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The Augusta News-Review - Dec. 27.1980-
Black Lawmakers
Accuse Marta Board
of Whitewash
... .Atlanta.... Three of
Atlanta’s black state
representatives charged
Wednesday that MARTA
board had
“whitewashed” the role
of MARTA General
Manager Alan Kiepper
and other top MARTA
officials in
discrimination against
blacks in hiring prac
tices.
State Reps. Mildred
Glover, Bob Holmes and
Billy McKinney, all
Atlanta Democrats,
called for Kiepper’s
dismissal or the firing of
any top MARTA
executives who were
responsible for em
ployment policies they
said blocked the hiring
of most of the 7,000
minority applicants for
bus driver positions
during 1978 and 1979.
‘ ‘We’re calling for the
board to deal with this
forthrightly,” Holmes
said. “Those responsible
should be fired.”
He said if the
evidence shows Kiep
per’s guilt in connection
with the discriminatory
hiring practices, the
MARTA chief should be
fired.
“He should not be
outside justice,’’Holmes
said during a press
conference at the state
Capitol. “A slap on the
wrist is not enough.”
McKinney said the
hiring plan was im
plemented over an 18-
month period to promote
the hiring of whites,
because several board
members thought
MARTA was becoming
an “all black
operation.”
Although the MARTA
board received a report
on the hiring con
troversy at a board
meeting on Dec. 8, the
board delayed action on
the report for two weeks,
while giving Kiepper a
vote of confidence in the
interim.
“We are appalled
that the board of
directors saw fit to on
the one hand
acknowledge that a
systematic and
deliberate pattern of
discriminatory hiring
Continued from front cover
Number of Block Elected Officials increases
women in municipal
positions and 339 in
educational positions.
The five states with
the largest numbers of
black female elected
officials are: the District
of Columbia (105),
Michigan (88),
Mississippi (62), and
California and New York
(59 each).
In 1970 when the Joint
Center first conducted
its annual survey, there
were 1469 black elected
officials in the U.S.,
constituting less than
one half of one percent of
all elected officials in the
country. Since then, the
annual increase has
ranged from a high of 22
percent in 1971 to the 2
percent increase
recorded in 1979.
This year’s 6.6.
percent increase was
welcomed by Eddie N.
Williams, president of
Barton's Music Emporium
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Page 6
practices existed, but on
the other hand decided
to exonerate Kiepper
before a final deter
mination of respon
sibility for the practice
has been determined,”
Holmes said.
“There’s a certain
irony in coming back
with a reprimand after
saying ‘Kiepper, we’re
proud of you,’” Ms.
Glover said. Although
the MARTA board has
been circulating a
proposal to reprimand
four MARTA executives,
including Kiepper, for
the controversial hiring
practices, sources said
the board will not seek
the firing of any of the
MARTA officials.
MARTA already
faces a costly lawsuit
because of the hiring
controversy. The
NAACP announced
Tuesday it plans to file a
class-action suit in
federal court on behalf
of the 7,000 black ap
plicants.
During the press
conferences, the three
legislators also sharply
criticized threats by
state Rep. John Greer,
D-Atlanta, to change the
makeup of the MARTA
board in city officials
continue their attack on
the mass transit system.
Greer heads the
legislature’s MARTA
Overview Committee.
Holmes demanded
Greer retract his
“racist” threat. And the
legislators said Gov.
George Busbee had not
been properly informed
about the discriminatory
practices when the
governor said it would
be “disastrous” for
MARTA if Kiepper were
removed.
McKinney said he
had written a letter to
Busbee charging that
the black community
had been denied access
to equal job opportunity
for approximately 18
months in violation of
federal law.
Busbee refused to
make any comment
Wednesday, saying he
had not received the
letter yet.
the Joint Center for
Political Studies, as
evidence of increased
participation by blacks
in the political process,
he also suggested that
electoral reforms, such
as a change from at
large to single-member
district elections, may
have made it easier for
blacks in some
jurisdictions to be
elected to public office.
Improvements in the
Joint Center’s data
gathering techniques
may also have played a
small role in the
reported increase.
“Whatever the
reason for the upturn in
the rate of increase of
black elected officials in
1980,” said Williams,
“we hope it will continue
and will serve to
motivate others, par
ticularly some of our
young people, to run for
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Postal Award
Mail Clerk Albert J.
Vosefski (right) recently
received a Superior
Achievement Award
from Augusta Sectional
Center Manager-
Postmaster N. B.
Brown. The award was
presented for his
Even with such stars
in attendance as Robert
Guillaume of ‘Benson”,
Irene Cara of “Fame”,
and Greg Morris of
“Vegas”, the “Mother of
Black Freedom***, Rosa
Parks, drew almost
unparalleled adulation,
applause and attention
at the NAACP 13th
Annual Image Awards in
Hollywood.
Over 1,000 movie
stars, television actors
and other media per
sonalities in the en
tertainment business
attended the gala affair
at the Hollywood
Paladium this week to
pay tribute to the out
standing achievements
of Black American
artists over the past
year. One of the few
celebrities outside of the
entertainment world to
receive an award, Rosa
Parks, was described by
Rev. H. H. Brookings as
“the woman who sat
down, so that millions of
Black Americans can
stand up with
pride,“during his in
troductory remarks
prior to presenting her
with the auspicious
“Humanitarian
Award..”
NAACP Executive
Director Benjamin L.
Hooks, upon hearing the
news that the 13th an
nual affair was perhaps
the most successful
public office.”
Copies of the 1980
Roster may be obtained
by writing to the Office
of Publications, Joint
Center for Political
Studies, 1426 H Street,
N.W., Suite 539,
Washington, D.C. 20005.
The purchase price of
$21.50 per copy must be
paid in advance on all
singe order copies.
The Joint Center for
Political Studies is a
nonprofit, nonpartisan
organization which
conducts research,
training and technical
assistance programs to
help blacks, other
minorities and the
disadvantaged in
America achieve
economic, political and
social equity through
informed and effective
involvement in the
governmental process.
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knowledge of the in
tricate regulations
governing the ac
ceptance of bulk mail,
his ability to keep
abreast of the changes,
and his courteous
manner with the public.
Rosa Parks Honored
event in its history said
“this year’s affair
served an exceedingly
useful function in giving
recognition to those who
have achieved<distin
ction in the field of the
arts.” The former judge
and Federal Com
munications Com
missioner also com
mended the artists and
technicians for their
continuous support of
the NAACP “both in
manpower and financial
resources.” “Your
image will help ours.
The struggle for equality
has not stopped, it has
just gotten more ex
pensive.”
The President of the
Hollywood-Beverly Hills
NAACP branch,
Geraldine Green, a
native New Yorker now
serving as Com
missioner for the
Department of Cor
porations in California,
announced during the
ceremony that a new
consumer education
program has been
launched aimed at
making the general
public aware of com
panies that actively
demonstrate their
contempt for Blacks by
subsidizing programs
such as “Beulah Land.”
In keeping with
theme, “Come What
May We’re Here To
Stay**, Sammy Davis
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FBI Probe Attacks on Blacks
The FBI has beer
ordered to investigate
attacks. against black
families living in a
predominantly white
blue-collar neighborhood
near San Francisco,
authorities said Wed
nesday.
The incidents in
Contra Costa County
about 15 miles northeast
of San Francisco have
intensified during the last
two weeks, according tc
William O'Malley, Contra
Costa district attorney.
Three black families
were the target of the
most recent attacks
Early Tuesday,
poured gasoline on the
front lawn of the home ol
Mary Handy in Tai*a Hills
near here and set it afire.
Firefighters extinguished
the blaze before it
damaged the house.
Later Tuesday, Ms
Handy received a
threatening letter from a
Jr., honorary chairman
for the event, received
the “1980 Image Award”
for his 50-year suc
cessful career in the
entertainment business.
Some of the other en
tertainers, televison
programs and movies
receiving awards in
cluded:“All God’s
Children - Best mini
series or movie for
television; Robert
Guillaume - Best per
formance by an actor in
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group calling itself
“White Unity of Pinole,”
warning the woman that
she “ain’t seen nothing
yet.”
“Be thankful it's only
property damage, before
you or someone in your
family experiences
physical pain," the letter
said.
Three weeks ago, a
white man tried to beat
Ms. Handy's son with a
tire iron before Geraldine
Ireland, a black neigh
bor. intervened. Rocks
and bottles since have
been thrown at Ms.
Ireland's home and a car
was backed into the side
of it.
A shotgun was fired
at one of the homes, and
the driver of a car tried to
run over Ms. Handy’s
son.
The residents have
charged that the Contra
Costa County sheriff’s
department has been lax
a comedy series,
“Benson”; Natalie Cole
- Best performance of an
actress in a variety
special, “Uptown at the
Apollo”; James Earl
Jones - Best per
formance of an actor in a
dr am atic
series,“Paris”; The
Commodores - Best
vocal group; Larry
Graham - Song of the
Year, “One in a
Million”; “’Fame”-Best
movie
in investigating the in
cidents, but the sheriff’s
office denied the charge.
The local chapter of
the National Association
for the Advancement of
Colored People has
threatened to file a
lawsuit against the
sheriff's department
unless it steps up its in
vestigation.
Meanwhile, Asst.
Sheriff Duayne Dillon
said tht sheriff is taking
steps to protect the black
families' homes. He said
disclosing them would
jeopardize their ef
fectiveness. Residents
have organized their own
volunteer force to guard
the threatened houses.
Dillon speculated the
incidents may be con
nected with a marked
increase in juvenile
gangs in that part of the
county recently.
O’Malley said the
latest attacks don’t ap-
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pear to be connected with
the Klan, although he
noted“there are people
passing out cards
representing themselves
as members of the Klan.”
U. S. Attorney
William Hunter said FBI
agents are interviewing
residents of the area to
determine if there have
been any civil rights
violations. He cautioned,
however, that civil
rights cases are
“generally tougher to
prove than other cases
because prosecutors
must prove the actions
are raciallv motivated.
BERNARD
Johnson
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