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I
By WIWAM REED
Bl c ne p pe
e mo t people dverti
don't believe th t BI c re d th m,
or for th t matt r, d period. .
Mo t people, both th m" nd
" ," believe th t BI c w P pe
re inferior to white gen rat circul -
tion pape . M t people believe
that the new p per product BI c
produce are of poor quality nd con
tent.
If BI c new p pe don't move
their readers to patronize their dver
tisers, many of them y find them
setv traveling the me ro d
Ford, Chry ler nd GM, companie
wh natural b e of customers find
their products to be inferior, and of
poorer quality nd content.
Could it be that It elf-hate" i the
re on Black New papers, Ford,
GM, nd Quy ler are in trouble?
Black Americans think that the whit
man' newspaper ice i colder than
their own, nd Americans generally
think that the Japane e people' car
ice is colder than their own.
BLACK AMERICANS HAVE
high distain for their own papers
even though th e publications are
the only voice for the information,
issues and concerns of their com
muni ty. And the trade balance
de it shows Americans' distain for
the rs and companies that provide
. • • ith us transportation, jobs and
rfd-class payscale .
� : : ut Black New papers have been
I trouble before. In fact, since "in
tegration" few of them have ever
been too far from trouble's door.
Just like mo t other Black-owned
b ine es suffering from integra
tion madnes , Black Newspapers
operate with only minute support
from their total population of poten
tial customers.
For example, even though cities
like Washington, D.C., New York,
Chicago and Philadelphia have huge
numbers of Blacks, Black mayors
and "control" of their governments
80 percent of those populations read
tbe Washington Post, Times, Sun
Time and Inquirer to determine tbe
issues that affect their lives.
. Less than 10 percent of Black
Urban dwellers read the Capital Spot
� NY Voice, Big Red, Defender
or tftc New Observer publications,
. These same urban centers have
struggling Black businesses operat
ill8 as retail shops, restaurants, ser
vice outlets, cleaning
establi hments. and other consumer
locations that Black shoppers don't
support.
WHEN BLACK business place
.. ds in Black newspapers, both mer
. chao cross their fingers and wait to
See if they are any clo er to getting
out of trouble.
. The national and urban "self
bat�" manifestation is not without
good roots. Black Americans"
,uspicion of our newspapers, and
other businesses did not come about
with provocation. Black publishers
have inflated Circulation figures and
cf'irtlped on editorials. Many other
Bla&k businesses have not afforded
i ... -city clients the respect, timeli-
1 and competitive production
t •• have come to expect under the
"rican free-choice enterprise sys ..
,
:Onless they begin to understand
ue.d:>le that Black papers, businesses
iBItnstitutiQns, play in our develop
me t, the bulk of African-Americans
wilJ be in trouble too.
Just as thevdemise of the Big
Three auto makers would eliminate
jobs, training and industry and na
tiooal development and our way of
lik;. Black consumer consumption
must begin in our community, at
•
onee.
Black readers should make it a
point to "stop in" and ee one of this
publication's advertisers each week.
You don't have to buy then.just stop
in and say you aw the ad.
. rms GIVES YOU a chance to
the dvertiser's product, or ser
Vice, and think about coming back
when the need ari es. It lets the ad
vertiser know that the ad is being
seen, and that your egment of the.
CQ�unity even reads.
BUSINESS 'FINANCE
Fairfax, New Black tlction magazin to premiere
the trouble ca ed in the family by
the posthumo discovery of Emily
Dickinson' poetry. Short stori
will include" endezvous at Broken
Limb," "The Broth rhood of the
Silent Hand" and "The Doberman'
Dilemma."
According to the magazine's pub
lisher, Paul Fairfax Evans, "A multi
cultural publication such as
FAIRFAX i needed. It is my intent
to identify writers from the above
group and present their fiction to the
American public. It is very likely
thi . the first magazine ever of its
kind, having such stated goals of eth
nic incl us ion, but giving Black
Americans a cultural voice and
literary exposure currently not exist-
is an excellent story about ing in this format."
COLUMBIA. Mo-F AIRFAX, the
magazine of hort tori and hort
novel by Black American nd
other voice , m ke it n tional
debut in September.
To be publi h d quarterly, th
magazine' intended audience i a
cro - ection of influential readers
and thinkers with literary and art in
terest: writers, high school and col
lege teacher and tude nts,
profe ional in the book industry
and average men and women from
all-walks of life. Single copie will
sell for $6.
Sixty-five percent of the editorial
content will be fiction contributions
from Americans who are Black. No
group with omething to say tasteful
ly will be excluded.
Circulation for th first edition
will be tIt 25,000 copie and
ge red to key citie , including
Detroit.
MALL COMMUNITIES
WILL be reached by ending
promotional material through the
R.R. Bowker Company, publisher of
Boo in Print, to the main branch of
every public library in the nation and
5,000 American bookstores.
Th first edition of FAIRFAX
will include an excerpt from The
Path Between: An Historical Novel
of the Dickinson Family of Am erst
by Dr. Maravene S. Loeschke,
profe or at Tow on State Univer-
ity.
Thi
Business women conduct
membership drive
Spirit of Detroit, Chapter of The
American Business Women' As
sociation (ABWA) will hold a mem
bership campaign.
The kickoff activity will take
place Sunday, October 20, 1991 at
Westminister Church, 17567 Hub
bell at Outer Drive, from 3:00 P.M.
to 6:00 P.M.
According to President June
Clark, the campaign theme is "Open
ing The Doors To Opportunity" and
will focus on personal and profes
sional growth opportunities for
businesswomen.
Founded in 1949, ABWA is an
influential national organization
with a membership exceeding
100,000 women who are employed
in all aspects and levels of business.
ABWA has more than 2,100 chap
ters throughout the United States and
Puerto Rico.
The mission of the American
Business Women's Associations is
to bring together businesswomen of
diverse backgrounds and to provide
opportunities for them to help them
selves and other grow personally and
professionally through leadership,
education, networking support and
national recogni tion.
All employed individuals who
support the mission and goals of the
association are eligible for member
ship. For more information about
A WBA and this special meeting, call
Juanita Jackson at 861-3484.
TIlERE ARE SEVERAL homes
for-sale magazines which are dis
tributed in your communities. These
are helpful also.
Select your professional real es
tate agent. Sit down with your agent
and outline your housing require
ments. Now you are ready to start an
earnest quest for your home.
Select your professional real es
tate agent. Sit down with you agent
and outline your housing require
ments. Now you are ready to start an
earnest quest for your home.
At this point, you have made a
checklist of your basic housing re
quirement. Make 15 to 20 copies of
the list. you can use these copies as
checklists for noting the feature of
houses you will be shown. Use a
separate checklist for each house.
(You might also consider checking
on the For Sale By Owner houses
that are on market in your preferred
areas. Some owners offer below
market prices and attractive pur
chase terms.)
Your checklist should include the
number of rooms and their sizes; the
number of bathrooms; the size of the
READ A BLACK
NEWSPAPER!
RESPECT YOURSELF!!
YES I SUPPORT THE
BLACK PRESS! Sign_ me up
TODA Y for a subscription to
the MICHIGAN CITIZEN and
end me the above bumper ticker FREE!
D $21 for ONE YEAR
($5 off the newstand price)
Name � __ -- __ ------�----------
Address Phone __ � __
City ST Zip _.---. _
Mail to: Michigan Citizen, PO Box 03560, Highland Park, MI 48203
�.-
ALSO, I CLUDEomE ite
uch th type of exterior, the type
of floorin th kin of tchen p
pH nces, over- I condition of the
roof.
A you nd your family are
hown e ch ho ,carefull Y chec
off the fe ture . If you are unable to
detect a re ponse for each of the
items on your check}' t, you hould
k the real ta gent to get thi
information for you. For i tance,
form your inspection of the roof. you
may not be ble to determine its go.
This an item that you would w nt
answered.
Other i tern you will w nt
a wers to are follow:
- Doe the eller offer a
homebuyer' warranty?
- What i th age nd condition
of the heating and air-conditioning
unit? If the house offers electric
heat, is there a heat pump?
- What were the utility bill over
the past 12-month period?
- What is the amperage ervice
of the house's power sy tern?
- What is the ageofthe hot water
tank?
- When was the property last
inspected for termites?
- Has the house ever been in
volved in a major fire Is it located in
a flood zone?
� If the house has a basement i
there water seepage?
- What type of water and
ewage system serves the property?
Is there a well and a septic tank or i
s rvice provided by a local utility
company?
- If your famil y has school-age
children, then it is important that you
know the school district or the in
dividual schools that service your
area. If you have a preference here,
then you should personally check
with that particular district.
NO DOUBT YOU will have
other items on your individual
checkli t which are equally impor
tant. Make sure that you conduct a
thorough inspection on each of the
properties in which you are inter
ested, and all items on your checklist
are answered.
In next week's issue, we will look
at the four characteristics that in
fluence housing values.
Do you have questions concern
ing real estate? If so, send them to
Howard G. Ball, Realty Services,
Inc., Western Hills Drive, Madison,
AL 35758. �
"SCORE i an organization of
experienced executives bo provide
J", counseling to small businesses."
o
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o BILL ME D I Have Enclosed payment
D $16 Special Senior Citizen Price
($10 saving off newstand price)
Sponsor,� by tM U.S. SrNIll BauiMu AdminUtrtUiM
For Further Information
Call (313) 226·7947 or 7953
______ .V
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