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■gjJFHE CHAB A >TTE POST pie
'5nrCTt »“« “The Voire Of The 1}lock Community" I —— 1
WANDA GRANT
.... West Mecklenburg junior
(Jur Beauty Of Week
Death And Astrology
Fascinates Wanda Grant
ay i t-r esa nurns
Post Staff Writer
The Wonderer...this is
what Wanda Grant appears
to be when she dwells upon
matters seemingly beyond
human conception.
“Most ideas...or even the
things I like to do,” Ms.
Grant explained, “are
thought to be strange by
other people.”
Death and astrology are
two subjects that fascinate
our Pisces beauty. Death,
in the context of what hap
pens to humans when they
die on earth - why some die
so young, while others live
long lives.
i ve always Deen en
grossed in astrology also,’’
our beauty continued. “My
boyfriend, Charles Ma
honey and I were born in
the same hospital on the
same day and year, March
13, 1965. Some people don’t
know how we get along
since we are so much alike
...Out we get along quite
well.”
Ms. Grant has two bro
thers - Gary Jr. and Elton
and she is the daughter ol
Josephine and Gary L
Grant. “My parents are my
favorite people, if it were
not for them I wouldn't be
Dr. Martin King Would
Expect More Of Us! _
If ever we needed to
focus on the teachings of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
it is now. With the powerful
attacks upon the Black
community by the Reagan
Administration budget cut
—ting nrr-inltr thn rigo r,f
right and the KKK.a look at
a man that knew how to
struggle is very timely and
could prove useful.
Dr. King as a man with
out unlimited courage, a
man of vision, the hope and
pride of Black America. He
was a captivating orator, a
prolific writer, a Nobel
laureate, and passionate
exponent of peace and
equality.
He was a mighty crusad
er in the pursuit of racial
and economic justice, who
possessed the rate strength
of character to stand up
and look the inequities -of
our society in the eye. His
theories and practice of
non-violent protest at once
elicited the awe and enmity
of his contemporaries;
even his enemies could not
deny the depth of his com
mitment and personal
sacrifice.
Addressed to detractors
in the clergy who consider
ed his tactics untimely and
provocative, Dr. King's
“Letter From a Birming
ham Jail” (1963), the most
stirnng testament in the
hwtMPy of (tin glull rights
struggle, admonished those
who advocated moderation
and reminded all of us that
unjustlaws are not entitled
to corQ^ance.
Dr. Ring stipulated that
it was the duty of all
citizens to forcefully object
to racism in all its sick
forms, and that it was not
wnt-wn
Bad official* are elected
by godd citizens who do not
vole i
M
the prescribed destiny of
Americans to tolerate in
justice even for a moment,
though Black America had
been expected to tolerate
humiliation and degrada
tion for four centuries.
_He taught us why we
couldn't wait; the verbal
salvos he hurled from his
jail cell in Birmingham and
from podiums in Chicago,
Detroit, Montgomery, At
lanta and Washington left
indelible impressions on all
of America, and made hope
and meaningful change
seem possible even in a
hopelessly divided society
that exists under Ronald
Reagan
Congressman John Con
yers Jr. for a full decade
has promoted a bill to
create a national holiday to
honor Dr. King The Cau
casion Congress up to now
has said no. This writer
thinks they have taken this
negative action because a
national holiday for Dr.
King would serve as an
opportunity to reflect on
the changes in the lives of
Black Americans since
1956, which have been
cataclysmic -- yet totally
insufficient.
Blacks are served in res
taurants, admitted to insti
tutions of higher learning
and permitted to try on
shoes in department stores,
but gross discrimination
-and indignities persist.
People of color are still the
principal patrons of public
housing, penitentiaries and
of poverty. We continue to
be victimized by pervasive
discriminatory practices in
employment, common wel
fare. education and crimin
al justice.
President Lyndon John
son's contention that
"Emancipation was a pro
clamation. but still not a
fact" holds true today. The
law tMKiks show j_ sizable
balance due to the Black
community., but the check
isn't in the mail.
This commentary is for
extolling the virtues of an
uncharacteristically great
man and a just and moral
leader. It also serves, re
grettably, as a requiem for
the sixties, an era charac
terized by a high level of
activism, sacrifice, con
cern for the disenfran
See Dr. King Page 5
——— - —-—-#•
nere.
A rising junior at West
Mecklenburg Senior High
School our beauty will be
active as a Varsity Cheer
leader, in Project Aries,
the Pep Club and a mem
ber of the Student Coun
cil Executive Committee in
the fall.
With two more years to
decide on an actual college
career, she has narrowed
her choices to psychiatry,
modeling, computer sci
ence or the fine arts.
She is enhanced by danc
ing, singing and reading. "I
enjoy books on astrology
and informative readings.”
Her favorite subject is
biology. Through this
course 1 find out more
about people and about
occurrances around us."
she professed.
uuisiae 01 school Ms
Grant is a member of a Girl
Scout "group and attends
University Park Baptist
Church for worship.
While Cycely Tyson is
unique and Dianna Ross
—has attained tho enter-tain
ing qualities our beauty
wishes to also develop, both
have captured the one and
two slots on Ms. Grant 's top
entertainer list.
Ms. Grant’s idea of a
beneficial change would
come in the adjustment of
people's altitudes. “I would
try to get people to get
along better instead of the
arguing and the violence
that now exists.” she
implied.
Her own philosophy of
life stems from a song she
enjoys by the Rolls Royce
singing group. It says..
"Don’t change your ways,
just be yourself because i
you can’t please every- i
body."
Dorothy Allen Warns
---
Rising Crime Rate Puts
Black Church On Spot
NAACP
Out Of
Touch?
By Tony Broun
Special To The Post
If a curve is the longest
distance between two
points, that's what the
national NAACP leaders
threw President Ronald
Reagan at their 72nd an
nual meeting in Denver
recently.
The philosophical differ
ence in social spending
between President Reagan
and the N’AACP heads was
generally understood, as
was the thrust of his
speech, prior to the Presi
dent's appearance. NAACP
chairman Margaret Bush
Wilson and Executive Di
rector Benjamin Hooks had
met amicably with the
President at the White
House the week before.
But on the day of the
President's appearance.
Hooks gave the first hint of
a surprising hardball at
titude when he predicted
that Reagan would not get
a standing ovation. Mrs
Wilson, in the ultimte con
demnation, said that Rea
gan was reviving "war,
pestilence, famine and
death" with his budget
cuts. Then Mrs. Wilson
primed the crowd of 5,000
with more uncivil behavior
and something more than a
wrist slap when she intro
duced Reagan with a dis
claimer: "The NAACP
does not necessarily sub
scribe to the views which
areabout to be expressed."
Although the President
grinned and waved to the
crowd, his face reddened.
Nancy Reagan stared
straight ahead in unmis
takable displeasure as the
crowd guffawed. Media’s
projection of this ordeal of
a rejected president and an
insulted First Lady made;
before Regan spoke, a loser
uf the cause of the minor
ity poor. And the extent to
vhich America perceives
he leaders of the NAACP
See NAACP On Page 11
County Commissioner Robert L. "Bob"
Walton, left, and County Manager Gerald
G. Fox proudly display a plaque desig
nating four Mecklenburg County govern
ment programs as winners of the 1981
National Association of Counties ' NACoi
Achievement Awards The coveted
awards were presented to Commissioner
Walton in Louisville, Ky., at the recent
annual meeting of the national associa
tion The County programs which were
selected as winners in the annual com
petition are: Books Alive, a cooperative
venture by the Public Library System
and the Public School System; Tem
porary Shelter Care Program for Juven
lies, a shelter care program that pro
sides a temporary home for boys and
girls 10-16. as ordered by the court;
Greenway Running Trail, a cross
country running trail at McAlpine
Greenway; and the Public Information
Department's News Media Orjentation
Program for ness reporters in Char
lotte-Mecklenburg.
Charlotte Native Dr. Roy
Moore Is Target Of Attack
new rile l- rom the
“Carolina Peacemaker"
North Carolina A&T is
the general target of attack
and Dr Roy Moore, a
university administrator Is
specifically under attack.
Greensboro Daily News
writer Charles Babington
reported in the July 5 issue
that some funds for a 1976
free-mea! program and the
United Day Care Service
may have been mishandled
by the A&T administrator.
That central figure in
Babington's story is former
Charlottean, Dr Roy D.
Moore.
"It's pathetic that the
Daily News would have to
go back to 1976 to create a
story for 1981," Moore is
quoted as saying in the
“Carolina Peacemaker ”
“But the real purpose for
the story could easily be
linked with the Caucasian
belief of intimidation
through the press," he
added.
Moore said Babington
had been throwing his
~~ueiglit aiound the block
community too long, and
had been given the feeling
he can intimidate people at
A&T
He charged the reporter
was trying to build his
reputation by using A&T as
the subject. “Writers im
prove their status with the
paper by writing negative
things about blacks and
black schools," Moore
commented.
Babington's story in
volved a $77,000 Thomas
ville First Baptist Church
free meal program and a
$5,371 debt to United Day
Care Service in 1980
Moore alleges the people
involved in the incident
from A&T are attempting
Rev. George E.
Battle Jr. Is
JCSU Commencement Speaker
UUIIl II1CI V/UllllllCMLC
ment exercises will be held
at Johnson C. Smith Uni
versity Saturday, August 1,
at 10 a m. at the Uni
versity Church. Thirty
eight students are expected
to receive degrees during
the ceremony.
Commencement speaker
will be the Rev. George E.
Battle Jr., pastor of Geth
semane AME Zion Church
and member of the Char
lotte-Mecklenburg School
Board.
A native of Rocky Mount,
Battle graduated with
honors from Clinton Junior
College in Rock Hill, S C.,
in 1987. He received his
bachelor's degree from
Livingstone College and his
master’s of divinity degree
with honors in 1972 from
Hood Theological Semin
ary in Salisbury. __
Battle has been very ac
tive in professional organ
izations. He is vice chair
man of thf Charlotte Ur
ban League, vice president
of United Way, member of
the Quality Education
Committee; on Blue Rib
Rev George E Battle Jr.
...CMS Board member
bon Committees to study
alcoholism, day care and a
task force on energy con
servation.
He is also a member of
Alpha Phi Alpha Fratern
ity. vice chairman of
Kinder Mourn, Inc., chair
man of finance for the
General Conference of the
AME Zion Church and
chairman of the Directory
of Minority Businesses
Battle has received nu
merous honors and
awards, some of the more
recent include: certificates
ui appreciation from Meck
lenburg County, the city of
Charlotte and the Youth
Services Department of the
Housing Authority all in
1980. Certificates of appre
ciation were also received
from the Community
SchtKil of Arts and the
Mecklenburg Youth Advis
ory Board in 1979 and a
merit award from Alpha
Phi Alpha Fraternity. Inc.
for 1978-79
He organized Boy Scout.
Girl Scout and Cub Scout
troops in the Five F’oints
Neighborhood, organized
and is president emeritus
of the Five Points Com
munity Organization and
founder of the Gethsernane
Knrichment Center
Johnson C. Smith is a
four-year, private, liberal
arts institution founded in
1867
Some 180 students grad
uated during the 1981
Spring Commencement ex
ercises held in May,
Jobless Rate Declining
RALEIGH North Caro
lina's unemployment rate
fell below 6 percent in May
for the first time since
April 1980, according to fi
gures released today by the
Employment Security
Commission (ESC).
May’s unemployment
rate of 5 8 percent com
pared to the previous
month’s rate of 6.0 percent
and represented a total of
160.600 North Carolinians
who wanted jobs but were
unable to find them
I
Nationally, tne unadjust
ed unemployment rate rose
slightly from April's 70
percent to 7.1 percent in
May.
Seasonal increases in
employment in trade, with
2.700 additional jobs, and
construction, with 1,700
added positions, further
improved the state's em
ployment picture in May.
Despite a drop of 4,400
government jobs, non-man
ufacturing emnlovment in
creased 1,900 to total 1.577,
800 in May.
1
to resolve the problem
"The bill with United
Day Care Service came
about because we were
counting on money from
—the—Community Sorv irw>.
Regional Office in Atlanta.
Georgia." Moore ex
plained.
"We were expecting the
State Office of Economic
Opportunity to request the
money that had been set
aside for this purpose I
made a mistake bv as me
the buses before Ihe money
arrived."
He continued. " there is
no institution or bank that
can say out of $t;oo.ooo
they've lost $5,000 during a
ten year period And if so
they would have a Triple
A' rating."
Babington used the dol
lar image when mentioning
Ihe $500,000 federally fund
ed meals on wheels pro
gram that employed over
500 people
"When you pay for salar
ies, gas and food it doesn't
leave a lot to work with I
ran this feeding program
for five years at A&T and
never had any problems,
and was never paid a pen
ny It was strictly volun
teer When you speak about
taxpayers I don't owe Ihe
government one cent;
there's reason to believe
they owe me "
■fnniir nail* nr non chi
ployed 4H0 people in the
sports program. A number
have been motivated to
continue their education
fora college degree Form
er workers and partici
pants of the program are
now working in legal,
health, education and busi
ness communities and have
used the program on
resumes in valuable and
recreational experience
"There was nothing
newsworthy about it five
years ago. " he said It only
follows an age old practice
to belittle blacks I did take
up a lot of space so either I
was great or the paper was
cheap.”
As far as the program
being a blunder, Moore
said that statement was not
true "The program was a
success. We iust had an
See Charlotte Page 7
Church
Must Take
Action!
By \ugusta While &
S. If Johnson Jr
Special To The Post
"Virginia crime rate
exceeds North Carolina in
that one out uf four persons
are expected to be affected
by some type" ot crime
before the end of 19M.
Dorothy Allen, past presi
dent of the Virginia Baptist
State Convention's Woman
Auxiliary ol Virginia said
hen Monday night at the
eighth annuai banquet ot
the Woman's Baptist State
Convention at Charlotte
Civic Center
More than 1 Jiio pre-con
vent ion delegates were re
minded that .'.he church
must now take positive
action to curb crime
People are now asking
What is the church
doing " They are most
auxiou- to km w Appealing
lor nu-re dedication and
1 loyalty the need lor dedi
cated leadership was im
pressed upon the women of
North Carolina The
world dilTst. t warn to Rear'
us. but we toust now !«•
heard loud and vicar The
rising crime rale now puts
the church on the spot We
are living in . troubled
limes Doors an being
closed in our fares with I he
pn-MOt nts budget cuts
il.i- Mii-.iki-i ' illl JiLll'll
"Practice a irusl in God
study and a real search of
the scriptures, keeping
pray er channels open and
listening for an answer
from God is surely a means
nl help. Mrs Vilen em
phasized '<> her listeners
'Women do have a place
m the business of world
attain- President Geor
gia Turner told the con
vent ion m her fourth and
tinal annual address Ha\
mg served the tenure
period. Mrs Turner was
not eligible for re-election
I'rging the assembly re
presentatives to continue a
progressive program. Mrs
Turner stressed (he need
lor continued support of the
convention's objectives
"It was Christ who gave
woman her chance, who
saw her possibilities, who
discovered her value Fall
ing short of endorsing
Woman's Liberation." pre
sidcnl Turner said that
"as long as women -
mothers - are Christians
there is not much to fear
Hut if we. too. in the mass
should give ourselves to
selfishness and worldliness
and pleasure-seeking, what
will become of the next
generation, or of the
church today0" she asked
it was Christ who dis
covered and emphasized
the worth of a woman."
Mrs. Turner continued
Keeping in line with the
organization s theme
"God’s Will: A Cause. A
Concern, A Conviction,”
president Turnei suggest
ed that the women take
their lives and let them
move at the impulse of
God's love
Dr. Umar Foster and
the congregation of Second
Calvary Baptist Church
are serving as hosts and
are being assisted by local
Baptist Churches Included
among those presiding are
Mrs. Robbie Diggs, wife of
Dr H S. Diggs, pastor of
Mayfield Memorial Baptist
Church She is a vice pre
See CHURCH Page 7