Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Dec. 29, 1983, edition 1 / Page 2
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editorials MM 1__ Big Events Of 1983 If asking the question, what was the most significant event of 1983, the answers, undoubtedly, would be varied-based upon the respqndents, interests and view points. For some, the U.S. invasion of Grenada constituted an act of aggression; for others a neces sary act of self-defense. In either case, the invasion might have triggered World War III - the unthinkable, non-win nuclear war. For others, the suicide terror ist bomb attack that killed over 200 U.S. Marines in Beirut, Lebanon, was the Big Event of 1983. Many people still wonder why we are there and what kind of military policy allowed our young mento be > so poorly protected. —i Yet, still others consider the revival of the economy that has seen unemployment decline and rising sales occur as the Big Event. Ironically, the Reagan Administration wilLwant to take credit for the recovery. But to do so they will have to applaud Keynesian theory - deficit spend ing as a stimulus - not supply side economics. However, for the still thousands of unemployed, especially black youth, it does not matter what theory dnderlies the recovery because they are still jobless and living in poverty. For many Americans, mostly black, 1983 had possibly three Big Events: (1) Congressional passage of a bill to make the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a national holiday; (2) the selection of blacks as both “Miss America” and the “first runner-up”; and (3) the sending of the black astronaut into space. King’s Birthday r __ < These events will undoubtedly make 1983 a banner year in the history of black America. Mak ing Dr. King’s birthday a nation al holiday is a clear national recognition of the contributions King made to the cause of civil rights in America, not just for blacks, but for all Americans. The historically white, Anglo Saxon~“Miss America” pageant - was shattered when black Vanessa Williams won the coveted crown. Significantly, too, Suzette Charles, also black, was named “first runner-up” in another historic first. Equally, if not more important than being the first black “Miss America,” is Miss Williams’ pageant history. She was not a beauty pageant professional - that is - she is not a graduate of many mini local pageants as were many of her competitors. In ^T33iTIorfr~the ZO-yeaT^old ‘‘Miss New York” has shown that she is an independent thinking individual who will give her views on issues as she sees them, not as pageant officials may necessarily want. The launching of the first black astronaut in 1983 created a new instant black hero and should result in renewed motivation for black youth to study science, math, geology and realted sub jects and want to pursue college training in these and similar fields Renewed Pride These accomplishments by black Americans should be rea sons for renewed pride, a greater sense of hope for 1984 and a reminder of greater challenges In the years bevond 1984. Our point is that there is little time to relax and rest on these and similar accomplishments if we hope for their repetition and to have similar accomplish ments in other fields. * ' ' The success and motivation for blacks to show similar levels of accomplishments in 1984 and be yond will come from probable currently obscure blacks withn values, ambitions and a commit ment to the work ethic in what ever they, do that are similar to our astronaut, our “Miss Ameri- ' ca” and the heritage of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Much is said by blacks and about blacks who are poor, in poverty, inadequately educated, unemployed, unskilled and, too often, under fed. ^ * ** / - . ? • While these are hard realities that we must not and cannot ignore and must all help to change, there is an equally strong need to say more about and see more clearly successful blacks as positive role models for other blacks. The message to be conveyed is that if a black can become “Miss America” or an astronaut you, too, can achieve if you work at it with all your God-given talents and energies. This may be the best solution to the problems of poverty, job lessness and poor education. Think about it! THE BEST DEFENSE AGAINST RATS IS A GARBAGE CAN WITH THE UD ON T!GHT'-^i st ko v Jil*. r7 i7% Letters To: The Bditor More To^Educadon Tliaii Dimensions To The Editor : Those parents who say their children’s education will not be improved by sitting next to children of another racial group in a classroom have not ab sorbed the message of the Supreme Court’s unani mous 1964 decision in the case of Brown vs. (Topeka) Board of Education. They have not been educated to understand the reasons for that decision. They have not learned that lesson. They see no point to desegregation. They prefer what appears to thenUo be. the course of least resist ance. They were and are apparently satisfied not only to live the rest of their uves in racially segre gated patterns, but expect their descendants to do som ad infinitum. They apparently feel adjusted to it, and perceive difficulties in adjusting to desegrega tion. Such attitudes en abled the School District of Philadelphia to drag its feet for almost 30 years in the matter of desegrega tion. In 1954 the Supreme Court said that the old formula of "separate but equal” accommodations was false, and must be abandoned in favor of de segregation Resistance to the implementation of the Brown decision came not only from white bigots but also from certain Blacks who feared and opposed desegregation on various grounds. Some Black cul tural nationalists per ceived dangers to the con tinuation of their ettorts. Some Black teachers and administrators feared loss of jobs and career oppor tunities. Some Black pupils feared they might not do so well scholastic ally in competition with whites. Some Black parents feared racial fric tion, trauma and tragedy resulting froip desegrega tion efforts. Many people feared the unfamiliar, un tried and unknown. The most frequently heard cloche was, “It’s insulting to say a Black child can be - well-educated only . by. sit ting next to a white.” Nobody said that merely sitting next to a pupil of another racial ktoud im proves anyone’s mastery of academic or vocational subject matter, but there is more to education than those dimensions. Opponents of desegrega tion, unlike the famous King Canute, seem to. think they can stop the tide of change by command (or by stonewalling). Employ ment, higher education, and public life have be come increasingly desegre gated. Children raised in segregated patterns of edu cation, play and neighbor hood life are not well prepared for the increas ingly- desegregated-world of work, higher education and public life. Hie social aspect of education is as important in preparing young people for maturity as are its academic and vocational aspects. It is tragic that many parents are either incar able or unwilling to face this reality and to grapple effectively with the pro blems it entails. They may think that they are protect ing their children by iso lating them racially, but the truth is just the op posite. It is not easy to convince people of the logic of desegregation all along the line, but instead of avoiding difficulties, delay in this effort will only in crease them. M.K. Stone dad 1-85 Is Being Widened near fc-tutor: ..I am glad to read that they are going to widen 1-85, but since so much of the interstate is what a traveler sees as he passes through Charlotte it’s too bad that a contract couldn’t be let to put an irrigation System along the interstate and also to plant some flowers and make a visitor think that we people of Charlotte love beauty. A few flowers can do a lot for an area and it’s too bad the city couldn’t have its own greenhouse. UNCC has a beautiful campus. May be someone out there might have a few ideas as to how “our city could also be come more beautiful. Sincerely, Bill J. Bloomer Check the ads in The Charlotte Post each week for outstanding buys. THE CHARLOTTE POST “THE PEOPLE’S NEWSPAPER” a Established 1918 Published Every Thursday by The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc. Subscription Rate $17.68 Per Year Second Class Postage No. 965500 Postmaster Send 3579s to: 1531 Camden Rd., Charlotte, N.C. 28203 Telephone: 704-376-0496 Circulation: 11,023 106 Years of Continuous Service Bill Johnson Editor, Publisher Bernard Reeves General Manager Fran Farrar 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 Hepresentative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc. 240* 8. Michigan Ave. 45 W. (5th St., Suite (4*3 C hicago. III. *>0616 New York, New York 10036 Columet 5-0200 212-480-(220 From Capitoljm Minorities Cannot Trust Reagan? Alfred* L. Madison Special To The Poat ..A person’s word is a rights leaders and some members of Congress, the Reagan Administration’s bond has the same value as ‘‘a nickel with a hole in it.” After* a compromise to which all factions agreed was sent to the White HoGse for the President’s signature, according to leaders for an independent civil rights commission, the Administration reneged on its word. rrenoeni neagan nas re moved two prominent Re publican women - Jill Ruckelhaus and Mary Louise Smith whom civil rights leaders and some members of Congress say the White House and Repu blican leaders had agreed, as a part of the compro mise, to keep both of these women on the panel. How can the President say in one breath that he is for an independent commission, when in the next breath, he removes members who don't share his affirmative action, busing and com mission chairman views? The answer is, No, he is not for an independent com mission and his actions make it ludicrous to pay commissioners to reiterate his same words,' Even Republican leaders who were a part of af fecting the compromise, have changed and are now supporting the President Senators Robert Dole and Alfred* L. Madison_ Arlen Specter say no deal was made to retain Ruckle ha us and Smith. The night before the compromise was reached Senators Joseph Biden, ranking Judiciary Democrat and Republican Senator Arlen Specter told reporters that, included in the bargain, was an under standing that the new com mission would include Smith and Rucklehaus. Ac cording to Ralph Neas, chief civil rights compro mise negotiator. Senator Dole and his satff said of the President failed to re appoint Mary Louise Smith, that Dole would back the House alternative to have a congressional civil rights commission, independent of Presiden tial control. Are Dole and Specter so weak that they have to cave in to the Reagan tactic when they know it is, diabolically, opposed to Congress’ purpose for cre ating the commission? Since Senator Dole has ex pressed interest in be coming Senate Majority Leader, in the event of a GOP-con trolled Senate, his commission retreat ques tions the type of Major ity Leader he will be and certainly, further down the road Presidential aspira tions.” The fight over preventing President Reagan from controlling the civil rights commission has been a long hard struggle, as it has been with the Adminis tration’s other civil righto assaults. * In August the House re pudiated Mr. Reagan's ac tions, by voting to prohi bit any President from firing a commissioner without a cause, then the Senate prepared to defeat two of the President’s nominees. The vote was postponed. Senate Judici ary members and civil rights groups discussed several proposals - att included retention of Ruckelhaus and Mary Louise Smith. The Biden Specter proposal of ex panding the commission to eight members garnered enough support for pass age. The White House did not support the compro mise. When the compro mise vote was scheduled in October, a desperate Presi dent Reagan fired three Democratic commission ers. This centers arounc bipartisan concensus that would remove the commis sion from the Executive Branch to the legislative. At that point Senators Baker, Dole, Domenici and the civil rights community agreed to work with Sena tors Specter, Kennedy, Biden and their staff to save an independent com mission. After long hours on No vember 10, Senator Dole walked out of the Vice President's office and handed the assembled groups a paper with the proposal that President Reagan would reappoint Mary Louise Smith, House Minority Leader Michael would reappoint Jill Ruck elshause, and the Senate Majority Leader Baker will appoint a Republican with strong civil rights creden tials. Ralph Neas, Executive Director of the Leader ship Council, said, "Sen ator Dole informed us that Senator Baker, Congress man Michel and the White House agreed to the pro posal. We believed Senator Dole. And we still stand by that belief, regardless of the events of the past se veral days.” Neas dis agreed strongly with Dole, Baker and Michel for as serting that there was no agreement on reappointing Smith and Ruckelshaus. He informed the press that even though Mr. Reagan had unfairly won the battle to pack the civil rights commission with his own mouthpieces • his was a greater loss. ■TH SABRINA JOHNSONS Sabrina 1983 Tiristmas Trends The M children! season <fl where ml unity ancF season to stmas season has arrived. It it-ati-the wonder and joy that S adults view in awe. It is a imily and togetherness. One— rich and poor, feel a sense of omise for the future. It is the r thank you. Along all the good feelings, this Christmas Aason has made beings of otherwise~Aienal men and women. This phenomenons knownas~the-‘cabbage patch kit cr A.” People are standing in line long hours n the rain, snow and cold in hopes of “adapting” a cabbage patch kid. Once the doore of the toy stores open, pedfe race in like buffalo herds on the make and fight for the molls stacked neatly on the shelves. Meanwhile these buffalo herds trample everything else in the store causing other toys in not such demand to become scarce themselves. Toy store man agers have to place the broken toys into the return to vendor boxes. — Scratch rriusic is the craze this season among the dancing sect. This New York origin miisic is sweeping the country in much of the same way as disco a few years back. According to scratched (the people who do it) and scratch lovers, scratch adds another dimension to pop and-or soul music. Herbie Hancock is the leader of the pack in bringing the phenomenon into being. He and many others-feeLth^t_oners individuality comes out through hismeOTOthofLscratciL_l__ Tagging1 along with scratch is break dancing - another New York City original. Break dancing combines martial arts, gymnastics and acrobatics into a mixture of . _ awesonVe moves. For one to successfully breakd^nce, one must be healthy, in shape, flexible ahd slightly crazy to do all of that to the body !\These people spin on their backs, dive and leap, turn and twist and execute other unusual moves with the body. Does this mean ^hat instead of rocking around the Christmas\tree sinking Christmas carols, -ing around the tree i uratiioiius cue counting the shopping days until Christmas, children are county ing the nights until Santa’s arrival and the Marines are counting the days until they return home. • Some will return before Christmas or New Year’s; others will be delayed until after the holidays. If asked — what each would want for Christmas, his • reply would more than likely beTo return— home and world peace. The world peace part maybe a bit hard to accomplish but being home may be easier. The song I’ll Be Home For Christmas will take on a new meaning to each Marine and his family. He will learn that one is never too far if there is honest love in the heart: so he may not physically be with his family but his heart thoughts and love can and will transcend those miles. Dreaming of a white Christmas? A great portion of the country will have its wish and then some. An artic front has hit the country dumping snow all over and bringing re cord-breaking temperatures. Cold hating Americans are flocking to travel agencies and airlines in quest of a warm place with sandy beaches and blue waters. A major airline’s winter slogan "Don’t Go To A Warm Place Cold” emphasizes the import ance of planning before “plaheing” even if it is done in a rush! Even with all the new trends, cold weather and news makers, Christmas is sti 1 a very special season. Smile! and twinkles cover the faces of children and adults. On Christmas Eve a strange and wonderful hush comes over the landr g subconscious Christmas carol rings through ^ra'rfn^n. seefm t0 move toward inner peace for a bnef moment. The Christmas season is truly magic-even its carols trails SCti chSST in,u“‘everyone who 8,ng* caro“ *d,f May the wonder and joy of the season engulf everyone’s heart so each mat teab£ to enjoy the true meaning7CS love - and carry it on throughout the year. I, the writer, take this chance to wish every ■ ^,P?JLan? Mfe holld»y- And that the magic of Christmas will become the trea n™ Vein' Merry Chri8tmas «"d H»ppy WJ'iififtJiJlUI ITll imi A
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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