Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / May 14, 1987, edition 1 / Page 2
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Cbitortalg tZTfte Charlotte Bill Johnson, Publisher Emeritus Gerald Johnson, Publisher Bob Johnson, Co-Publisher Jalyne Strang, Gary Hart's Self-Demise While much of the nation, and Charlotte in particular, is still waiting for the news me dia printer's ink to dry on the Jim Bakker sex scandal allegations and the free-wheel spending of megabucks for salaries, along comes Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart with his own sex Tandnl soap ope ra. After reading very carefully Mr. Hart's statement ending his presidential campaign, we have to really wonder why all the fuss? Setting aside for the moment the question of whether The Miami Herald exceeded the bounds of legitimate investigative reporting, we have concluded that Mr. Hart, by his own words, has "made some mistakes” and therefore did the only honorable thing he could, withdraw his candidacy for the na tion's highest political ofSee. . The emerging debate ®vqr media ethics seems hardly worth the time in the Hart case because any person who offers himself or herself for public office must accept the fact the he or she is no longer a private citizen pursuing private, personal interests. A can didate for public office at any level is asking people to trust them to hold office in which they the candidate, if elected, would act in the public's best interest at all times, under any circumstances. Significantly, a part of this trust can only be developed if people can have an insight into the private lives of such aspiring public figures. After all, it is only by knowledge of a public office candidate's personal life that the general public can begin to gain any in sight into the character, sense of morality, family stability, values both religious and secular; judgement and decision making skills. The typical marketing or making of a presidential candidate today does not pro vide the most valid picture of these qualities. Mr. Hart appears to have forgotten or seems not to have known that as a public fig ure seeking the nation’s highest political of fice that his private life was therefore among the things that the public "has a right to know” if he expected them to trust him with a position that can and will affect their lives and welfare and that of their children. It is insignificant as to whether Gary Hart did or did not have an affair with Donna Rice, a former South Carolina beauty queen, and another woman in Washington. What is significant is that Gary Hart did, again in his own words, "make some mis takes...Maybe big mistakes.” He made two "big mistakes." First, Mr. Hart challenged the press to "bird-dog" him then criticized them for doing so. Secondly, and most impor tant, Mr. Hart failed to recognize that the per ception of evil doing can be as damaging to a public figure as evil acts themselves. Gary Hart has been his own worst enemy. With irresponsible mistakes in matters of personal emotional feelings. Hart has dem onstrated to the nation, or at least left the per ception, that he lacks a sense of good judge ment and questionable morality, character istics that rank high in what the American people expect in their candidates for public of fice. Colored, Negro And Black Last week in our editorial, "Jackie Robin son, A Pacesetter," we wrote about the linger ing problem of discrimination in. Major League baseball. Among the additional re search material that came to our desk after we went to press was an article in "Sports Il lustrated” magazine by Reggie Jackson. Jackson, in his 20th Mqjor League season and back with the ”A's" or "Athletics," the team he started with, then of Kansas City and now at Oakland, is seeking to also be a pace setter of a different nature. In a preface to the article, Jackson tells the magazine publishers that this will be his fi nal year as a player but that he does not want to leave baseball. He says, "I would like to give something back to the game. I can have some impact on the status of minorities in baseball, and that's what I plan on trying to do." It was for this reason that "Sports Illus trated” sought out Jackson for an interview on what he calls "our problem." Interestingly, Reggie Jackson's view points have meaning for us all, both black and white, far and apart from the baseball diamond. In fact he says correctly, "The problem isn't limited to baseball..." It is for this reason that we want to quote from the arti cle a few of Jackson's thoughts and com ments. Reggie Jackson begins: "A1 Campanis' statement about blacks lacking the 'necessities' to be mqjor league managers and general managers is the best thing to • happen to minorities in baseball since Jackie 1 / Robinson. Campania is not...a racist, but he made a stupid, irrational statement that , brought the problem into a*#harper,focus than, J*e could have ever asked for. "I was 'colored' until I was 14, a Negro un til I was 21 and a black man ever since. In other words, I've lived through all the post World War II stages of the black man's emergence into supposed freedom. Now that I'm about to retire as a player, having reaped significant economic benefit from baseball, I want to do my part through ownership and management." Jackson adds, "Here we are at the end of the '80s and we have a serious problem that isn't going away...unless something is done...bad feelings will only get worse." He says that while a few people have spoken out on this issue "people haven't responded as they are responding in the wake of the Cam panis affair. I don't like words like racist, bigotry, and prejudice because they evoke ha tred. They are negative words, and the more we can stay away from them, the better. "I don't believe blacks should be given anything...there are blacks who are quali fied to work as managers...coaches, accoun tants, etc., and all I ask is that qualified blacks be hired to fill some of those jobs." Think on Mr. Jackson's words, they may help you in whatever your career pursuits. | Grakl Johnson Setting Local Black Commvr * ty Agenda as a race we have not man? significant progress in getting our piece of the American dream. Our current plight is much like the fertilization of an egg in the birth process. Millions of sperm cells are re leased with a mission of reaching the egg for fertiliza tion. Nearly all of the sperm cell are destroyed before they come close to reaching their goal. Far the one that makes it, to the egg, there is no guaran tee that it will be successful with fertilizing the egg. On oc casion, however, a sperm will successfully reach the egg and accomplish the mission. The egg represents the American dream. The sperm is the Black community. Our so ciety represents all of the ob stacles standing in the way of reaching the goal. Probably the biggest obstacle standing in our way is our selves. Once a goal has been mutually agreed on, instead of concentrating on that goal, we spend the rest of the time fighting over who is going to be the ‘house nigger1 and who is going to be the 'field nig ger. When the fighting finally stops, we've lost sight of the original goal. We all end up just 'plain niggers'. This situation has precipitat ed the formulation of so many Black groups and organiza tions setting their own agen das for helping the Black com munity. Consequently, we end up with a piecemeal ap proach in dealing with com munity issues. If we are serious about help ing the Black community, then we should be about setting a Black community wide agenda that the majority of the com munity can buy into. Then the community can put forth col lective efforts to reach these goals. The manpower and doUars wasted by everybody doing their own thing is sotpething we can ill-afford as a community. We have to pool all of our resources and focus them on what the com munity feels are the priority issues facing us. Any community agenda must include the following three items: 1. Education, 2. Eco nomic Development, and 3. Politics. I really feel that this is all the agenda need include. Each agenda item should be subdi vided into short and long term goals. Then objectives should be developed to reach those goals. Periodic meetings could then be set up to meas ure progress of each objec tive. Churches, civic organi zations, 'Greek' organiza tions, political groups, and social clubs could then be re sponsible for various objec tives. All of us would then be working in unison getting things done. It doesn't make much sense to me having a Charlotte Business League that is trying to promote Black entrepren eurs and a Beatties Ford Mer chant's Association for West side community development and neither is involved with helping get the Minority and Woman Business Enterprise (MWBE) program passed in the State LegislatureMEeudMi' * matter, neitheris directly in volved with helping the other. This is an ineffective way of using some of the communi- ’ ty's best minds. We aren't working collectively. We have Optimist clubs, Lion's clubs, Fraternities, and Soror- r ides, nickel and diming the community to death for mini mal impact activities. Collec tively, these groups could support a project like the Ur ban Leagues' Educational Ini tiative program and have sig nificant impact on the commu a get all of this started will require the heads of the vari ous organizations to start meeting and brainstorming on priorities for the community. If this can be done, the rest is easy. If this can’t be done, then we will never be more than a sperm cell. Appreciating New Yorik City's Mystique Business persons can be heard jokingly expressing serious reser vations about visits to Now York City. "We sponsored a contest where one week in New York was the first prise, two weeks the sec ond prise, and three weeks the third prise.” My daughter helped me to see New York City beyond its stereo typic image. She wanted to ride on a train for the first time, so ws agreed to spend a single day vaca tioning in New York City. Aa the Am track Metroliner approached the city my anxiety heightened be cause I did not have the slightest idea of what to do to keep a nine year old girl happy an day. When the city came into view, my nerves calmed a fait at the sight of the Empire State Building. I im mediately convinced my daughter to see New York City from the building's lookout level. The im pact of the weak American dollar was readily apparent because many people waiting in line with us at the Empire 8tate Building were tourists from other coun tries. I had always thought of New Yorkans as fast moving people with little compassion for their fel low man. This erroneous belief was quickly dispelled when my daughter had to use the reetruoin •ind a guard explained to us how I p to u«* it without a aped*] pass key. Also ladies who were working in the Empire State Building looked after her for me. A abort time later we stopped in a email restaurant for breakfast. One of the waitresses there told us about a world class toy store called F.A.O. Schwarts that was located in walking distance from the restaurant, and we set out to findit On the way we ran serose a mime whose sidewalk show was very good. A few blocks farther we ran into three fellows doing a break dance routine. Their* was a unique act where two of them in terlaced their bodies to appear as a very ehort person. We Anally arrived at P.A.O. Schwarts. My daughter was spell bound as the store had about eve ry toy a child could imagine. The prices we found to be extraordi narily high. I had convinced my daughter to delay any purchases until we started back towards the train sta tion. She had, therefore, carefully kept track of her favorite retail V •tores. Now we shopped between listening to an orchestra in Central Park and a violin concerto on the steps of the New York City Li hrsuy. The American Express Card symbol in the window at thesere tail outlets initially offered me some solace. Our first purchase forced me to question the validity «f American Express' famous ad vertisement, "Don't leave homef without it." This credit card was a kiss of death. One chap com plained that he would lose all of hie profit if the sale was on an American Express Card. We found that we could nego tiate prices with cash. One chop waived the City tax on a cash transaction. We did have to de mand receipts in these tourist traps. In mounting our ons day vaca tion, I’ve decided that many Now Yorkans ere compa^onaU p^ plo. I further feel that walking la one of the best ways to appreciate the mystique of New York City.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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May 14, 1987, edition 1
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