognize his continuing vir tues only after they had helped contribute to his defeat. Hubert Humphrey brought qualities to American life that will be sorely missed. There was an exuberance and caring about him that ran deep and was uniquely felt by workers, blacks, and the poor. He understood sufferng and could see through the maze of statistics to people. His libera lism sprang not from a set of abstract principles, but from a vibrant search for solutions to human problems. It is a measure of the constancy of his vision that in his final years he not only worked to complete unfinished projects, but also launched a new crusade for social justice: the fight for a meaningful national commitment to full employment. The finest and most fitting tribute we can pay to this man who did so much to make America a better coun try is the passage of the Humphrey-Hawkins full em ployment bill. Hubert Humphrey leaves a legacy that will long endure. Wherever men and women strive to ease the pain of suffering, work to bring hope and opportunity to the despai ring and rejected, and strug gle to replace injustice and hatred with fairness and com passion, his labors will be continued. Women Auxiliary Plane Workshop At Friendship The Woman's Auxiliary of the Mecklenburg General Baptist Association will con duct a mission workshop on Sat. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Friendship Baptist Church. The theme of the day will be "Arise, Let Us Go Hence," St. John 14:31. Youth ages 4 to 12 and 13 to 20, young adult, and adult classes will be taught by Mrs. Debra Williams, Mrs. Betty Potts, Virginia Newell, and Shirley Bullock respectively. ;By Vernon Ε. Jordan Jr.· TO BE EQUAL Prison Reform Overdue Prison reform is out of style today. Hard line, law and order propaganda seems to have convinced many people that the way to solve crime problems is to lock up offenders and throw away the key. But the evidence of the past indicates that won't control crime. If anything, prison produces embittered people unable to fit into society. That view was confirmed for me by a conversation I had with John Coleman, Presi dent of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. A leading advocate of prison reform, he arranged to spend time in two maximum security prisons last year to get a first-hand view of the prison system. He served as a guard in one Texas institution. The experience, he found, was demeaning for prisoners and guards alike. The only difference between the two group», a fellow guard told him, was that the guards serve less time - eight hours a day. The system is designed to strip people of their basic human dignity. He ran a "gang" of twenty field laborers who picked cotton. Once they stooped to do their work they weren't allowed to straighten up without a guard's permission. To light a cigarette, to wipe a brow, to stretch, all required the guard's OK. Some of the guards were young men, 18-20 years old. The absolute power they wield over their work gangs requires the judgment and maturity few people possess, muchless inexpe rienced youths. Coleman left that prison with sympathy for the guards and the guarded - both were forced into inhumane positions by a rigid system. Preserv ing dignity and rehabilitating offenders are supposed to be the goals of that system. Those goals are inconsistent with the actual workings of the prison. The Minnesota expereince was different. Coleman arranged to be an inmate, supposedly convicted of embezzlement. His cell block didn't stack prisoners, each had his own cell which he decorated according to personal taste. Petty regulations were at a minimum. Personal rights ν and a degree of privacy were observed. .Week opportunities ffttéd to individual nééds tfèemèd > to be available. Duf fkA«*A «fill «··**« «* ·**·"J ——— J among the inmates. Their basic life decisions were out of their control. Even after a few days, he felt the loss of thé independent decision-mak ing and control of one's own life that alone can fit a person to survive in society. So both prisons failed the crucial test of equipping inmates to take their place in society as functioning, law-abiding citizens. The strict regimen of the harsh, punitive Texas facility, and the milder, more humane Minnesota institu tin both prove ultimately incapable of returning to society people equipped with the skills and independence to function in that society. Those who gibly claim that prison cannot rehabilitate or that offenders should be punished by long prison terms, don't have the answer. Prison by itself, through its very nature, offends against human dignity and creates attitudes and mindsets that make eventual adjustment to societv difficult, if not imnnfleihlo THE CHARLOTTE POSrr "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, 9,915 60 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS SERVICE Bill Johnson Bernard Reeves.... Hoyle H. Martin Sr Julius Watson Albert Campbell.... Editor-Publisher General Manager Executive Editor Circulation Director Advertising Director Second Class Postage No. 965500 Paid At Charlotte, N.C. under the Act otMarch 3,1878 Member National Newspaper Publishers Association North Carolina Black Publishers Association Deadline for all news copy and photoe 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 Calumet 5-0200 Pride Lacking Among Blacks ay ireraia Jonnson I have noticed a lack in black professionalism in black businesses in Charlotte. Those businesses catering to a black clientele seems to be non chalant about how they pre sent their product to the cus tomer. 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 1 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 get back in contact with me Three years and one room additional later and I havwi'i heard from him yet. I called a white 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 The point here is that blacks 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 thai 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. Clube, restaurants, insur ance agencies, and the like all lack the professional air. Therefore the mood of skepti cism about doing business with blacks is real. But how real is it? As blacks needing services rendered, we help add to the un professiona 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 utacu. mac* customers are leu willing to pay black col lectors, black customers are less willing to pay a black company for services render ed the same price that they would pay a white company for the same service* Taking all this into consideration and realizing that a black busi nessman's primary clientele is the black public whereas tne wmte businessman's cli entele knows no color, the black business is hurting Moreover, jealously plays a Gerald Johnson dominate role In black buai η ess, black customer relation ships A lot of blacks refrain from helping black 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 nalization " Ft works like this: These blacks can rationalize their failings simply by using race as the reason By saying that whites have 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 necessary revenue is not forth coining. This causes a situation where by the owner of the business is likely to be the salesman, 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 black 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. As black laborers for black businesses we should do 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 we should try to give our support We should under stand the shortcomings and handicaps of the black busi nessman and realize that with our support most of these shortcomings can be over come. Remember, North Carolina Mutual, Johnson and Johnson, and Johnson Publishing Com pany, didn't start out as large corporations. All of these com panies started as one man operations much the same way as small businesses are in Charlotte now. With support, hard work, and pride in ourselves as a community we could turn mountains. NEWS FOR YOU! Do you have a topic that you would like my opinion on? Write to "As You See It" in care of The Charlotte Poet. You may incluae an opinion of your own If you like far printing along with my opin ion. I will give you my honest and candid opinion on any topic. . ERA Advocates Launch Campaign With Historical Appeal Advocates of the Equal Rights Amendment are join ing, in North Carolina with people across the country in launching a grass roots cam paign with historical appeal. North Carolina members at the National Organisation (or Women are repeating cam paign activities at the Nine teenth and early Twentieth Century suffragists who fou ght and won women's right to vote fifty-eight yéars ago. The modem-day suffragists are crossing North Carolina. The North Carolina NOW ERA Caravan will be traveling throughout North Carolina De ginning February 13 in Fay etteville. The official kick-off will be in Raleigh oa Suaan ti Anthony'· birthday February 15th. At each Caravan atop a public meeting will 1m held, the than· being "Rights for : Women· Tut, Present, and . Future." The film, "How We Got The Vote," narrated by Jean S ta pel ton will be abown, depicting the auffragiata' CAiii|Mign. The Charlotte viait will ba gin with a atop at the Univer sity of North Carolina at Char lotte at 2 p.m., on February 16.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Feb. 16, 1978, edition 1
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