Winston-Salem Chronicle
I he T?t>t Ctf\'x-A*atJ Winning Hi rrHh
Established m 1974
Ernest H. Pitt ? Ndubisi Egemonye
Editor^Publisher Co Founder
Mernoer in good standing with:
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Nalo"* N?** C ?'?>""? Audit BUfCflU ?
Publ>'.K?'? Kitoc^l'on Ctwi Amoo*^" Of Circulations lie
Informing the Misinformed
lis no surprise that racial tensions have flared
among high school students in Winston-Salem. What
is surprising, however, is that only one student was
seriously injured in the fight last week at Carver High
School. School officials say tensions between whites
and blacks at several schools, but Carver in particular,
are at an all-time high. Again, this is not surprising.
One Carver student said that last week's incident in
which three black students allegedly attacked a white
' student occurred after a white student said that if black
, people wear Malcolm X t-shirts then they can wave
'> the Confederate flag.
#
Sadly, those students who see a parallel there are
| not very erudite in the area of history. They have been
; misinformed by a lacking school system that has indi
viduals in place who do not know ? or are unwilling
.to share ? that Malcolm X did hot espouse what the
1 Confederate flag stands for: racism. On. the contrary',
] Malcolm X stood for self-determination, racial pride
and self-defense in the face of white violence.
Students will continue to be misinformed as long
as publications, such as one recently circulated in the
school system, portray the black leader as someone
who promoted violence against whites. Malcolm X
loved black people, but for educators to translate that
? into a hatred of white people is robbing a generation of
an important part of history'. And they will continue to
. perpetuate ignorance and racial hatred.
William Clarence 'Billy' Eckstine
When Billy Eckstine died last week in Pittsburgh
at the age of 78, America and the world lost a giant.
He was to jazz what Hank Aaron was to baseball.
What Joe Louis was to boxing. What Sammy Davis
was to dancing. Billy Eckstine
?started his own band in 1944,
which at some point included
all-time greats Sarah Vaughn.
Miles Davis, Charlie Parker,
Dizzie Gillespie, Art BlakeyTT
and others. But Eckstine did not
get the fame, recognition or
glory he so much deserved.
i- t_ i_ ? ? | Billy Eckstine
Even though jazz broke many a
color barrier in those days, because Billy Eckstine was
an African American limits were placed on his career.
Quincy Jones was quoted as saying some years ago in
"The Pleasures of Jazz" that if Eckstine "had been
white, the sky would have been the limit." Truer words
were never spoken. But thanks to Billy Eckstine's
smooth style, sophisticated taste and k^en sense of
tone, his music will remain legendary1 and will always
be remembered.
r
Credo of the Black Press
The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world
away from antagonisms when it accords to every person ? regard
less of race or creed ? full human and legal rights. Hating no per
son, the Black Press strives to help every person , in the -firm belief
that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back.
About letters .. .
The Chronicle welcomes letters as well as guest columns
from its readers. Letters should he as concise as possible
and should he typed or legibly printed. The letter must
also include the name, address and telephone number of
the writer to ensure the authenticity of the letter. Columns
must follow the same guidelines and will be published if
they are of interest to our general readership. The Chroni
cle will not publish any letters or columns that arrive with
out this information. We reserve the right to edit letters
and columns for brevity and clarity. Submit letters and
columns to
Chronicle Mai I bag
P.O. Box 1636
Winston-Salem, N.C. 27102.
%
Opinion
Unity Is a Necessity for
To the Editor:
This letter is in regards to an
article that seemingh omitted the
African-American commumts in its
content. Indiv iduals who tumped
on the writer for this oversight
should just ride around Winston
Salem and see if we don't still ha\e
two Winston-Salems ? a black one
and a white one. True, our African
American children are attending
schools with other children, but
don t forget that our ver> young are
bused out of our neighborhoods the
first five years of their lives and
these are the years that they need
-most of their support from their
families.
Secondly, there appear to be no
African- American businesses in
white neighborhoods, and a large
majority of businesses in our com
munis eV"are~ owned by whites? I
don t blame the white businessman.
I blame us because we spend more
money at their businesses than at
our own. Our community leaders
and ministers need to come together
on one accord and put economic
development back in our neighbor
hoods. ministers have a captive
audience on Sunday mornings and
they talk about going to Hea\en.
This is great. I someday want to go
to Heaven, but 1 also want to enjoy
and live on earth.
Several people have voiced
their outrage over the baseball own
er's use of the "N" word when we
use it all the time, and in reality and
actuality, we should not uve it
either.
Our ministers and community
leaders need to tell our people the
real truth, and that truth is our fight
against racism, and to restore eco
-nomic power in our-nctghUn hoods. ?
We need to take control of our own
destin\ so that we may become
owners of major restaurants, savings
and loans, banks, dry cleaners,
hotels and drug stores. All we have
* .rPfti ?
to do is simply pool our resources
and support our ow n businesses.
My heart aches for my people
because we have seemingly run
backward faster than we marched
forward. It's sad how we sat back
and a44 o^ve4 fo r nve-r P r^s4<^e-n I ?
George Bush sell us on the war and
drugs that put several of our young
African-American men in prison
and a felony charge on their records
for life. Once they are eventually
released from prison, they try to
obtain decent employment, but ?
because of a felony charge, their
chance of getting a job is nearly
zero. And in many cases, these
young men return to selling drugs
and are arrested again. It is ques
tionable to me why Bush pardoned
one ot the major drug dealers in our
country. He also pardoned several
savings and loan workers and those
were were involved in the Iran-Con
tra controversy. So you can clearly
see that we must have a new direc
tion.
I often think of the things 1 tried
to do to make things better for the
people of W'inston-Salem. espe
cially our people. I have marched
for civil rights, boycotted busi
nesses, met with company heads to
get people jobs or to keep them
from being fired. I have also helped
people get adequate housing, bought
fuel, paid rent, bought groceries,
and even helped pay tuition for
some college stutfents. You name it
and Pat Hairston was there to help
out.
pans . had been corn icted of bid-rig
ging. Another witness was a devel
oper that was convicted ot' bank
fraud. I w onder if I. a black man.
could have gone to the FBI and said
that I had been ottered x hnhe from
together to resolve the issue. His
response to me was that my request
was "odd" and not the norm, and
that many parents choose to deal
with situations of this type on the
some white people, would the FBI
have taken oxer five years to inves
tigate them. I also wonder would an
African- American judge have told
the jurors to keep working six addi
tional months and bring back some
kind of indictment to convict these
white people. Think about it.
The African-American federal
judge who first viewed our case
stated that the government was
going to have a difficult time with
fHe case. He seemingly could not
see that this was the FBI's attack on
black elected officials. Not only did
this happen in Winston-Salem, it's
happening all over this country.
Look at this judge's record and sec
how much black people have pro
gressed under him.
My people, if we are looking
for a savior to ride up on a big white
?horse to save us. forget it. We must
fight the same fight that we fought
available, they will receive a letter
in the mail a few days later. He also
informed me that even if I had been
notified immediately, the solution
w ill still be unilateral, as if to say
that the suspension itself is th$(reso
lution to the problem and that the
two children will automatically get
along at their return.
Later that same afternoon after
talking to my son. he did inform me
that he indeed did throw the first
blow . His reason for throwing the
first blow was that he was being
bullied and had been bullied since
December. (The assistant principal
also informed me of a note written
on the counselor' s c ard where
another situation with the same indi
vidual had taken place, where once
again, I had not been informed.)
Like the well-known Highlights
Magazine monthly pictures, in my
mind I find several things wrong
so productive if thew try' harder and
talk about problems.
Parents, grandparents and all
family head figures must come
together and talk to and teach our
children. They need to know that
their future does not hinge on a flag
of any type. The future of people
lives in correct teaching and living,
then applying it to lives.
There will always be flags fly
ing, slurs uttered and signals passed
that can be insulting. There are too
many flags and too many flag flyers
for people to get bogged down in
preventing it.
Let's all put our attention where
it belongs. With our city, our
schools, our state in the condition
they are in, we need to focus on our
blessings, our families, our heritage
and how we can be role models.
Students in school, you are in a
position to be good models for
younger students in grade and ele
mentary schools. Don't miss the
chance to help someone else focus
on the future, which is more impor
tant than any flag or any other kind
of racial act.
Jessie Meadows Crockett
Winston-Salem
CHRONICLE MAILBAG
i the sixties. We need to get it
>gether and keep it together. We
eed one hundred percent unity,
esterday has passed; tomorrow is
ot promised; today is the time we
lust act. I am sure several who read
us article will oppose its contents,
ut that's okay with me. Just ask
our.wlf who is in control ot your
fe and listen to yourself.
Patrick T. Hairston
Federal Prison Camp
Butner, N.C.
School Slogan Questioned
"o the Editor:
The W inston-Salem/Forsyth
-ounty School System has a- new- -
logan which reads "School Work is
>ur Work!" Who is "ourV Had I
een asked this question a month
go, I would have naively
?sponded administrators, teachers,
arents, community, and of course,
lUJcni.v loday. untortunately, I
uestion the slogan, specifically the
se of the word "our."
At approximately 2:30 p.m., I
sceived a call from one of the assis
ant principals at Paisley Middle
'Chool informing me that my son
ad been in a fight that took place
>n campus as approximately 12:50
>.m. The assistant principal went on
0 tell me that as a result of the fight,
hat he had been suspended for two
lays ana asked it 1 would like to
>ick up his assignments. (My son
iad been put on the bus.) I was
hocked and surprised that I had not
>een called immediately while my
on was in the principal's office to
lave an opportunity to hear the
letails of the incident, and I
n formed the assistant principal that
was not pleased that I had not been
ncluded in the process, especially
ince as the administrators admitted,
his was the first time my son had
>een sent to the office.
I called back to the school and
isked to speak with the principal
md was told he was in a meeting. I
hen decided that perhaps it would
>e good for me to go to the school
n an effort to receive the details I
elt I deserv ed as a parent during the
)rocess. I went to the school and
patiently waited for the principal
who was standing down the hall
upon my arrival.
While talking with the principal
1 straightforwardly said to him that
I have no problem with my child
being suspended if he broke school
policy; however. I did have a prob
lem with not being allowed to take
part in a solution to the problem
which was entirely unilateral." I also
requested that it be noted on my
child s record that anytime there is a
disciplinary problem with him, that
I would like to be notified immedi
ately so that we all could work
with this picture. I have no argu
ment with the school's policy that
my son be suspended because he did
indeed throw the first blow. How
ever, I do take exception to the pro
cedure in which the policy is admin
istered. Children are put out of
school as if they are a "piece of
chewed bubble gum" without the
support of a parent to be there with
them to say "son, yes, you messed
up, but let us determine what steps
you can take to not make the same
mistake again. But even worse than
that, when a parent requests to be
present when such matters are han
dled, they are grimaced upon with
raised eyebrows and told "your
request, quite franklin is odd" ... I
can only imagine how my son must
have felt.
How can we as a community
expect to have a true "partnership" if
administrators continue to leave par
ents completely out of the loop until
everything is over and done with?
Frankly, as a parent who wants to be
involved in my child's school life
academically as well as during dis
cipline. I am offended and insulted
that I am considered "odd" at a time
when teachers and principals say
they desire and need parental
involvement. Inclusion should be
encouraged by top administrators. In
this situation, exclusion was encour
aged. Therefore, I have no other
choice but to conclude that the new
school slogan, "School Work is Our
Work," which decorates the school's
hallways and teacher's clothing as
well as coffee cups, is just that
indeed ... a slogan, especially at
, Paisley Middle School!
Jacqueline Marshall
Winston-Salem
Focus on Future
To the Editor:
Racism is a belief that is in the
heart and mind of a person. It is
often demonstrated in subtle and
sometimes visible ways.
According to Webster, a flag is
a symbol and a symbol is a visible
sign of something invisible.
The incident at Carver High
School did not have to happen. I
believe the flying of the Confederate
flag is no longer an important
enough issue for anyone to be hurt
over. A flag and what it is said to
represent does not deserve that kind
of attention.
I do not want to sound as if I
condone racism; I do not. However,
retaliation to certain kinds of racism
only tends to perpetuate it. Our
schools were once places where all
of us felt proud to send our young
people, knowing they would be
taught well and exposed to cultures.
I do believe that our schools can be
turned around with the help of our
young people. Our students can be
TV Coverage Lacking
To The Editor:
Recent television coverage of
the basketball tournaments of the
two historically African-American
conferences in a word -- sucks.
ESPN televised the MEAC tourna
ment at midnight. Thanks, that's just
what the league needed ? west coast
coverage for th* si "Atlantic region
conference.
The coverage of the SWAC
tournament apparently will only be
slightly better. According to my
paper, the finals will be joined "in
progress." You are too good to us.
However, TV's treatment is
consistent with the policies followed
by ESPN. "Black College Sports
Today" is routinely moved from 1
p.m. to 3 p.m. and back again, with
little or no notice provided to its
viewing audience. In most papers^
across the nation, the show is not
even listed in the sports on televi
sion section. So much for develo p
ing a large viewing audience.
I find it ironic that you have run
features on racism in sports without
considering how racially insensitive
your policies are. Historically black
school football games have
appeared on ESPN in years. Next
season the best quarterback-wide
receiver combination in college
football will be at Alcorn State
(Steve "Air II' McNair and Chris
Hinton). Both were All-South play
ers in high school and both were
academically eligible as freshmen.
Their talents will go unnoticed by
everyone but the NFL scouts
because networks like ESPN refuse
to televise games between black
universities and because black
Entertainment TV has become noth
ing more than MTV with soul. Too
bad, because Hinton (6'6", 210) is
going to be better than Rice, and
McNair will be a first-round pick. I
wonder why "homegirl" Robin
Roberts never mentions Jackson
State, Alcorn and Mississippi Val
ley. as she gushes over 'Ole Miss,
Miss State and Southern Miss.
Too often during the season
scorers from Black colleges are not
reported on Sports Center. When
they are reported, they are run in the
very last group, long after Northern
Iowa, Delaware, and others appear.
Finally, has ESPN ever tele
vised a basketball game between
two Black schools during the regu
lar season? I don't think so. Perhaps
it is time for you to examine your
policies to determine what you do to
promote racism in sports.
Michael E. Simmons
Arkansas A & M
As I look over the course of my <
life, there have been so many won- t
derful people who have marched 1
with me. prayed with me. laughed 1
with me. and encouraged me when I I
needed an uplifting. I am forever |
grateful for these friends and sup
porters. many of whom still support
me as I am incarcerated in prison. I
don't belong in prison. I am not bit
ter because of my present dilemma.
I just ask that my people wake up.
I'm in prison, yes. but it could easily
be one of your loved ones next.
Beware of the FBI. This organiza
tion has had complaints against it by
its own minority members for racial
discrimination. An FBI director was
convicted of drunk driving. In the
trial that I along with my co-defen
dants were in. the FBI's chief wit
ness. the president of a paving com