LETTERS/OPINIONS
Winston-Salem Chronicle
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F.RM.sT H. PlTT. I'uMisncr C:?-tounder \[)l RISI EtJFAlOWL. C o-Foundc
Rl( H ARD L. \N I l.l. I WIS. Evr?.i.ti\c Editor
Pl xIM PiTT, Director of Communis Relation*
Mil H \F.l. A. Pitt. Adverting Manager Mf.I WHITE, C ir.u atjon Manage:
w'5 Editorials
OtC'is.iqqjt
Run Larry , Run
Supporters of Larry Womhlc's hid for the state House
say the former alderman will not have to change his
unorthordox style if he lays claim to the 66th District. We
agree.
Should Mr. Womhlc win ?
next year's election and earn
a seat in N.C. General
Assembly, he will he
addressing issues that reach
far beyond the Southeast
Ward of Winston-Salem he
has represented the past 12
years as alderman. We
believe the erstwhile alder
man to be a savvy politician,
thus knowing the difference
between a state position and
one of strictly focal' interest. l*rry Womhle
We also believe the strong support he has garnered from
the heavy hitters in the African-American community here
will give him the type of support that will be t<x) broad for
any challenger ? Democrat or Republican ? to overcome.
We know Mr. Womhlc is a man of unquestionable loy
alty to his constituents. He has done a great deal for this city.
And we do not believe that he will be overwhelmed by
? address ing-a w ide?^c< >nst i t uency^ ?
If his bid is successful ? and we have no doubt that it
will be ? Mr. Womhlc will take some excess baggage to
the state Capital, including an indictment (ultimately dis
missed), that might prove fodder for scorn by some of his
colleagues. But we invite any politician without blemish to
cast the llrst stone.
tMrry Womhle
Happy Kwanzaa
Wc hope that hundreds of Winston-Salem African
Americans will join the millions nationwide who w ill partic
ipate in the week-long observance ol Kwanzaa. "first fruits
of the harvest." \
It should he noted that Kwanzaa is not meant to replace
Christmas and is not a religious celebration. Kwanzaa gives
blacks a time to reflect on their African heritage, but it also
diverts people away from the commercialism of Christmas
? something that most people get caught up in. During
Kwanzaa celebrations, which kicks off the day after Christ
mas (locally at the Winston-Salem Urban League on West
Fifth Street), focus is more on ancestral values and eulture
than on the European-based culture of materialism and
greed. During Kwanzaa, family and friends exchange sym
bolic gifts. The gifts, however, arc educational and are hand
made. which again goes back to African roots. During cere
monies. red. black and green candles are placed in a
mishumaa saba, a candelabrum that symbolizes the princi
ples. Three red candles represent the sacrifice parents make
for their children, three green ones represent land and pro
duce. and one black candle represents African people.
Nationwide, more than 13 million people participate in
the celebration of Kwanzaa. Wc thank Maulana Karenga.
chairman of the black-studies department at California State
University in Long Beach, who had the vision and foresight
to create this special celebration 27 years ago.
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Plan to Raise Cigarette Tax Encourages Criminals
To the Editor:
Earlier this month in Greens
boro. a truck with cigarette ?; valued
at more than SI million was stolen.
Unfortunately, the Clinton
Administration's plans to raise the
federal cigarette, tax by S".50 a car
ton to pay for government-run
health care will only encourage
criminals ? and consumers frus
trated by unfairly high taxes ? to
take illegal actions to obtain ciga
rettes.
We've heard much about how
the cigarette tax increase will lead to
joblessness, and be a blow to the
North Carolina economy. But now it
is clear that there are other unfore
seen consequence of unfair taxation.
Should North Carolina be
forced to endure a new crime wave?
We thinK not.
Mat Adams
Cary
Supporting Children
To the Editor:
I still have not figured, out
exactly which of the two emotions I
experienced today affected me the
most, although both did. and are
really related anyway. They both
speak to a problem that is getting
out of hand, and that is the indiffer
ence that is shown toward our most
valuable resource, our ^children.
While return to school from tlte
local YMCA with a bus load of
five-six-and a couple of seven-year
olds. 1 overheard part of a conversa
tion between two of the other adults
on the bus as they wished each other
a thanksgiving and the reply from
one of them that they were sure that
everyone would have a nice
Thanksgiving. Nothing could be
further from the truth, although the
comment says less about the people
who said it than the state of mind of
today's America.
For even family that sits down
together on Thanksgiving or any
other holiday there will be three or
four that will not have anything to
eat at all.
Even with all that is being done
by the social service agencies,
churches, various clubs and organi
zations. and many private individu
als. there will be many that fall
grandmother use to say. she has a
strong constitution, she may be able
to overcome her troubles, but the
deck is definitely stacked against
her. as well as her baby.
We have to do more for our
children. Our future as a society
depends on it and demands it of us.
We have to look beyond our
own four walls and reach out to
those among us who are. because of
circumstances sometime not of their
own doing, less fortunate than us.
We can't continue to sit idly by
and let another day go by and let our
children suffer as some of them are
doing today. Re^ch out to them in
someway and let them know that
they are loved. A little love goes a
aware of the fact that to become a
parent at such a young age not only
robs them of their precious child
hood experience, but is a great sense
deprives us all because it takes away
from us our most important
resource.
While it is too late to make a
difference in someone's life for
Thanksgiving, I would hope that we
all resolve to treat everyday as a day
when we can do something for
someone who might not be able to
do for themselves.
All of us know someone in
need. The little girl who wears the
same pair of shoes all year round,
the boy whose jacket is worn, torn,
and beginning to look a little short
CHRONICLE MAILBAG
Our Readers Speak Out
between the cracks in the system.
And a lot of the ones Avho will go
hungry will be children, the ones
less likely to fend for themselves.
The other incident that troubles
me greatly is that while I was pick
ing up the Thanksgiving dinners
from a local Kroger store that my
Club, The Winston Sports Travel
Club, gives away each year I hap
^ j>ened upon a soon-to-be-fourteen
year-old girMn the store who will
give birth even before her 14th
birthday.
A baby having a baby, If, as my
long way.
America is, without question,
the greatest country in the World.
We enjoy liberties that people in
other countries can only dream
about yet we have millions of peo
ple. a lot of them children, who lay
down at night without the benefit of
a meal and in more and more
instances even a roof over their
heads.
This can't continue to go on, or
can our children who are no more
than children themselves keep hav
ing babies. We have to make them
in the sleeves. The single mother
who can t stretch her food money
from one pay period to the next
because of unexpected medical bills
when she or one of the children gets
sick and she has no insurance,
because her minimum wage tempo
rary job provides no benefits.
Believe me, a lot of us are just one
pink slip or three or four missed
paychecks away from being in the
same situation ourselves.
Steve A. Floyd
Winston Sports Travel Club
KWANZ A A Celebrationis Good For Our Children
Kwanzaa. the week-long African-American
holiday created by Maulana Karenga in 1966,
offers an opportunity to reflect upon the tradi
tional cultural and moral values that have histori
cally held the African-American community
together., As we consider the seven principles of
. ?iguzo Saba, which serv e as modei#4er personal *
development and community growth, let's keep
our children's needs uppermost in our minds.
Many African-American families celebrated
Kwanzaa (which means "first harvest") instead
of. or in addition to, Christmas. The symbolic
lighting of candles, sharing of food, and remem
brance of ancestors and history are the kind of
positive rituals we need to strengthen our com
munities. By giving Kwanzaa a children's focus,
we remind ourselves that nothing is more impor
tant than the quality of life we provide for our
children. With the seven principles as a guide, we
can use African-based traditions to work on
behalf of our children. These principles are based
on positive, nurturing behaviors that we should
practice year round.
Umoja (unity) urges us to care for each other
and to strive for and maintain strong families,
communities, and nations. One reason that black
children and families in America are facing so
many crises is that we have lost the sense of
unity that brought us through slavery, war. eman
cipation. reconstruction and segregation. We
must reweave the fabric of community if our
children are to have any future at all. Let's put
aside our differences and agree on a common
goal: saving and improving the lives of our chil
dren. Let's be an example of what can be
achieved when we work together for the common
good.
Kujichagulia (self-determination) encour
ages up to think for ourselves, and to take
responsibility for overcoming the challenges
before us. If our children are to overcome the
epidemic of hopelessness that fills them with
despair, we must teach them ? through our
Where I'm Coming From
examples ? the power they have to make a dif
ference.
Ujima (collective work and responsibility)
brings to mind the traditional African cultures
that emphasize the common good over individu
alism and cooperation rather than competition.
This principle reminds us to replace "me-first;
ism" and "me-too-ism" with concern for others.
Let's put aside our differences and, together, take
responsibility for our
children's lives.
Ujamaa (strong
economic base) calls
for us to recognize the
influence we wield, but
seldom use to our own
advantage. Black pur
chasing power, now
over S250 billion annually, exceeds the com
bined gross national products of Australia and
New Zealand. But all our spending has not trans
lated into commensurate black economic influ
ence and concrete results for the masses of
African Americans. We hold in our hands the
potential to overcome the crises results for the
masses of African Americans. We hold in our
hands the potential to overcome the crises we're
facing and build a solid foundation that will sup
port our children in generations to come. Let's
invest wisely and support black-owned business
who give good service to the community. This is
an important step in reversing the cycle of
poverty that stunts the lives of nearly half of
black children in American today.
Nia (purpose) focuses our attention the
meaning behind our actions, and the need to act
with a sense of purpose. I can think of no better
purpose than improving the life circumstances of
our children, whose present is clouded and future
threatened by a growing sense of peril. Let's
make saving our children the purpose of every
thing we do.
Kuumba (creativity) urges us to devote our
creative energies to improving our communities.
We all have talents ? artistic and otherwise -
to contribute. Our creativity has often helped us
survive, whether we were making feasts out of
table scraps or creating the music of jazz. Cre
ativity is the way our unsung heroes and heroines
in our community devote themselves to bringing
beauty and harmony into the lives of those .
around them. Let's make our children's well
being the focus of our creativity today, and dedi
cate all of our resources and abilities to building
them the future they deserve. ^
lmani (faith) is a testament to the power of
spiritual belief and the hope the sustains us when
we have nothing else. The poverty of the spirit
that afflicts so many of our children and youths
today is often caused by an absence of hope that
burdens the heart and cripples the soul. It is up to
us to give our children faith in us. in themselves,
and in the possibilities of a life where faith is ful
filled. Before we can demonstrate this principle
to them, we must rediscover and nurture it in our
selves. It is faith that gives the other principles of
Nauzo Saba their meaning. And it is faith that the
holiday of Kwanzaa is all about.
As we celebrate this holiday season, let's
memorize these principles and apply them to our
everyday lives. With a child's face as our beacon
and a child's needs as our guideposts, let's live
up to Kwanzaa potential as an affirmation of
family, of community, and of life.
(Marian Wright Edelman is President of
the Children Defense Fund)
CHILD WATCH
By MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN
By Barbara Brandon
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