Vel Phillips Papers (Radio scripts, Box 2)

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AND THAT WILL BE HIS PUNISHMENT. NO EXPULSION FROM CONGRESS. NO STRIPPING OF HIS SENIORITY. NO LOSS OF HIS COMMITTEE STANDING. JUST A VERBAL REPRIMAND -- AND PERHAPS A SLY WINK FROM SOME FELLOW CONGRESSMAN WHO ENVY HIM THE FACT HE HAS GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT.

THERE WAS NOT EVEN THE SUGGESTION THAT SENATOR DODD PAY BACK THE MONEY -- THE GOVERNMENT FUNDS AND THE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS -- THAT HE TOOK FOR HIS OWN USE. IN ADAM CLAYTON POWELL'S CASE, THE INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE HAD RECOMMENDED THAT HIS PAY BE DOCKED UNTIL THE GOVERNMENT GOT $40,000 BACK.

IN FACT, THE SENATE ETHICS COMMITTEE RESERVED ITS STRONGEST CRITICISM NOT FOR SENATOR DODD, BUT FOR THE FORMER MEMBERS OF HIS STAFF WHO TOLD THE NEWSPAPERS ABOUT THE SKELETONS IN THE SENATOR'S CLOSET. THEIR CONDUCT, SAID THE COMMITTEE, WAS "REPREHENSIBLE," AND IT VIOLATED THE CONFIDENTIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SENATOR AND HIS CONSTITUENTS.

THIS IS LIKE SAYING: IT IS NOT WRONG for Sen Dodd TO STEAL. BUT IT IS WRONG for his employees to steal TO CATCH SOMEONE ELSE STEALING.

SELDOM BEFORE HAS IT BEEN SO OBVIOUS THAT THERE IS A DOUBLE STANDARD OF JUSTICE IN THE HALLS OF CONGRESS, JUST AS THERE IS every other area OF OUR SOCIETY. ONE STANDARD FOR THE WHITE MAN, ANOTHER STANDARD FOR THE NEGRO. WE CAN ONLY ASK OURSELVES, IN RAGE AND in FRUSTRATION, WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO ADAM CLAYTON POWELL IF HE WERE A WHITE MAN? AND WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO THOMAS DODD IF HE WERE A NEGRO? I am sure that we all know the answer

THAT'S IT FOR TODAY. GOODBY FOR NOW, AND THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

5/10/67

THANK YOU AND HELLO AGAIN.

IN PAST WEEKS I HAVE TOLD YOU QUITE A LOT ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES INDUSTRIALIZATION CENTERS, INC. OF MILWAUKEE, WHICH IS SUCCESSFULLY TRAINING THE HARD-CORD [HARD-CORE] UNEMPLOYED TO PROFIT FROM VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS. AS YOU KNOW, O.I.C. HAS ALREADY PLACED SOME OF ITS TRAINEES IN ON-THE-JOB AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING, AND MORE PLACEMENTS ARE NOW IN SIGHT. THIS IS A UNIQUE PRORAM WHICH IS SUCCEEDING WHERE NOTHING HAS EVER SUCCEEDED BEFORE.

PERHAPS YOU HAVE WONDERED, AS I DID, WHAT WAS CONTAINED IN THE O.I.C. CURRICULUM. WHAT IS THERE IN THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM WHICH MAKES IT WORK, AND WORK SO WELL. TONIGHT, I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THE CONCEPTS WHICH MAKE O.I.C. UNIQUE, AND TO CONSIDER WITH YOU WHAT IT IS THAT MAKES THE PROGRAM SUCH A SUCCESS.

THE O.I.C. CLASSES ARE DIVIDED INTO TWO MAIN CATEGORIES: PRE-FEEDER, AND FEEDER. WHEN AN APPLICANT IS ENROLLED, HE IS GIVEN A VERY BASIC LITERACY TEST, THE PURPOSE OF WHICH IS TO DETERMINE WHERE TO START HIM IN THE COURSE. THOSE WHO TEST BELOW THE 8TH GRADE LITERACY LEVEL ARE PLACED IN A SCHEDULE OF PRE-FEEDER CLASSES, WHILE THOSE AT 8TH GRADE OR HIGHER LEVEL GO INTO THE FEEDER COURSE.

CLASSES MEET FOUR NIGHTS A WEEK, MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THE STRESS IS ON SELF-IMPROVEMENT, SELF-MOTIVATION, CREATING A NEW IMAGE FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE HAD NO IMAGE AT ALL UP TO NOW. THE APPROACH IS ALL POSITIVE...WITH EMPHASIS ON WHAT CAN BE DONE, ON WHAT IS GOOD ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL.

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IN THE PRE-FEEDER, COURSE EMPHASIS IS MAINLY ON BASIC LITERACY. IT IS A FACT THAT THE INABILITY TO READ IS ONE OF THE MAJOR DETRIMENTS TO EMPLOYMENT. THE MAN WHO CAN READ CAN AT LEAST APPLY FOR THE JOB HE MAY BE CAPABLE OF DOING, AND HE MAY BE CAPABLE OF DOING A FAR BETTER JOB THAN WHEN HE WAS ILLITERATE. OTHER CLASSES IN THE PRE-FEEDER COURSE CONCENTRATE ON MINORITY HISTORY AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, TO INSTILL A POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND PRIDE IN THE STUDENT, AND TO GIVE HIM A NEW SELF-IMAGE OF WHICH TO BE PROUD.

THE FEEDER COURSE CONCENTRATES ON COMMUNICATION SKILLS, IMPROVING THE LITERACY WHICH THE INDIVIDUAL ALREADY POSSESSES; AND ON CONSUMER EDUCATION. THERE ARE ALSO COURSES IN MINORITY HISTORY AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND ONE HOUR A WEEK IS SPENT IN A STUDY OF JOBSEEKING METHODS. THOSE WHO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE PRE-FEEDER, SHOULD TAKE THE FEEDER COURSE. THOSE WHO COMPLETE THE FEEDER COURSE ARE ALREADY [ALL READY] TO STEP INTO VOCATIONAL TRAINING OR ON-THE-JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS FROM WHICH THEY COULD NOT HAVE BENEFITED BEFORE.

THE BEST THING, I THINK, ABOUT O.I.C. IS THAT IT IS COMPLETELY INDIVIDUAL. STUDENTS HAVE THEIR OWN PERSONAL COUNSELORS, WHO STAY WITH THEM INDIVIDUALLY THROUGHOUT THEIR O.I.C. TRAINING, THROUGHOUT THEIR SUBSEQUENT VOCATIONAL TRAINING, AND INTO ACTUAL JOB PLACEMENT, FOR AS LONG AS NECESSARY TO INSURE SECURITY AND SUCCESS ON THE JOB. EACH STUDENT PROGRESSES AT HIS OWN RATE. NO ONE IS FORCED TO "KEEP UP" WITH A CLASS; NO ONE IS MADE TO FEEL INADEQUATE BECAUSE HE HAS "FALLEN BEHIND." EACH INDIVIDUAL IS TAKEN WHERE HE IS, ALLOWED TO SET HIS OWN PACE, AND HE PROGRESSES STEADILY AT THAT PACE, PERHAPS TASTING REAL ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE. THIS IS A TREMENDOUS BOOST FOR THE EGO,

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AND THIS MAY BE THE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF THE ENTIRE PROGRAM.

AS I HAVE SAID BEFORE, THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH TEACHERS AND COUNSELORS TO DO THE AMOUNT OF WORK THEY WANT TO DO. THE ENROLLMENT HAS HAD TO BE LIMITED, SO THAT THE EXISTING STAFF COULD DO AN ADEQUATE JOB. SO FAR THEY HAVE DONE YEOMAN'S SERVICE, REFUSING TO LET OVERWORK AFFECT QUALITY. THEY HAVE STUCK, UNYIELDING, TO THE INDIVIDUAL APPROACH, THE CONTINUING, SINCERE INTEREST IN EACH INDIVIDUAL STUDENT, AND THE CONVICTION THAT EACH STUDENT COULD, AND WOULD SUCCEED. THE FACT THAT SOME ALREADY HAVE SHOULD BE ADEQUATE PROOF THAT THE THEORIES HAVE PROVEN THEMSELVES.

BUT, AS ALWYAS, O.I.C. NEEDS YOUR WHOLE-HEARTED SUPPORT. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, EITHER IN HELPING OR IN ENROLLING, CALL O.I.C. AT 374-6170 OR 372-3770. WHEN O.I.C. PEOPLE SAY, PROUDLY, "WE HELP OURSELVES" THEY ARE EXPRESSING A PHILOSOPHY WHICH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US WOULD DO WELL TO ADOPT AND USE.

THAT IS ALL FOR TONIGHT. GOODBY AND THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

THANK YOU AND HELLO AGAIN.

TODAY IS JOB OPPORTUNITY DAY, THE DAY ON WHICH WE TALK ABOUT JOB OPENINGS IN CITY SERVICE. AS I HAVE SAID IN THE PAST, THE CITY EMPLOYS GREAT NUMBERS OF PEOPLE IN A LARGE VARIETY OF JOBS. THERE ARE ALWAYS OPENINGS IN MANY AREAS, AND, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR PARTICULAR INTERESTS OR ABILITIES, YOU WILL SURELY FIND SOMETHING TO SUIT YOU.

AS YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE POSITIONS I TELL YOU ABOUT REQUIRE ADVANCED EDUCATION OR SPECIALIZED TRAINING. BUT THE MAJORITY DO NOT, AND SOME OF THEM DO NOT EVEN REQUIRE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA. EVEN WHERE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION IS A REQUIREMENT FOR A PARTICULAR JOB, HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY ON A G.E.D. TEST IS ALWAYS AN ACCEPTABLE SUBSTITUTE, AND IS WEIGHTED EQUALLY WITH AN ACTUAL DIPLOMA. IF YOU DID NOT FINISH HIGH SCHOOL, AND YOU DO NOT WANT TO GO BACK, YOU MAY TAKE THE G.E.D. TEST THROUGH THE CITY NOW. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, CALL 276-3711, EXTENSION 751 OR CHECK AT THE PUBLIC COUNTER IN ROOM 706 OF THE CITY HALL.

NOW LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT SOME OF THE POSITIONS IN CITY SERVICE FOR WHICH YOU MAY WANT TO APPLY. YOU MAY APPLY FOR AS MANY OF THEM AS YOU WISH, AND, IN MOST CASES, YOU MAY TAKE THE EXAMINATIONS DAILY.

THE CITY NEEDS KEY PUNCH OPERATORS FOR FIRST AND SOME SECOND SHIFT HOURS. THE SALARY IS $80 A WEEK ON THE FIRST SHIFT, AND $84 A WEEK ON THE SECOND. YOU MUST HAVE COMPLETED EITHER