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The Augusta News-Review March 17,1984
Mallory K. MillenderEditor-Publisher
Paul Walker Assistant to the Publisher
Theresa Minor Administrative assistant/Reporter
Randolph Murray Sales representative/Circulation Manager
Rev. R.E. Donaldsonßeligion Editor
Mrs. Geneva Y. Gibson Church Coordinator
Charles Beale-Jenkins County Correspondent
Mrs. Fannie Johnson• • Aiken County Correspondent
Mrs. Clara West.McDuffie County Correspondent
Mrs. Been Buchanan Fashion & Beauty Editor
Wilbert Allen Columnist
Roosevelt Green Columnist
Al IrbyColumnist
Philip Waring Columnist
Marva Stewart Columnist
George Bailey....,Sports Writer
Carl McCoyEditorial Cartoonist
Olando HamlettPhotographer
Roscoe Williams Photographer
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Blacks urged to
move toward
Jesse, not away
Weil, the political trial of
the Rev. Jesse Jackson has
escalated. Rev. Jackson ad
mitted and apologized to
Jewish leaders for uncom
plimentary remarks he made
recently in reference to
several Jewish groups
picketing outside his cam
paign headquarters recently
in Los Angeles.
These remarks, mind you,
were in private conversation
among Blacks. However it
was not long before reporters
from the Washington Post,
wire services and other news
services made these remarks
their top stories. These types
of stories are what “make”
some reporters. They live
and die by them.
We are not apologizing for
Jackson. He has already
Sone to the synagogue and
one that. And quite frankly
we are embarrassed about it.
However, recent editorials in
many of the nation’s daily
newspapers suggest that
Jackson’s career as a
politician and his credibility
as a leader are permanently
damaged.
Politically, maybe. But as
a leader, particularly a Black
leader, we doubt it. White
reporters and political bosses
can no longer pick and
choose Black leaders. That is
our choice and we don’t have
to go to the ballot box to
prove it.
Politically, President
Regan has had several slip
of-the-tongues. Former
President Jimmy Carter
during his campaign for
President got in hot water
with his ethnic purity and
lust remarks. Never mind the
outrage expressed by Blacks
and other groups, Reagan is
still President and Jimmv
Carter was elected President.
A few years back Israel
Defense Minister criticized
the quality of U.S. military,
saying it was becoming in
ferior through its volunteer
concept. The Defense
Minister pointed out that this
was due largely to the all
voluntary U.S. military at
tracting large numbers of
Blacks. He attempted to
justify this with his
derogatory remarks about
the inferior abilities of
Blacks.
Rev. Jackson’s and other
civil rights leaders’ demand
for this man’s removal went
on deaf ears and needless to
say, U.S. military aid to
Israel continued.
Additionally, Blacks in
their bid for equality through
affirmative action were dealt
several set-backs by Jewish
opposition, particularly in
the case of DeFunis vs the
University of Washington
Law School. Rev. Jackson
SUPPORT OUR
ADVERTISERS
Page 4
again in this case led the
protest against this. Jackson
attributed that common in
terests of Blacks and our
Jewish leaders should be
more than our joint efforts
to exist, that we should have
common grounds other than
picket-line demonstrations,
and that politically and
economically we have a
mutual right to exist.
Jesse challenged the
Jewish opposition to assist in
the deplorable plight of our
people. But that apparantly
did not happen. The highest
concentration on unem
ployment in the history of
this country exists among
Blacks today, according to
National Urban League
President John Jacob.
One wonders if the latest
picketing at Jesse’s L.A.
campaign headquarters, the
aforementioned frustrations
and other frustrations of
Jewish opposition to Jesse’s
plead to the economic plight
of Blacks, led to his agony
and private outrage.
Blacks, including Jesse
Jackson, must learn the im
portance of getting smart
and sophisticated!]? con
trolling our anger. This latest
episode is a classic example.
Getting smart may mean
that just as Whites embraced
Regan and Carter, Israel
embraced their Defense
Minister, and Jewish people
embrace and support each
other in their political and
economic common interest,
Blacks should embrace Jesse
Jackson and not throw him
to the wolves (the press).
The political movement
that Jesse is currently
heading is much bigger than
he. Once we get smart we will
realize this. Once we get
smart we will also realize that
every piece of major modern
civil rights accomplishments
in this country can either
directly or indirectly be at
tributed to him. He has been
there whenwe needed him.
Getting smart may mean
that a possible solution to the
economic plight of Blacks, a
major concern to ail of us,
rests with our political clout.
And the movement Jesse
heads may give us just that.
As Jesse so eloquently
stated, “We need to turn TO
each other and not ON each
other.”
/
Getting smart in our
opinion means that we need
to recognize Jesse’s long
history of. commitment to
our people and embrace him
NOW. Turning TO him and
not ON him is a smart and
wise position to take.
If we don’t, who will?
AMERICA IS
STANDING O'jSl
TALL AGAIN!
» on mh n m m
BLACK EESOUPCES iMC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Walking With Dignity
Who is Gary Hart?
by Al Irby
Mondale is wen Know, among
Black voters because ■>
President Car-1
ter’s vice-|
president; and;
he was Hubert
Humphrey’s
side-kick.
Although
Gary Hart was
Senator
■Bak
McGovern’s manager when Ml
McGovern ran against President
Nixon, the man in the street
doesn’t remember the guy who h
pushing Mondale into the deep
South for political survival.
This guy, Gary Hart’s last
moving presidential campai n
sailed ‘Down East’ to Maine and
Massachusetts after his big New
Hampshire up-set. Even as Senat u-
Hart gains speed, however, ma tv
people, especially Blacks a e
asking: Who is this dashing young
Senator from the state of
Colorado? Mr. Hart is known i.
quiet, hardworking, and someone
who keeps to himself. He has also
been described as “arrogant” a
label that angers his staff.
Going Places
Brigham, Dr. Ike to run?
by Philip Waring
We are now entering into a long
and overdue drama in political
R z--*»
■L -
history. The |
state General I
Assembly has
passed legisla- |
tion enlarging I
the county
commission to
a membership
of six. This will
enable us to qualify for two seats
in a presently lilly white situation.
The local delegation understood
words of warning from the federal
courts. Great credit is due Rep.
Charles Walker in getting it
through. We hear that several per
sons are preparing to put their hats
into the ring, including verteran
former city councilman Dr. Ike
Washington and educator-civic
leader Henry Brigham, Sr. In the
meanwhile, the Black population
of Richmond County is right on
the forty percentage mark.
Another picture of political
drama is being enacted within the
Augusta city council. A federal
court notice has also been given it
to settle the long-standing ward vs.
at-large voting dispute. The latter
practice adopted right after the
White Primary laws were killed by
the U.S. Supreme Court which
Others call him reserved and
shy, which his staff agrees is true.
The handsome senator certainly
doesn’t fit the typical image of the
outgoing politician who feels at
home in the cloakrooms of Capito
Hill and on the Washington party
circuit. He is no hail fellow well
met who will pat his colleagues on
the back or make small talk with
ease.
One problem with the good
senator’s reserved ■ style is that
many of his fellow senators don’t
feel thev really know him—they
aon’t know what makes him tick.
For example, a senate staff mem
ber observes that the senator from
the Rocky Mountains’ voting on
defense issues seemed to turn more
pro-militarv a few years ago.
It’s a question of whether Mr.
Hart changed his stance out of
conviction, or political oppor
tunism. The Senator himself says
he is closest in political philosophy
to people like Democratic Sens..
Bill Bradley of New Jersey, Paul
Tsongas of Massachusetts, Joseph
Biden of Delaware, and Carl Levin
of Michigan. Blacks had better
dulled and watered down Black
voting strength and oonortunities.
In a city wmch is oj percent
Black, there are onlv four Blacks
out of sixteen council members,
posing a problem of great unfair
ness and uneven status. Black
councilmembers including Mrs.
Margaret Armstrong and Willie
Mays have pointed to the futility
of council hiring a law firm to fight
the inevitable.
The record shows that in 1983
the mayor and all four Black coun
cil members expressed their
preference for ward voting. Mays
has correctly pointed out that lots
of tax monies will be spent it tne
majority of the council proceeds
on its course to retain at-large
voting. This is rich theatre and 1
drama and let’s keep our eyes on
what’s happening.
The at-large systems in
Edgefield and Burke Counties
have already fallen to recent
federal court decisions, and to
justice and the inevitable.
It appears that the Augusta'
Black community will at last get,
some type of ongoing coalition or
political action unit designed to
advance the civic and political op-,
portunities of our group. While
there are literally hundreds of
similar types of organizations
give the Colorado Senator a long,
long look, because they may find
that he is not one of their “welfare
state” buffs.
As Senator Hart’s votes were
piling up on election night in New
Hampshire, several reporters were
vowing to look more closely at the
candidate, who earlier in his life
changed his last name from Har
tpence. Personally, he rejects sim
plistic labels such as “liberal or
moderate.” He says, “1 have tried,
and the closest I have come is
Western, independent, Jeffer
sonian democrat.” The people are
playing games with Senator Hart;
they neither want him or Mondale,
this is nothing but “primary
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
started the country on an
egalitarian path of madness.
President Reagan has reversed
that; and headed the country to a
pre-Roosevelt climate of real ‘.‘free
enterprise.” The primaries’ results
so far just sending a message
through pitiful Vice-president
Mondale that the nation is not
ready to swing back to the left.
around the nation, north, west and
south, we locals have been slow tc
get togeuier.
In my observation of these
groups around our nation, most
have been successful and most im
portant, they are able to accom
plish what our NAACP is not
designed to do, partisan political
action. They are all broad based
city or county-wide and have a
broad cross section Black
leadership. I ney do not duplicate
the work of existing organizations
or units such as GABEO, Black
Legislative Caucus, Urban League,
NAACP, SCLC, etc.
A good example is the Virginia
Crusade for Voting. This ten year
old group has active affiliates in
Richmond, Norfolk and other
cities. It helned dent the Bvrd
machine and helped elect fair
minded and progressive Governor
Robb, son-in-law of the late
President I B. tnhncnn
May we all give appreciation to
Dr. C.S. Hamilton and Rev.
Donaldson for agreeing back in the
1970 s to serve as plaintiffs in the
county and city legal suits agains
at large voting. And all of u:
remember with appreciation Attor
ney Jack Ruffin for his leadership.
Civil Rights Journal
Jesse Jackson:
different
drummer
by Charles Cobb
What a quandry some of our
Black politicians must be in, now
that their
man—Walter
Mondale—
seems not to be
a shoo-in after
all. Black
mayors such as
Coleman You
ng of Detroit,
Wilson Goode
of Philadelphia, Tom Bradley of
Los Angeles and Richard
Arrington of Birmingham in
dicated that they were supporting
Mondale over the Reverend Jesse
Jackson because they had to go
with a sure winner.
Mayor Coleman Young went
even further. When asked about
increased voter registration among
Blacks, due to the Jackson can
didacy, he stated that this was a
fraudulent issue, that people don’t
register for “a lost cause.”
He even proclaimed that the
issue of increased voter
registration was ‘‘just a lot of
bull.” Os course, he conveniently
ignored the thousands of new
voters who have been added to the
rolls mainly because of that can
didacy.
I wonder why it is that some of
our Black politicians refuse to un
derstand the real meaning of the
Jackson candidacy. He is running
not just to win the Presidency. He
is running, first, to increase voter
registration and participation so as
to make possible the election of
more local officials like Harold
Washington in Chicago, and yes,
even the recalcitrant Wilson Goode
in Philadelphia.
Second, he is forcing the other
candidates to deal with national and
international issues which they
would prefer to ignore. And third,
he knows that politicians only un
derstand votes. If he can deliver a
large block of votes at the
Democratic Convention, he can
force the Democratic can
didate—whoever that may be—to
deal with the demands of Black,
minority and poor communities.
For, as Jackson says, the
presence of Regan does not
necessarily mean the presence of
parity. Only we can insure that
with our unified vote.
White politicians certainly un
derstand this. Joe Smitherman, the
white mayor of Selma, Alabama,
suggests that the real Question is
not how well the Reverend Jesse
Jackson does in the Alabama
primary. It is, and we quote
‘‘What it will mean for little towns
like Selma, because the Reverend
Jesse Jackson is going to cause
more Black councilmen and com
missioners to be elected
throughout the region, if not now,
over the next four years.”
So where does this leave those
Black politicians who don’t sup
port the Reverend Jesse Jackson?
Hopefully, out in the cold.
Because not only have they
possibly lost Mondale—their great
white hope—they may also have
lost the support of their own con
stituents. Even more important,
the Reverend Jesse Jackson is
building a base that goes far
beyond their constitutencies. A
base that looks to Jesse Jackson
rather than to them for a voice.
Could it be, in fact, this alter
nate base, that now listens to a dif
ferent dummer, which these Black
politicians most fear, perhaos even
more than a Reagan win? Come
their re-election, we should
remember their rejection of the
Jesse Jackson candidacy and its
potential for Black people. We
should make real their worse fears
by retiring them from office.
Mclntyre—Jones
Defense Fund
P.O. Box 3944
Augusta, Ga. 30904