u
r
YP I A TI· One of Dr. M rtin
Luther King Jr.' most important
me es, u u lly left out of
wh t' ritten nd id bout
him, w hi upport f r
dr m tic re tructurin of the
U.S. economic y tern, ccording
to economi t Juli nne M Iveaux
who po e J n. 21 t Ea tern
Michigan Uni ersity.
Delivering the keynote ad
dr at EMU' annual
Pre ident 0 Luncheon honoring
King, M Iveaux told orne 600
gue t that King' economic
philo ophie h ve been ignored
in an effort to make hi work
more palatable to American
c pit Ii t Audience .
"As we look at King, there 's a
tendency to deify him, to clean
him up if you will, to place him
somewhere to th right of Mal
colm X, without looking at the
content of his me sage," she said.
. "Don't forget that Dr. King
tarted out as a Black middl�
class man who was speaking
. about fine tuning, but by the time
he died, he was peaking about
structural changes, about key
changes in economic structures. It
A grad ua te of the Mas-
achusett Institute of Technol
ogy and current a ociate
profe sor of economics at the
univers{S't of California at
Berkele, Iveaux said King
questioned t e U.S. economic
system ever . he spoke.
•
I
mi
n
gu ranteed nnual income 0" h
id.
Hi hly criti I <> U.S. poli y
in th Per i n Gulf, M lv u
predicted th t Kin ° too, ould
have oppo ed U.S. involvement
ther . "I he wer here tod y, h
might w 11 rai e que tion about
the milit ry involvement in the
Per i n Gulf, where- of the
460,0 0 tr op ,160,000 re
Afric n Am ri an women," he
aid. "If Dr. King were her, h
.would 10 k at the ituauon, I'm
ure, and ra i 'C que tion about
the failur of th American
economy to provide employment
opportuni tie -not education
al- ut mployment· oppor
tunitie to African American men
and women."
•
I
whose wealth grew in the 1980
were people who already had in
come in excess of $100,000, so
why are so many of us supporting
economic pollcies that take from
the needy and give to the greedy?
Because we 're greedy, too!" she
said.
Most Americans, Black and'
white, believe they'll "hit the
number" and become weal thy
someday, Malveaux said, so they
support tax policies benefiting
the rich. "Eighty percent of (a
proposed �a'pi!al ga_in� !a._!: red -
tion) benefit (would have gone)
to people who make S20 ,000 or
more and 70 per.hn 'or al�
Americans were fot it," she said.
"Now that strikes me as incredib-
SHE ADDED THAT while ly perverse until you start talking
disproportionate numbers of to people and they say, 'Yeah, .
"African American men and when I get my S�OO,OOO, I don't
women ... are putting their Ii e - want them taking all my money.'
on the line for oil," a recent That'sanAmericannotionweall
public opinion. poll showed that have--that 'we're going to get a
"75 percent of our whites ... aid windfall and we don't wan' the
(Blacks) like welfare, we're tax man to come and get it.
more likely to be violent, more "Face it folks, were not going
likely to be lazy, and we prefer to get a windfall," she continued.
welfare." "We had a windfall, but it wasn't
Thp e aui tude ,she said, exi t ours. The savings and loan got
because most Americans' don't the windfall, a lot of other folks
want to con ider that U.S. got the wi nd.fa11 , the electronic
economic poticy may contribute computer people got the
to poverty and unemployment. windfall, we didn't get the
"It 's easier to talk about Black wi ndfall. And ye t we are a 11
community flaws than it is to talk afraid we might get one so we
about tructural economic flaws don't want to question the way
because whe n yo u tal k. about this system breaks down."
.
Educator speaks on
. '. ...
Black health care
by LEAH A. SAMUEL
Correspondent
DI;TROIT -"This Cri is of
Heal th Care in the African
American Commmunity: Will
We Survive?" was the title of a
lecture by guest speaker Melva
Blackshe-are, R.N., a health
educator and nsultant with a
Master of Scien in health er
vice admini tra ion. The
February 3 public forum was
presented by the Midwest Labor
Institute for Social Studies.
Citing statistics indicating
higher rates of medical problems,
lack of health insurance, and
poverty . among African
Americans over the ten-year
Reagan-Bush era, Blacksheare
emphasized a need for health
care professionals, federal and
local governments, educational
institutions and Camilie to con
front heal th i ue.
"It i aid that if the health of
a nation i mea ured by the health
of its people. If we, were to
measure the health of the U.S. by
the health of African-Americans,
then our nation i very ick, II he
commented. Co-author of The
Black Family: Impact of
Economic and Heal th Care,
Blacksheare linked the lack of
sufficient income among Black
families to the lack of adequate
health care, blaming Reagan-era
cuts in federal health care
programs [or part of the crisis.
"The Medicaid cuts di propor
tionately affect Black children
and families. Reagan'
(economic) package influence
reduction of federal pending in
area critical in improving the
live' of poor Bla k , e 'pe ially
women- amily planning and
teen, pregnancy prevention,
prenatal care for poor women, the
Women, Infant and Children
(WIC) program, ub idized hou -
i ng , nutrition program and
public alth ervices. Federal
appropriati n decrea ed from
$.140 billion in 1981 to $150 mil
lion in 19 O. Undoubtedly, 10 -
e in tho e entitlement
impact d har hly on truly di ad
vantaged lack .,. in large
citie ."
Black heare con luded that
impr ved he Ith are relates
dire tly to d cr' .l:d p vcrtyand
increa ed h a�th cdu ation,
Unit d St te i an irre pon ible
world citizen."
In calling for "r di tribu-
tion" of the nation' we lth, M 1-
veaux noted th t he and others
will be labeled "radical or com
muni t or ociali t ." which i
why many people don't di cu
King' economic philosophie .
"The whole i ue of anitizing
King mean we can oome
together and talk abo t education
without asking the next que tion:
'What about economic develop
ment?'" she said.
Malveaux admitted that most
Americans support current
economic policies, but said he
believes that support is based on
many false premise.
"THE
ONLY
PEOPLE
..... Improved
health care
relates directly
to decreased
poverty and
Increased
health
education II
"which mu t be repriorttized,"
sheadded ..
"It' very important for u an
to become active in our political
proce . We need to push for
continued funding of federal
program, not the cutting of
federal program. Another this i
that we have to look to health
promotion an (illne ) prevention
on a local level. We have to get
involved in health education, and
d i courage unhea I thy 1 i fe tyle .
We'need to get angry. abo all the
alcohol and -igarclte ad ertlslng
that' prevalent in the Black com-
munity. f.
"We have to pu h food cor
to fund nutrition
program or our children. We
have to pu h for a national health
are program. We need ,to en
courage more Blacks to go into
the health profe ion. By doing
the e thing and more, we can
improve the health of our
people."
War threat
by H' TH R L. H R I
Capital New Service
LANSING· A prolonged war in
the Persian Gulf could have a
detrimental effect on Michigan
health care, particulary in rural
area .
Nancy Friedler, a poke per-
on for the Michigan Ho pital
A ociation, aid nothing i
desperate at thi poi t but there i I
a potential for problem .
"Some doctor have been
called up but right now everyone
seems able to cope, she said.
"Most of .the m have been
Delta Sorority
dedlo .,
multl-rnl
dollar
headquarters
u .,,
WASHINGTON. D.C. -- Del ta
Sigma Theta Sorority, a national
public service, organization,
recently dedicated its newly
renovated multi-million dollar
National Headquarter building
on January 13, 1991, during a Na
tional Founders Day Dedication
Weekend in Wa hington.
Delta wa founded January] 3,
1913 at Howard Univer ity lo
cated in z he nation's capital.
Yvonne Kennedy, an Alabama
state legi lator and national
pre ident of the Sorority,
pre ided over the weekend pro
gram commem rating the
Sorority' 78th anniversary.
The dedicati n of the National
Headquarter building, located at
1707 New Harnp hire Avenue in
hi to ri c DuPont Circle, cul
mi nated the weekend Ie tivi tie .
Over 1,000 Delta S ror traveled
from around the country to wit
ne s the re-opening of the
Sorority' Headquarter office.
. Joining Pre ident Kennedy a
participant in the dedication and
ribbon cuuing ceremony were
Gloria B: Bank of New Orlean ,
chai r of De Ita '. national hou ing
and propertie committee; Hor
(en e G. Canady of Lan ing (MI),
immediate pa t pre ident of the
Sorority; Bertha Maxwell-Rod
dey or Charlotte (NC), national
fir t icc pre ident; John S.
Cha e of Hou ton, the architect
that created the newly designed
s tructu r e ; Marcia .Fudge of
Clevela nd, Del ta' national
trea ure r: and Ruth Jone Me
CI ndon of San Antonio, Del ta '
chair 0 heritage and archive
Committee. Al 0 on the program
were Verde lle Bellamy of Atlan
ta, Delta national ecretary; Len
Parker of Wa hingt n, D.C., the
general contractor for the ren va
tion project and Linda Johnson [
Wa hington, a Delta member
\ ho wa the featured oloi l.
• The remodeled Delta office i an
attractive, modern tate·or-the
art workplace qe igned to n
hance the H. adquarter '
operation.
n
h
alth care
r pIa d with part-time fill-ins, that the only doctor in a rural area
however, and if the war drag on isn't called to ervice, "Fox said.
th y may b reluctant to continue Dr. Kevin Ficken chert a i - .
workin full-time." . tanl dean of the Michigan State
Many of the doctor who have Univer ity College of Human
been called up are in critical care, Medicine Kalamazoo campu ,
he aid. The problem could said such a call for physicians,
hav an impact anywhere, but would not be anything nellY.
e p cially in rural areas, because "Sure they can do it, "he aid.
tho e area are alway hort of "They did it during Vietnam."
doctor, he aid. Dr. Su an Herschberg Adel-
"We are trying to determine if man, president of the Mlchigan
there i a hortage," he aid, "but State edical Society, said doc
nothing eems desperate at thi tors in the reserves probably do
point. Mo t of the hole arc not lack anything in the combat
being filled." hospitals that they might have in
There is a federal law "that al- their home practice.
low the military to call up .doc- "The combat hospitals I saw
tor in the event of a' bortage , .i& rc.ot wcr.c..go.rgc.oust .�Ihe
en without g ner 1 draft. aid. .1Qb' ru pr IJ tra' ed
. 'Dave Fox, a poke person for pe ogocJ, th re.I ything you
t\1e Michigan .State Medical couldn't do in one of tho e."
Society, said Congre s must set At present, the Michigan Na-
peeific guidelines and examine tional Guard lists 80 doctor
• special CCl e if there were a need among its ranks. Before calling
for doctor in the Per ian Gulf. up any civilian doctor, the
"There i an exemption for military would first try and locale
spec i ali ts and cc rtai n rules its retired and inactive reservist-
which mu t be followed to insure doctors.
NAACP names new
Washington chie'f
Atty. Wade J. Henderson,
an expert on immigration
policies, 'civil liberties and civil
rights, has been appointed
Director of the NAACP's
Jackson named
to new Howard
University post
Jackson
Rev. Jesse Jackson, recently,
elected "Shadow Senator" for
the District of Columbia, has
been appointed Distinguished
Political Leader In Residence"
at Howard University, officials
announced as Jackson met with
Dr. Ronald Walters, chairman,
Department of Political
cience; Dr. Franklyn Jenifer, .
HU president., and Dr. Joyce
Ladner, vice-p'resident for
academio affair .
As It hadow Senator" J ack
son erves in a non-paying,
symbolic position to promote>
the interests of the citizens of
Washington and I bby for
Statehood for the District of
Columbia.
. Washington Bure u, Benjamin
Hooks, the .organization's na
tional executive director an
nounced ..
Henderson will "enhance
that tradition" left by the I te
Althea Simmons and "her dis
t ingu ish ed p-redecessor,
Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr.
Hooks said.
A gradu te of Howard
_. University and the Rutgers
U ni ver si ty LawS chool,
Hender on was associate
director of the Washington na
tional office of the American
Civil Liberties, Uoio and
served as principal.spo esper
son for the ACLU on civil
rights legislation, fair hou ing'
amendment acts, the Japanese
American Redress Bill and the
Immigration Act of 1990.
. ,
"NOT ONE OF his speeches
failed to grapple with the theme
toe. 0 t de -thl fdr'c1
table, in our e')f�?rts �� s�.ni.t�z.e _ in the· ".4!'r..i.�,!l�".!F9.�9 ... IP..i�,
Ki'h�, tt> tAlk abou \um merely as sy tem, economist says.
a man of peace, a man who dealt
with education," she said.
"Those were parts of his p.er-
.sonality, but an equal part was a
part that said we needed
economic j us lice, tha t people
would continue to be violent if
they did not have money ... King
said all kinds of things can be
solved by money and I have a
tendency to agree with him."
Malveaux noted that in 1968
King spoke of a social pollcy of
"guaranteed family incomes," a
measure that would have cost $20
billion annually then and $90 bil
lion today by Malveaux's es
timates.
"We ore spending 1 billion a
day in the Persian Gul f-we'
could afford to give people
U. of M form
Multicultural
Council
ANN ARBOR -University of
Michgan President James J.
Dude r tad t ha formed the
Council on a Multicultural
University at the U-M to begin
implementing the second phase
of the Michigan Mandate.
"The Mandate ha been in
place for the last three year
and, although'we have much yet
to do, we have made ignificant
gains in minority tudent enroll
ment a.nd minority faculty
hiring,:· Duder tadt said.
The Michigan Mandate, an
nounced in 1987, _is a plan to
make the U-M more racially and
c ulturall y pi uralistic. Enroll
ment at·the U-M reached it
highest level in 16 year in fall
1990 and the U-M hired 52 new
underrepresented minority
faculty member .