European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 21, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 the stars and stripes monday april 21,1986 expert hails blacks7 Progress in military Washington a Blacks have been More successful moving up the career ladder into leadership positions in the armed forces than in any other major segment of . Society according to a Northwestern University sociologist. Although racial tensions still exist in the military the services notably the army have made greater strides toward Equality than most of the civilian sector says sociologist Charles c. Moskos who specializes inthe military. Today one is More Likely to hear racial jokes in a faculty club than in an officers club. And in an officers club one will surely see More Blacks Moskos wrote in an article published in the May Issue of the Atlantic mag Azine. Moskos who is White says he has tracked race relations in the army since 1956, when he was drafted for a two year hitch. Blacks proportionate to their numbers in the general society have achieved More positions of leadership in the armed forces than in any part of our society he said in a Telephone interview from his office in Evanston 111. This is not to say however that All forms of racial discrimination Are absent in the military but it is to say that it s probably less present there than it is in most the Success of Blacks in the armed forces however generally is not recognized by civilian Black leaders partly because they View military Blacks As having paid their dues in a White organization Moskos said. Resnik s father does t blame Nasa for blast new York a the father of Judith Resnik says he believes Nasa took All the precautions it could to prevent the death of his astronaut daughter who was among those killed in the explosion of the space shuttle challenger. I have no regrets. The Only regret i have is that there was an Accident Marvin res Nik said. Nasa took every precaution it could. The manned space program should continue. If they Stop it the challenger Crew will have Given their lives in vain said Resnik a resident of Akron Ohio. He said he had been assured by president Reagan that the program would continue. Resnik spoke saturday during a fund Raiser held by b Nai Zion foundation for the Judith Resnik challenger Crew memo rial which will be a gymnasium at a rehabilitation Center in Jerusalem for israeli War veterans. Judith Resnik and six other astronauts died Jan. 28 when the challenger exploded shortly after it lifted off from Kennedy space Center. The Ocean search for remains of Chal Lenger s Crew members ended saturday. Remains of each. Have been recovered said a statement from Richard h. Truly associate administrator of the National aeronautics and space administration. Final forensic work and future plan Ning in accordance with family desires Are to be completed and an announcement made in a few Days he said. At the Man on the Street level in the Black Community there s a great appreciation of the military s Avenue of social mobility. Otherwise they would t be having their sons and daughters in it to such a great degree he said. But at the very top civilian Black leadership i Don t think you find the appreciation of the Black Julius e. Williams director of armed services and Veter an affairs for the National association for the Advance ment of coloured people dismissed Moskos conclusions saying that opportunities for Blacks Are no better in the military than in civilian Fields because few Blacks hold policy making jobs in either sector. We Don t have them policy making jobs at general motors and we Don t have them in the military said Williams a retired army colonel. He said he had not seen Moskos article but was familiar with his work. The . Active duty Force of 2.1 million includes about 400,000 Blacks. They account for about 30 percent in the army 20 percent in the Marine corps 17 percent in the air Force and 13 percent in the Navy Moskos says. The differences among the branches Are beginning to diminish said Moskos whose article focuses chiefly on the army. Ten percent of the army s commissioned officers Are Black twice the proportion in the air Force and the Marine corps and three times that in the Navy he said. In the army about 6 percent of the 412 generals Are Black. Moskos said he had no data to compare the number of Black army officers with the numbers of Blacks in such civilian jobs As University professor and Bank manager but if one looks at the corporate world you re not going to see one out of 10 being Blacks in leadership racial segregation was abolished in the armed services in 1948, under an executive order by president Harry s. Truman. Integration in the army went quietly in the Early years but the Vietnam War Era brought new racial ten Sion fuelled by the popular impression that Blacks were being used As Cannon fodder in Southeast Asia Moskos said. But that was not True. Blacks were not disproportionately killed during that War Moskos said noting that 12.1 percent of americans killed in the Region were Black about the same percentage of Blacks in the . Popula Tion. The end of the draft in 1973 and the Advent of an All Volunteer military began a new Era for the armed forces. White Middle class soldiers All but disappeared in favor of poor Whites and poor Blacks attracted by improved pay and educational benefits and other recruiting incentives. Moskos cites a 1982 study by a pair of Brookings institution researchers showing that 42 percent of All qualified Blacks were joining the military compared with 14 per cent of qualified Whites. He also notes that last year 95.4 percent of Black men joining the army had High school diplomas compared with 87.6 percent of Whites. However he writes that Black soldiers tend to score lower than Whites on aptitude tests the result of inferior schools he says and he cites that As the reason Blacks Are More Likely to be assigned to support jobs like food service Supply and clerical work. The fun of Reading Dpi photo a Rigling Bros and bar Mim & Bailey circus Clown holds new program called Ringling the nationwide the delighted attention of youngsters at new York s Lincoln drive is aimed at encouraging America s you alters to be Center Library. The circus is cooperating with sponsors of a into the habit of Reading. Youngsters to get n. Y. Court system biased against women panel says xt�-�17 1.-Vy-fc / a to to new York a Bias against women in the new York state court system is so pervasive that they Are often denied equal Justice a report by a special state task Force has concluded. The 23-member panel found that female lawyers Are routinely demeaned by male judges and attorneys the new York times and the daily news reported in sunday editions. The report also concluded according to the times that the credibility of female witnesses is sometimes questioned because women Are viewed by some judges As emotional and untrustworthy. The panel said some judges do not under stand the nature of family violence and blame the victims for it. Some judges do not recognize a wife s contribution to a marriage and distribute property inequitable in divorce settlements the panel found while others treat As unimportant women s efforts to obtain and enforce child support awards. More was found in this examination of gender Bias in the courts than bruised feel Ings resulting from rude or callous behaviour the task Force concluded. Women uniquely disproportionately and with unacceptable frequency must endure a climate of condescension indifference and hostility it said. The news said the report found poor or minority women in particular Are reduced to underclass one of the judges quoted in the report said he had heard judges make offensive remarks. Concerning the physical at tributes and sexual attributes of the female defense a 35-year-old female lawyer quoted anonymously said i have personally been invited to sit on the Lap of a landlord tenant judge while arguing a the new York task Force on women report was based on a two year study by the panel of state legislators judges professor lawyers and others. The panel presented it to chief judge of the court sol Wachtler and urged him to name a special assistant to Monitor discrimination against women investigate complaints and set up a training program to make judges less biased the times said. It also urged the enactment of Laws that better protect women in child custody and family violence cases. Wachtler said he would announce Steps to implement certain recommendations next month
