Welcome Johnson C. Smith Alumni, Friends^
THE CHARLOTTE POST =
---“Tlw Voice Of Tlw Mack Community"
'Jt Volume 8, Number 21 ~ __— 11 -_
■ --THh CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, October 28,1982
- -— ---Price: 25 C ents
SONTELLA STRICKLAND
l _4 bright angel
little Sontella Strickland
Is “Beauty of The Week”
By Terrsa Simmons
Post Maiaging Editor
With Haloween creeping
up this wekend it’s nice to
know thatwe have a bright
angel to shoo away all
those gtosts and goblins
once the light has come to
a close.
Sontcih Strickland, six
year qfd daughter of
Carolyn and Bobby Strick
land, is Just what the treat
ers ordired for the event.
Ms. Strickland is a first
vader at Chantilly Ele
vhentaiy School. “So far I
like sctool. It’s fine,” re
ported our beauty. During
kindergarten she received
all "Tfery goods" on her
report card, the highest
grad* possible
According to her mother,
"Shds a eery good stu
deBr, she loves to read and
askp lotetf questions. She's
curfeus about everything ”
Miac Strickland has one
big sister, LeTonia, ll
years old, whom she enjoys
playing and conversing
with.
also enjoys reading
j about other little
and little hoys and
j. “I take dancing
i at Miss Donna's
of Danctng," she
sh ared proudly Jazz, tap
an d ballet are among her
sp^ecialties She especially
ejnjoys dancing to the tunes
ok the creative group
>' As far as television is
•poncwned Miss Strickland
\vlews "Diff’rent Strokes"
se of the star of the
»m, Arnold “I think
s’S very funny,” she
looks forward to
^Jg herself, this
in Ole Junior Choir at
1UCTL£'W«
Examine what ia said,
Mf him who speaks.
her church. Second Cal
vary Baptist Church,
where Rev. Dr. Lemar
Foster is pastor.
But most of all Miss
Strickland is awaiting pa
tiently for the day when she
can be of assistance to
other people, especially
children. “My ambition is
to become a teacher. I like
helping children and I like
to learn too.”
Miss • Strickland has
learned much from her
mother who happens to be
the person she admires.
“She does everything for
me.” she explained She
also has much love for her
family including her grand
parents. Arthur and Cla
rice Strickland and Bur
ben and Eva Burris.
now lo Apply tor
Heating Bill Assistance?
The Low-Income Energy
Assistance Program is
headquartered in Charlotte
at the Charlotte-Mecklen
burg Youth Council, 501 E.
Morehead Street.
You may apply at the
council from 8 a.m. until
8:30 p.m., Monday through
Thursday; Friday from 9
a m. until 5 p.m.; and on
Saturday from 9:30 a.m,
until 12:30 p.m.
Other sites to apply for
the Low-Income Energy
Assistance are as follows:
Amay James Neighbor
hood Center-8 a.m. until 4
pm.; Belmont Regional
Center-8 a.m. until 4 p.m.;
and Gethsemane AME Zion
Church-8 a m until 4 p.m.
The following sites will
only take applications from
October 25 until November
5: Davidson Community
Center-8a m until5p m ,
Pineville Town Hall-8 a.m.
until 5 p.m.; Matthews
Help Center-8 a m. until 5
pm; Cornelius Town Hall
-8 am until 5 p.m.;
Huntersville Town Hall-8
a.m. until 5 p.m.; Metro
lina Native American
Association-8 a.m. until 4
p.m.; and the Mint Hill
Town Ha!l-8 a.m. until 5
p.m.
To help with heating
bills, the Division of Social
.Services will make a one
time payment in February
to all households who apply
and are found eligible for
the Low-Income Energy
Assistance Program If you
want to apply for a pay
ment, contact the Charlotte
Special Edition:
Turn To Section B
Mecklenburg Youth Coun
cil between October 18 and
December 10th.
This is not a first-come,
first-serve program If you
apply any time between
October 18 and December
10 and meet the eligibility
requirements, you will re
ceive a payment. If you are
shut-in, elderly or handi
capped, you may send
someone else to apply for
you or you can call the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Youth Council and request
that an application be
taken in your home
For more information
call 334-3035 or 333-5241
Low Voter Turnout
Predicted For Tuesday
One Of Five
Blacks Are
Without Jobs
Recently released fi
gures from the Bureau of
Labor Statistics reveal that
one of every five Blacks
are without jobs and seek
ing employment as figures
for all Americans rose
above the 10 percent mark
for the first time in de
cades
The Department of
Labor reported that the un
employment rate for
Blacks was 20.2 percent in
September, while 48 5 per
cent of Black teenagers
were jobless National fi
gures also disclosed that
10.1 percent of the United
States labor force was un
employed (seasonally ad
justed statitics), the first
time unemployment has
scaled the 10 percent mark
since the Great Depression
years.
The bad news came amid
a furor on Wall Street that
resulted in the busiest
trading day in history as
the Dow Jones average
took a second consecutive
giant surge of over 21
points. Wall Street analysts
attributed the activity to
the possibility of falling
interest ratts. The prime
rate now stands at 13 per
cent at most commercial
banks, but further drops
were anticipated due to
mounting pressure on the
Federal Reserve Bank
Now the .question re
mains: Will consumers
follow the enthusiasm of
Wall Street, or rather, are
they able to?
For Blacks, the situation
has sunken deeper into a
depressed crisis Unem
ployment for Blacks was
already a disastrous 18.5
percent in August. Now at
20 2 percent, 19 8 percent of
Black males over 20 are out
of work and looking for jobs
while 15 7 percent of Black
women are unemployed
MISS ETHEL GUEST
ZJnstruclutff Miss Stroud's youth
In Assisting Miss Stroud
Ms. Ethel Guest Is Heaven-Sent
more man zu years ago.
Anita Stroud, who has
loved and taught genera
tions of children in the
Fairview Homes area, was
given a trailer in which to
hold her activities But she
knew more space would
mean more children She
prayed for help
At about that same time,
Ethel Guest, a Charlotte
art teacher, decided she
wanted to work with the
women she had only met
through media accounts
On the day of the trailer's
dedication. Miss Guest
asked Miss Stroud if she
could help
“Did the good I.ord send
you’’”, Miss Stroud asked.
It seems Miss Guest was
indeed Heaven-sent. For
she has been there to
assume more and more re
sponsibility as Miss
Stroud's health failed.
Now that Miss Stroud is a
resident of Wesley Nursing
Center, Miss Guest contin
ues to open the trailer for
Tuesday and Thursday ses
sions on reading, arts and
crafts. Bible study and
other activities
i\oi oniy ao mese ses
sions provide practical
learning, it develops the
children emotionally as
well, she stated.
"Working with them
helps them to develop a
better self-image, which
they sorely need," she said.
“It also motivates them to
do well and to have a sense
of belonging.”
Miss Guest, who recently
retired after 31 years of
teaching art, is a profes
sional artist having held
numerous one-person
shows and exhibited na
tionally and international
ly
She has also been hon
ored for her community
service. Most recently, she
received the 1982 Governor
James B Hunt Volunteer
Award for Individual Hu
man Service in Meeklen
burg County She also re
ceived the 1982 human ser
vice award in the "Nine
Who Care" awards pre
sentation. sponsored by the
Voluntary Care Center and
WSOC-TV.
But her greatest reward
is the continuation of the
camp ana storvhour pro
grams she worked closely
with Miss Stroud to de
velop And. like Miss
Stroud, she knows that she
can't do it alone
To help raise money for
the children's activities.
Miss Guest has compiled a
book of poetry and draw
ings by summer camp
participants "Golden
Fruit From Little Black
Seed” is on sale in most
local bookstores All mone>
from the sale of the book
wall go to The Anita
Stroud Foundation
In addition to raising
money, Miss Guest is
hoping the book would
make the public more
aware of our existance,
what we re trying to do and
what our goals are ”
She is also hoping to at
tract more volunteers
people willing to commil
time to do one aspect of the
program such as to teach
reading
This mission, which has
survived four decades, will
not die now, she stresses
"The need is just too
great "
Dt'ltlCMTHt* To
Celebrate Election
Night
An Election Night cele
bration will be held at the
State Democratic Party
headquarters. Goodwin
House, 220 Hillsborough
St Returns will be posted
at headquarters Democra
tic candidates for both
Wake County and Congres
sional offices will be
awaiting returns at the
headquarters
Don’t Forget To
Turn Your Clock
Back Stfirvlm Night
Halloween is Sunday, sc
you'll be tricked enougf
without playing one or
yourself Eastern Standard
Time officially rolls around
before the crack of dawn on
Sunday. Be sure to turn
your clocks back one hour
Jby 2 a m. October 31 and
enjoy the extra hour of
sleep
Jim Polk Say's:
- **
dose Kace 1s Getting Closer”
By Karen Parker
Post Staff Writer
James (Jim) Polk, candi
date for N.C. State Senate,
described the upcoming
Mecklenburg County elec
tion as a "close race that's
getting closer."
Being a newcomer to the
craft of state politics
makes one anxious when
the election is just five days
away. However incum
bents have expressed simi
lar feelings.
Polk, a native Charlot
tean has been a community
go-getter for several years
which provides him with
expertise in a wide variety
of political concerns One
of those affairs that has
made Polk’s campaign
strong and effective is his
business background
Listing a few of his cre
dentials, Polk is the im
mediate past president of
Charlotte Business League,
board member of Greater
James “Jim” Polk
.. State Senate candidate
Charlotte Chamber of Com
merce, vice president of
Mecklenburg County De
mocratic County Men's
Club, treasurer of Black
Political Caucus of Char
lotte, member of Charlotte
Uptown Development Cor
poration, and Greater
Charlotte Foundation and
chairman of Grier Heights
Development Corp
Twice the recipient of the
U S Small Business Ad
ministration Award. Polk
stated. "85 percent of all
jobs created within the past
five years have been in
small business
According to the presi
dent of Management Man
power Services, North
Carolina can experience
more economical expan
sion through small busi
ness "Presently the state
legislature is faced with a
tight budget and dwindling
resources," Polk stated
He believes the economy,
unemployment and educa
tion are issues that will
bring voters to the polls As
a state senator, Polk would
have no direct influence on
one of today's major
issues. Social Security
It is federally controlled;
however, Polk is concerned
about the 55,000 people on
welfare in Mecklenburg
Countv This is one area
where his viable plans to
create more jobs and more
producers in North Carol
ina is judicious
During the 1982 primary
election, reports implied
blacks were depending on
single-shot voting to put
black candidates on the
ballot and will do the same
for Tuesday's election
But Polk does not view
single-shotting as a sure
win to the State Senate He
stated. "In Mecklenburg
County there are 112 voting
places Only 87 of those are
in black precincts "
The point made by Polk
is to illustrate that 100
percent of black votes to
ward black candidates is
not enough to win a seat in
the State Senate.
“I am depending on
blacks and whites to elect
me as a N.C. State Sen
ator,” Polk admitted
f
Culp Says
Only 40%
Will Vote
Bv Karen Parker
Post Staff Writer
“I Should've Voted."
This is what a political
commercial predicts regis
tered voters will say after
failing to vote Tuesday if a
candidate other than their
choice wins Only 40 per
cent of registered voters
are expected to come out to
polls next week, according
to Bill Culp. Supervisor of
Elections This represents
four percent less voters
than in 1978 The number is
also considerably lighter
than in 1980
Culp explained the an
scnce of national rac<“- is
one reasor this year's
voters seem lackadaisical
Mecklenburg County elec
• ions are also devoid ot
issues like ERA which stir
interest and bring voters
practically running to the
polls
The hottest issues on this
year’s ballet are the Mint
Museum Bond and the
County District question. A
"yes" vote for the Mint
Museum favors the City of
Charlotte to spend not
more than $3.5 million on
the Mint Museum of Art.
An affirmative vote on the
County-District question
w ill allow county voters to
elect three members and
each qualified voter to also
elect four members from
his or her respective dis
trict This will increase the
number of commissioners
from five to seven
w hile the overall turnout
of voters is expected to be
dismal, the easting of votes
in black communities will
probably be outstanding.
There are some strong
black candidates in the
black precincts this year,"
.Culp guaranteed.
He is speaking of James
K Polk. State Senate;
Phillip Berry, State House
of Representatives, James
Richardson also for the
Cl of r. t Jo...-/, II .1.. A
Walton for County Com
missioner
First, the newcomers
Polk is believed to have a
stupendous business back
ground. Berry reportedly is
striking in education and
Richardson is strong in the
area of social services.
Kach of these political new
comers have strong re
cords of service not only in
the black communities but
throughout Charlotte
Other democratic candi
dates for the state senate
include Cecil Jenkins,
Craig lowing and Benja
min Tison. A Concord
lawyer, Jenkins is seeking
his third senate term low
ing. the president pro-tem
of the .Senate claims he is
seeking his fourth and last
term; while Tison has de
cided to run for the senate
after 10 years in the House
Republican candidates
for the ; Senate include
Thomas Ghent and Ken
neth Harris.
Joining Richardson and
See Bin, Page IS
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