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NAACP suspends NC
candidate, Curtis
Gatewood, over sexual
harassment claim
By Martha Waggoner
RALEIGH (AP) - The national NAACP said Sept. 26 that it has
suspended a candidate for president of the North Carolina chapter
over sexual harassment claims made against him by a former em
ployee.
In a statement posted on its website, the Baltimore-based organi
zation said the Rev. Curtis Gatewood was suspended Sept. 23 from
membership immediately pending a hearing into the sexual harass
ment claim that the former employee made public at a news confer
ence Sept. 22.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson sent the suspension letter to
Gatewood, telling him “to immediately cease holding himself out as
a member of the Association.” He’s ineligible to run for president of
the North Carolina NAACP because candidates must be members in
good standing, the statement says.
Gatewood, who had been a member of the Alamance County
NAACP, wrote in a text message to The Associated Press that he will
seek a hearing on his suspension. Johnson’s letter to Gatewood says
lie has 20 calendar days to request a hearing.
“The allegations are totally false,” Gatewood wrote. He blamed
the Rev. William Barber, the past president of the state chapter, for the
timing of the harassment claims with the presidential election sched
uled for Oct. 5.
“His actions are those more of Judas than Jesus,” Gate wood wrote
of Barber. “He had already committed crucifixion in 2017. Now here
tie is in 2019 trying to stop God’s miraculous resurrection. But what
God has for me; He has for me.”
Barber ordered an investigation of the harassment claims in 2017.
Gatewood left his job with the North Carolina NAACP during the
investigation.
When a complaint is filed, the NAACP constitution allows the
president to suspend a member if he or she believes there is the pos
sibility of danger or harm to the organization, Johnson wrote to Gate
wood.
Upon reviewing the complaint that Jazmyne Childs, the former
employee, filed Sept. 11, “I am satisfied that your continued member
ship in the association presents a danger or harm to the NAACP and
the North Carolina state conference and that action is necessary to
prevent or mitigate that harm,” Johnson wrote.
Tire letter later says: “You are directed to immediately cease and
desist from holding yourself out as a member of the NAACP.”
The suspension came just over 24 hours after a news conference
by Childs, 27, the former state youth and college director for the state
NAACP, who accused Gatewood , her then-supervisor, of harass
ment. But it came almost two years after an investigative report by a
law professor and attorney found that Childs was a credible witness
and Gatewood, now 60 years old, was not. The report concluded that
the incidents of harassment had occurred.
Childs said at a news conference that she endured unwanted physi
cal contact and harassment starting shortly after her employment be
gan in January 2017. Childs, 27, said she came forward because the
national NAACP didn’t respond to her letters seeking that it expel
Gatewood from membership, something state chapters cannot do.
Ground Attack, Three Takeaways Spark NCCU in Win over Morgan State - BALTIMORE,
Md. - North Carolina Central University amassed 330 yards and four touchdowns on the ground,
while adding three interceptions to increase its takeaway total to 16 on the season, as the Eagles
defeated Morgan State 27-17 in the MEAC opener for both squads on Saturday night in Balti
more. Photo of Bryan Mills (22) by KeShawn Ennis) NCCU
Morehouse to cut costs, shift money to student aid
ATLANTA (AP) - One of the nation’s top historically black colleges is cutting employee salaries and
retirement contributions to increase student aid.
The announcement Sept. 24 by Atlanta’s Morehouse College comes months after billionaire Robert
Smith promised to repay all student loans accumulated by Morehouse’s class of 2019. That one-time
gift will total $34 million after the college announced this week that Smith would also repay money
borrowed by parents of Morehouse graduates.
Morehouse President David Thomas tells news outlets that, for the next nine months, the all-male
college will impose an unpaid monthly furlough day for 415 professional employees and stop retire
ment contributions of 3% of employee salaries.
“We are trying to take an approach that creates the least disruption to our education programs as
well as to the quality of student services,” Thomas told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . “No faculty
are being laid off or eliminated, and our hourly employees - who tend to be our lowest paid - are not
impacted.”
Some jobs will also be eliminated, with responsibilities absorbed by remaining employees. The over
all cost-cutting effort is meant to save $3 million, the college said.
Virginia girl:
Classmates
grabbed
her, cut her
dreadlocks
SPRINGFIELD, Va.
(AP) - Police are investi
gating a 12-year-old girl’s
allegation that her class-
mates grabbed her and cut
her dreadlocks on the play
ground of a northern Vir
ginia private school.
Newsoutlets report the
girl says three of her sixth-
grade classmates at Im
manuel Christian School
in Springfield called her
hair “ugly” while they as
saulted her at recess earlier
this week.
The girl is African Amer
ican. She says her attackers
are white, and that they’ve
been bullying her.
The school issued a
statement Sept. 26 saying it
is disturbed by the allega
tions and has asked police
to investigate.
Harvard president sorry
13th Amendment com
ment offended some
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP)
- Harvard University President
Lawrence Bacow is saying he
regrets the controversial com
ments he made invoking the
13th Amendment in referring to
the university’s relationship with
wealthy donors.
The Boston Globe reports
Bacow was speaking Sept. 24
to Harvard alumni relations and
fundraising staff when he re
ferred to the 13th Amendment,
which freed slaves in the United
States, to say Harvard’s individ
ual schools could no longer own
specific wealthy graduates.
Elizabeth Warren Seeks To Make Inroads For Black Voters
WASHINGTON (AP) - In a story Sept. 27 about Sen. Elizabeth
Warren’s campaign in South Carolina, The Associated Press errone
ously referenced the city of Rock Hill as a “heavily military commu
nity.” Rock Hill is not home to a major military installation, and U.S.
Census data show veterans make up about 6% of the community’s
population.
A corrected version of the story is below:
Joe Biden’s path to the Democratic presidential nomination cen
ters on South Carolina, where he’s counting on support from black
voters who are critical to victory. But Elizabeth Warren is working to
prove that she.can also be a force there - potentially disrupting the
former vice president’s strategy.
After concentrating on Iowa and New Hampshire, Warren is
increasingly focused on South Carolina, home to the nation’s first
southern primary. She was in the community of Rock Hill on Sept.
28 for a town hall, and will return next month to attend a criminal
justice forum in Columbia, the state capital. That follows increased
travel to the state in recent weeks, including town halls on the cam
puses of historically black universities and visits to African American
churches.
Warren still lags some of her rivals in endorsements from promi
nent state lawmakers or pastors. But her South Carolina moves will
test whether the strength she demonstrated this summer in predomi
nantly white Iowa and New Hampshire can carry over to states with
more diverse electorates. That’s a key hurdle for any Democratic
nominee to clear if they hope to recreate the multicultural coalition
that helped Barack Obama win the White House twice.
While many black voters are loyal to Biden, who served as
Obama’s No. 2, there are signs some are open to other candidates.
“Black voters aren’t all that committed to Biden,” said Black Vot
ers Matter co-founder Cliff Albright. “His black support boils down
to two things: His affiliation with Barack Obama and his electability.”
Rather than trying to “out Obama” Biden, Albright said Warren
should make her own case for electability.
With her plans to tax the wealthy to pay for programs benefit
ing the middle class, Warren is emerging as a chief rival to Biden,
especially among progressive voters. Recent polls in Iowa and New
Hampshire found her in a close race for first with the former vice
president. And at least one poll published this week by Quinnipiac
University suggested that trend could be playing out nationally.
But Biden’s support among black voters still far outpaces that of
Warren. The Quinnipiac poll showed that even as Warren’s support
among black voters has grown nationally, Biden still comes out well
ahead. Her biggest gains were among college-educated whites.
Kennedie Fee represents the challenges that remain for Warren.
The 18-year-old African American student at Clemson University is
precisely the type of voter Warren would like to attract. But she said
she plans to cast her first presidential primary vote for Biden, praising
“his past, the points he’s making, being vice president for Obama”
and desire to curb institutional racism in the criminal justice system.
“He’s kind of reaching out to all people,” Fee said.
Activist and educator Brittany Packnett said Warren has many
women of color on her campaign but might benefit from putting them
in more public roles.
“There are people on her team who have been working in our
communities for a long time,” said Packnett, who hasn’t endorsed
any 2020 candidate. “That’s one of her biggest advantages.”
Other 2020 candidates are also prioritizing South Carolina. Ka
mala Harris, one of two black candidates in the race, sees the state as
a must-win, but has shifted much of her attention lately to Iowa. Ber
nie Sanders, meanwhile, is trying to learn from his resounding 2016
defeat in South Carolina, which blunted his momentum after a strong
showing in Iowa and a decisive win in New Hampshire.
Winfrey shocks fund
raisers with $1M
donation for students
CHARLOTTE (AP) - Oprah Winfrey shocked attendees at a
North Carolina fundraiser by announcing a donation of more than $1
million toward the United Negro College Fund.
The Charlotte Observer reports that former talk-show host and
OWN television network chief made the surprise announcement
Sept. 28 while speaking at Charlotte’s 17th annual Maya Angelou
Women Who Lead Luncheon.
United Negro College Fund officials were hoping the luncheon
would help raise $500,000 for deserving area students to attend his
torically black colleges.
At the time of Winfrey’s address, a running tally at the event
showed that about $1.15 million had been raised. That’s when Win
frey said she was going to match the total, prompting a standing ova
tion from the stunned audience.
Warren wants to avoid becoming the Sanders of the 2020 race -
the progressive who does well in the first contests in overwhelmingly
white states only to crash in South Carolina. Her campaign has pri
oritized outreach to minority communities. Supporters suggest that
as she gains strength in other early voting states, she could improve
her standing in South Carolina, where voters ultimately want to side
with someone who can win the nomination and take on President
Donald Trump.
South Carolina voters were similarly skeptical of Obama until
he won the 2008 Iowa caucuses. After prevailing in Iowa and New
Hampshire in 2004, John Kerry finished a strong second in South
Carolina, falling to Sen. John Edwards of neighboring North Caro
lina, but beating a black candidate, Rev. Al Sharpton.
BlackPAC Executive Director Adrianne Shropshire said Warren
could find similar success.
“When black voters are paying close attention, support for Warren
goes up,” Shropshire said.
Haines reported from Philadelphia. Associated Press writers Meg
Kinnard in Columbia, S.C., and Michelle Price in Las Vegas contrib
uted to this report.
OPRAH WINFREY