Criterion Page 2— Thurs.. Mar.-19-25, 1987
W e h le T e c h n o lo g y
EYE O N
PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT 6?5 WILLIAM ST,
BUFFALO. N Y. 14208
FRANK E, MERRIWEATHER
Editor
C e n te r to B e
D e d ic a te d B y
H IS T O R Y
C a n is iu s
By Eva M. Doyle
Addreaa all communicationii to The Buffalo Criterion
Editorial Phone - 851 2973 882-9570 Eveninfa
News muM reach The Buffalo Criterion not later than
Monday Noon for publication of that week
Haten: One Year. S9.95; Six Month*. R4.95
Celebrating W omen’s
A ccom plishm ents
EVA M . DOYLE
Eve Noles: Author
& Historian
By G OVERNOR M A R IO M . C U O M O
The history of women in New York State is rich,
with many accomplishments and success stories. W e
take pride in the fact that the first Women s Rights
Convention, organized to extend to women rights
afforded by the Declaration of Independence, was
held in our State in 1848 This convention marked the
beginning of women's organized struggle for equality,
which has included fights for the right to vote, control
property, work and keep wages, and to have a voice in
the decisions affecting their children. Unfortunately,
battles for equality must continue to be fought nearly
150 years after they were started.
Throughout American history, women of every
race, class and ethnic background have provided
leadership in social, cultural and technological move­
ments New York State citizens Susan B. Anthony,
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Eleanor Roosevelt are
among many American women who should be
applauded for their accomplishments Women today,
who are achieving more than even these great women
ever dreamed possible, also deserve our recognition
and applause.
W om en's History Month was initiated in 1977 to
celebrate the lives of women, both known and
unknown, who have made important contributions
throughout history. W om en's History Month is also a
tim e to acknowledge the strides toward equality which
women have taken throughout history and the
struggles they continue to overcome.
At the tim e of its initiation 10 years ago. little
information regarding the historical contributions of
women was available for W om en's History Week.
Since that time, however, research and literature
concerning the history of women have produced
information demanding formal programs of recogni­
tion which warrant a month of celebration.
March 1987, will be such a month in New York
State. New York residents should take this time to
realize the immense contributions women have made,
and continue to make, to our communities, our Sate,
and our Nation.
C IV IL R IG H T S J O U R N A L
J u d ic ia l B o o k B u r n i n g In A l a b a m a
The days of Nazi book
ning came immediate­
^ ly
Iv to
ti mind with a recent
Alabama court decision.
Judge W . Brevard Hand, a
federal district judge in
M obile, Alabama, has now
banned more than 40
textbooks in the Alabama
public schools because, he
says, they promote so-call­
ed secular humanism.
Included on the Judge's
list are 30 social studies
books, 9 history texts and
even 6 home economics
books
Judge Hand has
thus used the weight of his
judicial office to impose
his right-wing religious
views on every student in
Alabama.
As a result of this
decision, all books which
do not fit into the judge's
myopic view of the world
are now being taken off
the shelves. For example,
the home economics text­
book, "T ee n G uide" is
being removed because it
encourages students to
develop self-responsibili­
ty
W ith
his
decision,
Judge hand expands on
the court case filed by the
religious right last year in
Tennessee.
There, a
group of parents won their
fight to prevent the public
schools
from
exposing
their children to so-called
dangerous
books
like
"C in d e re lla ". "T h e Diary
of Anne Fran k" and "T h e
W izard of O z ."
In other states, the
religious right has focused
on Black-oriented books
like "M an c h ild In The
Promised L an d," and the
works
of
Langston
Hughes.
The religious right's
attitude on racial matters,
generally, is no secret
Keep in mind that Judge
Hand's decision occurs
within the national context
of right-wing opposition to
affirm ative action.
In
this, as in other matters,
the religious right has
received strong support
from the Reagan Adminis­
tration.
Judge Hand himself dis­
missed a d is c r im in a te
suit brought by Black
employees and used the
opportunity to express his
regret that the "apparent
present-day
philosophy
when considering
laws
.J /A
_
_
Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
Executive Director
i
affecting race relations
imposes on this generation
the past deeds of our fore­
fath ers."
One Alabama lawyer
was quoted as saying, “ I
think (Judge Hand) has
always seen himself as
defending a particular sort
of Southern ideology, a
Gone W ith the W in d ’
ideology,
fighting
tor
th e ...
underdog
W hite
Southerner whose culture
is being under determined
by integrationists and by
technocratic central gov­
ern m en t."
No wonder Jefferson B
Sessions called him a
"superb
constitutional
scholar" whose "integrity
is above reproach.”
Sessions, remember, is
th e U . S. Attorney, also in
Mobile,
whom
Reagan
nominated for a federal
judgeship. Sessions was
subsequently rejected by
the Senate Judiciary Com­
mittee because of his
racist views.
Judge H and’s action
must be exposed for what
it is — judicial book-burn­
ing.
Though a Nixon
appointee, the judge typi­
fies the kind of narrow,
racist, right-wing judiciary
which the Reagan-Meese
team continues to put in
place on federal benches
throughout the nation.
There will be many
more decisions like the one
in Alabama.
Each time
such decisions are handed
down, we must challenge
them.
For the Alabama
decision represents a fun­
damental violation of our
human rights.
To paraphrase Dr. M a r­
tin Luther King, Jr., " A
human rights violation
anywhere is a human
rights
violation
every­
where. ''
Eva Noles
There is a new book in town. It is
entitled:
“ Buffalo's Blacks, Talking
Proud ” It was written by M rs. Eva
Noles, a retired nurse and a lady who
has made history in her own right.
I recently purchased a copy of Mrs.
Noles book at the Kensington Place last
week. I have read it from cover to cover
and found it to be an interesting, wellorganized contribution to the history of
Blacks in Buffalo.
M rs. Noles has
divided her book into various categories
which include Black contributions to the
arts, business and industry, education,
the professions, security and sports. I
read this book in one setting because I
found many interesting facts that I was
not aware of relating to our history in
Buffalo M rs. Noles uses pictures well
throughout her book and the book itself
has a fine appearance.
In her introduction, Mrs. Noles
talks about the importance of keeping
our history alive 365 days a year. She
states that, "this book was written to
keep alive the memory of our pioneers
and to serve as a resource for future
Buffalo Blacks.
This may be very
significant because so little has been
documented about Buffalo Blacks.”
Mrs. Noles mentions many names
that were important in the history of the
Black community in Buffalo. In the arts,
she includes such names as the Hackney
Trio, who played with Dizzy Gillespie;
Hetty Smith Pasco, who played drums
with the Darlings of Rhythm in 1945 and
the Four Jewels, in 1950
After a review of past performers,
she lists names that we know today such
as Rick James and Dr. Raymond Harvey,
outstanding conductor and a recipient of
the Fine Arts Award. Mrs. Noles cities
both past and present African Am eri­
cans who have worked hard to contribute
to a better lite for us all.
This book is a must for every home,
library and school in our community. As
a teacher in the Buffalo Public Schools, I
can appreciate this book because it will
serve as a great source to teachers when
they are planning lessons on Buffalo's
Black community
The resources that
we have on this topic are very limited
and M rs Noles book will help to fill that
void.
One of my favorite sections of the
book was the information about the
Black Catholic community in our city.
Information concerning their history and
contributions is almost non-existent.
The section on the Black Catholic nuns is
good,
they have been active in our
community for a long time. I know one
for example, Sister Xavier, principal of
the Diocesan Educational Campus, who
works diligently for the students and the
Catholic community.
Sister Xavier
recently received the Saint Elizabeth
Ann
Seton
Award
for
educational leadership.
providing
M rs.
Noles also includes an
excellent section on security and she
mentions some men and women who are
not as well known to us, but who have
contributed a great deal to the safety of
our community. This is an excellent
resource for teachers, guidance coun­
selors and others in our community to
use as they point to positive role models
for our youth. The information that Mrs.
Noles gives the readers serves to
motivate and inspire others to work for
the positive good of the community.
She does this many times in her
book when she talks about promotions in
industry and when she lists the many
"firs ts " of outstanding African Am eri­
cans in our community. She includes
Barbara Sims, as being the first Black
woman to graduate from the University
of Buffalo law school, in 1955. She notes
the historic contributions of educators,
M r. and Mrs. Claude Clapp. She cites
the Buffalo Criterion as being a leader in
the Black press for many years. She also
describes the many contributions of the
late Mrs. Thyra Charles in the field of
nursing.
She also includes one of my favorite
people, Dr. Ellen-Grant Bishop.
Dr.
Bishop has long been a leader in the
field of mental health. And there is a
section on the author herself.
Her
achievements in the field of nursing
have served to pave the way for
thousands of others. You must read the
book in order to find out all of the
outstanding contributions of Mrs. Noles
in the health field.
This columnist would like to
congratulate
M rs.
Eva
Noles on
publishing this very important source of
information for our entire city. W e need
this book and we need thousands of
others like it to put the facts where they
should be. She gives us a resource She
gives us a reminder of who we are and
how we have struggled over the years to
achieve in so many areas.
It is my hope that this book ends up
in every home and every church.
It
certainly would make an excellent gift
for birthdays and special occasions. M y
copy will get a great deal of use in my
classroom and home. I also hope that
Mrs. Noles plans to provide copies of her
book to Harameee Bookstore, located at
1377 M ain St. Proprietors are Sharon
and Kenneth Holley. I would like also to
see copies at Bora Sanaa, located at 3072
Bailey Ave., near Kensington Ave.
Local artist, W illiam Y. Cooper, is the
owner.
And I would like to encourage my
readers to visit the Kensington Place
and purchase a copy of "B u ffalo ’s
Blacks; Talking Proud.”
Tony Brown’s Comments
Ethnic Nationalism: How
You Succeed In America
Blacks place a fundamental over­
emphasis on the potential of W hite
people and racism and an under­
emphasis on the use of culture and
group unity to defeat racism and achieve
equality.
On the other hand, the achieving
ethnic groups place a strong emphasis
on pride in heritage, in turn, this pride is
used as the basis for economic, social,
political and educational advancement.
These groups understand that in a
culturally-pluralistic society such as
America, the life chances of the
individual is directly related to the
stability of the group. Therefore, group
unity enhances individual opportunity.
This advancement is based on what I call
ethnic nationalism.
By contrast,
Blacks
generally
accept assimilation as a means of
upward mobility. " I f I can just lose
these vestiges of African culture and
become as European in all things as
possible,
I
can
move
into
the
'mainstream' as an individual,” one
might say.
Although this is the wrong solution,
it is understandable how it came about.
For the past 40 years, our struggle has
been one of striking down the barriers of
segregation, v hich was essential. But
somewhere along the line, desegrega­
tion became integration and a struggle
for assimilation.
In essence, we abandoned the very
institutions that qive us life and the
essential cultural elements that made
our victory over segregation possible.
Black flight from our essential,
cultural foundation willingly surrender­
ed our schools, our businesses, our self­
created jobs, the future of our children
and families — essentially our destiny —
to the illusive pursuit of being integrated
into W hite centers of power.
It never happened. W e were naive,
about power.
Blacks confused being
accepted by W hites with being equal to
them.
Meanwhile, the ethnic groups that
are overachieving, especially the new
Asian and Cuban immigrants, are
groups that ignore both assimilation and
the melting pot myth; they are strong
exponents of ethnic nationalism.
Their
overachievement
demon­
strates that group unity is simply more
powerful than racist opposition. If you
follow the example of the other ethnic
Canisius College will
name its Main-Eastwood
Building, the W ehle Tech­
nology Center at a 4 p.m .,
ceremony, F ri., M ar. 13th,
honoring trustee Richard
J. W ehle for his many
benefactions to the col­
NOTE: The opinions below are those of the writer,
lege.
an ti do not necessarily reflect the Opinions of this
M r. W ehle, President of
publication. — The Editor.
>
the W ehle Electric Com­
pany, Inc., in Buffalo, has
been associated with Can­
doing my mission work,
isius for many years. A Dear Editor:
singing, praying, giving
trustee since 1981, he
Frank Merriweather and
out tracts, magazines and
chaired the President’s
flowers.
Council in 1984, and that family, I want to thank and
I am buying six copies of
year received the distin­ praise you for the fine job
The
the Criterion for my grand­
guished
"C itizen ’s you are doing.
children.
This is Black
A w ard" from the college’s Criterion is one of the
history.
oldest Black papers in
Board of Regents.
W ith sickness
W e moved to Buffalo in
In M ay of 1985, he Buffalo.
1952 and found Friendship
received an honorary doc­ and death in your fam ily,
Baptist Church published
torate of humane letters you had faith in God.
I want to thank you
in the Criterion. I wish
from Canisius. The W ehle
more ministers would sup­
name currently appears on again for the Criterion
port Black papers. I cut
one of the main residence Pictorial Memoirs, in The
the “ Sermon" out of the
hall lounges, which was Criterion on March 5th,
featuring
Rev.
dedicated in memory of his when the Upper Room paper,
parents, Edwin and Anna Prayer Band made a visit Henry H all, and send
to the Erie County Infirm ­ them to the sick.
W ehle.
God bless you for the
The building that will ary, January 1, 1966.
It was good to see my fine contributions you and
soon bear Richard W ehle's
name houses the computer mother, Essie Ridgeway your fam ily have made in
center, the computer sci­ and me on the front row of Buffalo.
this picture.
ence department, labs,
As of January 1, of this
Yours in Christ,
programming
stations,
year, it was my 29th visit
Jassrooms and offices,
Missionary Annie Moore
to the Erie County Home,
dedication ceremonies will
nclude the unveiling of a
Plaque bearing its likeness
pupil personnel employee
and will be installed in the Dear Editor:
and Buffalo Teachers Fed­
building's main lobby.
A chief executive who eration non-member part
The Rev. James M .
Demske S. J., Canisius actively defends and facili­ of whose salary is involun­
tates state funding of tarily withheld for the
President, will preside at
abortion is no friend to this support of said organiza­
the ceremonies Friday.
state’s victimized would- tion. I am appalled and
" M r. W ehle has been an
disgusted at the B.T.F.'s
be school children.
invaluable counselor and
Nor, in view of New support for pro-abortion
friend to Canisius for
many years," Fr. Dem­
York State's and Buffalo's Governor Mario Cuomo in
declining school enroll­ the last gubanatorial cam­
ske stated. " T h e W ehle
ments, can such an indivi­ paign, and at the B.T.F.'s
Technology Center will be
dual be considered a awarding this man its first
a lasting tribute to his
friend either to the grow­ "F rien d of Education”
kindness, his considera­
ing number of "excessed" award at its recently held
tion and his vision for
(i.e.. laid off) teachers or convocation.
higher education."
I hereby call upon the
to the young people who,
M r . W ehle has been a
B
.T
.F .'s voting member­
like
my
daughter
Berna­
leader in Buffalo's busi­
dette, took the Buffalo ship to act in defense of
ness, civic and religious
School District’s March their professional interest,
circles for many years. A
7th exam, only to receive a by turning their present
graduate of the University
form letter three davs later leadership out of office
of Pennsylvania's W har­
announcing
no perma­ come election time.
ton 6cnooi. ne entered his
nent positions available” .
father’s electrical supply
As a Buffalo School JOSEPH A. C A RNEVA LE
business after receiving
his degree in Economics.
He became President of
R e v e n u e S h a r in g
W eh le E lectric in 19 5 5 .
(From Page 1 ^
T oday, W ehle Electric is
the largest independent
and such services as bankrupt as a nation.”
distributor of electrical libraries, road repairs and
"M o st counties in the
equipment in New York snowplowing.
state have been forced to
State, with three district
Erie County received $5 substantially raise proper­
branches in Rochester, million in GRS funds last ty and/or sales taxes to
Binghamton and Elmira.
year.
keep up with the skyrock­
A tour of the W ehle
Rutkowski also urged eting costs of these pro­
Technology Center and a the legislators to push for gram s,” he added.
cocktail reception will fol­ welfare and Medicaid re­
H e outlined specific re­
low the dedication cere­ form.
forms being pushed by
mony.
" A fundamental change county officials, about 50
in our approach to welfare of which attended the open
is necessary," he said, "or dialogue with the con­
else we will become eco­ gressmen in the Rayburn
nomically
and
socially House Office Bldg.
(From Page 1)
Caesar
recording artist and per­
former, she is also a pastor
and head of the Shirley
Caesar Outreach Minis­
tries, which consists of
emergency funds, food,
clothing and shelter for the
needy.
Ms Caesar's music lit­
erally bridges the gen­
eration gap through its ca­
pacity to appeal to both
young and old. Proceeds
from this concert will
benefit the Buffalo Urban
League
Building
Fund
Campaign and the Shirley
Caesar Outreach Minis­
tries.
The concert will take
place at Antioch Baptist
Church on Fillmore Ave.
Tickets
may
also
be
purchased at.
The
Buffalo
Urban
League, 455 W illiam St.,
St. John Baptist Church,
184 Goodell St.; Shiloh
Baptist Church, 15 Pine
St., and Antioch Baptist
Church, 24 Urban St.,
corner of Fillmore.
For further details, con­
tact the Buffalo Urban
League
at
854-7625.
Office hours are Monday
through Friday, from 8:30
to 4:30 p .m ., and Sat., 10
a.m ., to 2 p .m ., (through
March 28th only).
Notice Of Names Ot Person
Appearing As Owners Of Certain
Unclaimed Property
Held By
Fireman's Fund Insurance Companies
County: Erie
The persons whose names and last Known addresses are set
forth t>elow appear from the records of the above-named
insurance company to be entitled to abandoned property in
amounts of fifty dollars or more.
Belliotti, Francis & Eillen, 15 1 Irving Terr., Tn. of Tonawanda
14223
Brennan, Linda M , 170 Oakwood Ave. Apt. 1 1 , E. Aurora.
14052
Dunn, Helen, 318 Lisbon Ave., Buffalo, 14215
Evaldi, Victor P.. 38 Modern Ave., Lackawanna. 14218
Hardie. Agency, Ames Plaza, Alden. 14004
Leismg, Gerard And Audrey, 2683 Dodge Rd , £. Amherst.
14051
Mango. Carol A., 829 Niagara St., Buffalo, 14 213
Merritt, Joseph, 161 Gregory Rd., Grand Island, 14072
Moog, Jeanne, 841 Fillmore, E. Aurora
Poech, Herbert A., 349 Norfolk Ave., Buffalo, 14215
Pontilos Plzzaria of Rochester, 19 Center St., E Aurora,
14052
Stein, Robin M., 88 Mosher Dr., Tonawanda, 14150
Vogt, Carol, 2948 Eggert Rd., Tonawanda, 14150
Yager, Conrad A., 70 Dakota, Buffalo, 14216
A report of unclaimed properly has been made to Edward V
Regan of the State of New York, pursuant to S701 and/or S1316
of the Abandoned Property Law of the State of New York A list
of the names contained in this notice is on file and open to public
inspection at the principal office of the company located at 777
San Marin Drive, Novato, California, 94989, Attention: Ledger
Accounting where such abandoned property is payable
Such abandoned property will be paid on or before August 31st
next to persons establishing on this company's satisfaction their
right to receive it.
In the succeeding month of September 10th such property
remaining unclaimed will be paid to Edward V Regan the
Comptroller of the State of New York. Upon such payment, this
company shall no longer be liable for the property
Fireman's Fund Insurance Companie
Leonardo Oa Vinci is be­
lieved to have invented the
scissors.
groups, you will understand that
freedom is possible for Blacks even if a
majority of W hites oppose their rights.
Freedom for Blacks w ill n o t and
c a n n o t come from W hites. Frankly, it is
not their’s to give. For, in fact, freedom
for African-Americans will only come
from our ability to
economic destiny.
TO NY
B R O W N 'S
control our
JO U R N A L
TV
s e rie s ca n b e s e e n o n p u b lic te levis io n
S u n d a y , o n W N E D - T V , C h a n n e l 17. a t
3 : 3 0 p .m .