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ine Augusta rvews-Keview [November 12,1983
Mallory K. MillenderEditor-Publisher
Paul Walker Assistant to the Publisher
Wanda Johnson General Manager/Advertising Dir.
Diane CarswellCirculation Manager
Yvonne Dayßeporter
Rev. R.E. Donaldsonßeligion Editor
Mrs. Geneva Y. Gibson. Church Coordinator
Charles Beale;Jenkins County Correspondent
Mrs. Fannie Johnson Aiken County Correspondent
Mrs. Clara WestMcDuffie County Correspondent
Mrs. Ileen Buchanan Fashion & Beauty Editor
Wilbert Allen Columnist
Roosevelt Green Columnist
Al Irby.Columnist
Philip Waring Columnist
Marva Stewart Columnist
George Bailey. Sports Writer
Carl McCoyEditorial Cartoonist
Olando HamlettPhotographer
Roscoe Williams Photographer
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Walking With Dignity
Jackson's candidacy
by Al Irby
Look South. Look to Georgia,
Alabama and maybe Florida. Then
look north,
especially to I
Massachusetts. Si,
That’s where Wl
Black voters I
will have their
first major
impact in the « |''
1984 presiden
tial primaries. And that’s where
the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson will
focus his run to the “Oval Office”
at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Mr. Jackson made it official in
the nation’s capital. He’s running
even though many Black
leaders—including such prominent
figures as Coretta Scott King and
Benjamin Hooks —have refused to
support him.
Yet Jackson’s effort could be
very important for Democratic
politics. Some say it could even
determine who wins the party’s
presidential nomination. In brief,
the impact is expected to be this:
For Walter F. Mondale, the
front-runner, a minus. Mr. Mon
dale is strong among Blacks.
Jackson will divide his support.
For John Glenn, close on Mon
dale’s heels, a plus. Senator Glenn
is strongest with middle-roaders,
but much weaker among Blacks.
Jackson, a protege of slain civil
rights leader Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr., announced his campaign
last week. There are several views
on the Jackson’s candidacy. A
number of Black officials in inter
views during the past week have
made statements that they are
worried about Jackson as a
spokesman for all Blacks. They
argue that this campaign is less for
Blacks and more for himself.
Jackson and his aides argue just
the reverse. While he has little
prospect of winning the
nomination, they say that he will
Civil Rights Journal
A nation at war
by Dr. Charles E. Cobb
We are a nation at war. United
States troops are now in the com
bat posture in B
the Sinai,
Lebanon, and
Honduras Most '
1,900
marines and B
rangers have "
executed a pre
dawn assault ■
on the tiny ■BMBBBB
island of Grenada.
The decision by President
Reagan to invade this speck of an
island in the Caribbean was clearly
act of aggression. The decision has
been cloaked with justifications of
“preserving the democracy”
within the region, and protecting
the lives of Americans living on the
island.
We submit that this was nothing
less than displaced aggression
brought about by an inability to at
tack Damascus, following the
assault on United States Marines in
Beirut. In the words of one
chagrined Congressman, Mr.
Reagan “is leading our nation into
a face-off with the Soviet Union.”
These impulsive acts by the
President, with the concurrence of
Page 4
generate tremendous excitement in
the Black community, especially
among younger Black voters.
This could have two effects, they
say. It will result in more Blacks
being elected to state and local of
fices. And it will force both the
Republican and Democratic can
didates for president to address
issues of greatest import to Blacks.
Then there’s the more immediate
effect on the primaries.
A top Mondale aide, told that
Jackson had decided to run,
responded only with a curt, “So be
it!” There is little doubt in either
Mondale or Glenn camps how im
portant Jackson could be.
To understand this, one needs to
look at the numbers, Mondale has
been the front runner for the
Democratic nomination since the
race began. But in recent months,
John Glenn has closed the gap
between them to about 10 points.
The Democratic candidates will
first clash in lowa during
statewide caucuses on Feb. 27. The
New Hampshire primary follows
on March 6. Black voters will have
little impact on either contest.
Then follows what may be the
most important day of the primary
season—March 13, “Super
Tuesday.” There are five state
primaries and four state caucuses
that day. Mondale must do well to
remain the front runner.
But the geography of that day
makes it difficult. Three of the
primaries are in the South—in
Georgia, Alabama, and Flor
dia—where liberals like Mondale
seldom do well. Mondale needs the
Black votes there to shore up his
standing. And what if Jackson’s
campaign results in a moderate like
Glenn being nominated?
“We don’t see that as a valid
concern,” a Jackson associate
says. This column says, let Jesse
run, his coattail will help many
Black candidates.
the Secretary of State, are clearly
indicative of a foreign policy rife
with uncertainty and unreliability.
The American people must ask the
question, what are we doing in
volved in so many situations
around the world that could lead
to war?
The assault on Grenada is a clear
violation of United Nation’s Char
ter, which provides for a policy of
nonintervention in the affairs of
sovereign nations. Congressman
Ronald Dellums of California is
accurate in stating, “military
solution seems to be an automatic
reflex with this administration.”
Claims of protecting American
lives is openly disputed by Charles
Modica, Chancellor of the Saint
George’s School of Medicine,
where the majority of Americans
were located. Mr. Modica in
dicated that he had received
assurances of safety from the new
island government. He added, that
President Reagan “should be held
accountable” for any injuries suf
fered as a result of the invasion.
The invasion of Grenada in or
der to “preserve democracy” has
set a very dangerous precedent
see Nation, page 6
sick of incompetent i==i lam Teo! let's do
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS * SOMETHINeAfiCUT IT!
i ( VOTE! mu ||| <
BLACK RESOURCES INC
To Be Equid
Civil rights attacked
by John E. Jacob
The President’s abrupt firing of
three members of the U.S. Com
mission on
Civil Rights
gave am
munition to I
many people
who are con
vinced that his W
Administration ■
has a deep and I
abiding hostil- /if
ity to civil
The President acted on the eve
of bi-partisan Senate action to ex
tend the life of the commission,
which officially goes out of
business at the end of November.
The crisis was launched last
summer when the Administration
proposed replacing the three with
new appointees whose thinking
reflected a more conservative ap
proach on key civil rights issues.
The storm of protest led to an im
passe, and when it appeared that
the Senate would not confirm its
nominees, the administration
stonewalled while the legislation
authorizing the commission ex
pired.
Reasonable people on both sides
of the fence—liberals and conser
vatives, Democrats and
Republicans—labored to strike a
compromise that would keep the
commission in operation. One
such plan was to extend the com
mission’s life while adding two
new commissioners, thus giving
the President most of what he wan
ted and assuring him the loyalties
of four of the proposed eight
members.
But the White House dynamited
The Mayor Comments
Education valuable, priceless
by Edward M. Mclntyre
The week of November 13-19 is
National Education Week in our
nation. I .>
would like to
share some I . -J
thoughts of I
mine with you
as we focus our
attention on BBbBM
education.
Education is
not a shiny M
new invention created by mass
production which can be bought at
the low cost of $19.95. It is not
the compromise by its firing; it
wants its way and if it can’t get it,
the administration appears
prepared to allow the commission
to die.
The White House claims that the
issue here is the President’s power
of appointment. It claims the high
ground of the presidential power
to hire and fire executive office
employees.
But the legislative history of the
commission clearly indicates it was
intended by the Congress to be an
independent body. Commissioners
are drawn from both parties and
there is no legal provision for
removing commissioners without
cause.
The “cause” in this instance is
that the commission has been a
strong advocate for civil rights,
taking firm stands on issues and
differing from administration
policy on such important con
troversies as the attempt to grant
tax exemptions to schools that
discriminate.
But that is exactly what the
commission was set up to do—act
as a gadfly and goad to the
executive branch. Through its
reports and hearings, it monitors
the government’s compliance with
civil rights laws it is pledged to en
force, and helps focus public atten
tion on civil rights issues.
So the administration’s problem
with the commission is not the
philosophies of its members, or the
appointment prerogatives of the
President, but the very existence of
an independent commission.
The real issue then, is the in
stitutional integrity of governmen
tal bodies created to oversee civil
something which you can take to
make you feel better when things
are going badly. It is something
that many people find priceless on
ce they realize its value. It is
something which can make the
least of us feel important when we
possess it and the most important
of us feel least when it is limited.
I believe our great nation, even
with all its problems and imperfec
tions, can attribute its greatness
largely to education. We can be
forever grateful that our
forefathers could read and write
that precious document giving us
rights progress. Preserving that in
stitutional integrity should be the
main objective of Congress now,
for it is more important than the
fate of individual members or the
whims of the administration.
In the shock that followed the
firings several new ideas surfaced,
but whether they emerge as
realities or not, civil rights suppor
ters must not allow the ad
ministration to win its war on civil
rights. Better to lose a battle or
two, than to allow the commission
to vanish.
That’s the likely outcome of the
administration’s rigid attitude.
The refusal to make reasonable
compromises has convinced many
that the real purpose was to
destroy the commission.
The administration has reaped a
harvest of ill-will, not only by its
actions regarding the Civil Rights
Commission, but by ill-considered
statements and by what appears to
be a persistent refusal to enforce
existing civil rights laws.
Further, every time it does
something decent, such as pledging
to sign the bill honoring Dr. Mar
tin Luther King Jr., it hastens to
undo it. For example, the
President’s gratuitous press con
ference remark that appeared to
lend support to the ravings of
rabid racists who charged Dr. Mar
tin Luther King Jr., with com
munist sympathies.
He later apologized to Mrs.
King, but an apology to the nation
was in order. Even an apology will
not undo the latest attack on civil
rights—the attempt to undermine
the institutional integrity of federal
civil rights agencies.
our rights as American citizens.
Someone cared enough to teach
them not only the basics, but also
the higher levels of thinking as
well.
We all have our opinions about
what’s wrong with public
education today. I’d like to offer
each of you a challenge to not only
improve the quality of education
today, but a challenge to protect
the right of education as well.
If you are a student, take advan
tage of the opportunity your
nation is giving you and give it
see Education, page 6
Going Placet
Parish House
to memorialize
Father Morris
by Philip Waring
On next Sunday at 1:30 p.m. the
St. Mary’s Episcopalchurchwill
formally name ■HFSOHB*
its parish 3
house the I
“Turner Morris FjWapH
House,” Father JEfl
Henry Williams,
vestry and I
members of
the church in- ML W" . jMH
vite the Augusta public to attend.
While the facility has been in ac
tive use since 1963, the church
decided earlier this year to name it
in memorial to its late and beloved
victor, Father Turner Morris. It
was under his administration that
it was conceived, planned and con
structed. Thus, St. Mary’s has
rightly though belatedly recap
tured some of its and Augusta’s
history.
Father Morris, a native of
Jackson, Miss., came from a long
line of Episcopalian Family mem
bers. Trained at Bishop Payne
Seminary in Virginia, he served for
several years at St. Mary’s. It so
happened that this was during a
period of great social change in our
nation and profound change in
race relationships. And Father
Morris was very active in much of
this despite poor health and failing
eye sight.
Rev. C.S. Hamilton, then-
Augusta NAACP president, recalls
him actively participating in down
town demonstrations designed to
make the city keep faith with the
Constitution and the newly passed
civil rights laws. Although
threathened on several occasions,
he continued as a member and par
ticipant with the various groups.
A member of the Ministerial
Alliance and a key officer of the
NAACP, he also assisted in the
campaigns which successfully elec
ted B.L. Dent and Rev. C.S.
Hamilton to the city council in the
mid-1960’5.
He also aided in formulating
plans for the Augusta end of the
1963 March On Washington. He
and his lovely wife, Ethelyn, were
part and parcel of the civic and
religious life here. He was
especially interested in the Boy
Scouts and our Ninth Street
Y.M.C.A.
It was Father Morris, however,
who helped to set policy for the
community use of the new parish
house. It became a branch
operation for several community
service programs in child care,
health service and family life.
Because St. Mary’s made available
its facilities, these new federally
funded projects were able to reach
thousands of Augustans who
needed help the most.
Today the parish house is often
used for public meetings, forums,
human betterment programs as
well as ongoing church activities.
Again, thanks for your dreams,
and leadership, Father Turner
Morris, as well as your splendid
pastoral service.
While doing research on the
origin of the parish house during
the late fifties up through the six
ties, I discovered several other
items. On the bright side, the
community was elated with four
young men who had come to town,
namely attorneys John Ruffin,
John Watkins and James Hinton,
Jr. and the Rev. C.S. Hamilton.
Many of my interviewees talked
of their enthusiasm and leadership
in the newly emerging civil rights
struggles. On the negative side, I
learned of how a board of
education edict halted the con
tinuance of a local YMCA Teen
Club program held in the local
public schools, saying quite boldly
that it struck at the very foun
dations of our Southern segregated
society.
I am told that several persons
stood up and resisted this unfair
school edict. They included Prof.
Mattie B. Braxton, chairperson of
our Phyllis Wheatley YWCA
Branch, Dr. I.E. Washington,
then-principal of the C.T. Walker
School, and the white downtown
YWCA staffers and volunteer
board leaders. We are told that
local hate groups even came into
the YWCA board meetings to push
segregation and support the board
of education against the YMCA. It
was Dr. Ike Washington who
protested loudly, pointing out that
the Y Teen programs had been ac
cepted nationally, were based on
the constitution and the Christian
ethic. He refused to remove the
program from his school.