THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 16, 1995 TAG: 9504140143
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
It is way past time for oratory from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Portsmouth firefighter Janet McDaniel's descriptions of attitudes of young, black people toward jobs in the Portsmouth police and fire departments is bothersome. If the attitude she described is widespread, it is abundantly clear that NAACP members and a lot of other black adults must take a different tack.
McDaniel, the city's only black woman firefighter, said most black youth simply aren't interested in the jobs that NAACP members say should go to black citizens.
``The first thing that comes out of their mouths is, `Why would I want that job?' '' McDaniel told City Council Tuesday.
Her comments and those of NAACP members came in the wake of the release of statistics that show white males make up the large majority of fire and police employees in the city.
Naturally, the NAACP jumped into the fray, demanding more jobs for black people and more promotions.
``We entrusted Portsmouth leaders to make sure there's affirmative action,'' NAACP secretary John Wesley Hill said.
Granted, affirmative action in the city fire and police departments may have been slow coming. But, in recent years, affirmative action has been a way of life in City Hall.
McDaniel said $20,000-a-year jobs don't appeal to young blacks and that the young people must be lured by the other advantages of the police and fire jobs.
She said that firefighters' work schedules, which allow them to get additional education and to work other jobs simultaneously, are a decided benefit. For example, a high school graduate who signed on at the fire department could schedule classes at one of the area schools and earn a degree.
For most high school graduates, even college grads, $20,000 annually is a good salary especially when you add in benefits that come with a full-time job. Most who make $20,000 work hours that would prohibit them from either going to school or doing other work.
From everything I can gather, the job market is getting worse with many companies offering part-time positions at hourly rates with no benefits.
A vast majority of people who now make big bucks had to start somewhere at an entry-level salary. Even when the market was better than it is now, college graduates seldom walked into top jobs immediately and the chances of that happening are getting slimmer all the time.
Of course, market demand for outstanding black youth has not diminished as precipitously as the overall demand because of affirmative action programs. However, a person of any color entering the job market still has to start somewhere.
Most young blacks are not being very realistic if they think they can do better than to work for this city's police and fire departments, especially if they do not have certain college degrees.
``We have to teach our youth,'' McDaniel said. ``We have minority members of the departments who have gotten ahead when they take time to do what is necessary for anybody there to get ahead.''
McDaniel said the black community must ``step forward'' and help young people get a perspective on the jobs that may be better than they think. Certainly, the long-term prospects in those jobs are excellent.
Adults are needed to help young people grasp the importance of long-term in today's business climate that is not apt to change dramatically for some time.
It's important for NAACP members and others to monitor affirmative action. If what McDaniel reported is a true picture of the situation, it's even more important for them to go a step more and encourage young people to take advantage of the available jobs. MEMO: Agree? Disagree? The Currents would like to hear from you. Send your
thoughts to The Currents, 307 County St., Suite 100, Portsmouth, Va.
23704-3702, or fax us at 446-2607.
by CNB