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75 cents WINSTON-SALEM GREENSBORO II I (.11 POINT Vol. XXVIII No. 33
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Former Howard University professor Cornel West
discusses Enron, Democrats and lack of black
leadership during speech at Wake Forest University
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Last week was a whirlwind
for Cornel West.
The famed author and Ivy
League professor was arrested
on Thursday outside the State
Department in Washington,
where he and others were
advocating for peace in the
\ai/trti.. c...,
West was the keynote
speaker at the first-ever
Minority Male Summit, an
event sponsored by WFU's
Office of Multicultural Affairs
that attracted Asian, black and
Hispanic college students from
schools across the state. The
two-day conference - the
theme was "Accountability,
Am I My Brother's Keeper?" -
Friday. West's
decision to
leave Harvard
University
where he had
taught black
studies for the
last six years -
for a position at
Princeton Uni
versity was
announced. On
Saturday. West
was at Wake
Forest Universi
ty. telling a
crowd of several hundred that
he hoped to "unnerve " and
"unsubtle" them with the
speech he had prepared.
With young black men
making up the bulk of the
prison population, hordes of
single black mothers living in
poverty and despair, and the
presence of black leadership
seemingly invisible. West said
he himself is unnerved when
he encounters black people
who are hopeful about the
future.
"If I run into an optimistic
black person in America. I
know that they are not in tune
with reality," he said.
featured a
diverse slate of
speakers.
Piggybacking
off the confer
ence's theme for
much of his hour
and-a-half
address. West
said too often
black people
embrace the
"me" way of
thinking instead
of the "we" way
of thinking and
put on blinders instead of
addressing the^lnany pressing
issues facing not only black
America but society as a
whole.
"One of the problems of
our day is that we don't have
enough courageous
folks....There is too much cow
ardliness out there."
West urged the crowd,
which was made up of not only
the more than 200 summit
attendees but hundreds more
as well, to follow in the rich
tradition of courage estab
lished by their black foremoth
Sec West on All
"If I run into an
optimistic black
person in America,
I know that they
are not in tune with
reality."
- Cornel West
Sharpton says church can do more
Photos by Patrick Golding
Cornel West delivered a fiery speech at Wake Forest Satur
day, in which he addressed a number of issues.
Controversial pastor takes
on apathy among blacks
BY T KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE .
One of the most talked-about and con
troversial men of our time spoke out Sunday
against what he described as a widespread
ailment sweeping through black America.
Not cancer. Not AIDS. But "Negro
amnesia."
"Negroes have forgotten where they
come from." the Rev. Al Sharpton said to a
hail of amens at Union Baptist Church.
Sharpton said blacks, especially those
who have achieved some measure of suc
cess, are so preoccupied with themselves
that they have forgotten about the men and
women who fought and died for the free
doms they enjoy and profit from today. He
said this self-centeredness has resulted in
the exacerbation of many problems in the
black community, such as the mass incar
ceration rate for young black men.
Sharpton. a well-known New York
based activist/preacher, was the featured
speaker at the church's 80th anniversary
observance. An empty space on one of the
church's many pews was harder to find than
a parking space outside of the church.
Church personnel estimate that about 1.500
people came to hear Sharpton.
Though primarily known for his social
and political endeavors. Sharpton made it
clear to the crowd that his roots as a rev
erend run deep. His address was chock-full
of old-style cadence preaching accented by
powerful hand movements and head rock
ing. He brought the crowd to its feet several
times with a no-holds-barred commentary
on the state of the black church.
Sharpton took church folks to task for
"shouting" on Sunday and "cursing" on
Monday. He said too often Christians do not
incorporate the messages they receive in
church into their everyday lives, leaving
their spirituality and goodness within the
walls of the church until the following Sun
day.
"You can find more unity at a bar than
you can in the church." he said. "Folks get
drunk together and help each other get
home. Folks shout together in church and
don't care how (you) get home."
Sharpton said the true measure of Chris
tians is not what they do for a couple hours
on Sunday but what they do for the rest of
the week. He described the church as a "fill
ing station," a place where churchgoers
should go to get fuel so that they can go
places and do things Monday through Satur
day. 1
The Rev. Al Sharpton stops in the city on a swing through North Carolina.
Doctor wants to
cure state's ills
Republican Ada Fisher
is trying to be heard in
race dominated by only
one name - Liddy Dole
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
In case you have not
heard, a Republican woman
from Salisbury is running for
the U.S. Senate seat being
vacated by Jesse Helms. She
has an infectious smile and a
witty sense of humor, both of
which are on display as she
works her way through the
state on a meet-and-greet tour.
But this Republican does
n't have the president of the
United States as a cheerleader,
a multimillion-dollar cam
paign war chest or a husband
that pitches Viagra and Pepsi
in television commercials.
Her name is Dr. Ada Fish
er, and if she has yet to intro
duce herself to you and shake
your hand, sit tight.
"I have visited 91 coun
ties, 1S5 cities and towns:
have lost 30 pounds and worn
out three pairs of shoes and
have shaken at least 20.000
hands." Fisher said Monday,
fresh from a weekend visit to
the Triangle, where she chat
ted with college Republicans.
among
other
people.
Fish
er plans
to visit
all 100
of North
Caroli
na's
counties H?, lmmrlwrlifll(()hw,e[
before Fisher
t h e
Republican primary.
"I try to shake hands with
50 to 100 people a day. 1
believe you can't represent
that which you are not willing
to visit." she said.
A physician who has
worked not only in the med
ical profession but in corpo
rate America (most recently as
medical director for Amoco),
Fisher boasts that no one run
ning. on either the Republican
or Democratic ticket, has the
kind of qualifications that she
has, qualifications that
include training in bioterror
ism response and a seat on the
Rowan County School Board.
She is also proud of the
issues that make up her plat
form - a list of themes that
she has coined "13 steps to
recovery."
"I know the issues up,
down and sideways." Fisher
See Fisher on AS
Relationship
budding between
bank and WSSU
BY COURTNEY GAILLARD
THE CHRONICLE
The School of Business
and Economics at Winston
Salem
State
Universi
ty cele
b r a t e d
Mechan
ics and
Farmers
Bank
Day on
April 10
Johnson in the
R . J . '
Reynolds Center on the cam
pus of WSSU. Keynote
speakers included Lee John
son. president of Mechanics
and Farmers Bancorp Inc.. and
Benjamin Ruffin. chairman of
Mechanics and Farmers Ban
corp Inc.
Chancellor Harold L. Mar
tin welcomed and thanked
Other executives from
Mechanics and Farmers Bank
in attendance such as Evelyn
Acree, senior vice
president/city executive for
Mechanics and Farmers Bank,
and Bill Pickens, assistant to
the president. Acree along
with John Berry, director of
development for WSSU, col
laborated on making M&F
Day possible at WSSU. They
have been organizing the ini
tiative for the past few years.
"We believe that this day
sets forward an exceptional
opportunity for both organiza
tions to build their significant
relationships that we believe
will be most beneficial to both
See MAF ,m A10
??M Stamdlaurell
Photo by reletia McMillan
Donnell and Dorothy Wynecoff celebrated a feat not
reached by many married couples - their golden anniver
sary. Read more about the couple on page CI.
Shorpton on All
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