„
Dr. King’s Movement Still Alive,
r< * '
But Progress And Gains Are Slow
FAL
o o
BY MIKE KEATON
, •HeW'MWCAROUNlAN
It is now 1N9. If by some
“Wculous quirk of fate Dr. Martin
ustner King, Jr. were to return to this
h«*b we call America, some21 yean
•®*r that fateful, day in Memphis, he
•auk!not be pleased. The lack of pro
Vies exhibited by his people toward
those goals he fought so hard and (lied
'so young for would dishearten him.
Yes, there have been some positive
gains. More African-Americans than
ever before can now attend any top
learning institution of their choice.
The average income per African
American house is significantly
higher than 21 yean ago, and the
number in political office continues to
grow across the United States.
iht overaU, gains have been few
and far between, largely because
African America since King has not
■ \
INSIDE
AFRICA
Major grants to grassroots
resistance groups inside South Africa
were announced last week by the
Fund for a Free South Africa.
The Boston-based organization was
founded in 1966 by prominent South
African exiles to support the
democratic movement in their coun
try. The fund works with advisor*
such as Winnie Mandela and
Zwelakhe Sisulu in South Africa.
FreeSA’s support goes to youth con
greases, women’s federations, trade
unions and other groups working to
provide badly needed training and
resources to the country’s Mack com
munities. This emphasis on
organizing characterizes
i giving policy.
Projects inside South Africa receiv
ing FreeSA support cannot be named
due to the potential danger of public
identification with the U.S. support
group. Grantees include a health
clinic which trains youth to serve as
“barefoot doctors” for such things as
simple trauma suffered at the hands
of the police, and a leadership train
ing organization working in a region
of South Africa widely known for its
high rate of vigilante violence and
paramilitary death squads. FreeSA’s
“ ^ is working to rebuild
roots leadership in this
I also provides support to
i working in the so-called
Estates.” FreeSA supports a
hospital, school and farm, all of
which serve a large population of
South African refugees. In addition,
FreeSA has begun supporting craft
cooperatives established by South
African refugees whose goal is
economic self-sufficiency.
Fund for a Free South Africa also
works with American groups in
educational and cultural projects to
heighten U.S. awareness of the crisis
inSouthAfrica. The highly successful
“You Strike a Woman, You Strike a
Rock,” a play presented by three
South African actresses, played to
soM-out audiences earlier this year
with FreeSA’s support.
Fund for a Free South Africa is
headed by Thelma Vilakazi, a South
African Whose 20 years in exile have
net lessened Ms commitment to br
ibing justice to his country. Vilakazi
is widely known in Boston for his
work against apartheid.
FreeSA is a SOI (c) 3 charitable
foundation receiving a combination
of public and private donations.
taken the bull by the horns to deter
mine their own destiny. v >
In fact, many feel we are still
wandering in a mental wilderness as
to who we are, why we are, and where
we’re going.
Like any other household, America
is a family. True, it is not the easiest
household to be a member of, but
nonetheless, it is a collection erf dif
ferent people from different origins,
who by virtue of birth or naturaliza
tion share one common bond: citizen
ship!
While most other members of this
family have enjoyed this right for
dozens of years. African Americans
have really only become acquainted
with It during the past 30.
For a country that is but a
“youpgster” itself this is virtually no
time for a people to truly ‘'make
themselves at home.” Yet, the time
has since passed for us to realize
what our duties at ‘‘home” are.
Duty number one: Clean up after
yourself, as a people we must realize
once and for all that we are here, it is
unlikely that we are going anyplace
else, so we better get it together here!
“Getting it together” simply means
finally realizing where we are and
what it takes to survive and succeed
here. A stroneer cultural identity, a
deafly defined coal and plan to set
there with a determined commitment
from the majority of African
American people toward thoee ends.
Dr. King wants us to dean up the
trash that keeps us stagnant.
Duty number two: Do your chores!
That means being fully participatory
in and knowledgeable of those issues
and concerns that affect your country
and ultimately your people. It is vir
tually impossible for African
American people in America today to
isolate themselves from national and
international issues. Therefore, we
must vote, we must run for elective
fsee UK. KING. P. 2)
The Carolinian
v ■
RALEIGH, N.C.,
MONDAY
JANUARY 16
iVC's Semi-Weekly
DEDICATED TO THE SPIRIT OF JESUS CHRIST
SINQIECOPY ;
IN RALEIGH £0$
Jamaican King
Drug Dealer Convicted
Facing
Cocaine
Charges
in the past year, according to law
enforcement officials, Jamaican
drug “posses" have attempted to
take over inner cities with their
trade. This past week, the head of a
Jamaican-connected cocaine ring
and three others were sentenced on
drug charges in U.S. District Court.
- The alleged local figurehead of the
ring, Claudis W. King, a citizen of the
West Indies, was sentenced to five
years in prison by U.S. District Judge
Terrence W. Boyle on a charge of
possessing a firearm in relation to a
drug felony.
A grand jury indictment described
King, 25, as the organizer of the ring
that operated in Raleigh during 1967
and 1988. Investigators say he
King had pleaded guilty to a
firearm charge in October under a
plea bargain arrangement in which
the other chargee were dismissed,
but he still faces cocaine trafficking
charges in state court. King moved to
ftaleigh from New York in 1987,
allegedly to distribute cocaine and
marijuana, authorities said. He was
(see DRUGS. P. 2)
Parent Group To
Help Fathers In
Prison System
Planned Parenthood ot , Greater
Raleigh is initialing a parent educa
tion program for incarcerated
fathers and fathers-to-be at Wake
Correctional Center, Connie Domino,
community health coordinator, an
nounced last week.
“We are currently working with
Lutheran Family Services in plann
m for these inmates,”
laid. “We will focus on
IVAL. P
Child support payments collected
by the state’s court system totaled
almost $201.7 million in 1987-88, an in
crease of 130 percent in the past five
years, figures released by the Ad
ministrative Office of the Courts
show.
The total figure compares with
$90.3 million collected by the courts in
1982-83, the year before a state law
went into effect giving clerks of
Superior Court a primary role to play
in the enforcement of the child sup
port program.
The-law and its implementation by
court officials are primarily responsi
ble for the rapid acceleration of col
lections, Franklin Freeman, Jr.,
director of the AOC, said. Under the
law, clerks of Superior Court in the
state’s 100 counties regularly monitor
child support cases and take action
when payments become delinquent.
“We’re highly pleased with the pro
gress that has been made,” Freeman
8aid. “Clerks of court and district
court judges across the state can take
BY CHESTER A. HIGGINS,
NNPA (town *“*
- PHILADELPHIA, P
national chain »tore Toys
signed a letter of intent
Fair Share agreement with
• Philadelphia Fair Share Committee
by Feb. 10. The move caused PFSC to
call off its scheduled boycott of Toys
•R* Us stores. PFSC was joined by the
NAACP’s Fair Share program and
‘ PUSH in a national effort,
agreed to return a fair
__us It receives from the
African-American consumers in
various forms of affirmative action,
awarding “senior and executive posi
tions” and other sweeping activities
invoMngbtacks with the stores.
Qnah Weldon, chair of the commit
•. said the coalition of major
organization in the
Valley was ‘‘effectively
our call for a boycott... all
will be canceled and all
activities will be stopped.”
issive demonstrations were
for before Christmas at the
10k Mall, Cheltenham
and Easton Road, where
t on hand while meetings
i between Toys R‘Us of
mwM
Kendall Wilson said PFSC and Toys
’R’ Us officials met and jointly ham
mered out a letter of intent, stating:
“It would serve no purpose to
escalate the tension in the African
American community against Toys
‘R’ Us. We have agreed to negotiate a
national Fair Share agreement to
demonstrate that Toys *R’ Us values
and appreciates the consumer sup
port of the African-American com
munity. ' ,
“This comprehensive program will
identify specific commitments by
Toys ‘R’ Us to return a fair share of
the dollars the company receives
from Africau-American consumers
back to the community in the form of
enhancing corporate sensitivity and
positive community relations,
establishing an aggressive affir
mative action program <and> placing •
African-Americans in senior and ex
ecutive positions.”
Other programs, according to the
agreement, include the establishing ]
of African-American vending pro- |
grams and advertising schedules in
African-American-owned <
newspapers, magasinea and elec- i
tronic media; increased use of (
African-American financial institu- i
tions and insurance companies and >
the development of ethnic represen- I
tat'on on t(ie corporate board of direc
ims
Toys ‘K’ Us spokesman Michael
Goldstein, who signed the letter of in
tent, said, "The situation should nol.
have reached this stage. Basically, it
was a breakdown in communications.
Most of the key people are uwuy from
office headquarters; some, including
the chairman, Charles laixarus, arc
out of the country.”
Weldon said earlier, "The bottom
line is Toys 'K' Us is willing to accept
our dollars, but give practically
nothing back to the black community
In terms of meaningful jobs and
lousiness opportunities. We were very
disturbed when we looked at the com
pany's figures-their sales and pro
wls and could not see where blacks
aero sharing in any of these profits
iespite their great input as con
turners.
Some committee members told of
^siting several stores and being sur
prised "that many of the black
employees were «dy temporary peo
>le... Some have remained tem
oorary for to or more years. They
vork during the peak season, then
ire laid off.. Some have to go on to
ither jobs to supplement their in
J and take care of their
said Catherine Godboit,
pastor of Salem Baptist
.'enkintown.
William B. Moore, chairman
(See TOYS R’ US. P. 2)
pride in the important rote uiey play
in making that progress possible.”
Under the law, darks of court send
notices of delinquency to individuals
who fall 30 days behind in their child
support payments. If overdue
amounts are not paid within 21 days
of receipt of the notices, delinquent
(See CHILD SUPPORT. P 2)
DR. KM6 HOLIDAY—Activities lor Dr Martin Lather King holiday wM bo held
throughout tho week In the area and across the state. Per the Official
Schedule of Events. Call 786-0804.
NAACP Challenges
Cities To Allow
Paid Kina Holidav
While the NAACP Is challenging
North Carolina cities to allow a paid
holiday on Jan. 16 in honor of Martin
Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, many
communities say their opposition is
strictly a matter of economics.
“I don’t think it’s an indication of
racial tension or lack thereof one way
or the other," said David Wilkinson,
city manager of Shelby, which does
not observe the holiday.
“I know it is important in the black
community, and I respect that,”
Wilkinson said. “The resistance,
especially In smaller towns, involves
cost and the feeling that there are
already enough holidays for our
employees.”
Dennis Schatzman, executive
director of the North Carolina
chapter of tbe NAACP, said his
organization is taking a stand on the
holiday because “Martin Luther
King’s birthday is an issue that
should not be questioned.
you don’t have a better person to
fight for than Mai tin Luther King,”
Schatzman said. “He is a man whose
work was recogn zed by the Nobel
Peace Price Comr littee, a man of the
pr- i n->
SCHATZMAN
BLUE
magnitude of Mahatma Gandhi.”
Last week, Lenoir City Council
members also praiseid King. But they
tMd local NAACP leaders the city
can’t afford another holiday.
In Lenoir, as in many other Pied
■ moot cities, officials argue that an
additional holiday for employees is
simply too expensive. They propose
giving employees the option of
trading another of their holidays for
King’s birthday.
But Schatzman and other North
Carolina black leaders say observing
the King holiday is a bellwether of
racial attitudes.
(See NAACP. P. 2)
Black Colleges And Universities
Taking Lead Educating Community
BY KEITH U. HIL1UN
Cuulribulini! Writer
Most black people are aware of
many outstanding colleges, from
Hampton to Howard, Morehouse to
Meharry, Southern to Shaw.
There are more than 100 strong
historically African colleges and
universities in these United States.
These colleges and universities
have led the movement in educating
the black community at home and
abroad. In fact, these schools have
also educated a large number of
white and other non-black students as
well.
In 1968, these historically black col
leges and universities formed an in
dependent association called
NAFEO.
NAFEO, the National Association
for Equal Opportunity in Higher
Education, proposed, through the col
lective efforts of its memberships
“to promote the widest possibe sen
sitivity to the complex factors involv
ed and the educational commitment
required to create successful higher
education programs for students
from groups buffeted by the racism
and neglect of the econiomic, educa
tional and social institutions of
NAFEO's four major specific ob
jectives are to serve as a (1) voice for
historically black colleges; (l> clear
inghouse for information on black col
leges; (3) coordinator in black higher
education and (4) presidential
What most i
that there has
numbers in
The 13
African
College,
Co
Islands ainfWayne County Communi
ty CollegeTMich.i.
There are now 117 NAFEO institu
tions. consisting of private two- and
four-year institutions, as well as
graduate and professional schools
located in 14 Southern states, six Nor
thern states, three Midwestern
states, one Western state, the District
(See COLLEGE. P. 2)