Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Aug. 6, 1987, edition 1 / Page 2
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flRrftortate B«Johnson,PufaMurEnurttus f‘ - ' Oarald O. Johnson. Publisher Bob Johnson. Co-PubUeher Jalyno Strong, Managing Editor Jackquelyn Con. Production Monossr Dsnnotto Ooithor? Office Manager Frrnn Farrer-Bradley, Advertlelng Manager PuWMndEvsryThwBy One Miracle Is Not EnougjM Last week we editorialised about housing for the poor, particularly about the Habitat for Humanity program, their building of T4 houses in Charlotte during that weak. In a re lated matter, we commented on former Presi dent Jimmy Carter finding the Habitat phi losophy one answer to do with his life now that the presidency is behind him. After considerable on-site observations and reflection about Habitat's local effort, ap propriately coined the "Miracle On 19th • Street," and reading new reports on the hous ing needs of the poor, we feel compelled to comment more this week on this subject with out apology. Yes, a miracle did happen on 19th 8treet here in Charlotte last week. Over 300 volun teers from 28 states and two Canadian prov inces joined Charlotte volunteers in the Jim my Carter Work Camp in a five-day house building bliti. Former President Jimmy Carter was the symbolic leader. Yet, Carter the worker, the carpenter, was considerably more than symbolic. He spent his days in tensively working on the house of Bobby Dar by while politely but firmly ignoring news reporters and TV cameras. When Carter did consent to a brief, and we stress brief, inter view, he limited his remarks to the task at hand — not polities. The larger miracle was in these hundreds of volunteers coming together as strangers on Monday morning to build 14 houses in record setting time for people they did not even know. The cooperation, coordination, team work and sense of community and commitment of these volunteers - whites, blacks, Orientals, the old and the young, all lovingly working for a common goal - 14 homes for 14 families who refVised to give up hope for a better future. These homes bring to 30 the total number that Habitat has built in Charlotte since 1983. They represent also the 300 new homes that International Habitat Housing • Raising Week built in its 200 American and 60 foreign lands last week. Nevertheless, the national picture of hous ing for the poor continues to be depressing. Statistics show that in the 10 year period (1970 through 1980) apartment conversions and abandonment and inflation have resulted in a loss of approximately 125,000 low income , rental housing units per year. Furthermore, with the 20-year contracted commitments on Federal Section 8 rent subsidies expected to begin terminating by 1989, an increasing number of low-income families will be un able to And affordable housing. The afforda bility problem rose from 8.9 million in 1974 to 11.9 million in 1983. Most housing experts predict that the hous ing crisis for the poor will worsen considera bly in the next 10 years. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 with its tax credit as a presumed in centive for investors to provide housing for the poor is a joke and false hope. In feet, with out renewed federal rent subsidies, very un likely under the Reagan administration, or from state or local sources, tax credits will not be sufficient to encourage investors to pro vide housing for the poor. It was within this background that Char lotte’s Habitat for Humanity Miracle on 19th Street offers hope to the near hopeless. Ironi cally, it is the success of such Habitat-like programs financed by the private sector - churches, individuals, civic groups, corpora tions, and private foundations - not govern ment funds, that leads Mr. Reagan to naive ly think that these private groups can solve the larger housing problem. In reality it will take all these private efforts and government to meet the challenge of providing affordable, safe and healthy housing for all Americans. Wanted: Potential Leaders "Who Will Lead Blacks Irt The 21st Centu ry?” was the title of an article written in The Charlotte Post last week by Benjamin Cha vis. "Who will lead African Americans in the next century toward greater progress and empowerment?” be asks. One small but hopeful answer to these ques tions Chavis wrote is in The Alabama New South Coalition, an organisation that for the past two years has sponsored the 21st Century Youth Leadership Training Camp. Held this year on the campus of historically black Ala bama A&M University, over 180 black youth from Alabama and a few other states partici pated in the 10-day training camp. Among the camp's speakers was the Rev. C. T. Vivian, a former Southern Christian Leadership Conference official, who told the group about the sacrifices the leadership often requires to insure that victories are won in the cause of freedom and equal opportunity. Likewise, here in Charlotte, a new organi sation has recently been formed after over two years of planning called "Focus On Leadership." Focus' aim and objective is to train primarily and develop in blacks lead ership skills for possible roles in a wide range of social, economic, political and com munity-based responsibilities. These and many other leadership ap proaches are going to be necessary if black Americans and other minorities are going to retain the civil rights gains of the 1960s and to achieve a greater share of the American dream as we approach the 21st century. ' Our need for potential new and dedicated leaders is at a crisis point. There is an im mediate need to offset the forces and mind-pet that is continuing to undermine the value, contributions and potential of the black male. Young black men must be encouraged in greater numbers to pursue college training, to follow positive role models, to realise that they cannot all be superstar big buck athletes, to expect and demonstrate deserving respect from black women and to assume the black family's leadership role. Yes, leadership in the 31st century must begin in and with more aggressive roles by the black males. The Male's Stake In Abortion The high focus on the mother's rights in the current debate over abortion suggests that America's males have little stake In the out come of abortion decisions. But America's apparent liberal moral standards have no doubt forced fnany males to partake in abortion deliberations in hopes of avoiding embarrassment and/or career de struction from an extra-marital af fair. Which poses the question, "What might the ftiture hold for an anti-abortionist male caught in an estranged situation? The importance of the male's role in an anti-abortion decision gained meaning for me whilst lis tening to a chap tell of the plight of one of his sons born to a then es tranged lover. We were just killing time in a fish market on the Delaware A Pennsylvania line when we chat ted. This chap looked to be in Ms early fifties, though he had two very young boys with him and he talked of other grown children. He revealed that he had once gotten a lover pregnant and she had had hie cMld. His dander rose as he described this child's mother as having been unfit. I found my self entranced by the sincerity etched on his dark brown face. This black chap talked about how at the time he had been torn apart f Miter inside trying to davlaa a way to help Wo child. Ha said ha Wmself had coma from a large family (approximately 20 children), ao hard times ware no stranger to him. Furthermore, ha radiated confidence in tha belief that ha could salve any domestic problem. My initial inclination was to tWnk that ha had little hope of convinc ing anyone to undentend Me ac tion. Reading my reservations, he explained that he had done many good tMnge for Ms wife and felt thensfbre that she should not Judge Wm solely on tWs one bad deed. His decision was to bring this outside child home since living with its mother had become a hopeless situation. Thus, he put We wilb's love to the teat by forcing her to choose between his life and Ws eon's life. Both he and Ms jrife supposedly set up all night facing each other with 88 calibre pistols whilst she decided hia and this child's fete. This chap's story kept me breathlessly awaiting its outcome. Sometime the next day hie wife as sented to letting the child stay. Although the baby cams home through a potentially murderous escapade, this chap says, today . many years lator - Ms wife and the child arc Inseparable. My wifa told me that Ms wife paid for their fish with Food Stamps, so it is clear that money was not a factor in tMs chap s deci sion to assume responsibility for Ms child. Since he had risked Ms life for Me cMld's welfare, I asked him what he thought about abor tion. “They ought to do away with that law," he replied without giv ing it a second thought Clearly there are many unsung heroes like thie chap who have elected to preserve life although trapped in difficult situations. Sine# many American business professionals are risk averse, the television and movie industries can hslp the nation's huge trade deficit if they focus on the success es sf everyday Americans in Mgh risk situation* like the dedicated father above. )SUvs auction 5 . Make An Intelligent Contribution Special Tb The Post By Vernon Robinson Election season is here again sports fans. In many cities across the state mu nicipal candidates will square off in the fall. After’ a short holi day, Super Tuesday Presidential Ball will be played until Mareh 8 and the the rest of the primar ies will end in May. All these folks will soon be asking you to invest in America or in good government by contrib uting to their campaigns. Black candidates especial ly need your financial sup port. (Black folks only con tribute one percent of their charitable giving to political action.) However, political giving is not without its hasards. Half of the money spent on campaigns is wasted. • j « . , So, with the thought "let the contributor beware" in the back of your mind, let's look at how to tell whether a candi date is running of crawling for office. One of the sure eigne of a hopeless campaign is the fail ure of the campaign people to sit down and write a cam paign plan. A campaign plan simply states which voters will 1m needed to win; what message is most effective in order to get their support; and how the campaign will com municate that message to each group of voters. A budget lists how much all of this is <going to cost and when tl^ese costs will be in curred. ;,3 A financial plan reveals how and when the budget will be used and by whom. Campaigns are small busi nesses. Businesses without a plan an doomed, as are, politi cal campaigns. When you abe approached to contribute time or money to a campaign ask the solicitor to see a copy of the campaign plan. If they balk (due to se curity "reasons") ask for a summary. If they haven't written one yet, ask when they plan on writing the plan, and why are they asking for mon ey before this is done. Many times the most ele mentary concept of identify ing the voter coalition needed to win half of the vote is ig nored. Recently, I met with a campaign committee that went on and on about the black vote and how they planned to get it. The black vote is 13 per cent of that district. I asked where is the other 80 percent of support? You should ask ques tions about these coalitions as < well. Many local campaigns spend excessive amounts of money on paid media that. poorly targets their coalition , and rarely do they bother to do a good job of working with Print and broadcast news re porters. Ask campaigners, who want your money, to see a press packet and their press list. If they have neither, be- ; ware. Spending the $30 on ; your spouse is probably a bet- j ter investment. Ask how the campaigners • plan to contact voters. By mail? By phone? Door to Door? J And ask how many volun- ] tears are needed to accomplish J these tasks and when will : they be needed? If the cam- • paign people have no idea, this j is another danger sign. * Small businesses without a j plan are doomed, as are politi- j cal campaigns. Vernon L. Robinson is > chairman of the list Century ! PAC of North Caroline. Reunions Close Generation Gaps oouwrt. DUY TiOWt |ff| i_ —r can^ culture, ^the Importance*^ younger membere of the"'flm!^ with, ~8o what are you going to be when you grow upr or "Time la a ■ inf of favorite family songs, fami ly rsunions Mrs tlmss whan tha pains and frustrations of a ysar art temporarily auapandad in fa vor of just tha joy of bsing togathsr In (Stllowship and lavs. Again this yoar, ths National Council of Na ff® Woman is organising a nation al family rounion day to k* esla brated in various dtios. Ths Coun cil is to ba saluted far thsir oontinu lng effort to advance this tdsa. Wa wtfpart this oansapf and wo en gage tha participation of Afri can American and othar family groupa. . I" raolal and athnic comm uni tlas, tha exiatenee of tha axtendad family naada to bo re-emphasised. At a tlma whan tho ranks of tha homaltM eontinuaa to swell in tho tens of thousands, our understand ing of th# axtendad family should ba expanded. How ws sars for — • our own kin lays tha bads for how • we should car* for tha whole hu- • man family. Tha church and all social lnatitu- ! tions of fhis society should place a ( fanewed priority on promoting the ! positive values and athoa of strong 1 families. One of the myths that the ! increase in the number of family ! reunions has oontradioted is that the family structure in general - J and in African American fa-nu. > in particular - is on a serious de cline. To be sure, there are many serious problems facing all fami lies in the United States. Our point is that the foundations of millions of families are still intact and are being celebrated. Many family reunions close with the traditional family circle where each member of the family ’ holds the hand of another. Before ’ the closing prayer, everyone is an- ' couraged to eay something about the occasion. Usually, it is a poig Mnt moment btctuit thou in drcla don't know who might not | be there the next time around. Thus, it is a time of recommitment to stay in touch and to strengthen the bonds which hold the family together until the next reunion. Unity is never a static condition. It is, rather, a bonding of the living through the struggles and joys of life.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Aug. 6, 1987, edition 1
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