Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / July 30, 1987, edition 1 / Page 3
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! N.C. Black Politics Is Nation's Best » After 10 yean as an active, loyal Inember of the North Carolina piack Leadership Caucus, Peter Grear, a Wilmington, North Caro lina attorney, became its chair man. Insiders say no Democrat can succeed to statewide office without the support of the Caucus. To make its ^political grip even stronger, the Caucus has recently broadened its agenda and re defined politics in North Carolina. Traditionally, the agenda was the unity, progress and survival of Blacks through the social, political, economic and educational issues critical to them — in that order. ; The agenda for the Caucus' 11th anniversary conference at the Ra mada Inn in Wilmington July 24 26 of this year (information: 919 J799-1730) is increased Black par ticipation in business aifd econom ic development, education, em ployment, civic affairs, housing pnd community development - in that order. This subtle shift may, in part, re flect the fact that Peter Grear is also the state coordinator for the Buy Freedom campaign, but it also measures good common sense. Going from business/ eco nomics to community develop ment is the only viable sequence for any society that has ever exist ed without chaos. Tony Brown's Ii . ■ . V Commentaries Take politicians, for example. The first thing a politician needs to get elected is money; the last thing is votes. And should an elected of ficial's record not reflect his or her ability to make a community vi able? How can a perpetually im poverished community be used as an example of a successful politi cian? Blaming Ronald Reagan or in sensitive Whites for Black poverty is getting old. So are White politi cians whose only contribution to Black progress is voting over and over again for the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 or, heaven forbid, loving Martin Luther King _ to death. The economic awareness that this North Carolina caucus is matching with its political muscle will not only force politicians to de liver, but will usher in the kind of community consciousness that will elevate the civil rights thrust to a freedom movement. Freedom is not electing White people to office and empowering them; it’s bargaining with White people for office and empowering ourselves. That was part of my message on July 25 when I spoke at the Caucus' banquet. I also stressed e how far the Black political move ment in North Carolina is ahead of the rest of the country. In White areas, White politicians discuss economics, business and wealth. In the Black community, they talk about "civil rights," the races being together and Reagan's refusal to deliver the Black com munity. In 1988, however, presidential candidates are going to have to make sense when they go to North Carolina. They can save the rhe toric for places like New York and the North, where all you have to do is blame someone else to get the Black vote. Down here, it's, "The only color of freedom is green." TONY BROWN'S JOURNAL TV series can be seen on public tel evision on Channel 42 at 5 p.m. It can also be seen on Channel 58 AS aturday, 1:30 p.m. Please consult listings. Impressed With Post Coverage Dear Editor, Congratulations on the quality of news your paper provides for the entire community. Since I re newed my subscription, I have been impressed. Please continue to strive to provide the type of quality and update news for the entire community that you have demonstrated. Keep up the good work! Sincerely, Roosevelt Maske Writers Shouldn't Make Mistakes Dear Editor: 1 am very pleased that your pa per picked Pat Huse for an article (Charlotte Post Best Dressed, July 21,1987). However, I want you to know how poorly the information i* given., First of all, Pat's name is Huse not Hughes. Secondly, our manag er is Mrs. Davis, not Dixon. And lastly, Lucielle's Vogue was spelled incorrectly. Your writers should not make these errors. . ^ » - — Sincerely, , Richard Roskind Editor's Note: We apologize for these mistakes. At the Char lotte Post, we appreciate any feed back on the content of the newspa per, as we are consistently striving to improve. Thank you for your concern. I————. . , T'S ON YOUR MIND*> I Let Us Hear Your Comments, Ideas & Opinions. Just Write The Charlotte Post • Letters to The Editor __P. O. Box 30144 . Charlotte, NC 28230 | ^ ---1—1 Do You Believe In Random Terror? "Do you believe in random ter ror?" my friend asked. It was a strange question. I don’t know the answer. Can we believe in God's plan for the world and still believe in a ran dom accident? How do we sort out the reasons for the bizarre acci ■ dent that took place at the Carow inds amusement park earlier this month. . Bullets from out of nowhere crashed into a water park, wound ed a young child, and killed a healthy, good teenage girl. Apparently, the bullet was a stray from a practice firing range thousands of yards away. What are the odds against that happening to one of us? A million to one. A billion to one. I thought about my friend's question again and again and as I flew back from Ft. Bragg after see ing a C-130 aircraft crash in front of thousands of people who had come to watch a demonstration of our country's military capabilities. "Do you believe in random ter ror?" Are all of us candidates for some Dio the president • KNOW? Poindexter can answer that better THAN l... f D.G. .Martin | One On One accidental tragedy? If we are, how can we prepare for it? How can we prevent or avoid that random terror? It may help for us to remember what we often put to the very back of our minds. One thing is certain for us. It is death. For all of us, it comes. Since it happens to all of us, death, by itself, should not be viewed as a tragedy. But the tragedy, you say, is when death is unexpected or comes too early. Maybe, but, if we are honest I— ■■--, CASEY CAN ANSWER THAT BETTER THAN I... with ourselves After the end of our lives, when we look back, it will be neither how long we lived nor how we died that marks any tragedy. Life's real tragedy is too often in the living of it. It is tragic because we don't make the most of the time that has been given us. And it is most trag ic if our lives have only been "looking out for ourselves”—if we have passed by the chances to share with others. On the other hand, the conclu sion of a life that has been full and rich is not a tragedy-even if the life is short or ends unexpectedly. What should we do? How should we react to random terror? Our best response to the inci dents of "random terror" is to re dedicate ourselves to making our lives useful and meaningful dur ing that short time that God has given us. Accepting life's end can help us recognize our responsibility for the stewardship of the whatever time we have left and worry less about random terror. •“V »—* A. v v. r I THE. BUCK STOPS HtRt\ _rar-i«aigraHMt J OUT TO LUNCH \ I— ---I Who Will Lead Blacks In 21st Century ? * Special To The Post By Benjamin Chavis What will be the future of the Civil Rights Movement in the 21st Century? Who will lead African Americans in the next century to ward greater progress and em powerment? Well, in the South, particularly in the state of Alaba ma. the answers to these two im portant questions nre now being provided by an outstanding gath ering of young, gifted and com mitted Black youth leaders. The Alabama New South Coali tion has, for the past two years, sponsored the 21st Century Youth Leadership Training Camp. This summer the camp was held on the campus of historically Black Ala bama A&M University in Normal, Alabama. Over 160 African Ameri can youth from throughout Alaba ma, as well as a few from other southern states, participated in the 10-day training camp. They ranged in age from eight to 19 years and were divided into 14 dif ferent leadership development groups. The groups went through a demanding schedule of mental and physical development, train ing workshops, history and culture seminars and special interest ses sions. The sessions covered a wide-range of subjects from teen age pregnancy and drug abuse to computer technology and voter mobilization. The theme of this year's camp was A Look Back, a Step For ward. One of the daily highlights was the viewing of the six seg ments of "Eyes on the Prize," the Public Broadcasting TV series on the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The young participants gained even more by being able to talk with nationally known civil rights leaders who visited the camp, many of whom appeared in the TV series. Rosa Parks, for example, re minded all those yearning to be lenders of the necessity "to put your faith in God and in your peo ple by taking a deliberate action for that which is right." Rev. C. T. Vivian, a former executive director of Dr. King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference, gave a stirring address about the sacrific es that leadership has to make in order to insure that victories are won for the cause of freedom. The dream and idea of having this kind of camp came from that dynamic and hard-working Black family team of Atty. Rose Sanders and State Sen. Hank Sanders of Selma, Alabama. By sponsoring these,events, the Alabama New South Coalition, of which the Sanders are members, continues to provide progressive and critical leadership for the state of Alaba ma, and the South in general. I personally feel blessed that I had an opportunity to witness the enthusiasm and commitment of so many dedicated young sisters and brothers,.who labored daily from f' a.m. to 10 p.m. It is truly a good sign when young people them selves make up their minds that they want to be leaders and are willing to endure the rigors neces sary to become leaders. Near the end of the camp the young people voted for the person among them who best exemplified the qualities of leadership. They chose 17-year old Rachel Zippert, from Greene County, Alabama. Rachel ad dressed the closing banquet and stated. "In order to be a 21 st Centu ry leader I realize that I have to prepare myself now for this re sponsibility. I have learned so many things this week that I will definitely use as 1 make decisions for the future. I am — and we all should be -- 21st Century leaders." Mayor Richard Arrington of Birmingham, Alabama, intro duced Rev. Jesse Jackson, who gave the final keynote address. Rev. Jackson stated. "What you have accomplished here will have a positive impact on the whole na tion." It is Qur hope and prayer that the Alabama camp can become a model for all African American communities and other racial and ethnic communities. For. the in vestment of time and energy with our young will largely determine whether there will be a future. I Has The Press Gone Too Far? I Former Senator Fu gene McCarthy scried more than 20 sears in 1 Congress and ran for president in I96H and . 1976. Has the media gone too far reporting on the private lives of public officials? McCARTHY: I don't think they make a very good case lor what they're doing. They may have a case, but they haven't made it. I think it takes a more rational explanation than the press has given for what seems to be now an open field Where is the line to be draw n? It seems to me that it is the responsibility of the press to concern it self w ith that. What did you think of the Cary Hart story? McCARTHY: The Hart case was a bit unusual in that he seemed to almost want to demonstrate an independence from conventional standards. In the case of other persons, it was a matter of their having kept it rather private and not having made such a public display, almost challenging the press to make the case against them I think the Hart case was a marginal one It's probably on the side of the press having the right to do what they've done. The Governor Richard Celeste • Ohio) case was. I think, over the line, and the justification was very feeble Didn't you once joke that since public fig ures could no longer successfully sue for libel, • duels should be allowed? McCARTHY: It was the traditional acceptance at the time the Constitution was adopted that the press could write anything that was true But if you published things that were not true, it was ac tionable There was no need to prove that the in tention was good or bad. If it was false, it was false At the time the Constitution was adopted, duels were rather common It may be that we could have a general rule that any institution that claims special privileges and prerogatives above ” those that arc generally accepted have to be an swerable at sunrise I don't expect that will .' . ’ f. . i James Watt served in Presided! Reagan's ( ahinel as Seeretarv of the Interior i mixji. Has the media gone too far reporting on the private lives of public officials? WAI I I believe that a person in public lile must be willing to handle all questions about his private as well as public lile How he responds is a reflection upon his character, skills and abilities that should he judged by the press and the read ers. Nothing should be considered oil base I he press should feel free to ask anything and every thing. What do you think of the (.ary flart story? WAI I: Gary Hart got caught in Ihe changing media standards But I think the changes are good. I he personal life o! a man or Woman does reflect the character qualities we must pidgc in picking our leaders Overall, the new media ytan dard will be a healthy thing loi America. What we need in this country are men and women of integrity in government and that integrity must.be carried through in their personal lives as well as their public lives. If the person cannot be faithful to his or her spouse, how can we. the public, be lieve that person will be faithful to the commit ments made to us What do you see as the basic issue in this debate? WATT: The real issue is accountability. The candidate must be accountable for his past deeds, actions and words so that he can be accountable for his future activities In the same way the press I must be accountable for the way they ask the questions and handle the answers to those ques tions. The problem we have in America today is that the press is an elite segment of our stxiety. The U.S. Supreme Court said the pres* was not liable for libeling a public figure unless malice I was used As a practical matter, malice can scl- ■ dom be established I believe if the press libels a I person, even a public official, beyond reasona- I hie. prudent man standards, they ought to pay the I _hnan£ia[conjequeggw.|i| > '«ar.pMtdw»w8«/«e—
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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July 30, 1987, edition 1
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