Ebony Group Is Developing 'Idea And Dre am' o/ miiua r ivnciivx Post Staff Writer The Ebony Group and Com pany. Inc., a theatrical group in Charlotte, was an idea and a dream only two and a half years ago. But today the group is hold ing popular performances throughout the Charlotte area. The most recent perform ance was held in June at UNC-C and sponsored by a local nursing organization. The Ebony Company has performed at night clubs such as the Afternoon Delight in Greensboro; The Savoy in And it was because of this need that Willie J. Stratford Jr. a Charlotte native and Sandra McMullen a native of New York turned an idea into â reality - the créât"*" m the Ebony Company. Ms. McMullen and Stratford both in their early 30s and both being interested in acting, happened by chance to meet at a local talent agency. After talking, they realized tttft they both had similar ideas and they expressed the frustration of the limited theatrical outlets for blacks. "I'd been trying to find someone in Charlotte who had the same interest that I did,'' Ms McMuJlen explained. - When Ms McMullen arrived in Charlotte five years ago she brought a wealth of theatrical experience with her. She started dance lessons at the age of two. She major in Art Education and Drama at Morgan State University in Maryland. She'd studied with theatrical companies, had pri vate lessons, attended semi professional schools and "did some off Broadway stuff." "So we were just sitting around one evening and said let's do our own Dlav." said Stratford who's less theatrical experience but was big on talent and ideas. "I was in a live show before I'd ever seen a full stage production," Stratford said "I was doing a part in the Charlotte Little Theatre,'' he said. It was at this time in 1974 that Stratford first became interested in acting. "Most of the plays (being done in the Charlotte area at that time) were for people with Jewish or white back· grounds, and blacks usually gol minor roles even if they were capable of doing more.'' Ms McMullen said After deciding to start the group. Stratford contacted Nathaniel Korie. 30. a long time acquaintance and Char lotte native who'd had more of a directing and technical background in drama Rone, began taking drama courses at West Charlotte High School. He took drama courses at A&T State Univer sity in Greensboro, worked with the Summer Stock Theatre in Charlotte, did stage management wnne in me L S. Army and also helped start the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Youth Council Community Players The three got busy doing research to find out what needed to be done to start <■ group They began working to inco - rporate the group, they needed to be incorporated t ο be a non prom organization. The first step was to elec t officers "Well. Korie wanted to t laced in Marshall Park She tea received 115,000 to date and will receive an additiona. $30,000 when the statue is complete A business cowrmittee. headed by Joe Martin, has pledged to raise at least $20,000, of which $5,000 has been raised so far The Dr Martin iAither King Jr Commission was formed in November of 1977 by former Mayor John Belk Appointed to the commission were Kev Coleman Kerry, Mrs Wesley Clement, Dr J Matthew Murphy, l>arry Τ Black, and Rev James Barnett The appointment was made after a group headed by Kev James F. Palmer and Rev James E. Barnett lead an unsuccessful fight to get the city to re name Realties Ford Rd. in honor of Dr King Main Burden Falls 0>n Residents By Eileen Hi inson Special to Iht ? Post Who pays ft ir public îousing? "Th<î federal ;overnment," so me say. The City of Char lotte," re ;pond others In the end, most >f us think the tax-payer 11 ways pays " Wrong on all thr«:e guesses, 'ublic housing is financed for he most part by the people vho live there, mostl.y people in low and fixed jn cornes According to E»ire«?tor of Management W.H L'raddy, :he current Charlo tte h'ousing Authority ( CHA) budget is ubsidized only 8-10 percent by he federal government. I'here are no local or county ;ubsidies The ma in burden alls on the reside nts them ;elves, through rents and fees "We have rent ninges that ire designed to produce an ncome to operate our projects vithout subsidy This is the ;oal all housing £iuthorities ire reqiured to strive for," said Draddy "Until we reach hat goal, we get some federal iubsidy." "Draddy refused to say that here is a minimum rent a enant must be able to pay to Ket into public housing In iheory, no one is too poor. But according to Linda Winston, Assistant Superintendent of îenant Selection, the mini mum in Charlotte is now $60 a month, which she says is also the amount needed to maint ain a housing unit. Residents rents are fixed at 25 percent of their adjusted annual income As many as half of the 900 families currently on the wait ing list for public housing are in effect "ineligible" because they can't afford $60 a month. Some have been waiting three or four years or longer. Down from 1500 families a few months ago, the list has just been through its annual "purge," dropping families that are no longer interested or eligible. A Cherry resident, who asked to remain anonymous, was one of those who waited six years before recently re moving herself from the list. "I was just disgusted with the whole situation. They said I was too poor to be in public housing," she said. A couple of years ago CHA said she could not pay the then required monthly rent of 140, but the woman was paying twice that, $80 a month, in private slum housing. The CHA said her income wasn't enough to be abl· to pay even $40, according to their federa See PUBLIC on Page 11. Mooresviiie; me tirst annual Black Arts Festival in Raleigh and appeared on WRAL tele vision in Raleigh on a pro gram called Ebony Exposure In addition to this, the group tours with a play entitled God's Trombone and has done the performance at more than 30 churches in the Charlotte area. The group grew from a need of more theatrical outlets for blacks in the area; and was started as a training ground for young blacks "who had a sincere interest in the arts," according to its co-founders. ' The HARDEST thing in the world te open Is a CLOSED MIND VANESSA JOHNSON ...Rising sixth grader Rev James Barnett .. Committee chairman