Newspaper Page Text
Page 6
The Wolverine Observer
November 6, 1982
Political Perspective
F. Carl Walton, Editor
BillyMcKinneyVisitsCampus
“Politics rules every facet of
your life,” said Billy McKinney,
democractic candidate running
as an independant for fifth
district congressman against the
incumbent Wyche Fowler and
black republican Paul Jones, to
students of the Social Science
department classes during a
recent visit to the campus.
Expounding on the several
issues that had a great impact on
blacks in terms of politics
McKinney mentioned that black
people have been traditionally
excluded from politics by law.
f “The Dread Scott decision was
a legal act that excluded blacks
from politics, and in 1947 in
Georgia the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP) went to court
winning a decision to do away
with white primaries," said
McKinney.
McKinney noted that when he
registered to vote he had to
recite portions of the United
States constitution.
“Most of you have no idea as
to the hardships your parents
had in trying to obtain voting
rights.”
Citing incidents that took
place in Greensboro, North
Carolina involving -student
protest at a downtown store,
McKinney was able to clarify to
students the difficulties of blacks
gaining respect as well as justice.
He went on to say that
probably the most significant
incident that aided in the es
tablishment of a positive move
ment for blacks was that of Rosa
Parks, said to be the “mother” of
the civil rights movement.
“Every black child should have
the right to know the history of
our race and how we got where
we are today,” said McKinney.
He said that at an early agejew
children learn of their heritage
without shame, and this should
be the way that black children
also learn of their culture.
Out of the struggle of the
by Ronald D. Fudge
1960s’ came the Voting Rights
Act of 1965.
Just this year, this Act was
extended for another 25 years.
“This shows just how rigid
whites are in their attempt to
keep us (blacks) under their
control,” McKinney continued.
“You wouldn’t think blacks
would be still trying to gain
voting rights," said McKinney.
Stressing the fact that it is
important for blacks to have
black representation even sorry
ones, McKinney said that, “At
least they live with you, and their
children go to the same school
that yours attend, they shop at
the same markets with you, and
they have a sensitivity for you.”
After Reginald Eaves, Fulton
County Commissioner, and
Julian Bond, Georgia State
Senator, changed their horses
seemingly in the middle of the
stream when they sought run
ning for fifth district con
gressman McKinney said that,
“We would be the laughing
stock of the country if we fought
for a case into court dealing with
reapportionment and won, and
did not have a qualified black
candidate to represent the fifth
district.”
McKinney continued to say
that there are one and a half
million blacks in Georgia and for
101 years white congressmen
have represented blacks. He also
stated that as long as their is no
representation for blacks we will
always be at the mercy of whites.
“We (blacks) as a people must
prepare ourselves to be a part of
society of this country or else we
will be forever griping for
throwouts that the government
has made us to believe we must
have.”
McKinney emphasized that in
order to get any economic gain
we (blacks) must participate
politically.
In his comments about Atlanta
and public policy McKinney said
that blacks in Atlanta control
public policy. “Atlanta is an oasis
in the middle of the dessert
when it comes to biack involve
ment in politics,” said
McKinney.
In counties like DeKalb and
Cobb in metro Atlanta there are
no black political figures,” he
added.
McKinney continued that
throughout the state of Georgia
there is no black representation
because first of all, whites don’t
want blacks to vote, and second
ly blacks have been led to
believe that the process of voting
isn’t worthwhile.
His reasons for running as an
independant is due to the fact
that Commissioner Eaves and
Senator Bond who decided at
the last minute to drop out of the
race and this did not allow him
enough time and/or money to
run a successful democractic
campaign.
In order to run a successful
campaign in time, he had to run
as an independant so that his
name would appear on the Oct.
30 ballot.
His most significant contribu
tion as Georgia State represen
tative for the 35th House District,
was when he made it possiblefor
night clubs and taverns to stay
open until 2:00 a.m. on Sunday
mornings in Atlanta.
Because Atlanta is such a
tourist attraction and growing
international city, this contribu
tion made by McKinney inacted
a law shows a difference in
Atlanta's townish image into the
city image that it has today.
When asked who he thought
might be his chief opponent in
the upcoming election,
McKinney replied, "The incum
bent Wyche Fowler of course!”
In his comments about black
republican Paul Jones he said,
“Blacks have never voted
republican and it is going to be
very difficult especially since
voters will have to request blue
ballots."
South Africa
by Todd Allen
It was 11 a.m. on Monday,
October 25 in Jordan Hall when
more than 60 students and
faculty members of the political
science and history departments
gathered in a large classroom to
listen and learn about the
current situation in South Africa.
Two black South African exiles
and a United States black lawyer
vvho are all deeply involved in
the struggle to bring support for
blacks in South Africa were the
speakers.
The symposium had been
brought to Morris Brown by Dr.
N.R.Farokhi of the political
science department. The hour
long symposium featured Ms.
Gay McDougall, Ms. Tandi
Gcabashe, Dr. Fred Dube, and
others. Dr. Dube and Ms. Mc
Dougall are members of the
African National Congress South
Eastern regional tour of
speakers, adn Ms. Tandi
Gcabashe is from the Americna
Friends Service Committee, and
program coordinator for
Southern Africa Peace Education
Program in Atlanta.
Ms. Gcabashe introduced the
delegation and the symposium
began with Ms. McDougall star
ting out with a discription of
South Africa today as it concerns
blacks of Southern Africa. Ms.
McDougall commented that
South Africa is “comparable” to
the United States in many ways.
According to Ms. McDougall
the most pronounce identifiable
trait can be judge ot be in
comparison with South Africa is
that a society of affluent whites
live in prosparity while blacks
live in urban slums full of gross
poverty, another comparable
quality of the South Africa
system is that the majority of
black original native population
live on barren land reservations
like the American Indians. Ms.
McDougall then began to give
some hard facts about South
Africa.
At least 75% of black South
Africans are starving. More is
spent on the education of South
African whites than black South
Africa education. There is 13
times higher infant mortality rate
among blacks in South Africa
than among whites.
One out of every four black
South Africans are put into jail
for political reasons yearly. She
went on to discribe that jails in
South Africa regard torture as
American jails regard iron bars,
adn that the legal trial system in
South Africa for blacks is a 45
second qppearance in court at
which the black is sent off to jail.
Dr. Dube was next introduced
and added an out spoken insight
to the description of Ms. Mc
Dougall. Dr. Dube announce
that he has been a long time
member of the African National
Congress, and that the decades
of the 50’s and 60’s ended the
ANC’s 48 year support of a
nonviolent stand against white
South Africans Apartheid system
Dr. Dube explained that South
African blacks just grew tired of
being massacred. He than went
on to discribe the inspiring
system used to jail black South
Africans in some detail.
The crime that most black
South Africans are found guilty
of is called failure to produce on
demand.” It is a crime resulting
from the lack of a pass that every
black South African must have to
walk the streets.
Dr. Dube then described the
South Africans as a part of the
learning structure.
The South African system of
education is very similar to the
education here in this country,
but in America at least blacks
have the same syllabus.
“In South Africa there is a
special syllabus for blacks that
teaches inferiority,” said Dube.
When the meeting commenc
ed, Ms. Gcabashe urged students
to get in contact with her if they
were interested in contributing
support in local South AFrican
support groups. For more infor
mation phone (404) 586 - 0460
Students Must Learn To Fight Back
Let’s face it, the final punch has
been thrown. Students, don’t
you think its about time we begin
to fight back. Black people have
always been the underdog in this
society, particularly in the
political process.
A brief review shows that at
first we fought to be citizens, we
then had to fight for the
franchise. And, finally we had to
fight as citizens, with the right to
vote, to participate in the elec
torate.
Now, let’s face the facts, we are
damn good fighters. We seem to
think of ourselves as’poor losers,
wny can t we view ourselves as
winners and act like the winner
we are?
Looking from the political
point of view Black people are
becoming very content with
having won a few fights. We must
realize, like all champions, we
must defend ourselves against all
newcomers any place and at
anytime. Whether it be South
Africa or Atlanta, our chief
adversary today is Ronald
Reagan and his new federalism.
Who do we put in the right
against such an awesome
fighter? Do we put Fredrick
Douglass, Booker T.
Washington, Nat Turner, W.E.B.
By Eric Tharpe
DuBois, Martin Lather King Jr., or
Malcom X? Of course not. Or do
we rely on Jessie Jackson, Andy
Young,Tom Bradley, Ben Chavis,
Ben Hooks, Joseph Lowery,
Coleman Young, or Walter Faun-
troy? We all know these men
have seen many fights
themselves. We are big boys and
girls now so why can’t we do our
own fighting?
We must be realistic and put
things in the proper prospective.
Sure we like to party down, we
can party til our hearts are
content, but let’s also rally.
I know a lot of us like to drink
and smoke pot, but let’s not
forget what “booze” did for the
native Americans, or how opium
was used on the Chinese people.
We all like to have good times,
but we can’t have good times if
we don’t have any rights. We
must make it as hard if not harder
for them to take away our rights
as it was for us to gain them.
After the first and second
round of the fight, on my
scorecard, Mr. Reagan and his
new federalism are far ahead of
the champion. The champion
appears not to be fighting back.
Maybe we (blacks) are waiting to
be knocked down like they say
we always do til it hits home first
before we act. But, against
Ronald “Reaganomic” Reagon,
let us act now.
Students as potential leaders
of the black community we must
be a fighting champion. We
need to make a history for our
generation to motivate the
future generations. All black
people have the same problems,
we share the same objectives.
Why can’t we have the same
idiology? Let’s try “a continual
struggle to be winners,” it’s up to
us (studnets) to make something
new happen in the 1980's.