North Carolina Newspapers

Jjjr ”TOE €HARLI fTTE PI 1ST “The Voice Of The Black Community" __CHARmm l»d KECKtEWO'JRG C2WN Volume 7, Number 52 WAlUllIU N. 1. 494U4 -- -- . , —■ —.— __ THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, June 3, 1982— " " " — HiSSt*'- >- MB ' ■] ' --------.-Price: 35 Cents Participants in The Charlotte Post Churchwoman of the Year Contest from . Concord include: (front row, 1-r) Carol Tate, Betty Douglas and Shirley Hard ing. TSecohd Tow, 1-t> Bhnira Polk, Gtoffa-SSloh, James DougJaS.TJifila Jenkins, Concord Committee Chairper son, and Rev. Roseman, minister Beulah Baptist Church, Concord. Peeler Photo -- | r, | . _Tl1._**•» __ 11 1 * r- «-^i Often Sawed. Persons Who Dare To Convert System Meet Strong Opr Jtion oy Loretta Manago Post Staff Writer America in her outer —garb wears a shield of freedom, justice and equal ity, but underneath that shield lies a country that is rich in oppression and overflowing in racism. Persons who have dared to actively convert the sys ^ lemThto one that works for all and not just a select few ^ have met strong unrelent ing opposition and have often been silenced. Eddie James Carthan, former mayor of Tchula, Mississippi, is one such person. Active in politics for most of his life Carthan had served several years on the Holmes County Board of Education before deciding "I thought I could repre sent those who had come through slavery, knowing nothing about voting, abopt going to a motel, sittingin the front of the bus or eating in a restaurant.” To say the job Carthan had before him was tre mendous was a gross understatement. "Tchula, like many Southern towns, is divided down the middle by railroad tracks that separate the manicured lawns and colonial style homes of the white major ity from the roach-and-rat infested dwellings of the blacks. Ruled for over a century by white planters and their political lackeys, Tchula’s population-70 percent black-suffers an “official" unemployment rate of 30 percent. Two thirds of the population is on welfare, 81 percent of the housing units are classified as “deteriorat ing” and 47 percent of all family dwelling lack some or all plumbing facilities.” In 1977 Tchula was a town with no public recreational faeWttaSr one tractor, an j old fire engine and an 1 inoperable squad car. Carthan had plans for Tchula. "Under Ms admin' istration, over $3 million in - iadscal and private jaanteL. were channeled into Tchula in an attempt to create a modern Infraytructurc that WU-TAU — *' ’I'M trouble with some , roads Is that they don’t curve when some motorist* \ do I ■ would allow the town to enter the 20th century." Plans were drawn (many were instituted) for a modem water system^ a bus system, rehabilitation and weatherization of homes, a day care center, a medical-dental clinic, a library, a functional fire department and cars for Ihepol ice-department. — With the Institution of his plans, Carthan was literal ly taking the town of Tchula by storm. In doing so Carthan was disturbing the long-existing power structure of the white minority. This power structure and Carthan’s independence collided shortly after Carthan had been elected to office and was confront ed .wiUfc*410,000 bribe "if the nmyor would do things the..Way they have always ^>een done. ’ ’ Of course Car than refused. His refusal was the first signal of the trouble that would proceed to pjague Carthan. Realizing that Carthan could not be bought off with money, his opponents began to annihilate his ' political base, the Tchula Board of Aldermen. Con sisting of four blacks and one white, Carthan- usually held the majority. That was soon to change. When one black resigned due to pressure from the white power structure and was replaced by a hand-picked black, Carthan lost that majority that he needed to implement and execute his ~ program fully. As a result of this poli tical tactic an anti-Carthan administration was formed. It was this legis lation's goal to limit the mayor’s authority over fis - cad and personal matters City employees’ checks were stopped for two months; City Hall was locked for eight weeks, the mayor’s travel expens es were left unpaid; Car than’s salary was soon re duced from $600 to $60 a month; supporters of Carthan saw an increase in their property taxes and forced resignations by blacks come by the dozens With _sucb ^obstacles be fore him Carthan continued to reshape his administra tion. His unrelenting atti tude led to the resignation of several police officers and the chief of police. But Carthan continued for ward. In April, 1980 Carthan appointed Johnny Dale, a black, police chief and restored the police department. The anti-Carthan bloc was sorely displeased with Carthan’s action. Acting on their own authority they appointed their own police chief Jim Andrews, a white See PERSONS on Page 13 Excitement In Post’s IRA Will Not Magically Make You A Millionaire 9 -aymstc Throw or_ Post Staff.Writer ..IRA...that acronym has acquired magical connota tions in recent months as tfii mylKical brdfnary^ ** American seeks a way out of his-her present inflation squeezed misery into a re ttirement future "paved with gold”-or at least de corated with a million or so dollars. An Individual Retire ■ ment Account (IRA), however, will not magical ly make you a million aire; IRA’s do represent,' though, a way for the average working person to obtain a tax shelter simi lar to those available in the past only to the rich. According to Investment Company Institution of Washington, D.C., the bar rage of ads announcing the new $2,000 IRA^s has created some misconcep tions. Some people, the Institute says, believe that they can't afford to invest in an IRA-due mainly to the mistaken idea that $2,000 is the mandatory amount to be invested each year. In fact, $2,000 is the maximum you can put into an IRA each year. This upper limit sometimes, un fortunately, scares people away who may need help ‘.he most during retirement years..."the not-so-rich American." All you need, the Insti tute advises, to take ad vantage of “one of the best tax shelters available" is a paycheck, no matter how large or small. With that paycheck you can invest in an IRA which can provide you with both present tax relief and future retire ment aid. Of course, the Institute admits, its’s a lot easier for someone to give you good advice about saving than it is for you, still shell first In a series shocked from last month's bills, to give up any of your paycheck lorarewardthat may be far in the future. But, they basically say, hang-in there and use “a bit of creativity" and do a little bit of sacrificing of the less-important things in orders to achieve your retirement goals. The Institute concludes that "most people work all of their lives with an eye on retirement If that retire ment is spent in worry and concern over keeping your hea<f above “water; then it serves as no reward at all after a lifetime of work." By sacrificing and plan ning now, no matter how tough it might be, “you're helping to ensure that your retirement \PUI "fear Hker “ yourreward." Once you’ve decided to save for an IRA, then comes the hard part. How do you do it? Especially if your personal budget has already grown so tight it’s developing stretch marks’ mere are ways, the Investment Institute insists firmly After examining the "unmatched incentives offered by the new tax laws;’' your own self*disci^ pline will help you find ways to put aside money monthly to invest in an IRA account. Also, if you need some outside control, there are avenues you can explore First, look into payroll deduction plans where you work. Many employees offer their em ployees the opportunity to save for retirement the relatively painless way, a little bit at a time, by deducting small amounts from their paychecks on a regular basis and investing it for them. (No doubt about it, it’s easier to See IRA on Page 14 MISS LALISA LEARY .. Sparkles with energy - LaLisa Leary Is Beauty. Of Week By Teresa Simmons Post Managing Editor From the tip of her head to the ground floor our beauty LaLisa Leary is filled with a radiance only befitting to a princess. Sparkling with energy Ms. Leary is involved in an array of activities. The variety in her life adds, of course, to the spice. It allows her to multiply her fun by means of meeting people. "I enjoy going out with my friends, going out to parties and enjoying every day,” our beauty main tained. If Ms Leary had "her choice she would like to live in the western part of the United States in one of the larger cities. ”In a larger city I would get to meet Voting Rights Pilgrims Say: Quality Of Commitment More Important Than Quantity Of Marchers by Mac Thrower Poet 8taff Writer Last week in Washing ton. North Carolina’s two senators, Jesse Helms andT John East, began prepar ing to filibuster against the' bill that-would extend the IMS Voting Righto Act. which has been called “the single most important piece of civil righto legis lation paased in this century.” Soma thought this a dis turbing echo of segrega tionist opposition to crucial civil righto legislation in the IMS’s. In Charlotte, the SCLC Voting Righto Pilgrimage ai rlsgt na May 21 to march rally port sNIm principles of ’social, economic, and political Justice that the SCLC pilgrims feel are being threatened in America once again. The march was an echo, too, at the M’s civil righto movement that profoundly altered the structure of -American society. Ron Leeper ...Very disappointed But, apparently, it was a faint echo. Billed as “The Largest March in Charlotte Hi story,” the eveM <hww a light turnout of Mostly po litical and professional people, many of whom had participated in demonstra tions that helped open the door of success to them 30 years ago. Some of these men and women said, when contacted by The Post, that they joined the SCLC march because they were Dr. Mildred B. Davis ...Not disappointed concerned that same door might be closed agaln -this time to their children Several expressed disap pointment in the size of the turnout for the march and rally; all of them, how ever, affirmed that the “quality" of the commit ment of those involved was ultimately more important than the “quantity" of marchers. Ms Phyllis Lynch, Chairwoman of the Meck lenburg County FWtinpa Board and a key partici pant in the local SOX’ activities, voiced no dis appointment in the public response to the SOX call to "unite to preserve our freedom " "This is an era in which the people have not been awakened,” she, explained. "We are doing -■the Paul Rftyprp hH,M| wouldn't have been disap pointed if only 20 people turned out." Ms. Lynch called the ac tivities "a building pro cess" that will eventually create success." City Councilman Ron Leeper, who spoke at the Voting Rights Rally at Park Center, was, unlike Ms. Lynch, "very disap pointed” in the number of people who participated in the march and Park Center Rally. Describing the public reaction to the march trom the Johnson C. Smith campus to Park Center, Leeper comment ed, “a large number of people could not seem to relate to what we were doing ” He pointedly ob served that many minis ters and elected officials were involved in the march, but that "people directly affected by Reagan's (budget) ax fall ing didn’t participate." beeper was particularly disappointed in what he felt .was the poor response from young blacks, "The young people don’t seem to relate to civil rights struggles. They don’t know the * struggles aren’t over.” This summer, Leeper predicted, "the reality of the economic crunch” will hit many youths, produc ing, he implied, a possibly violent reaction. Warren Arthur, of the Charlotte Voting Rights Conference, which spon sored (he SCLC Charlotte march, was also critical of the lack of youth partici pation, "In this era of integration, young blacks find it difficult-because of their relationships with individual whites-ty see See QUALITY Page IS more people." People oriented, Ms I/eary has found ways to deal with all types of per sonalities “I try to get along with' everyone—And-" whenever someone tries to put me down I try to avoid them and I try not to take it out on others,” she added A senior at Harding High School, our beauty is in volved in many extracur ricular activities. She con tributes to the school's Annual Staff as its Busi ness Manager She is a member of the Keylitte Club and the Pep Club She headed the basket ball team as a statistician for the past season; was first runner-up in the Miss Harding Pageant; and has been a Harding Flag girl for the past two years She was a senior attend ant at Homecoming and seTecfed_ among "Who’s Who Among American High School Students ” Her church is t^outn iryon Presbyterian. The daughter of Alice Leary and Eddy Leary she has one sister, Chiquita "My favorite person is my mother. She has brought me up and has helped lead me in planning for my career," Ms Leary explained ... Mg. Leary s favorite suh jects are mathematics and English. There are •'TWO' fields that inter&t her secretarial science and eemputar aeiaaoa Thprp i« a possibility that Ms. I^eary will study at Kings College for her Secretarial degree "And I also know that Computer Science has become a very popular field today,” Ms Leary stated. In either profession Ms. I>eary plans to accomplish the goal of excellency. “I believe in planning ahead and living the days ac cording to what you plan " Ms Leary enjoys skating and the music of Cameo "I don't watch television that much " Instead Ms. Leary listens to music And Cameo sends off one of the styles she enjoys moat. There is so much good in store for Ms Leary I 86 Churches By Loretta Manago ^ Post Staff Writer ~’rSV‘''thdFd'"a"ftd - fhbfe "" churches express their interest in joining the second annual "Church woman of the Year” con test the excitment of the next pending weeks con tinues to surmount. Emphasizing this feeling was the Charlotte Post editor Bill Johnson who commented. "This is going to be the greatest contest of its kind known to weekly newspapers." —To this dale a total num-— ber of 86 churches are com petively figuring out their strategies in order that they can be the church who walks away with the win ning prize Careful selection* 61 “ churchwoman contestant* has delayed many partici-': pating churches from naming their contestants. The following churches have named their contest ants East Stonewall AME Zion Church-Lula Watson; University Park Baptist Church - Florence Gillis; Penecostal Temple - Cola Gilchrist; Shiloh Baptist Church (Concord) - Shirley HafdrngTMacMonlaBap tist Church (Concord) - Gloria Staton; Beulah Bap tist Church - Carol Tate; Bethesda AME Church 'Concord) - Beatrice Holand; Greater Galilee - Bonita Peay; Greater Pro vidence Baptist Church - Eleanor Miller; Gethse mane Baptist Church - Gail Miller, Huntersville Pres byterian - Sandra Potts; Memorial United Presby terian Church - Annie Herron; Grier Heights Presbyterian Church - Leatha Short: Antioch Bap tist Church - Lois Pender grass; Metropolitan United Presbyterian Church - Anne Hill: Chappell Memorial Baptist Church - Hattie Harris; Wilson Heights- Omega Audrey, Pleasant Hill Baptist Church Viola Byers; and Mt. Olive Christian Church Priscilla Kiser Two additional churches in Concord have joined the Churchwoman campaign They are: Chapel Hill Bap tist Church - Rev Charles Gray and First United Church of Christ - Rev Clawson John Medlin Elected To ' HnroYwi Tam~ John G. Medlin Jr., chief executive officer of Wacho via Bank and Trust Com pany, has been elected to a • three-year term on the ! board of directors of the International Monetary Conference (IMC). The election and installation of officers was held Thursday at the conclusion of the 1982 IMC meeting in Van couver, British Columbia The IMC, which was or- ; • ganized in 1964, provides a forum for discussion of sig nificant international bank ; ing, economic, monetary • and fiscal issues. It:' includes 54 major United > States banks and 66 banks from 21 other nations