| POST
'The Voice Of The Black Community”
]F*lm Thursday, October 22. 1087 Price: 50 Cent.
I Blacks Edge Past Whites In Voting Rates A
I ' ___ Politic*'Page 2A
j# . - r y, —*y|PP——<
J.A. Jones In Defense Of Black Literature
Entertainment/ Page 4B
R< ,—lbemt%
SCLC Leader
Speaks For
_5 i
Human Rights
'Human Rights: An Agenda
in Challenging Timea" is the
theme mad Ralph David Aberna
thy will be the featured speaker
for the National Association of
Human Rights Workers annual
conference and training session
to bo held October 22-27 at the
Charlotte Marriot City Center. 100
W. Trade St.
The President of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference
( Dr. Martin Luther King Jfc's
handpicked successor,) Aberna
thy has taabeefr preached on fae
lQngt Abernathy has become'one
of America's most Inspected
black ladders. ..V
Ha rosa ljo national prominence
when he Joined with other Mack
leaders in1 organising the now
famous Montgomery, Alabama
bus boycott of 1956-68. It was this
protest that acquainted the world
with non-violent action as prac
tice withi* the United Btatee.
Since them Abernathy had been
arrested 38 times for advancing
'the cause/of freedom.” He as
sumed the Presidency of SCLC in
186a
"Hearing him,” wrote one lis
tener, 'one could find It easier to
believe that poverty can be elimi
nated with a stroke of the pea, that
every qualified worker is entitled
to the kind of Job for which he is
bset fitted, that the spirit ofbroth
srhood will srase distinctions of
race, end that Thomas Jefferson
intended hie wording of the Dec
laration of Independence to be
taken literally.'
Abernathy will speaker at the
Human Rights conference on
Friday, October 23, at 11 a.m.
Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt
will alee be a featured speaker
during the conference. He will
speak on Friday, October 23, at 10
a.m.
posed df professionals who hare
chosen to make tha art and
ecienc* of inter-group relation*
and equity under tha law a wap df
lifa. NAHRW encourages tha
collection, compilation and dis
aami nation of idea*, in form* tiorf
and tdsearch among organisa
tions and Individuals engaged in
the Improvement of intar-group
relations. Tha group aloo facili
tate* tie exchange of knowledge,
experience and research among
tend as and jiri- ;
ns dealing with
ethnic and cut
conference will
. I . e j | m
_
By Herb White
Post Staff Writer
The northwest section of Char
lotte surrounding Johnson C.
Smith University got a shot in the
- arm last week with the announce
ment that a plan to turn the area
into a middle-class neighborhood
was completed.
The plan, called Project Catalyst,
is designed to spur growth in the
northwest corridor of the city
which has lagged behind other ar
eas of Charlotte in attracting new
business and housing. The effort is
a joint venture among JCSU, local
government, and community lead
ers to create a middle-class neigh
borhood. The proposed develop
ment, to be called Biddle Village
after the university's first name,
Biddle Institute and the surround
ing community, would include
new businesses, housing, retail
stores and a medical center at the
mid of West Trade Street.
The Biddle Village plan calls for
the area's business district to be
built near JCSU at Five Points and
’Hires Points which the developer,
Boston-Baaed Lane, Frenchman
and Associates hopes would im
prove the area's image with poten
tial shoppers.
New housing is also in the works
as well as refurbishing old build
I
H ble to shoppers by building side
walks and pedestrian crossings
•j 4hd parking areas, i,
- JCSU would also expand its
physical plant with an honors col
lege building, new dormitory com
plex and a faculty/alumni club that
would tia ths university to the
commercial district and the neigh
borhood.
With the year-long planning
stage completed, the next step is to
develop the area, said Charles
Smith, a planner with Lane,
Frenchman and Aseociates. Pro
ject Catalyst, which should show
evidence of growth ’should he no
ticed in a couple of years” accord
ing to 8mith, would bring growth
Biddlevil ur Growth
Johnson C. Smith University President Robert Albright (1) can't
contain his enthusiasm as he receives a donation to go towards the
*
revitalization of Biddlcville from Michm.1Burnett, Pre«ldent of
Charlotte Horn* Builder* Aaaociation.
ment hare, it would be * center of
pride for blacks to come from oth
er uns as well as a place to live,"
ha explained. The development
has been a cooperative effort,
Smith said, and that support is ne
cessary to help the project suc
ceed. ' ^ ‘ ‘'
"There was a lot of untapped en
ergy out there and there are a lot
of untapped market sources," he
said. "There’s no lack of determi
nation and energy. I'm convinced
that it can happen."
Project Catalyst's biggest sup
porters have been residents of the
Biddle ville area. Louise Sellers,
president of the Biddleville-Five
Points Community organization
and unofficial "mayor" of the area.
"I don't know of any other place
munity and we are grateful and
thankful for that," aha said. "We
planned it, we told everybody this
is the way we’re going to do it."
Project Catalyst was the brainchild
of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Citi
zens Forum, a countywide group
that addresses land-use topics. The
project has been financed by local
government, corporations and de
velopers who have donated land,
money and services.
Among the donations made dur
ing a ceremony in front of the
chapel at JCSU last week was
515.000 from The Home Builders
Association of Charlotte, part of a
25.000 pledge to the project.
Prqject Catalyst, which is expect
ed to be finished by 1993, should
cost around $38 million.
Beatties Ford Rd. businessman, Nasif Majoed, accepts congratulations
from Albright. The university President recognized Majeed for his role
in Project Catalyst.
Hams-Teeter Chief Says Statements Weren’t Racist
I-——■" i
1
Mayoral Candidates To Debate
Th» laagu* Woman Voter* of
Charlotte-Mecklenburg, UNC
Charlott* 8 to tent OoverAnant
and WSOC-TV ' or* eo
•pansoring * Charlotte City
Mayoral debate between Harvey
B. Cant and 8a# Myrick 8unday,
Oct. 38.
Tho ovont will bo broadcast livo
from tho atudioo of WSOC from 1
P-m- to 2 p.m. thoro will bo limits
«* <o!^fiod«*'m«w»n«swi i fiW> A
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By Herb White
Post Staff Writer
Bob Goods]e says he is not sorry
for speaking out on why there are
so few blacks managing Harris
Teeter supermarkets but denies
that his statements paint a racist
picture.
Tss* A AAaIaA T__A _
jl in nut. b iHciBi. i am noi a rng
ot," he aaya.
Goodale raised the ire of local
blacks recently when he told the
Charlotte Observer that blacke
"have a history of compliance"
that limited their chances of be
coming successful managers.
' Whan I reflect on the response,
which has been mixed, If I had
known that waa going to happen, I
would've tailored my remarks,"
Goodale explained.
"I made a statement about a
broad group of peopla. We have
soma fin# black managers. I can
attest to that"
The 63-year-old chief of the
Charlotte-based supermarket
chain offered an explanation why
black managers are rare. It has
littla to do with intelligence, but
family background.
Tea been concerned about the
problem. I know a tittle bit about
fluidly systems and how it csm
impact through generations," ha
said. "I know how imposed be
havior can affect generations
down the road. You don't wave a
magic wand (to change that be
havior). The talent doesn't have
anything to do with intelli
gence." /.
Goodalo Mid ho hu rociovod
Mvorol phono collo and lottaro
about Mo romarko, with rooponM
running about 50-50.
"I've had an equal number of
blacks to tell mo that was right
on," he said.
The company has taken steps to
recruit more blacks in manage
rial and skilled labor jobs such
as meatcutters and drivers, with
some success, Goodale said.
According to company statistics
Compiled from 1982 to 1986, blacks
made up 18.4 percent of skilled
workers at Mecklenburg County
Harris-Teeter stores, up from 9.2
percent in 1982, according to com
pany statistics. The percentage
of black managers has increased
from 5.9 percent in 1982 to 7.9.
Blacks made up 17.9 percent of
Harris-Teeter's work force, com
pared to 15.7 in 1982.
Bringing blacks into the com
pany has bssn difficult, Ooodale
•aid, because some stores are out
of the roach of mass transit and
long hours are sometime re
quired. Nevertheless, the in
crease is seen as an improve
ment.
"That's progress," Ooodale de
clared. "That's not proportional
to where we want to be or where we
will be."
Prejudice still is a factor in hir
ing practices, Ooodale confessed.
"It's a barrier. I'd be naive if I
didn't say thaf," he commented.
The controversy has haen pod*
ttve in a way, Coodale believes.
People are talking about the low
numbers of blacks in positions of
influence instead of denying a
problem exists.
* i b a VjH y*_L t\‘ r* * * ,'
We may not agree on some
things, we may not agree on any
thing, but we need to have the dia
logue-boss and subordinate,
black and white, male and fe
male," he said.
Other businesses need to dis
cuss minority hiring openly with
employees and the public, Goo
dale believes. That may take
time though because he thinks
some companies would rather
keep quiet than admit a problem
exists.
"I think they're afraid," he
said. "I think it's a matter of
knowing what that knowledge (of
hiring deficiencies) might bring.
There is nothing wrong with ask
ing a question but there is a lot
wrong with not answering a
question."
| ITf8IDE TH» WEEK jj
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