u.s. District Judge
, Robert F. CoUin
•
State cuts aid to
college students
LANSING - About 2.600
welfare clients now enrolled in
college will lose their General
Assistance payments starting
July 1 because of budget cuts,
Department of Social Services
Director (Jerald Miller an
nounced last week.
Those students might con
tinue to qualify for food
stamps and medical coverage
depending on their cir
cumstances, Miller said.
Students enrolled less than
half time and those in an
education or training certifi
cate program will continue to
be eligible for welfare, Miller,
said.
He said many of those cut
off qualify for student loans or
grants for which they have
neglected to apply, he said.
South Africa
blocks ANC cash
The South African govern
ment won't let the African Na
tional Congress receive $3
million raised by Americans to
fight apartheid. The money
has been in a Boston bank
since the freedom tour of Nel
son Mandela one year ago.
South Africa is blocking
the transfer of the money to the
African National Congress by
refusing to approve a trust.
fund to accept it.
, "This thing is political. We
believe the South African
government is trying to stall
fOf time and impede the abili ty
of the ANC to mobilize," said
William Luey, member of
the national welcoming com
: mmee for the'Mandela tour.
The South African amb -
sador denied the charge.
The $1 1 million raised in
. Detroit continues to it in an
I Intere t bearing account in
Detroit becau e Mayor
Coleman Young �as nO,t
authorized its transfer, saying
he wants to be ure the funds
are used for humanitarian, not
political purposes.
t Lovell d Portage
Northside To Get Faeelift?
By DANNY. R. COOKS
-Corre pondent
Ground=breaking ceremonies for
the northside's Woodward Village on
Tuesday, June 25th at 3:00 p.m.
brought out representatives of
Kalamazoo's government, ad
ministration, and its busine sector
in a concerted effort to marshal sup
port for the northside's redevelop
ment
Located on the corner of Wood
ward Avenue and Paterson Street,
Woodward Village is a S540,OOO
j o int venture of Kalamazoo
Northside Non-profi t Housing Cor
poration (KNNHC) and Hal Built
Development Corporation of Ann
Arbor, Michigan,
The project calls for the construc
tion of ix single family homes. Ad
ditional partner Involved in
Woodward village include First of
America Bank-Michigan; provider
of mortgage financing; Locallnitia
tives Support Corporation (Usq; a
non-profit financing intermediary;
the; Irving S. Gilmore Foudation; �nd
the City of Kalamazoo.
"A MOMENTOUS occasion,"
KNNHC President Robert Saleem
said of the groundbreaking to a group
of approximately forty pectators
"It began with JUSt an idea for re
building our community. We're ex
tremely proud of this phase of our
re-development plans for the
northside," he said, touting the
benefits to the neighborhood as well
as the homeowners.
Woodward village represents "the
beginning of a vision. beginning of a '
whole new era," said Lance Ferraro.
a Kalamazoo City Commissioner.
"It's what Kalamazoo is all about,
" Kalamazoo's Public Safety Chief
Ed Edwardson said, noting Wood
ard Village offers not only hope but
City, County and Nelgbbor ood official gather ror grond
breaking ceremony ror Woodward Village. (photo by D. Cooks)
solutions for the northside. He spoke
for City nager Jame N. Hol
gersson, wh had prior commit
ments.
"A pacesetter fro other com
I munities," said Victor Green, speak
ing on behalf of Congressman
Howard WOlpe.
Representatives of the Com
munity Development Department,
USC; Nl'5t of America nk n e
builders also took turns offering
words of encouragement for
projected improvements in the
northside's housing base.
LATER, SOME north side resi
dents questioned the logic behind
putting $60,000 homes "in the
shadow of a public housing project"
(patwood Apartments. A ighbor-
hood worker suggeste that the
development "is anothe effort to
confine blacks to -the northside."
Others believed the expensive
homes could be a bad investment.
"How many $60,000 homes are over
here now?" the neighborhood
worker asked before commenting
that very few were.
Nat McCaslin, retired Professor
, of �'s School of Social Work
suggested that a myth about public
housing was the source of most con
cerns about Woodward Village. "I
believe the development will have a
positive influence on the area," Me
Caslin aid.
Impacting the quality of housing
on the norhtside has always been
KNNHC's goal since its inception in
1981, according to Reverend
Guyron Philbert, executive director.
, While KNNHC's initial phase called
for the purchase and rehabilitation of
dilapidated houses. another aspect of
KNNHC's effort has been to fix up
single and multi-unit homes of low
income families.
Philbert said at least 76 units have
been rehabilitated.
KNNKC bas plans to build 100
home wi thin the next five to ten.
years, according to Philbert.
Pontiac group gets food donation
State Representative Charlie J.
Harrison (D-Pontiac) id the recent
donation of food and money to Pon
tiac Area Lighthouse by Philip Mor
ris USA and its ubsidiary Kraft
General Food will help upply
much needed immediate and long
term a istance to thousand of
needy Pontiac familie and in
dividua .
"Several tho and pounds of food
were delivered to the Ugh tho ,"
id Rep. Harrison. "Thi will be a
great boon to the geney' food b nit,
hlch every day help about SO
familie whose household budget'
are tretched to the breading poin
In ddition, the company has given
Noreen Keating, director of Ligh
thouse, a $2,500 check, which will
help support the work of the many
volunteers in Pontiac.
"I w very glad to help bring the
Lighthouse and the Philip Morris or
ganization together. Since the cur
rent tate and federal dmini trations
are reluctant to protect our rno t vul
nerable familie • this generous effort
is mo t welcome.
"It will help ward off the worst
effec of the bort ight�, mean
pirited social cutbac proposed by
the Engler administration, which are
ca . log havoc in the liv of families
ge
gat
State Representative Charlie J.
Harri on (D-Pontiac) id today that
the Help Against Violent Encounters
Now (HAYEN) in Pontiac has been
awarded a $45,000 grant from the
Michigan State Housing Develop
ment Authority' Homele pro
gram.
IN DETROIT, the story was "Many of the women and children
we ee living on the stree are ac
similar. Few people lined Woodward tually dome tic refugees," Rep. Har-
Avenue for the June 29 celebration ri on aid, "fleeJng from violent
of the "victory" in the Gulf War. In abuse and dangero home situs
fact, a counter demonstration was lions. Just the name implies,
held as Detroit ministers criticized HAVEN offers these families a fe
the celebration of war. place to regroup and to equtre the :
Opponents to the parade com- kill nd resource they need �
pared the celebration to N zi regain control of their lives."
Germany' propaganda parade , The MSHDA grants are intended .
used to whip up support for future to support the shelter's operating ex
military interventions and a reaction- penses, to improve ervtces, provide 0
aIY domestic agenda. activities to prevent homeless ness .
Rev. lim Holley, P tor of tittle and rehabilitate facilities used by 0
R k B . t Ch h a Cotlilion homele 'ptople.·' 0 :
of �astor 'ojie ly oppose t "lndiYidua ,families·8ft 'entire
.. parade. The Pastors urged the public communities are experiencing the.
to spend time reflecting on the evils full impact of the growing indif- :
ference displayed by too many state 0
of war and the benefits of peace for and federal officials and agencies,"
a society plagued with homeless- Rep. Harrison said. "I applaud the 0
ness, illiteracy, poor health care and continued dedication of MSHDA
unemployment and of organizatfons like °HA VEN as
Wayne State University Professor they attempt to smooth the path for
Gloria House urged the public to our community."
in uniform el1n�RUll
decided indifference, not the
we ther," prevented Bl c from
turning out to upport their men and
women in uniform.
The Kalamazoo Bombardi &
Drum Corp, a group of youngsters
6-18 years old w one group of
supporters willing to wal mile in
tribute to the military.
Org nized by former City of
Kal mazoo Commi loner Arthur
W. hington ome 30 y ago, the
Bombardiers are a frequent attrac
tion during spring and ummer
events. "Every spring the kids call
me wanting to join up; they love it.
It keeps them busy," Washington
said.
of opposition have
h d tim cin
. American&bould
limited resources
into creating p perity here, rather .
than celebratin the d truction of
bundreds of thousands of people of
color broad.
BRING DOWN
THE BARRIERS
\ U of M study urges
school/home links
ANN ARBOR-Requiring
teachers to prove that they can effec
tively educate minority and disad
vantaged cbildren in order to main
tain teaching certification, and hiring
school-based ocial workers to help
poor families deal with government
and ocial service bureaucracie are
just two ways schools can help poor
children learn, according to Univer
sity of Michigan education re
searchers.
, Their recommendations are
presented in the latest issue of "Equi
ty Coalition," a biannual publication
for educators in the Great Lakes
region, published by the U-M
Programs for Educational Oppor-'
tunity (PEO).
"School age children may not im
mediately be able to e cape their
family's poverty but there' no que -
lion they can still find chool a warm
and rich place in which to grow and
learn," Percy Bate , professor of
education and director of PEO,
write .
According to the 1990 census, 20
percent of school age children in the
United States live in poverty; the rate
is as high 35 percent for Hispanic
children 43 percent for African
American children.
all over the Pontiac area served by
the Lighthouse."
REP. HARRISON, chair of the SEVERAL SCHOOL di trict in
House Appropriations subcommit- the IndianapoJi area require
tee on agriculture, recently proposed teachers to complete regul r training
increased funding of $1 million for in cultural sensitivity to ensure that
the Food Bank Council of MiChigan
. 99 2 b ha they can effectively teach poor and
an the 1 1- state udgett tp d minority children, PEO Field
the House last week.
The Food Bank Council of' Specialist Elizabeth Mimms notes.
Michigan, which helps more than Other chool districts, she ys,
1,000 social agencies In the state pro- monitor minority tudents' te t
vide MiChigan-grown agricultural scores and compare them with those
produc to low income mill, of non-minority students to make
currently �� u $100,000. sure tbat the me percentage 0 both
gro are scoring well.
'Poverty has a particularly devas
tating effect on the education of girls'
and women, PEO Associate Director
Eleanor Linn notes, because working \
mothers who need to complete their 0
education can not afford child care,
and their young daughters often 0
carry heavy household respon- o.
ibilities.
"Poor girls often miss school to :
care for younger (bUngs, and sick I
relatives," Linn explains. "They:
may be needed to provide household' :
labor at night, and then they are too .
tired during the chool day to pay :
clo e attention to their work."
To break this cycle, Unn says, :
educators must encourage non-tradi- :
tional gender roles and career oppor- ·
tUN tie for all tudents, but par- :
ticularly those that will lead women I
to better-paying fields such mat�:
cience and technology.
MOST IMPORTANT, HOW
EVE� is building trust and com- .
munication between poor children,
their familie and the chools that
serve them, the authors note. Some
ucces ful programs cited by the
authors provide employment coun
seling for parents in the schools and
have reorganized the chool calendar .
to meet the needs of poor working
mothers. .
Mimms cites education reformer I
Ronald Edmonds in describing the'
importance of politicizing poor
parents to help the choo better
erve their children: "'If you
genuinely eek the means to educa
tional equity for all people, you m t
encourage parent ' attention to
politics as the greatest instrument of
instructional reform extant: Ed
monds' aid."
For copy of this i ue or a suI).
o cription to Equity Coalition, call the
U-M School of Education at (313)
763-9910. '
r
}