December 23, 1987, Portland Observer. Page 3
NATIONAL NEWS UPDATE
Applicants for the Christa
M cA uliffe Institute W anted
C. — The Nauonai
Foundation for the Improvement of
Education (NFIE) this week an­
nounced the creation of the Christa
McAuliffe Institute for Educational
Pioneering — and called for applica­
tions for the first Christa McAuliffe
Fellowship.
Twenty fellowships will be award­
ed next spring to teachers who sub­
mit winning proposals on ways to
advance and promote better educa­
tional use of new technologies that
WASHINGTON, D
all
teachers,
pre-kindergarten
through post-secondary, and aspir­
ing teachers. Applications will be
accepted through February 1, 1988
and should be submitted by teacher
"teams" of up to four members.
The selected fellows will partici­
pate in a July 31-August 11 confer­
ence and a two-day follow-up con­
ference a few months later.
The fellowship awards will cover
conference expenses and other In­
stitute events. The Institute will
Christa M cA uliffe's life was
characterized by creativity, innovation,
risk-taking and leadership._____
range from computers to audio and
video systems and materials.
"Teachers must be at the fore­
front of efforts to restructure public
schools," notes NFIE Board Chair­
man Terry Herndon.
"The new
Christa McAuliffe Institute will give
them an opportunity to use their
creativity and leadership to do so."
The Institute is supported by a
$400,000 Christa McAuliffe Ameri­
can Education Fund established by
the National Education Association.
NEA created this fund as a living
memorial to NEA member Christa
McAuliffe after her tragic death in
the explosion of the Challenger
spaceship in January 1986.
The theme for the inaugural year
of the Christa McAuliffe Institute's
awards competition is "Preparing
All Students for the 21st Century:
Creative Uses of Technology in Edu­
cation." The competition is open to
also support the development of
educational products that result
from the work of the fellows, accor­
ding to NFIE Executive Director
Donna Rhodes.
"The life of teacher-astronaut
Christa McAuliffe was characterized
by creativity, innovation, risk-taking,
leadership, and a dedication to the
pioneering of uncharted frontiers,
says Rhodes. "The Institute is de­
signed to encourage teachers to ex­
hibit these same attributes for the
improvement of education.”
The National Foundation for the
Improvement of Education was
founded by NEA in 1969. Additional
information on the Christa McAu­
liffe Institute Fellowship program
and applications for it may be ob­
tained from NFIE at 1201 16th St.
NW, Washington, D.C. 20036.
(Telephone: 202-822-7840).
1980 Census Report Shows
Social and Economic Data
on Black Americans
A 1980 census report consolida­
ting previously published socio­
economic data on the Black popula­
tion for the United States, regions,
census divisions, states, and selec­
ted counties and places has been
issued by the Commerce Depart­
ment's Census Bureau.
Tables provide information on
population growth and distribution,
age and sex, household and family
characteristics, educational attain­
ment, labor force participation, un­
employment rates, and income and
poverty. Black population counts
for 1970 also are included.
Geographic areas covered are
counties and places with 50,000 or
more Blacks in 1980, places of 1,000
or more total population with a
Black population of at least 50 per­
cent, and counties with a Black
population of 50 percent or more.
Here are some facts from the re­
port:
Money Income:
• States with the highest Black
family median income in 1979 were
Vermont ($20,750), Alaska ($19,280)
and New Hampshire ($18,870).
States with the lowest were Missis­
sippi ($9,010) and Arkansas ($9,050).
• Black family median income in
Gary, Ind., and Flint, Mich., at
$19,000 was the highest for cities
with 50,000 or more Blacks.
• The Maryland counties of
Montgomery and Prince Georges
(suburbs of Washington, D.C.) had
the highest Black family median in­
come, at $23,000, among all coun­
ties with 50,000 or more Black po­
pulation.
Poverty Status:
• Mississippi had the highest po­
verty rates for both Black individuals
(44 percent) and families (39 per­
cent).
• The poverty rate for Blacks
varied from 16 percent in Ingle­
wood, Calif., to 44 percent in East
St. Louis, III., among the cities with
50,000 or more Black population.
• Prince Georges County, Md.,
had the lowest poverty rates — 7
precent for Black families and 9 per­
cent for Black individuals.
Labor Force Participation.
• About one-fourth of Black
families in West Virginia had no
members in the labor force, the
highest proportion of any state.
Dr. C .A . Berry, President of Jarvis
Christian College, to Retire
The Jarvis Christian College
Board of Trustees in its Fall meet­
ing, September 14, 1987, accepted
with regret the request of President
Charles A. Berry for retirement,
effective May 31, 1988. In his letter
of resignation to the Board, Presi­
dent Berry spoke of the signal honor
to have served as the president
one's Alma Mater. Noting Mrs.
Berry's and his appreciation for the
support and encouragement give by
the Board, faculty, staff, students,
alumni and friends, he wrote To
end our professional careers at Jar­
vis is the crowning point of our
forty years of service to schools and
institutions of higher learning.
What more could we have asked
than to serve her Majesty's Ship —
Jarvis Christian College - my Alma
Mater!"
Attorney Hunter Brush, Chairman
of the Board of Trustees, expressed
the appreciation of the Board to
Dr. Berry for his years of service
to the College. He noted the chal­
lenges facing the College at the time
that he assumed the presidency
January 1, 1980, and the manner in
which he has worked with the
Board and the constituencies of the
College to assure its growth, deve­
lopment and vitality.
Chairman Brush, in recounting
the eight years of the presidency of
Dr. Berry, mentioned the capital
fund drive of 1.7 million dollars for
the construction of the J.N. Ervin
Center; the erection of two new
dormitories; new furniture in four of
the dormitories; street and grounds
improvements; the development of
the College Archives; and the cur­
rent construction of twelve new
apartments for student/parents.
Further, he noted strength of the
educational program and its certi­
fied viability. Within this eight year
period. College-wide self-studies led
to the approval of all teacher edu­
cation programs for the maximum
period of ten years for the Southern
Association
of
Colleges
and
Schools (SACS).
The Board of Trustees, following
the acceptance of the resignation of
Dr. Berry, moved to establish a
broadly representative Search Com­
mittee and to establish procedures
that will result in the selection of
President Berry's successor.
ABC Afterschool Specials" Win Award
The "ABC Afterschool Specials" presentation, "The Gift of Amazing
Grace," has won an NAACP Image Award for Best Children's Special. "The
Gift of Amazing Grace," which aired on the ABC Television Network in No­
vember 1986, was an inspirational family drama that starred Tempestt Bled­
soe of the "Cosby Show" and Della Reese. Also, the program marked the
100th production of the prestigious "ABC Afterschool Specials.
The Image Awards are presented to individuals and companies that have
made significant contributions in projecting positive images of Black people
in television. Presentation of the award was made December 13 at the Wil-
tern Theatre in Los Angeles.
Hands Across Am erica Grants
Seek Long-Term Solutions
The final Hands
Across America grants were made
November 24, 1987 as USA for Afri­
• Among counties with 50,000 or
ca, the parent foundation of both
more Blacks, labor force participa­
Hands Across America and "We
tion rates for Black men were high­
Are The W orld", announced the
est in the Maryland counties of
distribution of $3,883,997 in awards.
Prince Georges and Montgomery
The grants, made to 61 programs
(about 82 percent), and lowest in
in 28 states and the District of
St. Clair County, III., and New York
Columbia, will focus on longer-term
County, N.Y. (both 58 percent).
efforts to solve the problems of hun­
Labor force participation rates for
ger, homelessness and poverty in
Black women ranged from 43 per­
the United States. The funds were
cent in St. Clair County, III., to 76
raised in conjunction with the May
percent in Prince Georges County,
25, 1986, Hands Across America
public demonstration in which more
Md.
than
6 million Americans joined
Education and
hands in support of the nation's
Family Composition:
hungry and homeless.
• Black adults in Inglewood,
Hand Across America began its
Calif., recorded the highest level of
distribution of funds in November,
high school completion at 84 per­
1986. By the first anniversary of the
cent for cities of 50,000 or more
Hands Across America public de­
Blacks. Macon, Ga., and Miami,
monstration, $12 million had been
Fla., were lowest at about 37 per­
awarded to nearly 1,700 organiza­
cent.
tions.
Grants were made in 50
• Wisconsin had the highest pro­
states
and
the District of Columbia.
portion of Black families maintained
These
earlier
awards were made to
by women at 48 percent; the lowest
programs
providing
direct services
was North Dakota with 6 percent.
to hungry and homeless persons,
Population:
and aimed at enhancing organiza­
• Wisconsin had the youngest
tional capacity to provide such ser­
Black population and the District of
vices. At the same time, groups
Columbia had the oldest — with
were encouraged to address the
median ages of 21.7 years versus
problems collectively on a continu­
29.2 years.
ing basis.
• Black females outnumbered
Over 500 organizations nation­
Black males in 31 states. Hawaii
wide submitted preliminary applica­
had the highest sex ratio with 212
tions for the longer-term funding.
males per 100 females while New
After being reviewed by USA for
York had the lowest with 84 males
Africa/Hands Across America staff
per 100 females.
and a 10-member advisory board of
• The states with the highest
experts, eighty organizations were
proportion of Blacks were Missis­
invited to submit complete propo­
sippi (35 percent), South Carolina
sals. Following staff and advisory
(30 percent), Louisiana (29 percent),
board assessment, recommenda­
Georgia (27 percent), and Alabama
tions were sent to the USA for Afri­
(26 percent). The District of Colum­
ca/Hands Across America Board of
bia's population was 70 percent
Directors for final approval.
Black.
The 61 projects receiving today's
• From 1970 to 1980, California
grants submitted plans which were
had the largest numerical Black
judged to be either particularly inno­
population gain of about 420,000,
vative or especially well-targeted to
while Hawaii had the highest pro­
finding solutions for the problems
portional gain of 129 precent.
Said USA for Africa/Hands Ac­
ross America President Ken Kragen,
I he sample data presented in the
"Our domestic goals have always
report are subject to sampling varia­
been the same: To make hunger
bility and response errors.
and homelessness unacceptable to
Copies of "Summary Character­
everyone in the nation; to take ac­
istics of the Black Population for
tion to eliminate poverty and the
States and Selected Counties and
problems of hunger and homeless­
Places: 1980," Series PC80-S1-21,
ness; and, to demonstrate the
are available from the Superinten­
power and importance of individual
dent of Documents, U.S. Govern­
participation and collective action in
ment Printing Office, Washington,
solving those problems.
D C. 20402.
LOS ANGELES, CA —
Black M en M ay be
More Likely to
Marry Than Black
W omen
About 91 percent of young Black
men and 84 percent of young Black
women now age 15 are likely to
marry during their lifetime, accord­
ing to a Census Bureau study.
The study indicates that at every
level of education, Black men are
more likely to marry than Black
women. The differences narrow
considerably as education in­
creases, however. For example:
• Black men with less than nine
years of schooling have a 91 per­
cent chance of ever marrying com­
pared with 74 percent of Black wo­
men with the same education, a
difference of 17 percentage points.
• The gap between the percen­
tages narrows to 91 percent and 84
percent for Black men and women
with four years of high school.
• At four years of college there is
only 1 percentage point difference
—91 percent for Black men and 90
for Black women.
Both percentages drop at five or
more years of college, however, to
84 percent for Black men and 79
percent for Black women.
Black and White men will achieve
similar levels of marriage — 91 per­
cent and 93 percent. The major
differences are for Black and White
men with four years of college, 91
percent and 97 percent, and those
with five or more years of college —
84 percent and 95 percent.
Black and White women have a
much larger difference in the pro­
portion likely to marry — 84 per­
cent and 92 percent. This gap is
fairly constant across education
levels, with a 5 to 7 percentage
point difference except for those
with five or more years of college,
where the difference is 11 points.
These results appear in a paper
prepared by Jeanne E. Moorman, a
Census Bureau demographer, who
used conventional demographic life
table techniques to project the mar­
riage experience of young men and
women.
Copies of the paper, "The History
and Future of the Relationship Bet­
ween Education and Marriage," are
available at no charge from Jeanne
Moorman, Population Division, Bu­
reau of the Census, Washington,
D.C. 20233 (telephone: 301-763-
7950)
"In May, 1986 we took a giant
step toward that final goal when the
Hands public demonstration built a
national understanding that hunger
and homelessness do exist in this
country and began to build a con­
sensus to do something about it.
Our earlier grants built upon that
consensus and helped identify and
build the capacity to provide direct
and continuing help.
Today's
grants are aimed at the mission of
Hands Across America to have hun­
ger and homelessness remain prio­
rity issues."
USA for Africa/Hands Across
America Executive director Marty
Rogol said, "W e feel that this final
round of Hands Across America
grants wll be effective in finding
new ways, leveraging other resour­
ces, continuing to heighten aware­
ness and in encouraging programs
enabling people to help them­
selves."
The 61 grants are both national
and local in scope and focus on sup­
porting innovative efforts and self-
help. The $250,000 grant to the
Center on Budget and Policy Priori­
ties is a good example of a national
program.
This highly-respected
Washington, D.C.-based organiza­
tion will undertake projects with the
potential to increase income for
large numbers of low-income Ame­
ricans. In addition, the Center will
provide recommendations on more
efficient use of WIC food money;
conduct a national outreach pro­
gram to inform low-income families
of their tax reform benefits; and,
develop a series of papers and re­
commendations for the new nation­
al administration in 1989.
Most of the programs, however,
are locally based. A number of
grants address the health care
needs of the nation's poor. One
such grant will enable a Massachu­
setts health care coalition to seek
improvements in access to and qua­
lity of health care services available
to lower-income people in that
state.
Collaboration characterizes many
programs. For instance, the Penn­
sylvania Coalition on Food and Nu­
trition will use its $100,000 grant to
establish the Pennsylvania Public
Research Interest Institute, a "think
tank” that will organize the efforts
of corporations, universities, foun­
dations and organizations to deve­
lop and test ideas and programs
aimed at eliminating hunger and
•' ■_ 4.
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Real Estate
Speculators
Arraigned
For Fraud
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B w
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Henry Berg, Regional Inspector
General for Investigation (RIGI),
U.S. Department of Housing and
í Y-,
Urban Development (HUD), Seat
j&A ■sf,'»- j
fc W
tie, Washington, announced today
that Laura Harbert, age 34, and
Marlyce Erhart, age 52, doing busi­
ness as Ventures Unlimited of Lau-
A.
mar, were arraigned in United
States District Court, Spokane,
Washington, for five counts of Mail
*7» ♦
'
Fraud and one count of Wire Fraud,
on December 1, 1987. Michael Har­
«a _ .
bert, age 29, ex-husband of Laura
Harbert, was previously arraigned
on the same charges on November
27, 1987. All three had been pre­
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viously indicted by a Federal Grand
f i z - -; •
Jury in Yakima, Washington on
November 18, 1987.
Investigation by HUD/Office of
Inspector General (OIG) and the
Postal Inspection Service disclosed
Ventures Unlimited acquired over
one million dollars from investors
•. .. * » «
to purchase real estate. Most of the
*A *• * •/
investors' money is alleged to have
gone for other than the intended
purpose of purchasing real estate.
Ventures Unlimited acquired ap­
proximately 70 small inexpensive
houses utilizing low down payments
and "creative financing.”
HUD
Title I Home Improvement Loans
were taken out on many of the pro­
perties. The properties were rented
to tenants. Investors were told the
properties would generate a posi­
tive cash flow after paying mort­
gage and maintenance obligations.
Investors were allegedly continu­
ally mislead that they were earn­
ing money on their investments and
did not learn all their money was
lost until Ventures Unlimited filed
bankruptcy. Investors then learned
most homes had been foreclosed
and returned to lenders.
Other
loans, such as the HUD Title I loans
w
had been returned to HUD for pay­
ment on the insurance or were
many months in default. Inspection
by HUD personnel later disclosed
most of the intended improvements
to the properties had not been
done.
RIGI Berg announced this investi­
gation was part of a continued em­
phasis by HUD to combat FHA
fraud in the Single Family Loan
Programs.
Black Population Grows by
10 Percent Since 1980
The nation's Black population
grew by 2.6 million or 10 percent
from 1980 to 1986, according to
the Commerce Department s Cen­
sus Bureau.
The bureau's latest annual popu­
lation estimates by age, sex, and
race indicate that Blacks totaled
29.4 million in 1986 compared with
26.8 million in the 1980 census.
Only 15 percent of the growth was
from immigration.
The Black population has been
growing faster than the total popu­
lation and its proportion rose from
11.8 percent in 1980 to 12.2 in 1386.
The report shows the White po­
pulation grew from 195.1 million to
204.7 million during the period, an
increase of 5 percent. Most of the
gain came from natural increase.
Here are other findings from the
report for 1986:
homelessness.
The Food Research and Action
Center will use its $175,000 grant for
a combined study/action program.
One aim of the project is to increase
local participation in the School
Breakfast Program.
Other grants directly involve peo­
ple effected by poverty and econo­
mic dislocation. For example, one
grant will be used to help Native
Americans better utilize the natural
resources of reservations in the
Southwest.
Mr. Rogol added, "We believe
that it is crucial to keep these pro­
blems in the forefront of the nation­
al dialoaue. We encourage indivi­
dual citizens, as we did following tne
Hands public demonstration, to stay
involved and support programs in
their communities which address
the problems of hunger, homeless-
The Black population's median
age was 26.9 years compared with
32.7 years for Whites. The six-
year difference has remained fairly
constant since the 1970s.
• Black females outnumbered
Black males 15.4 million to 14.0
million.
Males outnumbered fe­
males only through age 18, reflec­
ting more male births.
• White females totaled 104.5
million compared with 100.1 million
White males.
Copies of "Estimates of the Popu­
lation of the United States, by Age,
Sex, and Race: 1980 to 1986, P-25,
No. 1000) are available from the
Superintendent of
Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C. 20402.
The table gives population figures
for age groups by race for 1980
and 1986.
ness and poverty."
Noting that these are the final
grants resulting from Hands Across
America, Mr. Kragen commented,
"W e are proud of all Hand Across
America did in two years. Hand Ac­
ross America conceived, organized
and executed an event without
parallel in memory. The issues of
hunger and homelessness were
raised to a high point in the nation's
consciousness and priorities.
A
grant program was created that sent
millions of dollars into direct ser­
vices to the needy while encourag­
ing the developments of networks
of individuals and groups in many
states.
And now Hands Across
American has announced grants de­
signed to make a contribution to the
most important goal of all, the elimi­
nation of poverty from our national
life."