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Shena Falls Feels Her
Possibilities Are Limitless
By Russell Clark
Post Staff Write,
“The limit is ths sky," replies
Shena Falls when discussing
her career possibilities in her
UNC-Charlotte dormitory. A
senior majoring In business ad
ministration, she plans to work
her way up the ladder of success.
"When I graduate this coming
May, I plan to take a entty level
position with a company to get my
foot in the door and. get some ex
{■ perience. With a business de
8T*e. I can do a lot of different
things because there are a lot of
different career paths that I can
turn to. Whether it be on the cor
porate level or in human servic
•*» the experience is the most im
portant thing," mentions the 23
year-oid Virgo
A native of Walkertown, (near
; Winston Salem) she is a 1981
graduate of East Forsyth High
School where she was a member
of the Frehch Club and a Eaglette.
Ii» her senior year in high school,
the aelf-reliant beauty of the week
conducted her own college search
program.
I did a lot of college research
in high school,"she recalls.
Tve always wanted to major in
business and I applied at UNCC
after I found out that it had a busi
ness department. Another good
thing is that it's only an hour and
a half away from home and I
didn't want to be in a strain try
ing to get home to see my family,
relates Shena' who rooms with
three young ladies.
"My sister is one of my room
mates and we get along One. We
are also best friends and we've
been through a lot together," she
inteijects.
The daughter of James and
Valerie Harris of Walkertown,
she has one younger sister, Nata
chia 21 who is studying criminal
justice at UNCC and a younger
brother James, 14. "We have a
very cloee-knit family and I try
to go home to visit at least Once a
month. My mother is very spa
See BEAUTY page 8A
Constitutional Violations
lotte NAACP Elections
By Jalyne Strong
Post Staff Writer
The December 18,1986 Branch
election conducted by the Char
lotte Branch of the NAACP con
sisted of so many NAACP Consti
tutional violations, in retrospect
the entire election process ap
pears to be a travesty.
At least that's the implication
expressed by James Lamont, the
Charlotte Branch's 1986 Election
Supervisor, who claims about the
election, "There were several
things that weren't done proper
ly." And it is also the opinion of
Paul Recard, one of the presiden
tial candidates of the 1986 elec
tion, who, following the election,
submitted a formal complaint to
the NAACP National Office, cit
ing, "gross discrepancies in the
December 1986 Biennial elec
tion" specifically three rule vio
lations and one general impro
priety.
On the other hand, upholding
the rightness of the election is the
Branch’s past president Kelly Al
•**nder Jr., and Mary Clarke,
Calling Recard's c^iplatmf^a^
monumental case of sour
grapes," Alexander contends, "A
number of (Recard's) allegations
were false and easily refuted."
Clarke maintains, "I have no
problems with how the election
was handled. I'm not aware of
any violations."
Clarke adamantly states, "I |
have no comment on how things
should have been handled. Wil
liam Penn handles the violations
and if anything was wrong with
the election he would have ex
plained it."
The fact is William Penn, Di
rector of Branches and Field Ser
vices of the NAACP National Of
fice, did not refute nor explain
any of the specific allegations
brought up in Recard's com
plaint. Recard's three rule viola
tions concerned charges of im
proper notification of the election
to Branch members; his exclu
sion from an important election
eve meeting; and the unavaila
bility of a verifiable list of voter
eligible Branch members—all of
which are accurate Constitutional
violations.
Penn, however, dismissed Re
card's entire complaint on a pro
cedure violation, without much
investigation into the charges. •
Contacted at his office in Balti
more, Md., Penn stated, "The
Kelly Alexander Jr.
Mary Clarke
I a til Recard
Allegations surrounding the 1966 Charlotte
Branch NAACP election crack the surface of the
loCal ch,‘»,U>r exposing other questionable practic
complaint was not filed under the
policies and procedures of the
Constitution. We made our deter
mination that the complaint was
not valid because the number of
signatures on it were not in ac
cordance with Article V of the
Constitution."
Penn added he was not con
cerned or involved with the mat
ter any further. He admitted as
far as he was concerned the com
plainant had no further recourse.
"I’m not going to go into it," Penn
abruptly concluded.
Penn's refiisal to get involved
or refute the points expressed in
Recard's complaint has served to
fuel a continuing controversy
about the 1986 Branch election
with Recard claiming his allega
tions have merit and that he did
file his complaint in accordance
with the proper NAACP Constitu
tional procedures. At the same
time, Alexander argues the alle
gations are not substantial and
Record in filing the complaint,
"simply failed to avail himself of
the necessary procedures."
The primary point of contention
and the one on which the com
plaint was dismissed was the fact
Recard's complaint petition con
tained only 10 signatures when
the Constitution states, in event of
election controversy, "In Branch
es with members exceeding 1,000
such complaints must be signed
by at lenst 25 members of the
Branch in good standing." Both
Alexander and Penn claim the
membership of the Charlotte
Branch totaled over 1,000 thereby
making the complaint immedi
ately invalid.
Recard, however, points to in
formation he received regarding
the membership total combined
with how the election was held
saying these things reflect a
membership total of less than
1,000. He holds forth the Eighth
Membership Report he says was
issued in October nnd November
1986 thnt clearly lists the Brnnch
membership total at 933. Since
this wus the total given in No
verr.lx>r 1986, 30 days prior to the
election when according to the
Constitution all eligible voters
should lx* determined. Recurd ac
quired the number of signatures
on his petition to coincide with a
memliership less than 1,000.
Also, the way the election was
carried out does not hold with the
Constitutional rules set for a
Brunch of over 1,000 inemliers.
Stated in the Constitution, a
Bi nnch of 1,000 or more members
should provide voting booths for
the casting of votes. The Charlotte
brnnch election did not have vot
ing booths, rather votes were cast
in an open, paper box. This fact is
verified by the election supervis
or. Then too, stated in the Consti
tution, for a membership over
1,000, such booths shall be open
See VIOINATIONS page HA
Jackson Charges: “Ja
pan Is Driving America Off The Road”
Saying that Japan ia "driving
America off the road' with it*
evor incraaeitig ehare of the
American car market, the Rev.
Jeaae Jfeksoo haa called for a
f°rm1Ul“" in th*
that America relates economical
ly to Japan and for a reetructur
inff of prioritioe in the American
marketplace.
^ Jackson's com men to came at a
1 |S ' |
.» --e w«r« down
*Av >' ~ . , •
' iSmil Mi f ill n .
Bat . ._
program waa put in ordar to halp
“» atirpli*, it non, ... fc,.
mult." ; A J ' |jL, f?. '
In addition, Jaekaon eallad for
>*v jT ■ * **V
I Jfc J/-I ,,,l-' -1 I v Al ”• Y>
a new formula to build the Amer
ican industrial family so that in
dustry, government, workers
and consumers have converging
interest*, as they do in Japan. "If
thie relation ship were different,
the American public would be
more inclined to buy domestic
care over imports because they
would be getting more than a car.
Y<m would get your tax baa*, hos
pital base, school bose and maybe
such • relationship would become
pwtoctiw*, as opposed to protec
tionist," Jackson said.
Citing Dollars St Sana# re
search statistics showing that
Masks own only 18 of the 18,000
impart dealer ships operating in
America, Jackson called for a
now formula between Japan and
Mack America, and called for an
international economic covenant
to bo signed iMtween America's
black community and Japan's
auto producer*.
"Blacks buy $1.3 billion worth
of new Japanese cars annually,
but they don't reinvest in our
community," added Jackson
noting that ha has begun e nego
tietion campaign with a number
of Japanese firms to work oat an
economic covenant and would be
willing to lavaraga a selective
patronage campaign against
tham to make such a covenant a
reality.
would be ridiculous to
keep demanding economic Jus
tice of General Motors, Ford and
Chrysler for the black comm uni- i
ty and go another month without
confronting the Japanese in Je
P*n’in ^ «°nw»«niti**, or at the
plsoe where they come off the ship
because our livoe are at stake"
Jackson warm*!. "W. mum have
Parity and make it claar that Ota
Japanese either cut us in or c*t it
out. We are going to keep this
pressure on Japan and Korean be
cause it's right. Were talking
about simple justice and a fair re
turn on black economic invest
ment. If we can demand it of our
own government, v*> can demand
it of any government in the
world.”
I DO K
For The Post’s
Salute To
JCSU's Era of
^ * Excellence
Coming Soon