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The Barb 2
Community Activities
Dy Bill Smith
The press has often been
taken to task for ctiticizing
elected officials. Minority
media is especially aware
of these comments. That
is our job, though, and it is,
unfortunately, a necessary
one. Our job is also to take
note” of the achievments of
those “public” people we
are often accused of “at
tacking,” misquoting, or
quoting out of context. This
column has often voiced
criticisms of Atlanta May
or Maynard Jackson’s ad
ministration. During his
first nine months in office,
many changes have been
made in city government;
significant changes. He de
serves praise for those a-
chievments.
If you are dissatisfied
with the action of a public
person, you write a letter
of complaint, and I’ve writ
ten many. Likewise, it is
appropriate to say “thank
you” for the achievements.
Here’s Mine:
Mayor Maynard Jackson
City Hall
68 Mitchell Street, S.W.
Atlanta, Georgia
When change takes place,
people are quick to criti
cize. During the past few
months, I have been among
those who havevoiced their
criticisms. In reviewing
what I and others have said
it is disappointing that our
compliments and praise of
many aspects of your new
administration have gone
unreported in the media.
It seems appropriate to
me, to let you know what
that I see much more to
praise in your administra
tion than to criticize. Your
appointment of Bill Alex
ander as legislative liason
has gone almost unreported
in the media. He an excel
lent choice, and a man with
excellent credentials. Your
selection of Reginald Eaves
as Public Safety Commis
sioner brings a man long
concerned with human re
lations into a department
that sorely needs to be di
rected by someone with a
high sensitivity to people.
Eaves has been criticized
often, and I have raised my
own concerns with him. He
has, however, moved vigo
rously to reorganize the
police services Division to
become responsive to the
community. I am greatly
concerned over the contin
uing practice of police en
trapment and harassment
of Gay citizens. I am con
fident that Commissioner
Eaves and Director Bell
will move in this area soon.
The media has noted my
criticism in this area,
without noting my com
ments that while Gay citi
zens in Los Angeles were
picketing the Police Chief’s
home, Atlanta’s Gay citi
zens were quietly filing in
to Atlanta’s Metropolitan
Community Church for an
open forum with Police In-
spectional Services Divi
sion Director Eldrin Bell.
I am concerned with
many issues. We need to
find a quick and equitable
solution to the problem of
our second Airport. The
concerns of the average
Workshops need to be ex
panded and given strong
support. The concerns of
the white business estab
lishment which you spoke
to recently must be dealt
with again. Dealt with, not
by a return to lip-service
by a return to lip-service
to anti-discrimination
practices, but a strong
comitment to the CRC’s
proposed anti-discrimina
tion program. The business
community has no need to
discriminate to survive.
Slavery was not profitable
and neither is discrimina
tion among free people.
With each concern, I have
confidence that your ad
ministration is not only
concerned, but also is tak
ing affirmative action as
quickly and deliberately as
possible. Our city has often
been called the “city too
busy to hate.” I believe that
if your administration con
tinues to move openly and
aggressively as it has indi
cated that it can move over
the past nine months, we
can add that while our city
is too busy to hate, it is not
busy to Care!
from HISTORY’S SCRAPBOOK
DATES AND EVENTS FROM YESTERYEARS
NATIONAL NOTES
continued from page 1
Park Avenue. Orthodox Jewish organizations were op
posed to passage of the original bill.
Washington D.C.-A gay sensitivity program for high
school teachers and staff for metro D.C. has received
only lukewarm support from the superintendent of
schools in that city. “Many groups have special needs
in the schools” Ms. Barbara Sizemore stated, “and
Gays will have to get in line with the rest.” Project
Gay Care, sponsored to sensitize the school system to
gay concerns through a series of low cost projects be
ginning with the teacher awareness sessions.
New York City-In an important breakthrough for the
Gay Liberation movement, the editor in chief of the En
cyclopedia Brittanica told the Gay Activist Alliance of
New York that its publication would include information
sympathetic to the gay liberation movement and the
struggle for civil rights for homosexuals.
Los Angles-The Union of American Hebrew Congre
gations, a reform Judaism group, has admitted the
Metropolitan Community Temple of Los Angeles to it’s
membership. The MCT primarily serves the Jewish gay
community in L.A.
New York City-The publication in the National Obser
ver of an article portraying YMCA’s across the country
as hotbeds of homosexual activity has drawn ire from gay
activists across the country. Spokesmen for the presti
gious weekly newspaper stated that “there was no con
scious intent for the article to be biased against gays.”
New York City-The National Lawyers Guild, a 4400
member leftist group, unanimously declared its support
for “the struggle for gay liberation” while critizing
some Marxist orientated organizations for their failure
to support gay rights.
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Want to rap?
Call the gay
help-line in
Atlanta:
874-4400
Transcontinental telephone service began on January 25,1915.
Michigan became the 26th state to join the Union, January
26,1837.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, famous Austrian composer, was
bom on January 27,1756.
The United States Coast Guard was created on January 28,
1915.
On January 29, 1843, William McKinley, 25th President of
the United States, was born.
Mohandes K. Gandi was assassinated on January 30, 1948.
Franz Schubert, gifted Austrian composer, was born on Jan
uary 31,1797.
SOUTHEAST DISTRICT OF THE UNIVERSAL FELLOWSHIP
OF METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCHES
P. O. Box 370963
Miami, Florida 33127
Telephone (305) 758-7190
DISTRICT COORDINATOR: Rev. Keith Davis
DISTRICT CLERK: Mr. H. Ernie Richardson
General Offices, U.F.M.C.C.: 1050 S. Hill St., Los Angeles, California 90015; Telephone
1-213-748-2111.
CHURCHES
Atlanta, George
Metropolitan Community Church
800 N. Highland Ave. N. E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30306
Rev. Elder John Gill, Pastor
Rev. Jim Snow, Asst. Pastor
(404) 872-2246 Church
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Metropolitan Community Church
1127 S. W. Second Court
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 33312
Rev. Peter Wilson, Pastor
(305) 5244)004 Church
(305) 522-0262 Home
Jacksonville, Florida
Metropolitan Community Church
P. O. Box 291
Jacksonville, Fla. 32201
Miami, Florida
Christ Metropolitan Community Church
P.O. Box 370963
Miami, Florida, 33127
Rev. Keith Davis, Pastor
District Coordinator
(305) 758-7190 Home
Tampa, Florida
Metropolitan Community Church
2904 Concordia Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33609
Rev. John Hose
(813) 839-5939 Home & Church
missions
Cocoa, Florida
M.C.C. Mission
P. O. Box 362
Cocoa. Fla., 32922
Rev. Alex Kurjack, interim Pastor
(305) 254-1302
Nashville, Tennessee
M.C.C. Mission
P.O. Box 187
Nashville, Tenn. 37202
Rev. Darryl Etzier, Interim Pastor .tor
(615) 749-6454 Office
(615) 352-9712 Home
STUDY GROUPS
Columbia, South Carolina
M.C.C. Study Group
P.O. Box 11181
Columbia, S.C., 29211
Orlando, Florida
M.C.C. Study Group
P.O. Box 20262
Orlando, Fla. 32814
Rev. Lee Spangenberg,
(305) 423-0345
The Southeast District of UFMCC is earnestly
seeking qualified people to assume leadership
in many more cities in the Southeast U.S.
If you have the training, experience, ahd calling,.
please get in touch immediately with our
District Coordinator, Rev. Keith Davis
at the above address.
■AX