Newspaper Page Text
The Augusta News-Review - December 22, 1977 -
Whe JKugusta
Mallory K. Millender Editor-Publisher
Frank Bowman General & Advertising Manager
Mary Gordon , Circulation
Sharon C. Caldwell Reporter
Mailing Address
Box 953 - Augusta, Ga. Phone 722-4555
Second Class Postage Paid Augusta, Ga. 30903 /ijULv
AMALGAMATED Jf] |
PUBLISHERS, INC.
M atATKMML ADVERTISING MFREMNTATIVfS
• MTW YOM •CHICAGO L*' •
Another smoke screen
It is our feeling that the present
controversy surrounding the
ordinance allowing the Human
Relations Commission to
investigate job discrimination
complaints is a mere smoke screen
designed to disquise the fact that
the Human Relations Commission
was never intended to have the
ability to do anything about
discrimination. And some people
are ready to do all they can to keep
it from happening now.
This ordinance which would save
local citizens both time and money
by having the suits handled here
rather than in Atlanta by the Equal
Employment opport u n i t y
Commission which is said to have a
backlog of more than 100,000
cases.
The objection to the ordinance is
said to be that it carries provisions
for criminal rather than civil
penalties. We think that objection is
Walking with dignity
fl
What would the Yuletide season be
without the glorious, superb work of
George Frederick Handel. If he had done
nothing but the incomparable “Messiah”,
his name would have been established
among the musical immortals.
A few days before the premiere of
Messiah, Handel conducted a public
rehearsal of it which drew high praise
from the prestigious Faulkner's Journal
of London. It was admitted by the
greatest musical judges to be the “greatest
composition of music that ever was
heard.” At this same rehearsal, which was
for the relief of the prisoners in the
several goals in and around London, and
for the support of Mercer's Hospital. This
was on Monday, April 12, at the
Fishamble Music Hall. Handel’s new
Grand Oratorio, Messiah, in which the
gentlemen of the choirs from both
cathedrals assisted, with some concertos
on the organ, was by Handel himself.
April 12, 1742, the actual premier
took place before a record audience of
some 900 persons. The hall was designed
to seat 800; room for the additional one
hundred persons was made through
cooperative response of all concerned to a
newspaper notice requesting that the
ladies leave their hoops at home, and the
gentlemen, their swords.
There were lively disscussions, both in
London and Dublin ever since the
oratorio was first performed on how
should Messiah really sound? In recent years,
scholars have made much of the fact that
Handel copied out parts for instruments
that were not used in the Dublin score.
Hand?l used basically a reedstring sound,
with the oboes and bassoons 40% as
numerous as the strings.
NONE LIKE IT TODAY
Modem orchestras generally use the
organs in Messiah performances, and are
supposed to be more powerful than those
were available on the British Isles in the
18th century, so that a stronger portion
of wind tone nevertheless is obtained.
And so the discussion goes on. The
omission of certain numbers out of the
original 53 is in keeping with a tradition
of excisions established by the composer
himself. Little more need be said about
this great oratorio except that following
the premiere, Handel conducted another
performance of it in Ireland before he
brought it back to “Merri Ole" England.
STANDING FOR THE
HALLELUJAH CHORUS'
It was at the English premier in Covent
Garden in March 1743, that Kind George
11, so moved at the inspiration of the
you for your cooperation and goodwill.
MAY THE NEW YEAR BRING YOU
' ' The News-Review Staff
Page 4
a smoke screen that will be used to
generate enough negative publicity
to get the ordinance defeated or at
least put on a back burner and
never acted upon.
It is significant that the concern
so far has been whether the
employers approve the ordinance
and not the protection of the
employes who in many instances
are being discriminated against by
those same employers.
We remind the members of the
City Council and the County
Commission that the greatest
amount of foot dragging and
negativism always comes about
when the issue concerns the rights
and protection of large numbers of
Black people.
The Black community is
watching this issue very closely.
And we will not forget it at election
time.
Tor unto us
a child is boro’
By Al Irbv
Hallelujah Chorus that he arose to hear
the remainder of it, inaugurated the
trandition of standing during its
performance. It was just 200 years ago,
on April 6, 1759, that Handel conducted
his last performance of Messiah at the
Foundling Hospital in London. Eight
days later he was never again to be found
on his beloved Brook Street, shuffling
rapidly toward Grosvenor Square or
contemplating his surroundings. He died
on April 14, 1759, and was honored by
the English nation with a grave in famed
Westminister Abbey.
WORKED 23 DAYS
ON THE GREAT MESSIAH'
The entire story of his life-style was
kept secret until after his death. If an
inquisitive American news reporter had
followed this talented composer along
Brook Street to his home on August 22,
1741, he might have seen Mr. Handel at
his desk in the front room putting notes
on paper with remarkable speed. For the
next 23 days he did not leave the house;
his manservant brought his meals to him
at his composing deak. Then on
September 14, after a little over three
weeks of feverish work on the
manuscript, he shut the completed
Messiah in his drawer. Handel was deeply
moved during those 23 days.
THE HEAVEN OPENED TO HIM,
HALLELUJAH! I SAW THE MOST HIGH
At one point, after having written
down the stirring ‘Hallelujah Chorus,’ the
great composer ran out to his manservant
with eyes filled with tears exclaiming, ‘I
did see all of heaven before me, and the
great God Almighty Himself.”
Handel, like Bach, had been raised in
the solid, strict atmosphere of Protestant
Germany, and he was a man of great
personal religion. He had more
philosophical grounds for considering
himself a popular dramatic composer. To
be a church composer one had to be
introspective. Bach was adept at this. He
could call up from the depths of his
religious soul melodic motifs which
would mystically symbolize such ideas as
pain, death, sin, or the fall of Adam. But
Handel got his musical images externally.
He drew not only upon the classics, but
upon the simple folk songs of the country
and the popular airs of the city. His
sketch books were full of the street cries
of London, and as we might expect, his
oratories mirrored the world about him.
TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND
READERS, A MERRY AND
MEANINGFUL CHRISTMAS SEASON.
I NEVER i
I OWNED ANY «
Jhkf slaves! §
-------
NO MAN IS AN ISLAND
□SHE IJ®
Fuqua explains station’s role
Dear Editor:
I just finished reading your reprint
entitled “Jimmy Carter’s racist friend”.
The article revealed to the reader in black
and white, what many should have
suspected all along, Carter’s political
thinking towards Blacks is greatly
influenced by people who are
INHERENTLY racist in their thinking
towards Blacks, i.e. J.B. Fuqua of Fuqua
Industries.
When the name J.B. Fuqua is
mentioned folks familiar with Augusta
immediately think of WJBF, channel 6
television station. Now, understanding
the racist philosophy that its owner has
concerning Black people (Africans) it
should be easily understood why the
television station has not played a
positive role in the Black community. To
do so would be contradictory to the
overriding philosophy of the owner... e.g.
from Fuqua, “Blacks are the least
CAPABLE of producing in today’s
society, you park a certain percentage of
them...and you support them through
welfare.” It should be obvious that the
“percentage” that isn’t “parked”
becomes the buffer between the white
oppressors (Fuquas, lan Smith, John
Vorster, to name only a few) and the
Black oppressed.
As powerful a means of
communication as the television is, a local
or national T.V. station could address the
problems and social ills confronting the
Black community and ASSIST in
systematically and scientifically
alleviating those problems. If the guiding
philosophy of the communication media
in general and WJBF -in particular was
one of humanism, that is concern for
HUMANS, instead of one of racism many
of the social ills of this nation in general
and the Black community here in
Augusta in particular could be dealt with.
For example, T.V. stations could air
programs instilling pride and respect for
one’s self instead of self-degrading
programs (tarzan); T.V. stations could be
the forum for scientific discussion and
co-operation aimed at solving specific
social problems (cancer, pollution,
energy); T.V. stations could compliment
the educational institutions of the society
in general and alleviate some of the
illiteracy existing in the Augusta Black
community. But again, that would be in
contradiction to the overriding
philosophy of the owner of W.J.8.F.,
“Blacks are the least capable” so park
them and don't worry about it.
The question is asked how can the
racists make public pronouncements
downgrading Black people and nothing be
said or done about it. The answer lies in
the fact that the shackles of slavery are
heavy on our (Black peoples) minds. Our
level of awareness is so low we’ve become
Appreciates support
Dear Editor.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of
the C.S.R.A. Business League, I express
our sincere appreciation to those persons
who turned out so beautifully to support
us in our Annual Awards Banquet.
Special thanks go to Mr. Joseph Greene
of Pilgrim Health & Life Insurance Co.,
Dr. James Paschal of Augusta Area
Technical School for serving as over-all
co-ordinators for the banquet. Had it not
been for their experience and interest in
our program, the banquet would not have
been a success, and we express our sincere
appreciation to them.
We feel extremely proud of our record
and we want the Augusta Community to
know that we are here for the express
insensitive to words and actions that
injure our racial pride. We’ve become a
community that acts like a wino, so
doped up on cheap wine until he falls in
the gutter and sleeps for cheap wine.
We’ve become like the heroin addict
who’s so “spaced” out that he’s
insensitive to the fact that continual use
of the junk will ultimately cause his
destruction. The Black community has
been fed so much poison, we’re so doped
up on junk put out by the press, the local
radio and T.V. stations, local “officials”
(Black and white), so-called educational
centers (Josey, Laney, Paine) that we’re
insensitive to the fact that the kind of
“Habit” we have is one that can destroy
us. And will destroy us unless we produce
the necessary solutions, antidotes,
vaccines, remedies or whatever to deal
with our “Habit”.
We begin by re-taking our minds, as
Marcus Garvey puts it “take the kinks out
of our minds instead of our hair.” This is
accomplished by studying OUR history,
finding out who we are and what our
place in the world should be (“Roots”
only scratched the surface). Once we
begin to understand who we are and what
we should be about it will become clear
that we need to and should work for the
race. We need to go back to the concept
of teaching our own and not just leaving
that up to anybody (e.g. Richmond
County School Board). We need to go
back to the concept of people in our
community caring about each other and
not just trying to GET OVER on each
other.
Secondly, we need to make the
political, economic and cultural link up
with our brothers and sisters in Africa.
That’s where our real strength and true
independence lie. Until Africa is free and
united the Black man throughout the
world lacks a national home. And so it is,
with us staying with someone else and
not concerned about getting “Home"
(Africa) together we’re subject to any
kind of treatment or in our case,
mistreatment.
It should be obvious that time is of the
utmost importance. Just check out the
unemployment statistics, the infant
mortality rate, the number of Blacks in
jail or prison, the number of Blacks
strung out on dope, the list is endless. It
should also be obvious that we either
break our “Habit” or we let our “Habit”
destroy us. We know where Fuqua and
the like are coming from, its on US!
Educate and organize to live, not live to
die!
Working for the race,
Aminifu Askari
(James Dunbar)
3435 Pine Hill Rd.
Hephzibah, Ga. 30815
purpose of promoting minority and Small
Businesses, and our service of quality
nature is a part of our moto, and we feel
that with the continued support of our
Augusta and surrounding community that
the C.S.R.A. Business League will
continue be the organization to champion
the cause for minority businesses and
develop them to such nature that they
would have an economic impact on our
area.
Again the Board of Directors would
like to take this means to say thanks to
all and solicit your membership in the
Business League.
Harvey Johnson
Executive Director
>, mk/
The Alan Bakke “reverse
discrimination” case is providing
insensitive and racist whites with a
legitimation of institutionalized white
racism. The undercurrent of resentment
after Black political and economic gains
of the 1960 s has now become a tidal
wave. The same will be increasingly true
for women as time goes by.
White males are jumping on the ship of
reverse discrimination and landing on
deck with what they call a constitutional
thud. It does not seem to bother them
that women and minority groups are
behind in economic, educational and
political achievements because of a
history as victims of “forward
discrimination” and oppression.
Most notions and practices related to
“standards” and “qualifications” are
geared to insuring advantages for white
males and sometimes females. There is a
great need for redefining what such terms
as standards and qualifications really
mean. It goes without saying that all tests
have inherent cultural bias with
social-economic bias also being a major
factor.
For a most realistic approach to testing
and qualifying for academic admission to
colleges and universities, future admission
procedures should consider not just what
makes a good student, but also what
makes a good professional or end
product. For example, a person can score
high on tests and yet be largely unable to
relate to other people. How could such a
person make a good lawyer, social
worker, psychologist or doctor?
It is further disturbing to observe that
many federal agencies, colleges, and
universities and private business firms
have decreased their efforts to aid
minorities and women until such time as
the Supreme Court rules on the Bakke
case. Special efforts to include significant
numbers of the two disadvantaged groups
represent the only possible route to
meaningful progress. And this fact must
be accepted by the majority of whites
and others in this country.
Some white groups once friendly and
supportive o f the Black quest for civil
■> ■ ;v’./ -- .'•'•‘'Mac
WjC
As Christmas approaches Americans
are spending billions of dollars on all
kinds of gifts for the holidays... May I
suggest two excellent gifts for Black
Augustans?... Both can be used locally or
sent out of town... One family can use
them to good order or given to someone
else... You should especially purchase or
give a subscription to white friends,
students and those who should be better
informed about Black America-
First, there is our own News-Review,
soon to be going into its seventh year... It
has a tasty presentation of news, columns
(including the national directors of the
Urban League and NAACP), church
pictures, news and schedules... No place
else in Augusta can you read about or
scan pictures of your lodges, fraternal
groups, social activities, historical
background on our leaders, past and
present... features on progress,
discrimination, hopes and dreams.
It captures the mood and times of
more than 50,000 Blacks in Augusta and
CSRA... As one who attended the
Sesquicentennial NNPA convention of
the Black Press of America, I am here to
remind you that our News-Review and its
publisher, Mai Millender, are highly
respected indeed... He again will be on
program at the forthcoming NNPA
meeting in Miami...
Give a News-Review subscription...
You’ll be remembered 52 times per year
when your recipient opens it with
pleasure and enlightment... Call our
office, 722-4555...
KNOW YOUR HISTORY
My second recommendation for a
smaller Christmas gift is “Blacks in
Augusta - A Chronology”. This
interesting and valuable Black history
booklet covering the period 1741 - 1977
was researched, written and produced by
Lloyd P. Terrell of Paine College and his
charming wife, Marguerite S.C. Terrell...
Support Our Advertisers
Sneaking Out—
Bakke legitimizes
institutional racism
By Roosevelt Green Jr.
and human rights have now joined the
reverse discrimination nonsense
supporters. These fair weather friends
have abandoned Blacks primarily because
they fear Black competition and
advancement. They like to talk out of
both sides of their mouths by giving lip
service to civil rights struggles and
strongly fighting Black achievements on
so-called constitutional grounds.
The big lesson to be learned by Blacks
is that unity and self-help efforts are
absolutely necessary. We can no longer
depend on bleeding heart white liberals
since their commitment to our cause is
limited by their perceived false self
interests. They fail to see that progress by
any underpriviledged group is less of a
burden on the privileged in the long and
short run.
Blacks must still form short term
coalitions with non-Blacks when certain
goals are to be attained. However,
burning the midnight oil, economic
development, consumer education,
political education and more Black unity
are key ingredients for our survival. We
must quit playing so much and get down
to doing some hard work for
advancement and general progress.
Black churches and ministers should
take the lead in the new level of struggle.
Black fraternal and civic organizations
should do more for the general
advancement of the people and move
away from ego trips and playing around.
Black professionals should take the lead
in demonstrating better values and
achievements to our children and youth.
It will be very sad if the Supreme
Court rules in favor of Bakke and Blacks
and women are caught without plans for
renewing the struggles. Since “forward
discrimination" will never be acceptable to
Blacks, other so-called minorities and
women, America must deal adequately
with this problem or face internal
violence and discord on a larger scale than
ever before. The answer is not “blowing
in the wind” since full equality of al!
citizens is written in the cement of this
democracy.
HARAMBEE!!!!!!!!!!
Going places
Give a
Black publication
for Christmas
By Philip Waring
It sells for only 53.00 (please add forty
cents for mailing) and may be secured by
writing Mr. Terrell at Preston
Publications, P.O. Box 461, Augusta, Ga.,
30903.
SALUTE TO BUSINESS LEAGUE
AND BLACK FESTIVAL
Augusta was treated to two excellent
productions during November: The
highly successful CSRA Business League
awards dinner featuring Mrs. Martha
Mitchell, assistant to President Carter.
And the other of course, was the Black
Festival’s presentation at Augusta College
when it cited Mrs. Rosa Tutt and Mrs.
Frankie Levy for their cultural and
musical leadership... The Augusta
Community should be proud indeed of
both of these programs. My special salute
to Miss Maxine and Brother Johnson on
vour leadership...
BLACKS WHO HELPED BUILD AUGUSTA
The Good Lord willing, we expect a
major speed up of this historical series
during 1978... On deck now is Mr. A.
Green, Augusta’s pioneer mattress
manufacturer and business executive...
Would Mrs. Evelyn Green Screen please
get a picture of her father to Editor
Millender... We note also that 1978 will
be the fiftieth year of professional service
rendered in social work to the Augusta
Community by Mrs. Allie Will Gardiner...
She is now “Dean of Black Social
Workers”... We also will be featuring Dr’
& Mrs. Paul Weston, Dr. & Mrs. William
Griffin, Mrs. Rosa L. Tutt, Dr. & Mrs.
Allen Brown, Ms. M. Louise Laney and
many, many more civic, educational and
religious leaders past and present,
including Mr. S.M. Jenkins and the L.B.
Wallace family...
WARM HOLIDAY GREETINGS
May “Going Places”, now observing its
30thanniversary, extend Best Holiday
Wishes to one and all!!...