time 0 to hunt and fish, because
being in b ine for only a year. it
will take him time to get the bminess
stablilized. He id be I trying to
take one day at a time.
Robinsonsaidbc formingacor­
poration caUed Ocneratio Inc.,
with his brother in-law, Donnie
Mee , owner of Quik- Way Party
Store at the comer of Fair and High­
land Avenue.
"We arc in the process of opening
a new store on Crystal Avenue in
Benton Township," be said. "This
corporation is somethin we can
build for our children."
Robin on' advice to young
a piring African-American
b inessman and business omen is,
"Be persistent and don't let no one
take your dream away from you.·
A TheUb
ry
atch the how free-of-cbarge, and
will al 0 have th opportunity to hear
about the library' summer programs'
and sign up for library cards.
Children of all age , pre-school
through eighth grade, may sign up
for the 1992 summer reading pro­
gram anytime during regular library
hours between the dates of June 1St
and August 1st. Prizes will be given
away as children read or listen to
books, until completition of the pro­
gram with 20 books being read. A
reading log will be kept at the library
for each child who participates.
ANOTHER INCID NT
involved trash hauling. Industrial ............. - ......... ---- ..... --------------------- .... - ..... __ •
Sanitation was paid $12,000 to haul
trash that was collected from
city-owned properties to the landfill.
Yarbrough had passed around to the
Commission a stack of work orders
he had gotten to clean up city-owned
propertie and "trash that Waste
Management had left."
Yarbrough stated to the
COmmission that he did not know
why they were complaining about
his actions when no one had .
questioned the' fee of ovet $60,000
that was paid to another oompany to
haul trash to the landfill before. He
aid the city's trucks were not in
shape to haul the rubbish to the
landfill, so he got Industrial
Sanitation to do it.
"I am the one the people called
about nasty lots and stree that are
not swept," Yarbrough said: "I don't
believe I have to answer 0 you for
petty stuff. All you }lave to do is ride
the city and yo. can see what I am
doing."
, "For $12,000 we have got a city
that is cleaner than it has ever been
in the month of May," Yatbrough
added.
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NO GROUP of youn
families n harder hit than
. tbose in the Bl ck community.
Th median earnings of the
heads of YOWl Black families
with children fell an unbetiev­
able 71 percent from 1973 to
1900.
Their total family Incomes
from all sources dropped 48 per­
cent. 1be median income of
young Black familie with
children' fK'JW below the federal.
. poverty line for a family 0 three,
. This CriSIS for young Blac
families is contributing mightily
to the tearing apart of the Black
community.
We see the consequences in
the emergency rooms and un­
employment lines and prisons.
We see them in bomel hel­
ters and neonatal intensive care
wards and morgues of our citi
and our subwbs and our rural
.L towns. And tra�callYt e
.. them in the violence that has
.. erupted in Los Angeles and in
other citi across America that
has de troyed so many Black
lives and leaves Blacks and
whiteS alike so fearful.
Drainatic income losses have
• affected virtually every group of
young families with children:
" • White, Black and Lauro; mar­
· ned-couple and Single-parent;
• aJ¥l tbose headed by high scbool
._ gradua as well as high school
dropouts. lOOeed, only young
� families with children headed by
a couege graduate experienced
any increasein their median in­
e come between 1973 and 19C.X>.
• America cannot wait any
longer to respond to this
.; economic disaster. We must
take immediate steps to reverse
the deterioration in the economic
status of young familie wi th
children and ensure that all
Americans get a fair start in life.
A FAIR START means
.enewed ands taimdeconomic
growth am enough jobs at a
decent wages to restore tbe pact
our nation used to hav with
young families-that personal
sacrifice and hard work will be
rewarded. It mears enactment of
a refurxlable children's tax credit
to ease the financial burdens on
. yOWlg families. And it means
Increasing the federal minimum
wage aoo other steps to upple­
ment low earningsal! would help
young parents support their
children through work.
Greater investments in tbe
skills and productivity of
America's future workforce
thrQugh education and job tlBin-.
ing are essential to provide a
strong eeommic fouIXlation for
the next generation of
American' young famili .
Otberwise, we will be 00-
log a frightening message to
young Americans that bearing,
raising and nurturing children
may 00 longer be compatible
with pursuit of American dream.
No society can convey this mes­
sage for long if it hopes to urvive
and prosper.
BENTON HARBOR
city
meetin ,
The only ay for African
. eric n to hav a chance in
Am ric . to create n economic
e. On y to do thi i to elop
mall busin . This can be th
eed for develol_)ing larger
enterpri
The Michigan Citizen will begin
doing profil on African-American
bu inc se in Southwe tern
Michigan.
This wee will be. a profile on .
Mel' PI ce, a local party tore' and
deli owned by Mel Robinson, lo­
cated on the comer of Pipe ton and
Britain Avenue.
Th first thing you notice about
Mel's PIa is, that 'it' beyo d cle ;
it' parkling. M 1 i proud to erve
the neighborhood and it how .
Robinson id owning his 0 n
b inc was a childhood dream of
his. "I had lawnmowing service on
tbe weekends to buy school clothes.
All my life I'v anted to wor for
myself, <> thi . a dream com true,"
said.
He d thi . hi first full-time
business, but he previo ly d
part-time wood b ines. "It' lot
of bard wor , but work· not the
hard t pert. The hard t part· deal­
ing with people who don't want to be
tisfied.It' hard for them to ee you
are pulling with them, not gainst
tbem. It' only the b d appl that
make it hard."
MEL ROBIN ON, OWNER OF
ROBI SON SAID the best part
of being in busine i the reward you
get for wor tng hard nd knowing
you will get paid what you are worth.
"I know ex ctly what I'm worth to
my company, 0 if I want more I can
just work harder."
Robinson id he doesn't have
time for any hobbies and he know it
won't be this year before he can take
Yabroughan
By BERNICE BROWN
Benton Harbor City
Commissioner gave Parks and
Recreation Service Director Glenn
Yarbrough a vote of confidence after
he appeared before the Commission.
He came to "set the record straight"
about ome complaints from
Commissioner George Wysinger
and other city official .
Yarbrough said be as ked by
Commissioner George Wysinger to
go into closed se ion about the
complaints. "First I told him yes,
because I have nothing to hide, but
by going into closed se sion, it
would look like I have done·
something, " Yarbrough ide
One of the complaints was that
Yarbrough has been making
purchases without Commis ion
approval. ,
"I've been Whopped aero the
head about thi for about four or five
weeks now. I haven't purcha cd
anythipg without proper pproval,"
he responded.
Yarbrough said his only mistake
Economic
D velopm nt
Infr tru
Work hop H Id
The Southwestern Michigan
Commission, the Regional Planning
Agency covering Bertien, and
Van Buren Countie , is initiating a
erie of workshop called "Com­
munity Development Options" to
provide local communiti with in­
formation on programs they may be
able to utilize for their Community
Development Projects.
The first Workshop, Economic
Development Infrastructure, will be
held on June 3, from 8:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m. at the Van Buren ISD"ln
lawrence. Michigan' Community
Development Bloc Grant Program,
the Economic Development Ad­
ministration, the Transportation
Economic Development Fund and
Farmers Home Administration will
be covered:
Cost ,$5 per pc n. For more
infonnati contact Jim Howard at
(616) 925-1137. Seating limited to
first 50 participants.
Miriam and Michole Meredith
. Students at HPCC read the
Michigan Citizen.
Why erent you? ubscribe Today!'
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Mall to: Michigan Citizen, PO Box 03560, Highland Park, Ml 48�03 I
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charge
The library will be closed on
Monday, May 25, in honor of the
Memorial Day holiday.
Pre-School StoryTime will
resume on Wedn day, June 10.
Movie for children being hOWD
on Saturday, May 30th, at 1 p.m.,
will be "The Pigs' Wedding."
Ronald McDonald will be at the
lib ry on Monday, June 1, at 6 p.m
to kick off the 1992 summer reading
program, READ! ROCK! 'RAP!
Children and parents may come to
w having $4,000 in rep done to
replace a tansmission in one of the
city's dump trucks, after receiving
oral permission from former City
Manager Steve Manning. "It's my
fault that I didn't put this in writing.
Now I'm getting my butt kicked
about a $4,000 truck I had fixed," he
said.
to the city," Commissioner James
Turner aid. "When you're being
successful, those people who like to
, keep you from being successful will
always try to put stumbling blocks in
you way."
Commissioner Wysinger cast the
only vote against the the motion for
the vote of confidence.
TB also
Yarbrough said, that
putting g into ca that didD't
belong to the city. "I have given the ----- .. -- --------- - -
city more than I could tate from I 0
them," Yarorough said. "My name, ; •
family and my reputation are worth I D
more than a tank of" I B I L. L ME
Yarorough . d the that •
put into personal cats were used to '0 $� 1 for ONE YEAR
do city wor, . g or ere to ($5 )ff th new stand pric )
diffetent Ites,
Yarbrough admitted that he had
exceeded his budget by $40,000.
"As far my overspending I think
you better look t t you
beengi· meandloo atthe
you me to do," Y rough told
the Commission. .
"Everything I've een you do
since I've been in office i a benefit
D
o