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The Augusta News-Review • March 29, 1980 •!
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•*. ' * •» • ■•
Mallory K. Millender . Editor-Publisher
Paul D. Walker Special Assistant to the Publisher
Frank Bowman Director ot Special Projects
Ms. Fannie Fluno News-Editor
Billy ,W. Hobbs ..,,.Reporter
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Harvey Harrison Sales Representative
Mrs. Rhonda Brown Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Maty Gordon Administrative Assistant
Mrs. Geneva V. Gibson Church Coordinator
Mrs. Fannie. Johnson .Aiken County Correspondent
Mrs. Clara West .... McDuffie County Correspondent
David Dupree Sports Editor
Mrs. Ileen Buchanan Fashion & Beauty Editor
Roosevelt Green Columnist
Ailrby,;,..- Columnist
Mrs. Marian Waring• .Columnist
Philip Waring Columnist
Sterling Wimberly ‘Photographer
Roscoe Williams Photographer
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So-called .black leaders from the
original civil rights movement and a few
J uhnnies-come-lately assembled in
Richmond, Va. a few weeks ago allegedly
to establish a black agenda for 1980. Now
there is a small number of those
architects of racial progress, who arc
really concerned with the condition of
the black masses: but lire vast majority
arc nothing but racial hustlers out there
to feather (heir own nests: the devil take
the blacks in the streets. This was very
much difference from the 1972 black
political conference in Gary, Indiana.
• SPRIT OF DR. KING AND MALCOM X
Ideological debates look a back scat to
more traditional parliamentary
. procedures.. Yet the fervor of the 60s
which brought the likes of Dr. Martin
(.other King and Maicon X could still be
heard in the thunderous verbosity
delivered by the inimitable Rev. Jesse
Jackson, leader of Operation POSH and
Congressman Ronald Dcllums (D-Ca.),
Vice Chairman of the Congressional Black
Caucus arid senior member, of the House
' Armed Services Committee.
Congresswoman Cardtss Collins (D-IIL),
Chairperson of the Black Congressional
Caucus, said. “The conference is to
decide for . ourselves what the priorities
arc and maximize our own resources to
build an infrastructure Io emphasize
format political clout in the 80s.”
CANDIDATES REFUSED TO ATTEND
But before lite delegation of over
1,000 representatives from 300 black
organizations throughout die country
. could see their way Io creating a black
agenda, a menacing cloud of presidential
politicing had Io be cleared. Upon
learning, on the second day of the
conference that the three Democratic
presidential hopefuls - Sen. Edward
Kennedy. Jerry Brown, and President
Carter, also Rep. John Anderson (R-lll.)
declined to appear, the black leaders were
forced to call a press conference Io
respond to the insult. Consequently, the
talk boys and girls went
into action. “This conference was never
intended to revoke around a presidential
forum,” coordinator of the conference
Mayor Richard Hatcher of Gary, Indiana,
said. "Nor does its cancellation affect lite
outcome* of this conference in any way.
We came here to write a black agenda.”
. By Gerald C. Home
With, th?arrival of Spring, this
country’s Summer ritual -- professional
basebal - cannot be far behind. This
year's tJ»»nRS mirfit be different as most
observers are reporting that the major
■ league owners will be forcing a strike.
. : Another difference this year is that
these 'to more awareness and
■ determination on the part of the civH
rights community to redress the absence
Jf Macks in the front offices of major
league basebal teams.
That there is a critical lack of color in
these white collar positions should come
as no surprise to those famflar with the
history of.racism in this industry, pie
. old-timers among us recall the picketing,
the protests and the pressure that finally
caused the migration on the field in the
person of UCLA tear Jackie Robinson.
The dynamic role of Paul Robeson and
crvl rights attorney Wffliam Patterson
<“The Man Who Cried Genocide”) plus
the arsthradst sentiment generated by the
war against Nazi Germany were pivotal in
Page 4
Candidates
snub blacks
By Al Irby
II NOT CARTER, WIIO’N Till: HI LL?
Nonetheless, Mayor Coleman Young of
Detroit side-stepped the agenda when he
came out in support of President Jimmy
Carter. Coleman's remarks provoked boos
from an audience of 500 delegates who
apparently disagreed with his
endorsement. “I say to you, based on his
record, Jimmy Carter will be the next
president," said Young. “I’m going with
Carter. Much of the money that has gone
to the cities can he traced to the man
from Plains, Georgia. After you get
through booing, who the hell are you for?
Later Coleman noted that he felt
everyone at the conference was a part of
some organized lobbying organization
and charged that the convenors were not
dealing with the realities. “I’m not sure
what the focus of this conference is, but
one thing is certain, this is not a mass
conference, but a leadership conference
of people with axes to grind," said
Young.
Young was contradicted by
Congressman Delluins, who was most
critical of President Carter and the United
States budget. Dellums attacked the
budget for alloting too much money for
defense spending and not enough for
domestic concerns. “Society's values are
reflected in the budget. The atmosphere
of balanced budget and Proposition 13
will harm us all,” the fircry Dellums
warned.
Top bigwigs of the conference warned
the presidential hopefuls that they could
not ignore the strength of the black vote
or face repercussions. Os course they
mostly spoke for themselves. The bulk of
black voters have minds of their own, and
that tends toward Jimmy Carter. That
last press conference marked a turning
point in the agenda session. Black leaders
who were not present were hurriedly sent
for to backup the sagging enthusiasm.
Topping the list were former UN
Ambassador Andrew Young, President of
the . National Urban League, Vernon
Jordan; tire president of the Center for
Political Studies, Eddie Williams; Rep.
Cardiss Collins (D-IIL); Rev. Jesse
Jackson, head of Operation PUSH, and
Coretta Scott King, wife of slain Civil
Rights leader Martin Luther King. This
huge group of black political brokers
blew their talented tops at the entire
spectrum of political candidates that
passed them by with their campaign “Hot
Air.”
Iffirmative action and baseballttime to stop playing ball
this integration process. The irrationality
of segregation is underscored by the fact
that black stars such as Josh Gibson, Judy
Johnson, Jay “Cool Papa” Bell and
legions of others were deprived of an
opportunity to earn a living at their
chosen trade, despite their obvious
“merit.” The continuing segregation of
“Negro League” stars in the Hall of Fame
at Cooperstown, New York is continuing
insult heaped on a continuing injury.
Since the day that Jaclde Robinson
first stepped on to the field for the
Brooklyn Dodgers, there has been a
continuing stream of black (U.S., Cuban,
Puerto Rican, etc.) players adding lustre
to the country’s pasttime. Indeed, the
National League’s continued domination
of the American League in All-Star
Games is attributed often to its
preponderance of black players.
Unfortunately, this representation on
the field has not been duplicated off the
field. This is one reason why the Rev.
Joseph Lowery of the Southern Christian
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RICHMOND, VA- |
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CHICKEN!
To be equal
By Vernon E. Jordan
The 1980 Census officially begins April
1, and it is the most important event of
the year for minorities, perhaps even
more important than the outcome of the
presidential election.
That’s because the census results will
affect just about every area of minority
life. Part of the problems faced by
minorities in the seventies derived from
the fact that so many were counted out,
affecting a wide variety of federal and
state aid programs.
The Census Bureau itself admits that it
missed five million people in the 1970
Census. But while only one out of fifty
whites was not counted, one out of
fourteen blacks and one out of seven
Hispanic-Americans were not counted.
Almost one out of five young black men
were missed by the census-takers.
Over the course of the decade that
undercount cost minority communities
billions of dollars in job programs and
other social services allocated in part on
population figures based on inaccurate
census numbers.
Apologists for the undercount claim
that minority suspicions of official
documents and government probers were
the main cause.
But more important was the failure to
design procedures to ensure that everyone
is counted. Major efforts were not made
to pentrate suspicions and convince
people that it was in their own interests
to fill out and return the census forms.
It is questionable whether the 1980
census will do much better on that score.
There’s been little evidence of
concentrated advertising campaigns
directed at minorities. Some urban
neighborhoods that are predominately
Spanish-speaking will be mailed forms in
English.
This year’s census will rely more
heavily on mail returns than ever before,
although pilot tests show this method
results in lower compliance rates.
The forms themselves could be simpler.
Most families will get a form that
supposedly takes fifteen minutes to fill
out, but many will get a longer form
taking nearly an hour.
Leadership Conference (SCLC) called for
a meeting with Baseball Commissioner
Bowie Kuhn to discuss the civil rights
community's concern with this lament
able situation. Despite the urgency of the
matter, Kuhn has dragged his heels on
discussing this issue.
Perhaps this is because he would have
difficulty justifying the apartheid-like
conditions in baseball’s white collar
positions. In the office of the
commissioner, there is only one black -
Emmet Ashford (bounced from being
baseball’s sole black umpire) and Monte
Irvin. Emmett Ashford, who was also in
the front office, recently died.
In the front offices of the clubs there
are a few blacks, e.g. Hank Aaron (vice
president, player development, Atlanta
Braves); Ernie Banks (member of the
board and manager of group sales,
Chicago Clubs); Don Newcombe
(director, community relations, Los
Angeles Dodgers); Tommy Harper
(marketing and promotions, Boston Red
Minorities must be
counted in census
But do those time figures reflect the
fact that many poor households are
disadvantaged educationally? For them
even the sort form will be a test of
perserverance, and many may just ignore
it.
These and other shortcomings place a
heavy burden on minority community
organizations, churches and othere to
ensure that people in their neighborhoods
are counted. And that means providing
information and assistance so that
everyone gets their census questionnaires
filled out and mailed in.
People have to know why their
cooperation is important.
One key reason is redistricting. Exactly
one year from now the Census will release
the official population figures to states
and localities for the purpose of
redistricting legislative seats. Without
maximum minority participation in the
census, Congressional and legislative seats
may be redistricted out of black and
brown communities and given to
predominately white suburbs.
Already, experts are predicting a
massive drift in Congressional seats away
from the big northern states to California
and the South. If that shift is based on
undercounting both northern minority
communitys and those of the South and
West, then the little political power
minorities now yield will decline evn
further.
Census figures will also decide the
distribution of some S6O billion in federal
funds for revenue sharing, job training,
educational aid and other programs.
They’ll help set guidelines for equal
employment opportunity programs.
State and local programs are also at
stake. Census figures may be used to
justify closing hospitals, libraries, schools
and fire stations if an ur.dercount suggests
lower population than actually exists.
So minorities have a special stake in
being counted in 1980. We’ve been
counted out in previous censuses, and
that meant being counted out of jobsand
programs too. We can’t afford to be
counted out again.
Sox); Brooks Lawrence (director,
community relations, Cincinnati Reds);
Jim Plummer (assistant director of
promotions, New York Mcts); Minnie
Minoso (public relations, Chicago White
Sox); and Darrell Joseph (assistant
controller, Kansas City Royals).
A number of facts emerge from an
examination of this list. First of all, it is
obscene that major league baseball
owners, who profit handsomely from the
sweat of black players and the money of
black fans can only see fit to hire a
measly eight blacks in front office
positions. Second of all, with the possible
exception of Aaron and Joseph, the
major function of the blacks hired
appears to be to keep black fans turning
the turnstiles (“group sales,” “public
relations,” etc.). The owners seem to
realize that if they do need a token black,
his job should be to make sure that the
“natives” don’t rebel against
discriminatory practices by staying away
from the ball park. Thirdly, the
-Behind the Scenes
|flCMg*£
Probably not since Emperor Ceasar
Augustus sent out a decree that all the
known world would be counted for the
purpose of tax collection has there been
so much preparation for the enumeration
of Americans.
In many respects, April 1, will be the
more important than the Nov. 4 election
of the president of the United States.
On that April morning, the decennial
count of all persons who dwell within the
borders of the nation and its territories
will officially get underway. Being
included in that number is far more
meaningful titan wetting a finger and
ticking off people like so many heads of
cabbages at a market stall.
The big compilation which takes place
every ten years not only registers the
population of the United States, but it is
the basis for establishing congressional
districts, securing data on housing,
employment, health and education and
determining how the wealth of tire
country will be shared by states and
municipalities.
Because many people are “lost" in the
numbers game, the undercount becomes a
paramount issue. Minorities, in particular,
have been systematically short-changed in
each census since it began in the 18th
Century.
Whatever the reasons, the Bureau of
the Census has been making elaborate
plans to correct this omission in 1980. It
established advisory councils on the
various ethnic groups -- blacks, Hispanics,
Asian-Pacific and Native Americans.
Joseph and Mary had to make the
arduous journey from Nazareth to
Bethlethem by donkey despite the fact
that Mary was great with child. The
modern census is so refined that the only
laobr involved is in filling out the
questionnaire which will be mailed to the
heads of each household and handing the
completed form to the postman.
This is far cry from the old system of
head counting. Some years ago, I served
for a short period as a consultant to the
Social Security Administration. I learned
at first hand the complexities of locating
warm bodies. Then it was a hazardous
risk to climb the stairs of public housing
projects and take nose counts. In the
rural areas of the South, the nice ladies
who were the enumerators had a fashion
of standing outside their cars hollering
across a drainage ditch to a dilapidated
shack, “How many of you all in there?.'
Depending upon the mood of the folks
inside who were wary of why the white
folks were asking such questions, the
answer could be one to 20. Whatever the
response, the counter got back into her
car and wrote down whatever figure
suited her, and that was the end of that
census.
We all know about hiding folks for
various reasons -- they may be in trouble
with the law, or the welfare people may
be tracing them down or many other
reasons. These are among the hidden
population. They remain anonymous
from fear of being discovered. Poverty
naturally compounds the situation.
But one sure way to find black folks
was tlrrough the undertakers. They were
the ultimate link to body count. No
place, no matter how remote, was
inaccessible to the conveyors of departed
souls. A good undertaker was and is
always on the alert for customers. He or
she has first-hand knowledge of where the
live ones are.
I’m glad that there is improvement. I’m
happy that the bureau has gathered up
some of the “most leadingnest blacks” in
the country to advise them on how to
find more, not less of us.
Anybody who can see and/or hear
knows that there are a lot more than 25
million black folks in America. If you
don’t believe it, just stand on the corner
of 125th and Lennox in New York, 75th
and King Drive in Chicago, or other
familiar comers in Baltimore, St. Louis,
Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Orleans, you
name it and there are black folks for
days.
In fact, you’ll wonder where the whites
went. By my own private computer, there
must be at least 10 million more highly
overwhelming majority of these blacks
are ex-players. What’s wrong with that?
Nothing necessarily. But why can’t these
owners see fit to hire some of the
thousands of black business school
(MBA’s) and business administration
grads exiting from universities every year.
They hire white MBA’s, so why can’t
they hire blacks? It can’t be argued that
“qualified blacks” are unavailable. The
Affirmative Action Coordinating Center
by itself can supply a life of a hundred or
more qualified and experienced blacks
who could be hired and that is not even
our main line of work!
Unfortunately, the issue of racial
discrimination is not simply limited to
the front office. There are still significant
examples of racism on the field. Why is
there only one black umpire, Eric Gregg,
of the National League; there are only
five black umpires in the minor leagues,
So the prospects for a further increase do
not seem bright. Where are the black
managers? There are none in the majors
Being counted in
census as
important as voting
By Ethel Payne
visible, identifiable stone “bloods” than
what the “Man” admits to. Even I am
impressed by all that blackness flowing
like the mighty Congo River through the
streets.
Next year’s count will cost well over
SI billion. Several dress rehearsals have
been held in cities around the country to
test the viability of the mail plan.
Census takers will call on only those
households which do not send back their
completed questionnaires. At that time,
they will ask for missing information.
Advice will be sought from experts across
the country on such issues as (1)
adequacy of available techniques for
undercount measurement (2) the scope of
the possible adjustments relative to
census population counts (and possibly -
characteristics data) for a range of
geographic areas, (3) the conference will
establish the legal philosophical,
legislative and political concerns involved
in adjusting census numbers, (4) it will
address the equity of using adjusted
figures in federal fund allocation
formulas, and (5) it will deal with the
implication of adjusting census data for
the federal statistical system in general.
All tli is will be hammered out at a
two-day conference in Washington in the
spring of 1980.
The importance of the census was
underscored by Vernon Jordan, president
of the National Urban League. In an open
letter to the delegates and participants at
the recent annual conference of the
League in Chicago, he had this to say .
“You will be asked to make many
important decisions in 1980 that may
very well help to shape the course of this
nation's future. A major one, of course, is
the opportunity to exercise your
Constitutional right to vote, to select our
nation’s leaders.
“But there is another ballot that you
will be asked to cast - next year -- your
vote to be counted in the 1980 Census. ...
This census undercount has shortchanged
thousands of communities both
politically and economically. The two
million blacks who were missed (in the
1980 Census) are equal to the loss of five
Congressional representatives and scores
of local legislators...
“These communities lost billions of
dollars in possible fiscal relief since
population figures arc increasingly being
used as the basis for government aid to
state and localities in such areas as
housing, education, employment,
transportation, etc. ... Let us all work
together for a 100 percent count next
year.”
Jordan’s admonition should be taken
quite seriously. One prime purpose of the
census as provided by the Constitution is
to establish the basis for fair
apportionment among the States of seats
in the House of Representatives.
That will have a direct effect upon
black political representation in Congress.
As it now stands there are 15 blacks in
the House (Reps. Barbara Jordan and
Yvonne Brathwaite Burke resigned last
year). The reapportionment could reduce
the number of blacks even more through
gerrymandering of congressional districts.
The precensus estimates show population
drops in some heavily black districts that
have been sending representatives to the
House since tire 1970 Census and even
longer.
By law, the Census Bureau must report
the State population counts to the
president by January 1, 1981, nine
months after the census. Exactly a year
after the Census Day - April 1, 1981 -
the Bureau must make available to each
state legislature population totals for all
counties and cities and other political
subdivisions in the State. Court rulings on
the one person, one vote principle have
led state and local governments to use
census data for drawing legisla ive and
other district and ward boundaries.
It is important also to remember that
while the census is mandatory, each
household’s answers to the questionnaire
See “CENSUS”
Page 7
and only one, Johnny Lewis of Gastonia
of the Class A Western Carolina League,
in the minors. Again, prospects for the
future do not appear bright. There are
a out fifteen coaches in the major
leagues. Not bad at first glance; buy they
are mostly segregated in the first base
coaching slot and virtually barred from
the third base slot, which involves more
responsibility and duties.
Other areas are equally discouraging.
Only two teams have black broadcasters -
Bill White of the New York Yankees and
Mudcat Grant of Oakland - despite the
surplus of articulate, heady blacks who
could fill this role.
The technical crews that broadcast the
games are virtually as white as Ole Miss’s
law school class of 1933. Os course, the
sorry statistics for baseball could just as
well be cited to condemn professional
football, which has no black head
See “BASKETBALL”
Page 7