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CJarlotte
Vol. 14, No. 43 Thursday, March 23,1989
THE AWARD-WINNING "VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY"
50 Cents
Some Seek Black Housing Director For City
BY JALYNE SIHONO
Post Editor
With the resignation of Char
lotte Housing Authority Execu
tive Director Ray Wheeling effec
tive April 15, the search to
replace him has begun. But this
time, there’s hope of having an
African-American fill the posi
tion.
Blacks account for over 90 per
cent of the residents of Char
lotte's approximately 5,000 pub
lic housing units. Eighty percent
of the Housing Authority's em
ployees are black. Based on
these facts, many members of
the city's black community be
lieve an African-American
should be at the helm of the
Charlotte
Housing Au
thority.
Rev. Phil
Davis, vice
chairman of
the Board of
Commission
ers of the Char
lotte Housing
Authority,
says having a
black person Davis
head the public housing admin
istration seems reasonable
based on the statistics concern
ing the racial makeup of the
housing residents and employ
ees.
"A black director could bring
sensitivity and understanding
to the residents’ lives. He or she
will be able to relate to how the
residents feel, how they operate
and what's meaningful to them,"
said Davis.
Most Importantly, Davis adds,
a black director, through a com
prehensive relationship with
public housing tenants, may be
able to find a way to help resi
dents move up and out of public
housing.
"The Initial Intent of public
housing was for the homes to be
transitional places of residen
cy," said Davis, "But now we
have generations of families
staying In public housing -—
from the great grandmother on
down.
"What we need now Is a guide
and a movement towards self-
sufficiency. We need to be doing
more In regard to transitional
housing and tenant manage
ment. I personally believe that a
black housing director, who can
identify with the cultural as
pects of the residents of public
housing, can do more to break
the cycle of generations In pub
lic housing."
Currently, according to Davis,
there are 2700 families on the
city’s public housing waiting
list. This, however. Is not an ac
curate figure of the number of
people trying to get Into public
housing, since the Charlotte
Housing Authority closed the
list for the last three to four
years.
Davis, who has been on the
housing commission for two
years, compliments the work
achieved by Wheeling who Is
white. "I think Ray did an excel
lent Job In terms of Innovations
In development! He Is very
knowledgeable In terms of the
Ins and outs of HUD regulations
at the local, state and federal
level," said Davis.
Wheeling, who managed such
developments as scattered site
housing and secured funds for
the renovations of Piedmont
Courts and Boulevard Homes
during his tenure, was skilled in
development and land acquisi
tion, admits Davis. "He accom
plished much during a rough
period in Charlotte.
"But If there was any weak
point In his management It was
See PUSH on page 2A.
Poverty, Too Few Role
Models Hurts Black Life
By HERB WHITE
Post Staff Writer
Many of the problems plaguing
African-Americans could be
remedied by shoring up the
black family, a Charlotte coun
selor believes.
Queen Thompson, coordinator
of Building on the Strength of
the Family, a local advocate of
black families, said black Amer
ica's problems most often start
at home, where economic hard
ships force families Into lives of
poverty.
"A lot of the time, we lack Infor
mation...Sometimes It’s hard for
us to accept facts," she said.
Facts gathered by researchers
point to a bleak picture for Afri
can-Americans. The U.S. De
partment of Health and Human
Services revealed last week that
while the life expectancy of
whites rose from 75.3 years to
75.4 between 1984 and 1986,
black life expectancy dropped
from 69.7 to 69.4.
Among the reasons given for
the decrease were murders, in
fant mortality and disease.
Thompson said the rising tide
of poverty for black families
contributes to the overall prob
lem. Without the money to pay
for health care, black babies are
twice as likely to die within the
first year of life and deadly dis
eases go undetected.
"Due to a lack of Information,”
Thompson said, African-
Americans often overlook their
health. "Sometimes, we just don't
like to look at a doctor."
Statistics In Charlotte point
out the national trend. Accord
ing to the 1980 census, the last
year such Information was
available. 25,574 people, or 26.6
percent of the city’s African-
Americans, lived below the pov
erty line. By comparison. 12,214
whites, or 5.8 percent of the total
white population, lived In pover
ty.
Studies done by the Charlotte
Community Relations Commit
tee, Thompson said, show that
80 percent of black households
are headed by women. And be
cause women generally earn
less than men, black families
are especially vulnerable to pov
erty.
'The fact that 80 percent of
black families are headed by a
woman and the fact that women
historically earn less than men,
these things are perpetuated,"
Thompson said.
With parents struggling to es
cape the grip of poverty, the
family unit often loses Its cohe
siveness, Thompson said. The
One of black America’s strong
est voices, Tony Brown, will
speak Tuesday. March 28, at
Johnson C, Smith University.
Brown will speak at the free pro
gram at 7 p.m. In Biddle Auditor
ium on the JCSU campus.
For 15 years. Brown has been
a journalist and Investigative re
porter and his newspaper col
umn Is syndicated In over 100
newspapers. His award-winning
television series Tony Brown's
Journal, Is the nation’s longest-
running and top-ranked black
affairs series. The show was se
lected as one of the top 10 tele
vision shows of all time that
presents positive black Images.
His first feature-length film
"White Girl" was critically ac
claimed after Its release last
spring. He was named as one of
the "top 50 National Black News
Makers of the Year and Ebony
magazine elected Brown as one
of the "100 Most Influential
Black Americans."
Tony Brown Is recognized as
one of America's leading experts
In the broadcast Industry and
one of the most powerful
spokesmen for black people In
America. One writer described
Brown as having..., "consistent
wisdom In public affairs, both
Brown
on TV and In print... An Incisive
mind, political acumen, an ob
jective outlook and a deep com
passion for understanding
the needs of black people."
Brown's appearance in Char
lotte and Johnson C. Smith Uni
versity Is sponsored by the
JCSU Lyceum Committee, a
group of administrative, faculty
and student leaders who devel
op and bring to campus a
wholesome program of cultural
and educational events and
speakers. For more Information,
contact Ms. JoAnn Craft, 378-
1046.
result Is an decrease in disci
pline and role models for chil
dren.
"The demise of the family has
contributed to the hardships,"
she said.
No Black Men
Dr. Elijah Anderson, a sociolo
gy professor at the University of
Pennsylvania In Philadelphia,
writes in "Moral Leadership In
the Black Community" that the
absence of black men In the
family setting leads to a break
down of traditional family val
ues.
The "old heads," as Anderson
wrote, are disappearing from the
Inner city, leaving boys with no
positive role models.
"Traditionally, the old head
was a man of stable means who
See FAMILY on page 2A.
" The attitude is, if a man hits
his wife — it's his wife. Weil,
we're here to say we're not any
one's property anymore."
M
m:
Comedian and actress Whoopi Goldberg, prior to
performing in Charlotte Monday night, spoke to
Pboto/CALVIN FERGUSON
the press at the Park Hotel. She deplored domes
tic violence in America's homes.
Domestic Violence Is Not A
Funny Matter, Says Goldberg
By LORA VANDERHALL
Post Staff Writer
Character actor Whoopie
Goldberg performed In Char
lotte Monday night but earlier
that day she appeared at a
press conference with seven
former battered women to
speak out against domestic vio
lence.
Goldberg spoke on behalf of
Tony Brown To Visit
Johnson C. Smith Tuesday
the North Carolina Coalition
Against Domestic Violence
(NCCADV).
The NCCADV Is a grassroots
membership organized of bat
tered women's advocates and
supporters who believe It Is Im
portant to end violence In the
lives of women and children.
Publicist Judy Chaet of Mat
thews, a friend of Goldberg, re
quested that she come to speak
in hopes that more attention
would be brought to the prob
lem of domestic violence.
Randall and Goldberg had be
come close friends nine years
ago when they worked In a San
Diego restaurant. Goldberg
washed dishes. Chaet was a
cook.
Goldberg spoke about the re
cent hostage-taking Incident
that occurred at the Shelter
Home in Lenoir.
Just after midnight on Friday
March. 10, Troy Llngle entered
the home of a staff member of
the Lenoir battered women's
shelter. He took her and her son
hostage. Llngle took them to the
shelter where he gained en
trance. He was looking for his
wife but she was not at the shel
ter. He held seven p>eople hos
tage with a .22 gauge rifle for 13
hours, shooting Into the celling
approximately 8 times.
Llngle Is currently In custody
In Caldwell County on nine
counts of kidnapping, under a
$150,000 bond.
"We must begin to say this
(domestic violence) Is no longer
acceptable," said Goldberg. "1
hope this man understands why
this Is offensive."
See GOLDBERG on page 2A
Writer Keynotes
LDF Banquet
Charlotte Post Publisher Ge
rald Johnson will bring greet
ings from the locEil media com
munity to the NAACP Legal
Defense and Education Fund
Banquet to be held Saturday,
April 1, 6 p.m., at McDonald's
Cafeteria on Beatties Ford Rd.
Noted journalist Juan Wil
liams will be the keynote speak
er for this 20th annual affair.
Williams, 33, Is a reporter for
the Washington Post magazine.
See JUAN on page 2A.
Pholo/CALVIN FERGUSON
SHOOTING THE CRATE? Creativity can always make a way.
Twelve-year-old Cody Hammonds' makeshift basketball
hoop serves the purpose as he dunks the B-ball on his court
in Belvedere Homes.
Inside This Week
Editorials
.. Pg. 6A
Easter
Pg. 6&7B
Entertainment.
.. Pg. 8A
Sports
Pg. 9B
Lifestyles
.. Pg. 1B
Classifieds.
Pg. 12B
Church News.
... Pg. 3B
Alliance
Pg. 13B
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