Why Blacks Are Still Angry
For the 31 percent of African
Americans who live in poverty,
ttye roots of rage aren’t hard to
fathom, they are the sources of
the grim and, by now familiar
litany of “Black Statistics.” That
oie quarter of all African
American men, who are in jail or
oA probation or parole; that more
than 60 percent of all black
children born to mothers without
hiisbands; that almost 40 percent
o{ black males who dropout of
high school and can’t find jobs.
: Much of this underclass lives
ail but pinned up in projects and
deteriorating ghettos—“Our
Brand Of Aparetheid”—without
ahy realistic prospect of escaping.
Ajl these blacks can look forward
t6 is a life of inferior schools and
iqenial jobs (If they can get them
4t all), where the only real
prospect for enrichment lies in
drime and dealing drugs.
: It’s not hard to see how their
plight feeds the alarmingly
Widespread view that whites are
plotting “genocide” against
blacks, or creates support for the
inti-white messages of
Farrakhan and Sharp ton.
Working class and
professional blacks view the
ghetto with mixed emotions.
Anger that the government won’t
do more to help them, but also
eagerness to steer clear of that
dangerous and depressing world.
Yet few blacks can completely
escape white fears and prejudices
fed by images of the underclass.
When any black man watches the
tape of the Rodney King beating
in L.A.; he has to wonder if that
could happen to him. Chicago
political scientist Gary Orfield
says numerous studies show that
whites don’t differentiate among
blacks very well... If an upper
middle class black man puts on
old clothess and heads for the
hardware store in a mostly white
neighborhood, he’s likely to be
seen as a threat! Johnnie Roberts,
a Wall Street reporter, was
accused of shoplifting after he
brought a $600 Hugo Boss suit at
the elegant Barney’s Men’s
Clothing Store in New York City.
After Roberts produced a receipt,
store officials apologized, but
insisted their suspicions were
“understandable.”
N. C. Should Regain Mass
Transit Momentum
BY DAVID BONK
(Guest Editorial)
Public transportation in
North Carolina has taken a back
seat to the attention and resources
poured into the state’s
roadbuilding program. The
passage of the $9 billion Highway
Trust Fund by the General
bly in 1969 represented a
ssive commitment to building
ew roads. Of the total
ppropriated through the Trust
und only $5 million was
earmarked for “public transit.”
As it turned out, that money has
been spent to subsidize the
operations of the Carolinian
Amtrak service between
Charlotte and Raleigh and for the
purchase of abandoned railway
Corridors—not to support ongoing
statewide public transit services.
Despite the emphasis on road
construction over the past 50
years, North Carolina does have a
history of commitment to public
transportation. During the early
decades of this century, the major
cities in the state, including
Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, and
Greensboro, had extensive
Streetcar systems. In 1910 the
capital city of Raleigh boasted
lOtfe miles of streetcar lines. It is
interesting to note that public
transportation, in the form of
streetcars, played a pivotal role in
$he development of North
Carolina’s urban centers. It was
•She streetcar systems that
opened up land around the fringes
’of the existing center city for
development.
In 1990, there were 16 publicly
operated transit systems in the
state, carrying approximately
28.7 million riders. These systems
ranged in size from Charlotte,
with 10.5 million annual
boardings, to Hickory, with
171,000. Overall, transit ridership
was up 7.2 percent over thep
previous year. In the period
between 1966 and 1990, statewide
transit ridership rose more than
10 percent.
The federal government
provides the great bulk of capital
and operating funds for public
transit in North Carolina. The
state provides no operating funds
and only 10 percent of any capital
construction projects or
equipment purchases. Unlike the
state’s road-building program,
public transit in North Carolina
requires substantial local
investment for its operation.
Fortunately, legislation currently
under consideration in Congress
may increase the availability of
federal funds for mass transit
projects.
The impacts of public
transportation go beyond the
immediate impacts of reducing
congestion and air pollution. A
comprehensive system of public
transportation can provide a
powerful engine for economic
^-development. The business
community has recognized that
1
public transit services can
provide access for a wide range of
potential workers, particularly in
lower-paying production jobs. In
addition, an efficient public
transit system could expand
opportunities for home ownership
by providing alternatives to the
dependency on the automobile.
As the larger urban areas
mature, there has been an
increased interest in developing
fixed guideway public transit
systems, such as light rail. These
systems have been seen as public
works investments that can spiv
development and solve traffic
congestion. They are also being
hailed as demonstrations of
progressive planning and civic
responsibility. It is interesting
that at the turn of the century,
streetcars were also said to be
examples of progressive
government and were used by
cities to promote development
and attract new businesses.
Although these systems are not
inexpensive, they can provide the
urban areas of North Carolina
with alternatives to the suburban
sprawl of the past 30 years. The
Raleigh Outer Loop is estimated
to cost $500 million and service a
small part of the Research
Triangle region, principally
northern Wake County. This
investment of $500 million could
construct 40 to 50 miles of light
rail, easily connecting Raleigh,
Durham, Qmpql JJiJl, and Cary
with the Research Triangle Park
and RDU Airport.
Perhaps the dilemma of public
transit in North Carolina is best
illustrated by the pitfalls facing
the newly created Triangle
Transit Authority. In 1990, the
Legislature authorized the
creation of the authority to seve
Wake, Durham, and Orange
counties but did not give it any
means of raising operating funds.
It was only after a long fight
during the 1991 session that the
authority was allowed, with the
agreement of the three counties,
to impose a $5 vehicle registation
fee in the region. The funds from
this fee will not be available to the
authority until at least the spring
of 1992 and the Legislature limited
the amount that could be spent on
administration to just two percent
of the anticipated $2.5 million
raised. This limit will require the
authority to ask local
governments for about $100,000 in
additional funds.
The future of public
transportation in North Carolina
during the 1990s will depend on the
ability and willingness of state
and local leadership to respond to
changing social, economic, and
environmental conditions. The
growth in public transit ridership
will continue across the state,
requiring additional local funding
and demanding that the state
become much more involved in
supporting transit services.
The following facts are noteworthy for
the week of Oct. *W6:
Oct. 30: North Carolina Mutual Life
Insurance Co. organised in Durham, 1MB.
Oct. 25: Benjamin O. Davis became the
first black general in the U.S. Army, 1940.
Oct. 36: Mahalia Jackson, gospel singer,
1911-1972.
Here we go again! It has finally been
revealed that Israel has some 300 nuclear
weapons, armed and ready to destroy
various countries in the Middle East and
the Soviet Union.
On the other hand, the United States and
its arrogant allies from Europe virtually
destroyed tiny Iraq with one of the reasons
given for the assault being tied to Iraq’s
imminent threat of being able to produce a
nuclear bomb within the next 10 years.
Once again, we are given a clear example
of the double standard being applied by the
United States and other European
countries towards countries of people of
color and countries nf people of non
African descent.
A similar situation exists in South Africa
where blacks are not allowed to purchase
or own guns while every white person is
required by law to learn how to shoot a
gun!
While UN inspectors seized various
blueprints for production of nuclear
weapons in Iraq, Israel’s arsenal is not
subject to inspection or destruction. I have
suggested in earlier articles that 1 strongly
feel that Israel is a mere watchdog for the
United States and other industrialized
nations who depend on Middle Eastern oil
to enhance and secure their positions of
power in the “new world order "
It appears quite obvious where most of
the 93-* billion of U S. taxpayer money
which are given to Israel annually is going.
While 38 million Americans, according to a
recent study, are without any form of
health insurance, our government
continues to literally “pour” billions of
dollars into weapons of destruction. This
takes place directly through defense
spending and indirectly through support
for countries like Israel and South Africa.
It is obvious that these strategies are
being utilised to keep the African in his
place throughout the world. While the
African in America Is allowed to purchase
guns, It is common knowledge who owns
the real arsenals. In addition, as long as
blacks continue to use their weapons on >
their own kind, they are perceived as being
more of a benefit than a threat.
We will not place any demands on Israel
to disarm. We do not want to harm the
“peace process.” Isn't it Ironic that the
U.S. and UN seem unconcerned about
bringing peace to various parts of Africa
and other parts of the world? Why are we
so concerned about the Middle East? Is it
oil? Is it Israel? Why didn’t we attempt to
negotiate a peaceful settlement between
Iraq and Iran? Did the United States hope
that they would Mil each other off just as
blacks are doing in the streets all across
America?
Just about anything that happens to any
people of color anywhere in the work! has
serious implications for what is happening
to people of color all over the world. The
frightening and sad thing is that too many
people of color fail to recognize their
connectedness to one another and hence,
they pose no real threat to changing the
status quo. Ironically, many people of
color tend to enhance the status quo. Oh!
My people! Peace!
Different Voice
lit IMlIKlim
IS TURKIC AIIKAKT IN TIIK IIOl'KK?
I invite all of you to rent the newly
released movie, “The Five Heartbeats."
to recapture a positive reminder of the
talent, indomitable will and most
importantly, the basic good nature that
lies in tlie spirit of us all as African
Americans. Especially note the instance
when the five young boys entered a talent
show believing that their talent, the rules
of the contest and the ability of the
audience to recognize talent would give
them a fair chance and perhaps a win. This
scene, and the song they sang, is stamped
on my heart and in my opinion needs to be
sung with courage and fervor by all of us.
You see, what they didn't know when they
went to the talent show was that the pianist
had been paid to discredit their song and
members of the audience were set to Immi
them no matter what they did.
Joyce Fennell and I hud a similar
experience this week. We attempted to
facilitate a conference with a principal,
teacher and student at Enloe High School,
believing that the rightness of our mission,
the rules and our intelligence would effect
positive communication. We hoped that we
could alter a situation potentially
damaging to a young person s view of Ha
rightness of assertiveness, creativity of
ideas and the ultimate fairness of adults.
This was not an instance where a board
policy had been broken, nor had
student violated a rule that would r uttln
suspension nr expulsion, nor - .t* this a
question of grades. The stir-nt. a good,
decent, bright girl, jc , wanted an
opportunity to be heard to have her ideas
respected and tr forge a positive
relationship between herseli anil a
teacher.
The par.it had heard that being
1 involved important; that Enloe seeks In
> better >.uman and race relations and that
| the school has an open-door policy that
, one Hiragrs parents to come in and get
( imnlw-d A* a triem!. who had also worked
1 at Enloe as a home-school coordinator, as
a counselor who has attended many
; conferences in that position, as well as a
. parent and as an advocate. I believed I
, could be helpful and agreed to attend For
our beliefs we were given u new picture,
new rules, a different uuihenct- Hum I have
ever been a part ol and o new experience
hopefully never to be repeated at at Enloe.
The principal, after scheduling a
conference with the parent at a time when
I was with her, presented her with a policy
(No. 6520. Due Process—Student
Grievance Step No. 4). which did not apply
to the situation, telling her that he would
see her. but he would not allow t little old.
silent, nice, intelligent, assertive but not
aggressive) me to attend. The parent,
believing that she had rights, asserted that
she would see him and she would see him
today. Remember. now, Rosa
Parks-"my feets are tired... I will not
move to the back of the tan."
History docs repeat itself, because the
POLICE were called. The charge was
disrupting (hr school process and refusing
lo leave, i.e., trespassing, oh school
property. Not only was the parent to be
urresled. but so was I. who had not said
one word to this principal, who had not
moved from my seat, who had not even
been afforded the courtesy of an
introduction or a hello, who had not been
asked by anybody to leave- I was to be
arrested as well.
What was also our experience was that
"There was no heart in that house at this
time either.” I'm hoping that that
audience had not also bean stacked. Yes.
there were others in that office but there
was not one who was willing to say. "Sir.
these people are my people. I believe you
can listen to them. This child could be my
child. I’ll sit in, we can do this calmly." It
scares me to think that this plan was
known ahead of time, but nobody called to
say don’t come. It scares me to believe
that others agreed with what happened. It
scares me to believe that if this is the
altitude that is allowed and maybe even
encouraged in regards to adults, what is
the atmosphere as it pertains to children.
stiuk’tiU. icurlient. eie
In the movie. "The Pivc Heartbeats."
Robert Townsend moves the pianist off the
bench and plays lus own musk-. The lead
singer and the group are encouruged by a
familiar rendition of their song, the
frightened group member takes cuurage
from the group commiltre and sings away
The leader sets the pace, captures the
audience, even those who have been paid
BY TONY BROWN
IN SPITE OF BLAqCLjMffER^. BLACKS
Inal! my remraibir bring ino
proud of befog Mack and of Mack people, not black leaders,
howcvffr*
Justice of the United States
Supreme Court Clarence Thomas
was found innocent of the moot,
vicious charges that can be made I
about a fellow human being. Anita I
HiU, his accuser, according to
opinion polls, was seen for what
she is by a ^1 margin.
USA Today reported that 57
percent of men and SS percent of
women wanted him confirmed
after Hill's raunchy story and
that 47 percent of all Americans
believed that Thomas was telling
the truth. Only ft percent believed BROWN
the bixarre tales of pornography and lewd offers told by
Anita Hill.
Support for his confirmation among blacks was an
astonishing 70 percent, the highest of any group in the
country.
And when the Democratic senators with the large
black voting blocs in the South saw that figure, it made it
much easier to believe Thomas. Their votes secured Us
confirmation.
I’m proudest of the 70 percent of the black population
that rejected the vicious attacks of the Congressional Black
(Democratic) Caucus, the directors of the national
NAACP, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Leadership
Conference on Civil Righto and opportunistic black liberals
who issued the lynching license for white-liberal fascists.
Acting on this license to kill were the People for the
American Way, Sen. Howard Metoenbaum, Sen. Patrick
Leahy, Sen. Ted Kennedy and his staffer Ricki Seidman, a
People for the American Way confederate. Along witht he
Leadership Conference on Civil Righto, they are all strong
suspects for leaking Hill’s allegations to anti-Thomas press
sources. >•
Fortunately for Thomas, the public saw through them.
And just as fortunate was Thomas’ decision to call their
process “a high-tech lynching."
A Mack truck could have driven through the holes in
Hill’s story. But the Democrats on the Judiciary
Committee conveniently ignored them.
They didn’t, however, ignore Thomas’ apparent anger
when he nailed foem for being racists, and told them where
they could put their Supreme Court job.
One of the brightest politicians in the country is state
Rep. Calvin Smyre, a Democrat fromjGeorgia. Srayre said
he was particularly afraid that the defoot of the Thomas
nomination would have resulted In significant Mack
defections from the Democratic Party.
“Watching those Democrats taking a black man
through this type of process,’’ he said, upset many Mack
people. One of those people is Ms. P.F. from Yonkers, N.Y.
“Watching the performance of the Senate, especially
Kennedy, I became ashamed of the fact that I consider
myself a Democrat,” she wrote in her letter congratulating
me an becoming a Republican and defending Thomas on
the “Phil Donahue Show."
I have to be careful when I criticise Democrats because
some blacks equate Mack and white liberals and
Democrats with God. 1 am also careful because I'
Democrats with God. I am also careful because I’m a
Republican. And you see what happened to Clarence
Thomas for leaving the plantation and defying the black
thought police and their white bosses.
The Texas Times, a Mack weekly in Fort Worth, Texas,
warned its readers in an “Editor’s Note” below my
picture:
“You may have been as battled as we were by Tony
Brown's column last week urging blacks to support
(See TONY BROWN, P.8)
■ MIND’S* EYE
by Agathfi E. Carroo
NURTURING SPECIAL GIFTS
Parenting requires a special relationship with our
children. One of the ofter forgotten parental
responsibilities is identifying, nurturing and reinforcing
their special gifts and talents.
As I recently examined one of the perfumed birthday
cards that I received from my 11 year-old daughter when
she was five or six, I can remember my thoughts: “How
cute." Phrases such as, “Love is a shove of tender loving
super love" or “love is a hard candy, giving treats," did
not exactly strike my fancy.
Yet, I remember giving warm praisea and many hugs.
The cards lug* coming along with a continuous stream of
poetic writings over the years.
Her elementary school teachers for the most part seems
Her elementary school teachers for the moat part
seemed rather oblivious to iny ipffiil talents as they
placed a check nark at the top* terportc meandering.
Over time, I began to aee a God-given talent blossoming
and growing. I began to save her poems and all of her
writings.
It is too often the case that parents tend to ignore or
devalue special talents and abilities of their children. In
some households and neighborhoods, a quiet, creative
young boy perhaps a budding writer, might be labeled a
sissy. Yet, unknown to the teasers, he may be the next
James Baldwin or Alex Haley.
A child who paints or draws might be told of all the
* choo,in* * career as an artist,
ltopefully, the guardians of Roman Bearden were not so
predisposed.
Musical talent seems much more valued in our
community, resulting in a continuous stream of brilliant
young singers. In our school systems, particularly in the
non-magnet programs, creative talent and gifts should be
•■•cognised and promoted through talent contests, class
presentations and activities.
Community programs should also include a recognition
of our children's God-given gifts. However, the larger
burden should rest with parents and guardians who are
witnesses to the early budding of special talents. They
must be the shepherd who watch ovVtheir growth and
development.
To continue nty story... My daughter J|aS now written a
book of poetry titled “Ancestral Rhythm.” consisting of
more than SO poems. Her eany poetic meanderings have
developed into profound, symbolic representations of life
and our heritage, with such (tiles as “African Wine."
"Even Thunderstormsi Must Dte.*"*MWKer Earth s Cry."
* I maginalion Sikr“MotWr Stands."
* parent; guardian and teacher, we must support our
chiltli i :i < God-given gifts. You truly may be grooming the
imm MA.va Angelmi or the president of the United States.