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Spring Into Fashion With Our Spring & Summer Special Fashion Preview/ Page 1C "*■ Theomusicology & Prince Entertainment/ Page 8A Inside The Building On Family Strength Lifestyles/ Page IB Alliance Hunter Huss’ Dynamic Duo Page IIB Charlotte $os;t Vol. 14, No. 37 Thursday, March 9,1989 THE AWARD-WINNING "VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY" 50 Cents Outspoken Scarborough Looks To The Future By HERB WHITE Pbst Staff Writer Ella Scarborough says her first term on Charlotte City Council has been all she expect ed, but there Is more to learn and do on the Job. "It's been quite enjoyable and quite busy," she said. "I feel I'm just getting started, just getting used to the process...I'm not even near my learning curve yet" Scarborough, who replaced Ron Leeper 15 months ago, re lied on beeper's knowledge of council In the early days. She credits him with making the transition easier. "The first two or three months of council, I talked to him a lot, but since then. I've felt more comfortable," she said. "He was a perfect mentor." Never one to hide an opinion, Scarborough has been an out spoken champion of her favorite Scarborough causes. Some council observers see Scarborough as being con frontational. She has a different opinion. "I believe In being straightfor ward and based on the com ments of my colleagues, maybe I'm too straightforward, but I don't apologize for that." Scarborough said she has good working relationships with other council members, al though she criticized Mayor Sue M}Tlck for playing partisan poli tics. Scarborough was upset when Myrlck appointed her to the Planning and Public Works Committee Instead of the Hous ing Committee. Scarborough said she told Myrlck about her desire to be appointed to the housing committee. "That's still a pet peeve of mine." Scarborough said. I'm still fussing about It." Scarborough also disapproves of the lack of Democrats and Af rican-Americans leading com mittees. "There are no blacks chairing committees, and only See SCARBOROUGH On 2A 1 COViVl Springfest, Inc. Resolves To Get More Black Involvement, Input ii Patterson By JALTNB STRONG Post Editor Due to negative reactions from Charlotte's African-American community, Springfest Inc., last week. re scinded Its newly initiat ed balloon vendor poli cy. The policy, initiated In January, stipulated that Springfest would only re quire one balloon vendor for Its annual downtown street festi val. When put In effect, however, the policy forced out a black vendor who had four years ex perience working with the or ganization. Public outcry, since the story of the vendor, Carolyn Mason, became known, persuaded the Springfest organization to re think Its balloon vendor policy. According to Steve Kaufman, executive director, Springfest has gone back to its prior proce dure of having multiple balloon vendors and It has also reopened Its Invitations for Springfest vendors, "We have elected to start the process all over," Kaufman said Tuesday. "We have re-sent for applications (of vendors who had already applied) and have extended the deadline for appli cations to Friday, March 10. "In the last four or five days we had a reasonable number of re quests for applications. I'm as suming a go^ number are a re sult of the articles In the Post" On February 23, The Charlotte Post reported the story of Bal loon-A-Grams owner Caroljm Mason's exclusion from vendor sales for Springfest '89, to be held April 28 - 30. The news caused the black community to question the practices of the or ganization that promotes the ctty-asslsted event, asking if In fact African-Americans were go ing to be left out of the festival's economic benefits. By Wednesday, March 2, the Springfest organization was meeting with Mason and her at torney, Wayne Alexander, Liz Mills of the City of Charlotte's MWBE office, and city council- members Ella Scarborough and C3mdee Patterson to discuss the problem. Councilmember Patterson Is the founder of Springfest. She began the festival In 1982 and worked closely with the festival for the first five years. But for the last three years, since she was elected to the Charlotte City Council, Patter son says she has not been In volved In the administration of Springfest. Patterson, who's up for re- election this year, sa)fs she was drawn into the controversy be cause she was receiving copies of the correspondence between Al exander and Springfest, Inc. "I was concerned that It was not getting resolved," Patterson said In a telephone Interview Tues day. "Ella (Scarborough) and I started talking and I called the Springfest office to set the meet ing with Alexander and Mason." "Ella and I pretty much served as facilitators (at the meeting). Liz (Mills) was asked to attend to advise Springfest about what they could do to provide better outreach programs for black vendors," said Patterson, Last week, the adverse situa tion concerning black vendors at Springfest worsened when It was learned that the organiza tion had no blacks Involved on any of Its boards. Patterson admitted the situa tion did not look good for Springfest. "As founder of Springfest It bothered me to see something like this going on. When 1 was with the organization, I tried to keep two to three blacks on the board." But, Patterson pointed out, "We never have been suc cessful In getting blacks in volved In all levels of the organ ization. It still tended to be all- white." Patterson said the organiza tion was not In essence preclud ing black Involvement. "It just See SPRINGFEST On Page 2A LET'S DANCE... Seven-year-old Clayton Pride, a second grade student at Devonshire Elementary School, joins Hugo, the mascot of the Charlotte Hornets basketball team, for a dance. Monday, March 6th was declared "Hornets Day" by Devon shire's principal, Eulada Watt and Hugo visited the school to give out Hornet hugs and basketball cer- tiffcates awarded by Coach Hallas. Hugo also Photo/CALVIN FERGUSON danced, to the delight of the students, to the "The Twist", by Chubby Checker and The Fat Boys, and "Twist and Shout." Hugo's visit was sponsored by the Minority Achievement Committee. It served to expose students to the variety of cultural and ath- leUc activities in the Charlotte area and also to re ward students who earned points for good behav ior. Black Health Care Bills Coining Due To N.C. Soon RALEIGH (AP) — A bllllon- dollar bill for AIDS and other health problems afflicting North Carolina blacks will be due soon, and nobody knows who will pay It. That was the conclusion of medical. Insurance and legisla tive experts who assembled at the North Carolina Central Uni versity School of Business to grapple with the cost of health care for blacks. 'Too many of us, right or wrong, feel that AIDS, drug abuse and sickle cell (anemia) are conditions that we don't risk," said John F. Slpp, an Insu rance Industry consultant who moderated the February 28th seminar. ''They're somebody else's problem. "As long as that attitude per sists, the question of 'Who will pay?'... will be answered by say ing, 'Somebody else.' " AIDS Is one of the biggest medi cal problems threatening blacks because It Is spreading from big cities to smaller towns and hit ting blacks harder than whites. In North Carolina, 44 percent of AIDS victims are black, al though blacks make up only 22 percent of the state's population. By 1991, the annu^ cost of hospital care for AIDS patients In North Carolina could total $1.3 billion, said M. Lynn Smi ley, a Burroughs Wellcome Co. researcher. Perhaps $30 million of that care will be given to pa tients who can't afford to pay for It and don't have health insu rance. "The e?q)ected course of the epi demic Is staggering," Smiley told NCCU students at the seminar. 'The health-care costs for this are going to continue to mount. It's going to swallow up other things." Neither government nor the In surance Industiy has figured out how to pay the bill, the speakers said. Push Is On For National Malcolm X Observance By Chester A. Higgins, Sr. NNPA News Editor WASHINGTON, D.C. - A move to establish the May 19 birthday of Malcolm X as nationwide Af rican American holiday begin ning in 1990, was launched Feb ruary 21, the 24th anniversary of his assassination (in 1965). Ron Daniels, of Youngstown, Ohio, former deputy campaign manager for the 1988 Jesse Jackson's Democratic presi dential campaign. Is spearhead ing the drive. Other members of the planning group are Dr. James Turner, chairman emer itus of the African Studies and Research Center at Cornell Uni versity; Dr, Ronald Walters, pro fessor of political science, Ho ward University, and Ms. Charshee McIntyre, president of the African Heritage Studies As sociation. This embryonic group will work towards the creation of a Malcolm X coordinating com mittee consisting of a number of outstanding African American leaders. The committee will make "a major effort...to encour age the Afrlcem American media to Incorporate articles. Inter views and biographical sketch es Into their publications and programming leading up to May 19 this year. 'The media," Dan iels said, "Is key to the success of this Important effort." The political campaign will culminate In a national sympo sium on the life and legacy of Malcolm X at the Schomburg Museum, Harlem, NY, May 20th. Daniels said there are no plans to push for a federal gov ernment approval for the holi day. Said he: "As there Is a St. Patrick's Day and other special days celebrated by only small segments of the U.S. population. M^colm X Day will l>s a holiday when African Americans across the nation, and others who choose to participate, will pause to pay homage to one of the most significant individuals In the development of black consciousness. Black History Month Spawns Drive To Rename Streets After Black Leaders Banictt stands at the crossroads of Senior Dr., hoping to have the street renamed. By HERB WHITE Post Staff Writer Black History Month gave the Rev. James Barnett time to re flect on the contributions Afri can-Americans have made to Charlotte. It also spawned an Idea on how to honor them, with streets named after the city's black leaders. "Black History Month gave me an Idea that we should honor our leaders,” he said with em phasis. "The whites honor their leaders by naming streets that go right through our communi ties, and It's time we do It for ours." Barnett, chairman of People United for Justice, a communi ty-based self-help organization, asked the Charlotte City Coun cil last month to rename Senior Drive to Alexander Senior Drive, In honor of Fred Alexander, the first African-American elected to office in Charlotte since Re construction. The first black elected to city council In 1965, Alexander served five terms on the board. He later went on to win a seat to the N.C. Senate, the first Afri can-American from Mecklen burg County and one of the first two elected to the legislature this century. Alexander, who lived on the street that may one day bear his name, died In 1980. Renaming Senior Drive, which runs through a predominantly black neighborhood and Is home to West Charlotte High School, Is a way to remember Al exander much like whites honor their own, Barnett said. "We have Brookshire Freeway, Belk Freeway and Billy Graham Parkway, and they go through our communities. Naming streets after blacks Is a way of remembering our heroes and what they did." The request to rename Senior Drive has been referred to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Plan ning Commission, which makes the final decision. The commis sion will poll residents of the street to guage sentiment for the change. Barnett will also circu late a petition among residents before returning it to the com mission. In a letter sent to resi dents, Barnett sought their sup port. "We need to become a part of history and to see that It Is writ ten right,” the letter stated. "Just think of the new highways that cut through our community and not one Is named to honor our leaders." Public response to the propo sal has been good, Barnett said. "I don't see any problem In get ting It approved. We hope to get the petition to the planning commission by April and we hope to have the street renamed by May," he said. Alexander Senior Drive Isn't the only proposed street change Barnett has In mind. He would like to see the outerbelt current ly under construction named af ter former Mayor Harvey Gantt. Also, Barnett would like to see streets named after Alexander's brother, Kelly Alexander Sr., Phil Berry, Betty Miller, and Coleman Kerry, 'We'd like to do about two a year," Barnett said. "Instead of having them (proposed) all at once, we'd like to do one or two a year." Barnett said he would like for the street renaming proposals to accomplish the same goals as Black History Month. "Twenty or 30 years from now, black kids will ask 'who's Alex ander Senior?"' he said. "It's Im portant that we remember our leaders and heroes." Inside This Week Editorials . Pg. 6A Obituaries... .. Pg. 4B Entertainment . Pg. 8A Sports .. Pg. 7B Lifestyles .. Pg. IB Classifieds.. .. Pg. 10B Church News. .. Pg. 3B Alliance ... Pg. 11B Subscribe To The Charlo tte Post, Call 376-0496
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March 9, 1989, edition 1
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