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NEWS-REVIEW - MAY 13, 1971 -
i
THE NEWS-REVIEW
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
930 Gwinnett Street - Augusta, Georgia
Mallory K. Millender Editor and Publisher
Mailing Address: Box 953 Augusta, Ga. Phone 722-4555
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PART 7
URBAN
LEAGUE
REPORT
As a community service the News-Review will print the entire
text of the report and recommendations of the National Urban
League concerning the causes of the events of May 11,1970.
It should be made perfectly clear that the text of this
report has not been edited or otherwise altered in anyway. Since
the report is too lengthy to be printed in one issue, we will print
it in a weekly series. We urge you to read it and carefuli consider
the information found therein so that we may begin o work
seriously toward meaningful progress in race relations and human
dignity.
Veterans Administration Hospital
The Veterans Administration Hospital, quite naturally, does
not have a Board of Directors. According to the Veterans
Administration’s officials, the staff is 1,800 with 400 blacks. Yet,
only two have supervisory positions - one head nurse and one
psychiatrist, or. 1 percent of the total staff.
Children and Youth Clinic
The Children and Youth Clinic is affiliated with the Medical
College of Georgia. The clinic is one of sixty pilot programs
around the nation. It was funded by the Office of Economic
Opportunity under Title V of the Social Security Administration
Act. The clinic was started in November, 1966, and it provides
services for three federal housing projects: Allen, Gilbert, and
Sunset. A total of 1,800 children is served by this clinic.
The only qualification for services rendered by this clinic are
that a child be a resident of one of the housing projects. Eligible
children are provided the services of the clinic from birth through
eighteen years of age. At this point, all children served by the
clinic are black; however, plans have been projected in the future
to add a white housing project -- Homestead Homes.
Transportation to the Children and Youth Clinic is provided by
the clinic for those who do not live in the immediate area of the
facility.
There are twenty-four persons on the Board of Directors -
fifteen whites and nine blacks. Table 27 shows that of a total
staff of seventeen persons only four blacks are employed.
TABLE 27
STAFFING PATTERN BY CATEGORY AND RACE
FOR
CHILDREN AND YOUTH CLINIC - 1970
POSITION TOTAL NO- BLACK
Director •
Administrator
Chief Project Nurse 1
Chief Social Worker 1
Registered Nurse 1 •
Licensed Practical Nurse 3
Junior Social Worker 1
Clerical WOrkers 2 1
Clinical Psychologist 1
Senior Social Worker 1
Nutritionist 1
Laboratory Technician 1 1_
Total 17 4
Os the total staff of seventeen, only four are black, or 4.25
percent, even though the clinic presently serves an all black
clientele. Those four blacks are not employed in any
administrative positions. '
Planned Parenthood
This agency was started in October, 1969, after one year of
planning. Funding involves the Office of Economic Opportunity
and donations*from the local community on an 80 percent/20
percent arrangement in order given. The breakdown of the 1970
budget is $59,338 from the Office of Economic Opportunity and
$8,838 from the local community for a total of $68,176.
There is a training program for Family Planning Recruiters.
The training is for a five-month period. At the completion of the
last training cycle, eleven blacks and three whites were graduated.
One-third of the Advisory Board is comprised of lay
representatives, doctors, and representatives of low-income
groups, respectively. Total membership is twenty-four (nine
blacks and fifteen whites). There are four basic staff persons, all
of whom are black.
Augusta Area Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Association
The Augusta Area Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease
Association serves Augusta and the surrounding areas.
Originally, the Augusta Area Tuberculosis and Respiratory
Disease Association was a member of the local United Fund;
however, it is now a separate agency whose source of funds is
from the sale of Easter Seals. The budget for 1970 is $30,000
The local chapter is governed by thirty-five persons who sit on
the Board of Directors. All Board Members are white, though it is
interesting to note that according to the Executive Director
“....90 percent of our tuberculosis patients going to Battey Stata
Hospital are black.”(*7)
I
Project 506 (Maternal and Infant Care) and Family Planning Project
Project 506 and the Family Planning Project are funded
through federal, state, and local sources. Project 506 patients
come from an eleven-county area. This eleven-county area was
characterized in the following manner by Miss Charion Seeger,
Chief Social Worker:
“...these eleven counties are extremely resource poor. Jobs,
| SEE URBAN LEAGUE PAGE 3
PAGE 2
It is indeed important that
all citizens of this community
consider carefully the proposed
charter for unifying the
governments of Augusta and
Richmond County, Georgia.
All of us, without question,
favor a more economical
government and a government
that is responsive to the needs
of the people of this
community. To this end, we
must not only scrutinize the
charter itself, but we must, to
the fullest extent possible,
scrutinize those who play roles
which might ultimately lead to
positions in the proposed new
government.
We wish to dissuade any
notion that the persons who
constitute the Government
Study Committee have not
done their best. On the
contrary, the members should
be commended for the time,
self-sacrifice and effort they
put forward. Very few people
can write a charter or a
constitution, as history so
clearly reveals. The failure of
local governments (city and
county) is the failure of
people.
Irrespective of whether
unification passes or fails to
pass, it is imperative that
government become more
responsive to the people—that
is what government is
about—for the people and by
the people; that is its raison
D’etre. History demonstrates
that with the possible
exception of the Greek-city
states, government has always
been controlled by one person,
i.e., a king or dictator, or a few
persons, i.e., an oligarchy, now
political cliques financed by a
few wealthy individuals. In
light of the fact that the
proposed charter is being
rushed upon the people so
quickly, the power structure is
spending enormous sums of
money for promoting the
charter - the news media have
been extremely biased in
reporting events, and a public
relations firm out of Atlanta
has been hired to promote
acceptance of the charter. It
then becomes more important
than ever that the charter (as
well as its promoters) be
examined with extraordinary
care.
The charter should be
rejected for the following
reasons:
1) The Chairman or Mayor
has too much authority. It is of
no moment to say that his
action is subject to the
approval of a sixteen-man
commission. The present City
Council indicates the type of
control the Chairman or Mayor
would exercise over the
commissioners. With his men
thoroughly entrenched in the
various districts and the power
which he has, it would take a
political giant to oppose the
Chairman or Mayor who has
power equal to or in excess of
that of the Chairman. The four
commissioners who would run
at large could be expected to
form alliances with the
’Chairman during the election;
and if they win, the Chairman
already has four votes for any
proposal that is submitted to
the Commission. (See Charter,
Section 4.07)
2) The administrative
assistant has entirely too much
power and authority to be
accountable to the Chairman
only. He, along with the
Chairman, would form a dual
dictatorship where only the
Chairman would be answerable
to the voters. With Big Money
backing the Chairman, the
people stand to lose.
3) There is no uniformity
of taxation, with the tax
burden falling unto those who
can least afford it. While the
old saying of “pay for what
you get” sounds good in a
vacuum, when you apply it to
the consolidated government,
it amounts to penalizing poor
people (black and white) for
being ghettoized by the
moneyed or propertied class.
For example, if the Hyde Park
area is subsequently made into
a special services district, it is
plausible that residents who are
thrown into the same district
would vigorously object
because that is the area most in
need of services, but can least
afford to pay for them. As a
result, the area probably would
have to suffer without the
needed services. This would
have the effect of putting a
premium on the discrimination
of unequal services that have
" long plagued this community.
LETTER to the EDITOR
Dear Sir:
RUFFIN VIEWS CONSOLIDATION
(See Section 1.03)
4) The charter provides for
probability of inequality of
services and the discontin
uation of services if the
commission determines that
such services are either
obsolete or unnecessary. (See
Section 1.04 E and F)
5) Districts can be altered,
amended, merged, abolished,
etc. Although a public hearing
must be held prior to such
action being taken, once the
decision has been made by the
commission, the hearing is
simply a perfunctory
z, - J ~ 1 A « ~ ~
procedural device
superimposed on a previous
decision. (See Section 1.07)
6) Double taxation may be
imposed as a result of taxes for
services and service charges to
defray installation costs and
operating expenses incurred in
furnishing services. (See
Section 2.03 (28))
7) While old employees are
to be retained in the new
government (irrespective of
need), there is nothing to
prevent these employees from
being dismissed once the new
government comes into being.
(See Section 3.18)
8) Duly elected
commissioners can only deal
with the executive branch of
the new government, including
appointive officers, directors of
departments and employees
thereof through the Chairman
(and presumably through his
administrative assistant.) It is
ridiculous that duly elected
officials are insulated from
public employees, which
permits the build-up of an
untouchable bureaucracy. (See
Section 3.19)
9) Any government should
have the right to police itself to
ascertain whether or not any
branch thereof is operating
properly. However, the
proposed charter provides for
inquiries and investigations,
subpoena power and the taking
of evidence without
specifically indicating what is
to be done with the evidence
or the person against whom the
evidence is secured. This means
that a person could be subject
to both grand jury
investigation and an
investigation under the new
government. The evidence and
information secured by such a
hearing could be used for
political purposes, and
presumably one commissioner
could call for an investigation
although it probably would
take a majority of the
commission to actually
conduct it or cause it to be
conducted. If the commission
decides to have an
investigation, it could be a
secret inquisition. (See
Sections 3.20 and 3.21)
10) The Personnel Review
Board is appointed by the
Chairman (8.07), and it has no
authority to deal with or
otherwise eliminate
discrimination based upon race
or class.
11) The Recorder should
be a full-time employee (since
geographical jurisdiction is
extended, revenue should
increase which could pay his
salary), and the assistant
recorder should not come from
the same law firm as the
Recorder. The Recorder should
not be permitted to practice
law.
12) The proposed
government is devoid of power
to prohibit discrimination
based upon race or class in that
no penalities or sanctions are
provided. Section 9.09 is a
declaration of policy with no
corrective provisions. Once the
new government takes effect, it
will not enact any
non-discrimination legislation
because the commissioners will
be elected from districts rather
than by the voters at large. It is
significant that a provision was
in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
County Charter which
indicated that “Not all
members may be of the same
race or sex or political party.”
Again, with regard to
appointments on boards,
commissions and authorities,
the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Charter provided: “In
appointing persons to boards,
commissions and authorities,
the Council shall secure
reasonable representation on
each board, commission and
authority of all sexes, races,
income groups, geographic
sections of the county and
political parties. This section
also applies to appointments to
Walking
with
DIGNITY „„„
wl by "GOING L —1
■■■■■■■■ Al IRBY fcr) ***
F Jx
(THE TWILIGHT OF THE NEW GENETIC REVOLUTION) PLACES” \
If only man could develop his inner self as he has developed
scientifically and technologically, we could experience what Jesus ■
meant when he said, - The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.” Wn I*l nn J
Providence tries to open our eyes to the cosmic wonders and X W /
possibilities of his limitless grandeur. Transplanting vital organs of ' *
the anatomy, and putting men on the moon are only a few of the
God given revelations.
“Newness” is today’s trend, new Math, new Economics, and
now “new Genetics.” Medical science is moving into new and
marvelous dimensions of exploration.
Time Magazine carried a special section on the “New Genetics”
- The promise and peril of the latest study of the mysterious
genes-highlighting the mystical truth of Boris Pasternak’s Dr.
Zhivago. “Reshaping life-people who say there is nothing to
understand about life.”
Already with man’s meager knowledge, he stands on the
threshold of global human amelioration, by eradicating divers
diseases and correcting genetic defects. Dr. Robert Sinsheimer of
Cal-Tech one of the creators of the biological revolution had this
to say, “For the first time in recorded time, a living creature
understands its origin and can undertake to design its future.”
Biological advancement will make life more meaningful in the
future by remaking or replacing defected genes by laser beams
and using viruses as genetic messengers in the body. There will be
therapeutic mental short cuts to acquire knowledge, or learning
can be transmitted by electrodes.
We are well on our way to new secrets of an abundant life. Drs.
Watson and Carick, two Cambridge University scientists, gave to
the world the break through of double-helical shape of that
mysterious substance, deoxyribonucleic, or DNA. In DNA’s
spiral-staircase structure is hidden the answer to heredity, of
growth, of disease and aging. This wonderful discovery is equal in
scientific importance to splitting of the atom. Alert scientists are
using new laboratory knowhow to isolate, put together, and
manipulate genes so as to be really close to creating life itself. Dr.
Arthur Kornberg of Stanford University put together in a test
tube a single strand of DNA that was able to duplicate itself, thus
creating a twilight zone between the living and the inanimate.
Thanks should go to Father Gregor Mendel, an Austrian Monk,
who began to watch the peas he had planted in the Monastery
garden. By tallying up the various offspring peas, the good father
found out that traits of the different peas were passed from
generation to generation with mathematical precision in small
separate packets, which subsequently became known as genes.
This key discovery was made in the early part of the 19th
century. Out of this glorious genetic knowledge, let it be hoped
that the dreaded disease of “Sickle Cell Anemia” that affects only
Black people will be eradicated. Sickle Cell Anemia comes from
an abnormality in the hemoglobin component of the blood.
Barely nothing was known of this rare blood abnormality until
1910. The U.S. Department of Health Education, and Welfare is
making a concerted effort to educate Black couples who are
contemplating marriage to request a sickle cell blood test. There
is a reasonable estimate that 50,000 Blacks in America are
afflicted with this ethnic malady, while approximately two
million are carriers of this dreaded blood trait.
The Black medical community in America should corral its
expertise and wealth in setting up blood clinics in key cities to
combat this scourge in the Black race; liberal white medical
organizations would assist also. HEW and private grants could be
utilized.
The Black Medical Profession is the most affluent group in the
Black race, and the bulk of this wealth is obtained from Black
people. That age-old axiom, “God helps those who help
themselves”, could be perspicously applied to such a worth-while
project.
(A UNIFICATION THOUGHT TO PONDER)
Black opponents of the Unification charter should not build
their opposition solely upon the delusive dream of political
parity. Many major cities with Black majority are literally rotting
down. In as much as political power is important; it will not, in
itself, bring complete salvation without financial structure.
all boards, commissions and
authorities established under
provisions of general law or by
ordinance or resolution of the
Council.”
Another section of the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Charter
provides: “The consolidated
government may, consistent
with the Constitutions of the
United States and North
Carolina, enact ordinances to
prohibit acts of discrimination
based on race, color, national
origin, religion or sex.”
These provisions are cited to
show what a charter can
contain, if the people have the
will and determination. (The
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Charter
was defeated, however.)
13) Those persons who
constitute the power structure
have not been the calibre of
persons in whom poor people
can repose confidence. Poor
people have been used to
further the interest of the
power bloc. Blacks have been
permitted, at the sufferance of
the power bloc, to get
positions which indicate and
epitomize tokenism. For
example, one black of five on
the Augusta Housing
Authority, one black of five on
the County Commission, one
black of five on the Civil
Service Commission, one black
of five on the Augusta-
Richmond County Hospital
Authority, two blacks of
.sixteen on the County Board
of Education, and four blacks
of sixteen on the City Council.
Although the Board of
Education is not a part of the
city or county government in
that it is a corporate legal
entity, it shows how the “spirit
of tokenism” permeates the
entire system and shows that
racism is endemic to the
system. An example of the
entrenched racism is that while
the chairman of the Stockade
and Recorder’s Court
Committee was white, he
presided over the Recorder’s
Court in the absence of the
Recorder and his assistant.
However, while the chairman is
black (B.L. Dent) he was never
permitted to serve in the
absence of the Recorder or his
assistant. The power bloc could
not fathom a black passing
judgment on whites.
14) Blacks were not
permitted to participate on the
Government Study Committee
in appointive positions except
tokeniy. There were only three
blacks on the committee,
(representing the middle class
stratum of society), which
shows again the resort to
tokenism in order to give
blacks a semblance of
representation, out of
approximately twenty-seven
persons originally.
15) There will be a
diminution of voting power or
voting strength. This is
significant not because blacks
want to elect a black mayor,
but because it is the one
political method of
effectuating change within the
system. The black vote will be
segregated where blacks can
only elect persons to public
office in the districts where
AUGUSTA SHOULD BE PROUD OF ITS NEW WEEKLY
A few weeks ago my two cousins, Mrs. Edith Buchanan and
Mrs. Josephine Allen Richardson, told me about the new paper.'
This begins my column, “Going Places,” which will highlight
activities of former Augustans around the nation. It will feature
Urban League news, data on economic betterment too. <
May I salute Publisher Mallory Millender and his associates who
have introduced the NEWS-REVIEW which should be of great
service to the more than fifty thousand Blacks living in the
Greater Augusta area. If Black communities are to progress and’
move forward they must have their own weekly newspaper. And
it must inform, educate and give forthright leadership as the
nation and the South are now undergoing dramatic changes ir
civil rights and race relations. |
BLACK PRESS HAS COME OF AGE
The business magazine, BLACK ENTERPRISE, in its Mayfl
edition points out that the Black newspaper has grown from 145 j
in 1945 to over 300 in 1971 and has a circulation of over two I
million serving the thirty billion dollar Negro market. All kinds offl
local and national business firms advertise in the Black press a&fl
searches for part of that market. And the local weekly must be
high-class with truth and integrity. Progressive-minded Augustans
should get behind and support the NEWS-REVIEW as it should
be a valuable and factual partner in the thrust for progress and'
change which is long over due in the nation and the South.
GOOD OMEN FOR NEWS-REVIEW
As I start “Going Places,” it is good to note the presence of,
both Al Irby and Henri Freeman who were fellow columnists and
writers on the former WEEKLY REVIEW in the 1950-60 era.
Featuring of the National Urban League survey on social and
economic conditions in Augusta should prove a valuable guide for*
community change. And I understand that now is the time of
action for the projected county-city unification plan.
CITY-COUNTY UNIFICATION BAD FOR BLACKS ,
Talk with any leading Black spokesman (or liberal White)
around the nation, and they will tell you that unification of any
city-county area usually spells bad news for the Black citizen. I
had the opportunity of sharing this information two years ago*
when 1 spoke to the Augusta Frontiers Business and Professional
Service Club and a group of leading Negro female civic leaders.
Our three leading civil rights organizations, NAACP, National
Urban League and SCLC, have all raised serious questions about
city-county unification. And so have our leading Black
newspapers, Churches and civic groups. Unfortunately racism is
the hallmark of the day in America and I can unfortunately see
nothing which will give full and fair opportunities to Blacks in
city-county merges. (Note the Urban League survey of the past).
FEDERAL LAW NOW STANDS FOR US
Last week a three-judge court, made up of three white
Mississippi jurists, critized Attorney General John N. Mitchell’s
attitude toward handling a proposed change in that state’s voting
laws. Evidentially, Mr. Mitchell got the message later in the week ’
because he is now blocking a projected Virginia law which would
change voting districts in Richmond, Norfolk and other large
cities, making it impossible for Negroes to elect local officials. „
Federal law now holds that states should not eliminate or change
natural districts and neighborhoods where Negroes now live.
History will be looking very keenly at what happens in Augusta.
AUGUSTA-AIKEN NATIONAL REUNION IN JULY
The second annual Augusta-Aiken National Reunion will be
held on Sunday afternoon, July 18 at the Robert Treat Hotel in
downtown Newark, N.J. Last July over one hundred former (
residents of these two towns (and also former students who
attended schools there) came out for this most successful reunion
which had Mayor Kenneth Gibson as its speaker. I am again
serving as General Chairman, while old friend, LaVozier LaMarr, 1
Newark YMCA Executive, is Co-Chairman, with some twenty
other persons around the nation on the Planning Committee.
Augusta residents can get an early morning flight and return by (
midnight.
My last words: Support Editor Mallory Millender and the
NEWS—REVIEW. Give him your ideas, subscriptions, advertising
and news. If Augusta (or any city with a Black population) is to
move forward it must have a good Black weekly newspaper.
they preponderate. Whites can,
on the other hand, win every
other elective office without
any concern for a single black
vote. The result is that under
the new government, blacks
will have less voice than we
have ever had in the affairs of a
government which affects us
since the abolition of the white
primary. Blacks have four city
councilmen now, and the new
government doesn’t offer any
more, numerically speaking,
and it offers less as far as
affecting policy changes in that
the four-at-large commissioners
can nullify instantly, the vote
of four black commissioners.
As a result, we blacks should
not permit ourselves to be
hood-winked by district
elected commissioners.
A report from Tabernacle
Baptist Church indicates that
not a single black has been
hired through that office since
May 11, 1970; whereas prior to
that time, this office was
placing anywhere from fifteen
to twenty people per month on
jobs in private industry.
There has been an orchestrated
effort on the part of some
segments of the majority
community to isolate Paine
College from the community
because of the May 11,
incident of last year. As black
citizens of this community, we
cannot permit this genocide to
continue unabated. Paine®
College has played a vital roij
in this community’s cultural
and economic growth, and its
influence is needed more than
ever.
Finally, consolidation of
governments is desirable, but
we blacks should not permit ,
ourselves to be used on May
25th to change to a form of
government which is inimical
to our needs, penalizes us
because of our poverty, and
the power bloc which uses us
to advance its own selfish and ■
economic motives. The
proposed charter is a hardship
on poor people and blacks, and
it should be rejected because it
is an advancement for the
power bloc. Who spends the
money for a public relations
firm? Who spends the money
for television and radio 4
announcements? Who spends
the money for billboard ads?
Who spends the money for
specially installed telephones in
banks? Who spends the money
on newspaper ads? Who gets all
of the newspaper coverage? It 5
is the power bloc, and the
people should put an end to
this matter on May 25, 1971.
Sincerely (
John H. Ruffin, Jr.
Attorney at Law