Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Feb. 17, 1983, edition 1 / Page 15
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) (Race is no factor among educators hy ?*? Aifcj i Abo on tte page ? a? ftick by SJSS? *<***? of Nash County Schools. ? While I am most a?*eei**eoff Mwni^tteiitickJ^rtl turn that even though lscraged and dawed to make a success of m hfe like he did, 1 sh* had an advantage he didn't have. I ?as whale. 1 wasn't barred from aay pVt like he was- Even as poor as I are* up? if he and I were compete for ^ job 1 would have the advantage ^**ce again because 1 was white. KU. I agree with you. if you were white, you would be a superintendent because you are one of the Most capable people 1 have ever kaowa. I have teamed scene very startl ing things about black people m ihe many years I have worked closely with them. One thing 1 learned is that the post noticeable difference in black T^nd white is the pigment of their skin. Another thing I (earned is that, contrary to what a lot of wtate folks believe, having illegitimate children is not a way of hie for black folks. f Tlsxse who are cariag parents get just as upset as caring parents of white daughters. m The concerned black people are ^ust as uptight about dead-beats being on welfare rolls as the con cerned white people. Knowledgeable black people are as frustrated about tnter-rncsdl courtship and marriages as knowledgeable white people because they are fully aware that the biases that we face m this world, the children of inter-racta! parents will have a tough tune. 9 1 am greatly interested, as all of you are aware, in the political pro cess and am approached many times by politicians outside of Hoke County asking me if the* can get the black vote. I tell them quite frankly that if there is a black citizen running for the same office, the black omens will vote for the black citnen. While some folks preach the pphilosphy that you should vote for the best person regardless of race, if all white folks win be honest. 1 don't beheve a great number of them vote for black folks running for a particular of fice. This is a prime example of the old saying that the kettle is calhn* the pot black. In working with school folks, for KS years 1 have worked w?h some ery outstanding black educators. The only reason I use that term ts to simply show that there is no difference in outstandutf *?* ? * educators and outstandw* wtate educators. However, since my topic is black I otuots, 1 wiB deal with some names of our black educators. Eaa? Mims and Milton WKmk arc two of the finest prin cipals I have ever known. If anyone wants to challenge this rtmnw, ask their faculty. Gloria WSmb is one of the most wan Jim people in her profession. She is as knowl edgeable as any individual in the Unchiag profession that I have known in 55 years. No superintendent ever had an associate who was more loyal to an individual than John David McAftster has been to me. I have worked with him for 16 years and wafechod him in every situation. His expertise and knowledge would do justice to the most profi cient I have ever known. Margaret Bratcher was not only one of the finest Christians I K?*t ever know, she was a most ef ficient secretary and bookkeeper. When Margaret died she left a void in all of our hearts that we will never fiH. Deborah Purodl was a high school student of mine. She is more like a daughter to me than a secretary. If the people of the wortd had her disposition and will ingness to work, and her desire to help everyone, I wouldn't need to write this article. Space will not permit me to go on. I wiU let the record of the others speak for itself. When Kathy McMillan was bringing us fame, her mother, Mrs. McMillan, was approached about Kathy making a speech that m essence would say, 'look what a blade girl has accomplished' . Mrs. McMillan said that there is no way my daughter would say that in a speech. When my daughter speaks she is going to say that '1 am thankful to be an American. What I ac complished came about because of the help of a lot of people and I thank them for it'. The McMillan family should speak for all of us - what we have accomplished in our county came about because of the help of all of our people. If we are to continue to make accomplishments it will be due to the efforts of all of our peo ple. Ball, thank you my friend, for giving me a chance to have my say. As we both go into retirement, we can hope and pray that the way things ought to be is the way they be. ONLY SURVIVING "WON DER OF THE WORLD." Of the "sevea wonders of the world" described m ancient literature, only the pyramids of Egypt survive today. I HERVT^OFSreEL? Opinions Blacks, not Editor's note: This article ap peared in the Fuquay Independent and is mentioned in the column by Raz Autry which also appears on this page. by WVu M. Frmui The January 19th issue of the Dunn Daily Record carried a story, reprinted from the Saturday extra section of the FayettevUle News and Observer, that made me feel that 1 need to make an apology to white folks. The article's heading was, "My Brother Raz" by Jerry Autry. The story caught my eye because I hap pen to know Raz Autry who is the superintendent of the Hoke Coun ty Schools. Through the years, I have observed him as an active in dividual in the superintendent's division of the North Carolina Association of Educators and later, the North Carolina Associa tion of Administrators when the former association superintendents left to form the latter group. Why the urge to make an only ones who have to struggle apology to white folks? I guess most Blacks, because they have had it so difficult, feel that most whites don't have it as difficult. We see so many whites who are successful that we get the feeling that whites, "have it made." Although 1 grew up with whites who were poor, I forget sometimes and think that only Blacks are poor and have a difficult time making it. Reading' "My Brother Raz," reminded me again that some whites are poor, too, and they have to (in the words of my father) "scuffle" to make it. I was surpris ed to read in the article that the two boys, Jerry and Raz, had grown up in Harnett County near Dunn, where 1 spent the first six years of my life as an educator. Jerry writes, "Our dad was a te nant farmer and worked the third shift at Erwin Mills, and Raz spent every spare moment in Dunn working on the farm and herding his brothers around." This surprised me. Having seen Raz in our state meetings, I just surmised that he had come from some well-to-do family whose father had been a big executive, principal or superintendent, that he "had" had good jobs passed to him on a "silver platter." In all these years, 1 never dreamed that he came from a background similar to mine. Jerry, who has done well in his own right, is a lieutenant colonel and at one time was head chaplain of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. Jerry said that Raz's ability to overcome, seemed almost the usual with him. He gave some examples :>uch as winning a berth on the East Carolina football tam, beating out a 225-pound first stringer and finally being named captain of the team, winning the presidency of the student body, and taking Jerry in to raise when he was only twelve after their mother because serious ly ill. The article stated that their father had reared them with a sim ple credo: In everything you do. always be honest and try to do whatever is right. Jerry said that Raz has never wavered from their dad's admonition. He went on to say that he ran in to an Army captain overseas some years ago and the captain said that as a principal, Raz ran the school like the Marines. In fact, they had to keep their hair short and the students thought that he was crazy. The captain said, "Now, 1 under stand. If it wasn't for your brother I'd be standing on the streets of Raeford instead of a captain in the Army." Well, 1 guess the bottom line is, we Blacks need to read more stories like this one to let us know that all whites aren't rich and that Blacks aren't the only ones who must work, sacrifice and apply themselves if they are to get ahead. I still must take one "poke" though. "Raz? I am also retiring in June of this year, but I bet if 1 had been white, I would have been a superintendent rather than an assistant superintendent!" issvlr SS*?5vW ARMOUR-star YOUNG |CL*ns ur JURKEV teesc. >LE Rib Ey% *2.99? "'??"?A-?.. 1.69 Sk'"edAndS,,??/ftwJ 690 !??j?2na 99c ioS,,K?Wn **? lb 10 To 22 Lm - Butte P"-LSBORy beef liver 59C KEUOGG sugar; Shawnee Self Rising FLOUR 890 S LB. Beg TffliLS 590 Grade A Large 650 Dozen Fresh Crisp LETTUCE 'sric 390 Large Hud v\ B?t Way 8Mc?d Strawb*rr1*s MCMTCMriAMOa KHMZEO SALT x-oz 2T\ 490 WOI w* Shall? m ? 59< m WE ACCEPT USOA FOOD STAMPS JRCKSOirS at WE RESERVE ALL QUANTITY RIGHTS WttlWt ni.it, 1*3
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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Feb. 17, 1983, edition 1
15
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