Newly Elected DNC Chairman, Making
History, But Faces White Suspicion
BY CHESTER A. HIGGINS. SR.
NNPA Newt Editor
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The
Democratic Party is setting an eye on
winning back the White House in 1992
and the new chairman of its Dem
cratic National Committee, Ronald
H. Brown, has emphatically announc
ed that he will let nothing come bet
ween him and attainment of that
goal.
Brown, the smooth, articulate
Washington insider and a partner of
one of the Capital City’s most power
ful law Arms, made headlines when
he became the first black in U.S.
history to be elected chairman of a
major American political party. He is
INSIDE
AFRICA
k— BY DANIEL MAROLEN
Last week’s Part One of this series
of three articles on the “Origins of
Apartheid” revealed the failure of the
first Dutch immigrants to establish
coexistence with the natives of the
Cape of Good Hope. The immigrants
did not heed the warning of their
Dutch East India Company to "live
amicably and peacefully with the
natives." Instead, they used
dishonest measures in their barter
trade with the natives; stole their cat
tle, sheep, goats, children and wives.
The Dutch showed their aggression
against the natives by building a for
tified castle, surrounded by a thorn
hedge. They looked down upon the
natives as inferiors. Then their greed
led the Dutch to grab the natives'
lands, stock and property. They kept
on pushing the Khoi-Khoi.
Strandlopers and San people farther
and farther north. The natives' bows
and arrows were no match for the
Dutch bullets and guns. Soon the
Dutch decimated whole nations to the
Khoi-Khoi, San and Strandlopers.
There is a big lie that historians tell
of the Dutch immigrants discovering
an unpopulated Cape of Good Hope
which they occupied. It is a blatani
lie. The Strandlopers were there
fishing for their living; the Khoi-Kho
were there hunting game with theii
bows and poisoned arrows, and thi
San were there plying their dail;
trade.of moving thetr- hereta fron
pasture to pasture, when the Dutcl
first came to the Cape of Good Hope
The tale of an “empty land" w;as i
fallacy. But the Dutch used it (am
still do) to justify their occupation o
native lands in South Africa.
Surviving shipwrecked Dutcl
(See INSIDE AFRICA. P. 2)
47 and the 36th chairman of the DNC eye may, indeed, be a bloodshot if not
which now has 404 members. a black one. Before he was elected by
“I can’t ignore the history of the moment.
In choosing an African-American... you have
made history. I did not run for this on a basis
of race, but I won’t run away from it. I am
proud of who I am...”
__Ronald II. Brown
But uneasy rests the crown on the acclamation at the DNC’s midwinter
winner's head and the Democratic meeting, an affair that had all the col
orful and tumultuous trappings of a
tnini-Democratic National Conven
tion, a rumored walkout of Southern
state Democratic chairs threatened
to split the committee asunder.
Brown, against the perceived
wisdom of many pundits and insiders,
including such “knowledgeable”
observers as this writer, had
eliminated opponents long before the
DNC meeteing. He wrapped up the
(See ELECTED, P.2)
The Carolinian
VOL. 47. NO. 23
RALEIGH
MONDAY
FEBRUARY 20. 1989
N.C.’s Semi-Weekly
DEDICATED TO THE SPIRIT OF JESUS CHRIST
Reward Program
SINGLE COPY
IN RALEIGH 4.90
ELSEWHERE 30*
STAR Aims At Thieves
New Weapon
In War On
Theft Rings
A new (op-dollar reward program
now gives law enforcement officers a
new weapon in their war on theft
rings operating across the state.
The program, called Stop Thefts
Assist Recoveries, pays for informa
tion leading to the arrest and indict
ment of high-volume thieves.
STAR is sponsored and funded by
the property and casualty insurance
industry through the North Carolina
Rate Bureau and offers $1,000 or
more for information on thieves who
steal more than $100,000 worth of
goods, or commit 10 or more
burglaries, or steal five or more
vehicles.
“We’re hoping STAR will help put
some of the state’s most active
criminals out of business and behind
bars,” said Art Ivey, chairman of the
s Rate Bureau and regional under
writing manager for Allstate In
i surauceCp, ....
i “These crimes don’t just hit pro
perty owners hard, they also make up
a sizable chunk of the $1.7 billion in
I claims paid out by insurers annually.
: If we can help the police catch some
of these thieves, then we can keep our
i costs and our customers’ rates
(See THEFT RINGS, P. 2)
BY CHESTER A. HIGGINS, SR.
XXPA News Editor
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Twi
outstanding African-Americai
academicians and one outstandinf
African politician/diplomat wrot<
books over the past year. Am
although the settings somewhat dif
fer, the themes and ultimate thrust o
all three are remarkably similar.
“Maggie’s American Dream: Thi
Life and Times of a Black Family" b;
Dr. James P. Comer (New Americai
Library) is a remarkable book on ai
unremarkable subject: the struggle
of a poverty-stricken, virtuall;
unschooled Mississippi-born womai
who overcomes shattering odds ti
raise her four children and, evei
after her husband’s death, manage
to see tnat every one ot tne cnitaren
receives a basic college education or
beyond.
‘‘The Avenue, Clayton City,” by C.
Eric Lincoln (William Morrow & Co.,
New Yoik) is the only fictional
publication among this trio. Indeed, it
is a series of short, interrelated
stories centered in a prototypical
Southern town between World Wars I
and II. It is told with such mastery
that fiction becomes fact.
“A Walk Into the Past,” by
Philemon Ng’oma (Kenneth Kaunda
Foundation), a native of Zambia, is
an autobiographical rendering of one
of Africa’s most interesting public
figures. I was somewhat surprised
that Phil has turned author. Although
(See OUTSTANDING, P. 2)
_ *» -« auiaMla AaAAakMftAAlabM SnatMAwinm Dlmjtk
a mil ovor awaras prostnianon nononng nan
dongh Associatai ¥ St. Thamat, Virgin liiandi
Young Firm Award from Howard Univeriity
School Architecture and Manning. Mi. Robert and Mrs. Donna
deJongh (center and right) were honored to he recogniied by
their alma mater at Harry 9. Robinson. ■ (left). Dean ol
Howard University School ol Architecture, presented the
award
CITED FOR BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENT-Div Gregory Headen, president of Shaw
Divinity School, (let!) presents one ot two Business Achievement Awards to
Grady Perkins. Mr. Perkins is the Chelt Executive Officer ef the ReMgh Institute of
Cosmetology. The “occasion was the 2nd Annual Heritage Festival held on the
Divinity School camguy. Ms. C. J. Pitts ofXtveNa Beauty Colege was also honored
in the held of business aftSe event (J. Ormmtmur^- ~
Prison Cap Triggered;
New Act Implemented
State Correction Secretary Aaron
Johnson last week informed Gov. Jim
Martin and State Parole Commission
Chairman Sam Wilson that special
provisions of the recently amended
Emergency Prison Population
Stabilization Act, the so-called Prison
Cap, have been triggered.
As a result, the Parole Commission
will have 90 days, or until May 16, to
reduce the total population of the
state’s 89 prisons to no more than
17,460. This is the sixth time these
provisions have been triggered since
the law was first ratified March 11,
1987 and the first time since the
General Assembly amended the
Prison Cap on Jan. 31.
Last week, the state’s prison
population totaled 17,706. That mark
ed the 15th consecutive day that the
prison population had been above the
legislatively-mandated ceiling of
17,640.
The Prison Cap is needed to
demonstrate to the courts that North
Carolina is serious about easing
prison overcrowding, a source of ma
jor litigation here and in other states,.
However, during the 23 moths since
the original law was enacted, public
concern over measures designed to
stabilize the prison population signal
ed a need for changes in the law.
The recent changes in the legisla
tion are designed to give the state
Parole Commission more flexibility
in its efforts to' control the prison
population. The changes were pari of
a special emergency package propos
ed by Gov. Martin Jan. 18 to ease both
prison overcrowding and public con
cerns about the early release of con
victed offenders from prisoin. The re
mainder of that package, which call
. (See NEW ACT, P. 2)
Robinson Named To
Accrediting Board
Of Higher Education
Saint Augustine’s College
President Pretell R. Robinson
has been elected to the board of
trustees of the Atlanta-based
Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools to represent higher
education institutions. The
27-member board acts as the ad
ministrative body of the regional
accrediting organization.
School accreditation is a peer
evaluation process to ensure that
an education program meets
standards set by educators from
other similar member schools.
Robinson has been a Depart
ment of State lecturer to 12
African nations. State Depart
ment representative to major
Chinese universities, and a
Smithsonian Institution team
member to visit Indian univer
sities.
I|e participated in the C.S.
Department of Interior’s Steer
ing Committee on llistoricalliy
Black Colleges and Universities,
and served as past president of
the National Association for
Kqual Opportunity in Higher
Kducation.
Robinson, a former member of
the executive council of the
association’s Commission on Col
leges, has published more than a
dozen articles in professional
journals and has read numerous
papers at meetings of profes
sional organisations.
He holds the Ph.D. and M.A.
from Cornell University in rural
education and the B.S. degree in
economics and social science
from St. Augustine's. He has
studied at Berkeley, Penn State
University, and was in 1973 a
visiting felloiw at Harvard.
A former teacher and pro
fessor, he has been president of
St. Augustine’s since 1967. He is a
lay reader for the Protestant
Episcopal Church and a member
of the Raleigh Chamber of Com
merce.
The Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools is one of six
regional accrediting organiza
tions in the nation. The nongov
ernmental, voluntary organiza
tion has more than 12,000
members including'private and
public universities, colleges,
junior colleges, occupational in
stitutions, secondary schools,
middle and junior high schools,
and elementary schools, enroll
ing approximately 10 million
students in II Southern state and
Latin America.
Each member school has one
vote in the delegate assembly of
(See DR. ROBINSON, P. 2)
Increased Funds Vital
For Public Education
President Bush and the new Con
gress must “substitute results for
rhetoric” if the financial needs of the
public schools are to be met in pro
viding the education necessary for
the nation’s youth.
That was the message from nearly
800 local school board members who
met in Washington, D.C. recently for
the 16th annual conference of the
Federal Relations Network, a compo
nent of the National School Boards
Association. The conference was
climaxed on the final day by
meetings of individual attendees with
their senators and representatives on
Capitol Hill.
NSBA President-elect James R.
Oglesby, of Columbia, Mo, said that
“While federal funding is not the only
answer, the federal government must
accept its share of the financial
burden and responsibility.” He noted
that many of the problems facing the
public schools are “societal in nature,
not academic. We inherited them.
The schools cannot do the job alone.”
Oglesby, speaking on behalf of
NSBA President Leonard Rovins and
the board of directors, called for a 10
percent increase, or $1.4 billion, in
federal funding for major education
programs. These would include
Chapter I programs for disadvantag
ed students, programs for handicap
ped students, preschool education,
dropout prevention, Even Start pro
grams, and teacher education pro
grams.
Additional budget priorities, he
said, include full reauthorization of
the Vocational Education Act,
renewal of the Child Nutrition Act
and the National School Lunch Act,
increasing the number of minority
teachers, and improving the safety
and health environment of students in
the schools.
Oglesby noted that currently only
77 cents of every $100 in the federal
budget is spent on elementary and
secondary education. “That kind of
spending is simply not adequate to
meet today’s needs,” he said.
“The fiscal 1990 budget proposal in
herited by President Bush,” he said,
“shows a real-dollar decline in fun
The federal govern
ment must accept its
share of the financial
burden and respon
sibility of the many
problems facing the
public schools.
ding. It does not keej> up with the 44
percent inflation rate projected for
1990, much less provide for new in
itiatives.”
Said Oglesby, “If George Bush
really wants to be remembered as the
‘education president,’ he must make
a real commitment. That means
fighting for the kinds of education
programs and budgets that make a
difference.”
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass ),
chairman of the Senate Labor and
Human Resources Committee, in a
luncheon speech, said, “The road to a
‘kinder, gentler’ nation begins at the
school house. If we are to have a
strong and prosperous society with
opportunity for all Americans, we
need federal investment and federal
leadership in education.” A top
priority in the 101st Congress, he said,
is “Smart Start” legislation he has
authored ' o expand the availability of
early chih hood education.
Sen. Rot rt Dole (R-Kan.), Senate
(See PUBLTC SCHOOLS, P. 2)
AIDS Researchers Revealing New
Drug To Prevent Spread Of Virus
Seientist-s said recently they have
discovered ilie three-dimensional
structure ill ii crucial iM'oli'in nuidt*
by the AIDS virus. delininu a target
tor |mtoulinl now AIDS drills
*Thc disuovery will aid ;«ti**tn|il> l*i
imi drill's iliiii block lM»* action ol
Ii*' protein. crippling ilic alulilv ol
dir virus to spread its infection,
researchers said
In die meantime. responding to
tiltnres ri'U'asiil by tlH'Allaiila I insist
1 'enters lor Disease Control. Hep
Itmiald \ Dolinins urged Hit* Hush
adtniiusiraiiiHi ami die llouso Hudgot
Committee. chaired by Hop boon
I'anetla ol Calilorma. to make Aids
research. provoiiimn and treatment
a iM'aldi oaro binding priority in the
KY I Him I indue!
I'rosondy. I .iimsiana is experienc
ing a M perccol death rati* a in* mu
(H»i>*ais widi AIDS, eight |ierceril
higher ilian die na'innal doadi rate
(*>i lie disease *il *«H percent
VII is oases n sianii reached
I *M t as ot dp* Urs ot die year and ac
*'■« diui! ri'imris ik'aihs ol persons
| \< > ti AIDS h.ive readied liMi ill the
! .
iieihon said Karlier diV \vook
in* ii;j«i!«'i, ni continuedAIDS
• t*v it ni this tonic ry sui|Kissrsl the
nmuhet ••' Americans kdlml during
| in entire v, *i in lndm-tnii.i Die pro
icctioii' are that dm linuilH^ ol ilem'
I .m<l aldio'cd «>ll grow precipitous I >
, Hi die dee.ale ahead.
' llnni.isi'Mlid <*r tusexual males eon
‘ iime to represent the largest sop
! moll’ .It l.onisiaii.i s AIDS |si|Kilation
•-»! ' >| eases lloinnsexiial and
bisexual males who are also in
travenous drug users represent the
second largest category with 95
vases Intravenous drug users are in
third place with a total of 04 cases. 48
male and 18 female.
•The problem is especially acute in
the black and Hispanic communities
ot our society." Heliums said. "Re
cent statistics indicate that the
monitor of confirmed AIDS cases per
lno.ooo population is 85.9 for blacks
and 58 2 for llispanics. For the white
community if is 21.5 per 100,000- less
than a third the rate for blacks and
less than half that for llispanics.
Researchers say the new AIDS
drug would not cure acquired im
mune deficiency syndrome, but it
might keep the disease under control.
Isolating the virus' three
dimensional structure for the first
time was "pretty dramatic," com
menied AIDS researcher Jay Levy of
'he t'niversify of California at San
Francisco
The protein is an enzyme, which is
a class ol substances that permit or
sliced up chemical reactions. The
AIDS enzyme comes into play as the
virus makes more copies ol itself.
Alter the virus infects a cell, it
orders the cell s protein-making
machinery to make proteins lor pro
ducing new viruses
Sim* scientists from the' Merck
sharp and Dohme Research
l.alHira'ories in Rahway. N.J.. and
Wes' I*oint. Pa., reporter! their
discoverv in the British iournal
Heliums. Congressional Black
Caucus chair, said the Keagan ad
ministration's FY 1990 budget
response to AIDS of $1.6 billion in
Public Health Service funding, an in
crease of pen * t over last year,
was "far below v, it is needed to
challenge and contain this health
crisis."
(See AIDS TREATMENT, P. 2)
ftf