N*a*t*i*o#n*a*l NEWS Woman Holiday Celebrates African SEATTLE (AP) - Fourteen-year-old Jayson Bridges searched his cookbook this month to select a recipe for the dish he will make when his family feasts on the sixth night of Kwanzaa. Sweet -potato pie will be his contribution to cat and exchange handmade gifts, dressed in vibrant yellow J outfits made from kente cloth, the royal fabrio of Ghana. Bach night of the seven-day festival, Pamela Lewis-Bridges i four children about the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Her 1^2 -year-old daughter Jasmine cites "imani," faith will do well in school and one day achieve her goal of aHriidhig man, a historically black college in Atlanta. Last year Jayson worked on "ujima," responsibility, taking _ _r the younger children while his mother makes dinner and "helping out household chores. The Bridges are among 18 million people around the world . ebrate Kwanzaa, which begins the day after Christmas and runs Jan. 1. Vereen Performs for First Time Since ? . ? - v. ? ?:v; . ? . ' PASADENA , CALIF. (AP) ? Entertainer Ben Vereen took the first time since being struck by a car last summer, Night Before Christmas" at a benefit for Somalia's starving dtildM& Vereen. 46, was greeted with a standing ovation at Friday benefit show at the Civic Auditorium. The actor and dancer, looking fit, used colorful accent*mj enliven his rendition of the classic yule tide tale. He repeated mancc Saturday night. The shows raised money for Somalian children Committee for UNICEF. Other celebrities whtt fli ^ Michael McDonald, Melissa Manchester, Barry MMcm Valeria Harper and Patti Austin. Vereen was struck by a small truck on Jnpe 9 ai along Pacific Coast Highway near his Malibu home. head and internal injuries and a broken leg in &e pre-dawn 1 v ? i: Hope ,r;.\ ' ''"'IISMe "1 really would like to send them a Clans ? something they could put right in where for everyone to see/* she said. teddy bear for every Somali child to have to The U.S. soldiers have their own mission, "They are helping to provide something them something for the heart*' & Blues Musician Albert MEMPHIS, TENN. (AP) ? Blues musician AfcertKing. who "Crosscut Saw" and was a primary influence on rock *i ing, died Monday after suffering a King died about 5 p.m. at East r a coma following the heart attack, said Barbara Wi visor. Funeral arrangements were incomplete pending the arrival wife from St. Louis. r A native of Indianola* Miss., King began his career playing ^ with Jimmy Reed. He recorded in &L Louis and Cincinnati In the II and 1960s, but his career didn't take off until he signed to Stax in Memphis in the 1966. Backed by Booker T & The MGs, King i mat Blues" and "Bom Under A Bad Sign* & Eric Clapton paid tribute to King on Brew," where he purposely copied note fori song, "Personal Manager." After young blues fashionable, King found success Wire/Blues Power," recorded at the Brown Already Has Plans For ATLANTA (AP) ? Rhythm and blues star Bobby how he'll handle the teen-age years of the Houston are expecting this spring. "Ah man! If (boys) call, I might let nv _ phone," he said with a laugh. "But knowing me probably won't let them in the door." Browi city tour that he promises will be even more _ cert that got him arrested in Columbus, Ga., for $i state. But despite the explicit sh rehearsal in his Atlanta studio month employment. Mar.- Sept.l, 1992, she took financial records, including receipts, from the office and did not return them. During the same time period, he said his signa ture was forged at least four times, as were the signatures of board members. Two signatures are required to cash the organization s checks. Griggs and three board members are authorized to sign checks. Griggs said he sometimes signed blank checks when they were accompanied by a check requisition stating how the money would be spent. "I trusted her (Wilson) to use checks signed by me and board members as they were intended," he said. According to police records, Jimmie Lee Ingram Wilson has been convicted of trafficking heroin sev eral times, beginning in 1971 and as late as 1985. In 1974 she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was given a four-year sentence. She was pregnant at the time. Jimmie Lee Wilson could not be reached for comment. Board member D. Smith said the $30,000 figure was based on speculation. "I question the motive of who ever gave that figure out," Smith said. "When this kind of judgement happens to an African- American, it does a lot of damage. Because once an air of suspicion is shed, it gets attached to all of us. And it happens Griggs Gets Vote Of Confidence from page A1 over ancfwcr again. I'm hoping that whoever did that is washing their mouth out with soap." Smith said Saturday's vote of confidence was intended to send the message that Griggs will remain as director for the Citizens Coalition. She said it was regrettable that Wilson's records weren't checked, but also defended the hiring of peo ple with a police record. "Khaljd's program was all about giving people a new start in life," Smith said. "Sometimes that's the only chance people get, is from organizations like the coalition." Crocker put the experience in a positive light. "The board and Khalid have learned a lot through this. We want to get our internal systems in order * and go on with the work. We believe our mission is vital and the key to that mission is Khalid. We are a one-man organization, if you really look hard at it." Board member Paula McCoy said, "If Khalid is guilty of any thing, it's not paying close attention to the administration of the funds." McCoy said the board has asked Griggs to submit management and financial reports in a more timely fashion, communicate better with funding organizations, and hire an outside accountant to keep the books. The coalition's primary funding source is the Kate B. Reynolds Poor and Needy Trust, administered by the Winston-Salem Foundation. "V Happy Hills Convenience Store 'from page A1 and run by neighborhood residents, that will recirculate any profits earned throughout the community for use in scholarships for its youth and for beautification and revitaliza tion projects in the neighborhood. All profits will stay within the com munity. The store also was established to provide training opportunities for residents of the community. They are invited to work for valuable training in the retail business in areas of sales and management. Scott Fletcher, the 22-year-old manager of the store, says he's excited, because the store will offer training opportunities. "They can come here and get training that they may not have been offered elsewhere," Fletcher says. "And then when they go out to try to find some jobs, they'll have some references." Fletcher also says the success of the store's opening provides a positive example to the Happy Hill community. "The expectations of this area by outsiders tend to be low," Fletcher says. "And because of that, I think their (residents') self -expec tations have been lowered. If noth ing e^e, we're here to show them that we can do this. For years, they've always told us we couldn't do it. And here we are, showing them that we can." The dream of the Happy Hill Garden Mart began October 1991 with Maggie Edwards and Yvonne Jefferson, who wanted to clean up the corner of Liberia and Free Streets. "The store was already open and was run by somebody else," she says, "but it was drug-infested. Dealers hung out on property, there were cars always on the street, and it was just a hassle coming to your own home." "Their biggest seller was beer and wine, and they sold cooked food Angela White (left), assistant manager of the Happy Hill Garden Mart, gives one of the first customers her change , as Manager Scott Fletcher looks on. that was old," Edwards says. "It was a filthy and dark place." ? * Edwards says she looked at the store and knew something had to be done. Edwards and Jefferson made a plea to the community and asked for their support in addressing the need, Then they took their concerns to city officials. She says, fortunately, the local branch of the United Way and the Winston-Salem Foundation sup ported their ideas and came forward with a $30,000 grant. The money was used to buy the building, which was for sale due to a previous fore closure lien, at a public auction. Edwards says she and Jefferson represented a board of community residents at the auction. "The United Way wrote the check right then and there," Edwitfds says. *Th^ bought it and turned it over to the Housing Authority for ownership. And then the Housing Authority turned it over to the residents to manage and run the store." Once the store becomes self sufficient, legal ownership will be turned over to the resident advisory board. But the $30,000 grant money didn't go far. It was used just to pur chase the building. Clifton Graves, assistant execu tive director of the Housing Author ity of Winston-Salem, says after the purchase, there were still hurdles to cross. "The building needed major rehabilitation and construction to get store ready," Graves says. "The Housing Authority footed the bill for renovations." ^ He says the stoi* needed seri ous repairs, including a new roof, and other major internal and exter nal work. Graves says there was an addi tional $75,000 grant from the Win ston-Salem Foundation to help with technical assistance and start-up costs for the store, including inven tory, stocking, equipment, and train ing. Graves says the store is well on its way to achieving its goals. "The fact that we've gotten this far is an achievement in itself," he says. 44 The residents should be proud. But now the real hard work begins ? running a business. That's where real experience and real train ing will come." On The Avant Garde from page A1 lights are more beautiful. Daddy." On our way back home, I sug gested that we have a contest to see how many homes had the colored lights and how many had the white lights. I was winning, and boy, was I glad. But as we drove around the neighborhood counting the white light houses, colored-light houses, I had a feeling that my son was on to something ? I just wasn't sure what it was. All I knew is that I wanted the white lights to win. When I got behind in the count, I took a little detour into the rich folks neighborhood just to make sure that I would find somejjitf?fr white light houses. Yes, white^lights everywhere! I won.Wheto we Blount For Head Job "Let's put it like this," he responded. "I am very afraid of snakes, but if someone said I would have to pick up one to get this job, I would do it in a minute." Timmy Newsome. the former : unning back for the Dallas Cow boys who piayed with Blount at vs SSL, also supports him. "From my viewpoint, it would be a tragedy if they don't hire Ker mit," Newsome said. "Not only has he paid his dues in the coaching game, but he has that confidence and leadership quality that a good coach needs." Newsome said that Bill Hayes, " - iormer WSSU football coach recruited both him and Blount, confidence ;n Blount to .iini 10 call his own plays on the field "The reason we went unde feated one season was mainly because of Kermit,"' he said. "Look, if they want a winning football team, put Kermit in charge of that program and that's what they'll get." Fred Burke, chairman of the selection committee and the vice chancellor for business affairs at WSSU, said that Sheppard was "unofficially" interviewed by the committee on Tuesday. "That doesn't mean he has his foot in the door more than anyone else," Burke said. "He just hap pened to be in town and we asked him to come talk with us." He said that the campaign on behalf of Blount would have little from page A1 influence on who the committee will finally select. "Whenever positions like this open up, there's always campaigns. All of us have gotten calls." Besides Burke, the search committee includes A1 Roseboro, the university's athletic director, Dr. Gerald McCants and Walter Mar shall. McCants was out of town when the committee met with Sheppard. Sheppard, who is currently unemployed, last worked for Williams College where he coached football and track. He said he left because "there was nothing else left for me to do there." Sheppard, who is from Williamston, N.C., said he is friends with Richardson, Amt heard about the opening through players who he once coached. He said he felt the interview with the search committee went well. Linwopd Jeralds, who gradu ated in 1975 from the WSSU, also placed his name on the advertise ment "Kermit is a real competitor and a very straight up person. And he's extremely self-motivated," Jer alds said. Until recently, Jeralds was an assistant coach under Hayes at A&T University. During his tenure at AAT, he had several opportuni ties \o compete against teams Blount has coached. Blount, Jeralds said, has not lost any of that competitive spirit returned home to see our beautiful fifty-foot white-light Christmas tree, hanging beautifully from the house top, I was hoping that he would agree that white lights were better. But he held his ground. Then, on the way home the other night, I took a wrong turn, andf j suddenly we found ourselves lost, ' somewhere out in the rural parts of North Carolina. As I struggled to find the way back, my wife and I noticed how so many of the homes were so well decorated, with so many lights. I casually remarked to my wife that it seemed that "most of the peo ple out here are using colored lights." Only now and then did we see white lights. We started to notice that the smaller the house, the more likely it was that the people would use the colored lights." We began to wonder if it was true and why? As we wandered - around trying to find our way back h'ome, it became clearer to us what ' our twelve-year-old had been trying 7 to say. The people who were using the \ colored lights were those of us who were still holding on to something of the old, perhaps something that a lot of us who now live in the white light houses had long since forgot ten perhaps not. Perhaps it was the innocence about the true meaning of Christmas time and what it really means to gather together as a family and to give each other gifts. My wife said that those little houses ? the ones with all of the colored lights, the ones without the cleverly designed sculptures ? made her feel like the people inside were the ones who really had the warmest Christmas. Their decorations may have looked to some like they were cheap and commercial on the outside, but on the inside, these were the people for whom Christmas was the least commercial. For them, it had the greatest meaning on the inside. They were the people who would have the warmest Christmas celebration of them all. "Forget what others may think," we envi sioned them saying. "Christmas time is for colored lights." As we headed home, my wife ? looked at me and smiled, "Well, honey, we may have white lights on ,the outside, but our Christmas tree has colored lights on the inside." White on the outside, colored on the inside. Merry Christmas, and may Ood bless you and keep you strong.