All Talk, No Action is
Sentiment at Discussion on Racism
A Mostly white crowd chastised
for saying meeting is good
By MARK R MOSS
Chronicle Staff Writer
African Americans who
recently attended a muring r>n ran*
relations said such gatherings won't
work without better black represen
tation and were critical of meetings
that do not achieve results.
The predominantly white audi
ence seemed to be buoyed by the
fact that they had gathered at the
meeting. But that was before the
Rev. William S. Fails, pastor of
First United Baptist Church in High
PoinU issued a reality check.
*There are *5blacks in this
room and 150 whites, and every
body is saying this is good?" Fails
said. 'This is not good! This is dan
gerous!"
He reminded the audience at "A
Public Dialogue on Race Relations"
that "racism was predicated on dis
honesty," and that they were being
dishonest by claiming that it was a
good meeting.
The meeting, held on the city's
West side at St. Paul's Episcopal
Church last Wednesday, was spon
sored by the Episcopal Churches of
the Triad and attracted about 80
people, less tnan a Uuzen ut ulium
were black. The next meeting will
be held in East Winston.
The panel members were:
Mayor Martha Wood; the Rev. Carl
ton Eversley, pastor of Dellabrook
Presbyterian Church; Nat Irvin, vice
chancellor for university relations at
Winston-Salem State University;
and Marcia Epstein, principal of
Moore Elementary School. They
discussed their worst instance of
racism and the most recent incident
involving prejudiced treatment.
"One of the best things I've
seen in this community," Wood
said, "is the size of this gathering
tonight."
Wood told of the time she and
her husband, who was once a minis
ter at a church in Centerville, had a
run-in with church officials. The
mayor, who was teaching school at
the time, had invited black and
white children to her home for a
party. The residents were upset that
black children were in the neighbor
hood, and the Woods were told not
to have another party. When they
did, Frank Wood lost his job.
The mayor also mentioned the
controversy surrounding the naming
of the coliseum in 1987 after
Lawrence Joel, who was the only
city resident to have received IHC
Congressional Medal of Honor. Joel
is black. She said the subtle threats
she received concerning her political
longevity made her feel as if "I was
back in the 60s."
"It was an agonizing time for
me and my family," she said.
For Eversley, who grew up in
Bedford-Stuyvescent, a predomi
nately lower-middle class commu
nity in Brooklyn, he was in the
fourth grade when he realized that
people lived in neighborhoods better
than his. He had been placed in a
gifted program in school and was
transferred to a school in the Flat
bush section of Brooklyn, a predom
inately Jewish community where the
neighborhoods were considered
much better.
"I think I represent a lot of peo
ple who are tired ... of educating
white folks," Eversley said.
He went on to down play the
importance of race as the definition
of an ethnic group, and instead
focused on his steadfast faith in reli
Nat Irvin
gion.
"If you lake the Judeo-Christian
religion seriously . . .. every human
is sinful in the eyes of God," he said.
There were other issues he claimed
he cared about "more than someone
calling me a name that rhymes with
trigger." However, he made the
point that "Winston-Salem is one of
the most racially segregated cities in
the country."
Irvin started his presentation by
staying that he was neither a Democ
rat nor Republican, but is "associ
ated with values."
While growing up in North
fcjx, ? ? y ?? PTW
Martha Wood
Augusta. S.C., where golf was the
popular sport, he came close to los
ing an eye as a boy because of his
attempts to pluy the game and one
hospital's unwillingness to accept
blacks as patients.
"Most white folks never had to
struggle to ride the bus, vote, or go
to the library," he said. Today, he
said, he has been asked to join three
all-white golf courses.
Epstein, who grew up in Cleve
land. said that her "confidence and
faith" that people can end racitm
"jives with Judaism, which believes
that things can get better on this
1 t
b? ? ? ? ? ? J
Carlton Eversley
earth."
Being a Jew has made her
"aware of the victimization of peo
ple."
The Rev. L.V. Stcnnis, bishop
and chief executive officer of the
Christian Charismatic Methodist
Church, introduced a sobering note
to the proceedings.
He said he had been to meet
ings like this before, and nothing
concrete was ever accomplished
because the "people who have the
power ?re never at meetings like
these."
Night Club Shooting
Leaves One Dead
k. 22-year-old arrested;
11th murder in '93
By MARK R. MOSS
Chronicle Staff Writer
William Eugene Sanders
became the^llth person to be mur
dered in the city this year after he
was gunned down over the weekend
in a North Liberty Street night club.
Sanders, 42, of 2515 Greenway
Ave., was shot around 2 a.m. Sun
day after arguing with a man at the
Class Act night club at 2407 N. Lib
erty St., Winston-Salem Police
Department Capt. Michael McKo?
said. Sanders died two hours later at
Baptist Hospital, McKoy said.
Joseph Frani3flhy25, of
4009 Indiaha Ave., was arvtsted *
several hours after the incident and
charged with murder. McKoy said
Franklin turned himself in.
An officer was outside the
night club investigating a car acci
dent when the officer heard shots
inside the club, McKoy said. The
officer found Sanders lying on his
back on the club's floor with a chest
wound. McKoy said officers recov- -
ered small-caliber shell casings.
Witnesses said Sanders and
another man had been arguing,
McKoy said.
The club is not known as a
trouble spot, McKoy said, and the
shooting "was the most serious
thing that's happened there" in a -
while.
"Bill," as Sanders was known
to his co-workers at Independence
Village of Winston-Salem, a retire
ment home, was supervisor of the
dietary department.
"He was a courteous person
who showed respect to his superi
ors," said Paul Fuller, the home's
manager. He said Sanders had
worked there about two years.
Fuller said he was aware that
-Sanders had some domestic prob
lems, but he never brought them to
work.
Angus McKee, an elderly man
found Monday afternoon sitting on
the porch of the home where
Sanders rented a room, called
S*!H?ersLa "gpqfrf feUi" wJiSQfcy/^
caused any problems. Sanders'
father had been by early Monday
morning to pick up his son's belong
ings, McKee said.
Police Capt. Linda Davis said
that of the 1 1 murders that have
been committed so far this year, all
but two have been solved. Those
two involved the deaths of Ulysses
A. Morrison and Consuela Hope
McCullin, Davis said.
At this time last year, 14 homi
cides had been committed in the
city. ?
"We're a little behind last
year's," Davis said, "but that's
good."
? ? ?' '
TheCUus Act night club, at 2407 S. Liberty St.. was the scene of fatal shooting:
NAACP Seeks an End to Violence
Watt Opens
Local Office
? Hopes to head off a
" ' 'hhg, BtHuitkmRT
By MARK R. MOSS
Chronicli Staff Writer ?
The Winston-Salem branch of
the NAACP has announced that it
wjll work with a number of organi
zations to help eradicate violence in
African-American communities.
"As we prepare for the closing
of schools in the next few weeks, we
must ensure that this will not be a
long, hot summer," local president
William Tatum said in the statement
he read at Monday's press confer
ence.
Tatum was accompanied at the
meeting by a half dozen people who
represented a variety of organiza
tions, including members of the
Winston-Salem Police Department,
the Winston-Salem Housing
LOflftl^minisJcr and two
employees of a Greensboro radio
station.
"We must frankly discuss the
lack of respect for personal life,
family disintegration, the loss of
long-held values and a lack of
respect for law enforcement that
? exists in our community today," he
said. Emphasizing the need to give
the police more respect, Tatum said
that as part of a new cooperation
with local law enforcement, the
police will help increase the crime
watch program and will enforce loi
tering laws. Tatum said the
NAACP's action plan includes pro
viding activities for youths, conven
ing meetings between law enforce
ment and African Americans and
developing a partnership with busi
Bill Tatum
nesses and government to provide
summer employment for youths.
"It's time today ... for us to
concede that we are not doing all we
should to ensure our collective sur
vival. We challenge the black com
munity today ... to take responsibil
ity for our fate." Tatum said. ^ 1
|- MtlWmO
Rep. Mel Watt hat
announced that he it opening a
office to serve
T2tb district constituents living
in Forsyth County.
^ 7 ; The office is loci ted In the
'B!aOlrffttinipS-$iiriih Neigh
borhood Government Services
0fiie*2301 N. Patterson Ave.
The office^* staffed by 12th
District aide ?am Stubbs and
will be open each Tuesday
from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The"
telephone number is (919)
727-2975.
The Forsyth County office
site brings to four the number
of offices Watt maintains in
his 10-county district. Other
offices are in Charlotte,
Durham and Greensboro.
Special Program Grooms Blacks from page A1
that various boards and committees
have representation that accurately
reflects the makeup of the county's
population. The program trains
black professionals to serve on vari
ous boards and makes their qualifi
cations available to more than 300
non-profit organizations.
Mayor Martha S. Wood con
gratulated the graduates and called
them "people who are eager to turn
this community right-side up."
"In order to be a strong commu
nity we must have strong individuals
determined to make it as strong as it
can be." Wood said. "It really
impresses me to see people who are
taking responsibility and making
sure there are people ready to tackle
the problems we must solve."
Project Blueprint began last fall
with 18 out of 20 members of the
inaugural class given appointments.
Of this year's class, six of the 18
graduates are black males, including
class spokesman Michael D.
Samuels. Samuels, president of
Connecticut-based Network Plus
International, -said he participated in
the 12-hour training session because
he wanted to make a difference in
the community.
"Things have changed since I've
been gone the last 16 years, so I
wanted to come back and help the
city progress," said Samuels, who
will be relocating his business to
Winston-Salem.
United Way President Floyd
Davis said the program was initiated
because the county >. hoards need to
become more culturally diverse.
"We are very pleased with the
program's success," he said. "Right
now all of our previous graduates
are either serving on a board or they
are in the process of being
appointed."
Project Blueprint is currently
targeting blacks, but Davis said
future workshops will target other
minorities, including Hispanics and
women.
Retailer Pulls Ad
from page A1
The article that prompted
Stockton to withhold advertising
was not about his business. Stock
ton said he was uprset about a May 6
article on the front page of the
Chronicle wherein some members
of the black community were criti
cal of Oprah Winfrey for visiting a
family on Arbor Road in the city's
exclusive Buena Vista.
"The Oprah thing just got under
my skin," Stockton said. "I don't
think that was news that she went
over to Buena Vista." Stockton lives
on Lawndale Drive in Buena Vista.
He denied that he said he'd never
again run ads in the Chroniclc , but
later added: "I'm going to do adver
tising with whomever I choose.
"I did not say we would not be
doing any future advertising,"
Stockton said. Whfcn asked what he
did say to the Chronicle salesman,
Stockton replied: "My comment is
between him and me."
Ernest H. Pitt, the Chroniclc' s
publisher; said the newspaper would
not compromise its integrity by only
printing articles with which adver
tisers might agree.
"I cannot be made to print only
what an advertiser agrees with," Pitt
said. "That's unfortunate that an
advertiser believes that they should
control what goes into this newspa
per.
"We have nearly 30.000 read
ers weekly and normally an adver
tiser is more concerned about the
number of people who read the
paper as opposed the editorial con
tent." Pitt said.
Joe Dostcr, publisher of the
Winston-Salem Journal and former
president of the First Amendment
Foundation, called it a "credibility*
issue."
"I've taken some hits myself."
Doster said. "We ran an article on
Vic Flow, who's one of our biggest
advertisers, that he didn't agree
with. You gotta do what you think
is good journalism, and sometimes
people don't agree with it.'
Consumer Information Canter
Department KO
| 1>ueto1orC0l0rado 81009
A pu '^<c service ot this pubhcahon and the Consumer Information Center of the U S General Smwm Administration
Slngla Copy 75?
Mail Subscription Rates
(payable wtth order)
In County
? years $40 95
1 year 30 72
6 mos 20 48
3 mos 10 24
Out of County/Stata
2 years $45 95
i year 3572
6 mos 25 48
3 mos 15 24
J Yes please send me the Chronicle
Name
Address j
Cify St. __ Zip.
Check endosed for
J ? yBivs _1 1 yn*' J 6 month* J 3 month*
Mail to: Winston- Sslem Chronicle
PO Box 1636
Winston-Salem, N C 27102
The WlnatonSsbm Chronic fe is
published every Thursday by the
Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing
Co Inc , 617 N. Liberty St.
Mailing address: PO Box 1636
Winston-Salem,
NC 27102
Phone: (919) 722-6624
FAX: (919)723-9173
Second class postage 051 paid at
Winston -Sal em, NC 27102
The Wlntton-Sihtn Chronl&0 is a
member of:
? Audit Buraau of Circulation
? Nauonaf Nawipapors
Publishers A?aooatK>n
? North Carina Prats
Association
? North Carolina Black
Publishers Association.
National Advertising Representative:
Amalgamated Publishers. Inc.
(212) 869-5220