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VOL. XVI NO 10 /\n'"fOflIlIO(/f'I'lIp/I"" Ii f"'I'i't ('1111' r[B��ui��f ';7 '.'ARCH � 1".1('�4
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By MICHELE RUEHS
C.plml New. Service
LANSING - Black History
Month is a time for people to
work together to understand
other cultures and to forge
greater cooperation, but how
does it influence everyday life?'
In predominantly white ar­
eas, Black History Month, in
February, may not have much of
an effect on residents, which
may be depriving the areas of a
chance to look at another culture
and to strive toward breaking
down the barriers of racism.
Black History Month gives
everyone an opportunity to zoom
in on other cultures, instead of
just the European cultur 80
often empha ized in history
books, said James Hom II, pub­
lic information director of the
ic Ci vil Ri ta Depart-
ment.
Horn id co 0 ting
Black History Month alia
ciety to see where it has been
and where it can to go in terms
of overcoming racial barriers.
"I would think that this would
be a perfect opportunity for pe0-
ple everywhere to recommit
PU
Ine,p nUdt.- .. n•L
nity arum
Eddie Strong, a board mem­
ber of PUSH and also who mod­
erated Saturday' forum, id,
"I'h e kind of organizations
need to be rvioe organizations
to our youth and community
. which focuses energy on revis­
ing plans and activiti for our
PUSH,A5
By CRAIG HILL
Oetting PUSH members.
According Dr. Jab rl V.
Prempeh, Ph.D., president/ex­
ecutive director of Operation
PUSH, Inc., Detroit Chapter,
said six topics and more will be
discussed and done every Satur­
day at Highland Park Commu­
nity College.
La Saturday, th� Detroit
chapter, of Operation PU.SH,
Education.
Eoonomic programs, growth
-and development.
Registering peopl to vote.
What to do about druga and
crime?
Mentoring tutoring pro­
grams.
S IMPACT,AS
eparations movement
takes to the street
By CRAIG HILL
Allchlf1.n Cltlan
cou ntry, martial artis , relig­
ious leade ,and political activ­
ists. They will be i . ting that
the United States government
begin now to p y ·r para­
tion W -that is, paym nt for
slavery and cial discrimina­
tion after lavery.
Under the battle cry,
"Jericho," Detroiters are being
called upon to join a march for
parations in Washington D.C.
Participating are the Detroit
chapter of the National Coali­
tion Of Blacks for Reparations in
America (NCOBRA), leaders of
th Provisional Government of
the Republic of New Afrika (Po.
RNA), supported by officers of
the National Conference of
BI ck Lawyers, th National
Black United Front, the New Af­
rikan Peoples Organization and
others.
The groups have set Batur­
day, April 2, 1994, the date for
�or demo ratio in W. h-
THIS "22-BILLION
DOWN payment to Black pe0-
ple is to be used fo Black-con­
trolled economic development
and ten new Pan-Afrikari colle
campuses to ve Black youth,
organizers say.
"The anger of the Jericho,· ao­
MARCH, A-'
Prison
labo
-repiaces
private jobs
..
id nt Bill Clinton an
Oon and upon .
Black reparations agenda.
The "Jericho" demonstr -
tiona are a reference to th8 Bib­
lical victory won by J08hu with
mas of marching feet and
trumpets. This 1994 "Jericho"
will include a march on the
White Houae and Congress led
by drummers from arou d the
By ESTHER WALLEN
c.p"" New. Service
,
LANSING - When Brill
Manufaeturing Co. in Lud­
ington lost the bid to make fur­
niture for Michig n State
University last year, the com- \
pany became financially devas­
tated.
. For the first time in nine
years, there would be no oon-,
tract between Brill and MSU,
and the small furniture manu­
facturing company lost an ex­
pected 1 million the contract
could have brought.
"To a company our size, that
was a tremendous blow," id
Dennis Lange, vice president of
Brill.
MSU opted to take advantage
of the lower prices of furniture
produced by inmates through
Michigan's prison induatr]
program. Under th program,
inmates are given the-chance to
develop or learn new mila by
working as an industry, from
producing furniture to operating
a laundry service, for Michigan
compani and residents.
Similar bidding itua'tiona
would cause the company to
truggle for close to a y r, and
S PRISON,A3
COMMENTARY
zy?
?
•
yc
o
By SONJA B. ROBINSON
All this talk about "Youth Violence"
and, locking up 13, 14 and 15 year old
kids for life, building more prisons, hir­
ing more police. Has someone in
Lansing and Washington gone c::razy?
You are talking about my child.ren!? .
They need' help! We need help! If
prison worked there would be need for
fewer of them. It doesn't take a genius
to figure out what kind of degree a per­
son gets from incarceration - a B.S. in
Crime.
I have no faith in people who can
CRIMINAL BEIIA VI OR is stimu­
lated by adults who talk it, walk it, make
films of it, produce songs about it, build
jails to make more movies and songs
about it; the REAL CRIMINALS are
the adults who are pointing their filthy
fingers of death at you! Don't let them
rob you of your life and your mindl Fight'
back with a POSITIVE FORCE! '
"3 Strikes and you're out!" Who does
he think he' talking to? A bunch of
animals? With a POSITIVE FORCE
you can ay, "3 strikes and you gradu-
atel," "3 strikes and you're in eollegel,"
"3 strikes and you're self-employedl," "3
strikes and you're President of these
un-United States!," "3 strikes and you're
Governor of Michigan!."
Don't you ever let any man, woman,
boy or girl tell you that you are jail bait!
NO!, and you're not an endangered spe­
cies either. Who ever said that was talk­
ing about their wardrobe.
A Black man has always been a
threat to the greedy money mongers of
this world. Why? Because Black men
See STRIKE�, B5
come up with no better solution thanjail
for a hurt, confused, abused, misused,
neglected and unnurtured frighten
child. People who make such decisions
and have the power to enact them are
dangerous and need. to be watched.
My children, don't you ever let an­
other person define your reality. Only
you and God know your mission on
earth. We adults must make sure that
you get the cha� to grow up and dem­
onstrate your greatness. Oh sure, you're
going to make mistakes. But drugs, irre­
sponsible X, murder, stealing and such
are not the products of your true self.
S'hould
Black
Hi tory be
limited to
one month?
Reggie Scrugg - No. I think
that it should be on-goi'ng and
not just one month since we've
always gotten the short end of
the stick in the past.