^ /^/^rz.£rv^ y-/ NEWS YOU CAN USE In Our 15th Year Issue No. 141 April 1998 Associate Consultants Serving the Triad THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE Priceless W-S Black Leadership Set the Tone for Baseball in the Triad by Samantha Muhammad Batter Up! Black leaders in Winston-Salem took to the plate last week with a list of questions for baseball officials to answer and define and left with many of their demands met — with little opposition. What they accomplished within a short period of time will be a great deal if the majority of Triad residents vote "y^s" for Major League Baseball at the polls on May 5. The home run left baseball team president Don Beaver and Fred Star, who is in charge of seeing the stadium built, agreeing to "even the playing field" and open up opportunities for Blacks in Forsyth County. Points they agreed on included investing money in Black banks; involving Black-owned media and marketing services; hiring senior level Black staff person; including minority ven dors, contractors and investors; offering a list of minority Realtors to players; keeping ticket prices affordable; and par ticipating in charities applicable to African-Americans. With only a few weeks left, baseball advocates are making a final push to educate the public to the benefits of baseball in the Triad. The committee, chaired by school board mem ber Geneva Brown, is now looking to open an office in the old East Winston Shopping Center on Martin Luther King Drive. Committee member Ricky Wilson said they are already looking for volunteers to help man the office and spread the word. "We are asking for volunteers so we can get the vote out," said Wilson, who is also the chairwoman of the Coliseum and Convention Center Commission. "We will be hooking up phone lines and equipment and making yard signs and educational information available to the public," she added. Tim Newman, Ricky Wilson, Peter Fisch Wilson said she supports having a major league baseball team in the Triad and thinks it will not only boost the econo my, but also the spirit as well. She argues that the main focus of this baseball issue should not be the tax, but the children. After attending the Tuesday baseball game played by the Minnesota Twins and the Montreal Expos, Wilson was con vinced that the Triad desperately needs a team. "We are going to pay taxes for the rest of our lives. We pay taxes now and don't know where the money goes. And if we do know, we don't always agree with how the govern ment spends our money. I don't see why we would object to paying an extra one-cent tax, if it means that our children will experience a better quality of life. That is the least we can pay to do something for our children, " she said. If approved, restaurant taxes will increase one cent for every dollar. That means if you go out to eat at a restaurant and order a $10 meal, you'll be paying an extra ten cents in taxes. Of the 8,000 spectators at the ball game, 2,000 were chil dren. Peter Fisch, general manager of the Warthogs, said the children were so excited at the game, they didn't care whose autograph they received. "I was surprised that we didn't receive one complaint and that's strange in our busi ness. Everyone was having a good time and that was the best thing to see. It's all about the kids getting involved." Wilson and Brown, both supporters, believe that if we focus on our children, then the voters will make the right decision. "I'm for baseball in the Triad," said Brown, "and I'm going to support it." "This is good, wholesome family entertainment," said Wilson. "This will benefit our children and will open win dows of opportunity for them," she added. The committee now hopes to trigger excitement and fuel interest with Black leadership in Greensboro and Kernersville. Winston-Salem leaders have taken the lead and have left no stone unturned in stating the needs of the Black community. "Hopefully this issue will bring Black leaders together, putting aside their titles, to accomplish something for our people," Wilson said. The Phoenix Embraces a Phoenix by Khalida Lovell "It was Christmas Day, I walked up into the wrong place at the wrong time and was mistaken for someone else and then I felt the pain. I knew I was paralyzed. This hideous crime has made me always count my blessings and give thanks." This is a story of a young lady, Mrs. Jocelyn Rochelle Conrad, 27, who was shot while visiting friends on Christmas Day 1996. As a result, she was left paralyzed from the waist down. When talking to jocelyn, I sensed such strength and compassion. She remembers telling her husband when it happened not to move her, but every thing would be okay. There she was comforting him, but all along she felt if she closed her eyes, she might not awaken. So she kept her eyes open the entire time until admitted into the hospital. Mrs. Conrad's story forces each of us to re-examine our attitude towards life. I've been told that a thankful state and knows one's source is a grateful soul, jocelyn is just this. Recuperation period for jocelyn was about a month and two weeks. She was not able to complete her outpatient therapy because Continued on page 2 jocelyn R. Conrad Hapmr c V