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The Augusta News-Review - July 3, 1975 -
Don’t be fooled by appearances. Everything that glitters is not
gold. We must continually be on guard and look beyond the
surface in order to put things into their proper perspective.
Just because we can sit down and watch J.J.”,“Christie Love ,or
“Soul Train” on television, or see our people’s pictures in daily
newspapers and on local TV, doesn t mean that they just
happened because some benevolent producer or publisher wanted
to help in development of Black people. As a rule these people
don’t think that way. They have to be forced into action.
Remember last year when Redd Fox had to fight to get a better
dressing room, better pay, and credit for contributing his own
comedv material.
Good Times is a program which tries to deliver meaningful
entertainment everyweek. But don’t think for a minute that it
just happened. It’s taken a lot of sweat and frustration in
conference rooms to see what we see on Black programs today.
And if it weren’t for people like Esther Rolle, Redd Fox, Clifton
Davis and others, we’d probably have just another new version of
the same old stereotype.
We have become conditioned to accept what we see at face
value via television and daily newspapers. Newspapers are just like
people, with opinions of their own, and depending on who owns
them, do not necessarily think with a Black man’s point of view
Television programs like the “Rookies” in which George Sanford
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THE REV. JESSE JACKSON, DISSIDENT EX-SCLC OFFICIAL
CANNOT RELINQUISH HIS CONSERVATIVE VIEWS OF
CHRISTIAN ETHICS. HIS CHICAGO-BASED “PUSH”
(PEOPLE UNITED TO SAVE HUMANITY) DOES NOT GIVE
HIM THE OUT-REACH TO BECOME A NATIONAL LEADER.
Jackson is better known as an economic progressive. He is
33-years-old and was born in South Carolina, and his sleek sexy
good looks, flashy style of dress have become a part of his legend.
In the national election he was a McGovern supporter, but in
reality, he was indeed out of his true role. Because in truth young
Jackson is a modern-day Jeremiah denouncing abortion as
murder; and insisting that when prayers were taken out of schools
dope and guns came in. He argues that the disobedience
youngsters show toward their parents and teachers represent
moral decay, and implies that spanking is the best remedy for it.
The handsome Country Preacher suggests that, while he supports
women’s lib, his wife, at least should stay in her place,which is in
his house with their children.
Rev. Jackson’s near puritan morality is strictly based on the
Church-oriented traditions of the rural South. He is a highly
controversial figure, and is constantly in danger of assassination,
but like all great Black leaders, he’s absolutely unafraid. Recently
one Saturday morning at his regular weekly meeting, a
well-dressed Black man stood up from a pew in the back of the
Church and started yelling for Jesse’s attention, but at this time a
bodyguard sitting next to the heckler grabbed him in a bear hug,
a loaded .45 dropped out of his pocket.
COOL AND ALWAYS IN CONTROL - Jackson never lost his
place in the sermon. The youthful man of God, must have
realized that his calmness would brake the potential panic. The
good man of the cloth, also must have remembered that
thousands of people were listening to him on the air, and these
sobering thoughts must have willed his coolness, so that he
wouldn’t lose their attention, or scare people on the streets away
from those established Saturday morning meetings.
This ghoulish Saturday morning episode brought out the best
in youthful Jackson. It let him act the traditional minister’s role;
protector of his congregation, and that role suited him perfectly.
Like most ministers, their personal lives are much different than
that which they preach. Outside the Church, Jackson personifies
much of what he denounces, but that’s not hard to understand,
no man is as good as the Gospel. Though he’s forever talking
about the need for the old, rooted ways, where families spent
their lives in tiny towns, within the “love triangle” of the home,
the Church, and the school, he constantly denounces materialism,
TOBE EQUAL BY VERNON E. JORDAN, JR.
Busing And The Schools
You might think that the end of the school year would cool
off the persistent busing controversy, but it hasn’t.
The new attention to the school bus comes with the highly
publicized statement by sociologist James Coleman that
court-ordered busing leads to white flight to the suburbs and
consequent greater segregation of urban school systems.
Coleman’s earlier research, with its finding that integrating
lower class Black students in schools with middle class whites led
to better educational achievement for Blacks and no change for
the whites, helped support the argument that integration
improves schooling.
Coleman’s pronouncement that busing has failed in that it just
leads to resegreation has been seized with glee by the anti-busing
crowd and with disappointment by integrationists. Neither
reaction is called for; the statement must be seen in context.
One of the problems of social sciences lies in the fact that
studies of social issues are often inconclusive. Coleman’s research
has been challenged, and seriously damaged, by two equally
prominent sociologists, Dr. Robert Green of Michigan State
University and Dr. Thomas Pettigrew of Harvard.
They blast the new Coleman study as unsubstantiated and
point out that the white middle class started its exodus from the
cities back in 1950, before the Supreme Court’s decision
““
Mallory K. MillenderEditor—Publisher
Frank Bowman Advertising Manager
Robert Lee Moore Managing Editor
Audrey Frazier Editor At Large
Mike Carr Photographer
Stan Raines Circulation Manager
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Page 4
Be On Guard Or Lose
(Editorial Comment)
Walking With Dignity
by Al Irby
Jesse Jackson Holds to
Conservative Christian Ethic
Brown is continually portrayed as a good cop is a program that
could lull you into daydreaming that everything’s fine, if you
didn’t stop to see that 90% of that show deals with white
relationships.
We will be the losers if we don’t keep our guard. A number of
things are happening in Augusta right now. Television stations six
and twelve are beginning to feature Black newsmen Frank
Thomas and Connie Blakeney on their news programs. They need
your support by writing to the stations and letting them know
what you think of their appearances. We Want Our Share is
conducting a boycott of stores to help you. They need your
support by buying only from those stores that invest their money
in the Black community. The Augusta Museum which has a lot of
interesting facts about how Augusta developed doesn’t give any
information about Charles T. Walker or Lucy Laney or any of the
other Black giants who helped to build Augusta, yet your child
wanders through this museum and gets a one sided picture of who
contributed what to Augusta. This museum needs your support
by helping it to set the picture straight.
Most of us are tired of having to be on guard against the
stupidity of it all, but nothing comes from nothing, and that’s
what we’ll get if we don’t start letting Augusta know where we
stand.
yet he digs an elaborate wardrobe; and he rarely spends a full
week with his wife and four kids. He is a rootless
celebrity-businessman who makes deals all over the country. He
travels so much that Chicago Daily News columnist Mike Royko
has nicknamed him “Jetstream Jessee”.
A SUAVE HANDSOME BLACK MAN ON THE GO - Public
relations releases and an army of advance men always precede his
every action. The Country-Preacher lives in the media, and on
planes, not in the world. He was interviewed recently at his PUSH
headquarters, a converted South Side Chicago synagog whose
walls are lined with pictures of Dr. Martin Luther King and
William Monroe Trittor. Jackson spoke one Saturday morning to
a group of news people, including many news-women. He was
lightly guarded at this interview, and he spoke briefly on
abortion.
“If you’ve got to choose between your wife, who’s already
alive, and an unborn baby - well, you should not sacrifice her
life.” But you have to remember that you are killing a baby. And
it’s wrong to take life lightly, to go out one night and get high
and have sexual relations with your wife and then say, oops, I
made a mistake. I don’t want to have this child. You cannot
emphasize your immediate needs and make an ethical principle of
inconvenience.” “Anyway, in my tradition we believe that God
will make away. You’ve not necessarily the children’s blessing.
The children may be your blessing. I know that my children have
helped to stabilize my life.”
JACKSON’S LAST BIG EFFORT WAS A FAILURE - He had
expected 10,000 people would go with him to Washington to ring
the White House demanding jobs; and there would be large
demonstrations in 60 or 70 cities around the country. He had
spent a week in Washington; also he generated large media
coverage, hundreds of ministers were supposed to have
announced the march from their pulpits, and even it was held on
Dr. King’s birthday. But only 3,000 showed up. Black ministers
were with him with their lips, but not with their hearts. The
youthful country preacher is a national figure with no local base;
a spokesman who creates and articulates a mood, but who can’t
deliver many heads to march nor can he produce large blocks of
votes.
JACKSON IS SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO GOVERNOR
WALLACE - The similarities between Wallace and Jackson are
ominous. Wallace, like Jackson, is a born-again Christian. The two
also enjoy reminiscing about their dirt-poor childhood. Both of
these crusaders come on strong with a hell and brimstone style
against crooked politicians and all hypocrites.
outlawing segregated schools. In some cities, court-ordered busing
followed years of massive white movement to the suburbs..
Coleman is clearly wrong in stating flatly that whites are
moving out of the cities to escape school busing. It may influence
some, but most of the new suburbanites are searching for the
American Dream of a plot of land, a house and a picket ffence.
That’s a Dream closed to most Black people because of
non-enforcement of fair housing laws, local zoning regulations,
and economic hardship. One way to integrate the schools is to
integrate housing patterns, but that doesn’t mean busines has no
place. . .
This country has become obsessed with busing, instead of
being concerned about providing quality educational
opportunities for all. The school bus is not the answer for every
education problem, but it is one useful device to help integrate
the schools and to make the next generation of Americans less
class and race conscious and more open to diversity and
pluralism, in itself an important educational goal.
The fatal flaw in studies purporting to show that busing - or
compensatory education or other innovations doesn t work, is
that such new programs are almost never really tried.
Very few school systems have honestly made a priority effort
to make integration work. The typical response has been to delay
and to sabotage integration efforts until a court finally steps in
and orders busing as a last resort. Then the white community and
school officials scream bloody murder about “forced” busing,
tensions increase, and nobody shows any concern about the kind
of education the kids get. .
Boston is the classic example of this kind of situation, but
other cities are about as callous in their treatment of white and
Black children. As New York’s Human Right; Commission
pointed out: “The fact is that little has been done anywhere to
develop practical strategies to cope with the daily challenges of
integration to make it work.”
So there is a vicious cycle here: integration plans are never
really implemented, school officials sabotage it and some racist
parents and ambitious politicians whip up local feelings, busing is
used where other measures might work as well, and then some
sociologist steps in, does a study and announces that integration
isn’t working. Maybe it’s because it was never meant to work and
because no one is trying to make it work.
What too many people seem to be forgetting is that discussion
about integrated schools is not an academic exercise about
educational theory. Integrated schools are a constitutional right
of white and Black children alike. And the real issue behind the
anti-busing smokescreen is whether or not the Constitution, the
courts and the law will be upheld, or whether anarchy prevails.
Will racist vigilantes be allowed to tear down the law and the
Constitution? Who governs, the mob or the law? These are some
questions for social scientists to get their teeth into!
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“WELL DONE IKE WASHINGTON”
Congratulations and good wishes to Dr. I.E. Washington upon
the completion of almost 40 years of distinguished educational
and civic leadership and service in the Augusta Community. The
city is fortunate to have his wisdom and experience for City
Council. We also hear that he has the largest collection of papers
and background materials on the late Dr. C.T. Walker.
BLACK POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IS VITAL
Some of the leading elected and appointed Southern political
leaders will be on hand at the forthcoming National Urban
League Conference slated for Atlanta, July 26-31. As
aforementioned, Vernon Jordan has extended a warm invitation
to Augustans.
In the meanwhile let’s read Dr. Eddie N. Williams’. remarks in
“Focus”, journal of the Joint Center for Political Studies.
Looking at the current status of Black participation in the U.S.
body politic, it might be said that we’ve come a long way but
we’ve still got a long way to go. A catalyst of this participation,
the Voting Rights Act, which was enacted by Congress in 1965
and extended for five years in 1970, is up for renewal. Focus
issues have carried many items about the Act —a landmark in
U.S. civil rights legislation - and actions taken under it to protect
voting rights of Blacks and other minorities.
There are 3200 elected Black officials in office around the
country today. It is obvious that greater access to the ballot has
paid off in the election of increasing numbers of Blacks, but
before equitable representation is achieved much remains to be
done. For example, itis easy to be pleased at first glance with the
fact that in 1974 there were 964 officials in the seven Southern
states covered by the Act, compared to 268 in 1969.
MORE BLACK OFFICIALS NEEDED
Yet, a deeper reading shows also that although the Black
population within the seven-state area ranges from 18.5 to 36
percent of the total population, Black officials comprise only
from two to four percent of all elected officials. The ratio of
Black officials to the Black population is only one to 10,000,
while the ratio of white elected officials to the white population
is 16 to 10,000.
Blacks Who Helped Build Augusta
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
always been a true demonstration of community cooperation.
MANY LOYAL VOLUNTEERS HELPED
Looking back 24 years working with servicemen as director of
the branch servicemen center, USO director at Ninth Street and
Gwinnett Street clubs with a wonderful staff and generous
committees that worked untiringly we were able to carry on an
excellent program. Mr. A.M. Carter who was a member of the
USO when it was organized and is still a member of the Broad
Street Council. Members of the Gwinnett Street USO Club
Advisory Board were: Mr. A.M. Carter, chairman; Miss W.J.
Hibler, secretary; Mrs. Marie Hatcher, Rev. H.F. Anderson, Mrs.
A.W. Gardner, Mr. N.A. Clark, Mr. WJS. Hornsby Jr., Mrs. Loti se
Jackson, Mr. Roger Bates, Mr. SJM. Jenkins, Rev. R.A. Lark, Mrs.
Juanita Blount, Mrs. Annie Ball, Mr. William Brown, Mr. M.
Tappan.
Later the name of Advisory Board was changed to Opa-ating
Board and three new members were added, Rev. C.S. Ham Iton,
Letter To The Editor
Dear Sir:
We are writing this letter in
reference to the straw vote
question on the Coliseum. The
Augusta Chapter of the
International Frontiersmen
wholeheartedly opposes such
vote. We feel that a none
binding vote on a question of
such magnitude will only lead
to more polarization. Augusta
and Richmond County have
enough solvable problems in
which we might address
ourselves. We suggest that
those with nothing else to do
"GOING PLACES"
By Philip Waring
make jobs available for the
more than 5,000 unemployed
youths in this area.
Augusta like so many other
cities her size has a tremendous
growth potential, but she can
only grow with imagination
and foresight. Therefore, we
call upon the Coliseum
Authority to hold fast and to
move expeditiously toward,
the development of the
Coliseum.
Augusta Chapter
Frontiersmen International
Os further significane is the fact that out of 29 congressional
districts in the seven-state area having 25 to 46 percent Black
population, only one Black congressman has been elected. Blacks
hold only six percent of the seats in the area’s state legislatures
and none of the statewide elective offices. This is not to deny
that progress has been made - even in Mississippi, which, with
191 elected Black officials, is ahead of New York. It is simply to
point up continuing inequities that have to be addressed.
The scale and magnitude of the work remaining makes it
imperative that the Voting Rights Act be extended. JCPS believes
that the extension should be for 10 years. We also feel that
literact tests, which were prohibited nationwide in the five-year
extension of the Act in 1970, should be permanently banned.
UNFAIR USE OF LITERACY TESTS
If one abuse in the whole voting rights area has been
chronicled, that abuse has been the flagrantly discriminatory use
of literacy tests. ANd Mississippi, in the guise of a complicated
new voter registration form, may still be employing some version
of that type of test. Foes of minorities gaining equal access to the
ballot have not lost their deviousness or ingenuity since the
Voting Rights Act went into effect.
A U.S. Civil Rights Commission report on the Act pinpoints
numerous instances of harassment, delays and intimidation,
designed in some instances to make it difficult to register, and in
others to hamper the election efforts of Black candidates. There
have also been moves to use annexation and redistricting schemes
and at-large voting to dilute Black voting strength and frustrate
the will of Black majorities.
In discussion of the Voting Rights Act before the House Civil
and Constitutional Rights subcommittee, which is currently
holding hearings on the Act’s extension, some concern has been
expressed that the voting rights of Mexican-American and Puerto
Rican citizens are not adequately protected under the current
language. We at JCPS share that concern and stronglt feel that the
voting rights of these citizens - and any others in need of special
protection - should receive the appropriate legislative protection
required. It is important, though, that this matter be addressed in
away thaT brings relief without exposing the Act itself to
extensive legislative and legal challenges.
Father T.A. Morris and Mr. S.W. Walker 11.
Mr. J.M. Hinton served as program chairman and with the help
of his committee he provided such programs as the Annual Pal
Day, the children’s Christmas Party and fund raising projects to
help Junior Volunteers to attend USO conferences yearly. The
Pal Day dinner and program was one of the many programs
sponsored by merchants, service stations, funeral homes, clubs,
churches, lunch rooms and insirance companies. The sponsor
would send a representative to participate and fellowship with the
servicemen on that special day. The following Sunday morning
Tabernacle Baptist Church, Rev. C.S. Hamilton, pastor would
sponsor the Pal Day breakfast. The servicemen along wth
volunteers would worship at Tabernacle that morning.
USO provided many recreation programs for servicemen and
their dependents. There were two basketball teams, one for the
Junior Volunteers and the other for the servicemen, softball
teams, volleyball, swimming, picnics, bowling and dancing.
THE MOVE TO BROAD STREET IN 1972
Gwinnett Street USO closed in 1972 at which time we moved
to 609 Broad Street which is now the Augusta USO. Mr. Ken
Person was executive director and Mrs. Christine Gardner,
associate director. There the Council and volunteers worked with
the staff to keep “A Home Away From Home” for the
servicemen and their families. Some programs provided other
than locally were: week end trips to Atlanta to visit Six Flags
Over Georgia, to see the Braves baseball games; a trip to
Jacksonville, Florida for the week end where we attended a
formal dance at the Prudential Building and a beach party the
following day. One of the special programs 'at the Broad Street
Club was the Annual Recognition, a time when USO says thanks
to the hundreds of sponsors and volunteers who have helped
them through the years.
USO is still alive in the CSRA providing many activities to help
the servicemen and their families feel AT HOME AWAY FROM
HOME.
«**•***•**««••*******•••«•*«*
(During the next several weeks BWHBA will feature “The Life
& Times” of Dr. George N. Stoney, the Dent Brothers,
Councilwoman Carrie Mays, Educators Dr. Justine Washington
and Dr. C. Richardson.