..
I
l')
" .
YO - Return-
ing to a progr m
upended in 19 9, the
ta of ew Yor revived
old quot fter new
tud y howed th t
minority-owned bu i­
nes es till get relatively
mall hare of contracts.
New Yor St te official
y the tudy' tati tics
and te timonie of
minority contractors how
a pattern of sexual and ra­
cial discrimination. Th
newly revisted program re­
quires contractors to
reserve a c rtain propor­
tion of state work for com­
panies headed by women
and m mbers of minority
group .
The program was
originally abandoned after
a United States Supreme
Court ruling that stated a
similar program in Vir­
ginia violated the constitu­
tional rights of white
contractors under equal
protection of the law.
After the ruling New York
State has asked contractors
to voluntarily set aside
proportions of state work.
Are ult of this request ha
been the sharp decrease in
the amount of contracts
going to women and
minority-group leaders.
.": . Under}t (�ved 11 ) I r
gram, al1 contracts will still
go to -:'Ifl.atl"l' "'!.,. _.._.- Kl .... ...._..
sible
regard to ex or race.
Prime contractors will be
required to insure a small
proportion of the contract
goes to hire minority,
which received 1.2 percent
of contracts, and female,
which received 1 percent
of contracts, headed com­
panies.
Ben t en
proposes
enterprl e
zone �xpan Ion
WASHINGTON - Only
hours after. making a
speech that stressed the im- '
portance of zone limita­
tions to prevent benefit
spreading, Senator Lloyd
Bentsen reversed his posi­
tion in order to avoid a
Presidential vetoofhis $31
billion dollar tax bill.
Bentsen proposed to
sharply expand the number
of enterprise zones eligible
for tax breaks for bu i­
nesses that invest in im­
poverished communi ties.
Bentsen's original bill
was called a hoax to the
poor by Housing Secretary
Jack F. Kemp who asked
President Bush to veto the
legislation if passed.
Diamond new
business for
ome countries
American Diamond In­
dustry Association says
that diamonds can shine in
a whole new light The
ADIA's recent ten-year
history of diamonds in­
cludes new business, jobs,
families, goods, and er­
vices-in hort, economic
success.
In Zaire, diamonds are
the third large t export
earners after copper and
oil;
In Botswana, diamond
account for more than 75
percent of export earnings;
Iii Narnbia, diamond
min pay taxe account­
ing for 13 percent of total
public revenues, and
diamonds account for 30
percent' of total export
earnings.
6th annual convention of
th Mi hi n State Conference
CP will e held S ptember
11-1 t the oyce Hotel in
Romulu , according to Helen
Diet - piff, Gen ral Ch irpe on.
The AACP Inkster Branch .
ho ting thi convention with the
theme of "Standing Up'
TOday-For Tomorrow:"
State Pre ident Carl Breeding
and Ink ter AACP 'Pre dient,
Edward Bivens, who i al 0 Mayor
of Inkster, will open the convention
with a new conference Friday,
September 11 at 9 a.m.
.,..,...cp
con� n in
Romul
" G
Michigan
ill mo into the 21 t Century,
d if e re 0 chieve th reali ty
of on nation, indivi ible, with
liberty d j tice for all, we must
truggle to eliminate the meann
of pirit that pit one again t
another, group gainst group, nd
cl gai t c1 ," Breeding aid
in announcing the convention. "I
am convinced that the NAACP i
po itioned to provide the
leadership that is needed."
ational figure highlight the
convention agenda.
Beniamin Hoo ,the retiring
nation I chief e ecutive of the
hi toric civil rights organization
will be the peaker at the Saturday,
September 12 Awards Luncheon.
ra
ummer fun con inu
By MARGUERITE STANLEY
Sp!cla' to IIlchlll"" CltIz."
For over forty years, the Port
Huron Branch of the NAACP has
sponsored an annual day of fun.
Throughout it's history, this Field
Day ha taken various forms.
Now a special summer event. .. in
it's inception it embodied everalpur­
po es-to raise much needed funds,
for th local branch, to help olidify
t J trican-Ameriean CoDUn1mi J
aM���H����������
steps toward racial undetSJandini.
City WIde, groups sponsored
various food booths, arts and crafts
booths, childrens' games. The
proceeds were turned over to the
NAACP treasure.
Scheduled entertainment has
varied from year to year, Earlier,
baseball tournaments were featured.
Later, basketball throws were in­
cluded. A concert band, jazz group ,
clowns, disc jockeys, ect, have even­
tually made their appearances.
THE 1992 SCHEDULE of
events included an African dance
troupe from Detroit and ail' ,_�
Storyteller from the Ann Arbor area.
" Hom mftlg'theme
was embraced wi th enthusiasm.
lvin Goode, fi t Afri n
Am rican n twor n w ter will
be the Freedom Fund Banquet
peaker at 6 p.m. S turd y.
U.S. Sen tor Carl Levin,
Governor John Engler, and
Romulu M yor Beverly
McAnall y h ve confirmed their
attendance, ccording to Breeding.
Other politicians including Senator
Don Riegle have been invi ted, the
pre ident aid.
Special gu ts of the convention
will be Michigan Supreme Court
Justice Conrad Mallett, Jr. and 61 t
Di trict Court Judge Benjamin
Logan, m of Grand Rapid .
Chairperson Dle te-Spiff
recently announced Convention
organizer will be offering a
special adv nee general
registration package for residents
People returned from New York,
California, Ohio, Washington ( tate
of), Georgia, Illinois, and _other si ter
cities of Michigan. .
On Friday evening August 7, an
informal drop-in reception was held
in the Leonard Comnnmity Center.
On Saturday at Knox Field, the
day's activities began at 10:00 am and
lasted through 6:00 pm. The atmos­
phere was festive despite the threat of
rain. Saturday evening, the dance
i
. I
S .. SUMMER A10
M'other of Mozambiqu'e
cited for leader· hip
By CAROLYN WARFIELD
Correspond nt
Africa's Prize for Leadership for
the sustainable end of hunger is be­
stowed for the well-being of African
people through human rights and
justice. This year's aW8 are desig­
nated for education and health
achievement.
Graca Simbine Machel, President
of the National Organization of
Children qf Mozabique Control Pro­
gram are co-recipients in the Hunger
Project' six annual recognition.
A gentle and articulate literacy'
and welfare advocate, Mrs. Machel
has nurture and rehabilitated count­
les children orphaned by the
country' 14-year independence
war, a bitter history that claimed her
husband Samora Machel, the first
Pre ident of Mozambique.
At independence, Mozombique
had one of the least educated popula­
tions in Africa.
DURING HER first decade as
Mini ter of Education and Culture,
the number of students enrolled in
primary and econdary school in
Mozambique tripled, despite in-
. crea ed attack on the civilian
popul lion by the South African
financed by Renamo guerill
Dr. Ebr.hlm M. S.mb.
Traumatized children are placed
with village families where they are
cared for physically and spiritually.
, Mrs. Machel emphasized "the
basis of moral behavior is love,
olidarity and mutual assistance.
The right to learn, develop intellec­
tual facilities and solve problems
will empower the children. "
Dr. Ebrahim M. Samba i a Gam­
bian physician and administrator
who has eradicated onchocerciasis, a
parasitic disease camed by the Black
fly resulting in river blindne , from
61.8 million acres of river valley'
throughout the eleven affected
countries where they have: been
made safe for human ettlement.
Today 30 million people can live
without threat of the malady, thanks
to Dr. Samba and his team of 800
scientists, doctors, field taff and
pilots, 97 per cent of whom are
African'.
THE DECADE·OLD EF·
FORT, now in its final phase works
both to destroy the larvae that carry
the disease and treat the people who
ufIer from it.
In 1987, Merck phannaceutiCais
decided to provide a drug they
manufactured in 1986, free to
anyone who needed it It has now
been distributed to more than
400,000 people.
Joan Holme ,Executive Director
of the Hunger Project, made the
awards announcement from Adis
Ababa, Ethiopia, the headquarters of
the Economic Commission for
Africa and the Organization of
African Unity, at a time when the
government has made a commitment
to prevent famine and end hunger in
Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.
The announcement was telecast
by satellite to New York and addi­
tional U.S. sites.
Wayne State University's
African Studies Department co­
sponsored the telecast event on cam­
pus with the Museum of African
American History and African Rural
Development contributing to the
sponsorship.
"THE DROUGHT AFFECT­
ING the eastern and outhern por­
tion of Africa threatens 18 million
people," Holmes said. "To create a
new future for Africa, collective
responsibility of the world com­
munity must provide diligent man­
hows and resource to curtail the
tragic evidence of mass disease �d
death.
The people of this region are en­
deavoring to avert catastrophic
famine."
To assure that Africa's develop­
ment efforts ucceed Holme added,
"it demands that we discover within
ourselves what it truly means to be
moral and human."
As direct evidence of the impor­
tant Africa has placed on the welfare
of its people, it has declared the last
decade of the 20th century, the
Decade 'or the Africa Child.
African nation are pi cing
renewed emphasi on empowering
and strengthening people' par­
ticipation in the development of their
ountrie and this new leadership i
emerging at llievel and in all sec­
to of society.
o Allenp r , B 11 ville, nton
De rborn, De rborn ights,
GArden City, Ink ter, Livonia
orthville, Plymouth, Redford
Romulu T ylor, yn nd
W tland.
COl
Diete-Spiff, the fir t
non-delegate We tern Wayne
County re ident who regi ter
before th September 2 deadlin
will receive complimentary tic ets
for the NBD hm h n/: eminar on
Personal Banking held Friday,
September 11 at noon and th
Awards Luncheon.
Prices for th pecial Western
Wayne County Advance General
Registration deal are $35 for duJ ts
and $25 for students, Dieter-Spiff
said.
For more information, call the
NAACP hotline al313/595-3550.
The Falcon Jr. Drum and Bugle Corps.
Poor? Run for
office get elected
By RON SEIGEL
Correspondent
DETROIT - One of the major
figures of the Up and Out of
Poverty organization said that a
major strategy being used
against cutbacks is to get poor
people to run for office.
While vi iting the National
Survival Summit, sponsored by
her organization at U of Mercy
COllege last week, Dottie
Stevens aid the movement is en­
couraging poor people to run for
office at every level of govern­
ment.
Are ident of Bo ton, Stevens
ran for Governor of Ma -
sachusetts.
She got welfare 'recipients,
homele people and prisoners
registered and got them to use
absentee ballots.
STEVENS CHARGE
THERE unfair election prac­
tices and violations of the Voting
Rights Law that he is still deal­
ing with ....
Although Stevens 10 t, she
ays she "got the message out"
about the intense uffering faced
by the poor. Stevens adds that
he received favorable publicity
on the Phil Donahue and Sally
Je ie Raphet talk how ,
She aid that victim of
poverty "have the common
sense" nece ary to deal with
problem,
"Politic i nee s ry for sur­
vrval,": he aid, "We have to get
rid of c rrupt politica ."
She Joked he i not afriad of
"negative campaigning," be­
ca e 0 neg live tereotype
a ut th on welf re, noting,
ince I'm a welfare mother, I'm
already considered low you
can get."
PETE BRADL Y of
Philadelphia Pennsylvania, who
lived for a time at a h Iter for the
homeles , said he was asked to
run for tate repre entative of
Delaware County, when one of
th Democratic running dropped
out the race.
Bradley aid, he i "getting
poorp ople's j ue out."
"I want to Jet pe pie know
that poor people won't tand
there and take from rich people,"
he said, "We've built a society
where being homele i a
crime."
He noted pe pie were ar­
re ted for the crime of loitering
imply because they did not have
home or were given one way
bus tations.
Despite the large amount of
homelessness that existed, he
, aid politicians were trying to cut
75 percent of the shelters. There
were plans to cut General Assis- ,
tance and to pay for ho pital ':
costs only at certain times of the '
year, he added.
HE AID THAT he wa
going to do omethJng about the
lack of job and affordable ho -
ingand give help to drug addicts.
Stevens noted that people are
tired of voting for ndidate,
. imply aus they repre ented
"th Ie er of two evil ."
However, de pi te the fact that
he wa cri tical of the
Demo ratic Party, h said that
he her elf wa voting for
Democratic candidate William
Clinton.
"We have to get rid of (Pre i­
dent George) Bush," he aid.
"Bush i g ing t ct into war
with Iraq or Yug lavia."