PAGE A5 Winston Salem Chronicle NOVEMBER 9. 1989
Forum
Reflections on the mayoral election
Democrat Martha Wood put
together a biracial coalition of black
and white voters from diverse eco
nomic backgrounds to become the
first woman mayor of Winston
Salem. The narrow victory over her
opponent, Republican Lcn Sale --
only 9(X) votes of the 30,(XX) votes
cast -- came alter a long, bitter and
expensive mayoral campaign in
which the discussion of issues lost
out to the politics of negative cam
paigning.
Pinocchio and the Klan made
their appearances and a useful dis
cussion of jobs, economic growth,
drugs and crime was relegated to
? the back pages. The Republicans
gained two scats on the city council,
a sign that competitive parly poli
tics is increasingly a fact of life for ?
national, stale and local politics in
North Carolina. Regardless of
strength in Democratic Party regis
tration* the increased size of a
financially secure middle class and
a Reagan-like attitude toward the
aspirations of blacks -- wc owe
them nothing but jellybeans ? have
made for mote younger Rcpubli- in the 5500-and-abovc category,
cans and more conservative members of the country and Pied
Dcmocrats voting Republican. mont clubs, supporters of economic
What made for the most expen- growth where environmental effects
sivc and certainly one of the most usually come in sccond place --
polemical campaigns for mayor ifi selected their candidate late and
GUEST COLUMN
By DR. DON SCHOONMAKER
Winston-Salem? Besides the unfor- played catch-up ball in a divisive
lunate vogue of negative campaign- sccond primary. Fear of loss of
ing - offspring of Willie Horton, access to a feisty female who had
whose paternity could well be the boldness to question the prevail
attributcd to the Helms' Congrcs- ing wisdom, the politics of personal
sional Club style -- there are local attack was led by the major-daily
reasons for so much heat and so lit- paper (MODPsmonopoly on daily
tie light in the campaign just con- print). A local zealot of Dee Smith
eluded. tried Pinocchio's nose and fell flat
The Democratic Parly's white on his face with a probable back
"establishmcnt" -- mainly West lash. MODP tried personal invcc
Warders, managers and owners of live instead of reasoned persuasion
large and medium-sized businesses,
contributors to political campaigns Please see page A9
Carl Matthews deserves recognition
During lasl Sunday's dedication
of ihc nation's first memorial to mar
lyrr otitic civil rights movement,
Julian Bond told a crowd of nearly
-ftfXX) that it is important toTemcmber
that besides the marquee names,
many common people played an
important role in the struggle.
The memorial is in Birmingham,
Ala., and contains the names of 40
people who died in the struggle for
racial equality, including the Rev.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Mcdgar
Evcrs.
"Without degradating Dr. King,
this was a lot more than a Martin
Luther King movement," said Mr.
Bond, the first Afro-American state
lawmaker in Georgia. "Many were
ordinary, everyday people who rose
above their ordinariness to make a
diffcrencc."
Such can be said of Winston
Salem's Carl W. Matthews, who is
very much alive but whose contribu
tions to the local civil rights struggle
go cither unnoticed or unacknowl
edged.
In fact* Mr. Matthews, who
recently ran unsuccessfully for alder
man, says he has been unemployed
for-approximately 20 years since
1960 "due to political ostracism and
abandonment by so-called prominent
black leadership because I speak the
truth."
Local newspaper accounts, court
documents, wire service stories and
stories in the Afro-American newspa
per group chronicle Mr. Matthews'
contributions to the civil rights strug
gle beginning on Feb. 8, 1960, when
as a lone wolf he sat at a lunch
counter at the S.H. Kress Co. store on
Fourth Street.
At the time, the Rev. E.S. Hardgc,
pastor of Golcr Metropolitan AME
Zion Church and president of the
Winston-Salem Chapter of the
National Association for ihc Matthews told supporters and the
Advancement of Colo-cd People, was media.
as saying, "The NAACP has nothing Hodges saicTTuT had~askc<r tfic heads
whmsocverto^do^tirtht^cffbrt; ofNorth Carolina's state-supported
Mr. Matthews remained alone in colleges to use their influence to bring
his effort until word spread through a stop to the wave of lunch counter
news broadcasts. He was then joined demonstrations. Nine days later, for
by other Afro-American sympathiz- mcr President Harry S. Truman told
AGAINST THE GRAIN
By ROOSEVELT WILSON
crs. . '
By Feb. II, an estimated 500
A fro-Americans had joined the "pas
sive resistance" movement ad named
Mr. Matthews as their executive
chairman. It was also at this meeting
that the NAACP gave its first
endorsement of the effort. The Rev.
Hardgc, whose church hosted the
meeting, urged the community to give
its full support to the lunch counter
effort.
On Feb. 16, Mr. Matthews also
initiated and led the first freedom ride
on a Greyhound bus, from Winston
Salem to Durham and back.
The Feb. 19 edition of the Sen
tinel carried letters to the editor, all
supporting the principles for which
Mr. Matthews was leading the Fight.
On Feb. 22, nine white students
from Wake Forest, 11 Afro-Ameri
cans from Winston-Salem State and
Mr. Matthews were arrested at the
F.W. Woolworth store at'Fourth and
Liberty and charged with trespassing
at white lunch counters.
The arrests simply fanned the
flames. "This experience of being
jailed has made us even more deter
mined than we were at first, * Mr.
the Associated Press, "If anybody
came to my store and tried to stop
business, I'd throw him out." He also .
said, "The Negro should behave him
self and be a good citizen while push
ing for integration."
The struggle continued, however,
and on Wcdhcsday morning. May 25,
sit-down lunch counters at S.H. Kress
and Co.^two F.W. Wool worth stores,
H.L. Green Co. and Walgrecn's drug
store all opened on a desegregated
basis and served Afro-Americans
without incident.
Mr. Matthews, after 107 days of
persistence, was the first Afro-Ameri
can served at a desegregated lunch
counter in Winston-Salem.
Here is an ordinary man who rose
above his ordinariness to make a dif
ference. Carl W. Matthews is to the
civil rights struggle in Winston-Salem
what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was
to the civil rights struggles in this
nation.
We should be eternally grateful
for both and never forget either.
Roosevelt Wilson teaches jour
nalism at Florida A&M University
in Tallahassee, Fla.
Chronicle Mailbag
From Page A4
levels. Nowhere is this more preva
lent than in our churches. There is no
way drugs could possess our young
if the thousands of church members
became involved in combatting such.
And guess who supports our great
establishments such as the NAACP,
Urban League, etc.? How many
readers of this article make a contri
bution substantial enough for these
institutions to occupy the beautiful
buildings and render services to the
black community?
One way to combat the practice
of racism is to do exactly what James
Meredith has done and docs. In the
quest to get what he wanted, he
decided to pin and work with white
people. One can't win a battle with
an enemy by staying home and hid
ing underneath the bed. James
Meredith took a daring but great step
? by joining Sen. Helms' staff. What an
education all with racist attitudes
will get as it sooner or later dawns on
them, as cach discovers that skin
color docs not change the humanncss
in people. An attitude possessed can
not be changed by simply telling one
about ii - as is the method used by
Dr. King. His seminar time could be
better spent relating to black people -
- particularly on the poverty level --
who have been brainwashed to
believe that before they secure an
education and get a job they must be
wanted by while people. And let's
not forget, our criminal element
who've been brainwashed to justify
taking and selling drugs, killing each
other, robbing/burglarizing each
other on the basis that the practice of
racism dictates such.
America is the greatest country
in the entire world insofar as permit
ting to live as full a life as possible.
This includes being the most one can
be as well as choosing to live in a
gully.
Dawn Drake
Winston-Salem
Support United Way
To The Kditor:
The United Way campaign is an
autumn tradition in our community.
It is that chancc for 49 member agen
cies and the community to "unite"
and raise essential monies for human
services and programs for the com
ing year.
Various factors have caused this
year's campaign to move slowly, and
we have only reached 66 percent of
its goal.
The United Way monies arc an
essential clement that helps fund the
"war on drugs" fought at STEP ONE
Substance Abuse Services. Interven
tion, treatment and prevention ser
vices arc necessary components of a
systcmic and comprehensive battle to
reduce the demand for chemicals.
The Board of Directors and I
encourage all members of this com
munity to support the United Way
Fund Drive to ensure that services
may not be reduccd next year.
Selbert M. Wood Jr.
Executive Director
STEP ONE
Substance Abuse Services
f N
l { I 101)
Imported and Bo?t?ed by Brown-Foe man Beverage Co Canadian Whisky A Bland. 40?o Ale by Volume Louisvrfte. KV
HANES MALL
WINSTON-SALEM
r
*UpU ' ' ?
A GALA EVENING
CELEBRATING THE GRAND OPENING
OF THE NEW BELK-HANES MALL
PRESENTED BY BELK OF HANES MALL AND THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF WINSTON-SALEM, INC.
NOVEMBER 12, 1989 AT 7:00 P.M.
We cordially invite you to the Grand Opening Gala Celebration of the new BelK. An evening filled with joyous
celebration. Featuring: ? a dynamic fashion presentation ? famous designer, Carolina Herrera ? the delightful
entertainment of Ron Rudkin's orchestra, jazz trio, The Embers, blue grass band, violinist, harpist, flutist,
pianist, clown, mime and jugglers ? and delicious food, decadent desserts and open'bars.
Register to win: ? 2, $500.00 Belk shopping sprees ? magnificent diamond ring ? full length mink coat ? a five
day/four night Bermuda trip with air transportation for two provided by USAir ? and a 20x24 oil portrait
provided by Belk Signature Portraits.
Tickets, $35.00 each, $75.00 for patron.
Donations are tax deductible.
Black tie optional.
Don't miss our big Gala
Grand Opening Party!
? Tickets available Level III
Customer Service
Desk
? Limited tickets available.
Don't miss the event of
the season.
You are cordially invited
to attend
"The Official Ribbon Cutting
Ceremonies"
Silas Creek Entrance
November 13, 1989
9:30 a.m.
Proceeds from the Belk Gala will benefit the 1990-91 community
projects of the Junior League of Winston-Salem, Inc.
Current project# mcfude. Teen Talk m co?aboration with me Forsyth County Health Department and the Salvation Army Girts Club.
Welcome Beby ? a partnership with the Exchanoe/SCAN Center for the Prevention of CNkJ Abuse and Forsyth Memorial Hospital.
AIDS Reeouroe Oufcle m conjunction with the AIDS Task Force. ParenVChM Worfcehene in collaboration with Planned Parenthood.
Project Break-Through in conjunction with the Experiment in SeH-Pettance. CMUfcen and Qrtef ? a partnership with Hosp?ce and the
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System, and Parent Communication laminar a in coflaboration with the Adolescent Pregnancy
Pregnancy
Prevention Council and other oommunity aganotea, organizations, and buainoaaar
THE JUNIOR LEAGUE Of WINSTON-SALEM, INC. THANKS YOU POR YOUR SUPPORT
BURLINGTON EDEN. GREENSBORO HIGH POINT. LEXINGTON. REIDSVILLE, WINSTON-SALEM
Use Your Belk Visa MasterCard Amencan Express
IN THE TRIAP