Newspaper Page Text
Film on KKK
to air in
February on PBS
Page 3
Acius-iKeuirm
Volume 12 Number 39
No real input from blacks
John Elam resigns from consolidation panel
One black member of the
citizens’ consolidation has
resigned. He said that blacks on
the committee had no real input
and that the major decisions had
already been made when blacks
were put on the committee, whose
consolidation plan would abolish
the mayor’s job and consolidate
city and county governments
without a referendum.
John Elam, one of four blacks
on the 16-man committee, said
blacks had input “if you want to
call input listening to what has
already been discussed. What they
call input was listening to them and
agreeing that it’s a good plan. ”
Elam, who resigned Dec. 21,
said that he stated when he joined
the committee that he would serve,
only with the understanding that
his primary concern would be for
Augustans told not to take
racial progress for granted
The Rev. Dr. E. Lynn Brown
admonished the approximately one
thousand persons present at the
120th Emancipation Observance
on New Year’s Day at Tabernacle
Baptist Church not to take racial
advancement for granted because
“Very little substantial progress
has actually been made since the
Civil War.’’
Dr. Brown, who is the general
secretary for the General Board of
Publication Service for the CME
church,and is headquartered in
Memphis, Tenn., urged that black
America also look inward for self
help and salvation. “Much of our
$l5O billion annual economic
potential could be effectively used
to real advancement on many fron-
Ex-Augustan is vice president
of Wilberforce University
WILBERFORCE, Ohio—A
series of major administrative
changes at Wilberforce University
includes the appointment of Dr.
Andolyn V. Brown to the position
of vice president for Student As-
u*-
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VK 1
Dr. Andolyn Brown
the black community, that he
> would not be a “rubber stamp,”
and that he would be able to maxe
a valuable contribution.
He said that he was not able to
make that contribution, that
members were expected to go
along with what was presented,
and that his concern for the black
community drew the criticism.
“I said (to committee members)
1 don’t see how you’re going to do
this and not have the mayor in
volved, but they just bypassed that
and went on to another subject. I ob
jected to the composition of the
new governing body. I said, with
those numbers blacks would just
be a sounding board.’ ”
“I said that blacks are almost 40
percent of the county population;
there should be more black
ts,” he stated. He called for full
support of the black press, black
business firms and the black chur
ch as a means of acquiring equity
and equality in a nation which is
experiencing an unfortunate at
titude of meanness. “White
America has not dealt its black
brothers a fair hand,” he declared.
The program, sponsored by the
Augusta Lincoln League, presen
ted its Business of the Year award
to the Dent Undertaking
Establishment for 82 years of ser
vice to Augusta. There were two
Citizen of the Year awards. The
first was presented to State Rep.-
elect Charles Walker, for civic and
economic advancement. The
second award went to Mrs. Ileen
fairs effective Jan. 1.
For the past year, she has served
as dean of students at the univer
sity.
The daughter of Dr. and Mrs.
R.S. Weston Sr., and the late Mr.
Andrew Brown, Dr. Brown was
educated in Augusta in Ursula
Collins Elementary School and
Immaculate Conception High
School.
She received a bachelor of arts
degree from Xavier University of
Louisiana, the master of science
degree in guidance and counseling
from Fort Valley State College,
and the doctor of philosophy
degree in Educational Ad
ministration and Supervision, with
a concentration in Higher
Education, from Bowling Green
State University.
Dr. Brown began her career in
higher education at Paine
College, where she served as coun
selor and instructor of education
for four years.
Ex-Augustan
named vice pres,
of Ohio U.
Page 1
representation. They just pushed
that under the table.
“They didn’t want Don Cheeks
because he was opposed to it (con
solidation).”
Elam said he objected to being
asked to help sell a consolidation
plan to blacks when blacks are
being lambasted editorially in the
daily press.
Elam said that Ed Skinner,
general manager of the Augusta
Chronicle told him, “You’re
talking about black. The white
citizens are down here trying to do
goodwill and you’re talking about
black-white. In fact the white
people don’t even need you all.”
Skinner could not be reached for
comment.
Two other blacks on the com
mittee met last Wednesday wisx in
terested citizens at a meeting called
B. Buchanan m recognition of
many years of professional leader
ship in the field of cosmetology
and fashions.
The organization presented
Tabernacle Pastor Dr. Charles
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Diane Harvey Johnson
Diane Harvey Johnson, a for
mer history instructor at Paine
College, will make history this
month as the first woman ever
elected to the Georgia General
Assembly from Chatham County.
Mrs. Johnson, 36, is a native of
Macon. She earned the bachelor’s
Millie Jat > L
picketed f
in South Africa
Page 3
January 8,1983
by the Georgia Association of
Black Elected Officials to clarify
issues concerning the consolidation
plan and the black committee
members’ roles in it. Atty. Evita
Paschall, the fourth black commit
tee member, did not attend the
meeting.
Committee member Walter
Thomas said he is in favor of some
form of consolidation. The only
thing that disturbed him, he said,
was that “blacks would always be
going to the conference table in a
compromising position.”
Blacks would make up only 33
percent of the new governing
body.
He said he was also concerned
that the possibility of a black
mayor would be “almost nil.”
“I just wish it could have been
done by referendum. Most people
Hamilton a special plaque for
leadership. He is immediate past
president of the Augusta Lincoln
League. The current president is
the Rev. J.E. Robinson, pastor of
the Rock of Ages C.M.E. Church.
degree from Morris Brown College
and the master’s from the Univer
sity of Georgia.
When she left Auguste she went
to Savannah and in 1978 founded a
management and marketing con
sulting firm.
Less than 75 percent Advertising
say that it was hidden. People feel
that they were kept in the dark.”
Elam said the consolidation plans
were kept away from the public,
because it was felt that “if it gets
out too much, rumors are going to
kill it.”
Edythe Dimond said her sole
purpose in serving on the con
solidation committee was to have
“input for the minority com
munity.” “My training (social
worker) and my involvement in the
community and in civil rights
qualified me to serve on the com
mittee.” Ms. Dimond, director of
Bethlehem Community Center,
returned to Augusta in 1980 after
living in New York for more than
20 years. She said that the
Sociology Club at Paine College
helped to register voters when she
was a student at the. college. “One
of the reasons I returned was that I
wanted to be a vital part of this
community and because 1 was in
volved.”
Council assignments
furor mars city’s
inaugural meeting
The applause from Mayor Ed
ward Mclntyre’s State of the City
address had hardly died down
before a furor was raging over the
mayor’s recommendation for City
Council committee appointments.
W. Penland Mayson, who has
been on council for nine years, was
not reappointed to the prestigious
Finance Committee, but was
assigned to the Cemetery, Trees
and Parks Committee and the
Stockade Committee. He said he
was being punished for having op
posed the mayor on the Joint Law
Enforcement Center issue and the
pay raise for the city council and
the mayor.
He said anyone voting for the
mayor’s recommendations would
be saying that anyone who votes
against the mayor can be taken off
any committee.
“I feel it is quite peculiar,” he
argued, “that the three of us who
voted against the mayor’s raise
(Mayson, Inez Wylds, and Oscar
Baker) were deep-sixed into these
two minor committees.”
However, second ward Coun
cilman Willie Mays reminded
council that he and his mother
have been elected to represent the
second ward five times and neither
has ever been appointed to the
Finance Committee. Mays said
council members should be con
cerned about the improvement of
the city and not so much about
their personal assignments.
Mclntyre told council, “Before
we vote on this, I want council
members to know that I’m in full
support of the recommendations
that I’ve made, and I do not sup
port any alterations.
“I feel that all council members
were elected by the people of this
city are qualified to serve on any
committee within city government.
And I think to say because
Prof,
tory in
state legislature
Pagel
She noted that there are no black
elected officials in county gover
nment. “I live in the county, work
in the city, and I’m affected by
what happens in the city,” she
said.
It was brought out at the
GABEO meeting that the blacks
serving on the committee served
upon the recommendation of State
Rep. Charles Walker.
Ms. Dimond said that the
Chamber of Commerce asked At
ty. John H. Ruffin Jr. to recom
mend some blacks. She said that
Ruffin delayed and delayed and
finally the chamber asked Walker
to make recommendations.
Ruffin said that he did not
delay. He said that he called
(Chamber Director) Charles
Bellman and told him “the calibre
of blacks that he wanted would not
serve, because consolidation would
be viewed as an attack on the black
community. It was not a matter of
delaying, I told him directly.”
somebody has been here, 16, 10,
12, or 15 years... that they ought to
be on a certain committee is
ridiculous.”
The mayor went on to say that
he was appointing Mayson chair
man of the Joint Law Enforcement
Center Task Force Committee.
“This is something he has expertise in
and has shown great interest in.”
Thirteen members voted in favor
of the mayor’s recommendations.
Mayson, Elliot and Baker were
opposed.
During his state of the city ad
dress, the mayor pointed out that:
• The two and a half mill tax
reduction this year is the only one of
its kind for a major Georgia city.
• Recorders’ Court has in
creased its collection of fines by
$210,000 more than in 1981.
• Voters approved of a
hydroelectric plant which projects
a net profit of between $63 and
$l2O million over a 20-year period.
• The city tore down more than
150 abandoned houses. Housing
rehabilitation program showed a
200 percent increase in 1982. Con
struction was completed on 91
single-family, owner-occupied
homes.
• 211 homes were approved for
free paint and equipment.
• The dty explored the develop
ment of 59 lots on Laney-Walker Blvd.
• Mayor’s Office of Economic
Development was established to
oversee the downtown develop
ment program.
• City has contributed SIOO,OOO
toward the National Science Cen
ter proposed for Augusta.
• With a minimum investment
of SIOO,OOO, local businesses can
now qualify for a 5-year exception
from advalorem taxes.
• $6,300,000 committed to city
engineering for the improvement
of streets and drains.
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