In Commemoration Of Dr, Martin L. King’s Birthday
^__See Stories On Pages 1, 11. 12. 13. fill
HSF), JfHE CHARLOTTE P 1ST [HS=1
Anon Is Blamed jj|
Fire Destroys
’ Vurfiam Black
Newspaper
by Susan Ellsworth
Post Staff Wri*^r
Arson is blamed by fire
officials for destroying the
office of "The Carolina
Times," a weekly black news
paper published in Durham,
North Carolina.
Fire gutted the building lo
cated at 436 E. Pettigrew
Street and three vacant build
ings on January 7.
Extinguishing the blaze was
an all-day struggle for Tire
fighters that began shortly
after the blaze was reported at
4:54 a.m. and lasted into the
night.
No damage estimates are
available vet. but damage is
extensive, according to Mrs.
Vivian Edmonds, the editor
and publisher of “The Caro
lina Times.”
Machines were demolished,a
the reception area was soaked*
with water; extensive heat
and smoke damage was also
reported.
The blaze was ignited in one
of the vacant buildings, ascer
tain fire officials who say
flames had been smoldering
6-8 hours before notice of the
fire was given. Cause of the
fire is still under investi
gation.
“The Carolina Times” was
one of a few remaining busi
nesses in an urban renewal
project l«i68
and originally involved 106
buildingB.
M'The urban renewal project
tSre down most of those build
ings but hasn’t rebuilt any
things" _ said Mrs. Edmonds,
who emphasized that she feels
the City is responsible for
finding a suitable location for
the newspaper to reopen its
offices.
While temporarily head
quartered in a photography
studio “The Carolina Times"
will continue publishing their
weekly papers, according to
Mrs. Edmondsf
Since the North Carolina
Black Publishers Association
and other groups have rallied
to their aid, the paper has
been able to lease and borrow
equipment through donated
funds.
"Tremendous moral sup
port" and money have poured
in from all over the country,
Mrs. Edmonds affirmed.
UNCC Sets Two
Engineer Review
Courses
Two engineer review cour
ses have been scheduled at the
University of North Carolina
at Charlotte during the second
semester.
A Professional Engineer
(PE) review course to pre
pare individuals to take the
North Carolina Board of Re
gistration Exam for licensing
is scheduled Wednesday, Jan.
24 to April 4, from 7 to 10 p.m.
in Smith KB. The cost is 905.
For registration and further
information, contact UNCC’s
Office of Continuing Educa
tMKOMMA
A man who brags without
SHAME will find peat dim
culty in living up to Ins brag
ging
\
LOVELY DEBORAH HILL
...Myers Park junior
Deborah Hill Is
Beauty Of Week
by SHERLEEN McKOY
Post Staff Writer
Our beauty for this week is
Deborah Hill, a junior at
Myers Park High School.
Now that the football season
is over Deborah is con
centrating all of her attention
on her school studies. She was
a flag girl for her school's
football team last fall.
A business course that
covers many business-related
topics is her favorite class and
much so because she wants to
strike it alone someday. She
believes in setting goals high
because “one should reach for
the top.”
“I want to own my own
business,” Deborah said. “I
really like accounting so it
may be an accounting
business.”
To further aid in this en
deavor, Deborah plans to
attend the University of North
Carolina in Charlotte upon
completion of her high school
years.
An alternate career choice
for her would be photography.
"I like to take pictures,” she
said, “so if I decided not to go
into business, I would become
a photographer.”
Describing herself, Deborah
said that she is an outgoing fun
person who gets along fairly
well with everyone. “I start
conversations very easily,”
she said, “most of the people
who know me say I talk a lot.”
Deborah also said that she
Planned
Parenthood Sets
Luncheon
Planned Parenthood of
Greater Charlotte will hold its
eighth annual meeting and
luncheon on Wednesday, Jan
uary 17 at 12:30 p.m.
■ The Board of Directors and
staff invite the public to this
open meeting at the Quality
Inn Downtown at 301 South
McDowell Street. Tickets are
$3.00 apiece.
A Keynote address wiM be
delivered by Faye Wattleton,
President of the Planned Par
enthood Federation of Amer
ica.
Ms. Wattleton is the first
black, the first woman, and at
age 34, the youngest president
in Planned Parenthood’s his
tory.
likes travelling a lot even
though she doesn't get to go
much. Other interests include
dancing, listening to music,
swimming and playing tennis.
She likes outdoor sports,
especially football. But the
bulk of her leisure time,
Deborah said that she spends
it with her boyfriend.
Deborah credits her mother
as being the most influential
person in her life. “My
moUier h£lps me get through
everything," she said
recalling the time most
recently when she wanted to
be a flag girl and her mother
helped with the expenses.
A trip to the Bahamas is the
one thing that Deborah would
really like to take. When
asked why particularly the
Bahamas, sher replied,
"because it is like a warm
exotic place - it seems like a
fun place."
Deborah has one brother
and one sister (she fits in the
middle) and is the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Hill.
Monday, January
»n/ v riiva
$50 Million Earmarked To
Stimulate Minority Businesses
Study: Race
Influences
Food Buying
WASHINGTON-Black fam
ilies spend a larger share of
their food budget on fish and
eggs than white families, but
less on cereal and bakery
products, sugar, and dairy
products, a U S. Department
of Agriculture study discloses.
The study, by USDA econo
mists Anthony E. Gallo, Larry
E. Salathe and William T.
Boehm, examined food pur
chasing patterns by race and
income. The results suggest
that race may have a signifi
cant influence on the food
market.
Blacks comprise about il
percent of the population but
accounted for over 16M; per
cent of pork purchases and
15VSt percent of all fish pur
chastt. On the other hand,
purchases by blacks of dairy
products, cereal and bakery
products, and processed foods
were much lower relative to
their share of the population,
the study showed.
On the average, black fami
lies are larger and have lower
incomes than white families.
Black families averaged 3.1
persons compared with 2.8
persons for white families.
Income before taxes averaged
about $6,000 for black fami
lies, against nearly $9,000 for
whites.
White families, on the aver
age allocate about 72 percent
of their food budget on food at
home, 28 percent on food away
from home. Black families
spend, on the average, about
82 percent of their food money
on food eaten at home, leaving
18 percent for food consumed
away from home, according to
the study.
Reflecting in part their low
See STUDY on page 4.
15
Striking bus drivers David Lucus. E.W.
Anderson. W.L. Joyner and Thad H. Staton on
the pirketlme in Charlotte's longest bus
strike. (Photo by Kileen Hanson)
Black Community Leaders
4
Want Bus Strike Settled
by EILEEN HANSON
Special To The Post
Pressure is mounting to end
Charlotte’s 6-week old bus
strike. Black community
leaders raised sharp questions
to the manager of Charlotte's
transit system last Sunday
evening and the following day
laid their concerns before the
City Council which hired the
management company to
negotiate with the bus drivers
union.
Meanwhile, Rev. James
Barnett, head of People
United for Justice, began
plans for a public rally or
march to demonstrate support
for the bus drivers.
At a meeting of the Black
political caucus held Jan. 7 at
Grier Chapel, 50 community
leaders questioned A F.
Warlick, negotiations leader
for the bus drivers’ United
Transportation Union, and
Jerry Olson, president of
Transit Management Com
pany
What appeared to be the
management's unwillingness
to negotiate sparked the
sharpest response from
caucus members
After Olson said that
management's proposed
contract of Nov. 22 was their
"final offer," head of the
Black Women’s Caucus, Sarah
Stevenson said, "Are you not
willing to look at the union's
offer? You say you're willing
to negotiate, but you
presented your final offer.
You don't really care whether
black folks work or not
On Nov. 23 the union
rejected management's
proposal by a vote of 162 to 1.
Later the union reduced their
wage demand by one-half.
Negotiations have been stalled
since Dec 18
NAACP President Alan
Rousseau blamed the
prolonged strike on city of
ficials. “Black people are
over a barrel." he said. "The
city doesn't care since the
majority of your riders and
most of the drivers are black
For 46 days my taxes neve
been supporting your bus
system, but my nephew still
can't ride the bus "
Nearly 92 percent of the city
bus riders, and 75 percent of
the 185 bus drivers and 45
percent of the 30 mechanics
are black
City-Wide Event Will Be Held On
Dr. Martin Luther King’s Birthday
by EILEEN HANSON
Special To The Post
A city-wide event on the
theme "Live the Dream" will
be held on Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr.’a birthday, Mon.,
Jan. IS at the Civic Center,
sponsored by the Charlotte -'
Mecklenburg Community
Relations Committee. The
event will begin at •:» p m.
with a hring-your own-picnic
supper, followed by a varied
program of speakers and
musk
Kathleen Crosby, Myers
Park Area Superintendent for
the Board of Education, and
Dr. J. Randolph Taylor,
pastor of Myers Park
Presbyterian Church, are
leading the celebration
planning committee.
According to the committee,
"This is the first time a broad
based interracial group of
citizens has undertaken such
an event The hope is that Dr.
King's spirit of learning and
Mrs. Kathleen Crosby^
...Ares Superintendent
bringing people together will
be rekindled in our com
munity.”
Sis Kaplan, chairperson of
the Community Relations
Committee, will moderate the
program Ms. Crosby, school
board member Rev George
Rattle, Rabbi Richard Rocklm
of Temple Israel and Rev.
Coleman Kerry of Friendship
Baptist Church will be on the
program
Music and dramatic
readings will be presented by
Ebony Group and Company,
Thomas Moore and his
spiritual singers, and the
Charlotte Cooperative
Singers, a combined choir of
Charlotte-area churches.
Willie J.'Stratford, Public
Information Director of
Charlotte’s Post Office, will
present the newly issued
Martin Luther King, Jr.
commemorative stamp to
Mayor Ken Harris.
Councilman Harvey Gantt
will introduce the keynote
speaker, Dr. Taylor Other
city officials will also be
present
All members of the com
munity are invited to bring a
picnic supper for their
families and join in this
celebration of Dr. King's
birthday, thus "keeping the
dream alive" in Charlotte. .
Soft drinks and coffee will
be provided. Tickets are <100
and are on sale at all branches
of Mechanics and Farmers
Bank, NCNB, and the National
Hat Shop, and at the door
Hunt Named HUI
To Crime
Committee
Governor Jim Hunt hat
named Preston C. Hill of
Charlotte to the State's Crime
Prevention and Public
Information Committee.
Hill is the manager of
Employee Relations and
Development with the
Radiator Specialty Co. He is a
member of the Governor's
Committee on Juvenile
Deliquency, the N.C.
Department of Social
Services Advisory Committee
and the N.C. Association of
Human Relations Officials
Warlick, a driver of 25
years, explained that all bus
drivers used to be white
“Now that the work force is
majority black, they're trying
to take away the rights the
union fought for and won over
the years "
On the picket line black and
white drivers are united in
their opinion that manage
ment is trying to break their
union
“They want to make an
example out of us to other
public employees," said
Howard Graham who has 30
yea rs ’ serv ice ' ‘They see t ha t
other city workers • police,
firemen, sanitation workers,
teachers - they all are trying
to organize The company
wants to beat our union as an
example to other*."
Olson contended that
management’s final offer was
a good one - 50 cents an hour
wage increase over two years
and two more hilidays When
asked by the caucus what
would make the buses roll
again. Olson replied. “Only
one thing The union must re
evaluate our offer and
recommend it to their
members."
The union wants 95 cents an
hour w; * increase e er two
years However, t. ey say
bee BLACK on ,2
Initiatives
To Help
Minorities
WASHINGTON-The U S.
Department of Agriculture's
Farmers Home Administra
tion (FmHA) has targeted at
least $50 million of its rural
business-industrial loan guar
antees to eligible minority
business men and women in
fiscal 1979
In a joint announcement
Monday, Alex P. Mercure,
assistant secretary of agricul
ture for rural development,
and Randolph T. Blackwell,
director of the Commerce De
partment’s Office of Minority
Business Enterprise disclosed
actions to stimulate minority
businesses in rural areas and
small cities
Mercure said the new initia
te es followed a commitment
by Agriculture Secretary Bob
Bergland to make agriculture
department resources avail
able to the full spectrum of
rural Americans, including
minority groups and women
"who have not always enjoyed
adequate access to all of the
department's programs."
He also announced with
Blackwell that the Commerce
Department will strengthen
itsnationwide facilities to help
minority people develop sound
businesses .that qualify for
private lender financing under
FmHA guarantees.
The officials said the two
agencies are drafting an a
gr cement whereby personnel
of the Commerce Department
and the local business devel
opment organizations it sup
ports will be trained in speci
fics of the FmHA loan guaran
tee program. As a result
business development organ
izations will 'be able to help
more minority people take
advantage of business-indus
trial financing resources a
vailable through FmHA
i ne r mnA guarantees com
mercial lenders' loans to bus
inesses in rural areas includ
ing cities of not more than
50.000 population It gives
priority to enterprises located
in open country and towns of
not more that 25.000 Guaran
tees cover up to 90 per cent of
the loss of principal and inter
est that a lender might incur
The Commerce Department
provides management and
technical assistance to minor
ity entrepreneurs through a
bout 225 non-profit business
development organizations
and construction assistance
centers They are based
throughout the 50 states, Dis
trict of Columbia, Puerto Rico
and the Virgin Islands.
Mercure said OMBE will
"fill a major need in the rural
development program by pro
viding expert assistance to
rural minority people in plan
ning, organizing and oper
ating sound and enduring bus
iness firms " FmHA guaran
teed loans are developed
through commercial business
lenders Applicants must psy
at least 10 percent down and
put up collateral for the loans.
Blackwell and Mercure es
timated that most enterprises
resulting from FmHA-OMBE
cooperation will involve black
and Spanish-speaking appli
cants in small communities of
the southeastern and south
western states