Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Dec. 28, 1995, edition 1 / Page 12
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OPINION/ THE YEAR IN REVIEW Winston-Salem Chronicle ?z. Ernest H. Pitt, Publisher/Co-founder N DUB IS I EgEMONYE, Co-Founder | Elaine Pitt, Director of Community Relations 'm' KaTHY C. Lee, Production Manager CM ! H The Year in Review Sources of Pride r i' e Million Man March lived up to its name, attracting than one million dedicated African American men to Washington, D.C. and compelling countless others to stand | up for their families and communities. ? a* > Attorney Johnnie Cochran wITH brilliant defense and eloquent argu ments, won an acquittal for celebrity client O. J. Simpson. Regardless of what you think of the verdict, Cochran was undeniably outstanding. Local k^'.hair care manufacturer Joe L. Dudley Sr. received the Horatio Alger Award, ' an honor recognizing rags to riches success. ^ Renowned poet Maya Angelou was commissioned to write a poem marking the United Nations 50th anniversary. She delivered the word with iu ,her usual grace and eloquence. Gen. Colin Powell, We admire you, even if you don't have the Tire in *51 the belly" to run for president And we respect you for considering your ?wife's concerns about a political career. But did you have to be a Republi can? The much - anticipated screen version of Terry McMillian's novel, ^ "Waiting to Exhale," topped box office figures for its debut weekend, earn ! . ing SI4.7 million in ticket sales. Gotta love a Whitney Houston star-vehicle, n %fi even if it does give brothers some grief. n*\ For Shame Chicago Congressman Mel Reynolds was convicted of sexual assault on a teenage campaign volunteer, child pornography and obstruction of justice. He resigned his political post after being sentenced to a five-year prison term. Hundreds of (mainly young, urban) African Americans appeared as guests on trash talk shows, airing their dirty laundry and darkest secrets in exchange for 15 minutes of fame... no, make that infamy. Whatever happened to being a credit to yqui race? Some community leflftefs organized a homecoming parade in Harlem for prize fighter and convicted rapist Mike Tyson. Fortu nately, women's protest led to the event's cancellation. * Odd Couples Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley celebrated their first wedding anniversary. The Gloved One also dumped Bubbles, his pet chimp. Democratic leader, C. Delores Thicker, founder of the National Political Congress of Black Women, and Republican Bill Ben nett, former U.S. Education Secretary and drug czar, _ joined forces against Time Warner for producing gangsta rap music which ?, ft they say degrades women and promotes violence. South African President Nelson Mandela fires his estranged wife, Win nie, from her government post, then reinstates her only to fire her again. Troubling Signs of the Times Some predominantly black congressional districts, such as those represented by Mel Watt and Eva Qayton, have been challenged in court. The fate of those districts now rests with the conservative Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled that federal minority set-aside programs must meet the same constitutional standards as state programs, which have also been under attack in recent years. South Carolina mother Susan Smith set off a national manhunt after claiming that a Black man hijacked her care and abducted her two young sons. She later confessed to drowning them herself. In an apparent hate crime, two white soldiers, Skinhead sympathizers, were charged with murdering a black couple in Fayetteville. In Harlem, a black man massacred several people in a store whose growth threatened to put a nearby black store out of business. Are They for Real? Ward Connerly, an African American Regent of the University of California, led a campaign to eliminate race-based considerations in student admissions, uni versity hiring and contracting. Ironically, the lawyer and businessman himself attended the University of California at Berkeley under an affirmative action program. New York subway murderer Colin Ferguson defended himself in an absurd trial that was a stark contrast to the O.J. proceedings. Better Late Than Never The Mississippi State Legislature voted to abolish slavery. The South ern Baptist Convention issued an apology for having perpetuated racism in the past. To Make a Difference in 19%... Elect Harvey Gantt to the U.S. Senate and retire good ol'boy Jesse Helms. Bond Issue, Million Man March Headline News Stories from page 1 schools. The city gained the bid over Greensboro and Charlotte. Lawrence Joel Memorial Vet erans Coliseum will host the tour nament until 1999. Ben Ruffin, co-chairman of the CIAA Steer ing Committee, predicted in July that Winston Salem would retain the tournament. "Winston-Salem has been the most successful place that we have had our tournament, " said Leon Kerry, the commissioner of the CIAA. "We have had two great tournaments there, and they have been the most successful in CIAA history." The tourney generates about $8 million to the local economy. Some black business people have complained that they don't share in the economic windfall of the tournament. ? Million Man March Nearly 4,000 black men from Winston-Salem participated in the Million Man March in Washington, D.C. on Oct. They joined 1.5 million men in front of the nation's Capitol, the ? largest gather- Minister ing of African F'rrakhan Americans in the capital's history. The crowd heard Minister Louis Farrakhan tell them that they must accept God's responsi bility and beeome community leaders. Farrakhan called the march a day of atonement for black men. "The march was called by God, and Tm just the vessel he used to get the message to his people, " he said. The Rev. Benjamin Chavis, the former executive director of NAACP, was also one of the organizers of the march. The participants from Win ston-Salem accepted Farrakhan's challenge to become community leaders. "Men must realize they must be responsible for their wives, mothers, and children," said Rev. John Mendez, a founder of Citizens United For Justice and the pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church. "Blacks have the power to reverse the negative statistics of crime, drug abuse, and unem ployment that affect our commu nity." Since the march, many community meetings have been held in Winston-Salem to devise ways of achieving the march's goals. ? 0 J. Simpson Verdict Several African American leaders expressed satisfaction the week of Oct. 5 after Simpson was found not guilty of murdering his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. "With ev-ery piece of evi dence, I felt a sense of con nection and pain with O.J. Simpson," said Delores Smith, president of the Winston Salem Urban League. "The victory for O.J is not just for O.J., but it is for . every African Ameri can in Amer ica." Two mon ths earlier, a Forsyth County Superior Court judge denied a motion to enforce a subpoena that would have com pelled a North Carolina School of the Arts professor to testify in the Simpson's double murder trial in Los Angeles. Laura Hart McKinney, a screenwriting teacher at NCSA, had audio tapes and a manuscript of interviewHfetween hersaJr and Mark Fuhrman, a former Los Angeles police detective. McKin ney testified that Fuhrman used many racial slurs in his descrip tions of African Americans. Local blacks expressed dis belief at the Judge William Z. Wood's decision. The N.C. Court of Appeals overturned Wood's ruling and compelled the profes sor to testify. A SAT Scores Increase During (he week of Aug. 31. African American students in Forsyth County saw a significant increase in their SAT scores in 1995 and even more of them are taking the test. Scores for black students rose 48 points-to aivaver- ? age score of 734 in the 1994-94 school year. Twenty-five more African American students took the test this year than in 1994. School officials attribute the rise in African American students' scores to them taking more advanced courses and the success rate of the SAT tutoring courses available to students after school. "We were very pleased," said Bessie Allen, the director of the Phi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha and Phi Omega Inc.'s SAT/Tutorial Program. "We felt like what we attempted to do, we accomplished." A Black Theatre Festival The fourth National Black Theatre Festival had a successful run from July 31 to Aug. 5 in Winston Salem. Guests shouted for Billy Dee Williams and Avery Brooks, cheered John Amos, and teased Isabel Sanford calling her "Weezie" and immersed them selves in the fantasticievent that included plays, workshops, and communion. This is an effort to create our O.J. Simpson Laura McKinney own situation and that's impor tant," said Williams, this year's honorary chairman. "I want to see it before I drop dead and I hope this is it." The festival boasted the theme of "An International Cele bration and Reunion of Spirit." More than 6,000 attended the fes tival that included appearances by Geoffrey Holder, Debbie Allen, Dick Gregory, Nick Stewart, and Glynn Thurman. Larry Leon Hamlin, the founder and artistic director of the festival, said in mid-August that he was considering moving the event to another city if the festival did not receive adequate fund ing in Win ston-Salem. The city's Board of Alderman reduced fund ing to the festival from $50,000 to $35,000. Hamlin said that he would ask the city for $150,000 for the 1997 festival. Larry Hamlin ? City Settles Family The city of Winston-Salem and the family of Shelia Epps McKellar reached an agreement on July 12 on a lawsuit filed by McKellar's family on behalf of her estate. The settlement called for the city to pay $75,000 to McKellar's estate to avoid further time, cost, and inconvenience. Ester Epps, mother of Shelia McKellar, filed the lawsuit in July 1994 for wrongful death and vio lation of McKellar's civil rights against the city, Chief George Sweat, and five police officers. McKellar, 33, died in a hold ing fifiU in jth& Hall, of Jjisficfc on July 20, 1992, 26 hours after police officers arrested her at an apartment complex on New Walkertown Road. The Chronicle was the first to report the incident Ms. Epps alleged in her com plaint that the police should have taken her daughter to the hospital rather than arresting her and that their failure to do so caused her death. The city did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement. A Afrocentric Programs The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education approved plans on June 27 to begin a Afrocentric school in the fall of 1996. "This is a very significant step," said the Rev. A.G. Ever sley, who had lobbied for a program as a member of the Coalition on African ameri can Education. "It does, in fact, focus on the needs of black chil dren in a way the school system has never done before." Donald Martin A school board curriculum committee recommended the pro gram after two board members. School Superintendent Donald L. Martin Jr. and various administra tors visited two Afrocentfic schools Trenton, N.J. and Philadelphia. Dale Folwell was the only board member to vote against the program, which will be similar to the ones in the school that were visited. A Post Office Ruling The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission ruled during the week of June 22 that Timothy W. Howell, an African American postal worker in Win ston-Salem, was discriminated against on the basis of race when his supervisors fired in 1992 while learning his duties. The EEOC ruled that Howell had 30 days to work toward meet ing the standards of his former position and that he was entitled to back pay.^ Postal offi cials declined to comment on the decision and denied that discrimination ever occurred at the Patterson Avenue facility. The Chron icle has re tained hundreds of documents and interviews with several cur rent and former employees who cited discrimination by post office management. Howell saifi in late August that postal officials were evading the EEOC ruling. A postal official in Greens boro said that Howell's job no longer existed. j Timothy Howell ? Davis Resigns Post Floyd Davis announced his resignation on Feb. 20 as presi dent of the United Way of Forsyth County, after serving the organization for three and one half years. Several heads of United Way agencies criticized Davis' leader ship style and his effectiveness as president. They also had concerns about Davis' new strategies and initia tives. Davis said that he felt, resis tance to the new strategies and policies would subside once they were given a chance to work. Delores Smith, president of the Winston-Salem Urban League, said: "I'm surprised. I'm disappointed, and I'm saddened that Floyd did not see fit to stick this out." During Davis' tenure, agen cies had experienced a 13 percent decrease in funds from the United Way. Ron Drago of Raleigh replaced Davis as president this summer. VOICES IN THE COI\/ll\/lLJMITY Is it important to you to buy your Christmas gifts from a black-owned business? The Chronicle asked this question to several residents last week? Eva Peoples Definitely. It gives you a chance to learn more about your her itage. A black-owned book store is the best place for me to find a book about Kwanzaa. I ^ n Michelle Washington Yes. If you could buy everything that you need a black business, 1 would not shop at a mall. 1 like to spend my money within the black community. / Michael Morgan Yes. It is important because black busi nesses support the idea of Kwanzaa rather than Christmas. We need to know that Kwanzaa is part of our tradition. H.B. Harris Yes. There is a cli mate and a atmosphere at a black business I don't see it as a business. It see it as a celebration. It is refreshing. ImMSBL Steve Rynes Yes, I rather support the blacks during th holi day season. I like to spend my money with black businesses.
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Dec. 28, 1995, edition 1
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