/
Ctiarlotte Bostt
VOLUME 19, No. 13
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 4,1993
50 CENTS
Lifestyles
Football
widows. 8A
Men like football. Women have
to live with it. As the gridiron
season moves Into its serious
stages, find out how couples
are coping.
Entertainment
More than comic
relief. H
Marc Wilson, founder of Justice
Comics, is on a mission to put
together his first graphic novel.
Sports
A new NBA era
begins. 8B
CHICAGO
IBULLSh
/
The Charlotte Hornets, expect
ed by many to challenge for the
NBA Central Division title, open
Friday against Chicago. The
Bulls, minus the recently-
retired MichaelJordan, will try to
win a fourth straight NBA title.
Arts &
Entertainment
African dance on
display 3B.
The Afro-
American
Cultural Cen
ter presents
The Cultural
Movement
African
Dance Com
pany Satur
day.
Beauty of the
Month. 11 B
Financial
consultant
Crystal
Webster is
Beauty of
the
Month.
INDEX
Opinion/Editorials 4A-5A
Lifestyles 7A
Around Charlotte 8A
Religion 9A
Church News 12A
Arts & Entertainment 1B
What's Up 6B
Sports 8B
Classified 12B
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©The Chariotte Post
Publishing Company
Charting the black condition.
$
• Blacks have a per capita income
of $9,424, compared to $19,850
for whites.
• 82 of Charlotte's 100 murder vic
tims so far this year were African
American. The number of blacks
killed in the city in 1988 was 23.
' *
• Blacks make up 67% percent of
inhabitants at the Salvation Army
Woi/ion’s Shelter. Ar the George
Shinn Homeless Shelter for Men,
82% of inhabitants are African
American.
• Black women represent 63% of
all female-headed households in
Mecklenburg County.
^ §
• 21 of every 1,000 black babies
will be stillborn, compared to 7 per
1,000 white babies.
In a city of plenty, progress is halting
By John Min ter
POST CORRESPONDENT
Sam Johnson's Lincoln-
Mercury dealership on Inde
pendence Boulevard Is one
of the biggest and best In the
country.
Bill Simms heads a major
division of TransAmerIca
Corp. and recently was in
ducted to the Myers Park
Country Club.
James Ferguson heads one
of the region's largest law
firms and has both black
and white attorneys on
staff.
These African Americans
represent the heights
achieved by a race brought
to America as slaves and
who even today face the ra
cist shards of a shattered
national mirror.
As Mecklenburg County's
African Americans cele
brate their achievements
and whites extol the city's
rapid economic growth and
rise to national promi
nence, a dark river runs
deep nearby.
The river of despair, often
confined to five of the city's
zip codes - 28205, 28206,
28208, 28216 and 28217 -
swamps many African
American families.
The most aifected areas in
clude the corridors of Gra
ham, Central and Tryon
streets in the central city.
out to 1-85 and Eastway
Drive; an area bounded by
Belhaven Boulevard and I-
77, and the county's south
west quadrant between Lake
Wylie and South Boulevard.
To look at the state of
Black Charlotte is to leave
the celebration for a mo
ment, to sit beside the water
and listen to the silent
cries.
The African American
community of North Caroli
na's largest city is tossed
about almost dally by the
swift and deadly violence in
the river's white-water rap
ids.
Homicides, especially
blacks killing blacks and
teenagers killing teenagers.
fill news holes on television
and in the dally papers. In
two of the last three years,
at least 100 people were
murdered in Charlotte.
Neighborhoods cry out for
help and efforts such as 100
^lack Men, the Young Coun-
cllmen's Association and
Save the Seed have sprung
up.
Local governments have
formed Fighting Back, Suc
cess by Six and Smart Start.
The school system has in
stituted special schools for
troublemakers and begun
intra-school conflict reso
lution programs.
According to data collected
See EDUCATION On Page 2A
Another
election,
another
first
Scarborough
breaks through
to win at-large
council race
By Cassandra Wynn
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Democrat Ella Scarbo
rough pulled off what many
political analysts said would
be Impossible.
In a narrow victory Tues
day over Republican Bill
James (32,926 votes to
32,068), Yarborough became
the first black woman ever
elected at-large to Charlotte
City Council. She was the
only Democrat to win an at-
large seat.
"My con
stituents
trusted me
and now they
trust me to
Ella Scarbo
rough is the
first African
America’^,
woman td w. i
an at-la>-ge
seat on Char
lotte city
council. She
is also the
first black
elected at-
large since In
1985.
serve a cross
section of the
community,"
Scarborough
said Wednes
day.
"The black
vote proved
crucial. But I
would have
loved to see
more blacks
come out. I
thank each
one who said
they believed
In me," she
said.
Scarbor
ough, the
first African
American
at-large winner sirice Harvey
Gantt won the mayor's seat
in 1985, decided not to run in
District 3 where she was a
three-term Incumbent. In a ‘
bold move, she announced
last spring that she would
run for an at-large seat.
With the election results
vacillating Tuesday night,
Scarborough admitted that
she had some nervous mo
ments. "I had some doubts at
moments," she said. "But God
said it could be done. He is
the major force in my life."
Scarborough said her pri
orities this time around are
to "focus on the real issues.
We are getting caught up on
slogan smog. We've jerked to
eighth gear with reference tb
where we are as a city. The
question is how do we separ
ate ourselves from other
large cities. Safety, crime,
transportation and housing
are major issues. The thing
that will separate us is han
dling those things well." 
Bob Davis, president of the
Black Political Caucus, said
Scarborough has "grown up"
politically.
"She showed political as
tuteness. We're growing up.
We've learned that if you
want to win, you have to play
the game. She had a non
partisan appeal that, in
some instances, caused her
to disallow the Democratic
See SCARBOROUGH On Page 3A
Martin King m making his own mark in political circles
By Joan Kirchner
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA - Martin Luther King
III stood before an audience of 15 in
a hotel meeting room talking about
his grand vision.
As exasperated campaign aides
grumbled about the late hour and
tiny crowd, candidate King spoke po-
King
litely and earnestly
about the dull issues
in Fulton County;
traffic management,
water and sewer sys
tems, government
consolidation.
Three decades af
ter Martin Luther
King Jr. inspired the
nation with his elo
quent dream of ra
cial equality through nonviolence,
his 35-year-old namesake is pursu
ing a career in local politics.
The first son of the slain civil-
rights leader, only 10 when his fa
ther died, is holding onto his low
profile as a member of the Fulton
County Commission.
"I don't think that my contribu
tion will ever be as significant as
what my father was able to do," the
younger King said in an interview.
"If I became president of the United
States, I still don't believe that I
could overshadow what he did."
"He's clearly not tiylng to fill his
father's shoes," said former Atlanta
Mayor Andrew Young, the man King
turns to for fatherly advice. "He's
trying to clear his own pathway."
■ His father's shoes are enormous -
he won the Nobel Peace Prize, led the
See KING'S On Page 3A