Valentines
Why We Woo
The Ones We Love
Lifestyles'Page 19A
Lee's School Daze: Black College Nostalgia
Entertainment/ Page 13A
Mayor Andy Young Will Speak In Charlotte
Business/ Page 3A
Charlotte
The Voice Of The Block Community"
Volume 13, Number 37
THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, February 11, 1988
Price: 60 Cents
Baldwin: District 2 Rebel
Baldwin:
boat, too
Photo By Calvin FergUBon
''Somebody asked me why I want to rock the boat. It's my
By Herb White
Post Staff Writer
While most of the attention In
the Mecklenburg County Com
missioners' contest has gone to
District 2 Democrats Bob Wal
ton and Naslf Majeed, James
Baldwin figures he'll grab some
recognition from the people who
count-the voters.
Although he's given little
chance to win, Baldwin, who is
37 and unemployed, believes
District 2 voters want an alter
native.
"I have more than a fighting
chance. I'm going to win."
Baldwin, a native Charlottean,
charged that Majeed's business
Interests would hinder his effec
tiveness and believes Walton's
conviction stemming from a
1986 sexual encounter with an
18-year-old man should elimi
nate him from consideration.
"Mr. Majeed hasn't been In this
town very long and I don't think
he's going to be the best person
f)olltlcally for the black commu
nity." he said.
"I think Mr. Walton should
take time out to get his family
together Instead of pushing him
self off on the black community.
The man owes the black commu
nity a leirge apology."
Baldwin, a former Marine who
Reagan Has Dismal Record On
Naming Blacks To Federal Bench
National Bar Association testifies at Senate Committee hearing on the Jutliciaiy
By Jalyne Strong
Post Managing Editor
"It Is imperative that the na
tion move with a strong commit
ment to Include blacks, women
and other minorities on the fed
eral bench," stated Thomas A.
Duckenfleld, Vice-President of
the National Bar Association
(NBA) during a hearing held by
the Senate Committee on the Ju
diciary. Duckenfield, represent
ing the NBA, testified at the
hearing held February 2 by the
Senate Judiciary Committee on
the performance of the Reagan
Administration on the nomina
tion of women and minorities to
the federal bench. Citing statis
tics complied by the NBA on the
number of black Judges appoint
ed to the federal bench since
1933, Duckenfield stated that "It
is unbelievable that during the
Reagan presidency, 343 judges
have been appointed to the feder
al judiciary and only five of
these appointments have been
black...In 1970, there were ap
proximately 3,845 black lawyers
In the United States; today there
are over 22,000 black law
yers...there Is an avedlable pool
of qualified black lawyers from
which to select judicial nomi
nees.
'The performance of the Rea
gan Administration In the ap
pointment of blacks Is singular
ly abysmal. In contrast, former
President Carter, during his ad
ministration. appointed 265 fed
eral judges of whom 38 were
blacks.
"President Reagan has had 343
opportunities to enhance the
representatives of the judiciary
but has chosen to make his ap
pointments a bastion of white
males," continued Duckenfield.
Duckenfield Informed the
Committee that throughout the
Reagan Administration, the Na
tional Bar Association has re
quested the Department of Jus
tice that the NBA be Included as
an active participant In the se
lection and investigation pro
cess of judicial nominees.
"Such practice had been our ex
perience In the years preceding
the Reagan Administration. In
fact, the National Bar Associa
tion would receive the names of
potential nominees along with
the American Bar Association
Eind would have the opportunity
to offer Its views and Insight,"
said Duckenfield.
The President of the NBA ex
pressed such sentiments In a let
ter to Edwin Meese, U.S. Attor
ney General, In 1985. 'We feel
keenly our exclusion from the
formal Investigation process
and would appreciate receiving
the same courtesy and responses
that are accorded to the ABA."
wrote Duckenfield.
The practice of excluding the
NBA from the receiving names
of potential nominees to the fed
eral courts began during Presi
dent Reagdn's first term In of
fice.
The Natlonsd Bar Association
Is the oldest and largest Bar As
sociation consisting primarily
of black attorneys In this na
tion. The Association was
founded In 1925 when black at
torneys were excluded by both
policy and practice from mem
bership In the American Bar As
sociation.
Today the NBA has 65 affiliate
chapters and a professional net
work of over 12,000 lawyers,
judges, legal scholars and law
students.
Court Erases
Color Barrier
For Juries
RALEIGH (AP) — In a far-
reaching civil rights decision,
the N.C. Supreme Court has
ruled that prospective jurors
cannot be excluded Irom serving
on civil juries because of their
race.
Citing an antl-dlscrimlnatlon
clause In the state constitution,
the court ruled unanimously
that race cannot be a factor In
jury selection In clvU cases. A
1986 U.S. Supreme Court deci
sion made It Illegal to choose
Jurors on the basis of race In
criminal cases.
The court's decision, which
came In the case of a black High
Point woman who died of car
bon monoxide pxjlsonlng In her
public housing apartment, was
hailed by trial lawyers as a ma
jor civil rights victory.
They say the ruling will help
black defendants get a fair trial
by ensuring that juries are not
racially stacked. In the past,
they say, many defense attor
neys dismissed black jurors dur
ing pretrial screening, leaving a
black defendant to fece an all-
white jury.
Pender Protests Shooting
BURGAW, N.C. (AP) — More
than 300 pseople —most of them
black -— marched around the
Pender County Courthouse Sat
urday. chanting, "Pender Coun
ty, have you heard? This Is not
Joharmesburg."
The marchers were protesting
recent court decisions In a land
dispute and the shooting death
of an elderly black man by a
sheriffs deputy.
Forty-seven law enforcement
officers patrolled the pjeaceful,
two-hour event that went
"without Incident," acting Bur-
gaw Police Chief William H.
Henry told The Wilmington
Morning Star.
Police count
ed about 125
onlookers
gathered In
small groups
along the oth
erwise quiet
downtown
streets. Though
rumors of the
Ku Klux Klan's
presence had
caused some to
fear the event Lowery
might become violent, police re
ported no arrests or Injuries.
During the protest, Joseph E.
Lowery, the national president
of the Southern Christian Lead
ership Conference, nailed a list
of the meirchers' demands to the
courthouse door.
The marchers call for Investl-
See Marchers On Page 3A
Inside This Week
Super Tuesday
To Atlanta
N.C.'s role in the Democra-
tic Natl Convention
.....2A
Editorials
..6A
Entertainment
Spotlight on WSOC's
B.J. Harrison
...lOA
Lifestyles
..1B
See Black History
Special Section
4B
Church News..
..2B
Sports
.10B
Classifieds....
18B
saw combat In Vietnam, has
been an outspoken critic of Wal
ton's and doesn't mince words
regarding his perception of the
five-term commissioner.
"Where I come from, we didn't
play games." he said. We call a
spade a sp>ade and a faggot a fag
got."
As an unemployed man, Bald
win has been criticized for not
having a job. He discounts those
attacks as not being Important
leadership qualities.
"I don't consider that as a crite
ria for office," he said.
Baldwin claims campaign ex
perience as a worker for former
Gov. Jim Hunt, congressional
candidate D.G. Martin and Iron
ically, Walton, one of the men
he's trying to beat.
"There Isn't a candidate In this
town that I haven't given my
time and money to to get them
elected," he said.
Baldwin also knocks people
who give him little chance of
winning.
"Somebody asked me why I
want to rock the boat," he said.
"It's my boat, too."
Baldwin has taken on Char
lotte's political leaders before,
opposing former Mayor Harvey
See Baldwin On Page 2A
Gardner
Gardner
Tries To
Come Back
By Herb White
Post Staff Writer
If at first you don’t succeed...
Following a decisive loss In
last year's Charlotte City Coun
cil election, Roosevelt Gardner
Is ready to give politics another
tiy as a candidate for Mecklen
burg District 2 Commissioner.
Gardner, a Republican, lost
last November to Democrat Ella
Scarborough In the District 3
city election. It was "a big de
feat," he said, but he's unbowed
and willing to tiy again.
"If everyone took a loss and
went Into a shell, where would
the world be ” he asked.
Gardner has no opposition In
the party primary, so he's wait
ing for the winner of the Demo
cratic contest between incum
bent Bob Walton. Naslf Majeed
and James Baldwin.
Gardner believes that blacks
are a "captive vote" of the Demo
crats and to restore political
leverage is to exert more control
over elected officials.
"When you look at the city of
Charlotte, and you look at dis
trict representation and look at
how black Americans hav6 been
segregated for the purpose of
electing a black to city council
or county commissioner or
state representative," he said.
"There has to be a way of getting
blacks Involved In the polltlcsJ
process."
Gardner plans to actively
campaign up until the Nov. 8
general election, raising money
and visiting churches and group
meetings throughout the dis
trict. Unlike his campaign
against Ella Scarborough. Gard
ner plans to campaign full-time
while the Democrats slug It out.
"I'm not going to let them build
five months of steam," he said.
See Gardner On Page 2A
Lynch
Hughes
Lynch Gives Up
Coordinator's Reins
ByHeibiPlilte
Post Staff Writer
The Mecklenburg County Com
missioners' race between Naslf
Majeed and Bob Walton has
shaken Jesse Jackson's Char
lotte campaign, with the remov
al of a Wsilton supporter on con
flict of Interest charges.
Phyllis Lynch, a campaign
worker for Walton, quit last
week as Jackson's 9th Congres
sional District coordinator. She
will remain with the Jackson
campaign In a fundraising ca
pacity.
Cathy Chapman Hughes, a for
mer Mecklenburg Democratic
Party official, assumed Lynch's
duties Tuesday. The state organ
ization also approved her nomi
nation of Sam Young and Mike
Fennell as co-chairmen of the
Mecklenburg campaign.
Lynch said In a Tuesday tele
phone Interview that Bruce
Llghtner, Jackson's state cam
paign director and Majeed's
cousin, had no facts to back his
claim that supporting Walton
lessened her organizational
ability.
"In fact, I found that to be to
tally untrue," she said. "When 1
went to Raleigh, 1 was under the
Impression that there was a con
spiracy."
In a Monday telephone Inter
view from Jackson’s Raleigh
headquarters. Llghtner denied
any conspiracy to oust Lynch
and cited that campaign policy
dictated she give up the post.
'"rhe bylaws of the state and
national organizations state
that a person can't serve In that
position and serve as an advisor
for a candidate In a local race."
he said.
Other than Lynch's voluntary
departure, "nothing's changed"
regarding the structure of Jack
son's North Carolina campaign.
Llghtner said.
"She's Indicated her continued
support for the campaign and
she will remain with the C€un-
palgn," he said. 'We talked U
over with Ms. Lynch and decided
It would be best If she stepped
down."
The District 2 race has already
caused some friction In the
Jackson camp, Llghtner said,
with both camps sniping each
other. Walton and Majeed will
face off In the May 3 Democratic
primary.
With a Walton supporter head
ing the 9th District campaign,
the campaign needs to keep Its
support In tact going Into the
March 8 "Super Tuesday" Pri
mary.
"There are many people in
Mecklenburg who have difllcul-
Soe Lynch On Paj{e 2A
Young Joins Jackson
Campaign As Co-chair
Sam Young, a Charlotte busi
nessman and realtor, was
named co-chairman of the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Jesse
Jackson For President Cam
paign.
Young was selected because of
his Democratic political acti
vism. He served as campaign
manager for Bob Davis last year
and is neutral on the District 2
county commissioners’ race.
Young is optimistic about
Jackson's North Carolina can
didacy and believes he'll do
quite well In Mecklenburg In the
March primary.
"I think Jackson's good show
ing In Charlotte Is a positive
sign after some of the things the
black community has gone
through In recent defeats," he
said. "It will get voting mecha
nisms tuned up for the primar
ies and general election."
The Mecklenburg campaign
hop>es to get a broad range of sup
port, Including some from local
candidates, Young said.
We hope to elicit the aid of the
Griffin. Majeed and Walton
campaigns and others to help
with Jackson—-our candidate."
The Jackson campaign will
have an open house at its head
quarters Sunday from 2-4 p.m.
The open house Is open to the
public and will be held In Suite
145 at independence Plaza at
700 East Stonewall Ave.
Lightner Chairs Democratic
Affirmative Action Committee
The Democratic Party's Affir
mative Action Committee held
its first meeting In December to
discuss Us program for the 1988
election year. State Party Chair
man Jim Van Hccke announced.
The committee is composed of
63 members who are appointed
by the state chair. The goal of
the committee Is to serve as an
Information base for Democrats
Interested In the delegate selec
tion process. The committee
members are available to out
line the process to targeted or
ganizations.
Clarence Llghtner, former
mayor of Raleigh and Demo-
craUc Party Vice Chair, U chair
man of the Affirmative Action
Committee. Other committee
members are Charles Evans,
Former state representative
from Dare County; E.V. Wilkins,
former Democratic County
chair of Washington County; Dr.
George Reid,
chair of the
Durham Coun
ty Democratic
Party; Frances
Cummings,
associate ex
ecutive direc
tor of NCAE;
Ruby Jones,
former state
president of
Llghtnei the Democrat
ic Women; and Almetta Arm
strong, state chair of the Demo
cratic Party's Minority Affairs
Committee.
-i
4