Newspaper Page Text
The Augusta News-Review August 4,1984
Mallory K. MillerrderEditor-Publisher
Paul Walker,Assistant to the Publisher
Theresa Minor. Administrative .assistant/Reporter
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. Jleen 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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Going Places
A.B.H.C. sth assembly
presented in two parts
by Phillip Waring
Augusta-area residents may well
be proud and better informed with
what is scheduled to happen on
August 19 at 3:30 p.m. at the
Springfield
Baptist church Wr
when the jF W
August Black ”
History Com- J
mittee (ABHC) |
presents its sis- ay.
th annual "'W' 1
public assem- W
bly.
The program will consist of two
parts. The former will see some 18
persons inducted into the roster of
Distinguished Augusta Black
Living Elders. Part Two, or the
outreach section, has several non
elderly or retired thrusts.
First, will be the honoring of
some ten important Augusta in
stitutions and organizations. Three
of them came into being during the
Post-Civil War days and remain
active today. One recently obser
ved its centennial nad is the only
institution of its kind in our
nation.
Another, a business firm, is one
of the oldest and largest Black fir
ms of its kind. The third is an old
line fraternal group, part of a
national body which had its begin
ning during the Revolutionary War
Era. The others, still younger, will
play an important part in com
munity life.
Still another part of this
outreach section is a group of men
and women who are “firsts” in
their particular fields, and are
responsible for opening doors.
Following this will be the second
presentation of the “Two Friends”
award given to a White and Black
Augustan for working together to
improve race relations.
The first Laney-White (L.C.
Laney-Rev. W.J. White) award for
distinguished leadership in civil
Civil Rights Journal
Church may become
decision-maker of nation
by Dr. Charles E. Cobb
It will take some time to fully
accept the impact which this year’s
Democratic National Convention
will have on the struggle for racial
justice in the United States. How
ever, two outcomes are already
evident.
First, the prophetic involvement
of the Church —particularly the
Black Curch—in determining the
leadership and direction of this
nation will be crucial. The inter
dependence of politics and
theology was clearly highlighted by
the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s role at the
Convention. He has shown that
the natural vehicle for implemen
ting the moral vision which he ar
ticulated is the Chruch, for it is in
the Church that you find the
masses of people alredy organized
and also where one should find a
moral foundation already in place.
As it says in Michael 6:8, “What
thus the Lord require but to do
justice, to love mercy and to walk
humbly with thy God.’’ How
similar this mandate is to the jobs,
Page 4
rights goes to two local Baptist
ministers for what they did several
years ago to help change basic legal
barriers in governmental structure.
The last section of Part Two has
to do with recognition of eight
grandchildren and one great
grandchild of founders and
pioneers.
Here we see these individuals
continuing the business firms, a
large farm, and a health
professional tradition of their
grandparents started over sixty two
years ago and several recaching
back to Spanish-American War
days. This is believed to be a
unique contribution of Augusta
Black Heritage to the national
scene.
Now back to Part One wherein a
group of retired teachers and
educational officials will be
honored for teaching and guiding
thousands of young people towar
ds productive careers in life. There
will be several ministers who are to
be remembered for preaching the
gospel, saving souls and buidling
church programs. Then there are
two elderly persons, both above
ninety, who started local retail
business firms in Augusta back in
the twenties. One of them, a lady,
still helps with the family business
out on Milledgeville Road. This
roster will include a social work
executive, civic and religious
leaders. In short, this is a valuable
unit of persons who’ve “Helped
Build Augusta.”
Another feature will be a special
“Salute to our living combat
veterans of World War I.” We are
inviting the cooperation and atten
dance of Screen-Ramsey Post of
the American Legion, Walter
Jackson Post of V.F.W. and other
veterans groups such as Veterans
of World War I. Names of all of
these persons will be published in
the media within the next few
weeks.
peace and justice platform of the
Jackson campaign.
Unfortunately, we find that
many politicians, though they of
ten find it convenient to quote th
Bible, do not live by its teachings.
They use the Word but don’t “do’’
the Word. We therefore call upon
Walter Mondale—the Democratic
nominee and the son of a
Methodist minister—to lead the
Party in the moral direction map
ped out be Jesse Jackson’s cam
paign. Jesse has shown that the
people of this country are looking
desperately for strong, moral
leadership and will respond to this
in overwhelming numbers. But not
the pseudo morality espoused by
Reagan; rather, the true morality
which speaks to all our com
munities.
You can’t talk about peace,
either nationally or internationally
without talking about justice first.
Jesse certainly understands this. It
is now incumbent upon Mondale
to understand this as well and to
see Church, page 7
INHI TTTIWMH
INC.
Walking With Dignity
NAACP going jazzy?
by Al Irby
Sensing a need for younger
members and a fresh approach to
changing priorities,
the NAACP is
aiming to W 6
beocme more ■
visible, more jEf w
political, and ■■k ' i
more youth- 118 ****. |
oriented.
The changes
involve both
the style and
substance of the group’s activities,
starting with an effort to shore upn
its leadership. After a battle last
year for control of the
organization, members appeared
ready to close ranks behind
executive director Benjamin L
Hooks. But the association ap
pears short of aggressive leader
ship in top positions.
Board chaiman Kelly M.
Alexander Jr. of Charlotte, N.C.,
is a powerful force as national
board chairman, but he represents
the old guard. His gruff
style—seen as necessary in the
1960’s —is not viewed in some cir
cles as appropriate today. Thomas
I. Atkins, an able and active
general counsel, has resigned.
An interim legal director has
been appointed, but a search has
been launched for a new counsel.
The association’s hopes for the
Speaking Out
Lesser of two evils chosen
by Roosevelt Green
The National Democratic Party
is once again providing Black or
African-Americans with a lesser
evil choice. Former Vice President
Walter Mondale fails to take
seriously the votes of the Black
masses.
At this writing he has selected a
virtually unknown white female as
his vice-presidential running mate.
He never bothered to interview the
Rev. Jesse Jackson, the voice of
the majority of Blacks, for that
position. In addition, he never
bothered to interview any Black
females.
The former vice-president
futrue are represented in two
young leaders, Earl T. Shinhoster,
director of the NAACP Southern
region, and Joseph Madison,
director voter registration and
education.
“Many Black people, especially
young achievers, are caught up on
economic success,” says Mr.
Shinhoster. The NAACP should
lead creative efforts to wake up
Black people and Balck in
stitutions, to alert them not to be
complacent, he says. The
creativity he is calling for was ap
parent in the more flamboyant,
publicity oriented activities that
took place at the NAACP com
ference held recently in Kansas
City, Mo.
Breaking with the tradition that
has limited the organization to
legal and legislative activities, press
comferences, news releases, and
quiet campaigning, the group
staged a week of high-profile
meetings featuring Rev. Jesse
Jackson and Michael Jackson. The
appearance of the former Jackson
was an indication of the NAACP’s
increasingly partisan attitude in
politics.
A year ago, executive director
Hooks and the NAACP ad
opposed the idea of a Black can
didate running for president as Mr.
Jackson advocated. This year the
group claimed the peace-maker
bowed to the criticism of brother
Jackson by his powerful anti-Black
enemies. And, he also bowed to
the pressure of the National
Organization, for Women (NOW),
a predominately white middle-class
female organization. NOW never
bothered to invite Rev. Jackson to
address its recent convention. How
sad!
The Rev. Jesse Jackson has
demonstrated the kind of leader
ship America really needs, but,
while Blacks heavily endorsed his
stands on issues vital to them, the
white majority and most members
of the other racial minorities rejec
ted his presidential bid.
role in bringing together Rev.
Jackson and Walter Mondale, in
an effort to unify the Democratic
Party. Harmony between these
two is likely to keep Blacks in the
Democratic Party at the ballot box
in November.
And while the NAACP passed
its usual declaration of being non
partisan politically, most of its
public speakers and workshop
discussion leaders emphasized a
goal of preventing the re-election
of President Reagan in November.
Hooks is the chief articulator of
that role, dencouncing
“Reaganistics” in numerous ad
dresses.
The dazzling appearance of the
fame Michael Jackson and his
family prior to the start of their
nationwide singing tour was an
example of the group’s outreach to
young people. Michael announed
that the NAACP will be permitted
to set up voter registration booths
in front of his concert sites. Mem
bers of the Jackson family have
been named co-chairpersons of the
voter-registration drive. They also
recieved new NAACP
Humanitarian Award at the con
vention.
At growing new NAACP
program of “Youth Olympics” in
academics and the fine arts,
brought more than 3,000 young
achievers as participants.
America has not overcome the
traditional personal and in
stitutionalized white racism and
probably never will. The powerful
enemies of Black people will never
support any Black politician who
truly represents the majority of
Blacks in this country.
It is perfecetly clear that Mr.
Mondale, NOW, the white male
dominated press, the rich and the
super-rich are still taking Black
votes for granted. Other racial and
ethnic groups cause them and even
the current president to “break
dance” like puppets over issues
they support. None of the above
groups of their puppets have any
To Be Equal
Employment is
creation of
stable economy
by John E. Jacobs
Full employment is not simply
job creation —it is the creation of a
stable economy that generates
enough decent jobs for all.
Today’s economy is not stable and
it generates many fewer jobs than
we may think it does.
If we see the unemployment
problem in its full dimension there
is a clear pattern of more frequent
recessions, shorter recovery
periods, higher unemployment,
and a permanent Depression in the
Black community.
Since 1971 we’ve four recessions
and two for them, including the last
one, would have been labelled
Depressions in the past. The
beginning of each recession period
found more people unemployed
than at the start of the previous
recession.
Unemployment is getting longer
too, as the jobless are out of work
for longer periods. Currently,
some two million people were
jobless for 27 weeks or more—not
including almost as many who are
no longer counted as being in the
labor force.
Another disturbing trend is the
fact that fewer of the jobless get
unemployment compensation
benefits. In the past about half
did—that’s down to about a third
now.
Still another trend has serious
implications for the economy, and I
especially for opportunities for the
jobless. The official statistics tell
us how many jobs there are but
while the job-generating capacity
of the economy looks impressive, a
larger proportion of jobs are part
time or marginal.
About 20 percent of the jobs in
America are part-time jobs—over
19 million. About five and a half
million people work part-time
when they want full-time work.
And many full-time jobs aren’t
really full-time, since they are
characterized by periodic layoffs.
Only about half the work force
works full-time, all year-round.
Blacks, relegated to marginal
jobs, are the prime victims of the
skewed job market.
Over a third of all Black workers
had two spells of joblessness last
year. Each typically lasted ovei
16 weeks.
Add to that the millions of job
that pay below-poverty level wage
and you can see that the official
statistics mask the real weakness of
a labor market that leaves many
millions of families exposed to
unemployment and depressed
living standards.
Given this, it’s hard to get ex
cited about a recovery that has
barely affected Blacks, minorities
and the poor. And that’s especially
so when we see a poll of business
executives that says a majority ex
pects another recession next year
or the year after.
Achieving stable economic
growth shared by all is still a yet
to-be-attained goal. That kind of
growth will depend on passing job
creation programs, and also on
reducing the budget deficit.
We can’t ignore that enormous
deficit. Supporters of full em
ployment must deal with the
massive overspending and under
taxing that wounds our economy,
and the enormous deficit provides
an excuse for opposing job
creation measures. When we ask
for a federal jobs program or for
federal incentives for private em
ployers to hire and train the disad
vantaged, our opponents just point
to the budget deficit and say “we
can’t afford it.”
Beyond that, the deficits lead to
higher interest rates that strangle
economic growth, feed inflation,
and take an ever-growing share of
the budget. This year, the U.S.
Government’s interest payments
will amount to more than all of the
cuts in the social programs made
over the past three years.
So we’ve got to find away out of
the destructive cycle of huge
deficits that serve as excuses for
refusing to invest in America’s
productive capacity and in putting
our people to work in a growing,
full-employment economy.
regard for brother Jesse Jackson.
If by some miracle right could
prevail in America, Mr. Mondale
see Evils, page 5