Page2A - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, July 8,1993
JustChiUing
Cornel West: Public
Discussion Is Key To
Eliminating Racism
PHOTO/PAUL WILLIAMS ID
William Gilllspie, 90, cools out in the shade Monday dur
ing a community gathering in the Parkton Hills neighbor
hood in west Charlotte.
Agreement Irks Some
Continued From Page lA
into consideration when ne
gotiating
with Rich
ardson
Sports. But
Ben Chavis,
executive di
rector of the
NAACP, said
everyone's
welcome to
work with
the NAACP.
Chavis "We want
those people
to continue to work for
themselves and work for us,"
he said. "This isn't some
thing we're doing for narrow
interests. We're doing this for
broad Interests."
In Baltimore, home of the
NAACP's national head
quarters, the local chapter
would like to hear the organ
ization's leaders apologize
for endorsing Charlotte’s bid
for a franchise.
George N. Buntln Jr., execu
tive director of the NAACP's
Baltimore branch, said he
told a representative of the
national organization Sun
day that "local membership
is incensed."
"1 told him nothing short of
an out-and-out admittance
that they made a mistake
and that they owe this city
and this state and this chap
ter an apology will do," Bun
tln said.
"They fumbled the ball on
this one by not touching base
with us," said Rodney Or
ange, president of the Balti
more NAACP branch.
The Rev. John L. Wright,
president of the Maryland
conference of NAACP
branches, agreed.
"The executive director
doesn’t understand the sensi
tivity of this matter," Wright
said.
In last week's news confer
ence Chavis said his organi
zation would "help out in any
way possible" for Charlotte
to get the franchise.
'We're going to send a clear
signal to the NFL that the
NAACP wants a team in
Charlotte," Chavis said.
Buntin said Chavis then
compounded the problem by
releasing a five-paragraph
statement Saturday that nei
ther apologized to Baltimore
nor backed away from the
Charlotte endorsement.
"Anybody in public life will
make mistakes sometimes.
That's forgivable," Buntin
said. "But the inability to ad
mit a mistake and apologize
for it is less forgivable."
Baltimore Mayor Kurt L.
Schmoke isn't looking for an
apology.
"Since they decided to get
themselves involved in the
process, they ought to look at
the fact that the NFL is going
to select two cities, so I think
they ought to endorse Balti
more, too," the mayor said
Sunday.
The other cities vying for
an NFL franchise are Mem
phis, St. Louis and Jackson
ville, Fla.
Schmoke said he believes
football endorsement
be an issue at the
NAACP's an
nual conven
tion. The
event will be
held in Indi
anapolis,
home of Bal
timore's old
football
team, the
Colts.
Mark Rich
ardson, gen
eral manager
of Richard
son Sports and Jerry Rich
ardson's son, said the deal
will prove beneficial to eve
ryone involveci in Charlotte's
football quest.,
"This is a progressive agree-^,
ment that is good for African
Americans and good for us,"
he said. "If an individual's
concern is that we include
everyone's concerns, then
this agreement does that."
The Associated Press con
tributed to this report.
Continued From Page lA
The Unitarians last year
voted to affirm a vision of a
racially diverse multicultu
ral religion. The group is cur
rently in the second year of a
10-year plan to achieve ra
cial diversity.
There is no mechanism for
accountability. West said to
about 500 people at the Char
lotte Convention Center.
"There is a succession from
public life, no accountabili
ty. We specialize in regulat
ing the lives of poor people.
Let's play the game by one set
of rules."
West said Americans must
start out asking, 'Why is
there so much suffering in
duced by institutions?" With
an inequitable distribution
of wealth, he said, there must
be some questioning. "If 1
percent of the population
owns 37 percent of the
wealth, there must be some
public conversation."
West said he has a "tragic
view of history and of the
world. We are living in one of
the most frightening times.
This is no play thing. It’s not
Just a matter of sisters and
brothers not coping. Civili
zation is possibly in death's
throes. A sense of history is
un-American, let alone a
tragic sense of history."
Any struggle for freedom
for black people can not be
done without a "universal"
effort. West said. "Not with
assimilation. The struggle
must be from below. We must
dig from our own histories
and heritages and find... an
all-embracing vision that
does not leave anybody be
hind, no matter of color, re
ligion, sexual orientation. If
we go up together, we go down
together. It has to do, not
with sympathy or empathy,
but with love."
The ability to be self-
critical is an important part
of "public discussions," West
said. "Self criticism is about
courage. It hurts. It's easy to
point out the difficulties in
others, but not in yourself.
We should never block the
road to inquiry. Each and
every traveler should be will
ing to put his naked ignor
ance under the spotlight.
Conversation will force the
bonds of trust. It means hav
ing to take a leap and no one
does that unless he has
hope."
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