Politically Speaking ...
n Tr Inlng nd Employm nt Bill
Ui.�=i':= Long-T� rm Unemploym nt
by C� J. [Baul] Bro
(u.s. C gn R., Olliol
It I tim for America to
forcefully att t problem of
minority youth un ploym nt.
The of thl effort will, to
gr t ure, d termln
h t th Am lean dr m I
for II, or lu t limited to th
fortu teo
Th d r of minority youth
un ploym t i nation I
embar m t d a lOCi I
dl t . The "official" minority
t e unemploym t rate I 35
percent, but this figure does not
includ those youth ho h ve
dropped out of the I bor force
becau of the inability to find
job-so-ealled diacouraged
ork . If th discouraged
orkers re Included, the figure
may be over 50 percent. The fact
th t th unemployment rat
xlst after five y of unpre-
cedented economic expan Ion
ho that radical n pproach-
re needed to help the
tructurally unemployed.
Th tructurally unemployed
re characterized by inexper­
ience, 10 III and, compared
to the entire ork force, a lack of
education. Minority t nager
f additional barriers to
mploym t becau of discrim-
ination and their vy concen-
tration In, ar of declining
economic activity.
Unfortun tely, there are those
ho believe that minority teen-
e unemployment will simply
be reduced the minority force
gro older-and, therefore,
becom more worked-oriented
nd more experienced. Nothing
is further from the truth.
Gro Ing older III not provide
the s III training th t Is so
d perately needed by the
structurally unemployed.Growing
old r will not fight the barriers of
dlscriminat on. Gro ing older
ill not mean untrained and
inexperienced orker more
mploy ble. Thl beli f mu t be
r pudiated nd it effect in
del ying n tional effort to fight
tructur I un mploym nt mu t
be ended. Gro ing older merely ,
m familiar habits more
comfortable.
Wh t hould thi n non I
effect include? I h ve Introduced
legl lation in the Hou that call
for government and th entire
private tor, particularly mall
bustneesmen, to Join together in
a program that will train and
employ the structurally unem­
ployed in productive, permanent
private-sector jobs. J
I believe we should do this by
offering a training sub idy to
tho private sector employer
who are willing to hire train a
structurally unemployed person. •
The key is training becau e It
develops skills that provide the
opportunlty for the orker to
become a secure labor-force
participant.
A subsidy. provides to the
employer a financial Incentive to
hire a person who will require a
great deal of training. Th
subSidy, In effect, help off t
the cost of tr inlng to the
employer. But most importantly,
the training ub Idy ill provide
the structurally unemployed per­
so ith th opportunity to
acquire, hile actually orklng
on a full-time job, the skill
n ry to compete on the job
market. With training, th t
person ill have-probably for
the first time in hi life-the
opportunity to determine his 0 n
future nd not rely on temporary
10 paying job or state ald.
To help the structurally un­
employed and th employer
"link-up" in valu ble training
and 10ng.1 ting employment, e
must Involve local, nonprofit,
community-based org nization .
Th organizations have been
very uccessful in bringing
together local representattv of
labor, busin ,churches, com­
munity organizations and civic
group to help target those who
are un mployed to Ute available
jobs in the community. Also,
these organizations have proven
very successful in helping the
employer locate a prospective
employee in the most efficient
way and thus improve the
employer's willingness to part­
icipate in a sub idization pro­
gram.
I must stres that, to solve
such complicated and severe
problem as structural unemploy­
ment, e must use the tools of
both the public and the private
sector. They must operate in
tandem, complementing each
other and offering a n ry
balance that will provide a
national effort to vigorously
attack structural unemployment.
W must move Immediately
because the structurally un­
employed are in fact a group of
people who face a lifetime of
temporary employment in d d­
end jobs. Without a true national
effort to help this group, e
relegate them to a life tthout
self-determination, opportunity
and, most of all, hope.
Editor's note: COlt nss"'QII Cler« ce
,Brown, [Repllblic , Ollio) is CIIrre1IUy
servin kis 7tlt tnm Ua tile U.S, Howe of
RepresentQtives. He i. CI ",e",bu of tM
ReplibliCClIl Leguu,tive Ad-Hoc Co",,,,it·
te O/COII ressme« G1Ul Segton wllo an
orkin to dev lop le isl4JtiOli t ill
impac: po itivety 0 ",inority co "'101·
itie .
•
o
e
e
Rev. Jes L. Jac son
noted CIVlC Ie der and
irginia L. J nes le ding
librarian and educator ill
receive honorary degree at
the University of ichigan s
summer connem ernent
Aug. 19.
Jackson Will b the
commencement speaker.
Jackson received na­
tional attention beginning in
1967 when he was named
as national director of Ope­
ration Breadb et by the
late Dr. artin Luther King
Jr. In 1971 he founded
Operation PUSH (people
United to Save Humanity),
focusing on the perpetua­
tion of a civil economics
movement and the com­
mimitment of improving the
groups."
He also has devoted
much tim to the PUSH
for Excellence in duca­
tion (EXCEL, a program
begun in 1977 to "pro­
mote educational develop­
ment based on a total
involvement concept."
Jackson has received
,many awards, inc1uding the
1977 Golden Key ward
of the . American Assn, .,
School dministrator. In
a ociation with Universal
yndicate, he writes a
column, which appears in
som 74 newspapers nation­
wide and i a former
columnist with the Los
angeles Time syndi te.·
He is frequent lecturer
and the first distinguished
lecturer at the University
of Southern California.
Carter d6ubles
number of
Black iudges
President Carter's judi­
cial selections will more
than double the number
of blac 'federal judges,
triple the number of His­
panic judges and increase
women judge sixfold,
administration figures show.
THE GOVE E T'S
efforts to make the welfare
system work is somewhat
like the campfire cook try­
ing to fry eges without a
frying pan-his intentions are
good but he just makes a
mess of things.
I
Ed Troffer resign s post pursue "personal goals."
Ed ard Troffer, 58, of begin working August 13.' wa a part owner of the The personal goals include
1189 Colfax. Benton Har- Troffer has been a Troffer and illmeng the possibility of moving
bor, pre nted his formal lifelong resi dent of the Plumbing and Heating to a farm area where he
letter of tion to the Benton Harbor are and Contr cting firin of could inve more of hi
Benton Harbor Area rved the School Di trict St. Joseph. time with his hor rais-
Schools perintendent, Director of Operations In his letter of re- ing interests, said Troffer.
position director of op r- and Facilities for the past ignation, he said that he 0 imediate ction h
atio for the il Com- 16 yean. Prior to coming accepting the il en to select a
munity Schoo
BH School
AUGUST 15 - 21, 1979 THE CITIZE
PAGE 9
o
o
y
n ordained Bapti t min­
ister he pre ntly erve
as an ciate mini ter of
the Fellowship B pti
church in hicago.
A native of S uth aro­
lina h began hi colle e
caree at the University of
Illinois with the aid of
a football holar ip and
ent on to receive his
Bachelor of Science degre
at T State uni rsity in
orth Carolina. He has
been awarded honorary
degrees by more- than 22
colles and universities
J ackson will receive an
honorary Doctor of
Humane Letter degree
from U-M. Among other honors,
s. Jones, dean of e is recipient of the
the School of Library Ser- Hampton Institute Alunmi
vice, Atlanta univer ity, is Achievement ard in 1956
vior among the deans of and the elvil De ey a ard
the 64 accredited library of the American library
education programs in the A n. in 1973.
U.S. and Canada. She was Before she d
the first Blac person to dean at tlanta ity
earn a doctorate in library in 1945, e instru-
science (at the University tor and catalog librarian
of Chicago in 1945). About there. Erom 1933-to 1939
85 percent of 'the Blac she . tant librarian
librarians in the nation then librarian of the Loui -
have been graduated from ville unicipal college in
Atlanta university during Kentuc y.
her tenure dean. . . Jones received her
s. Jones i ackno - undergradu t degr in
ledged as one of the library library science and in educa­
profession's leaders. - In tion from Hampton In ti-
1976 he was a arded hon- tute. She receiv d her mas­
orary membership in the ter's degre in library
Am rican Library Assn. the Ience from the nive ity
highest honor that the - of Chi go.
ciation can confer. She She will be awarded an
rved that a ciation as honorary Doctor of Letters
its presedent in 1961. degree from
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