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THE PEOPLE’S PAPER
Vol. 1
BUSING FACTS
AND FIGURES
It is indeed tragic that this
community has been deceived
by the Richmond County
Board of Education’s
propaganda concerning busing.
When stripped of its excess
verbiage, the propanganda is
old hat in a new form - racism,
which I refer to as the
segregationist mentality.
Busing is an integal part of the
educational system which
whites have used extensively
and condoned outwardly for
years. When one hears another
speak of being against busing,
he must be alert to the fact
that that person means he is
against busing to achieve racial
balance, and that he is against
desegregating schools.
All of a sudden the concept
of neighborhood schools have
become very popular. This is
but another way for those who
would preserve segregation to
mask their true racial attitudes.
According to figures
furnished the writer by the
Richmond County
Superintendent of Education,
the School Board presently
buses 15,000 children per day
on 85 buses out of a total
number of 36,762 students;
this is slightly in excess of 40%
of the-total-enrollment. Ninety
per cent of all school children
bused in Richmond County
are white. The logical question
is, “at what point does busing
become massive?” This is a
question that the Board has
not previously answered.
Butler High School had an
enrollment last year of 1,567
whites and 63 blacks, and it
bused 504 students.
Richmond Academy had an
enrollment of 1,368 whites and
Mclntyre
Blasts
T routman
Black County Commissioner
Edward Mclntyre held a press
conference Friday morning and
blasted Commissioner Frank
Troutman for what Mclntyre
called a “publicity stunt.”
Mclntyre, who is chairman
of the Public Works
Committee, commented on
many of the achievements and
plans of his committee.
Mclntyre said that it was he
who suggested the committee
to come up with new
requirements for the developer
of subdivisions be reactivated,
pointing out that 75% of all
drainage problems in the
county are found in new
subdivisions.
Mclntyre said that when he
returned this week from a
short vacation he was
confronted with a newspaper
article submitted by
Commissioner Frank Troutman
requesting an in depth study of
the Public Works Committee.
“We’ve had studies and we’re
going to have some more,”
Mclntyre said, almost every
Friday in the year the Public
Works Committee has held
meetings at the Correctional
Institution, to cope with the
problems that exist and to plan
for improvement of operations.
All of the Commissioners have
attended these meetings and
worked with us except
Commissioner Troutman.
Commissioner Troutman has
never been to a Public Works
Committee meeting,” Mclntyre
sjid. Troutman should have
brought his recommendations
to the Committee instead of to
the newspapers. The newspaper
is not the source to affect
133 blacks, and it bused 338
students. Glenn Hills High
School Dad an enrollment of
937 whites and 235 blacks, and
it bused 708 students. T.W.
Josey had 1,244 blacks and 2
whites and it bused 52
students. Lucy Laney had
1,236 blacks, no whites and
320 students were bused .
On the elementary school
level, each of 27 white schools
had some students bused,
except three, but there were
seven black schools out of 14
where no students were bused.
The white schools where no
busing was used were Milledge,
National Hills and Warren
Road.
On the junior high level,
A.R. Johnson had 2 whites and
797 blacks and no students
were bused. Murphy had 675
whites, 42 blacks and 580
students bused. Sego had 642
whites, 18 blacks, and 323
students bused. Tutt had 519
whites, 44 blacks and 466
students bused.
While these schools are not
all of the schools in the system,
they represent the pattern -a
pattern which reflects that
whites are being bused in
substantial numbers, or
“massively”, if you will.
The Board of Education
contends that it builds schools
where people are located,
irrespective of color, and it
tries to adhere to the
neighborhood school concept.
With the long history of
segregated education, among
other things in Richmond
Young, Millender
Enter Council Race
Among the entries this week
for seats on City Council were
James (J.Y.) Young who
announced for the second ward
seat and Mallory K. Millender
who is running in the third
ward.
Arthur J. Young
Young, 26 years old, is
former director of the
Neighborhood Youth Corps
and has for several years been
an employee for the Office of
Economic Opportunity. He
holds a B.S. degree from
C1 afb i n University
(Orangeburg, South Carolina)
where he majored in
change in a government.
Mclntyre said that he
concurs with many of the
things suggested in the
Troutman article and that
Public Works Committee is
already working in many of
those areas.
“What Mr. Troutman did
was improper. To me it was an
insult and I think it was a
publicity stunt with party play.
I’m disappointed. In the future
I hope that we will recognize
each others positions and try
to work together as a
Commission and not work
divided. We all took an oath to
do the best we could for the
people of Richmond County. I
am dedicated to that Cause.”
930 Gwinnett St. Augusfa Ga Phone 722-4555
John Ruffin
County, can anyone believe
that the Board will build black
schools closer to blacks than it
would build white schools to
whites? Can anyone fathom
the Board making schools more
convenient, from the
standpoint of distance, to
blacks than to wliites?
In addition to 15,000
students being bused daily,
how do you think the football
teams travel? Cheerleaders?
Bands, and other activities?
Have you ever heard a white
(or black) complain about the
distance to play a football
game? Hasn’t the bus been the
mode of travel for school
activities as well as transporting
children to school? Wasn’t
busing the mode of
transportation used to preserve
the segregated system?
We live in a highly mobile
society. The accepted
convenience of travel has made
us mobile. Discounts are
offered for students and the
elderly in some forms of travel,
and the federal government in
SEE BUSING
Page 4
Psychology.
Young is a native Augustan.
His platform and slogan will
be Save the Merchant, Save the
Youth, Save the City.
Mallory K. Millinder
Millender, 29 years old, is a
Paine College instructor as well
as editor-publisher of the
News-Review.
He says that he will stress
the importance of more jobs
and better pay for public
workers and call for more jobs
for minority groups in city
government. He pointed out
that according to the Urban
League Report minorities hold
only 15-20 of all city jobs
(mostly in the area of
maintenance) while they
constitute a majority of the
city population.
He also cited drugs, crime,
housing, drainage, garbage
collection and trains as major
problems in Augusta.
Millender said he will work
to return power to the people
in all areas of City government .
“My actions will be dictated by
the needs of the people,” he
said.
Millender, who is married to
the former Jacqueline Stripling
of Jacksonville (Fla.), holds a
B.A. from Paine College, M.S.
from Kansas State Teachers
College, and has done further
study at Hamilton College
(Clinton, N.Y.) and at the
University of Toulouse
7 A
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I I K
(Photos By Roscoe Williams)
J.B. salutes P.C.
James Brown presents SSOO check to Paine College
.Alumni treasurer Y.N. Myers as Paine President Lucius
Pitts looks on, then expresses gratitude (2) with a
“soul” shake. Mr. Brown was later presented a plaque
(3) by News-Review editor Mallory Millender on behalf
of Big Brothers of America who selected Brown as its
spokesman for the year 1971.
(Bottom) Brown is “deputized” by Sheriff Bill
Anderson.
The Faith of Charity Singers
will appear at Harmony Baptist
on Sunday night, September 5
th, 1971 at 8:30 p.m. Come
out and bring a friend and
witness the great program
sponsored by Club No. One.
(Toulouse, France).
He has taught at T.W. Josey
High School for three years,
Paine Lycee Saint Cricq
(France) for one year and at
Paine College for four years.
NAACP
Fund Drive
The NAACP is launching a
fund raising drive for the
purpose of securing a building
for meetings and office space.
Checks and money orders
should be made payable to the
NAACP only. Donations
should uc sent to P. O. Box 28
Sand Hill Branch, Central
Avenue and Troupe Street
Augusta, Georgia. 30903.
Memberships may also be
secured through the above
address.
How I Rediscovered
The Existence Os God
By Grady Abrams
It was around three thirty in
the afternoon.
This day had started out to
be one of the happiest days of
my life. It was Christmas Eve.
First, I was happy because it
was a day before Christmas;
and it was a day after my
nephew, Ricky, had been
released from jail.
My family and I had gotten
a promise from Ricky that he
would, along with help of us
and God, kick the habit. Ricky
was a drug addict.
I guess we must have felt as
Isaac when he welcomed his
son, Jacob, back home. It was
a joyous occasion for us
because Ricky had promised to
return home so that we might
help him on his road to
recovery. This was to be our
Christmas present.
I had just sat down with
some friends when someone
came and told me that Ricky
was arguing with someone who
had a shotgun. I ran to the
door. Ricky was standing there
with his shirt off. I asked,
“what’s wrong, Ricky?” He
didn’t say anything. I called
him as he began to walk up the
street, but seemingly he didn’t
hear me. We were just ten feet
apa r ’
I ran around the corner of
Tenth and Gwinnett Streets to
follow him home and find out
what was wrong. Some fellow
was about ten feet ahead of
Ricky carrying a shotgun.
Before I could reach him, this
fellow turned around and fired
one shot. Ricky fell to the
ground and I fell along with
Richmond Academy Site
Os Mass Meeting
A mass meeting held last
Sunday at Richmond Academy
attempted to organize parents
into a coalition aimed at
fighting what it termed
“massive busing”. A volley of
questions from parents and
others in the audierice
-estimated at around 500- were
fielded by a group-four-from
the Richmond County Board
of Education headed by its
President John Fleming. Some
of the questions raised were:
Why not do away with all
busing? Which got a response
indicating that the state of
Georgia requires that buses be
available for busing high school
students who live as long as 114
miles from a school and
Elementary students who live
at least 1% miles. A question
from the audience was raised as
to attendance or
non-attendance on the part of
students if they are required to
be bused. A member of the
Board responded that the
Board will abide by the Court’s
decision but added that “the
decision is up to parents as to
what they will do.” John
Fleming responding to a
question as to why schools are
being opened when in essence
there is a possibility that some
students will have to be
transfered responded that
children better off in school
rather than being out on the
streets and further that
students are required to be in
school 180 days. It was further
disclosed that funds are based
on attendance. Mike Padgett
raised the question as to
whether or not the Board of
Education would close the
schools temporarily until the
issue of busing is settled if
many of the parents and others
united. John Fleming
responded by, saying that he
“can’t speak for the Board ”
August Sept. 2, 1971 #24
Grady Abrams
him. I cried out, “Help! God,
help! Somebody, please help!”
I held Ricky’s head up and
called, “Ricky, Ricky, please
answer me!” Ricky looked at
me and cried out, “God,
oh-o-o.” His eyes were twice
their normal size. Blood was all
over me; and at that moment I
doubted the exigence of God.
I could never understand
why God wanted us to suffer
so unnecessarily. Why did God
wait until Ricky had come
home to accept our help? Why
had God let Ricky die right in
front of our house where my
kids and mother would have to
suffer the experience of seeing
i tragic death of their loved
one? If he had to die, why
couldn’t it have been at some
other time or place?
I must have stood there long
after the ambulance had come
and taken Ricky’s body to the
hospital. I tried to find the
answers to these questions
right then. I felt God owed me
at least an explanation. After
all, we had gotten a promise
from Ricky that he would
discontinue using drugs.
Although we never had
much money, we’ve always had
A tape was played at the
meeting, claimed to be by
permission of James Brown,
dealing with busing currently
being aired over radio station
WRDW was prefaced by the
statement that Blacks are
Pilgrim Opens
$70,000 Office In
Greenville, S.C.
BMB ~~
PILGRIM DEDICATION CEREMONY
Last Sunday the Pilgrim
Health Insurance Company
opened a $70,000 office in
Greenville, South Carolina. The
ultra modern office conforms
to the architecture of the
Greenville area.
More than 500 people
toured the facility that now
will provide service for
progressive living in or around
Greenville. Among the
dignitaries present were City
Councilmen, a U.S.
Congressman, bandleader
Moses Dillard and Miss Black
South Carolina.
Pilgrim president W.S.
I
a home. Papa owned a
woodyard and mama did days
work. Ricky’s mother and
father had been divorced for j
several years, but he lived with I
us.
His mother moved to New '
York to find better
employment. She left Ricky
with my mother to be reared in
the south so that he would
have the opportunity to
continue his education with his
already-made friends.
It was on Ricky’s visits to
New York that he met old
friends who had been turned
on to new things. Drugs. This
was a problem we had never
thought of before. It had not
been a problem here in
Augusta. The kids I had come
in contact with during my
teaching days were slipping and
drinking beer and wine. Maybe
some were sniffing glue. But
the problem of drugs had not
gained prominence in this
community. So we never
confronted Ricky with
conferences on drug abuse.
Many parents have an
opportunity to save their kids
from this monstrous killer
because we know that drugs is
the number one problem in the
community, today. My family
and I did not kjiow that drugs
could destroy our loved one at
that time because we were
unfamiliar with them.
Ricky began to act strange.
He would show no interest in
school. We began to miss
money and articles from the
house, but we couldn’t imagine
SEE ABRAMS
Page 4
concerned about busing. It was
also pointed out that it had
been the organizers wish that
Blacks would have some out.
No Blacks were recognized
except for three in more or less
official capacity.
Hornsby, Jr. and little W.S.
Hornsby, IV., along with many
other home office officials
were on hand for ribbon
cutting ceremonies.
According to the
Company President the
“Pilgrim is constantly planning
for new offices and providing
additional policies that are the
best for our people.” He
further stated that “we try
harder because we’re biack.”
Currently Pilgrim has on the
drawing boards two more
district offices, one of which
will begin construction next
month.
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