IEL COTT
fter the wearing in
ceremony i complete, the
mayor, after re ting nd at­
tending to whatever dutie
need to be attended to, will
motor to the 1940 Chop
Hou e, 1940 E. Jeffer on
Avenu in Detroit, for a "$100
per person Inaugural Cocktail
Party" from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Tho e attending will
munch on hors d'oeuvres, sip
cocktail and chit' chat" to live
entertainment.
IF YOU PURCHASE
your cocktail party ticket by
December 23 you will receive
a "complimentary" Inaugural
Ball ticket.
For additional information
please call (313)883-2070.
On Saturday, January 4
from 5 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. an
Inaugural Reception will be
held at Highland Park Com­
munity College, Glendale at
Third Avenue.
Attire is formal and the
donation i "$50 per person."
However. if you purchase
your ticket by December 23
you will receive a "com­
plimentary" ticket to the In­
augural Ball.
I The Inaugural Reception
features entertainment,
refreshments and cocktails.
The inaugural festivities
winds down with the In­
augural Ball at the Blackwell
Civic Center, 15840 Second
Avenue.
By ATHA IEL SCOTT
ion."
TH· OTIIER '
land, th djac nt
which i being litigated in th
Mi i ippi State Supreme Court,
Boyd aid, underwent imilarcir­
cumstances. However, instead 0
lea ing, an individual wa able to
purcha e a few acres and, instead
of uing for that footage, ought
the 315 acre parcel and 10 t the
ca e in the lower court .
That individual ha appealed
and Boyd feel the decision will
become a landmark deci ion in th
state of Mi i ippi.
Aside from the court battle.
Boyd aid ill feeling exi t within
hi family becau e hi
grandmother ha de ignated him
caretaker of the 550 acre .
Moreover. he 'aid, one of th
individ ual involved in the at­
tempted takeover through "Ad-
more acre next year. (Photo by N. ott)
Boyd, who call him elf an
"Agriculture Marketeer." aid he
did an eight-year mentors hip
under California' Speaker of the
House, the powerful Willie
Brown, D-San Franci co.
He added, "I farmed 23 acre of
the SSO-acre tract in 1 � 1."
o R I -A Michigan r i­
d nt prepare to do b ttle in Mi -
i ippi for two trac of 1 nd th t
exceed 00 acre and wonde
why exi ting Mi i ippi I w 1-
low the ta eover of property
und r the "Adverse Po e ion"
law.
In ef ect, "Adve Po e ion"
ay .if omeone occupie an aban­
don d tr t of land for a given
p riod of time, u u lly even y ars
or mor (the length varie by tate)
that th individual can claim the
land under "Adverse Po e ion."
However. many Black, in­
cludin r somc cholars, ay "Ad­
verse Pos e ion." particularly in
the outh, ha b en a "tool" that
deviou characters, who are ome­
time politicians. u e to take p -
e ion of Black-owned property
that i free and clear of debt and .
taxe .
The ploy ha been u ed ince
the Emancipation Proclamation
becau e contrary to wide pread
belief. before the proclamation,
not all Blacks were laves, in­
digent, landless, and wi thout the
capi tal or the unscrupulous nature
to own lave.
TIl U W· FI D in 1991 a
drama unfolding with ro 1. that
. trctch hack in time.
DeWayne Boy •
grandmother, Margrct Wynn. 96,
he aid. owns 550 acre of land in
Oklibbeha County which i in the
tatc of Mi 'i ippi.
Welfare p
THE II AFTER FIVE" at­
tired ball begins at 9 p.m. and
there will be refreshments,
entertainment and a "cash
bar." The finality requires a
donation of "$15 per person."
All checks should be made
payable to Friends of Linsey
Porter.P, O. Box 03960, High­
land Park, Mich. 48203.
Boogie down Highland
Park. Merry Christmas, happy
New Year and hold it! step to
the right and do the Inaugural
Shuffle three times then
boogie yall, Boogie.
Open'
House at
Big Star
DETt oIT-Detroit. The
ig S� Theater, 1540 Wood-
Av ue, believed to be
the sta e's only Black owned
theater. will hold an open
house celebration Saturday,
December 28, one of the
theater's investors. Muham­
mad Abdullah said.
The open house celebration
begins at 6 p.rn., Abudllah
said. The Detroit Street Band
and other musical groups will
perform.
In addi tion, he said, the
mayor and deputy mayor of
Detroit have been invited.
The open house, in addition
to entertainment, will offer
refreshments and snacks ..
The theater i al 0 olicit­
ing membership in the Big
Star's Friends of the Theater,
Abdullah aid. A ix month
membership, which allows an
individual to partake of all the
theater's functions: movies,
lectures and live entertain­
ment, is "$100."
The Big Star Theater
opened Tue day. October 1
with "Boyz N The Hood."
Currently, the theater's feature
is "The People Under The
Stairs."
By STEVE BYRNE
C.plt.' N.w. S.rvlc"
LANSING - Have you heard the
story about the guy who rode up in
his new Cadillac to pick up a wel­
fare check?
Most people have. In fact: many
believe that almost everyone on
welfare i omehow cheating or
abusing the ystem.
This isn't true, ay. Ed Roth,
deputy director of the Department
of Social Services. Roth notes only
about 2 percent of public a. i tance
rc
ption
recipients are referred for fraud
case. and in only about 1 percent
of the cases i any wrongdoing
proven.
Despite the low number , Roth
said it is a common mi perception
among the public that almo t
everyone on welfare i omehow
bending or breaking the rules. But
if Roth's numbers don't lie, why do
so many think welfare recipient
do?
higher than the actual numbers, but
there are varying explanation a to
why the mi perception exi t .
Roth aid it is largely the product
of differing value y terns. For ex­
ample, a person who i noton publi
a sistance might not agree with the
purcha e of omeone who i receiv­
ing help-even if the product i a
legal buy under department regula­
tions.
"They will make judgment that,
aha-there's fraud," he said. "Very
often what we find is that the con­
flict i between. the department
EXPERT A R WITH
Roth the perception of fraud i
I
Ren I ance High School
tudent launched' the
bollday n early when
t ey beld an African Market
at tbe chonl In I te
November. African in plred
were for le nd there
demon tratlon
ali' dcln . (p to
ton Hud n)
f.
ree hollday
product for
non-pro it
Boyd plan to farm
drilled for natural ga and he and
"75 to 100 potential inheritor" are
awaiting the re ults.
The potential for wealth,
whether through farming or
natural ga • is not what motivate
Boyd. he aid. "My thought are:
land h uld he put into produc-
and r
government . regulation and
policie and individual value y­
terns."
Margaret Nielson, an Michigan
State Univer ity a i rant profe or
who specializes in ocial work. con­
tended the mi per eption could be
the work of the government.
"Our recent pr ident wa n't too
helpful in that effect," he aid.
"Ronald Reagan wa full of little
torie that probably weren't true
(about welfare cheat). He tended
to hear thing and report them in a
way that uited hi own agenda."
H AID THI attitude help
keep people who legitimately need
help away from the handout lines.
"Part of the rea on i 'that people
are afraid of the uigma," he aid.
"From the value of the people who
want to reduce the numb rs. of
people n -welf'arc. it may he
deliberate policy - r at least ub­
con cious policy."
Pecersburg, Va. � Resources
Exchange Associ ion, a not-for­
profit clearinghouse has just re­
ceived more than $1 million in
seasonal products frem American
Greetings Corporation. The dona­
tion contain such items Christ­
mas card .,d wrapping paper.
V lentine mug ,gift bag a1d Eas­
ter products ch cards, books
a1d stuffed animals.
Other holiday products shipped
to REA' 150,000- quare-foot
clelrioghou inchad item for
Valentine's Day. Halloween,
BOYD R P T D what
many Blac have worn by for
yea : Our foreparents had
property until it was taken from
th m throu h deviou means.
And h advises: "I would
have to ay, in my limited '
knowledge, that th� v t
majority of Black landowners
living in the north should inform
their children about the land. the
hi tory. It' too valuable-of a
re ource to let go."
Boyd plans to continue farm­
ing his grandmother' Mi i ippi
land. pursuing fr e and clear title
through the court. hipping
vegetables north to Mother Wad­
dle , a practice he said he tarted
three years ago, and informing
Black people about the skuldug­
gery that exists in such law as
"Adverse Pos ession."
,aliti
Many believe the media play a
large role in contributing to the
misperception.
"Whenever someone is charged
or convicted it is played up in the
media. ': aid Charles Peller, spokes­
man for the Department of Social
Service. "Because it gets big play,
people ay, • Welfare fraud must be
out there.' It feeds into the percep­
tion tl1at anyone on welfare is a bum
or a cheat."
Beverly Mclzonald, the execu­
tive director of the Michigan
League for Human Services. id,
the media tend to ignore tho e on
welfare who are" truggling to be­
come self- ufficient."
Believing everyone is a cheat
makes olving society'S problems
seem ea ier, he added.
"Som of the myth help u
believe that there are easier an wers
than there really are," sh aid. "In
fact. there aren't any ea yanswer ."
Th nk giving, Mother' Day.,
F ther' Day. Graduation md many .
II-occasion party goods.
Non-profit organizations who
join the Association receive these �
items free. The c .-ioghou h
over $30 million in excess and
plu corporal dooations of every- "
thing from office furniture to house­
hold products.
For a free product catalog tUtd
additional in/ormation, ptease COII-
tact the REA at (8lU)733-0287. or' ,
by lax at (804)733-0441.