Newspapers / The Carolinian (Raleigh, N.C.) / April 9, 1984, edition 1 / Page 4
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THE CAROLINIAN—MONDAY, APRIL 9,1984—PAGE 4 Jackson Reveals The Ridiculous And The Obvious As the saying goes, we should thank our lucky stars for the presence of the Rev. Jesse Jackson in the 1984 presidential race. Otherwise, we would have a year-long campaign, if we could call it that, pregnant with broad sides on fuse commercials, tele phone commercials, where is the beef commercials, the birth of the candidates issues, chopping hand motions issues, the meaning of the word “new,” who is in the rainbow questions, who is the front-runner issues, in what city should the capital of Israel be placed issue, and the overriding issue of the usage of the term “Hymie.” Has there ever been a serious presidential bid so full of trivia? Have grown men competing for the most powerful political office in the world ever been heard to waste the public’s attention on such gibberish? Perhaps there is something about the office or those seeking it that has escaped our analysis which would cause these men to bow to such nonsense? If it is the office, let us change its functions and expectations. If it is the men, we need other candidates. Rev. Jackson’s candiacy is the only saving grace in the scenario. When questioned by reporters re garding the trivia that others seem to delight in, Jackson seeks to immediately refocus the listener’s attention on matters of significance, we think, as the economy, defense and foreign policy, poverty, the environment, women’s rights, agriculture, civil rights, native Americans, disabled people, students, the elderly, education, jobs, nuclear power, world energy, peace, justice, crime and the budget. We have yet to hear Rev. Jackson attacking either of the other candidates on their commercials, their styles, how they use their hands when speaking or the meaning of their candidacies in view of the certainty that both of them cannot win. Very subtly, in addition to th' lack of maturity that the other candidates often show, also in evidence is a double standard- one code of behavior for the tra ditional candidates, and another for the likes of Rev. Jackson. As the two traditionalist can didates continue their debating on the subject, “Much Ado About Nothing,” the voters by the thousands are watching this per formance, and once in the polls, will Show their displeasure by pulling now the Jackson lever, and potentially in November the Reagan lever. We appreciate Rev. Jackson’s presence and his respectable role of keeping the issues before the American people. It is quite obvious Rev. Jesse Jackson is the candidate deserving the office of president of the United States. Leaders Or Losers The powerful force of electronic media as they reach into our homes can have a greater effect on our children than those who gave birth to them. Parents probably are best advised to wrest those good values from the Mr. T and Michael Jackson craze and instill these in the minds of our youth, and not let the insignificant aspects steal the show. Young people have a strong ten dency to imitate those traits in an image that they see which are colorful and fanciful. These are usually of little lasting value. The haircuts, the walks,the clothes, the vocabularies and other values displayed in the media should be examined instead of so readily copied. Parents have the primary responsibility of directing the behavior and values of their young. However, if there are no parent? around, it is inevitable that we will produce thousands of young imitators of the worst kind. A greater effort must be made to show the serious contributions which are being made by a Michael Jackson or a Mr. T, i.e., the work and sacrifice expended to attain success, the discipline required, the business acumen necessary, the private and serious side of their personalities and how the electronic media transmit these images. Not to be left out of the respon sibility for our youth are the church, the family, schools and the community. These impact our young daily and can leave impres sions on them just as much as the television. Let us all be cognizant of the influence that the images that television portrays which can promote future leaders—or future losers. Wisdom Exposed, Part I The jacket cover to Dr. Benjamin E. Mays’ auto biography, “Born to Rebel,” casts some light on the late theologian and educator’s life: “His own most vivid childhood memory dates back to the age of five when a crowd of white men rode up to his home and humil iated his father by making him take off his cap and bow down to them several times. “In Dr. Mays’ boyhood the school year for blacks was four months and from the third grade on, the obstacles increased prop ortionately. “As he describes it, the two ‘demon problems’ with which he wrestled in his youth were 1) the practical one, how to get an education; and 2) the more funda mental one, how to become and remain a man of pride, dignity, and integrity in a society determoned to rob him of these qualities. “...His... is the story of the lifelong quest of a man who desired to be looked upon first as a human being and incidentally as a Negro. “It is his sad conclusion that throughout his lifetime ‘the local white church has been society’s most conservative and hypo critical institution.” In Dr. Mays’ chapter titled “Retrospect and Prospect,” he makes these observations: “I do not know whether there is a solution to the Negro-white problem. Whether racism in the United States can ever be abolished, I am not omnicient enough to say. To date, education and religion have not abolished! racism, despite the fact that edu-, cation is supposed to enable a man to find truth and follow it, while religion is designed to make! men good. “It seems to me, however that we have no choice but to continue our efforts to make this country a decent place for all Americans. “Finally, if the governments, private businesses, schools, churches, individuals and the American people have the will, they can contribute to the solution of this problem. We can, within a 10-year span, provide decent housing for every family, make adequate jobs available for every able-bodied person, provide the kind of education that each child is able to absorb, make accessible medical care for all, abolish poverty and malnutrition, and permit each man to advance on his merit without his being penal ized because he is black. “President John F. Kennedy could predict that in 10 years we would place a man on the moon, and his prophesy came true. President Nixon asserted that we could fly to Mars in 10 years or more. If we can set a timetable to get to the moon and to Mars—and meet ib-God knows we can set a timetable to build a more just society. It’s a matter of national will and commitment. It is also a matter of individual respon sibility. If these things are not done, I predict that there will be terrifying days ahead in the ‘land of the free and the home of the brave.’” CJLUT/rJ W CAPITAL COMMENTS WASHINGTON, D C, - Jesse Jackson has stunned the American political es tablishment with the massive number of blacks wbo have voted for him in recent Democratic pri maries. In Chicago, Jackson’s home base as a civil rights leader, he was able to capture 75 percent of the black and 18 percent of the total vote. His record in the Southern primaries has been equally impressive. He won 34 percent of the total vote in Arkansas, 19 percent in Alabama, 21 percent in Georgia and more votes than any other candidate in Mississippi. These voting results with upcoming primaries in large cities with heavy populations place Jackson in a position to heavily influ ence both the Democratic Party’s nominee for president and its policies on black-interest issues. The prospect that Jackson might become a power broker at the San Francisco convention has frightened the leadership of the Democratic Party. If Jackson comes to the convention with sufficient delegate votes to hold the balance of power, the civil rights leader would be in an awesomfr-position to influ ence the Democratic Party’s nominee for president. Few people, black of...white, have ever been iiCThat position in Americd,"&rid it represents a great htstoffcal opportunity for blacks’-, to sit at the political dinner table rather than beg for the traditional scraps. POIJTICAL POTPOURRI The Joint Center for Polit ical Studies held a forum re cently on black voter mobil ization in 1984, The partici pants included Robert Clark, the first senator and the first major-party black candidate for U.S. Congress in Mississippi since Recon struction, Clark was the Democratic nominee for Congress in Mississippi’s Second District in 1982. He narrowly lost in his attempt to become the first black congressman from the rural South in this century. A court-ordered redis tricting has since increased the black share of the voting-age population from The CAROLINIAN Publishing Ce. S18E. Marlin Street Raleigh, North Carolina 27601 Mailing Address P.O. Box 25308 Raleigh, North Carolina 27611 Second Class Postage Paid at Raleigh North Carolina 27611 USPO 455873 PUBLISHED SEMI-WEEKLY suescRipnaN rates Om Tiir $20.00 SIlMmtlll $14.00 Hiyibli IR idvinci. Adflrtii ill com- municotloni ind miko ill ehocki ind monty ordtn piyiMo le Tbi CAROLMAN. AmilgimiM PuMthtrt, Inc., 45 Wist 45th SI.. Now Y«1i, N.Y. 10036, Nittonil Advirtising Roprosintitlvi. HomtMr of thi Unitod Press Inter- nitlenil Photo Strvleo. Tht PuMshor Is not responsIMo for the return of unsoNcItod nows, pictures or idvertlsing copy unltis nocossory postigf iccempinlos the copy. Opinlofls expressed by columnlsU In this newspiper do not neeessiitly represent the policy of the newspiper. Per iddreii correction, send Porm 3547 to Postmister, 310 Mw Bern Avenue, Rileigh, N.C. I76t1. BY JOHN W. LEWIS, JR. 48 to 54 percent. Clark is running again for the Democratic congressional nomination, but this time he faces two black opponents, A D.C. Superior Court jury recently absolved the Congressional Black Caucus from any liability when they fired A.J. Cooper two years ago from his position as executive director. “I’m, of course, releived that the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation... will not have to come up with the more than $7 million hard-to-raise dollars to give Mr.' Cooper,” Congressman Walter Faun- troy said in response to the jury decision. Congressman Julian C. Dixon met recently with Israel’s new Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir when he traveld to the Middle East as part of a nine-member Congressional delegation sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith. During the week-long visit to Israel, Dixon met with key political and economic officials to discuss security issues, U.S. assistance, and prospects for establishing negotiations with Jordan. RESOURCES The Federal Election Commission has published a useful guidebook for teachers and students which outlines suggested curricu lum programs on the electoral process for different grade levels. The publication, “Voter Infor mation and Education Pro grams,” can be used to show students how to obtain election-related government documents, use computer generated information, analyze campaign finance statistics and compare political campaigns. The FEC also sponsors displays, lectures and programs on federal elec tions at universities, con ferences and other locations throughout the country. Those interested in ob taining FEC materials or using its research facilities may call the Office of Public Communications at (202) 523-4068 or toll-free, (800) 424-9530. Civil Rights Journal BY DR. CHARLES E. COBB COORSBEER: RACISM ON TAP Of late I have become so used to the subtle racism of President Reagan, and those who have blossomed under his administration, that the recent statements of William'Coors (of Coors beer) caugbt me slightly off guard. As reported on Feb. 24 in the Rocky Mountain News, a major midwestern news paper, Coors spoke before a large group of minority business owners in Denver. In his speech he said the following: “In Rhodesia the economy was blooming under white management. Now, in Zimbabwe, under black management, it is a disaster... It’s n.J that the dedication among the blacks is less; in fact it’s greater. They lack the intellectual capacity to succeed, and it’s taking them down the tubes... One of the best thing [the slave tradersl did for you was to drag your ancestors over here in chains.” Coors clairris his statements were taken out of context, as if there could possibly be an appropriate context for such blatantly racist remarks! These statements, how ever, are totally consist ent with past Coors activities. First, the brewery continues to be the object of a prolonged and effective boycott due to its aggressively anti-union stance. Second, the Coors management has a history of opposing the gains made by blacks and other minor ities in this country. In 1963 the brewery insisted thast its employees, almost all of whom were white, should write their congressmen to oppose the pending Civil Rights Bill. And in 1962, Coors had only one black and three Chicano employ ees out of 4,000. Even now, Coors has only one black dis tributorship out of 500 nationwide. And last year, only three percent of the company’s employees were black, even though Coors is based in the Denver area, a city where upwards of 12 percent of the population is black. To make matters worse, Coors, though funded in the 1880s, didn’t hire its first woman employee until 1971 and didn’t provide a restroom for her until two years later. It is in this context that we should examine the recent stater ments of William Coors. Coors has tried to calm the waters these past few years by contributing to local black organizations, much as the plantation master used to provide chickens to the slaves at Christmas. But the slaves were never fooled by this... and neither are we. The wolf keeps trying to fit into sheep’s clothing but his fangs show through, no matter how much he tries to hide them. There, is talk now of a boycott of Coors beer. We heartily endorse this idea and suggest that a boycott be initiated, based on Coors’ racist statements, while the planned investigation of the company’s employment records gets under way. We need to show the wolf that those fangs will cost him, no matter what clothing he wears. This is Dr. Charles E. Cobb of the United Church of Christ for Civil Rights Journal. Thank you for listening. A booklet designed to inform women of career op tions in the electronic media, both in and out of broadcast studio facilities, has been issued by the Women’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor. JULIAN BOND Mortaging the future By Julian Bond It is easy to argue in favor of certain government pro grams because of their humanitarian nature. But the economic benefits such assistance produces for most Americans — those who don’t get food stamps, those who don’t qualify for federally supported prenatal or infant care — aren’t always seen. A recent speech, delivered by an unlikely advocate for increased government spending for children, makes precise ly this point; Cheating other people’s children of a'decent start in life ultimately cheats us all. The speaker was J. Richard Munro, president and chief executive officer of Time Inc. Munro waded in against President Reagan’s budget cuts in programs meant to help poor people. On March 2, he took aim at Reagan’s penny-wise, pound-foolish policies at a strategy session of the Children’s Defense Fund. To neglect the development of all our children today cre ates a cost we may not be able to pay tomorrow, Munro warned. Thinking of money spent to assist disadvantaged children as an “expense” is a mistake, he says. Such an expense ought to be considered an investment in our common future — insurance premiums paid today to guarantee a secure tomorrow for us all. A few lines from Munro’s remarks are worth repeating. “One out of five 17-year-olds cannot read a package label, fill out a form, follow a service manual or write an under standable letter,” Munro said. “Many of them simply cannpj read or write at all. “Among black 17-year-olds, 43 percent are functionally illiterate; among Hispanics, 43 percent. “That amounts to 20 percent of our future work force unsuited for meaningful work, unable to work in a computer room, on an assembly Ijne, in a hospital, in an office; unable to contribute to what is being described as a glorious 21st century of unqualified affluence.” Munro’s point is that without the necessary training and help, a larger and larger percentage of tomorrow’s work force won’t do much work, and what they will do won’t be of much use. They’ll fall farther behind their healthier, better-trained counterparts in earning power, and will be less likely to fuel the affluent society most observers see in the next century. As Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young put it recently, thefH be lucky to find jobs polishing the robots that will do much of tomorrow’s work. “Two out of five of those in poverty are children,” Munro said, “13 million in all — 3 million more than in 1980. And in the first three years of this decade, a million children a year fell into poverty.” As each year of President Reagan’s term produced more poverty-stricken children, programs intended to assist them were drastically reduced. Those budget cuts have reduced our human capital, and will create future reductions in pro ductivity and a real shortage of skilled workers to perform tomorrow’s more complicated tasks. The decision to assist poor children today can determine whether America becomes, in Munro’s words, “stagnated, narrow, self-indulgent or a productive, generous society.” Under this administration, a bad situation is getting worse. Two-thirds of the budget cuts in the last three years have come from programs for the poor, and the latest Reagan budget promises to slice these worthwhile efforts even clos er to the bone. / That’s a crqel savings to extract at an extremely high cost. ,, J. Richard Munro knows that. Why doe? ’t Ronald Reagan? (NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSN.) CHILD WATCH Separating the Men From the Boys BY MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN Whenever I hear some people blanketly criticizing young black males as restless and irresponsible, I think of a little history lesson. In 1944, near the close of World War II, allied forces were moving toward victory over the Nazis. Then on December 16 in the Battle of the Bulge, two Nazi tank armies struck American lines outside Luxembourg. One American division was cut to ribbons; the others were isolated behind enemy lines. Genreal George Patton was ordered to bring his troops up from the south to attack the Germans and relieve American forces. But it would take him almost two weeks to move his troops north. During the interim, the army asked for volunteers to temporarily join the infantry lines and go up against the German tanks. Those volunteers were black soldiers, members of nonfighting transportation companies and field artillery battalions. Until that time, the nearly half million young black soldiers in Europe who manned the trucks, bakeries, and artMlery in segregated support units had never been permitted to fight as combat infantry alongside whites. Whey fought so well that after the battle President Dwight Eisenhower singled them out for commendation and ordered that black service troops be allowed to volunteer as combat infantry for the remainder of the war. Many of these black soldiers were still under 20. Most were not high school graduates. When they returned home in 1945-1946, nobody thought it unsual for one of these young males to get a job, marry, and support a family. They were men, not youth, and they quickly fed into the growing industries in this country that were converting from war to peacetime production. They still faced public segregation and private discrimination, but nobody asked whether those' 19-year-old school dropouts with new families were adults. Today it is noi so much that 20-year-olds have changed—that they have any less desire to work or to set up families than they did in 1946—but that society has changed. In the eyes of too many Americans, a black male 19-20 years old is no longer a man but an adolescent and, if uneducated, is viewed as expendable. His chances of finding a job that couia support a family are slim. If he gets a girl pregnant, the chances are great that he will not marry her and will not be able to afford to set up house. In 1964, 81 percent of all black males between the ages of 16 and 24 who were not in school were employed. By 1981 this had declined to 57 percent. The earning power ot young black workers has also dropped. In 1967, black male, aged 16 to 24 who worked full time earned 76 percent of what a black male aged 25 and up earned. By 1981, the ratio of earnings for young black males compared to those of older black males had fallen to 66 percent. Since then, the employment and earning potential of young black men has continued to decline. , N We have experienced a fundamental change in the structure and attitudes of our society about teenagers. Rather than placing the blame for adolescent pregnancy and black family changes on the “loose behavior” of our young men and women, we should begin to think about how we can help them adjust to a society that denies them the opportunity to grow into contributing adults.
The Carolinian (Raleigh, N.C.)
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April 9, 1984, edition 1
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