The Atlanta Voice from Atlanta, Georgia • 2

0) a i ry A nn By BILL CUTLER The Atlanta Journal and1 Constitution have recently published a series of articles exposing alleged malprac- tlces of Black elected officials. The main target of! these revelations has been Alderman Ira Jaqkson, al i though Alderman Marvin Ar-1. rington has also been singl- I ed out for criticism. Some political observers feel that these articles are an impor- tant part of a campaign by the white power structure and downtown business in-; terests, whose views the Journal and Constitution largely reflect, to discredit Black candidates for city of-; flees in the fall elections. The 'real target of the present campaign, these obser self proud In deciding that a company partly owned by an Atlanta alderman, Ira Jackson, should not participate in repair work commis-stoned for homes in the Model Cltiefl The edito-, rial theft goes on to say that the Constitution's editors believe a conflict of Interest to be at iasueiere and that Jack -son "Is getting to be an ex pert OA such matters" as how public, officials can "profit on tax money." In this Monday's paper, May 14, the Ira Jackson-Model Cities matter was elevated into a major' news story by being inserted Into the Constitution's weekly news quiz.

Item 4 reads, "A development firm owned by Aid. Ira Jackson was (a) cut off indefinitely from future business dealings with, Model Cities; (b) awarded a $10,000 contract; (c) praised by Model Qties as the best firm it had ever dealt with." The "correct" answer, of course, Is supposed to be (a) Officials at Model Cities end in the fix-up program feel that the paper badly distort -'ed the truth in these articles. -The present director of Model Cities, Davey Gibson, told the VOICE that there had been no termination of JJ 6 Associates' contract and that the statements attributed to him in the Constitution's article had been "quoted out of context." Gibson said that the paper's reporting "does not reflect, in my opinion, the actual situation. This matter has never been an issue with us, but it appears there were efforts to make it an issue." The former head of Model Cities, Johnny Johnson, now MARTA told the VOICE-the Constitution's reporting was "ridiculous in view of the fact that there appears to be a double standard applicable." Johnson said many white aldermen were involved in far deeper conflicts of interest than Ira Jackson. Since the matter had been cleared with the Board of Ethics, Johnson added, "someone is making an issue out of a non-issue.

Anytime we tried to get Blacks to participate in profits from Model Cities, we were suspect." The director of the fix-up program, Ernest Dixon, provided details of. the Constitution's misrepresentation of fact. He said the reporter ticle the next Wednesday, May 9, entitled "Ira Jackson Firm -Cut by. -Model Cities," fo-. cused on the failure of ft Associates to receive further repair contracts after the-' former coordinator of the -repair: program, Sam Young had been hired by Ji Associates.

Burled at the of this article was the information that the city Board of Ethics bad ruled last' February that Jackson's involve-' ment with the fix-up program did not constitute a conflict of interest Having publicized an issue that turned out not to be an' issue, the Constitution was not about to lea vie It alone. On' Friday, May 11, they ran an editorial called "Public, Ethics" that said, "Atlanta's Model Cities agency did it who wrote the original story "quoted me on some things she asked me about other situations and then put them in the story about JJ ft Associates." Alderman Jackson himself told the VOICE, "It is pretty evident that the Constitution is not getting all he facts and didn't seem to want to get the facts." Jackson said that at the time JJ ft Associates hired Sam-Young, they made certain that all the work they had contracted to do with the fix-up program was terminated and they decided not to take any further contracts. There is some question, in fact, if any contracts have been issued to any of the Continued on page 10 vers feel, is Maynard Jackson, whom the papers' editorial pages have been con-v 'sistently attacking in the past two months. By raising doubts about the ethical con-, duct of Ira Jackson in the public mind, the argument goes, the seeds of distrust' for Maynard Jackson are being planted simultaneously. 1 The most recent issuerais-" ed by the Constitution invol-s ves Ira Jackson's develop ment firm, JJ Associates, which has receiyed $13,590: in contracts with the Model Cities fix-up program over the past six months.

The original story last Saturday, May 5, made it sound as though a clear conflict of interest was involved. A follow-up ar MUhlMlA THE VOICE HONESTY, INTEGRITY, TRUTH "If there is bo struggle there is no pro-' (ress. Those who propose to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are mea who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and llghtjiing' They want the oceans' majestic waves without the awful roar of Its waters." 'Frederick Doglass Georgia's Largest Circulated Black Newspaper 524-6426: May 19, 1973 VOL 8 NO. 20 ATLANTA1, GA.

30315 "25 CENTS Columnist Carl Rowan to Speak at Commencement Jk fid ia 8 Cfo sJi by ARNOLD FITZGERALD AND BILL CUTLER 5C Atlanta Constitution, He is 'also a roving editor of The Reader's Digest, the most widely circulated magazine in the world. He does television commentaries for the stations of Post -News week -Broadcasting, and also does a thrice -weekly radio show in forty cities. Mr. Rowan became a columnist in 1965 after four and one-half years as a U. S.

governmental official. He served in the Kennedy administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, as a member of the U. S. Delegation to the United Na- tions, and as U. S.

sador to Finland. President Lyndon B. Johnson named -him to succeed Edward R. Murrow as Director of the United States Information Agency. Mr.

Rowan has won mime- rous Journalistic awards. He Is the only American newsman to win the coveted Sigma Delta Chi medallion three years In sucession once for reporting from India and Pakistan, for his coverage of the Bandung Conference, and for his articles about school segregation in the United States. Dlaclis Siill VJaii OuJsido tho Door For Equal Educational Opportunities Carl T. Rowan, nationally syndicated columnist and author, will deliver Atlanta University's 104th Commencement address on Monday, May 31. Commencement Exercises and the Conferring of Degrees will be at 5:00 p.m.

In Sisters Chapel on the Spelman Campus. Speaker Rowan Is a syndicated columnist for the Chicago Daily News and more than 200 other American newspapers, including the on Thursday and the strikers reportedly refused to re' turn to the bargaining table on Friday because Rich's refused to accept demands, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 13. This left the way open for the strikers to continue with their planned statewide march on Saturday. The march last Saturday began with a rally at the corner ot Broad and Alabama Streets, led by City Council candidate Rev. Arthur Langford, In addition to Langford, mayoral candidate Dr, W.

J. Stafford and Rev. Joe Boone addressed the crowd of 200. Boone said that the Rich's situation should surprise no one. Back In 1960, Boone pointed out, Black people couldn't get a drink of water or use the restrooms inside Rich's.

"Dick Rich has been practicing buzzardry all his life, and he's practicing buzzardry now," said the director of the Metro Atlanta Summit Leadership Conference. Boone then proceeded to read the roll on Black elected officials absent from the rally. "Let the Black state representatives come up. Make way for the Black state senators. Leroy Johnson, where are you? Maynard Jackson, where are you?" and the crowd yell- 8) That Rich's slow down the hiring and promotion of whites and escalate the hiring and promotion of Blacks until the racial ratio is more representative of the racial composition of the community in which the store is located.

9) That denial of transfer, promotion andor Job transfer be appropriated on a fair and equitable basis, regard-; less of sex, race, creed or color. 10) That all associate ai.d supervisory level vacancies be posted in a conspicuous location prior to being filled for at least one week. 11) That promotions Debased solely on four qualifications: seniority, experience, formal training, and production. 12) That management of Rich's spearhead a management meeting of all the major industries In Metro Atlanta to take a position on the legalization of January 15th-Dr. Martin Luther King, birthday as a legal holiday.

13) That Rich's employ one Black store manager within the year 1973. 14) That there be regular periodic meetings between Rich's top management and employees to Investigate and evaluate personnel progress. Negotiations broke down Janaican Pr.no Minister To Address Morehouse Conmencement 2. Abolishing segregation in Northern metropolitan areas. San Francisco; Pontiac Mich; Pasadena, Las Vegas; Los Angeles; and Indianapolis are among the Northern cities that have been ordered to desegregate.

The Supreme Court is considering a Denver case in which Black and Mexican American parents charged that their children were segregated by school board1 policy and planning. The federal appeals court had ruled that courts cannot order desegregation when racial imbalance does not result from a discriminatory purpose. It ordered Integration only of transitional area schools where segregation was found to be deliberate. in a Detroit case, the federal district court, later Continued on page 2 In Louisiana, a court in- validated policies that call-, to schoolB based on test scores ba Black, Suspensions and slons of Black students have been struck down by a federal court in Texas. Thousands of Black students in the South have been suspended or expelled In recent years, NEA reports.

The issue of merger of me-' tropolitan area school systems to achieve desegregation of the public schools of the center city is before the Supreme Court, in the widely, watched Richmond, case. Plaintiffs assert that the state has a responsibility to desegregate across school district lines since the state allegedly helped establish and maintain segregation through laws and policies concerning housing, credit, and school construction. Continued on page 9 born in St. Andrew, Jamaica and received his primary education at Jamaica College (high school). He later attended the London School of Economics and Political Science, and upon completion of his studies there he worked as a free-lance Journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation.

He was appointed a member of the Senate of Jamaica in 1962 and led a successful civil disobedience strike against the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation in 1964. Prime Minister Manley entered competitive politics in 1967 when he won the seat for. Central Kingston. He was elected leader of the People's National Party two years later, replacing his retiring father as party leader. Prime Minister Manley also serves as Minister of External Affairs and Minister of Defense.

He is married and is the father of two daughters and a son. i Lift The Rich's strike is now in its sixth week with no end in sight. As the strikers engage in activity after activity, they are picking up national support; On Tuesday, May 10, following the arrest of Hosea Williams, Dr. Ralph David Abernathy of the National SCLC took over the leadership role. Dr.

Abernathy told the VOICE that this crisis is very similar to the last movement that Dr. King led with the sanitation workers in Memphis, where he was shot. Dr. Abernathy explaln-. ed that the Rich's movement, like the Memphis strike, started small and gained national attention as it progressed.

He added that the civil rights movement gained its main thrust here in Atlanta in the '60s, and once again the fight for the rights of the people is being reborn here. Dr. Abernathy began his leadership of the strike on May 10 with a mid-night march to Rich's downtown store from the Wheat Street Baptist Church, scene of the strikers' nightly meetings. At the store, Abernathy told the strikers, "All I or anyone else can do Is help you, but you, the employees of Rich's are the only people who can win this strike." The next night Dr. Abernathy led a march, of striking Rich's employees to the gravesite of Dr.

Martin Luther King, where he pledged to the fallen civil rights leader that the demonstrators would not back down. He added that If Rich's did not accept their package of demands, there would be no let-up of their pressure on Rich's. The 14 demands currently under negotiation with Rich's may be summarized as follows: 1) That any charges against any strikers as a result of the strike be dismissed as soon as the strike is over. 2) That all participating strikers be reinstated to their former position with three weeks' back pay and without loss of any company benefits. 3) That employees' files make no mention of participation in the labor dispute.

4) That after the strike no harassment or any form of reprisal be taken against those who supported the strike. 5) That all associate and supervisory level employees, both full-time regulars and1 contingents, receive an "across the- board" 50? per -hour wage Increase. 6) That each store establish a Grievance Committee to receive, investigate, and make repommendations of settlement of complaints to the head of personnel. 7) That after six months of satisfactory service employees be allowed to accumulate one day (eight hours') sick leave for every one month of work. House Rodistricting Will Help Blacks Vice Mayor Vraps-up Year's Hungry Club Forum Series Washington, D.C.

School desegregation, which plodded along quietly at a snail's pace -during much of the nearly two decades since the landmark U. S. Supreme Court mandate of 1954, today is a ma-jor concern in courts across the nation as well as in schools and communities, 1 Although considerable progress has been made, many Blacks and other minorities still wait outside the door for equal educational opportunities. Meanwhile, the courts--and the schools--are -working their way through a maze of approaches. Without a score card, the average citizen may be thoroughly confused as to where the nation stands in the desegregation movement by now.

A rundown on what has transpired is provided in the May issue of the National Education Association's journal, Today's Education. NEA has taken an active role in desegregation matters by supporting litigation to protect teacher rights through its DuShane Emergency Fund, Office of General Counsel, many of its 9,000 state and local affiliates, and other channels. Here, in brief, is the status of school desegregation 19 years after Brown v. Board of Education: 1. Dismantling of dual school systems in the South.

Court orders as well as desegregation plans of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and have brought considerable action in this area. In a landmark case, the Su preme Court in 1971 unanimously ruled that crosstown bussing may be used to dese-gregate public schools. The ruling in this North Carolina case, Swann Charlotte- Mecklenburg Board of Education, also supported other techniques such as redrawing of school boundaries and pairing of Black and white schools. Those schools whose racial composition is substantially have the burden of satisfying the court that this situation 'did not result from the by Dennise Thomas The Honorable Michael N.

Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica, will be the featured speaker at the 106th Commencement Exercises at Morehouse College on May 22, 1973, The exercises will be held in Samuel H. Archer Hall on the Morehouse campus, starting at 10:30 a.m. The Prime Minister was Dr. Mason to Address American Hospital Association Vice Mayor Maynard Jackson, at the Hungry Club Forum May 9, reasserted his promise to always, always, always tell the truth to the citizens of Atlanta. Jackson then went on to cite and speak on three "social diseases that appear to be testing the cohesiveness of Atlanta's moral fiber today." Crime, a major nationwide problem, is equally distressing in Atlanta, said the Vice Mayor.

The per capita murder rate in Atlanta is the highest of all of the large cities in the U. Atlanta ranks second in burglaries committed each year; and Atlanta ranks third where there have been larcenies In-volving property worth more than $50. Jackson said that in the future he shall articulate a number of propositions consistent with trying to curtail Atlanta's "spirallng and ominous crime rate" and also vowed to continue his efforts to have plain drunke- ted by all the voters of the county, of whom the Black population represents a minority. The Supreme Court reached their decision because they were convinced that the Georgia House plan had "the'potential for diluting the value of the Negro vote." Sen. Johnson pointed out to the VOICE another provision "of the reapportionment plan that tended to disfavor Black voters: a candidate In a multi- member district must receive an absolute majority of the vote, not a simple plurality in order to win.

This means that a runoff must be held if no candidate receives a majority, and in a run -off election between two candidates county-wide, the white candidate will inevitably win lor the reasons discussed above. The multi -member system was not drawn up for all counties. Fulton County, for example, elects 21 members in single-member districts and three members at large. Rep Hamilton, the secretary of the Hojiaj Reapportionment Com- The Supreme Court's decision, throwing out the Georgia House of Representatives' reapportionment plan, came as no surprise to Black members of the Fulton County delegation to the General Assembly. The VOICE talked to Reps.

Ben Brown and Grace Hamilton and Senator Leroy Johnson, who differed about the results they expect from a new redlstricting plan but agreed that Black representation in the House will definitely Increase. The Justice Department's objections to the present House districts, upon which the Supreme Court decision was based, involve what are called inultl-member districts. In some densely po- pulated counties Bibb and Dougherty, example, whose county seats, respectively, ai a Macon and Albany-the legislature created five or six Jihti icw. Instead of running from a 'jigle, district wi? in that county where a large nuir.W of Black voters art coticroratod, a Black candidate for thf House must aiuiounci cr, nor candidacy for a pct. within the wholp county run-at-lerge That nutans that the Black vote will be significantly diluted, since the Black candidate must be elec young, the poor other minorities.

Dr. Mason has long been associated directly with the education of Black youth and emphasizes the need of re above reproach, not only in their efforts to make decisions that shape the of our community, but in their professional and private life as well. And with this, Jackson then said, '1 shall ask certified public accountants to compile and make public within the next few days a certified account of my present net worth and total earnings for last year. And I am now officially asking each and every candidate who seeks the office of mayor of Atlanta this year to do the same." The threat to Atlanta is that of racial disintegration. Atlanta's haven of humanistic race, relations still has many painful exceptions to its realization, Jackson indicated.

He feels that it is vital to actively pursue and structure a new philosophy that demonstrates ways by which different people can live to-' gether, rather than merely exist side by side. Preceding the Vice Mayor at the last session of the Hungry Club Forum, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Eta Lambda Chapter, recog-. nlzed the Southwest High basketball team and presented a trophy to the head coach, David Jones. Dr. W.A.

Mason, Public Health Physician' Georgia Department of Human Resources will address the American Hospital Association in their workshop sessions at the Sheraton Bllt-' more Hotel on May 23, 1973. The workshop will explore the topic "Higher Education For All? The Case of Open Admission. cognition by educators of the great potential of the Black experience and tie new Black awareness In their upward mobility culturally, socially and i. The American Hospital As -sociatlon continues to pursue education and training programs directed to minorities and is therefore giv-' lng serious attention in their workshop sessions in Atlanta, to this highly controversial approach to post-secondary education referred to as open admission. scnoois discriminatory ac- ness decriminalized and de tions, the Supreme Court clared a health problem.

declared. 'Crime isn't the only thins Open admission to college without entrance examinations or other tests being firoposed by educators and already operating in the city college of New York City and other sections of the for the purpose of increasing educational opportunities for the Black Federal courts in Georgia, Louisiana, and Alabama have ordered formerly black schools to remain open on an Integrated basis to equalize the burden of segregation on Black communities. mitr-i, ow tfc voice she -had no objection to lue Fulton County arrangement because she did not think the at-larg seats discriminate Continued on pagi' 9 that threatens to perpetuate an attitude of divislveness among our citizens. Corruption In government also threatens to divide us." Maynard Jackson said. He believes that public officials should be.