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Coors says ‘racist’ Diahann Carroll Hooks hit willing remarks taken to get role Justice Depart.cks out of context on ‘Dynasty’ on set asides I for rule Page 1 Page 3 Page 1 I Page 1 Augusta foirffuim VOLUME 19 NUMBER 48 Blacks angered by efforts to keep at-large voting Blacks attending Mon* day’s city council meeting were angered by a 11-4 vote along racial lines to hire Atlanta attorney Jim Wim berly to determine whether the city should fight an at large voting lawsuit brought by Augusta Blacks. He will be paid $95 an hour, and it is estimated that it could cost $25,000-30,000 just for him to review the case. And as much as a half million dollars to defend against the suit, and the odds are that he would lose. Seventh Ward Councilman S. Herbert Elliot was absent. Fifth Ward Councilman Jimmy Murray told his colleagues, “I’m opposed to what you’re doing (fighting Hooks hits Justice Department for intervention in set asides NEW YORK—NAACP Executive Director Benjamin L. Hooks sharply criticized the U.S. Department of Justice for joining white males in challenging set aside provisions in Dade County, Fla., that were created to help minority construction firms following the riots in Liberty City in 1980. In his statement, Hooks said: “Once again the U.S. Justice Department is placing the federal government squarely on the side of those opposed to affirmative ac tion by siding with white contrac tors through its intervention before the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Ap peals. “This intervention is being done in the suit filed by Associated General Contractors challenging the set aside provision of the Dade County ordinance. The ordinance sets aside an unspecified number of construction contracts for minority firms. “It was adopted in 1982 after Kt! Benjamin Hooks < VmS” I i . Willie Mays district voting), because in my heart I uou't believe in it. But if this will take us into court, I’ll vote for it.” Second Ward Councilman Willie Mays said that he found it “strange as hell” that council members who have been “ultra the racial unrest in May, 1980, in Liberty City, Florida, a suburb of Miami, to correct one of the causes of minority unrest due to the Black community’s exclusion from economic benefits in Dade Coun ty. “The U.S. government, by the action of William Bradford Reynolds, assistant attorney general, seeks to become a willing partner with those majority con tractors who fail, refuse or neglect to include Black contractors in governmental-sponsored building and construction projects. “We feel that Black and minority contractors have suffered too long at the hands of prejudiced business interests. “The NAACP believes that the Department of Justice is tragically a department of insensitivity and injustice. The NAACP calls upon Americans of good will to join in expressing their unhappiness over the continuing assaults by the Executive Branch on affirmative action remedies. “If the Justice Department’s position prevails, ‘Race con scious’ set aside laws throughout the nation will be invalidated and minority contractors placed at the mercy of those who in the past were guilty of discrimination based on race. “The courts in a number of decisions have upheld set asides to correct past discrimination. In the Fullilove v. Kreps case before the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, decided September, 1978, the court noted Congress’ purpose in fashioning set aside remedies **• I W ' t J Jimmy Murray conservative and sometimes ultra right-wing” would add the cost of “a blanket check attorney out of Atlanta...very, very strange.” The Rev. Charlie Moore, pastor of Crawford Baptist Church and chairman of the NAACP Political was to remedy past discrimination. It also noted that the government’s interest “in overcoming the disad vantages resulting from past (Los Angeles Sentinel) LOS ANGELES—WiIIiam K. Coors, chief executive of the Adolph Coors Co., has apologized that he said Blacks are inferior. Charges against Coors stemmed from a meeting of Minority business owners in Denver on February 24, where Coors was quoted as having said that Blacks should be grateful that their an cestors were dragged in chains from Africa. Coors was also quoted as saying that under Black management, the African nation of Zimbabwe is a disaster and that Blacks who are currently in power lack the intellec tual capacity to succeed. Ron Kirkpatrick, media relations manager for the Coors company here in Los Angeles, said that Coors’ remarks were made in an economic context designed to illustrate the idea that American Blacks should be glad they are living in a country with a free en terprise system, and that Coors’ statement was taken out of con text. On the heels of a press conferen ce held in Los Angeles last Friday by the Los Angeles NAACP, and Bishop H. Hartford Brookins, seeking some economical reprisal against the Coors company, William Coors issued a formal March 24,1984 Action Committee, said that “hiring the attorney with tax payers money...to deny a portion of its citizens equal protection is wrong,” adding that such a suit could cost as much as a half million dollars. Community activist Wilbert Allen told council, “What you have done was to divide the com munity on an economic and class basis. You have polarized the community. “You are afraid to subject your self to ward voting. It shows that you represent other interests.” Earthie Powell D’Antignac, who was a candidate for city council last year, argued that the city already employs a firm trained in Constitutional law. “You’re going o tax us double,” she said. Then she warned council mem bers who must be in office for six months before becoming subject to a recall effort, “May is coming. Your six months are up and we’ll be ready.” discrimination...is sufficiently compelling to justify a remedy which required the use of racial preferences.” Coors apologizes, says ‘racist’ remarks taken out of context press statement in which he said “some of my statements to the Minority Business Development Center in Denver last week con veyed a meaning I did not intend. “For my unfortunate choice of words, I sincerely apologize.” the statement read. He continued, “In hindsight, these statements demonstrated a lack of sensitivity. The reason I was invited to speak to the Minority Business Develop ment Center was because of my commitment to the minority com munity, Coors said. Concluding he said, “I pray that my actions will speak louder than those ill-chosen words. I anxiously await the chance to establish a more positive environment of mutual benefit with the Black community.” In a special meeting with The Sentinel last week, Kirkpatrick said Coors did not have any racial intent in his statements in Denver and denied that Coors feels that Blacks are “intellectually in capable of success. ” But the denial by Coors has not changed the resolve of local leaders who are demanding that Blacks stop buying Coors beer. John T. McDonald, president of the Los Angeles NAACP and Brookins have stopped just short of calling for a national boycott of Coors’ product by members of Less than 75 percent Advertising Price of minority rule Augusta’s white city council members are being tested on their worthiness to represent the majority of the people in this city and they are failing miserably. They will quib ble endlessly about what something trivial will cost the taxpayers, yet they will hire an attorney at $95 an hour, with no limit as to how much of the taxpayers money they are willing to throw away trying to pay him. It is essential that one always bear in mind that the MAJORITY of the people living in Augusta are Black and WANT district voting, as is evidenced by the unanimous voting record of Black council members on this issue as well as the law suit against district voting brought by Augusta Blacks, as well as Blacks all around the country. In other words, our tax dollars are being used to determine if city council will finance a legal battle to further deny us access to the democratic process. More than that, these council members are willing to pay the cost for the Black community. Brookins stated that such an ef fort would give Coors some in dication of the strength of the economy of the Black community, and would give him reason to seriously reconsider the impact of his remarks. In Denver, however, despite the denial of intent on the part of Coors, one of the major TV stations has in its possession a copy of a tape, which was made during Coors speech. Black Denverites are incensed by the Coor’s remarks and have begun holding meeting to discuss strategy against Coors. A spokesman for the Denver TV station said the tape does in fact contain the statements as reported, but also said that the intent of Coors statement is a “matter of in terpretation.” Kirkpatrick added, “This whole matter has been blown out of proportion. Anyone who knows Bill Coors knows that he is not a racist. But not all Blacks are convinced and national efforts are springing up across the country with the in tent of making the anger of Black America visible to the Coors organization. Charges have been leveled Editorial such legal fees when they know what the outcome will be. Last month the U.S. Supreme Court struck down at-large voting in Edgefield Coun ty. Last year, it was struck down in Burke County, and in other counties all over the country. Even in the Mobile case, in which bigots thought they had found an out because the Court said that intent to discriminate must be proved, the Court has recognized its error and dropped that requirement. In the case of Augusta, even that wouldn’t matter because Augusta did in tend to discriminate. That’s why it switched from the ward or district voting to the at-large voting system when Blacks began to seek public office in the early 19505. Our elected officials continually lecture to us about “democracy” and the rule of the majority. What we are now seeing from our white officials is the price that they are willing to pay to maintain control by Augusta’s minority community— which is white. against the Coors Company that no concerted effort has been made to place Coors advertising on Black radio stations or in Black newspapers. Presently PUSH is conducting an in-depth investigation of the advertising and hiring practices of the company, and while no official boycott has been announced, it is believed that the NAACP as well as PUSH and other civil rights organizations are considering what they describe as an “economic sanction’’ against the company. Brookins, who heads the 17- state Fifth Episcopal District of the AME church, said “If we come to a point of boycott, I not only will urge the 200,000 members of the AME church in this district to boycott Coors, but I will also write a resolution which I hope the entire 3.5 million members of the AME church will also adopt.” McDonald said, “Coors must be held accountable for these types of overt racist actions and he must be dealt with from the perspective that the community which made him a millionaire can also take it away. The NAACP will support and encourage the national office to support a well-planned economic withdrawal campaign against this company and its executives.” 30C