Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / March 4, 1999, edition 1 / Page 6
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OPINION '? UllilMMi' Htt.it ??>%? The Chronicle Jhrihmufm Ernest H. Pitt punisher/co-founder \di bisi egemonve- Co-Founder Elaine Pitt Business Manager Fannie henderson Advertising Manager jeri yolng* Managing Editor steven Moore Production Manager ^ gjg . ? Worth Cor ohm ammbomm ? Hobonai NewHMpor Pm?Anocl?on ?f Circulation Pubi^hor*. Inc. Pubfcoftort AwocMhon CIAA more than just dollars and cents It's no secret that the media has a hard time dealing with anything African American. So it stands to reason that the mainstream media would have a tough time understanding the allure of the C1AA Tournament. For more than 50 years, the tournament has been a staple in the black community, drawing fans from across the nation. Many of those who drive miles to the tour nament. didn't attend CIAA schools. People come for the pageantry, the parties and the games. They come to see what sparkling outfits Mr. CIAA will put together. They come Jbecause the tournament provides a much needed sports/social outlet for African Americans who in the beginning were not welcome at tournaments like the ACC and who even now are sometimes uncomfort able at those events. Blacks come because we understand the significance v of having a tournament pf our own. We come because we understand the tournament's history and its legacy. It's no secret to black people why the CIAA, despite being a predominantly southern conference, began in Washington, D.C. In 1946, a black coach attempting to find a location ? for a tournament for black people where they could actu * ally relax and enjoy themselves free of the constraints of ?; Jim Crow faced a near impossible task. The coaches who pooled their money to create the tournament also faced an uphill battle to find a southern arena owner who would rent to them. , That's a part of history that white America refuses to acknowledge. Because thety don't like to talk about it, the problem persists today. Ask any CIAA sports information director how much . success they have in getting information about games into mainstream newspapers across the conference and ? the answer will be "not much." Although graduates of CIAA schools reside in cities ? across the states most can't find a blur,b or a box score in the majority of sports pages. -0 That's a sharhe. When the tournament rolps around, . most papers are!caught off guard. Most years, the tour i nament doesn't' draw mainstream newspapers' best > reporters. It's covered by a motley crew of freelancers - ' who do Tine wprk - but often don't get the prime real ? estate in sports section. So it stands to reason that the mainstream press just ? doesn't get the CIAA. Reporters tend to look for quanti tative ways to measure an event's success. How many people attended? How much mbney was made? Was it a sell-out? * ? Yes, those questions should apply to the CIAA. but the media also needs to ask those additional questions that apply directly to our community. How many people came just to hang out and had no intention of going to any of the games? How many peo ple checked their local newspapers for coverage and couldn't find it? How many times in the CIAA's 54" year history did your mainstream newspaper send someone to cover it? V " ? ' istm* ?^ fefcSTitU Hunt appointed the right man to head patrol ! Val Atkinson Jones Street Lt. Col. Richard Holden has been appointed by Gover nor Jim Hunt to head the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. Holden will be the first African American to head the organization. Holden's appointment comes at a time when the patrol needs to. reas sure the public that its prac tices are fair and equitable and that the patrol is still an orga nization of integrity. N.C. Rep. Toby Fitch got a call from the Governor informing him that Holden would be the next commander of the patrol. Fitch got the call because although he didn't come out on the winning side in the attempt land N.C. Rep Dan Blpe the top spot in the House, he's still r a power player in the North Carolina General Assembly. N.C, Sen. Frank Ballance received a call from the Gover nor also. But Ballance's call may have been'more deliberate,and con templated. You see, Jim Hunt was fully aware of Senator Balance's fight to end the "Driving While Black" issue in North Carolina^ , , * "Driving While Black" is a term used to describe the dis criminatory, unwarranted and often racially motivated stops of African Americans by state highway patrolmen. Governor,, Hunt hopes the appointment of Holden will send a positive .message to Bal lance and his supporters. After all, Ballance is the ranking African American in the State Senate and the Governor is going to need all the friends he c'an get in both houses to get his budget through. Hunt also knows that if there are problems with the I ' w "Driving While Black" issue and we have a black man at the top of the patrol, it becomes more difficult for black leaders to cry "cover up" or "white wash." But in all fairness* to the Governor, I should say that it really doesn't mater what his . real motives were in appointing Holden. He ended with the right man. 1 was pleased to see the Governor back away from his considerations to bring in a commander from outside the State. A new commander from outside North Carolina would have sent the wrong message to the African American commu nity. The black community would have interpreted such a move as a vote of no confi dence in two very qualified black patrolmen. Many felt - and rightfully so - that the time was right to nominate a black to head the patrol. My hope for Holden is the same that I had for Ben Ruffin when he became the first African American to serve JL as the Chairman of the tJNC* Board of Governors. I hope that black leadership A and the general public will allow them to get comfortable in theis jobs before they press for changes. Holden will have his hands full, and he'll need all of our support. We want him to do <well, and we're glad that the Governor thinks he cafl. restore some integrity to the patrol. But we also want Holden and the Governor to know that we're dead serious about fair ness in law enforcement. We will not accept a double standard o? highway law enforcement. ' "Driving While Black" is a very serious, issue with African Americans and the Governor and Colonel Holden must not take this issue lightly. We're not going to trade in fairness and equality for a black face at the top. ? ?* ** ? *?;> Val Atkinson is a columnist for the Triangle Tribune v j When the lights dimmed at the CI A A tournament Saturday night, it marked the I / end of the tourney's six-year stint in Winston-Salem. CI A A fans will be basking m/s\ jrrr F I) /11 yf TUE1 f^f\\j[lMTIAITT\/ in %reat bosketball action at a yet-to-be completed arena in Raleigh. We asked f {JJ ?jij fJ(UM 111L v U1flifi (J III 1 19$ 9 tournament goers how they felt about the CI A As departure. ' j D?von Singletary Being from Winston and being a student at Winston-Salem State. / Hm happy that the tournament was here But I was born in Raleigh, so / don't have a problem going there too. I am not upset by it going, but I do wish that it would stay here." V John Hart "I think they are making a big mistake by moving to Raleigh because they have a lot of big schools already down there such as North Carolina, Duke And with all the other white schools down there, you know who is going to get the money. They are going to give us the crumbs. I think they 'll be back here in about three years... at least I'm hoping." Iii I i in ? .Ti ? Carlyl? Mc Clinton 'I don't think that the CIAA should leave the city of Winston Salem because Raleigh is a bigger area, and I think we are more adjust ed to being more confined than far apart I think we should work hard to try to get it back in the Triad " robby Biowii "A/? opinion is that Winston-Salem has done a great job over these last six years. I Just think they are going to Raleigh to \enture out in another market My personal opinion is that if that arena in Raleigh is going to be one of those 20.(XX)-seat arenas it's going to be tot) big of a facility On the positive side, you have a lot of schools in close geography to that area It 's good to test the waters but if it doesn't vwrk out. I think they need to come hack to Winston Salem." ' Marvin Fo$tar "They have three CI A A schools in that area so the hotels won't be making money because the people who live in that area won't be getting hotel rooms, and they won't be eating out when they can go home and eat. It is going to be a different atmos phere. but I don't think they'll be making any more money than if they stayed here in Winston."
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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March 4, 1999, edition 1
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