BLACKS & BANKS
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THESE TWO JUST DONT SEEM TO QO HAND IN HAND
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Opinion
North Carolina Room
Fofsyth County Public Lib a ry
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TENNIS ANYONE
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WIMBLEDON WINS REKINDLE INTEREST AMONG BLACKS
- 1 V -J
Smuts
Winston-Salem, N. C. 27101
North Carolina Roo
Forsyth County Public Library
660 West FiftS-v Street
Winston-Salem, N. C. 27101
Winston-Salem Chr
The Choice for African-American News and Information
THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 1994
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"Power concedes nothing without o struggle. " ? Frederick Douglass
For Reference
Not to be taken
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from this library
VOL. XX, No. 44
Banks Get Bad Grade in Loans to Blacks
; ' - ? :
. ... . . * ? ?
? Southern National, First Citizens and BB&T receive poorest ratings
By RICHARD L WILLIAMS
Chronicle Executive Editor
Some of the state's largest
banks received a failing grade when
it comes to foaking mortgage loans
to minorities.
The Community Reinvestment
Association of North Carolina's
1992 study of 14 banks, mortgage
companies and the state's largest
credit union has Southern National
Bank of North Carolina in Winston
Salem and Branch Bank & Trust of
Wilson at the bottom ot the list.
Both received grades of F+.
"The study shows that for the
second year in a row, a group of
banks has lagged behind the market
in their mortgage lending perfor
mance in these communities," said
lrvin Henderson, president of CRA.
"We had hoped to see significant
improvement from the banks in the
bottom tier in iwi, but the results,
relative to the market, just are not
there."
Of the )4 lenders, black-owned
Mechahics & Farmers Bank, the
State Employees Credit Union and
United Carolina Bank earned the
highest marks. ~
"This report shows that there is
still a great deal of work to be done
in the mortgage lending area in
order to ensure that all consumers,
regardless of income or race, havfc
an equal opportunity to buy a
house," said Deborah Warren, exec
utive director of CRA.
see BANK page 3
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117 ]!
i iy
Former Central Piedmont Basketball Player
? ? ? - ? ? ? i .? ? ? *
of the Year
I Acquitted of Murder Attempts to Turn
His Life Around
|By RICHARD L. WH.LIAMS
Chronicle Executive Editor
For years, the world was a playground
for James Edrington. He was a star basket
ball player at West Forsyth High, winning
the Central Piedmont player of the year in
1982. He went on to play at Winston
Salem State University under famed, for
^ mer head Coach Clarence "Bighouse"
Gaines from 1982-84.
Edrington left WSSU after his sopho
more year and tnovfed With his then-girl
friend to Dover, Del. He kept in playing
. shape, eventually landing a tryou with the
Charleston (W. Va.) Gunners in 1988. But
shortly Ifiereafler, the cheering stopped -
and Gdrington's life hit rock bottom. He
moved back to Winston-Salem and
became a drifter in the same city where he
once entertained crowds young and old
with his basketball prowess.
He began living on the streets and
hanging out at drink houses. It wasn't long
=- thai hl^' rTTtTsiyie^tfertfd^inrirr a direction
that ran afoul of the law. He forged checks
and used and sold cocaine. He said he
even "ran" a drink house.
"That was the life I was living," the
soft-spoken Edrington, now 30, said
recently. "1 was like a failure to myself..."
But none oi Edrington'* vices pre
t pared him for what was laid on him next ? a
murder rap. On Nov. 28, 1992, the Winston
Salem Police Department's investigation into
the stabbing death of 62-year-old Janet White
Garland, a white woman, led them to Edring
ton, a black, homeless man who was in the
vicinity at the time of the crime.
Although police had no concrete (evidence,
they charged Edrington with first-degree mur
der. The woman was leaving Centenary
Methodist Church on Fifth Street about 7 p.m.,
according to police reports. As she approached
her car. Garland was accosted by a man who
asked her for money. She refused, an argument
started and the man stabbed her in the neck,
police said. '
On Oct. 7, 199.1, nearly a year later.
Edrington was tried for four days in Forsyth
County Superior Court, and the jury took less
than 30 minutes to !md him not guilty, accord
ing to court records.
"I almost did life for something 1 didn't
do." he said. "Thai 30 minutes could have been
my life."
Police Lt. Deneille Johnson said the case
will not be reopened just because the jury
found Edrington not guilty. "We don't have any
control of what the, jury does," she said. "We
just do the best we can in solving the crime.
We felt we had the right suspect." ^ v ? -
Edrington said that while serving time for
forgery and drug possession at Nash Correc
tional Institute outside Rocky Mount, he
turned his life around. He said he needs to get
"a little stronger because I'm out in the real
world now."
Since his release in April, he said, liis new
"friend" Cheryl Brim has been a constant sup
port to him. He also said he spends time with
his U^year-old daughter Shameika Allen.
Edrington lives with his brother, Alphonso
' Gilliam, on Indiana Avenue and works at
Gilliam's painting company. He occasionally
volunteers with youths at the Brown and Dou
glass Recreation Center on Indiana Avenue.
Does he feel lucky to again have freedom?
"Freedom feels good," he said, with a trace
of bitterness in his voice. "It's just a crooked
system we deal with. I don't feel lucky because
I didn't do it. I feel blessed, because I have my
mind, body and soul back."
Health Center Director Wants
Minority in Assistant's Post
By 'VERONICA CLEMONS
Chronicle Stiff Writer
Dennis Magovern, director of the
Reynolds Health Center, said when he is per
mitted to hire a new assistant director ? or
directors ? he will hold fast to his commit
ment to diversity.
"If I am able^o choose the people } want,
there will definitely be a minority assistant."
he said Tuesday.
The assistant director's position at
Reynolds Health Center has been vacant
since Frank Dulin retired in 1992. Magovern
said amid the interviewing process for a new
assistant, the position was frozen because of
budget constraints. During that time. Magov
ern said he has received a number of quali
fied minority applicants. Currently, 60 per
cent of all employees at Reynolds are African
American and 80 percent are female. Magov
ern added that a number of the positions
blacks hold at Reynolds are in managerial
and professional areas, and he believes
Reynolds is a pacesetter for county govern
ment as far as diversity is concerned.
see HEALTH page 3
Business 19
Classifieds 26
Community News... 4
Opinion... 10
Entertainment 22
Obituaries 25
Religion...... .23
Sports .15
This Week In Black History
June. 1906
John Hope hernme the
fint hlnrk pretidpnl
of Morrhoune College
k
Is
Contracts With
Diversity Team
? * . ' '? "? ' ' + ' ' r '
? Hickory-based multicultural
company to train teachers at six
pilot schools in August
By DAVID L. DILLARD
Chronicle Staff Writer ~
The cjty-county school board
voted this week to allow a consul
tant to train teachers in ways to
"include African-American hrcrory
into the regular curriculum.
Forrest. Toms, president of
Hickory-based Training. Research
and Development Inc.. will begin
the Africai. American Curriculum
Infusion Project at six pilot schools
in August to help introduce teach
cra to African American history.
Current plans are for African
American history to be infused into
social studies classes.,
"I think its an investment in the
future." Toms said yesterday in a
telephone interview. "If you look at
the numbers (of minority students)
it's inevitable to start infusing cul
tnral diversity into the curriculum."
Toms. 42. started his manage
ment and diversity training firm in
1984. He has done diversity train
ing for Wake County. Chapel Hill
and other large school systems. He
also helped the city of Winston
Salem and. the East W inston Com
munity Development Corporation
prepare its application for the enter
prise community zone.
Toms said African and
African-American history will not
replace the existing curriculum, but
will be infused into regular social
studies classes.
Forrest Toms
"We're increasing their knowl
edge base and also looking at teach
ers' attitudes and beliefs to see
where they are," Toms said. "They
are already well-prepared social
studies teachers so we're just trying
African-American history into the
curriculum. The administration
took time to develop it along with
community input and all those
things created a readiness and pre
paredness for it."
Fred Adams, associate superin
tendent for instruction, told board
members Monday night that the
program could help refine the cur
rent curriculum.
"Each of the schools felt good
about it," he said. "In my opinion,
see SCHOOL page 3
Board Members Divided Over
Program For At-Risk Children
By VERONICA CLEMONS
Chronicle Staff Writer
Whether a program for 4-year-old at-risk,
youth will be implemented in the city-county
school system is still wait and see as school
board members are divided over the issue.
Some school board members say they
hope to see the program implemented as soon
as possible, while others are hesitant because
of numerous concerns such as space ami
future funding.
"I would have liked for it to have started
yesterday." board member Nancy Wooten
said. She said she was supportive of the pro
ject from the beginning but is relying on staff
members to advise the board on the earliest
practical time for implementation.
Geneva Brown and Walter Marshall the
two black members on the board, also favor it.
Brown said she thinks the program is some
thing that is needed and Supports the program
being implemented by January.
" 1 think we should move forward as soon
as possible." she said. "Space is going to be a
problem no matter what."
see BOARETpage 9
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