Pete’s
Pickin’s
BY W.A. “PETE" WILDER
\
Did anyone ever hear that Robert Umstead at one time was a mem
ber of a singing group? The answer is “yes.” as a youngster, Robert,
“Spug” Jones, Major Parker, and Andrew Bridges had a quartet in the
children’s group at St. Matthew AME Church. Don’t ask me what year!
You can ask me “what year” A1 Perry went to Bimini. The answer is
1962. His accomplices were his two sons, Al, Jr. and Toney. The pictures
finally came last Monday. The pictures were lovely but there were ques
tions. Some wanted to know about the fish house in the photo. Others
wanted to know who the photographer was and if he was Al’s “P.R.”
Some had doubts since the Rodney King verdict that maybe we might be
suffering from “lying eyes.” Al did have the pictures.
“B J.” Smith has another truck. I saw it at Haywood’s Mortuary last
Monday. As a result of the conversation, I came away feeling that B.J.
and Chas. Haywood were developing a coalition of sorts. Just what kind
defies definition.
The new minister arrived at St. Matthew AME Church last week in
time for Sunday services. He is the Rev. Marion Robinson, formerly a
member of St. Paul AME Church here. Word was received that the
church received him readily.
Ms. Bernelle Hall Becknell was the Woman’s Day speaker at the
United Church for All People on the fourth Sunday at 11 a.m. Ms.
Becknell is a Raleigh native who had lived in New York City for more
than 20 years and has recently returned. She is the sister of Brother Ed
Hall.
This is the season for St. Aug.’s track team. Somebody wrote that
the only way for the club to lose is to leave the team at home. Some
fhvorites.
Twas nice to get back to City Hall and the Human Relations Office
Thursday. I even dropped by to see Assistant City Manager Lawrence
Wray.
I heard that Luther Williams was to have a birthday spread on
Friday. 'Die amazing thing is that Luther didn’t say how many birthdays
he had seen. Suffice it to say 21!
Hie people in the front apartments of Walnut Terrace have done a
magnificent job beautifying their lawns. Believe it or not, somebody no
ticed it. It is out of sight. You ought to go by and see it. That is why I left
word at Ralph Campbell, Jr.’s office for him to pay them a visit by the
weekend.
I left word in the office of Floyd Carter for an urgency. Sorry, Floyd,
the urgency still remains. May I also add it isn’t too late!
I had a chance to attend a seminar, sponsored by the State of North
Carolina Department on Aging. The special interest and instruction was
Supplemental Security Income. You may be able to get more money. I’ll
be happy to help you look into it if you are interested. The intonnve
training began at 8:30 a.m. and ended about 4:45 p.m. People were there
from all over the state. The instructor was a lawyer for U.S. Social
Security from Washington, D.C. She brought a lot of useful information
but she also received tremendous input from the field. I came away with
expanded knowledge of the Social Security realm and pleasantly sur
prised to learn how flexible it sought to be.
Ms. Ruby Madden remains on our shut-in list. She resides on Postell
Street and is a member of St. Matthew AME Church. She would love a
call, a card, a prayer.
D. Lorenzo Sanders, Quarry Street, was scheduled to leave the city
Ftjday morning to carry his granddaughter to Marion to participate in a
statewide bowling tournament for youngsters. I understand that, bowl
STARTS JUNE 5th EVERYWHERE
(Check Your Local Listings)
Blacks Get Less Benefits
Says Study By Lawmakers
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP)—
Black applicant* are less likely
than whites to be awarded benefits
under two mqjor Social Security
disability programs, a congres
sional study found.
The General" Accounting Office
said earlier this month that much
of the racial differences were unex
plained among applicants who ap
peal initial denial of benefits un
der the Social Security Disability
Insurance program and the
smaller Supplemental Security In
come program.
It urged the Social Security Ad
ministration to investigate reasons
for the racial differences, and the
agency generally agreed.
But Social Security Commis
sioner Gwendolyn S. King said the
GAO’s methodology may have
been "seriously flawed” by failing
to rely on a thorough analysis of
medical data.
She said Social Security’s own
studies “consistently show that
blacks apply for benefits at a
higher rate and with less severe
impairments than do whites.”
The GAO, an investigative arm
of Congress, made the recommen
dations in a report released May
11 by Sen. William Cohen, R
Main*.
It said much of the differences in
initial acceptance rates could be
explained by severity of impair
ments and demographic factors.
But it said similar reasons could
not be found at the appeals level.
It also found unexplained racial
differences among one category of
initial SSI applicants, aged 18 to
24.
‘The largely unexplained racial
differences in allowance rates [at
the appeals level] calls into ques
tion the equity of treatment be
tween black and white applicants,”
the report said.
Racial differences in awarding
benefits have been found consis
tently over 30 years in the Social
Security Disability Insurance pro
gram, and for at least the last five
years in the Supplemental Secu
rity Income program, the report
said.
However, the GAO found that
blades receive benefits at a higher
rate than whites.
In 1988, within the general
population of working-age adults,
blacks were twice as likely as
whites to receive disability pro
gram benefits and four times as
likely to receive SSI benefits, it
said.
Within the working-age popula
tion with severe impairments in
that year, blacks were receiving
benefits at a rate comparable with
that of whites, the GAO found.
Blacks in general applied at a
higher rate, thus offsetting their
lower rate of acceptance, the study
found.
The Social Security Disability
Insurance program provides in
come for the disabled covered by
Social Security. The Supplemental
Security Income program provides
federal and state assistance to the
disabled who have low income and
little assets, regardless of whether
they are covered by Social Security
insurance.
Both cover the disabled who
cannot work for at least a year.
The disability program paid nearly
$25 billion to three million dis
abled workers and 1.3 million de
pendents in 1990. The SSI pro
gram paid nearly $13 billion to 3.4
million disabled.
Applicants an appeal the denial
of claims to administrative law
judges. Under the disability insur
ance program, the judges allowed
benefits to 55 percent of blacks
and 66 percent of whites who ap
pealed in 1988, the year the GAO
examined.
Communities In Schools
Gets PTA Council OK
Wake County PTA Council has
endorsed Wake County Communi
ties In Schools’ (CI3) mission to
help prevent school dropouts and
coordinate community services to
Wake'County students and fami
lies in crisis.
CIS was incorporated in 1990
and now serves 300 middle and
high school students in six Wake
County public schools: East Wake
High, Garner Senior High, North
Garner Middle, Zebulon Middle,
Millbrook High, and East Wake
Middle.
“PTA is pleased to support Com
munities in Schools and offer our
help in building partnerships for
education,” says Pat Trussell,
Wake County PTA Council presi
dent.
Local PTAs with a CIS program
will be encouraged to appoint a
board member to function as a liai
son to their CIS program.
Under the SSI program, the
judges allowed 51 percent of black
appeals and 60 percent of white
appeals.
The largest racial differences
were found in the Social Security
Administration’s Chicago office,
where the difference in allowance
rates on appeal was 17 percent for
the disability program. In New
York, the rate was 15 percent. The
smallest racial differences were
found in Denver and Philadelphia.
King, in a statement the day the
report was released, said the
agency has already begun exami
nations of decisions by the admin
istrative law judges and expects
initial results in June. She also
said she has increased the number
of minority and female judges over
the past two years.
FALCON TWINS-Lovely St. Augustine's Falcon twins Robin and Felicia
Walker, who are majoring in Criminal Justice and Business Administration
respectively, are currently pursuing a deal with a major record company as well
as recelpients of their degrees from the college as '92 graduates.
Nat’l. Black Mayors Pick Officers
ATLANTA, Ga.—The National
Conference of Black Mayors, Inc.,
elected new officers during its 18th
annual convention held in Kansas
City, Mo. April 2*2-25. Mayor
Henry Espy of Glarksdale, Miss, is
the new president of the 337-mem
ber organization.
When Mayor Espy was elected
to the city commission in 1975, he
was the first black elected official
in Clarksdale. He served as com
missioner for 14 years, and then
mayor pro-tem for three years be
fore being elected mayor in 1989.
He is also president of Century
Funeral Home, Inc. and Century
Burial Association.
A business education graduate
of Southern University in Baton
Rouge, Espy governs a population
of approximately 25,000 people in
Clarksdale. In his acceptance
speech as the new president of
NCBM, he noted the lack of fed
eral funding in addressing the
problems that black mayors face in
their cities, and encouraged them
to be “mayors of vision” in finding
creative solutions. He is proposing
a three-day hearing in Atlanta, ar
ranged by his brother, U.S. Rep.
Mike Espy (D-Miss.), with federal
housing and transportation offi
cials to create a plan of action for
the cities to present to Congress.
Espy succeeds Mayor Unita
Blackwell of Mayersville, Miss.,
who served two terms as president
ofNCBM.
Other officers elected include
first vice president, Mayor David
Johnson, Harvey, 111.; second vice
president, Mayor Lottie Williams,
Velda City, Mo.; third vice presi
dent, Mayor Julius Patrick Boyce,
La.; treasurer, Mayor Carrie
Perry, Hartford, Conn.; secretary,
Mayor George Shannon, Pleas*
Hill, La.; and historian,
Janie G. Goree, Carlisle, S.
NCBM is a nonprofit, nonparti
san, service organization that pro
vides management and technical
assistance to its members.
Wasting Money On Heating
And Cooling Your Home?
We Can Help Fix The Problem!
Here’s How
• Repair broken or shattered windows
• Insulate floors & ceilings
• Weatherstrip doors
• Underpin trailers
• Protect heating ducts
If you reside in Wake County and have Limited Income call the Count il
On Aging for assistance. No Charge To You.
GXJNClL n.n 700*?
ON AGING 872-7933
OF WAKE COUNTY
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