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(^tutorials Celebrate 12 Black History Months Written From The Public Post Black History Month was coining. It , would soon begin. A bright, young, local freelance writer, thinking ahead, had suggested a related story idea about an important, pioneering blade businessman to a newspaper editor, and it had been accepted for publication. Now, the young writer was sitting in the subject’s lobby, tape-recorder in hand, waiting to be invited into his'office, where she would conduct the interview. . While waiting, she got into a small conversation with'one'of the businessmen’s clients who was sitting nearby. She mentioned that Blade History Month was coming soon. witft tne ur. Martin Luther King Jr. Rdiday in January,” the man said, “we’ll celebrate almost tWo Black History months this year.” “I think we should celebrate 12 Black History months every eyar, hot just'one,” the young writer said. “I think Black History is so important we should be studying it and celebrating it every day'af • the year! “The time comes around every year, and we go through the rituals. In February, Blade History is served up to us, mostly in bits and pieces, as if a little dab will do us for another year. That’s hot enough. We know too little about 'ourselves, and it slows.” The man thought about that for a minute or two, and then he said: “That’s a good point. You’re right! ” Black History - 'or Afro-American History - is about information, instruction, knowledge. It is about truth. It is about foots, pride, respect. It is about all that we’ve been, all that we are, and, by projection, all we will be. Our history reveals us to be an accomplished people, an intelligent and imaginative people, a progressive, pfoduc :; tive, courageous people who, though / subjugated at times, have hot submitted to . the force* of racism, repression, retrogression. Black History Makers When it comes to history, we Black Americans are enormously wealthy.' Actually, it is impossible to accurately evaluate that wealth. Certainly, with all due respect to those who make it, who write it (or otherwise record it), who analyze and' or interpret it, teach it, publicize it, promote it, we simply do hot properly capitalizes it: Black History is taught in schools. Tens'of thousands of Black History hooks are - available in libraries. Especially during Blade History Month, the various Com*;,’ municatlons media expose Blade History to people d all races, creeds, and Colors, hot solely tp Afro-Americans. Blade history-makers, like air, are everywhere. With eyes on professional careen, many young members'd the race are formally studying their history. But the shocking fact is that the average Black American knows rather little about his*or her history. How little we know often is embarrassing, especially after Caucasian Americans have proven themselves to be more knowledgeable than our own people. Even in subjects which we more'or less take for granted, we aren’t that historically sharp'overall. Would you believe that there are many, many young Black males (hot to mention young, Black females) who don’t know exactly what Jackie Robinson did? Or that January 31 was his birthday? Or that, 40 years ago, come April, he made an • invaluable contribution to the progress 'of - his race and the betterment of the entire nation by becoming the first Black athlete to play organized baseball in modern times? We are a sports loving group. When it comes to sports stars, we are prodigious producers. If we’re hot going to keep up reasonably well with a super citizen-athlete, what, chance, really, does the superstar Black mathematician haye? Black Role Models Through all those recent years when we’ve heard the cry that “young Blacks need more role models,’’ great and glorious Black historical heroes have walked this land almost totally ignored, unhonored, unappreciated. People just didn’t care enough to find out who they were. Historical continuity often was destroyed by the shifting winds of intraracial racism, pettiness, jealousy, unprofesslonalism. . Can you believe that, within the past several months, T have heard a Blade person who should understand the impor tance of Black historical heroes villify the late, incomparable NAACP Executive, Hoy Wilkins, and actually suggest, in essence, that he should be discarded... “because he is dead?” However, the fact that, generally speak- , ing, we Black Americans are lacking in knowledge afeout'our'own history'often is mentioned in conversations between people who care. , Just as there always have been, there are those--such as dedicated teachers.'.and members of the Our Authors Study Clubs wfio constantly attempt to expose Black History to members of the race. But, the point the Noting, Black writer was making was that much, much more should be done than is being done. If we’re not going to do'our utmost to familiarize our people, especially our young, with our history, bow can we continue to blame their failures'on the lack of such knowledge and the confidence and self-respect its possession would give them? . There’s something illogical going'on'out there. It’s like complaining about the “lack of Black foie models” and then playing unfunny games in which true foie models t are ignored'or discounted for mini-reasons that don’t make sense. ' As said, we’re enormously wealthy in our history. HHVOTY UPLIFT WILL JUST HAVE TO WAIT' STATED A HEW yORH LW^AipOUnMH / *-A» . •> 7i ' a * • * v «. , Blacks9 Destiny In Own Hands Selling Personal Tutoring Services By Sabrina Johnson Special To The Post In the United States the business of educating beyond the public school system is fast becoming a truly compe titive world. - Colleges and universities realize that their “product” has to be pro jected in a nipre positive sense and practical sense than its competitor down the road. Learntag center?'or' “teaching stores” for school age children, is another entity in the education, business. They thrive bjr soiling per sonal tutoring services - in essence teaching the three R’s for profit. And the idea is working. To attract parents’ atten tion to the learning centers, the stores, capitalize on slogans such as “Is your child caught in a failure chain?”“or “Give your bids an unfair advantage.’^ Each in its own way is directly geared at parents with the cash and desire to bring a lagging child up to par'pr to further push a bright child ahead of his'or her class mates. For "over 15 years appeals like these have beer Sabrina* pulling thousands'of children and some adults into private, for profit learning centers, that are quickly spreading across the country. The Reading Game, Sylvan Learning Carp, and Huntington Learning Centers are three 'of the most suc cessful in the business. All three firms hire only certi fied teachers, many who are moonlighting for $6-$10 an hour. Not'one'of the ranters permits a pupil to teacher ratio'of more than three to one. The Reading Game made THE CHARLOTTE POST ! North Carolina’* Pastast Growing Weekly 704-3780496 107 Years Of Continuous Service BMJehasea Edker.Pab. Beruard Reeves Gee. Mgr. FTaa Fairer-Bradley Adv. Mgr. Daanette Gaither Office Mgr. --- Published Every Thursday by Publishing Company, lae. Mata Otticn: 1331S Camden Road Charlotte. N.C. 2*203 Paid at Charlotte1 Member. Nattsaal North Cmpt': National Advertising Hfprosentatlve: Amalgamated Publisher*. Inc One Year • Oae Year-117.78 Payable la Advance ' Lrspfl n*. sestet POSTMASTER Send Change ef addrrsi to: Charlotte Post mi 8. Camden Rd. Charlotte. N.C. 7*703 ■® Public Relations PloyS By Sherman N. Miller Special To The Port Since; very few black Republican leaders are counterpoised to the na tional black Democratic leaden, I do not believe the black community gets'objec tive interpretations of Some of the Republican Party pro grams. I think many times the black Community is (biped by public relations ploys that purport shprt-term Rope versus blacks accepting long-term Republican Party programs that wiR yield substantial Socioeconomic program. I recall quietly chuckling when I heard blacks Boasting about being executive three ton, directors, and Cdordina ton of Social programs. I pitied these people because I knew they were dot acquir ing readily marketable skills in the eCodomic mainstream. And I came to realize Bow right my instincts were as I listened to Goverdor James G. Martin reveal Some dis Bodorable past practices that occurred to blacks in the State'of North Carolina “In the Department of Commerce we found a situa tion where my predecessor had established, in effect, what was a symbolic-token Assistant Secretary of » - ' r. ■ r**S*\i. -' ■ Minority Affairs,” said Martin. “Had no staff and nofiody reported to him. He was an Assistant Secretary that reported to three'other people, np to the Deputy Secretary.” Martin says he gave this same chap a real Job. “We took the same man and made him Assistant Secretary for Small Business -- all small v business.” Although Martin says he is attempting to rriove blacks into mainstream Jobs he admits that vestiges of the plantation mentality era are still impeding his efforts.. “We do have a Special Assistant for Minority Affairs, because there are still a lot of black citizens who only know how to deal with that kind oT office. But we set up a Committee of professional executives within the state government ...to broaden the base and get people dealing with Macks out in the leadership posi tions rather than (through) a pipeline.” Since Lawrence Toliver, VP of Charlotte, NC Chamber of Commerce re cently stated that there were hot enough black businesses in Charlotte large enough to garner all of the potential business opportunities that exist, I asked Martin if this was a statewide problem. *T think it’s true, it also makes clear that there is a great opportunity ror those small businesses that can become somewhat larger.” Yet Martin pointed out that they must closely examine minority businesses for authenticity. “We are trying to Identify those who are not just fronts but Solid. Get them into the state Contract awards.” Nevertheless, Martin pre sented a strong case for establishing achievable objectives in minority Contract awards instead of deluding the public. “We set a Modest goal - two percent,” says Martin. “Initial reactions was Jim Hunt made a goal of five percent, why are we'only setting a goal of tv»o percent? V - • - l - - • . *• , ~ ' --W “My first answer was. that he didn’t make five percent! He didn’t make two percent! He didn’t make'one percent! He didn’t make a'one-sixtieth percent!” : Martin'offered proof of his commitment, towards en franchising blacks in the eco nomic mainstream. “By setting a'Modest goal we had a chance 'of meeting it... showing Momentum and positive attitude toward it; building it higher from there. We thought we might get 3-3 percent over the next year, then raise our goal; but instead we are delivering on six percent right flow.” Blacks must avoid being duped by those adept at public relations ploys wAo create short-term Mack upward MoMlity mirages. I think Governor Marti* offers the national Mack community plenty of Mod for thought if they wish to make significant long-term Socio economic progress In main stream America. Martin also left me with a recipe for opportunity in the business World. “Opportunity in the busi ness World is hot Somethin* you succeed at overnight You've got to build up a reputation You’ve got to build up an organization.’’ its jump into multf-outlet tutoring in 1970 with 11 centers in California and expanding, that by 70 into six states. The company’s top menu item'of reading takes in K-12, remedia] classes for slow learners and enrich ment for fast pace children. The standard fee- $20*25 an hour. Huntington Learning Cen ters, Inc. is the smallest of the three major centers. It has been in operation for about nine years. Thirteen teaching centers we central ly located in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York with 37 franchises Sold in 11 states. Huntington Offers remedial reading and math, and'offers coaching for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Its standard fee is $19*22 an hour. Sylvan Learning Corp. got into the business in 1979 with its first store in suburban Portland. Because'of super aggressive franchising, Sylvan has been able to surpass the Reading Game in size. At present, Sylvan has some 211 franchised centers and nine company-owned '. ; facilities in 39 states. Sylvan provides math and reading services to all grades: an average cost'of $25 an hour. The offidals of the teach ing stores claim that they are doing all the things, the schools would do if they could afford it. Officials in public schools . agree that the schdols cannot match the attention given to three students at a time; many do hot hesitate to refer parents to teaching stores. In addition to the small pupil to teacher ratio, the stores reward the students for good work with tokens that can be traded for goodies in the exchange center, like Walkmans, GoBots and many 'other fashionable items that appeal to children. One may view this 166 as a lesion in commerce on a much small er scale. But the lavish rewards are hot the only reason to achieve. Many of the students at the learning store desire* are driven to be rewarded with batter grades in scnooi, entrance lo more prestigious scltfols or higher test grades on national tests, they aMo help chikfren to g4in Confidence. Many experts in the field of education are hot'only Con cerned with how high the standards and quality of the teaching stores are, but that their prices may be beyond affordable means for many parents.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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March 6, 1986, edition 1
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