=_ THE CHARLOTTE Pi >ST TUP
_CALL 378-0496
*71te Voice TJf 1 tie Blacls Txmununilx ** —■
Volume 9, Number 27 THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday. December IS. 1983 : in U
An Ecumenical Festival
9B3 Of Love-“Evangelism At
wuRoCHwiistmas” Scheduled
am_ See Page 6A . '
" Tragedy Makes
Exceptions
To No One
Story On Page ISA
Wives Of Successful
Men Should Put
Jealousy Aside
Story On Page 17A
Mrs. Dannelly
Women
Consumers
Wield Clout
“It’s beginning to look a
lot like Christmas’’ as
shoppers fill the stores and
shopping malls. More
goods and services are pur
chased during this month
than in any month of the
year. —
Eighty percent of those
goods, and all goods in the
U.S., are purchased by
women, participants of the
recent Governor's Confer
ence on Women and the
Economy learned.
——^Womon-have a. tre
mendous amount of econo
mic clout,” Laura Carpen
ter Bignham, conference
director, said. “We need to
be aware of this clout, and
to exercise it to the best
benefit of our families and
ourselves."
The conference, held
October 31 - November 2,
drew 1,000 women and men
to Raleigh to discuss 111
recommendations affect
ing women and their rela
tionship to the economy.
The recommendations
were presented to confer
ence participants by the
150-member N.C. Assem
bly on Women and the
Economy. They represent
ed six months of work by
the assembly and input
from N.C. citizens. Chan
^Jges and additions were
made to the recommend
ations during the confer
ence, an the N.C. Assem
bly will issue final recom
mendations in a report
early next year.
“We have learned that
women are an important
economic force #in this
—country, "Binghamsaid.
“The final recommend
ations will help women
make that force a more
productive one.”
For more information,
contact the North Carolina
Department of Administra
tion.
J.C Smith
Holiday
Schedule
Johnson C. Smith Uni
versity will finish final ex
aminations Thursday, De
cember 15. Residence and
dining halls will close from
December 18 - January 9.
Freshmen and new trans
fers will undergo an ori
entation program on Jan
uary 9-10. Registration for
all students will be from
January 11-13. First day of
classes for spring semester
and the last day to enter
..school will be Tuesday,
• January 17. Non-academic
personnel will continue to
shoulder the ox yoke
through Thursday, Decem
ber 22. Most will return to
work on Tuesday, January
3.
The greatest truths
are the simplest; and so
are the greatest men.
Lovely Yolanda Foster
.North Meek majorette
Yolanda Foster
Is Beauty Of Week
By Teresa Simmons
Post Managing Editor
Many times what we ex
pect out-of life is served on
a platter of dissatisfaction.
Alas, it’s not what we ex
pect at all in life that is
important, it is whether or
not we can withstand
reality.
In the case of our beauty
Yolanda Foster, a 12th
grade student at North
Mecklenburg, it is her
belief in God that has
helped her to keep faith in
herself. Even at this youth
ful age Ms. Foster has
.realized the importance of
placing God first and then
having the self confidence
to fulfill her dreams. -
“You have to believe in
yourself and keep striving
for the very best in life,”
Ms. Foster commented.
The head majorette.
North Mecklenburg, Ms.
Foster aspires to enter the
business field and perhaps
land a job in some aspect of
advertising. She would like
to attend either the Uni
versity of North Carolina at
Charlotte or Lenoir-Rhyne
College.
“I am the type of person
who communicates well
with others,’’ she contin
ued. “At times I am quiet,
but I am very outgoing and
easy to get along with.”
Her parents, James and
Frances Foster, have
raised their daughter to be
inquisitive and adventur
ous. “There are times
when my life is Siting,”
Ms. Foster beamed. In ad
dition to being head ma
jorette at North Mecklen
burg, she is also in the
French Club and Project
Aires, plays clarinet in the
band, is a member of the
Student Council and Stu
dents In Action For Edu
cation. She participated in
the Inrodes Pre-Colleglate
Program at UNCC (for
students with a 3.0 grade
average or better) and was
First Aid
The Greater Carolines
Chapter of the American
Red Cross will offer an
"Advanced First Aid And
Emergency Care” course
for persons who give emer
gency care to sick and
injured.
The course will be held
Thursday, January 5 • May
24. Classes meet at the Red
Cross, 2425 Park Road,
Charlotte. The course fqe is
$28.38.
chosen to be a debutante in
the 1983-84 Delta Sigma
Theta Debutante Ball. She
has also been chosen to be
included in Who’s Who
Among American High
School Students.
At Torrence Chapel AME
Zion Church where Rev.
Sidney Waddell pastors,
our beauty is a member of
the Stroller Gospel Choir,
the Young Adult Mission
ary Department and works
.in the church's nursery on
occasion.
Reading mysteries and
love stories, ice skating,
dancing.and .twirling • the
baton are all pastimes Ms.
Foster enjoys. She start
ed taking baton lessons
when she was in the third
grade. Her instructor for
several years was I^oretta
Gloede.
With several accomplish
ments achieved, one could
assume that Ms. Foster's
belief in her inner strength
has been the cause. From
her mother, who is the
person she most admires,
Ms. Foster has learned to
accomplish the goals she
sets for herself. “Those are
the most important things
in life,” Ms. Foster re
vealed, “to believe in God
and to keep believing in
yourself."
But Political Progress Stalls
Black Majority Counties
Blacks Have
Economic
Clout
By Loretta Manago
Post Staff Writer
According to Tony Crum
bley, Research manager at
the Charlotte Chamber of
Commerce, thel980 Census
reports hold some very
interesting facts for blacks
ttvfrrg—m—Mecklenburg '
- County - economically,
educationally and in popu ,
kit ion growth.
The total spendable in
come of blacks in Meck
lenburg County stands at
the extraordinary figure of
$500 million or 14,517 per
person. Seen singularly the
figure isn’t very impres
sive, but collectively is
where the strength lies.
That total, which repre
sents 18 percent of the total
$2'2 billion spent in Meck
lenburg County, equals half
the sum amount of spend
•able income in the states of
Delaware, Wyoming or
Vermont.
With this economic
strength Crumbley assert
ed that when it comes to
companies projecting posi
tive images in advertising
and hiring practices, the
black dollar cannot be ig
nored. “It’s a lot of money
• $500 million) and obvious
ly it has to be considered;
it’s a significant part of the
County.
Information on how that
income is broken down for
blacks was not available,
but Crumbley was able to
provide an expenditure
breakdown of another seg
ment of the population -
white-oriented upper man
agement; 17 percent
er BLACKS On Page 13A
REV. H. & DIGGS
—Accepts challenge
Groundbreaking Ceremony
Set For $2 Million Project
The Mayfield Memorial
Baptist Church, as spon
sors, applied for and re
ceived a loan of $2 million
from the U.S. government
agency HUD for the May
XtfJd_Memorial Apart
ments. Accor3Thg"To"Rev."
H.S. Diggs, the Mayfield
Memorial Church con
siders this a major ac
complishment. At the time
of the approval of the loan
to Mayfield, there were 10
projects let in North Carol
ina and the only minority
group to receive approved
funding was Mayfield. The
church also sees this as
another opportunity to min
ister to the needs of the
total man With realization
that much work, time,
energy and effort must go
into the keeping and ope
ration of this project,
Mayfield accepts this chal
lenge with pride and great
optimism
Groundbreaking servic
es for the Mayfield Me
morial Apartments will be
held on Oneida Road,
Derita area off North
Graham. Sunday, Decem
ber 18, 4 p.m. The pro
ject—«■- expected-- -te-be
completed by December
19, 1984.
This planned service is
the culmination of months
of effort and activity on the
part of the Mayfield Me
morial Apartments, Inc., a
corporation formed by the
Mayfield Memorial Bap
tist Church for the purpose
of acquiring funds, over
seeing the building and
operation of the apart
ments to he built for the
elderly and handicapped
citizens. “We believe that
most young adults can take
care of themselves,"
stated Rev. Diggs.
The site on which the
apartments are to be built
Dr, Cox States.
Knowledge Level Of JCSU Business
Students Is Below High Quality
By l,orl Grier
Post Staff Writer
"An advantage of John
son C. Smith University is
private ownership and
small size which leads to its
ability and flexibility to
change quickly and imple
ment ideas without a lot of
red tape. My initial contact
with the business commun
ity about Johnson C.
Smith's business program
has been very favorable
and enthusiastic. This
shows the community is
interested and concerned
about Johnson C. Smith
University which is very
encouraging,’’ cited Dr.
Taylor Cox Jr., who means
business.
When Dr. Cox was ap
pointed head of the Depart
ment of Business Admin
istration and Economics at
Johnson C. Smith Univer
sity (August, 1982), he
Dr. Taylor Cox
.JCSU Department head
wasted little time and
minced few words in
stressing the need for com
petence of JCSU business
graduates.
Cox stated, "The know
ledge level of some of the
business students leaving
here is below what would
be expected as high quali
ty. I hope to move toward
improvement in the know
ledge and level of profes
sionalism of our own stu
dents as compared with
students from top business
schools.”
His initial findings led
the Detroit native to draw
ing up a three-year de
velopment plan
“I wouldn't have come
here from the University of
North Carolina at Char
lotte unless I felt the
potential existed here to
build a quality program,”
emphasized Cox.
A five-part program to
upgrade faculty; increase
student competency and
output; evaluate existing
and Implement needed
majors and curriculums;
improve facilities and
equipment; and establish
an on-going program
evaluation is underway.
"Part of our education
See Knolwedge Page 1#A
is an 8 6 acre tract with a
2-acre lake in the middle of
it. The houses will be
built around the lake The
corporation intentionally
chose this land because
they felt this feature < lake)
•ifw-wijay-,
able living of the elderiy
and handicapped At the
completion of the building
the lake will be stocked
with fish along with bus
services for -the elderly to
attend church “We con
sider it another ministry,"
Rev Diggs added
The units of housing will
be rented to persons who
qualify for rent subsidy
from the United States
Government
The Mayfield Memorial
Apartments, Inc. elected
as its officers: President.
HS. Diggs; Vice Presi
dent. James T Hamlin;
Secretary, John T Mass
ey; Corresponding Secre
tary, Geraldine I,owery.
ana i reasurer, Roosevelt
Gooden. Other members of
the corporation are: Diana
Johnson, -Vertina Cooper,
Ben Worthy, Tommie Sad
ler, James Hubbard,
Thomas Williams* Lester
Trapps, Wyatt Roseboro.
Lula Bell and William P.
Sealey
The corporation meets
regularly at a scheduled
time in the conference
room of Mayfield Me
morial Baptist Church
Persons and firms con
nected with the building of
the apartments are: Ar
chitect, Clinton E. Grave
ly & Associates; Consult
ants, D. L. Bram A As
sociates. Builders, Site
Construction, Inc.; Man
agers, John H. Crosland
Co.; and Attorney,'Melvin
Watt of the Chambers I*aw
Firm. Deposits from this
project are made in the
Mechanics and Farmers
Bank of Charlotte.
The entire public is in
vited to attend this history
making event.
Other projects being
sponsored by Mayfield
Memorial are: An African
f
See Groundbreaking On *A
Blacks Hold
Voting Age~
Advantages
Special Td lie Host
.TUaiiYa? TIS"—-S-Trt)rTrt™
issued by the Atlanta
based Voter Education
Project reveals growing
political potential for
blacks in BH counties across
the South. Of 1,104 counter
fn n SoUlherrpstrrte-t-es—
amined. BB were found to
_iiav.e black inajuriiy popu
latior.s More significant.
Ihe report shows that,in 65
of those counties blacks
hold a majority of the
voting age population In
five counties Mack and
white voting age papula
lions are eve ily divided 150
percent>: and, in the re
maining lit counties white
voting age populations
range between one percent
and four percen' over th..'
of blacks.
Black voting age ad van
tages. however, has not yet
been translated :nlo the pb
-liiit'a! FqmnUTrt-Hf-'enua-F ■
representation Out of 1,826
elected officials sorving at ‘
the county level, whit > •
maintain 74 percent of
elected otfices compared to
26 percent for blacks
Black office-holders fall
into two categories such as
school board members and
county commissioners
while whites are broadly
distributed in all elective
offices VEP Researcher
King Farouk Untruth aid,
this trend reflects gross
under representation of
blacks" in these counties
and can be attributed to
' persisting barriers to
black voter registration
and participation " Bri
mah said that barriers to
black voter participation
are pervasive in.many of
the black majority counties
which include inaccessible
registration sites, incon*
tion, gerrymandering,
second primary systems,
economic threats^and per
sonal intimidation
The VEP report empha
sizes that in only 12 of the R8
black majority counties do
blacks hold the majority of
elective offices
After intensive publicity
and registration drives in
Mississippi this past sum
mer, the total number of
black elected officials in
creased by only 24 in the
August elections Although
Mississippi has a black
population of 36 percent
(registration by race is not
available in Mississippi)
civil rights organizations
were puzzled by final elec
tion results. For instance,
in Quitman County which is
56 percent black and where
black turn-outs was brisk,
whites retained a 4-to-l
majority-on the county
board