Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / May 22, 1980, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Editorials & Comments Not Yet One Nation! During the summer of 1967 our urban centers experienced a level of racial conflict that car ried with them shock, fear and bewilderment that upset the nation. The worst came during a two-week period in July in New ark, New Jersey. Then Detroit, Michigan and then, like a domino effect, a chain reaction rippled into other neighborhoods. The severity of these develop ments led the President of the United States to establish a National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders and directed the group to answer three basic questions? What happened? Why did it happen? What can be done to prevent it from happening again? After much research, discus sion and debate, the commission came to one basic conclusion: "Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white - separate and unequal." The commission went on to say that "discrimination and segre gation have long permeated much of American life; they now threaten the future of every American." in spite ot sincere efforts by some at the national, state and local levels to see choices to reverse the trend toward "two societies," we nevertheless find 13 years later, in I960, that the typical black family's income is only 57 percent (down from 61 percent in 1970) of that of a white family. Furthermore, black youth unemployment is nearly 60 percent and blacks are three times as likely to live in the grip of poverty. While these economic hard ships were growing, blacks be gan making political gains. They picked up a few seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, gained a few state-level high ranking positions - elected or appointed - and, more signifi cantly, they captured consider able political power in City Halls across America as whites con tinued their exodus to the suburbs. Through many of these years Cuban political refugees began to move into Miami and displace blacks in housing and jobs. Viet namese "boat people" then be gan to arrive in America, too. They were provided with hous ing, jobs and even automobiles while thousands of blacks con tinued to exist with neither ade quate housing, no job or bus fare, much less an automobile. Furthermore, by 1980 black frustration reached a new level as the Carter Administration allowed thousands of Cuban re fugees (mostly white) to land in Miami while thousands of Hai tians (all black) are being denied entrance to America. Thus, as Miami's "little Havana" ex pands, blacks have found fewer job opportunities, less housing available to themselves, no poli tical voice in the community and growing abuse by the Miami police. A black youth was shot by a white policeman, a high rank ing black educator has been accused of misusing public funds and four ex-policemen were ac cused, tried and found not guilty of beating a black businessman to death despite apparent over whelming evidence to verify their guilt. The jury's verdict that freed the four ex-policemen exploded Miami's black community's frustrations into massive vio lence that has led to senseless and useless killing, maiming, and the massive destroying of property, equal to or far worse than the riots of the summer of 1967. While we deplore the vio lence we certainly sympathize with the black Americans in that city .who obviously are not being treated with the kind of consi deration every American has a right to expect. We applaud President Carter for sending the U.S. Attorney General to express the administration's concern but it will take a full review of the continued existence of a "two societies, on black, one white - separate and unequal" to begin to resolve a problem that still threatens the future of every American. America must begin at once to re-think the meaning of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "free at last, free at last" and then deal with its consciousness and its com mitment to all citizens to assure and make a reality of "equality for all." Black Family In Crisis The February issue of Ameri can Demographics magazine re ports that a change in the living arrangement of American fami lies since the 1950s reflected a shift away from husband-wife families and has resulted in a rise in the female headed house holds. The shift has been much great er among blacks than whites; up from 22 to 39 percent between 1960 and 1977. For whites up from 8 to 12 percent. Generally, fami lies maintained by a single fe male parent rose by 50 percent in the decade of the 70s. We need to be cautious and recognize that while we are seeking equal economic, social and political opportunity par ticularly for black women, that we don't overlook what is hap pening to black families. "Family deterioration," Wil liam Rasberry writes, "involves education (or the lack of it), crime and delinquency, career opportunities and ambition, so cial stability - indeed the future ot tne society," and we might add the future of the black family. Black progress of what type has its roots in the stability of the family where basic values and attitudes have their begin ning. _ 'THOUGHFORCE CANPROrizdfl IN EMERGENCY, ONLY JUSTICE, j FAIRNESS, CONSIDERATION < AND COOPERATION CAN k FINALLY LEAD HEN TO THE \ DAWN OF ETEVNAL PEACE." Λ OWfCHT α CISCHHOHER α lit < Team work As I See It Changing Lifestyles Gerald Ο. Johnson Post Columnist Today's black women is aggressive, self-motivated, independent, well-educa ted, and a wage earner. A vast amount of them are career oriented and reject the possibility of becoming a part of the traditional family style. Most do not care to settle down and raise a family in lieu of their careers. They range in ages from 22 to 50 and they appreciate the finer things of life. Generally, this new breed of women appreciates the freer lifestyles. Politically, they are the ones that back women's rights, the E.R.A. and abortions. Religiously, they are the ones that seek answers to puzzling questions about God and the Bible. Sexually, they are the ones that are creating ha voc for men. Most men are not ready for this new breed. Men in general are traditionalist bv nature The structure of our society was molded by men, of men, for men. Now that the traditional structure is be ing challenged, most men find themselves in a dilemma. Traditionally, this so ciety uses pseudo-mea sures as yardsticks for a man's success. Principal wage earner, a house, two cars, a loving wife, some kids, and belonging to or ganizations, are to name a few. The female of the traditional household (from the male point of view) was responsible for household chores, raising the children, and handling other off-the-wall tasks. Today's woman is saying Gerald Ο. Johnson loud and clear, "Take that crap and stick it in your ___ ft » ear. Married men are finding to their disappointment that home is not like it was when they were growing up. Women are overjoyed that it is not the same, as it was when they were grow ing up. Thus, the beginning households are in constant conflict. Another threat that manv »»*/»»» ·>»« «· - — that they aren't the king of the castle. As the major breadwinner the husband generally had the last say on how, what and when money would be spent. To day he must negotiate for that right. If the lady of the house wants a new living room suit and the man doesn't, then it is not just a matter of saying we can't afford it. She can say, "I can." Single women are of the opinion that they don't need a husband at all. They feel quite comfortable making it on their own. As one female bluntly told me, "The only thing a man can give me I can get without being married," made me blush. The problem for single black women is more severe. On the whole they are better educated, and have progressed further, economically, than the black male. Hence,, there is a scarcity of black males that can meet the educa tional and financial re quirements of these ladies. Since Harvey Gantt and I are spoken for that nar rows the field to none, (smile). There are no signs that this trend will change. Wo men out number men, any way. Moreover, male atti tudes toward traditional values are not changing rapidly enough. The new breed of women will require a new breed of men. Tliese men will have to be able to accept change as a reality and stop cling ing to things of the past. If you are married and find that your household falls into the category men uonea, men mere are things you can do to eliminate some of the pro blems. First, pool your re sources. Couples that I have talked to about this generally have two bank accounts; his and hers. Moreover, they each have certain bills that they are responsible for. This divi sion in resources is divisive to a relationship. A much better way is to have a single checking account and designated bill payer. This procedure forces household planning and it allows better control of funds. It also provides a psychological unity in the household. Jy Vernon Ε. Je Ο BE EQUAL Black Pobb Under Pressure Black votes elected a President in 1976, but you would never know that from the neglect shown black interests by the current crop of candidates. Some just write off the blagk voteas beyond their reacha^Éjyr^'tafce it for grantedttyssuming tha£^>me November the black vote will be in thèrf pocket. Both are wrong. In j[)f|»Ot.it looks like the black voter will not be enthusiastically FOR any of the candiates, but chances are strong that the black vote will go AGAINST a candidate perceived as hostile to black interests. Perhaps an even greater possibility is au-4 u—u ■ m à...m 11 It'—I «4* . UlOl uutvn Τ VWVAO ΤΤ ΛΛΛ J UU V 0M«J Mb MV IV come Election Day. That would be da maging to the country, since massive abstentions among it largest minority da mages the democratic process. But it would be even fiiore harmful to black interests. The limited clout wielded by blacks on the^ national revel is partially a result (^traditionally lqwjyeter turnouts. - Even in 1976, half of eftgrole blacks didn't rtfeister to vote. That just invites neglect by both parties. And low black voter turnout would be disastrous on the local level. We're not only electing a President this November, but also governors, congressmen, local officials and the state legislators that will redraw Congressional district lines next year. The already low black vote declines in non-presidential election years and is one cause of the drastic underrepresentation of blacks in local offices. The visibility of competent, articulate black mayors of some large cities leads many to underestimate the decree of hi ark iinriprrpnrpspnt.»Hnri Although blacks are about twelve percent of the population, they account for less than one percent of all elected officials. Further, according to research by the Joint Ceter for Political Studies, the rate of increase in the number of black elected officials has been declining steadily since 1975. One factor is low black voter turnout. But a more insidious one is the way many communities structure local governments to dilute the black vote. Ohe common practice is to elect city commissioners, Cpuncil members and other local officials through at-large elections, instead of by districts. The result is to exclude candidates from positions of power, since the white majority's votes .«rafA those of even larger numbers oftfrdflonties.' A case in point is Mobile, Alabama, which is governed by a threej*ember commission elected at-large. AkhMgh blacks comprise over a third of Mobile') population, no black was ever elected to tHfe commission. A federal district court said Mobile's at-large election system unconstitutionally discriminated against the city's blacks. It ordered Mobile to adopt a mayor-city council form of government in whichnwtixig by district would assure blacks of council representation. But last monttf tie tJ.S. Supreme Court threw that ruling out. The Court said that in Jhe absence ot proof of intent to discrim inate there was no violation of constitutional rights. THE CHARLOTTE POST Second Class Postage No. 965500 "THE PEOPLE'S NEWSPAPER" Established 1918 Published Every Thursday by The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc. 1524 Wesl Blvd -Charlotte, NC 28208 Telephone (704)376-0496 Circulation-9,200 62 Years Of Continuous Service BILL JOHNSON...Editor, Publisher BERNARD REEVES...General Manager Second Class Postage No. 965500 Paid At Charlotte, N.C. under the Act of March 3,1878 Member National Newspaper Publishers * Association North Carolina Black Publishers Association Deadline for all news copy and photos u> » pm Monday. All photos and copy submitted become the properly of the POST, and will not be returned. National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc. 45 W. 5th St., Suite 1403 2400 S. Michigan Ave. New York, N.Y. 10034 Chicago. III. 60610 (212) 489-1220 Calumet 5-02WW 1 trom I he While House Carter May Appear Publicly Without His Record ? Alfred· L. Madison Spécial To The Poet A White House aide said that since the President is •o close to having the no mination concluded on the first ballot that he would not debate Senator -Ken nedy, but that he will de bate the Republic nominee. Senator Robert Byrd, Ma jority Leader, says that Mr. Carter should debate the senator. Mr. Kennedy who has offered many times to debate the Presi dent expressed the idea tTial perhaps he is afraid of his record. . Whatever the reason, it is felt by many that the Pre sident should Tesort to a debate so that the issues can fairly be layed out Jo thé people" If President Carter feels that he has dotre a good Job and that he has plans which will im prove our domestic and foreign problems, the peo ple will wholeheartedly embrace him for another term. He does owe the people an explanation for the 53 h<*tages who perhaps Alfreda L. Madison would not be in Iran jt he had not ignored advicc of ' the Charge d'Affan » as he said thai :·· alone^v Jc th decision to bring the Shah to in . <· intry li «· κ ntjiis questions th.. .α to be answered tu th* pu blic which will either give them a fair chance to ap prove or disapprove his actions Mr Carter needs to ex plain fully to American, citizens about the war hy steria over his saying in January that we were . closer to war than any time since World War II, when he came out with his cosmetic actions against Russia to deter her actions. How ludicrous to think that boycotting the Olympics, which meets ever/ four years and our little grain cut-off, would put such pressure on Russia that it would have to fold up tent and bow to the United States. The Olympics have never met in Russia and whether or not one agrees with Russi.»'* action», it has been ,, mating all these year» without a sin gle Olympic game. Then, too, there were other countries waiting in the wings to take up our grain sale. Americans were hurt, economically, by the cut ting off of grain sale be cause taxpayers are having to pay the farmers. Our TV and soft drink companies are losing money because they had to withdraw their Olympic business Then, too, Ame rican athletes who have trained long and hard are not allowed to participate. Jhfc is quite likely to have an adverse affect on the 1964 Olympics scheduled to be held in Los Angeles. The boycott does not have the support of all our European allies. The rescue mission, which thé President said was his decision; and he termed ho failure so it must have been a success, even though the only thing wc can point to i^ the loss ot eight men, five injured, millions of dollars worth ol equipment and secret in formation. This certainty points to a failure in Judge ment, especially since the President was warned of a 75 percent failure. Now Mr. Carter says we've turned the corner in inflation. Where is the cor ner when we have an eighteen .percent inflation? Certainly, President Car ter should be fair to the Democrats, come out and debate the other Democra tic candidates, and defend his record, so the members of the Democratic Party will be sufficiently in formed to make a decision. A debate could do much more to unify the Demo crats than for him to stay in the Rose Garden, except for a speech - occasionally - where he will only talk to the people. Winning the nomination, does not in any way mean that he is home safely. Certainly, the Republicans are waiting in the wings with their heaviest artil lery to. fire at him between the conventions and No vember. With the senti ment arourtd the country trying to decide whether or not he or Reagan is the lesser of the evils, he can be blown away. It Is a sad commentary of our country when citizens will have to look through a high-powered microscope to discern which evil is a little less. When things get to that point a vote for either is greatly unattrac tive. It would be so much better, interesting and en thusiastic, if voters had to make a choice between the better of the good, but with those two, no such good WW thlM time around. Africa Is Wealthiest Continent ·■ vu· ■ A to sell our minerals cheap to buy finiahed product*," said Kayembe. "We ne glect agriculture and roads to get out the diamonds. But our people are hun gry" Kubangusu livea with an uncle who studies at John son C. Smith University. African Liberation Day will be celebrated in Char lotte Friday, May 23, with a film program at the Trade Street Y WCA, sponsored by Uhuru Sasa. Khalid Al Fattah of Winston-Salem will speak, followed by the Jamaican turn, "The Hard er They Come" with Jim my Cliff. Tickets are $3. at the door.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
May 22, 1980, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75