Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Feb. 9, 1989, edition 1 / Page 9
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Fair 'sets record straight' about black history By ROBIN BARKSDALE Chronic* Staff Writer / ^Talmadge Willard Fair came home last Sunday evening to "set the record straight" about the histo ry of his people and to enlighten them about what they actually cele brate when they celebrate Black History Month. ? Fair, the president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Greater Miami, said Black History Month celebrations are "against my principles", but he said he accepted the invitation from Wake Forest University so that he could "set the record straight" about black history. "It is insulting to me for anyone to suggest that a celebration of my history can be squeezed into 28 _ days," said Fair, a native of Win- - ston-Salem. "Rather than endorse their celebrations of my history, I refuse to participate." Fair said that the American public has celebrated Black History Month for 30 years, but the accom plishments of Afro-Americans began as early as 665 years ago. Talmadge, whose appearance was part of WFU's Black History activi ties, said that the Western world has taught a distorted version of the his tory of black people in America. "Like other little colored chil dren in Winston-Salem, I was raised on westernized history," said Fair, a graduate of Johnson C. Smith Uni versity. "Tarzan shows made me believe that Africa, from which my ancestors came, was full of jungles and was the last place to show any progress. They made me believe my Africa was hot and steamy and primitive." Fair said that Afro-Americans "know your history and you don't (know your history). White folks got you all running around putting up signs and saying 'We are cele brating black history.' " But Fair said that the true histo ry of Afro-Americans had more to do with survivafand less io do with popular historical figures such as George Washington Carver and well-known Afro- American inven tors. ThelatterTFair said, "ain't got nothing to do with black history." During his presentation. Fair presented a detailed illustration of Afro-American history that he traced to the European slave trade. Fair maintained that whites initially Lenoir-Rhyne plans student reception Lenoir-Rhyne College will sponsor a reception for prospective students and their parents Sunday, - J*eb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. The reception, or admissions blitz, held at Brookstown Inn, 200 Brookstown Ave., will offer insight into Lenoir-Rhyne's academic pro grams, as well as a discussion of admissions procedures and financial aid opportunities. Richard P. Thompson, dean of admission and financial aid, and several members of the college's staff will be on hand to talk with guests. Located in Hickory, Lenoir Rhyne is a four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The school offers more than 40 under graduate majors and five programs of graduate study. John Jacob From Page A4 _JIhey serve a valid public purpose in expanding minority business opportu nities, and a constitutional purpose in remedying illegal and unconstitution al past discrimination. The court could have found fault with the Richmond statute and issued a narrow ruling applying only to the ease in question. Instead, it issued a sweeping decision that hurts affirma tive action and makes it harder for minority business people to survive. All of this is done under the cloak of racial neutrality and remov ing race as a consideration - a posi tion that ignores and distorts the reali ty of past racism and present-day dis crimination. This decision is shame ful.' John E. Jacob Is president of the National Urban League. Photo by Charmane Delayers on T. Wlllard Fair, Winston-Salem native and president of the Urban Leagud ot Greater Miami, was the keynote speaker at Sunday's Black History Month celebration at Wake Forest Uni versity. began and maintained the slave trade out of greed rather than preju dice. Slavery in America, he said, was not based on color as much as it was on circumstance. "But a funny thing happened. White folks got lazy and having free labor became the custom. Then some of our neighbors in Virginia got carried away and defined slaves as real estate. We went from being a convenient custom to a public com modity," Fair said. Fair challenged the traditional belief that slaves passively accepted -2* their lot in life. He said they staged work slow downs, organized resis tances and ran away. He said they set barns on fire and killed over seers and masters in protest of their situations. Fair said, too, that the truth about the Civil War is that it was fought over economics, not because of any love whites had for enslaved blacks. Holding up a board with wads of cotton attached, Fair told the audience, "This little white stuff did more to keep you in your place than anything else in American his tory. It's called cotton." Fair said that after Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, southern whites imported northern blacks to harvest their cotton. But the impor tation was causing a shortage of labor in the north, Fair said, so the importation was terminated. Fair said southerners solved the problem by determining that "if they couldn't import us, they would grow us. And they grew us, and grew us and grew us." The resulting economic imbal ance between the north and south, he said, forced the country to arms. "For the first time, white folks killed white folks over us," said Fair. "But don't get confused. Don't think white folks were fighting over you because they had developed some kind of human compassion for you. They were fighting over money." . Fair said that the gaifrs^nade after slavery were pushed backward when Booker T. Washington "gave his permission for us to be segregat ed." He said that Frederick Dou glass was more on target with his push for progress through the ballot box, the jury box and the cartridge box. Fair said that Afro-Americans must put their history in the proper perspective and "tell each other the truth about who and what brought us to the situation which we strug gle with today." RESIDENT'S DAY SALE Feb. 9-20 30% %0FF SUGQ. RET. Special Order and In Stock WALLCOVERING ? and 40% OFF ALL BORDERS SmartoD up You'll love our wallcoverings. We guuontoe It! ? ' Mon.-Frl. 9:30 am-8:00 pm, Sat. 9:3ff?m-5:00 pm 3244 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem Phone: 748-0127 suoa RET. A secure investment can keep your cash flow flowing. Tkxes, inflation, or the wrong investments can really drain your money supply. "Ybur only protection is a good invest ment. And some of the safest, most solid investments you can make are bonds. Because when you secure your money in bonds, you can be sure of earning a certain interest rate. Bonds give you lots of - options. There are a variety of ways that bonds can help you. While bonds are keeping your money safe, they can also generate regular income and give you tax benefits. Adding bonds to your list of other investments even lowers your risk, because you don't have all your eggs in one basket. If you haven't checked out bonds, you haven't checked out all your options. It pays to work with the experts at Wachovia. The Wachovia Bond and Money Market Group has the experience and training to help you. Our bond specialists can review your individual invest ment goals and help decide which bond is best for you. Wachovia has been com mitted to the bond market since 1952, and today we have the largest bond staff in the Winston-Salem area. It's easy to get started. At Wachovia, you can get into bonds with almost any amount of cash. Whether you have a sizable investment or even less than 81,000, there's a bond for you. Even if you're new to the world of bonds, we can help. We'll send you a free booklet that explains all about the different kinds of bonds that are available. For more information, call our Bond and Money Market Group at (919) 770-4635 or (toll-free) 1-800-642-0847 and ask for Bill Griswold, Georgiana Havener, Dick Stone, or Jean Sykes. In North Wilkesboro, call Pam Miles at (919) 667-9221 or (toll-free) 1-800-682-2116. ^ We'll help you take care of your liquid assets today, so they don't dry up tomorrow. THE WACHOVIA Wy It's more than what we do. It's how we do It Wachovia Bank & Thist Member FDIC
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Feb. 9, 1989, edition 1
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