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Local Gospel Choirs To
"Sing Out For Justice"
By Eileen Hanson
Special To The Post
A "Sing Out for Justice" is
planned for Sunday, August 6,
in support of a young black
man who faces the gas cham
ber in a "murder for hire"
case. Sponsored by the David
Miller Defense Committee,
the Gospel program is sche
duled for 2:30 p.m. at the
Gethsemane Baptist Church,
2870 Dr. Carver Road. _ Vari
ous choirs are being invited
toeing. Speakers will include
the Rev. James Barnett
(People United for Justice),
10 Pmtm ûwnmittee)
Bob Davis (Black Political
Caucus).
1 The David Miller Defense
Committee was formed two
weeks ago by local black
ministers and civil rights
leaders who are concerned
that the young man is being
charged with murder on the
basis of questionable evi
dence.
Miller, 28, married and
father of four children, is
charged with first degree
murder in the slaying of Julius
Smith, shot near the First
Ward Grill on Sept. 20, 1977.
The only witness in the case,
T&ry Lyons, alleges he hired
Miller to kill Smith for 13,000,
but that no money was ever
paid. In plea bargaining,
Lyons pleaded guilty to
arranging the murder and he
faces it most a 10 year sen
tence. Bonnie Smitii, wife of
te dead man and Lyon's girl
friend, pleaded guilty to con
spiring to have her husband
killed. She was sentenced to
10 years.
Lyons and Smith are both
white. Miller, who is black,
pleaded innocent and faces the
-gas chamber if convicted.
The lack of evidence against
Miller and disparity of sen
tences raised concern among
several black leaders earlier
this month. On July 3 the Rev.
James Btrwtt ««» the Rev
DSwbfcrrfc of MSethae
mane Baptist Church, «poko
at a news conference calling
far the District Attorney's
office to drop the charges
against Miller. A letter was
sent to Joe Dozier, Assistant
District Attorney who is hand
ling the case. To date the
ministers have received no
reply. They are now seeking a
meeting with Dozier on July
31.
"I find the David Miller case
to be another frame-up in the
making against a young black
man," said Barnett at the
news conference. "We are
going to start now fighting for
justice before injustice is
done."' Comparing the case to
that of the Wilmington Ten
and Charlotte Three, Barnett
çontinued, "We had faith in
the courts, faith that justice
would be done Alter years of
frustration and waiting, we
have lostTalQ) (SaTfhecourts
are halls of justice...We are
going to stand by David Miller
and fight for justice."
Rev. Dewberry, who is
Miller's pastor, said at the
new conference, "All black
citizens of the community
should stand up and let the
city of Charotte know we will
not be brutalized any more."
Referring to Doiier's state
ment that he had a weak case
against Miller, but wanted a
conviction, Dewberry said,
"Miller il being used M a
ΤΗν~σβΤ·ηβ· Committee
intends to ntoe ft,MO for
Miller's legal fee·. The "Sing
Out for Justice" Gospel pro
gram will be its first fund
raising event.
The group also plans to
participate in the August 20
"Wilmington Ten Sunday"
called by the North Carolina
suuance stgamsi tvacisi ana
Political Repression.
"Churches will be asked to
make special observances
that day for the Wilmington
Ten," said Barnett. A march
will be held at β p.m. from the
main Poet Office to Marshall
Park. "The theme is 'stop the
plots against black people,'
including the Wilmington Ten,
the Charlotte Three, and
David Miller," according to
Barnett.
Officers of the Defense Com
mittee are Rev. Barnett,
Chairman; The Rev. John
Epps (St. Marks United
Methodist Church), co-chair
man; Dot Darby, Secretary;
Rev. Dewberry, Treasurer.
Also involved are the Rev.
James Palmer (University
Park Baptist Church, the Rev.
Paul Drummond (St. Paul
Baptist Church), Bob Davis,
Carrie Graves, Lonnie
Graves, and members of
Gethsemane Baptist Church.
The Committee will meet
again on Sunday, July 30 at 5
p.m. at Gethsemane Church,
3870 Dr. Carver Road. For
more Information call Rev.
Dewberry (376-4797) or Rev.
Barnett (332-2250)
Black Unemployment
Sets New Record
unemployment continues to
be a major problem for mil
lions of Black Americans, as
actual Black unemployment
jumped to a record 3.1 million
in the first quarter of 1978,
according to unofficial
figures.
Utilizing the National Urban
League's Hidden Unemploy
ment Index, the unofficial job
lees rate for Blacks rose from
23.0 percent in the fourth
quarter of 1977 to 23.9 percent
in the first quarter of 197»,
according to the League's
Quarterly Economic Report
on the Black Worker.
Although the official jobless
rate for Black workers in the
first quarter was 12.9 percent
according to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, the NUL'»
njQuen unemployment inaex
found that "discouraged
workers" accounted for the
largest increase in hidden un
employment among Blacks,
rising from 1.2 million to 1.3
million between the fourth
quarter of 1077 and the first
quarter of 1978.
Unemployment among teen
agers continued to be a severe
problem according to the re
port as this group of workers
experieced the sharpest in
crease in joblessness among
all Black workers with their
hkkkn unemployment figure
rising from 708,000 to 783,000,
lifting their unofficial jobless
rate from 56.6 percent to 60.2
percent. Officially, the num
ber of Black teenagers classi
fied as unemployed during the
first quarter of 1078 was only
half as large (354,000), while
their jobless rate was record
ed at 38.4 percent.
The report also indicates
that contrary to usual non
recessionary trends, adult
men bore the brunt of increas
ed unemployment during the
first quarter of 1978, while the
number of pnemployed
women actually tecreased
among both Bracks and
whites. The official jobless
rate for Black man rose from
8.4 to 10.4 percent between the
fourth quarter 1077 and first
quarter of 1078, while the
unemployment rate of adult
Black women dropped from
11.3 to 10.8 percent
Harris Unveils Program Τ ο
Aid Public Housing Projects
ί . j· »- —' ■ ■
CA To
Protest Usage
Of CD Funds
Members of the Plaza Hills
Villa Heights Community
Improvement Committee a
neighborhood group affiliated,
with Carolina Action, staged a
demonstration to protest the
usage of Community Develop
ment funds.
"We feel that these Federal
funds were set aside to benefit
low and moderate income
neighborhoods," said Mary
Wells, a neighborhood spokes
person. "But often we've seen
them go instead into creating
more vacant property, clear
ing away slums to make a
profit for developers. The
process of neighborhood dete
rioration could be stopped at
its root by giving people an
incentive to fix up their
houses. But this seems to
haveleçs of a priority with
Community Development
than real estate acquisition
•nd clearance," Ms. Wells
COftClUufiu. j
Thé Mia hriU tm 'lïiim
reading, "le an old bouse and
an abandoned factory worth
more than an entire neighbor
hood?" in their afternoon
action at 10th and Brevard on
Monday. This was to question
the priority given by City
Council to fund 1800,000 in CD
funds to clear a block in First
Ward, over putting the money
into rehabilitation loans and
grants and drainage work for
over 100 homeowners in the
Plaza Hills-Villa Heights area.
The group questioned the
motivation for the priority,
since $350,000 worth of proper
ty was bought up there in 1974
by the HFS Investment Corpo
ration at the same time the
strip was declared a CD target
area. "This thing reeks of
land speculation," said Shir
leen Glover. "Otherwise, \ι
can't see why a vacant ÏW
would have priority over a
neighborhood," Ms. Glover
concluded.
Following the rally, the
group went down to the Com-.
m unity Development offices
on McDowell St. and present
ed Assistant Community
Development Director Walter
Phillips with a pair of glasses
marked "Prescription for our
Neighborhood." Said Mrs.
Wells, "Way back in Febru
ary, when the City Council
extended the boundaries to
include Plaza Hills in the
target area, they directed CD
to look for more money. Well,
we figured it'd been so long
they needed a little help.
Selena McArthur
Is Beauty Of Week
Selena McArthur is the Post
Beauty of the Week. Bom in
Concord, N.C., this artistic
young lady is a Gemini. She
cites her main hobby as being
paintings, watercolors, and
pencil drawing which she
enjoys during her leisure
time.
Selena also stated she loves
to travel, but didn't fail to
restate drawing as her
favorite past-time.
Selena is a graduate of West
Charlotte High School and
attended Central Piedmont
Community College for one
year.
Job hunting led her to her
present employment for Bib
Distributing, a record distri
buting company, where she
has been for one year. Selena
indicated that she is interested
in working with record promo
tions and feels that in working
at Bib, she is in the right
place. "I like it," (working
at Bib) "and I would like to
continue working here. I plan
to learn as much as I can
about it and would love to
work as promoter for one of
the Black tables, such as Casa
Blanca Records, etc. Bib is a
good place to start," Selena
affirmed.
The daughter of Ms Sadie
McArthur, Selena has spent
most of her life in Georgia
where she lived in both
Atlanta and Savannah before
moving to Charlotte three
years ago.
Her philosophy: "I believe
in living life to the fullest,
being happy-not worrying rfll
the time, content."
Selena attends Greenville
Memorial AME Zion Church.
Selena's artistic abilities
don't terminate at drawing,
she is also involved in creative
dancing, something she began
quite some time ago. While
she was still in Georgia, she
put on several shows which
she arranged herself.
Selena's love of music
covers a wide spectrum of
categories, and covers every
thing from jazz to country
western, "any kind," she
exclaimed.
Selena describes herself as
"more or less a communicator
because she likes meeting and
talking to people
Like any other normal
young lady, Selena said that
she likes guys, and is very
wise in being choosey. Guys
she likes must be very honest
and down to earth and she
also added, "I don't like
people who live around "
At 21st Annual Convention
SCLC To Tackle Black Economics
"Economic Justice: Basic
to the Dream" ia the theme of
the 21st Annual Convention of
the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference
(8CLC) to be held August 19 -
18 in Birmingham, Ala., at the
Metropolitan AMEZ Church.
The Birmingham Hyatt
House will serve as the con-,
vention hotel.
' "In view of the Bakke deci
sion, staggering black un
employment rates, the 'tax
revolt' that threatens social
programs and public-sector
Jobs crucial to black opportu
nity snd President Carter's
urban policy plan," said Rev.
Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, SGLC
President, "we decided to
focus this year on achieving
economic progress."
He concluded, "We will be
analyzing the economy and
how it affecta blacks and tfië
poor."
NAACP Executive Director
Benjamin Hooka, Special
Assistant to the President,
Martha "Bunny" Mithcell,
E.E.O.C. Chairperson Elea
nor Holme· Norton, Cong.
Walter Fauntroy, Urban Lea
gue President Vernon Jordan,
and social activist Diok Gre
gory are among the Admini
stration officials, civil rights
leaders, lawyers and educa
tors scheduled to address the
1800 delegates and visitors to
the convention.
. According to Lowery,
among the topics to be discus
sed are the urban policy ques
tion, the survival of black
college·, the Bakke decision,
and "Proposition IS."
One οf the highlight* of the
four-day strategy session will
be a service at the historic
Sixteenth Street Baptist
Church, where four young
black girls were killed in a
M3 bombing claimed by the
Ku Klux Κlan
It ha* been 23 years since
Ram Parks sparked the Mont
gomery, Alabama bus boycott
by refusing to give up her seat
to a white man on a segre
gated bus. The late Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., Rev
Ralph David A berna thy, Dr.
Lowery and others involved in
the Alabama protest later
organised SCLC in 1K7
SCLC has over 80 chapters
and affiliates across the
nation engaged in voter regi
stration drivers, political edu
cation programs, and Opera
tion Breadbasket, designed to
promote and upgrade econo
mic opportunities for blacks
$209 Million Program To
Upgrade living Conditions
Secretary Patricia Roberts
Harris this week committed
the Department of Housing
and Urban Development to a
$209 million program to up
grade the living conditions
and management of large
urban public housing projects.
The program involves three
Federal agencies in addition
to HUD.
"Since its inception in 1937,"
said Mrs. Harris, "the low
income public housing pro
gram has provided housing for
millions of families and indivi
duals who could not afford
housing in the private
market."
Despite the fact that the
majority of public housing
projects provide decent homes
for many Americans, Mrs.
Harris acknowledged that
there are some that have not
lived up to expectations, parti
cularly in large urban areas.
"Although troubled projects
represent only a small
pwroentaa· at the vast public
boosing Inventory," sàW the
Secretary, "the problems they
generate loom very large for
the tenants who have to live in
them."
The Secretary attributed the
presence of troubled projects
to a number of factors includ
ing: inadequate initial design,
financial difficulties, manage
ment problems, crime and
vandalism, and neighborhood
conditions.
τ _ ti.. n..ui:«
Housing Urban Initiatives pro
gram, Secretary Harris said:
"This is another example of
the Carter Administration's
coordinated approach to solv
ing urban problems. Since
these problems are multi
faceted and cut across several
Departmental jurisdictions,
the single approach by one
Department would, in the long
run, solve nothing. A compre
hensive approach, combining
different elements, can pro
vide the necessary tools to
solve these complex pro
blems."
The experimental program
will contain several initiatives
including:
A $159 million targeted rehabi
litation program designed to
upgrade thoee projects which
fall far below acceptable con
ditions. Among other things,
the rehabilitation work could
involve major structural
changes, overall upgrading of
the buildings and grounds and
improvements to project
security.
A $15 million management
assistance program designed
to identify and correct the
underlying management défi
ciences which may have been
responsible for the deteriora
tion of the project in the first
place This could include
installation of project-based
management, and the upgrad
ing of specific management
and financial systems
An innovative <32 million
interagency anticrime pro
gram designed to improve
the security and stability of
public housing projects, with
out the necessary manage
ment and physical improve
ments cannot be effectively
accomplished HUD, FIA,
Labor, and LEAA will partiel
pate in this pilot program.
*A t2'/i million urban partner
ship program designed to en
courage city governments to
work more cooperatively with
PHAs In such ventures as
developing neighborhood and
commerical revitalization
programs in public housing
areas. The funds can also be
used to improve the level and
quality of community and
social services.
uiyeees b ord
Leaves City
Goverment
Ulysses Ford (formerly
employed by Public Works
Administration) left Char
lotte City Government July 11
to become director of the Solid
Waste Department of the City
of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
In addition to sanitation
services, the department he's
joining handles forestry, park
ing and real estate services -
an operation similar to our
Public Works Department
Ford came to work for the
City of Charlotte in 1972 His
duties here included working
with all Public Works divisi
ons in preparing administra
tive data and dealing with
public requests for informa
tion and service.
Ford graduated from West
Charlotte High School in 1961,
and is a 1965 graduate of
Talladega University in Talla
dega, Alabama He has also
taken graduate courses at the
University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill.
Ford and his wife, Beverly,
have three sons: Anthony,
Steven, and Michael
Νeu· President
Mechanics And
Farmers Bank
Elects Saneom
J.J Sansom Jr., senior vice
president and Raleigh's city
executive of Mechanics and
Farmers Bank, has been
named president of the bank.
Saneom succeeds John H
Wheeler who died recently.
Besides the elevation of San
som to the presidency of the
bank, Mechanics and
Farmers' board of directors
changed four other top bank
positions.
J. W Goodloe was elected
vice chairman of the board of
directors; Jesse B. Anglin,
Jr., senior vice president, was
named executive vice presi
dent of the bank and was
named to the board; Julia W.
Taylor, vie· president and
manager of the Raleigh Of
fices, was named senior vice
president and a member of the
board. Mrs. Taylor was also
appointed Raleigh's city ex*
cutive officer for the bank
Rev. Dr. JoMpfe E. Lowery
President, SCLC
τ» λ W-#
Ulysses Ford
■ • Moves to Michigan
loll »λ nnU» ηλ
SFEAKTNG OUT FOR JUSTICE
W «VW «.wuiVt V1IVV
for David Miller at the University Park
Baptist Church are Rev. James Palmer, Rev.
UOJIICB Darneu, ne v. υ. Dewberry and
Lonnie Graves. Poet photo by Eileen Hanson.
VKOPMft
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If you ar« a «elf starter ·
your boas won't have to be a
CRANK.
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LOVELY SELENA MCARTHUR
...Cites main hobby
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