i®Eiir®»tL ! ON YOUR MARK.... Black History Month: Tima to Help BY WALTER E. FAUNTROY Guest Editorial As we celebrate Black History Month, 1992, and honor the expe rience and achievements of black people in America, let us include in our celebrations homage to the experiences and achievements of blacks in Africa and elsewhere in the diaspora. Let us include in our program for progress, increased assistance for blacks in South Africa, elsewhere on the conti nent and in the diaspora. For example, we cannot let the month of February pass without celebrating the dramatic release of Nelson Mandela from prison, two years ago, Feb. 11,1990, after 27 years of confinement in South Africa for his uncompromising resistance to apartheid. The streets of American cities were flooded with those who shared in the ecstasy of black South Afri cans who pledged their continued support to end apartheid and its tentacles. ivianaeia reminds us in a recent, letter which he sent to Congress man Dymally (D-Calif., chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa) in honor of Black History Month, that the struggle against apartheid is not yet over, and even when it is over, the struggle against the deprivations and in equities which are the legacy of apartheid will necessarily con tinue for many years. For ex ample, the lives of millions of black South Africans hang in the balance as a result of wretched add pervasive poverty occasioned bj the immoral South African system of apartheid. As a result of tlgis racially oppressive system, 8) percent of black South Afri cans who live in the homelands life in abject poverty, with no e^ctricity, no plumbing, no tap wgrter, diseased and malnour ished. • Sin Mandela’s letter to Rep. Ewmally, he cites some additional horrifying statistics about the pjpght of black South Africans: tfat median schooling for whites is 9.2 yean but for blacks is only two yean; that then is one doctor for every 400 whites but only one doctor for every 90,000 blacks; that average monthly income for whites is $950 but for blacks only $190; that then is an immediate need for two million homes to house thoee who must now live in cardboard shacks or worse. In nsponse to an appeal by President Mandela for immedi ate emergency humanitarian assistance for the black South Africans who an hungry, home less and in din need of health supplies, friends of Mandela n cently arranged for the installa tion of a “900” number through which persons may easily make a concmte demonstration of their appreciation for Mandela’s work and of their support for the longsufforing blade people of South Africa. A call to 1-900-230-8880 pro vides the caller an opportunity to hear a pre-recorded message of thanks from Nelson Mandela and triggers a contibutron to the Mandela Freedom Fund. The call costs $6.95 and is authorized only for persons over the age of 18 years. The Mandela Freedom Fund is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organisation which fimds worth while relief and development projects in a broad range of black communities in South Africa. Sharing our meager resources with our South African brothers and sisters is both noble and prac tical. Most of the people reading this news story are probably sub stantially better off than the aver age South African black (remem ber, median schooling, 2 years; average monthly income, $190). Because South African blacks are currently in the midst of a major assault on the apartheid system, each dollar received now . may well be worth much more to them than the same sum sent a year from now. Assisting South Africans is a splendid way to cele brate black History Month 1992. Environmental Emergency I ' Jased on the most informed intific opinion, unless far aching measures are taken scpn to curb the release of carbon ‘ djpxide and other greenhouse glses, irreversible threats to all humankind and the natural envi ronment will be inevitable. The National Academy of Sciences points out that the long-term consequences of global dimate vArming and damage to the ojjpne could be severe. T*resent evidence indicates that human activities almost exclu sively account for the amplifica tion of the Earth’s natural green house effect. This warming is leading to higher temperatures worldwide, rising seu levels threatening coastal cities everywhere, changes in rainfall patterns, more frequent and intense tropi cal siorxps, more severe droughts, reduced agricultural output, the destruction of coastal wetlands and the loss of many unmanaged ecosystems. Two evaluations remain: na ture could be warnidg us that we are the culprits and must stop the amplification of the Earth’s greenhouse effect, or, it is a natu ral progression and there is noth ing we can do about it. For the most part, tha United States, Japan and wastern Eu rope must aggressively reduce their carbon diorrids — through ftiel efficiency in build ings, industry and transporta tion. n OPINION jfehjfcL m Dems should ask,. ‘Where’s Cuomo?’ Coming out of the Now Hampshire primary and tha Iowa eaueuaaa, tht Democratic Party aaoma hollbont on perpetuating Mr. Dooley's mournful ma-montiTh’ Dlmmyoratlc Party ain’t on apaakln' torma with iUllf.” Iowa nativo ion Tom Harktn, tha only avowad literal praaidantlal hopaful, walkad off with tha Iowa Damooratio dalagataa, whila tha Naw Hampshire campaign laft all Demo crata aaUvating for an olaetablo Candida to. All Candidataa arc olaetablo. Soma ara aimply more olaotabla than othara. Daopita tha Now Hampahira out* coma, two political facta of life arc Ir refutable: Bill Cllnton'a candidacy ia a fatality waiting to happen, and tha candidacy of Paul Taongaa ia a hap pening waiting to fail. I will confoaa, however, that the chariamatic and aolar-brlght intolloct of Clinton Initially faacinatod me. With tha collapao of hia candidacy, Damocrata daaparataly need a mas aiva blood tranafuaion of credibility, beginning with their national party chairman, Ron Brown. Tha natty, ole aginoua Brown lnaplrea aa much con fidence in the party’a fortunea aa Lit tle Orphan Annie reciting the Declaration of Independence out door* in aero-degree weather at midnight. The Democrat* must also eventual ly master the art of nominating elect able candidates. All candidates are electable. Some are more electable than others. And that electabllity is based on perception. Currant polls (aver incumbent President Bush ovar all DtmocraU. Olvon that acanario, tha Damocrata should ba working ovartlma for tha moat alectable Democrat: Mario Cuomo. Whan tha New %rk governor dis avows any Interest In a presidential race, ha Is sincere. But recently, tha statesmanship of his speech at Har vard revived a moribund national party. Three questions must be asked: • Can Cuomo win? Of oourse, he can. Experienced as head of the Empire state, unapologetloally liberal ana en nobled with one of the most incisive minds in polities today, Cuomo brinp class to tha presidential dialogue. And he writes and speaks with sn Inspiring authority. His Jan. I, IMS, inaugural address ranks with Lin coln's and Konnady's Inaugural ad drosaos as throe of the moot eloquent statements, of what America Is and can become. • Can Cuomo bring back to the Democratic Party the Southern white males who have defected dispropor tionately more than any other groups? That wu Clinton’s strongest suit as a Southerner. But the answer for Cuomo depends on how long the South can tolerate the economic pain of Bush’s decimation of middle-class families. • Can an Italian-American win in the South in 19M? "His being Italian is not a prob lem," a distinguished publisher of one of the South's most influential news papers laughingly replies. “But a YANKEE Italian?” But Southarnara, Uka Northarnara and Wntarnara, will Join (oroaa if thay collactlvaly daetda that tha Buah adminlatratlon earaa mora about tha atabllliatton bf foreign natlona than tha destabilisation of domaatlc famlllaa, All of tha candidataa hava radlsoov arad tha middla olaaa. Sometimes, It aaama aa If "middla olaaa" is a oode word for excluding tha unemployed, tha poor and minoritlaa from tha po litical dialogue. Still, tha It percent of black fans llloa who aarn f15,000 or mora Juetu proudly anviaion thamaalvaa aa mid* dla-olaaa aa tha II paroant whitefam* iliea in that aoonomic ranga. Whan it comaa to aapirationa for a bat tar Ufa for thoir famillaa, a good oduoatiaii for thalr chlldran and domaatio tran quility in thalr nalghborhooda, «U Americana aro united aa a middla* olaaa nation. Buah hu apont hiaproaidantlal first tarmplaylng Lomuof Oullivar abroad and Rip Van Winkle at homo. Thla nation naada a groat man in tha White Houae. "Great deeds ara wrought at great risks," observed Herodotus. Mario Cuomo offers America an opportunity to do both. O Itfl NKWIPAPOI INT CHUCK STONE Ernies World BY ERNIE JOHNSTON, JR. , YOUNG FILMMAKBHB MISSING THE MARK I hadn’t Man tha movia, Straight Out of Brooklyn, whan it waa playing on tha big scraan ao I did Ilka I do moat , moviee, wait until thay coma out on vidao to I can view them in tha privacy of my own environment After watching tha movie, I could aee why it stayed in tha movia houcac for a short period of time. It didn’t grab tha attention of a wide audience. Filmmaker Matty Rich made a big and bold attempt to put together a movia, getting fbnds from family and other sources. However, there are some ingredients missing and it can be traced to what most young filmmakers lack, experience and not living in a world other than drugs, crime and violence. Almost every film that I have seen lately that has been done by young African-American filmmakers is punctu ated with heavy profanity, men are shown either as no good husbands or sitting around with no real worthwhile jobs. In the case ofStraight Out of Brooklyn, there isaheavy amount of abuse against the woman by her husband, a group of youngsters get a gun from a gun dealer and rob a drug dealer and there is hardly anything positive shown in the movie that a young black can stand up and cheer about. Although there is a message in the film, I am not too sure that what young Rich did can cater to the masses of the people. Rich is not alone as the list is long, Boyt N th* Hood, Juiet and Ntw Jack City all having either a drug or violence plot But then again, this is the world where the Richs, Singletons and Dickersons are coming from. Thank God that Spike Lee is coming of age and is making movie* that can be sean by all group* and all agaa. What thaaa young filmmaker* need to do ia fat sea* aonad actor* and actraaaa* to aarva aa eonaultanta or advisors aa they put together acripta and film their mow* iaa. In this day and time when we ait before the big screen, we need to aee African-American* in a positive light black folks who have acquired something and have gone on to improve the quality of life around them. Not portraying African-Americans in positive ways date* back to the time when black actors and actresses were only given parts aa maid* and butlers. In the *90* we have vice presidents of companies, owner* of big businesses, students who are excelling in high school and college and black folks who are trying to eradicate drugs from their communities. We don't need to see drug dealers killing people, husbands beating their wives and gangs roaming the streets. Young filmmakers have a golden opportunity—to put on that screen something positive as it pertains to Uadi folks. We need to see the black man or the black woman taking over a multimililon-dollar company or tho African American sitting in the head corporate chair being ehauf feursd around in a limo or Rolla-Royoe. And we need the comedies which are always good clean fun. So why not a good black comedy? Since movies are basically fiction, why not give the young black boy or girl something that they can atrivatef Even though it's a dream in the movie, it can became a reality if they study and work hard enough
Union address and the 8peaker of the U.8. House of Repreeenta tivee, Tom Foley's, Democratic MILLEH response to it. I have not heard anyone tell me that they got a warm feeling from theee talks. If one ignores the rhetoric and eeelu the underpinning cause of the present economic crisis, one quickly con cludes that the present politicians’ finger-pointing exer cises are mere tomfoolery. America’s predicament comes from an ignored presidential vision and the Uit. Con gress’ inability to understand the importance of a vision. Earlier in the 20th century, world figures (famous and infamous) possessed a vision they articulated to the masses. President Franklin D. Roosevelt believed that government could help the little man during the great depreesion. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. visualised a nation where people are judged by their character and not rase. Mohan das K. Gandhi envisioned a free and independent India. Sir Winston Churchill refused to give un <» the face of overwhelming odds. Finally, Adolf Hitivi - ight world domination by the German people. The real tragedy ie that President Qecrge Buah had a great vision, “a kinder and gentler nation,” that ha aban doned. President Bush let the high visibility associated with foreign policy successes snchant him into commit ting the ultimate sin of a leader. He put his followers on a fast track to nowhere because he failed to folly paint a picture of what tomorrow should be. Chairmen of the board of multinational corporations can attest that the lack of a vision will lead to your corporation’s demise. The vision statement is the most important element in a business plan because once every one buys into it then they will develop the specific plana necessary to reach this goal. President Bush now suffers from failsd Uadsrship vision syndroms. Ibis is apparent in the ever-increasing employment lines, the swell of homeless people, the re emergence of the soup kitchens, hsalth care evolving beyond the providence of the poor, bank failures rivaling the gross national product of many nations, and so on. These miseries say that the United States of America is a “cruel and rowdy” nation. They also say that America needs a presidential candidate who can separate a vision statement from political rhetoric. Bush can generate good vision statements. Therefore, I ask, “Will he convince the American people he can offer the leadership necessary to make his dreams come truer Or perhaps a Democratic presidential candidate will upstage Bush and convince the American people that he can exploit the original Bush vision to rekindle American prosperity.