Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / March 29, 1990, edition 1 / Page 10
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Winstm-Salem Chrom RELIGION, B1 THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 199 Community News AlO Speaker: Racial stereotypes, taught by society, inevitable By ROBIN BARKSDALE Community News Editor Racial and gender stereotypes still are very much alive and well and almost everyone buys into them, although some more than others, a Uni versity of North Carolina at Greensboro program director recently told a group of Twin City women. Patty Spates, director of the women's studies program at UNC-G, dis cussed the existence, imr'ications and barriers of racial stereotypes as they COMMUNITY CALENDAR THURSDAY MARCH 29 • The Phi Beta UanibdaiChapter of Phillips jdhibr College jwill hbld a blood drive front 9 a.mL: to -2 p.m. at itoO P^videnCe Lane, Suite L. For more information call, Sylvia Burts at 759-2880. • Planned Parenthood will sponsor aiparenl/sdh workshop ftom 6:30 tb 9 p.m. The topic will be “Growing .Up arid Liking It,”:whieh:deals with: changes during puberty: The program is free b|fchatge nn|;ptetegisp^ tion is required. For more information call 76Ul()p: • Parkland- Higli:Seli6b{::wrUi|iese9|:ilbueMj99:9fL®^ffi it?” by Drew-Buie,;Spc)nsbr of t!ipseHb(d:’S;IDA£ ClubplTp;®^ portation will be provided frOthTllppyilidliiCbmmuhitl® from Easton Elementary School at 6:30 p.m. FRIDAY MARCH 30 • Planned Parenthood will sponsor a wprkShOpiOn “GrplVing Up.andi Liking It,” which deals with the changes during puberty, for mothers and daughters from; 9-3ti:aim. itb noon. ‘The progiarn is ifreepfteharge: and preregistration is required. For more information ca]l-76Uid5.8. • The Winston-Salem Urban Lcague:::Senior Center is .presenting, the sen ior fashion fling and ::fashion show' frbm:2 to: | pirn.vEasKions wi 11 .be modeled by Urban League Seniors from Davis Department Stores, the Squire’s, Creative Fashions, jKeona's Boutique and Anastasia Furs. Music, door prizes and a drawing for SlOO in groeeriesi WiU be a part of the festive afternoon. A feceptibn sponsored by Hyatt Hotel and Stouf- fer’s Winston Plaza will immediately follow the fashion show. Admis sion is Si and all proceeds Will benefit the senior center program fund. Call the Urban League Senior Center at 725-5614.:: , • Census taker testing sessions will be held at the East Winston Branch Library from 2 to 4 p.m. For more information call 727-2202. SATURDAY, MARCH 31 • 'i>e Winston-Salem Chapter of the National Hampton Alumni Asso ciation Inc. will sponsor a bridgc/pinochle tournament from ?; to ;5: p.m. at the Winston Lake Family YMCA. Proceeds will benefit the scholar ship fund. Donations are S5. There also will be dtxtr prizes. The fir.st prize in each category is $50. - • The Triad North Carolina Chapter of; die Alzheimer’s Association will hold its first annual “Eorget^Me-Not event from 7:30 p.m. to mid night at the Sawtooth Center for Visual Design; 226 N.: Marshall St. Special guests will include Sandra Hughes, Tom Sieg and the USAIR Jazz Orchestra. SUNDAY, APRIL 1 • The Winston-Salem State University Choir will present its annual spring concert at 4 p.m. at the Albert H. Anderson Center across from the main campus. D’walla Simmons is director; Rochelle Joyner is accompanist. Please see page A11 tently taught falsehoods by instructors, family members and others who influence their lives. "None of us is free of stereotypes." she said. "We know what stereo types are but it's hard for us to sort through them." To illustrate her thesis, Ms. Spates asked members of the group to complete a true/false questionnaire on the black family. The questionnaire listed such statements as "Most black families are headed by women," "Traditionally, black families have not adopted children," "The majority of AFDC recipients are white," "The black family was destroyed by slavery" and "Polygamy was common in many West African societies." After completing the form, participants were asked to interact with other group members and find three other members with whom they shared at least nine views. Following the exercise, Ms. Spates, admitting that some of the statements were tricky, presented the correct answers. None of the members of the group, composed largely of Caucasian women, got all of the answers correct. However, the Afro-American women within the group also expressed surprise that, they too, had been misled by some of the com- "None of us is free of stereotypes. We know what Stereotypes are but it’s hard for us to sort through them. Consciousiy or uncon- sciousiy, these are the things we carry on in our minds and this is not accidental. The image of the black mammy was portrayed in advertising and it was portrayed on purpose, it was not an accident." % a— mm 'M- V-,! - Patty Spates, director of women studies, UNCa Patty Spates, director of the women’s studies program at UNC- G, said that racial stereotypes, in many instances, have been taught to members of society. apply to women and minorities during the monthly meeting of the local chapter of the National Organization for Women. Ms. Spates said that few people arc truly exempt from the effects of stereotypes because some false beliefs about particular groups of people have become accepted as the truth in society. Additionally, she said, in many cases, individuals are inadver- monly held beliefs about the black family. Before continuing her discus sion, Ms. Spates issued several ground rules, which she said must be con sidered when dealing with individually-held beliefs. "We all acknowledge that sexism, racism and heterosexism exist. We all acknowledge that one of the meanings of sexism, racism and heterosex ism is that we have been systematically taught misinformation about our own group and especially members of devalued groups," she said, noting that the questionnaire and ground rules were taken from UNC-G professor Patricia Hill Collins' "Teaching Sociology," "We cannot be blamed for the misinformation we have learned but we will be held responsible for repeat ing misinformation after we have learned otherwise....We will assume that people are always doing the best they can...We each have an obligation to combat the myths and stereotypes about our own groups and other groups so that we can break down the walls which prohibit group cooperation and group gain." ■,)/, photos by Sonja Covinj Members of the local chapter of the National Organization! Women and their guests share perspectives on stereotypes. Ms. Spates next asked group members to list the characteristics wlj they felt best described a Southern woman. The group listed such trails "Southern belle," "gracious," "manipulative" and "fluffy." Aften description was complete, she reminded members that they had autom cally described the image of a Southern woman usually most associii with a Caucasian female when she had not placed any racial parameters the list. When she asked for a description of a black, southern woma, members' description included "matriarch," "strong," "ruling," "poor," ''s gious" and "hard-working." "You've sort of excused white women for being weak," said Spates, when the exercise was complete. "The stereotype of black won is to be able to do everything and your description bears little resembli to that of the Southern, white woman that you gave me. Consciouslj unconsciously, these are the things we carry on in our minds and this is accidental. The image of the black mammy was portrayed in adverts and it was portrayed on purpose. It was not an accident." Ms. Spates said that many stereotypes are created by a different! the world views held by Euro-Americans and minority populations, values held by non-Westem mentalities and Western mentalities oflcni be conflicting at nearly every point, she said, which more often than leads to a misunderstanding of the different population. Patricia Russell-McCloud to keynote WFU Black Law Students group's first scholarship banquet Patricia Russell-McCloud will be the keynote speaker at Wake Forest University's Black Law Stu dents Association scholarship ban quet March 30. Ms. Russell-McCloud is former chief of the complaints branch of the Federal Communications Com mission's Mass Media Bureau. The banquet will be held at the Hyatt Hotel at 6:30 p.m. A native of Indianapolis, Ms. Russell-McCloud is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and Kentucky State University and has studied at Harvard University. She is certified to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, District of Columbia and Indiana Bar associa tions. The Black Law Students Asso ciation will present its first scholar ship award at the banquet and rec ognize five students from the class of 1986 who had the idea to raise scholarship funds with an annual banquet. They are Lisa Jeffries Cald well, Joal Hall, Marsha Hughes Grayson, Carol McCIendon- Waldron and Jeanette 'Tyner Peace. Banquet tickets are available from the Wake Forest School of Law. For more information call 759-5435. Patricia Russell-McCloud NAACP recognizes local organization, community service effort From Chronicle Staff Reports Several members of the local community were honored last Thursday at the annual NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet for their contributions to the organization and to the overall community. Mazie S. Woodruff received the Sara Lee/Charles McLean Award for Community Service. The award was established in 1985 to recognize people in Win ston-Salem and Forsyth County who provide needed services to the local area and who motivate others to improve their own quality of life. Sponsored by Sara Lee Corp., the award was named for Charles A. McLean, retired field secretary of the NAACP, in recognition of his years of dedication not only to the NAACP but to Winston-Salem and North Carolina, Mr. McLean's mother started one of the first chapters in North Carolina in 1918 and he obtained his first membership while in high school. He served as field director for more than 28 years. In accepting the award, Mrs. Woodruff thanked her family for their continued support of the years and accepted the award on behalf of people whom she said work dili gently behind the scenes. "In the spring time of 1990, I cannot stand here and say that Mazie Woodruff won this award. I have not," she said. "God has given \ , J u.f photo by C.B. Victor Johnson, left, NAACP life membership chair, presents life membership plaques to An’ Brown Kennedy, Harold L. Kennedy II and Dr. Virginia K. Newell. me the strength. I want to accept this award tonight on behalf of all those people who work in the trenches. We don't make the head lines. We don't raise a whole lot of you-know-what but we're in the trenches working to make Forsyth County citizens' lives better." Three local students also received scholarships during the annual event. Winners were: Crystal F. New man, a senior at Mount Tabor and the daughter of Patricia Newman. She plans to attend Howard Univer sity. Latandra Vance, a senior at Parkland and the daughter of Rebecca F. Vance. She plans to attend N.C. A&T State University. Lucretia O. Carter, a senior at Parkland and the daughter of Fan- netta Gore, plans to attend SpeW College. The President's Awards * presented to Elliott Brown Is * the Rev. Joseph Nance. Isaiah Tidwell received^ Corporate Award. The Community Ser*i Awards were given to Dr. CW' Kennedy and Leon Henry Harp« Please see page A12
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