Freedom
" Ride
rally
unites
" disabled
BY KELLY THAYER
Like the civil rights marches of
the 1960s, last Friday's New
Freedom Ride took to the streets to
express the concerns of the op-
pressed, specifically people with dis-
abilities.
The Ride began on the Diag at
* 3:30 pm. State Senator Lana Pollack
addressed about 150 rally members
from throughout Michigan and the
Toledo, Ohio area.
Pollack stated her support for the
marchers' cause and offered encour-
agement.
"You are the leaders. Now let
everyone know you are leading the
way," said Pollack.
The Ride then proceeded from the
* Diag to the Federal Building. On the
way, a woman in a wheelchair fell
off a curb and onto the street. Fellow
marchers began chanting "we need
curb cuts."
Demonstrators stressed that they
too are taxpayers and that curb cuts,
accessible housing, employment,
and public transportation are necessi-
ties for themselves and the 43 mil-
lion other disabled US citizens.
At the Federal Building, 200
marchers and passersby gathered to
listen to speeches and sing songs ad-
dressing specific concerns of people
with disabilities.
Dar Vander Beek, director of
Disabled Student Services at the
University, spoke to fellow disabled
people. She stirred the crowd by
noting "an eighty percent unemploy-
ment rate among women with dis-
abilities. "
"We have the right to get on the
bus, to use a bathroom, to have a
job. We shouldn't be denied those
rights," said Vander Beek.
Detroit Free Press columnist Jim
Neubacher encouraged support for
the Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1989.
The ADA is a national civil
* rights act seeking to end discrimina-
tion against people with disabilities
in the areas of employment, public
services, transportation and
telecommunication. The act has been
revised from its original proposal in
1988 and is expected to come to a
vote in Congress this year.
A song written and sung at the
rally by Gerri Taeckens, a woman
* who is blind, conveyed the feelings
of the marchers: "Discrimination's
all around/ For people that aren't
made/ To fit through rigid systems/
Able-bodied man has laid."
SILL WOOD/OaIy
Summer Schooll
During the nice weather, art school classes often take place outside.
Task force works
for women equality
BY JONATHAN GOODMAN figures to improve, changes have to
be made in the groups that decide
Improving the academic climate who receives tenure, for example.
and making the campus a more com- "More women and minorities need to
fortable place for women will be the be included in these groups."
focus of the newly formed Royster also expressed concern
President's Advisory Commission for women of color.
on Women's Issues. "The Commission will have to
The Commission, made up of 15 focus on this group because if the si-
women faculty, administrators and tuation is unacceptable for women,
students, was established in March it is worse for women of color."
by President Duderstadt in response In its two meetings so far, the
to an Ad Hoc Committee's report, Commission has emphasized the
Women's Agenda for the 1990's. need to improve recruitment, reten-
The Commission's goal is to tion and success of women faculty
achieve full and equal participation members.
of women at the University by sub- Colleen Dolan-Greene, Assistant
mitting recommendations to the Vice President for Academic Affairs
President on issues facing women on and a member of the Commission
campus. said the Commission was reaching
"We have to increase the number out to some 20 women's groups on
of women in leadership positions to campus such as the Michigan
improve the climate here," said Student Assembly's Women's Issues
Eunice Royster, Assistant to the Committee, the Women Law
Vice President for Academic Affairs Students Group and the Women of
and a member of the Commission. Color Task Force.
"Students need to experience profes- Dawn Schrader, Commission
sors of different gender and race." member and engineering senior, said,
In the past ten years the percent- "we want to focus on mentoring for
age of women faculty at the students, programs to encourage
University virtually stagnated. In women to continue on to profes-
1978-79 women represented six per- sional and graduate schools, curricu-
cent of the full professors, 17 per- lum enrichment in the field of gender
cent of associate professors and 30 issues and fan support for women in
percent of assistant professors. This collegiate athletics."
year, women made up eight percent Schrader also cited the
of full professors, 19 percent of as- University's Sexual Assault
sociate professors and only 28 per- Prevention and Awareness Center as
cent of assistant professors. a positive resource for women.
According to Tracey Matthews, a "One of our goals is to make
member of the United Coalition women more knowledgeable regard-
Against Racism, in order for these ing safety issues," said Schrader.
The Michigan Daily-Friday, July 14,1989-Page 3
NAACP and
circumstance
BY ROLLIE HUDSON States are born into abject poverty.
Daily News Analysis With the ghetto, come poor schools
Some 3,500 delegates gathered and a neighborhood preyed upon by a
this week under Cobo Hall's high system which provides lethal drugs
glass windows and skywalk meza- and automatic weapons.
nines for the 80th anniversary cele- Additionally, the flight of middle
bration of the National Association class whites encourages a banking
for the Advancement of Colored system which "red-lines," or denies
People. loans to, community members of
Amidst the pomp and circum- the district.
stance, many of the country's best But one of the main problems
and brightest Black professionals with Hook's analysis is his failure
gave speeches and conducted work- to see collective discontinuity.
shops concerning the state of the While relatives may remain close,
race. They were joined by a mix of the overall Black community does
government officials and entertainers not. As many professional Blacks
including Vice President Dan will attest, they have lost touch with
Quayle, HUD Secretary Jack Kemp, the African-American underclass.
Lee Iacocca, Detroit Mayor Coleman The NAACP, although it was a lead-
Young, and Jesse Jackson. ing civil rights organization during
Both Young and the NAACP's the first half of this century, is now
current president, Benjamin Hooks, largely considered ineffective in
lambasted recent Supreme Court rul- terms of progressive change.
ings against civil rights. Iacocca In general, Black dollars, of the
promised increased Chrysler spend- working poor or the professionals,
ing with minority firms and more are not reinvested in the Black com-
minority hiring. munity. The reality of the matter is
But the heart of the conflict for that economic progress of individu-
Blacks in the United States lies in a als or small groups of African-
socio-economic or race/class analy- Americans is not enough. Those
sis. This year's NAACP theme was Black doctors, lawyers and politi-
"The Struggle Continues." But the cians of the NAACP must work not
question remains: does "the strug- simply for individual and philan-
gle," as it continues, look to the thropic gains but for collective eco-
NAACP for leadership? nomic progress for all Blacks. This
Statistics show that a third of all is best accomplished through institu-
Blacks live at or below the official tional and business unity.
government poverty level, and an- The NAACP then, which parades
other third consist of working poor. celebrities, attacks racist court deci-
Few carry NAACP membership sions with little more than verbal di-
cards. atribes, and hosts expensive parties,
The NAACP represents, for the ends up full in spirit yet shallow in
most part, the remaining third of substance. In today's America the
Black America. This class division, substance impoverished Blacks need
however, is an issue many people is a strong economic community,
wish to avoid. Hooks denies an not more rhetoric.
African-American class division by
maintaining that most professionalTD
Blacks have close relatives who are T he D i
non-professionals.
It is now been shown that one- call 764-0552
half of all Black babies in the United
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