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News-Review - September 30, 1971
THE NEWS-REVIEW
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
930 Gwinnett Street - Augusta, Georgia
Mallory K. Millender Editor and Publisher
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JOBS AND INCOME FOR POLITICAL POWER
By Dr. George Wiley
The Paramount issues for black people in the 1972 election
should be economic. The failure of this country to give us
“40-acres and a mule” upon emancipation, coupled with
persistent discrimination against us at every level of society, has
left the mass of our people economically dependent and seriously
deprived.
About 2/3’s of all black families have less income than the
$6500 level that Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys show to be
the minimum necessary for health and well-being. One third are
in desperate poverty, many suffering from acute hunger and
malnutrition.
The effects of inflation and spiraling unemployment are hitting
the black population especially hard. Unemployment among
blacks is near 11 per cent, for black teenagers nearly 30 per cent.
Fully one quarter of our population suffer the indignities of a
dehumanizing welfare system -a system which promises to be
more brutal, degrading and inadequate if the Nixon-Mills “welfare
reform” is enacted into law.
The only program which can quicklywhange these conditions is
job creation on a massive scale and a guaranteed adequate
income.
A minimum of 3-5 million new jobs are needed to provide
opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed. An
adequate income floor is needed to support those too old, too
young or too disabled to work; those for whom there are no jobs;
and those whose jobs do not pay enough to sustain their families
in health and decency. Unfortunately 7 out of 10 blacks fit one
of these descriptions.
So in ’72 the issues of jobs and income must be foremost.
Candidates must be tested on the basis of economic aid programs
to black communities and put direct cash in the pockets of our
people.
Job creation and an adequate income floor could put S3O-40
billion of new money into circulation in Black communities.
With this kind of income base, we can build viable Black
enterprise, Black organizations, Black institutions, a Black nation.
Without it talk of economic development, community control
and Black power is meaningless rhetoric.
Let us therefore, marshall the political forces that we have to
sharpen and develop and press our economic agenda for ’72. Let
us make common cause with Chicanos, Indians, Puerto Ricans,
poor whites and women who are gathering their political forces
for ’72. Let us make political coalitions with them to pursue our
common economic and social concerns.
Let us demand that federal money be spent now to create real
jobs building and developing our communities and our
institutions - housing,' child care, health centers and recreation
areas under Black community control.
Let us judge candidates by their opposition to welfare
repression of the Nixon, Mills and Rockefeller stripe. Let us
examine their recores on proposals moving the country toward a
$6,500 guaranteed adequate income for every family. Let us
qrganize to register all of our potential voters and inform them of
candidate’s positions on key issues.
Finally let us study the political processes and make them
work to our advantage rather than permitting their continued
manipulation to the disadvantage and exploitation of Black
people.
Dr. George Wiley is Executive Director of the National
Welfare Rights Organizations.
ATTICA
Cont'd from page 1
“And the funny thing - it’s
funny to me now,-but it wasn’t
funny to me then - is that
immediately after the attempt
to kill me (I had a reputation
in the street and in the
institution -1 don’t drink and I
don’t use no drugs; it could be
visibly seen that I was sober;
but the man who attacked me -
you couldn’t even see his eye
balls hardly; you could smell
the booze and every thing all
over him.) they wanted me,
with blood streaming down
me, they wanted me to take
the sobriety test. The man
hollered, “Jump up and down
on one foot.” - blood gushing
out of me. “I said, you people
got to be crazy I won’t jump
no where.”
“I said, Y’all know me and
you know this man.” I
requested before the
lieutenant, and the officials
and the whole cell block that
the other man be tested for
alcohol and for narcotics.
Nothing was done. They aint
tested him for nothing. But
they came telling me to jump
up and down on my foot.
“Now I defend my life. We go
to segregation (solitary
confinement), locked up. When
I come in for court - their little
kangaroo prison court - they
djdn’t even talk about what
happened. They talked about
all the letters they got written
about me by inmates that are
friends of his.”
Giles explains his near
Page 2
involvement as an Attica
negotiator this way.
“When I came out of the
penitentiary the last time,
there was some confusion as to
some back time that I owed to
a state. I was released from the
penitentiary; another state
picked me up. So I got out on
bail and surrendered myself to
this other state. And when I
did a parole officer was very,
very instrumental in having
that state drop the time I
owed. This is what I mean
when I say that I know all
these employees are not
vicious. This man had never
seen me in his life and he
didn’d know me from anybody
else. But he (according to my
record, I served eight years; in
penitenitary and I owe this
other state five or six years so
the eight years I was serving on
the other sentence would have
run out.) actually came to my
aid and stuck his neck out and
recommended that this balance
of back time be dropped. And
it was dropped. I was very
appreciative of that.
“Now when I heard of this
situation at Attica, I tried to
contact this parole officer,
knowing that I knew numerous
of the fellows there, but I
couldn’t reach him. And 1 was
given the commissioners
number in ALbany (New
York); I made contact there
and that was when I was put in
touch with the deputy
commissioner and the end
result was they didn’t approve
it.
LETTERS TO EDITOR
i Dear Editor
We, for years have found
ways and means to fight each
other, regardless of the
circumstances. These same
energies could be used to
correct some of the
unfavorable conditions in our
community.
I sometimes think back to
the mid and late 50’s, when
street gangs or turf defenders
were in existence in the black
communities of all large cities
in America, that shows you
how mixed up we were. Can
you imagine gangs of blacks
fighting each other while the
poorest and uneducated white
man sold goods and insurance
door to door in our
community, robbing us of any
economical base. Sure, we let
them do it, for we felt that it
was more important to fight
each other.
Why are we so hostile _
toward each other, we have all
the reasons in the world to
display a geninue quality of
brotherhood toward each
other.
Once we stop fighting and
robbing each other then maybe
we can begin to build and
design our communities. We
have seen with standing proof
that no white institution will
or ever had any intentions of
returning profits to your
community. Once you
understand and establish this as
a fact you will be able to take
the course of actions to see to
it that your community has the
tools for development for you
and by you.
We have had internal groups
within the black community
for years (Elks, Masons, Kappa,
NAACP, SCLC, Omega ETC.)
These organizations can not be
“But I sincerely feel that I
could have rapped with the
guys. At least I could have
tried. That’s the main thing.
There was nothing that the
state could have lost except
maybe my life, and 1 was
willing to risk that, knowing
that a former inmate going in
and telling the prisoners to
stop doing what they’re doing
is not looked upon good.
Asked what he would have
told the prisoners, Giles said he
would have told them to let
the hostages go. This was the
main thing, because all they
were doing was jeopardizing
their own plight. That it was a
losing thing and nothing would
happen as long as they held
those hostages. And the end
result would be that one of the
hostages would get killed and
then the whole thing would be
jammed.
“Being that I’ve been there,
I can understand the changes
they were going through. Each
day it was getting worse and
worse.
“I can also see it from the
officials’ point of view. They
wanted to settle it themselves.
And they settled it their way,
the way they wanted to settle
it.
But what about the men
who right now are being
separated. They are looking for
the weak link right now in that
penitentiary. They are right
now looking for inmates who
participated in that thing to
testify against those that
they’re going to charge. And
they are going to find them.
It’s a bad situation.
“But the truth about those
things that go on in the
O ELECT
la/4 J. W. SPENCE
7TH WARD CITY COUNCIL
"A MAN WITH A PROGRAM
FOR
■ * your vote and support
w,ll
FIVE POINT PROGRAM
★
J. W. SPENCE WILL WORK TO ACCOMPLISH
THE FOLLOWING:
1. PRESENT A PLAN TO HELP ELIMINATE AGE OLD RAILROAD
PROBLEM.
2. HELP PREVENT INCREASE IN YOUR CITY TAXES.
3. WORK TO LOWER OUR WATER RATES. •
4. HELP PROMOTE MORE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PRACTICES IN
OUR CITY GOVERNMENT.
5. HELP PROMOTE MORE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS’ •
PLUS: WILL ALWAYS VOTE ON ANY ISSUE FOR THE BEST INTEREST
OF ALL OUR CITIZENS
effective, for neither of them is
able to bring in the entire
community. We need the entire
community organized.
Stop and study the plight of
the Jews and you’ll see what I
mean. They united, bringing all
of their talents, energies, and
monies together and took care
of business.
Today, they are the most
successful group of
businessmen in the world.
They were able to compromise
their petty differences and
pool their resources together to
enable them to establish a
sound financial and economical
base.
Let’s explore our
community and establish
priorities to better the present
financial and economical base.
The number one priority as I
see it, is to establish a lending
institution (a bank) founded,
, established, managed, and
supported by the entire black
community.
The best way I find to
describe or justify this need is
to think of it in terms of the
bank being the center of a 360
degree circle and all inner lines
must connect to complete a
degree.
Check it out for yourself.
Better Housing - requires a
sound financial base. Better
Jobs - requires a sound
financial base. Better
Education - requires a sound
financial base. Better
Recreation Facilities -a sound
financial base.
All things done for the
betterment of our community
require a sound financial and
enconomical base.
I may sound selfish in my
thoughts, but I do believe that
a Bank should be our
penitentiary is what those
inmates are concerned with,
that’s what they were asking
when they did this. Will
somebody please show enough
concern to kind of let us know
that we’re still human. Yeah
we did something wrong;
you’re punishing us but don’t
like animals. Don’t let
these people go crazy and just
kill us all and Y’all don’t know
nothing about it. That’s
actually what happens; it’s
ligitimate murder as far as the
prisoners are concerned.
Because all they (officials) are
going to say is “killed while in
the act of inciting to riot,” I
don’t care if you were sitting
on your bed smoking a
cigarette. Killed while inciting
to riot will stand up in any
court anywhere in the world,
and it’s always been applicable
to these prisons in the United
States. So an inmate has
nobody to help him but these
people in the streets. If they go
ahead and get concerned, at
least let them know that you
understand what’s going on.
“Quiet as its kept, Attica was
just a beginning. Now you’re
going to hear little rumblings.
Like I just heard in Fulton
County, in the county jail,
they had a little static down
there the other day. When it
happens it runs in a cycle.
When one penitentiary
demonstrates like that it has
repercussions all over the
United States; these other
penitentaries had better get
ready. “Cause that’s exactly
what’s going to happen until
somebody does something to
straighten those situations up.”
Walking
WITH
DIGNITY
BY
Al IRBY
(BLACK AMERICAN SERVICEMEN DIE OUT OF
PROPORTION TO THE RACIAL RATIO. THEN THOSE THAT
ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO COME BACK HOME ARE
FINDING SOME WHITE CIVILIANS RAISING HELL ABOUT
BUSING BLACK KIDS.)
In the overall picture of the Indochina war, one pertinent
aspect of this ugly struggle has been kept under semi-secrecy. The
U.S. Department of Defense has released veiled statistics of the
mounting number of American servicemen who lost their lives.
But the Government’s stark figures do not tell the public the
whole story about the men who are killed in action. At the end of
1969, a total of 47,251 American servicemen had been killed in
Indochina; of this number 40,028 were classified as “hostile
casualties”, those that were actually killed in combat.
It was servicemen in their first tour of duty, be they draftee or
volunteers, who bore the burden of fighting and dying. In this
war, the flowers of upper-middle class status have been off to
college, and the relative safety of the National Guard. As for the
distribution of casualties among the socio-economic groups, the
facts are that increased educational standards reduce the
likelihood of becoming a casualty, while higher unemployment
conditions increase that likelihood.
One of the mysterious ironies of the military’s acceptance
policy is that young whites from the very lowest economic
backgrounds are less likely to be drafted, than low-middle class
whites and Blacks, because they very often have difficulty in
meeting the mental and physical standards of the armed forces.
community's number one
priority.
To successfully complete
this endeavor it will require the
respect, trust, understanding,
and cooperation of each
member of the black
community. The only trouble I
foresee is togetherness merely
forgetting our petty differences
and coming together as a team.
This is all we need.
Yes, I’ll say it again and
again, if you don’t believe it
check out the following.
First, to start, we need
money to purchase land and
build. Our community is
50,000 plus, what would
SIO.OO per person or per share
do. The involvement of the
total community (churches,
civics clubs, social clubs,
private citizens, private
businesses) in pledging the
opening of accounts or the
purchasing of shares.
This does not mean that you
would have to cancel your
present bank accounts but
good common sense would tell
you to put your money where
you can share greater benefits.
There’s numerous of ways
that this can be accomplished,
but remember it will take the
entire community.
I guess some people have
been conditioned to say now
(If we obtain the monies who
will manage and operate the
bank? Black people don’t have
the experience or education to
run a bank.) That’s what most
if you are saying now.
That’s the biggest lie that
could ever be told. In fact
that’s a damn lie.
Don’t let anyone fool you,
we have black people in the
community qualified,
educated, and experienced.
The only difference is we will
not trust the qualification of
our brothers who have worked
so hard to obtain their degree
of knowledge, yet we will
SUPPORT and ELECT
■■hi Punch
60
Page
klk 4
Councilman
Eighth Ward
C. HOMAS ITOMI
HUGGINS
“ The most Qualified Candidate to
represent all the people fairly and impartially.”
t
I HF t
never question a Mills B. Lane
or a Sherman Drawdy. I’m sure
if Mr. Hinton, Mr. Ruffin, Mr.
Abrams or Mr. Scott would
have the same support, trust,
and cooperation, they could
achieve as much or more than a
Mills B. Lane or a Sherman
Drawdy. One important thing
we must realize, that these
people were not successful
merely because they were white,
but they were supported,
trusted, and given community
cooperation in their respective
businesses. Again, we can do it
too, with respect, support,
trust, and cooperation, put
them all together and it spells
TOGETHERNESS.
The financial conditions of
our community is of such
because we have failed to put
our monies and investments in
places where profits will be
returned to your community
instead of going to the white
communities. Look at their
communities, thats why it
seems to be together, they not
only take their returns of the
dollars, but they are taking
airs also.
We must learn ways and
means of getting the returns in
our communities.
Please use this as a guide to
establish a set of priorities for
the community to consider for
its time out for all of this
talking, we need some
immediate action. As I’ve said
before a financial base is the
foundation for us to build
from, without it we will not he
able to accomplish very much.
Its not important who wrote
this, or where the ideas came
from, but most important is
the truth that it contains. We
must refrain from doing things
just for publicity or status but
do it for the betterment of the
community. Your conditions
will never change until your
community changes.
Thank you.
Mini-Spiritual Reflections In A
Changing World
BY
AL IRBY
(THOMAS A JENOUS TGE NEDUEVAK SAINT)
Unlike Jesus, the old Monk, as religious as he was, would be
irrelevant today. We are not seeking quiet, and only a few of us
are seeking solitude. Our books must convey the clamorous voices
of unrest. Our ideals of a saintly life have changed.
We reverence a Kempis in the art windows and galleries, but
our own heart’s Saints are men like Martin Luther King, men of
action for justice and truth. We read the words of a Kempis
somewhat as we look upon the window there, touched with
grandeur and glory of the setting sun, with a certain sensitive
enjoyment of its rich coloring, and artistic lines, feeling in away
the delicate hues of his words and the glorious tracery of his
thoughts.
Unlike a Kempis, Jesus was no ascetic; he lived his life
emphatically among men. He was with them at the wedding
feasts, and dined with them at the banquet table. The plowman,
the sower, and the harvester, the fisherman, and all the common
daily toil and interest. The common people heard him gladly,
because he was one of them. He was called “a wine-bibber”, and a
“glutton”, by reason of his easy and natural association. Jesus
was preeminently a “mixer” among men.
(To be continued)
All of these extenuating facts give evidence that Black
servicemen bear a greatly disproportionate share of the dying in a
war that gives them little or no thanks. Through the end of 1968,
black servicemen made up 9.2 per cent of the total military
manpower stationed in Vietnam; 13.5 per cent of Vietnam battle
deaths, though, were blacks. In 1965 and early in 1966, the death
rate for blacks soared to 25 per cent. The higher rates seem to
stem primarily from two factors: blacks seemed to volunteer for
elite combat units in disproportionate number, at least up to the
later stages of the war, and because of their generally
disadvantaged backgrounds.
(A DETERMINED GROUP OF INTER RACIAL WOMEN
ARE ORGANIZING TO CHANGE THE LIFE-HABIT OF THE
SO-CALLED AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE.)
About 200 nationally known women met in Washington a few
weeks ago to organize their sisters all over the nation. It will be
interesting to watch these “Fems”, because it is a deverse group
of wealthy upper class, intellectual, millitant members of the
Women’s Lib. movement- politicians, house wives, Blacks,
welfare mothers and government clerical workers.
The group included Mississippi’s famed Fannie Lou Hamer,
Congresswoman Bella Abzug, and the loquacious Glorida Steinem
and Betty Freidan of Woman Liberation Front. Bella, in her
sporty wide-brim hat sounded the war cry. Her fellow
Brooklynite Congresswoman Shirley Crisholm who is just as
formidable in sepia tones was very much in the forefront. The
meeting was held in the New York Statler Hilton. Bella thrilled
the large crowd when she walked up to the microphone and
bellicosely bugged Congressman Manny Celler, the 80 year old
member of the House Judiciary Committee. The Congressman
had repeated his favorite saying, concerning the Women’s Lib.
“You change nature, women are different.” And besides: Women
weren’t even at the Lord’s Last Supper.” Bella shouted that
“maybe we weren’t at the Last Supper, but we most certainly are
going to be at the next one.”
Fannie Lou Hamer, who could easily make herself heard
without a mike in the farthest corner of Yankee Stadium,
brought the crowd to its feet screaming when she cried: “Let’s
hook up these minorities and make one hell of a majority.”
Aileen Hernandez, president of the National Organization of
Women, presided at the plenary session where the various
resolutions were acted upon. She appeared to be the logical
person to be sent to France, and negotiate a sensible peace with
Madam Nguyen Thi Binh, the Viet Cong representative at the
bogged down peace sessions. The goals of the feminate Caucus are
to elect more women to both houses of Congress.
YOUR VOICES IN CITY GOVERNMENT
HENRY HOWARD & B. L. DENT
2nd WARD
B.L. Dent
page
X PUNCH 12
4th WARD
Henry Howard Kg
page 2
t A
PUNCH 32
K
VOTE FOR AND ELECT MEN WHO WILL
KMt'RESENT YOU IN THE CITY COUNCIL