u u
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4· ,
Continues from
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•
ACORN'S lawsuit a k for
S50,OOO for " ctual punitive and
constitutional damages." ,
In addition, the group seeks a
judgement declaring the city's
"}a , policies, practices, customs
nd age concerning the use of
foIi<:e Mini Stations for group meet-
n I to be uncon ti tutionat."
- CORN also asks that the city be
;"_ •• !ljoined f�� interferring with the
• ups acttvlties .
.
s.� ! .
: !THOMAS
. '.
, • • CODdDued from page 1 d' d
: '. isa ..
,! itiantage , discriminated against. tt
: ide t Bush nominated Thomas,
a:, eral appeals judge, to replace
� � lbe retiring Marshall. Marshall has
� : "been the only Black to serve on the
; : lugh court and is known for his
i:. trong upport for civil rights and his
� : �iberal views.
� ;: Another member of the lS-mem
• : ber caucus, Sen. Jackie Vaughn, said
· • I a
IBi vieWpoint to sure t
.. n voi4 e Black communi ty
: � 15 beard on the high court.
� : • "We can do no less than voice our
:': ,Opinion to make sure we are in ac
: : -fMd for equal and fair justice for all
.:.of our' citizens. We need someone
: �. ho can address the peculiar, par
:�1(cular needs in our community, that
• s s Afro-Americans," the Detroi t
: � -])emocrat said.
. -::. Vaughn and Clack pointed out
::·that even with such an appointee,
• :�rvatives still would control the
':�jugh court, but the minority view
:: .. point would be preserved.
...• Earlier this week, People for the
·�··American Way, a liberal activist
:::lroup, charged that Thomas was
'" «relict in his duty to enforce civil
:-"ligbts laws when be was an assistant
' ... education secretary during the
�: �gan administration.
r .... Thomas also has been criticized
� : by civil rights groups and members
: of Congress for allegedly allowing
:. discrimination complaints to go
· ": without aggressive pursuit when he
: • was chairman of the Equal Employ
:: �ftt Opportunity Commission.
I The Urban League announced
: this week that it would neither eo
I dorse nor oppose Thomas.
�.. .. The National Association for the
: i\dvancement of Colored People an
�: flOunced Wednesday it opposes the
: nomination. ,
.:.. The Senate Judiciary Committee
:. • scheduled confirmation hearings
:= or Thomas to begin Sept. 10.
..
. ;
for
NC call
_.BY GREG MYRE
': ASSOCIA TED PRESS WRITER
:-.
�. JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
:-lAP)- The African National Con
:...: and its allie called Monda y for
;: boycott of white-owned b�inesses
: � protest the government s secret
:--funding of a rival Blac� group.
:-'President F.W. de IOer meanwhile
�:met with his security cbiefs to'
�;�repare hi first detailed respo�e
:.Iince the July 19 di clo ures that his
� • government gave money to the In
: ttatha Freedom Party.
l : De IOerk is not expected ·to dis
· � Cabinet members or meet other
: :�position demands. '
· i . If de Klerk fails to· sati fy the
: . opposition, he i likely to add to the
: � tmosphere of confrontation nd fur
t :tber jeopardize hope for Black
• bite peace tal
fter th Si th Cir uit
o U.S. Di trict Court
len' deci io regardin . chi p
Citizen ought to di over wh t thi ituation
citize of ichig n, in e fill di proportio t num r
of prison cell .
Will we be rail ded into even more pri on confin -
men ? Will t re be further re trictio on p n r VI,
mail, property, rehabilitation, and rele e from confine
ment? In frustration, will Jud En len ndon Michigan
pri oners and their familie to me n- pirited Engler
dominat d Departm nt of Corrections?
After more than two and half hours of interview over
two wee period. eeking to profile th ixty-ye r old
Kalamazoo native who h en on th Federal bench ince
1979, I w unable to file my tory: jud e m e poor
interview ubjects; even Enslen admits to this f ct..
Judge Enslen i a person without voice, person unable
to offer his opinion. While it's extremely frustrating for him
to keep his peace in a society bubbling with th free expres
sion of ideas and opinions, neverth Ie s, he considers it worth
the sacrifice because \ h ' able to act on his un pressed
opinions and make real difference in malteIS. that deeply
affect the American way of life.
WHET ER WE refer to Brown versus Board of Educa
tion or perhaps the legalizing of bortions, it has been the
Supreme Court that has, more than the President or the
Congress, been responsible for protecting the rights of all
citizens, according to Enslen's view of the world. It has been
this view which compelled Enslen to help Michigan do the
LY, Sixth Circuit more
faith in Michi an than Enslen. who know first
hand of DO ' efforts to ubvert it binding
contr ctual obligations.
Before anyone, Blac or white, doub
Enslen's re olve to " tack up gains which are
in rea ed in human dignity of Michigan'
prisoners, not "pink bow tied onto inescapable
chains," h or she must read Sinclair I..ewi '
novel, Kin -Blood Royal.
Having read it a teenager, Kings-Blood
Royal ensitized Enslen to the non-country
club factions of humanity; for better or orse
thrusting him into that no-man's land which
Dick Gregory once poke of a place where
"BI ckne is no longer kin color; it is an
attitude."
Like the protagonist in Kings-Blood Royal, Enslen could
easily ay,"I think God turned me Black to save my soul."
tive communi tie that r
high on the n d for
pri on economy yct low
on regard for Blac
people.' Many of th e
people, prior to meeting
BI c at the pri n, had
never really looked at
Blacks before; they bad
only been impatiently
aware of'th m at a mall
or gas station, perhaps.
Will they ee us now?
Before getting too
much further into our picture of What's in tore for Black
pri oners let's allow reality' to come in. The DOC, along with
the state of Michigan, entered into a consent decree to im-
Delivery man says Nortnwest
. .
Airlines h rbors racial insensitivity
BAGAN, Minn., (AP) _ A Black
deliveryman says a eries of racial
jokes and derogatory comments be
received at a Nortbwe t Airlines
fnsco Uivlty at the airHne.
orthwest says employees involved
have been disciplined. But the
deliveryman's lawyer calls the
'airline's response "woefully inade
quate."
The lawyer, Stephen Cooper,
former Minnesota human rights
commissioner, said he's convinced
the incident was created by a climate
of insensitivity .
"At this point what I (want) is to
sit down with Northwest and have a
frank discussion with them about a
number of things," Cooper said.
"Number one is that they take action
to assure that this type of thing not
happen again. "
Cooper said his client is con
sidering filing a lawsuit.
The incident occurred' July 3,
when Federal Express delivery man
Craig Srrti th, 35, of Eagan made his
usual stop at the Northwest Airlines
loading dock at Minneapolis-St.
Paul International Airport.
As Smith turned to place pack
ages on the delivery dock, he saw
standing' about 4 feet above him a
whiteinan wearing a white hood and
leaning on a waist-high wooden
cross. A half-dozen other dock
Clean-up money
available for cities
State Representative Charlie J.
Harrison, Jr. (D-Pontiac) today urged >
local governmental units to apply for
funds from a tate clean-up project
to reclaim environmentally damaged .
sites for economic development.
"TheSe funds are available over a ,
three year period for local
governmental units tbat will clean up .
. contaminated site and reclaim the
property for future economic
growth," said Rep. Harrison. "There
are several parcels of land in our area
that could be reclaimed for profi table
use."
Over the next three 'years, S45
million will be available through the
Environmental Protection Bond
Fund to identify, , evaluate and
clean up contaminated sites.
"As people move out of the cities
and into suburbs, ind\Stry tends (0
follow, shifting away from our urban
Centers," Rep. Harrison said.
"Left behind are many abandoned
industrial ites in cities that may be
contaminated.
More information on thi
grant/loan program is available from
the DNR' office of Site Reclama
tion at P.O. Box 30028, Lansing, MI
48909, or telephone (517) 373-8278.
workers. all white, watched. my freight like he does every mom-
Smith said it was the latest in a ing. The mes age was loud and
eries of racial jokes, derogatory clear."
comments and at least one baressing Mark Abels, vice pre ident of
tMM: .... c:.tl ha ....... M'AI ..... 'i·l� ... 1I1d m' r
p t year from workers t the airport Northwe t, aid th Eagan-b ed air-
site. line has dealt with the incident in a
"I'd tum the other cheek and not "direct and appropriate" fashion.
get all upset about it because I was "We have investigated it, and we.
taughtto ignore the ignorant, " Smith feel that the actions that were taken
s�d. �
"But this last time I had to say
something. I can put up with quite a
bit, but when they intentionally try to
embarrass me and humiliate
minorities and Blacks specifically. I
didn't appreciate it. Even if they did
think it was ajoke, Idon'tput up with
that!'
Smi th said his reaction was anger.
"What I said without looking at him
was, 'That's not even funny',"
Smith said. "And when I turned
around to get some more packages,
he took it off and the cross was
(placed out of sight). He never said
anything to me. He just signed for
by those employees were appalling
and tasteless and very embarrassing
to the company, " Abels said. "They
certai�y do not represent the people
of N w t Airlin . We will not
tolerate at kind of prejudice, that
kind of behavior, and the two
employees in question were
suspended without pay for four
days."
Abel said the pair fo
sible for the dock inci, t are
at work, but now have different
signments. He aid they are
monitored by their supervisors aDd
that' 'further uch instances wiJJ
be tolerated." ,
The two are required to attend
cultural-sensitivi ty training and
write letters of apotogy to Smith. _
To donate Objects to the museum
or to share information collectio
that may be available in future, the
public may write to Claudine Brown •
Office of the As i tant Secretary fO'r
Museum , Smithsonian Instituuon,
Washlngton. D.C., 20S!)0 or call
(202) 786-2389.
Money to tart
Breakfa t Program .
CHICAOO - The U.S. D'epan
ment of Agriculture bas awarded
nearly $142, in federal grants 19
twenty-two' Michigan chool dil
tricts to help tart school breakfast
programs. Bay City PubliC, Wo
verine, Flint, Beaverton, Rural,
Lansing, Hale Area, Kalamazoo,
Wyoming Public, Engadine Co�
solidated, Ishpeming. Holton, Oak
Park, Reed City Public, Holla�d
Public, Saginaw Public, Buena
Vista, Sturgis, Paw Pa,., Public,
Wayrw:. County Regional Ed., Econe
Public, Woodhaven and Northville
are the chool districts receivin,
federal morw:.y. Federal grants totall ..
ing SS million were awarded t
school districts in thirty tates.
Rev. Jim Holly (left), bead of the Detroit Chapter Operation PUSH dlscusse events wltb rUSH Trade Bureau
Vice President Mel Farr (center) during the recent PUSH National Convention In Indianapolis. The Direc
of the National Association of Black Automlble Dealers I at Ii bt. (Staff pboto).
Search for African American museum collection
The Smithsonian has launched a
project to identify and locate collec
tions for the proposed new National
, African American Museum. To
prepare for such a museum, staff
members have begun the search for
appropriate items and collections.
Collections of special interest to
the museum are:
-Image of African Americans
in print and non-print media (includ
ing photograph , film and video,
movie po ters, costumes, scripts,
sets and correspondence;
-Archival material and Objects
documenting African American his
tory, invention and creative en
deavors in the 20th century,
specifically objects from the civil
rights movement and items relating
to Blacks in the labor force (such as
work clothes, tool, machinery,
po ters, banners, buttons, sign,
document, corre pondence,
photographs, pamphlets and
newsletters);
-Art and material cui ture
documenting the experience of
Africans in the di pora (folk, ritual
and fine art from the Caribbean and
South America and contemporary
African art including paintings,
culpture and textiles); and
- Collections of African
American art, peciall y works that
might be 10 t to museum because of
the co t i v rved.
Jullu Hamilton Jackson, Is the
new Dean oftbe Scbool of Arts and
Sclenees at Clark Atlanta'
University. Dr. Jackson, who wUl
bead tbe larae t ebool t the
unlvei"llty, w istant Pro" r
In the Department of
Microbiology and Public: Healtb at
Mlcb an State UDlverslty. Prior
to th t appointment, Dr. J ckson
was Cb Irm n of the Department
of MleroblololY at Meb rry
Meclleal CoUeae. N vUIe, Tenn.
Ken Robinson of Manufacture�
Bank call the name of the Hall y
Open Middle School tudent at a
rally to kick otT the Detroit Compact
partner hip between Hally and
Manufacturers Bank.