Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Page 2 November 17, 1978 Where W ere the Voters Tuesday ? By A. Lineve Wead Co-Editor It was close race, but not close enough because Clark profes sor of Afro-American History, Eugene Walker was not the winner. According to Walker, it was the black community who did not make the showing at the polls. Same old story: the black community did not support the candidate who identified with them more than the incumbent, John Truelove. Walker was running to express their concerns to the DeKalb County School Board; Walker was responsible to the black community because he felt a need to get some black representation on the school board; yet the black com munity turned away from the polls and watched the returns in this very close race. DeKalb County had 93 percent of whites registered to vote and only 7 percent of the blacks were registered to vote. Yet, the figures revealed that Truelove won by only 51.4% com pared to Walker’s strong showing of 48.6%. Looking at Republican Georgia B. Jones’ state represen tative race in the 31st district, the local paper said Grace Hamiliton, “rolled over challenger Georgia B. Jones.” The final figures revealed the statement could be backed up by Hamilton taking 81.7% of the vote, compared to Jones’ 18.2%. but once again, where was the black community when Jones needed that support to get a seat last Tuesday? We were wait ing on others to do the job and get another white elected to a seat that could have had our Career College Placement direc- .tor, Jones in it. It is a sad revelation that black voters have the amazing ability to elect the “wrong” people to represent them. We cry for representation in between the elections, and when it is time to show what we mean, we avoid the polls, like blacks did early in this century. Have we forgotten the turbulent 60’s when our relatives and leaders marched, boycotted, and picketed so that we can have this opportunity to be counted? Are we so naive in thinking that everything will be all right, if we don’t vote this one time? If we are, then it is time to reassess our goals in life and what we deem as important. Students in the Atlanta University Center had no excuse not to vote; the polls were open at Morehouse College until 7 p.m. The only excuse could have been that we were not registered to vote. That is not an excuse, itself; it is a sorry statement that anyone should be ashamed to reveal. I sincerely hope that Walker and Jones do not give up hope in the black community. We are looking at future Walkers and Jones’s to accept the challenge of getting into the political arena, and attempting to represent the people. We are looking at two very important leaders who chose to play this game of politics and taste the defeat. Walker was brave to run in a district where basically blacks are few and fewer are registered to vote. Jones had her observers scared at a black Republican running in this dis trict, because here observers did not know why she switched from Democrat to Republican. Whatever motivated both Walker’s and Jones’ run when the odds were stacked so high against them is irrelevant. What is relevant is the examples they have begun to create for those behind them to follow. THE UNITED WML The PANTHER is published twice monthly by the students at Clark College. Editors Suleiman Abdul-Azeez Ann L. Wead News Editor Marcia Jones Feature Editor Denise Green Sports Editor Charles Anderson Photography Editor Tyraun Patterson Business Manager Jack Jenkinft Staff Artists Linda Dyson Felton Fedrick Faculty Advisors Denise Johnson Osker Spicer All articles, poetry, photographs and other con tributions to the newspaper may be dropped off at our of fices in Thayer Hall. Address all correspondence to: PANTHER Newspaper, Box 154 Clark College, Atlanta, Ga. 30314. The Panther Molefi Speaks Here Lesotho Reporter Joseph Molefi. (Photo by James McJunkins) By David W. Thomas Senior reporter for Lesotho Radio Joseph S.P. Molefi expressed hopes of increased international relations between the U.S. and Lesotho recently in a brief talk with students at Clark College. Molefi is in the U.S. by way of the “International Visitors Program of the International Communication Agency.” Atlanta is just one of the stops he has made during his tour of the U.S. Molefi addressed a small reporting class saying, “We would like to see as much solidarity as possible between the people of the U.S. and Lesotho.” Lesotho has only one radio station, which is owned by the Lesotho government. This is a remote reason why Molefi is visiting the U.S. He has come to observe operations of small newspapers and small radio stations. “The radio is the most im portant medium of com munication in Lesotho,” says Molefi. “Even the illiterate can hear. He added that, by way of welfare, thousands of tran sistor radios were distributed to the Lesotho people. Molefi hopes to effect some of the techniques he observes in the U.S. Although Molefi was educated at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannes burg, S. Africe, clashing political views caused him to be banned from the country. Hence, his talents were quickly put to use in Lesotho. Along with being the senior reporter for Radio Lesotho, he holds several other positions including: public relations of ficer for government operated Lesotho Development Corp.; correspondent for the British Broadcasting Company; and president of the Lesotho Union of Journalists. One of Molefi’s concerns within the next three months is to help establish a Pan- Africa News Agency which would collect news from all over Africa and distribute it all over the world. He said that there is no school of journalism in Lesotho. However, in two or three more years, one might be set up. The tour, which began Oc tober 15 will end in New York November 13. A State Department representative, Carl Weick, is Molefi’s escort for the duration of the tour. Molefi expressed anticipation mf more similar tours of the U.S. in the future. What Will History Record About Us? By Suleiman Abdul-Azeez Co-Editor I was in elementary school when I first began reading about the accomplishments of great black people. Throughout high school and college I continued to read about the great ones in our race. I admired black wizard George Washington Carver for squeezing more than a hundred products out of the lowly peanut. I still marvel at Charles Drew, discoverer of blood plasma. These were black men who contributed their genius to mankind as a whole. Samuel Cornish and John Russwurm es tablished a first for the race with Freedom’s Journal. AlHajj Malik Shabazz (Malcolm X) uplifted the opinion which members of the race held themselves through his preachments. Because of the accomplishments of these and hundreds of great black people, there are volumes written on black history and accomplishments. Everytime I read about black achievers in history, I have to wonder where I shall fit among history’s people. The question becomes more urgent as I clear another hurdle, like my ap proaching graduation. It also becomes more encompassing as my perspectives broaden. So now the question is where will my graduating class, indeed my generation, fit in the history of black people? There are not many firsts to record so far in my generation. Rather, mine is a generation which has benefited from the ef forts of previous ones. We attend college in greater numbers because previous generations have fought for the right to do so. We enter professions previously forbidden to many blacks because members of previous generations pave the way. Certainly, we are qualified to attend the schools we now attend in greater numbers and to hold the positions we can now get. However, that is not the issue. Throughout history black people have always been qualified for positions which were denied them. Somebody had to expend some effort to open the way. There are certainly plenty of areas in which those of my generation can make their mark. Why shouldn’t the AUC Mass Communications Department, based at Clark, turn out the first black mass communicator to head an African bureau of a major news service, paper or magazine? Perhaps some pre-med student from Morehouse’s new Medical School may be the doctor who discovers a cure for sickle cell anemia. Surely my generation can produce the educator who devises an innovative teaching plan to reverse the trend of illiterate high school graduates among our youth. A credible textbook on black psychology is long overdue in the college curriculum. My generation could very well make such a contribution to the race. I believe an economics major in my graduating class can create the model black co-op which would spread the wealth more evenly among black people. The sociology major who im plements an alternative to prisons would stop the erosion of the race’s male base. In all aspects of our social, political and economic lives there is a need for not only better mousetraps but also for newly built ones. My generation needs only to commit itself to undertake the task. The steady improvement and ad vancement of the race in particular and mankind in general mandates a race of men and women whose concerns reach beyond the goal of personal aggrandizement to one of concern for the greatest good for the greatest numbers. My generation could settle for a role of vigilance, that is, guarding those advancements made possible for the race by previous generations. However, such a role would merely en sure that the graduating class gets a representative share of the $15,000 and $20,000 positions available. Our learning “validated” by our degrees, indicates we can do more. We owe the race a much bigger contribution in historical development and advancement. When I pick up the “Who’s Who in Black America — 2000,” I want to see my graduating class, my generation, amply represented by genuine contributions to the race and mankind. Otherwise, we will have settled for too little — even if the class’ average income is $30,000 by then.