Page 2A - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, March 24, 1988
Congressman William Gray Is JCSU Founders Day Speaker
"Without education there Is
very little hope for equal oppor
tunity." That, according to Rep.
William H. Gray, III (D-PA), Is an
Important theme for educators
and Americans generally, to
keep as a constant reminder.
"American Institutions of higher
education have come a long way
with respect to desegregation,"
according to Gray, but they have
a long way to go." Gray made
these remarks at the annual
meeting of the American Coun
cil on Education, In January.
He was the keynote speaker at
a luncheon commemorating Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. He told
the audience, which Included
JCSU President, Dr. Robert L.
Albright, "Our Institutions of
higher education must keep the
doors of opportunity open for
the economically and socially
disadvantaged."
Gray will bring his message
highlighting the Importance of
higher education when he ar
rives as speaker and guest for
the 121st observance and cele
bration of the founding of John
son C. Smith University, April
10, 1988.
On the occasion of his Found
er's Day speech, the JCSU Board
of Trustees will confer on the
Pennsylvania Congressman an
Honorary Doctor of Laws De
gree. It Is the highest award giv
en by a college or university, and
Is typically presented to per
sons who have distinguished
themselves on a national level.
Congressman Gray has distin
guished himself as Chairman of
the House Committee on the
Budget. A position which has
placed htm center stage In the
battles on Capital Hill to shape
Federal budget priorities.
Gray also serves on the House
Appropriations Committee,
where he is a member of the
Subcommittee on Transporta
tion, the Subcommittee on For
eign Operations, and on the Dis
trict of Columbia Committee. In
addition, he sits on the influen
tial Democratic Steering and
Policy Committee, and Is an at-
large member of the Democratic
Whip Organization, an arm of
the leadership that organi^'es
party efforts In the U.S. House of
Representatives. The five term
congressman has also served as
Vice Chairman of the Congres
sional Black Caucus.
Gray has been a leading
spokesman on African policy.
He authored the House version
of the Anti-Apartheid Acts of
1985 and 1986 designed to limit
American financial support for
apartheid.
In 1983, Gray authored the
first In a series of provisions to
require the U.S. Agency for In
ternational Development to In
clude participation on AED's de
velopment assistance programs
by minority and women busi
ness persons, historically black
colleges, and minority private
Also In 1983, Gray was one of
the first congressional voices to
warn of famine conditions in Af
rica. He sponsored the Emer
gency Food Aid bill for Ethiopia
In 1984. The list of his work and
accomplishments Is long and
fruitful.
Raised In North Philadelphia,
Gray attended Simon Gratz High
School. He received a bachelor
of arts degree from Franklin and
Marshall College In 1963, his
masters in divinity from Drew
Theological Seminary In 1966
and his masters in theology
from Princeton Theological
Seminary In 1970. He did further
graduate study at the University
of Pennsylvania, Temple Univer
sity and Oxford University in
England.
He has been the senior mini
ster at Bright Hope Baptist
Church In North Philadelphia
since 1972, and was the mini
ster at Union Baptist in Mont
clair, New Jersey, from 1964 to
1972.
Born in Baton Rouge, Louisia
na , he Is married to the former
Andrea Dash, of Montclair, N.J.
They are the parents of three
sons: William H.IV, Justin Yates,
and Andrew Dash.
Efforts To Increase N.C.
Low-Income Housing
Rep. 'William Gray
agencies. As a result, minorities
and females played a role In
$130 million In AID programs In
the past two years, with $ 1 bil
lion anticipated over the next
ten years.
Fulani Faces Long, Hard Road Ahead
By Heib 'White
Post Staff Writer
Independent presidential can
didate Lenora Fulani realizes
she has a difficult road ahead.
The major parties look down
on her. The white-controlled
media ignores her. And the
League of Women Voters won't
even let her participate in its de
bates.
All of that will change, she
hopes, once America's have-nots
join forces to make a difference.
"I'm fighting against exclu
sion. which is unfair," Fulani, a
New York psychiatrist, said in a
telephone interview last week
from Philadelphia. "The major
media will never seek me until
they're forced to."
Fulani, the leader of the New
Alliance parly, is the first black
woman to secure federal match
ing funds for a presidential cam
paign. This is not her first leap
into the political waters, howev
er. She gainered 25,000 votes in
her 1986 run for governor of
New York, the most for an inde
pendent in 30 years.
Being an independent, Fulani
takes aim at the major political
parties, charging that they ig
nore the concerns of average
Americans.
"I think they're listening to big
business and that means they're
not listening to us," she said dur
ing a telephone interview last
week from Philadelphia.
Fulani said she supports Dem
ocratic candidate Jesse Jackson,
but that's the extent of good
things she has to say about the
party. F'ulani contends that the
Democrats take the black vote
for granted and refuses to allow
black input in the political pro
cess.
She believes the best way to
make the Democrats take notice
of black voting strength is to
take the votes elsewhere. Fulani
suppoits a "two roads" campaign
where progressive whites and
blacks support Jackson in the
45.000 signatures and pay a reg
istration fee of five cents for eve
ry signature. Fulani said she has
26.000 signatures.
Response to an independent
candidacy has been good, Fulani
said, aclmowledging that there
is discontent among American
voters.
"Whenever people are allowed
to see me, the response has been
good. These forces are finally
getting an outlet," Fulani said.
"Getting into the 'White House
is a position granted to wealthy
white men. Most of us haven't
had a chance to get in the 'White
House from the Democratic Par
ty."
RALEIGH—Efforts to increase
North Carolina's supply of low-
income housing got a $1.3 mil
lion boost from the North Caro
lina Housing Finance Agency's
(NCHFA) new Low-Income Tax
Credit Program last year. The
program, which became opera
tional in the first half of 1987,
helped add more than 820 low-
income housing units in 28
counties during its first calen
dar year of operation.
The program, which Is de
signed to encourage both for-
profit and nonprofit organiza
tions to buy, construct or reha
bilitate housing for low-income
persons, could provide as much
as $8 million a year in tax cred
its in both 1988 and 1989.
"Last year's accomplishments
kicked off a new initiative in
North Carolina and one that
provides a resource to Improve
the housing stock for low-
income North Carolinians,"
Pope said. "We have reached
more counties with this pro
gram and produced more small
scale projects that are suited to
the needs of our rural state," he
added.
The tax credit allows investors
a maximum federal tax deduc
tion of four percent or nine per
cent of the cost of housing rent
ed to low-income occupants.
The credit may be used each
year for 10 years, as long as the
rental units remain occupied by
low-income persons for a mini
mum of 15 years.
Of the $8 million of tax credits
available in 1988 and 1989, 20
percent is reserved for nonprofit
organizations. In additipn,
NCHFA has set aside $600,000
of interest on available Agency
funds as an incentive to assist
nonprofit organizations with
pre-development costs, initial
operating expenses and con
struction cost overruns.
To qualify, projects must meet
federal guidelines to serve low-
income occupants. "Low-
income" is defined as projects
with at least 20 percent of the
units reserved for families earn
ing no more than 50 percent !of
area median income: or, 40 per
cent or more of the units occu
pied by families with incomes iat
60 percent or less of area medi
an income. Income limits are
adjusted for family size.
Projects receiving tax credits
in 1987 ranged from a lOO-uplt
apartment complex in Mecklen
burg County to a three-bedrocin
single family house in New Han
over County.
Fulani; "I'm fighting against exclusion."
Democratic primaries but in the
event Jackson doesn't get the
party's nomination, they could
join her campaign.
"The Democrats relate to
(black voters) as something they
already have," Fulani said. "The
only way that vote can be condi
tional is if they have somewhere
else to go."
Fulani said she agrees with
Jackson's stand on the issues so
she doesn't feel that there is a
competition for the same voters.
If Jackson wins the Democratic
nomination, that's fine, she
said, but in the event he doesn't,
Jackson's supporters have an al
ternative.
"I'm literally running for pres
ident now, although I support
Jesse's campaign," Fulani said.
"It's really about giving people
who've been disenfranchised the
opportunity to have a voice."
Fulani is suing the I.,eague of
Women 'Voters for refusing to in
clude her in its series of presi
dential debates. The league, a
non-profit organization that
sponsored the debates, say that
unlike Democrats and Republi
cans, independents don't have a
primary season.
Fulani maintains that since
she has been given federal
matching funds, the Federal
Elections Commission ac
knowledges that she has gone
through a process similar to pri
maries--collecting 1.5 million
signatures to get on the ballots
of 50 states and the District of
Columbia.
The league, in effect, Fulani
charges, is reneging on its obli
gation to conduct debates in a
non-partisan manner.
At present, Fulani is on the
ballots of 22 states and antici
pates adding 14 more by July.
North Carolina, however, has
been a difficult state to secure.
To get on North Carolina's bal
lot, independents have to gather
Ada Jackson To Keynote NAACP Dinner
Special To The Post
A rioted educator from Nash
ville, 'I N, Dr. Ada Work Jack-
son. will be the keynote speaker
at the annual dinner of the
North Carolina Fundraising
Committee of the NAACP Legal
Defense and Educational Fund
(LDF). The event will be held
April 9 at the Adam's Mark Ho
tel, beginning with a 5 p.m. so
cial hour followed by dinner at 6
p.m.
Chairpersons for the annual
statewide event are Zoel and Es
ther Hargrave of Charlotte. The
I largraves are avid supporters of
the fund and outstanding com
munity leaders.
Former Charlotte attorney Ju
lius Chambers heads the LDF,
headquartered in New York,
which provides legal assistance
to persons througliout the Unit
ed States.
'fhe keynote speaker. Dr. Jack-
son. Is associate principal at
McGavock Comprehensive High
school in Nashville, and is a
well-known lecturer and consul
tant in the educaiiou fiek.. In
addition to several .idminisua-
tive posts in the public school
system, she has taught in ele
mentary and secondary schools,
served as reading specialist,
child development specialist,
guidance counselor and as a
group counselor for a mental
lieaUh center. Dr. Jackson is
also active in National Pan Hel
lenic Council activities. She is a
Dr. Jackson
member of the Alpha Kappa Al
pha Sorority.
The Hargraves are ure.ing the
Charlotte-Mccklenburg commu
nity to suppoit this fundraising
event. "In these times of hostili-
ty. rage and denial of the rights
of others, we need everyone's
help in the escalating struggle
for equal rights. We invite all
citizens, organizations, busi
nesses and clnirches to join us in
this effort."
Tickets are $35 each. Tables
for eight are $300. Those who
elect to be sponsors at $100 will
recieve two tickets. Checks for
tickets or contributions should
be made payable to The NAACP
Legal Defense and Eductional
Fund and mailed to the North
Carolina Fundraising Commit
tee for the NAACP I^gal Defense
and Educational Fund, Inc., P.O.
Box 16038, Charlotte, NC,
28216.
For more information, contact
Esther Hargrave at 399-8897.
GrifiSn Supports
Continued from page lA
of students bused while the
board looked into the prospect
of building mid-point schools.
"It shows that even back then, I
was on the cutting edge," he said.
Mid-point schools would pro
vide an equitable solution to the
busing dilemma, placing an
equal share on black and white
students.
"There's nothing new in the
concept" of mid-point schools,
Griffin said. "It's time we acted
on it."
The school system should also
look into developing magnet
schools and high-tech schools
that emphasize computer skills
and industrial training.
Griffin also favors hiring sup
port personnel like guidance
counselors and psychologists,
and paying them a more compet
itive salary.
Griffin, a 39-year-old parale
gal and the father of two elemen
tary-school students, called for
the 13 other candidates to par
ticipate in a debate on the issues
facing county schools.
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