Ben Piggott thanks Rising Ebenezer Baptist Church's Tim Byer
for helping the Sims Center and Happy Hill Reunion honor
Rev. William Brown.
Happy Hill reunion
planned for weekend
FROM SI.Ml REPORTS
Fonner residents from near
and far are expected to turn out
this weekend for the Ninth Annu
q, al Happy Hill Reunion, which
will take place at the William C.
Sims Recreation CenteV on Fri
day. July 12, and Saturday, July
!3.
I he I
main I
speaker |
for this I
year's Z
reunion I
is Sam I
Davis, I
Then
Chroni- |_
c I e ' s
snorts
editor and former Happy Hill
Gardens resident, who will speak
at the weekend's kickoff function
on Friday at 7 p.m. The honorees
for this year's reunion are Beverly
Funches Williams. Rev. William
Brown and the Happy Hill Com
munity Association.
Donte Lemon will be the
youth singer for Friday's event.
The HAWS Ensemble will also
provide entertainment on Friday
night.
Robert Cunningham. Happy
Hill assistant director, will address
the residents and bring them up to
date on the changes and view
points of the community.
On Saturday, there will be a
peace parade, peace balloon lift
off as a community vigil and
motivational words from youth
leader Stuart Eaton of Union Bap
tist Church. There will also be a
softball game, bingo games, bal
loon game, swimming at the com
munity pool and prizes. Various
vendors will also sell their wares.
Ben Piggon and Rock Bitting,
the event organizers, said they are
very excited about other activities
scheduled for the day. An out
standing lineup of entertainment
"is scheduled. That lineup will
include Joe Robinson, the New
Jerusalem Male Chorus. Fantasia.
Gerald "The Pearl" Robinson.
The Inspiration of Faith Choir.
Pastor Dawkins. Peace of Mind
Choir. Bless the Children & New
Life, the Precision Ensemble, the
Boss Drummers. Sonja Nicole
Winestaff. Shirley Mosley. Code
Red. the Second Calvary Praise
Team and the Happy Hill Talent
Show. Thankful Heritage will
have its portable museum on dis
play.
"There is just so much that we
' ?
have lined up for this year's
reunion." Piggott said. "We think
this is going to be one of the most
memorable ones that we have
had. We look forward to having
the speakers and the entertainers
coming. Everyone is invited to
attend."
Sam Davis was bom and
raised in Happy Hill Gardens and
attended the community schools,
Diggs Elementary and Anderson
Junior High. From there he
accepted an academic scholarship
to attend Masconomet Regional
School in Boxford. Mass. After
his graduation in 1976, he attend
ed Swarthmore College in
Swarthmore, Pa., on an academic
scholarship.
He returned to Winston
Salem in 1981 and began a brief
career in the concert promotion
business. He later studied mass
communications at Winston
Salem State and was editor-in
chief of the New Argus. That led
him to pursue a career in journal
ism, first with the Winston-Salem
Chronicle and then the Winston
Salem Journal. After several years
in private business he returned to
the Winston-Salem Chronicle as
sports editor in 1995 and still
serves in that capacity.
Davis has also been active in
youth and high school sports for
more than two decades. He began
his coaching career with the Tiny
Indians organization before
becoming an assistant at R.J.
Reynolds High School. He has
also served as an assistant coach
at Parkland and Carver high
schools.
In 1999 he became head
coach and athletic director at
LIFT Academy and successfully
started the school's athletic pro
gram. His teams at LIFT com
piled a 15-9 record in 2 1/2 sea
sons before the school closed.
That includes an 8-2 mark in his
first season.
Davis is also an ordained min
ister and chairs two national com
mittees with the United Church of
Jesus Apostolic.
Davis has won numerous
awards in the print media. He
earned second place for sports
writing in the N.C. Press Associa
tion's 1999 contest and earned
third place in the news category
during the 2(XK) contest. His
sports section has been named
Best Sports Page by the National
Newspaper Publishers Associa
tion in five of the past seven years,
including the most recent one held
last month in Miami.
mm. i
Davis
NAACP:
Congress
failing on
civil rights
BY HAZEL TRICE EDNEY
NNPA WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON - As Republicans and
Democrats heal up their battle for control of the
House and Senate, an NAACP report card
shows that nearly half of members of the U.S.
Congress have still failed on civil rights issues,
with only one Republican receiving a grade
higher than an F.
Six months after the organization's mid
term report card for the 107th Congress. 217 of
the 435-member House and 50 of the 100
member Senate received Fs on a special "Con
vention Edition" report card issued recently
during the NAACP's 93rd Annual Convention
O in Houston.
I lie UVCIUII icpuii
shows a razor-thin
improvement over the
one issued in January.
It reveals that more
than half the members
of Congress, including
52 senators and 226
representatives, were
given F's. The final
NAACP Report Card
for the 107th Congress
will be issued in
rzecemner.
The NAACP. a nonpartisan organization,
grades on issues related to education, foreign
affairs, discrimination, economic justice,
health care, civil liberties, criminal justice and
election reform.
The grading scale, based on the percentage
of votes cast in agreement with the NAACP. is
as follows: A. 100-90 percent: B. 89-80 per
cent; C, 79-70 percent; D. 69-60 percent; F. 59
0 percent: and I for incomplete.
The new report card comes as lawmakers
engage in races across the country in a struggle
for control of both houses. The election will be
Nov. 5. Democrats hold a 50-49 majority in the
Senate with one independent. House Republi
cans hold a 222 -211 majority with two inde
pendents.
Despite the Bush administration's aim to
reach out to black voters in its attempt to help
Republicans win in the fall, the report card will
likely bolster the black vote for Democrats.
The grades show that Democrats overwhelm
ingly vote in support of civil rights issues while
Republicans appear to be anti-civil rights. Rep.
Connie Morclla of Maryland is the only
Republican in the entire U.S. Congress who
earned a grade above an F, w hile 76 Democrats
earned A's. Morella got a D with 61 percent.
Senate and House leadership grades also
show stark contrasts. Senate Majority Leader
Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Majority Whip
Harry Reid (D-Nev.) both got A's while Minor
ity Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and Assistant
Minority Leader Don Nickles (R-Okla.) both
got Fs.
In the House. Majority Leader Richard
Armey (R-Texas) and Majority Whip Tom
Del ay (R-Texas) both got Fx. Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) got an A and
Minority Whip Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) got
aB.
"It's so important that NAACP members
see for themselves how our senators and repre
sentatives are doing on those bread-and-butter
civil rights issues of the NAACP." said Hilary
Shelton, director of the organization's Wash
ington bureau and its primary lobbyist on
Capitol Hill. "Very clearly, so much more work
needs to he done for the overall Congress to
understand the importance of civil rights issues
and concerns of (the) African-American com
munity."
1 I
Only one Senate Democrat and seven
House Democrats got F's. The F Democrat in
the Senate is Zell Miller of Georgia with 61
percent. His counterpart. Max Cleland. got an
A. The F Democrats in the House are Collin
Peterson (Minnesota); Ronnie Shows and
Gene Taylor, both of Mississippi; Bill Lipinski
(Illinois); Bud Cramer (Alabama); Ken Lucas
(Kentucky); and Ralph Hall (Texas).
Also as usual. House Republican Confer
ence Chairman J.C. Watts, the only black
Republican in Congress, was among those
with F's. He voted with the NAACP22 percent
of the time, a slight improvement over his mid
term 21 percent. Watts has announced that he
will not run tor re-elec
tion. causing Republi
cans to work extra hard
to maintain their House
majority.
Another who
showed improvement
is Sen. James Jeffords
of Vermont, who won
accolades from many
liberal organizations
when he switched his
party allegiance from
Republican to independent in the spring of
2001, tipping Senate power to Democrats. Jef
fords, who got an F after he voted correctly 55
percent of the time, went up to a D this time
with a score of 67 percent.
Not surprising, a strong majority of the 38
member Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)
got A's. They got 22 A's. 10 B's and three C's.
The three C's are Sanford Bishop (Georgia),
Carrie Meek (Florida) and Juanita Millender
McDonald (California).
Ironically, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.). who
received this year's NAACP Spingam Medal,
the NAACP's highest award for civil rights,
got a B with 89 percent, the first time he has
ever received lower than an A in his 16 years in
Congress. That's mainly because Lewis, a pio
neer civil rights veteran, voted against the
NAACP once and missed another key civil
rights vote.
"In the instance where he voted against us,
final passage of election reform legislation,
only 63 members supported the NAACP posi
tion and opposed the final legislation." the
report card notes. The report card says the
missed vote was oh a motion for acceptance of
Senate language creating a permanent Vio
lence Against Women Office. The vote was
416 to 3.
Two^'BC members - Dels. Donna Christ
ian-Christensen and Eleanor Holmes Norton -
are non-voting. Rep. Dianne Watson (D-Calif.)
ruwsived an I for incomplete because her term
began in June of 2(X)I after the 107th Congress
had begun. She replaced Julian Dixon, who
died of a heart attack on Dec. 8. 2tKK).
Only 10 senators and 20 representatives
received grades of KXI percent, including
seven CBC members.
Receiving 100 percent in the Senate were
Maria Cantwell (Wash.I. Hillary Clinton
(N.Y.), Jon Corzine (N.J.). Richaid Durbin
(III.). John Kerry (Mass.). Patrick Leahy (Vt.),
Patty Murry (Wash.), Jack Reed (R.I.). Paul
Sarbanes (Md.). and Paul Wellstone (Minn ).
Scoring 100 percent in the House: Taminy
Baldwin (Wis.), Xavier Becerra (Calif.). Sher
rod Brown (Ohio), Michael Capuanao (Mass,).
Barney Frank (Mass), Gerry Kleczka (Wis.),
Jim McDermott (Wash.), James McGovern
(Mass.), Grace Napolitano (Calif.). John Olver
(Mass.). Ed Pastor (Ariz ). Lucille Roybal
Allard (Calif.) and Hilda Solis (Calif.); also,
CBC members John Conyers (Mich.). Danny
Davis (III.). Earl Hilliard (Ala ). Donald Payne
(N.J.), Bobby Scott (Va.). Maxine Watgrs
(Calif.), and Mel Watt (N.C.)
Sen. Corzine. in the second year of his first
six-year term, said his 100 percent A rating is a
reflection of his commitment to justice. He
said although he has not intentionally sought
out the NAACP's positions, "I do believe what
the NAACP stands for and what I stand for are
the same."
Citing the need to eliminate racial profil
ing. predatory lending and the need for access
to capital for African Americans, Corzine said
he recognizes that such things don't come eas
ily. "It has taken patience and perseverance to
be able to accomplish those things that are of
importance to our country." he said.
With two senators front each state, there
were nine instances in which one senator got
an A and the other an F.
The lowest scorers in the House and Sen
ate are all Republicans: James Inhofe (Okla ).
Trent Lott (Miss.). Fred Thompson (Tenn.t and
Strom Thurmond (S.C.). all of whom voted
with the NAACP only 12 percent of the time or
less. In the House, they were Dave Camp
(Mich.). Chris Cannon (Utah). Michael Collins
(Ga.l. Phil Crane (III.) Barbara Cubin (Wyo.),
Vito Fosella (N.Y.), Wally Herger (Calif.),
Duncan Hunter (Calif.). Jim McCrery (La.),
Charlie Norwood (Ga ), Charles Taylor (N.C.),
and Don Young (Alaska), all of whom voted
w ith the NAACP only 17 percent or less of the
time.
Watt
Lewis
rile Photo
Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.)/ a former actor> received one of the lowest grades
from the NAACP, as did many other of his Republican colleagues.
Primary
from page AI
Parmon. have also been
expressing their desires to have
questions answered and issues
addressed regarding the state
budgetary crisis.
"People want to get some
stability and certainty overall.
People look at me more than a
candidate and expect me to
have more answers....I don't
have any more definite answers
than anyone else." Parmon
said.
Parmon wyll face Democ
rats Annette Beatty, Mischi
Binkley and George Bryan in
the primary.
Apparently the candidates
aren't the only people feeling
like sitting ducks over the post
poned primary. Officials at the
Forsyth County Board of Elec
tions office are waiting for the
green light from the Justice
Department, which will make
the final judgment concerning
district lines, to proceed with
election preparations.
Kathie Chastain Cooper,
director of elections for the
Board of Elections, says that,
like the candidates, the Board
of Elections is just as frustrated
over the matter. Cooper, who
has been with the board since
1974, said she has never
worked an election under these
conditions before.
"(Board of Elections) has
never had this situation before.
(The situation) is unknown to
all of us and we will have to
figure out what we're going to
do once we get the primary
date. We're going to have to
shorten some of the time
schedules for the election....I
know the candidates are out
there waiting, but we're just
frustrated as everybody else."
Charles McGee's sheriff
campaign committee has been
hard at work on his behalf
while he served duty in the
Naval Reserve in Florida for
much of the first half of this
year. McGee says he stayed
abreast of events back home
via e-mails and the Internet, but
was still shocked by the court's
decision to postpone the pri
maries.
McGee, who has been back
since the eady part of June, has
been actively campaigning
since his return from Reserve
duty and. like Parmon. intends
to boost the morale of the vot
ers by reminding them every
chance he gets that an election
race is in progress.
Recently, his position as
assistant sheriff for the Forsyth
County Sheriff's Department
was eliminated as a result of
state budgetary cutbacks.
McGee says he has even more
time and energy to focus on
encouraging people to vote for
him.
"I've got to give people a
reason to vote....We still have
(a) race to run." said McGee.
who hopes to encourage citi
zens from becoming discour
aged over the current redisrict
ing dilemma.
McGee, a Democrat, will
square off against Jim Bob
Campbell. Clarence Moody
and John Polite.
Ada Fisher, a Republican
trying to replace Jesse Helms
in the U.S. Senate, has been
campaigning full speed ahead
and says that she was not both
ered at all that the election was
postponed. Fisher said that she
takes every chance to "shake
hands and hold babies" at any
Republican function she can
attend.
"I am going to campaign
day in and day out until the
election." said Fisher, who also
expressed her disappointment
with the election process, call
ing it "undemocratic and open
to the highest bidder."
Fisher believes the election
process should be put in the
hands of the people because
"North Carolina has to decide
what it wants."
Until that time arrives.
Fisher says, she will continue
to do what she is supposed to
do: campaign.
Fisher will have to beat
Republicans Vinkat Chalta.
Timothy Cook. Elizabeth Dole.
Jim Parker. Douglas Sellers
and Jim Snyder in the primary.
Cooper said that a decision
on a primary date could come
as soon as July 8.
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