Cavanagh
from page A3
' friends and genuine friends. When
^people were calling me racist
(after the mayor saluted a Confed
erate flag in 1997), those genuine
. African-American friends were
; more loyal to me than some white
folks who knew nothing about the
issue, but just jumped on the
; bandw agon and created this fren
zy that made me appear and legit
imized that I was in fact a racist. 1
can't keep people from belies ing
what they want.
TKW: So. you don't think
you. more than any other Republi
can. you don't think you had a
great deal of black support more
(mayor inteijects)....
JC: If I did. I am thrilled that
you are saying that. I had friends,
but I am not sure I am following
you about any more than usual. 1
have been in an alderman race; I
have been in two Senate races,
and then the mayor's race and the
mayor's race again. So I don't
know , things change.
TKW: I remember reading
quotes from you in The Chronicle
in '97 (Nov. 6. 1997. to be exact).
JC: Saying what?
TKW: It's great that I have
this African-American support
(mayor interjects).
JC: That was probably on the
issue of the Confederate flag (that
issue did not make The Chronicle
until Nov. 20, 1997).
TKW: No. I believe (mayor
inteijects).,..
JC: When you win, you thank
everybody.
TKW: 1 read about Mr.
(William) Andrews supporting
you.
JC: Yes. Mr. Andrews came
in during the Confederate flag
issue. I think you got the two
issues mixed up.
TKW: OK. maybe 1 did So.
since you don't believe you
received a lot of African-Ameri
can support in '97 (mayor inter
jects!....
JC: Why do you keep asking
me that question? I don't know. I
don't go back and look at statis
tics. I am not one of those people.
I am not a facilitator. I am not a
detail man. I can hire people to do
that all day long if I wanted it
done. I can do that.
TKW: I understand, but there
are two papers in this city, and one
is an African-American newspa
per (Mayor inteijects).
JC: There are three. There's
Que Pasa....
TKW: OK. there's the (AC)
Phoenix too. so we can say four.
But as an African-American
newspaper, these are questions
that I need to ask. Can you win
this election without African
American support?
JC: Can I win? Of course not.
No one can. I don't know any
body who can without a certain
amount of African-American sup
port unless you are as popular as-,
Reagan or something and you ride
on his coattails and the voting
population gets out there in mas
sive numbers. But typically in this
town, no you can't get elect
ed...When I say can't, again. I
qualify that with unusual situa
tions that might come up. Why
doesn't an African American run
for mayor and find out?
KN: If I may interject real
quickly, one of the things I have
noticed of Jack is that he does not
look at people in terms of race He
looks at them as the citizens which
he serves. Regardless of being
black. Hispanic, white, he serves
with his heart. So to say it's just
this one population is not a con
cept in which he walks in a con
sistent basis because he looks at it
as we are all equal. We are all the
same.
TKVV: I understand (Narvae/.
inteijects)....
KN: He knows that he needs
your vote as much as he needs
mine. There is no distinction. He
needs the vote of the people.
TKW: I understand complete
ly. but I was just piggybacking off
of a comment that the mayor
made about black churches* where
he specifically said black church
es. So. I understand that complete
ly. but my comment was in
regards to that.
TKW: (Back to mayor): What
do you think your image is among
African Americans in the city?
JC: (long silence) For those
that know me, it's probably very,
very positive. Those that are only
going to make their decision
based on what happened four
years ago. and I have some people
still say 'we have heard that you
are a racist' or something like that.
I can't believe they haven't...if
you just take a kiok at my history
and what I've done, which is his
tory. It's not what I think I am
going to do: it has already been
done. In my votes or in my...If you
talk to just (Alderwoman) Vivian
Burke, going back to 1977, she
constantly mentions the things I
w as a part of to make sure that the
African-(American) community
was very piuch brought in to
everything I knew that was possi
ble. and that positive decisions
were made, including the Human
Relations Committee, which I
helped create in my committee,
etc.
But I don't like to talk about
those things because you want to.
make this race and/or an issue like
that or what African Americans
think. And you are going to make
a big issue out of. 1 guess, black
churches now. You say whatever
you want. Kevin That's what you
have done in the past with me any
way.
You have taken good things
that I have done and turned them
around or not even mentioned it
because there is a bias. I think, in
that paper, especially toward a
white person, but more so even
toward a white Republican.
TKW: (sigh) All right.
JC: Based on what I have
seen, not w hat 1 think but what I
have seen you do since you
became what you 4tave become
(TKW was named The Chroni
cle's managing editor in January).
So this interview isn't any fun for
me because I already know you
are going to spin this, couch this in
such a way to put me in the worst
possible light rather than the best.
So you go ahead and do your
thing. But I have been persuaded
by my staff to meet you.
TKW: Well that's fine. Mr.
Mayor, but I didn't bring up the
black churches. I did not ask a
question about anything African
American before you brought it
up. If you want to listen to the
tape, that's fine, but I didn't men
tion race until you brought it up
yourself, sir. So I don't under
stand...(mayor interjects).
JC: OK. let's go on to the next
question.
TKW: Going back to that
incident four years ago. that you
I
also brought yourself twice, what
happened there - four years ago
with the flag.
JC: You tell me what hap
pened'.'
TKW: Well. 1 am gi\ing you
an opportunity to just explain,
again.
JC: (Mayor mumbles)
KN: If I may interject, actual
ly that situation has nothing to do
with what is 'presently going on
and the history of what Jack has
done to affect this city.
TKW: OK, why don't...(KN
interjects)
KN: It has nothing to do with
the mayoral election presently.
TKW: Why don't 1 just let the
mayor say what he wants to say
and I'll leave. 1 mean, because my
questions are not being answered,
so there is no reason for me to be
here. So if you say what you want
to say, I'll write the story and
that's it.
JC: Something I want to say
about what?
TKW: About 20()l-whatev
er - because I am getting flustered
a little.
JC: Oh yea, what does it feel
like?...It feels bad. doesn't it?
TKW: I did not come here for
this. I came to ask questions. 1
don't have time....There are
10.000 stories in the community
that could be covered.
JC: I agree. She's (KN) going
to get you a flier. (The flier lists
the mayor's key accomplishments
during his first term. Promoting
diversity within his office, the
Nation^ Black Theatre Festival
and the ClAA's return to the city
were among things listed.)
J ile Photo
Cavanagh speaks at an event promoting youth employment.
Myths about
Islam dispelled
FROM STAFF REPORTS
There wasn't a seat to be
had last week at a forum held
at City Hall that focused on
educating the public about
Islam, a religion that has been
on the minds of many Ameri
cans since the terrorist attacks
Sept. 11. Sponsored by the
city's Human Relations Com
mission, the forum, titled
"Understanding Islam." fea
tured a panel of local people
who provided insight on the
subject.
Among them were Charles
Kimball, a professor of reli
gion at Wake Forest Universi
ty. Kimball talked about the
religion's rich history, a history
that includes the creation of the
first schools of higher learning,
long before the Western
world's Oxford and Cam
bridge.
Muslims know the rich,
vast history of their religion; it
is non-Muslims who are large
ly ignorant of it, according to
Kimball. The professor also
urged Americans not to look at
Islam or the Middle East with a
narrow scope.
"You can't think of Islam in
monolithic terms," Kimball
said. "Algeria is not
Afghanistan."
Imam Khalid Griggs of the
city's Community Mosque was
also on the panel. His mosque
experienced some vandalism
in the wake of the terrorists
attacks, which were allegedly
PCIFC"
trated by -
Mus
lims.
Griggs
said
forums
such as
the one ^
last!
week are I
a n ?
impor
tant part
Griggs
of the healing process.
"It is very important that
we discuss this in an open
forum." he said,
A better educated public.
Griggs said, hopefully will
prevent further attacks on
Muslims in this country if
another terrorist incident were
to occur.
"Maybe we want be so
quick to react and lash out." he
said. "Our concern is what
happens tomorrow." Two local
Arab Americans were also on
the panel. The forum will be
shown on TV-13 today at 6
p.m., at 2 p.m. on Sunday and
at 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 29 and
Oct. 31.
I
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