EDITORIALS & COMMENTS
Last Hired-First Fired Paradox
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled
last week that municipal govern
ments cannot ignore “last-hired,
first-fired” seniority plans in
order to protect blacks, women
and other minorities who re
ceived their jobs because of past
discrimination. The ruling, one
of the most significant civil
rights cases in the past decade,
in effect protects higher-seniori
ty white workers (mostly men)
from being laid-off rather than
the lower-seniority minority
workers hired under an affirm
ative action program.
- By a 6-3 vote, the Justices
endorsed the viewpoint of the
Reagan Administration to limit
the use of affirmative action
plans. Obviously the high court’s
decision represents a major
defeat for civil rights and fe
minist organizations.
^The case in point was that the
Memphis Fire Department had
Ihcorrectly or wrongly protected
blacks from lay-offs or demo
tions during the time of an
economic crisis. The Justice De
partment and white firemen
argued that such affirmative
action tactics represented dis
crimination against innocent
white people.
As much as it may hurt
blacks, women and other mi
norities, we find it difficult to
oppose the Court’s decision be
cause If in effect does result in
reverse discrimination against
innocent white workers. 'Hie in
dividual white worker, whoever
he may be, cannot and should not
be punished - that is, discrim
inated against - because some
white person or persons in the
past discriminated against
some blacks. This is equally as
unjust as when one black is
denied an opportunity because
another black did not previ
ously perform well.
Undoubtedly, the major flaw
in much civil rights legislation is
that the bottom line result in
some individual whites in the
1980’s having to suffer for in
justice against blacks 20 or 30
years ago. In fact the issue deals
with the basic fundamental
rights of the individual and his
right to expect his government to
protect hi&rights. Again, as hard
as it may be for blacks to accept,
it may simply have to take the
passing of a decade or two and
the retirement or death of some
older workers before the issue
evens itself out.
We firmly stand in support of
the rights of the individual as a
basic fundamental principle of
our society. Therefore, in the
long run blacks, women and
other minorities gain nothing if
such gaining is at the expense of
another’s rights.
Schools Need Action, Not Talk!
Added to the much publicized
problems of American education
now comes a study that says U.S.
students lag far behind the
scores, skills and abilities of
pupils from Japan and Taiwan.
' ' '
The University of \ Michigan
study, based pn testing and
observation of 1,440 Arst and
fifth graders in the three coun
tries, offered three partial ex
planations for the lower scores in
America:
-American students spend less
time in school than their Ja
panese and Taiwanese counter
parts.
—American school children do
less homework.
-When American children are
in class, they are more likely to
be engaged in academically ir
relevant activities.
None of these observations are
new. For example, as late as the
' - • i|
1950’s, black schools in the South
had shorter school years than the
white schools so that black youth
could be in the field picking
cotton for the white land own
ers. It’s a known fact that those
black children lagged far be
hind the white youth in aca
demic skills.
More significantly, it’s past
time to give our attention to
correcting the shortcomings in
our school if we assume that yaey
exist. No more studies, please,
on what’s wrong with our
schools. Indeed, let’s get positive
about what’s right with our
. schools and begin to build on this
positive aspect. Our youth, our
teachers, our administrators
deserve a positive challenge as a
--- foundation for moving ahead, not
negative vibrations.
Let’s go, America, to a better
education for our youth now and
tomorrow.
■*
THE CHARLOTTE POST
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TO SEIZE INITIATIVE
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FACTOR AN PAN IMPORT
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BUTING TOOUR
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DEVELOPMENT*
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\ . tauor
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U W ‘‘T*
Dear Editor:
July 4 is just around the
corner. It’s called “Inde
pendence Day.” This sy
nonym for our country de
notes the fact that we are
no longer pawns to the
English royalty. But what
about freedom within our
own United States ?
There are those right
here in the U.S. who would
like to crush the moral
fibers of our country. I fed
that the passage of -the
ERA is one such, tadtic
being used today, jl fed
very strongly that if the
ERA is passed, our chil
dren will suffer; many of
our moral standards will be
torn down and more vio
lence will occur.
Now don’t get me wrong.
Women should have equal
pay, women should be
hired to do the same job a
man does without being
harrassed out of the posi
tion. And if a woman en
joys going out in a war zone
battle fidd, then let her.
What I’m talking about
are the homosexual rights.
If the Equal Rights Amend
ment is passed, the homo
sexuals will have the same
rights the woman is al
lowed to have.
How many people have
thought about this when
voting, “yes” for ERA.
Have they thought about
homosexuals teaching
their children? If ERA is
passed homosexuals will be
able to come into the class
room and what type of
influence will this be on
Christian children?
The Bible clearly speaks
against homosexuality. In
the Bible cities have even
beefji destoyed by God be-<
cauie of it. Will feRA mean
that a homosexual will seek
to pastor our churches?
Our laws condone no dis
crimination against sexes
'it will dondone the rights of
homosexuals to take any
job or position they desire.
Many may argue that
homosexuals will be able to
separate their personal de
sires from their jobs. But
there will always be the
exception. Around the
country there will be homo-.
sexuals openly practicing
homosexuality. Will our
children think “If my
teacher does it, it must be
all right?”
Then I have heard the
argument that if we raise
our children correctly they
will not follow the wrong
path. I also want to provide
an environment and place
my children in an envi
ronment of as much right
attitudes as I possibly can.
I do not hate homosex
uals as people. I am sure
| many of them love, hurt
, and have faith like the rest
of us. I don’t want to
stereotype them like many
stereotyped blacks. All I
am saying is that our coun
try has based many of its
laws along the line of the
ten commandments Bibli
cal and scripture. If we
steal we are placed in jail.
If we kill sometimes the
law kills us. To me break
ing the law of heterosex
t
uality is just as bad. And
it’s time that people t»k»
heed and understand the
measure of the Equal
Rights Amendment and Its
effect on our freedom.
B.D. Tabor
Sabrina
Gating Of Teenage Father?
The sceneria is all to familiar: eacfr year
over a quarter million babies are bona to
teenage mothers — most unwed. Seine of
these mothers choose to keep their babies,
thus causing them to seek aid from federal
agencies. Fifteen million dollars worth of
aid each year.
Often the fathers of these babies are
pegged as being irresponsible or considered
forgotten partners in the situation. However, Jfc
recently the Ford Foundation set aside
$700,000 to fund programs in eight major
cities to study and assist in the teaching of
the young men as to their roles as being
teenage fathers. The programs are
designed to teach the fathers baby care,
parental ' responsibility and offer
counseling.
Most teenage mothers find themselves at
or below poverty level_at the time of thair
child’s birth. These young women go on
welfare and stay there. The pattern can be
cut down and possibly eliminated with the
sharing of responsibility from the father.
Social workers are being urged by agencies
such as the Ford Fundation via local
agencies to seek but and befriend the scared
and confused young man. The shrial wnrlrpr
is urged to help the young father realize
that his fear and apprehension is common,
and that talking and learning of the new
experience will make the transition from
boy to man easier. Thus when the young
man faces his reality, he is persuaded to
take part in the total responsibility of child
care.
Through agencies funded by the Ford
Foundation and the like, young fathers are
made to understand the importance of
financial support. They are taught such
things as budgeting, comparative shopping,
and how to seek and find viable work. Since
most bf the young meh do not have high
school diplomas, they are encouraged to
seek the equivalency diplomas and later job
skills training. Such suggestions help to give
the young man a sense of worth and
responsibility, Many of the teen fathers do
not think of thetaselves as nurturers unless
they can provide financial support; the
programs teach them how to do both. %
By having .the father’s support,
emotionally, physically and financially, the
young mothers do not have to depend too
percent on public assistance. The working,
supporting father oftentimes does not have
a $20,000 per year job, but a $200 per week
paycheck is enough to keep the couple off
welfare. This feeting of being financially
supportive also contributes to an idealism of
dignity and Wanting the best for the child.
Many young fathers participating in such
programs speak of giving their child the
best possible, including a college education
and lots of love. Many fathers do hot want
their chifdreh to live as they have and work
to avoid that consequence.
From Capitol Hill
President’s Policies Out?
Alfreds L. Madison
Special To The Poet
At 3:00 John Wibon,
Public Affair* Director of
the Civil Eights division of
the Justice Department;
ushered md into the
spacious room, once
occupied by J. Edgar
Hoover. Sitting behind the
desk was the slim William
Bradford Reynolds, Assist
ant Attorney General who
is the chief director of the
Civil Rights division. After
exchanging gracioui
greetings, we got down to
the purpose of the inter
view, which was to assess
the Raagan's Administra
tion’s civil rights actions.
Q; You are against
busing, even in some
instances where the Court
has decided that it is
necessary for desegrega
tion. How do you plan to
remedy segregation?
A: We don't have busing
in our plans. We reach
consent decrees. We have
instituted magnet schools
We have put forth that plan
in Bakersfield
Q: The NAACP says that
magnet schools are not for
the purpose ftf desegrega
tion:-:-*——;
A: They have busing as a
back up plan. We don't
have busing as a man
datory back up. In the Cin
cinnati case, the NAACP
accepted a plan that is
exactly what ours is. It
doesn't matter what the
back up plan is, if it works.
Alfreds L. Madison
The point I’m making is
that the NAACP has signed
off on the kind of remedy
we have put in place
because It dees what
busing does not do. It
addresses the educational
needs in the public school
system of Blacks who are
caught in an environment
that is not only segregated
but also educationally
bankrupted. There is an
extra project called ‘'rise"
which is an extra
educational component for
those schools that are not
magnet schools to ensure
that the children who don’t
Choose to go to magnet
schools will Have a
curriculum that will
address all the various
needs of the students and
will allow for the parents to
interact with the schools.
Q: In some places busing
has gone fine, for Instance
Norfolk. Did you tell the
school board that It didn’t
have to go to court; that
they could institute their
plan for getting rid of
busing?
A: We had conversations
with Norfolk School Board.
I can’t disclose the nature
of those conversations. My
own view was and still is, if
Norfolk School Board
wants to change their
existing plan it could do so
without going to Court. I
understand the school
board preferred to use the
court - -
..Q: You Insist on cor
recting discrimination on
an individual basis. With as
million Blacks id the U.S.
how long do you think it will
take for Blacks to reach
equality?
A: I think we’ve come a
long way In equal job
opportunities, but there are
still some employers who
need to ensure that there is
no discrimination We look
to where discrimination
occurs and we address that
violation.
Q: How many Deputy
Assistant Attorneys
General do you have in
your department and how
many ari BUkJPT How
many special assistants to
the Deputy Assistants do
you have And how many
are Black?
A: I have three Deputy
Assistant Attorneys Gene
ral. No Blacks. I have two
special assistants. No
Blacks. I have seven
section chiefs. Two Blacks
and two women.
Q: Peter Sherwood, the
Blacks' attorney disagrees.
He said the Court upheld
goals and timetables and
race consciousness.
m saying that race
ousness is a con
stitutional matter.
Qi When you testified on
legislation concerning
Grove City, you said the
legislation would interfere
with state and local govern
ment? Isn’t that a return
to staff** riohf*7
A: No, it is written in «
manner that is so vague
and so susceptible of broad
interpretation that there
are no discernible limits as
to what the Federal gov
ernment can do. —■
Q: Wasn’t the basis for
the ’64 Act, the denial of
Blacks' constitutional
rights?
A: ‘If the ’64 Act went
that far we wouldn’t need
this legislation.
Q: Didn't the Justice De
partment change sides in
the Alabama case?
As Certainly not. The
Qwrt asked us to come into
the case as an intervenor.
We fbH tlie amft that we
would not take sides until
we have the full facts in the
case.
There are many discre
pancies and inconsisten
cies in Mr. Reynold’s
responses that I will
respond to at another tfcne,
since specs will not allow
that now. f
V**
For over three years, New York’s Bank
Street College of Education has been
studying the role of the teenage father in the
United States. The Ford Foundation is
sponsoring Bank Street in such studies: its
findings will Reveal how to instigate fathers
to become involved, and the special
problems they face. Bank Street is also to
devise programs that would best guide the
young men toward greater involvemehtand
share in the responsibility. The findings will
be released later in the year.
The plight of teenage parenting is against
odds for Success, but the odds tam be
beaten; Teenage parents first face the
yearning for freedom and the demand of
responsibility. Special programs geared
toward their special problems may be the
key factor in breaking that stress One. fie
statistics on these people are heart
breaking: they collect welfare, are jobless,
uneducated and discriminated against
based on the mentioned factors. Yes, these
young people have made a huge mistake -
the mistake of taking on such a responsi
bility at such a yodng age based on
romantic notions of happiness ever after.'
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