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I Jgume 13. ao , ^ THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday. October 15. 1987 Price: 50 Cent.
Gene Littles
Scouts The Players
For Charlotte Hornets
Sputa'Pl^ffi . •; ?
r ~ i jp, f. o.T . vtm :, 1* 7 I > • ” Vil ‘ - *jrj> j^frnrgmmm
A Call For Quality And Equity In Education
Education/ Pajps 4A
nt ' fir • r • I •' • •*'**.• . •. *C JZ?' u Iji*
Johnny Holloway Leads The High Tones
Kntirtitnwwit/ IB
Davis Comes Up
Short In Runoff
To Clodfelter
jV--* • ? . • :-.i
By Herb White
Post Staff Writer
Although he came up short in
the District 1 runoff, Bob Davis
hasn't soured on politics.
"When you enter the political
; arena, you have to have the mind
| net that you hope to win but that you
can lose," he said. "I think I
could have served District 1 very
well and I hoped that 1 could win."
Dan Clodfelter, a 37-year-old
lawyer, defeated Davis Tuesday
in the Democratic primary with
'1,672 votes to 1462. Because then
Hot be a Republican challen
i the Nov. 3 ballot, Clodfelter
ured of a seat on Charlotte
Council.
er turnout was bstter than
ted, with both campaigns
ng in more supporters than
» Sept. 22 primary. More
L3 percent of registered vot
ers going to the polls compared to
about 11 percent for the first pri
mary.
Davis led the field in the first
primary, gathering 1,139 votes
while Clodfelter finished second
flvith 1,009. The second time
around, Clodfelter enjoyed a huge
Bee Davis's Bid On Page 2A
Gardner
Gardner Named
To State Post
RALEIGH — Governor Jim
Martin has announced the ap
pointment of Roosevelt Gardner,
Jr. to the N.C. Human Relations
Council (HRC).
The 20-member council serves to
create an attitude and climate
which' will promote the opportuni
ty for sodal and economic equality
for North Carolina reaidants and
aarve aa a focal point for develop
ing, maintaining and improving
human relationa.
Gardner 84, of Charlotte, is em
ployed with United Insurance
Company of America. Ha is active
in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
School System by serving as chair
man of the Nominating and Evalu
ating Committees of the Chapter 1
Pregram. Gardner ia alee a mem
ber of the International Manage
ment Council of which he serves
as chairman at the House Com
mittee. He is president of Westerly
Hill Elementary 8chool PTA, and
•cashes Little League Football for
the Westchester Athletic Associa
tion.
Hie term of office will expire
June 80,1989.
Makes It Official
By Jalyne Strong
Boat Managing Editor
The rallying cry for Jesse Jack
son has changed.
In 1984, when Jackson first de
cided to seek the Democratic nom
ination for U.S. President, (an un
precedented move for a black
man) Jackson's predominantly
black supporters chorused, "Run,
Jesse run!"
Last Saturday, in Raleigh, NC,
Jackson officially announced he
would enter the race for the nomi
nation in 1988, and a new group of
racially diverse supporters cried
out, "Win, Jesse win!"
Can we nominate Jesse Jack
son for President?" asked Dick
Hatchett, Director of the Jesse
Jackson Exploratory Committee.
The thousands of people who
filled the Raleigh Civic and Con
vention Center responded, "Yes!"
“Can we do it? Will we do it?" he
exhorted." "Yes!" yelled the crowd.
"Many people say they'd vote
far Jesse Jackson...but...," claimed
Vance Hartke a retired U.S. Sena
tor. "And we all know what the
our mean*.
"But I say, if not now....when?
"If not here....where?
"If not ua...who7"
The people assembled in Ra
leigh to hear Jackson's formal an
nouncement appeared to answer
they will vote for Jackson in
(in 1988.
is buoyed
by his supporters confidence in
him. His supporters feel assured
that. Jackson, who made a success
ful run in 1984, has every chance
of a win in 1988.
The crowd in Raleigh gave the
first indication from where this
confidence comes. Seeming to
thumb thsir noses at the white me
dia for its attempts to submerge
Jackson's candidacy in 1984 by re
porting "there was no rainbow"
Jackson supporters presented eve
ry facet of the "rainbow" at this
rally.
Speakers from almost every
American ethnic group gave im
passioned declarations that Jack
son was their "leader” this time
around.
Said an Asian-American, "When
two men killed a Chinese Ameri
can, Vincent Chin, in Detroit be
cause they said he was taking their
jobs, Jesse Jackson was the only
national leader who condemed
this grave injustice.
"There is only one man who can
change the direction of this coun
fry." she concluded. "Jesse Jackson
is my leadsrt"
Gospel ringer Tremaine Hawldna led thousands of Jesse Jackson
rapporters in a song of solidarity for the first black man to run for
the Presidency of the United States. Jackson supporters, assembled
in the Raleigh Civic and Convention Center, linked arms denict
ing the atoength of the Rainbow Coalition. „
A Jewish woman added, "A lot
of us know racism and anti
Semiticism are twins. Jesse Jack
son is my leader!"
A Native-American man pro
claimed, "Jesse Jackson is our
brightest star end best hope.”
Representative* from Women s
movements, the Hispanic cothinus-?
nJty, the disabled and handicapped
community all announced Jack
son as their leader. Banners on dis
play read "Haitian Americans for
Jesse Jackson," "Labor For the
Rainbow," and "Arab-Americans
for Jesse Jackson."
The sizable number of whites in
attendance, a group conspicuously
absent from the 1984 campaign,
joined in the rally for Jackson with
as much fervor as the other
groups. If the rally drove home
one point it was the fact that Jack
son is entering the 1988 race with
a much broader-base of- support
than in 1984.
These supporters are respond
ing to a Presidential candidate
who feels he has an agenda that is
speaking to the basic needs of all
Americans. As Jackson has said,
"We have found that common
ground; a new extended family
united on a common agenda of
jobs, peace and justice."
In 1984, Jackson spoke primari
ly to black voters, centering on ra
cial and civil rights issues. Even
with that narrow scopeJy won 3.2
Jesse Jackson
Photo By Calvin Fcrgunon
million primary votes (compared
to Mondale's 6.8 million and Hart's
6.2 million); he won five states: the
District of Columbia, Virginia,
South Carolina, Louisiana and
Mississippi. In addition, Jackson is
credited directly for adding 2 mil
lion new Democratic voters to the
rolls.
For 1988, Jackson appears not
Black
southern Bell Workers Meet With Executive
"Many Macks, because of their
backgrounds, wonder how to be
have in a corporation,” /ate
Drummond, top executive over
Southern Bell's N.C. operations
was quoted as saving in a Char
lotte Observer article, October 8,
1887 i
TP say the least, the aomment ,
was not well received by a large
number of Mack Southern Bell
employees.
Thursday, October 8, emotions
concerning the article ran high at
a meeting of approximately 126
black Southern Bell employees
held at McDonald s CafPteria.
"If the chief executive of South
ern Bell is emboldened enough to
make such a statement, we no
iMkfVF'*VMMR
anything to
loan,* relate*
Mario Evana,
a Mack South
ern Boll on*
■iatant man*
•gar, rofar*
ring to why the
group ..waa
mootfag that
night. *He
(Drummond)
ploym* out In proM. 1mm «mplnyM« met to dU»»
com atrfttagiM far improving rm rollons.
is auggaating that Macks ara not
prom otaiito and am are hare to
night to atand up and say that ia
wrong." «.
Pointing out that tharo ia
atoongth in numbara, \ EvBn«
ctaimad, that > avaning, tha
group'a purpoaa waa nat to aaak
litigation hut negotiation with
Southern Bet L. ^ ^ ■
Evana and a group of 1» Mack
Southern Boll employees of vari
ous department in the Charlotte
and Gastonia areas mst with
Drummond and George Harmon,
General Manager of Southern
Bell Personnel for N.C., Mon
day.
’What was negative, turned
out positive,’ Evans says. "I was
pleased to have an opportunity to
clear up any misunderstand
ingii We've met together end
have agreed to have a series of
meetings to insure better rela
tions.*
About Drummond's printed
statement, Evans now soya,
"This event is important as it
served as a catalyst to dialogue
which is helpftil to all. Southern
Bell is re-committing itself to
eliminating cultural biases."
to be abandoning the racial issues
but he is making comparisons to
more universal problems.
For example, In his speech he
noted, "Twenty-five years ago the
critical issue threatening to tear
our country apart was racial vio
lence. The south was the battle
ground, but the war against racial
violence was a national war.
"Economic violence is the criti
cal issue of our day! When plants
close on workers without notice,
and leave them without jobs or
training for new jobs—that's eco
nomic violence. When three to five
million Americans are on the
streets and homeless--that's eco
nomic violence..."
And the message is working.
The Roper Poll of 12 southern
states indicated a growing accep
tance of Jackson's "economic jus
tice, invest America" message
among whites. The Roper Poll also
showed him with 30 percent of the
Hispanic vote.
At the rally, a film depicting
Jackson s public life was shown. It
was a chronicle of his rise from a
student leader at North Carolina
A&T University, through his work
with the late civil rights leader Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., continuing
on into his formation of Operation
Bread Basket, PUSH, PUSH Excel,
his 1984 negotiation with Syria's
See Jackson on Page 2A
Cultural bias as opposed to ra
cism was the root of the problem,
according to Evans. "Blacks and
whites see things differently be
cause of distinct cultural back
grounds."' The friction cornea
when white corporate leaders try
to mold blacks to fit a certain im- ."
age, suggests Evans.
What Drummond said was
stereotypical," Evans analyzes.
"The statement was mads proba
bly because of a difference of per
ception."
Evans admits that Drum
mond's statement ignited smol
dering race relation problems at
the corporation. "A lot of infor
mal complaints wars floating
around. Tha frustration level
waa high," ha describee.
For this reason, Evans hell eves
tha controversy over the public
statement "happened at a good »
time. It mads us aware of the *
feet that the highest corporate
leedor wae not getting all the in- j ?
formation available," he eaye.
The meeting with
was informational in
porete leader wee