OPINION
The Chronicle
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Ernest H. Pitt PublisherI Co-Founder
Not bisi Ec. km on vi Co-Founder
ELAINE PlTT Bus iness Manager
fannie Henderson Advertising Manager
1. KEVIN Walker Managing Editor
K AV STULTZ Production Supervisor
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Let's keep it real
It is no wonder that members of the City-County School Board
green-lighted an obvious conflict of interest last week. Members of the
board routinely rewrite history, take credit for things they have nothing
to do with and vote as if they were appointed and not elected.
Last week, before the board voted to let the superintendent oversee
equity issues in the school system he is charged with running, board
members feted themselves for improving the academic performances Of
poor, black students. Board members said that by implementing the
. redistricting plan, which created neighborhood schools and ended cross
. town busing, minority students have closed the achievement gap rapid
ly because students feel more comfortable going to schools in their own
communities.
Board members also patted themselves on the back for creating
smaller class sizes at poor schools and allocating additional funds for
students at such schools. The school system has tons of data showing
the achievement gap between whites and blacks narrowing, and that is
certainly a good thing. But for the board to even insinuate that it had the
best interest of poor little black children at heart when it developed that
plan is a crock (you fill in the rest of the sentence).
The redistricting plan was a thank-you to white voters who were
sick and tired of sending their kids jo Atkins. Kimberley Park and
Diggs. The feelings of the black community, or the effect it would have
on us. never came to mind.
The board's gloating would be like George and Jeb Bush taking
credit for election-reform legislation.
School Board members were driven by their personal motives when
they started the plan. The decent testing results that have occurred since
are great news but not some well-planned strategy.
If members of the board want credentials to wave before the black
community, they should work to develop some - legitimate ones.
Corrections
Last week's story about shotgun houses in
Happy Hill should have said that Habitat for
Humanity will build in the community some
time in the future.
The May 2 Community Focus story on the
Gospel Train concert misidentified the main
choir that performed. The choir was the Phillip
Chapel Baptist Church Male Chorus.
Reparations
Armstrong
Williams
Guest
Columnist
Recently, FOX news com
mentator Juan Williams and I
joined sides in a reparations
debate sponsored by the Harvard
Black Law Students Association.
We were pitted against the
high priests of reparations. Har
vard Law professor Dr. Charles
Ogletree and talk-show host Joe
Madison.
There along the well-mani
cured lawns of America's premier
educational institution, we were
joined by hundreds of Harvard
students. Ninety-nine percent
were inclined to Ogletree/Madi
son mantra that they are - and
always will be - victims. Victims
of what? you may ask. Victims of
the centuries-old crime of slavery.
Victims of social hierarchies. Vic
tims all.
I took the opposite view.
The discussion heated up
when a young black American
student raised his wool gabardine
clad arm (shirt, Dolce, $55), and
asked. "Don't you think African
Americans have been victimized
by the white man and his racist
system?"
The question caused me to
wonder aloud how much these
victims pay a year for their Har
vard education.
"Thirty-five thousand dollars
a year," a student later responded.
1 shook my head incredulous
ly. "What precisely about your
$35,000-a-year education has
taught you to believe that you are
a victim? I mean, why even go to
college if you are already defeat
ed?"
The questions went unan
swered. Instead, a panelist assert
ed that many black women suffer
from breast cancer and a lack of
health benefits - twin facts that
she attributed to the lack of repa
ration payments. This is too much.
"So let's get this right: if repa
rations had been paid, no black
women would suffer from breast
cancer or find themselves in need
of health aire?" 1 asked.
"The disease would somehow
leap over black women if repara
tions were paid?"
Ripples formed across the stu
dent's forehead.
Ogletree interceded on behalf
of victim status. He made some
reasonable points: a shared history
of slavery has created certain
social hierarchies in this country.
Over time, these social hierarchies
have given rise to internal senti
ments, such as the expectation of
future possibilities for white kids
and the destruction of future pos
sibilities for poor minority chil
dren. &
Yes, so far this made sense. I
concurred: "It is true that there
remains quite a bit of hangover in
this country from the cultural c vi
sion that slavery wrought. I firmly
believe that the racism of today
isn't as much about skin color, as
it is about the racial hierarchies
that a shared history of slavery
and discrimination ingrained into
our national identity."
Ogletree looked stunned and
perhaps appalled that I was agree
ing with him. He kicked it up a
notch. Civil rights in this country,
he insinuated, is not simply a mat
ter of individual rights, but rather a
collective effort to reverse those
social hierarchies that deem
minorities inferior.
I was being set up as a betray
er of the race, a self-hater for
opposing quotas and affirmative
action and countless other meas
ures designed to engineer racial
progress.'.
I cut him off: "The question
isn't really whether minorities
have been victimized. We have.
The question is whether embrac
ing victim status really helps us
achieve equality. In other words,
how do we move beyond initial
steps of civil rights legislation?
Many of our civil rights leaders
have created the myth of retribu
tion - the idea that seeking pay
back will somehow create equali
ty. That's how they stay in busi
ness: by nurturing other people's
anger and ignorance. But this is
dangerous because it encourages
society to regard all members of a
fixed group as victims. It even
convinces bright, capable Harvard
students to regard themselves as
victims."
I tossed out a few examples of
people fattening themselves on
the racial angst of others: from
Jesse Jackson-style racketeering,
to the recent scam in which black
accountants collected fees by
encouraging other black Ameri
cans to file for reparations on their
tax returns. I then quoted my men
tor, Justice Clarence Thomas/who
once observed that "the (civil
rights) revolution missed a larger
point by merely changing the sta
tus (of minorities) from invisible
to victimized."
"How shameful." I concluded
with a dramatic sweeping gesture
(I had been practicing the move all
week in the mirror).
My opponent observed that I
failed to argue in terms of alterna
tives - that eschewing victim sta
tus does little to confront the real
ities of prejudice and inequality.
He received a smattering of
applause.
I fell back on the Declaration
of Independence, and its guiding
spirit "that all men are created
equal." My opponent countered
that The Declaration of Indepen
dence was intended as a notice to
the world and therefore was writ
ten w ith a rhetorical tlair appropri
ate to the occasion. Needless to
say. there was an obvious discon
nect between what our Founding
Fathers espoused in general terms
of equality and what they prac
ticed in the specific.
Nonetheless. I argued that if
we are to embrace common rights,
we must accept common human
ity. That means prop ling individ
ual rights, rather than legislating
group rights.
"Ip other words, minorities
should be treated as other
humans." shouted a member of
the student body.
"Yes!" I effused.
I then congratulated the Har
vard student on doing something
rather extraordinary - grasping the
obvious.
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Agency deserves
kudos for work
(This is an open letter written
by a Housing Authority resident
to thank officials at HAWS. - The
Editor)
To the Editor:
After completing six success
ful weekends of the paralegal cer
tificate course offered by the Cen
ter for Legal Studies and Winston
Salem State University. I feel
proud of myself or having the self
determination that led me to pur
sue this goal.
The course was very concen
trated. as we had a lot of ground to
cover in six weekends. Attorney
D e n i s e
Hartslield
was the
instructor
for the
class. The
way that
she taught
made me
love what
I was
d o i ,
and I have
always had a passion for the law. I
learned a lot. about the law. about
myself, and. more important. I
saw exactly where I want to be
and the kind of determination it
takes to get to that place.
The pride I saw in my 7-year
old daughter's eyes when I told
her that I was going back to school
was one of the most precious
moments in my life, because I am
always talking to her and instilling
the importance of education and
success in everything we do. She
was able to see me practicing that
same philosophy, and I am sure
that she will carry that with her for
a long time to come.
Nothing in this world takes the
place of education and knowl
edge. and knowing that I have
succeeded in this endeavor only
makes me want to reach higher
and climb harder. I am thankful to
Campbell-Binns
the Housing Authority of the City
of Winston-Salem for supporting
me, encouraging me and helping
me to reach my goals. I have
found a family here at the Housing
Authority, and I am p' >ud to say
that I have been a pai f v at I
think is the best ad listration
thus far.
My thanks go out to the Win
ston-Salem Housing Authority:
? To the executive director. J.
Reid Lawrence, who saw the
potential in me and nourished it to
my benefit.
? To the deputy executive
director. A. Fulton Meachem. who
oriented me on my first day, and
has been a supportive co-worker
and friend for every day that has
followed.
? To my second family in the
Resident Services Department:
Director or Resident Services
Bumetta Evans, who trusted my
instinct, insight, and ability. Thank
you. thank you. thank you. Your
inspiration and support have
helped me in ways that you may
never know, but I am grateful for
your leadership and friendship.
? Adult Services Coordinator
Paulette Davidson: Your support,
your kindness made me feel like I
could do anything, and I can.
Thank you. sister!
? FSS Coordinator Tyran Fen
nell: Didn't you say. "You go,
girl." I'm already gone. Thank
you for your diligence when it
came to getting those funds
approved. You went above and
beyond, and not just for me. I have
seen you do it for each person who
is interested in advancing through
the FSS Program. Your commit
ment to the FSS Program is the
stuff that dreams are made of and
the ability to make those same
dreams come true.
? FSS/Section 8 case manager
Sylvia Neely: Thank you for
wanting this for me just as badly
as I did. Your support and dedica
tion to my self-sufficiency inspire
me.
? FSS case managers Tiffany
McCravey. Risha Hamlin. Chan
dra Shenill. Joan Belcher: With all
of the obstacles that you face, you
all still get out there and do it each
and every day, and for those of us
that want better, you all are there
to assist. There's something spe
cial about the FSS Program, and
it's each and every one of you!
Yours very truly,
Donna Campbell-Binns
A passion for giving
To the Editor:
Marshall Bass has a passion
for giving that he exerted more
aggressively after his retirement
from R.J. Reynolds Nabisco as
senior vice president. With his
experience, he had more organiza
tional and managemental skills
than most other African Ameri
cans.
This offered an opportunity
for Bass to share his knowledge
with business students at Winston
Salem State University for many
years. He was recruited to serve as
chair of the WSSU Foundation
Board. Under his leadership the
first serious financial campaign
for WSSU was launched, which
grossed $25 million. He donated
one of the largest individual gifts
to the university at that time.
He is sensitive to the needs of
children. He gave a substantial
contribution to help start the Best
Choice Center, the only anti-drug
facility for children in Forsyth
County. He is on the board of
directors, gives annually to assist
in its operations, and has estab
lished the Bass Best Choice
Endowment Fund at the Winston
Salem Foundation.
One of the most creative and
exciting programs is the Marshall
Bass Children's Fund, created by
Bass to help in the "delivery of
better services to children."
Kahlil Gibran wrote: "You
give but little when you give of
your possessions. It is when you
give of yourself that you truly
give."
Thank you. Marshall Bass, for
giving both and being one of the
greatest benefactors of color in
this area.
May God continue to bless
and keep you.
Virginia New ell
Students should
be taken seriously
To the editor:
The end of the school year
often means that students are put
WSSU Chancellor Harold Martin thanks Marshall Bass for his
contributions to the university.
off and put on the back burner
on important issues. Students are
the reason schools run. We are
the ones who need instruction
and guidance from people who
are supposed to instruct and
guide us. If a student has a prob
lem, it is my understanding that
talking to administrators should
help fix the problem.
That has not been the case
for me. 1 have been having an
ongoing problem at my high
school with one of my teachers,
who blatantly mistreats me and
many other students. I have
reacted to her treatment the
wrong way. by walking out of
class. But when I tried to fix the
problem the right way. my con
cerns fell on the deaf ears of
administrators. I thought con
flicts were supposed to be solved
by administrators. But I and
many of my peers have been
subjected to blatant mistreat
ment by this teacher, including
being assigned work with no
instruction and snide remarks.
Administrators at my school
have urged us to come to them
when we have problems instead
of reacting in negative ways. I
tried that and it failed.
Last week. I walked into
class to discover we were being
given a chapter of work from a
book from an entirely different
course. I took my complaint
about the assignment to the
office and was astonished to
hear administrators defending
the teacher's actions. But that
proved my point that students
have absolutely no bearing on
anything.
It IS not fair to assume that
the teacher is always right. This
happens every day at every
school, and it is not fair. I feel it
is time for students to stand up
for our rights. We are not subor
dinates but human beings.
If students were taken more
seriously, it could prevent many
of the problems we see in
schools today, such as violence,
absenteeism and fighting. The
way students are treated breeds
these types of activities.
Wali Pitt
Thanks to those who
took part in event
To the Kditor:
The I Oth annual Dining for
Friends dinner parties on or
about April 20 brought together
large and diverse groups with a
single mission: to support local
people living with the AIDS
virus. HOPE (HIV Outreach
Programs and Education) and
AIDS Care Service, whose pro
grams. are supported by Dining
for Friends, offer heartfelt
thanks to the party hosts. Volun
teers. and donors who made the
event a spectacular success.
The "Finale" at the Sawtooth
Center was a great party for a
great cause.
The Center for Disease
Control estimates that more
than 9()().(M)() people in the
United States are infected with
the AIDS virus. If Winston
Salem is in line with the nation
al statistics, about 10.000 local
people are infected. AIDS Care
Service and HOPE are on the
front lines of the battle in
Forsyth and surrounding coun
ties. providing social services,
material assistance, referrals,'
and education to those who
have few personal resources to
fight the disease.
That's why your support for
Dining for Friends and our
AIDS service agencies is
important. That's why we are
enormously grateful.
Donna Butlde
Executive Director. HOPE
Larry Roth
Executive Director, AIDS
Care Service, Inc.