Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Oct. 5, 1989, edition 1 / Page 13
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Community News B1 Editor receives Whitney Young Award By ROBIN BARKSDALE Community News Editor Susan Taylor's by-chance meeting with civil rights leader Whitney Young years ago helped shape the course of her life. Last week, as she accepted the Whitney M. Young Award from the Winston-Salem Urban League, Ms. Taylor noted the irony of the occasion. "Some 23 years ago, I met Whitney Young. I met Whitney Young on a plane and it was at a time when I had almost given up hope/ said the edi tor-in-chief of Essence magazine. "He gave me the inspiration I needed to move my life forward. I remember learning from him that you change your life when you change your mind. It is incredible that Whitney Young is in my life again." Ms. Taylor, who received the award for outstanding contributions as a role model, was presented with the honor during the league's 10th annual Equal Opportunity Banquet. The author of Essence's monthly column "In the Spirit," Ms. Taylor also is vice president of Essence Communications Inc. She began her career with the magazine in 1970 as a freelance writer. One year later, she was named the magazine's beauty editor and the fol lowing year, her position was expanded to include beauty and fashion. In 19S4^she^ssumed her present position with the magazine. If she has become a role mod$l at all, she said, it certainly was not by design. "If I am a role model, it's not because I set out to be that," said Ms. Taylor, the mother of a 20-year-old daughter "I really hav^riorthought about myself as a role model. If people see me that way, I just hope that it will be in the sense that they can look at me and say that with hard work and time, they can have their dreams. I'm enjoying the opportunities that I am getting through what I do and I'm humbled by all of it. I am fortunate to have a family that has helped me and supported me." Before joining Essence magazine, Ms. Taylor was an actress who had Shana, in 1969, she sought mil an occupation that would allow her more time at home with her child. Rather than working for someone, Ms. Taylor opted to jravel the entrepreneurial uail and created her own company, Nequai Cosmetics. Today, she is bothered that so few Afro- Americans own businesses, a condition she is hopeful will soon change. "Black folks watch 30 percent more television than anyone else but whites have ownership of the media," she said. "We're not in a po&j^on of power. We don't own anything. That's a critical factor." She said she expects more people to move toward ownership as Afro Americans are becoming increasingly disenchanted with the climb up the country's corporate ladders. "A lot of black people come out of school with their degrees under their arm and they think everything is going to be all right." she said, "Educated blacks are realizing that education is only a part of the ticket that is needed." She said, too, that Afro- Americans are not making as rapid an ascen sion in the corporate structure as it seems. For instance, there are scores of Afro- American women, dressed in suits and carrying briefcases, lining the streets of downtown areas, but things still may not be what they seem, she said. "They could be secretaries or whatever," Ms. Taylor said. "White women are the ones making it. There are isolated instances of black women in major positions but I don't think that it's happening every where." In fact, she said, there is an undercurrent sweeping the country that is threatening future gains of the Afro- American community. "There is a war on black people and the campaign is aimed at our men and our children," she said. "Black men have never been allowed to earn a fair family wage in this country. Black women have always had to work because their husbands' incomes have never been enough." The way out of the predicament, Ms. Taylor said, begins with individ uals setting their own personal goals as high as they can and then daring to work to make those goals happen. In accepting the Whitney Young Award, she gave credit to God and to her ancestors whom she said allowed her to reach as high as she could. "I accept this award on behalf of my mother, Violet Taylor. I accept it ^Irrihe^name of my grandmother who came from Trinidad in 1916 with six children and no money. I accept it in the name of my great-grandmother, Suzanna, for whoffvl am named," she sai&"I don't take this award lightly. I'm going to use it to challenge me to be more and to do more and to dig a little deeper, to spread my wings a little wider. I challenge everyone to be smart enough not to look down on anyone unless we're reaching down to pick them up." ? ? ; _j_ photo by Mike Cunningham In The Spirit Susan Taylor, editor-in-chief of Essence magazine: "No goal Is too lofty to set, no dream Is too big to dream." Baseball's legendary homerun king keynotes Urban League banquet By ROBIN BARKSDALE Community News Editor The Winston-Salem Urban League held its 10th annual Equal Opportunity Day Banquet last Thursday evening with one of pro fessional baseball's greats as the keynote speaker. Henry "Hank" Aaron, who in 1974 broke the homerun record held by Babe Ruth, spoke about the meaning of opportunity in his address and said that when applied to Afro-Americans, the word loses much of its impact and signifi cance. "I am humbled to be the speak er because the Urban League has long been credited with bringing opportunities to Americans in inner cities," said Mr. Aaron, who now works in the front office of the Atlanta Braves organization. "But when we look at the word opportu nity within the context* of the black experience, the word loses its power, becomes diluted and watered down. Opportunity, when applied to the black experience today, means a slim chance for advancement or no chance at all. We must face the sad fact that in our country there has been a delib erate withholding of opportunities from minorities." Mr. Aaron said that minorities can begin to overcome that situa tion by taking advantage of every opportunity that presents itself, no matter how small. Many young Afro- Americans, he said, see only the larger picture and often are not willing to start at the bottom and work their way up. "Someone has said that the secret of success is to be ready for the opportunity when it comes," he said. "Wherever we find successful - people, we will find men and women who take advantage of situ ations that they find themselves in. We have long sought equal oppor tunity. But after legally Jreeing our bodies, we have to continue to work to free our minds. We must be able to recognize even the slightest V The General Employment Division of the Winston-Salem Urban League, In cooperation with the Soothskfe Branch Library, will sponsor an emptoyabifity skills workshop at die Southside Branch Library, 3185 Buchanan St The purpose of the workshop is to provide job search techniques in the areas of proper application completion, interviewing ? "Career in Public director of WFDD-F1 Fine Arts Cenet The i Skillington, program ?t die SafeatCoiiege ate - ? ' ? ? A workshop offered at Salem TUESDAY, OCT. 10 ? Dr. Ivan Battle, founder and^BM^#|h? Greensboro Music Academy, will preseat an orgaft iecital in Shirley Audtaium ofethe Salem College Fine Arts Cen|*? I pjn. Hi* program will include works by Bach, MauncenvufUMd Ned RorenCN^dmissionwiB be chapd. 'i ? ? * -???*> ? . &? *;:V </vW- *> v - ?, . K-3 ; u^*2kSf??BBm* iSb- Z'yjs-J opportunity before we can take advantage of it. We must first get past the notion of instant gratifica tion. Successful people are not those who have waited for the chance but those who have taken the chance, conquered the chance and made chance the servant." Delores Smith, executive direc "...We must face the^ad fact that in our country , there has been a deliberate withholding of opportuni ties from minorities ? Henry "Hank" Aaron tor of the Winston-Salem Urban League, said that on the occasion of r the local affiliates' 10th Equal Opportunity Day Banquet, residents should be mindful of how far the league had come, the changes it had brought about and the mission that lies ahead. "It was 41 years ago that cer-^ tain people in the community saw the need to give birth to an Urban League," she said. "I would love to photo by Mike Cunningham Henry "Hank" Aaron spoke about seizing opportunities during his keynote address at last week's Urban League Equal Oppor tunity Day Banquet. stand before you and tell you that - what you needed to do 41 years ago is not needed today but that is not true. God's not finished with us yet so you can't rest on the past. You've got problems. All of those problems we thought we were leaving some where else are right here." Last week's banquet also pro vided the league the opportunity to - pay tribute to several members of the local community. The Experiment In Self Reliance was the recipient of the Louise G. Wilson Humanitarian Award, which was presented for the first time this year. Others receiving recognition were Clarence "Bighouse" Gaines, the Achievement Award; Nigel Alston, the Community Service Award; and Dr. Thomas K. Hearn, the Corporate Leadership Award. ?Kay B. Goode, a 1989 National Urban League/GrandMet Essay Contest scholarship recipient, also was recognized during the banquet. WSNC returns to the airwaves with a new slate of programming By ROBIN BARKSDALE Chronicle Staff Writer Winston-Salem State Universi ty's radio station, WSNC, has returned to the airwaves after a summer hiatus, and its new staff promises that the station has returned with a renewed energy and enthusiasm. And the new program director said that there are big plans on the horizon for the station, which broadcasts from the university's Hall-Patterson Communications Building. "We're back after the school's summer vacation and we're going to have a slightly new format," said Andrea Leathers, WSNC program director. "We'll have R&B and jazz along the lines of Miles Jay and Kenny G in addition to what we've had before." What WSNC won't be, she said, is a copy cat of some of the other stations in the Triad area. "We're not '102 Jamz,' " said Ms. Leathers. "Well be playing up and coming music, new music and well be recording from some of the concerts." But the staff hopes to bring some thing more to their audience than music. Ms. Leathers said the station also has a responsibility to provide its listeners with information relevant to their community and to the overall society. Toward that end, WSNC has undergone some pro grammatic changes and will provide more informational type programs than in past years. One of the programs, Ms. Leathers said, will be a United Nations Report, broadcast regularly, which will offer news from around the world. There also will be more chuch news and more remotes from sports events, she said. The WSNC staff now includes six executive positions. In addition tb Ms. Leathers they are: Derek Whitmore, assistant program direc tor; Forrest McFeetters, production Andrea Leathers manager; Warren Isler, music direc tor; Wyndee Bridges, traffic; John Little, news director; and Darryl Crockett, community relations. Ms. Leathers said that several stu dent volunteers also are on staff and that she hopes that high school stu dents will become involved with the station as volunteer interns. She said that WSNC will now begin to focus on the community at-large and will pro vide more information of general inter est to the community. Ms. Leathers said she plans to assemble a pool of volunteers that will be able to man the station during the university's holidays so that the station will be able to remain on the air. WSNC made its debut in 1982. The station currently is on the air from noon to 1 a.m. daily. Ms. Leathers said that the broadcast hours will be expanded within two months allowing WSNC to broad cast from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. 49th annual Grimes-Hines-Traynham family reunion held in Triad The 49th annual celebration of the Grimes-Hines-Traynham Fami ly Reunion was held Sunday, Aug. 27, at Clifton Grove Baptist Church in Georgetown in the High Point/Kernersville area. Coy Traynham of High Point was elected president emeritus dur ing a special meeting at the reunion. Charles Lindsey of Washington, D.C., was elected president and Fannie Gore of Winston-Salem was elected vice president Mr. Traynham, the son of one of the founders* the late Coy Trayn ' ham Sr., served as president for many years. Besides serving in the military and a sustained illness, he has attended all reunions and meet ings. He continued to take charge where necessary when elders became ill or died. Family members describe him as "always available, dependable, loyal and congenial." The family's golden family reunion, marking 50 years of reunit ing, will be observed in 1990. Representatives of the Grimes . Hines-Traynham families have issued a public note of appreciation to Mr. Traynham for his dedication, support and advisement
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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