ciomtcoion |
Living Assumes A Purpose For Life
by Hoyle H. Martin, Sr.
Post Editorial Writer
During the excitement and joy
that accompanies graduation from
high school or college, many young
people forget, at least momentarily,
that commencement is not the end
but rather it’s the beginning, For
such graduates the question, “begin
ning of what?” is a haunting and
sometimes frightening reality.
It is haunting and frightening
because the job, the position, the
career step, for which their 12 or 16
years of schooling was preparing
them may not be there. It is
frightening because in American
society your occupation is your
symbol of being. Harvard Univer
sity professor (now a U.S. Senator)
Daniel Patrick Moynihan stated thin
\ clearly when he wrote, “From the
very outset...employment...is the
primapr source of individual and
group identity. In America what you
do is what you are: To do nothing is
to be nothing; to do little is to be
little.”
The prospect of being “nothing”
or being “little” is a reality that
many young people are finding it
increasingly difficult to cope with.
For example, little 17-year-old Brid
gette Benfield of Mount Holly began
skipping school as a 9th grader, then
became a school dropout. Exper
iencing difficulty in getting a good
job, Bridgette began frequenting
nightclubs. This led to her involve
ment with the Outlaws motorcycle
gang and her death at the early age
of 17 by gunshot. Bridgette’s father
reportedly said after her death,
“She was a little girl who was having
grown-up problems and trying to
cope with them.”
Secondly, we are reminded of
Wyatt Matthews, the 22-year-old
Army PFC who has been court-mar
tialed and faces the gallows for the
rape-murder of another soldier’s
wife. Significantly, unable to find a
job after graduating from high
school with a skilled trade led Wyatt
to alcoholism and an Army career
With the help of an Army'recruiter
who ignored his drinking problem.
Wyatt’s mother said he joined the
Army “because he was tired of not
having a job...and no money in his
pocket.”
Significantly, both of these young
people, one black and one white,
were products of the crime culture
of the ghetto where life is too often
lived without a purpose and death
without dignity is a daily occur
ence. Significantly too, these youths
began their roads to death by
murder and the gallows by the sheer
inability to find gainful employment.
Thus, in the mind-set of our society
Bridgett and Wyatt were “nothing.”
Some people blame poverty, de
privation and drugs for the miser
able existence these youths have
faced. Others argue that these same
youths and others are basically
inferior, immoral and that the im
provement of their lot would not
have enhanced their lives or increas
ed their contributions to society.
Those who hold either view are in
some ways responsible for the per
vasive attitudes of a society which
appears to be suffering from a
nervous breakdown. They are res
ponsible for the death of the spirit
and feeling of hopelessness that burn
out the desires and dreams of our
nation’s youth. This is evident by
recent studies that point out many
youths readily admit that they don’t
want to work. While adults often
accuse youths of wanting money
without work and status without
struggle, we forget that we often
refuse them jobs because they lack
experience or keep telling them
we’ll call when a vacancy occurs
that never appears to become a
reality. The proof of the pudding
here is the unemployment rate
among youth -18 percent for whites
and 40 percent for blacks.
To continue in this fashion, to
place our youth on the human scrap
heap of despair, and to allow them to
lose hope will be tragic for our
nation. “Man can live about 40 days
without food,” says Hal Lindsey,
“about 3 days without water, about 8
minutes without air... but only l
second without hope.” Think about
it and lend a helping hand to a young
person. It will be good for them and
equally good for you.
Public Education Needs Support
borne critics contend that public
education is nearly a catastrophe.
They contend that school boards
can’t cope with problems, teachers
have an “I don’t care”, attitude,
many parents are apathetic and
“social promotion” has dampened
the motivation of our youth to learn.
Considering the level of school van
dalism, physical attacks on school
personnel, the high dropout rate,
teenage pregnancies, and drug
problems it would appear that public
education is experiencing a stressful
situation.
A new dimension in the problems
facing public education arises from
a National' Education Association
f11 " ■ " 1
(NEA) report that thousands of
teachers, under stress as a result of
the problems facing the nation’s
schools, are quitting their jobs as
victims of what has been called
“teacher burnout."
The problem, according to NEA
president-elect William McGuire,
“stems from teachers not knowing
how to cope with violence and
vandalism, disruptive students, in
adequate salaries, demanding
parents...and a multitude of other
problems."
The problem presents a renewed
challenge to the American people to
renew their commitment to support
public education.
'■ ' I__
THERE 15 NEU EVIDENCE EVERT
DAY THAT MARIJUANA SMOKING DAM
AGES THE BRAIN, THE NERVOUS SYSTEM,
AND EVEN THE REPRODUCTIVE PROCESS
A GROUP OP MEDICAL EXPERTS SAID
YESTERDAY
'THE EFFECT ON FERTILITY IS A REAL
ONE, AND ITS A VERY SCARY OBSER
VATION^ DR. CAROL SMITH OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES IN
BETHESD^MD.
SMITH WAS ONE OF 150 DOCTORS PROM
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA WHO
GATHERED HERE FOR A TWO-DAY CON
FERENCE ON THE BIOMEDICAL EFFECTS
AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF MARIJUANA
AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF
MEDICINE. THE AIM OF THE CON
FERENCE IS TO DISPEL THE MYTH
THAT SMOKING POT IS A HARMLESS
PASTIME. TO SMOKE ONE MARIJUANA
IS THE EQUIVALENT TO ZO POPULAR
BRAND CIGARETTES.
NM YORK MILT fiSWS
Wffl Crime Be The Next Step ..?
Black People:
Targets Of Social Security Cuts
by Bayard Rustin
Special to the Post
Ever since social security
became the law of the land in
1935, its conservative oppo
nents have repeatedly sought
to destroy it, or failing that, to.
substantially weaken the
system. Of course, Barry
Goldwater’s frontal assault on
social security in 1964 proved •
to be quite a political disaster.
Learning from that exper
ience, the enemies of social
security have adopted a new,
more effective strategy. They
have begun to chip away
gradually at the system by
cutting benefits, changing eli
gibility requirements and
opposing any creative
changes.
itus quiet, almost unnotlce
able attack on social security
has ominous Implications tj
everyone, but especially^ tot
black people. I say this ibr
two reasons: First, the pro-'
posed cutbacks and changes
are largely in the life insur
ance and disability insurance
components of social security.
And second, it is these benefit
areas - rather than “okl age”
insurance - which are criti
cally important to thousands
of black families and young
sters.
To begin with, let us consi
der the Carter Administra
tion’s proposal to reduce bene
fits paid to disabled workers.
These cuts, which 1 find espe
cially baffling at a time of
chronic inflation, will make it
far more difficult for workers
to maintain a decant, but far
from luxurious standard of
living. Sines black workers
are twice as Ukaly as whits
workers to be seriously injur
ed on tbs Job, they are (Hs
proportionataly represented
among recipients of disability
benefits from social security.
Bayard Rustin
Abo, disabled black workers
are more likely than whites to
have dependent children at
home. In light of these facta,
then, it b dear that the
suggested benefit cute will
have a broad, and severely
adverse impact on the black
While disabled black
workers watch their income
from social security shrink,
their children will also be
harmed by two other cutback
propoeab. The more serious
of the two b a move to
completely phase out social
security beoeflts to dependent
students under age a. Under
the present setup, youngrtsrs
who lose their father receive a
monthly cash payment wtaib
they attend Ugh school or
college. For blacks, thb
student aid program has spe
cial Importance for two
reasons: the mortality rates
for Mack fathers are higher
than rates for wMtaa, and
black families have a greater
number of children than
wUtaa. Subsequently, black
youngsters of collage age are
less likely than whites to have
an lncom^produdng father at
home. Moroovw, the finan
cial strains of a largo father
less family it signifl
cantly more difficult for a
black youngster to raise suffi
cient funds for college. If
j Congress accepts this propo
sal to kill student benefits, it
; will in effect be voting to
destroy the ever more limited
opportunities available to
black youth.
The second proposal which
will affect black youngsters is
the plan to lower the cut-off
age of children who live with
widowed mothers. Presently,
widows receive a monthly
payment for each child under
IS. But under the proposed
change, all payments would
end when the child turns 16.
Quite understandably, this
will mean a substantial reduc
tion in income with no off-set
ting reduction in the costs of
decently supporting a child.
uinar radical caangeeunder
serious consideration indude
raising the retirement age,
eliminating the lump sum
death benefit (s mere gys
usually spent on funeral
costs), and abolishing the
minimum benefit (a scant |U3
per month). In every
instance, these proposals
strike hardest and with their
most devastating impact
against poor people and
Macks. And the supposed
savings realized by tbeee cuts
are at bast minimal
This planned rip-off of the
social security system, I
think, teaches us some useful
political lessons. It once again
reminds us that in a time of
“fiscal austerity," groups
which have tbs least amount
of power will Inevitably bear
the brunt of the sacrifices. It
also reminds us that attacks
against the weak will always
be quiet, discreet, and aimed
against the leest expected
target Uke that old stand-by,
■octal security.
=S-=»7 VEBNQC
TO
BE
EQUAL
Affirmative Action Gets Boost;
The Supreme Court's decision in the Weber
case removes a major question mark hanging
over affirmative action programs in employ-}
ment.
The Court gave voluntary affirmative action
programs its stamp of legal approval, and filled
in some legal blanks in defining permissible
steps to overcome the effects of racial discrimi
nation.
Last year’s Bakke ruling was vague, but it did
affirm the Court's longstanding commitment to
affirmative action that redresses past discrimi
nation. Weber is important because it extends
the affirmative action remedy to societal discri
mination without regard to whether the specific
employer has a history of past discrimination or
not.
Weber and his supporters argued that in the
absence of a finding of past discriminatory
practices at Kaiser Aluminum Company’s
Gramercy plant, the company and the union had
no right to institute a program granting prefer
ence to blacks.
in fact there was a mass of evidence showing
that blacks indeed were discriminated against.
Less than two percent of the skilled jobs at the
plant were held by blacks, although the area’s
workforce was 40 percent black.
But that evidence never came up in the lower
courts that ruled against the affirmative action
plan. Since blacks who had suffered discrimi
nation in the past could sue companies that
refused to hire them, it was in the interest of the
company and its union to refuse to admit to such
discrimination.
Weber also claimed that the Civil Rights Law
of 1964 that outlaws racial discrimination in
employment also bans racial considerations that
favor minorities.
That claim turns the law on its head, as the
Court’s decision makes dear. The Court ruled
that Congress clearly intended to encourage the
private sector to voluntarily remove the last
vestiges of racial discrimination through race
consdous affirmative action plans.
Weber had plenty of support from people who
argue affirmative action is really afprm of
reverse discrimination against whlteirThat’s an
incredible claim in a society in which blacks
continue to be relegated to the worst jobs and to
restricted opportunities.
In fact, the Weber case itself is proof that
affirmative action doesn’t harm whites. The
company used to hire craft workers from outside
the plant. Because they wanted to conform to the
legal and moral requirements of the law, the
company and the union worked out a plan to
train craft workers from the plant’s existing
workforce. Half of the trainees would be
minority and women, the other half, white men.
If that affirmative action plan had not been put
into effect, the company’s white employees
would never have a shot at higher paid craft
jobs. Weber himself would never have a chance
to better himself Inside the plant.
In trying to expand the numbers of its skilled
black crafts workers, the company created new
opportunities for its white workers as well!
In upholding the Kaiser Plan, the Court also
set some guidelines for voluntiuy affirmative
action plans.
TOE CHARLOTTE POST
Second Class Postage No. 965500
‘THE PEOPLES NEWSPAPER”
Established 1918
Published Every Thursday
By The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc.
1524 West Blvd.-Charlotte. N.C. 28208
Telephones (704)376-0496-376-0497
Circulation, 9,915
60 YEARS OF CONTINUOUS SERVICE
BILL JOHNSON...Editor Publisher
BERNARD REEVES...General Manager
LAWRENCE ROBINSON...Advertising Director
^OMEP^SADLER^Circulation^Directo^^^^^
Second Class Postage No. 965500 Paid At
Charlotte, N.C. under the Act of March 3.I8f78
Member National Newspaper Publishers
Association
North Carolina Black Publishers Association
Deadline for all news copy and photos is 5 p.m.
Monday. All photos and copy submitted become
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. Ill 60616
(212 ) 489 1220 Calumet 5-0200
The Prodigal Writer Returns! To Head New Business Venture
by Milton Jordan
Special to the Post
Well, the prodigal writer
returns! Actually, I never
left, but a lot of people have
wondered what I’ve been
doing since getting out of daily
new-- .-or work with the
Ob» . n February.
V . really just moved to
another arena In order to
explore a number of other
Interests end to offer what I
perceive to be some Innova
tive and Interesting solutions
to a number of problems.
So, I’m In business, heading
a comprehensive communica
tions, research and planning
consultant Arm. We currently
operate 10 divisions: publica
tions development, syndica
tion services, literary ser
vices, public relations, adver
tising, audio-visual produc
tion, creative talent develop
ment research, management
and planning services.
Current projects include de
veloping a new black maga
zine for the South—View
South. I certainly hope you’re
a subscriber. If you ere not,
write me at 500 E. Morehead
St., Suite 215, and we’ll send
you some material on the
magazine, and s subscription
form. We are also developing
public relations programs for
Mack professionals and insti
tutions, designing motivation
al and personal development
modules for individuals, and
research and information ser
vice* for black businesses Just
to name a few of the projects
in which we are Involved.
But writing is my first love,
so It's klnda nice to got back
into haraaaa and ha
asking questions, snooping
around and writing almost
everyday.
Looking back now, I’ve been
writing almost every day now
for about 10 years, with an
occasional hiatus to catch a
breath or two. My writing
career began in Durham, with
a small weekly paper, the
Carolina Times, that is cur
rently carrying my column.
From there I went to
Raleigh, and then Wilmington,
and my first daily newspaper
job. WMle In Wllmingtpo over
a nearly tjires ymFr period
that -inclbded the 1971 riota
that produced the interna tio
nelly famous Wilmington 10
case, I managed a radio sta
tion, taught w»iirtoi b°Tty1 a
weakly television talk show,
and supervised a federally
, funded project before moving
on to Fayetteville.
In Fayetteville, I add radio
commercials, did soma radio
news, launched e weekly
newspaper, operated a salsa
company, and got out in 1174
and cams to Charlotte for an
almost five-year stint with the
Observer.
. So I’ve aorta coma full
circle, back in Nwlnsas, back
with weekly newspapers, and
back to writing almost every
day.
This column is part of my
company's publics dona deve
lopment division, and win be
hers in this space each week.
I will comment on about
everything and anything that
strikes my fancy. Of course,
I’m open to snggmtloin and
comments from you. I
imagine that over the next
weeks I will anger you, hope
fully excite you, enlighten you
and even sometimes entertain
you as I give you my opinion,
viewpoint and analysis on
everything from academic re
search to whether a aefara is
white with Mack stripes or
black with white stripes.
In between all that I plan to
write about politics, econo
mics, success, failure, ups,
down*, money and maybe
wvwi some rougion wnen l get
ready to leave town for a few
weeks so you will have time to
cool off before I come back.
I want you to write and tall
me wbat you think about
everything I say. I’ll encou
rage POST publisher Bill
Johnson to publish your
letters, with expletives delet
ed. of course.
In addition to the weekly
column, my company has
agreed to provide the POST
with weekly features, lo-dsptfa
analysis, and-or investiga
tive reports on a variety of
subjects.
Moat of these pieces will be
on the front page. So you’ll
prooawy nave two UMti at
me, or my oolteagua, Gary
Gregg, aach weak.
If you can’t find
to dteagrao with on tha front
page, turn to tha editorial
page and lat’a gat It on.
But whatever you do, read
the arttdoa, tha column and
write toe letters.
Juat to giva you some idea
what you will have a chance to
respond to over tha neat tew
weeks, bora’s what I plan to
write about through Septem
bar.
July 1#: Is Freedom Worth
$10 a Month to You?
July $0: Tha Klaa’s Rsaur
genca, How Should We
Respond?
Aug. 2-23: Black Polka
Better Got Counted tn the 1900
Census.
Aug. SO * Sept. Why
Won’t Florida Pay Two »hwfc
Men for the U Years They
Spsot In Prisoo Illegally?
Sept. U: Black Leaders
Often Hurt Business I
Sept. 20: Black Businesses
Often Hurt Themselves!
Sept. V: Will Black North
Carolinians Have Any Politi
cal Clout In the 1910 Races?
So there It la, a pretty good
agenda If 1 do say so myself.
Hops to see more and more of
you here each week.
President To Appoint Clark To EEOC Post
Washington--President
Jimmy Carter has announced
he WU1 nominate Leroy D.
Clark, of New York City, to bo
•eneral counsel of the Equal
Employment Opportunity
Commission for a four-year
term.
Clark is a professor of law at
New York University School
of Law, and an arbitrator with
the American Arbitration
Association and the Federal
Mediation and Conciliation
Service.
He was bom April 27, 1934,
in New York City. He receiv
ed a B.A. from City College of
New York in 19M and an LL B,
from Columbia University
School of Law in INI.
From 1M1 to 1MB Clark waa
etaff counaal with tha State of
Now York Attorney General's
Office. From MB to l«i ha
waa assistant counaal with the
NAACP Legal Defame and
Education Fund. He has
been a prof amor at N.Y.U.
since Ml and haa been an
arbitrator since 1*74.
Clark is a member of the
National Conference of Black
Keep your out-of-town friends
informed on what’s happening
in Charlotte by sending them a
copy of the Charlotte Poet
each week
Lawyers and um Advisory
Council of the Association for
Union Democracy. Ha was on
the Commission on Juvenile
tute for Judicial AtfcninMra
don and the American Bar
Association.