A GUIDE TO
HISTORICALLY
BLACK COLLEGES
AND UNIVERSITIES
Chevrolet Motor Division and Ebony
magazine have teamed up for the second
straight year, to produce and distribute
100,000 copies of a “1996-1997 Guide
to the Nation’s Top Historically Black
Colleges and Universities.” The compre
hensive reference book for college-bound
African-American high school students
and their parents is distributed free to
leading churches and major African-
American organizations across the coun
try. The 120-page guide includes infor
mation on choosing a college and on ho\v
to apply for admission and financial aid.
Eighty-eight colleges and universities,
along with some of their most famous
alumni, are profiled in the guide. Cop
ies are also available directly from
Chevrolet at (800) 201-9571.
MERCEDES
SIMPLIFIES LEASING
Acknowledging the growing trend to
wards leasing for personal use, Mercedes-
Benz of North America has introduced
“The First Class Lease” to help make the
process less confusing. Besides shrinking
the leasing documentation from six pages
to one, there are flexible term and mile
age options, and one that allows payments
to be deducted automatically from the
leaser’s checking account. “The First Class
Lease” is available on any new or “certi
fied pre-owned” Mercedes-Benz.
FORD APPOINTS
2^^ BLACK TO
BOARD
Homer Neal has become the sec
ond African American to join Ford
Motor Co.’s Board of Directors.
Neal, 54, is currently interim presi
dent of the University of Michi
gan in Ann Arbor, MI. He is also
vice president for research at the
university. Ford Chairman Alex
Trotman cited Neal’s technical ex
pertise and understanding of re
search and development as key at
tributes in his selection.
by Genea Luck
In the light of recent debates about airbags, what are
the issues that concern you the most?
How safe do you think airbags are? Shouid more emphasis be placed on their
redesign or in educating the public about their danger to small children or the
importance of wearing seat belts ?
I'm still in favor of airbags.
There have been a few cases
where people have lost their
lives through airbags, but this
is not the cause in the
majority of cases. They save
more people than they kill
and people need to be aware
of that.”
Patrick Thomas
Charleston, SC
"If a person buys a car with an
airbag, they should pay
attention to all the warning
labels. But there also needs to
be more media coverage about
the issue. Manufacturers
shouid also install indicator
lights to warn drivers that
children of a certain age need
to be seated in the back.”
Roxanne Williams
New York, NY
“More lives are saved with
airbags nowadays. I do think,
however, that small children
should sit in the back and
more women should also be
cautious. I’m in favor of the
idea that if people are
uncomfortable with their
airbag, they oan have their
dealer disconnect it.”
Gwen Rogers
Miami, FL
“There's no foolproof system.
It can be dangerous in the
back or front seats. You just
have to make your own best
judgment about where to place
your child.”
Robert Lane
Fort Washington, MD
"I think that airbags need to be
redesigned. Automakers also
need to develop sensors that
will know to deploy in the chest
and not in the face. They
already have sensors that will
not allow drunk drivers to start
their cars, so why not have
some sort of protection device
for airbags?"
Stephanie and Richard
Freeman
Philadelphia, PA
“Manufacturers should install
internal alarms or voice
messages to tell people to
wear seatbelts and to put their
small kids in the backseat.
These alarms should alert
drivers even before they turn
on the ignition switch.”
Jerry and Alberta Richards
Richmond, VA
CM PLANS SERIOUS PUSH TO
WOO MINORITY BUYERS
General Motors Corp., hoping to regain market share among minority con
sumers, plans an aggressive advertising push in the next year. The first efforts
are being made by the Oldsmobile division, which is conducting an agency
review. Once chosen, the agency of record will target more marketing dollars to
African Americans, Asian Americans and women. The GMC division, under
the leadership of Roy Roberts, was the first division to target African Americans.
AFRICAN AMERICANS ON WHEELS 7