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Learn To Look Before Leap Into Marriage
UFESTYLEiS/ PAGE 7A
-TO-
SCHOOL
What Is The Deal With The Deele?
ENTERTAINMENT/ PAGE 7B
t!Cl)t Charlotte Bo^t
Vol. 14, No. 11
ThurscJay, August 11,1988 THE AWARD-WINNING "VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY"
50 Cents
N.C. GOP Surpasses Dems
In Minority Purchases
RALEIGH (AP) —- Republican
Gov. Jim Martin's administra
tion Is outdoing Democratlc-
controlled state agencies in ef
forts to boost purchases from
minority firms, figures com
piled by the state's central pur
chasing office show.
Seven of nine departments un
der the Martin administration
make at least 4 percent of their
purchases from businesses con
trolled by minorities, women or
disabled people, says a report by
the Division of Purchase and
Contract,
By contrast. Just one of nine
state agencies controlled by
Democrats — the Office of State
Auditor — exceeds the 4 percent
goal set by Martin and later by
the General Assembly In 1987,
according to the report pub
lished Sunday by the News and
Observer of Raleigh.
Some Democrats disputed the
figures, saying the size of their
agencies made It difficult to at
tract some minority contracts,
while others noted that the Leg
islature's resolution urging the 4
percent minority-buying goal
was passed only a little over a
year ago. In July 1987 — five
months after Martin Issued an
executive order to that effect.
The survey of state purchasing
covered the period from July
1987 to March 1988. In It, the
purchasing office found Martin
administration agencies doing
the following percentage of busi
ness with firms operated by mi
norities, women or the handi
capped:
Administration, 2.5; Com
merce, 4.3; Correction, 8.6:
Crime Control and Public Safe
ly, 4.8: Cultural Resources, 7.9;
Human Resources, 9.0; Natural
Resources and Community De
velopment, 4.5; Revenue, 1.6;
Transportation, 4.5.
Figures were reported for Dem
ocrat-controlled agencies were
as follows:
Agriculture, 0.3; Department of
Community Colleges, 1.1; Public
See REPUBUCANS on page 2A
li •«
Schatzman Leads NAACP Dinner
t
•«
Special To The Post
The Third Annual Life Mem
bership Dln-
the
ner of
Charlotte
Mecklenburg
County Branch
NAACP will be
held on Fri
day. August 26,
6:30 p.m., at
McDonald's
Cafeteria. 2812
Beatties Ford
Rd.
Guest speak- Schatzman
er for the din
ner will be Dennis Schatzman,
Executive Director of the North
Carolina State Conference of
NAACP Branches, headquar
tered In Greensboro, NC.
Recently appointed to his posi
tion with the State NAACP,
Schatzman has previously held
positions as Managing Editor of
The Winston-Salem Chronicle;
Deputy ^Controller with the
school district of Pittsburgh,
PA; District Justice, Thlrteeth
Ward, City of Pittsburgh; City
Editor for the New Pittsburgh
Courier; and Public Relations
Specialist, Carnegie-Mellon
University.
The NAACP has been commit
ted to the civil rights cause for
more than 79 years. Life mem
bership Is a principal source of
Income which supports the asso
ciation's continuing fight for
full freedom for all Americans.
The $60 ticket price for the
dinner Includes a minimum
payment on a life membership
In the NAACP. Junior Life Mem
bership subscribers (up to age 13)
may secure a ticket for $30
which Includes a minimum pay
ment on Junior Life Member
ship.
Current fully-paid life mem
bers, subscribing life members
or Golden Heritage subscribers
may obtain a $10 ticket for his
or her spouse or guest.
For more Information about
the NAACP Life Membership
Dinner, please call Margaret A
Alexander. Chairman Public Re
lations. at 392-6775.
N
Amy Edmunds
Pbolo,'CALVIN FERGUSofi
^3
Goyernoi Jim Martin greeta members at
Rail Passenger Service Task Force first
meeting in Raleigh. Left to right; Howard
Clement III, Chapman; Governor Jim Mar
tin; C. Morgan Edwards, Assistant Secretary
North Carolina Department of transporta
tion.
Clement Heads Task Force
Howard Clement 111 of Dur
ham has been neuned by Gov
ernor Jim Martin to head the re
cently appointed Rail Passenger
Service Task Force. Governor
Martin issued Executive Order
Number 71 on March 11 creat
ing a special work group to
study rail passenger service
needs in North Carolina. Citing
the Investment made by the
North Carolina General Assem
bly some 130 years ago, Martin
praised the contributions the
rail system has made to the ur-
' ban growth of the Piedmont In
North Carolina.
At the group's first meeting.
Governor Martin was on hand In
Raleigh to charge the task force
with Its responsibilities. This
15-member group will meet per
iodically during the next six
months and make an Initial re
port to Governor Martin In Jan
uary 1989. A final report Is
scheduled to be presented In
December 1989.
Chairman Clement Is Director
of Claims and Administration
for the North Carolina Mutual
Life Insurance In Durham. He Is
also a member of Durham City
Council.
Other members of the task
force are: E. Stephen Stroud, vice
chairman, of Raleigh; Frank
• Daniels III of Charlotte; Elwood
( Goodson of Mount Olive; Jerome
Bolick of Conover: Mayor Sue
Myrick of Charlotte: William H.
Klncheloe of Rocky Mount: Don
ald Billings of Lewisville; Frank
Rouse of Emerald Isle; Allan
Paul of Raleigh: Mayor Alex
Bowness of Southern Pines; Dot
Burnley of High Point: Ralph
Readon of Raleigh: Thomas W.
Dayvault of Kannapolis: Richard
Messlnger of Sedisbury and C.
Morgan Edwards, Assistant Sec
retary of the North Carolina De
partment of Transportation.
Two N.C. Insurance Firms
Cited For Bilking Blacks
RALEIGH (AP) - Two North
Carolina-based Insurance com
panies will be asked to alter life
Insurance policies from the
1960s that force black people to
pay higher premiums than
white people, the state Depart
ment of Insurance said last
Thursday.
Durham Life Insurance Co. of
Raleigh and Charlotte Liberty
Mutual Insurance Co. of Char
lotte were named In a nation
wide survey as being among 21
companies that continue to col
lect on such policies.
However, both say they have
ceased to write and sell them.
The survey was released Tues
day, July 2, by the National As
sociation of Insurance Commis
sioners.
"(Such policies are) not ex
pressly prohibited by state stat
ute," Ed Bristol, spokesman for
the state Department of Insu
rance, said Thursday. "But It ap
pears discriminatory."
Bristol said state Insurance of
ficials plan to meet with the two
North Carolina companies still
carrying the policies to try to
persuade them to alter them.
He said the department also
would ask the Legislature to en
act laws that specifically pro
hibit race-based Insurance rate
adjustments.
According to some actuaries,
blacks have a shorter life expec
tancy than whites and so once
were charged higher rates. How
much depended on the company
and the amount of Insurance.
However, most Insurance com
panies gave up the practice years
ago, relying on other factors to
set rates — such as whether a
See INSURANCE on page 2A
Amy Edmimds Is No Jock, But
Sporting Events Keep Her Busy
By HERB WHITE
Post Staff Writer
Amy Edmunds admits she's
not the athletic type.
"A jock I'm not," she says. "I do
not sweat on purpose. '7ou will
not see me at the spa working
out."
But that doesn't keep her from
being part of a team that Is put
ting together a preview of Olym
pic athletes In action. The Caro-
Ilnas Invitational at Charlotte,
a sports festival featuring Amer
ican Olympic teams In seven
events, will be held Aug. 12-14 at
several sites around the city.
Tickets are still on sale at the
Charlotte Coliseum and Ticke-
tron outlets. Sales have been
brisk of late and a sellout Is ex
pected for all events.
Basketball, boxing, cycling,
baseball and gymnastic compe
tition will be part of the fare, the
only pre-Olympic view Ameri
cans will have of the national
teams before the Seoul, South
Korea games.
Edmunds enjoys her job, but
she wishes she'd get to see more
of the athletes In action.
"The down side of this job is
that I probably won't get to see
20 minutes of anything, " she
said.
The Invitational was such an
attractive job, Edmunds, 30, re
signed her position as a branch
manager at a temporary agency.
"I was asked to do something
that 1 would be Interested in,",
she said. "I like It. I like to stay
busy and this guarantees that
you have a very, very full day."
Pulling off an event like the
Invitational requires a lot of pa
tience and plenty of work. Ed
munds says It has been worth It.
"I looked at It as an Interna
tional sporting event," she said.
"1 looked at It as a once-ln-a-
Ilfetime experience. Just to be
associated with an event of this
magnitude will make for fond
memories."
Edmunds said that after re
turning to Charlotte from Alex
andria, Va. last year, she decided
to become more active In com
munity affairs. She went to the
local chamber of commerce and
met with executives to discuss
various projects. Those meetings
landed her the Carollnas Invita
tional job.
"I'm probably a testament to
networking as much as any
thing," she said.
Edmunds, as well as the other
four people on the Invitational's
full time staff, has to be versatile
In her job. She Is responsible for
coordinating volunteers at each
venue, provides essentials for
athletes and makes sure the me
dia have access to the Olympians
during the exhibitions.
"We all wear several hats here,"
Edmunds said. "Everybody's do
ing several hundred things at a
time. After this, I would think
most things would be a piece of
cake."
Once the athletes, spectators
and media leave, Edmunds will
go job hunting. She plans to
start her search after "a vegeta
tion period" of a couple of days.
If the Invitational comes off as a
success, she figures It'll look
good on her resume and It'll
catch the attention of business
executives.
Inside This Week
Editorials Pg. 4A
What's offensive about
AIDS education?
Entertainment....Pg. IB
Beverly Hayes reigns
as Miss Ebony.
Lifestyles Pg. 7A
Friendship Baptist Youth
go around the world 8A
Sports Pg. 7B
Hornets have Chariotte
buzzing with excitement.
Church News Pg. lOA
Vfilson to speak at
St Paul Baptist.
Classifieds Pg. 12B
The Alliance Sec. C
"1 don't know (what will come
next)," she said. "1 like to leave
my options open. And alter Aug.
15, I'll probably have a lot of op
tions."
It's Back To
School Time,
Don't Be Late
Special To The Post
Charlotte-Mecklenburg public
school starts Wednesday, August
24 and schools are hoping to
avoid the problem that arose
last year from late registra
tions.
On the first day of school last
year, nearly 4,000 students did
not show up. By the second day,
more than half of them had ar
rived, and others streamed in by
the hundreds during the next few
days.
TTie late arrivals caused a ma
jor problem for the schools.
Many students were not regis
tered, so principals did not
know to expect them. As a result,
some schools had to find teach
ers while other schools had to
give them up.
Parents are urged to register
their children now and make
sure their children attend
school from the very first day.
School offices are open week
days for registration.
New Teachers' Tour
New teachers joining the Char
lotte-Mecklenburg School Sys
tem this year are In for a special
treat. They're Invited to "An Af
ternoon on the Town" Monday,
August 15.