JCSU's Kiddie Kollege
Prepares Students
For High-Tech Future/sA
Volume 19, No. 3
New Bible Depicts
Black Contributions
In Biblical Days/11 A
JazzCharlotte To
Honor Holloway With
Jazz Tribute 1B
Citarlotte $ost
THUESDAY SEPTEMBER 2,1993
50 Cents
Foster
News And Notes From Charlotte
And The Rest Of The World.
March
Participants
The 30th
anniversary
of the March
On Washing
ton had a
Carollnas
flavor.
Groups from
both states
descended on
the nation's
capltol last
week to de
mand Jobs, justice and peace.
Charlotte organizations
such as the NAACP and N.C.
National Educators Associa
tion (NEA) sent representa
tives to Washington. Hiawa
tha Foster, NEA's District 6
director, said the march re
kindles a passionate crusade
for justlcet
'We the members of NEIA
feel that as educators, we
must do all we can to make
(it) become a reality," she
said.
Mecklenburg
Advisory Boards
Mecklenburg County Is
looking for people to appoint
to advisory boards.
The county will appoint
citizens to AIDS prevention;
Community Housing Devel
opment; Domestic Violence
Citizens Committee; Human
Services Council; Juvenile
Services Board; Lake Nor
man Marine Commission;
Lake Wylie Marine Commis
sion; Nursing Home Commu
nity Advisory Committee;
Waste Management Adviso
ry Board and Project Hope
Advisory Committee.
Applications for the Sept.
20 appointments are due in
the Office of the Clerk to the
Board of County Commis
sioners by Sept. 10. Applica
tions can be picked up at the
Government Center at 600 E.
Fourth St. or call 336-2559.
*Ka£GrBoy'
Author In S.C.
The author of the critical
ly-acclaimed "Kaffir Boy"
will speak in Rock Hill.
Mark Mathabane, author
of "Kaffir Boy." "Kaffir Boy
In America" and "Love in
Black and White" will be the
guest speaker for the York
County Political Black Cau
cus' annual fund raising din
ner Sept. 11 at York Compre
hensive High School. A
reception will be held at 6
p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m.
For more Information, call
(803) 684-2336 or (803) 366-
3275.
..Jn Other
PoKticalNews
The Charlotte Women's Po
litical Caucus will present a
candidates' forum at 7 p^m.
Sept. 8 at St. Mark's Luthe
ran Church at 1001 Queens
Rd. Candidates for mayor
and City Council will partic
ipate. TTie event Is free and
open to the public. For more
Information, call Liz John
son at 334-1139 or 542-9873.
The event Is sponsored by
several groups. Including the
Black Women's Caucus.
Legendary Civil Rights Lawyer Changes Gears At N.C, Central
CHAMBERS'
Challenge
By Winfred B. Cross
THE CHARLOTTE POST
It's 5;30 p.m. and Julius
Chambers doesn't have a lot
of time to talk.
Registration Is beginning
and parents have been clog
ging the school's switchboard
with complaints about North
Carolina Central Universi
ty's financial aid office.
"I know we had an appoint
ment but this really Isn't the
time to talk. I'm sure you un
derstand," Chambers says
quietly, with a hint of frus
tration In his voice. 'Things
like this certainly aren't
planned, but you have to
handle them as they hap
pen."
Chambers Is as diplomatic
as the brilliant litigator he
is, so he stops to tedk any
way. As the newly-appointed
chancellor of his alma mat
er, Chambers knows he's go
ing to have a lot of Irons tn
the fire all at once. He'd like
to put this particular fire out
before he talks, however.
Chambers doesn't say what
the problem Is exactly, but he
says It's not a crisis - just a
problem.
"I think an Institution like
this can establish procedures
that will alleviate the kinds
of problems that have frus
trated chancellors for a lot of
years," Chambers said. "I
don't think we'll have this
problem of this magnitude in
the future. And I'm sure we
can do a better job In the way
we deal with people."
Chambers feels the school
can do a better job In the way
it deals with a lot of prob
lems. Like most schools - es
pecially historically black
schools - Central has to
tackle problems with finan
cial aid, scholarship fund
ing, repairing the physical
plant and maintaining the
school's academic creden
tials.
Those are lofty goals that
will be difficult to accom
plish, especially In finan
cially hard times. But Cham
bers - the first NCCU
alumnus to hold the chancel
lor spot - Is confident.
"I approach about every-
thing I do as If I'm preparing
a case. . .There Is a crying
need for all of our youths to
receive an education. In to
day's market that means a
coDege education as well as a
graduate or professional de
gree . . .You marshal your re-
PHOTO/CALVD* nBOUBON
Chambers la of WCTTs adtiinistratlOEi building.
He began chancellorship in January.
sources to demonstrate the problem. You make your case
to acquire the resources to address the problem."
One of the most Important resources to acquire is mon
ey. The school's scholarship fund is In dire need of shor-
See CRITICS On Page 2A
Did Spray Cause Robinson’s Death?
By Cassandra Wynn
THE CHARLOTTE POST
A report from the state's
chief medical examiner's of
fice stating the death of a 24-
year-old black Concord man
was caused by an allergic re
action to pepper spray has
prompted a renewed outcry
for action to punish the po
lice Involved.
A group of community
leaders - including Concord
and state NAACP officials -
said they will seek to have
police Involved removed
from the force.
'We will move ahead to
seek action for a decertifica
tion proceeding for the police
officers," said Kelly Aexan-
der Jr., president of the
North Carolina State Con
ference of the National Asso
ciation for the Advancement
of Colored People. "Strong
evidence supports decertifi
cation."
Alexander said; "If pepper
Mace is non-lethal, then you
have to ask whether or not
the officers went ape. If they
violated training, they bear
some responsibility. It raises
the question of deliberate In
difference to medical needs."
Angelo Robinson was ar
rested at the Waffle House tn
Concord on U.S. 29 North in
the early morning hours of
July 11. He and a crowd of
young blacks had come from
a Concord night club to the
Waffle House. After a verbal
exchange with police who
were at the site, Robinson
V#
4*-
't*.
-V
City
Gets
Grunt
rf!''
Charlotte Housing Authority
Director Harrison Shannon
(at podium) announces a
$33,877,985 grant £rom the
U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development to re
vitalize Earle Iffilage.
The revitalization should
take five years. The current
number of subsidized family
units win be reduced from 311
to 170. A 68-unit, three-story
elderly-only building will be
added as well as a new com
munity service building. Also
present were 12th Congres
sional District Rep. Mel Watt
(far left), Charlotte Mayor
Richard Vlnroot and city
council members.
S.C DSS
Says:
Law Could
HurtBladk
Adoptions
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
was arrested and charged
with disorderly conduct. Ac
cording to police, as Robin
son was being apprehended,
police sprayed him with the
pepper Mace.
Witnesses said that several
police aggressively sprayed
Robinson and did not heed
his pleas to stop because he
had asthma.
Angered by the death,
blacks in Concord's Logan
community burned one
See ROBINSON On Page 3A.
FHOTO/CALVm rSKOUSON
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Some
blacks complain that a new
law aimed at keeping con
victed criminals and child
abusers away from foster
children unfairly punishes
black families.
The law bars people from
serving as foster parents if
they or any adult In their
home have been convicted of
crimes like kidnapping,
rape, assault with intent to
kill, prostitution or Indecent
exposure. Those people the
state Department of Social
Services says have a history
of abuse or neglect are also
barred, though a conviction
Is not necessary.
Of the 25 families losing
foster-care licenses as a re
sult of the law, 20 are black,
according to DSS. Of the 48
children Involved, 43 are
black. State foster homes are
now licenses under a new
taw designed to make foster
iiomes s^er for childim
The Rev. J.H. Cokley, presi
dent of One Church, One ,
Child of South Carolina, an
organization that recruits
black adoptive families,
called the law "another ob
stacle in reclaiming the
black family.”
The law, which took effect
July 1, punishes blacks for
cultural differences and will
hinder recruitment of foster
care in the black communi
ty, Cokley said.
Black children make up
nearly two-thirds, of the
4,484 children tn foster care.
DSS officials said Monday
they did not know the race of
the 2,000 foster families.
Twenty-three of the fami
lies have appealed to the de
partment to keep their li
censes. The cases will be
decided within 90 days and
they will keep their foster
children until a decision is
made, said Ramona Foley,
who directs foster care pro
grams for DSS.
Legislators who supported
the law said it would raise
standards and help foster
care deaths. They cited the
state's liability when a child,
Is hurt or dies In a foster
home.
But DSS opposed the law,
saying It was too rigid and
would hurt some youngsters
who had bonded with their
foster families.
Cokley said a teen-ager who
committed a crime in 1967
received a suspended sen
tence, built a new Ufe and 26
years later was told by DSS
that he must give up his fos
ter children because of the
conviction.
"That says our state does
not believe in rehabilita
tion," Cokley said.
Blacks are disproportion
ately affected by the law be
cause of Inequities in the
criminal justice system and
cultural differences 'in the
way whites and blacks disci
pline children, Cokley said.
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