1981_03 The Daily Collegian March 1981

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ess
Affiiimative Action: Taking care of (Black BusintW
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Benjamin Hooks,-the feisty, diminutive Republican who bath the NAACP,
is note man generally prone to fiery
denunciations. But even hit patience
has been tried by President Reagan'.
'Robin Hood In reverse* budget and
tax cut program, that if enacted would
be the biggest leg Utah* defeat for the
Black community since the Fugitive
Slave Act. More specifically,. Hooks
biasted Reagan's advisors, who have
eye on this political *Moent St. Helen*
before he wields his budgetary I
knife on the Small
t rat ion and other pi
that control the huge interstate route' the system works.** But as Sutton
and who are protected by codes es* admitted   to   Black   journalist   Tony
tablishcd in 1935. The *Blg 19* pre- Brown, *,..! don't believe that cap)-                          .    ,™-™ ^ i**—.*
ferred a dosed system and not 'compe- ulitm is the solution for ell Black people tration and otherIW*"" "V;*?*1*
tition'(free enterprise theorists please I happen to be a Democratic Socialist ...* to Blacks. g***ffJ» j%g'
note); obviously, this creates favorable When Black millionaires make such it apqaan ^JEl?2LS£ Z^tV.
conditions for setting of  prices  at a allegations, it is indicative of both the executives will stand shout*   to****
highh/ profitable level, once again to desperation- and radicaliution of the der with the Keck working poor in
the detriment of consumers. Once more, Black  community.   President  Reagan resting   the   right
I te intittfYiir? _? hm? t rtnr ^
at enforcement  of  affirmative  action
It Is easy to understand why Bon
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noons is angry, practices in new tot-.
Oty, where . NAACP headquarters
are located, are Indicative of programs
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neoonwrae. iviovc cicy agencies oo not
carry out federal mandates which specifically set numerical goals for contracts
to be allocated to minority businesses,
according to Douglas Clifford, who
resigned recently as deputy director
of Now York City's Minority Business
Development Office. This scandalous
violation of the law has- caused no
alarm or raised eyebrows in the White
House.
Yet, this is a matter that should be
of urgent concern not only .to the Black
community but all those sincerely
interested In a healthy economy. Nathan
Garrett heads one of the largest Black
owned CPA firms in the country and
serves as chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Minority Enterprise Development, which has just made
its report to Secretary of Commerce,
Makolm Baldridge
According to Carrett, 'Small Businesses run by minorities...provide
more jobs than big business and contribute heavily to the Cross National
Product and International trade.* But
despite these contributions, Carrett
ruefully acknowledges, 'Minority
small businesses have special problems.
Access to markets', atajity c
management skilIs for minorit
ses have been difficult,
and currently tecauseot racism.   _    ,
Another pt&enTthat faces Black
Business is rnonopoh/. These monopolies are working overtime to prevent
affirmaUve action contracting. And It is
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uit vpeony %m OTTirrnmrvv  •coon  nvrv
should be applauded not only by die
But despite the mounting
tne wtoespraoo
pointing  to
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O*     ailNIIWUW     i.*re^s    U-WlveClwTrg,     IX
has yet to find a friend in the .White
House and faces resistance in Congress.
Total revenues earned by Black Business
as a percentage of gross national product declined in 1900 to 0.44 percent
down from an estimated 0.46 percent
In 1979, according to Andrew Brimmer
' and economist and the first • Black
federal reserve governor.
salt,,,   alii- a   i»    ■   iii__i-_Mit   U__    __im__
wny una mm is expense oy some
to continue downward is gleaned from
an examination of the Black presence
in the 16 billion beauty care industry.
White owned giants, e.g. Revlon, Alberto Culver, L'Oraal, etc., an now
moving to seize control 'Of- every level
of the Black beauty care market,
T*o    white owned    salon
Is* already have opened "beauty parlors '-in Black communities North to
South, posing a dire threat to one of
the few areas of enterprise where
Black  businesswomen  have  made  In
At the same time, objective barriers
of racism and finance prevent Black
firms from- selling their products and
The estimated SI.5 billion that Black
households spend on their care and cosmetics has been a cash cow for Black
business but increasingly this b no"
longer the case.
On the other hand, it would be onesided to paint a totally dim picture,
look promising for affirmative
Hracting of the $1,299 billion
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leg of the lower U.S. system of the
fabled -Alaska Pipeline.' Ditto for
monopolies ride high In the
they can charge virtually any price
thay. desire, while consumers -Black
and white-suffer the consequences.
Rebellion torn Miami is one case in
point. Barbara Carey, orw of dw bluest
ranking Black elected officials la
County, has blasted County
ning letting of contracts. Carey has
charged that, -Certain companies hold
monopolies on contracts that supply
** <*o^t^ wiO> services and goods/
These monopolies are bitterly
affirmative   action,   wfodi "1
IP  upset  their   lucrative   sweet
deals. Hence, a -deify for m*
news for Blacks, but for all cons
and iMpoyort In tfeecounty, who
benefit from a mare wtoe
COMMUNITY NEWS
CROUP CONTINUES PUSH
TOREOTEN IRWIN   ^ West Fresn  school
warned that the board moy
The Concerned Citizens for Quility   avoid the reopen** Of
Education is continuing the effort to   an expected decrease1 In
*When we
The
Irwin Junior High School r   .
Ooup met Tuesday night at St.
asMdM
be opened In Wept F re
Reel Baptist Church to prepare for a   it to any federal  '
meeting before the school board Thurs-   Curry.'There was a
day:. has not
*t
jud*..- stated Riggins. 'We have a right
Ciemby International's 'Soul Sctssora^jg^1!^ education for our
*nd Seligrnan ir>d tatz's 'Black Hair  ^in  Mary'Curry, (^chairperson for
the group urged all concerned parents
to turn out for the school board meeting
to 'let them know that we will continue
to fight for the reopening of Irwin and
,.   Rev. Chester Riggins, pastor of St. changed,' she stated, y
Rest, opened the meeting with a chal- Parents from various schools gave
lenge to the school board to prove that reports on conditions at their schools.
their .concern for kids include West One such report came from Mrs. Ida
Fresno children   They need to prove Patterson who reported that her daugh-
khat what they say on those blue and ter was physically attacked by a t
|white banners apply to West Fresno at Hoover High School and that e
have been filed against the teacher «
is scheduled to be arraigned In Fresno
courts this week.
Hoover principal Richard Oart/anian
told the Advocate that tho accused teacher has been suspended and ordered to
submit to a psychiatric examination.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
EARLY BIACK INVENTORS
L^P^paople, both Black and White, know such widely used articles as. the horse-
shoe, battle cap, golf tee. lawn, mower, refrigerators, clothes dryer, automatic stop
sign, folding chair, pencil sharpener, fountain pan, ironing board and the mop were
invented and patented by Black people.
The list of inventions by Black peopiegtws on and on. Urrforturtateh/, most of these
little known inventors received no money or orrfy a token omoum for wlwt their inventions were actually worth. Because of the lack of financial tuppert from the wttte
Ibanking institutions most Black inventors werafo
*
of this  national
trood Is the caec of Black-owned All-
Van  Unas,- Inc."
F*. decades     b company ha*
gJOO million airport, now being con- [their products for them,
structedinOrlamb,Ftoride. I   However, because of the great number of energetic young scholars now	
But    realistically   speaking,    mere fcnto the annals of the past much is becoming known about the greet history of
indicative of national trends  is  the Hack people. Since the omission ef Black Americana from our history books .
massive law suit brought by the lily- '
wfole   Associated   General   Contrac-
tors to bar Department of Transpor- I   Black inventions ranee from simple household devices to mora
tation affirmative Action movements kkated devices which have helped to build America's businesses and
lor the construction of roods, subways, ho What they are today.
bridges,ctc. The first patent issued and recorded to a Black man wos to Henry Blair, of Mary-
But straWs in the wind indicate that Band, afrae Black who obtained a peteM for a corn harvester in 1to4
Ication systems are used in large industries today.
Block men and women pointed approximately 341 inventions betweenW4 bud
1900. many of which are in usetoday. Among those are:
-the bulletproof shield of Dr Norval C Vaughn
—tho potato chip of Hyram S. Thomas
-thepleyer pienos of J H. and S.L. Dickinson
"-"•tNotoe cream of Augmtui Jackson.'
—the etotric street lighting of Louis H. Latimer
the shoe Jaitmg machine of Jen Ernst Mattoligor
wnanog o? Lewis Temple
for making paper begs of W.B. Purvis
chine of CgoagiMelM.
am now *tskky it to the streets/
Just recently the
Metro Council of
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nemoniy niwoors, mc. or now  yotk
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and aooress by Governor Hugh Carey
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m a wncneon sponsoreo oy me
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s*emm*m*n am *a*aw**mW*f EIWBvgneee.
"«Cven more revoaHng is tne i
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of theBoerdof Inner Crty Breodceeting,
Inc., wnicn controls WBL5*FM» ase top
ranked commercial redo wabon in the
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"■tne first dock In America of Benpemln C
—the street sweeper of C.B. Scott
—the lemon squeeeer of J.G. White
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