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The Augusta News-Review - September 2, 1976 -
Walking With Dignity
By AL IRBY
American Jewish Congress Comes To The Aid
Os NAACP. $2,000,000 Must Be Raised
The NAACP faces real trouble and a difficult struggle for
survival. Board chairwoman Margaret Bush Wilson made this
statement concerning the recent Mississippi court judgment of
$1,250,699 fined against the top civil rights organization. This
litigation was the result of a 1966 Black boycott of Claiborne
County Mississippi white merchants.
NAACP general-counsel, Nathaniel R. Jones and associate
counsel Charles Carter, flew to Jackson Mississippi last Monday to
confer with local NAACP officials on the legal strategy to fight
what national legal minds, who are friendly to the organization,
think is an wholesale effort to destroy the civil rights giant
In a press conference held before the legal team flew to
Mississippi, two of the attorneys joined Mrs. Wilson and
Executive Director Roy Wilkins at a press conference at the
national headquarters in New York. They expressed
determination that the adverse judgment would be firmly resisted
and that the NAACP would remain in business.
The Mississippi judgment was a continuation of the anti-Black
strategy that began in 1969, Mr. Wilkins stated. That was when
former Attorney General John Mitchell and Presidential aide
Robert Finch announced that the Nixon administration was
abandoning efforts at school desegregation, he said.
JEWS TO THE RESCUE
With news of the court ruling against the major civil rights
organization, the American Jewish Congress offered its legal
assistance to the beleagued NAACP. “We believe that the
precedents established in such decision are extremely dangerous
not merely to the NAACP but to all groups involved in using
social action change,” they said. The Congress is eager to help the
NAACP in any way possible. “We are prepared to offer whatever
legal assistance is needed and to file a friend-of-the-court brief in
support of the NAACP if they deem it useful,” said the letter
signed by American Jewish Congress’ Executive Director Naomi
Levine.
The $1,250,699 award grew out of the successful boycott of
12 white merchants in the town of Port Gibson when Blacks were
protesting racial discrimination. Conditions in Clairbome and
other counties were “apartheid type”. Mr. Wilkins stated. He
listed civil rights violations, murders and other violence directed
against Blacks in the six counties.
The recent judgment was the second punitive decision against
the NAACP in Mississippi Last February a jury awarded a white
state highway patrolman, Robert Moody, a judgment of
Mostly About Women
By MARIAN J. WARING
Black Women Urged To Get Off
Women’s Lib Bandwagon
The president of the nation’s largest Black owned insurance
company urged Black women to get off the so-called “Women’s
Lib" bandwagon and start doing something productive for
themselves.
Mrs. Ernesta G. Procope, president of the E.G. Bowman Co.,
made the request in a keynote address Tuesday, Aug. 10, at the
annual luncheon given by the Women’s Council of the National
Association of Real Estate Brokers at the Americana Hotel.
“It’s time that we do something for ourselves as individuals. We
need no Women's Lib group. We need now to move as distinctive,
competent individuals into economic mainstream America,” Mrs.
Procope said.
She declared that Black women should also abandon all
negative thinking because it is suicidal.
“LET'S BE POSITIVE”
“We cannot operate, respond and behave negatively. Let’s be
positive in our thoughts, words and deed. It is vital that we act,
rather than react. Conduct ourselves in a positive manner and plot
our course accordingly,” Mrs. Procope said.
She said that Black women have the potential to organize
numbers and accomplish with success whatever task they
undertake. “Now let’s start to move on up. Let’s enter the
executive suites of big corporations and make our business a
meaningful part of America,” she declared.
Mrs. Procope said that if it is contact Black women need they
should get together and find the right key to the right closet. If
it’s mortgage financing we need, let’s devise a creative plan to
influence savings banks and savings and loan association to
respond,” she added.
Mrs. Procope commended the Women’s Council of the
National Association of Real Estate Brokers for their foresight in
organizing on an equal footing with their Black brothers.
“This kind of cooperation among the brothers and sisters, Mrs.
Procope declared, “is essential for effective communication,
because it was such team work that brought about total
integration of lunch counters and public facilities in the South,”
she continued.
As a business woman, Mrs. Procope said she has experienced
that Black women can excell and perform with the assistance of
their men.
CALLS FOR REALISM
She stressed that “pushiness, obnoxiousness, abrasiveness and
unfemininity do not help Black women’s admission to the
executive suites of major corporations, nor do these approaches
help to obtain a business or mortgage loan commitment or s he
general integration of women into the business world.
Mrs. Procope added that, unfortunately for women, men
control the world politically, economically and socially and
therefore, women are obligated to meet them on some of their
terms, but not all.
“We must be prepared in our specific discipline and be ready to
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$240,000 against the NAACP. The NAACP borrowed $262,000
for the bond and the case is now under appeal.
Lawyers for the NAACP said this Mississippi judgment against
the organization was a blatant piece of strategy to pierce the
jugular vein of Black independence to render 30 million folks
powerless. General Counsel Jones said the ruling by Hinds County
Chancellor George Haynes was “laced with diabolical errors” and
will be appealed to every high court in the land. He said the
NAACP has but 30 days to post 125 per cent of the judgment, or
$1.5 million. The top Civil Rights organization has already been
teetering on the brink of folding up.
The membership and the corporate friends of the 76-year-old
association have a moral obligation to come to its rescue in these
hours of trial and tribulation. Should the case be lost, and it
could, the NAACP’s functions would be so impaired as to make it
an impotent organization, too feeble tc fight the many racial
battles that confront Black people. Maybe this is the way, “The
Almighty” is using to wake pp apathetic Blacks that are rolling in
their false affluency..
Both Mr. Jones and Gloster B. Current, director of branches,
are planning nation-wide campaign to raise a $2,000,000 survival
fund. Also the entire staff of the NAACP is organizing to inform
the public of the acute crisis Black Americans are facing as a
result of the abominable decision of Hinds County Chancery
Court Judge George Haynes. The NAACP is determined to appeal
that decision and it feels certain that a higher court will set it
aside. The group’s lawyers assert that “the conclusion of the
judge is unsupported by the evidence” in that case.
The Constitution of the United States protects the right of
American citizens to assemble, to speak and to decide how they
will spend or not to spend their money. The merchants of Port
Gibson, the NAACP pointed out, “have no divine right to the
economic support of Black resident of Port Gibson.” No court
decisions can compel or coerce any citizen to shop at or
otherwise support any merchants whom they do not wish to
support.
MONEY HAS STARTED TO POUR IN
Hotel and Restaurant Employes has donated $5,000,
Bartenders International Union $4,000, Brotherhood
Maintenance of Way Employes $65000, United Transport Union
$4,000. These are but a few of the donations brought by
organized labor. The Mississippi NAACP has begun its own drive
for SIOO,OOO to fight the case.
compete in the open market. It’s tough but we must be
realistic,” Mrs. Procope concluded.
Mrs. Procope concluded her remarks with guidelines for Black
women who really want to succeed in America, saying.
JOIN THE PAYROLL
“Get off the welfare roll and join the payroll. Do not develop
complexes because you are Black. Don’t fool yourself by
thinking that because you are Black that you are beautiful.
Whatever your thing is, be proficient in it. Look your best at all
times, she advised.
“Rather than add profanity to your vocabularly, why not take
on a new word each day - use it four times in a sentence and you
have it. Be considerate of others including your family. Learn
something about what makes your country run since we live in a
capitalistic system. Keep abreast of current events so that you can
engage in intellectual conversation."
NOTE: Mrs. Ernesta G. Procope, president of the E.G.
Bowman Company of Brooklyn, N.Y., was inducted as an
honorary member into the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. at
its 47th Boule which was in session at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel,
N.Y., N.Y., July 18-22. Her firm is the largest Black privately
owned business handling group health and life insurance programs
as well as liability and casualty insurance on a real property. In
spite of cost control problems in 1975, she managed to raise her
firm’s volume to SlO million -a slight increase over the previous
year.
Business In The Black
By Charles E. Belle
THE PROBLEM OF SHARE CROPPING
Sophisticated Sell Out
James Earl Carter has something in common with the late JFK.
They both bring to politics their personal band of people. Among
his aces, JFK had Andy Hatcher, reknown ace Black newsman.
James Earl Carter has Black Congressman Andrew Young. The
similarity stops there.
Hatcher became a part of the team in the White House as
assistant Presidential press secretary. Congressman Young has
stated he doesn’t want to become a part of the James E. Carter
administration if and when it does make it to the White House.
In fact, Congressman Young was much in need of Carter’s
Geoigia backers to just keep his seat in the south. This poses a
Black problem. Someone must carry the news back to Blacks for
their support in Carter’s candidacy.
Blacks are particularly interested in knowing this share
cropper, so he or she can be called upon to explain the current
Humphrey-Hawkins full-employment bill sell out. The bill, which
sets a goal of reducing adult unemployment to three per cent in
four years, is now undergoing drastic revisions in committee that
would define “adult” at 18 or 20 instead of the original 16 years
of age.
Black youths are to be the first sacrificial lambs of the
southern school of economics. James Earl Carter’s policy
specialists are a band of unheralded southerners who share his
passion for planning. They either have planned to ignore or
misuse the masses of Black voters who are the mothers, fathers,
sisters and brothers of the current 45 per cent unemployed Black
youth in America.
Any program which does not push to employ people less than
20 years of age is a crime against all Blacks. Over one half of
Black America is less than 20 years of age. A teen-age Black can
serve in the service and still not survive the relief rolls under the
James Earl Carter pushed program.
The excuse expounded by Carter’s southern economists is the
same song sung by President Ford. Inflation. The fact is there is
very little to justify the fear of inflation. Economists A. Gary
Shilling of the prestigious Wall Street investment bankers White,
Weld & Co. thinks inflation could plunge to about three per cent
next year.
Practically all economist believe inflation will be less than
twice this figure. In the first quarter of 1976, Switzerland’s
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It Is Time For Blacks To Do Something About It
* BLACKS HAVE AL-
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ANDREW BARRETT, ,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR |
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ft ■ • By Roosevelt Green, Jr.
Speaking Out
South African Massacres Continue
Without Protests From Other Countries
The continuing murder of Black men, women and children in
South Africa is an international shame and disgrace. The
inexcusable massacre of Black people in that country goes on
without a great cry of alarm from whites in this country or
around the world.
A similar slaughter of whites in any part of the world would
bring such weeping and wailing that one could swim in the
crocodile tears. It is sad that even Blacks in this country and
abroad and even African Countries have not protested more than
we have witnessed thus far.
Where are all the white liberals at this time? What about the
large white and Black religious denominations? I submit that if a
massacre occurred in one of the white communist countries in the
Far East, Amerikkan religious and political leaders would foam at
the mouth and bray like jackasses. The same could be said if such
an atrocity occurred in Israel.
The national television networks bring us daily a fare in vivid
color about the civil war in Lebannon between the so-called
Christians and Moslems. What about more vivid scenes of
slaughter in South Africa? Why is so little being done by the
major countries and Black African nations.
A number of things become clear when one does a little
research on this issue. The first thing to remember is that many
large American multinational corporations have branches in or
conduct business with white South Africa. So do not expect
greedy capitalists to bite the hands that feed them.
Coupled with this sad truth is the fact that many large white
religious denominations have stocks and other business interests
in South Africa. The same corporations that rip-off consumers in
this country contributes to the oppression of Black Africans by
inflation rate was some 45 per cent less than the U.S. rate and
West Germany’s was an astounding 83 per cent less; neither of
these countries permit our preposterous unemployment problem.
In fact, they both import foreign workers.
Even those fortunate enough to have found employment in our
economy are afflicted by the cut back because of inflation theme.
Annual increases for secretaries, managers, and almost everyone
else in white collar jobs have been shrinking since 1974.
The 10 per cent average raise in 1974 fell to 9.5 per cent in
1975 and 8.1 per cent in 1976, according to the American
Compensation Association. Many corporate compensation
executives expect next year to be a year of fine tuning, in which
categories of employes in scarce supply will be considered for
salary upgrading while workers in the bulk of pay grades will be
lucky to receive even the increase they earn this year.
Labor in some situations has had to bite the dust in order to
provide jobs for its people. The Philadelphia Building &
Construction Trades Council, some 60,000 members had to agree
with local developers to take wage cuts and relax work rules in
exchange for jobs rehabilitating abandoned government-owned
houses.
It was the first of a series of union-contractor pacts expected
to be signed nationally following city-by-city negotiations. In the
meantime, as predicted, second quarter profits for the nation’s
major corporations are showing steady gains across the board.
Economists expect the steady improvement in profits to
continue throughout the rest of the year. Westinghouse Electric
eamines were up 30 per cent, General Electric 40 per cent,
International Paper 70 per cent, Aluminum Co. of America
(ALCOA) 92 per cent, Great Northern Nekoosa Corp. 98 per
cent, RCA Corp. 100 per cent, Reynolds Metals Co. 192 per cent,
and Coming Glass Works 331 per cent.
These are some examples of the corporates expanding profit
picture. James Earl Carter is a businessman and can see the need
to increase profits. We hope he can find someone who can see the
need to profitably employ the Black youths of America. (NNPA)
Terrorists Offer No Future
To Black Africa
Editor’s Note: The following editorial is printed in its entirety
from the Cleveland Call and Post, Ohio’s leading Black
newspaper.
Dictator-President Idi Amin of Uganda had to know that he
was playing with fire when he permitted his country to be a
sanctuary for the hijackers of a French plane and its passengers.
The daring rescue by Israeli commandos of the 100 Jews held
as hostages, and the killing of 20 Ugandian soldiers and the
destruction of Ugandian planes, was a tragedy that could have
been avoided.
Whatever the game Amin though he was playing certainly
backfired. He gained nothing insofar as world opinion was
concerned for his participation.
The hijacking of a plane and holding innocent people as
hostages, in a diabolical plan to free prisoners, is obnoxious to
any civilized human being.
paying low wages and maintaining poor working conditions. It is
illegal for Black unionists in that country to engage in labor
strikes.
The Black African nations are caught up in a severe economic
struggle between the two white super powers, namely, the United
States and Russia. Also, the former white colonial countries like
England continue to dominate African politics. The capitalists
and communists are not interested in the welfare of Black
Africans but only in the natural resources of that great continent.
Black African unity will never be achieved as long as greedy
whites of whatever ideology continue to support policies that
“divide and conquer”. Blacks in Africa and this country must
increasingly support the liberation struggles of each other by
“whatever means necessary”. Hopefully, humane whites in
Africa, this country and the rest of the world will M>me to their
senses and promote non-violent liberation struggles.
It is interesting that whites in this country generally praise the
so-called American Revolution but will not support the same
rights of Black people in Africa to wage a revolution for freedom
and justice. This is very ironic behavior in this bicentennial year.
I would be willing to wage that if the “American Revolution”
occurred in our times, most of the contemporary white populace
would DISADVOW violence and support the British. Only the
love of money would change the truth of my statement. Think
about it!!
The oppression of any people increases the possibility of
oppression for all people. The death of any single person must
come to affect the whole human family. Black South Africans
must be free and their struggle is all of our struggle whether we
recognize it or not.
HARAMBEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Things You Should Know
Bu Ahmed
0. 1900
_ The sultan of morocco who
« FOUGHT OFF WESTERN INVADERS FOR
TMNTY YEARS A BORN SLAVE, HE WAS
ALMOST UN EQUALLED N POLITICS,
BUSINESS AND ART/ ALL LEARNING
fluorished/for 1700 years
MOROCCO HAD BEEN A WORLD POWER —BUT
(HEN HE DIED ANARCHY AND REBELLION
BROKE, AND IT SOON IT BECAME A FRENCH
COLONY / HE LEFT THE MOST FABULOUS
' ' PAL ACE in HISTORY-
-5 YEARS IN THE MAK ING /
African nations can ill afford to play footsie with Arab
t^ rro . r j s J s Can °^ er t * lem not h* n ß but trouble. Black Africa
should have no part in the conflict between the Arabs and Israel.
Then- own internal needs are so great and complex, they need all
the external help they can get. Importing trouble is the one thing
they don t need. And this is about all the Arabs can offer them.
Amin s threat to declare war on Kenya, because Israeli planes
of mercy were permitted to land there on their return trip, shows
ni re ? despotic ruler is of any human virtues. The last
thing Black African nations need is war against each other.
Emerging Black Africa, with its teeming millions in need of
education and technical know-how to develop their resources, has
much to learn about world cooperation and, what nations they
can depend upon for real, constructive help. To the degree that
they are smart in this perception, to the same degree will thev
progress. 6 7
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