OPINION/' COMMENTARY,! LETTERS/ EDITORIALS
•
.1
AWAY BUT NOT THE LEGACIES
California boat marinas. Those
are not the businesses that
promote Blac development
Eighty percent of all new jobs in
the American economy are
generated by small businesses,
but' these small inesses re
quire seed capital Those same
pension funds wilh all Ole
Black-earned dollars could
provide th· much�aeeded capi
tal.
. I
penalize 10 -iaco J?COple
. are still OIl public ce
but struggling for inde
pendence. For example, t e
beaeifts of Ifare recipients
are re eed do for dollar by
the t of any . they
get from busine ses they
oepeate, yet they are not al
lowed to write off associated ex
penses And myriad restrictions
preve welfare reci· IS &om
accu ulating any t . In
some jurisdictio be fits may BLAe
be cut off entirely if the recipient EEDED
. �n an item valued more Blac leaders must also �n-
than $1,000. courage Black !O pateonize
B leaders m t embr ce Black-owned busmesses More
an economic nda is con- I than 150 Black civic, religious
crete and specific. To oontinue and political organizations bold
to make v gue demands for ann� conferences ea� year,
j peace and freedom· to spending t least S3 �illion on
render the IYes irrelevant _ travel, meals and lodging. If, for
the· form of 00 • ouL example, these groups banded
Art fletcher a civil r",ts together nd committed to
movement veteran-turned- holding their meetings in Black
entrepreneur, ted the . run faaf·. it could foster the
cle r Iy: -B au e they have construct. of more Blac -
ca ital ts in tho (X)UDtry - owned hotels and conference
com rcial real estate, in- centers and thu expand the
dustrial plants and billions of BI ck employment b . Even
u.s. dollars to in - both the tually, we wouldn't need alra-m-
Japanese nd the South live action progams.
Africans have more influen�, Many will argue that this tYPe
especially ·th America's i- of development will never occur
and industrial leaders at aD because of ongoing racism in
leve than do 30 .. Black America. Yet Blacks historical-
#) Americans.· Iy have achieved eoonomic- sue-
, They have d ce in the face of the st
doe't. And if we pe . . chas- . ent racism. At the beight of
ing that elusive dre called sla\'ery, whole towns were bui
"social justice," opposed to chools, churches, mutual aid
\
.economic independence� tho societie were establi hed.
predicament ·U �r change. These institutions provided the
Blacks miDi of dol- socia� spiritual and econimic
Ian invested in pension funds, b for Black survival then.
especially the pens' funds of And can do it today.
predominantly Black ullio
Because of Ia ipulating the
prudent lise of tbe e funds,
ho ver, they are in
ve ed in uch enterprises
Florida orange grove and
SOLIDA ITY
Robert L H!oodson is president
of the NGtiotaIll Center for
Nei bomood Enterprise and
chaUmQII of the �il for II
BIflck EConomic AgenIIIL
By ., Jr. OWDCC stated, "Reagan and
As the date for the presideD- B have DOt really been that
tial eIectioas, November 8, 1988, "bad, t least we know their
<Ira near, the challenge and policies are and � should just
the re pcasibility for voter give Bush a cban� to continue
mobiIizatioo, partiadarly in the what Reapn has done."
A&icaa American and in other More t n any other d-
racial and edmic oommunities lllinatr· in recent hi tory,
aoss the United S es, take the Reapa aDd Bush team has
OIl a cruc:iaI ey. refused to appoint African
We oeed to COD inue to em- Americans as federal judges.
pbasize the importan� of the Supreme Court Justice Thur-
upcomiDg elections. trmuied eluring the Congres- good Marshall is trying very
On the issues of domestic ISlODal Black CaUQlS sessions hard to bold OD until after
d foreign po�, have a was "The Future of African- Reapa leaves office. If Bush is
vested interest in helping to Americans to the Year 2000· elected all of the effective and
determine the future course of published by the Coogressional hard k of Thurgood Mar
this nation. The sayiag, "The T k Froc:e on the Future of shaD aDd many others will be
bands that � picked oottoD African Americans, chaired by judiciallyl'C\WSCd by the . d of
can pick the president of Congressman Melvyn M. appointments Bush will surely
the United States" is a true Dymally (D-CAL)."DymalIy in make. In Africa, partiallarly in
saying. 1be problem of the ck the report stated "Its most Southern Africa, if George
of wter education and aware tren�t diDI· that if Bush is elected, theD thousands
ness ill racial and ethnic oom- continue as we ha\4e· the of A&icaD people will continue
munities could be -respoosi>le the American eooaomi<; social. to lose tIIeir Iiw:s because of the '
for the.perpetuation of the cur- and political systems will not Re an-Bush policy of COD
rent R -Bush policies. It . adequately meet the needs of structiYe eapgement with racist
for . reasoa that we will be African-Americans, and they apartheid in South Africa and
giving 00 iclerable attention will DO( ever share fully in the the immoral and illegal support
through Civil Rights Journal on abundanceofth' land. To over- of the UNITA terrorists against
the necessity to "get out the vote" oome this dreadful potential Cu-' the people of Angola.
on NOYember 8th. . ture, dramabc and policies willi Yes, do have something to
I have just returned from the have to be undertaken, and vote for. Yes, e do Deed a
18th Annual Legislative practi�inmaayspberesoflife cbangeincurren U.S.domestic
Weekend of the Coagressional will have to be substantially al- and foreign policy. If strug
Black Caucus in WashiDgtoD, red." The legacy of the S . to CODtinue, then 'It'e must
DC. The theme of this largest Re,gan-Bush years directly march in record number to
gathering of African Amer·can oontributed to the deterioration vote OIl election day. Michael
leadership s "The Struggle of the state of the African Dukakis has stated hi oommit
Cootin : A Look Into The Fu- American oommunity. ment to cut off funding to
ture. - Throughout all of the At the community level, UNIT A, to i pose mmprehen
workshops, forums and however, there needs to be sive sanction gains South
braintrus there was a com- greater atteDtion given to dis- Africa, to redirect millions of
mon sense of urgency and seminar" the wealth of infor- dollar from the senseless
responsibility that so�ething mation that circulates at eon- militaray buildup to vital
has to be done pQlitically weU· ferCD� like the Coagresional domestic social progr� and '
as economically to stop the Black Cauaas. For example, a to help the United States be
devastating trends of die youogAfricanAmericansaidto oome a more racially inclusive
Reagan-Bush years apinst the ,me receDtly, "Hey, I really �'t and equitable society. We must -
interest of the African have aaything to vote f9f this get out the wk. And must
American community, year." Another African mobilize now to e ure that we
One publication that was dis- American who was a smaU busi- vote in record numbers.
o m e waiting for good chi d care I
By Mari -Vi
PrrsiMnt, ChikWn's Defense
Fund
Children cannot wait any
tonger for good child care. They
have been waiting for years for
decent safety and health stand
ards to protect them from harm
while they are in child care .
Many have been waiting in vain
fur�ildcarethe�famWycanat
ford - awaiting bome alone, or
in the care of siblings. Some, like
young Jermaine James and
Amanda' Cro in of Reston,
Virginia, have died . ling -
killed in accidents en they
were left at home without adult
upervision.
IParents canDot wait any
longer for good child care.
Mother and Cathe who must
work to put food on the table
have been for� to chose be
tween feeding, clothing or
providing decent dilld are for
their chDdreo. Pare who can
afford child care haYe-bad to i
and worry while on the job that .
their children may not be in
healthy, safe urroundiags.
We cannot wait any longer
for federal government 'leader
ship on child care, and we
should Dol There is now a bill
before Congress called the Act
for Better Child Care Services,
or ABC bill ABC would tackle
our nation's child care crisis, in
vesting much needed resources
in helping parents pay for care,
inaeasing tbe supply of care
vailable, and making such child
care is a safe and heal y p ce
to be.
Our nation' rea to pass
this bill. Polls sho th t a
majority of Americans upport
ABC p oacbto child care.
The bill bas strong bipartisan
upport in Coogr d· e-
�d to come. up for vote in
the 'next few weeks.
Every Black organization
backs this bill. Important Black
leaders, fr Rev. Jesse Jack
to Co etta Scott King to the
AACr's Ben Hoo have all
. spo eo out in support of AB�
The entire Black community
needs thi bill.
it is your turD • .lf you are
tired of waiting for dece t child
care, and if you wan to help
Bia children get a stroeg early
childhood foundation, u have
a chaDce tomake a difference in
the next few days and weeks.
Call 202-224-3121 and for
your House Speaker Jim Wright
or Senate Majority leader
Robert Byrd As them to do
everything they can to make the
ABC child care bill become law
thi year. Ask five of your
friends and neighbors to do th
same and call and write your
own Senator and Representa
tives if you have an eXir ten
minutes.
Congress will n act unless
its leaders bear from you. But -
they win act if they do. It' time
to op . iDs and tart taking
action no , together, for the
e pf our children.