REVIVAL'S SPECIAL PLACE/pageta
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS/page 7b
Cfjarlotte
Vol. 17, No. 12 The Week Of Nov. 14-Nov. 20 1991 THE AWAED-WINNING VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY
50 Cents
COLUMN
ONE
News And Notes From Charlotte
And The Rest Of The World.
Shrinking Pool
Of Black Men
WASHINGTON-The ex
perts have figured what
Black women have been
saying for some time: there
are fewer eligible Black
men out there.
The proportion of Black
women who will never
marry has tripled since
1960 to 25 percent, almost
three times the rate for
White women. Black wom
en also remarry at lower
rates than their White
counterparts and those who
do take longer to do so.
For college-educated
women, It gets more diffi
cult If they're looking for a
mate of the same academic
background. The number of
college-educated men Is
also falling, in part to a de
crease In college enroll
ments.
Researchers note that In-
caiccration, unemploy
ment and homicide are the
likely culprits In reducing
the numbers.
Magic Johnson
To AI>bs Panel?
Former Los Angeles Lak
ers star Earvin "Magic"
Johnson Is being consid
ered for a spot on another
team.
Johnson,
who re
tired from
basketball
last week
after ac-
knowledgl
ng he has
contracted
the HIV vi
rus, may be
named to
the Nation
al Commission on AIDS.
He would fill the vacancy
left by Belinda Mason, who
died recently of AIDS.
Health and Human Ser
vices SecretEiry Louis SulU-
van Is likely to press the
White House to make the
appointment.
Johnson
Keeping The
Dream Alive
Nominations Tor the
"Keepers of the Dream"
Honor Roll are now being
accepted by the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Community
Relations Committee up to
Nov. 30.
The annual recognition
program honors local citi
zens who continue the late
Dr. Martin Luther King's
fight for equality and Jus
tice for all. The awards wfU
be presented at the Martin
Luther King holiday obser-
venace In January.
For more Information
about the Honor Roll pro
gram or to request a nomi
nation form, call 336-2424.
JCSU Alumni
Phonathon
The opportunity for John
son C. Smith University
alumni to give back will
come calling next week.
The armual alumni giving
phonathon will be held
Nov. 19-21 between 6-9 p.m.
each day. Members of the
Charlotte Alumni chapter,
students and volunteers
win call JCSU graduates to
raise funds for the univer
sity. This year's goal Is
$350,000.
For more Information,
call 378-1026.
INDEX
Racial Tension High In County Adoption Unit
By William J. Brock
POST CORRESPONDENT
First of a two-part series.
National Adoption Month
has focused community at
tention on an estimated 700
children awaiting adoption
In Mecklenburg County.
Most of the children are
Black. Most of the Depart
ment of Social Services su
pervisors whose work Is try
ing to find them permanent
homes are White. Therein
lies the source of considera
ble racial tension bubbling
beneath the surface of the
vast bureaucracy charged
with their custodial care and
ultimate placement.
That tension comes as no
surprise to Bob Walton, the
only Black member of the
Mecklenburg County Com
mission. He has brought the
problems to the attention of
County Manager Jerry Fox
and Assistant County Man
ager Marie Shook many
times. DSS Director Merlene
Wall reports to Shook, who
UNREST
AT DSS
in turn reports to Fox.
"I've pointed out to both
Jerry and Marie many times
that there Is a disproportion
ate lack of Black people In
declslon-maklng capacity
throughout," Walton said.
"This tone was set first by the
Reagan White House and has
been nurtured since by
George Bush. While I'm not
aware of the specific current
problems In the adoption
area. I'm certainly going to
become more directly In
volved now."
The current problems, ac
cording to Black DSS em
ployees, Include; At least two
Black employees are on the
verge of filing lawsuits due to
racial discrimination and
harassment. One of them
has allegedly been "hounded"
for months by 'White super
visors; Black co-workers
were told to "not be seen talk
ing to this person If you val
ue your job." Neither the po
tential litigants nor the
Black employees who de
scribed the other so-called
problems would allow their
names to be published. All
cited fear of reprisals and
possible loss of jobs.
Dolls used by Black em
ployees in working with
adoptive children are
"placed in obvious sexual
coupling posltlons--to be
seen by the Black kids.
Black workers find their
See MECKLENBURG On 2A
liii
*
A Strike
Lingers
Nursing Home Workers Keep
Picketing Despite Financial Woes
By Joy Williams
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Photo/CALVIN PER0U8ON
Striking Avante Nursing Home empioyees Claudette Patterson, Selena Hinson, Linda Re
ynolds and Barbara Butler (left to right) have been on the picket lines for three weeks since
wralklng out In a contract dispute. Eileen Hanson, the strikers' union representative says
they had no choice but to walk out and file a suit against the home. "We had no other choice
but to file charges to protect the workers' rights," she said. The 60 strikers are being com
pensated by the union for the duration of th^ walkout.
Striking Avante Nursing Home workers and their support
ers say the three-week-old walk-out has gone beyond dollars
and cents.
'This Is an unfair labor practice strike. They have violated
federal law. This strike Is not about money," said United Food
and Commercial Workers Union representative Eileen Han
son.
UFCW Union Local 204 represents about 60 Avante employ
ees who went on strike Oct. 26 because of alleged unfair labor
practices. Most of the strikers are Black womenwho say they
won't go back until Avante meets their demands.
They Include nursing assistants, cooks, dietary, housekeep
ing, and laundry employees. They say benefits were cut from
sick and funeral leave, insurance plans, and credit union ben
efits.
Avantl also began requiring employees to work every week
end Instead of the two weekends per month In their contract.
Many employees who relied on public transportation were re
quired to take cabs to work on weekends, which could cost
$20. Most workers' wages ranged from $4.50-$6 per hour.
Initial cuts In employee benefits were never explained to the
workers. Avantl President Brenda Peterson had no comment
on the strike. Peterson has been with the nursing home since
May 1, but did not meet with the union's negotiation commit
tee untU late August. "
The union contract was established under Beverly Enter
prises, the former company in charge of the facility. Beverly
Enterprises announced In April Avante would take over May
1. Avante employee Barbara Izzard said the strike had not
been going well because "They haven't given in yet. They're
spending more money now. We're just asking for a little.
They'll have to give in."
To compensate for the strikers' absence, Avante hired tem
porary employees who earn at least $ 11 per hour.
See SIRIKB On Page 2A
Ambassador:
Namibia's For
Peace In Africa
By Herbert L. 'White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
■
South Africa's apartheid system of government doesn't need
to fear African self-determination, Namibian ambassador to
the U.S. Tuliamenl Kalomoh told an audience at the Afro
American Cultural Center Tuesday.
Kalomoh. who was in Charlotte to open "Namibia: Faces of
Change," a photographic exhibit of the country's first year of
Independence, said the former South African sattellte wants
to be a force for peaceful change in the region. Namibia gained
its Independence from South Mrica last year.
"South Africa has nothing to fear from democracy." Kalo
moh said. "If we can only prove that, we would make a signifi
cant contribution" to peace.
While Namibians are still celebrating its political freedom,
the nation faces many challenges, StUl, when voters went to
the polls to decide how the country should be governed, turn
out was almost 100 percent.
"Becoming independent Is very exciting, especially after
leaving the clutches of South African apartheid," Kalomoh
said.
Namibia's economy has been sluggish, though, taking the
Photo/CALVIN PEROUBON
Namibian Ambassador the U.S.TuUameni Kalomoh was in
Charlotte Tuesday as a special guest at the exhibit,
"Namibia: Faces of Change." He spoke at the Afiro American
Cultural Center.
edge off Independence. Its
poor performance has
prompted the government to
look for foreign Investors
for an Infusion of capital.
Literacy is the exception — at
35 percent of the 1.5 million
See NAMIBIA On Page 2A
Fighting Back
Money Isn't
Going To The
Crusade
By Winfred B. Cross
TOE CHARLOTTE POST
Rev. James Barnett's Cru
sade will go on, but without
money from West Charlotte
Fighting Back.
Barnett and
his support
ers found out
Friday at a
press confer
ence that
funds prom
ised by that
organization
would not be
forthcoming.
"I had been
informing
our support
ers that we would be getting
some of that money," Barnett
said. "When we found out we
were not, we went to them.
Everybody got the chance to
See FIGHTING On Page 3A
A'
Daniels
Editorials/Pages 4A-5A Lifestyles/Page 7A Entertainment/Page IB Sports/Page 7B Classified Advertising/Page 1 OB
For Subscription information Or Story Ideas, Call The Post At (704) 376-0496.