I
Local Oection Results
In the Democratic Party pri
mary election on Tuesday for
governor, Rufus Edmisten de
feated former Charlotte mayor
Eddie Knox. Edmisten captured
352,108 votes, or 52 percent, to
Knox’s 328,442 votes, or 48 per
cent. Edmisten will challenge the
formidable Republican Jim Mar
tin, the veteran 9th District
Congressional Seat holder for the
governorship in November.
In other races of particular
interest, D.G. Martin won the
Democratic nomination for the
U.S. House 9th Congressional
' District seat by defeating the
equally talented Susan Green, a
former Mecklenburg County
Commissioner. Martin received
38;395 votes or 56 percent of the
area. 9th' District. Martin will
faZSTRepublican Alex McMillan
iiwNbvember.
Phil Berry, an incumbent
sm House member and for
mer^ Charlotte-Mecklenburg
School Board Chairman, de
feated Huey M. Rowe-Anderson
iitZJJhe race for ^the State
Senate seat of the 33rd Dis
trict. Recent news ^reports al
leging that Berry-has had
questionable business deal
ings with undesirables and that
his finanj^s were in disarray,
apparently had little effect on his
support. Berry received 64 per
cent of the 14,525 votes cast. He
has in effect won a State Se
nate seat because their is no
Republican opponent. Rowe-An
derson, a chemistry professor at
Johnson C. Smith University and
a successful real estate broker,
was seeking his first political
office and had developed and run
a good political campaign. The
, 33rd District was . a new
district created when the Courts
ruled that black vote-power was
diluted when placed in larger
white voting districts.
Probably the most significant
thing to note about these pri
mary election races is that when
the dust has settled it can
honestly be said that the voters
were _ the , big winners. Each
candidate pairing — Edmisten
Knox, Martin-Green, and Berry
Rowe-Anderson were of such
equal talent, knowledgeable and
dedicated to public service that
the voters would be fortunate to
.have any one of them as a public
servant.
It is also a credit to the
Democratic Party that it can
field-such a high caliber-of~
candidates. This is good for the
Party and certainly good for the
voters.
Anyone familiar with the
Charlotte scene should be aware
of She impact that urban re*
ne\6af has had on many parts of
the City, particularly uptown,
adBfStore specifically upon up
town’s black communities. Cen
tral to all this renewal, and sadly
overlooked, has been the de
stroying of much of the city’s
history, and again, its black
history.
Fortunately, we now have an
opportunity as individuals, fam
ilies, social organizations and
businesses to restore and pre
serve much of Charlotte’s black
past. This opportunity arises
from the efforts'being made to
restore, preserve and give a new
vitality to the former Little Rock
AME Zion Church building in
historic First Ward.
On May 1, 1984, the Afro
American Cultural Center fund
drive began to further the re
storation of the historic old
building. In the first phase of the
restoration, the City of Char
lotte provided $502,000 for struc
tural repairs and safety. The
seoond phase includes further
extensive reconstruction. This
will include an attic theater to
seat over 200 people, an amphi
theatre to seat over 300, an
exhibit hall and offices for the
Center’s staff.
The second phase restoration
fund drive began with a goal of
$800,000 to be raised by June 30,
1984. A number of black church
es, sororities and fraternities
began the effort with pre
pledges of $103,000. As of June 5,
the fund drive had collected in
donations and pledges $203,000 or
25 percent of their god.' Black
businesses and the black com
munity at-large have been asked
to give $300,000 of the needed
funds.
One dime, Ofte^oIIara'mrup,
as the Afro-American Cultural
Center director Vivian Nivens
has commented, “no gift is too
small.” Thus, this is a golden
opportunity to help preserve a
part of our heritage, our past and
our city’s history. Qon’t wait,'
make your pledge or'give your
contribution today.
In ~plain English, the-Afro
American Cultural Center needs
your support so that it can
support you and yoyr history,
your roots, and Che foun
dation for your future.
THEBEST DEB., -t
AGAINST RATS IS A
GARBAGE CAN WITH THE
UD OH TIGHT
June Is Unique Month
Memorial Day, 1M4,
ushers In and sets the stage
for a rather unique month.
Not that this June is, of
itself, going to be that dif
ferent. It will still be 30
days long, temperatures
will warm up, and “the
possibility of scattered
afternoon and evening
thundershowers” will
creep into' most daily
weather forecasts. Its
uniqueness will instead
come from the focus of
attention on our nation’s
vetergns. Two national
proclamations will be
issued: a Presidential Pro
clamation will cfcaignate
the month of June, 1984 Jgiv’
the 40th Anniversary of the
federal Veterans’ Pref
erence Act, and Secretary
of Labor Raymond J.
Donovan will proclaim
June as “Hire A Vet
Month.”
Many people passed
Memorial Day without any
thought for the thousand
upon thousands of men and
women, soldiers, sailors,
and airmen who have
“given their last full
measure of devotion.”
More .will enjoy a June
Untroubled by concerns for
the significance of Hire A
Vet Month or for the reason
for commemorating the
Veterans’ Preference Act.
These will be good people,
family people, people who
have been touched by war
and the losses that war
brings. They are the same
people who enjoy life’s
freedoms in this place
because somebody’s “tic
ket” was “punched” on
Omaha Beach in 1944, and
because a young man died
on a rice paddy dike in 1968
in order to tell the world,
“We will resist.” They’re
all at rest now.
It doesn’t really seem so
long ago, but then again, it
almost seems like a life
time ago. After all, Viet
nam ended for us, most of
us, eleven years ago. And
Beirut and Granada - well,
But, back to June. Why
try to focus this attention
on veterans now? Simply
because it’s needed. Think
back over the past fifteen
years and think about the
ups and downs of the
economy. The average age
of the American combatant
in Vietnam was just over
nineteen years of age.
So you come home from
war with a high school
diploma and the skills of a
rifleman. Not
stability there. Or you
come home, enter college
and hit the job market with
you degree. But your high
school buddy, who missed
the draft already has four
years of. ■ seniority, and
although you got a job,
when the economy- went
sour in 74, they had to let
you go. How do you get
seniority when you keep
getting laid off? Last in -
first out, or easy come -
easy go.
. At least you're not by
yourself. There are a
sizeable number of guys
and a sprinkling of females
too, down at the employ
ment office waiting to see
the veterans rep. Most are
about you age, but one of
them you got to talking
with was a Korean vet. I
heard it was cold in Korea!
Come to think of it, we
really haven’t had any real
long stable periods in thev
economy since the mid
’50b. He’s been doing this
every few years for 30
years?
Almost 700 thousand of
North Carolina’s men and
women were afforded an
opportunity to be among
those remembered this
Memorial Day.
Fortunately, over 620
thousand are still among us
today, to help in remem
bering those who aren’t.
With so many veterans
among us, is it any wonder
that h -few; -relatively “
speaking, have not gained
the stability that should be
theirs in the labor force?
And for most of these, it
has been through no fault of
their own.
THE CHARLOTTE POST
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W* * ,1
From Capitol Hill
Persistence Begins To Pay Off!
Alfreds L. Madison
Special To The Post
Representative Parren
Mitchell, approxi
mately, a decade ago
brought to congressional
attention the plight of
minority business which
was completely ignored in
the awarding of govern
ment contracts.
At the beginning of
Mitchell’s proposal, little
or no Interest was generat
ed for it in Congress. Yet,
the hard-hitting, non-deter
rent Mitchell continued his
Tight until he got a bill
passed providing a 10 per
cent set-aside of govern
ment contracts for minor
ity businesses.
As late as 1077, minor
ity businesses’ share of
federal procurement was
less than one percent of the
nearly $100 billion procure
ment budget. Even now
minority business’ share la
roughly 3.1 perceot,
Reasons given by op
ponents of minority busi
ness contracts stated that
no qualified minority busi
nesses could be found for
procurement contracts.
Through Mitchell’s per
sistence. the Small Busi
ness Administration f(a)
was required to help de
velop a pew cadre of
minority bus in ess ee.
Mitchell stated that some
barriers are slowly being
removed which prohibit
minority entrepreneurs
equal participation in the
free enterprise system.
Alfred* L. Madia—
Inadequate capital is an
intervening factor. Mit
chell suggests two reme
dies. The Minority Invest
ment Tax Act of IBM pro
posed by Representative
Mitchell and Rangel will
boost capital assets for
disadvantaged minority
owned businesses victim
ised by economic discrim
b"»
Another barrier can be
removed if the managers of
the nation's trillion dollar
pension system will invest
in minority business. Mit
chell emphasised that as
important as these two
measures are, they do not
supersede private corpora
tions’ voluntary partner
ship with small business.
Mitchell was highly jubi
lant and elated at a press
conference over the light at
the beginning of the tunnel
of the fruits of his labor. He
announced that the Martin
Marietta Company had
made an agreement with
Maxima, a minority bu
siness. Small Business Ad
ministration assisted in the
equity agreement.
Representative Mitchell,
Michael Barnes and Gil
christ, Chief Montgomery
County Executive, were
highly elated because both
Maxima and Martin Ma
rietta’s headquarters are
located in Montgomery
County, MD.
Martin Marietta has di
versification in aerospace,
data systems, aluminum
basic products and energy
systems Maxima, black
owned, is a Ugh techno-,
logy information firm, spe
cializing in system ana
lysis and engineering and
information resources, i v
In the equity, agreement
between Martin Marietta
and Maxima, Martin Ma
rietta purchased IS per
cent of the stock in Maxi
ma, with two persons on
« nine-member board,!
xima will use the capi
tal for growth and expan
sion. Both companies have
interest in the Oak Ridge,
TN, project. Marietta’s
Energy System. Inc., has
bean chosen to operate the
Department of Energy
(DOE) facilities there.
Martin Marietta has pro
tected Itself from any con-,
diet of interest with DOE
by requesting that its au
thority be applied to all
procurement decisions on
which Maxima bids.
Joshua Smith, president
of Maxima Corporation,
said, “Maxima Corpora
tion concludes 1983 with a
variety of new contracts
which contribute to a 16
fold increase in growth
since the company was
formed five years ago."
The new contracts in
clude a 17.5 million Navy
contract with the Energy
Department. Maxima has
continued to make pro
Car with a revenue of
,000 in 1979 to 16 mill
ion in 1983. Mr. Smith
predicts that revenues in
1984 will total $16 million
The 814.5 million naval sur
face weapons contract is
the largest ever granted
under the Small Business
Administration. .
Maxima aaft has a five
year Navy civilian person
nel record contract with
the Oak Ridge project. This
contract consists of pooling
information on cosl, nu
clear electric and alter
nate fuels. The company
pinpoints reference mate
rial for journalists
Mr. Jarmolow, President
of Martin Marietta, stated '
that when they made the
decision with Maxima,
they did not know it was a
minority corporation. Nei
ther did they care. Their
only concern was the cor
poration’s qualifications.
'""rsas
Sabrina
Can It Govern Itself?
Affirmative Action!
Recently the U. S. Labo&^*tm<&J0tf<.
found itself facing strong .opposition.from
minority organizations, women’s groups,
and their Democratic allies in/Congress
over the Affirmative Action Program that
allows companife'ftx monitor .their own
employment records. . '3 >
The experimental program, caOSfed the $
National Self-Monitoring Reporting System
(NSMRS), exempts some companies from
random labor checks for periods as long as
five years. Under normal circumstances,
the Labor Department would monitor dis
crimination in hiring and promotions and
would conduct spot checks of corporate
affirmative action plans. The old system
cost the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of
dollars per company, the experimental
program would cut, substantially, the costs
and manpower needed.
Under the NSMRS Program, a company
agrees to provide the Labor Department
with one annugTTPfeport that reflects'" the
trend in minority and women’s employ
ment in management and non-manage
ment positions and a second report that
compares those numbers with the numbers
of those qualified minorities and women
available within the nation’s work force.
Also under NSMRS a company must explain
why its statistics for the two groups have
increased or decreased within the year
reported.
On the flip side of all the wonderful plans
of NSMRS many groups complain that its
guidelines and regulations are too broad to
make any great impact on affirmative
action programs. Women’s groups com
plain that NSMRS is too general and that a
company can hide inequalities easily. With
such a program specifics are difficult to
devise but should be, according to women
representing the Labor Department.
Critics of the Babor Department are
trying to persuade the (Department into
discontinuing the program. Labor Secre
tary Raymond J. Donovan has been asked
to put the program on the back burner until
it’s established whether the Reagan Admin
istration is fair to women and minorities.
The NSMRS Program was created at the
suggestion of AT&T. In 1973 AT&T signed a
consent document with the Federal govern
ment, agreeing to pay $50 million to victims
of past discrimination. And to update its
hiring and promotional policies. At the close
of the 10-year government supervision,
AT&T started considering ways as to how
to develops standard affirmative action for
it to follow. This idea created new non
government positions and ensures fair
representation of women and minorities in
all management and non-management po
sitions. As a result of that, NSMRS Program
spin-offs will continue until March, 1986;
however, any individual company’s pro
gram can be cancelled by the Labor
Department or the company itself.
The major program point of such a
program is that a company or organization
can camouflage its records. The frame
work given by the Labor Department looks
good on paper, but in reality can be
manipulated to show women and minority
members and employees that do not exist.
The numbers can reflect a 25 percent
increase in participation of the groups in
question within a five-year period under this
program; since the Department only phy
sically reviews the companies within five
year time spans.
American Telephone & Telegraph, IBM,
General Motors and Hewlett-Packard all
attempted the program oq two-year trial
basis, but women’s organizations, civil
rights groups and congressional allies
stepped in to investigate and found maay
violations within the program’s framework.
Until the day comes that NSMRS has
specific and rigid guidelines, the Labor
Department must continue its strict mom?
toring of each company and its employment
practices. American businesses have
proved not to be ready to monitor their own
practices totally independent of the Labor
Department. '•
National self-monitoring reporting sys
tem is a good idea - a good idea with too
many loopholes and grey areas. Employees
of any company, large or small, may want
to consider developing committees to re
present them to take part in the program
and to insure the company’s employment
and promotion policies are up to par- and if
not, work to get them there
t