(Continued from page 1)
that reaffirm the economic and political realities of the black com
munity. The Mack population continues to increase. From 1*70-1100
the population increased by IT percent, or three times the white
population increase. Between 1M0 and 1962, Mack median income
(while still lagging behind that of whites) increased by 215 percent
while white median income Increased by 200 percent.
The education gap between blacks and whites from 25-20 years of
age has virtually been eliminated. In 1504,10 cities with populations
of 100,000 pins had Mack mayors. 8ix of the top 10 consumer markets
currently have Mack mayors. While these statistics do not negate the
socio-political problems that the black community continues to ex
perience, they also cannot deny the continuously growing “clout” of
the Mack community.
That clout is a direct benefit of an important community institu
tion, and the role It has played in the progress of the Mack communi
ty. The status of the Mack community has been recognised, and nur
tured through cue of the country’s oldest and most loyal institutions,
pmi,
The black press represents some of the first and meet consistent
businesses in the black community. It is the only national medium
truly considered by blacks to be “our own.” That credibility of the
. black press in reassuring our community that the message is strictly
“for us,” Is unmatched. The black community has historically
known that their newspaper is “free” and “unbought.”
necogmuon oi ine discs press uunng dw« nw» mvuui » «»■
portent because Just as other mainstays of the black community an
often taken for granted, the black press is no exception. A steady,
dependable source of news with a black perspective can easily be
found in the black press. The black press carries our church news
and reports on social activities. Black businesses and the corporate
sector often rely on the black press to reach potential black
employees. Economic and political analyses from the black com*
munity perspective are featured regularly in the Mack press. Black
politicians and civic leaders have their columns in the black press
because they know the black community relies on these papers for
Its Information.
Acknowledging the independence and advocacy of the Mack
press, the corporate sector has identified the black press as an imn
perative to marketing to the Mack consumer. For example, in 1IM
the Mack food dollar was estimated at flS.4 billion. Black newspaper
associations and organizations have successfully put forth the post*
tion that as some of the oldest Mack businesses in the country, they
deserve their fair share of the corporate advertising dollars used to
market one of the most loyal consumer markets, the black communi
ty
The historical and future strength of the black press can also be
gauged by some of the associations and organisations that support
the Mack press. For example. Amalgamated Publishers, Inc. is a
newspaper advertising agency representing N of the country’s
leading and oldest black newspapers. Founded in 1M1, API now has
a total circulation of 1.4 million weekly with a reach of more than
four minion people in 34 cities of the top SO markets nationwide.
Black Media, Inc. represents more than IN black-owned
newspapers, five magazines and the National Black Monitor. BMI’s
whole thrust is toward Mack community building and enablement,
primarily through its commitment to the national Assault on Il
literacy Program. The National Newspaper Publishers Association
is a 48-year-old association that has provided fellowship and mutual
self-help to improve the quality and circulation of member publica
tions. The NNPA has assisted a number of aspiring Journalism
students through a scholarship program.
COMPLAINT
(Continued from page 1)
who lives next door to her sister.
Wingate charged that an officer
pulled her down some stairs, “grabb
ed me by the hair and then kicked me
between the legs,” and that a second
officer kicked her in the stomach and
used racial slurs against her.
After the incident, Wingate was
taken to Crouse Irving Memorial
Hospital, where she remained over
night for observation. She claims she
bled sporadically from her vagina
after the incident, and that she sus
tained bruises.
Wingate also contends police never
told her what she was being arrested
for until after they took her to the city
jail. Wingate was charged with
misdemeanor counts of resisting ar
test and obstructing governmental
administration.
(Continued from page l)
organisations, this year's “Mentors
of Distinction” were Ms. Barbara
Allen, Dr. Richard Atelman Ms. Anne
Dahle, N.C. Secretary of Human
Resources Pa trie Dorsey, Ms. Peg
fisher, Ms. Catherine Hargrove, Ms.
Eleanor Harward, Ms. Peggy Howe,
Bis. Jean Hunt, Bis. Patricia Juby,
Bis. Bonnie Kurz, Ms. Helen Mar
tikainen, Bis. Susan McClintock,
Carey Stacey, Dr. Thomas Stafford,
Bis. Janice Still, Dr. Carolyn Turner,
Bis. Betty Wiser and Ms. Fran Wood
ward.
special wiBAt- awards went u> ms.
Emma Goza, owner, E.G. Hats,
Etcetera; Dr. Wilmoth Carter,
former vice president, Shaw Univer
sity; Dr. Linds Dillon, Dr. S. David
Frazier, William Gobble, Ms. Ruth
Mary Meyer, Ms. Patricia Roswell,
Ms. Julia Taylor, president of
Mechanics and Fanners Bank; and
Dr. Sandra Thomas.
Ms. Annette Barskile, former
public attain director for WPTF-TV,
continues as board secretary with
WIBAC. .- '
Thesposoring organisations, which
represent the “third partner” in all
mentoring, for this year’s honoress
were truly diversified: Boy and Girl
Scouts. Black Women Entrepreneurs,
Women’s Forum, Civil Air Patrol,
Motherread, Inc., Church Women
United, Home Economics Associa
tion, Raleigh Sales and Marketing,
Women’s Council of Realtors,
American Society for Training and
Development, Alpha Delta Kappa,
Women Business Owners, Wake
Schools’ “Career Beginnings” Pro
TEENS
(Continued from page 1)
stances each cnud must discover
their special God-given purpose.
The program included a presen
tation by the graduates emphasising
skills learned during training. In
vocation was given by Maurice
Graham, a 1986 graduate of the Peer
Counselor Training Program. Com
ments were provided by the ex
ecutive director of the YWCA of Wake
County, Ms. Jean Williams, and
Hargett Street Branch director, Ms.
Shirley Nimmons.
Saneva Riddick, a 1988 Peer
Counselor graduate, entertained the
audience with a touching vocal selec
tion. Certificates were presented by
Erika Wortham, a 1986 graduate.
Closing remarks were made by Ms.
Lynice Williams, chairperson of the
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention
Program Committee.
The graduates of the 1988 Pear
Counselor Class are Warren Bennett,
Patrick Dewberry, Cassandra
Echols, Stacy Grier, Donna Haywood
and April Love.
Another training session for Peer
Counselors is scheduled to begin the
last week of March. Anyone ages
14-17 interested in a Peer
Counselor should contact program
director Montina Lee or assistant
program director KhaUf Ramadan at
834-7388. . '
COUNSELORS
(Continued from page 1)
“do not understand and accept their
children’s feelings of helplessness
and vulnerability. The urge to drink
or use drugs is still there, but some
parents think treatment removes all
desire far these substances, "»*M”g
their children almost superhuman.
“Young people won’t go to parents
who expect them to be perfect,” be
said. “They internalise their desires
for so long that they may fulfill toe
prophesy and return to alcohol and
drugs-”
The second obstacle, according to
Warner, is peer pressure.
When teenagers come back from
treatment to their peers, and nan
using Mends, they find recovering
friends hard to accept.
One high school sophomore ex
plained, “My old drug-using friends
want me to do tougs with them. When
I won’t, they dreo me. Mv hew friends
are the ones in AA and NA. That’s it. I
have to change friends, lifestyles,
everything. It can be rough.”
Warner said in addition to this lack
peers, a negative pubUi^attitude
the support group confirming that th«
teen has attended at least one
meeting.
“It’s not intended to be punitive,"
she said. “It’s Just baaed on the (act
that long-term sobriety is virtually
impossible without support’’
Above all, Warner said, parents
must be especially careful to avoid
talking with their recovering children
in sentences that start, “If only you
had...’’ or “Why can’t you be more
like...?’’ A positive attitude from
teens’ parents can helpthem over at
least ooe of the three stumblina
blocks and perhaps better navigate
tbe obstacle course thev are facing.
SWAPO LEADER
(Continued from page l)
other Journalists of color from major
media, minority press and alter
native news organisations.
Academicians, activists and com
munications professionals are also
expected to attend Nujoma’s keynote
speech at the Atlanta University
Cener on Anil 23.
The Capitol Hill hearing, held May
3-4, also coincides with the 10th an
niversary of the adoption of United
Nations Resolution 435, considered
the Namibian peace plan. The
mineral-rich country has been illegal
ly occupied for 30 years by South
Africa, which maintains an estimated
100,000 troops in the country.
SWAPO has waged a war of libera
tion since 1906. According to a recent
war communique, SWAPO’s military
wing announced that it killed more
than 150 South African troops and
downed two military aircraft during
the first two months of 1980. SWAPO’s
strikes against South Africa are being
scored at the same time the Botha
government intensifies its raids into
southern Angola which borders
Namibia.
Nujoma had announced in the
beginning of the year that SWAPO
combatants would “make Namibia
one huge battlefield.”
MINIMUM WAGE
(Continued from page l)
been raised since 1881. In the interim
the coet of living has shot up 30 per
cent, eroding basic wages by a
similar 30 percent. This has been due
to inflation, Hawkins points out.
In another incident, Hawkins
assailed a reported statement by
Bruce M. Carnes, a deputy
undersecretary for planning, budget
and evaluation of the Department of
Education. Carnes was quoted in the
Wall Street Journal as criticizing stu
dent bodies of black colleges as
perhaps containing “a high level of
thieves” in student loan defaults.’
Hawkins asserted that Carnes’
racist remarks should warrant his
dismissal if he refused to resign, ad
ding that Carnes should also
apologize to all black students “he
-has so outrageously offended" and
that Carnes' remark “is repulsive to
me personally and an affront to all
college students in this nation.”
HELP POOR
(Continued from page l)
poor and delinquent, there’s a pro
gram for you. And on it goes. If you
happen to be poor, not on drugs, not
committing a crime, not sexually ac
tive, you obey your parents, and
you’re going to school, there’s no pro
gram for you. The message we’re
sending to poor people is that if you
want to receive some support, you
must have a problem, and you must (
act in an antisocial or self-destructive
way. As a consequence, the poor are
discouraged from helping <
themselves.
. me nine is at nana to start focusing
on the many success'stories that can
be found all across poor America.
Let'* not go into ft public housing
complex and interview a woman with
five children, two on drugs, two in
prison and one a prostitute. Lot’s go
next door to a woman, like Kimi
Gray, ip Washington, D.C.’s Kenil
worth-Parkside housing project, who
was abandoned at 19 with five
children. Kimi Gray got off welfare in
five yean and sent all five of her
children to college. She proved that
with a little setMetarminatian
hard work, poverty can be overcome.
in other*!)1!, dfirn, wbenf residents
are engaged in a self-help
as cesspools of society.
Tha nftnnin In thOM Dfotecti dil Drove
the notion that low-income people are
deficient of values, that they’re in
capable of establishing standards for
need is not more
meat of which doesn’t get to
anyway. In New York City, for exam
ple,« cents of every dollar earmark
ed for social welfare does not go to the
poori ic poos co cnosc who suppotooiy
serve file poor—the bureaucrats of
The poor need innovators and in
novation. They need to learn how to
Us j
schools and communities.
Tomorrows competitiveness
" ‘^^oday’s
CAMPAIGN TRAIL—Dm Bad, a candidate far tka Panancraaa naadnatlan lor'
IN ofRca of Sacralary af Stata la ptetarad Ran aa tka campaign M wttk ardant
Mpparlar and workar Tony Jackson. Bal kaa sarvad aa Dopaty la Sacratary of
stata Thad Eina for aver six yoart. It la Ena's affca Mat Bad la aindna for. (PNto
by TaN SaMr-CaRoway)
American Lincoln Homes
To Become AmerLink
ROCKY MOUNT—American Lin*
coin Homes, a leading national
manufacturer and telemarketer of
log and conventional homes and com
mercial buildings, officially changes
its name to AmerLink. This
announcement was made public by
Richard Spoor, president and chair
man, during a press conference at
AmerLink’s sales office in Gold Rock.
“Since I founded American Lincoln
Homes in 1962, the company has ex
perienced tremendous growth
through state-of-the-art
telemarketing, production of a
superior product, and a substantial
customer referral business,” ex
plains Spoor. “We feel the name
AmerLink exemplifies our high-tech
dominance in the industry, as well as
RETURNS TO MUSICAL
ROOTS—Noted actor Dorian Harowaod
charts a ratum to his musical roots,
phis tips on playing “Tho Now Dating
Bamo” “How To Handlo SoaotNol
Woman” and IN cluritengo of “Making
A Good Job Bottor” an “Ebony Man"
loaturos In tho April magazine.
Harowood, who oamod critical
acclaim tor his tolas in such Mow as
“Roots: Tbs Next fisnorabons” and
“Ful Motal Jacket,” conldos that Ms
uritost ambition was to bacomo a
successful recording srtlsL
CP&L To Ask
For 11th Rate
Mike Since '73
Carolina Power and Light Co. la
asking Die N.C. Utilities Commission
for a 14 percent rate increaeerto pay
for its Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant.
This would be CPfcL’s 11th rate trike
since 1978 when the Harris project
began, and is expected to increase the
average residential customer’s elec
tric bill to well over $1,000 per year.
On Monday, April 4, the Utilities
Commission will hold a public hear
ing at 7 p.m. in the Dobbs Building,
.JZ n.ti.i._fli I.. n.t.l —t
participate to the coming public hear
ings.
“Hite te our one chance to tell the
UtUltlea Commission that we are sick
and tired of paying for CPfcL’s costly
nuclear plants,’’ said Terry Wall, a
local realdent and Fair Share
Advertfienf*
encompassing the variety of choices
and services we offer our
customers.”
Sales growth and positive cash
flows have been attributes of the com
pany since its Inception. AmerLink,
as American Lincoln Homes,
reported selling $2.5 million worth of
homes in Just its first year, earning
more than 1300,000 before taxes.
Sales topped $4.1 million in the second
year and continued to double.
“In 1907, our company reported
another outstanding year with ap
proximately $10 million in recorded
sales,” Spoor says. “And we are
foreciating sales for 1969 to reach $20
million.”
Sales of log homes are growing
steadily. The trade Journal Log
Homes Annual pegs 1906 North
American sales at $410 million in a
market estimated to be only 50 per
cent mature.
AmerLink’s conventional home
package division and commercial
business are also operating with
positive cash flow. The conventional
home package division, launched in
May I960, has recorded almost $2
million in sales in loss than two years.
According to Spoor, commercial log
building projects, such as
AmerLink's 1907 win of a 50-unit, $1.3
million project with the state of Penn
syivaiiuft, ourcHu w out us rar&s, win
be a primary market for AmerLink to
achieve or surpass Its projected sales
for 1988.
Spoor also reveals two major an
nouncements for AmerLink this year.
“In view of our outstanding growth
and potential future growth, we are
making initial plans to take
AmerLink public, tentatively during
the fourth quarter of IMS,” he says.
“We are also making plans to add a
West Coast telemarketing center,
possibly through acquisition or
merger.”
AmerLink’s fully integrated
tolanrnimimteeHnne system places it
on the leading edge of companies us
ing telemarketing to sell products.
Only about 19 percent of U.S. com
panies »if*"g the technique incor
porate computer-based data system!
into their programs.
In the area of community service,
AmerLink has held preliminary
meetings with Habitat for Humanity,
a nonprofit national and interna
tional renovation charity taken on as
a pet project Jby former President
Jimmy Carter.
“Although plans have not yet been
finalised, we are exploring the
possibility of launching a community
service project to siqport the cause
this year,” Spoor says. “If negotia
tions are successful, project details
will be released soon.”
AmerLink, founded as American
Lincoln Homes in 1983, Is headquar
tered in Rocky Mount and operates a
manufacturing plant in Odd Rock.
AmerLink manufactures log home
rational frame homo packages,
custom-dealgnad hoon ud con*
merdal log buildings. One of the na
tion's flva largest log bone manufac
turers, the company offers a diverse
■election of hocMi, with 101 standard
dwrioe and custom deeigne available
in six different log styles end three
weodspedoe—white pine, cyprees or
western red cedar.
representatives and
te get reaetien to several
■ItgaasentB for the expressway.
Woman Claims
FBI Forced Her ,
To Tell Falsities
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (AP)-The
FBI triad to force a woman to make'
false statements against a black FBI
agent who lias filed a racial
discrimination suit against the agen
cy, the woman’s lawyer said last
Rosemary Coleman Pessko was in
terrogated for 20 hours over a three
day period earlier this month regar
ding her relationship with agent
Donald Rochon, attorney Stefan
Pressor said.
Two FBI agents from Philadelphia
apparently tried to convince Ms.
Pessko to say that Rodion first hit
her in a violent quarrel March 4 at the
apartment they shared in Penn
sauken, N.J., then broke his own nose
to convince investigators both had
been acting violently, Presser said.
“We’re considering filing a lawsuit
against the FBI,’’ said Presser, who
is also legal director of the American
Civil Liberties Union of Pennsyl
vania. “She’s obviously furious about
the way she’s been treated.’’
The FBI said in a statement that
the questioning followed normal pro
cedures any time allegations of im
propriety or criminal wrongdoing are
leveled against an FBI employee.
The questioning was “professional
and in keeping with FBI policy and in
no way interfered with anyone’s
rights guaranteed under the Constitu
tion,’’ according to the statement
released in Washington.
Rochon said the March 4 argument
was precipitated by Ms attempts to
break off his relationship with lb.
Pessko. He was critical of the ques
tioning.
“Hie FBI knew she was having
emotional problems for a month or
so,” Rochon said. “She was re
questing psychological help and
counseling. They didn’t leave her
alone. I told them her state ot mind
before they went down there, and in
stead of being compassionate, they
seized on her weakness.”
Rochon and Ms. Pescko filed sim
ple assault charges against each
other in Camden County, N.J., then
dropped them.
Rochon filed suit Nov. S, 1987 in
Washington against the FBI and the
Justice Department, alleging racial
discrimination, harassment and
death threats from fellow agents and
supervisors when he worked at FBI
offices in Omaha, Neb., and Chicago.
The federal Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission has ughaid
Rochon’s racial discrimination
allegations in connection with Ms
stay in Omaha in 1983 and 1984.
The case has been closely watched
in WasMngton, where President
Reagan has been reported as “very
upset” about Rochon’s reports of
discrimination and U.S. Rep. John
Conyers, R-Mich., accused FBI
Director William Sessions last wank
of stalling on an internal investiga
tion.
Health QfficMs
Ask Parents To
Do Assessment
State health officials are urging tbe
parents of children entering public
kindergarten in tbe fall of 1988 to have
their child’s newly required »»—
assessment completed before school
starts in September.
two yean ago, tbe N.C. General
Assembly passed legislation requir
ing children who enter Undergvten
in the public schools in tbe 1NMS
school year to have a health nn»
ment. This assessment includes a
medical history and physical ex
amination with screening for vision
and hearing, and if appropriate,
according to Marilyn Asay, nursing
consultant for the Maternal and Child
Health Branch of the N.C. Depart
ment of Human Resources’ Division
of Health Services.
“While the Immunt—Hflu Hit*
among children entering
kindergarten and the first grads has
beenextremtiy high for a number of
years, we have not known tbe overall
health status of these vouimiMv ”
Assy said. results oraSsMsees
mant will give us an opportunity to
locate those children who mayhave
undetected, or possibly untreated
health problems that might Interfere
with their success at school.”
She pointed out that the
assessment must be conducted bet
ween Jan. i, IMS and the end of