Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Sept. 11, 1986, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
PHI—W Educational System’s Direction With the recent opening of another school year, many government officials, school administrators, teachers, parents, and, yes, some students, too, have had thoughts about the needs, status and direction of oar nation’s educational system. Such concerns and interests have arisen from a number of factors. These Include labor disputes resulting in public school teacher strikes in two cities, significant cuts in federal loans to college students while tuition and fees at both public and private institutions of higher learnings have in creased, and growing criticisms of public school 'education. In the latter situation, much of the problem has occurred from controversial issues created more by political forces outside of the public schools than within. Among these issues are pro posals about school health clinics and numerous other proposals, some good and some bad, but all controversial, from the U.S. Education Secretary William Bennett. ■/ _ In each of the past two weeks were comments in this column on two of these controversial issues. First, we noted Secretary Bennett’s defense of the idea of allowing public school students to choose the schools they would attend. We noted also that Albert Shanker’s opposing view that to „ grant students such choices provide little -Incentive to maintain even quality inner city schools;, simply because of their -location#. We added too that in oar viprt such unnecessary few choices would result . in the resegregation of many school sys tems along racial and economic lines. - Secondly, we wrote about “first Lesson,” a national report, also from Mr. Bennett’s office, that deals with the stains of elementary education in America. In summary the report calls for more vigorous elementary school curriculums and less traditional ways of selecting school principals. f*.\* -f .. —- T -Y 1 ’• :*• vf-j, ‘ Illiteracy Issue Another controversial issue is illiteracy. Many literacy advocates bluntly blame the • .nation’s school systems. For example, a : recent study of high school seniors revealed that 60 percent could not read a standard textbook well enough to draw conclusion from what they had read. newspaper cover story “are the prospects of ghettos where poverty passed from one generation to the next-. Blacks are three times more likely to be illiterate; the percentages are even higher for poor Hispanics.” It was within this context that Beverly Cole told the NAACP members of Winston-Salem State Universi ty last weekend that “blacks are loosing ground In the education arena at an alarming rate* If we continue at the same . pace, the consequence for the race will rival <*he famine in Ethiopia.” , J *4, , J, Hie gravity of the problem does not stop here. In April 1983. the National Commis sion on Excellence In Education presented a report. “A Nation at Risk,” which spoke of __i me now widely quoted “rising tide of mediocrity” in our educational system. Other authorities on the subject of illiteracy claim that the deficits in our public school system is so serious that approximately 7one-third of our nation’s youth are ill educated, ill-employed, and ill-equipped to hislte their way in American society.” In John Naisbitt’s number-one bestseller, “Megatrends,” this sad issue is placed in dear perspective in these words, “It is more and more apparent that young high school—even college-graduates canaot write acceptable English or even do simple • arithmetic. For the first time in American history the generation moving into adult hood is less skilled than its parents.” This may explain why and estimated 23 million American adults cannot read or write well enough to perform simple every day tasks. It is comforting to know that the ABC and PBS television networks have joined some businesses, newspapers, community groups, and government agencies to launch a ground-breaking effort to reduce the nation’s illiteracy rate. Let ub give a note of special thanks to these television networks for their efforts because they get plenty of criteria for the sex and violence on the television screen. C Finally, let us hope that the collective efforts of all concerned will begin to reduce the nation’s 23,4- million illiteracy rate. Black people can make a significant dent in this problem by giving greater support to school-age children to reduce the drop-out rate. Bitter Battle Ends Jf&'w ; *•*'’ . '£ ‘ Civil rights leaders and companions - Julian Bond and John Lewis, aides to Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s, recently ended a bitter bid for Georgia's 5th District seat in the U.S. House of Repre sentatives. The political race provided the best opportunity for a black to be elected to Georgia's 10>member delegation to Congress - and the first since 1977 when Andrew Young left to serve as (J.N. Ambassador during the Jimmy Carter presidency. The Bond-LewiS campaign got very bitter in the final days and reportedly threat ened to end a 25-year friendship that* ad begun when the two were involved in civil rights organizing activities in the South in the 1960s. Lewis won the run-off election with 51 percent of the vote with combined support from bfacks and whites in the district. Bond, who ran ahead of Lewis in the primary, was tagged as a representa tive of the black upper class political machine that is viewed as not being sufficiently responsive to * the average citizens* concerns resulting in a black white coalition allowing Lewis to win . the run-off. ... Black politicians need to take heed of this interesting political race to assess its long term political implications. --- l ■ I As I See It Why Is Voter Apathy So Prevalent? By Gerald O. Johnson Special To The Post We are fast approaching another voting season when politicians will start coming oat of the wood work to woo oar votes. But as 1 talk to people. Pm finding that nobody really is that en thusiastic about any of this. The political apathy seems to fall into two categories. First, there are those indi viduals who feel that the current policies are to their liking. Hence, the need to participate is not critical. -Secondly, there are those who feel that their partici pation will have no affect. aTtyereforfe the need to par ticipate Is useless. What a sad state of affairs. The majority of people seem to fail into the latter category* They seem ostracized from the political process. The need to vote only becomes important when candidates can be tied directly to Issues that affect them. Unemployment, Social Security, higher taxes, and racial issues are the pri mary issues that stir the dandruff enough to make people vote. Even then the issue has to be blown out of . — a— Gerald proportionate get vote# ' turnout. Why is voter apathy so prevalent? No one knows with any certainty. There fore my opinions are just as good as any. It appears to me that politicians are on a different level than ns common folk. They seem to talk at you. instead of to you. I’m beginning to realize that it is not the politicians’ fault. We have allowed the mass media to do our thinking for us. Our politicians spend more time learning how to project themselves on tele vision than they spend on issues and you. We have reached an era where our politicians are groomed for j the job much like actors are j groomed for starring roles. V.f . .Hence, the political rectory - is developing politicians on their mass appeal, not on their ideals. Many people feel that the mass media lias allowed politicians to become Impersonal with those who they are supposed to represent. Therefore, the common-Joe doesn't really know who he is voting for. It’s sort of like watching the local news. Very little is deferent about- the local« newscasts. Let’s see - yon have a white male anchor' with A charming white female co-anchor. You have 'a white male weatherman and a white male sports director. Then you add black male weathermen substi tutes and you’ve got it. Same show, different names, different stations. Boring! Ol’ Harold adds a little flavor to an otherwise bland diet of news. Everybody is trying to do the same things for fear of being different. What’s so stupid about this is all of us want variety. It is apparent why apathy exists. Unfortunately, pf apathetic attitudes perpe tuate the problem rather than helping it. If only one person voted in an election month, someone would still win. The one person would in effect control the destiny of everyone else. Basically, our apathy allows the governing of the many to be con trolled by the voting few. .It’s really not Important that politics is boring, our party affiliation is immaterial, onr rationale for voting a certain way is irrelevant. What’ matters is that we exercise our right to vote. If we don’t exercise this right, then we are perpetuat ing a self-inflicted apartheid. - ^ Opponents Debate Congressman Alex McMillan <R incumbent) andD G. Martin fD), candidates for U S Congress in the 9th District, will engage in a TV debate on Sunday, September IS, fron 1-2 pm. The debate will be carried live by WSOC-TV The debate is being sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. "We are pleased to be doing this in our time honored tradition of sponsoring political debates," declared Bernadette Parker, president of the local league. Recalling the very close outcome of the 1M4 election between these two candidates, a very lively and exdting debate is antidpated. Im portant issues which affect the 9th District wilt be debated, including - national security, trade, domestic policies and local matters. tHE CHARLOTTE POST North Carolina’s Fastest Growing ' t Weekly ——-• ■ .. ii ' _m-om m l t “The People’s Newspaper” 100 Years I '' °f Continuous Service Rill Johnson Publisher Emeritus .Gerald Johnson Co-Publisher Rob Johnson Co-PnMIaher Bernard Reeves Gen. Mgr. I loretta Manage Mng. Editor • Jackie Carr Copy Editor Fran Farrer-Bradley Adv. Mgr. Dnnnette Oslther Office Mgr. . • Published Every Thursday by The Charlotte Post Publishing Company. Inc. Main Office: —— 15318. Camden Road Charlotte, N.C. 28203 Second Class Postage Paid at Charlotte Member. National ^ Newspaper Publishers' Association If K Narth Carolina 1 Black Publishers _Association__ National Avertising Representative: Amalgamated Publishers, Inc. One Year Subscription Rate One Year-f 17.7$ Payable In Advance USPS No. SSSSSS \ • POSTMASTER \ 'I Send Change of address to r o’ UtarioMsPont v I Ui Camden Rd Charlotte. N.C. 28203 As Shaw Struggles, Questions Scream For Answers y Reprint From \ The Carolina Times As Shaw University struggles to come back from the depths of financial insolvency, to pay its debts, and continue its educational mission, at least two questions, among many others, scream for answers. Why Shaw? Several answers to that question are quite obvious. -Beyond a shadow of av* doubt, Shaw has suffered '• from poor, short-sighted financial stewardship. -Some students, justi fiably or otherwise, have abused the university’s generosity by not paying their bills, and leaving Shaw holding the bag. >-To some extent, the university's board of trustees must shoulder some of the blame because they apparently did not move with sufficient power and au thority to stem the tide of red ink. But there are some other possible answers to that question “why Shaw,” that are not quite so obvious. Shaw University occupies a choice piece of real estate in southeastern Raleigh. It Is easily accessible, from High way 7§. from 1-4® and from downtown. Frankly, that • ; •* piece of property where Shaw is located could well be one of the important anchors of a revitalized dowptown Raleigh. With new life pumped into downtown and southeastern Raleigh as a whole, as the capital city’s next center of growth, Shaw could become a very important urban university, rather than a financially^ strapped, struggling, historically Afrlcan-Afnerican college. Thert1are some In Raleigh, we’re sure, who would rather see those opportunities to be a vital part of downtown revitalization and south eastern Raleigh growth go to some other institution rather than Shaw. In other words, why Shaw? It appears that the land this university occupies has suddenly become potentially too valuable to be left in the hands of African-Americans. This brings us to the second question, why now? Again, same answers are above. -Now, because the U.8. Department of Education said enough Is enough. But again* as well, some answers are not quite so obvious. Now, because in years past, southeast Raleigh didn’t figure prominently in the city’s future. The excitement and dynamics of Raleigh growth flowed north. But now north Raleigh is virtually saturated. And with the explosion of growth expected In northern Johnston County with the completion of 1-40 through there, southeastern Raleigh suddenly becomes an im portant area h the city’s future. The big players have entered the game. The Raleigh Chamber of Commerce recently moved into its new building on the border of downtown and southeast Raleigh. The NCNB Development Corporation recently announced plans to put > several million dollars into southeast Raleigh to revitalize the area resldentlally. Other developers, other plans are sure to follow. Thus, the answer to the second question Is virtually the same as the answer to the first one. The land that Shaw NOW occupies has NOW become too potentially valuable to leave It In African-American control. Therefore, 9haw’s struggle to come back is more than an effort to save a ■' • * , ok f?, -<A financially strapped African American college. Frankly, it is an effort to reposition this school 6 be able to capture and profit from the tremendous and imporrant opportunities on the horizon in southeast Raleigh. That’s why Shaw! That’s why Now! KKK Leaves Mark Continued From Page 1A and I think they handled it very nicely,” he noted. After the march had concluded, a group of six blacks retaliated against whites they assumed to be Klan members in a parking lot at the corner of Trade and College. They rushed up to the van and commenced beating It with their fists out of frustration and outrage a* tne van stopped, a white male Jumped out with a hammer In his grasp as another middle aged while male approached on a 10-speed bicycle The van finally pulling, kicking, and yanking on the bike, they encountered another white man on the same corner reading from a few badly wrinkled sheets of yellow paper “Let’s gist him." they shouted. “I know what . it's like to have a cross burned on my lawn." the white man replied. You can Jump on hne, but I’m protected by the Lord,," he recited with a firm tone of voice The KKK thrives on violence, said one female watching the action The KKK could have put him out here Just to start something,’’ she I'gfeWag
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 11, 1986, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75