In defense of Congressman Savage
B, r�fer�� to �Je i b organiza- ferences between the agenda I
eonaR man G�s Sa�age uon, Jewish money," and and interests of African --.-T-h-e-r-e-i-s-----
h been engulfed an a f�res- the· Jewish Lobby" as the Americans and the inrerc t
torm .of controversy !nce source of mo t of his op- of the, American Jewi h concern that if
th� re� ly Congres man (rom �onenls campaign comribu- Communi ty, do African ·there Is a
Iltinoi �lIegedly made ac- uons. Americans have a right to Black-Jewish
cu ed his opp�nent Mel pursue their intere r, or
Re�nold , w�o )S also �n I WILL �O CEDE thai criticize I rael or organiza- relationship,
. fracan Amenc�n, of rec�lv- u ing sweeping generaliza- tions within the American African
1118 �o t. of his ca,?'palgn tions can b risky and inap- Jewish community without
contnb�tlons fro� .pro-Is- propri tc when referring to being BRANDED anti-Semi- Americans are
r el Je Ish Organizations". any r cia), ethinic or tic? expected to b .
Congo Savage contends religious group. h
lhat he wa targeted for However, the real is uc is 0 E OF Tin: clear sour- t e [unlor
defe t because he consistent- whether or not African ces of the tension in "Blac _ partner blindly
Iy que uioncd why the tiny American leaders, organize- Jewi h relations" is the following the '
nation of Israel receives tions or concerned CI'll'Z n '
re entment among incrca - • rt
orne $3 billion in U.S. or any other group for th t ing number. of African senior pa ner
foreign aid annually while maucr, ha the right to ques- American that a con 'ider- . lead
ub-S haran African nation. tion the actions of Israel or able number or leaders and -------------
ith . d . There is concern th t if
WI an e umate population the conduct of American organizations', ithin the
01' th �OO '11' there i a Blac -Je i h
more an o rm Ion Jewish org nizations nd in- American Jewish cornmunity
people. receive only about dividuals who may lobby on. act as if African Americans relationship. African
$700 million in aid. lsr el's behalf. do not have the right to raise American are expected to
In the heat of the cam- Another question is, qu stion about Israel. be 'the junior partner blindly
paign r Ily Congo Savage where there are apparent d�f- following the senior partners
lead, even if that lead i con-
trary to be t intere t of
African American'.
II is in the nature of the
American ptura listic p liti
cal process that various in
t 'rest groups, be they ethnic,
religiou , economic or .0-
ial, compete to have their
. gc nda and intere t trans
I ted into publ ic policy.
Hence labor targets can
idatc to upport to de eat,
·0 doe' the Moral Majority,
usine potlucat action
ommittee " and a rang of
ther organization and a -
.....
·Rural
inis ers Speak Out
by n Wright Edelman
The member of the Inter- .
denominational Ministerial Al
liance in rural Marlboro
County, outh Carolina, know
what they're about. Through
their tire Ie work in their con
gregation nd through their
D' Iive , these me and
omen understand first-hand
the benefits-- nd difficulties-
of rurallif .
That's why the National
Commission on Children made
a poin of meeting with these
ministers in February when it
ent to Bennettsville, a town of
,714 in th northwest corner of
South Carolina, to learn about
the problems rural children and
families face.
The effects of economic
struggles ere high on the
ministers' list of c ncerns. The
long hour that parents work-.
sometime 12 at one tretch-
leave children alone much of
the time, on minister reported
Yet low wage make it neces
ry for parent to work long
day whenever' possible.
Marlboro County residents
earn average annual salary of
lO,<XXl, less than half the U.S.
average of $20,855.
DESPITE THE EED,
child care for young children
and constructive activities for
older children are scarce in
Bennet and places like it.
"Our children have no support
after I and no hing to do in
the sum ers," one minister told
the Commissioner. We have
DO • mming pool, no movie
house, no wling lIey, noth-
iDg."
Children aren't getting the
gui nd supervision they
ne.� .. clt[ner home or from
the eommunity, one minister
commented. e problem is
far deeper than the hours
parents work: he id, ·We
aren't teaching our children
basic valu s." While r tes of
drug abuse and juvenile delin-
quency in rural areas are still
lower than they arc in big cities,
they re increasing rapidly.
From 1987 to 1989 e number
of drug-related incidents
referred to the Marlboro Coun
ty Commission on Alcohol and
Drug Abuse more th n
doubled, from 46 to lOS. The
percentage of birth to
teenagers in South Carolina is
greater than the national
average, and it i hi er in rural
areas than in c:iti •
Education also concerned
the ministers. Marlboro Coun
ty students, like stude ts in most
rural areas, score below the na
tional average on chievement
tests. And school drop-out
rates are close to those in some
inner-city neighborhoods.
Thirty percent of an students
ho started the ninth grade in
1982 had dropped 0 of school
by 1986.
One minister poin ed to an
important explanation: poor
and minority students generally
get signed to the le t- killed
teachers and the Ie t-demand
ing cl es.
"Why do minority children
end up in the pecial education
cl s, and whi e children in
the upper-level classes? the
minister asked. "How can a
principal find such disparitie in
the same school?"
. THE MINISTERS had
some good ideas for attacking
these problems. Many involved
promoting "more' cohesiveness
·between family, community,
and school," as one minister put
it. A minister noted that he had
to receive training to be a foster
parent and wondered why the
community couldn't organize
orne parent training classes for
all interested parents.
, Another minister described
the growing separation bet ween
young people and the elderly
and suggested a foster
grandparent program.
Another talked about develop
ing a "parents helping parents"
program, which could function
like aD extended family.
The ministers als talked
about the ne d for incre ed
federal and state as istance in
expanding child care and
indergarten opportunitie ,
providing adequate h using,
and building youth pr grams.
"Put some money where it can
get results," one minister ad
vised. Spending $500,000 on
drug prevention program in
Washington, D.C., get almost
no results, he noted, while
spen�thatamountofmoney
in a rural county could do
onders.
But the ministers also under
stand the power of local com
munity and church efforts.
"The people are part owners of
what th churches do; one min
ister explained. 'They can take
pride in what comes out of their
work. We need to plug in th
churches if we are to go for
ward."
Ron
Q nlel
VANTAGE
POINT
ociation .
Various group Iso
"LOBBY" promot their in
tere ,t ., i ncl ud i ng variou
groups within the African
American community.
DF4 PITE TH • politi-
cal realitie ther alway
cern. to be a controversy
whcn anyone, inclu<.Jing
Congo Savage. ugge t that
there i: a "Jewish Lobby".
From my vantag point to
<.J ny that there is a Jewi h
lobby i. ridi ulou on th
facc of i l.
The American Jewi rh '
c�}mmunlty is not
monolithic, hut within the
Ameri 'an Jewi .h community
thcre are organization'
which see to protect the
.ivi l right of American
JC\ s and promote th
rc nc ral i n tc rc t of the
American J wish community
on a range of is ue i nel ud
i ng Isracf.
o that when Congo
Savage made the all galion
that he had been "targeted"
for dc Ic a t by "pro-I rae l,
Jewi .h o r g a ni z at ion " out
'ide of hi '. d istrict, bef r
a .. nyon· ran for cover. r i -
Continu .d (In ')a!' 22
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