11IEYFARlOOOrontin to
grow rearer, In many ways it is
. already here on many roIle and
universities in this country - in
tel'tm of ndent ethnic eomposi­
ti<>m.
One of our biggest galls this
year will rontinue to be to ircrease
the number of college tudents
reading Pan African newspapers
on a regular basis.
OB: way to do this is to k
yourdirect istarce byencowag­
iog you to take out ubscripti rs to
this rewspaper for your college
sons, daughters, relatives and
friems.
Anoth r way that we will
promote the press is by ereourag­
iog rollege sndents to submit gust
editorials for this column
TOPICS WllLvruy,soifyou
are interested or kmw of sorneore
whohasanedecation topic in mind,
let us koow.
We believe in the African
AmericanlPan African Press. As
we stated at tre start, this will be our
fifth year. At this time, we would
like to publicly thank ire over fifty
newspapers that run this column,
At treendoftre yearfonre past
four YeaJS, we have selected four
newspapers annually as our flag­
ship rewspapers. Each year it got­
ten tougOOr because tre pool of
newspapers continues to get
stronger. But this i .� you can
imagire a pleasant ituation that
will rontinue to get even tougber,
ONESTIPUlA nON IS that
no newspaper is eligible to be a
fl�hip rewspaper two corsecu­
tive years. A second stipulation is
that the column run in the
newspaper for at least fourteen'
monthc;. Tbe followingareourfust
four yews' �hip rewspapers:
1�: The Long Beach (CA)
Tunes, tre Roanoke 01 A) Tribute,
the San Bemardioo (CA) Precinct­
Reponer am tbe Bakersfield (CA)
Observer.
1� The Flordia Sentirel­
Bullentin (fampa), New York Big
Red News, Ire San Diego Voire &
Viewpoint and the Black Bisiress
Journal (Los Angeles).
1990: The Buffalo (NY)
Citerion, tbe La Vegas Sentirel­
Voice, the Richmond Voice and
the San Berramim (CA) Precinct­
Reporer,
1991: The Chicago Inde­
pendent-Bulletin, the Memphi
Silver Star, tre LA/Bakersfield
(CA) �rver and the Roanoke
(VA)Trib�.
HlLIDN: HlGHEREDUCA-
110N is designed to diaJogue with
collegeandworldreaders. Edica­
tim is ongoing and certainly TUX
limited to classroom sudy. [A's
talk. (714) B<».()650.
We accept all
signed letters.
Send to:
Michigan Citizen
P.O. Box 03560
Highland Park,
MI48203
PRO 0 Billingsley of
th University 0 Colorado bas recently
pubh bed a t of guide lin ." tering
Div rsity in th Cl room," which
pJ'1 vide helpful ugge tions for an
educational blueprint [or reform,
Ur
an
COMMENTARY
By GAIL PARRISH, Ex c olr.
R.ce R.'.tlons Council of
Metropollt.n Detroit
Today, equitable provi ion of
resources and equal acce to them
for all resident of the Metropolitan
Detroit area remains a dream which
too often eerns unattainable. It is
common knowledge that great dis­
parities still exist 10 quality-of-life
measurements between Blacks and
whites, and city and suburban resi­
dents of metro Detroit.
According 10 a 1989 study �f tri­
county residen by the University of
Michigan, "Separate and Unequal:
The Racial Divide," there were dis­
parities in every measure of
economic well-being included in th
study." Mo tofus don't need a study
to confirm thi for us, however the
statistics provide a clearer picture of
the obvious:
- 37 percent of Blacks, com­
pared with 13.5.percent of whites
live in poverty;
- 34.4 percent of Blacks, com­
pared with 13.4 percent, of whites
have not completed high school;
- 19.9 percent of the Black
workforce, compared with 6.6 per­
cent of the white workforce, are un­
employed.
The di parity i both a contribut­
ing factor and an effect of the
phenomenon known as "urban
sprawl."
FOR OM� people, urban
sprawl is simply the term used to
describe the phenomenon of people
or bustnesse sensibly choosing to
locate away from the congestion,
higher prices, crime and other stres-
es of urban areas.
VIEWS/OPINIONS
BUT teacber hould not just
as ume that because a student i
Me ican-American or
African-American, that be or be will
have all the answers about th hi torical
and cultural origins of the "Cinco De
and their coerced relocation to
reservations, is described glowingly
"Manifest Destiny," preordained by
God.
Despite recent reforms in American
textboo , most children still learn a
hi tory of tbe United States which i
largely anchored to the interests of
rawl and
costs of urban sprawl will have in­
creasingly negative effect on all
metropolitan Detroiters, urban and
uburban.
Some solutions lie in creating
trategies that re tructure the current
push/pull dynamics of urban prawl,
making the urban environment a
fea ible and attractive option for
more people.
But problem-solvers must re ist
eeking band-aid solution to deep­
eated problems. Say SEMCOG,
"changing the future development
pattern will mean treating the root
causes of urban sprawl. Otherwise,
treatment will continue to be limited
to the symptoms."
For other people, urban sprawl is
.1 negative phenomena, linked to
uch terms as "white flight," charac­
terized by an obliteration of open
space, oaring infra-structure costs,
duplication of efforts that create a
waste of natural and fi cal resources,
and furthcr ahandonmenl and
desolation of an urban center popu­
lated by the elderly and poor.
The Southeast Michigan Council
of Governments. in it Regional
Development Initiative Paper #2,
describes urban sprawl as, "a land
use pattern characterized by low
density and/or uneven physical
development, occurring at the fringe
of the urbanized area. Sprawl is the
regional result of many local land use
decisions made by individual ."
It is often supported by public
subsidies, including lax break,
enabled by an attractive transporta­
tion environment, and stimu ated
further by declining quality-of-life
factors in the urban center.
Whatever the true nature of the . WHf\� WE: THE
condition; one thing that is certain ',:' - FIR5T
about the phenomena of sprawl is
that it will increase in the next 20 .:.:..... . BROKEN
yea:�MCOG' IN THE same docu- ::.::·r·· . H R· ow··· :. lOY", ..
ment, predicts that "while the
population of greater Detroit will in- .::.:"':, . ::.
crease by only 6% over the next 20 -: AW1\�
years, there will be a 40% increase in ::. :
developed land to house and support .. :.: . � .. :.:.
that population growth. Virtually all
of that growth will occur at the urban .: ; ..... .:.:.. .: .;.
fri��e'left unchanged. the result of 'A·: ··F· T E·R·
this trend will be an increase of many _
of the undesirable factors mentioned . . . .
ear�ier: The suburbs will suffer from ;.::'::::�. liD <. �< �
f�;������:;�cec�t�d!�ftr:���; H' OlID��S
to cope with the further abandon-
ment of land, home and lives of .
people living there. Clearly, the
. ONE ROOT CAUSE effecting
sprawl is the continuing inequity in
'HAR RI 5
for the
Dr. Maming Marable is Professor •
of Political Science and History,
University of Colorado. "Along 1M
Color Line" appear in over 200
publications and is aired on radio
stations intemDtio1JQlly.
co
of ina'
life-situations between racial
groups, which in thi metropolitan
area as well a many other, is al 0
sharpl y drawn between ci ty and sub­
urb.
The Detroit Principles released
earlier this year by the Race Rela­
tions Council of Metropolitan
Detroit, call for an elimination of
the e inequities between racial and
ethnic groups.
\ Signers of the document pledge to
help eliminate the inequities by
working actively with others, and by
not engaging in practices that in­
crease disparities. Various elements,
including but not limited to institu­
tionalized racism, must be attacked
in order to achieve the equitable
community that will benefit us all,
and that the Principles de cribe. It is
work for everyone, city-dweller and
suburbanite alike. All of us have a
stake in the future of our
metropolitan area.
All of us will suffer if we chose
not to act.
Send all news and
information to:
Michigan Citizen
P.O. Box 03560
Highland Park, MI
48203
Or Call
869-0033
THE. CHRISTMAS
TREE .•••.
THE
POM
ANO
HOMELESS
',.
e 1991 Gc 9 "iuric; rcocluc ions
All ci�hts resurv��(3)2)'38-1537
part, on race and political power. It.
must be remembered that media
attention was part of the tactical
strategy of political change in � .60s.
Why Black
hould vote for David Duke
building take-over, or a tent city. To
Yes, you read itrighl Blackpeople match these, I offer a suggestion 0 an
should vote for David Duke in the outrageous voting strategy.
Republican presidential primary
elections. Clearly, this proposed' I RECOGNIZE that outrageous
political trategy is only for tbose who stra tegies are always argued against by
are ready for avant garde or vanguard those timid souls whO protest that
action. And as a tactical strategy it . they'll never work, and who tbcnoffer
would hold only for the ·92 statewide begrudging praise wmm tbey do. I
primary elections. recogniz� that many, if not m�st,
It is aimed .at those who are people will be offended by even being
registered-no, only for those who asked to think this through, much less
actually vote which is a relatively implement it So what?
small percentage of those who offer It is overdue for Black people to
sundry and specious political rhetoric. look at politics for what it is: war
In presidential elections only about without overt violence. 'WI must
one-half of th Blacks who are undeIStand that politics decides who
registered, and about a third of those works and woo wanders.
eligible actually go to tbe polls and Politics chooses who thrives and
vote. And in Detroit, perhaps only 15 who tarves. Thus Black people
percent voted in the last election. sho�d app�ach politics. wi':h the
Thi i a call to do something studied self-interest found 10 NICCOlo M 0 DU the
outrageous, like a March on Machiavelli's,"The Prince," Sun candidate that causes the deepest
Washington, a ·67 Rebellion, a 'Isu' "TI¥: Art 0 War," or Karl �n Bl political and social response.
By DAVID RAMBEAU
Qausevitz" "On War."
This is a strategy that has no
allegiances to past history, to mundane
analysis, to emotional outbW'S� of
enthusiasm or false pride. This
. strategy is based on a calculated
review of the cwrent battlefield am an
interest in achieving advantage or
results based on tactical �IS.
Tbe tenain is thus. George Bush,
the likely Republican candidate for
president i receiving serious
challenges from Pat Buchanan and
David Duke. Both of these
challengers unbalance both the
p idem's political apparatus and the
Republican Party apparatus. Of the
two, the ore closest to Bush in racial
policy but fartlxst in political image is
David Duke.
Thus.to distwb the twin entities, Bush
and � Republican Party, that have
distulbed Black poli tical activi ty is the
tactical approach that should be
implemented for the presidential
primary campaign.
We need only look at the recent
governor's election in Louisiana to
understand this equation. Duke's
primary victory as a Republican ml
run Corgovemorin the general election
brought the greatest agitation from
Bush, the Republican Party aOO Black
people.
Duke ronsti tuted then, as he till
does, a threat to the covert right- .
-political power enjoyed by the Bush
team and the Republican Party. As an
overt right-wing politician, Duke
romtitutes a threat the tatus quo,
and any threat demands anention,
ot obly does Duke get political
attention, he also ge media attention.
Media anennon that focuses, at least in
SINCE THE lAST presidential
election, Black people have not been
front and center in the media aspects
of tbe political battlefield. Douglas
Wilder's efforts as a Democratic
candidate have proven timid.
Jesse Jackson as a poli tical
candidate i "passe." Black folk DOW
reed to seek their presidential media
momentum from David Duke.
In this regard, be's merely a means
to an end. After the primary, when his
usefulne s is over and Bush is
.remminatod ina chaotic Republican
convention, Black Colle can tum k>
more re.1evant political cboices, nu
then, like him or not, Duke' horse
"hould be ridden 'til it gives out.
