The AC Phoenix
February 1 998
Pase 25
MGnnory Lon© - continued from page 23
in Winston-Salem in 1900 at 701 N. Patterson
Ave. In 1918, Hooper later expanded and
moved his store to the comer of 7th Street and
Patterson Avenue.
As we advance on our journey, who can
forget the “four most talked about schools in
Winston-Salem. “THE FIGHTING BULL
DOGS” OF A. H. ANDERSON HIGH
SCHOOL, (built in 1958) “THE STINGING
YELLOW JACKETS” OF CARVER HIGH
SCHOOL, (built in 1951) “THE PAN
THERS” OF PAISLEY HIGH (built in 1958)
and “THE CAMELS OF ATKINS HIGH
SCHOOL (built in 1930) earned the title,
“THE BIG FOUR.” Before integration in
1971-72, “THE BIG FOUR” were known for
high academic achievements and many of our
parents, who attended one of the four schools,
went on to pursue prominent careers.
Ending our journey down memory lane, we
must never forget the event that changed the
way people from various races viewed us. It
is within the 1960 era that proved the strength
and the determination of black people. The
1960s marked a time of dissatisfaction among
African Americans. Our people were fed up
with the inequality, injustice and hypocrisy
displayed by the power structure of that time.
Stokly Carmichales (Kwame Ture) chant of:
“Black Power,” was echoed in every black
household and by those passing on the streets.
On Feb. 1, 1960, four black students from
N.C. A&T College, sat down quietly at the
“whites only” lunch counter at Woolworth’s
Five and Dime store, waged a silent and non
violent protest that turned the white world
upside down. These four men are: David
Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr.,
and Joseph McNeil. The act stunned
Greensboro, N.C., the South and the Nation.
Also, on Feb. 8, 1960, one soldier stood by
himself and waged the same protest when he
sat at a lunch counter at the S.H.Kress Co.
Store, then located on Fourth Street. This man
is none other than: Carl W. Matthews, bom
in Kemersville, N.C., on May 6, 1931. Within
hours of his protest, 25 others joined in the
non-violent demonstration. After 107 days of
persistence, Mr. Matthews was the first black
man to be served at a desegregated lunch
counter, at S.H.Kress Co. in the state of North
Carolina, on May 28, 1960. His (Carl
Matthews) accomplishments also include ini
tiating and leading the First Freedom Ride on
a Greyhound bus on Feb. 16, 1960. Mr.
Matthews said: “Suffering broadens the mind
to appreciate life and one must cross the
desert of adversity to find the appreciation of
happiness. If you haven’t been through the
droubt...you don’t know what life is all
about.
What are we to learn from this brief glance
at our history? Simple - the struggle of our
people to advance into the 21st Century is far
from over. From our present state of mind,
we can’t envision ourselves in all our glory.
Malcolm X, Angla Davis, Rosa Parks,
Rodney Sumler, Willie Cunningham and Carl
Matthews are our beacon to show us what we
can be, if we will just apply ourselves.
THINK ABOUT IT!
The oldest coins are from Lydia, Turkey and date from about 670 B.C.
Celebrates
BLACK
HISTORY
MONTH
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