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Thursday, September 29,1968 - TTO CHARLOTIE POST - PageSA. November Election Is Urgent As the date for the presidential elections, November 8, 1988, draws near, the challenge and the responsibility for voter mo bilization, particularly In the Af rican American and In other ra cial and ethnic communities across the United States, take on a crucial sense of urgency. We need to continue to empha size the Importance of the up coming elections. On the Issues of domestic and foreign policy, we have a vested Interest In helping to determine the future course of this nation. The saying, "The hands that once picked cotton can now pick the President of the United States" Is a true saying. The problem of the lack of voter edu cation and awareness In racial and ethnic communities could be responsible for the perpetua tion of the current Reagem-Bush policies. It Is for this reason that we will be giving considera ble attention through Civil Rights Journal on the necessity to "get out the vote" on November 8th. I have Just returned from the 18th Annual Legislative Week end of the Congressional Black Caucus In Washington, DC. The theme of this largest gathering of African American leadership was "The Struggle Continues; A Look Into the Future." Through out all of the workshops, forums and bralntrusts, there was a common sense of urgency and responsibility that something has to be done politically as well as economically to stop the dev astating trends of the Reagan- Bush years against the Interest of the African American commu nity. One publication that was dis tributed during the Congres sional Black Caucus sessions Civil Rights Journal By Benjamin Chavis was "The Future of African- Americans to the Year 2000" published by the Congressional stated, "It's most trenchant find ing Is that If we continue as we have In the past, the American economic, social, and political systems will not adequately meet the needs of African- Americans, and they will not ever share fully In the abun dance of this land. To overcome this dreadful potential future, dramatic new policies will have to be undertaken, and practices In many spheres of life will have to be substantially altered." The legacy of the Reagan-Bush years has directly contributed to the deterioration of the state of the African American communi ty- At the commimlty level, howev er, there needs to be greater at tention given to disseminating the wealth of Information that circulates at conferences like the Congressional Black Cau cus. For example, a young Afri can American said to me recent ly, "Hey. I really don't have anjdhlng to vote for this year." Another African American who was a small business owner stated, "Reagan and Bush have not really been that bad, at least we know what their policies are and we should just give Bush a chance to continue what Reagan has done." More than any other adminis tration In recent history, the Reagan and Bush team has re fused to appoint African Ameri cans as federal judges. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Mar shall is trying very hard to hold on until after Reagan leaves of fice. If Bush is elected all of the effective and hard work of Thur good Marshall and many others will be judicially reversed by the kind of appointments Bush will surely make. In Africa, particu larly In Southern Africa, If George Bush Is elected, then thousands of African people will continue to lose their lives be cause of the Reagan-Bush poli cy of constructive engagement with racist apartheid In Soutli Africa and the immoral and Ille gal support of the UNITA terror ists against the people of Ango- ,1a Yes, we do have something to vote for. Yes, we do need a change in current U.S. domestic and foreign policy. If the strug gle Is to continue, then we must march in record numbers to vote on election day. Michael Duka kis has stated his commitment to cut off funding to UNITA, to Impose comprehensive sanc tions against South Africa, to re direct millions of dollars from the senseless military buildup to vital domestic social pro grams. and to help the United States become a more racially Inclusive and equitable society. We must get out the vote. And we must mobilize now to ensure that we vote In record numbers. What Does Duffey Strode Tell Us? Duffey Strode, the 11 year old street preacher. 1 know, I promised that 1 wouldn't write another word about him. Or about his preach ing. Or about his little brother and his little sister. Or hIs father. Like you, I am amazed that we still read about them every week. And see them on TV news—amd talk shows. Every time we turn around, Duffey has gone to New York, to Charlotte, or some other new place to "preach" and shout some message of hate to others. We've had enough. Enough of this ridiculous showmanship and exploitation. Who could be so stupid to think that we—or anyone—would care? And yet they keep bringing the Strodes back. And though we say we're angry, we keep coming back to read and hear more about them. 1 don't understand. 1 don't un derstand me and I don't under stand you. Maybe you can ex plain to me why the Strodes have outlasted Lizard Man and Dan Quayle as objects of media attention, and why they keep on grabbing hold of you and me. 7# D.G. Martin One-On-One Can you explain It? Maybe It Is because Duffey and his family make us think about so many other questions that have no answers for us. Like, what will happen to Duffey as he grows up? Maybe we do know. Do you re member Maijoe? He was anoth er child preacher pushed Into the pulpit by his parents at an early age. He converted many, before his own faith was crushed when It came up against the pressures of adoles cence. How wiU Duffey handle those wUd and crazy times that come with being a teenager? How will he react to girls, cars, beer, the streets, MTV, sex and to his own Ideas and feelings bubbling up from his own Insides? Where will he be ten years from now? Still preaching? I doubt It. I'll bet that he's running a beer joint ("Duffey's Tavern") or bumming around or, maybe. In jail for some act of violence. Why so pessimistic about Duf fey's future? To me. It Is just so clear that what Duffey Is going through cannot be good for hlm- -and that It will leave permanent scars. That's why Duffey keeps on getting our attention. He Is a tragedy in the making. Some thing we can't stop and can't help. While we don't know exact ly how it will turn out, we know that it Is going to be bad. And so maybe, our unwilling ness to let go of Duffey and his family does tell us something- something bad about ourselves. Deep down Inside, we just like to watch bad things happen to others. Bush Child Care Neglects Quality Guest Editorial By Cong. Augustus Hawkins Now that presidential candi date George Bush has discov ered that child Ccun Is a signifi cant national issue, it is Important to point out the dif ferences between the Vice Presi dent's concept and the Act for Better Child Care, the major child care proposal In the Con gress. After all, child care means different things to differ ent people. The Bush proposal drives .child care through the tax code: eligible persons would receive a re&ndable tax credit of up to $1,000 per child under age 4. The new tax credit would be phased In from very low Income levels In annual household in come of $16,000 to $20,000 over the first four years. The Act for Better Child Care, (AB.C.) which I support, has been approved by the Education and Labor Com mittee which 1 chair. It provides direct financial assistance to needy parents. Under ABC, states could contract with child care providers for the care of low- and moderate-income chil dren. Alternatively, states could offer parents "certificates" to use in paying for child care; care givers would redeem the certifi cates for cash from the govern ment. The most basic flaw In the Bush proposal is that It does nothing to ensure quality care In the child care system. The AB.C. bill In contrast, develops mini mum federal standards In Im portant areas of care for young children. The AB.C. bill also earmarks 15 percent of the fed eral funds for training of child care workers: for recruiting new family day care providers: and to provide grants to begin new pro grams and renovate existing child care facilities. All of these efforts would foster improved quality In child care. It's not that the Bush proposal has no merit. In fact It may be helpful as a supplement to the AB.C. bill. But the Bush propo sal by Itself - only addresses one part of the child care crisis. The Bush proposal also Ig nores another dimension of child care accessibility. The A.B.C. bill develops resource and referral programs to assist parents In finding quality care, while the Bush proposal as sumes that parents already pos sess this Information. While parents may have some Initial knowledge of available child care resources (ads In the news papers, word of mouth, etc.), why not develop a professional pro gram that helps parents through the traumatic and diffi cult dilemma of finding quality care for their child. In addition, the A.B.C. proposal would ear mark three percent of the feder al funds to encourage and strengthen business Involve ment In child care, and therefore bring child care closer to the parents place of employment. Hot SUCCBSSPUL BecAUSE RACISM! AFTER I STOPPED TMlAWMej THAT WAY.,.I BECAKAC SUCCESSFUL D5SPIT6 RACISM ! / Black Resources, Inc. Letters To The Post Please Help Survivors Of Gilbert Dear EMlton On Tuesday, September 20, as a survivor of Hurricane Gil bert, I returned home from Ja maica to be thankfully and joyously united with my, fami ly and friends. However, my thoughts remain with the Ja maican survivors of the dev astating storm. Gilbert's wrath ravished the island, claimed many lives, demolished homes, buildings, churches and left In Its wake an Island of people experienc ing homelessness and hunger, lacking water, medical sup plies, sanitation, electricity, communication, employment and In some cases having lost all possessions. Although the people of Ja maica and the government have begun struggling to over come the devastation, they cannot do it alone. It was with great pride that I viewed the first United States military plane arriving with supplies. Much assistance and relief Is still needed. Any parties Interested In providing assistance to the people of Jamaica and letting them know that we care, please contact New Adventure Travel Service (704) 377-1099 or Fran Farrer-Bradley at The Charlotte Post (704) 376-0496. BERYL STEVENSON Inexcusable Remarks On WPEG Dear Editor: This Is an open letter to Ken Koontz and Mike Saunders of WPEG FM 98: 1 have often listened to your sometimes. Inappropriate hu mor. Your latest Ill-timed quip was Inexcusable. Do you know the meaning of the term manic-depressive psychosis? Your barbs were tantamount to jesting about cancer. There are thousands of us who suffer from this disease. We are black and white. We, sometimes, survive episodes that range from gross displays of antl-soclal behavior to at tempts at suicide that often succeed. The disorder is the result of a chemical Imbalance In the brain. Those of us who have been afflicted can no more prevent some of the conse quences of our actions, with out medical Intervention, than you can thwart aging. Why do I use a public forum to air my disapproval? Be cause, I have no confidence m your sense of fair play. The date and time In ques tion was September 23, 1988, between 7:20 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.. Obviously, your remarks were spontaneous and made in ignorance. 1 hope so. I would be devastated to find that you were purposefully abusive. I would like a public apology to Mike Tyson, myself, and the thousands of unnamed others you have offended In tenor and tone. MILLER BUSSEY Ramesses: Is It A Grave Robbing? Dear Editor; The whole town seems to be ablaze with excitement over the Ramesses The Great exhi bition scheduled for the Mmt Museum. I suppose it Is a great archeological treasure and an educational look at an ancient culture: but, two questions bother me. First, how does this archeo logical removal of an ancient tomb differ completely from grave robbing? Secondly, would this exhibi tion take place if Ramesses had not been from Africa, or If he had been Christian of Jew ish? I read that It Is thought that Moses was a contemporary of Ramesses. 1 cannot believe. If an archeological team were to discover the tomb of Moses, that his body would be placed on public display. GENEALLIGOOD, D.C. Networking Our Resources Dear EMitor: Wlthm the black and mmor- ity business world lies a wealth of ability and needed resources. We have companies and individuals who are just as qualified and capable as employees of large corpora tions. But, we specialize and operate In only one or two dis ciplines under one roof or per Individual. This Is not nega tive, It's just the way It seems to be. We are designers, engineers, manufacturing firm owners, marketing consultants, busi ness consultants and sales men. My particular Interest Is In product development and realization. My concern Is the lack of all these resources being availa ble In a package network to companies and Individuals. A network core group made up of these Individual companies should be brought together with a mutual purpose in mind. The purpose bemg, the lending of each other's ready access to resources m develop ing a product or products se lected by this core group. All the necessary tasks will be performed by or through this group, using the available knowledge and resources of the group members as they are needed. Each member could donate his or her effort In re turn for an Interest In the product or products. To get a product from con cept to the marketplace some- tiines seems out of reach smce not many have all these neces sary resources at their finger tips. 1 enjoy developmg Ideas and products and do receive some satisfaction from my ef forts. Design and development Is genermiy where my area of ex perience ends. From there, manufacturing and marketing become necessary. That's when the advantage of having access to this willing group would be realized. The next stage of the process would then be continued by those possessing the necessary ex perience and resources from within the core group. This would give the decided project a better chance of succeeding. considering the fact that with out these areas of Interest a project is hmdered or even canceled. I did not stress finances be cause the objective of this ap peal Is about helping ourselves diversify and broaden the use of our possessed experiences and resources. Naturally fi nances will become necessary. When that time comes. It will be addressed by that area of the group with that experi ence. The major objective of a core network like this should al ways be the main focus of the group. That Is, to offer the ne cessary experience and re sources to an effort which would possible benefit the group financially and m many other ways and finally, shar ing as a group the great satis faction of a completed mis sion. I would like to see a network like this formed around a pro ject. I wonder If others have thought about this? ANTHONY R. BARNES Apologies And More From The Chamber Dear Ekliton In reference to Gerald John son's editorial In last week's Charlotte Post ("A Need For A Black Chamber?, September 22, 1988) critical of the Char lotte Chamber for not men tioning The Post as one of the local newspapers, may we say that If one of our staff failed to respond appropriately to a public mqulty, we offer a sm- cere apology to The Post. Chamber employees would never Intentionally sanction Such a disservice. On the other hand, we disa gree with the allegations that the Charlotte Chamber has therefore failed m its mission. The Post is mcorrect in stat ing that we merely sponsor programs to "placate" the con cerns of smmi and minority business owners. In fact, the readers of The Charlotte Post should know the facts about the broad range and quality of our small member services. A review of the 16 Issues of Ventures (the official newslet ter of the Charlotte Chamber) published this year reveals that our members were of fered, regardless of their sizes, 206 opportunities to partici pate In events we sponsored. Here are just a few of those op portunities: • Career Expo '88 which was co-sponsored by the Char- lotte-Mecklenburg School District and the Uit^ League, • Five sermnars on business development for small busi ness owners, • An Invitation to all mem bers who want to serve on city or county commissions and boards to subimt their names to the Chamber for considera tion, • Invitations to join more than 48 committees which recommend policies, design and run our programs, • Forty business education opportunities with open en rollment, • Sponsorship of 41 separate events and publications which serve to promote sponsoring firms, • Applications for a free Ust- mg In the Chamber's directory of minority and women owned busmesses, whether a member of the Chamber or not, • The chance to nominate outstanding business people for their success as owners and managers, • Subscriptions to referral services of the Chamber's new comer programs, and • The Chamber's group health Insurance program es pecially designed for smaller firms. There Is no Chamber In the entire Southeast with the breadth or opportunities for small and minority business owners that the Charlotte Chamber offers. We know that small business owners, mi nority or otherwise, join us to be a part of this commimlty's business agenda. This cham ber responds to those needs and regularly receives positive testimonies. Eighty to eighty-five percent of all Charlotte Chamber members are businesses with fewer than 75 employees — our accepted definition of small business. We have exper ienced a 75 percent gain In memberships In foirr years be cause we serve the bulk of our members. Our growth Is a re sult of marketing effective programs to our members. Opportunities for participa tion are available to The Charlotte Post and we sincere ly Invite the newspaper to take advantage of them. We believe that such participation will give you a greater appreciation for the Chamber's small busi ness programs and give us more input as to how to serve you better. CARROLL D. GRAY. CCE President LAWRENCE J. TOUVER, Vice President What's On Your Mind? Let us hear your comments, ideas and opinions. Write to: Letters To The Post P.O. Box 30144 Charlotte, NC 28230 Please include name, address and phone number. Wie edit letters for clarity and grammar.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Sept. 29, 1988, edition 1
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