This Week In
Black History
DETROIT
J
und rstand nd hex-
peri n d orne of th oci I ills
that lead many women with
children to th point of bing
hom Ie ,to n eding kind word
and om kind of tructure that
Chuc
By NATHANIEL scon ,
St." Writ r
ALTHOUGH HE
"BY HA VI G the experience
(of being homele )," he id, "it
make me more auth ntic."
Authentication i good but, 0 I
am told, but "the proof of the pud­
ding i in the t ting.
homa
Thoma tarted hi busine in
1984 with personal assets. Today he
employ 15, i a "young rising
American" in Who' Who of 1992,
and currently ha contracts with the
V A in Allen Park. Ann Arbor. Bat­
tle Creek and with the city of
Detroit.
He was awarded his first con­
tract with Detroit in 1987 and with
the VAin 1990 and attributes the
success he has had to being com-
L LIZ th tome
of the homele h ve p ychologi­
I nd ment 1 problems. How­
ever, she id,"th e people are
eligible for SDA (St te Di bility
i tance)."
eli I 0 the tate chairper­
on 'Of the homeless committee
and h ve reque ted a meeting with
Governor Engler 0 he c n articu-
im
hi
would not go into details. Chuck Thoma
about that experience, he
said, Craft-Century,
which stands for "good craftsman­
ship in this century," is a general
contractor and has seven staff en­
gineer with masters degree and
doctorates, and that hi firm "builds
from the ground up."
"The buck top here," 'he said.
"One of my goal i to be one of the
largest contractors in Michigan."
economically di advantaged, that
he dra s from.
But the main thrust of this.
Alabama State lumni is producing
craftsm nship and h ving a vi ion.
A member of New St. Paul
Church, pastored by Bishop P. A.
Brooks, Thomas, who said he is a
lay minister and deacon, believes
that through "the ability of Jesus
Christ," his dreams, aspirations and
visions' will come true.
Thomas' vision came
before he started his busi­
ne s-while "fasting," an
"inner voice" told him
what to do.
And now, in 1992. less
than ten years later, Craft­
Century begins a new
phase of its contracting
business.
"In 1992 we will be
doing our own develop­
ing," Thomas said. "We are
looking at a 20- to 30-acre
subdivision. "
petitive, producing quality work
and finishing the project on time
with no increase in cost.
That, he said,' boils down to
"good management."
ON THE OTHER hand, there is
another' factor, the Small Business
Association's SBA-8(A) program,
for businesses that are socially and
CRAIT-CENTURY is
a member of the Black
General Contractors As­
sociation the Association
of General Contractors of
America, the Construction
Association of Michigan
and is licensed as residen­
tial builders in the state of
Michigan.
In addition to the con­
tracts wi th the vA and the
city of Detroit, Thomas
said, Craft-Century has contracted
with the FAA (Federal Aviation
Administration) and Avis Car Rent­
al at Metro and City Air Ports.
Thomas, who has a wife, two
sons and a four-month-old
daughter, said Craft-Century's
slogan is, "Our repetition speaks for
itself. "
Martin Luther King Jr: Beyond the dream
By Flodean S. Riggs
Column
•
It has been imbedded in almost
everyone's mind that the late Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was the civil
rights leader who marched on
Washington D.C. August 28,1963 and
delivered the inspirational "I Have A
Dream" speech.
Even the words of the old Negro
spiritual, "Free at last. Free at last.
Thank God Almighty, we are free at
last," with which he ended the speech.
still ring in our ears as we look back on
the life of Dr. King.
Though the speech marked a sig­
nificant turning point in the non­
violent war for civil rights, many of us
unfortunately have not heard other
word he spoke concerning i sues
such as foreign wars, including the one
in Vietnam.
In hi book, "Where Do We Go
From Here: Chao or Community?"
Dr. King aired his concerns.
"WHEN I EE our country today
intervening in what is basically a civil
war, mutilating hundreds of thousands
of Vietnamese childtcn with napalm,
burning villages and rice fields at ran­
dom, painting the valleys of that small
Asian country red with human blood,
leaving broken bodies in countless
ditches and sending home half-men,
mutilated mentally and physically:
when I see the unwillingness of our
government to create the atmosphere
for a negotiated settlement of this
awful conflict by halting bombings in
the North and agreeing unequivocally
to talk with the Vietcong-and all this in
the name of pursuing the goal of
peace-I tremble for our world."
For making his thoughts public Dr.
King was criticized for over stepping
his bounds.
Baptist preachers said he should
have left foreign relations alone and
should have just dealt with domestic
matters such as equality for African
Americans.
But as so stated in the book's chap­
ter, "The World House," Dr. King
knew that in fact foreign affairs were
his affair.
"The large house in which we live
demands that we transform this world­
wide neighborhood into a world-wide
brotherhood," King said. "Together we
must learn to live as brothers or
together we will be forced to perish
fools. Racism is no mere American
phenomenon. Its vicious grasp knOws
no geographical boundaries. In fact,
racism and its perennial ally-economic
exploitation-provide the key to under­
standing most of the international
complications of this generation."
NOT ONLY DID Dr. King
believe in non-violence but he pos­
sessed a higher insight into human na­
ture. He knew that lack of moral
character destroys nations such as
Greece, Rome and the United States.
"When we foolishly minimize the
internal of our lives and maximize the
external we sign the warrant for our
own day of doom," King said. "The
wealthy nations of the world must
promptly iQitiate a massive, sustained
Marshall Plan for Asia, Africa and
South America: If they would allocate
just 2 percent of their gross national
product annually fOF a period of ten or
twenty years for the development of
the underdeveloped nations, mankind
would go a long way toward conquer­
ing the ancient enemy, poverty."
The ideas Dr. King expres ed
throughout his book published in 1968 '
seem to be before their time.
TIley were indeed controversial but
were equally ground breaking ad- '
dressing homelessness, lack of qual I ty ,
education and unemployment, issues
so-called civil rights activists are still
dealing with today. If they would have
listened to more than Dr. King's "I
Have A Dream" during the 1960's per­
haps they would be a few steps ahead
in 1992.
G ETT N L
Block troops in the Civil War
were used mostly as guUJes)
scouts and ervants. 1'. or
False?
lat the need of the homele ,
e pecially women nd children.
She added, "thi (hornele s­
ne ) is an issue that should not be
political. "
How vert when one of the
Governor's aide publicly tate:
"The homele will always be with
us!" it is hard to separate the two.
"
chool empowerment
till not defined
DETROIT-When the federal
government decided to build a
Vet ran Adrnini: tration Ho pital
(VA) in Detroit. many began to
wonder how much of the construc­
tion money would reach minority
contractors.
Since the initial announcement,
much debate and political wran­
gling ha produced a com­
mitment that mo t
minoritie feel they can
live with. But one Black­
owned general contractor
will not be bidding for any
of the allotted jobs, 20
percent, that. are ear­
marked for minorities.
Chuck Thoma,
founder, president and
chairman of the board of
Craft-Century Construc­
tion, Inc .. said tH� only
way he will bid for job is
if he can contract with
either the VA or the
government. Otherwise,
his firm will not be in­
volved in that project.
One reason that
Thoma will not work as a
sub-contractor is an ex­
perience he had.
violini t/saxophoni tlclarineti t,
w born. 1870- Hiram Reve
was el cted first Black U.S.
Senator, replacing Jefferson
Davis for tbe Miss' ippi seal
197 -- B r w
elected to bororary life member-
hip, American Library Associa­
tion, one of 55 persons. in 100
y
What is th nom ofth Black
actor who starred in the film;
"Home of the Brave?"
JANUARY 22, 1801 -
Tou Int L'Ouverture,
Haitian liberator. entered Santo
Domingo. 1935 - am e,
inger, was born. 1920 -- Wil­
liam W Id, coseert singer,
was born. 1954-Dr. Theodore
K. Law dermatologist, was
awarded the Spingam Medal for
his research on skin and skin-re­
lated diseases.
Who was the first Black
American to be elevated to the
position of bishop in th Catholic
Church?
JANUARY 23,1976-- Paul
Robeson, inger, actor, activist,
died. 1926 - Curtis unee,
bassist, was born. 1959-1966-
Bill R n revolutionized bas­
ketball style. Led the Boston Cel­
tics to 8 straight cbarnpiorships.
What is the average lifeexpec­
taney in Ghana?
JANUARY 24, 1865-Con­
gress passed 13th Amendment,
abolishing slavery in America.
1917 -- Avery ParTSl, pianist,
was bom.l989-ArtShell, WO­
lie Wood and Roy Blount was
elected to Pro Football Hall of
Fame. 1830 - Slavery was
abolished in the northern states.
What instrument "-w used to
force-feed slaves in the notorious
middle passage?
JANUARY25,1863--�
Black U .. Anny regiment was
orgnanized. 1929 - Benny Gol­
son, saxopbonisvcomposer, was
born. 1851- Sojoumer Truth
addressed the first Black
Women's Rights Convention in
Akron, Ohio. 1962 - Jackie
Robinson, the first Black elected
to National Baseball Hall of
Fame.
What famousAmerican scien­
tist was bom in Missouri and was
once traded for a race horse?
ANSWERS TO BLACK
HISTORY QUESTIONS
19th - Tommy Bums in
Australia, 1 � in the 14th round,
Police stopped the bout
20th - False. They served in
a variety of capacities. Many were
infantrymen.
21st-James Edwards.
22nd - James Augustine
Healy became bishop of Portland,
ME. JWlC 2, 1875.
23rd - About 42 years for
males and 45 years for females.
24th - The dreaded
speculum oris, a compass-like in­
strument with a screw on top
which, when tightened, forced
open the mouth whereupon food
was poured in� the gullet
25th - George Washington
Carver.
By FLODEAN . RIGG
sr." Writer
decision making including "col­
laborative decision-making
authority," he said.
A data management ystem
will provide useful. information
for making administrative and
instructional decisions, Porter
said. Porter believed his plan
would establish the five
desirable conditions necessary
for. student and school succe s
such as concerned parents,
motivated students, dedicated
teachers, enthusiastic upport
personnel and supportive com-
, munity.
Many parents, teachers and
school administrators are asking
what empowerment and school­
based management entails and if
it is the right choice for them.
But district officials won't be
able to addres their concerns at
least until they receive a defini­
tion themselves from Anderson
Consulting and Larry Wilkerson
and Associates, P .C., two firms
hired to assist the district with
, redefining empowerment and to
help describe school-based
decision making, said General
Superintendent Deborah Me­
Griff.
Though in 1990, interim
General Superintendent John
Porter i sued his definition to the
public, the current
superintendent's team is seeking
a more exact meaning.
ACCORDING TO the
Board of Education 14 school
are empowered: Bates
Academy, Boynton Magnet
Middle, Breithaupt Vocation­
al/Technical, Burton Interna­
tional, Crockett
Vocational/Technical, Detroit
Open, Foreign Language Im­
mersion, Golightly Educational
Center, Guyton Elementary,
Howe Elementary, Malcolm X
African-Centered Academy,
Marcus Garvey African-
Centered Academy, Paul
Robeson' African-Centered
Academy and Richard Elemen­
tary.
Two years ago, Board mem­
bers made some strides when,
they adopted a "Declaration
Concerning Educational,
Managerial and Financial Goals
and Reform Strategies."
Local school empowerment
was the main focus of the docu­
ment which said empowerment
EMPOWERMENT IS
power in the hands of teachers,
building administrators, and
parents that will help schools ,
meet the needs of students,
Porter said.
To develop school and stu­
dent achievement, school facul­
ty must have the power and the
freedom to determine their own
course.
"Leadership, moral support,
and assistance from central and
area offices will support the
schools' work toward empower­
ment and excellence," Porter
said.
He also established a
framework for school-based
SeeSC�A-10
'/' P��II�#�u·c.d 1IJa4�
� �;;'
-- GOspel Hours '
W.e.H.B. 1200 AM - 7:00 a.m. - 11 :00 a.m.
sverv Sunday Morning
Rev. Wilmore Allen
Rev. A.J. Rogers,
Joe Ella Likely
Catherine Robinson
Gloria Parker
Lorraine Walker
Bro. Dunkin
894-8774
298-6333
298-6334
298-6335
Henry Ruff Rd.
Inkster, Mich.
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