Newspaper Page Text
Rebel flag opponents to solicit help from coast businesses
BILOXI, Miss.
(AP) Tourism interests on the
Mississippi Gulf Coast say their
primary goal is making minori
ties feel welcome, not to become
involved in a controversy over dis
play of the Confederate battle flag.
There are concerns the flag con
troversy could lead to a boycott of
businesses on the coast, including
its many casinos.
Casino and business leaders
were reluctant Friday to discuss
the NAACP’s call for a letter-writ
ing campaign designed to put pres
sure on businesses to join efforts
to have the battle flag removed
from the Eight Flags beach dis
play. The flags represent govern
ments that have had jurisdiction
over the area.
“We've reached out for those
folks and we have minority tours
and marketingthat has been very
effective,” said Stephen Richer,
director of the Mississippi Gulf
Coast Visitor and Convention
Bureau. “A community that is in
different or worse would not have
the focus on minority tourism that
1s supported across the entire com
munity.”
A spokeswoman for Isle of Capri
Casinos declined to comment on
the flag controversy. Grand Ca
sino officials did not immediately
Coke employees plan bus ride for ‘justice’
ATLANTA
(AP) Black employees of the
Coca-Cola Co. plan to use a bus
ride to next month’s annual share
holders meeting in Delaware to
put pressure on the soft drink
giant to settle a racial discrimi
nation lawsuit quickly.
The “Coca-Cola Justice Ride”
will carry about 150 current and
former workerson the 1,300-mile
journey, said Larry Jones, a
former human resources man
ager and chief organizer of the
April 15-20 trip.
Before reaching Wilmington,
Del., for the April 19 meeting,
Jones said a convoy of three buses
will stop in Greensboro, N.C |
Richmond, Va., and Washington
D.C. for rallies.
He said in addition to the rally
on the steps of the U.S. Capital,
the riders will be meeting with
Metro Realty
Wheeler Rd Executive Cente
3540 Wheeler Rd.
Suite 512
Augusts, GA 30909
Clint Walker, Broker
Subscribe to the Augusta Focus
GEORGIA
RN N
&
TN
| COMPANY
return phone calls to The Associ
ated Press. Both casinos are in
Harrison County.
David Margulies, a Texas pub
lic relations expert, said the casi
nos and other coast businesses
are wise to avoid the controversy.
“In Texas, we say ‘I don't have a
dogin that hunt.” Margulies said.
“You don't get involved in that
issue.”
Margulies said boycotts aren't
usually successfully but the threat
of one can get people to move.
NAACP leaders and others en
couraged more than 350 people at
Biloxi church Thursday to par
ticipate in a letter-writing cam
paign to encourage businesses to
lend their weight to the anti-flag
campaign.
James Crowell, president of the
Biloxi NAACP branch, said sup
port from major coast business
interests could convince Harrison
County supervisors that the Con
federate battle flag is offensive to
many blacks. Crowell said the
NAACP and other anti-flag groups
will have little trouble convincing
casinos and other coast industries
that joining their fight is the right
thing to do.
Crowell said his group was not
threatening a boycott. He said he
would not be opposed to one if
members of Congress to discuss
the suit.
“We're shareholders and we will
be making our voices heard at the
meeting,” Jones said
The company had no comment
on Jones’ plan.
Doug Daft, Coke's new chair
man, said the company is “working
toward an expedient and equitable
resolution” of the suit.
Daft has said he will be linking
his success to meeting soon-to-be
established diversity goals. He is
creating a new position of vice presi
dent and director of diversity.
Jones is trying to get the com
pany to quickly settle the suit. He
said the settlement should include
reparations to black employees and
systematic changed that improve
conditions for them.
The suit, filed by eight current
and former employees, claims Coke
METRO Make the right move!”
AGENTS NEEDED
70 % CONMMISSIONS
Special of the Month... Home (hill area)
No credit check $55,000 sold as is
; [!;s | =
Stay Focused in 2000
724-7855
Flannin g Sor The Future?
At Georgia Bank & Trust, we understand what making wise investments takes...
* Not FDIC Insured
* No Bank Guarantee
®
INVESTMENT * May Lose Value
. SERVICES
Locttedat Geonpiaßank & st Gompany - 3530 Wheeler Road Augusta, A 30909 - (706) 739-1070
The Best In Hometown Banking... Building One Solid Relationship At A Time!
busine ises refuse to help.
“There are some business people
like these casino folks who have
invested billions of dollars in try
ing to make this Gulf Coast a
tourist area not only for whites
but for everybody,” Crowell said.
Crowell said having partici
pated with area tourism groups
in efforts to attract more black
organizations to the Gulf Coast,
he was aware of the impact the
flag could have.
“As long as that Confederate
battle flag is flying on that Eight
Flags, I don't think they are going
to feel that they are welcome,” he
said.
Supervisor William Martin, the
only black member of the county
board, cast the only vote against
retaining the flag as part of the
Eight Flags display on the beach.
Supervisors voted earlier this
week to allow the flag to remain
as part of the display. The deci
sion was applauded by flag sup
porters, including former Ku Klux
Klansman David Duke, who held
arally on the beach Tuesday. Duke
said Friday he would oppose any
boycott effort.
Many whites see the Confeder
ate flag as a link to their personal
and cultural history. Martin and
many others say it is a reminder
has discriminated against blacks
in pay, promotions and perfor
mance evaluations.
The company has denied the
allegations.
Settlement talks with a me
diator are scheduled to begin
next month.
Jones was laid off last month
alongwith about 500 other work
ers as part of a reorganization.
He had been with Coke for 15
years.
“Now that I'm unemployed and
now that I've got the time to
devote to this, I think this is the
most important topic [ can be
involved in,” Jones said. “If this
lawsuit degenerates into some
thing less than fair and total
reparation for the full class of
individuals, then we will abso
lutely consider calling for a na
tional boycott.”
Sales * Rental
Property
Management
et Us Sell
Your Property!”
Call Angela Rozier
or
Clint Walker
739-0840
364-0900
731-6861
855-3536 pgr
364-0930 fax
of racism and want it replaced by
the first flag of the Confederacy,
the Stars and Bars.
The Stars and Bars bears a re
semblance to the U.S. flag, with
three horizontal stripes _two red
and one white _ and a blue field
with seven white stars in the up
per left corner. The Confederate
battle flag is red with white stars
on two blue bars that crisscross
the banner.
Coast radio personality Rip
Daniels, who had removed the
battle flag from its pole at the
Eight Flags display and replaced
it with the Stars and Bars, told
the church meeting that a num
ber of Southern cities have
shunned displays of the battle flag
and have decided to fly banners
that are historically correct.
James “Pat” Smith, a history
professor at the University of
Southern Mississippi and a mem
ber of the Harrison County Demo
cratic Committee, suggested that
the coast's beachfront be a monu
ment to a rich history that has
included the struggle for civil
rights as well as the War of 1812
He told the church meeting the
battle flag _ if its use by hate
groups was included in historical
markers _could be appropriate in
such a context.
1117 Laney-Walker
Blvd.
Augusta, GA 30901
BL’s Restaurant is open
again! Come visit
Thursday and Friday
breakfasts and lunches
and Sunday brunches
See details throughout
this newspaper'
\ e ==
e
N
' L T
e B >,
AUGUSTA FOCUS
Attorney to seek reparations from
companies that profited from slavery
COLUMBIA, S.C.
(AP) A New York attorney
whose great great grandmother
was a slave in South Carolina
says Aetna Inc. and other busi
nesses that profited from slavery
should be made to pay.
Daedria Farmer-Paeliman, who
spoke with The State newspaper
of Columbia for a story in Sunday
editions, said Aetna is first on a
long list of businesses — includ
ingtextile, banking and steel firms
— that she’ll target for apologies
and reparations.
Farmer-Paellman wants Aetna,
the nation’s largest health insurer,
to donate $1 billion to set up a
foundation benefitting minority
education and businesses. She
said other businesses that ben
efitted from slavery also should
contribute to the foundation.
Aetna, based in Hartford, Conn .
apologized earlier this month for
selling policies in the 1850 s that
reimbursed slave owners for fi
nancial losses when their slaves
died. The South Carolina Histori
cal Society has one of the Aetna
policies, dated Aug. 11, 1856
Aetna spokeswoman Jovce
Oberdorf said her company would
balk at paying reparations, not
ing slavery was not illegal when
the policies were issued. “It's un
clear whether we ever made a
dime on that,” she said
Tom Baker, director of the In
surance Law Center at the Uni
versity of Connecticut School of
Law, said it was a common prac
tice to guarantee slaves, includ
ing insuring them as cargo on
ocean voyages
“It'sneververy pleasant tothink
about with 20th century eyes, but
Aetna wasn't unique in that re
gard,” Baker said “When you had
a slave economy, it infected many
facets of economic life ”
A host of German companies
18| Fax your news to Awgu /.
%~ Focus at 724-843
-
\ : Fi
10 ask questions at a F
Financial Aid Seminar sponsored
OrrICE OF FINANCIAL AID f
OFFICE OF ADMISSIONS !
, §
Augusta State University |
March 30, 7- 9:00 pm |
ASI campus Butler Hall Roon
Returning Adult g'w/,\'umm“ Seate e
Students can visit | UNIVERSITY he )
with Admissions 3 i Ad
Career Center and i K 0 A
START-UP ¢ Tiw
representatives in the Residents of |
same location from and Aike
5:30 10 7:00 pm in-state it
ZK’)ayne Dissell
e! Investment Officer
!LARCH 23 2000
paidnpcntionamflnlm aust vi
tims for their use of Jow b 0
during World War 11 and .00
pean Insurance companics hoo
been sued by relatives of Holoe
caust victims for fahing to po 1
msurance claims =
The pursuit of private Amert
can compames for slavery ropg
rations 18 rare, but Faroong
Paellman said she plan d oo
with a group experienced ot ol
ing Holocaust reparations
But Farmer-Paellma; « o 1 ‘i
are forcing US companies t
grapple with their past She
ready has asked Fleotßoor 00>
nancial Corp to explaio 1o 00
tionship to a predecess<or hoob ™
Provident Bank, which profiiod’
from slave trafficking. <he <OO 0
“This money made by the oo
nal company has benefited hi
current companv,” Farmers!
Paellman said “In a sonae thowt
have been unjust!y enrichod THaY
fact that it was 200 ven
makes no differcnce ~
Spokesman James Miho
said Fleetßoston = roo :
Farmer-Paellman s lettor o s
link to Provident Bark 9
Iraßerlin, a University of Mo 0%
land history professor who 03
cializes in slavery, sad oo -
Farmer-Paellman's are i
businesses to consider thep poo L™
“This can be a verv a troubling=
question ” "
It's a question more b =t
may havetoanswer, sad Hand
Robinson author of “The Dol
What America Owes 1o 1) =
and president of Tran« At
rum, a think tank specin '
African, Caribbean «nd
American Issues i
Robinson said he expect 1o couls
legal action taken agarn ot ooy <
niesinthe future “From therepad
rations side of this thy the firefe
salvo " .
7A