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Atlanta Leaders Kept Racial Turmoil at Bay in sO’s/6O’s LIB PA' NE 'X WfiUSIA Augusta Nms-S Volume 10 ’I ■ ■ ? - .Bbkm - wHHHB Mrs. Viola Elam MRS. VIOLA ELAM was honored at the NAACP annual banquet Thursday night. A member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, she spearheaded a drive in which the sorority got more than a hundred new members for the local NAACP chapter. ... .Mrs. Elam challenged other sororities to match the feat. ... .The Citizen of the Year Award went to the Stoney Medical Dental Pharmaceutical Society. Mrs. Ann Brown accepted the award. Vandals Harrass Bel Air Residents Residents of Bel Air Hills Estates have been recently plagued with vandals who have knocked down mailboxes and driven cars through the yards. These incidents have been repeated several times during the past nine months, residents said. David C. Brown, 1538 Flagler Road, said a car drove through his yard early Sunday morning, Atlanta Leaders Kept Racial Turmoil at Bay in sO’s 6O’s ....In 1957, Gov. Marvin Griffin vowed that Atlanta’s city buses would remain segregated even if he had to dispatch National Guard troops to drive them. State Adjutant General G. J. Hearn, encountering Police Chief Herbert Jenkins on one of those tense days, called out: “Chief, if I have to take over those buses, can I count on you to help me?” Jenkins responded deftly: “General, that depends on whose side you are on. I’ll be on the side of the federal court and the Third U.S. Army.” Recalling that encounter recently, Jenkins commented, “That was the only defense I had on some of those days back then. The federal court and the Third Army can’t be wrong, I’d say - and they aren’t going to lose, either.” vr Atlanta moved to the brink of racial mob Number 36 making ” doughnut-type circles” around a pine tree. He said a similar incident occurred a month ago when someone drove through his yard knocking down azealea bushes and other flowers. AT the same time most of the mailboxes along Flagler Road were knocked down, he said. The incidents have been reported to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Department Brown said. voilence repeatedly d uring the late 1950 s and the 19605, but the explosive rage that scorched Los Angeles, Newark, Jackson, Miss., and dozens of other American cities never was ignited here. The city was viewed as a haven, relatively speaking, to those who wanted Martin Luther King Jr. to retreat here because of threats on his life. King, whose memory was praised here last week, was honored openly by Atlanta’s civic community in 1965, and the massive funeral after his assassination in 1968 was orderly and well protected. If Atlanta was safer, if it was different, then why? Was it true that Atlanta really was “the city too busy to hate?” Not likely. History does not support the idea that hate took no hold here. Blaqk police Major Joe Amos recalls vividly Three Augusta Women are Raped \ IY r >Page 1 I BRfiW * I Ex-Dropout, Offender Heads Indiana NAACP Fiono Will Be Missed News-Review, News-Editor Fannie Fiono has accepted a position as copy editor as the Greensville News in Greenville, S.C. Fannie’s contributions at the News-Review were exceeded only by her sacrificial attitude. Fannie came to us a year and a half ago saying she wanted to work for us. She had just left the Augusta Chronicle, the first black to work full time for that paper. We told Fannie we wanted to hire her but we didn’t have the money. A first place winner for investigative reporting by United Press International, she replied: “I’ll work for you for the minimum wage.” Frankly, we couldn’t afford that, but there was no way we were going to turn her down. In order to make ends meet, she worked part time at University Hospital and as a stringer for the Atlanta Journal. When another reporter applied for a job for which we had no money. Fannie said, “We need him, give him part of my salary.” It goes without saying that we wish her well in her new opportunity for professional growth. We will sorely miss her. But we are very grateful to have had her, even for a little while. CoaHtion Supports Augusta News-Review The members of a coalition of black organizations would like to express our support of Mallory K. Millender and the Augusta News- Review in their struggle to control and print that which is in the interest of the black community. The refusal of L.D. Waters to print authorized materials because of personal sentiments is a direct violation of the first Amendment (1791) of The Constitution of the United States. Since the existence of The Augusta News- Review (“Tell It Like It Is Paper”) the black community has been educated and represented by a staff that prints information and issues that are relevant to the black community. We, therefore, understanding that our struggle is one, have united to support Brother Millender by any means necessary. One Struggle, One Fight, The Black United Front-Ernest Louis, Chairperson The Sand Hill Organization - Mrs. Willie Mae Cuffie Coalition On Hunger - Wilbert Allen, President that a childhood friend was short-changed by a white grocer when sent to the store with the family’s only food dollar for a week. When the boy’s father came to protest, Amos said, he was called a liar, arrested without a chance to explain, and then had to pay $7.50 to get out of jail. “Those things happened frequently... And as a grownup, you knew when you were at Rich’s spending your hard earned money, you had to be fast. It nature called urgently, you had to run to Terminal Station to use a restroom. It gave you an understanding when some people became violent.” So the seeds of Black rage were sown and cultivated here, as elsewhere. But history shows that Atlanta’s leaders, both black and white, responded with wisdom at certain crucial times. January 24, 1981 For example, Chief Jenkins, under the leadership of Mayor William B. Hartsfield, hired black police officers as early as 1948. And when demonstrations came in the 19505, Jenkins made sure the presence of the police was felt strongly. That still distinguishes Atlanta. As recently as 1979, police were nowhere in view of Decatur, Ala., and Greensboro, N.C., when blacks and whites clashed violently with weapons. The Atlanta Transit Authority’s buses were desegregated peacefully, largely because Jenkins and Hartsfield 'communicated directly with the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. and the Rev. William Holmes Borders. At Rich’s department store, where blacks focused their lunch counter demonstrations in 1959 and 1960, chief executive Richard Rich * Tennis Star Goolagong is Aboriginal; Recalls Being Called Nigger Page 1 John Bennett Yvonne Goolagong Recalls Being Called A‘Nigger’ After 10 years as one of the top women tennis players on the pro tour, Evonne Goolagong- Cawley has finally spoke out on her roots as an Aborigine and admitted she has been called a “nigger.” The 29-year-old two time (1971 and 1980) Wimbledon champ, whose honey complexion has sparked conversation that she is something other than white, said she delayed talking about her heritage because she has been too busy playing tennis and suffered only “isolated incidents” of racism while on the pro tour. when he finally agreed after a year of resistance to desegreate the counters - went all the way. He did not stage separate retreating actions at the beauty parlor, then the barber shop, then the dressing rooms. Other merchants followed that lead. Long before the street demonstrations, however, Atlanta’s black citizens experience the power of the vote. For generations, blacks could vote only in general elections after whites made the real choices in white-only primary elections. But early on, in the 19305, Atlanta’s black voters tasted victory in a real election, when progressive Mayor Jim Key faced a recall vote. “Key advocated greatly disturbing things, such as Sunday baseball and alcohol sales,” recalled Junkins, 74, then a rookie cop assigned to Key. “The blacks never Less than 75 percent advertising “We never grew up with racism or anything like that,” she says of her family’s life as the lone Aboriginal group in Barellan, Austrailia. Os her parents, who are Aboriginal “with some white blood mixed in,” Mrs. Cawley notes they are light-skinned. Yet her four brothers (of eigh' children) are dark skinned. lan, the youngest, is a student at Southwest Texas State University and is a member of the eightman tennis team there. continued on page 2 before had been allowed to vote when it really counted. But a recall election is like a general election. They organized and rushed to the polls. They voted in a bloc. Key was the beneficiary of the first bloc vote.” The elder King, Borders, A.T. Walden and other blacks then asked Key to hire some black police officers. They mayor responded with understanding, Jenkins said, but said that such a step would not be possible for some time. “But Key told me right then, ‘Some day, you’re going to work with black policemen. You ought to be prepared.’ “Hartsfield, later, saw what was coming clearer than anyone,” Jenkins said. “When he saw a story about the Supreme Court ruling in a Texas case that the primary was unconstitutional, he cont inued on page 2 Ex-Augusta Drop-Out, E x-Offender Heads Indiana NAACP Page 1 EVANSVILLE, IND.- - John Bennett, a native of Augusta, Georgia, moved to Evansville, Indiana in March of 1966. When he arrived in Evansville, Bennett was like too many young men of the 60s. He was a high school drop-out as well as an ex-offender. After working several non-productive jobs between 1966 and 1969, he decided that a >?rson who was a high school drop-out and an ex-offender had little hope of ever being more than a person relegated to menial jobs and obscurity. He also saw that an ex-offender could easily find one’s self again violating the law. His life changed. And last month, he was elected president of the Evansville NAACP. In 1968, Bennett obtained his high school equivalency certificated and enrolled at Indiana State University of Evansville. During this time, he became involved in the civil rights movement, a member of the national staff for the election of presidential candidate, Eugene McCarthy Involved in SCLC’s Operation Bread Basket. Between 1969 and 1973, he was the assistant director of the Unity House, a component of the Community Action Program of Evansville (CAPE). He was later promoted to the assistant program director of the multi-purpose service systems and again promoted to the position of manpower coordinator of the entire CAPE agency. While being deeply involved with his CAPE activities, he found time to volunteer to work with the newly formed Three Women Raped Three Richmond County women were raped last week. A Northon Drive woman told sheriff’s deputies that a man entered her home through a window, woke her up, and threatned to kill her if she made any noise. The man struck her on the head with a pistol then raped her before leaving with her pocket book and personal papers. A Second Avenue woman said she was walking home from work when a man approached her in the Sears parking lot. She accepted a ride from the man who took her to a service station to get some air in a tie and then said he had to stop by his house before taking her home. The woman said she tried to get out of the car but the man reached behind her and locked the door. He keep his hand in his right jacket pocket, she said. 25< community organization, Evansville Black Coalition, Inc. The coalition was involved in trying to lower the racial barriers in the construction industry. While working with that organization, he was an intragal part in the development of Evansville Plan for equal employment opportunity. He saw each respective construction trade lower its racial barriers and accept for the first time Black Journeymen, apprentices, and trainees. This, he confided, is one of his most satisfying accomplishments and is still closely affiliated to the coalition, being its treasurer since 1978. In 1973 he accepted a position with the Circuit Court as the assistant coordinator of counseling services for parolees. This program was housed at the University of .Evansville. In 1973, he became director of the Evansville Police Community Relations Project. This was a part time position where he worked to improve the image of the police officers in the black community. From 1974 to 1977, he was the director of Operations for the Community Action Program of Evansville. In this capacity, he was responsible for the direction of seven programs. He supervised a staff of eighty-nine persons and budget of 1.5 million dollars. While working as the Director of Operations for CaPE, he founded Bennetts Janitorial Service in 1977 and is its owner. Since the founding of his janitorial service, he has formed a second Continued on Page 5 At his house In the Southgate Villa Apartments, the woman said he opened the car door on her side, took her to his apartment, and locked the door. He then said, “You have to trust someone, You may as well as start now.” He then raped the woman. In a similar case, an Augusta Avenue woman was raped at 2202 Southgate Drive last Friday. The woman said her husband had left her at Hill Food Store on Wrightsboro Road. As she was walking home, a .nan offered her a ride. She said she declined, but later accepted after the man said he was married. Once in the car,she said the man pulled a revolver and said he was looking for a man named James. He took her to the Southgate address where he raped her.