in UJS. Prison* And Jnak
America Has 21^000 Forgotten Women
Special To The Peat
“America has 21,000 ‘Forgotten
Women ’ They are the female pri
soners in U.S. prisons and Jails,”
charges Bernice Powell, long-time
women’s rights activist and direc
tor of a Project on Women in Prison
supported by the Commission for
Racial Justice of the 1.7 million
member United Church of Christ.
- “Once they are locked up, they
’ become isolated from their fami
Z lies and communities. This makes
-rehabilitation extremely difficult,’’
—Ms. Powell says.
- Separation of women offenders
rfroro their children is a major
-problem. Seventy percent of wo
- men prisoners are mothers, most
. single mothers. 1he Bureau of Jua
. tice Statistics estimates that
~ 22,351 children have mothers who
•-wore incarcerated in 1964 More
than half the female offenders do not
“get visits from their children while
imprisoned.
To address this problem the Na
tional Black Child Development In
_stitute, Washington, D.C., and
Trinity United Church of Christ,
- Chicago, two of the groups working
.’with Qk Women in Prison project,
;are developing a parenting curri
culum for women prisoners and ex
tenders.
m j* ..') . « - _
• v “Stereotypes ot women prisoners
•have created negative images of
Tthem for many people,” Ms. Powell
I explains. The project’s purpose is to
design ways to get local churches
and community groups involved
with women in prison. "We’re
working to let them know it is both
■ acceptable and rewarding to work
, with women prisoners.” Strategies
to bring about legislative and le
gal reform as well as resources to
aid church and community groups
.^Interested in starting programs to
address the needs of female of
fenders are other aspects of the
one-year project.
"While our project will benefit all
- women prisoners we’re concentrat
ing gs the black comaumity,” Ms.
Powell says. “Although black wo
• mob represent Ion than 12 percent
of the female adult population in the
: U.S., over 50 percent of incarcerated
women are black.
“Relationships with family and
friends are difficult for female of
•: fenders to maintain," she explains.
“They get fewer visits than men. Cut
off from their families and children,
; women prisoners often become de
pressed-”
Some ways the project is already
helping these otherwise "Forgotten
; .Women” are a half-way houM In
; Raleigh, N.C., a visitation program
. in> Chicagoi % gfid an 6x*offcndcr
“hotline” in New York City.
The Rainbow-Harbor House, Ra
leigh, N.C., sponsored by the
Gethsemane Rainbow partnership,
provides a transitional half-way
house for women ex-offenders which
offers room and board, 34-hour
supervision, and, individual coun
seling while vthey.seek employment
and housing.
“They must be willing to take
charge of their own lives,” explains
Delores Glenn, director of Rainbow
House, and a member bf die pro
ject’s advisory committee. "We
don’t coddle them here. We give
them support which is ‘tough
love.’”
To one resident, Rainbow-Harbor
House “meant a roof over my head
because I had no family and no
friends. Most of all it means love and
family." Now her goal is to “work
with underprivileged people-like
the handicapped-so I can show them
love like I’ve been shown love,” she
says.
Rainbow-Harbor House re
ceives $15,000 a year from the City of
Raleigh and is supported by church
and civic groups. When the women
find jobs they contribute $35 a week
while living there.
“Without a job these women will
revert to their old ways,’’ Ms. Glenn
says. "They need a job they can take
pride in and feel a part of.”
To meet this need Ms. Glenn and
her board of directors developed the
Rainbow Upholstery Shop, where
the women reupholster furniture.
“It’s exciting to see the pride they
take in their work,” she says.
“One of our goals is that this project
will be fully staffed by ex-offenders,
parolees and women on work re
lease.”
. In Chicago, members of Trinity
United Church of Christ visited
women in Cook County Jail and
provided a “social evening" of en
tertainment and refreshments. Now
the restrictions have been increased
and they can’t bring any refresh-.
ments. ■■■■.• .»* •
"The women are treated different
ly than the men are,” explain
Karen L. Cooper of Trinity’s pri
son ministry. “The men have a full
time, regular education schedule for
high school equivalency diplomas
and college credits, while the
women only have occasional-class
es. From what we could see, the
women don’t get access to the yard
outside. When they’re not in their
cells they stay in a large room with a
TV, like a herd of cattle In a pen.” .
Ms. Cooper describes her emo
tional reaction after a discussion
with a 22-year-old incarcerated
mother who never took proper care
of har child because aha waa too
busy supporting har drug habit.
“Now that aba is facing time, aba
understands the harm she has done
to har child.” Ms. Cooper said. "I
Just cried all evening.” .
And in New York City the United
Church of Christ’s Metropolitan As
sociation is developing * telephone
“hotline” staffed by woman as
offenders that will provide support
service referrals.
“Women wixrare coming out of
prisqti ip New ‘York state have
literally nowhere to turn for a
support group, especially one com
prised Of other ex-offenders," re
. ports Owen Tomlin or the River
side Church prison ministry.
“They need a variety of things.
With the hotline we can ease same of
the street associated with coming
from prison, especially during the
first 30 days when finding a Job
seems like a catastrophe.”
The United Church of Christ is a
1957 union of the Evangelical and
Reformed Church and the Congre
gational Christian Churches. Its
Commission for Racial Justice
works with churches. Interfaith
groups and communities to combat
- discrimination and secure Justice
for Macks and other minorities.
A&T Alumni Scholars Program Attracts Bright Students
By Richard E. Moore
Special To Hie Poot
..Greensboro • What the National ‘
Alumni Scholars Program means to
A&T State University can easily be
measured by students like fresh
man Natalie McQueen.
When she graduated last spring
from Person Senior High School in
Roxboro, N.C., she could call the
shots as far as attending college is
concerned. After all, she had won at
least six major college scholar
ships, thanks to her tremendously
high SAT score.
But the articulate 17-year-old
elected to attend A&T under die
scholarship program financed by
the A&T State University National
Alumni Association. She has d-,
ready attracted attention as an ex- .
tremely bright young lady to'be
reckoned with.
Natalie has no regrets that she
bypassed other academic heavy
weights, including Duke Univer
sity, North Carolina State Univer
sity, and Meredith College.
“I know that I made the right
decision," she said recently, “I Just
love A&T.”.
Natalie, an electrical engineer
ing major, said she first learned
about the prestigious A&T National
Alumni Scholarships last summer
GOMBTNG
TONIGHT
At home, or of your favorite bar,
when you go Misting, you make any niaht special.
So experience the smooth mellow lightness of Canadian Mist. '
An wnported Canadian Whisky.
The Usher* of Steele Creek AME Zion Church recently
hosted the monthly Ushers District Meeting. Because
Steele Creek had the largest number of ushers
represented, Its ushers were proclaimed Ushers of the
Month. In attendance were Cora Johnson, president of
the Senior Usher Board, and Margaret Carothers,
president of the Charlotte District Board of Ushers.
Rev. Smith Turner Is the presiding eider of the district.
•And James Graham, who was ahsent. la pri ilh>i of
the Senior Usher Board. There are it chmrehes in the
Charlotte district. Rev. Fred McCullough is paster of
Steele Creek. _ * v sm \ -
while visiting AAT. An admissions -
counselor suggested that she apply
for the grant and she did.
Natalie said she knew a lot about
AAT, since her parents, Robert
McQueen and Gwendolyn Nelson
McQueen, are both graduates of
AAT. ''They feel great about my
going to AAT,” she said, “but they '
didn’t pressure me about it."
Natalie’s father is a telecommuni
cations employee from IBM, and her
mother teaches home economics in
Roxboro.
Natalie spent last summer work
ing in an engineering pre-coopera- :
HUNGRY?
Read "Who’s Who In '
The Kitchen" and find a
variety of tasty and ful-,
filling recipes to grace any
table.
live program at Carolina Power and
Light in her hometown. That experi
ence introduced her to engineer
ing.
"I love math and science and it
seemed the best way to combine the
two,” she said, "and I was im
pressed with the engineering school
at AAT.”
Natalie is one of 16 National
Alumni Scholars currently enrolled
at AAT. Students selected for the
program are provided with scholar
ships of $2,000 per year for in
state students, and $3,000 pa* year
for out-of-state students. .
In addition to the alumni scho
larship, Natalie won scholar
ships from IBM and the National
Achievement Scholarship Program.
Braces for Children & Adults
DR. PAUL A. MedLL,
DDS., P.A.
"Practice Limited To Orthodontics"
CONVENIENT LOCATION
AND SATURDAY HOURS
(704) 375-7005
i«£a we« niu at., unarietta. n.c. 282*2 -
l Block from 1-77 Near Irwin Avenue Junior H.S.
Offlc* Hour* By Appointment Only
A If you join the Mint now, you will be
t* m included in the fabulous ‘ ‘members only’ ’
i activities celebrating this once in a lifetime event. And, if you Join at the Subscriber
level (950) or ABOVE, you will become a CHARTER MEMBER of the Mint Charter
Members will receive a limited edition poster commemorating the opening and an
invitationto a gala preview on Saturday, November 9th.
Mint Members also enjoy unlimited access to the museum’s 24 galleries, invitations to
exclusive previews of nationally acclaimed exhibitions, discounts on exciting
educational programs and on purchases in the Museum Shop, free admission to the
Hezekiah Alexander Homeslte, and travel opportunities to unique cultural attraction.
Just complete the application below and mail with you
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it Museum Members*
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