Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 3 June 1993 — Page 9

The Muncie Times, Thursday, 3 June 1993, Page 9

Borg Warner sponsors Minority Youth Opportunity program

by Farrell Downey This year Borg-Wamer Automotive is sponsoring a Summer Minority Youth Opportunity Program that has employed eight Muncie youngsters. Borg-Warner organized the Concerned Minority Employees Committee to investigate, evaluate, and recommend polices, programs, and/ or plants to address the needs, conditions, and circumstances of the salaried minority employees. Most Muncie minority residents may remember Borg-Warner because of its past negative reputation toward the minority community. But in September 1991, John Daffara became vice president of the human resources department at the Muncie plant. He is sensitive toward minorities. He realizes the negative reputation of BorgWarner. He has become very active in changing that com-

munity image. He sanctioned the formation of the Concerned Minority Employees Committee. Secondly, Borg-Warner covered the expenses of the speaker at this year's Martin Luther King. Jr. holiday celebration. Daffara has also accepted a program to initiate a mentors program for new salaried employees. The Concerned Minority Employees Committee at Borg-Wamerincludes several Muncie residents. Bob Darden, a long time Muncie resident and one of the forerunners of civil rights and minority hiring in the early 60s, is a counselor for the Employee Assistance Program. Darden is a valuable consultant to minority committee. Also Thelma BrownGreen, manager of expense stores, Linda Robinson of product planning and data

control, Earl Venable, department 100 afternoon shift manager, Fred Gorin, manager of safety and health, Bob Welch, production planner, Thomas Barr Jr., unit manager, dept. 100, Farrell M. Downey, senior plant layout engineer and committee chairman. Daffara has also assigned DiAnn Gilmore and Bob Cruea of the human resources department to assist in designing the minority implementation This committee is prepar-

ing otherrecommendations to improve the company’s conditions and practices. The most recent and most exciting plan is the Summer Minority Youth Opportunity Program. Borg-Wameris hiring eight high school students for part-time summer work. This project is designed to help lead minority youth to higher career goals. Each teenager will be coupled with an executive over the 9 weeks of summer vacation. Why are young people settling for assembly jobs rather than be assembly designers or as common labor instead of vice president of the department? One reason, this committee agrees, is a lack of exposure during the elementary and high school years. This plan will assist in developing that exposure. The youths were selected from the community by asking some of the area pastors to recommend a youth from their

congregations. A cross section of churches were approached. Pastor W.J. Jackson recommended Samuel Bridges from Union Baptist Church: Father Grady recommended Erica Quales from St. Mary’s Catholic Church: Pastor Larry Ivy from Faith Center for all Nations Church: PastorTimothy Shelton recommended Edric McNeary from Trinity United Methodist Church. Also Pastor Bryant Grumes recommended Tamica Grumes from Word of Life Christian Church: Pastor Kenneth Ivy recommended Kevin Ivy from Wall Avenue Church of God in Christ; Pastor W.C. Edwards recommended Marlena Young from New Hope Missionary Baptist Church: and the Rev. Long, in the absence of Pastor I.P. Broaddus, recommended George Tate from Antioch Baptist Church.

Columnist: “Goldberg/Danson combo a good mix”

by Farrell M. Downey Sr. This movie is about the colorlessness of love. No matter what you might try to read into this movie, it’s still about love. Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson star in “Made in America,” written by Holly Goldberg Sloan and directed by Richard Benjamin. This just opened at Northwest Plaza Cinema 8. When you look through my “baby hues” you ask yourself where do I begin with a flick like this. I just finished an article about black films always having to have a statement, even in side-slap-ping comedy. I applaud the writer for

such a clever point of view, a point I never imagined, as obvious as it should appear. Comedy to me is supposed to make me laugh. That means ha-ha-ha aplenty. Otherwise I call it a failed comedy. To see my point of view you first have to understand how I feel about Whoopi Goldberg, as a comedienne and overall celebrity. I have been watching Whoopi’s movies since she started out as this “U-glee” chick in “Dreadlocks.” I often laughed at Whoopi, because I was afraid she’d hit me if I didn’t, not to say she didn’t have a good point told in the form of modern stand up comedy.

She still portrays that kind of style. As the years pass by, Whoopi has discovered living body by Playtex. Someone introduced her to “Mr. Leroi” to cut off those rasta locks. In “Sister Act” I almost thought Whoopi was getting pretty. I had to pinch myself to se if I was looking at “Ceilly” from “Color Purple” or some woman new to the silver screen. I have to view Whoopi for who she really is. And I have to keep asking myself, every time, is Whoopi funny? Am I supposed to laugh? Am I getting her point? Ted Danson is a personality you automatically

like. His real-to-life persona is a gifted one that comes across genuinely to me. His “Cheers” TV series personality proves my point. He’s the bartender you really like to frequent, just for friendship’s sake. Some critics call the Danson/Goldberg union “good chemistry.” I agree they mixed well. But I had difficulty with the love scene. I believe Richard Benjamin saw that first. He made the love scene as ridiculous as possible, neutralizing them. It worked. Even though I’m sure Whoopi, just like other actresses and actors, wants to lay a “slob” on her leading man, I thank

God they stopped there. I could not have handled the other thing. Not because of the racial thing, because that doesn’t bother me. What would bother me, would be looking at Whoopi in that way. I don’t even want to imagine that. With Will Smith in the “great boy next door” role, the cast was really well selected. It’s a good movie, although I didn’t expect to like it. I fell in love with Nia Long (the daughter), a new face. She performed wtih “season,” although I had never seen her before in anything else. On a 10-point scale, I would give this a seven.