Newspaper Page Text
To Be Equal
The Gift of Christmas
Page 4
Volume 10
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Wadley Gets Black Mayor
Second Black Councilman
WADLEY, GA -
Elementary School
Principal B.A. Johnson
has won election as
mayor of Wadley. He won
by 93 votes.
Johnson is use to
close races. He lost his
bid for mayor in 1977 by
50 votes. In 1978, he ran
for city council and lost
by three votes.
He challenged the
latter vote count all the
way to the Supreme
Court. The High Court
agreed with him that
there were voting
irregularities, but did not
oust the mayor who had
by then been in office
over a year.
This time, however,
Johnson said he knew two
days before the election
that he would win. A poll
taken for his white op
ponent, Jack B. Smith,
showed that Smith
needed 150 Black votes to
win.
Tambourines To Glory
By Fannie Flono
Breaking into show
business may have been a
little too easy for former
Augustan Patricia
Moore.
Daughter of Mrs.
Fannie Moore of
Brooklyn, N.Y., she
talked of her entry into
professional acting and
singing during a recent
visit to her aun‘ Mrs.
Adam Flono, in Augusta.
A friend told Ms.
Moore of the casting for a
new off-Broadway
production of Langston
Hughes play “Tam
bourines to Glory” at the
Billy Holiday Theater in
New York.
Friends had told her
before that she should try
out for musical being
staged in the New York
area. This time she
decided to do it - and the
same day she was told
she had won the part of
one of two back-up
singers called the
Gloriettas.
Yes, it was all too
easy for the 26-year old
Auausta Nwa-Snifwu
Number 31
B.A. JOHNSON
“I knew that he
wasn’t pulling that well in
the black community. I
knew he couldn’t get 150
black votes. Wadley has a
population of ap
proximately 2,000 people.
Johnson finished with
614 votes to 521 for Smith.
There are 710 black
registered voters in
Wadley and 595 white.
Johnson figures that he
received about 35 white
votes.
Patricia Moore
Augusta native who
moved to Brooklyn with
her family 13 years ago
and didn’t recognize her
singing talent until five
years ago.
She began singing in
her church’s choir
(Bethel Baptist Church)
shortly after moving to
New York. One of the
choir directors heard her
voiced mingled amongst
the others and com
mented that she had a
Blacks Conspire with White
Printer to Control News
- Review
Page 1
He said he wants to
improve city services,
lower water bills, bring
the millage rate down to a
level people living on
fixed income can live
with, improve race
relations, and bring in
dustry into Wadley.
He will be sworn in at
City Hall Jan. 5 at 7 p.m.
Also winning election
in Wadley last week was
Willie R. Strowbridge, a
black businessman, who
was elected to the city
council. The Wadley City
Council will have two
blacks on the five-man
council, in addition to the
mayor.
Strowbridge received
536 votes, while his two
white opponents white
opponents had 355 and
261.
The 33-year-old
Strowbridge is married
to the former Jeanette
Green. They have had
three children, Tuwanda,
10; Gary, 7; and Latash
6.
really good voice.
“Then the usher
board (at her church) got
interested in my singing
and paid for voice
lessons,” she said.
She’s had voice
training with Dr.
Chauncey Norther at the
Norther Vocal Arts
school in New York City.
At first soprano, Ms.
Moore has had ample
opportunity test her
mu sicai ability.
She appeared as a pit
singer in Raymond
Ashley’s production of
the “Brooklyn Wiz” at
the New York City
Community College in
1977.
She has sung with the
concert choir of Bethel
Baptist who debuted at
the Brooklyn Academy of
Music, made numerous
singing appearances for
various churches and
organizations, and is a
member of a well-known
(in the New York area)
musical trio known as
God’s Choice.
continued on Page 3
December 20 1980
TWO BLACKS CONSPIRE WITH
White Printer Tries
for Control of
News-Review
Many of you are aware that there is an in
ternal power struggle at The News-Review that
threatens the continued existence of the paper.
The current crisisbegan on Nov. 18 when the
printer, L.D. Waters, who is white, refused to
print the paper because it contained a cartoon he
said was in “bad taste.” He said the cartoon was
aimed at Sheriff James G. Beck and that Beck
was a friend of his.
The cartoon was not in bad taste. It simply
showed an unnamed person sitting at a desk
considering various job possibilities. Beck, as
you know, was defeated in the November elec
tion.
The question of whether the cartoon was in
good taste is irrelevant. The editor approved the
cartoon, and the printer has absolutely nothing
to do with what can and cannot go into the
newspaper. His job is to print, period.
The reason that The News-Review was
established was to enable Black people to get
information that is not controlled by white
people. And we would rather not have a
newspaper at all than to have one where whites
tell us what we can and cannot put into it.
Accordingly, The News-Review told he
printer that if he could not print the paper-as
approved by the editor—we would have no chbice
but to seek another means of getting the paper
printed. Reprinted the paper, but substituted a
cartoon of his choosing. He had no right to do
that.
We got a black printer from out of town to
print the paper. However, The News-Revie v .
rented office space, from L.D. Waters, the
printer. And two days later, he padlocked our
offices although we had paid rent through
November.
We then sued him for $250,000.
When we got to court for a hearing last
Monday, we learned that two of our black
stockholders were there to testify in behalf of the
printer. And w< expanded the suit to include
them as defendants.
The black stockholders are Charles McCann,
president of the CSRA Business League, and
George Thomas, a postman. We were surprised
that they chose to join forces with the printer in
this attempt to deny us our First Amendment
right to freedom of speech. But we were appalled
that they would join a white printer trying to
silence a black newspaper. But they have that
right. And we have the right to let you know who
they are and what they're doing.
The News-Review has operated for almost
ten years almost entirely on a volunteer basis so
that you, our readers, can get uncontrolled in
formation.
But our survival, and yours, is threatened.
We believe that you need your newspaper. When
white people can control the information we get,
then they control us. This we cannot toleate. We
solicit your support and your prayers. But
whether the paper lives or dies, we will do it
standing up for black people, standing up for
right, speaking out truthfully and forthrightly,
and opposing anyone who would deny any man
his freedom.
Wadley Elects Black
Mayor and Councilman
Page 1
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MISS ALPHA-The Alpha Chi Lambda
Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
Inc. culminate its Annual Scholarship
Drive at the National Guard Armory
with a Black and Gold Dance, and the
Ex-Bethlehem Director
Rev. Verlyn Bell Dies
The Rev. Verlyn C.
Bell, former director of
the Bethlehem Com
munity Center in
Augusta, died at his
Atlanta home Firday.
The medical
examiner’s report may
not be available for
several days but family
members believe he died
of a heart attack. He was
41.
He was found lying on
a bed by his wife and
children as they returned
from work and school
Friday. They thought he
was sleeping.
A native of
Ex-Bethleham Director
Verlyn Bell Dies in Atlanta
Page 1
'idvertising
crowning of Miss Audrey L. Gantt as
Miss Alpha for the year 1980 -81. Miss
Gantt is the daughter of Mr. Robert and
Elease Brinsono f Augusta.
Gainesville, Bell received
the bachelor’s degree
from Savannah State
College, the master’s
from Atlanta University,
and a master of divinity
from Wesley
Theological Seminary in
May, 1980.
Since June, he had
been serving as pastor of
Georgia Oliver United
Methodist Church in
Atlanta.
He served as past
board chairman for the
Comprehensive Sickle
Cell Center in Augusta.
He was a member of the
Omega Psi Phi Frater
nity, the Augusta chapter
25C
of the National
Association of Social
Workers, Saint Mark
United Methodist Church,
and was a candidate for
the Richmond County
Board of Education in
1974.
He is survived by his
wife, Shirley, daughters,
Sherrie, 13, and Valecia,
11; his mother, Mrs. Dora
Lee Bell, Gainesville; his
grandmother, Mrs.
Maybell Arnold, W’inder;
two sisters, Mrs. Mamie
Young and Mrs. Marilyn
Dearing; and two
brothers, Robert and
Frank all of Gainesville.