VIEWS OPINIONS
p
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•
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ru h
Electing Blac poll lclan
i only the fir t tep
It' taken 1m t a generation for to realize that electing •
Blac politicians i not enough. Once you elect them, you need
to hold them ccountable. Beca e they too often do not
demo trate concern for the community.
Imagin if you can -and it's hard todo--a uburb npolitician
taking his money and investing it in another community, one he
does not represent.
That i ex ctly w t a tate rep entative from Detroit did.
She took money -true, her money- and invested it in a Lansing
print hop, That meant no jobs for her consut n. No empty
strore front in Detroit filled with a b ine . No tax revenue for
the beleagured Detroit chools or city. The job , tax base and rent
followed her doll to Lansing.
Anoth r state representative, supposedly elected to erve the
people of Detroit, took his money and invested it in a housing
developm nt on a uburban lake.
Both of these "investors" lost money taking it out of their
community. Make us think there is some divine justice.
Now the Blac Caucus Foundation has asked the Black media
to help promote an annual benefit for their scholarship fund. It is
a worthwhile ca and one we urge the public to wholeheartedly
support. Unfortunately, it was again a wasted opportunity to pend
a few dollars in the commuity.
The news release announcing the benefit came from a ubur
ban public relations firm. The firm is not located in the district of
any Black legislator- unl Farmington Hills got real tolerant
without our notice. When ked whether the Black Caucus Foun
dation paid thi firm to do the public relations, both the public
relations firm and the Black Caucus Foundation admitted the job
was done part for pay and part in donation.
Detroit will never look any" better if those in charge do not
make every effort, even the simplest, to put back, build-up and
support their base.
Making politicians put b ck, build-up and upport their con-
tituents i our job, the voting public's. For to make the
politicians do the right thing means we the public have to get the
right attitude. We have to think tough. We have to take the
po ition that politicians serve us, and not vice versa.
When we hake off our passivity and pressure the politicians
to perform, our communities will begin to flourish. Electing Black
politicians i the first step. Making them perform for us is a life
time, full time job .. Uke any job, you'll get out of it what you put
into it.
Educatio� is our PaSs�ort
to the future, for tomorrow
belonqs to th. people who'
prepare Jor
. i� today.
Malcolm X
OJ lice ina nation
co to -0 the rich,
I ted military bud et, and
resources road ben
of people are dying from
piritual despair in the
millio
neglect
U.S.
Up from the deptbs of this death
and despair must come strident
demaDd that this nation's economy
be formcdfroma ar injus
tice economy to a peace and j nee
economy.
economy into ty
y But it an �CDUal
bich poor and or' people d
disadvan gedmustunde
a life and death proposition.
Starting at the local and tate
levels a roots movement for
conversion m t be initiated.
Community besed organizations,
civil righ group and labor must
lobby chool boards, city councils,
mayors, county commissioners, and
membas of state legislatures to adopt
resolutions calling on the federal
government to tically reduce
military pending in favor of civil
ian/domes tic pending.
THE CONVERSION to a peace
economy Is indeed a matter of life
.xl deaIh for poor 81¥1 wolting people
and the disadvantaged in the U.S.
Therefore poor and orting people
II
uth I
•
ZI,
lic record or not upoolding tbcir rights
of the victimized.
The Natioml Couocil of Churcbcs
Prophc�cJustice Unithm developed'
a researched "critique" of Thomas'
pest tmmcuvers to awaken civil rights
enforcement.
ACCOrding to this critique," in
1981-1982 Thomas as the Director
of the Office of Civil Rights in the
Department of Education, and from
1982-1988Thom. Cbairoftbe
Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission. In these two positions,
the document ta ,-He w a pub
lic official worn and· paid to carry
out certain civil righ r ponsibili
ti .
In instance after instance, he was
dilatory, even defiant, in declining
to do what the law- embodied in
tature, case law and court orders
required him to do."
ONE SPECIFIC example of
Tho ' tamre Chair of the EEOC,
refusal to protect the rights
of tbe elderly form employment dis'
crimination. This resulted in the lost
rio abo
elec 0 ci ho are
wilJ.ing to join the initt live to con
vert to peace economy bauld
some co id ration in te of con
tinued upport in their elective of
fi . But th ho fail to ght for
theconv iontoaneconomy hich
ill meet the human eeds 0 th
po m tbe
lot bo and defeated.
Eoding mili1arism g
in peace ceo omy may ell be the
most urgent confronting
ofus ho t more humane 00-
ety in the U.S.
We must fight to seize the peace
dividend from the military-industrial
compte and use the dividend to lay
the groundwor for a peace econ
omy. � thc.te will be m peace
in this land. No justice -No Peacel
Ron Dtuaiels serves as President
of the Institute for COlMlllllity Or
ganimtion and Development in
Youngstown, Ohio. He may be con
tacted at (216) 746-5747.
B1BENJANUN�CBAvm,�
The hcaw1np mw beiDg CODductcd
by the SeDate Judiciary Committee
to determine the fate of Clarence
ThOJl1aS' confirmalion k> \be Suprane
Court of the United States should be
viewed in a historical context. Al
though numerous African American
'and progres ive organizatio and
churches have started their public
opposition to the appointment of
Thomas to the nation' highest court,
powerful political and ecoeomtc
forces have emerge to aUcntp.t to
team role Thomas' appointment.
What dQes David Duke, Senator
Helms, 81¥1 PtaideDl BlBh have
in collUD9n? It their devotion and
trong support of Clarence Thomas'
efforts to prevent racial and social
justice.
Wbat 0 Buthelezi in South
Africa and Savimbi in Angola have
ill common itll Clarence Tho
in the UDited States? It is their
opportunism against the inte
freedom d j tice. It their
unmitipted pll to place their own,
DIllOW, wie:ked and elfish desires
I'Can
I need no psye:
to analyze me,
hate, racism, bigotry,
has made me see
f t inadequacy.
feel no
sorrow, guilt, bame
it' been destroyed by years
of conscience-induced pain.
Neither do I have anything
to redr ,
murders of Blacks
in the south, east, west,
has canceled my debts.
Let yesterday be dissolved,
pers problems
I have solved ...
Eldridge, Malcolm .•.
were a lot like me,
service to my people
is the only reality,
they hold the key
to my destiny,
until e're all free,
I can never be.
-In the truzele
for human rights .
I gratefully devote my life.
If I perish,
th� dignity of uch a death
shall be eternally cherished.
Jessie Hawkins
avimbi and Clarence Thoma
of millions of dollars in pension
benefits for older wor ers, many of
whom were A!rican American work
ers.
We also join in the conclusion of
the Leadership Conference on Civil
Rights:
"We oppose the Thomas nomi
nation because e believe that Clar
ence too often allowed' his personal
opinio to interfere ith his consti
tutional and ta1utory ponsibili-
ties to enforce civil rights 18 • -
No to ButhelezH No to Savimbi!
o to Clarence Thomas I
over the interest of millio of per
sons who are crying out d d -
manding justice.
We salute the Conpasiooal B
Caucus, NAACP, National Baptist
Convention- USA, The Progressive
National. Baptist Convention-USA,
Inc., The National Baptist in Amer
ica, National Council of Churches
and the array of other national or
ganizati ho have stated their
forthright positions in opposition to
Thomas being on the Supreme Court.
TODAY, AS WE wit the
continuing ttuggle in southern Af
rica against racist apartheid, we ha e
seen ho perso of African decent
like ButhdCzl and Savimbl have been
to further the objectiv of ra
cial oppression. Such is the cese
with Clarence Thomas, who
become the young "darling" of the
"far right. "
ADOther ppalling imilarity
between Buthelezi, Sa . mbi and
Thomas is their tated disregard for
the righ of people -, The nomination
of Thomas cannot cover up his pub-