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AilRnce
A Tucker's Grove Tradition
Page 13B
Cfit Charlotte
Vol. 15, No. 14 Thursday, August 31,1989
THE AWARD-WINNING "VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY'
50 Cents
Madans Moves Up
By HERB WHITE
Post Staff Writer
Democratic mayoral candidate
Craig Madsms said he expects to
get the full support of his parly If
he carries Its banner against
Republican Mayor Sue M5rrlck.
"My campaign has always been
geared to not onfy win the nomi
nation, but to also beat the Re
publicans," he said. "1 believe not
only In my ability but also'In the
Democratic Party."
Mayor Pro Tern A1 Rousso
withdrew from his city council
seat and the primary Tuesday,
citing health,a lingering bout of
pneumonia, had sapped him of
the energy to run a campaign.
"This decision Is very hard for
me to make," Rousso said at a
news conference. "I cannot run a
viable, energetic campaign...1
Just don't feel like I can carry on
past tire primary the way I feel
today."
Rousso’s departure came as a
surprise to Madans, who has
based his campaign on charges
of inaction by Rousso and My-
rlck on issues ranging from
roads to keeping the Charlotte
Knights minor league baseball
team within the city limits.
"This announcement from A1
was a complete shock," he said.
"I'm very concerned about his
health and well-being. We're still
stunned."
As Rousso's only challenger,
Madans would automatically In
herit the nomination. If Rousso,
a four-year member of city
council, formally withdraws his
candidacy In writing to the
Mecklenburg Board of Elec-^
tlons.
The city council will vote on
Rousso's successor on that
board, said Elections Supervisor
Bill Culp. Although Rousso's
withdrawal appears Imminent,
the primary will go on unless a
written request to drop Rousso's
name from the ballot gets to the
elections board.
"If A1 Rousso formally with
draws, there will be no tabula
tion of votes," Culp said. "He's In-
dlcated a withdrawal
Immediately."
Madans said he will continue
to run an aggressive campaign,
and expects Rousso's support
ers to join It for the Nov. 7 gener
al election.
"I firmly believe Al's support
ers will stand behind me and
beat the Republican mayor," Ma
dans said. "A1 and I have the
same goal—to put a Democrat In
the mayor's seat--perlod. We
want all the Democrats to come
on board."
Former mayor and Rousso
supporter Harvey Gantt said
Madans can be competitive with
Myrick and pledged his support.
"I think he can win this elec
tion," he said. "I'm going to go out
and work for him just like I
would for any Democratic candi
date."
Gantt warned that Madans wlU
have to work to buUd a coalition
within the party. His success
will depend on how well he puUs
Dernocrats together against an
Incumbent mayor.
"Sometimes, given adversity, a
lot of things can happen," Gantt
said. "But I think Craig can do IL"
Culp said a Madans-Myrick
campaign will likely be hard-
fought, with each candidate
pressing to gain the advantage
with voters.
Madans "has shown he's a
tough campaigner" who is wlU-
Ihg to talk about Issues, Culp
said. "I think this turns up the
heat for the campaign. A1 Rous
so was seen as the nice guy In
the race, so I guess this turns up
the heat."
I'
V
t ft:
■' "'1
\
\
Pholo/L«NEY
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Supt. Peter Re- before a rally at West Charlotte High.
11c (left) chats with Jesse Jackson Wednesday
Jackson Pushes For Best
National Activist Kicks Off Charlotte Basketball Benefit
at
.*'■ air
—
Photo/CALVIN FERGUSON
Mayor Pro-Tem A1 Rousso (second from left) down ficom city council and the Democratic
leaves Tuesday's press confereiice after step- mayoral primary.
By WINFRED CROSS
Post Staff Writer
Students have to live with the
consequences of their choices,
but those choices don't have to
Include drugs, violence or drop
ping out of school said Rev. Jesse
Jackson Wednesday as he spoke
to 850 cheering West Charlotte
Senior High School students.
The anti-drug rally was part of
the promotion for the Push Ex
cel Pro Basketball Classic to be
held 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at the
Charlotte Coliseum. The game
will feature many of the Nation
al Basketball Association's top
players.
But Jackson was In town push
ing education and anti-drug use,
not athletics.
Jackson was greeted with a
thunderous standing ovation.
Surrounded by platform guests
which Included Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools Supt. Pe
ter Relic and N.C. Sen. Jim Rich
ardson, Jackson told the stu
dents that "valuable people do
not pollute themselves with
drugs, cigarettes or alchohol."
He said students have told him
that drugs and alchohol provide
a thrill but told the
crowd: "Graduating Is a tjbrlll.
Your whole life can be a thrill if
your mind is made up and you
discipline your character In the
formative years."
Jackson, always sounding like
the Baptist preacher that he Is,
punctuated his speech with hu
mor, biblical quotes and numer
ous examples from his personal
life. He kept the crowd actively
Involved In his speech by lead
ing them In his now famous "I
am somebody chant and field
ing questions to the audience.
He asked the members of the
school's football team about
their practice habits and If they
used the same kind of discipline
In their study habits. He was
told no.
"I know why we are producing
the best athletes," he said. "It Is
not in our genes. It Is In our
agenda. We're good at what we
work at.
"If you studied for three hours
every night without the radio,
television qr talking, to your
glrlfrl'encl oh the pnohe. you
See JACKSON On Page 2A
Silent March Evokes Memories Of 1917 Pi’otest In New York City
WASHINGTON - To the slow
cadence of muffied drums and
with somber faces, tens of thou
sands of persons drawn from
every part of the country and
from virtually every racial, eth
nic and religious group, moved
silently through the streets of
the nation's Capitol Saturday,
August 26, In the NAACP's
"Silent March" to protest a series
of recent adverse civil rights rul
ings by the Supreme Court and
to call on Congress to take re
medial legislative action.
Veteran observers estimated
that up to 100,000 people par
ticipated In the march which
took more than an hour to pass
a given point. When the earliest
contingent of marchers reached
the west front of the capltol, the
site of the concluding r^ly, they
could look down the vast ex
panse of open space before the
Imposing edifice and see thou
sands of people still waiting at
the foot of the National Mall to
begin the march of slightly over
one mile.
The colors of the day were
black and white, a link to an ear
lier Silent March of the NAACP
In 1917 when 10,000 men, wom
en and children marched In si
lence down New York's Fifth Ave.
to protest lynchlngs, discrimi
nation, segregation and race ri
ots.
Regarded as one of the most
effective and historically Impor
tant of all demonstrations, the
1917 march served as the model
for Its 1989 counterpart, even to
having the first, line of marches -
the Ujammaa Actors from New
York City — dressed in clothing
from the 1917 era.
The staging area was the Na
tional M^l In downtown Wash
ington and early activity began
to provide evidence of the scope
and diversity the march would
take on.The Mall quickly became
a sea of marchers, assembling
signs, banners, and greeting
new arrivals. Throughout the
morning, a steady stream of
marchers continued to make
their way from subway stations
after disembarking from buses
at RFK Stadium In northeast
Washington. It Is estimated that
more than 700 buses with
The colors of the day were
hlack and white, a link to
an earlier Silent March of
the NAACP in 1917 when
10,000 men, women and
children marched down
New York's Fifth Ave.
NAACP members, supporters
and allies from throughout the
nation made the trip to Wash
ington.
Charity Begins New Job Of Helping Rural People At Home
By WINFRED CROSS
Post Staff Writer
Ron Charity seems like an un
likely candidate to be executive
director of Rural Advance Fund/
National Sharecroppers Fund,
an organization whose goal Is to
assist rural residents and fami
ly farmers.
His college degrees are In ac
counting, economics and busi
ness administration. He has
been active In politics since he
was twelve and has been In
volved In many multi-racial co
alitions.
He even taught Arthur Ashe
the basics of tennis.
But Charity feels his varied
background, especially his po
litical background, makes him a
good choice for the job.
"In addition to working on Is
sues that effect small and low
Income farmers, 1 think there Is
a real electoral potential for this
region," Charity siald. "I think I
have some skills that I have
amassed over the past 25 years
that can be used In helping to
empower the people we work
for."
C.harlty, the first African-
American executive director In
the RAF/NSFs 52-year history,
has been on the board of direc
tors since 1983. He was elected
president of the board in 1987.
He was named executive director
May 15.
Charity said his goals are to
make the Fund's presence more
widely known, especially In the
African-American community,
to provide Information that will
make living In rural areas more
appealing and to get rural resi
dents to form coalitions that are
concerned about their needs.
"If we can do these three things
we will have lived up to our mis
sion," Charitv )5aid.
The RAF/NSF covers North
Carolina, South Carolina and
some of Georgia. RAF handles
programs that educate while
NSF lobbies national and local
goverrunents for farmers rights.
V!W»SFig'J!i.jy
Charity
RAF was founded In 1966
while NSF was founded In 1937.
Charity said the organization
has a great deal of work to do
considering the setbacks that
took place during the Reagan ad
ministration. He simply called
his policies "terrible."
"Foreclosure notices were sent
out by the barrel full before peo
ple had the opportunity to re
spond," he said. "We are think
ing of alternative ways where
small farmers can survive and
maintain there way of life."
Charity would not speculate on
how the Bush administration
would handle farm Issues.
"I think it's too early to tell,"
he said. "While the Bush admin
istration may be doing some
cosmetic things to make people
think they may treat everyone
justly, I don't want to say what
he might do,
"I understand the president Is a
figurehead and he sets the tone,
but we have to deal with the
members of congress and the
senate on the natloned and local
levels," Charity said. "That's
where we really have Impact In
gaining empowerment."
Charity was born In Rich
mond, Va. In 1930. He has been
active In voter registration In
Virginia as well as managing po
litical campaigns In that area.
In 1970 he established the
Black Teenage World Scholar
ship Program which has raised
more than $3,500,000 In college
scholarships for African-
American teenagers.
He and his wife Ruth now live
In Danville, Va. He recently
rented an apartment in Char
lotte but said "I really live out of
my car.
"I put 78,000 miles on my car
in 18 months. I had to get rid of
It," he said. "I think I have
12,000 on the new one.
He bought that one In June.
£1:
Labor Day
Closings Affect
City, The Post
!»•
All departments of Charlotte
City government will be closed
Monday, September 5, for the
Labor Day holiday. Regular
business hours will resume on
Tuesday, September 5, 8 a.m.
The Sanitation Division will
observe the Labor Day holiday.
Residents who normally receive
backyard garbage pick-up or
curbside trash collection on
Mondays will not receive that
service on Monday.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Animal Shelter will be closed
Labor Day. Only emergency cas
es will be handled on September
4 by calling 334-9146.
Recreation centers, operated
by the Charlotte Peu-ks and Rec
reation Department will be
closed on Monday, September 4.
Revolution and York Renais
sance Park Golf Courses will be
open and operate on their regu
lar schedule.
Buses operated by the Char
lotte Transit System will be on a
Sunday schedule on Labor Day.
Buses will return to their regular
schedule on Tuesday, Septem
ber 5. The WUkerson ^ulevard/
Uptown Connection will not op
erate on Labor Day.
The Charlotte Post will ob
serve Labor Day, September 4,
and our office will be closed. The
office will reopen Tuesday, 9
a.m.
Have A Safe Holiday!
Inside This Week
Editorials
. Pfl.
6A
Obituaries...
.. Pg. 3B
Entertainment.
. Pg.
8A
Sports
.. Pg. 78
Lifestyles
. Pq.
1B
Classifieds..
.. Pg. 128
Church News.
3B
Alliance
.. Pg. 138
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