Woman Shows Courage By Fighting Drugs In Community Bv k\RE\ M HAS\ON C hrortiv ic Staff Wnter For year*. Maun? Young ha*. put her life on the line to make life better for her community. Even after death threats from drug dealers in the Cleveland Avenue Homes neighborhood. Young stands as valiant as an Indian brave defending his homeland. But Young's weapon is not a tomahawk or bow and arrow. Her weapon is her mere presence. I said 1 wasn't afraid of them. " Young said. "If 1 get killed, I just get killed. I've gotta die one day. I'd rather die doing right than die doing nothing." ? ' Young has been on a crusade to do nght in her community for years. Art Milligan, director of the city Housing Authority, said Young has been the leader of the pack in the Cleveland Avenue neighborhood. She was on the Scene long before the housing authority was on the case," Milligan said. "Mattie led the charge in helping get drugs out of the community." Young said the neighborhood has been plagued with drug runners. But four years ago, things began to get worse. People came from everywhere and were selling drugs, fighting and shooting," said Young, who has lived in the Cleveland Avenue neighborhood the past 1 5 years. "We just couldn't sleep at night." With the support of Mayor Martha S. Wood, residents. the Winston Salem police department ? and several companies fr?mra4ttfed in 19^C l?ie Ck"> I'la.ul \mr.n, l.nk ? Force to address the eommunit} s. drug problem. Young. who :s president of the neighborhood s resident council, said at first she stood alone in the fight. She took the initiative to clean up the neighborhood b\ picking up the telephone and calling for back up. I started calling in help from the ma\or and Chief (George t Sweat and the police department.' she said. The> came in because they said the> couldn t do it by themselves. They had to have the residents to help. So after nobody else wouldn t say nothing or do nothing. 1 decided I was going to take it on myself." After her voice was heard throughout the city, people in the ? community began to help. I said somebody's gotta* stand up against the drug dealers and drug pushers and let them know that you're not afraid.' Young said. "If they find out you re not afraid/ you're npt going to have any prob lems'. They're going to go some where else where they can intimi date somebody else. So after the residents saw that I was going to take a stand, they decided to come in and help. Young said she saw a lot of drug trade in the community because of her earl\ hours on the Rappers black comedians routinely use nig ger" in their acts. But older blacks, those of the era of sit-in demonstrations and marches and whose heroes were Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.. say the historical dehumaniza tion attached to the word should never be forgotten. "1 think the use of the word is degrading." says Emery L. Rann III, director of the Winston-Salem v Department of Human Relations. " And I have a real problem with the commercialization of nigger' in day-to-day conversation." Mark Raymond, program director of the city's black-owned radio station. WAAA. said although some blacks greet other blacks with the word, it should not be allowed into the mainstream. "This radio station is not going to play any record that uses that word." he says. The history of the word is tm deepJ.' The reason Shocky Shay says she uses nigger' in her lyrics is because the terni can refer to any bods . She said that generations ago when whites used the term to refer to black people. the\ did it because blacks were ignorant since they were forbidden to learn to read or write. She believes that today the term desrribes anyone ? white or black ? who is ignorant. "I got into an argument with a white producer recently." she says, and^ called him a nigger." But for most blacks, several said, anger still persists when the I from page A 1 term is used by whites or when found scratched on bathroom walls. And the widespread usage by rap pers. some blacks sa\ . is not to demystify the word, but to boost record sales. "I hate to see where the word integer has to be used to sell records." says Darrelle G. Kennedy, a 26-year-old producer and song writer from Winston-Salem. But without it. these records won't sell." Kennedy says none of the artists ? mostly jazz ? that he produces uses nigger in their lyrics. I don t care if rappers embrace the term." says Nat Irvin. former chairman of the National Urban League and vice chancellor for development and university rela tions at Winston-Salem State Uni versity. But that doesn't mean we have to embrace rappers. You don t remove the sting of the word by using it over and over?again." William Rice, founder of the local. African-American Historical Society, agrees that the widespread usage of "nigger'' is a way for young blacks to make money. ? "Look at Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy." Rice says. "They were doing this and getting paid for it long before anybody. These rap pers just took~rtTo another level." He suggested that blacks should concern ihemT^tver~wtt+i ? more weighty issues. I think there are things that are much more important to deal with than trying to hang on to the usage of a word." he says. Clearance Sale ? SAVE i.Y 20 % TO 50 % on Sofas, Wingbacks, Lamps, & Accessories Don't Miss Out^Hurry In Today! Accent Purniture & Accessories 99 Reynolda Village, Winston-Salem, SC 27106 (919) 724-7700 t streets Saving she s walled the Paper Lad> b> the drug pU'.hor-, Young would hit the streets at 5:30 a.m. del ?\ er ::ig newspapers to resident^. When Id go out d e 1 i \ e r i n g papers. I would see them selling drugs. They knew I wasnt at raid to go out. One time, one of the drug boys was getting ready to sell some drugs. He saw me coming and he told one of the guys. Wait a minute, man. I can t let you have nothing. Don't you see the Paper Lady coming.' So he said. Paper Lady. I'll help you earn your bag.* So he stopped selling dfugs to help me carry m\ bag down the street. He got me tar enough down the street so he could go back and sell his drugs. He wanted to get me out of the way. I guess. So he said. "Th i s is as far as I'm going. Paper Lady. I said. O.K.. thanks.' And he went on back up the street. ."I trust in the Lord and I know God can take care. I said. God will make the devil work for you. The drug" boy stopped selling drugs to ,<*>? ' . ijF** lias de\ ei f\\i .i one-or.-v>:w relationship nn it h the poKv depat 'incut: She ^aid she \s ,\s v : >n(.- to Ot' u c: M.Juiel R Jen nings and ! !. A.Ci. I :\e. both of \v hoir. \\ ere killed in the line ot dut\. Both men >\alked foot patrols in he neighborhood I oda\ . the. Cleveland Avenue area in vi!er because ot Young's efforts _ It > just as mueh change as das and night, she said. Novs the sun shines in the daytime and the moon shines at nicht. We can eo to bed at ? ?- " night and sleep at night and not be' afraid that somebods s going to shoot in our house. We can go out side and come back in anytime at night awd don't ha\e to be afraid somebody s going to knock you out.' 1535 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive 788-30*20 1 -800-TRIAD-99 N.C. Lie. # PW967 N.C. Watts "? "" OFFERS ITS CUSTOMIZED TRIAD PEST CONTROL ! I Pest Control Service ? Odorless Chemicals ? A C'rrtiftcd Radon Testers ? A Money Raek (>uarantee ? Senior Citizen Discount ? One time. Monthly or Quarterly Service AND Termite Control Marilyn ( iilliam Black History Is Lived As Well As Written The Chrysler Corporation realizes Black History is a rich history. Not only forthe well-known civil rights movement with its famous activists, but also for the individual histories that make up the African-American mosaic.These experiences, both pleasant and painful, teach valuable lessons lor todays youth? tomorrows history makers? to live by. The Chrysler Corporation joins in celebrating Black History. A history worth sharing. AD*ANTABE:CHRYSLER0 7 C 6 t t 0 0 S t it t