s^yHE CHARLi ITTE POST Hr
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^ _Vo.Ume 9, ^ ~ THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, August 4, 1983 ” Price- to Cents
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Large Churches
Mrs. Sarah Lee
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Medium Churches
Ms. Mattie Caldwell
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Small Churches
Ms. Catherine Davis
The Charlotte Post's Third "Churchwoman Of The Year” Contest Is Undenvar^
-See Stories On Pages IB, 3B, 6B, 8B & 11B
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See Story On Page 4
SYBIL OWENS
".Dreams of becoming famous
Sybil Owens Already Painting
Her Name Among Top Stars
By Teresa Simmons
Post Managing Editor
Singing, acting, model
ing and even playing
piano are talents of our
beauty, Sybil Owens. A
rising 10th grader at West
Charlotte High School,
Miss Owens has started al
ready to paint her name
among the stars. Her
dj^m is to become fa
This outcome is not out of
the grasp of Miss Owens. “I
think one should do their
very best at whatever they
set out to do and fulfill their
highest dreams. If a chal
lenge awaits you, see it to
the end.”
And that is exactly what
our beauty plans to do with
Her career objectives.
“I would like to attend
acting school. I just com
pleted Barbizon Modeling
School and I would like to
become a professional
model and actress.”
Standing 54” at 114
pounds with the flare of
excitment surrounding her
Miss Owens has a good
chance to break into the
changing roles of the model
arena and the talent to
create a character at will
as an actress.
At Coulwood last school
term Miss Owens was on
the varsity cheerleading
squad, sang on the chorus
and played the clarinet in
the band.
She also sings on the
Junior Choir at Tabernacle
Baptist Church, Rev.
Walter Rorie pastor. She
♦ill soon begin playing the
flano for the Junior Choir
dt the church. Her favorite
♦wig is the PTL version of
"Lord Lift Me Up Where I
Belong.”
Already Miss Owens' at
titusk towards success has
md)Red her many awards
and honors She was cho
sen to model at a Bar
biion Modeling School
—IPPP——————■—
TUKTlFttfA
The man who moved the
I 1 7
pieces.
affair; at Queen College to
raise money for an ailing
child; and at Charlottetown
Mall. She also received an
award of excellence from
Barbizon and an award for
excellence for band and
piano. She is now taking
piano lessons from Charles
McRay.
The daughter of Barbara
Crawford and the late
William David Owens Sr.
our beauty has one brother,
William Owens and one
sister, Robby Bridges.
“I most admire my
mother. Through every
thing our family has been
through she has kept us up
and raised us well,” Miss
Owens submitted.
Being a Leo Miss Owens
considers herself outgoing,
friendly and open-minded
“But there is something
that needs to be changed in
our society,” she comment
ed. “There should be more
Blacks in political offices.
We have Blacks who could
accomplish more - not just
because of their color but
because of their abilities
and their beliefs. They
could make some positive
changes if they were given
the chance,” she projected.
Leadership ability, cha
risma and the desire to
reach one’s goals are all
attributes of Miss Owens
With them tucked firmly
under her belt and with a
tip of her hat, before long
the name Sybil Owens will
be in lights and the young
lady bound for fame
Dilworth Jubilee
The 11th annual Dilworth
Jubilee will be held Satur
day, August 13, in Latta
Park. The Jubilee is spon
sored by the Dilworth
Community Development
Association, and the public
is invited
Most events will take
place from 10 a.m. - 4 p m.
There will be foqd, enter
tainment, art and crafts for
sale, children’s activities, a
road race, and much more
And, as always, the popu
lar Dilworth Home Tour is
back. In addition to the
Saturday tour hours the
tour has been extended to
include Fridav night.
For more information,
contact Marion Meginnis,
375-2262, or 374-3902; or
Carl Johnson, 372-6694 or
377-2536.
Whites Given Monopoly
To Sell Motown Records
-
USDA
To Revise
Food Plan
Washington - Secretary
of Agriculture John R.
Block this week announced
proposed changes in the
thrifty food plan, the plan
upon which food stamp
allotments are based. He
said the revisions would
result in people getting
more nutritious meals at
low cost.
The thrifty plan is the
least costly of four food
plans developed in 1975 by
the US. Department of
Agriculture’s Human Nu
trition Information Ser
vice. Foods in the plan,
based on the eating habits
of families with relatively
low food costs, allow for a
nutritious and economical
diet.
“We are revising the food
plan because of updated
information on food prices,
food consumption, the nu
tritive value of foods and
human nutritional require
ment that have become
available since the thrifty
food plan was developed,”
Block said.
The proposed plan con
tains larger quantities of
meat, dry beans, vege
tables, fruit, cereal and
flour for many age groups
than are called for in the
1975 thrifty food plan.
These changes help pro
vide desired levels of fo
lacin, zinc and nutrients
not considered in the
earlier plan.
“The changes in the plan
are very important,”
Block said. “Knowledge
about nutritive value of
foods and human nutrition
See USDA On Page 7
Pictured with Mr. Hooks and Dr. Hughes
are: seated (L-R) Scott Wallace, Sr. Vice
President, Brown & Williamson Tobacco
Corporation; and Kelly Alexander Sr.,
Vice C hairman, NAACP Board of Direc
tors. (Second row L-R) John Johnson
President NAACP KentucT^Taiite-Con
ference: Kelly Alexander Jr„ N'AAC'P;
Fred Kasheed. Director of the NAAC P
National Fair Share Program; Michael
Bateman, B&W's Manager, Minority
Affairs: and Sidney Finley. Chicago
Regional Fair Share Program.
Blacks Ur^ 1 To Use Buying
Power To Fight Racism
ny rvaren rarKer
Post Staff Writer
From national offices to
local ones Black-interest
organizations are advising
Black communities to use
their buying power to fight
racial discrimination.
Benjamin Hooks of the
NAACP recently spoke of
financial institutions, and
stated: "If they don't re
spond, we will take direct
action through withdrawal
of our patronage or infor
mational picketing ”
Specifically, when these
organization speak of dis
crimination they are re
ferring to those stores and
Local Officers Say:
Black Policemen Here Not
Experiencing Race Problems
By Karen Parker
Post Staff Writer
larcenies, domestic pro
blems, vehicle accidents,
drug deals and much more
keep emergency sirens
screeching and the police
man’s adrenalin flowing at
high capacity.
Undoubtedly there are a
number of factors which
might prove stressful to a
policeman as he or she
performs a day's work.
Probably the last problem
an officer needs to contend
with is racial indifferenc
es among co-workers.
Perhaps out of luck or an
environment with excep
tional work relations, some
officers with the Charlotte
Police Department aren't
experiencing any racial
stress. Interviews with
Sgts Rudy Torrence, Bob
Erwin and officer Charles
McGirt revealed they
aren't undergoing any
more stress problems than
their White fellow officers
«
8gt. Bob Erwin
.No racial conflict*
are subjected to.
Torrence, who has been a
Charlotte policeman since
1955 stated, for a while the
"old school was a different
story.’’ During the late 50s
through the early 70s, Sgt
Torrence admitted to some
discrimination related to
assignments, promotions
and social benefits.
According to Torrence,
through the North State
Law Enforcement Officers
Sgt. Rudy Torrence
.Youth Bureau
Association, an interest
group for Black police of
ficers, job improvements
were achieved in all those
situations. “Before 1971
only two Blacks were pro
moted to sergeant in the
history of the department,"
Torrence stated. There
were some Blacks who had
the title of supervisor, but
they had no true supervi
sory responsibility,” the
law enforcer continued
- * #
The Association filed a
law suit and in 1974 the
number of Black sergeants
immediately increased
from two to seven.
Torrence has advanced
from patrol divisions to
community relations, in
vestigations, and presently
works in the Youth Bu
reau.
Sgt Bob Erwin, who has
been with the police force
for nearly six years, didn’t
experience the law suits or
discrimination that Tor
rence did earlier in the 70s.
He joined the force shortly
after those settlements
were made and feels that
racial problems of that
status have not reoccurred.
According to Sgt Erwin
the stress problems that he
face are those which most
policemen of all races face
-dealing with the maior ills
of society.
After a short six months
See BLACK on Page 4
omer businesses which
would not continue to exist
if Blacks no longer patron
ize them. According to ci
vil rights leaders many of
these businesses are the
ones guilty of failing to hire
Blacks to work in their
businesses.
When it comes to Black
supply businesses, es
pecially small businesses,
larger corporations have
been accused of not pur
chasing supplies from
them.
A more tangible defini
tion of racial discrimin
ation was presented by
syndicated columnist Dr
Charles Faulkner when he
wrote, “Although Blacks
constitute 10 to 12 percent
of the population in this
country, they purchase up
to 40 percent of certain
products. Radios, tape re
corders, cassette tapes,
liquor and similar pro
ducts are purchased in dis
proportionately large
amounts by Black con
sumers.
in spite of the many
charges brought against
non-Blacks about racial
discrimination, Faulkner,
NAACP leaders and
others seem to agree that
it's up to Blacks to join
forces economically in
order to break the barriers
of racism.
In last week's article
about Black buying power,
L.C. Coleman, owner of
Coleman Westside Sun
dries stressed monetary
education among Blacks
needs to be acquired more
In a more recent interview,
Coleman presented one
way on which this edu
cation process might de
velop.
"We need a local Ope
ration PUSH organiza
tion,” Coleman stated In
Charlotte. Black churches
have large congregations;
therefore, ministers can
get to the Black populace
faster than most of the
other local organizations in
the community." he con
tinued.
Presently, Operation
PUSH has jO local chap
ters across the nation. The
12-year-old organization
headed by Rev. Jesse
Jackson, is dedicated to the
economic, social and poli
tical parity of Blacks and
other minorities.
Coleman feels such an
organization in Charlotte is
the fastest and most ef
fective way to get to the
majority of Blacks in
Charlotte and provide them
with “the skills that will
assure economic clout in
this area." The business
man pointed out planning
and consistency will bring
about positive results.
The local NAACP is ex
pected to demonstrate
Black political clout soon
when it asks Black con
sumers to spend about five
days making all their pur
chases with Susan B An
thony coins Through pri
vate businesses and the
Federal Reserve, Black
economical influence will
be measured This.tactic
was tested in Columbia.
S.C. where nearly $t 7
million was spent by Black
consumers in about three
days.
Apparently those mill
ions of dollars are just a
small demonstration of
Blacks' buying power Dr
Faulkner pointed out
Blacks, as a group, spend
more money for goods and
services in this country
than most other countries
do
Bobby Lowery, owner of
Better Cleaning Janitor
Service, Inc., wants to see
Blacks practice more co
operative buying He. like
Dr. Faulkner, believes
“If Black entrepreneurs
would join together and
purchase their goods si
multaneously and in large
quanities from the same
See BLACKS On Page 1«
Black Radio
People Are
Protesting
By Bill Lane
Spec ial To The Post
..Hollywood - In a move
viewed as posing a serious
threat to the financial
future of Motown Records,
a Maryland Circuit Court
judge has ruled that
Motown is not to sell its
recordings in Maryland,
Virginia, Washington, D C
and parts of New Jersey
Pennsylvania, West Vir
ginia and Delaware unless
it sells them through the
exclusive sales facilities of
the white-owned Schwartz
Brothers combine
The controversial ruling,
by Prince George's County
Judge Arthir Ahalt has not
only upset the nanon’s lar
gest Black-owned record
company but has also
created a strong uproar
among the Eastern Sea
board's region's many
Black record store owners
and numerous Black radio
disc jockeys
Ruling Kndangers
Black store owners say
the ruling endangers nhetr—
getting Motown records on
time and at competitive
prices Black radio people
are protesting that they
will be hampered in play
ing on the air recordings of
Motown stars like Stevie
Wonder. Kick James. Lion
el Richie, DeBarge, and
Smokey Robinson in that
Rlack record consumers
will often be unable to find
the recordings at their
Black-owned neighborhood
record stores
The area for exclusive
sales awarded Schwartz
Bros, by Judge Ahalt has a
huge concentration of
Black consumers It con
tains six of the top 2!3
Black-oriented radio sta
tions in the United States,
and is servired by scores of
Black-owned, one-stop and
small chain “Mom ‘n’
Pop" record retail stores
The court has ruled that
Motown records can now
only be purchased through
the Schwartz Bros , Har
mony Hut and Tidewater
outlets, most of which are
located in suburban shop
ping centers
nciuic uitr i unrig
Schwartz was just one of
many area retail and
wholesale outlets offering
Motwn records and tapes to
the general public.
Schwartz Bros., owner
James Schwartz, whose ex
pansive new entertainment
center in Maryland was
purchased through tax-sup
ported revenue bonds,
claimed to the coirt that he
had been given by Motown
founder Barry Gordy Jr.
distribution rights for Mo
town records covering the
mid-Atlantic region back in
1959, in an oral agreement.
He said no written agree
ment ever existed.
Recently, however, Mo
town terminated its regu
See WHITES On Page M
I . *