North Carolina Newspapers

PUBLIC LORY CF 310 N. Tryon Street Charlotte, SC 26202 * \JUL2 2 883 NOW SERVING CABARRUS AND ROWAN ' BEST COUNTIES AD' ERTISING MEDIA — IN THE LUCRATIVE BLACK MARKET CALL 376-0496 Volume 9, Number 6 1 ---THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, July 21. 1983 Price: 40 Cents Democrats Plan For Convention North Carolina will send a record number of dele gates to the Democratic National Convention in 1984, Senator Russell Walk er, State Democratic Chairman, told members of the Party’s Executive -Committee today. Com whittee members subse quently approved a plan to govern selection of the state’s delegates to the Na tional Convention, which will be held in San Fran cisco in July, 1984. “North Carolina will se lect 88 delegates and 29 alternates,” Walker noted. “The number of delegates assigned to the state is larger than it has ever been, mainly because of North Carolina’s relative ly large vote for Demo cratic candidates in 1960.” The figure also reflects the work of the Democratic National Committee’s Commission on Presiden tial Nomination, chaired by Governor J. B. Hunt. The Hunt Commission, Walker pointed out, created ad ditional slots to insure that the Party’s top elected of ficials would become in volved in the national con vention. Fifty-one of the delegates will be elected at conven tions in the state’s eleven congressional districts on June 2, 1984.' - Republicans Schedule Hearings Raleigh - Republican le gislators and party offi cSus will conduct a series of public hearings through out the state to develop an educational program for the next decade. Representative Betsy Co chrane, Davie County, re vealed plans for the party’s Education Commission of the 80s at a Raleigh news conference. She is vice chairman of the legisla ture’s joint Republican caucus. “Republicans are totally committed to education at all levels,” Represent ative Cochrane said. "We want an education system to meet the demands of the present and the future, and to assure that our teachers will be both well paid and wed qualified." The GOP Commission will be made up of school board members, teachers, university and community college representatives, professional education groups, business leaders, and the leadership of the Republican legislative de legation. Between now and Sep tember the commission will be meeting to estab lish guidelines to identify specific North Carolina is sues that must be ad dressed. By Labor Day, the commission will announce datttf and places of public he Wings across the state to seek input from parents, .educators and concerned citizens tUKUMMA Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves t Linda Ferguson .ProudHumanitarian Linda Ferguson Is Beauty Of Week By Teresa Simmons Post Managing Editor Linda Ferguson is a lady of class and dignity, yet she is not too proud to be a humanitarian. Remember the television series “Father Knows Best”? All the kids in the neighborhood would spend time there because it felt cozy. Mrs. Ferguson’s home is the same. It seems that love bellows from its roof to the basement and whenever she has spare time she doesn’t mind donating it to teens in the neighborhood. “I like people and like to read people and find out what makes them tick and their interests,” Mrs. Fer guson began. “I like to impress upon others to never say you can’t do something. If there is a will there is a way. If you have trust in the Lord, He will make a way.” Because of her love for people and the desire to share her golden know ledge about God she has taken on the position of mentor for a group of musically inclined young adults. Right now the Hampshire Hills gang is in the stages of producing a musical program for their parents. It gives me a lot of pleasure working with them. They will be trying to perform at parks and dances. I think having the group keeps them out of trouble and gives them something to strive for." Mrs. Ferguson takes her love for people a step fur ther and has incorporated her personality into a mar ketable profession. She is presently the Administra tive Assistant of Motion. Inc., a housing renovation and developing company. She attended Spingarn High School and the Stray er Business College grad uating with a degree In Business Management with a minor in Secretarial Science. She has also com pleted various courses and seminars to advance her knowledge of the business domain. "My job is a high pressure one but I love the secretarial field You have to be very patient and diplomatic when you are dealing with different per sonalities, you can’t treat everyone the same." One of her favorite peo ple is her employer^Emest rhyocal Day The North Mecklenburg Booster Chib will upon ■or “physical day” for all North High athletes for the 1989-84 season on Friday, July a», at 4 p m at the North Meek Family Prac tice office in Huntersville on Hwy. 118. .4 Alford. “He is my teacher, friend and guidance coun selor, all rolled into one.” The top position, next to God, however belongs to her family. Her husband, Calvin Ferguson, is the owner of the Cal-Do Photo graphies. “He’s my biggest fan and supporter, and also my best friend,” Mrs. Ferguson stated. The cou ple has three children - La wanda, Leslie and David. Mrs. Ferguson’s hobbies include spending time with her family, reading and hooking rugs. She recently joined Ebenezer Baptist Church. She and her fa mily have lived in Char lotte for only two years. When she first arrived in Charlotte she used Tem porary Job Agencies to find employment. This led to an interview with freelance writer Vanessa Gallman. Mrs. Ferguson was fea tured in the June issue of ESSENCE magazine ex plaining her experiences with the agencies. “I re commend temporary job agencies mainly to college students for working expe rience or for people who are looking around before they actually settle down; for teenagers who want their working skills put into action; for others who de sire a flexible working schedule and training in various areas.” People like Mrs. Fergu son are a rare essense. To find someone with both intelligence and genuine interest in human kind is a tremendous treat. Eugene Marsh Believes Meeting The Challenges Of 80’s Will Be Difficult Task In Charlotte By Karen Parker Post Staff Writer In his announcement to run for city council last month, Eugene Marsh assured listeners “Meeting the challenges of the 80s will be a difficult task in Charlotte." The candidate for Dis trict Three promised win or lose he will be "genuinely responsive to the district and genuinely responsive to the citizens of Char lotte.” When asked what he views the challenges of the 80s to be in the city, Marsh was particularly concerned with public housing, crime and unem. ployment In District Three, Marsh believes some of the hous ing of the poor and the 2,000 Delegates To Attend Convention Here Tax Nr^ es -ng Mailed This Week! The City- County Tax Collector’s Office will be gin mailing approximately 200,000 property tax bills Thursday, July 21, accord ing to J. A. Stone, Tax Collector and Tax Supervi sor. Stone said his staff will continue the mailing ope ration through Friday, July 22, and Monday, July 25. All bills should be re ceived by Tuesday, July 26, he added. Property owners whose assessment is under appeal will not receive their bills at this time, Stone said. Also, you will not re ceive a property tax bill if your property taxes are be ing escrowed by the com pany that holds your mort gage; the bill will be sent, instead, to the mortgage company. Stone said that bills are being mailed ear'y this year in an effort to provide property owners with in formation about the amount they will be paying as the result of the 1983 property revaluation in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Both City and County pro perty tax rates were re duced - the City rate from 90.5 cents to 63 cents and the County rate from 91.7 cents to 62 cents per $100 assessed valuation - as a result of revaluation. The combined City-County tax rate this year is $1.25 per $100 assessed valuation. Property tax payments are due September 1 and must be received in the Tax Collector’s Office by Jan uary 5,1984. Persons whose payments are late will be charged an interest of 2 percent the first month (January, 1984) and % per cent every month there after until the bill is paid. Call the Tax Collector’s Office, 374-2813, if you have a question about how to pay your bill. You are encour aged to pay by mail. The payment card and check or money order must be sent to the City-County Tax Collector, P. O. Box 31457, Charlotte, N.C. 28231. EUGENE “PETE” COPELAND —J^eai'es BennettsviUe Department Controversial Police Chief Eugene Copeland Retires Many Charlotteans are familiar with Eugene “Pete” Copeland Jr., a native of Bennetsville, S.C. Copeland was Chief of Police of the Bennetsville Police Department since 1973. He joined the staff July 4, 1953 and received promotions to sergeant, lieutenant, and captain. He retired officially July 4 of this year after 30 years of service. Chief Copeland was cited by the South Carolina House of Representatives by a concurrent resolution as being the first Black Chief of Police in South Carolina. The son of Eugene and Donella Copeland, Cope land is a graduate of Marl boro Training High School (1945), A&T State Univer sity, Greensboro, with a B.S. Degree in Business Administration and the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, Colum bia, S.C. He is member of the Macedonia Baptist Church where he sings on the Senior Choir and is presi dent of the Male Chorus. He was also recently appoint ed a Trustee of the church. His other affiliations in clude: Landmark Masonic Lodge No. 16; he is a 32nd Degree Mason; a Shriner and Worthy Patron for Queen of Sheba Chapter No. 5 Order of Eastern Star; member of the Ame rican Legion Post 213; Board member of the United Fund; Mental Health Association; the American Red Cross; and Cheraw Alumni Chapter Kappa Alpha Psi Fratern ity. He holds professional memberships in the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers' Association, Pal metto State Law Enforce ment Officers' Association and the International As sociation of Police Chiefs. Chief Copeland is the recipient of numerous awards from various pro fessional and community organizations. He has been cited twice as "Lawman of the Year” by WBSC and has received other awards for outstanding citizenship and service to the City of Believobility Rate High Blacks Turning More To “Their” Newspapers As Blacks feel more acti vist than they have in 20 years, they are turning to Black weekly newspapers for news and views of the Black community. So said Tony Brown, a prominent Black news paper journalist and host of the public TV program "Tony Brown’s Journal" at a reception at the recent convention in Gary, Ind. of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. "Black newspapers offer a unique and timely voice for Black aspirations and concerns and they comple ment the White-owned dail ies, not compete with them," Brown said at the reception where he helped Eugene Marsh .CKy Council candidate elderly needs to be im proved through renovation An Increase in housing is another problem which Marsh addressed. He stated he would like to see an improvement in public transportation as well as 4 the establishment of parks and other recreational fa cilities in District Three. Tp diminish the number of serious crimes in the dis trict, Marsh deduced, "Our community must join forces with the local au thorities and within our own neighborhood to com bat crime--by having more Neighborhood Watch par ticipation." Marsh men tioned crime and poor housing have a reciproca ting effect and both need serious attention. The city council candi date implied he wants to attack unemployment in District Three by attract ing new businesses to the area. To prepare residents for those jobs he foresees initiating a training pro I gram. The third district, which is southwest Char lotte, is comprised of 15,000 registered voters ac cording to Marsh. Sixty percent of those are report ed to be Black citizens. As part of his campaign drive, Marsh has distribut ed questionnaires to resi dents throughout the dis trict. "I want to give them the opportunity to organize and decide what their com munity needs," Marsh ex plained. "Then I want to be their spokesman, their avenue to fulfilling their needs.” According to Marsh, some city council people in the past have assumed what a community needs without first seeking the See MEETING Page 11 Bennetsville and the State of South Carolina. He was listed in the 1975 edition of Outstanding Americans in the South. He was recently honored by McDonald’s as “Sound Citizen” of the week and appointed to the Governor’s Committee on Criminal Justice, Crime and Delinquency. He has also been a member of the Bennetsville Kiwanis Club since 1977. Chief Copeland has many friends and relatives in Charlotte. They wish him a happy retirement and con gratulate him on a superb and effective career. greet newspaper owners and executives, many of whom carry his syndicated column. With Blacks becoming activists again as they feel their gains are being threatened, they are turn ing to the weekly news papers owned by members of their own race. Brown said. “For Blacks, the si tuation is crucial - it's a matter of survival," he stressed He said Blacks perceive their gains being last in what has become a re actionary conservative pe riod. “It isn’t just President Reagan - it’s a mood that has set in over the country and Blacks see it as a threat to these best inter ests,” said Brown “So we are looking more toward our Black institutions, and that includes Black-owned newspapers, for answers and guidance.” The evidence of Black ac tivism, said Brown, is seen in the threat of Black lead ers to bolt the Democratic Party and a new emphasis on using Blacks’ purchas ing power to achieve social gains. Brown, whose syndicated column appears in more than 100 Black news papers, said Black news papers carry atop rating for one thing in the Black community, and that is •‘believability.” Black papers, he con tinued, carry the "nuts and grits of Black opinion," something he says Blacks cannot necessarily get in White-owned papers. "The Black community is a cohesive unit and it trusts and believes in Black newspapers as their source of opinion," said Brown, who added that the Black press doesn't feel the same See BLACK8 on Page 13 Ebenezer Church To | Host Meet Ebenezer Baptist Church will host the 99th Annual Session of the Woman’s Home and Foreign Mis sionary Convention of North Carolina Auxiliary to the General Baptist State Convention July 25-28. Three to four thousand de legates are expected to at tend this educational and spiritually filled conven tion. Prior to the convention on July 24 a pre-conven tion Mass Choir concert will be held at Ebenezer Baptist Church at 7 p m The church is located at 733 East Trade Street. The choir will be composed of voices from various Bap tist churches in the asso ciation. The public is cor dially invited to attend All other activities of the convention will be held at the Civic Center and the Radisson Plaza Hotel. The Senior. Young Adult and the Youth Depart ments of the convention will be featured in sessions involving various speak ers, lectures, sermons, worship services and class es surrounding the theme "Shaping the World Through Christian Influ ence.” On Monday evening during the banquet at 6, Dr Ethel Gordon will deliver the keynote address. Dr Gordon is the historian of Woman’s Convention Auxi liary of the National Bap tist Convention USA of Columbia, S.C. Tuesday at 7 pm a wel come program sponsored by Ebenezer Baptist Church, host church, and the pastor. Rev Dr A B Sutton, will be held Dig nitaries, politicians and re presentatives of the city will be present to bring greetings Another highlight of the session includes the Presi dent’s Address b>»the pre sident of the Woman’s Bap tist Home and Foreign Mis-' sionary Conventional Auxi liary to the General Bap tist State Convention, Thelma Horton She is the wife of Rev I B Horton, pastor of First Baptist Church of Goldsboro. Also present at the ses sion will be the Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Women’s Home and Fo reign Missionary Conven tion, Dr Priscilla Brodie. Dr Brodie is well known around the city as a fluent speaker and Christian lady She is a former pro fessor at Shaw University, the daughter of a Baptist minister and a renowned, eloquent speaker Under Dr Brodie’s leadership the Women’s Home and Fo reign Missionary Conven tion of N.C. has shown tremendous growth. No doubt this convention would not have been held in Charlotte if it were not for the open hearts of the members and pastor of Ebenetter Baptist Church. “1 was asked by the convention officers to host the convention. 1 felt it was a challenge for myself and the church and I accepted the challenge. It is also exposure for our city," Sut ton stated proudly