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Volume 12. Number 20 . THE CHARLOTTE POST- Thursday. October 16. 1986 „
. 1 . j .4 "jj'1 _______|___ Price: a0 Cents
Neely Blackmon
...UNCC freshman
Neely Blackmon Takes
Advantage Of Opportunities
Russell Clark
Post Staff Writer
Doesn’t she look familiar? Haven't
you seen these baby dimples before?
If you have, it might have been this
past summer as you zipped through
Skip's Mimi Mart to grab a cold one
to fight the blistering heat.
Neely Renee Blackmon, 18, has
been a cashier at the northwest
convenience store for more than two
years, but now has her sights on a
bright future. "My goal Is to earn a
business administration degree and
help out with my family businesses,’
she projected. “I believe the skills
that I will get from a four year
university will enable me to get
along better with people and it will
help me prepare for a real estate
career,” added Renee, a freshman
at UMCrCharlotte.
A 1908 graduate of Olympic High
School, Blackmon is making the
Charles Rangel
To Speak Sunday
Charles Rangel, the mast powerful
black congressman from New York
City will be In Charlotte to campaign
on behalf of DG. Martin, Sunday,
October IB at Mayfield Memorial
Baptist Church, during the 11 a m
worship service.
Elected to congress in 1970, Ran
gel Is a member of the House’s Ways
and Means Committee.
Happiness is a place between
too little and too much
transition from high school to colle
ge. “College requires a lot more
studying than high school,” she
related. “It teaches you to set
prioities and to use your time
wisely,” she mentioned.
Since beginning her first year in
college, the profit-conscious beauty
has already begun taking advantage
of opportunities. “I've Joined the
N.A.A.C.P. Club, Black Student Un
ion and the Children of the Sun
Gospel Choir.”
The UNC-Charlotte Chapter of the
N.A.A.C.P. Club recently went to
Washington, D.C. to protest aparthe
id in South Africa. "We marched
back and forth for about two hours in
front of the White House with nearly
a hundred other schools,” informed
Blackmon, a charter member of the
orginization.
As a member of the gospel choir,
she also gets to travel. "We sung at a
gospel workshop at Johnson C.
Smith, and we are also planning a
trip to Houston, Texas this Spring,"
she announced.
In high school, she was a IMS Delta
Sigma Theta Debutant Queen, a
member of the French Club, Media
Club, Vogue Club while still holding
a Job at the store.
At UNC-Charlotte, she is currently
taking 13 hours. Amot^ her basic
courses are Pschology, Sociology,
and Afro-Amerlcan-African Studies,
which is one of her favorites. “I
really enjoy the course because I
can relate to what it's about. It’s
black people writing about black
people and I find it very interesting ’
She is the daughter at Delores
Blackmon Miller, who owns Skip’s
and the granddaughter of Otis
Blackmon who owns the 1100 block
of Beatties Ford Rd
"I have a special relationship with
my mom because she tries to let me
make my own decisions. I’m the
first person in my family to attend a
four year university, but I’m deter
mined to do my best in school
She ha* her priori tie* In order,”
mentioned her room-mate, Fated a
Cook, a freshmen from Salisbury
“She has very high expectations of
herself, and I believe that If a person
alms high they will always finish
near the top”.
Carl Rowan To Address
Charlotte Business League
The Charlotte Business League will
hold its Ninth Annual Awards Banq
uet at 7:30 pm, Saturday, October 25,
at McDonald’s Cafeteria located on
Beatties Ford Road at Interstate-85
in Charlotte.
CBL announces that nationally
syndicated columnist Carl Rowan
will be the keynote speaker for the
banquet. Rowan is one of the na
tion's most sought-after lecturers,
considered one of American journal
ism’s loudest and strongest voices in
behalf of the nation’s poor, its
blacks, its Hispanics and other
minorities.
Millions of Americans listen to Carl
Rowan five days a week through his
series of national affairs commen
taries called ‘‘The Rowan Report,"
carried on 55 radio stations
throughout the nation. It is sponsor
ed by Chrysler Corporation and
K-Mart Stores.
we are very fortunate to have a
speaker of C*rl Rowan’s stature and
celebrity far our banquet," says
Omar Leatherman, banquet commi
ttee chairman and owner of South
Boulevard Chrysler-Plymouth.
“CBL owes a debt of gratitude to
Chrysler Corporation which is spon
soring Mr. Rowan's trip to Char
lotte,” adds Leatherman.
Rowan is the only journalist ever to
win the coveted Sigma Delta Chi
Medallion in three successive years
for newspaper reporting. He also
received the George Foster Peabody
Award for his television special
“Race War in Rhodesia.” The Peab
ody Award is the most prestigious in
American Broadcasting. His credits
also include an emmy for his docum
entary, “Drug Abuse; America's 64
Billion Dollar Curse.” Washington's
Carl Rowan
...Nationally syndicated columnist
Capital Press Club voted him “Jour
nalist of the Year” in 1978 and Ebony
Magazine presented him with its
first annual “American Black A
chievement Award" as the "Most
Outstanding Contributor in the
Field of Communications."
"With Carl Rowan we have one of
SCSC To Host Conference On
Drug Abuse On Black Campuses
Orangeburg, SC -America's his
torically black colleges have an
obligation to address the issue of
alcohol and drug abuse as it affects
the college campus and the com
munity, says the vice president for
student affairs at South Carolina
State College (SCSC).
Dr. Oscar Butler recently
announced that is response to
problems of substance abuse on
black campuses, SCSC will host the
conference, "Alcohol and Drugs on
the Black Campus Challenges and
Choices" on October 19-22 The
purpose of the conference is to bring
together administrators from
historically black colleges and
professionals in the alcohol and drug
field to discuss ahd develop stra
tegies for the prevention of sub
stance abuse
Butler says, “The conference Is
being sponsored because black
colleges are responsible, to a large
degree, for the development of our
future leadership As we work to
develop these leaders, we cannot
deny that the presence of chemical
abuse Is affecting us just as it is
invading the whole society It is time
for us to address this issue and to
fake action."
Information about the trends and
effects of substance abuse and ideas
for programming will be shared
with participants by renowned
speakers and workshop presenters
Conference coordinator Sharon
Reed says. “Our participants can
provide a wealth of information and
ideas to those who attend the
C'>nference. Some are weil known in
this field and have been featured In
national publications.’’
■ Among the speakers are Dr
Henry Braddock of the Hillside
International truth Center in
Atlanta and Peter Bell of the
Minnesota Institute on Black
Chemical Abuse The college was
conceived over three years ago.
This conference is a direct result
of an effort that began at the college
in 1983. That year, the college was
awarded a grant from the
Governor's Office of Highway
Safety Programs for the develop
ment of an alcohol education
program to reduce incidences of
drinking and driving among
students of historically black
colleges
Through its Targeted Education
Program, the college has
developed a comprehensive
program In alcohol and drug
education for Its students . Key
features of the program include the
use of students as implementors and
'he development of audio-visual and
printed materials that take into
account cultural differences
The college program is a based
program Students are trained to
educated their peers about the
effects of chemical use and about
self awareness, values clarification
and responsible decision-making as
'hese relate to the use or
non-use of alcohol and other drugs
When program materials were
developed such as the video, "Not
Me I'm Cool” which provides a
scenario about drinking and
driving, input from students was
sought They know best what goes on
in their circles and what will
inpact their peers Thus, the
videos, posters, and other materials
used are all written and produced by
s’udents
As part 'if the registration for the
upcoming conference, participants
will receive copies of the video and
program guide developed by the
Targeted Education Program at
srsc
"It is our hope that other colleges
and community agencies will be
able to replicate aspects of the
Targeted Education Program for
use with similar groups,'' said
Hu'ler "With these tools and an
action agenda developed from the
conference, black colleges should be
able to make a significant
difference in the fight against
alcohol and drug abuse "
Representatives from churches,
community agencies, treatment
facilities and school district* are
invited to participate in the
conference
For further information, call the
Targeted Education Program at
South Carolina State College
Two Named To (AH* Security IVogrom
Raleigh - North Carolina
Republican Party Chairman Bob
Bradshaw announced the appoint
ment of Randy Daub of Greenville
and Alex Williams of Hickory, as
state cxhalrmen of the Republican
Party* statewide Ballot Security
Program for the November «
election
Dnub. a Greenville attorney, is
currently a member of the North
Carolina Board of Transportation.
while Williams, a former member of
the Catawba County Board of
Elections, is an attorney from
Hickory
"If is important that the integrity
>f the electoral process is pre
served," Bradshaw said.
The primary responsibility of the
s’atewide Ballot Security Co
Chairmen is to aid in coordinating
the program at the local -level by
being available to assist county
ballot security chairmen
the most outstanding black Americ
ans of any era," says Clayton Lovell.
CBL President. ‘‘Having him with us
assures that this will be our most
successful banquet ever,” Lovell
adds.
Tickets for the banquet are
available through any CBL member
at $35 per person For more inform
ation and tickets, call Willie Smith at
376-3185.
CBL’s Banquet will also feature
presentations of its 1986 Business
Hall of Fame inductees, Business of
the year and Rookie Business of the
Year
Past award recipients have includ
ed the late Bill Johnson, publisher of
the Charlotte Post, Vincent James,
president of Petro Limited, former
pro football star Pettis Norman of
Charlotte and now a millionaire
Dallas Businessman, public rela
tions consultant Ken Koontz and new
car dealer Omar Leatherman
A posthumous award was present
ed to the late Bishop George Leake
of the AMI£ Zina Church and eivll
rights leadejf:/Convenience store
chain operator Cicero Grier of the
Bounty Corporation, Lem Long of
Long and Son’s Mortuary, late civil
rights leader and NAACP Board
Chairman Kelly Alexander Sr., for
mer computer card manufacturer
Jean Webber, architect and now
Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt, rest
auranteur John McDonald, and late
founder-owner of the historic Ex
celsior Club, Jimmie McKee.
NAACP Files
Suit Against
Forsyth County
Ms. Carolyn Coleman, Field
Director of the North Carolina State
Conference of NAACP Branches
announced that the NAACP, its
affiliate the Winston-Salem Branch
and three citizens, H B Goodson,
Patrick Hairston, and R Lewis Ray
filed a lawsuit against the Forsyth
County Board of County Commis
sioners seeking to change the at
large method of election to single
member districts
The present method of election is
partisan, at large, staggered four
year terms with runoff and
majority vote requirements Three
Commissioners are elected in even
numbered years and two
Commissioners are elected the
following even numbered years
Dnly one black on two occasions has
been elected to the Board of County
Commissioners
Ms Coleman, Kelly Alexander
Jr State NAACP President and Mr
Walter Marshall, President of the
Winston-Salem Branch In a joint
statement said, "It is of utmost
importance that black citizens have
'he opportunity to elect
representatives of their choice The
present system is designed to dilute
black voting strength and it has
resulted in the under representation
of black citizens ” Local Branch
President Marshall stated that
under a fair and equitable system
which does not cancel out the black
vote, blacks could elect represent
a'ives of their choosing comparable
'o the black voting strength Blacks
are approximately 25 percent of the
County's population. Ms Coleman
indicated that the National Office
and North Carolina State
Conference of Branches and its
affiliates are firmly committed to
establishing fair voting procedures
t») guarantee the opportunity for the
election of minorities and-or
representatives of their choice