I
tv ? ' |&11' ffll '? t K
\ Perceptions of family program inaccurate ?
. By BRIDGET EVARTS
Community N?w? Reporter
K ""
Z- Charges that Forsyth/Stokes County Intensive
I- Family Preservation Program is under-serving
r African-American clients may be inaccurate.
The program runs under the umbrella of the
- Forsyth/Stokes Area Mental Health,
Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse
Services. It is geared toward preventing unnecessary
Z placement of children into foster homes or juvenile
? * facilities, by providing in-house services to the entire
b
family during an intensive six-week period. Family
Preservation staff is on call 24 hours a day, and
adjusts their schedule around the family.
Some critics say that the program ignores
African-American families, allowing black children
to enter foster care without much intervention.
Director Gerald Allen spoke to the history
behind these allegations, and addressed the need for
scrutiny.
"The concern I've heard on the part of the state
is that once a child gets in foster care, it's really hard
to get them out," said Allen.
Some of the fire Allen's program is drawing
could be the result of erroneous information and a 1
lack of comprehensive statistics. ?
One reason for a lower number of African I
Americans served by the program is that a number I
of clients referred to Family Preservation come from I
the predominantly white Stokes County. African I
Americans comprise only 5 percent of Stokes popu- V
See Perception on A3 2
Ajfhatiij ini MnmiINIDIM
> Winston-Salem Greensboro High Point vol. xxiii No. 36
CJhe Chronicle
forsyth cnty pub lib the Choice for African-American News and Information
660 w 5th st # q ?
winston salem 27101-2755
Suspicion: Parents scrutinize school systems
a Distrust characterizes
school redistricting
?y BRIDGET EVARTS
Community News Reporter
As Guilford County grapples
ivith the process of redistrict
ing its school system, reac- J3hj
lions to the plan parallel
those to Forsyth County's ? B
[edistricting experience. HMHI
' - Both school systems '?
Implemented the
redistricting process
to accommodate
neighborhood
ichools and choice in where stu
dents can go to school. Christina
Perrin, who has a child attending
Did Richmond Elementary, said
(he's glad her child goes to a school
close to her home.
"1 like the way they're switching
it... I don't have a car, so I like that
I can get there," said Perrin. Old
Richmond is part of Zone 4, which
will be implemented this year.
While many parents, both
\ black and white, want their
. I children to attend schools
M close to home, some are
afraid the price for this
convenience will be
U segregation.
In both coun
ties, parents are
suspicious of the
motivation behind redistricting,
especially in the African-American
See Distrust on A3 |
a Segregatbn complaint
launches investigation
By BRIDGET EVARTS
Community News Reporter
A complaint filed almost two
years ago with the U.S.
Department of Education against
the local school redistricting plan
will soon resurface with a full
scale investigation.
Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County Schools implemented the
first zone of the redistricting plan
in 1995, amid protests from some
in the community who saw the
plan as a return to a segregated
school system. Concerns about
maintaining a balance of integrat
ed schools prevented three school
board members from voting for
the redistricting plan.
Soon after that vote, a com
plaint was filed with the U.S.
Department of Education's Office
for Civil Rights (OCR). OCR
began investigating the com
plaint, which stated that the
school's choice plan relied too
heavily on good intentions and
did not allow enough control, in
August 1995. I
Since then, the investigation
has risen through the ranks of
that office, and has been moni
tored by the Desegregation
Assistance Center, southeastern
region.
"We've already gathered some
information, and we'll verify that
information and talk to various
Set Segregation on A2
Forsyth County Training Institute
culminates in Mass Meeting ?
By FELECIA P. MCMILLAN
Special to the Chronicle
"We're marching, marching up to Zion. That
beautiful city of God!" Alma Barber of Second New
Bethel Baptist Church, led marchers in this rousing
chorus as more than 200 marchers ? children and
elders dressed in white attire ? pranced down Martin
Luther King Drive waving banners displaying the
names of various churches Sunday, May 4. The
march was the culmination of a week-long training
institute held at Shiloh Baptist Church. More than
1,200 deacons, ushers, Sunday school workers,
Baptist Training Union workers, junior, young adult
and senior missionaries participated in classes at the
institute held April 28-May 2.
Dr. Serenus Churn, pastor of Mt. Zion, was the
keynote speaker for the worship service. Evelena
Clayborn, president of the Forsyth County !
Missionary Union, presided over the session. The
theme for the union meeting was "From Maintenance
to Ministry: Building Upon a Firm Foundation."
Helen W. Falls, who has been a missionary at Mt. '
Zion Baptist Church for more than SO years, said,
"The march was very impressive because we were try
ing to portray to the community that God is alive and
he is working through his people. The march is to
show the community that we believe we can depend
on God for guidance."
Bronnie Daniels, the first vice president of the
Forsyth County Missionary Union, remembers par
ticipating in the march as a child. "It was always such
a pretty sight to see. women and men marching in the
street for the Lord," she said. She brought the idea to
See Forsyth pn AS
rfM Boy Scouts Urban Imphasis Group is composed of (sootod, loft to right) Kay McAustor, Tract Hunter,
Boorgo Randall, Ken Sadler: (standing, left to right), Doug Thorn, Bill Hayes, Clarence Gaines, and
Kermit Blount,
Triad group promotes Boy Scouting j
By BILL TURNER
Special to the Chronicle ^
Mount Zion Baptist Church
was a most unusual setting last
week for what the meetings con
vener, Traci Hunter, described as
"one of the most critical collabo
rations in the Triad area: getting
thore black boys into Scouting."
Hunter is district executive of the
Boy Scouts of America. Old
hickory Council, based in
Winston-Salem.
Mount Zion as the meeting's
venue was exceptional because it
i$ among only eight black
Churches in Winston-Salem with
Scouting programs. There are 168
black churches in the city,
according to the Rev. Cedrick
Rodney, who attended the meet
.inj^. Rodney is pastor of St.
Phillips Moravian Church, the
oldest black church in the state.
"Our church had a Boy Scout
troop, and we want to rekindle
our commitment," he said. "That
is why I am here."
Dr. Ken Sadler, a dentist and
director of quality assurance for
Carolina Medicorp, introduced
George Randall, national direc
tor of the Urban Emphasis
Initiative of the Boy Scouts of
America.
The Dallas-based Randall
goes around the country spear
heading the efforts of national
BSA headquarters to find and
train strong and committed lead
ership, to ensure that boys from
economically underprivileged
communities have the opportuni
ty to join scouting programs. He
spoke to two dozen people who
attended Winston-Salem's Urban
Emphasre^raining Meeting.
Sadler talked of Winston-Salem
being like Greensboro and High
Point, where every public housing
community has scouting pro
grams.
Greensboro and High Point
could not have sent a more pas
sionate spokesmen for their pro
grams than North Carolina A&T
State University's head football
coach Bill Hayes. In a cheerlead
ing mode, Hayes began by admit
ting that he lacks a lot of things.
"But I have never been accused of
lacking heart, passion, and com
mitment to young men," he
added. He spoke about the value
See Triad on A2
Alma lorfcif (loft) at Sacand Now Bmthml Baptist Church lad tha marchers in singing "Wm'rm
Marching Up ta Hon." tha and Mam C. Co rimy of first Wauphtown Baptist Church carriad tha hon
our to load tha march of tha Forsyth County Missionary Union.
? _ t __
5 - * ? . " .. "