Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Nov. 4, 1982, edition 1 / Page 2
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EDITORIALS & COMMENTS A Community Model in a recent issue of The Charlotte Post (Sept. 9) we commented about a series of workshops and seminars held by the major national black organ izations - NAACP, Operation PUSH, Urban League, to name a few - who discussed plans and strategies black Americans need to implement of a self-help nature in order to reduce the economic gap between them selves and white Americans. More significantly, we sug gested that it is long past time for idle rhetoric and a need for concentrated positive action by black consumers and business people if we hope to see the black community-by whatever definition—achieve a higher standard of living and improved quality of life. A significant step in this direc tion without the fanfare of the national or even local news media (as sought by the nation al black organizations) is taking place in Charlotte with positive results. We are referring to the quiet but forceful efforts being made by Nasif Majeed, senior partner in the Burger King res taurant located on Beatties Ford Road and 1-85. A few months ago a young woman attended the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club (Trade Street YWCA) and introduced herself as the community rela tions specialist liaison officer for the Beatties Ford Road Burger King. In a very proud and dignified manner the young woman noted that her job is to get Burger King intimately in volved with the black commun ity and its varied institutions and organizations. As a progressive thinking businessman Majeed’s philoso phy calls for putting back into the community some of what he Perpetuating Bias 1 In the 1960s a'movie entitled “Guess Who’s Coming to Din ner” was produced by the motion picture industry. Who was coming to dinner was a young black man to meet for the first time the parents of his intended • wife, a young white woman and daughter of a liberal judge. The judge and his wife had their supposed liberal beliefs pressed to the acid test with the thought of having a black son-in-law and possibly half-black grandchild ren. However, since the movie appeared to be suggesting a social union still largely opposed by most whites and many black people, the black man in the picture (played by Sidney Poitier), was portrayed as being a superman. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from a major highly prestigious university trained in architecture. He was knowledgeable of the fine arts, takes out. He notes that his community involvement concept makes his restaurant part of a fast food chain of businessmen serving the black community. Mr. Maieed and his Dartner Lee Andrews are not just talk ing; they are doing things that show and reflect their commun ity involvement commitment. For example, their Burger King does its banking at Mechanics and Farmers Bank and has hired over half of its 50 employees from the immediate community. In addition, the Beatties Ford Burger King has made substan tial contributions to the United Negro College Fund and has contributed also to the West Charlotte High School cheerlead ers and Easter Seals. Civic activities often occur at the restaurant: voter registra tion-encouragement drives, free blood pressure checks and the registration of classes of CPCC are just a few of the numerous activities going on frequently at this Burger King. WhUe Mr. Majeed is certainly mindful of his across the street competition-McDonald’s, and the pressures of the current economic recession-he is doing and demonstrating what many other blacks just talk about. As consumers we should patronize the Beatties Ford Burger King for tasty food at reasonable prices and to encourage and support the restaurant’s com munity outreach effort. As business people we should assess our resources and develop some form of. community outreach program just as Mr. Majeed and his partner have done. We salute the efforts and positive action of Majeed and Andrews. Let’s stop> talking and start doing some thing now. f worldly-wise in numerous other areas, handsome, well-dressed and possessing an outstanding personality. The message this film was offering as entertainment was that if a black man wants to marry a white woman he’d better be a superman-superior in every respect to nearly all white men because in reality white women are not to be hao by black men. Then too for many years we have seen Carrol O’Connor por trayed on television as Archie Bunker, a dumb blue-collar un educated anti-black and anti Semitic, beer drinking man who showed little respect for his not too-bright wife. This television show is an example of what can cause people to develop a bias against Blacks, Jews and white people referred to as blue collar workers. DonH Make The Sidewalk A Health Hazard For Children, j '/& Sd&osi: . I Church Has Great Rear ai' -'ity Understanding Chris tianity can be quite a dif ficult task, especially for those who hear about it, but can’t understand what it is that they are supposed to gain from it. “It’s nice to hear about the golden streets, continuous music, always sunshine, no more sorrows and no more wars, but where does all of that lead to? I guess that it is okay when I am no longer a part of this world - what about now? The indoctrin ations of what you can’t do (always first) then what you can dd,/are so preva lent, but in turn you see the very ones telling you don’t are doing. And what makes the teachings useless is that sometimes they take the don’ts to the extreme. Thank God for the fact that there are still some people “Christian” or not who consider first then react. But, then there are those who don’t. How do we deal with these people? Do we turn from our compassion ate, patient, intelligent, peace-loving selves. At this point this is where the “Christianity” or "Christ like” ideology comes into play. Christ lived and died tp show a remarkable love which is to be passed from heart to heart, soul to soul, and from generation to generatioh. But by observ ing the world today there is so little love from so many people. Now, the church being an instrument for God’s work I has a great responsibility, not only to man but to God as well. Somehow it seems as if we’ve forgotten. We don't have time to obstruct God’s work, reason being we don’t have the right. But, we do have the duty to carry the message. When will the~day come that the church is again a sacred sanctuary of peace, love and brotherhood? That day will come when we all examine our minds, open our hearts and ac knowledge the truth. Sincerely, Judy Fountain Dewberry follow the teachings Of Chrfet! *->ear Sir: not place this resDonsibi i o my dear brothers and sisters of Gethsemane Bap tist Church: If we are to be true Christians, we must open our eyes and wake up. , When a church is under the govern and rule of one person it is not a Chris tian fellowship church. It is a cult group or organiza tion. If we have been born again we have a great re sponsibility that we are accountable for. We should lity on someone else. We should not let ourselves be come victims of another Jim Jones tragedy. We must follow the teachings of Christ. We must trust God and not man. Christ gave his life to set us free. He paid it all. Now, all to Him we owe. Let us wake up and take our own re sponsibility. OlUe Mae Elder, Member Gethsemane Baptist Speaks Out Against Area Fund ' Dear Editor: As an interested citizen, I am compelled to speak out about the conditions of the Charlotte Area Fund. The Fund has served the citi zens of the county for a number of years. However, lately, it seems that the very people the Fund is supposed to be helping are ( being left out. Some child ren are not getting a “head start" on developing their educational poten tials. I have always thought that a chain is no stronger than its weakest link. It seems to me that the Board should be able to identify the weakest link, do some thing justifiably about it, and move on to serving the citizens who are deserving of the services. What is the Board wait ing for? Sincerely, Anna M. Hood, Chairperson, Social Action Committee WALLS MEMORIAL Walls Memorial AME Zion Church will present its annual Homecoming and Revival services Novem ber 7-12. small business NEWS & VIEWS Evaluating A Franchise Evaluating a franchise is a major re quirement in determining if that specific franchise is best suited for your small business ideas. One of the best sources of information on specific franchise com- • panies is the disclosure document provided by the franchise company to interested buyers. This disclosure document should be closely reviewed by the franchise buyer with the aid of his attorney and accountant. 'The franchise company should have a solid financial position, a satisfactory credit rating, and a good reputation. The franchise company should have been in business long enough to have demonstraated the firm’s expertise and the competitiveness of its products or services. The franchise firms representative should be willing to provide information about the business experience and back ground of the company, its directors, and any executives. Franchise suppliers and bank references also should be contacted. If the company is a public firm, such as McDonalds, me prospective franchise buy er can find information about the firm and its financial performance from a local stock brokerage firm or local library. In addition the buyer should ask specific questions about the franchise. Some of the important questions include: How long has the company sold franchises? How many establishments are company owned? How many are independently owned and ope rated? How many franchise units have been terminated? Why? How many of the com pany’s franchises already operate in the area you are considering? How many more franchises does the company plan to open in your area? Does the company sell other types of franchises that may be competitive to your planned business? Can the com pany’s current franchise owner verify claims about profits and management assistance programs? You should also find out if there are any major complaints lodged against the franchise. You can contact your local and national office of the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., and state business regu lating agencies. The buyer should also make sure that the franchise product or service has been tho roughly tested and is a proven product. The entrepreneur should do his or her own independent market study of the franchise site, and not rely entirely on the franchise company picking a site for your business. An excellent inexpensive booklet on “Buying a Franchise” is available for $2 from the Small Business Administration, Bank of America, Dept. 3401, P. O. Box 37000, San Francisco, CA 94137 (415) 622-2491. Ask for Volume 15, No. 8. In addition you can buy a complete listing of available franchises for $10 called the “Franchise Opportunity Handbook” and a special report on “Franchising in the Eco nomy” for $4.25 by ordering them from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govern ment Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. For additional information contact the Economic Development Division, Center for Improving Mountain Living, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, N.C 28723. THE CHARLOTTE POST Second Class Postage No. 965500 ^ “THE PEOPLE’S NEWSPAPER” Established 1918 Published Every Thursday by The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc. Subscription Rate $15.60 Per Year Send All 3579’s To: 1524 West Blvd., Charlotte, N.C. 28208 Telephone 704-376-0496 Circulation 10,433 _ 104 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, North Carolina Under the Act of March 3,1878 Member, National Newspaper Publishers’ Association _ North Carolina Black Publishers Association Deadline for all news copy and photos is 5 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. 2400 8. Michigan-A ve. 45 W. 45th St.. Suite 1493 Chicago, III. *0*16 New Vork, New York 1003# Cofnmet 5-0200 212-489-1220 From Capitol Hill Manipulation Of The White House Press May Backfire Alfreds L. Madison Special To The Post Recently newspapers and “talk shows” have been severely criticizing the White House press for news reporting and ques tions at the President’s press conferences. Per haps the White House re porters are not really to be blamed. Robert Kaiser, associate editor of the Washington Post related how the White House stages good news. "The fact that the drama is regularly as false as a television opera," said Kaiser. He spoke of how network executives decide whether a President’s ad dress is news or politick ing. Generally, White House reporters are able to distinguish between the two, but most often, their bosses pay little or no at tention to their views, if they run counter to the , White House purpose, ac cording to Kaiser He likened .the White House coverage to a television show which has to have a star. So the President plays the star for television and some big newspapers. Kai ser continued, “the entire system of reporting news in • f 1 this country is distorted by preoccupation with the White House.” It appears the White House uses the networks and some big newspapers in its attempt to mislead the public into ignoring their economic woes and fears of being completely wiped out by nuclear war fare. The White House is telling them to “stay the course” which led to these conditions. The people are constantly being told that prosperity is just around the comer and that they can only be nationally se cure ay naving enouRn nu clear weapons to destroy humanity several times. Although President Rea gan denies that he caters to the rich, his White House press does not exemplify that fact. Previous Admin istrations have allowed all members of the White House press the same op portunity for getting a seat at the daily briefings, and there \yas always a large crowd or reporters in at tendance. Not so, with the Reagan news staff. Only the rich press members have seats and the less affluent press members have to stand. Alfreds L. Madison i-arry speakes. Deputy White House press secre tary who was elevated after James Brady’s acci dent, leaves most press members wishing for Brady’s return. Every morning at 9:15 Speakes has the press in his office for informal discussions, where he usually gives the President’s daily schedule and there are questions and answers. Around midday a daily briefing is held in the briefing room. One White House reporter said Speakes does not have a grasp of what goes on around the White House and he is lacking in world and domestic knowledge. Speakes seems to feel that he is supposed to protect the President from having his actions and motives questioned. Being unable to do that often causes him to lash out at reporters. I'm the only White House and Congressional reporter representing any Black newspapers all across the country • 131 Black week lies. The white press rarely ever gives any considera tion to the concerns of Blacks, so Blacks have to rely on the Black media. Besides covering Congress and the White House, I often have to cover issues relative to Blacks in other places, so I cannot go to the White House everyday. During the Carter Admin istration my White House visits were more frequent than they are now. There are two reasons for that; one is that there is no seat for me at the briefings and the other is Speakes insults and is full of nastiness whenever I ask a question. He has absolutely no con ception of Black concerns and becomes furious when he is faced with questions from Black newspapers. Some White House report ers asked me why did I take Speakes’ nastiness. I told them that I did not want to cause confusion be fore the other press mem bers. Recently, I felt that I had enough of Speakes’ nasti ness. My question, “Larry, when the President went to Richmond, The Washing ton Post said he gave some money to Hampton Insti tute and at the same time he said Trible would con tinue the Byrd tradition. If he gave the money, on that trip, hoping to influence Black votes there seemed a conflict when he spoke of continuing the Byrd tradi tion because Blacks con sider the Byrd tradition as highly racist, so who ad vises the President on Black Issues?” Speakes flew into a rage, “You come down here once a month insulting the Presi dent and questioning his motives. Why don’t you get your facts right. The Pre sident was talking about the Byrd fiscal policy. You come here with your pre judice! views. I’m going to protect this President:” I insisted that the Post said nothing about fiscal. He continued to say that it did. Of course Larry was totally wrong about the Post story. This was before the entire press. The argument got progressively worse for u few minutes. Speakes said, "I get along with the other Black reporters, but you are the only one I can’t get along with ’ There are only two regular Black report ers at the White House - one works for a white paper, the other works for a Black radio station. Per haps Speakes has a line that Black reporters have to walk, and I get out of that line. A CBS reporter told me to continue to come to the White House and ask questions. Changes are greatly needed In the entire White House communication sys tem, and I firmly believe White House reporters are not going to continue to take public criticisms about their questions and their allowing the White House to get away with truth distortions and cam ouflages.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Nov. 4, 1982, edition 1
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