Black Journal; 29

The following program is from NET. Self-determination is a frequently used word in the context of the liberation struggle of blacks in this society. Black power, when first introduced, caused great misunderstandings and confusion because of its newness. Today in most quarters, black power has been defined basically along the lines of self-determination. Of course, there are many aspects of the struggle

for freedom, and self-determination is as good an explanation of the total movement as anyone has come up with. On tonight's show, we will examine its many ramifications in two distinctly different areas of the country. In one situation, whites are assisting blacks in an economic pursuit for control of the black community's destiny, and the other example a deep-rooted conflict between whites and blacks has resulted in frequent acts of violence. Detroit, the former example, could possibly have the most sophisticated and far-reaching economic program developed by blacks in this country. The latter, in K. Rowell and Oye, is a good example of America's racial power box about to explode because many do not understand what self-determination is all about. This show probably won't answer everybody's questions, but it will present living examples which will give us the fundamentals necessary to understand self-determination. Black journal will continue after this black commercial. On my face, oh yes, oh yes, just the plaintive lyrics of the blues. Yes, it's that,

but the lyrics tell a familiar story, quite on the inside, but black on the outside. Why? Why do we think of black as bad and white as good? An interesting question? Well, that's what the semantics of color is all about. White symbolizes purity, honesty, innocence. A white lie told without evil intent. White-handed, hands-free of evil. White-minded, mental purity. Wanting part goodness? You add white. Black represents evil, wickedness, disgrace, and gloom, black-hearted. Mean and wicked, black mouth, foul-talking, profane. Black Tuesday, disaster, black ball. You've had it. Want to make it bad? You add black.

Even the poets used black as bad and white as good. Blake and his songs of innocence wrote, my mother bore me in the southern wild, and I am black. But all my soul is white. White as the angel is the English child. But I am black as though bereaved of light. Fights gave black its negative meaning. And with little choice, blacks accepted and helped to propagate it. And we did it mainly through our songs, such as, what in the world did I do? To be so black and blue? The acceptance was unnoticed and for a long, long time and challenged. And then suddenly, oh, so beautiful. Make this love yourself, weep, all year long. One warm night in July 1967, Detroit's black population exploded.

While dancing flames licked at the sky in ominous sounds of police cars and fire engines to ring through the streets, it was obvious that not only would the city have to be rebuilt, but new philosophies would have to rise from the ashes. It blacks and whites were to coexist, no matter how tenuously. The white power structure's solution was the formation of the New Detroit Committee, a broad-based coalition. Congressman Charles Diggs pulled together a group of black spokesmen around the philosophy of self-determination. They were offered $100,000 by the New Detroit Committee to be used to build black businesses. But to the amazement and confusion of many, the blacks refused the money, charging there were strings attached. Dr. Carl Gregory, formerly economist for the Johnson and Kennedy administrations. The strings had to do with a lot of things, the review of the funds, it also had to do with the fact that the funds were going to be given in installments. So that there was always the possibility that if the first installment was not used in a way that was deemed acceptable, the other

installments might not be forthcoming. There were other things like this that could have resolved an element of control. This we rebelled against and rebelled against to this date. Some of those who had refused the money joined together and formed a non-profit black control economic development group with a volunteer board. Out of this $100,000 misunderstanding has grown a new approach to economic development in a capitalistic system. The new group was called IGBIF, inner city business improvement forum, developing black businesses and creating jobs for black workers. Their money still comes from the city's power structure, but now IGBIF has enlightened them and made them sensitive to black self-determination. Now the black IGBIF board of directors makes all decisions on how the money is to be spent. They have forced the power structure to bend to black needs. IGBIF president Larry Dawes was former director of Detroit Internal Revenue Service Data Center. We try to do this in a spirit of self-determination, which in the economic arena means that we're

going to plan our own projects. We're going to implement them and we're going to evaluate them and we might call upon somebody to assist us in doing any of these things, but we're going to be the leadership and we're going to call the shots and we'll we can use all the help that we can get in frequent situations, but it's got to be under our guidance and our control. So far they have aided 100 black owned companies which have assets of five million dollars. Their goal is a colossal one billion dollars in assets for the businesses they create plus 100,000 new jobs in the next 10 years. To do this IGBIF will have to radically alter the usual concepts of capitalism. The businesses that we assist must be willing to broadly assist and strengthen the black community and the poor community. And those guys who want to make it as individual entrepreneurs sometimes run

smack up against this philosophy of ours and we run smack up against them and we have a real tug of war. But if we're going to stay in there with them, if we're going to be a part of what they're doing, they're going to be working to really develop the black community and not just to do their own thing. We don't care if they substantially strengthen themselves financially and otherwise as their thing is done, but it's got to even more substantially strengthen the community. IGBIF has its site set on developing medium and large size manufacturing enterprises. They feel only this kind of business can have any real impact on the economy. Renmouth Incorporated, a large scale metal stamping plant is an example of this philosophy. The owners of Renmouth learn their business at the Ford Motor Company where they work for 25 years and attain high positions in engineering and production. I think Renmouth was started as it means to resolve a minority problem and also to assist black businessmen enter into the mainstream

of industry. One of the prime difficulties is establishing enough working capital to enter into the field of competition. Like businessmen have never been in more than just the law and power grocery store type of business. Banks would never loan a black man the type of capital that's required to go into the particular phase of stamping operations that we're in. We have to be careful how we operate the business to make sure that this business isn't looked upon as another pawn in the game of economic today. Far as the minorities are concerned. We're in we're running for the white man that we're actually not only on the business but we're making the business and management decisions. Also today I believe that everyone that's really sincere about doing their part has to find a way that's acceptable to the minorities and channel profit back into ghetto area. We can continually drain profits or take the labor of the people

and the minority class and utilize it to enrich ourselves. Our method of returning the profit back into the community is on a 5% before taxes ratio and it's on a progressive rate up to 20% of our profits. We would have two people from our company along with two people from inner city business improvement form and each one would select another person and we would make a determination of what organizations needed help and we would make sure that it was channeled to the organization directly from Remington Corporation. Racism is embedded in the Detroit Central City economy in numerous ways. We have for example over 200,000 families in the central city of Detroit. We were to assume that they made $4,000 of income on the average. This would mean $1 billion of purchasing

power a year. Of this one billion dollars of purchasing power the last proportion would leave a city quickly. It doesn't turn over and generate income. Why is this so? Well we in Ikbif did a study to look at the ownership of businesses located in inner city community whereas 65% of the population was non-white. We found that only 12% of the businesses in light manufacturing were non-white. In retail wholesale we found that only 14% of the businesses were owned by black. But where this export import situation the flow out of funds has its largest impact perhaps is in the financial sector. In the state of Michigan we have branch banking. The large white banks I have lots of branches in the central city. These branches get the savings of our black households and they utilize these funds by investing in the suburbs primarily.

The amount of money poured into the black community is infinitesimal. The deposits are drained out and this is one of the reasons why we found it essential to organize our own bank. Our bank opened up May 14, 1970. The deposit growth has been phenomenal. We're publishing a statement as of the end of October 30. It'll show seven million total resources and that we're growing at a rate of better than a million a month. I believe that in about three years we can reach our goal of a hundred million and most of the money that we're getting is from the Detroit black community. David Harper is president of the first black control bank in Michigan's 133-year history. We sold a million and a half dollars worth of stock in six months. It was a hard sale. When you have a try to sell an intangible stock, that black intangible of a business that doesn't exist, it says it's going to open up downtown Detroit. It's

something that's not quite very believable. But as we went along in the sale, I think that the general level of expectations begin to just swell up. When we got to the end, we oversubscribed about $300,000 worth and a lot of other people now want to be involved in that bank, the organization of the stock purchase of the bank. Which really shows you that the black community has a lot of hope. They have a lot of power. They have a lot of commitment and willingness to take a risk in their own future, which is very heartening for me. A lot of people have asked us whether or not we'll make loans that other banks won't make. And the answer to that, yes, of course we will. We reduce our risk, however, by knowledge. We know the community better than a bank whose primary objective is not serving that community. Well, I don't consider black business loans risky because a black man happens to be in business. I think that there are some risky businesses

that black people happen to be in, but there's a lot of people in risky businesses also. But there are many viable black businesses in the city. There are many opportunities for blacks in business in the city. And it's a question then of evaluating the capability of the management, the need for the type of business, the location of the business. And by with this additional knowledge of the very vital things, then we talk about something that's bankable. One of the keys to IGBIS success is their ability to make their money work well for them. For every dollar they invest, they have been able to attract financial institutions or the government to invest three dollars. A good example of this technique can be seen with the bank, seen here as a funnel. The black community invested one and one half million dollars in the bank. That money will eventually attract nine times as much money as the banks deposits grow to

eighteen million dollars. Then the eighteen million dollars will in turn finance more black businesses, housing developments and industrial plants, costing many times as much as the original investment. Arranging for financing is just one aspect of IGBIS work. Board Chairman Dr. Charles Morton, an executive director Charles Brown with the staff of 39 employees provide a variety of services to the black business man. It may be that it's a question of money management. They may not be keeping adequate records. They may not be watching their pennies. In that respect we try to provide them with counseling and accounting services so that they can keep these records. The full range of management assistance as it is needed with respect to their problems is what we try to provide in our management assistance division. The IGBIS computerized accounting division offers free accounting services to the new and marginal

black business man. The accounting service is a monthly service which in product is a profit and loss statement, a balance sheet and all the necessary tax returns that a black business man requires each month or quarter. The present client load is only 33 but we now have a Model 20 computer and with the computer we will be able to go up to 275 clients. Also with the aid of the computer we will be able to offer some specialized services to clients which will include inventory control systems, payroll programs, accounts receivable programs and accounts payable programs. Later on we intend to computerize a business promotional program which will enable the business man to learn and find out a little bit more about the potentials of his markets.

We mean in IGBIS by economic self determination that community representatives must make for decisions. Decisions are not to be imposed upon them. They must define the priorities and how the priorities are to be implemented. We're ever sensitive to past efforts such as ours resulting in the community people becoming plantation overseers or neocolonialists and this we will not let happen under any condition. We have a number of other areas where we've been successful but we have some failures too. There have been some things that haven't gone like we thought they should have gone. Linwood industries that plastic manufacturing operation is now in a bankrupt status and we're doing everything that we can in working through the bankruptcy to recover as much of our investment as we can. Linwood industries happens to be a good example

of a situation where the black community really purchased from a white business man, a business that didn't have much of a chance of going well and the capability to make it go well was a further adversely affected by some of the actions that we took which were not good sound management actions. We learned a lot from that Linwood industry experience. It cost us something but it may well be worth it to us in the long run. Global Gourmet is a meat processing company owned by IGBIS. Once the business becomes self-sustaining, Global Gourmet plans to set up free franchises for black businessmen around the country. What we consider the unique plans for Global Gourmet is that we are going to train black entrepreneurs. Now we will train these people to go back into their own communities to set up plans approximately one-third the size of this plan which they will

in turn hire their own and instead of being the first the last hard and the first fired, these people will be the last fired and the first hire. Martin Luther King in Essence said in his book, you can give a man a pair of shoes or you can teach a man a job but if you do not allow him to wear the shoes or if you do not allow him to work after you teach him the job, you haven't done that man a bit of good. So what we are doing is that we are allowing this man to go back into his own community to become his own manager to become his own boss setting himself up in business with the help of Global Gourmet and becoming a profit-making entity. We've got to take these black brothers and train them in terms of the types of developmental experiences that they need

so that they can really compete and really move in the world of business and this means that they've got to get skills in the area of long range planning. How is their business going to grow and develop over a long period of time? They've got to learn more about the effectively marketing their product that is how do you break through those purchasing agents and how do you get that product into the industrial complex? They've got to learn more about promoting the product. How do you create that consumer demand and especially in the black community? How do we make certain that above and beyond all black people are buying from black businesses and we've got to learn more about financially managing our companies so that we're taking care of every dollar that should be taken care of and we're putting that money in the right place of spending our money in the right priorities to make the products move the way that they should move and to cut the corners that we should cut and we've got to find again black guys and develop all these kinds of skills in them and then we'll move much more effectively if we can get the financial resources and I think

we can tap those we'll move much more effectively in the medium and large range businesses and that's where the action is and that's where we're going to go. Digbith is talking about going where the action is that means large scale manufacturing businesses but at the same time they've introduced another concept into their plans that is community development. They are employing the tools of production for the social benefit of the entire black community. It's something new and has a real chance for success in our battle for survival but what they've accomplished has a wider implication. Their approach should serve as a prototype for the national black community to follow. Too often in the past black economic development plans have failed because either they were white dominated and therefore there was no real willingness to change the status quo or they were fated for failure because the developer's sites were set too low on mon pop businesses, franchises, small scale operations. Digbith experience shows that black groups must put up a fight, maintain absolute control, think big and above all orient their projects to the entire community.

It wasn't easy. It took tremendous effort and energy to accomplish what they have. It all started because of a $100,000 misunderstanding. A future of black people depends on their unity. For too long now black people have been expanding with rhetoric but doesn't define something. The black women's role should relate to a man and family but first she must learn to relate with the community. Right brother, right sister, right on. What we call you here today to tell you, we came to point out through our verbal as well as physical and spiritual communication today.

All right, we put a plan together today. We've got a structure today. We want to send you out to be as disciples. Not to organize for yourselves basically but we must organize to fight racism and exploitation. We must move at this point to understand that what the Christianity should live today or what the universal God should live and what the people should live. Depends upon our ability to understand the truth is delight. You can bring up all kind of schemes. You can hide in and all ambushes but you got to go back and face it tomorrow and this is the situation that we find today for too long. We did not stay for too long. We didn't want to cross that river. Now we find ourselves reminiscing back over the compromises that we made in the past.

Now we find ourselves in our own camp and whether you live in care or not is really not important because the camp is here today. But tomorrow if you decide that you want to move around human dignity tomorrow if you decide that you want to stand up for the Lord tomorrow if you decide that you want to just fight racism and exploitation, evolution, what a pollution then the camp is going to be in your home town. I must say we'll be waiting for you but she can't take me home. The time is now. The place is Cairo, Illinois. This march is into the white section of town to demonstrate strength and solidarity and to protest racism and oppression. The marches are

serious determined and prepared to deal with possible violence. For over the last three years they have seen much violence as there exists a virtual state of war in Cairo. Cairo is a small town in southern Illinois located at the point where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers meet. Once a thriving river port through which captured runaway slaves were shipped back to their slave masters in the south. It is a city with a rapidly dropping population now down to 6300 and is ranked first in poverty among Illinois towns at size. In 1967 when a black soldier was found hanged in the city jail under mysterious circumstances three days of protest and rebellion followed resulting in the calling of the National Guard to Cairo. Since then a state of crisis has existed in Cairo that has seen repeated racial clashes, a devastating boycott of white owned businesses and charges by the black community that police and white vigilantes have attacked the

all black pyramid court housing projects on over 150 separate nights. Members of both communities have armed themselves and in Cairo there exists a perpetual state of tension. They want to get rid of all the black people they can. Who's that? They're whites, they're white people and they pick on them every time they step out of the door. I've seen times when you could go to different places and enjoy yourself but it's not like that now because there's no labor here for a color to do and what you could do people's come in from other places and take the place and you are still left out so you don't have no job here. You go for your make your little money you can come back here and spend it and then when that's out you out.

There are a lot of built-in factors that is leading to the destruction of Cairo. One of the things has to do with the economy. 41% of all jobs in Cairo are held by whites who live in Kentucky and Missouri which tells you that on payday 41% of the payroll crosses the bridge. The local chamber commerce and the city government encourage the location of industry that has unfair employment practices and they don't really contribute anything to the community because if blacks had the jobs that they should have but are really held by people who don't buy a lunch or gas a lean here blacks would spend all of their money here and it would do something for the economy. I feel that this is part of a national conspiracy, a revolution that's going on across the country it just seems that Cairo gets more publicity than ever in any place else. It's hard to pick up any newspaper these days that you don't read about the Panthers or the Peace Stone Nation's Chicago

or Panthers in New Orleans where they've had a shootout with the police. In my opinion this is the same thing that's going on in Cairo. I don't think it has anything at all to do with civil rights. I really think it's part of a revolution that's going on in the country today. The black community which consists of half of the population has been boycotting the white owned businesses in downtown Cairo since April 1969 under the leadership of an organization called the United Front which has a national as well as local membership of preachers, church groups, civic organizations and concerned citizens. The boycott was initiated to force action on a list of demands including among other points, more jobs for blacks, half black membership on city boards and agencies and the appointment of a black police chief. Though there have been offers of compromise by the city officials, the demands have not been met. After 22 months of almost 100% cooperation on the part of the black community,

the boycott has done great harm to the white merchants, causing the closing of a number of businesses. Basically boycot started on April 7, 1969, falling, shooting by the white vigilantes which are actually Ku Klux Klan members in two, the all black pyramid housing projects. The boycott is one of the most effective, none-violent tools that can be used to bring about social changes and justice for black people. The major reason friends through in the boycott was that white merchants do not employ black employees. They would not address black shoppers in a courteous way and that many of the whites who are stolen as openly committed acts and displayed themselves as members of the vigilante group. So this brought us to the position that blacks were spending their dollars with merchants who were using these dollars to buy guns and bullets and two-way radios to carry out the operation of the vigilante group. So logic dictated that you

don't support the enemy. The police department and the United Citizens for Community Action, a white citizens council, have been accused by the United Front of conspiracy against the black community and of shooting unnecessarily and indiscriminately into the homes in pyramid court. The UCCA was formed after the white hats of vigilante group was declared illegal by the state attorney general. The all white caro police force at one time had three black officers. All of them have resigned in the last year. The last two to leave were patrolman Robert Meeks and Sergeant Wilbert Beard. The police chiefs that have been here in Carroll who have been his little police department have not been able to run it because of outside interference and this interference came from the mayor and the police commissioner who are attempting to run a police department. They don't have any experience any training whatsoever and they seem to be in favor of the UCCA which is a white citizens organization. You might say UCC is another name you know for clue class clan of

suffering of this nature. From the white hats city police and unit co-teen A local state police politically we begin to speak to our situation upstate throughout the country and the attorney general for the state Mitchell discovered on the books a law that goes back to 1861. This is something about vigilante groups very legal. As a result the white hats were ordered to disband. They did so only on paper because the same existing board structure transferred over to what is now known as the United citizens for community action and they involved themselves with the white citizens council or and or the clue club clan based in Jackson Mississippi. Who are the white hats? The white hats was an organization formed in I believe it was 1967 when we had a rash of firebombs around town. People were uptight they didn't know where the next fire bomb was going to

strike. The white hats in my opinion were no more than a civil offense organization or I'd say probably could be likened to the air raid wardens of World War II. They have shot and fired into the homes in Pyramid Court not only in the homes they have shot into the windshields of automobiles they have blown tires off of the cars and there are holes and there is windows cracked out now in Pyramid Court where it is visible with the naked eye and anyone can pass along and see that and it's very dangerous going to sleep at night. What about the charges of police firing into Pyramid courts? For two years our police cars have been fired at we've had our fire trucks shot up repeatedly. I think that our policeman practiced an awful lot of restraint for a long time. I investigated one of his house Mrs. Davis and she had something like I think they were at 8 to 10 or 12 shots in her house and she told me one and barely miss one of her little kids

and a high-power rifle was where you use it because the slugs you know went from you know well the east side of the house all out through the west side of the house well the wall sometimes through one big room to the other. Can you think these shots were fired by police? These were fired by police. We figured what else can we do we can't back up any further so we gave them orders to return the fire if they could identify muzzle flashes or where the firing was coming from. Of course it all happens at night it's hard to see. I do know that I've heard quite a few officers mention about a exchange in fire with snipers and so forth because I've never seen a sniper and I've been on the street when there's supposedly been sniper fire coming you know you know I'm one of those fellows that I figured if a sniper is fine at you you should try to get next to him maybe I mean you got to protect your own life but when you can't see anything to shoot

at you know if you can't locate in a sniper position why far and there's been an awful lot of bullets expended around here and they found a lot of bulletin homes out here in Perman Court and I'm quite sure those people aren't finding their own homes. It seems that there's been a lot of houses fired into the houses of children and women and older people. This might be hard for you to believe but I I really believe that some of this firing has been done by the United Front to maintain this control over the black people of the community. So today we now have all these different factions and two armored vehicles one is operated by the state and that's the one that weighs 30,000 pounds and there's 12 feet high and 8 feet wide and we'll see the 8 to 10 men comfortably and we'll our can remain in an area up to 24 hours and the tires of self-sealing will reject an armored piercing 30 odd six shell plus the city has a vehicle of its own that's really operated

by the way hands. The slugs I found last January I think were the slugs ever fired into a remcobs car and a schoolteacher who lived out in Perman Court was fired through her door window at the bottom of the stairway. Were they police slugs? There were slugs from an AR-15. Is that a police rifle? Yeah, they're only sold to police agencies on military. What happened to those slugs? They were given to the state police and you know they told me well we lost them or we can't locate them you know somehow you know they were sent into the crown lab they got lost on the way. The United Front has depended greatly on the unity and support of black people from all over the nation who have given time and goods to aid them in their struggle. The black people of Cairo have decided that in order to be self-determining they must build alternatives

to the existing economic institutions that have systematically excluded them. They're working collectively with a specific purpose of controlling their own destiny rather than depending entirely on aid from other black communities and government agencies. The United Front has made extensive efforts in the area of cooperative economics. We've had many boycotts throughout the world especially here in America but we want our black people after boycotts ever lifted to have a choice they can go back downtown and spend their money with them white races merchants or they will have their own store in their own community that they own and control to shop at. We have a supermarket store that provides food. There is also a clothing store that was opened a couple of months ago. There's a housing factory that has turned out it's first house recently and there are other plans for other economic development to help provide some of the needs

that have been previously provided exclusively by whites. Black people are left with very little choice. They can go back and support an economy that they never really participated in except as consumers. They own nothing they reap none of the economic benefits and nobody can be against black people being a part of their economy as far as creating their own business places. So under this concept it's only logical that if you make up a significant portion of the population you should own a significant part of the economy and I think this is what we're talking about. Leon Perry is the Negro Director of Information of the Governor's Office of Human Resources who recently published a statement attacking the United Front and Reverend Cohen. Reverend Cohen has traveled extensively to Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Detroit, your name. He's been there and he invariably stays on the junket circuit as we say and I don't

really understand how this is helping the people of Cairo. I really don't quite understand what the people in New York and Atlanta and other places at that time. I don't understand how they're going to solve the problems of Cairo and Illinois, a little river town down on the southern part of the state. Now Leon has moved and saying that I have moved to put myself into a national position and what Leon has said is incorrect. The people of Cairo and the struggle here, the revolutionary struggle has moved to a national position and people functioning within the struggle have systematically planned to escalate the struggle through that position because we recognize that in Cairo with the total white press, you understand, with the press refusing to cover the situation and with the communication problems that we have as black people that we had to begin

to relate to other communities to keep from being isolated and consequently being annihilated. Because the Black United Front is coming together means now that when the governor with those armate tanks they got right here in Troopers began to move against black citizens in Cairo, that he just won't be moving against black citizens in Cairo, be moving against black folks throughout the length and the breadth of this nation. And I know that the governor and Leon and all the rest of the people who are in that whole oppressive kind of thing are upset because they had hoped that they could isolate us and wipe us out and would just be forgotten about like it never happened. There's a matter of bad wind that never changed and I think it can be some change in Cairo but it's going to take more than the Cairo people to buy it. We're going to have to go across the nation and ask different ones to come in and give us lectures and you know help us to front this battle that we are pursuing.

That's just the way we are seated and I do believe they will come. These African-Americans have moved around the principles of unity, self-determination, cooperative economics, self-defense, and faith. They feel the realization of all these principles is absolutely necessary of black people in Cairo or anywhere else are to survive as a unified body of liberated people. The future for blacks in Cairo however is still questionable and the tension continues to mount for the brothers of the United Front say they won't compromise. Meanwhile due to the effectiveness of the boycott the focus of international attention on the situation and the rush of support to the area the white retail merchants and city officials say they're willing to sit down and talk but still refuse to meet all the demands. So the two sides are still very far apart and for the present it seems as if the struggle in Cairo is far from over.

The next time someone says the black woman is domineering, remind them how gentle her strength. Good evening brothers and sisters. One of the objectives of Black Journal in Africa is to show

the progress that is taking place in the Fatherland. Western propaganda would have us believe that Africa was a vast jungle inhabited by cannibalistic savages until the benevolent Europeans came to save our grandfathers from their ignorant existence. The European invasion of Africa set African development and progress back hundreds of years. It cut off trade and communications between the peoples of Africa that had existed for centuries. Today after a long struggle Africa is beginning to rebuild itself. Liberated countries are beginning to trade among each other. As they had done for centuries before the invasion. One of the most vital machines that are being used in the rebuilding of Africa is the airplane. The airplane to Africa is what the train represented to the building of America. As the train helped to create a nation out of separate states, the airlines are helping to create federations which are the first steps in building a unified Africa. To the layman, the airplane is generally viewed as a luxury convenience.

But to Africa, the airplane is the key towards creating a balanced African economy through inter-African trade. During the European occupation of Africa, there was little inter-African trade. The countries that were occupied by France, for example, were only allowed to trade within the French colonies. But today independent African countries are creating new exchange agreements in order to break old colonial ties and limitations. The centuries-old exchange of goods between East and West Africa is being resumed. Plains loaded with goods fly from one African capital to another, creating the much-needed economic link between countries of the motherland. The airlines are also providing jobs for African people. The best example of this is Ethiopian Airlines. It was created 25 years ago by his imperial majesty, Highly Celacii I. Ethiopian Airlines employs 2500 people. Over 95% are Ethiopian. Because of the fact that Ethiopia

has never been successfully colonialized, certain phases of its development in terms of African participation are more advanced than in other countries. An example of this is the fact that Ethiopian Airlines has 85 African air captains, and that is more than there are in all other African airlines combined. In the history of their international flight, they have never had an air accident. One of the reasons for this is their international pilot training school. Student pilot Zulu is from Zambia. He'll be a co-pilot of a DC-3 after 14 months of intensive training. The students live on the premises and train on average of 14 hours a day. They're instructed in both visual and instrument flying. A machine called the link is used and teaching students how

to take off and land an airplane by the use of instruments. The course runs for a period of two years after which according to the student's aptitude, he is placed somewhere on the line. One of the areas in which a student may be placed is the engine repair shop. Ethiopian Airlines is the only airlines in the continent that is licensed to repair and overhaul jet engines. The engine must be completely broken down. Every part must be balanced and checked. When the engine is broken down, the numbers of parts come to over 70,000. It takes approximately 250 man hours per jet engine overhaul. The men overhaul and repair everything from Boeing 707s, 720s, helicopters, DC-3s, DC-6s, down to sesners and piper cups. They'll work as so perfect that airlines such as Olympic

Airlines, Middle East Airlines, United Arab Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines use their services. In order to take apart and put back together over 70,000 parts, a lot of different kinds of tools are required. While these brothers are so good that they produce 95% of their own tooling. Because of the knowledge and craftsmanship of these men, the engine performance in terms of the life of the engine is better than the worldwide industry average. Of course, the engine is only one part of the airplane that requires maintenance. Ethiopian Airlines also has its own electrical design department where they design electrical testing equipment. After a design has been completed, they inscribe the Ethiopian symbol of the lion on it in order to show their pride in their work. Keeping within the tradition of holding the best part for last, we would like to show you the people that add their personal touch to Ethiopian Airlines. This is the airline's hostess training

school. Ethiopian Airlines is only one example of a work being done by our brothers towards the reconstruction of Africa. Hands like these all over Africa are being liberated from the chains of colonialism and economic exploitation. They are once again beginning to function in a civilization of which they had been the prime architects. I'm glad I came back.

Let us know what you think of Black Journal. Send your letters to Black Journal, 10 Columbus Circle, New York. bumper stickers and buttons are also available. Send stamp self-addressed envelope to Black Journal, 10 Columbus Circle, New York. We received so many letters about the special on the Black woman last month that we want to share a few. Brother Don Wallace wrote from Los Angeles, I saw the very beautiful and very Black Lena Horn, Roberta Flack, Kim Weston, and all the other Black women, and I must say my level of appreciation has indeed been heightened for the lovely star Lena Horn, and if anything is beautiful,

she is. A sister from Detroit asks for more programs like Black Journal which might help change her mother's mind about Black unity. Her mother, she says, believes that sisters and brothers who wear naturals or fools and won't let the young sister wear one or take part in Black organizations. Brother Benjamin Field wrote from Houston, Texas, I wish to add my voice to what I hope or millions of others commending you upon the excellence of Black Journal programs, as viewed on our educational TV channel here in Houston. Such a Betty McCarray wrote from the Bronx, you made a weary and jury New York day seem hot, warm, and sunny. Thank you so much for a job well done and please continue to service the needs of your people, even though it is through a vehicle which many of us have put down. But you can believe that more people have television sets than don't, and they are looking for informative and well-planned programs such as yours. A person who signed her letter of free American, writes, I personally have no bad feelings toward the Black people, but I dislike hearing their

hate of the whites discussed on a program such as yours. Like the woman on your program stated, the Black people shouldn't be interested only in their race's drug problem, but should be at least humane enough to care for all drug problems regardless of race. Dr. Michael Cunningham from Salt Lake City feels that Black Journal is desperately needed to present the beautiful Black culture. He writes, here in the Mormon Salt Flats, Black Journal is refreshment for parched spirits. Black Journal was just a vitamin C I needed was the message from Sister Marion Somad in New York. Sister Madeline Wright from Seattle, Washington says, I am a Black sister and I felt that this show was geared to me personally and to every other Black woman determined to be free. Once again, thanks. Brother William Matthews from Houston, Texas, I feel your show on the Black woman deserves the Black Emmy Award. Every Black man who watched that program must have appreciated the importance of the role of the Black woman in the liberation struggle. Sister Ruth Wade in Washington DC writes,

I have never written a letter to the editor, but I could not resist sending my personal thanks for your show on Black women. The presentation touched the very soul of my mind. It elated, excited, humbled, and gratified me. Sister Billy Spencer wrote from Washington DC, and she also sent a copy to the public television station there. I was deeply moved by the interview held by Nikki Giovanni with Lena Horn. The fragility, intensity, and tragedy of her experience were related with such feeling that I was saddened by the weight she has had to bear for so long. And tonight we dedicate the Black National Anthem to Sister Lena Horn. Oh,

Lord, sing, ride, high after this distance. Let it reach some blood at the door. Sing the song full of the faith that the darkness has caught us. Sing the song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Sing the song full of the hope that the present has brought us.

Sing the song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Sing the song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Sing the song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Sing the song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Sing the song full of the hope that the present has brought us.

Sing the song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Sing the song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Sing the song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Sing the song full of the hope that the present has brought us.