MINORITY BUSINESS -Dmald A. Pals (right), Banaral Matars vlca president In
eharga af tha Materials Msnagamant Staff, aceapts the National Mlnartty Supplier
Davatopmant Council (NMSDC) Leadership Award tram Harriet Michel. NMSDC
Ptasldant, In recognition at tha automaker’s support ol minority business
davatopmant. In 19S9, Banaral Motors purchased mare than $1.15 billion In
gaede and services tram minority-owned and eperated suppliers and carriers. The
awards ceremony was hold recently at the New York Hilton Hotel. Other honoreos
laatudad John H. Johnson, clubman and CEO ot Johnson Publishing and Joseph
A. Unanue, President of Boya Foods.
Miami Drops Welcome Resolution
For Mandela After Cuban Protest
MIAMI (AP) - The City
Commission dropped a planned
welcome resolution for Nelson
Mendels last Friday and some Cuban
exiles called for demonstrations
during his visit here to protest
Mandela’s praise for Fidel Castro.
Mandela is scheduled to address a
labor convention in Miami Beach on
June 28 as part of his U. S. tour.
The political furor arose over
Mandela's comments last Thursday
on ABC in which he thanked Castro,
aa wall as Palentine Liberation
Organisation (PLO) leader Yasser
Arafat and Libyan President
Moammsr Gadhafi for their longtime
import of the one-outlawed African
National Congress (ANC).
Those remarks also prompted
criticism from American Jewish
The statement “pained many,
aanv members of the Miami
community,” said Mayor Xaviei
Suarez, a Cuban-American.
‘‘There was an unwillingness to
analyse other struggles for
freedom,” Suarez said. “It was sort
of ‘He’s my ally and my ally can do no
wrong.”’
A proclamation welcoming
Mandela and praising his struggle
was dropped because such measures
are traditionally approved by
unanimous vote, and two Cuban
American commission members -
Victor DeYurre and Miriam Alonsc
—have now objected, Suarez said.
The mayor added that he also was
troubled by the comments, although
he said he strongly supports
Mandela’s campaign for a non-racial
democracy.
The Miami reaction was not only or
an official level. Phone lines or
Cuban talk shows lit up with almosl
all callers condemning Mandela.
“We Cubans should go protest,”
one caller to Radio Mambi said. “Out
with Mandela — we have enough
communists here.”
Tomas Regalado, the station’s
news director, said Cubans felt
Mandela was hypocritical.
“This guy has a double standard on
human rights,” Regalado said. “He
wants human rights for Mack people
in South Africa, but he’s denying
human rights to the black people in
Cuba.”
Mandela said Western leaders
should not assume that their enemies
are the same as the ANC’s enemies.
He said Castro, Arafat and Gadhafi
had been staunch supporters of the
ANC at times when the West ignored
the black South African cause.
In New York, leaders of Jewish
organisations also criticised
Mandela.
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SEAGRAM’S GIN
AMERICAS NUMBER ONE GIN.
in Spue Of Dangers
Survey Says Gay Men Have Risky Sex
orn't rivAiNUiauu Knf) — A
nationwide survey indicating that
nearly half of black gay and bisexual
men practice unsafe sex - in spite of
knowing the danger - Illustrates an
urgent need for more education
programs directed at the black
community, members of an AIDS
research group said.
“Prevention messages have
generally not penetrated the veil of
denial and fear within our own
community,’’ said Phil] Wilson,
health training coordinator for the
National Task Force on AIDS
Prevention.
The task force, the research branch
of the National Association of Black
and White Men Together, conducted
the survey of 952 black men who have
been sexually active with other men.
They released the results of the
survey this week.
Eighty-nine percent knew that
about the human immunodeficiency
virus, and 97 percent knew it can be
transmitted through unsafe sex. But
only 54 percent said they always or
almost always practiced safe sex,
according to the task force.
“These statistics are shocking but
come as no surprise when you look at
some of the other survey data,’’ said
Reggie Williams, executive director
of the task force.
“Less than half the men surveyed
have attended a safer sex workshop,
slightly mot* than half have attended
an AIDS education program,” be
■aid. “Yet to percent of the men
believe education is the key to safer
■ex practices.”
The study also found that "most
people think they are better informed
than they really are.” Additionally,
"many respondents are incoocistent
and find ways to rationalize
occasional unsafe sex,” the report
states.
And while one third of the men
polled said they had sex with women,
only 31 percent, “always or almost
always use a condom” during
intercourse with them, the study
found.
The task force said its study,
funded with a grant from the U. S.
Centers for Disease Control, is the
first of its kind. Previous nationwide
studies have not focused solely on the
Mack community, they said.
Williams said he was not aware of
any nationwide study of the sexual
behavior of gay and bisexual white
r
men. But in san r rancisco, a March
1990 random phone survey of gay and
bisexual white men found that 30
percent of those polled did not
practice safe sex.
“It says that up until now, the
educational and previous efforts
directed at the white gay male
population has been successful,” said
Beverly Hayon, spokeswoman for the
San Francisco Department of Public
Health.
“But the work in the minority
communities needs to take a different
tack,” she added.
The problem of addressing AIDS in
the black community is complicated
by real or perceived homophobia —
an atmosphere that hinders and open
discussion of AIDS education and
prevention, Wilson said.
Black men can be devastated by
homophobia because they see the
black community as a sanctuary
from racism, then get kicked out by
homophobia, he added.
Only 40 percent of those surveyed
Mt itrongly that they could talk
about AIDS with members of their
familiaa and that their familiee would
be aupportive if they contracted
AIDS.
Becauae of thaae and other cultural
conetralnta, the black gay or biaexual
man la “living in a sexual
achiiophrenia,” Williams aaid.
Thay are the AIDS war’s walking
woundel”_ _ _______
Gay and biaexual black men do not
segregate themaelvea into' gay
Shfttoes as white man do, Williams
aaid. As a result the need for
culturally specific education and
support is increased.
Wiliams cited a lack of self-esteem
among black gay and biaexual men
as the root of the discrepancy
between knowledge and behavior.
Only < percent of the man surveyed
privately think of themaelvea as
heterosexual, however, 35 percent
identify themselves as so publicly,
the study found.
. "i
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