YOUR BEST
ADVERTISING MEDIA
IN THE LUCRATIVE
BLACK MARKET
CALL 376-0496 y/
™E t^HARUVI rEPOBT . ThnrwUy. Februiry U. 1M9 Price: 40 Cents
NCAEOPTo
Fight Tax
Credits’ Bill
The North Carolina Asso
ciation of Educational Of
fice Personnel has taken a
strong stand in opposition
to President Reagan’s
proposed legislation which
would allow parents who
send their children to pri
vate schools to acquire tax
credits for the tuition paid
to these private schools.
In its recent resolution
opposing tuition tax cre
dits, the North Carolina
Association of Educational
Office Personnel. Board of
Directors pointed out that
President Reagan’s posi
tion on tuition tax credits
violates this country’s de
mocratic goal of affording
the opportunity of an equal
education to all of its citi
zens. President Reagan’s
proposal also threatens our
time-honored principle of
separation of church and
state because the majority
of private schools are re
ligion-based.
Martha Prichard, North
Carolina Association of
Educational Office Per
sonnel’s President, re
marked, “In North Carol
ina Governor Hunt has de
dicated this year and next
as The Year of the Public
Schools.’ As individuals
and as an Association,
education office personnel
across our state should ap
/ plaud him for his fore
sight in choosing these
times to show his pride in
and support for public edu
cation. On the other hand, I
am appalled that Presl
'diQWRedgan has proposed
a system of tuition tax
credits which would in ef
fect dismantle one of the
riiost successful, democra
tic educational systems
that the world has ever
known. Adoption of this
federal legislation would
constitute one of the most
dangerous, yet subtle, at
tacks on our democracy
since its creation. Ulti
mately, President Rea
gan’s plan would create a
caste system in our coun
try based on socio-econo
mic status - a vicious
segregation of staggering
proportions. I and my col
leagues stand unalterably
opposed to President Raa
gaa on this issue.’’
Black Democrat
fin Rmckaang
Dinner
The Second annual Meek*
lenburg Black Democrat*
Fund Raising Dinner will
be held March 10 at the G.
_ A. Grime* Student Lounge
on the campus of Johnson
C. Smith University at 7:80
p.m.
She Mecklenburg Black
Unocrat« is sponsoring
ihe 825 per plate dinner In
an effort to raise money to
$>urg Democratic Party.
<Ulph B. Everett, a former
Ernest Hollings of 8outh
from any member of the
Stories inside...... .
- -
_ *
can win Bor*
with your mt* than
your mouth
..
SPARKLING SHAWN PHIFER
‘ 11-year-old ~beauty
Shawn Phifer Is
Beauty Of Week
By Teresa Simmons
Post Managing Editor
There’s a ray of sunshine
that seems to constantly
JUtERHipd our. ll-year-old
beadty, Shawn Hiller.
Even her personality
sparkles with the same
intensity of the sun.
A sixth grader at Hidden
Valley Elementary School,
little Miss Phifer has al
ready formed many spi
ritual values. Together
with her family members
she enjoys attending
church, Greenville
Memorial AME Zion, and
participating in various
church-oriented tasks.
She is a member of the
choir, Buds of Promise,
Girl Scouts, the Usher
Board and is captain of the
basketball cheerleading
squad.
At Hidden Valley Ele
mentary School Miss
Phifer also extends her
talents Into worthwhile
areas. “At school I am in
the band, the Student
Council, and I work on the
school newspaper," Miss
Phifer commented. Also
during awards day our
beauty received a "Super
Attendance” recognition.
With a variety of Inter
ests there are several stand
out hobbies Miss Phifer
refers to when she talks
about having fun. “I like to
skate, sing and cook,
especially cookies and pan
Wlthln the musical arena
Michael Jackson has stolen
Miss Phifer’s heart with his
song and dance. And
what’s this? Miss Phifer
says she enjoys attending
school. “It’s fun; I meet
related.
Another of her pastimes
includes Jan, ballet and
Up lessons at the Mias
Donna School of Dance.
Being involved in dancing
had given our beauty an
edge on physical fltnaaa,
Curriculum Fair
. . „ i.
4301 Sandy Porter Rd, will
sponsor "Curriculum Fair
Night" on Monday, March
21, at 7:Mp.m. TV fair will
include displays of studsnt
work in all trass of tbs
curriculum.
There will be a brief PT A
meeting and student pre
sentation prior to the fair,
held in the school audi
torium. pr
-»■
which seems to be the norm
these days.
Miss Phifer is the daugh
ter of Rev. R. B. Phifer and
Geraldine RbUac.- “My
mother is the person I most
admire. She is very nice.
When I’m bad she corrects
me and she doesn’t fuss a
lot.”
From the religious train
ing Miss Phifer has re
ceived from her father and
mother she has adopted a
sentiment from the Bible:
“I feel that we should do
unto others as we would
have others do unto us.”
The one area Miss Phifer
would like to see changed is
vandalism. “Especially the
vandalism school buildingB
have gone through,” she
continued.
With the gift of intelli
gence, the desire to be
come involved in worth
while projects and the es
sential belief in one
Supreme Being, our beauty
has started down the en
lightening road of life.
Perhaps she is bound to
become a positive entity
along the way.
. • (
Alexander Lambasts
Senators East, Helms
Auto
Insurance
Rate Reduces
Special To The Post
. Raleigh - The North
Carolina Insurance Com
missioner’s Office an
nounced this week that fol
lowing hearings, auto lia
bility property damage and
medical payment coverag
es along with physical da
mage insurance rates, will
be reduced.
According to the two or
ders issued February 18,
one order reduces rates for
property damage for poli
cies ceded to the Reinsur
ance Facility by 13.7 per
cent, and reduces medical
payments coverage ceded
to the facility by 9.4 per
cent.
The second order reduc
es rates for comprehensive
coverage by 8.4 percent
and collision coverage by
11.8 percent,.
The order came follow
ing a second set of hear
ings. According to In
gram’s staff the second set
of hearings were sched
should be reduced, how
ever, it was not possible to
reduce those rates in the
first hearings on the Rate
Bureau’s filing.
The second set of hear
ings allowed the Insurance
Commissioner’s staff more
time to produce additional
evidence. Actuaries were
able to develop calcula
tions which showed that the
Rate Bureau’s loss projec
tions were grossly inaccur
ate, over a period of four to
five years. The Insurance
Commissioner’s actuaries
were able to compare the
Rate Bureau’s predictions
of losses to what actually
occurred.
These reductions will
mean a savings to North
Carolina motorists of more
than $32 million.
Mrs. Mfliri Mavaddat
—Teacher of Baha’i religion
Of Religion Guaranteed
Americans Should Send Up
Special Prayer For Freedom
By Karen Parker
Post Staff Writer
Americans, perhaps,
should send up a special
prayer for freedom of reli
gion guaranteed by the
First Amendment of the
United States Constitution.
They can be Protestants,
Jews, Moslems, Baha’is,
etc., without worry of tor
ture and execution. For the
last religious group men
tioned above, a different
opinion is held by the
Iranian government.
Mihri Mavaddat, a na
tive Iranian and staunch
believer of the Baha’i reli
gion, has witnessed repre
sentatives of the govern
ment exercising late-night
house raids, demolition of
books and papers, and at
tacks on the House of Bab
(birthplace of the Baha’i
faith).
Perhaps the most diffi
cult of all these tragedies
for Mrs. Mavaddat to ac
cept was the death of her
husband. Farhang Mava
ddat was executed before a
firing squad, June 13,1961.
Now and then closing her
eyes, seeming to recall a
vivid image, Mrs. Ma
Beginning March 13
Rev. Smith To Conduct Temple
Chapel’s Pre-Spring Crusade
Thoreau once said “If a
man does not keep pace
with his companion, per
haps it Is because he hears
a different drummer. Let
him step to the music
which he hears, however
measured or far away.”
“Twenty-nine years of
being the pastor of New
Pilgrim Baptist Church,”
this is what the new Pil
grim family fondly thought
of as they observed their
pastor’s anniversary.
Many compare Rev. Nel
li. Smith Jr. with the
<
i
i
-i.-..__
camps oeem
Pilgrim 's pastor
Today Rev. Smith is still
vitality, only newwtthadd
ed spiritual strength. He
will conduct Temple Cha
pel Baptist Church's Pre
Spring Crusade. Temple is
Rev. Nelson Smith Jr.
..ji man ui acuon
located at 000 September
Lane and Is pastored by
Rev. Gene E. Gilmore, D.
D. Minister Services be
gin March 13 at the church.
Rev. Smith carries with
him years of experience
and the desire and wUhrqp
ness to help others. He is
president of Corporation*
and sits on the Board of
Directors of several col
leges. A civil rights ad
vocate Rev. Smith has been
on the front Unas of the
movement as far back as
the 00s. Evan today he
*
offers his time, finances
and New Pilgrim's facili
ties to worthwhile organ
izations.
During the seventies he
taught and preached about
the economic base. This
decade he is teaching about
our economic base as a
people
Over the years he has
placed New Pilgrim on the
national and international
scene. Prom *11.25 in the
treasure and a huge debt,
Rev. Smith has led a dis
couraged and mostly
afraid congregation to a
growing and inspired flock.
Many programs have been
initiated under the lead
ership of Rev. Smith in
cluding an Educational
Foundation, Church on
Wheels, a licensed Day
Care and more.
Traveling abroad Rev.
Smith enjoys proclaiming
the Good News of the Bible *
He has attended the Bap
tist World Alliance Con
gress, Stockholm, Sweden;
the World Council of
Churches in Nairobi, Ken
ya; visited the Holy Land;
served as president of the
prestigious Progressive
National Convention from
1974-76 and has received
numerous honors and
awards.
You are invited to parti
cipate in the Pre-Spring
Crusade at Temple Chapel
Baptist Church to share the
knowledge with Rev. Nel
son Smith and Rev. Oil
more that there Is a God.
Space Leased
For North
Charlotte P.O.
The U.S. Postal Service
ms awarded a contract to
leaae space on North
Oevldson for a North
Charlotte Station postal
Faculty In Charlotte. Post
master Walter E. Crowe
Mid here
The contract was award
ed to Mrs Robbie N.
Wilkes, Mil Bernard
Avenue, Charlotte, NC
vaddat remembered her
husband as "bright, a good
manager and chemical en
gineer, and as someone
always willing to help
others through their trou
bled times.”
In fact, according to Mrs
Mavaddat, the teachings of
the Baha’i religion promote
the oneness of God, the
oneness of religion, the one
ness of mankind, love,
peace and unity. Baha'is
are non-political, though
they obey the laws of their
respective country. "Edu
cation is also very import
ant to us," Mrs. Mavaddat
noted.
Why then is such a
peaceful religious sect
facing hardships that Mrs.
Mavaddat views as inde
scribable? "The Bahai’s in
Iran, A Report on the Per
secutions of a Religious
Group,” explains it as reli
gious prejudice. The report
states: "From its earliest
days, the aims and pur
poses of the Baha’i faith
have been misrepresented
in Iran, where it has been
portrayed as a herectical
sect of Islam, actively
engaged in designs to over
throw Islam in its exist
ing form.
Mr*. Mavaddat, who is
travelling to several Ame
rican sites to publicize the
Baha’is’ experiences,
denies- the religious com
munity wants to overthrow
the Moslem religion.
Yet, the over three mill
ion Baha’is in Iran contin
ue to be arrested and often
executed for not rejecting
the religion they believe In
wholeheartedly. Since
July, 1978 many Baha'is
have been kidnapped,
burned, Imprisoned,
executed and assassinated •
for their belief and support
of the Baha’i community.
The numbers of such inci
dents reportedly incretoe
each day.
“The Iranian media will
report that the victims
See AMERICANS rage 14
Lawmakers
Hurt Whites
And Blacks
By Andrew V. McCorkle
Post Staff Writer
The time is politically
right for the Charlotte
chapter of the NAACP to
expand its membership
rolls, said Kelly Alexander
Jr., president.
The Reagan Administra
tion, coupled with far right
U S. Senators John East
(R-NC) and Jesse Helms
(R-NC), have hurt both
blacks and whites by their
ultra conservative policies,
explained Alexander.
“Reagan is willing to
tolerate high levels of un
employment when 50 per
cent of the black commun
ity is unemployed. That’s
too high a price to pay to
slow down inflation,” Alex
ander said in a telephone
interview.
Alexander also lambast
ed Senators East and
Helms, calling Helms
"inept” and saying that
neither lawmaker repre
sents the majority of North'
Carolinians because they
are too extreme.
People who are moderate
in North Carolina have no
representation in the
Senate, he emphasized.
However, Kelly said that
his organization would not
endorse candidates at elec
tion time nor tell voters
who to vote for.
"What we try to do is
educate people,” Kelly ex
plained. "We think an in
formed voter will draw his
own conclusions and make
the right decisions.”
His office receives calls
daily. Alexander pointed
out, concerning jobs and
alleged discrimination in
layoffs.
“In different economic
times the black community
disproportionately suf
fers,” he said, “because we
were the last to get equity
in the system, we tend to be
the first ones to go.”
One of the concerns of the
NAACP is a national eco
nomic program that would
aid in black economic de
velopment, he explained.
Alexander said that organ
ization officials will par
ticipate in a conference in
Charlotte on April 15-16
focusing on the issue
Alexander said that the
local chapter wants to in
crease its basic member
ship by 2,000 members
There are about 1,000 mem
bers currently.
“Sure it’s a high goal, but
1 don’t think it's an un
obtainable goal," he said
“It’s probably the largest
effort in the state.”
Organization officials
have contacted businesses,
churches, and social and
fraternal groups to help -
boost membership
Alexander said the re
sponse has been positive.
"One of the local chib
owners is donating an
evening every week in
March as a night when an
NAACP member can come
free, aa a way to encour
age people to join,” he
explained
Long having a reputation J
for champtonii^ the catwes -
of black people through the iZ
courts, the civil rights
organisation is not target
ting iU campaign at blacks S
See ALEXANDER Pg. > g