Editorials & Comments
Calmness In A Stormy Sea!
The Kev. Colemon W. Kerry
Jr., minister, former school
board member, counselor of po
litical candidates, civil rights
leader, and most ol all, a spirit
ual leader has departed this life
at age 58.
Stricken with cancer, Kerry
died last week in Charlotte
Memorial Hospital. Yet, even
there while he was in great need
of comfort, Kerry sought to
carry^YmHws- ministerial duties...
/ serving the 1,300 members of
—Knendstup_Baptist Church
where he pastored for 33 years.
Thus, in facing death, Colemon
Kerry labored just as he did in
facing life in an effort to preach
and teach in a mariner that has
helped to make our community -
black arid white - a little better
than most.
it was because ot these and
similar efforts that city council
member Kon Leeper said,
"Colemon Kerry has been a solid
roek in this community.” Serv
ing for two and one-half'years on
the school board its most tumul
tuous period of school desegre
gation beginning in 1968, Kerry
voted hisi convictions - some
times to the displeasure of both
black and white liberals -- as he
pursued a moderate course.
While often not' appreciated for
such a position at that time,
history has shown that Kerry’s
moderating influence made him
a ' symbol of calmness' in a
stormy sea of often emotional
opponents in the school dese
gregation struggle.
In an even more quiet and
: unassuming manner, Colemon
Kerry has been a major influenc
ing force in public policies in
volving the reduction of poverty,
public housing, voting rights,
urban redeveloprhent, public
health and law enforcement. In
all of these areas of public
service hiS lniluunm' will bo -
evident through the decades of
thel980s and 1990s.
The Kev.‘ Colemon W. Kerry
; Jr., a man of quiet" dignity,
: unquestionable character, arid
: resourceful restraint has served
.-the Charlotte community well.
: Therefore, it should be our pray
; er that' in God’s infinite wisdorii
; He would serid us other men with
the qualities of Colemon W.
Kerry._
Hope For 19821
Many theologians, philosoph
; ers and historians are in agree
; ment that the greatest crises in
the whole span of human history
; are engulfing the current'
; generation. These crises are
; equally awesome in that each of
: them has the capacity to destroy
* civilization as we know if.
* Evidence of these seli-destruc
* tive forces are abound:' crime,
-Sexual promiscuity, political
conflict, drug abuse, atomic—
' weaponry, alcoholism, the popu
lation explosion and the dism
■ ■
tegration ot the family as an
institution, are only a tew.
Having to face the overwhelm
ing sense ot helplessness that
these crises have created many
people feel in both their private
and public lives that they are
losing control ot their own
destiny.
Considering the universal
nature of such feeling, people
must begin to think positively
about the future or we win
seU-destruct simply by negative
thoughts. We can begin this
process by^^*enewmg our com
mitment to a faith and liope that
things will get better.' In the
Biblical Book Hebrews 11:1 we
find these words: “...faith is the
substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen. ’’
In writing about these dangers
lacing mankind, Hal Lindsey
says, “Man can live about 40
days without food, about three
days without water, about eight
minutes without air...but only
about one second without
HOPE.”'Therefore, if we truly
want a permanent peace, a lower
out-of-wedlock birth rate, less
dependence on drugs, sTroflger
family ties, diminishing political
conflict, less' joblessness and
more racial understanding, w'e
must begin to have hope.
With hope we can begin to
believe Kussia won’t invade
Poland, we won’t have an atomic
war, affirmative action pro
grams won’t die, the' Voting
Rights Act will survive, the'poor
won’t be abandoned, the cities
will be revived,' cancer will be
cured, the Middle East will find
peace, the President and Con
gress will temper their budget
cuts with mercy, and God will
give us a better year in 1982 than
we had in 1981. '
All it takes is a little HOPE.'
The Agenda
When gunshots are Ineil at
midnight to signal the entrance
of another year, they should also
signal the beginning of a new
cohesiveness within the black
community. No cohesiveness in
general, but with a specific
agenda that demands an end to
the annual school' crisis, that
lobbies to create'more jobs for
its unemployed, that' votes
against those who don’t have its
_ best interest at heart, that fights
against black-omblaciT'criffle,
but seeks justice in the court
rooms, that inspires pride in
sweeping the streets to keep a
neighborhood clean, that makes
the young respect the old and
that promotes parental guidance
and interaction with children.
These are just a few of the
resolutions that should comprise
a total New Year’s agenda lor
the black community, ft’s an
agenda and commitment that
should be made; for it is time
that we as a people start develop^
ing as a collective rather than an
incongruous body of individuals.
THE CHARLOTTE POST
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Let’s Work Together For A Safe Community
Tony Brown’s Comments
Homosexual Diseases,
Herpes, Winners And Losers
In one of those typical
after-work happy hour dis
cussions, the subject got
around to a recent report in
the New England Journal
of Medicine which de
scribed a spate of diseases,
some new and terrifying
among homosexual men.
The general reaction of
the all-male and Afro
American parley was a
kind of relief that “they” *
are the benefactors of this
nasty epidemic of a rare
and lethal cancer, offbeat
viruses, numerous
venereal diseases; intestin
al disruptions (gay bowel
syndrome) usually seen in
the tropics, mononucleosis
ana a pai lit'UlaiU viiuluit
form of pneumonia.
These health problems of
the last five years join
some long standing dis
orders common to homo
sexual males. The Centers
for Disease .Control (CDC)
reports that Hepatitis B is
already at runaway levels
among them and nearly 50
percent of males with
active syphilis are homo
sexual. That is especially
alarming when you con
sider that only about four
percent of all males are
homosexuals. However,
that statistic pales against
the numerical facts if you
live in New York, Los
Angeles or San Francisco,
where the alarming toll of
diseases among male
homosexuals is now con
centrated.
The aforementioned me
dical journal report also
describes another disease
among this group: PCP or
pneumocystis pneumonia,
a deadly lung infection,
occurring mostly anTtffig
those using ''poppers.”
drugs like amyl nitrate and
First in a series
butyl nitrate (in the body,
these drugs produce nitro-.
samines which are known
carcinogenic substances)
which are said to enhance
orgasm.
What we know for sure,
however, is that 85 percent
of the homosexual patients
with cancer or a parasitic
lung infection that kills 60
percent of its victims in the
CDC’s study admitted to
inhaling these drugs.
Promiscuous sexual be
- havior among this group is
definitely a factor also.
Doctors believe that the
immune system is sup
-pf n.mri in thnrn hi)
cause it is beseiged by a
large number of exposures
such as bacteria, fungi and
off-beat viruses -- a phy
siological condition caused
by a lifestyle - and be
comes overtaxed and
ceases to perform.
And the danger of this
nationwide epidemic is ex
acerbated by the distinct
possibility that bisexuals
will transmit diseases, now
only seen in this sexually
—active country among male
homosexuals, to the main
stream heterosexual com
munity.
The fulminant herpes in
fections are already a
shared burden of both
groups. And because this
parasitic virus is most op
portunistic when the im
mune system is weak, it
suggests that caution about
sexual or social contact
should be especially exer
cised during a period of a
cold or other bacterial or
viral attack.
Homosexuals are not
alone in terms oTTYe'w and
frightening venereal dis
eases There is also the
epidemic proportions of the
appearance and contagion
of Penicillinase-producing
Neisseria Gonorrheae
(PPNG). This new strain is
completely resistant to
penicillin and has esca
lated in the last 11 months
by more than 350 percent in
New York City alone.
Chalmydia, the most
common venereal disease
in the nation and much
more common in black wo
men than white women,
strikes as many as four
million men and women
each year. A leading cause
61 infertility, Chalmydia
was found in 23 percent of a
group of pregnant black
women, most of whom
were unaware that they "
had it.
Just as my all-male
black, barroom friends
were wrong about homo
sexual diseases not affect
ing the rest of us, their
belief that herpes is mostly -
‘‘white" disease infecting
only a small number of
people was equally inac
curate.
Few Americans escape
herpes infections at some
time in their lives. Be
tween 50 and 150 million—
people in this country are
infected with herpes sim
plex I, a non-venereal
herpes, and herpes simplex
II, the venereal type. The
CDC estimates that one in
10 adults is now a carrier of
the venereal herpes which
is spreading so rapidly that
there are 500,000 new cases
each year, with 35 percent
of the U.S. population be
ing exposed at some time.
Herpes II is recurrent
among about five million;
herpes I among about 50
- million,-■
Once inside the body, the
Continued on Page t
• By Rev. Jonn Kqrkins;
•*%0 “ *V*. * , “
Walk
Your
1
Talk—
Kev. Perkins
The Local Church
Impacting Community’s Needs
The local church in the black ghettoes ol
American is the most logical agent for
social change in the black community.
A few weeks ago 1 was in Chicago
speaking and serving as a consultant for
some organizations. These organizations
are trying to address many of the serious
problems that ' afflict our people there
he'aith, legal and housing needs, hunger,
drugs, crime and prostitution.
i could see that the groups that are most
effective are the ones that aim firsTor&fHo
be the church, the people of God within their
local community.
The many problems that confront the
black community in every part' of the
country are becoming more urgent every
day. There is afready a severe housing
shortage in most of our cities. It’s going to
get worse because’ we’re using up our
existing housing. And now middle class
people are beginning to move back into the
inner cities, renovating old buildings to live
in, and moving’ out the low-income ’ resi
dents, who'have nowhere to go.
Another problem is teenage prostitution.
This' problem seems to arise from a
person’s'basic need for economic survival.
But while econorfuc' need may be what
keeps a girl on the streets, I don’t believe
that it’s what drove her there originally. 1
believe that the basic human need for
affection was what first put her there, and
this need was then turned into a means of
making money. *
These d'pspPrate emotional neefls_ were
first created by the broken family structure
of our black community. We as the church
need to reach out m care to help these girls,
provide the love and sense of community
that they so desperately need and rescue
them from their cycle of destruction.
The local church can provide the energy,
motivation and resources for creative pro
grams to address the deep needs of our
communities. Each local church’ needs' to
commit itself to addressing the needs of our
people within their particular community.
-Right pnW, a maior problem is that
church members don’t know how to deal
with these problems. We need to learn.'
Within each church, small groups of
people can unite around the various issues
that they feel are most urgent. Kor instance,
one group would deal with prostitution,
another with employment needs, another
with school drop-outs.'
These people would all be tied together
not by the issue but by their commitment to
Jesus Christ. They would draw ‘ their
guidance and inspiration from the Bible, the
wordot-fcrod;—^
Each church needs to give the people a
Biblical vision of how the resources of the
whole church-skills, prayer, and fmances
cari be brought together to impact the needs
of the local community. The bond of faith
will unite each group with the church,
enabling them to strengthen one another.
Through this love, commitment, and
perseverance, as the Apostle Haul says,
"We will in all things grow up into Him who
is the Head, that is Christ. Krom Him the
whole body, joined and held together by
every supporting ligament, grows and
builcfs itselTup mlove, as each part does its
work.” (Ephesians 4:15-16).
*
From Capitol HiU
President Ronald Reagan Loses One Important Round
nj mmia \iuiIim>ii
Special To The Post
I’resident Reagan has
been able to use his charis
ma and other means to get
just about all of his pro
posals passed by congress
However, recently, he lost
his very important round in
the House. The Adminislra
tion has been putting im
mense pressure ori Both
houses of congress to re
peal the Clerk Amend
ment. This amendment
was authorized during the
Ford era to prevent the
I’resident from using
either covert, overt or
para military methods in
Angola, without the con
sent of congress. The Re
publican control senate
passed the repeal amend
ment
Through the intense and
. extensive lobbying efforts
of black organizations,
letter writing and tele
phone calls from indivi
duals to congress persons
with large black constitu
encics were pressured to
take a stand against
repeal
The House Foreign Ke
lations Subcommittee on
African Affairs, under the
dynamic Chairmanship of
Howard Wolpe of Michi
/ ft
Alfreds T.. Madison
gan s stall along with the
staff of Congressional
Black Caucus, put on a
telephone blitz to citizens,
asking them to contact
their representatives and
insist that they vole against
repeal. The hlack church,
which has a strong hold on
blacks also went into
action
I he mack Caucus made
•no bones about , voting
against the entire appro
priations bill if repeal of
the Clark amendment were
attached All of these to
gether with a coalition of
moderates and liberals set
the opposition wheels in
motion Mr. Keagan. real
izing that the appropria- '
lions bill was in trouble in
the House, felt that he
could not risk the chance of
losing even one vote, called
Mr. Derwinski. who was
supposed to introduce the
repeal amendment on the
House floor and advised
against introduction This
means lhaC for the pre
sent. the Clark amendment
repeal is dead, hut it is sure
to surface again, so op
ponents can't let down their
guards, but must continue
l<rbr whtef»tuf and prepare
to prevent repeal measures
whenever they arise •
It seemedsTghmcanT
that Savimbi. the guerilla
leader in Angola and Mo
outo seko. President of
Zaire were in the United
States, at the crucial mo
ment when repeal of the
Clark amendment was at
stake Both of these Afri
cans favor the amend
ment's repeal. Naturally,
Mobuto Seko greatly favors
overt actions, since it was
the CfA's involvement in
the murder of Lumumba,
ruler Of the Congo, which
elevated Seko to President
of Zaire 'originally Con
goi.
Kepresentative Shirley
Chisholm sent Mr, Za
blocki. Chairman of the
House Foreign Kelalions
Committee, a letter signed
by :|| colleagues urging
that his committee would
m
put human rights first in
considering foreign aid
She urged that no military
assistance be given Argen
tina. Chile and Zaire be
cause of their human rights
denial. Mrs. Chisholm said
that withdrawal of the
amendment to repeal Clark
was a victory for human
rights, and she has pledged
ioiead the fight.against the
amendment's passage if
and when it is brought up in
(he House agatrr-——
Itepresentative William
Gray, member of the
House Subcommittee on
African Affairs empha
sized strongly that the
notion that the Clark
amendment restricts the
President s ability to affect
foreign policy is not true,
but on the contrary it only
reaffirms the role of con
gress in formulating
foreign measures He
stated that repeal of the
amendment would have a
devastating affect on Black
African nations who are
friendly to the United
States Keagan's refusal to
recognize the legitimate
government of Angola, con
demn South African raids
into that country and his
having high level Ameri
can officials meet with
Angolan rebel Savimbi are
all seen by Black Africans
and Black Americans ass
the Administration's tilt to
apartheid South Africa.
The entire Third World
views these actions as in
lerference in the internal
affairs of another country,
says Gray.
Gray continued that An
gola has played an im
porfanT T5TC tTl Tormectton
with SWAPO, in trying to
-atfeet- -a- settlement of the
Namibian question. Ame
rican commercials and
businesses that have had
investments in Angola for
live years, relate that the
Angolan government pro
tects theiiJiusjjnfigses The
United States import
export bank has aided in
linancing the Angolan go
vernmenl A large number
of projects have been
financed in Angola by these
businesses The House
African Affairs Committee
has learned that our west
ern allies are against re
peal of the Clark amend
ment. All of these nations
recognize the Angolan go
vernment and they have
full diplomatic relations
with it. Vet, the United
States, not only fails to
recognize the Angolan
government, but instead
considers the rebel Savim
bi faction as legitimate.
Congressman Gray says
the Administration's
actions are seen by Black
Africans and Black Arne
Cleans as an appeasement
policy with racism
Vehicle Safety
Inspection Fee To
Increase By 25e
KALEIGII Effective
January 1982, the fee
charged for the annual ve
hicle safety inspections will
increase from $4 to $4 25,
the North Carolina Depart
ment of Transportation's
Motor Vehicles division
(DMV) has announced
The 1981 General Assem
bly authorized the 25-cent
increase to cover rising
costs to administer the
program.
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