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rich, the poor and the middle class
continue to grow with African
Americans receiving less and less
of quality life and more and more
of the maladies that plague im
poverished communities.
The incomes of the nation’s
wealthiest citizens have increased
so much in recent years that the
richest 2.5 million Americans will
have nearly as much after-tax in
come in 1990 as the 100 million
Americans with the lowest in
comes.
Stated another way, the gap bet
ween the very rich and other
Americans has become so great
that the top one percent of the
population will have almost as
much income after taxes as the
bottom 40 percent. At the same
time, the share of the national in
come going to middle-income
Americans has fallen to the lowest
level since the end of World War
II.
The majority of our problems in
African-America can be at
tributed to a single source.
Although we may believe that the
government and white male
dominated institutions are the
cause of our ills, the crux of the
problem actually lies within our
own economic infrastructure.
Keith T. Clinkscales in Urban
Profile believes educating our
children assures our future. Once
we agree on the goal we must
determine how we will educate
our children, he says.
African-America, he says, like
no other ethnic group in this coun
try, is an economically divided
society. The blood, sweat and
years of demanding our civil
rights has led a portion of our
society to substantial economic
and social prosperity. However,
this prosperity comes at a con
siderable cost. A large number of
African-Americans remain trap
ped in a situation that is
economically and morally un
forgivable. In the black communi
ty, it is becoming increasingly dif
tainable linkages between the
“haves” and the “have-nots.”
Therefore, what is remaining is
a divided black America with two
agendas: the agenda of the. mid*
die class (the “haves”) and the
agenda of the underclass (the
“have-nots”). And despite our
best attempts to reconcile the two
distinct agendas into a common
plan for the blade collective, the
undeniable class distinctions that
exist in our society makes this
goal untenable.
Thus, we come to the in
escapable conclusion that
somehow, we must take steps to
eliminate the economic disparity
in our society. The most expedient
means of accomplishing th\
is to invest in the futu? jx
children.
“Education must be the method
we employ to empower our
children, families and com
munities,” Clinkscales says.
“Education enables our people to
transcend barriers of status and
class to work together for the
common good of aU of the people.
“Once we agree cm the goal we
must determine how we will
educate our children. The current
system will never embody the en
tire solution because it is rooted in
an institutional bias against peo
ple of African descent.
“Trying to change the current
system by improving the cur
riculum, changing standardized
tests, and putting more African
Americans in positions of power
are all valiant undertakings and
must be pursued, but the short
term answer lies in ourselves.
Parents, families, and com
munities must become seriously
involved and concerned with the
educational process. We must fill
in the cultural blanks which are
omitted in our children’s tex
tbooks. History, science, English,
math, and business must be
taught in our households, and
communities.”
At The Margin
uespue progress, many won
ing minority individuals am
families are struggling. They ar
relatively unskilled and often holt
;; jobs as laborers, farm workers, o
domestics. Many live dose to th
edge of poverty, yet opportunit
t and advancement for thei
children remain in sight. Man;
subsist on minimum-wage job
and drift in and out of wort
: Others hold production job
£ threatened by economic change
"S. Most are too underskilled for th
emerging high-tech workplace.
ife for poorly skilled workin
people, whatever their ethni
% group, can be very difficult. But i
; is especially harsh for poorl;
skilled blacks and Hispanic:
na These citizens are the forgotte
X victims of economic upheaval i
the United States, vulnerable t
every change in the economi
' landscape—automation, foreig
competition, changes in immigrs
• tion policy, and plant relocation.
According to the Nations
Research Council, many poo
two-parent families have a full
time worker and, hence, qualif;
for little public aid. Most do nc
qualify for Medicaid and man;
have no health insurance;
serious medical emergency ca
drive these families to thei
knees. Unemployment insurano
and food stamps can only be coo
sidered failures for this grout
Only one-third of unemploye
workers in 1984, were covered b;
unemployment insurance. F0o<
stamps provide only 60 cents, pe
person for each meal for familie
with incomes at one-half of th<
poverty level.
- ine eaucauon ana employment
I status of young white adults who
5 are members of the minority
1 working poor is cause for par
r ticular concern. Hispanic
; unemployment is almost 20 per
r cent higher than that of whites;
r black males are twice as likely to
f be unemployed as white males. At
i the same time, analyses of the
. educational attainment of
s 17-year-olds indicate that the
: average proficiency of black and
e Hispanic students approximates
that of white 13-year-olds.
{ These findings have ominous
s implications for minority youth in
t light of anticipated changes in the
f workplace that can be predicted
. with some confidence,
i In the latest Census Bureau
i report, statistics revealed white
5 households have 10 times the me
e dian wealth of black households
i which do not reflect any signifi
- cant difference than those in 1984,
the year covered in the bureau’s
1 first report.
r Black married-couple
- households had a median net
f worth of $17,640 compared with
t $1,460 for households maintained
f by black males and $760 for
i households maintained by
l females. The comparable figures
r for white households were $62,390,
s $16,580, and $22,100. The median
net worth of black married-couple
. households was not significantly
1 different.
i Home ownership accounted for
1 68 percent and motor vehicle
r value for u percent of black
i household net worth. Net worth is
i defined in the report as the value
of assets minus debts.
Multi-Cultural, Yet; Minority, No!
BY KEITH O. HILTON changed to Multi-Cultural Student
Geest Editorial Affairs.
We ware probably not the first, Recently I saw a job announce
but are proud to be listed among meat from that university that
the leading education sources to continues to state
question the whole notion of “multi-cultural.”
“minority.” Why multi-cultural rather than
Nearly 10 years ago, while minority? We prefer to use the
working at a university in New word multi-cultural or m-c for
York Town, I recommended—and several reasons. It is more ac
it was approved—that its Office of
Minority Student Service be <sw editorial, p.io>
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CIVIL RIGHTS
JOURNAL
BY BENJAMIN F. CHAVIS, JR.
THE TRUTH OF MARTIN LUTHER
KING, JR.
There is no better way for the people <
the world community to remember an
pay tribute to the living legacy of Marti
Luther King, Jr. than listening again to th
truth of Dr. King’s expressed opposition I
U.S. warmaking policies. Today as hui
dreds of thousands of armed forces ai
caught in a geo-political conflict in the Pei
sian Gulf crisis, the words of Dr. King sti
ring loud and clear.
While we have already gone on reord i
expressing our opposition to war in tli
Persian Gulf it is important that we coi
tinue to speak out against any attempt I
justify war for the sake of the control of oi
As Dr. King expressed his opposition I
the Vietnam War, we must be just a
vigilant to express our opposition to th
Persian Gulf War. It was on April 4,196!
one year to the day before his tragi
assassination, when Dr. King delivered hi
famous sermon at Riverside Church i
New York City. For Dr. King, this was th
time to “break the silence.”
We believe it is important for you to hea
these particular words of Dr. King one
again. Dr. King emphasized, “There is a
the outset a very obvious and almost facil
connection between the war in Vietnam
and the struggle I and others have been
waging in America... It seems as if there
i was a real promise of hope for the
d poor—both black and white—through the
a poverty program. Then came the buildup
e in Vietnam and I watched the program
o broken and eviscerated as if it were some
i- idle political plaything as a society gone
e mad on war, and I knew that America
■- would never Invest the necessary funds or
11 energies in rehabilitation of its poor so
long as adventures like Vietnam continued
n to draw men and skills and money like
e some demonic destructive suction tube. So
i- I was increasingly compelled to see the
o war as an enemy of the poor and attack it
>. as such.”
o Dr. King continued, "Perhaps the more
s tragic recognition of reality took place
e when it became clear to me that the war
’, was doing far more than devastating the
c hopes of the poor at home. It was sending
• their sons and their brothers and their
o husbands to fight and die in extraordinary
s ly high proportions relative to the rest of
the population. They were taking the black
r young men who had been crippled by our
e society and sending them 8,000 miles away
* (See RIGHTS JOURNAL, P. 10)
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BY F. GODFREY
ine uoerauun oi tvuwaii nas Degun!
But is the war in the Middle East really
about liberation? And if it is, just whose
liberation are we talking about? I really
don’t believe this latest U.S.-initiated and
implemented attack on a Third World
country has anything to do with the libera
tion of anyone, and certainly not Kuwait.
I hate to beat a dead horse to death, but I
for one am not at all fooled by Operation
Desert Storm’s purported purpose. I
strongly believe that the real mission here
is to remove Saddam Hussein from power
and to neutralize Iraq’s military strength.
Not because Saddam is so evil or that Iraq
might become the new Germany.
Hussein was rapidly moving toward
pulling many of the Arab countries
together under a unified front, thereby giv
ing Arabs more control over oil-rich
resources and creating an imminent
threat to the United States’ watchdog,
Israel. You will note for example that the
biggest praise for Bush’s action came
from the big oil companies, who to reward
Bush for his action froze gasoline prices.
In addition, many individuals made
millions of dollars on Wall Street over the
past few days.
When Qaddafi began to gain recognition
among many of the African nations, he
was accused of terrorism and we sent in
the bombers with support from the Euro
pean countries. When the “wrong” can
didate wins any election in any Third
World country, he or she is quickly over
thrown by CIA-backed groups like the Con
tras in Nicaragua or is assassinated.
When Malcolm X began to make moves
toward bringing unity among many of the
African nations he was assassinated.
When Dr. King began to unite young black
Letters To The Editor
Ta
Our soldiers who serve
our country are in total con
fusion—but they are willing
to serve our country with
love and blood. But most
politicians are just as uncer
tain about the economic
standpoint.
So our homeless go on
feeling disappointed, our
families go in hibernation
not telling Ithe truth to their
children, and the year con
tinues on without an answer.
So after all this our taxes
are raised. Jobe are in lim
bo. And even people are
thinking about they are bet
ter off on drugs than to face
this reality.
Answer: wo one ci«:es
anymore. Remember, this
is a one-on-one issue. We the
people who care must make
selections in our voting at
titudes and take hold of the
situation at hand.
Of course there should be
some taxes raised at a given
point, but not in an
outrageous way to satisfy a
politician's appetite,
because yards, city parks
and other areas to be looked
at—those taxes that are in
creased should be
monitored and dispensed in
all areas of the city; not
some, but areas which are
neglected the most.
A few ; things make
change not greed. I have
found it is greed that has af
flicted the country’s well
being, not love. So think on
these things that can make a
new way of living—and if oil
is a problem in our
economy, let everyone ride
a bike for once. It’s
healthier and economic. If
we could do this we could
save on taxes, and conserve
energy for a future of tomor
Most of all, let’s pray for a
positive change for the
groops in the desert and our
government’s decision.
uriando M. Currie, Sr.
Raleigh
men around the evil of the war in Vietnam
and thereby threaten a ready pool of can
non fodder, he was assassinated.
Many have suggested that Hussein
showed no movement in attempting to res
pond to the United Nations’ (United
States’) demands. Are we so quick to
forget that he released all so-called
hostages who wanted to leave Iraq and
Kuwait? Was this not an indication of his
willingness to bend? Was the releasing of
hostages the action of a “madman?”
I am also amazed at how the U.S.
military and many U.S. citizens are cheer
ing at the so-called success of our “cam
paign.” Praising our efforts against a
small country like Iraq which is smaller
than most states is similar to praising the
San Francisco 49ers for their efforts
against some high-school football team.
There was much cheering when we in
vaded the tiny island of Grenada. There
was the same cheering when we invaded
the small country of Panama and which
we still occupy with military forces, by the
way. The same cheers were heard when |
we bombed Libya. Two common threads
run through each of these “campaigns:” {
the victimized are small countries and the i
citizens of these countries are non- <
European.
Yes, the “liberation” of Kuwait has
begun, but I am not cheering. What I would i
like to know is when will the liberation of ,
the blacks in South Africa begin? When |
will the liberation of the Palestinians ,
begin? When will the liberation of Nor- .
them Ireland begin? When will the libera j
tion of the African in America begin? ,
When will the liberation of all oppressed ,
peoples throughout the world begin?
Peace! ,
1
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the moat High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I win say of
the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him
will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of
the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover
thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust:
his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not he
afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth
by day.
Psalms M:l-8
Tony Brown’s
Journal
war and H[ST0RV. »'NN^
“WAR,” screamed the heaj^ ^ Jan l7( tbeday
artTis."®:®- ,»«»»»»«'•»"»■
“Paul Laurence DunDa
the Marriott Hotel. 6XDected
i ike everyone else, I ®
war but emotionally was hopbig
Twould never come. Andl*e
it worn mothers,
h«,b.»d.
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jok to the past. | "* p‘ul
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lost prolific writers^ ieries can be »w ®“
• Tony Brown’s J°“r,n*1(W1 ^.,,,14 (WUNC). Please
onsult listings or phone suh»
jee African-Amencaius - ^ white8 more preme «
StSfittSS- - «•"“*•'• *cc“'“"‘
‘■srsi's
America’s educational sys pf®^ice andbigobry.
allege, te*^2J fashioned an educational curTicuhmi
SSriStiS- notions of
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S^wSSr iMnd*“d wl
uiin oi wime supremacy uirougn me media, political,
lustice, cinema and other American institutions.
Without a comprehensive reference of who they are, too
many African-Americans, too,, have bought
nto the notions of white supremacy, which necessitates the
relief of black inferiority and subsequently, black seif
late. This self-hatred is illustrated, for example, by the
nany blacks who are outright killing themselves and one
mother at a frenzied pace, through homicide, alcohol and
irug abuse, lack of diet nutrition and poor lifestyle choices.
African-Americans may never change white views, in
ipite of the facts. But African-Americans must change
heir view of themselves from Eurocentric to Africentric;
tom someone else’s to their own; from self-ignorance to
self-a wareness; from self-hatred to self-love.
One of the most effective, if not the most effective tool of
>oth making that change and resisting the vain, fallacious,
vicked notions of white supremacy is through knowledge of
he African-American history, heritage and culture. Hie
nulticultural curriculum arms all to rftamtm the desperate
ary of white supremacists, and compel African-American,
n particular, to proceed to unify, empower themselves and
ichieve self-determination, in spite of what any other
proup thinks or perceives about them.
For example, such a curriculum should teach the fact
hat African-Americans are the offspring of God’s first
lumans, black Africans, encompassing the world's oldest
;nown people, dating back more than three millke years,
tfrican-America ns have the blood of their ancestors,
rhose accomplishments include the invention of dviUsa
ion and all of the arts and sciences. Africans introduced
ivilization to the world. Those achievements include the
•yramids, the sphinxes, the great templea of antiquity,
[old smelting, the invention of math, the calendar,
nedicine, all of the arts and sciences, and much, much
nore.
Although conquered, uprooted and exported to a foreign
uid, then oppressed, exploited and enslaved, African
imerican foreparents built the infrastructure of the United
tates. In America, it was the African-Americans' (rwe
ibor, from ‘sunup to sundown," and their ingenuity which
ueled and blessed the United States to become the land of
wealth and opportunity that it is today.
Africans in America invented the “Real McCoy," a self
iibricating device for machines; industrial food
hernia try; carbon filament method for the incandescent
imp; the traffic signal; first open heart surgery; blood
lasma; the incubator; and much, mucfa more. TTiimtlil
(See OTHER VIEWPOINTS, P. 10)