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POLITICS
opposition
B NAACP official Bill Law
wants a seat in the new
consolidated government.
In order for that to happen, '
Freddie Lee Handy has to go. -
By Rhonda Y. Maree
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
It’s not about beating Richmond County Com
missioner Freddie Handy, political hopeful Bill
Law said. Sy
But he has already i%%? o o
declared war for the \»{@ PeTe—.
District 2 seat under §\@§ o
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what he says Mr. i SEESE———
Handy hasn'’t. R
“My campaign is not -
a campaign against
anybody,” the 28-year
old said. “It’s a cam
paign to re-establish l“
what the people should A’.’ ‘
have in an elected offi- R\ Y
cigl — someone they Bill Law: “We need
cantrust, someonethey someone in office
can talk to, sorf’leone who is going to do @
N Attounctsg I can. Beter iob than Mr.
Ll an- ”
didacy Tuesday in the Handy is dolng;
lobby of the Municipal Building, Mr. Law said,
unlike Mr. Handy, he will put the interests of
District 2 ahead of his personal interests.
“It is a concern among citizens and myself
that we need someone in office who is going to do
a better job than Mr. Handy is doing,” he said.
Augusta City Councilwoman Kathleen
Beasley will also be a contender in District 2.
Mr. Law said he has long had political aspira
tions, and his record speaks for his leadership
and community involvement.
See LAW, page 6
See ARTBEAT, page 17 - )
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's Finest Weekly N
Metro Augusta's Fines eekly Newspaper
Feds to draw
new districts
B Legislators go
home empty-handed
after five weeks of
political bickering.
By Frederick J. Benjamin
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
The fate of the 11th District
and minority representation
in Congress may ultimately
rest with the ability of a panel
of federal judges to do what
hundreds of Georgia lawmak
ers have been unable to do.
Hopelessly deadlocked, the
Georgia General Assembly is
likely to adjourn this week
without finishing the business
of redrawing the state’s con
gressional districts.
State lawmakers must pon
der the advantages and disad
vantages of permitting such
an important task to revert to
the government.
“Actually there are advan
tagestohaving the courtsdraw
up the districts,” said Sen.
Charles W. Walker, a member
ofthe Senate redistricting con
ference committee. “Finally,
we may learn what the courts
really mean when they say
that race cannot be the pre
dominant factor in drawing
up the districts. Their deci
sion will be subject to appeal,”
he said.
Others, however, are con
cerned about the court’s abili-
Racial segregation still exists
in nation’s Southern schools
DURHAM, NC
Students in Southern schools
remain segregated 41 years
after the Brown vs. Board of
Education decision, according
to a new report released this
week by Southern Exposure
magazine and the Atlanta,
Georgia-based Youth Task
Force.
“This time students are seg
regated within the school sys
tem itself in the form of track
ing or ability grouping,” said
Angela Brown, director of the
Youth Task Force.
Reviewing 1992 data fromthe
Federal Department of Educa
tion —the latest data avail
able —the report found that
black students in the Southern
states are less likely than their
white counterparts to be placed
in Gifted and Talented or Ad
vanced Placement programs.
Among the report findings:
@ There are racial imbalanc
es in the Gifted and Talented
programs in all Southern states
— even for those states having
a majority or near majority of
students of color. For example,
Your local newspaper sponsored by your local grocer.
b A :@:m§ T G
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q e = S e MAGONY, .
REDRI(WING THE ELEVENTH DISTRICT is a task that now
falls to a 3-judge panel in Augusta.
ty to do an effective job.
“The courts are singularly ill
equipped todraw the lines. They
should stay out of it,” said
Laughlin McDonald, director of
“The courts are
singularly
ill-equipped to
draw the lines.
They should stay
.out of it.”
— Laughlin McDonald,
ACLU
the Southern District of the
ACLU’s Voting Rights Division.
The ACLU is concerned that
the courts may subordinaterace
to such an extent that minority
rights may be sacrificed, Mr.
McDonald said. “Redistricting
is a political process. How can a
district court of judges dictate
which state interests should
predominate?”
i .V P
T :
T :
.
.y
e e %
students of color make up 52
percent of Texas schools, but
only 29 percent of its Gifted
and Talented programs. In
Mississippi, students of color
also made up 52 percent of the
total student enrollment, yet
only 16 percent of these stu
dents were in Gifted and Tal
Congresswoman Cynthia
McKinney’s office is concerned
about the court’s getting in
volved in a political process.
“With the legislature draw
ing the lines, one can always
lobby, ” said Omar Jobari of
Ms. McKinney’s Washington
office. “Even if they come up
with a bad map, there are op
tions. We are much more lim
ited with the courts,” he said.
The entire nation is watch
ing Georgia for a clue as to
how the courts will ultimately
decide what can and what can
not be factors in‘drawing con
gressional district lines. The
Georgia legislature drew the
lines with a predominantly
black 11th District because the
U.S. Department of Justice felt
that there existed a compel
ling reason to give African
Americans in Georgia a great
er voice in Congress. That Jus
tice Department mandate flies
See COURTS, page 5
“Tracking is nos just
an assignment to a
perceived ability
group in school.
Ultimately, i'san
assignmenttfoa
particular social
class for life.”
— Angela Brown,
Director, Youth Task
Force .
ented programs. Louisiana’s
students of color make up 48
percent of the student body, but
only 20 percent of its Gifted and
Talented programs.
@ Texas and Maryland had
the greatest number of students
See ABILITY, page 11
MR. 808 HENNEBERGER
GEORGIA NEWSPAPER
UNIVERSITY OF GA
ATHENS GA 30602 12/31/99
0
&
See story on Livingßetter, page 12.
State Rep. charges that —
®
Kaolin firms
@
influence
& &
11th District
@ @
negotiations
B State Senate member reveals
“dirty little secret” about kaolin
industry influence in 11th District
redistricting effort.
By Frederick Benjamin
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Georgia’s Kaolin compa
nies are exerting undue
influence on the state’s re
districting process, accord
ing to State Senator
Donzella James (D-35).
Sen. James said she is
convinced that kaolin
interests in Washing
ton, Jefferson,
Glascock and other
counties have issued
a “veto threat” over
any congressional
map which puts them
in the 11th District
represented by Con-
gresswoman Cynthia
McKinney.
Ms. James said that she
could no longer keep silent
about this “dirty little se
cret.”
“It has become common
knowledge among my col
leagues that the Kaolin
Belt is off limits. The lead
ership will not, under any
circumstances, allow those
counties to be included in
the 11th,” said James.
Ms. James, who repre
sents Fulton County, said
Black mayors
target California
The National Confer
ence of Black Mayors,
Inc. is calling for minor
ity and women’s groups
towithdraw all meetings
from the state of Califor
nia and to speak out
against the proposed dis
mantling of affirmative
action programs in that
state.
In a stinging resolu
tion, passed during a re
cent board of directors
meeting in Hobson City,
Alabama, NCBM con
demned California Gov
ernor Pete Wilson.
NCBM president,
Mayor Robert B. Ingram,
Ph.D. of Opa-Locka, Flor
ida,issued the challenge,
BLACK m
SPORTS
UPDATE
“BULK RATE
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
NO. 302
AUGUSTA, GA
Good
Vibes
Americans
embrace
the ancient
Chinese art
of Feng
Shui.
she decided to speak out
about the issue when she
received what she inter
preted as a threat.
“Some people told me I
better not get involved with
the kaolin people. It’s not
my fight,” Ms. James said.
According to Senator
James, “Wheneveritis sug
gested that an agreeable
“Some people told
me | better not get
involved with the
kaolin people. It’s
not my fight.”
— Rep. Donzella James
map to all sides could be
drawn by including Wash
ington, Jefferson and
Glascock counties in the
11th, we are abruptly told
‘no,’ as if those counties are
sacred — there is no other
reason for keeping those
counties off the table.”
Ms. McKinney has been
a vocal critic of the kaolin
industry since she acted on
behalf of residents who
complained of exploitation
See KAOLIN, page 7
“...that groups and oth
ers who so closely mon
itor the actions and
words of African Amer
icans in leadership po
sitions abandon their
silence and speak up
now on Governor Pete
Wilson’s racist and un
principled actions.”
Twenty-five mayors,
representing cities
around the country,
were present at the or
ganization’s 3rd quar
terly board meeting, and
signed the resolution.
There are 385 African-
American mayors rep
resenting some 20 mil
lion people.