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I he Voice Of The Black Community99 | black consumers
_ D»inn- on
ENERGETIC MERCIDENE RICE
."."Assistant managing editor
Lovely Mercidine Kice
Is “Beauty Of The Week”
By Teresa Burns
Post Staff Writer
Mercidene Rice knows
where she is going - and
since she’s that determined
she is bound to reach her
goal.
“My ambition is to be
come a news reporter,”
Ms. Rice announced. "My
main desire is to communi
cate with people - I love
meeting people because I
am a people-oriented per
son.”
For seven years our
beauty worked as Assist
ant Department manager
at K-Mart Department
Shoce. Then she decided to
piSue a dream. Her first
’ step was to enter into a
communications job. She
decided to become a
courier for WPCQ-TV,
Channel 36.
From there she was pro
moted to receptionist.
Within a year’s time she
was promoted again - this
time to Assistant Managing
Editor.
“I have a positive atti
tude. I started at a low
level position and made it
known that my aspirations
were to work in the news
department,” Ms. Rice ex
plained.
She also volunteered dur
ing her spare time and on
weekends for duties -
learning every step of the
way. “I never got de
pressed — and I prayed.”,
Among her duties Ms.
Rice assists the Assign
ment Editor and enlightens
reports on various assign
ments. She makes public
contact with community
organizations, files a video
morgue, and performs se
■ —in.ini nleo
assistant producer for the
“Friday News Magazine.”
"The news business is
exciting. You never know
what to expect. And I now
know more about what is
going on around me. I
enjoy the overall different
situations everyday,” she
remarked.
Our 24-year-old Virgo
beauty seems to bubble
Ifcverytime media is men
tioned. Even her favorite
television programs are
news type programs or
WflB-fMA
A tongue doesn’t weigh
much, but many people
have trouble holding one.
documentaries. “60 Min
utes” and “20-20" rank
high on her list.
ane is also involved in
photography, exercising,
bowling, actually all types
of sports and music and she
loves to read. Graduation
from the Carolina School of
Broadcasting and receiv
ing an Associate of Ap
plied Science degree from
Central Piedmont Com
munity College, is only the
beginning for our beauty.
-“I would like to further
my education and improve
my writing skills in order
to become a more efficient
reporter.”
Ms. Rice has many phi
losophies of life - all of
them filled with strength.
For one, she feels that
beauty encompasses
“...more than just physical
appearance...it's the inner
Qualities that count.” (Ms.
TTice was ret erred by her
assignment editor Rick
Willis.)
She also feels that "...a
person can achieve any
thing they want to as long
as they have a positive
attitude and faith in them
selves.”
“Once one achieves a
goal,” she rnnfinued “one
must remember that it
wasn't completely on one’s
own. God is behind us 100
percent - and we should
look to him for guidance.”
Mayfield Memorial Bap
tist Church is where Ms.
Rice worships, She is in
volved with the Primary
Age Group as Sunday
School Teacher, she sings
on the AduH Musical Choir;
and is assistant secretary
of the Young Adult Mission
ary Group. She is also
treasurer of the Black
Media Association.
She is the daughter of
Mr and Mrs. John M. Rice •
of Charlotte. ‘‘My mom is
my favorite person - she is
really strong and knows
exactly what she wants out
of life. She is not easily
persuaded by other’s
opinions, and I find myself
being this wav at times.”
Spring Break
Classes at Johnson C.
Smith University will be
discontinued for Spring
Break during the week of
March 8-14. Dormitories
will close Saturday, March
7, at 12 noon and will re
open Sunday, March 15, at
9 a.m.
Sam Johnson Has Made Tremendous
Success In The World Of Car Sales
By Teresa Bums
Post Staff Writer
American success stories
are numerous. But when
the success story concerns
-a-hlark husiniMrennfln anrf
his tremendous success in
the world of car sales it
becomes a rarity.
Despite the economical
situation, gas hikes and
other anticipated setbacks,
Sam Johnson, owner of
Sam Johnson Lincoln-Mer
cury, Inc., 7301 South
Boulevard, has reached the
top - and what’s more he
has managed to stay there
He is the top volume
dealer in the Atlanta Dis
trict, which consists of 164
competitors located
throughout the southeast
ern part of the United
States;
oam Johnson Lincoln
Mercury is a multi-faceted
organization, selling or
leasing new and used cars.
Mark Johnson with Ame
rican luck or idealism if
you must, but he ll explain
his success in more real
istic terms. ..
“We merchandise well
and we have top quality
people,” Johnson stated.
"We promote within the
organization.” There is
little turnover in manage
ment at Johnson Lincoln
Mercury
/*■
SAM JOHNSON
"In fact our used car
manager, parts manager,
service manager and many
others have been with me
since the day we opened the
doors,”
A tribute to organization
helped Johnson to open
those doors in Charlotte in
1977. He had been in the
care sales business since
he was 17 years old. And in
1973 he started his first
“Blacks Need To Rise
Up And Say Something”
Half-Way
House Needs
Volunteers
By Susan Ellsworth
Post Staff Writer
Did you know that Char
lotte has a prison half-way
house treatment facility for
women? This minimum
custody prison facility re
sembles a home; no bars
fill the windows. Eight wo
meo-froro the. NX .Cor
rectional Facility For
Women in Raleigh, are
housed in the Charlotte
facility.
Volunteers are needed to
help prisoners bridge the
transition from prison to
society during the six
months before parole.
Consider sponsoring a
woman. This could mean
taking her to cultural
events, concerts or even
tutoring her in high school
courses.
“Be a friend and offer
positive support, be some
one they can trust and talk
with," says Bess FJanary.
counselor at the facility.
a iz-nour training pro
gram over a two month
period is provided to help
the volunteers become ac
quainted with the prison
ers.
-“We need a strong indi
vidual who is empathic
with the women...women
who will go back into so
ciety,” she pointed out.
The halt-way house in
Charlotte has existed for 10
years. Other houses are in
Greenville, Wilmington
and Winston-Salem. Hav
ing a maximum capacity of
eight at the Charlotte fa
cility, only 32 women who
are the best adjusted to
handling society will be in
the half-way houses. Ms.
Flanary said. To become
a volunteer call the Volun
tary Action Center at 377
3787.
Mayor Geraldine Sawyer of McMullen,
Ala., and Carrie Graves, preparing for
International Women’s Day. (Photo by
Eileen Hanson*
r'irst Black Woman Mayor
In Alabama To Talk Here
special l o The Post
The first black woman
mayor in Alabama, and the
second in the entire South,
will be guest speaker at
International Women's
Day reception and ball on
Saturday. March 7. The
day will honor all working
women.
Geraldine Sawyer. 32. is
mayor of McMullen, a
small town in Pickens
County, Ala., in the heart of
the Black Belt She will
speak at the 8 p.m. pro
gram at the Quality Inn.
201 S. McDowell Street
mao um me program win
be Ruth Sloane-Dew, Char
lotte’s popular poet and
actress, presenting ex
cerpts from ‘’Colored Girls
Who Have Considered
Suicide When the Rainbow
is Enuf,” and Clara Lowry
Williams. Charlotte's first
black woman in television
Music for the ball will be
provided by "Zoom.-' with
soloists Sammie Stevenson
and Lee Freeman.
Tickets for the ball are So
in advance, $7 at the door
For tickets call 374-0557 or
333-1925.
international Women's
Day is an annual celebra
tion sponsored by the Char
lotte Kqual Rights Council.
Charlotte Women United,
the Client Council and the
Central Labor Council The
day commemorates a
march of thousands of tex
tile and garment workers
who walked off their jobs
on March 8, 1908, to de
mand better wages and
working condition, an end
to child labor and the right
to vote. Today March 8 is
.nr Denier* rrenutenl
car dealership business in
St. I»uis. In 1977 he moved
to cnanuiie, utilizing his
business talents to manipu
late the number one
position
Charlotte is a medium
sized town and the right
size town,” Johnson has
observed. “It represents
growth in the Southeast.”
The key, he explained, in
developing a successful car
oeaiersntp is cnosing the
“.. .right type of dealership
.. the right town and the
right tvpe of place."
Experience concerning
uie business is a must also.
No type of readings or
lectures can give the same
knowledge as on-thejob ex
perience.
Even with experience,
knowledge and a business
mind, one must look out for
rought times “When the
economy is up the sales are
good and when the eco
nomy is down business is
bad. ’ Johnson explained
"You must be well ca
pitalized in this type of
business. You can be rich
loday drWI 1)1 okt1 IIJMIlll I uw -
It's simply a hazard type
business You could lose
money for an entire year
So you must have enough
capitalization to keep
going." he continued
Johnson does have the
car manufacturers on his
side Lincoln-Mercury Di
vision, Ford Motor Com
pany are producing lines of
quality cars
Cars are no longer con
sidered big cars’, Johnson
said They are labeled
luxury cars’ today The
gas efficiency of each
model has improved
wnen gas was fiO cents
some cars were getting 10
miles per gallon Now cars
are getting 24 miles per
gallon and the gas price is
$1 20 per gallon The situa
tion is equaling itself off,"
he stated
Not only does Johnson's
incorporation reign as the
top volume dealer. John
*°n, the man, has made
historv
Mayfield Memorial Bap
tlal Church is where John
son worships
celebrated on all continents
as a holiday for working
women.
"Black women are still
struggling for the right to
vote in Pickens County."
said Mayor Sawyer Last
year two women leaders in
the NAACP and SCLC were
convicted and sentenced to
5 years in prison on chagcs
of "voter fraud " They
were assisting black senior
citizens registering to vote
Last year the head of
SCLC was arrested while
helping illiterate blacks at
the polls.
"Repealing the Voter
Rights Act would be a total
disaster for our people,"
said Mayor Sawyer
"We're just getting people
awakened to their rights.
In 1980 we got 300 people
registered, and had blacks
running for the first time in
Pickens County. But people
are afraid The> fear losmg
their jobs or their homes if
they register It's like the
19f>0s never happened
here "
International Women s
Day will begin at the
Greenville Center at 12 30
p m with a film. "Rosie
the Riveter” and work
shops about improving wo
men's conditions on the
job Child care will be
provided for the afternoon
program There is no ad
mission--—
Special guests for the day
will be the "Rosies" who
worked in Charlotte's in
dustries during World War
II About 50 women will be
honored
The afternoon program
will be dedicated to two
women who died in the
Radiator Specialty expla
sion last November, Do
rothy Graham and I .ora
Ann Barrino
“These women died on
the job, like thousands of
other men and women, be
cause their employers ne
glected safety procedures
and the workers didn't
know their rights,” said
Carrie Graves, a member
of International Women's
Day planning committee.
Olehrate IJfe
"Celebration of Life" is a
week long series of events
designed to involve the
Charlotte community in
happenings affirming life
itself. "Celebration of
Life" is scheduled for
March 21-28
Meeting Set
For Slained
Youths
In light of the Atlanta.
Ga., slayings. Charlotte
blacks need to raise up and
say something." according
to Bill McCullough, direc
tor of Christian Education
at Clinton Chapel AME
Zion Church.
"The Atlanta slayings
are not receiving the same
national attention or fe
dpral"furrds“-as—the Iran
hostages received," Mc
Cullough revealed "And
black people aren t doing a
lot about it."
Instead of simply sitting
around and talking about
what is not being done, a
meeting to organize an m
terdenomination service to
commemorate all the slain
youths in Atlanta will be
held Thursday. March 5, 7
pm at the Charlotte
YWCA. 418 E. Trade St.
everyone concerned is
invited to participate, to
place any mputs help and
as much support possible
for the solution to this
20-month ordeal in Atlanta.
.McCullough, along with
others, feels that while the
Charlotte community may
be familiar with the situa
tion. few know the facts or
ramifications. *
"Everyone knew that
there were 52 hostages, hut
how many know that 20
black children, to date,
have been abducted and-or
slain within the last 10
months''"
Clinton Chapel members
are not only keeping a
prayer vigil each Sunday
for an end to the situation,
but they have also raised
money to be sent to
Atlanta
Eighty letters calling for
the March 5 meeting were
sent to ministers, jiolitical
figures, educators, etc.,
trying to turn concern into
action.
"We need the participa
tion of the entire commun
ity not just the black
community." McCullough
announced "Anyone who
w ants to come is invited "
Another show of action
involves writing to state
and national officials ex
pressing your concern At
cording to McCullough,
presently there are limited
funds for the extinction of
the fears now harbored in
Atlanta Naturally, he ex
*pfiLHM|)l. Illlll i fmid;i unulil
be helpful
If you are interested and
would like to do more than
talk about your concern
about the Atlanta slayings,
you are Invited to the
meeting There, plans will
be made concerning the
location of the interdeno
minational services as well
as other related topics
Health Clinic
A new senior health
clinic has opened at W H.
Belk Presbyterian Church,
7410 Nations Ford Road for
citizens fiO years of age or
older The membership fee
is $2.
Initial tests offered by
the clinic are hemoglobin
(test for anemia), blood
pressure checks and urin
alysis The clinic will open
quarterly to offer these
services Clinic dates are
May 21, August 20 and
November 19 from 2-4 p m
Other tests provided by
appointment are glau
coma, diabetes and lung
Function