ar
I· oman
s 91 s �irthday
By Vera White
- Harriet F. Beasley
celebrated her 9Ist birthday on
March 24, 1989, at her home' �
where she received a total of 33
birthday gifts from relatives d
friends.
She is a legend here in Three
Rivers, where she has lived for
47 years. She lis the mother of
three daughters, Henrietta,
Margaret and Charley Mae. She
also has 14 grandchildren, ap-
proximately great-
grandchildre nd 12 great-
great-grandchi en.
She attended Madison
Public School in adison, In-
diana. She stil ve report
cards while e was in the
second gra owing the
marks of , 82S and 84s, she
re�ived' reading, spelling,
arithmetic, etc.
Mother Beasley also has in
her possession an 1898 calender
with March�th (her birthday)
circled, be . g her name, ad-
dress, birth e, and time writ-
ten by her ther as proof of
her birth,
By
Vera
Whne
She worke a 'domestic MOTHER HARRIET
worker for oi years. here in BEAS LEY
m:tree Rivers For eigl]t years
she was the pianist for: the
Bethel Baptist Senior Choir and
su pervisor of the Junior Mis­
sionary Group for two years.
She is now a member of the
Christian Fellowship Church,
where she is still very active.
She attended Glen Oaks
Community College in
Centreville, Michigan, where
�e received four certificates of
awards for completing the'
Are Michigan
grads work ready?
tontinued from Page 1 .
and the ability to follow direc­
tions. Team-work skills .includ­
ing working well in a team, com­
municating well to others and
knowing when to lead or follow.
Presently the task force is
working toward double check­
ing its conclusions against the
opinions of those in education
an business.
A 100-statement survey has
been sent out to 650 Michigan
high school principals and 8,500
Michigan businesses on the
employability skills issue.
Although the results of the
survey will not be fmalized until
June of this year, those involved
feel businesses and educators
surveyed will agree with the
profile developed by the task
force.
"We think employers will
agree that these are the skills
that kids need to have," Richard
I Jackson, a member of the
Governor's Cabinet Council on
Human Inv stment, said.
In addition to the 26 criteria
profiled by the tas force, the
survey also presented
employers a number of attrac­
tive employee traits ranging
from the ability to use a
keyboard and computer to
being drug free.
April -29, 1989 MICHIGAN CmZEN
11
director of the ational Black
Republican Council, resignee
his position as chairman of the
Summit's rules committee and
quit the Summit in a dispute
over the participation (offical
status) of Black Muslim .
Nationalist Stokley Carmichael
In a March 24 letter to the
Rev. Jesse Jackson, Brown, who
objected to their "violent and/or
anti-Semitic views," said in part:
"I must regretfully.,.report to
you that neither I nor any other
Republican whom I have
. recommended for involvement,
can participate in the Summit
any further."
Dr.' Toot, however, told
NNi> A that the Summit "must
have a loud Republican vocal
presence. It must have input
from all Blac Americans. We
must think goals, think our
people ... no politics. There are
critical problems facing Black
Americans and we must address
them."
I - I.
Lawm ker wants Housi 9
I . ,
elevated to Cabinet level
African
su
Reminiscence Writing I. Many
of the articles tIlat she wrote
were featured in the Sturgis
Journal Newspaper.
Noone would believe that
Mother Beasley is 91 years
young, for she IS very active. She
has also taken water coloring
classes at the City's Community
Center, and has numerous pic­
tures that she has colored.
She was one of the original
members of Michigan's First
( Grandmothers Club when it was
organized .
She lives alone, and does her
own grocery shopping, and
some of the members from her
cbur prepare her food and do - LAN SIN G - S tat e
her housecleaning. . Representative Charlie J. Har-
She is a fervant Christian, rison, Jr. (D-Pontiac) has intro­
rated to be equally important to and exemplified such by her duced a package of bi that
many employers, th con- daily life and has a host of faith- would create a new cabinet level
cern of many employers has ful friends. Department of Housing in the
come substance abuse. Her philosophy of life is, "I st government.
"Any job in the auto in try' have tried to live my life as a "The new department would
requires drug testing," said Christian, as an example to develop, administer and coor-
. Part of the success fthetask others, because I have faith in dinate Michigan's housing
force arises from th diversity of God and I try to live by the Holy programs and policies," Rep.
its members and their common Bible". Harrison said, "and provide
concern over the quality of She loves flowers and birds strong leadership in housing
Michigan's educational system as a hobby and has numerous preservation and development,"
and the employability of its houseplants, birds, and bird pic- According to Harrison, the
graduates. tures in her home. Her advice to Michigan State Housing
Dr. Rene Lerche, an educa- the Black community is; "We Development Authority
tiona I consultant for Ford should try to stick together in (MSHDA) would become an
Motor Co., said that the mem- friendship, because we're autonomous agency in the new
bers of the task force work well brothers and sistes of God Housing Department. Another
together as a team with each' Organization agency, the lO-member
other and with th be f ing Policy Commission,
emem rso otrenants to
the departments of labor, com- conduct a statewide ClSSJesSIibeltJJ
d d . that ] of housing availability and ho
merce an e ucanon t m- convene
valved in this issue. ing needs and. develop a stat�
"The key is the nonadver- An all-day conference called housing plan.
sarial nature. W 're in this "Keeping Hope Alive: The First The Housing Department,
together and we'll 0 find the Annual Citywide Tenants Con- which would be the 20th state
solution together," che said ference" will take place on Satur- department and the last per-
Although the tas force will day, April 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.rn. milled under the Michigan con­
not know the resul from its at Wayne County Community stitution, would also:
test survey until une, Stem- College downtown campus, 801 - include a Standard and
mer said that the r ponse from W. Fort Street Enforcement Division to ad-
those surveye as varied ac- The Detroit Organization of dress safety and health cod
cording to what type of business Tenants (DOT) is a gr p of concerns;
is involved renters and other interested in- - coordinate housin ef-
"Employability skills go from dividuals from across the city.. forts currently found in other
blue collar jobs to white collar It was the DOT who success- state departments such as home
jobs: he said fully placed on the ballot and saw repair and weatherization
Stemmer seems confident in voter approval for a Fair Rent programs, building rehabilita­
EMPLOYERS DEMA D Michigan's educational system Ordinance in the city of Detroit, tion, programs for the homeless
ORE \ and feels that most graduates November of 1988. and subsidized housing;
Stemmer said that now more possess some of the task forces Organizers say they hope the - administer all federal and
than ever before employers are 26 skills. . conference is a stepping stone to state housing appropriations;
demanding more out of their '1 would say the schools do a greater politic.al power for d,
employees in all of the three pretty good job. I think the issue renters and others interested in an - award housing project
Ith ugh d . improving housing. local bli d
areas. A 0 aca emic, per- is that the schools do a good job For more information, ca 1 grants to pu c an non-
sonal and tc:4nt 01 skiDs' arC! . :� he ., - /. DOT 963-3310 or 963-3299. profit groups andorganiza . os.
By Chester A. iggins, Sr.
NNPA News S rvice
WASHIN TON, D.C.
The African rican Summit
'89 received me good news
recently, for a change. On the
heels of the attering it took
when Republi Fred Brown
announced he d fellow Btack
Republicans w . re pulling their
support from e Summit set to
meet in New 0 os, April 21-
2�, anothe prominent
Republican G oria Toot told
NNP A, "I shall ot be m ved."
. Dr. Toot w 0 held posts in
the administr tions of Presi­
dents Ford, N' n and Reagan,
told NNP A: is ( conference)
is bigger than t petty differen­
ces between us.
Also announ . g support for
the Summit w NNP A Presi­
dent Patricia Flynn Thomas,
Publisher of t e Milwaukee
(WI) Communi Journal.
Brown, wh is executive
�merican
conve
es
"There must be clear focal
point of accountability for our
state's housing policy," Rep.
Harrison said. "I had thought
that we could accomplish this
through a new policy commi -
sion, but I'm now convinced that
our housing problems are (00
great and our p t approach has
been so fragmented, that we
need a pe anent structural
change."
In additi 0 to legislation
creating the stale department of
housing, Harrison also plans to
reintroduce four housing-re­
lated bills from last session.
These bills would:
- prohibit housing dis­
crimination based on sources of
legal income;
- requir a greater propor­
tion of federal community
development funds to be
irected to MSHDA for hous­
programs;
provide for a sliding in­
come scale of property lax
�redits on the state income tax;
and, ,
- improve public no ifica­
tion requirements for property
sales.
"The availability of ad quate
and affordable housing affects
the health and safety of all
Michigan residents, as well as
our continuing economic
. development," said Harrison.
"These vital eoncems de erve
the full attention of a new state
department, and I am pleased to
offer the people of Michigan the .
kind of agency they need and
deserve to tackle the many
problems dealing with housing
and urban and rural develop­
ment"