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„ ^ “V* Voice Of The Black Community "
I* THE CHARLOTTE POST • 'Bhuraday, October 3. 1985 Price' 40 C t
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very instrumental in Melanie’s en
joyment of cleaning. “She does it alt
the time and I guess it just rubbed
off on me,” she explains.
Melanie’s mother, Judy, is the
c person Melanie moat admires.
"She’s so strong Fd love to be like
her," she describes.
Because her mother is so spe
cial, Meianie named her three
month-old daughter Judith,
in her honor. And, though she’s very
yeung. Melanie says she likes being
a mother. “I’m going to be good
mother," she assures.
"It’s a lot of responsibility but I
think I can handle It,” she relates.
Her own mother is a great help to
her, Melanie affirms.
Melanie says she will teach her
daughter to "be herself and do what
she thinks is best” Then she adds.
“And, that abe should have a goal in
See OWENS Oa Page 4A
Black Charlotteans Do Not
Perceive Wide Rift Between
Leaders And Average Citizens
By Audrey C. Lodato
Poat Staff Writer
Are there major differences be
tween the views held by America’s
black leadership and those generally
held by the average black Ameri
can?
Despite a recently published and
widely publicized study in Public
Opinion magazine which indicated
what has been called “a surprising
divergence between black leaders
and the average black American on
a broad spectrum of concerns,"
black Charlotteans surveyed do not
perceive a wide rift between those
who lead and those they claim to
represent. . V
Margaret Ross, minority recruiter
for Central Piedmont Community
College, believes the views ex
pressed by Mackleadersare ‘ pretty
tsm
order,” she says, but not generally
on issues of specific "concern to the
black-commuhity.
Ross suggests that the black po
pulation in general may be mis
informed or not familiar with na
tional issues. This can be rectified,
she proposes, through the black
churches. “The churches could im
pact on knowledge of our issues,”
she states.
Eddie McGirt, retired Johnson C
Smith coach, has not seen a big
difference of opinion between black
leadership and the average citizen.
“I think it’s close, very close,” he
says. Pointing to a major public
figure, McGirt states, “Jesse
Jackson may be carrying some
things too far, but he expresses some
of the concerns of blacks.”
McGirt questions the results of the
national survey. "Surveys can say
exactly what you want them to say
Sampling is sometimes not very
true, and people may not be ho
nest enough to tell exactly what they
think.”
Charlotte optometrist Dr Paula
Newsome claims the question is
“not a black and white issue.” She
Eddie McGirt
• * K« * v -
7s -
Margaret Ross
■' •-v'...‘*Mis-lnformation‘
* 'll'—— —___I
Bob Davis
."On target”
■r -'C'JPW'o, my views a 101 of tiroes
are inkync'<with those expressed by
black leaders), but not all the time ”
Sometimes she does not agree with
local leaders. In general, though, on
a national level, “I'm more in tune
with what they've been saying," she
states.
Spaugh principal Bob Davis
agrees the survey shows that “lead
ership is out of sync with the
troops.” However, based on his in
teraction with people, Davis has not
noted that wide a disparity. “Lead
ership is more on target” than the
results show, he asserts.
Several factors may have affected
the survey results, Davis believes.
For one, “the masses of people are
hurting so badly they may give the
answers they think you want to
hear " Another point, though, is “the
strong feeling that upper and middle
level blacks are breaking ranks with
the masses of black people. South
east Charlotte concerns are diffe
rent from Earle Village. It’s hard for
black leaders to lead if the people
don’t trust those who used to be one
of them," he suggests.
Bobby Lowery, business owner,
does not see as large a discre
pancy as indicated in the report It
-v all depends on the leader, say*
Lowery. Besides, he adds, “1 deft't
hear them saying the same thing all
the time.”
The Post conducted a very in
formal, unscientific survey consist
ing of 10 of the questions on the
national survey. In this case, no
attempt was made to distinguish
between “leaders'’ and others Here
are some of those results.
-Fifty percent of those in the Post
poll feel blacks are making pro
gress, as opposed to the national
poll's 39 percent of leaders and 66
percent of average citizens.
—Forty percent have experienced
discrimination in applying for jobs,
the same percentage as the national
average, as opposed to 74 percent of
leaders
-Seventy percent local, 70 per
cent national, and 87 percent lead
ers disapprove of the way Reagan is
handling his job.
-Fifty percent of those polled lo
cally think the Republican party is
more interested in helping to solve
the problems of black Americans
than it was four years ago. This
contrasts with only 17 percent na
tionally and nine percent of leaders
who hold this opinion.
According To Summ & Hodpe
ue Problems In All
Justice System?
-y. 1
SgitaS. Hodge
.<• CPCC instructor
i < *r. -r.
easier to snatch a purse than pick a
pocket,” Hodge remarks.
In the case of rape, the trial itself
is a harrowing experience for the
victim, who may feel she is being
victimized again by the criminal
justice.system. "Not only does she
havplo relive the experience, but
has to prove her integrity as
I," states Hodge.
.00, men and women differ in
their reactions to becoming victims
Men are less likely to admit to being
victimized because that implies
weakness on their pert. According to
Hodge, women are more likely to
seek help, to report being victim
tzad, and to follow through on
prosecution, except in some crimes
like rape and domestic violence
Women who commit crimes tend
to be less violent; their crimes are
moat often writing bod checks, for
gery. shop-lifting, and other drug
related acta. Their Crimea may be
th*r way of solving a cash-flow
problem when they are left to sup
port a family, says Hodge, Often
there Is no husband or father In the
home, and the female crimh*] is
usually s single parent
Although there is more involve
ment of women In organised crime,
Hodge says that the areas ef their
crime tend to be different from
men's She speculates that just as
women are hesitant to try certain
types of jobs, they may be hesi
tant to perpetrate certain types of
crimes
One issue yet to be resolved, says
the course instructor, is what ef
fect, if any, motherhood should have
on sentences; and what -rights
mot hart should retain with regard to
their children's care
Dumping On
Private Property Is
Misdemeanor
North Carolina’s existing laws to
deter litter bugs have been strength
ened with a new law which will go
into affect on October 1.
Jean H. Dodd, coordinator of the
Department of Transportation's
North Carolina Clean program,
explained, "The recently-approved
law provides that a parson Is guilty
of a misdemeanor If he or she
intentionally dumps or places litter
on the private property of another
without the consent of the owner of
the property ”
With regard to the.same question,
-only 20 percent locally thmk the
Democrats are more interested now
than four years ago, as compared to
46 percent nationally and 10 percent
of leaders.
Eighty percent locally think
American corporations should not
invest in South Africa, compared
with 26 percent nationally and 59
percent of leaders.
•One hundred percent in the
Charlotte survey believe young
blacks can get ahead if they work
hard enough Eighty-two percent
nationally and 78 percent of black
leaders agree.
-Opinions are evenly split in the
Post survey on the question of
preference in hiring and college
placement vs ability as the main
consideration National poll results
show 77 percent of the black po
pulation favors ability, while 77
percent of leadership favors pre
ference to make up for past dis
crimination
Forty percent locally think most
white people want to see blacks get a
better break, while 30 percent na
tionally and 26 percent of leaders
agree Twenty percent locally say
most whites want to keep blacks
down, compared to 24 percent na
tionally and 28 percent of leaders
And another 40 percent locally say
they don't think whites care one way
or the other, as opposed to 46 percent
for both national average and
leaders
-Ten percent in the local poll
disapprove of marriage between
blacks and whites Twenty-three
percent nationally and nine percent
of leaders hold the same view
Mislabeled Brake
Fluid Poses
Safety Hazard
Officials of the North Carolina
Division of Motor Vehicles and
the Governor 's Highway Safety Pro
gram have announced that their
agencies are supplementing a re
call of mislabeled brake fluid
which represents a potential safety
hazard to motorists in North
Carolina
The STP Corporation, a' subsi
diary of Union Carbide Corpora
tion, in Boca Raton, FT, has re
called the product, "STP Heavy
Duty Brake Fluid” in 12-ounce plas
tic cans The product, which was
packaged by an independent pro
ducer, contains power steering fluid
insteed of the proper brake fluid
The cans have an identifying code
stamped on the bottom reading
either "GE-422" or "GM-41g,"
Distributors, auto dealers, and
service stations are to
inspect supplies they may have of
these products and ritmi or re
place the mislabeled cans Imme
diately