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NEWS-REVIEW MAY 20, 1971 -
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
Application to mail at Second Class postage rates is pending at
Augusta, Ga. 30901
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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 carefully consider
the information found therein so that we may begin to work
seriously toward meaningful progress in race relations and human
dignity.
BACKGROUND
Social Welfare refers to those agencies and/or organizations
which serve to enrich the lives of community residents. The social
welfare system could easily be described as the Golden Rule in
action. However, if this system were truly the embodiment of the
Golden Rule, this audit would have not been necessary.
FINDINGS
AUGUSTA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS
The Red Cross acts as a medium of voluntary relief and
communication between American people and the armed forces
and carries on a system of national and international relief to
prevent and mitigate suffering caused by disaster.
All activities of the American Red Cross and its Chapters support
these duties. Nationally and locally, the American Red Cross is
governed by volunteers, most of its duties are performed by
volunteers, and it is financed by voluntary contributions.
The Augusta Chapter provides counseling, reporting,
communications, assistance with government benefits, financial
assistance, referral service to members of the Armed Forces and
their dependents, and to veterans and thtii dependents. The
Chapter has a program of Disaster Preparedness, and assists disaster
victims on the basis of need when five or more families are involved.
Free training in first aid, water safety, home nursing,
mother-baby care, and baby-sitting is available. Opportunities for
children and young people to participate in community and world
service through Red Cross are provided through Red Cross Youth
Programs. This includes recruitment and training to junior and
senior high school students as volunteers to work in local
government, civilian hospitals, nursing homes, community centers,
libraries, and the Red Cross office. Also, adult volunteers are
recruited and trained to meet community needs.
Miss Mary Lou Reynolds, Executive Director, stated that the
class concept has been diminished and replaced by modified
courses. The Red Cross is training community people to train in
their own communities and be advocates of the Red Cross.
Staff turnover is low with the Augusta Chapter. When a vacancy
for a caseworker occurred, Miss Reynolds stated that she had
actively sought to have a black person fill this slot. However, she
was unable to recruit a black person because the salary is low and
Augusta does not have a large market of black social welfare
workers. The two black members on her staff who are currently
employed are receiving her support and encouragement for
upgrading and are working toward serving and involving the total
community.
WAYS AND MEANS FOR THE BLIND
The Ways and Means for the Blind is a national agency
headquartered in South Carolina. They dispense needed items to
the blind. Most of its services, however, are channeled through the
local welfare department. Under a special housing program, down
payments are made available to the blind. Three blacks in Augusta
have received such payments. The agency has no paid staff and Mr.
Hubert Smith volunteers his services one-half per day week.
This organization serves all blind individuals as follows: Loans
for home ownership (free of interest), gifts of downpayments on
homes, Braille items, clothing, financial aid to persons getting
adjusted to the use of guide dogs, monthly cash allotments to
deft-blind persons, sundry gifts of small aids and tools where such
are needed and the funds are not personally available to buy them.
Funds for maintenance of operations are received from real
estate owned by the national agency.
UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY DAY CARE CENTER
The United Cerebral Palsy Day Care Center carries out a regular
program of social adjustment, training, and simple physical therapy
for palsied children. Mrs. Berry is Executive Director and she stated
that she feels that there are a large number of children who need the
care provided by the center but who cannot attend due to lack of
transportation. The center presently has seventeen enrollees (five
black and twelve white). The center is open Monday through Friday
from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT, INC.
Junior Achievement is not a member of the United Fund and
must assume their own fund campaign. Their budget for the past
year was $31,000, but at present they are financially insecure.
They actively recruit in the black high schools according to Mr.
Donald W. Green, Executive Director, and several young black
students received awards during the past program year.
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AUGUSTA
Augusta was the twenty-fifth area funded in the state and did not
receive funds until 1967. Funds received in 1967 amounted to
$249,000. The Office of Economic Opportunity program involves
tri-county participation and funding and includes Richmond,
Burke, and Screven Counties. Mr. Charles Barreras, Executive
Director, stated that the late funding was due to the resistance of
local leaders and the prevailing conservatism in the community. He
described Augusta as “a small parochial town growing up”. Mr.
Barreras noted that because of the resistance to change which
prevails in the white community of Augusta, the Office of
Page 2
LETTER to the EDITOR
Editor News-Review
PROGRESS VS. CHANGE
The proponents of unified
government have painted a
picture of progress. They have
labeled all that question our
proposed charter as being
regressive, self-seeking and
self-interested. I beg to take
issue with these proponents.
In the attempt of the
proponents to equate progress
with change, they have only
deceived themselves.
“Progress” is defined by
Webster as a forward
movement. “Change” is
defined by Webster as making
or becoming different. It is my
position that our proposed
charter provides for change but
not progress. The most
valuable of our rights, the right
to vote, has been curtailed.
How can we call an instrument
progressive that takes power
from the people and places it
in the hands of a few.
Gov. Jimmy Carter
To The People
Os Georgia
ATLANTA (PRN) - Work
on the reorganization is
already well underway. About
one month ago I began
contacting business and
industry to request the use of
some of their best men and
women. The response has been
tremendous. We now have
forty of the best management
and technical people in the
state working full time on
reorganization-at no cost to
the taxpayer. Their companies
are donating their time.
In addition, we have some
of the brightest and most
innovative young people
within state government,
representing thirteen agencies
and departments, who also are
working full time.
Already, every agency
which spends the taxpayers
money has completed and
returned a questionnaire
which contains information on
how the agency is organized
and what is being done with
the tax money appropriated to
them by the legislature. These
questionnaires will be used to
determine where more
detailed study is needed.
The enthusiastic leadership
of the heads of the various
departments in state
government has been one of
the most exciting features of
these first few months. These
men, many of whom you
elected to office this past year,
are eagerly taking advantage of
the opportunity provided by
reorganization to improve
services and cut costs in their
own departments. Here are
just a few examples of steps
that have already been taken.
Lieutenant Governor Lester
Maddox has donated the
part-time services of his legal
aide Frank Blankenship to
assist in the reorganization
effort. Tommy Irvin,
Commissioner of Agriculture.
Economic Opportunity programs are unpopular and are resisted.
The press, he stated, was gradually beginning to cover events and
stories, but the overall atmosphere is very rigid and very hostile.
The staff is genuinely concerned and dedicated, but continually
voiced the opinion of not being able to achieve real changes because
of the rigid and hostile attitudes of the community and its leaders.
Mr. Barreras has developed task forces in employment, housing,
welfare, and volunteer services to provide additional input and
create broader based community support.
The budget for the economic opportunity program in Augusta is
cited below:
tabie 31
BUDGET TOR T*E ECONOMIC OpPORT'.MF>0 p PORT'.MF>
AUGUSTA. GEORGIA
1970-l°7l
T -pe _• •_ c - r r e>. r_. -. £_ *• Se -■ ed
Conduct : ♦•d; mi st ratio"
tn 8, ’• 1 '"I $202 9U s'2 -:-g
b i”"' $146,395 $20,-4
Ne Service Centers
. 8/31/70 $135.71$ $78,589 ’ 800
8/31/7' $127,591 $88,096
Fe.-iil. Pier-, 9
8/3770 $ 40,338 $ 8,838 12 670
8/31/71 S 59,338 $ 8,838
Home Hee I th
8/31/70 $ 58,511 4.500
8/31/71 $ 59,568 $ 4,000
Surplus Foods
8/31/70 $ 30,281 -6.000
8/3i/7l Phased out
Coope r at i ves
8/31/70 $ 33,329 $ 960 fluctuates
8/3'/7l $• 34,15** $ 3,000 fluctuates
Emergency Food and Medicine
8/31/70 $ 40,151 $lO 261 fI actuates
8/31/71 $ 80,151 $17,*10 fluctuates
Youth Opportunities
8/31/70 $ 15,000
My most critical complaint
is the way the proposed charter
was drafted. The common
man, the worker, the very
backbone of our country was
hot even represented. The
blacks were given token
representation but of the 27
. member commission, who
represented you and me? There
were no public hearings prior
to the drafting of the proposed
charter. My views were not
solicited as to what changes
should be made, were yours?
The very foundation of our
government was based on the
premise that government
should be of the people, by the
people and for the people. If
you honestly feel that this
proposed charter will result in
a government of the people, by
the people and for the people,
then vote Yes, but I sincerely
urge you to Vote No on May
25.
Sincerely
H. Samuel Atkins, Jr.
has modernized and
streamlined his department’s
personnel system to attract
more of the bright young
people trained in agricultural
and related areas by our fine
colleges and universities. By
bringing the department’s
retirment regulations in line
with the state system, he also
is providing an opportunity
for those who have served the
state in Georgia agriculture
well for many years to enjoy
the retirement benefits which
they have earned. Johnny
Caldwell, Comptroller
General, has combined the
functions of fire marshall and
arson investigator into one
position and obtained the
public spirited cooperation of
local fire chiefs in a move to
establish the same fine
working relationship between
fire chief and fire marshall
that now exists between local
law enforcement officials and
the GBI.
Bill Burson, State Treasurer,
has developed a plan in his
department to allocate
treasury funds on a formula
basis, thus removing politics
from the handling of this state
money. This was one of his
campaign promises and one of
mine too.
John Blackmon,
Commissioner of Revenue, has
after intensive study, worked
out a method to put your
taxes to work drawing interest
on a daily basis. State law only
requires that he get the money
out every forty-five days.
Dr. John Venable, Director
of the State Board of Health
and Ellis MacDougall, Director
of Corrections, will be using
computers to plan menus, so
as to make food purchases for
prisons and state hospitals
SEE CARTER PAGE 5
I *•*» A I
ACTION ON NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE AUDIT STILL
DELAYED
With the exception of the final item on the agenda, the May 17th
meeting of City Council was routine. Among the communications
received by Council were cards of thanks from the families of L.
Mendel Rivers and Whitney M. Young Jr.
The report of the Mayor’s Committee on the National Urban
League’s Audit of Augusta was made to Council by Dr. I.E.
Washington. In calling for action and implementation of the Urban
League’s recommendations, Dr. Washington quoted specifically
from pages 157 and 158 of the Audit:
“Recognizing the fact that many of the findings in this audit
indicate inequitable conditions in Employment, Housing, Health,
Welfare, Education, and in other areas as well, it is imperative that
the city government move immediately to correct the long standing
inequities between blacks and whites in the Augusta community.
“Therefore we recommend:
1. That the mayor, in cooperation with the City Council and
County Commission and with the advice and counsel of the Survey
Advisory Committee, appoint an Augusta-Richmond County Task
Force and that appropriate legislation be enacted by the City
Council and County Commission to give this Task Force subpoena
powers to act on all the problems involving discrimination.
2. That the Task Force be composed of not less than 21 nor
more than 35 members and that emphasis should be placed on
obtaining diverse representative group in terms of race, religion,
national origin, and sex.
3. That the Mayor, in cooperation with the City Council and
County Commission, appoint, a Task Force chairman, vice
chairman, secretary, and other officers deemed advisable by the
Task Force.
4. That the Task Force have the following duties and functions:
a. To work towards the implementation of the general and
specific recommendations of this audit, and
b. To encourage, promote, and develop fair and equal
treatment and opportunity for all persons regardless of race, color,
creed, sex, or national origin, and
c. To coordinate and assist local governmental agencies and
commissions in their efforts to promote better human relations,
and to cooperate with community, professional and religious
organizations, Federal agencies, and other community groups in the
development of public information programs and other activities in
the interest of equal opportunity and justice, and
d. To periodically (at least quarterly) report activities of the
Task Force to the Mayor, the City Council and County
Commission. The Task Force should meet at least once per month.
All staff should be employed by the City and County governments
and all funds necessary for operation of the Task Force mission
come from funds available to the Augusta-Richmond County
governments.
e. To cooperate with the City Council and County Commission
in their attempts to do whatever is legally necessary to equitably
resolve problematic, discriminatory situations.
No sooner had the Mayor thanked Dr. Washington for his report
than a motion was made to give the report to some committee of
Council. At this point Rev. Hamilton objected to further studies
and called for immediate action.
Some members of Council objected to granting subpoena power
to a Human Relations Commission because such a body would have
no enforcement power. Here, Grady Abrams repeated the need for
subpoena power so that the Human Relations Commission would
be able to fully expose the problems of Blacks and poor people, and
deal with them in an effort to prevent further civil disorders.
Since this debate was accomplishing nothing, I made a motion
that the City Council and County Commission call a joint meeting
as soon as possible and get down to the business of acting on the
National Urban League’s report. They had done the community
audit, Dr. Washington headed a committee to study the report;
there was no further need of study. Now is the time to act, because
further delay only allows the problems of the poor to grow worse
each day.
Youth Opportunities for
Economic Development
8/31/70 $ 50,000 5OO
. Economic Development and
Research
8/31/70 $ 69,293
Economic Development and
Research, Screven County
8/31/70 $ 27,551 $ 3,200 varies
OFFICE OF SOCIAL SECURITY
The Social Security Administration of the Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare covers ten counties in Georgia and
four in South Carolina. Field representatives visit each county on a
set day and their officers are always located in the same place. The
outreach schedule for October, November, and December is:
Off ICE or SOCIAL SECUR'-'’
OuTAEACr SCHEDULE FOR OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, ANO DECEMBER
C 2 ty J 2 mePI ace October November December
Applying '0:00- 1 2:00 Welfa-e Dept. Ist sth 3 r d
Fort Gordon 9:00-‘2;00 Hospital Each Wednesday (except M/L
Lincolnton 9.30 J 2:00 Courthouse Ist and 3rd Thursdays
i.ouisv<l*e 9:30->2:00 Welfare Dept. Each Monday
Millen 9:30-i2:00 Courthouse Each Tuesday
Swainsboro 9:30-12:00 Federal Cou*t Each Thursday (except 11/26
Building 12/24, and 12/31), Ist and
(Old Post o*f) 3rd Mondays and 12/28
Thompson 9:00-12.00 City Ha»l Each Monday
VA Forest Mills 9:30-12:00 Hospital Each Thursday (except 11/261
VA Lenwood 9:30-12:00 Hospital Each Tuesday
Warrenton 9:30-12:00 City Hall 2nd and 4th Tuesdays
Waynesboro 9:30->2:00 Post OH ice Each Wednesday (except 11/1 1
Wrens 9’30-12:00 Wrens Community
Building Ist and 3 r d Wednesdays
These schedules are announced publicly and publicized. The
frequency of the visits depends upon the volume to be served. When
the field representatives leave the office in a local community, they
make personal contacts, go to various agencies and departments and
the courthouse, and do general work in the community.
RICHMOND COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND
CHILDREN SERVICES
The Department of Family and Children Services is charged with
the responsibility of administering the county welfare program. Os
the various programs operative under the State Department of
Family and Children Services, the Richmond County offices carries
all. This department has made strides in several areas, such as: A
working relationship with the local Chapter of the National Welfare
Rights Organization in development of a new, simplified
application form and several persons who receive Aid for
Dependent Children have been hired as Home Service Aides.
City
Council
Report
Carrie J. Mays
-Sr
(OUR NATION PERILOUS BY RIGHT AND LEFT ZEALOTS)
The present raging controversy on bugging prominent person’s
telephones and filing of citizens personal actions by numerous
government agencies will eventually erupt into a national issue. The
increasing growth of cable television will eventually penetrate every
home in the next 10 years, rivaling the telephone system.
Cable television envisions feed-back programs that will let
audiences respond instantly to events of national and global
interest. The government snooping agencies could computerize
data gathered on citizens and pool it in regional storage complexes.
This would pose a threat to every citizen’s right to privacy.
In this advancing age of electronic use, public opinion could be
sampled and response could be recorded for future reference. If the
President so desired, he could easily ascertain who watched his
televised speeches and who didn’t; also, he could find out who
turned him off before he had concluded.
Many concerned citizens are perturbed by this potential
technological penetration. In a Democracy, where so much latitude
must be tolerated, and Rennie Davis and his breed have abandoned
decent respect for our type of social order, there is some
justification for the rash of government scrutiny.
There is also danger in the possibilities of the power-mad Army
and FBI carrying orderly surveillance to the extreme. Then
unscrupulous minor bureaucrats could be tempted to misuse
intimate information without the consent of the citizenry.
Many top-flight authors have published books on this possible
peril. “The Information Machines” by Dr. Ben Bagdikian is a
remarkably well researched study, and “The Assault On Privacy”
by Arthur Miller has been well read in legal and university circles.
These two books are superbly written by two of the nation’s most
knowledgeable authors relating to this nefarious business of
snooping by agencies of the Federal government. Dr. Bagdikian
vividly described at length, the increased information-handling
capacity of future TV. “He authoritatively states, that, if nothing
else, the resulting falseness of impressions can produce much
confusion. For instance last fall most conservative journalists and
politicians, including the President, and Mr. Agnew, were
pursuaded that the U.S. was experiencing a furious reaction of the
hardhats against the longhairs.
But the results of the November election showed that the Nixon
administration was not as popular as some thought it was.
This repressive attempt to monitor citizens by the Republicans
must be watched closely, because methods such as these were
fore-runners of Hitler’s Germany.
(AN UNCONCERNED CHURCH)
Jim Ransom, church columnist appearing in The AUGUSTA
CHRONICLE, struck out at the irrelevancy of the present-day
Christian church. Os course Ransom was speaking explicitly to the
White Church, because the Black Church is only a surrogate of the
real ecclesiastical community.
Mr. Ransom condemned the church for clinging to
institutionalism as the prime end to its existence. Church buildings
and extension programs, turning their heads and hearts away from
the raging battle of truth and righteousness, these have been its
Babylon.
The learned Christian journalist made these perspicuous
observations “A religion that is unrelated to the world and its
needs is not the Christian religion. Christ met life hsad on, healing
the sick, feeding the hungry, giving hope to the outcast, and most of
all demonstrating a sacrificial love that gives to all humanity
understanding of what God is all about.”
The religious writer continues “When a Church opens its
educational facilities to a community-sponsored program for the
deprived or when a congregation provides a low-cost day care center
for working mothers of little means or a church camp is made
available for slum-area youth, then, and only then, such churches
will have learned what it means to be churches of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
“The risks of reaching out to outsiders, and opening church
doors to strangers are not to be denied; but to concern ourselved
more with the risks than with the possibilities of doing unto the
least of these is to miss the mark of authentic Christian
discipleship.”
If we twentieth-century hypocrites could be worthy of a
Christian community described by Mr. Ransom, we could change
this old troubled world over-night.
The Food Stamp Program is administered by the Richmond
County Department of Family and Children Services. It is open
from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays except
from the 25th to the 1 st of the next month. The program has only
been operative since February, 1967, as they initially had the
Commodities Food Program. To receive food stamps, an
application must be verified and a credit check run.
Because of a case overload, it is not possible to provide
supportive services to food stamp purchasers such as consumer
education and related programs. Table 32 shows the total stamp
recipients in comparison to public assistance recipients.
TABLE 32
Food Stamp Recipients Public Assistance Recipients
Total No. Total No. Tot-*l No. Total No. Total A-- :-t
Households Persons Households Persons Food S ■.■■■■;
1969
August 787 2,1*00 553 I 988 $ 39,671
September 785 2 359 566 '.998 5 38,72*
October 891* 2,560 609 .693 5 9t,939
November 839 2,550 600 1 58/ $91561
December 880 2.703 695 ',739 $ 99,'*59
1970
jcouar/ 855 7.600 613 1.685 593,02/
February 1.059 3.329 738 2.107 582,070
March 1,29' 9,033 • 821 2,389 $ 99,299
April 1,955 9,858 918 2.715 5120,158
May 1.755 5.869 1,038 3.137 5195.387
June 2,031 6,867 1,018 3,992 $169,369
July 2,696 8,910 1,391 9.153 5218,118
August 3.037 10,073 1.532 9.679 $298,973
The February increase in total amount of food stamps purchased
revealed in Table 32 reflects revised, less stringent government
requirements. Approximately 99.5 percent of applicantshave been
certified in the past; however, denials are increasing.
The Department of Family and Children Services is responsible
for certification and distribution. It normally takes one to three
days to receive certification. The local United States Department of
Agriculture’s office has primary responsibility for the overall
administration of the program. There have been several reports of
people selling their food stamps in the front of stores, but the
Walking
WITH
DIGNITY
BY
Al IRBY