MARCH 1 -7,1987 THE MICHIGAN CITIZE
3
Black History man h in
ByRhoda cK· y nat ion's cap ito I
NNPA National Correspondent Black Americans did not receive logue of Blackness, infrey
ASH GTO DC - De- the full blessings of liberty said America owed it le ders
spite winter' bitter wind, cele- guaranteed under the Constitut- of yesterday "a resurrection.'
brations of Black History ion they were fighting to de- And at the library of Con-
abounded in the nation' fend." gre the presence of the past
capital. Government agencie "Black assume the burden of wa al alive. Julian Bond,
and their employee both Blac citizenship, even though they former State Senator from
and white paid homage to did not receive an the benefits" Georgia and narrator for public
past pilgrim of racial ju ice said Weinberger, ating he wa television' civil rights docu-
and tribute to the legacy of "glad" the days of discrimina- mentary' Eye on the Prize"
Bl ck voice who gave pe tion in the armed force were ept the theme of "The Afro-
and form to America' long pa d. American and the Constitution"
At the Pentagon, the com- According to einberger, pre- by recounting civil right's legi _
bination a rare indeed the ntly 410,000 Blac s Ameri- lation and giving a history
queen of the talk show circuit, cans rve in the volunteer le on embellished with vivid
America' girlfriend, Oprah Win- military, 19 percent of the quote of inspiration.
But Bond indicated that
Black's ruggle for equality
.wa far from over. He spoke of
the resurgence of racism from
Forsyth County Georgia to
Ho ard Beach, ew York. And
said the "trip into the 21 st
century would be tough. "
If Martin Luther King Jr.
were alive today,' Bond said
"He would e a world a little
. e filled with hate and that
Black Ameri ans won me
considerable accomplishments.
But he w uld also e that his
achievements are in eminent
danger of being destroyed. '
'In very real way," aid
Bond, 'in 1987 we find our
situation unchanged. Our
general condition has improved
but our relative condition ha
gotten worse.'
Bond lamba ted the Reagan
admini tration calling the Pre i
dent an amiable incompetent
bent on eliminating all civil
rights and affirrnative action
policie .
Bond told the audience not
to forget the fight for humane
existence in America and to
remember that "we move for
ward fa test when we move
forward together."
frey cret ry of De-
fen einberger joined
their effort to carry out the
19 7 governmental theme for
Bl c Hi ory month 4 'The
fr Am ri an and e Con-
tituti n."
einberg r ke of Blac
meric' contributi n to the
defen of the nation and their
val r in ar from the colonial
p t to the pre nt. He men-
ioned that Cri pu Hac
th first martyr of the Ameri
can Revolution and he remem
bered the thou d of poor
young Blacks who gave their
live in Vietnam.
"It i an unfortunate ain
on our hi ory," he id,' that
armed force , 17 percent in the
lect reserve and 1 000
Bl c officers at the highest
rank.
He'd the tati ic were
proof of 'greater patriotism
am ac s.
Oprah Winfrey, conjured up
spirit of the pa t by quoting
the word of Sojourner Truth
and other freedom fighters as
Winfry id those who made
it p ible for us to be sitting
in the Pentagon today and even
tho who did not make it into
the hi tory books but truggled
and prayed and ju t believed
that a brighter day was coming."
ixed between her' rich
monologue of poetry and dia-
COW EL CH RLES F. BOLDE ,JR.
s
rona
BH
a
HARBOR - 010-
F. B Iden Jr.
A Astronaut will
be visiting the area as a special
guest and speaker for the dedi
cation f the new Benton
Harb r High chool Building
Program Le. High h 01 afe
teria , Expan ion, e Class
rooms, and the JR-ROT and
Health Annex that has recent
ly been completed. 01. Bolden
is also in the area to serve a
guest speaker at the Twin
Citie Rotary Club meeting
scheduled on onday arch 2,
according to Crystal oel Direc
tor of Public Information for
Benton Harbor Area hools.
While in the School District
Colonel Bolden will visit ith
students in the elementary
schools the two Junior High
Schools and Benton Harbor
High chool here a mblie
have been heduled. He ill
be gue t peaker at a cholarship
Banquet to be held onday
evenin in additi n to the d di
cation program at B nton H r
bor High ch 01 tudent
ommons at 4: 30 p.m. Tues
day afternoon.
Col. B lden i a gr duated
from C.A. John on High ho I
in Columbi uth arolina:
received' a bachelor of
degree in Electrical
from the nited tate
cademy and a master of
ience in Sy terns an gement
from the niver ity f uthern
California.
Col. Bolden and hi wife
Alexi is the parent f tw
children nthony and
Kelly.
Aiding Conservation Abroad
Tucked within federal legis- period on their debt ed
lation reauthorizing the Foreign to the U.S. government if they
A sistance Act are provi ions pledge to make ec n mi p lie
aimed at encouraging the estab- reforms, includin th desi n-
lishment of con rvation pro- ed to encoura e I ng-terrn en-
gram throughout Africa. vironmental protection.
According to the ational
Wildlife Federation, the mas- He I ping Cit i es
sive bill expected to be intro-
duced this month by Rep. Breat he
Howard Wolpe D- ich., con- Urban pollution fighter are
tain provision that would re- t ing to the tree in their
quire the U.S. Agency for battle against dirty air ac ordin
International Development to to 'ational Wildlife m azine.
earmark more than 60 mil- Recent re arch ha demon-
lion annually for the next five strated that me trees ab orb
years for reforestation, erosion huge amounts of pollutant,
control and other conservation Red maple and hite birch
program in Africa. for example em almost t
The measure al ould make thrive on sulfur di ide hile
sub-Saharan African nations white oaks are espe iall g d
eligibl for a five-year grace t ab rbin oz ne.