Newspaper Page Text
Food stamp program
seems doomed
by the end of May
Page 1
Vol. 9 No. 51
Prominent civil rights leaders join
to support boycott of Winn-Dixie Stores
ATLANTA - A growing
number of prominent black
civil rights leaders have joined
together in supporting a
consumer boycott of
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., the
nation’s fifth largest grocery
retailer and the largest in the
south.
The group, which includes
Julian Bond, Dr. Joseph
Lowery, Mrs. Coretta Scott
King, Mayor Charles Evers, the
rev. Ralph Abernathy and
others has endorsed the
boycott amid growing charges
of race and sex discrimination
and labor law violations against
the Jacksonville, Florida-based
grocery chain. According to
the leading industry
publication, “Supermarket
News,” Winn-Dixie receives
approximately 30 percent of
its revenues from black and
other minority consumers.
Critics in the black
community said that
Food stamp program
may end in May
By Kathleen Kirby
News-Review Intern
The funds for food stamps
are so low that they will run
out approximately at the end
of May when the normal
funding cycle runs through
September, according to the
principle casework supervisor
at the Department of Family
and Children Services.
In order to remedy this
funding shortage, Supervisor
Vic Vickery said there is a
supplemental funding bill
pending before Congress that
they will have to act on by
May 15. “If they don’t act by
May 15, it will mean a delay
and a reduction in the June
benefits,” Vickery said.
The supervisor estimated
Times are good and bad
black federal judge says
By Fannie Flono
“For blacks, these are the
best of times and worst of
times,” U.S. District Court
Judge Horace T. Ward said
Sunday, borrowing a line from
Charles Dickens.
Ward, speaking to an
audience gathered for a Law
Day observance at Antioch
Baptist Church, said quoting
from another writer, that it is
the best of times when we
consider what is behind us.
But it is the worst of times
when what needs to be done.
“It is the best of times when
we have 300 black lawyers in
Georgia. When I came on the
bench, there were less than 25
and none in Augusta.
“There are also two black
superior court judges, several
county court and municipal
court judges. But almost all
black judges are in Atlanta and
Augusta Nr'ius-Kntjnu
Winn-Dixie has a long history
of being charged with
discrimination against
minorities and women. The
Rev. Charles Kirby, president
of Kentucky SCLC, said that,
“The Southern Christian
Leadership Conference
challenged Winn-Dixie several
years ago on the question of
promotion of blacks... SCLC
still isn’t satisfied with this
firm’s promotion policy, and
that’s why blacks should join
the boycott against
Winn-Dixie.”
The United Food and
Commerical Workers’ Union is
the principal sponsor of the
boycott. Among the many
supporting organizations are:
The Coalition of Black Trade
Unionists, the National Council
of Senior Citizens, the A.
Phillip Randolph Institute,
SCLC, the National
Association of Letter Carriers,
that $2.65 billion nationwide is
needed to fund the program at
the same level for the
remainder of the year. He said,
“If they don’t choose to fund
it to that amount, then the
program will have to operate at
a reduce lower than what it
has.
“If they fund it fully, it will
be about $7.35 billion for the
months of June, July, August,
and September.”
Vickery said the decrease in
funds can primarily be
attributed to “the kind of
growth in the food stamp rates
that has occurred in the last
year. Approximately 7700
families contain in assess of 22
thousand people in Richmond
County are using food
we’ve got to speak to tire
governor and others to see that
its changed,” Ward said.
The judge said he wanted to
give acclaim to President Carter
for the efforts at appointing
judges at the federal level.
Ward said there is a serious
problem among us -
black-on-black crime.
Blaming a lack of
educational opportunities,
breakdown in the family and a
failure to attend church, Ward
said we must all do our part to
reduce crime.
The program at Antioch was
presented by the Alpha Chi
Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity. John Elam is
president.
The chapter presented two
awards for outstanding
achievement in law and civil
rights to Ward and local
chapter member John H.
Ruffin Jr.
President Carter
wins black vote
in early primaries
Page 3
and the NAACP.
Although precise statistics
on the composition of
Winn-Dixie’s labor force of
more than 50,000 have been
difficult to obtain, a survey of
promotions to management
level positions listed in the
company magazine,
“Winn-Dixie Times” reveals
that few black males and
almost no black women have
advanced to management or
supervisory level positions
since 1977. Two consecutive
issues of the magazine, for
example, summer and fall of
1978, display the portraits of
the 78 employes who were
promoted to management and
supervisory positions. All 78
are white males.
In addition, there have been
complaints of verbal abuse
directed toward black
employes and customers. One
story, which appeared in the
stamps.”
When the number of
individuals, Vickery said, is
divided into the total benefit
per month in an assess of
$833,000, there are only about
$33 per individual for the
month. Regardless of the
increase in the distribution of
food stamps, the supervisor
said, “It’s very difficult to
cipher out just what to
attribute the decrease in funds
to.”
However, the increase in
families using food stamps,
Vickery said, may be
attributed to the “significant
change in the food stamp
regulation and an elimination
of the purchase requirements
in March and January of last
year.” Last year individuals
had to pay, for example, $l4O
for $165 worth of food
stamps. Vickery said, “The
people didn’t want to do this.
“They are more interested in
participating if they can get the
$25 free which they can do
now.”
The other changes had to do
with deductions. “We went
from an itemized deduction in
relation to earn income and a
number of other areas. We
went to a standard 20 percent
earned income deduction, a $75
deduction, and we also
changed to a standard utility
deduction of $94,” the
supervisor added.
Vickery pointed out that
no money has been cut back.
Laney chorus
in concert
The Lucy C. Laney High
School Chorus, under the
direction of Mrs. Brenda W.
Pollard, will present its annual
spring concert, “Music of the
Eighties,” May 15 at 8 pm. in
the muac building.
There is no charge for
admission.
D.W. Wilds is the principal.
Miami Times, noted that a
store manager, Doug Antle,
said of Haitian stock-workers,
“They’re alright. It’s just like
all niggers. You got to keep on
their butts. They work.” A
security guard at the same
location suggested spraying
Haitians with deodorant as
they enter the store. Although
the 400 Haitians who picketed
the store were able to force a
terse apology from Winn-Dixie,
G.E. Clerc, a director of public
relations for the company, said
that “Doug Antle is a
super-nice guy and a very
religious man,” according to
another Florida newspaper,
The Miami News.
Critics of Winn-Dixie have
also charged an insensitivity to
blacks on the part of
high-ranking company
executives. In his remarks
before the Jacksonville
Chamber of Commerce in
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BREAKING GROUND for the Basic Medical Sciences Building for the
School of Medicine at Morehouse College are, (1-r): Leon Allain, architect; Dr.
Edgar Smith, chairman of the Board of Overseers for the School of Medicine;
Dr. Louis Sullivan, dean and director of the medical school; Dr. Thomas
Kilgore, chairman of the Morehouse College Board of Trustees; the Honorable
George Busbee, governor of the State of Georgia; and Dr. Hugh Gloster,
president of Morehouse College. (Photo by Kenneth Hodges)
Racial imbalances singled outi 8 departments
By Fannie Flono
Racial imbalances exist in
more than the eight Augusta
city departments singled out in
an affirmative action
committee report last week,
committee chairman I.E.
Washington said.
The Augusta city
councilman said his committee
is monitoring the progress of
all city departments to see that
all comply with the city’s
affirmative action plan.
Washington said his
committee is focusing on seven
city departments with 70
percent or more whites.
Originally, the committee
singled out eight, but
Washington said one of those
departments did not actually
have that high percentage
imbalance because of recent
personnel changes.
“There are seven
departments out of 21
departments and segments with
the greatest imbalance,” he
City depar
Augusta, G/
racially inwaiancea
councilman says
Page 1
May 10,1980
J 979, Winn-Dixie Board
Chairman J.E. Davis said that,
“We cannot run good stores
when unemployment by
government standards is below
five percent. Productivity, even
for you and me, is better when
two or three people are waiting
at the door for our jobs.”
Consumer activists have
expressed a growing concern
over Winn-Dixie’s policies as
well. A lengthy article
published in “Supermarket
News” describes the company’s
prices as “higher than average”
and its profit rate as “twice
that of most chains.”
Supporters of the Boycott
point to Board Chairman
Davis’s 1979 comment that,
“...Let’s admit that we like
some inflation and really
depend on it...”
Trade union leaders have
charged the company with a
pattern of unfair labor
said.
“Some of these departments
are working hard to eliminate
these imbalances.”
Washington noted that since
his report of significant racial
imbalances in city department
personnel including the
mayor’s office which is 71.5
percent white people, have
been “digging like the devil to
disprove the figures.” So far
they have been unable to.
Among those departments
Washington named were the
personnel 83 percent, collector
of revenues 91 percent, fire 78
percent, shop 83 percent,
electrical 83 percent, and water
work sales 82 percent.
The figures came from the
city personnel department,
Washington said.
The city councilman said
there have been explanations
for some of the imbalances.
“In some, like the collector
of revenues’ office, there is
little turn-over,” he said. Some
of these departments have
Less Than 75% Advertising
practices. Winn-Dixie has been
found guilty of a large number
of labor law violations
involving black workers,
including refusal to bargain and
illegal firings and
interrogations. In one
landmark decision a federal
judge ordered the company to
pay $1 million for minimum
wage and overtime pay
violations - the largest such
award in the history of the
minimum wage laws.
Supporters of the campaign
against Winn-Dixie believe that
minority consumers are
beginning to join the boycott
in increasing numbers. In
Atlanta, State Senator Julian
Bond vowed, “Our efforts will
continue until Winn-Dixie has
changed its attitude toward its
employes in the form of
restored rights under the law
and a policy of human
dignity.”
small staffs and the people
have been there a long time.
“We’re not saying anybody
should be fired, but when
someone leaves, the
departments should look for
qualifiable minorities, not
qualified minorities because we
don’t know what that means,”
Washington said.
Wasnmgton noted that
though some department heads
may have reasonable excuses
for the lack of minorities in
their departments, in some
cases there seem to be none.
“I know the problem in the
fire department. There are high
instances of blacks leaving. Our
fire chief is the best. He has
employed a large number of
blacks. Te fire department
training is very strict.
Oftentimes our (blacks)
tolerance is not strong.”
But Washington in the shop
area, there is no excuse for the
low percentage.
He said administrators in the
electrical department say they
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Deborah D. Brooks
Miss Georgia teen
competition in Athens
Deoorah D. Brooks, 17,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Edward H. Brooks, has been
selected to compete in the
1980 Miss Georgia Teen 10th
District preliminary to be held
at Cedar Shoals High School in
Athens June 14.
This pageant is an official
district preliminary for the
Miss Georgia Teen pageant to
be held in Gainesville in late
September, 1980.
The top ten finalists chosen
to represent their district in the
Miss Georgia Teen pageant will
receive an all-expense trip for
three days competing for the
Paine College professor
to attend lab institute
An assistant professor at
Paine College will be one of
three faculty members working
in the chemistry division of a
summer institute for faculty of
minority institutions at
Lawrence Livermore
Laboratory this summer.
Dr. E.H. Gause, assistant
professor and coordinator of
chemistry at Paine, will begin
the program on June 9. “This
appointment is a good
opportunity for me to get back
into research,” Gause said.
The Lawrence Livermore
Laboratory, operated for the
Department of Energy by the
University of California,
sponsors the Institute for
can’t keep blacks because the
private sector offers lucrative
employment.
But when asked why they
could keep whites, Washington
said that was an interesting
question.
The councilman said many
department heads don’t know
they’re doing wrong.
“These older white men -
they don’t realize the courts
are going to force them to
eliminate these imbalances.”
There have been some
improvements, though,
Washington said. Some
departments are like the
records department about
60-40 percent white to black.
The cemetery department even
has more blacks than whites.
Deadline
Wednesdays, please
state title where $1,500 in cash
scholarships and an all-expense
paid trip to National Finals will
be awarded. Among the prizes
awarded at the national
pageant are $15,000 in
scholarships, $2,000 personal
appearance contract, $2,000
wardrobe and a new
automobile for the reigning
year.
Contestants will be judged
on civic involvement, school
activities, appearance, poise,
personality, and patriotic
speech or talent. No swimsuit
competition is required.
several reasons. Faculty
members of minority
institutions benefit as they are
brought into contact with
current research projects in
their fields and gain additional
research experience which may
help them in applying for
future research grants. In
addition, the Laboratory
benefits as its staff interact ’the
academic community.
The Lawrence Livermore
Laboratory is engaged in
nuclear warhead research,
magnetic and laser fusion
energy research, biomedical
research and non-nuclear
energy programs.
But Washington said a letter
has gone out to those
departments with 70 percent
or more white employes
“urging department heads to
look at applications of blacks
and other minorities when
vacancies occur. In some cases,
they have not looked at
blacks,” he said.
“We should see some results
at the end of May.”
If those results are not
forthcoming, “we’ll have to
have a real hard talk with that
department head,” Washington
said.
Other steps which
Washington preferred not to
name would be taken if talk
did not bring results.
25‘