li
Class Of
1988
Hats Off To Top Seniors
The Post Presents
Outstanding High School
Graduates
See Special Section C
A Look At Some Former Graduates
lifestyles/Page 8A
N.C. Preps Brace For Realignment
Sports/Page 8B
Charlotte Bo^t
The Voice Of The Block Community"
Volume 13, Number 51
Thursday, May 19, 1988
Price: 50 Cents
Westside Citizens Fight County In Court
By HERB WHITE
Post Staff Writer
The westside fight to keep a
proposed recycling station out of
a predominantly black neigh
borhood has moved to the court
house with the start of a suit
against Mecklenburg County.
The case, which started last
week In U.S. District Court, is
being heard by Judge James
McMillan.
The plaintiffs, Westside Coali
tion Against the Garbabe Dump,
maintain the county selection of
the ol^ Royster fertilizer plant
on LaSalle Street as the site of a
waste transfer station was ra
cially motivated. The site be
came available when a fire de
stroyed the plant In 1985.
Mecklenburg later revised Us
plans from a transfer station to
Watt
a 30,000 square-foot recycling
center after negotiations with
the City of Charlotte and a pub
lic outciy against the original
facility.
Residents who live near the
site say any waste station would
bring noise and pollution to the
area, which Is In the midst of re
vitalization with Project Cata
lyst. The project, conceived by
business and civic leaders, is an
attempt to bring commerce and
Improved housing to the area
surrounding Johnson C. Smilh
University.
The county's attorney, Jim
Cobb, maintained that the selec
tion of the LaSalle St. site was
not racially motivated and came
after screening 200 sites In the
county.
Mel Watt, attorney for the
plaintiffs, said the selection
continues a pattern the county
has followed for years. He Intro
duced census data that outlined
the percentage of "negative ser
vices" In black neighborhoods,
such as garbage dumps, against
the number of blacks in the
county.
Mecklenburg is 26 percent
•black, the statistics point out,
but 64 percent of negative seivic-
es wind up In the black commu
nity, Watt said.
Cobb countered that the pro
posed site Is located In an area
zoned for industrial use and the
recycling station wouldn't be as
big a hazard as the fertilizer
plant was.
"It always was and always will
be zoned industrial," he said.
McMillan retorted: "What
you're saying is the county
wants the right to do at least as
bad as Royster."
Most If not all of the 200 sites
considered for the facility
were located on the predomi
nantly black westside. Watt
said. The county, by following
its guidelines to locate the cen
ter, assures that it would land In
a black community.
"If you have a criteria that says
Industrial, you have no choice
but to say its going in the black
community," he said.
Cobb said the outcry by west-
siders is an understandable re
action by residents who fear an
undesired addition.
"Everywhere you go there'b re
sistance," he said. 'What it all
comes down to Is 'put it some
where else.'"
Watt Introduced legal prece
dent In Baker vs. Kissimmee
(Florida) and Washington vs.
Davis as to prove the selection
was based on race.
The facility, he said, will have
a discriminatory Impact, nega
tive consequences for the area
and shows Mecklenburg has a
histoiy of putting negative ser
vices In black communities.
Cobb said that argument has
no weight because the county
has put negative facilities In
white areas as well, with an in-
cenerator near UNC-Charlotte
and landfills near suburban are
as.
As an area of Industry before it
was zoned as such between 1949-
54, the present-day residential
makeup Isn't a good indicator of
tile site's advantages, he said.
"There was Industrial activity
before It was even zoned," Cobb
said. "I don't think it's fair to
look at zoning versus the
present population."
Unemployment Report Is
Misleading, Says Hawkins
By Chester A. Higgins
NNPA News Editor
Washington, D.C....The U.S.
Dept, of Labor's rosy unemploy
ment report for the month of
April, detailing a 1.1 percent
drop to 5.4 percent, the lowest
level in 14 years, is misleading
as reported In Uie media in that
it does not represent the true
widespread unemployment in
the black commuliltles across
the country. Rep. Augustus F.
Hawkins (D-Ca.), observed.
By placing emphasis on the
macro economic picture, and ig
noring the micro which reflects
the true situation of black and
Hispanic Joblessness, the media,
thus does the public a disservice,
Hawkins says. "If you read the
Labor Dept.'s figures, it is all
there, even though you have to
dig for it," he continued, "but the
emphasis there and in the media
is on the overall picture," he told
NNPA, while the real picture is
one of almost two economies,
one black the other white.
Further, the Labor Dept, fig
ures do not "look deeper at that
growing group of unemployed
who are no longer counted be
cause they are no longer looking
for Jobs," said Hawkins who is a
veteran congressman and chair
man of the powerful House La
bor and Eiducation Committee.
'These unemployed have simply
lost faith and given up. While
the overall unemployment rate
is a very low 5.4 percent, black
adult employment Is 12.2 per
cent, more than double, and
black teen Joblessness remains
a horrendous 31 percent, more
th;m twice that of white teens.
The low Jobless figures has
Unemployment Figures
Overall Unemploymonl
Black Unemployment
Black Teen Unemployment
caused some economists to raise
fears of impending inflation
that could be triggered by full
employment. Hawkins, who
witli the late Democratic Minne
sota Sen. Hubert Humphrey,
sponsored the famous Hum-
phrey-Hawkins full employ
ment bill, said his bill envi
sioned a theoretical full
employment rate at 4 percent.
"But that Is four percent for eve
ry group, black and white, not
overall."
" We really need to zero in
on micro economics —
really look at those groups
at risk."
Janet L. Norwood, commis
sioner of Labor Siatistics, told
NNPA: "It's nonsense to say we
are near full employment. We In
this country like to look at ag
gregates. We really need to zero
ill on micro economics —- really
look at those groups at risk. It Is
clear Jobs now are going to re
quire a lot more education —
Jobs in the service areas: bank
ing, finance, computers, ac-
courrling, legal, technical health
--- all these fast growing areas.
Minorities concentrated in cen
tral cities don't have these kinds
of educational skills at present.
These must be addressed. Sim
ply viewing macro economy and
Ignoring the micro will not ad
dress those who have been over
looked."
Hawkins said the Reagan ad
ministration places great store
on these monthly labor reports,
while cutting back on funding
that would help black teens pre
pare to compete in the expand
ing service market.
MARY HATWOOD FUTRELL, president of the Na
tional Education Association, warned graduates
of North Carolina Central University to avoid
what she called the "microwave mentality"
which causes many of today's youth to care more
"about the clothes on their backs... and the gold
chains around their necks" than about their fu
ture or the future of the world. She spoke at
NCCU's commencement exercises May 7 in Dur
ham. NC.
Candidate Jesse Jackson Speaks
Of'Reasonable Expectations"
ByJOHNFLESHER
Associated Press Writer
GREENSBORO (AP) — Jesse
Jackson's campaign for the
Democratic presidential nomi-
nalipn appears to have fallen
short, but he and his Nortli Car
olina supporters are determined
not to ire treated as losers.
For months, "What does Jesse
want?" has been a burning ques
tion in national politics. As the
black civil rights activist won
more caucuses, primaries and
delegates than expected but not
enough to become front-runner,
speculation arose over what he
r.
r »
McLean, Newsom Speak
At BSC Commencement
Former Barber Scotia College President Dr. Lionel Newsom (1) and
retiring President Dr. Mable P, McLean (r) lead the graduation pro
cessional. Mr. Hugh Cullman (second row, right) was presented
with an honorary degree.
Concord, NC-— She has said
it for the last 14 years, but this
year It had a special and final
ring.
In her last ritual charge to a
graduating class as President of
Barber-Scotla College, Dr.
Mable Parker McLean, who is
scheduled to retire from the col
lege June 30, 1988, challenged
the seniors at the 121st com
mencement exercises Sunday to
"never let your parents regret
that you have become a college
graduate."
"Listen to the sound of the
word," said Dr. McLean, "a col
lege graduate. Wear the title
proudly, square your shoulders
and let the world know by your
performance, by your attitude,
by your contributions, and by
your concern for society that
you are a college graduate . . .
that It could not have been any
better if you hadn't become such
a person." "That Is the challenge .
and the responsibility," she add
ed as approximately 800 spec
tators and friends gathered on
campus to witness the under
graduates receive diplomas.
In addressing the class of
1988 as the commencement
speaker. Dr. Lionel H. Newsom,
a former president of Barber-
Scotla College and a United Ne
gro College Fund Distinguished
Scholar at the college, said, "I
want to challenge you as alumni
today to give to Barber-Scotla
College."
"... 1 have In my pocket a little
gift," he emphasized. He then
reached under his academic at
tire and pulled out approximate
ly 35 envelopes — one for each
member of the graduating class.
Waving the stack of envelopes
into the air, he said, "I am giving
you a check that I want you to
reproduce next year." Each enve
lope contained a five dollar con
tribution to Barber-Scotla and a
contractual agreement that
each graduate would give
five dollars or five times the
amount In the next year to the
college to assist Its efforts in
higher education.
"What are industry, founda
tions and the federal govern
ment doing today?," asked Dr.
Newsom, referring to their sup
port of black colleges. "I'll tell
you, ... all of them are doing
See BSC on page 4A
would demand of the Democrat
ic establishment for giving the
pai ty's nominee his blessing.
Jackson did not answer that
question directly during a recent
visit to North Carolina. But In a
commencement speech at his
alma mater and in remarks at a
Greensboro fund-raiser. Jack-
son dropped some hints. In so
doing, he introduced a phrase
likely to be a familiar refrain in
the year's political lexicon:
McDonald’s
Inn Ready
For Opening
Charlotte - Best Western/
McDonald's Inn will olficially
open with an 11 o'clock Grand
Opening ceremony Thursday,
June 2, 1988, followed by a noon,
all-you-can-eat luncheon with
owner John McDonald's special
and personal touch. The new
105-room hotel Is located on
Beatties Ford Rd., at 1-85 in
northwest Charlotte and adja
cent to his popular McDonald's
Cafeteria.
"This will be a great moinent
for me and my family and 1 want
to do this for the people, all the
people," says McDonald about
the special Grand Opening feast
he is preparing to follow the rib
bon-cutting ceremony.
The menu Includes: roast
prime rib au Jus, fried seafood
platter (scallops, shrimp and
perch), baked Virginia ham, bar
becue ribs, beef straganoff, and
baked chicken; broccoli casse
role, string beans, turnip greens,
cream style com, candied yams,
lima beans, scalloped tomatoes,
rice, and baked Idaho potatoes;
homemade rolls, com muffins, a
variety of desserts, tossed salad,
melon-in-season, Iced tea and
See MCDONALD'S on page 3A
"reasonable expectations."
Nearly a quarter-century ago.
See JESSE on page 2A
Elbert Edwin WaddeU, better
known as E.E. Waddell, died
Saturday, May 14. The Post re
members this illustrious edu
cator. See editorial on page 6A
Inside This Week
Editorials
,6A
obstacles in black education.
Lifestyles
,8A
Church News
First Mayfield celebrates
Family Fellowship.
..9A
Entertainment
,.1B
The Wonderful World of Walt
Disney World
„4B
Sports
Rangers reserve rank at
top of the league.
„8B
Classifieds
14B
To Subscribe, Call 376-0496