Newspaper Page Text
News—Review, July 8, 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
Auguste, Ga. 30901
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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.
RECOMMENDATIONS
2. We strongly recommend the formation of a “legally
defined” Blue Ribbon Commission supported and endorsed by
both City and County to relate solely to matters of minority
employment as it affects the whole of Augusta and Richmond
County in both public and private sectors. We would further
suggest that this body be composed of a cross section of the
community with membership limited to individuals with specific
skills, interests, and understanding of Augusta minority
employment problems. This commission should be empowered
with the rights of subpoena and funded to provide staff and
technical assistance resources.
Public Sector Virtually no department in both the City and
County including the administrative offices of both the Mayor
and the County Commission, employs minorities in any official,
supervisory or management capacity. As stated earlier, it is
C* extremely difficult for local government to effectively prod the
< Y'- > Chamber of Commerce and related local business and industry
<4- toward the enhancement of minority employee upward job
mobility, if, in fact, local governments are not attempting to do
.likewise. It is apparent that this is the situation in Augusta and
County. In essence, minority visibility in any paid
I \ official, professional or supervisory capacity with a few lone
Q.' exceptions is non-existent in the Augusta community.
-0 With this in mind, the following actions should be taken:
2. The Mayor, endorsed by the City Council and the County
Commission, should issue a blanket policy statement on the
commitment of local government to achieve equal employment
opportunities.
3. It is imperative that the local government improve its image
in the black communities. Therefore, we recommend an
immediate recruitment program which reflects the commitment
of the City and County governments to eliminate racial
discrimination in employment.
4. Community resources, such as churches, schools, civic and
social groups, should be notified by letter of this intent and
encouraged to assist the government in publicizing this policy.
5. All government publications should express the equal
opportunity employer caption. Public information efforts
through the television, newspapers and particularly minority
owned and oriented radio stations should be utilized and
enhanced with spot news releases on job openings, interviews
with department heads, etc., again promoting the aims of equal
opportunity employment.
6. The City of Augusta and Richmond County should
completely re-evaluate and update its testing program to insure its
tests, if necessary are actually job related. If, as in many jobs
within the City and the County, verbal and written skills are not
essential, other job-related activities such as performance test
should be administered.
7. We recommend that the City and County governments
establish the aforementioned program immediately and that the
Personnel Departments be required to publicly make quarterly
reports on the number of minority persons hired and upgraded by
individual departments. Private Sector and Fort Gordon
Many of the recommendations offered for the public sector can
well, and should be incorporated in the private sector and the
Fort Gordon complex as part and parcel of their respective
concerns and commitments to minority employment needs in the
community.
Over and above these recommendations, we feel that the
private sector and Fort Gordon can and should begin to
immediately implement the following activities:
3. Initiate, immediately, activities through the already
recommended reports (Augusta Minority or EEOC Commission)
to design with the Chamber of Commerce a National Alliance of
Businessmen concept or branch for the City of Augusta.
Technical ass : .. -.ice can be provided for this program by regional
and local sources, primarily Region IV, Manpower Division, U.S.
Department of Labor and the local Augusta Employment
Security Agency along with the Southern Regional Office,
National Urban League of Atlanta, Georgia.
9. A series of business and education sponsored seminars to
acquaint high school vocational guidance counselors and
administrators with business and industrial needs desiene' 1 to
Page 2
improve preparation and motivation of minority persons for jobs
currently available in the Augusta labor force.
10. A series of sensitivity training programs designed
primarily for middle management and supervisory levels should
be initiated. Their purpose should be to create a meaningful
understanding of the wants and needs of the current minority
work force and the aspirations of the entry-level minority. We
recommend this as an “in-house approach” which can be designed
to abort negative attitudes and polarization of communication
which prevails in many business and industrial firms.
11. Sponsor manpower development seminars which should
seek a better appreciation and understanding of a wide range of
training programs each of which may make possible the
employment of minority unemployment and under-employment
and even those defined by many as unemployable.
12. Time after time, during our stay in Augusta (particularly
at Fort Gordon) we heard, “I’d like to hire them (minorities) if I
could find them.” We have spent some time in our earlier
recommendations to the city and county insisting on the usage of
“believable” public relations directed toward minorities.
However, the use of publicity is not always sufficient to do the
job particularly among reaching minorities who see no current
“image” projection in advertisements of job openings. We are
recommending personal visits on the part of hiring institutions to
the various institutions of the applicants’ environment (schools,
churches, etc.) including even the home. This may seem
extremely innovative, but this type of follow-through is
important if Augusta is to reach individuals whose work
experiences actually have built a wall of hopelessness. The aim of
such an effort is to communicate the impression that someone
cares enough to personally reach out to them with a message that
things have changed and that jobs and training opportunities are
actually available to them.
13. The Augusta Minority Employment Commission concept,
if adopted, should initiate, annually, Career or job Fairs on a
decentralized or neighborhood basis geared to the needs of the
minority community. They should be broadly sponsored and
publicized by the individual companies participating and utilize
local minority group members who can exemplify a “success”
image to aspiring minority job seekers.
14. In various sections of our research, we have developed
extreme concern over the merits of, or need for, some testing
measures that, in many instances, test minorities out of a job
rather than in one. We would recommend that testing measures
for minorities, if used at all, should be job-related and designed to
discover hidden aptitudes and capabilities not readily apparent or
measurable in the traditional testing patterns of the past. Tests
should be administered only when they are helpful adjuncts in
the hiring decision-making process. In some cases although tests
may have potential value a minority person because of previous
discouraging experiences have developed a negative attitude
towards testing. Therefore employers can assist in developing test
readiness by practice testing, orientation and group discusssion.
HOUSING
Summary
The lack of adequate housing for all of Augusta’s citizenry is
critical. Many of the physical results of past discriminatory
practices in planning and building decisions serve as proof that a
carefully controlled system is not necessarily sensitive to human
or aesthetic considerations.
Vast areas of the city--from Aragon, Hyde Park, Nellieville and
Twiggs Street to Hicks Street, Weed Street and out into
Richmond County - are characterized by dwelling units housing
thousands of families which are crowded, dilapidated, unsanitary
and inhumane by American standards. Public and private
programs are not noticeably improving the relative ratio of good
to bad housing. As old, deteriorated neighborhoods are
demolished, many families and individuals are shunted into newer
and cleaner, but more crowded and less understanding,
atmospheres in public housing; or if they drift from the city into
what some Richmond County residents have described as not
much more than huts or hovels.
The failure of private and governmental leadership to
aggressively support programs aimed at providing new, decent,
safe and sanitary housing throughout the SMSA has allowed more
affluent citizens to assume that the token efforts to date are
satisfactory.
Transition neighborhoods, growing racially inpacted areas, and
insensitive school, water and sewer, transportation, and
employment planning impinge negatively upon the black
community.
Recommendations
1. Regional planning and Augusta-Richmond County Planning
Commission staffs should be combined as a CSRA Planning
Commission and should serve as the official planning body for the
region.
2. All existing advisory committees and commissions relating
to Housing should be dissolved. An Augusta-Richmond County
Housing Task Force should be established. The task force should
be directed to study plan and assist in implementation of Housing
programs to solve housing-related problems in the community.
The Planning Commission staff should serve as staff to task force.
3. A full scale, door to door survey of existing housing and
land use characteristics in the Augusta-Richmond County area
should be conducted immediately. All rezoning and planning
programs should be frozen until adequate, accurate data is
available for proper priority consideration. ,
4. A Community Relations Commission should be named
immediately. Primary directives to this community Relations
Commission should include (1) drafting a fair housing law for
Augusta and Richmond County: (b) evaluating social aspects of
all governmental housing ;id ling/land use concerns; and (c)
design ani implementation a n.ighborhood stabilizations
program.
5. The Task Force and Planning Commission should move
immediately to evaluate housing plans and programs and their
relationship to code enforcement, urban renewal, public housing
and FHA insuring programs as operative in the area. Support for
increased use of FHA subsidy programs must be generated.
6. A concentrated Code Enforcement Program must be
immediately initiated in all areas with unhealthy, dilapidated
housing.
7. The placement system and waiting list of the Augusta
Housing Authority should be changed at once. Housing projects
should not be maintained as segregated facilities.
8. All Commission, Council and Task Force meetings
(including committee and subcommittee meetings) should be
planned, announced and opened to the public.
EDUCATION
SUMMARY
COLLEGES
Three institutions of higher learning are located in Augusta -
Paine College (a church-related institution), Augusta College (A
Vo
ATLANTA (PRN) - As I
have mentioned before, it is
very encouraging for me to see
the enthusiastic support and
cooperation that the heads of
major departments are giving
to the Re-organization study.
An excellent example is Labor
Commissioner’s Sam Caldwell.
Although he had some strong
reservations about the idea
several months ago, I recently
received a letter from Sam
strongly endorsing
Re-organization and pledging
his support to it. He was
especially complimentary of
the young men who make up
the study team and I share
that high opinion.
Many of you may
remember that during the past
legislative session I reduced
the budget estimate by ten
million dollars. Since our
Constitution prevents the
Legislature from appropriating
more money than we expect
to have on hand, this meant
that there was less money to
be spent. At the time there
were some anguished howls
from a few.
In addition we substantially
reduced the allocation to the
various departments - below
what had been appropriated to
them in 1970. This reduction
amounted to about fifteen to
twenty million dollars.
Needless to say, there were a
few unhappy protests.
Well, we ended the fiscal
year last week and found that
even the estimate reduced by
ten million dollars was about
fourteen million dollars too
high. Had it not been for these
reductions we would have
found ourselves almost
twenty-five million dollars
over-spent.
unit of the University System of Georgia), and Medical College of
Georgia (a state-supported professional school). These colleges are
fully accredited and had a combined enrollment in excess of
4,000 students for the 1969-70 school year. Minority group
f students constituted approximately 6 percent of the enrollment
at Augusta College, .9 of 1 percent at Medical College of Georgia,
and .5 of 1 percent at Paine College. Paine College was the only
institution of higher learning with a significant degree of
integration. 1 ) . Q,
PAROCHIAL AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS
There were seven parochial and private schools in operation,
five elementary and two secondary schools, with a combined
enrollment of 2,344 for the 1969-70 school year. In only two of
these institutions were there any student desegration and there
were no minority group faculty members at either of the seven
schools.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Tire Richmond County Board of Education operated forty
elementary schools, six junior high schools, and seven senior high
schools. The Board also operated in cooperation with the Georgia
State Board for Vocational Education the Augusta Area
Technical School. Os the forty elementary schools, twenty-seven*
had desegregated student bodies, three were all-white, and ten
were all-black. The faculties of twenty-nine of the elementary
schools were desegregated**, one has an all-white faculty and ten
had all-black faculties. Five of the six junior high schools had
integrated student bodies; however, one of these had two
minority group members enrolled and another had only three.
One of the junior high schools had an all-black enrollment.
Faculty desegregation would have to be classified as token in the
five of the six junior high schools had only two minority group
members and one had four. Os the seven senior high schools, one
had an all-black enrollment and six had racially-mixed
enrollments. Three of these had minority group enrollments of
one, two, and nine, respectively. Faculty desegregation in the
senior high schools was token in nature. One school had only four
minority teachers, three had three each, one had two, and two
had only one. In the predominatly white branches of the
technical school, there was only one black faculty member out of
a total of sixty-two. On the administrative staff of the Richmond
County Board of Education, there was no black representation.
RECOMMENDATIONS
(1) The Richmond County Board of Education is composed
of 16 members, only two of whom are black. The fact that the
enrollment for the 1969-70 school year was approximately 63 per
cent white and 37 percent black warrants a higher percentage of
black representation. Prior to 1952, board members were elected
by vote of the residents of their respective wards and districts.
After the election of the first black man to membership on the
board, this method was changed by Act of the Georgia
Legislature to a system of city-wide and county-wide voting on
candidates for membership on the Board of Education. The
prevailing system makes it extremely difficult if not absolutely
impossible to increase black representation. It is recommended,
therefore, that city and county officials take immediate steps,
through the appropriate representatives in the State Legislature,
to enact legislation which will restore the old method of voting
by wards and districts. This appears to be the only means
whereby equitable representation by blacks on the Board of
Education can be realized. Once this is accomplished, it is further
recommended that well-qualified black candidates be identified
and, at the appropriate time, vigorous campaigns be waged by
black and white organizations and groups interested in greater
black representation on the Richmond County Board of
Education.
♦7 schools had from 1 to 3 minority group students.
*♦l3 schools had one minority group faculty member, 12 had
two, and 3 had three.
(2) The absence of black administrative personnel in the
central office of the Richmond County Board of Education
to the
People of
GEORGIA
During the past campaign, I
promised to bring to taxpayers
an approach to government
spending. These cuts are an
example of that and I believe
this is what you want to see in
government.
On August Ist we will
release approximately 900 or
more carefully screened prison
inmates as a first step in a
program designed to save
money for the state and
provide a new life for those
who have previously violated
the law. A similar group will
be released in December, and
plans are being made for early
release of some inmates as
often as every month. This is
an important part of our
attempt to reform our system
of criminal justice. All these
men will be chosen on the
basis of their prison records
and their chance to become
useful and productive
members of society. I think it
is much better to have a man
out supporting his family and
paying taxes than sitting in
prison.
If you missed our first
“Goals for Georgia” television
program last Tuesday look for
the next program on
“National Environment,”
Tuesday, July 13th at 9:00
p.m. I along with legislators
and other interested citizens,
will be there to discuss the
problems and opportunities in
this important area. If you
have a question or comment,
you can call 1-800-282-8653
toll free and make your views
known on television.
These programs will cover
all of the eight areas of
government each Tuesday at
9:00 p.m. through August
24th.
(JAPAN’S INDUSTRIAL CORPORATED ARMIES HAVE THE
ENTIRE WORLD RETREATING)
Once upon a time not so very many years ago, the label “made
in Japan” denoted shoddy and trashy, but not any more. Japan
has joined the select companies of Sweden, Germany and the
other European countries, that pride themselves in industrial
excellence.
The prime personality of Japan’s rise to manufacturing
perfection is that suave oriental Akio Morita, astute young
engineer, who on his first trip abroad detected the European’s
industrial superiority. Young Morita was quick to incorporate this
newly acquired knowledge into all of Japan’s sagacious industries;
Because of his drive and ingenuity Morita has risen to the top of
Japanese industrialista.
He is the head of the Sony Corp., the firm that has made
Japanese merchandise on par with any in the world. Sony’s sales
was up 415 million dollars last year. Half of this hugebusiness
was exported to 150 countries around the world. This industrial
giant manufactures radios, tape recorders, and TV sets; in<.
addition to heading his own company, Mr. Morita has become the
global top salesman for Japan’s shoes, ships, steel, cameras, cable
cloth, cars, and transformers.
Sony’s TV sets are selling like hot cakes in Britain for S4BO vs.
S6OO for the lowest price English-makes. Japan is proving the
theory, that war is not the answer to world dominance. If the two
super-powers, United States and Russia were turning their huge
resources to industry and trade, rather than gigantic armament
complexes; the world would be quickly freed of hunger and
suffering.
Os course Japan’s rise to industrial mastery is not all a path of
roses; in Mr. Morita’s recent trip to the United States he ran into
a hornet’s nest of riled American business men who charged that
Japan dumping TV sets upon the American market at prices
below that which is charged in Japan. Now Japan must pay a 9%
deposit on all TV’s imported here.
Japan has risen from a pile of post-war bombed-out rubble.
This island country is dispatching armies of neatly western-styled
dressed Japanese business men, technicians, engineers, and
salesmen all over the world. One group of shipbuilders, and
textile experts are in Hanoi at present. In Zambia, geologists are
surveying Copper fields.
World-wide trade barriers against Japan goods don’t seem to
stem the tide. The Japanese present a bothersome paradox in
western Capitals; because she is a force of post-war stability, and
progress in Asia. If this commercial expansion is stopped, then
Japanese vigor and thrust may revert militarism.
(Japanese mini-cars seen on every American street and highway)
Nippon’s automobiles executes a brilliant end-run on
American car industry. While U.S. Auto king-pins were making a
frontal attack upon Germany’s “Volkswagens”, with Gremlin,
Vega, and Pinto; Japan’s Toyotas and Datsuns out paced the gains
in the total imports to the United States.
The Toyota and Nissan Motor Companies sales in America are
up 200%, since last September. While Volkswagen has been
with its unchanged and unstylish “Bug”, the two
Companies have been producing smartly styled models
more powerful than their U.S. rivals.-
The Japanese have signed up more than 350 American dealers
in the past year. Therefore expanding its dealerships to more than
900 in the states. They are brazenly recruitmg General Motors,
Ford and Chrysler dealers. In a few instances some Big Three
dealers have defected to Japanese cars; and they say they are
making more profits for themselves.
Some American Auto men are counting on Toyota and Nissan
to trip over their own rapid expansion. They base their
assumption on financing and service problems. Cost advantage in
the U.S. is very high; the marketing strategy of the Japanese is to
undercut U.S. prices. With the price of Ford’s Pinto at $1,919
and Chevrolet’s Vega at $2,090, Toyota and Nissan have models
that are priced almost $250 less than the Pinto.
Road & Tract, a leading car magazine, recently rated Toyota,
Datsun ahead of both Pinto and the Volkswagen, after road
testing them all.
makes necessary the recommendation that qualified blacks be
given immediately, the same opportunities to advance in the
system as are open to whites.
(3) For a long time, textbooks adopted for use by children in
the public schools of Georgia have either ignored black people
completely or have dealt with them in an uncomplimentary
manner. More • recently, state-adopted textbooks are taking
cognizance of the contributions of blacks toward the
development of this nation. While this step is to be applauded,
the fact that young people of different racial and cultural
backgrounds are now working, studying, and playing together
means that all teachers should have some knowledge of the
history and culture of all the young people with whom they come
in contact in the discharge of their teaching responsibilities. In
order that all teachers might more effectively incorporate black
history and culture in their teaching, it is recommended that an
in-service program of instruction in black studies be provided for
all teachers -- black and white - in the Richmond County school
system and that this will become a requirement for all who
expect to remain in the system. Exceptions would be made for all
teachers whose academic preparation included courses in black
history and culture or for those whose travels have made it
possible for them to acquire this information.
(4) In many of the schools of the Richmond County System,
students are reading below their respective grade level. This seems
to suggest the need for corrective measures to overcome this basic
difficulty. One means through which this might be accomplished
is a program of kindergarten education in the public schools. It is
recommended, therefore, that as soon as possible the Richmond
County Board of Education inaugurate such a program as a means
of upgrading the reading abilities of children, thereby increasing
the possibility of success in their academic pursuits.
(5) It is probable that the Richmond County Board of
Education is financially unable to employ additional professional
and non-professional personnel at this time. It is recommended
that as soon as the necessary funds are available, the Board give
consideration (a) to the employment of assistant principals for all
elementary and junior high schools with enrollemnts of 500 or
more, (b) to the employment of non-professional library
assistants, thereby making the widest possible use of the
materials, and (c) to the employment of teacher aides to relieve
instructors of the minor responsibilities which consume time
which might be devoted to professional activities.
Walking
WITH
DIGNITY
BY
Al IRBY