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A HI GTO ,
(NO S)-Recently rele
data how a dram tic' in
Bl c politic 1 po er in
America over the pa t 20
ye rs, But growing Bl ck
political trength ppe to be
doing Blac little economic
good.
According to the Joint Cen­
ter for Political Studie in
W hington, D.C., th number
of Bl ck elected officials now
stands t 7,300--up dramati­
cally from le than 1,000
when Congre first enacted
voting and civil righ 1
nearly 30 years.
In addi lion, recent court or­
dered re-di tricting i ex­
pected to increase the number
of African-American in Con­
gress from the current 26 to
over 40 after the November 3
elections. However, political
growth is not translating into
economic empowerment.
A recent Census Bureau
stud y found tha t poverty
among Blacks has actually
been increasing in recent
years. Many e rts feel the
greatesd need for Blacks in the
199<B is to conquer and the
social pathologies which flow
from it.
LOS ANGELES, CA-The
premier of the Spike Lee film
"Malcolm X" will not be
delayed because of the dispute
between Lee and George Hol­
liday, the owner of the Rodney
King video. Lee and Holliday
ettled out of court for Lee's
use of the video in his film.
Holliday bad demanded
greater compensation or
removal of the video from the
movie with Lee countering
that Holliday had agreed to ac­
cept $50,000 for rights to use
the tape.
The video is rumored to be
used to in the opening of the
film with an American flag
burning around it. The
premier will be, as scheduled,
November 20th.
UPAChoids
statehood unity
reception
WASHINGTON, DC
(BANS)-Harold J. Gist,
Deputy Campaign Manager of
the Clinton-Gore Democratic
Party Presidential Campaign
Committee, was the keynote
speaker at a Statehood Unity
reception, sponsored by the
Unemployment and Poverty
Action Committee (UPAC).
This event was held at the
Black-owned Howard Inn, in
Washington, D.C. Gist
replaced Carol Willis, �he
Senior Deputy campargn
Manager of the Clinton-Gore
Campaign Committee on the
program due to the funeral of
a close friend. Willis is known
as the central person in the
Black Leadership Brain Trust
of the Clinton-Gore Campaign
Committee.
In the August 13, 1992 edi­
tion of the Arkansas State
Press was an extensive story
on Willis and other members
. of this Black Leadership Brain
Trust.
The article was written by
Janis F. Kearney, publisher of
the Arkansas State Press,
formerly owned by Daisy
Bates, a key figure in the 1957-
1958 Little Rock School
de 'egregation crisis, Hilda
Mason, an advocate of D.C.
Statehood for many years and
a member of the Council of the
Di trict of Columbia, poke at
thi gathering along �ith
many thcr important potnical
figure in Washington, D.C.
By TUREKA TURK
white coll r y tem m de the
blu coll r communi tie into.
L bor union have only ag­
gravated the plight of blue collar
work rs in thi country. "Unions,"
Collier aid, "have become the
country club for the privelaged work­
ing cl /'
Collier doe not consider himself
a" elf-proclaimed m iah like Jes e
Jac on". He doe consider himself
a representative of change. Absent of
empty campaign promise , Collier
does however, vow to "expo e back­
room dealing, recruit for the
Socialist Party, and try to use the
resources that bail out the govern­
ment for more productive uses".
Socialism i a foreign ideaology
for many people. Collier ay the
cause of this is the complete media
boycott of Socialism. .
"The yd rather report on
Capitalism. Long before Perot even
got certified, we had 38,000 signa­
tures to be certified," Collier say .
Why?
Big business backs most institu­
tions in thi ociety, Collier says.
Schools, education, and health care
are under the control of the capitalists
in this society.
"Health care should be free, of collar schools do. We advocate
quality, and non-discriminate. building new schools and equipping
Everybody should be treated like th m with the most advanced tool of
C!Je ge Bush when they i ve d echnology-c
his rolds and rushe , nd the
best hQspital in the cou.LI.�"_IIh""MlliIll}:� ....
best doctors there to treat him." And
abortion?
"We believe in the unrestricted
right for a woman to make her own
decisions regarding abortion. The
restriction of abortions results in
more deaths among women."
And education?
"Elementary education begins the
proces of teaching obedience and . t
prepares blue collar children to work
in the factorie . Our children should
have the same advantages as white
Robert Lepsig, director of the
Monroe County Department of So­
cial Services, said he had mixed feel­
ings about the crack-down mea urcs,
"I think we can develop a myth
that we have all these wealthy fathe
that have kids they're not supporting,
when in fact, the vast majority of
them are people with low income," he
said. .
Measures such as revoking
professional licenses would have a
large impact. on a small population,
Lepsig aid, but additio�al penalitie
0' Artagnan Collier �eft) Socialist candidate for Congress in the 14th District. stumps for votes.
"It (the real division in society) is
not between Black and white, but be­
tween the vast majority of the popula-
ne h nd and tin
and millionare
raci mas a
of their divide-and-rule trategy
against the working clas ." For this
rea on, Collier and the Worker' .
League are again t segregated
chools.
"Tho e who are able to attend the
Afro-centric chools are, in majority,
. the ons and daughters of the Black
middle class. Students need to be in
school thatteachallculture ,not just
one."
Collier urge voters to look
towards new answers to the problems
"The resources for this spending
exists. Instead of pending $500 mil­
lion dollars to bail out the S & L
criminals, the Workers League advo­
cates a S500 million program of
public works to rebuild cities like
Detroit."
The Worker League fights to
unite the entire working class­
Black, white, and immigrant­
again t all form of racism and
nationalism, and in. a common strug­
gle against the capitalistic sy tern.
"OUR SOCIETY A a whole
has too ea ily excused people. J think
we need to e tablish responsibility"
Lepsig aid.
Allen Lebow, executive director
of Fathers for Equal Rights of
America headquartered in South­
field, aid the measures were based
on unfair stereotypes of fathers and
Respect Month:
October is a month when people
are worried about "Devil Night"
violence, but some organizations arc
trying to get people to think about
respect. .
For the thi rd traight year. the
Governor of Michigan ha
proclaimed October as "R� _pect
Month", a time to "encourage citizens
to consider way they can create an
atmo phere of respect" and get adult
with influcn e over young people 1
crnphs ize the idea of rc .pect."
October 30th traditionally known
a. "Devil' Night" ha been
pr claimed "Rc pect Your Ncighb r­
hood Day."
Such proclamation have been
made twice by Michigan Governor
J hn Englcr and once by former
Governor James Blanchard, at the rc­
que t of th Respect Month Commit­
tee, a oalition of or anintions
working with the Greater D troit In­
tcr aith Round Table of the National
'ontcrcncc of Christians and Jews.
D 01 - Pre ident George
Bush w n noth r four years to
fini h what he' tarted. Governor
Bill Clinton feel i time for a
c n . R Perot . n't qui e ure
what' goingon. Th 1992campaign_
se on brin bout repetitlo olu­
tions to the arne problem forcing
voters to pick th le er of the evil .
The ca ? Capitali m, ay 0'­
Artagnan Collier, Socialist candidate
for Congre in the 14th Di trict.
Collier, 24, and his Sociali t Party
feels the working cl is fooling it-
elf if they believe anything the two
conventional partie promise this
time.
"The Democrats and the
Republicans speak for the top 1 per­
cent of this ociety which own more
wealth than the bottom 90 percent,"
Collier, a graduate of 0 born High
School in Detroit and a member of the
Socialist party ince 1984, says. "It
is time to put a end to the dictatorship
of rich people.
"We have been raised to believe
that, in a blue collar community,
Democrats were the party to vote for.
But when you get right down to it,
there is no difference between them
and Republicans. I grew up seeing
the, effects -ef-destruetion .of -society
under the De m I I' e
Republicans. "
The Socialist Party feels that the
time has arrived for workers of the
world to unite and take hold of the
U.S. government. Pushing a
workers' government, the Party also
advocates public ownership of fac­
torie and banks.
�
With workers under one political
force, Collier says, there would be no
war and no poverty. Health care,
education, and ceo omics would be
under the control of the workers, put­
ting an end to the "dumping ground"
ub tantial, at first. .
Progress will be made gradually.:
But, he says, even if he doesn' '
win, society hould keep their eye on
the Worker'S League and its goals.
At the top of the Sociali t ticket, .
running for President on the Sociali ,
ticket is Helen Halyard, New Yor •
native and now a Detroitre ident, an(t
for Vice President, Fred MazeHs:
who has been involved with the pa�
since its founding in 1966. ':
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State
teps up pursuit of 'deadbeat' dads:!
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By ANDY HALLDORSON
C.p't.' New. Service
LANSING - Stepped-up measures
to hunt down Michigan's estimated
800,000 "deadbeat" dads and moms
owing $2.4 billion in child support
payments will be in effect by April if
social service reformers have their
way.
But advocates for fathers' rights
says it's all a political feeding frenzy
that bashes unfair stereotypes of
deadbeat dads, but does nothing to
help children.
The proposed reforms are part of
Gov. John Engler's welfare' system
overhaul. Officials aim to recover a
portion of $2.4 billion in delinquent
child-support payments and to make
it harder for absentee parents to
dodge payments, Department of So­
cial Service Director Gerald Miller
said.
"We're going to be the toughest
tate in the nation on child support,"
Miller aid.
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NGL R FORe A � driv-
ing to push bills through the Legi la­
ture that will impose har h new
penalties on tho e who fail to make
their payments. The propo ed penal­
ties would include:
- Withholding vehicle rcgistra­
tion.
- Rep rting. ub tantinl debts to
credit bureaus.
-- Including Sial ecurity num­
b rs on Mi higan driv .r's liccns "to
hclp k 'ate parents anti .nto: ., pa .
merits.
__ Rcvokin PI' llc"lnll.11 .or '1: old .
Iicen. es.
will make no difference to tho e who would only drive more people into like wallets," she aid. "The greater
have no money. poverty. the access they have to their kids, the
He said the mea ure would have a "It' going to prevent people from more likely they are to pay."
small but positive impact. making money. It' going to prevent •
them from making a living," Lebow
aid. "I think it's inhuman the way
fathers have been painted with one
brush."
Kay Schwarzberg, a Detr it area
attorney dealing exclusively in
dome tic relations, aid the law were
unfair to fathers making support pay­
ments.
"We've got to stop treating them
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THE MOVES ARE politically:
motivated, he said. •
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"It makes everybody look good.]
It's great politics, but whether we do:
anything for the kids or not is ir-'
relevant," he said ..
Department spokesman Bob:
Wyckoff said official hope to have:
the meas ures pa ed by January and.
implemented by April.
A way to exorcise "Cevil's Night?"
RMC NO THA Tyoungsters
who vandalize or attack other "lack
respect," but adds that through their
very de tructivene , they are al 0
trying to get respect themselve form
th ir own peer roup,
RMC Director Ron Siegel n tc ,
"The que tion i whether y ung
people can be per uaded to give
others what they 0 de perately want
for them elvc ."
Siegel tale. that lack fre peer n
a gr up level lead to prejudice.
"Many people have to live with con­
tinual d: r p ct, bccau c of their
race, r lrgion, poverty, ex, or b -
caus they have a handicap," icgcl
aid.
On tre other hand, he add. , emo­
tional problem and teen uicid
often come from "a lack of elf-e -
teem. re pe t f r the elf."
"We arc tiling kid 10 'land tall
and help other people 1 rand tali,"
Siegel aid. "Don't try t stand tall b)
putting othe d wn."
Respect Month, a
time to encourage
citizens to consider
ways they can create
an atmosphere of
respect and get
adults with influence
over young people to
emphasize the idea of
respect.
RM � WILL me GETTING
young people involved by holding
c ntcsi: on c .... a. :, p .ms, and rap
mu ic n rcspc t, with prize m ney
donated by New Detroit, Inc. Thre
prizes will be given for each category
in different age groups, with those iIt
the conte t for 6-8 yearolds and 9-10
years getting $25 and tho e in t�
teen age group, 11-18 years, getting
a S50 prize. ;
Writing should should be sent
wi th name, address, phone, age, an4
grade to Respect Month Contest, 15
W. Bos ton, Detroi 1, MI 48202 bX
November 17.
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RMC is al 0 encouraging teacbera
to empha ize areas in their ubjeci
that deal with re pect. :
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Tho e -who wi h orne ideas on
teaching or community action ser­
vice, want material, or have ugges-t
tion of their own, should writ�
RMC, P.O. Box 03015, Detroit, MI
48203 or call Ron Siegel at (313'
866-1970. .