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I THE TRffiUNAT; AID WEDNJiSDAY, DECJBMBER 3,1975 EDITORIALS You re A Part Of The Solution, Or You’re A Part Of The Problem ’ m »IW5 » IIE flini'S HE HI UHTS ntSE Of TIE MPEI'J Point bv Albert A. Campbell HE CARED.. When one begins to wonder about the sometimes deplorable conditions of our Black colleges and universities, it might be well to take an inward glance rather than to blame. When we become disgusted with the few small grants and scholarships offered by OUR institutions of higher education, maybe we should consider the contribution we ourselves have made-or not made. Only a few weeks ago, the conversation of poor alumni support came about on one of North Carolina’s Black college campuses. During the discussion, a large number of the participants strongly voiced opinions concerning the compara ble lack of assistance to Black students - most especially from the Black schools. Most were in agreement that Black students simply don’t receive the kinds of assistance as do their white counterparts. Now being realistic, no one could possible dispute that fact as it presently e^ist, however, there are some factors that have to be considered. First of all, we Blacks, must at some point in time must come to the realization that our making a financial comparison with those of the white community is foolish and futile. Not that this condition will always remain, but certainly we cannot expect any measure of equality at this stage of the Black struggle. Second, we must also be cognizant of the ever prevailing “First Law of Nature” - self preservation. Again, to expect more from another than what they ordinarily will do for themselves is asinine. And until we being predicting the same, then we will continue falling short of the mark. Third, and what could be the most important, is the fact that we ourselves fail to contribute little if any to support our own causes. We still sit back and wait for hand-outs, and when dribbles trickle down to our ideals, we then shout, not enough. To what reference we ask is the basis for this accensation? The answer is repeated as was stated earlier. Take an inward glance! Can we honestly say that the schools from which we graduated receives from us substantial contributions yearly? Does the athletic department rely on our support? Can we reajly claim to be alumni or are we merely graduates? Did not our schools prepare us to some degree for our present employment and financial conditions? Is that not reason enough for us to return some of the favor? Or are we too blind to see the difference which surrounds us. Maybe we have not thought about it that way, or maybe we don’t care. Whatever the reason, we should stop and give it some though - and money. For if we want these schools to remain our pillows of development, our spawning institutions of training, yes, and even our inspiration for top athletes, our support must be forthcoming. Asupi^ehecouRT UITHOUT WILLIAM a POUOLAS WILL nevenm nesAne, 3 N.Y. Tmss By Alfred L. Hinson TO BE EQUAL by Vernon E. Jordon, Jr The War On The Hungry Save The Children Recently I attended a meeting that was called by a group of educators who were sincerely concerned about the future of our youth and the education system. The conveners of this meeting asked that both parents and students attend. Of primary concern to the educators were the following kinds of questions: Why do students fail to respect their peers? Why do students use such vulgar street-language ” in communicating with their peers? Why are students unwilling to point the finger at the guilty party when it is known that all will be punished for the infraction of a rule? What is being done in the home, if anything, to address these problems? Are the students behaving one way at school and another way at home? The educators and parents attending this meeting are to be commended for their wisdom in acting now as opposed to reacting later. The meeting also made parents realize that the educators were sincerely concerned about the well-being of their children and also wished for each child to gain as much from the educational experience as possible. On the other hand, the educators were made to realize that the parents shared their concerns and were equally as eager to resolve the problems before they got out-of-hand. Though the educators and parents agreed to work together to resolve these problems, they have a very difficult task to perform. Their task is complicated by the fact that most of the students’ leisure time is used watching television and the media experts strive to condition the general public to enjoy crime and X-rated type programs. Unless we begin to monitor the kinds of TV programs our children watch; communicate with them about the importance of respecting the rights of others; and spend some time with them-we might be fighting a losing battle. The “ignorant tube” can destroy a nation. Schools cannot adequately perform their jobs if they spend most of their time handling discipline problems. If we are to get the most out of our education system and it is to get the most from our children. We Must Work Together. Tilings Yoa Should Knowr ^ooooooc fTHE TRIBUNAL AID L22B MjuLLlieu Avenue Post Office Box 921 Phone [919] 885-6519jl High C- 27261 Published Every* Wednesday by Triad Publications, Inc.' iMalled Subscription Rate $5.00 Per ^ear ALBERTA. CAMPBELL. EDITOR DON L. BAILEY, GENERAL MANAGER JEANM. WHITE. SECRETARY ASHEBORO Vaiima Cross 625-4950 'BURLINGTON. . . . Hurley Patterson . . . 227-5359' FAYETTEVILLE . . John B. Henderson . . 488-1241 GASTONIA Rev. T. M. Walker 867-5690 GREENSBORO Lulla Jessup 299-4402 I HIGH POINT ... .A. Alphonso Smith . . . 882-2601 KERNERSVILLE . . . Mozelle Warren . . . 992-4657 REIDSVILLE Sandra Hill 399-5229 SALISBURY .... Rev. J.C. Gaston .... 636-1186 LEXINGTON Jessie Wood 246-6421 STOKESDALE Shelia King 683-3237 THOMASVILLE Kelly Hoover .... 476-7472 THOMASVILLE.... Ruth Faiabee .... 476-4730 Second Class Postage Paid at High Point, N.C. B OB'OO ooooopQoooooooqoogt WOOD 1870 Born in tennessce,he rose from A BOOTBLACK TO A RENOWNED SCHOLAR a SHAKESPEARE EXPERT! AORAOOATE OFTHE SAPER SCHOOL OF ORATORY. HE HELD AN A.B. FROM BEj^COjjjSE, A BJ.FROM CHICAGO UNIV..AN M.A.FROM COLUMBIA UNty.! AFTER A SUCCESSFUL STAGE CAREER^HE WAS A MINISTER; LATEf^ HIS TERM AS INSTRUCTOR AND PUBUCITV DIRECTOR FOR TUSKEGEE WAS CUTSHORT-THiOOVtRNMCMrCAUEDHIMFOOHJW.K: IhMIIMATlON WORK IN WORLD WARX I The food stamp program, perhaps the fastest growing federal social welfare program, has been under heavy attack for months now, culminating with the Administration’s new proposal to cut the program back sharply, reducing the number of recipients and slashing benefits. That such a proposal should come at a time of increasing unemployment and rising food prices is an illustration of the hard-hearted cynicism which the survival problems of the poor receive today. Instead of a war on hunger, we’re getting a war on the hungry. And the reason for the attack on the food stamp program is simply that it has proved successful. Its purpose, as stated in the Food Stamp Act, is “to safeguard the health and well being of the nation’s population and raise levels of nutrition among low-income families.” And that’s what is has done. In fact, if it can be faulted it’s because so many poor people eligible for food stamps don’t get them, in part due to the government’s failure to publicize it adequately and to stimulate applications from eligible families. Sky-rocketing unemployment and lowered real income among people still on the job led many people to swallow their pride, subject themselves to the program’s means test, and apply. As a result the numbers of recipients ji'mped from 14 million to 19 million and it’s predicted that well over 20 million people will be in the program by next year. Those are the kinds of figures that bring worry to the brows of officials who think nothing of putting the same amounts of money into big military oudgets and into subsidies for the well-off. But keeping food on the tables of low-income families is moire imfidrtaht and the budget-slashers ought to keep hands off the food stamp program. They didn’t complain when it served as a disguised subsidy for big farm interests seeking an expanded market for their foodstuffs, so they shouldn’t complain now that the program has reverted back to its principles of helping low-income people eat better. The Administration’s cutback propos als were preceded by a heavy campaign of rhetoric against the program, culminating in the Secretary of the Treasury’s blast that the program is a “haven for chiselers and rip-off artists.” And everyone has his share of folk tales about college kids or middle class people buying steaks for their dogs with food stamps. Those are the kinds of stories that circulate about almost any program aimed at poor people and have no basis in fact. The willingness of so many people to believe such stories is an indication of the revulsion so many feel at programs designed to help others, but that’s no excuse for knowledgeable federal officials to distort the truth. The facts tell a different story; ; The typical family receiving food stamps makes about $3,000 a year. ; Three out of four make less than $5,000 a year and almost nine out of ten make under $6,000. For all the “middle class” talk, virtually everyone in the program makes under $10,000 and those at the higher end only qualify because of large family size. : Less than half of those below the poverty line are getting food stamps. : Three out of four non-welfare food stamp recipients are working or looking for work, making it the only broad-based national program providing assistance to the working poor. : Charges of widespread fraud are unfounded. An Agriculture Department study found a fraud rate of only 8/100 of one percent of the food stamp caseload. Despite the complexity of the program, the Department of Agriculture figures show that 91 percent of non-welfare households receiving stamps were properly certified as eligible. In fact, thfei'e’s fat less ffaiiiJ-afid'^rrtff in th6 food ' stamp program than in the income tax system. So let’s not get side-tracked with phony issues and keep our eyes on the real problem-hunger. If the Amdinistration really wants to cut back on food stamp costs the way to do it is to create jobs for all, not to take food off the tables of the poor. INSIGHT: For Teens by Miller Carter, Jr. Blacks are well-known for slang vocabulary. We have had this vocabulary every since Blacks have been on the face of the earth and very few Blacks have escaped the age-old “language”. Only some educated Blacks have gotten away from it and even some educated Blacks still talk in slang. Many older Blacks who had very little education talk with improper english. I’m sure we’ve all heard such phrases as “Yes, I’m is,” “He done it,” and “No, I isn’t.” This type of language may show signs of little or no education and these people are excluded from this article. Some of us not only have trouble with our speaking but we also have trouble with our spelling. For many, just sitting down to write a letter or even a little note can be quite difficult. Often, if we correct those who talk with improper english, they get mad. Their excuse is “1 can’t help it. That’s the only way I know how to talk!” Well, that excuse is “fony”. We don’t have to talk that way. We just don’t try to improve ourselves. It’s just terrible to hear some Black person talking like he never knew what english way-and spelling even worse, at least in my opinion. Generally, that’s the way Blacks have always talked and it is the way other people expect us to talk. This brings me to my main point. I have discussed this point before but it’s importance forces me to repeat it. Education means a lot to us. Sure, many, many teens are in school but they don’t appear to be learning anything. To me, if teens do learn anything they must not be putting their education to good use. What influences the way we talk? The first, and probably most important influence, is our parents. Parents are the ones we learn to imitate in our talking. You could say they teach us how to talk.. Most teens think that if it’s alright for mom and dad to talk incorrectly, or colloqually Black, it’s alright for them to do the same. The second important influence is television. More teens spend more of their time in front of a television than in any one other place. I’m sure most parents have heard their teens imitating some person they saw and heard on television. If one looks at a show such as Sanford and Son” and “Good Times” they are libel to pick up all kinds of slahg terms and bad english. And then they walk around the house saying those same slang expressions. The parent often condones slang or improper usage by saying ‘Oh! That’s cute, he’s talking like J.J. But, what they don’t seem to realize is that their teens will say these same things every chance they get and soon it will become a part of their vocabulary. The third influence is our environment. We tend to hear so much wrong usage or so many slang expressions in the streets that we accept and use them without hesitation. Regardless of where, when or how bad english and grammar is learned, I consider it just plain ignorance in some and laziness in the others. Whatever, the case, “We ain’t gotta talk lik dis.” THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow. Oliver Wendell Holmes
The Tribunal Aid (High Point, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 3, 1975, edition 1
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