Newspaper Page Text
Tuesday, February 2, 1982
The Ked and Black
Page 3
Rights official says state isn’t fighting discrimination
ATLANTA (UPI) — A federal civil rights official and the
head of the Georgia Office of Fair Employment Practices
told a House subcommittee Monday Gov. George Busbee is
not really fighting job discrimination in his administration
Bobby Doctor, regional director of the U S. Commission on
Civil Rights, said Busbee has not given the GOFEP the
autonomy it needs to root out employment and promotion
bias in state agencies He also said that — as long as former
President Carter was in office — federal Equal Opportunities
Employment Commission "sat on” its findings of massive
discrimination against women and blacks by slate agencies
when Carter was governor
GOFEP administrator Jewell Saunders gave the House
special judiciary subcommittee a tepid defense of Busbee s
policies, saying she had a philosophical disagreement with
him about her agency filing suits against state agencies that
discriminate. She said, however, her office needs the kind of
“autonomy" Doctor said similar offices in Kentucky, Florida
and South Carolina enjoy.
“It's been our experience that the agencv heads in Georgia
From Page 1
Still, Kristin believes there
are better ways of achieving
equality without ERA
"If all the money poured
into ERA had been put into
commissions to get equal
pay enforced, it would make
more sense than getting a
controversial amendment
passed."
And Kristin said it is
education, not ERA, that
will end discrimination.
Despite the different
predictions and in
terpretations made by both
sides, Thomas said it is
possible to predict a few
changes ERA would
probably bring. According to
Thomas:
• Women could be
drafted unless responsible
for the care of a child
Moreover, bias in the
military's recruiting
standards would be
eliminated. "In theory, if the
purposes of ERA are carried
out, it could happen," she
said;and
• Alimony and child
support and custody would
go to the deserving partner.
—ERA —
"This will reinforce what
we've already been seeing,"
Thomas said.
By the same token,
Thomas said ERA would
probably not:
• Sanction homosexual
marriages. “Sex and sex
preference are two different
things. I'm not persuaded
the court would look at ERA
out of its context," she noted.
• Make public restrooms
unisex; and
• Mandate abortion.
"Abortion has never been
viewed as a sex
discrimination issue,"
Thomas said.
While Thomas said these
changes can be reasonably
predicted, an associate
professor of political science
disagreed
Lief Carter said such
speculation is merely
"arguing cases in the ab
stract.” Carter said he feels
the ERA is on shaky ground,
and any interpretation would
depend on who the judge is
and what his political
leanings are.
He did agree with Thomas
that an interpretation of
“sex" as sexual preference
are not moving, particularly in getting blacks and women
into non-traditional positions," said Doctor "It s important
that agency heads get the message that they're going to have
to act affirmatively."
He did not mention specific agencies but said the altitude is
widespread among state officials, "including the chief
executive of the state."
Saunders said she reports direct to Busbee and that “the
governor and I disagree that we should not be an agency that
will sue other agencies.” She said her office referred 35
employee complaints to "special masters" for hearings last
year and that 17 of them resulted in findings of
discrimination
Only three ended in findings of discrimination by state
agencies, she said, but six others were settled before
hearings were held In those cases. Saunders said, the early
settlement indicated the agency conceded discrimination
and made amends
Most of the other cases were removed to federal channels
and one is still pending, she said.
Rep David Swann, R-Augusta, said he wanted to
strengthen GOFEP procedures, but did not want to put state
agencies at the mercy of disgruntled employees
"If we re not achieving full and fair hearings, let's see
w hat has to be done," said Swann "But let s not respond by
weighting it too much for the other side."
Reps Calvin Smyre and Sanford Bishop, both black
Columbus Democrats, complained that a Busbee-backed bill
would extend the life of the GOFEP for only one year Smyre
said most agencies being spared from the “sunset” law are
made permanent or get a six-year extension
"If the stale was serious about fighting discrimination,
why would you have a repealer on the bill? said Smyre
"Just about any agency you can name gets at least six
years."
Saunders said the sunset provision "insulated the agen
cies" that discriminate in hiring and promotion.
"They don't take the Fair Employment Practices Office
seriously because, at any time, the General Assembly can
sunset us," she said.
Doctor said Busbee signed an executive order in 1976
requiring agencies to come up with "affirmative action
plans" for recruiting and promoting more blacks and women
in 1978, when Busbee was up for re-election, he sponsored the
bill creating the GOFEP but the act included a June 30,
1982. "sunset" provision, banned hiring quotas and forbade
the agtpicy to take other state agencies to court.
Doctor said women make up about half the stele population
and blacks are nearly 30 percent, but that they hold few
policy-making jobs in state government He said only 3
percent of Ihe employees making more than $16,IXK) a year
are black and only 7 percent are women
Doctor said the Reagan administration’s Justice Depart
ment is not as interested in civil rights cases as some past
administrations, but that "at some point in the not-too-
distanl future, you're going to get federal agencies that are
much, much stronger in terms of their overview of the
states.” He said the state would be better off handling
discrimination locally.
or behavior is unlikely. He
added that if ERA were
applied to homosexual
rights, then it might also be
used to legalize prostitution
“I think it highly unlikely
any judge would make these
interpretations,” Carter
said.
For any of these changes
to come about, three of the
six uncommitted states will
have to pass the ERA before
June 30. Hannon said ERA
Georgia and ERAthens will
concentrate their efforts on
getting the bill passed in
Florida ERA Georgia will
probably take on a new
name as it spreads its in
fluence beyond Georgia.
Although the ERAthens
office closed when the roof
collapsed during January's
snowstorm, the group's
members remain active and
committed. They plan to
hold a meeting Feb 15, open
to the public, to get people
involved in their movement
As for the chances of ERA
passing nationally before the
deadline, Hannon may have
summed up the attitude of
many when she said, "It’s
hard to be optimistic.”
Park visited North Korea
Park says China wants
North Korea to like US
By DURMERI8S CRUVER
Ked and Black Contributing Writer
North Korea is under Chinese pressure to
improve relations with the United States,
said University political science Professor
Han Park, one of the few American scholars
to visit that country.
North Korea is in need of Western
technology and economic cooperation, Park
said.
Park, a native South Korean who spent 15
days in North Korea last summer, spoke
before the International Relations Club
Thursday night and gave his "Firsthand
Impressions of North Korea."
North Korea is a closed society, socially,
politically and economically, Park said.
North Korean communism is very rigid; the
ideology is more than a political slogan, it is
a social philosophy," he said.
North Korean leader Kim 11-sung main
tains an almost parental relationship with
the people. Park said.
North Koreans feel they arc the chosen
people "ordained to save the world,” he said.
Park showed a slide presentation of places
he visited during his stay in North Korea
One of the most impressive places was the
Kim 11-sung University, Park said.
In comparison with other Third World
countries, North Korean schools are most
impressive. Park said.
Most of the students at Kim 11-sung
University are family members of govern
ment officials “The University is the
primary, if not the only, comprehensive
institution to produce the elite,” he said.
Parks spent most of his trip in the capital
city of Pyongyang. "Downtown you really
don't see many people or cars,” he said.
"The cities are silent and absent of people.”
Park said he was impressed with "the
degree of consensus of official doctrine."
North Koreans feel Kim 11-sung is
predestined to lead, he said
Everything he says is accepted by the
people without question and every place he
visits becomes a shrine, Park said North
Korea is strategically important and the
country should be open so that the North
Koreans can sec the outside world, Park
said.
Through an unusual invitation issued from
North Korean officials, Park was able to gain
firsthand examination of North Korea “My
position is not to condone, but to explain it,”
Park said.
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