Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / July 9, 1981, 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 The Post - 104 Years Of Service! We have observed in this co lumn before that John Russ worm and Samuel E. Cornish pioneered the field of black journalism in America. These men co-founded the Freedom’s Journal in 18Z7. In their first issue they wrote, ‘‘Wejjlead our cause,” that is, the cause of freedom from servitude to a freedom of self development through education, thrift, and hard work. From these humble begin nings, the Black press in America today comprises about 385 weekly and five daily news papers. These newspapers em ploy nearly 6,000 people and have a circulation of approximately 11 million. Included in this brief historical summary, we are proud to note, • the 104 years of sendee provided by The Charlotte Post. ..Created in 1877 as a church newspaper called the Messeng er, the paper was shortly there after re-named The Charlotte Post and transformed into a general black-oriented weekly publication. Thus, since before the turn of the century, the Charlotte Post has been a vital. voice reporting on the events and activities of special interest groups. However, The Post, like many similar publications, has through the years protested Jim Crow laws and other forms of racial, social and or economic injustice. Through the years, beginning Math A.M. Houston, the late Dr. Nathaniel Tross and the current managing editor-publisher Bill Johnson, The Charlotte Post has continued its commitment to providing news coverage of areas too often overlooked, ig nored, misunderstood or distort ed by the larger white-oriented daily newspapers. Furthermore, The Post has maintained a dedi cated commitment to^dignity and human rights for all people.' Hack Community .. When Bill Johnson purchased The Charlotte Post in June of 1974 from the General Publishing Company, he said, “The Charlotte black' community needs a voice that mirrors the opinions of the community. We want The Post to provide ser vices which the daily papers do not offer. These services to the black community will include information, education and ' entertainment. We hope that the Charlotte Post will be able to influence community life.” Thus, as The Charlotte Post celebrates its seventh annivers ary under the leadership of Willie L. (Bill) Johnson and its 104 years of service to the Char lotte community, we believe the mission - to mirror community opinion - is being met; Since the success of the Post has had to depend upon the efforts of many, we wish to 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 West Blvd., Charlotte, N.C. 28206 Telephone (704) 376-0496 _ circulation 9,2nQ _. . 63 Years of Continuous Service Bill Johnson .. Editor, Publisher Bernard Reeves.General Manager Fran Farrer .Advertising Director Dannette Gaither. Office Manager Second Class Postage No. 965500 Paid At Charlotte, N.C. under the Act of March 3,1878 ""MemWf National Newspaper Publishers Association North Carolina Black Publishers Association Deadline far all news copy and photos is 8 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. tm 8. Michigan Ave. » W. 45th SI.. Suite 1493 rhirago. IN. SMtS New York. N.Y.IMM cjSEtfm ,2I2> *<*-'**i ? r 9 *» r BAD HOUSING-POLICE BRIJTAIJTW*-. ■“71LOITATION—UNEMPLOYMENT FRUSTRATIONS—INDIFFERENCE Fi 1981 Die Causes Of Rioting Are Die Same A View From Capitol Hill Future Of Voting Rights Act? By Gus Savage Like a growing number of Americans of goodwill, I am deeply concerned about the future of the Voting Rights Act. Enacted in 1965, and continued in 1970 and 1975, the Act is re garded by many as the most successful civil rights law ever passed. However, unless contin ued by Congress, key pro visions of the Act are due to expire after August 6, 1982. And it comes as no sur prise that the Reagan Ad ministration has delayed in taking a stand on extension : of the Act Of particular concern are the pre-clearance provi sions of Section 5. Viewed as one of the Act’s most important provisions, Sec tion 5 requires that certain state and local govern ments must pre-clear any new changes in, voting or electioo procedures with the U.S. Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., by showing that the chang es will not discriminate against minority voters. Section 5 covers Alaba ma, Georgia, Lousiana, Mississippi, South Caro lina, Texas, Virginia, and half of North Carolina. It also covers Alaska, Ari zona and a part of New York City, as well as small parts of 11 other states in all sections of the nation. If Section 5 provisions are permitted to expire, the Justice Department may lose the authority to send federal observers to elec tions where possible viola tions are expected. Covered under Section 5 are any change of voting or election procedures such as redistricting, annexation, polling place changes, re registration requirements, new rules for candidate qualifications, and any other change that could have the potential for dis criminating against minor ity voters. From Capitol Hill Hon. Gus Savage Opponents of Section 5 say Southern states are unfairly carrying a burden long after they stopped discriminating against blaeks, and the pre-clear- . a nee procedures should be dropped, as scheduled, in August 1982, or extended to all 50 states. Among those expressing concern about the removal of this requirement is Mrs. Corelta Scott King, widow of the murdered civil rights leader, and Marc Stepp, vicepffeiieteirof the United Automobile Workers. Both recently testified in Wash ington before the House Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights. Mrs. King urged the panel not to drop or dilute the pre-clearance require ment. Such action “would be a national tragedy and make a mockery of one of the most important laws in American history,” she de clared She said the Act has made it possible for blacks to double their voter re gistration in key Southern states since 1965, and His panics have gained 30 percent since they were convered by an amend ment passed in 1975. Also calling for continua tion of pre-clearance pro visions, Stepp said( “We all recognize that a shift from literacy tests to racial gerrymandering, at-large elections and other me thods of manipulating the election system and dilut ing the votes of minority voters continues.” Generally speaking, Stepp charged: “The pre sent activities by domestic terrorists like the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazi Party, in reviving racial polarization and vio lence, make it even more critical that we continue the Voting Rights Act of 1965.” Other witnesses testified that the Act is the most significant civil rights bill ever passed because it has boosted black voter regis tration and increased the number of black elected officials in the South. They, too, said the special pro visions are still needed. On the question of mak ing pre-clearance apply to all 50 states, the Act al ready has nationwide pro visions. Section 2 bans ra cial discrimination in voting nationwide, and Sec tion 3 allows a court to require pre-clearance in any jurisdiction where -serious racial discrimin ation in voting is proved. Section 5 was held Con stitutional by the Supreme Court in 1966, in the South Carolina v. Katzenbach case. Moreover, its Consti tutionality has been reaf firmed in later cases. It was Constitutional because it corrected existing cases of discrimination. Extend ing this provision to states where such practices did not exist could conceivably make it unconstitutional. Extension also would re quire additional costs and dilute its effectiveness. Thkikkig Refrigerator Before 1840 many people buried or stored food un derground because no one knew how to make ice. It wasn’t until 1895 that Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold its first icebox. A new era begins in July with the first solid-state refrigerator: it hot only makes ice and cools food, but announces if the ice should be renewed and when the food is too warm. By Gerald C. Horne. ESQJ Affirmative Action Policeman, Arrest Thyself? During the massive “Rendezvous with Life” march in Washington protesting the ~ Atlanta ehiid &layings, a number of speak ers took the opportunity to lament the police work that has failed to turn up a single suspect: In centract, whonafow-whites were slain during the 1980 uprising in Miami, Blacks were tried and convicted so quickly it could have made your head spin. Such is the sad state of affairs in the _ nation’s police forces. Most police officers are working class white males who are particularly susceptible to the canard that but for affirmative action their sons and daughters would advance further. Thus, instead of seeing those Blacks grouped with them at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid as their allies, many of the white males who dominate police forces view minorities as sworn enemies. The Ku Klux Klan has met with some success in recruit ing them in the South and North and this is one of the most ominous developments that has bedeviled this nation in recent times. This poisonous political atmosphere cannot be sepiarated from the “Rip Van Winkle” approach police forces have been taking when it comes to apprehending purveyors of racist violence. Atlanta is the most egregious example, but, unfortunate ly, the national landscape is littered with others. '" Central and southeastern Pennsylvania, is not an area one would immediately sus pect of being a hotbed of racist activity. The bucolic scenery, the Amish in their horse drawn wagons pursuing a lifestyle hun dreds of years old, the gently undulating hills all resemble an idyllic picture post card bereft of tensions. But seething beneath this apparently placid surface are * explosive contradictions. Oh Friday, May I, 1981, there was an attempted lynching of Robert Leslie Hen dereont a Black resident of Lancaster, Pa. He remains in serious condition in the _ intensive care unit of a local hospital. It seems that Henderson was abducted at gunpoint by three white males. His assail ants made him disrobe and attempted to hang him by his rectum from a crane hook in a nearby junkyard. The victim was then taken to a truck service area. Still held at gunpoint, the assailants forced Henderson to sit on a vent pipe, approximately seven inches in length and four inches in diameter of a large oil tanker. In other words, these white hoodlums drunk with racism tried to initiate medieval torture by impaling him like a piece of paper on a spindle. Hen derson has undergone a colostomy and has had an artificial anus created for bowel - passage by a surgical procedure. ' Once again, the police have been asleep at the switch. In the face of compelling evidence, they have ruled out racism as motivation. This is somewhat strange be cause the Lancaster area has been beset by racial incident. A trailer park there where an interracial couple stayed was the scene of a cross-burning last month. There is an active KKK chapter in the area. There is a great deal of community concern over unre solved complaints involving Harrisburg police officers who were disturbing KKK medallions within the police force. This area of Pennsylvania, like so many others, has been ravaged by unemployment and the KKK with their nefarious line about “welfare loafers” and affirmative action being the source of all misery. President Reagan Riding Bgh; Falling May Come Later? Alfreds I,. Madison Special To The Post The Reagan Administa tion is riding high on the crest of a wave after getting its entire austere budget passed. This budget seems to express the Rea gan human philosophy. In talking about his foreign policy, he has made it known that we must sup port those governments that have been friends to us regardless of their human rights policy. His budget which makes it impossible for some students to go to college, the handicapped to get necessary aid, children and the elderly get proper nutrition and health care and the poor to even exist is heftily tilted to increasing the coffers of the rich. Again his philosophy is exemplified in rewarding the rich who put him in office while giving little or no regard to the improve / ment of life for the un fortunate The White House admit ted that the President made calls to some House Democrats and promised not to campaign against them in IMS if they sup Alfreds L. Madison ported his budget. This is the same principle that was used in abscam; only the abscam people were given money for supporting the alleged Arab wishes, while these congressmen were promised election support. One was using money while the other was using barter ing. The President sent a very hastily put-together budget to the House late Thursday night and insist ed that his entire budget be passed the next day; not allowing any time for study of the package. The Congressional Black Caucus fought hard to de feat the Gramm-Latta II bill, and the Administra tion’s block grant propos als. Representative Ron Dellums sent a “clear col league” letter to members of the House asking for support in defeating these programs. The letter stated that the Caucus was representing not just blacks but all poor people. The block grant programs will have a devastating effect on landmark legis lation in goals of health, education, housing, social services and community development and energy assistance. It further said that "in worsening times," less assistance will be available to those in genuine need.” Representative Chisholm stated that "block grants which give states total dis cretion to establish their own priorities for social services programs would be a disaster to the poor." She criticized those who reason that stated capitals will suddenly become vol canoes of compassion when history has shown them instead to be icebergs of indifference. The Congressional Black Caucus held a press con ference on the eve of the floor debate of Gramm Latta II. As just about always, a host of white and black media were present, but scarcely anything at all about the conference was mentioned in the white press. Representative Faunt roy, Black Caucus Chair man presented the Caucus views. He stated that they were outraged by the Ad ministration’s blatant at tempt to make even deeper cuts into programs that serve the poor and elderly, than had passed in the previous month. The Caucus said that Gramm-Latta would ter minate benefits for 3 mil lion social secv-Hy elderly persons, delay cost of liv ing allotments for military and civilian retirees until October 1962 with no in crease until July 1963, dis continue social services for more than 250,000 bliiid and disabled persons, curtail homemaker and meals on wheels services to 80,000 elderly and disabled, reduce payment to Aid to Families with Dependent Children, freeze the stand ard and excess medical child care deduction until July 1983, tighten school lunch eligibility and conso lidate 25 elementary and secondary education pro grams into two block grants to the states. Caucus members along with some others fought hard and long on the House floor defeat of Gramma Latta, but the Reagan forces prevailed. The same Capitol guard who com plained about the white press failure to give suf ficient coverage to the Black Caucus’ budget said that the people are moved by the Reagan charm in stead of by what he is doing. In passing the Reagan budget the majority of the 87th congress members have violated their oath to ‘‘promote the general wel fare" of all the people by simply rubber stamping the Reagan budget. They are really making Reagan the imperial president Post Marks Seventh Year Continued from Page 1 with offices on Second St. Houston guided the Poet until poor health forced him to relinquish the busi ness to his son. It was later purchased by Dr. Nathaniel Troes, a pro minent black minister who published the paper until his death in 1971. A few months afterward the Tross family sold the Poet to Garland Atkins and the General Publishing Company of Belmont, N.C., Atkins hired Johnson to edit and manage the company. Longing to see the paper evolve into a first-class black-oriented newspaper, Johnson purchased the business in 1974, Charlotte’s black com munity "needs a voice that mirrors the opinions of that community,” Johnson explained. _ “thank you ' - our readings - for your generous support, patience, understanding and constructive criticism. We hope that you will continue to contribute to the Post in this way so that we might make a good newspaper a better newspaper. We wish to Thank also The Post’s 20-member staff for the dedication to the production of a . newspaper of the highest quality. Their untiring efforts are seen in the growing number of subscrip tions, letters-to-the-editor, com ments, and advertising sold that are such a vital part of the success of any newspaper. Furthermore, we wish to thank those who advertise in The Post as without their interest and business, there would be no Post. Job Well Done . Thus, as we pause this week to reflect on our past and say thanks for a job well done, we are nevertheless mindful of the continued existence of injustice such as the 1978 Supreme Court decision that allows police search of newspaper offices. These developments and others - like them remind us that The Post cannot and will not sit on its success, but rather must seek to do an even better job of educat ing and informing our readers of those events that will have an impact upon their lives and that of their children. Finally, we wish to note, as we did in this column bn the 153rd anniversary of the Black Press last year. A newspaper, like any other business, cannot survive on its past accomplishments; it is what it is doing today, and plans to do tomorrow, that deter mines its success or failure. Black people, we believe, must do more to insure the continued existence and success of the black press. To do less would be —to abandon a vital voipe in yqur never-ending struggle for eqUal^ ity of opportunity and human rights. The Post salutes you one and all for being in some way a part of our efforts and thus the reason for our existence. We hope for this reason that The Post has in some small way made your life more fulfilling and productive. We remain your community servant. Somethkig On Your Mind “Something On Your Mind?” is the name of a column devoted to you - the young at heart readers of this newspaper - as long as if relates in some way to young people, regardless of age. Or any other subject you want to write about. Remember, it’s your column. Remember, your article should be at least 250 words, typewritten and double-spacing preferred.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 9, 1981, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75