Newspaper Page Text
Don't Forget
SICO
NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY
Vol. 1, No. 16
N.W.). Tuesdays - Thursdays at 8:00 pun.,
Fridays at9:00p.m„ Saturdays at 5:00 p.m.
and 9:00 pun, and Sundays at 3:00 pjnand
8:00 pun. For tickets, call (202) 232-1122 or
1-800-448-9009.
Oct 6-7
the Rayburn House Office Building, with
Breath: Women With Aids,'
(16300 St. NW). 5:00 -7:00 pun. For more
9. The
Theatre (2819 M St NW) at5:30 - 7:00p.m.
Chorus and The Flirtations. Lisner
Auditorium, 7:00 pun, and 10:00 p.m. For
tickets, call 1-800-448-9009.
Taking Pride in Our Culture
September 29,1988
The NAMES Project Quilt, shown here during its Atlanta stop over Memorial Day weekend, returns to Washington, D.C.
October 8 - 9. "This (the Quilt) is the only time I have ever seen Lily Tomlin speechless", Atlanta NAMES Project volunteer
Pamela J. Cole wrote in her journal after seeing Tomlin on video at the San Francisco showing. Turn to page 16 for Pam's
account of her days with the Quilt and the people drawn to it
AID Atlanta Denies Latest Allegations
Helping Hands of Atlanta, Inc., a
fundraising group, issued a report September
12 that attacked the administration of AID
Atlanta executive director Buren Batson and
urged the Board of Directors to resign for the
good of the agency. The group also
announced that they were pulling all funding
from the AIDS agency until perceived
problems were resolved.
The report, titled "A Study of Service
Delivery and Community Perception of AID
Atlanta," called for a blue-ribbon nominating
committee to draw from a wider section of
Atlanta’s AIDS-affected population in the
formation of the new board.
"The new Board's first task (after
employing a competent executive director...)
should be to decide on the achievable
objectives of the agency...," the report said.
Batson called the report "rife with
misinformation" and charged that the report
was being circulated in a manner that was
"calculated to be destructive."
Bruce Gamer, president of AID Atlanta's
Board of Directors, agreed with Batson, and
said, "By its very inaccuracies, you can see
that it is biased."
Helping Hands' Allen Jones, who chaired
the special committee that prepared the
report, stood behind the group’s allegations in
spite of the criticisms, and stated, "The report
speaks for itself."
In a related matter, the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation has received a positive
recommendation from AIDS Health Services
Program (AHSP) director Dr. Mervyn
Silverman to fund the second phase of AID
Atlanta’s $1.6 million grant Silverman's past
criticisms of Batson and the agency are seen
by many as the catalyst of the recent public
outcry.
Batson stated Friday that it was not the
criticisms that bothered him, but the way in
which they have been presented.
"I am hurt by the charge that I am uncaring
and insensitive," he said. "Because I know
just the opposite."
The Helping Hands report characterizes
Batson somewhat differently. He is charged
with leading an autocratic administration
which has substituted bureaucracy for
leadership. The Board of Directors is labeled
as ineffectual and lacking in financial
responsibility by the report
The issuance of the report followed the
resignations of board members Barbara
Chamness and Russ Richardson, who tried
unsuccessfully to delay board elections while
the Helping Hands offer was being
considered. Both said afterwards that the
negative energy necessary to sustain the fight
were finally too much for them to take.
Gamer, who along with the rest of the
board, is Batson's employer, has continuously
defended Batson against outside criticisms.
"He is straightforward. I think he's done a
good job with it"
Batson noted on Friday that his contract
had been automatically renewed when the
board did not complete his personnel review
by the August 1 deadline. Some board
members complained that they were unaware
of the deadline, and were now blocked from
canceling his contract without the additional
expense of buying out his contract
"There are those past board members who
probably think that I should waive my rights
because the board inadvertently, or
purposefully, failed to exercise its rights (and
reconsider the contract)," he said." 1 am
unwilling to release this agency from the
obligations it has accepted."
Speaking to chaises that he had threatened
members of the board with legal action for
discussing his future at the agency, Batson
said that he had only told the board when they
were on shaky legal ground. He added, "I
don't threat. I act."
"My first priority for caring and sensitivity
is for the needs of our clients," Batson said.
He continued, "This is a human service
delivery agency. And it is our role to provide
services and support advocacy of our clients."
Batson admonished Helping Hands for
their report, and said "They ought to be here
cooperating rather than attempting to
undermine our efforts." He added, 'Tve been
through bureaucratic wars that would make
this look like an afternoon in the park."
-Chris Duncan