nd
u.s. i endin 15,
Haiti on a 10 bo t b c
tarvation, persecution nd
rep ion in the poore t country
in W tem Hemi phere. But
at m time, in t blink of a
co or-bUnd eye, they end m [or
airUf to the much e lthier
people of 23 citi in the former
Soviet repubU .
The claim t America could
not ho e the Haiti , nor grant
them political ylum, t the
same time they wrote in Engl h
and R ian lettering on the food
and medicin going to the old
Soviet bloc that these gif were,
"From the American people, who
ure you that the truggle for
democracy is orth i!."
IN A CLEAR ill tration that
white friends, seeking
democracy, were more important
to them than Black ones looking
for the same thing, the people
who perpetuate the nation' ys­
tem of institutional racism, ex­
tended a helping hand to their
European kin and gave a wing of
the foot to our Haitian kith.
Attempting to flee the
military that overthrew the
government of President Jean
Bertrand Aristide in a coup
d'etat, thousands of Haitian
refugees took enormous risks on
rickety boats to eek entry into
the U.S. But, "they" would not
allow the Black boat people a
place of retreat or security and
piled them on Coast Guard boats
and returned them to beatings,
torture and executions on an is­
land nation just a few miles from
our shores.
"THEY" USED the U.S.
military, and $100 million of the
defense budget, to send supplies
thousands of miles to people of
similar color strains in Kirgias­
tan, and a number of other
"stans." In a program, ironically
called "Operation Provide
Hope," they will have made 54
airlifts to furnish aid to people
who are, and always were, better
off than the Haitians.
They say that' they are provid­
ing American resources to
preserve and promote democracy
around the world. They have
shown that when their interests
and lineage are at stake, "they"
will lend a hand.
They used international,
economic, diplomatic and
military might to restore the
government in Kuwaitto power.
They send alms to promote
democracy and the will of the
people in the various "stans" of
the Eastern Bloc. But, they in­
vent reasons for their blindness
to the plight anc lack of
-dernocracy in Haiti, and give a
firm Uncle Sam boot to these
people, and others of darker hue
around the planet.
But, what are we doing to
counter this obvious slight to our
own people of preference? Are
we demanding that the Bush Ad­
ministration restore order and the
elected President in Haiti?
ARE WE PUSHING for, or
providing, airlifts to support the
Haitians' cries for democracy?
Are we preaching, and holding
bake sales, in our churches to
support the Haitians, and let
"them' know that our kind has as
much right to "humanitarian
relief' as anyone on the planet?
. They have shown us their
choices for providing support,
assistance and refuse around the
world. And they will continue to
tell us that their actions against
people of color are not dis­
criminatory unless we collective­
ly ri e up and say forthrightly,
"�is ain:t right!" Surely, they
Will continue to send economic
as istance to Israel and Europe at
the rate of 10 to lover Africa and
the Caribbean, unless we say
directly to them, "This just ain't
right."
As long as we accept institu­
tional racism and continue to go
along we will sit on the sidelines
and watch Black after Black be
turned away from our hores.
Why the African-American com­
munity hasn't come down on
them, and more of us, like a Mac
Truck for equity and
humanitarian justice is still a
my tery to many.
f
BUSINESS/FINANCE
colle e and univer itie .
Proponen ant 0 0 er the De
ver ion to the Senate Fin nee
Committee n it be review
ofa bill.
Middle-income American
complain that economic conditions
thre ten to price them out of higher
educ tion s demand are
incre ing for better-educated
wor force.
College tuition, even when
adjusted for inflation, grew at five
times the rate of the median famll y
income from 1980 to 1987, a
And, in t i ,.lection year, mem-
be of Con are ho In little
p tience for time-co umin
eb te over n unproven pro m -
even if it n alternative to a tu­
dent loan sy tem that's been
de crlbed bure ucratic and
f: tratin.
or
c
The ide w
nd universiti
lender, byp in b nd other
financi 1 institutio . The tudent'
p y-b c hedule ould be based
on income, with the Internal
Revenue Service collecting the
p. yments.
B nks and other players in the
$4.8 billion tudent 10 n game tand
to 10 e ignificantly, de pite the
ri lng default rates on college loans.
Al 0, ome college dminisfrators
re wary of excessive governmental
intrusion, even if IRS involvement
would be peripheral.
TH USED to
consider idea during de te on
reauthoriz tion of the Higher
Education Act. Still, the m in
proponen of the pl n -- Scns. P ul
Simon, D-I11., and Dave Duren­
berger, R-Minn. -- remain optimis­
Simon, D-I11., and D ve
Durenberger, R-Minn. -- remain
optimi tic that "something will get
passed- this year.
The origin I plan ha been
scaled down to a test by 300
DETROIT - Recipients of the
Sixth Annual Black Engineer of the
Year Awards included two repre­
sentative from General Motors
Corporation, the automaker an­
nounced.
Milton E. Fletcher, manager of
personnel placement and equal
employment opportunity for Tech­
nical Staffs Personnel; and David
R. Whittaker, chief engineer of
body y terns for GM's Saturn Cor­
poration, were among 16 in­
dividual honored during the Black
Engineer of the Year Awards Co -
fOl'CDCO I t month in Bal timore.
The recipient of the Affirmative'
Action in Industry Award, Milton
Fletcher has served as mentor and
model for hundreds of young
African Americans in and outside
the realm of OM. A graduate of
Southeaster Louisiana University,
Fletcher began his career with
General Motors in 1973 as a process
engineer.
AFrER SERVING as a labor
relations representative for four
years for OM's former Detroit
Diesel Allison Division, he rose
through the company ranks from
personnel staff assistant to super­
visor of human resources manage­
ment and equal employment
opportunity; . from supervisor of
salaried personnel administration to
his present position as manager of
personnel placement and EEO for
the company's Technical Staffs
Oroup.
I I Equally impressive is Fletcher'S
Taxpayers Ask IRS commitment to helping young
African Americans build their own
careers. In 1988 he co-founded-the
�������������������������� Oe�raIMo��B��Co���
Conference, an annual gathering
which brings together more than
400 minority interns,' cooperative
students, scholars and fellows
working at OM to network and ad­
dress issues pertinent to setting and
pursuing professional goals.
Museum names Community
Relations anager
DEARBORN, Michigan - Nikki
Graves Shakoor has been
promoted to Manger, of Com­
munity Relations, a new position in
the External Affairs division at
Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield
Village.
In this new assignment,
. Shakoor will have responsibility
for increasing the museum's
vis ib il ity as an educational
resource which offers programs
that reflect America's multicul­
tural heritage. In addition, she will
collaborate with other museum
staff in developing programs that
address the expectations of multi- NIKKI GRAVES $HAKOOR
cuI tural audiences and in building
partnership with other cultural
and educational instttutiors '1 lly and nationally.
Shakoor joined the museum staff in February, 1991, as coordinator
of the. African-American Family Life and Culture Project, In that
capacuy, she had been responsible for administration and evaluation
of programming that was introduced in August. 1991 at two historic
African-American sites - a pair of 1850 slave dwellings and a 1930
farmhouse - that were just restored in Greenfield Village.
Shak or also developed the program for itA Celebration 'Of Eman­
cip�tionlt o� �ugust 10-11, a special event marking the opening of the
project exhibits that re-created a variety of activities associated with
historic celebrations of Emancipation throughout North America.
FORMERL� A �EMBER of the health education faculty at
Wayne State University, Shakoor also served as host coordinator for
. an International African Student Exchange program in Detroit. A
graduate of Siena Heights College in Adrian, Mich., she earned a
�aster�fPu�lic Administration degree from Bernard Baruch College,
City University of New York, and received a National Urban Fellow­
ship in 1988.
The 1991 recipient of the Living Legacy Award, Shakoor is a
founder and past president of the League of Muslim Women, Inc., a
community service organization.
/
V.ITA and TeE, Taxpayers Helping
Others .
These are typical of questions Q. Why would a taxpayer go to a
asked by taxpayers and are pre- VITA ite for help instead of a
sen ted as a public service of this local J RS office?
publication and the IRS.
Q. '1 am a retired accountant who
would like to help people with
their taxes, c pecially people who
cannot afford professional lax as­
.isrance. How can I get involved in
a program t help these people?
..t. Under VITA (Volunteer ln­
come Tax A isran e) and TCE
(Tax Counseling for the lderly),
the IR will train you to prepare
ba ic individual income lax re­
turns. You will then be able ro
a�si�t taxpayers a� Vl�A and T
�Ile' .
.... Many taxpayers find VITA
sites more convenient than their
local IRS office. During the fihng
season, VITA sites are set up in
libraries, community centers,
shopping malls, churches, schools.
and other neighborhood locations.
AI'o, some' taxpayers fed' more
comfortable dealing with volun­
teers in their own neighborh ods.
Q. What kind of training have the
V IT A a' istors received?
A. VIT assistors must .ucccss­
fully complete an IR' training
c urse cmphusizing baSIC' income
tax preparation, including step-by­
step completion of Form 1040EZ
l040A and 1040. '
Q. What are ba ic tax returns?
,'1. Ua:-.ic tax return include Form
1040 'Z, Form I040A, and Form
1 040 with chedule .They do not
include such i� sues a' capital gains
or bu inc s expenses, which re-
qUire additi nal hcdulc,
Q. Wh0 can u�e th is free tax ass is­
tan e?
Assistors abo are informed
bout such p..:�iat tax bl.!ndit� a
the earned in�omc credit, child
care redit and ta>. credit for the
elderly and disabled.
A. Older taxpayers, per ons with
di abilities, n n- nglish':sp..:aking
individual' and other' who n..:cd
help preparing a ba IC ta return
and annot afford to p..1y a prepar­
er can '..:l thi as i ·talH,'l.!.
Q. How c n I lind out if therl.! is a
V ITA �Ite near my home?
A. all your IR VITA Coordina­
t0r at your local I R oflice or call
toll-free at I-HOU-H29-1040.
f
I
n tional urvey ho ed. By 1 9,
the verage co t of a ye r in
public college $5,013; yearly
tuition in priv te institution w
$16,356.
THE PILOT PROG M
would operate p rallel to the Pell
Grant nd Guaranteed Student
Lo ns. Any tudents attending the
elected 300 chool could borrow
up to $5,000 a year, with a total
limit of $30,000. The intere t rate
would equal the 52-week rate on
Trea ury bill pI 2 percentage
poin . The 10 ns would be rep id
by incre ed IRS withholding.
Simon say direct tudent loans
will reduce defaults, which have
cost taxpayers $11.5 billion ince
1987. The American Bankers As-
r
w
PHYLLI K. BOOYMAN,
director of financial id at Hope
College, id the concept i appeal­
ing even for a mall liberal arts in-
titution uch he. Hope h
proce ed loans totaling $2.8 mil­
lion for 1 100 tuden so far this
cademic year.
"For our . students, direct loans
would mean more timely crediting'
of fund to their accounts nd a ig­
niflcant savings of costly guarantee
and origination fees--not to men­
tion a considerable vings of time
and energy in the application
proces ," Hooyman aid.
r
Need Information about Businesses?
Call the Business INFOLINE!
n
ive award
. MILTON E. FLETCHER
Cited for his outstanding techni­
cal contributions, David Whittaker
has spent his entire career with GM.
A cooperative s�udent sponsored by
the company's Advanced Product
Engineering group, he graduated
from the General Motors Institute in
Flint in 1974 and was assigned t9
the Advanced Engineering Staff as
an associate engineer.
,Eight years later, he was
promoted to project design en­
gineer, responsible for body struc­
ture analysis and the development
of design proposals, and in 1983, to
staff project engineer responsible
for front end structure engineering
for Project Saturn.
Whittaker was one of the first
engineers to be recruited to work at
Saturn in 1985, and it was a steady
stream of accomplishments, such as
the development of award-winning
polymer body panels, . modal
analysis techniques and lightweight
vehicle structures, which helped to
move him into Saturn's executive
suite.
a
DAVID R. WHITTAKER
AS CHIEF ENGINEER for
body systems and components,
Whittaker is responsible for the in­
tegration of engineering functions,
including the management of
design and engineering of body
structure, spaceframe, doors, body
components, glass and molding and
sealing systems. He also oversees
the administration activities of 10
product engineering groups and
168 employees.
In addition to his duties at
Saturn, Whittaker is active in a
number of professional and com­
munity service activities. He has
encouraged young African
Americans across the country to
pursue careers in engineering
through the Society of Automotive
Engineers and, in 1990, he and his
wife Barbara received the Troy,
Mich. YMCNs Minority
Achievers Award for leadership
and outstanding service.
A Service of American
Ru inc Inform:ltion •
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