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The Augusta News-Review - October 24, 1974
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A DESPICABLE LOCAL “COVER-UP” IN THE BLACK
COMMUNITY
A prominent local minister expounded a shameful indictment
of the good people in the Black community. It concerned a
nefarious, and amoral act, performed by one of the nominees in
the recent councilmantic race. His workers were allowed to
cover-up his opponent’s ads with his ads; and the hurting thing,
not a word was raised against it. If a person covers-up before he
or she is elected, they will most surely, continue to cover-up.
A REGULATORY CONDITIONED HOME-RULE FINALLY
COMES TO THE NATION’S CAPITAL, AFTER YEARS OF
POLITICAL INERTIA. THIS MODIFIED MINI-FREEDOM
OPENS THE DOOR TO SPIRITED POLITICAL TUG-OF-WAR
AS A PLURALISTIC CONGLOMERATE FLEX ITS
STAGNANT MUSCLES.
The District of Columbia is the nation’s ninth city in size.
Congress is in reality the governing power in this complex
enclave, and for years feared the large Black population. Seventy
five percent of the citizens are Black, but next January Congress
will allow for limited home rule. Blacks as usually always let the
experts name their brand of politics, because the majority of
them cling to the Democratic Party. It is refreshing to know that
a few souls have the courage to walk independently, the Black
Republicans and independents have a ratio of about 1 to 8, and
there are a few non-Democrats candidates on the National ballot.
The new mayor is dead sure to be a Democrat.
The new mayor is almost certain to be the old mayor, but his
opponent, handsome and brilliant Clifford Alexander, a dashing
40 year old attorney, who is a member of one of Washington’s
high-power law firms with corporate clients, who has top contacts
in and out of the government. Mr. Alexander worked in the White
House for President Johnson, and fora time, was chairman of the
Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. The present
mayor, Walter Washington, who currently holds office by virtue
of appointment of President Johnson is talented, but out of step
with the new breed of youngish Black politicians. Mr. Washington
is 58-years-old, and a top-flight urban housing specialist, he is
making his first pitch at elective office, therefore, he is a political
novice, not even versed in law.
Washington, D.C., was 100% voteless until 1964, when a
constitutional amendment, pushed through by liberal
Congressmen allowed the citizens the vote for President only.
That first year of the ballot, President Johnson received 90% of
the vote. The city also elected a delegate to the House of
Representatives who has no floor vote.
APATHY AT THE POLLS, SQUABBLING ON THE SCHOOL
BOARD - A disputatious school board that has little power, but
yet they quarrel. The city’s election turnouts have been so low;
until last year, then Congressman Gerald Ford made this
statement: “There is solid proof that the district is not ready for
home rule.”
The district really needs a two party system, because the
primary, which Mayor Washington won, is tantamount to
election, and the two candidates were identical in political
ideology. Both the mayor and Mr. Alexander would easily fall in
the category of Democratic liberals, not of a choice, except for
styles. Alexander lost in September, next time around he will be
mayor. He can awaken the city to modernity, Washington is too
old. If Alexander had been elected, he would have built his
political base with both young Blacks and white liberals. Mayor
Washington has a low-key Eisenhower style, while Alexander
tends to emulate the Kennedys, both John and Robert. He uses
the late President’s stabbing finger, and Robert's soft hand shake,
to drive home a point. Alexander is a product of both Harvard
and Yale, and now since the District of Columbia has home rule
the nation will be hearing more from this brilliant young man.
MAYOR WASHINGTON HAS THE CHURCH VOTE AND AS
ALWAYS WITH THE CHURCH VOTES GOES VICTORY - Rev.
Walter Fauntroy, the popular pastor of the New Bethel Baptist
Church and leader in the SCLC made an interesting observation;
“I’ve been intrigued by the extent to which people assume that
the church-vote is the key to political success in this city. I’m not
so sure it’s as strong a factor as many people think.” Inspite of
this ambivalent rhetoric, the Rev. Fauntroy himself was the
beneficiary of massive pulpit power when he won his seat in
Congress in 1971 as a “delegate” without a vote.
By virtue of his seat in Congress his political base now is so
strong that no one would oppose him in November’s Democratic
race. Rev. Fauntroy’s Pulpit Army is being courted by every
political in the District of Columbia. By the way, Congressman
Fauntroy supported Mr. Alexander in the September primary for
mayor. While Mr. Fauntroy is unable to vote on the House floor,
he is a member of the House District of Columbia Committee.
Things You Should Know
D UMAS, jr..
1824-1895
S*ON of THE author OF 'THE three musketeers' f J
(Os NEGRO ANCESTRr-FOREMOST i»TH CENTURY FRENCH
DRAMATIST YOUNG OUMAS WROTE 'CAMH.LE;WHICH
STAVED POPULAR AH OVER the WORLD AS AN OPERA AND
A MOTION PICTURE 1 FATHER ANO SON liVEO SEPARATE
LIVES — the ELDER CAROUSING, The YOUNGER 'PREACHING'
MORALS BUT WHEN OUMAS SENIOR HAO SQUANDERED HIS
WRITING MtLL'ONS.OUMAS.JR CARED FOR HIM UNTIL DEATH 1
Page 4
II "GOING £
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fl With Philip Waring
GOING PLACES BACK AFTER SEASONAL LEAVE
Due to personal and health reasons “Going Places” took a late
summer-early autumn leave but is now back “F igh ting The Good
Fight”. Over the years my Augusta relatives and friends send to
me clippings and news of the old home town. A few weeks ago
Ms. M. Louise Laney sent me a program of the portrait hanging of
her aunt, the Sainted Lucy Craft Laney in the Georgia state
capital building. History was made on this occasion and rightly
projects Miss Laney as one of the Great Women of America.
Wonderful dividends have been brought to Augusta. Let’s expand
and tell all about her!
1 shall always recall back in 1935 when Mrs. Mary M. Bethune
talked with me, Willie Louie Reid and the late Cornelius
Campbell about Miss Laney when we were visiting
Bethune-Cookman College. She said that Miss Laney was a great
and sainted person who had helped to train and inspire her as a
young woman. As you know, Mrs. Bethune got her early start at
Haines Institute.
I understand that Mrs. Josephine Richardson and Ms Louise
Laney are writing a book about Miss Lucy Laney. This should be
a good, solid and scholarly contribution to the forthcoming
Bicentennial. In the meanwhile, however, I’d like to ask them to
also do a short and informal excerpt as a column on “The Life
and Times of Lucy C. Laney” in the Blacks Who Helped Build
Augusta Series.
BLACKS WHO HELPED BUILD AUGUSTA SERIES TO RESUME
Good news to the many folks who have praised and supported
this project. It will soon be resuming on a monthly basis.
Livingston Wallace is chairman of the local advisory committee
and Mallory Millender is NEWS-REVIEW editor.
Another dividend of Augusta was the high praise for the
BWHBA series from Dr. Carlton Goodlet, president of the
National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), and also
from its Executive Director, Sherman Brisco. They’ve suggested
that other local Black weekly papers follow the lead of this
“first-of-its-kind series in the Augusta NEWS-REVIEW. As a
“Do-It-Ourselves” project many people can be involved in telling
the story of what Black people have done to build the Augusta
Community.
WARM PRAISE TO WRITERS OF INITIAL SERIES
As initator of the series I’d like to extend warm praise and
congratulations to the several persons who have already written
the first three articles. They have made a wonderful and useful
contribution to the history of our people!
When Mrs. Nellie Waring wrote that splendid article on
Springfield Baptist Church, the nation then was able to see the
close identification of this historic church with the very life span
of this Republic! Well done, Mrs. Waring and thanks. Springfield
is a real “Mother Church”.
Next came an equally important story on stately and historic
Trinity CME Church written by Madames Buchanan, Parks, Dent
and Floyd. In addition to describing its programs and
achievements, the nation was told that Trinity Church preceded
the founding of the CME denomination. This was a wonderful
contribution indeed! We are going to ask these ladies to next
write on the Augusta Women’s Civic Club.
We wish to thank Mr. Robert Darby and Mrs. Alice Culbreath
on their writings. Mr. Darby, a relative newcomer to Augusta
(which shows that newcomers have a role to play in the BWHBA
series) brought to light the many rich services rendered by the
Masonic Fraternity to our Black Community. We can view this
group and their good works as honorable indeed. And Mrs. Alice
Culbreath painted a unique picture of leadership given by Blacks
in the field of business. Well done!
MODERN GROUPS WILL ALSO BE FEATURED All of these
BWHBA series must be a source of pride and motivation to our
young people. While coming down our history track will be data
about older institutions and individuals, we are also interested in
modem organizations and programs.
We are asking Joe Jones, Director of the Columbia Urban
League Labor Education Program in Augusta, to write a BWHBA
column on it. Joe Jones, incidentally, has made very high marks
in his program and brought thousands of dollars in new money
and trained personnel to the Augusta Community.
Charles Walker, dynamic Director of the Augusta-Richmond
County Human Relations Commission, is being asked to give an
overall account of the founding and services of this racial
betterment agency. We’d like for Verlyn Bell, outstanding head of
the Bethlehem Center, to feature the work of his agency (which
has a long and solid record as the “Center Piece of Black Social
Work in Augusta”).
We will soon request writings from many other of our major
community organizations such as the Business League,
Greek-letter groups, Frontiers, civic clubs, etc. All of these to be
added onto our original prospectus of churches, educational units
and individuals such as the late Dr. C.T. Walker, Dr. Silas X.
Floyd, Dr. John Wesley Gilbert, etc. We will be asking
Commissioner Mclntyre for a feature on Pilgrim Lite and of
course, Dr. Richardson, on Paine College.
DEPRESSION ERA GROUP TO BE EXAMINED
1 plan to personally write on the Community Forum, our
Depression-era civic organization, which spearheaded public
library service for Blacks in Augusta thirty odd years ago. We
need a column on Negro funeral homes in Augusta, grocery
stores, auto service stations and the like. And let’s not forget the
Lenox Theatre and the Penny Savings Bank, two insitutions
which gave service during their time but have now passed on into
history. Then there’s Walker Baptist, Immaculate Conception
Catholic High School coupled with the Paine College High
School.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL BE REMEMBERED
One major area will be Blacks who served in the Richmond
County Public School System. The panel to write this will be
headed by Dr. Justine Washington. And we know that Dr. James
E. Carter, Jr., Dr. Allen Brown and their Associates will be ready
for Blacks in the health field.
And I know that Publisher Mai Millender and former
Weekly-Review Editor Rev. Whitaker will come through with an
interesting stint on the history of the Black Press in Augusta. And
there’s many, many more areas of rich history as evidenced by
articles already presented.
CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. IKE WASHINGTON
The entire Augusta Community will surely benefit from the
solid leadership and service to be given by new City Councilman
Dr. Ike Washington. He brings a tremendous lead of high
professional training, rich community experience and ability.
There are many challenges ahead, and I am sure Dr. Washington
has more than enough courage and thrust to meet this era of
transition in Augusta. I shall always remember Ike (many young
people of today were not born) during the Paine College student
strike of the early 1930’5. His guts and leadership helped to bring
about “fresh air and light into the Paine College of that day".
Also we should include the late Dr. Joel Wallace. Furthermore,
both Ike and Justine have served in unique leadership capacities
outside of Augusta on state, regional and national professional
and civic organizations. This will also bring added dividends in
experience, contacts and preception to the Augusta City Council.
Right On Ike, go on and make history!
TRULY ® S.
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Comments about the local and national political scene seem
rather appropriate this week. Corruption, Uncle Tomism and
white racism continue to characterize our political system. 1 hope
voters will examine the issues and candidates thoroughly and vote
during the next election. It is extremely important that Black and
progressive non-Blacks form a coalition in Augusta and nationally
to promote good candidates and the right issues.
I was quite surprised and elated to learn that a Black man is
running for Mayor of Thomson, Georgia in McDuffie County.
The Black man is brother Luther Wilson who is the assistant
principal at Thomson High School. He is also chairman of the
Trustee Board of the Water Branch Baptist Church in Columbia
County. His wife is an elementary school teacher and they have
one daughter.
It is quite interesting to observe how the local Augusta white
news media has ignored the political campaign of Brother Luther
Wilson. It may be that the “powers that be in Augusta do not
want Black Augustans to become too aware that a Black
candidate could become Mayor of Augusta. This is very possible
since Blacks are a majority in the City of Augusta.
Our best wishes go to Brother Luther Wilson and I hope he will
become the first Black mayor of Thomson. He needs the support
of progressive Blacks and whites in Thomson and elsewhere as he
seeks that important office. I am sure that those citizens who do
not reside in Thomson would be quite helpful if they would write
or contact this mayoral candidate giving him support of all
kind.
Brother Verlyn C. Bell deserves the support of progressive
Blacks and non-Blacks in Augusta as he seeks a position on the
Richmond County school board. He is doing a great job as
executive director of the Bethlehem Community Center and is a
professional social worker who has knowledge and experience
with the problems of school children. He is a Black man of
integrity who is committed to equal and quality education in
Augusta and Richmond County. I have enjoyed the friendship of
Brother Bell, his wife, Shirley, and their two daughters for many
years. Talk to him yourself and make your own decision for he is
greatly needed on the school board.
Black County Commissioner Edward Mclntyre deserves our
ongoing support as he seeks re-election to his position. He has
demonstrated that he is “everybody’s commissioner” and we
hope he will offer even greater contributions during his next term
in office.
Brother Willie Mays ran a good campaign for the Augusta City
Council and I hope he will again seek public office in Augusta. He
is the son of Black City Councilwoman Carrie J. Mays and they
would have made a great team on that political body. He is a fine
young businessman who is greatly needed in some political
leadership role in this city.
Congratulations to Mr. B.L. Dent and Mr. Ike Washington as
they achieved political victory in the recent election. Black
Augustans need strong Black leadership on the City Council that
will increase responsiveness to the needs of Blacks and non-Blacks
in Augusta. Critical days are ahead and all Black politicaloffice
holders are going to have to deal resolutely with the “real
problems of Blacks.
I have been quite impressed with the political record of
Congressman Robert Stephens of the tenth congressional district.
He deserves re-election for he has been responsive to the needs of
low income Blacks and whites in a positive fashion.
The political gift giving of Nelson Rockefeller is typical of the
rich and super-rich. That is the way our government is run by the
ruling class in this country where monopolistic capitalism has
long ago taken the place of so-called free enterprise . Rockefeller
should not become vice-president because of his inhumane
performance as governor of New York during the Attica Massacre
and his increasing right wing extremism.
President Gerald Ford is performing true to form with his
desire to rip-off the middle class while the higher economic group
continues to hide behind their money and power. “No-helmet”
Ford should resign since he cannot support desegregated
education in the public schools of this country. There is every
indication what President Nelson Rockefeller would do given
another Attica situation or an uprising of Blacks in some urban
area of this country.
1 will have more to say about the political and economic
situation and systems in future colums. For example, Augusta
does not need the continuing misleadership of anti-busing foes
because they stand in the way of real racial progress and quality
education for all children. Those misleaders will continue to
foster racial discrimination in the Augusta-Richmond County
public school system. A hint to the wise is sufficient until I can
get more facts about this problem that Blacks and whites must
observe closely.
Harambee!!!!!
TO BE
EQUAL
By / a / b
Vernon E. Jordan, Jr.
PUBLIC JOB PROGRAM MAY BE ON THE WAY
With obvious reluctance, President Ford seems committed to a
program of public service job-creation.
While this represents a breakthrough in the thinking of an
Administration not noticeably committed to making the
problems of working people its priority, it amounts to only a very
small step on a long, long road.
The President unveiled his plan fora community improvement
corps as part of a broad package of anti-inflationary measures he
wants. The plan is for a limited temporary program of public
service jobs to be set up in high unemployment when the
national jobless rate stays at six percent for three months. Jobs
would go to the long-term unemployed and last only six months.
This won’t do at all. It amounts to a work-relief program on
the cheap instead of a broad program that insures every one
capable of work a decent job. The plan doesn’t begin to cope
with the need. In the face of widespread hunger for work, the
Administration has come up with a candy bar instead of a full
meal.
The gap between the plan as presented and the plan as it could
be is awesome. Let’s start with that “trigger” of six percent
unemployment for three months before the job program would
go into effect.
The official unemployment rate is already 5.8 percent. There
are well over five million people out of work, with another three
million in part-time jobs who want full-time work. And many
millions more are “discouraged workers” who have given up
trying to find a job in this tight market.
So the need is great right now, regardless of some theoretical
trigger number like six percent, which is only a fictional device
anyway. Since the plan calls for concentrating the new jobs in
high unemployment areas, what does it matter what the national
rate is? Ghetto unemployment is often well over 20 percent.
Many cities have had unemployment rates varying between six
and ten percent all year. The Administration is telling them no
help is in sight until more favored job markets feel the pinch, too.
Another flaw is the limited nature of the jobs - six months.
And only a handful of people would get these jobs. Even with the
program in high gear, over five million people would be out of
work.
The basic flaw comes from the program’s goal of creating
“short-term, temporary jobs that are not part of the regular work
scheme,” as Labor Secretary Peter Brennan put it in
Congressional testimony.
If the objective were instead to create permanent jobs that
fulfill needed public services and bring everyone capable of work
into the mainstream of economic life, the program could
effectively end joblessness and revive the economy.
This latest economic crisis is just the latest in a ser.es of i.-ssons
that illustrate the failure of our economy to provide jobs for all.
Now is the time, under pressure of the current downward plunge
of the economy, to break the vicious cycle of unemployment and
poverty once and for all.
There is certainly enough work in the public sector to be done,
from expanding mass transit to caring for parks to setting up day
care centers. And there are, unfortunately, all too many people
around who don’t have work. A massive job and training program
would cost very little when you deduct the present costs of
unemployment from the bill, and add the billions the Treasury
would gain from new tax producers and from a healthier business
climate.
The Administration’s first, tentative step into the brave new
world of public service employment isn’t much, but at least it’s a
start. Perhaps some bolder ideas will come forth, at the very least
to create a minimum of one million public service jobs right now.
THE AUGUSTA NEWS-REVIEW
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