Newspaper Page Text
News-Review June 10, 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
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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.
SOCIAL, CIVIC AND FRATERNAL ACTIVITIES
Social, civic, fraternal, and benevolent organizations exercise a
great influence in the social and cultural life of blacks in the
Augusta-Richmond County area. Some of the organizations serve
social purposes only, while others provide for members and
non-members opportunities for social and cultural participation
and expression.
College fraternities and sororities though critized by some for
exclusiveness provide scholarships and participate in activities
designed to assist elementary and high school youth to greater
achievement. No one contacted was able to provide a full list of
these organizations, but among the fraternities prominently
mentioned are: The Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta
Sigma, Kappa Alpha Psi. The sororities include: Alpha Kappa
Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Zeta Phi Beta.
The more prominent fraternal-benevolent organizations are:
The Yorkrite Masons, Free and Accepted Masons, Eastern Star,
Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and the Links.
The Augusta-Richmond Branch of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People is the most effective
organization dealing with the multiple problems of the black
community. Among the areas of special interest and concern are
housing discrimination, legal redress, education, political activity,
and police relations. The local organizations operate on the basis
of committees charged with specific problem areas. Frequent
meetings are held by the local N.A.A.C.P.’s president and
committeemen. In these meetings they discuss issues relevant to
black people of Richmond County, and the struggle of black
people in the Augusta area to survive and overcome the
exploitative and dehumanizing perpetrated by the larger white
community.
A newly organized division of the N.A.A.C.P. is the Youth
Division. This division seeks to involve youth in the total program
of the Association. Chapter meetings of the Association are held
bi-monthly for the purpose of airing complaints and deciding on
action and reporting on N.A.A.C.P. activities. All activities of the
Association are performed by volunteers. According to Dan
Cross, President of the local Chapter, the majority of the
membership is black; however, a few white people are included in
the membership. The local branch is best known for its activities
in protecting the civil rights of black people and coming to the
aid of blacks who report alleged police brutality. Housing,
Recording to Mr. Cross, is a major concern of the organization.
The N.A.A.C.P. has formed a non-profit housing corporation
tentatively designed to be known as “Metro Advance, Inc.” to
develop 235 (J) housing and to rehabilitate rental property. “In
spite of the effort and successes which the N.A.A.C F. has
demonstrated, the local association has not received the
cooperation and financial support to be hoped for”, said Mr.
Cross. He also complained of the inadequate, wishy-washy
Cooperation from city officials in dealing with the problems
which have been brought to their attention by the N.A.A.C.P.
THE COMMITTEE OF 10
The Committee of 10 was established following the racial
disturbance on May 11th. Its purpose was to investigate causative
factors that led to the disorder and to make community services
more effective in solving problems and involving residents in the
development of service programs.
Members of the Committee from the black community are
responsible for the programmatic activities and leadership of this
organization.
The Committee’s primary concern was to make its resources
available to assist those involved in the racial conflict and to use
the special knowledge and insight of its members to effect a
resolution of community problems. The Committee was one of
the most effective resources in the community in vrging the city
authorities to take affirmative action in dealing with the problems
Which caused the May 11th incident in which six blacks were
killed.
THE CHURCH AND RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES
: Religious institutions among blacks in Augusta and Richmond
County are the most highly organized and influential institutions
ifi the black community.
' The large membership in many of the black churches and their
religious and social influence give them a medium of social
control which is not held by any other organized group. Many of
the black business and civic and social organizations of record had
jtheir beginnings in the black church.
There is no accurate list of black churches, but estimates given
by several leading ministers range from 150 to 200. Some of the
churches occupy beautiful buildings and have well designed
Page 2
A tot he
Z'PxJV—- People of
MKMk GEORGIA
ATLANTA (PRN) - This
week I would like to comment
briefly on several items. Your
response to previous columns
has .been very encouraging to
me. Your comments are
welcome so let me again ask
you to let me know how you
feel about the problems and
opportunities we face.
Speaking of letting your
thoughts be known, I hope
you have heard about the
Goals For Georgia program,
which was the subject of this
column two weeks ago. This is
a program, which no other
state has ever attempted,
designed to let you have a
voice in determining where
Georgia will go in the future.
There will be open, well
publicized meetings in your
area later this summer.
I hope you will attend and
take part. If you cannot make
it to the meetings, but want
your ideas to be considered
just write: Goals for Georgia
Governor’s Office, Atlanta,
Georgia 30334.
Also this summer
educational television will be
conducting hour long
programs on each of the eight
areas of government. I along
with key legislators will be
ready to answer questions that
you phone in. A toll free
number will be provided. I
hope you will tune in and call
in. Dates and times will be
announced later.
Reorganization, the second
part of this year’s program, to
make your government more
efficient, economical, and
responsive is proceeding
exactly on schedule. I spent
three days last week going
over a stack of documents
programs. Others are small structures, some which occupy store
fronts and nondescript old buildings.
Local black churches in Augusta-Richmond County, in order
of denominational importance are: Baptists, Methodists,
Presbyterians, A.M.E.-Zion Methodists, A.M.E. Methodists,
Episcopalian, Catholic and Seven Day Adventists.
The “House of Prayer” is one of Augusta’s largest black
churches, and is not identified with either of the “regular”
denominational groups. One member stated that the membership
is composed largely of the blue collar working poor. This member
described the members as being strong adherents to their founder,
“Daddy Grace”. More than 1,500 members are claimed.
Even though the primary interest of the black church in
Augusta is a religious emphasis, most of them try to involve the
membership in some activity or as one minister put it: “....to get
them interested in the program.”
They have parties, cultural programs including recitals,
activities for the elderly and a variety of church-related, social
activities.
On the basis of information supplied by members and ministers
the following auxiliary organizations were found among 15 of the
better organized churches:
MEN WOMEN
Men’s Club Women’s Auxiliary
Deacon Board Sewing Club
Brotherhood Pastor’s Aid Society
Trustee Board Dorcas Society
Usher Board Willing Workers
Choral Group Missionary Society
Men’s Bible Class
BOYS GIRLS
Boy Scouts Brownies
Junior Ushers Girl Scouts
Junior Choir Junior Choir
Youth Forum Junior Missionary Society
Royal Ambassadors
Nursery and Kindergarden Schools
As may be noted in the above list, few black churches have
activities that relate to the social and civic life of their members
or the community they serve. This may be due to the limited
time that the working poor has for volunteer activities in the
community. The struggle to earn enough money to feed, clothe,
and house one’s family does not leave very much time for
anything else.
The community program with a full or part-time paid worker
was reported in only three black churches. These programs
include employment services for blacks, nursery schools, and a
special mission fund set up to aid poor black members and
non-members.
According to a local black official in the Augusta Boy Scout
organization, of twenty-four black Boy Scout and Explorer
troups, one-fourth are sponsored by churches. Reverend C.S.
Hamilton, Pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church, said, “It is
difficult to enlist male leaders for Boy Scouts because of the large
number of black adults who find it necessary to accept two jobs
to maintain a decent standard of living.”
With their tremendous captive audience (especially on Sunday
morning), the black church is the principal media of
communication to the black masses for civic, health, educational,
and public meetings.
In addition to their role as leaders of the spiritual life of the
black community, various ministers were interviewed who were
actively involved in civil rights, civic, business, and political affairs
in the city and county.
A newly formed organization called “Youth Generation Gap”
was recently organized by the Bethel A.M.E. Church. It was
formed to meet the social and economic needs of the community
in order to promote better communications between young
people and adults. The organization also plans to establish better
human relations between white and black youth by sponsoring
workshops, forums, and discussion groups.
Black ministers are among the community’s most outspoken
and articulate voices. According to one local black pastor, more
than $50,000 has been contributed by black churches to aid in
the local civic rights struggle. Several of the black churches
sponsor local radio programs with an emphasis on religion and
race relations.
Approximately 30 black ministers are members of the local
about three feet tall
containing information on
every major department in
state government. Contained
in these reports were very
frank recommendations from
department heads on how
they could do their job better.
The cooperation of state
employees from department
heads on down has
been excellent
Reorganization is my
opinion of a once in a lifetime
opportunity for Georgia. I’m
going to do everything I can to
make it a success. I need your
help. As you may have;
noticed some of those who
have enjoyed a special
privileged position are already
beginning to get worried. They
have a right to be because the
plan presented to the
legislature is going to be
designed to help the average
unselfish hard-working
Georgian. That means a lot of
special interest are going to be
run off from the public trough.
When the squealing starts, and
you can be sure it will, just
take a look behind all the
noise. You will find a group
that has been getting fat off
your tax money and now is
worried about some lean days
ahead. Revenue sharing is a big
issue nationally and it should
be. I personally would like to
see more of our tax money
left here in Georgia to begin
with. But if the federal
government is going to take it,
Fm all for getting some of it
sent back with no strings
attached. It is a little hard to
keep up with just what the
Nixon Administration is
proposing.
"GOING
E_ w
PLACES” Cfc £
Philip Waring /
ASK NIXON NAME 53 CITIES DISASTER AREAS
The National Urban League has called on the President and
the Congress to designate 53 cities as disaster areas and make
Federal funds available for the creation of jobs to halt rising
unemployment rates among blacks that have already reached
crisis proportions in these cities.
Harold R. Sims, acting executive director of the League, said
that on the basis of information currently available,
unemployment among blacks could reach one million by mid
summer with 600,000 of the jobless hemmed in the ghettoes of
potentially explosive big city areas.
“The number of unemployed black teens who will be looking
for jobs after graduation, or for jobs to enable them to return
to school in the fall, coupled with the large number of
unemployed Black Vietnam veterans, makes the situation
particularly critical,” Sims added.
Even without the entrance of teenagers into the labor
market, unemployment among Blacks in 53 cities already ranges
up to 25 percent, as compared with rates of 6 to 13 percent
for all workers.
Ahead of Time
Mr. Sims based his forecast on the National Urban League’s
Quarterly Economic Review which was released a month ahead
of time because of the seriousness of the employment picture
for Blacks and the necessity for prompt attention.
He also noted that statistics from the Bureau of Labor would
not reflect the full impact of the summer flood of teenagers
into the job market until August, and the situation was too
grave to wait for official government figures.
Local Urban Leagues in several of the 53 cities have already
reported critical situations, Mr. Sims said. In Wichita, Kansas,
the overall employment rate is 10.1 percent, but for black
adults it is 28 percent and for black teenagers 47 percent. In
Detroit, overall employment is 8 percent but among blacks it is
33 percent, Mr. Sims said.
Frightened
“These figures frighten us,” Mr. Sims said, “for they indicate
that people are unable to find jobs they need to survive. We are
not proposing that the massive employment program we
recommend be undertaken to prevent another long hot summer,
but rather to bring an end, once and for all, to the endless hot
summers of discontent that continue into long winters of
despair.”
The number of unemployed black teens who will be looking
for jobs after graduation, coupled with the large number of
unemployed Black Vietnam veterans, makes the situation
particularly critical,” Sims added.
“If the government will take this action,” Sims said, “it will
strengthen the private economy, and thereby enable private
industry to play its proper role in helping to alleviate the
crisis.” Sims also stressed the point that the State and local
governments have a vital and continuing responsibility to lower
unemployment levels.
Unemployment rates among Black veterans are particularly
acute Mr. Sims said, adding:
“The crisis could be explosive among Black veterans of the
Vietnam war who have learned technical and social skills in the
military and have high expectations. Yet their unemployment
rate has been climbing steadily, and at last reading in the first
quarter of this year was 15.1 percent compared to 8.6 percent
a year before.”
“An estimated 380,000 Black veterans of the Vietnam war
are likely to be in the civilian labor force this summer”, the
report said and added that “even if their unemployment rate
stays about the same by the third quarter (a conservative
prospect) close to 60,000 will be out of a job.”
i ——
interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, but their attendance,
j according to one member, is “irregular and sporadic.”
There are few programs in the predominantly white churches
in Augusta which minister to the black community, either in
■z terms of a pulpit ministry or special services offered. Part of this
is due, according to one white minister, “....to the fact of the
wide difference of opinion that the white congregation members
have as to their role in the total community.”
One minister of a prominent white church said the attitudes of
his members vary widely. This church has one black family who
are members and the minister claims his doors are open to any
black who wishes to join.
The Augusta Clergy Association includes blacks and whites in
its membership, but according to the past president of the
' organization, the larger downtown churches will not support this
organization, thus its power is limited.
According to one minister (white), “The white church is the
most segregated institution in the city.” Further commenting on
this fact, he identified three local private segregated elementary
schools under church auspices.
Another white minister stated that there are some evidences of
inter-church cooperation which have been in operation among
blacks and whites for several years. One program is an “Open
Door Kindergarden”, attended by both black and white children.
This program has an interracial faculty. The program, initiated in
1966, is financed by interested individuals and parents.
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IB
CHARLES EVERS (THE BLACK MAYOR OF FAYETTE
MISSISSIPPI) MAKES A TOTAL CONFESSION BEFORE
RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR
Back in the early days of the civil rights struggle, when
Mississippi held on to a losing conception that integration could
be avoided, the Mississippi House passed a resolution to call for
a constitutional amendment that would bar some persons from ■
voting.
The bill stated that persons guilty of vagrancy, perjury, child
desertion, adultery, fornication, larceny, gambling and crimes
committed with a deadly weapon, were ineligible to vote.
Drunkenness was struck from the bill when it was ascertained
that too many prominent white persons would be involved.
The idea, of course, was aimed at a certain ethnic segment,
since those are the crimes that Southern fabrication has this
segment committing as a matter of life style. Mr. Evers not only
pulled political strategy by confessing to the entire gamut of
sins layed down treacherously by the state, but has written a
book stating that he was a greater sinner than the law has
outlined; he is an uppity nigger who is not only Voting, he is
the mayor of Fayette Miss, and is running for governor.
Don’t get the wrong impression; Mr. Evers is not a militant
he is among the fast diminishing non-violents. He has about as
much chance of being elected governor of Mississippi as a
celluloid cat has in Hades, but his tactics will surely be studied
by other blacks, because they have worked in Mississippi and
could work any place where there are enough Blacks to put
substantial pressure on whites.
Mr. Evers is a sort of stand-offish integrationist; he is
emotionally opposed to any brand of separatism, but he feels,
like most Blacks, that it’s time whites took the initiative to
integrate. He said of the public bathing pool in his town of
Fayette “the white children are welcome, but if they don’t
want to come, they are welcome to stay out and sweat.”
The weapons in the Evers arsenal are boycott, and voting
muscle, because he says you’ve got to show the white man you
can hurt him before he’ll cooperate.
(EVERS A PRODUCT OF TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCE)
Fate brought Charles into the Civil Rights movement. After
the untimely death of his brother, he was drawn by the affinity
of his brother’s dedication to take his place as the head of the
NAACP in Mississippi. Mr. Evers is a firm believer in Black
pride rather than the loose and most time senseless strategy of
“Black Power.”
He advises young Blacks to press their way into the system,
rather than seek to tear it down. “Go and tell your mommas
and daddies to stand up for their rights.” “Tell them you don’t
want to go to Chicago when you grow up. Stay here and build
homes and factories and even be mayors, sheriffs, and members
of school boards.”
Evers is against leaders like Stokley Carmichael, Floyd
McKissick, Eldridge Cleaver, and Rap Brown; he says these
fellows waste their talents uselessly. “What good are they
doing in Africa and locked in jails, with all that loud big mouth
talk? Mayor Evers talks about the crushingly successful
Natchez boycott that followed the dynamiting of a Negro
leader in his pickup truck.- “We desegregated twenty plus
stores at one time. They hired Black clerks, hired Black
policemen - the ones we chose - with the right to police all
sections of the town, both white and Black. We forced them to
hire Black salesmen on beer trucks, pop trucks, also bread
salesmen.” The Blacks never had this before; that is what
intelligent pressure can do. His Honor of Fayette Mississippi is a
busy man; reporters complain of the difficulty they have trying
to interview him.
The setting of an interview is often something like grabbing a
taxicab heading for an airport, a hurried meal in a case. Getting
him to hold still for a few questions can involve days of
tracking him through the wilds of Mississippi.
Everyone should read the life of Charles Evers, it’s the story
of a dedicated and energetic Black man who still believes in
non-violence. He is working to back up his belief that America
can be cleansed, even his native Mississippi. The message in this
book is that Fayette isn’t going to be unique; some day down
the line, other tough proud Black leaders will be mayors,
aidermen, or representatives in plenty of other places.
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BY
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