Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Aug. 1, 2002, edition 1 / Page 5
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j Minority business group announces fund-raiser SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE The Greater Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce's East ; Area Council announced that it will hold its annual benefit golf tournament on Sept. 28 at Win ston Lake Golf Course. This year, a portion of the proceeds froirfihe 13th Annual \ Governor's Open Golf Tourna ment will go to The Children's Museum of Winston-Salem, the domestic violence division of Family Services Inc.. and the Vivian Burke Business Schol arship at Winston-Salem State University. Last year's golf tournament raised nearly $10,000. "We are pleased that for the 13th straight year, the East Area Council is holding a golf tournament in Winston-Salem to benefit organizations that make a difference in our com munity," said Mosi Belton Brown. chairwoman of the East Area Council's steering com mittee. "This yeatp we are proud to have selected organi zations that can make tremen dous positive changes in our community for years to come." "If you take a close look, you'll see that these organiza tions are closely linked." she said. "If we invest in the nur turing of our youth, then they will less likely be involved in domestic violence as adults." Construction of the 24.000 square-foot museum will begin this fall ai the corner of Lib e r t y Street and Brook s t o w n Avenue, and the museum will Belton-Brown open in late ->003. It will oger exhibits and programs designed to develop critical-thinking habits, strengthen language skills and reinforce a child's natural curiosity. Gail Chavis, executive director of the museum, said. "We are delighted that the museum has been selected as a recipient of the proceeds from the East Area Council's golf tournament." Family Services is the only provider of domestic violence and family violence programs in Forsyth County, and operates a shelter for battered women and children. The work per formed in treating child and adult trauma has been highly regarded in the community. Al Renna, president of Family Services, expressed appreciation to the East Area Council, saying the money is needed to help in the area of family violence programs in Forsyth County. Last week, WSSU announced that it had estab lished a scholarship named for Burke, a longtime member of the Winston-Salem Board of Aldermen and a supporter of minority businesses in the city. It is aimed at needy students who are enrolled in the univer sity's school of business'and economics and are interested in starting a business. The 2002 Governor's Open will begin with registration at 7:30 a.m., and play will begin at 8:30 a.m. In association with this year's tournament, the East Area Council will hold a play ers' reception from 6-9 p.m. on Sept. 27 at McMillan's Cafe at 401 W. Fourth Street. "The reception will signal the re-emergence of the East Area Council with a reinvigo rated mission and a determined focus to play a major role as a member of the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce." Bel ton-Brown said. The East Area Council has been a part of the Greater Win ston-Salem Chamber of Com merce for about 15 years. It is made up of chamber members with a mission to promote the interest and development of minority-owned businesses by fostering opportunities among minority-owned businesses and all chamber members. For additional information or sponsorship opportunities, call the golf tournament chair person, Darryl Little, at 722 9600 or the chamber's Jill Atherton at 728-9206. I " I - ?_,> Image courtesy of the C hildren s Museum Slated to be built off of Brookstown Road, the Children's Museum will feature several inter esting exhibits. Above is a rendering of what visitors may expect. McCord from page A 2 answer to the question to be "yes" so badly, she was afraid to ask it. "Are they alive?" "No." "All my life, working in the mills, working in the nursing home, people would say, 'Linda, you don't look black.' I cussed them out. ! told them. 'I'm not white." Now I have to go back and apologize." She laughs her mother's infectious laugh. "I jusi started eating chitlins - now I find out I've got a taste for the wrong food." She laughs again. "All those years I rode in the back of the bus. They didn't know they had a poor white woman sitting back there with the black women. I've been impersonating a Negro for 47 years." Joking is McCord's defense against the sadness she feels, the bitterness, the confusion. She now has answers to many of her questions. She's gotten to know her, younger brother and sister. tw? nieces and a nephew. She's seen her parents' graves in Surry County and where she was born. Still, she's not at peace. She asked a lawyer if there was any thing she could do. anyone she could sue. but there isn't. Too much time has passed. "I'm not ashamed of the fact that I was raised black. I'm ashamed the state deprived me of my own family," McCord said. "I still don't fit in. A few months ago. these three black ladies made the comment that I was a token n??. A few weeks passed and this white guy called me a while folk's n?. I'm try ing to figure out something in my own heart." McCord grew up black in an era when black people were mistreated (as inferior). Would she have gone further in life as a white person? It's something she wonders about, but doesn't dwell on. She has six children, 12 grandchildren, a husband, a home. She's lived a good life. "In a sense. I think I came out ahead of the game. I learned survival by being black and I learned a lot of respect for everybody." So whom does she see when she looks in the mirror? A black woman? A white woman? "I'm just Linda." she said. "I want everybody to call me Linda. I don't have a race. I'm just Linda." Robinson from pane AI of the House allowed him to be cut out of the 93rd District to clear the way for their "friends" to have a shot of being elected. "Politics is politics," said Robinson, who says he doesn't take the perceived slights person ally because others were also cut imt of their districts. "I'm sure there are some black legislators who didn t know what was going oh." After he was drawn out of the Republican stronghold, Robinson planned to pull out of the race, fjis change of heart was spurred by.the lofty regard he has for men and women of the armed forces. Robinson, a graduate of the U.S. ? Air Force Academy, said events such as the recent death of Ben jamin O. Davis Jr., the first black ^ir Force general and the leader of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, helped him realize that what he f3ees in the 72nd District is sim ply a molehill compared with the mountains that Davis and Robin son's father (who fought along side Gen. Davis) and other serv ioe people had to scale. . "The fact that you have a lot iff .voters of another party in a dis trict is a mere inconvenience c^npared to their sacrifices." he s?k1. *- Robinson said he is not com pletely without any roots in the democratic district. Since the <?lriy 1990s he has been the pres ident of the N.C. Education Reform Foundation, an advocacy lijtanization that has pushed for the right of parents to send their yribng ones to charter and private sthools. :> "There are hundreds and hun cieds of voters in the 72nd Dis tiact whose children are going to charter schools because Vernon Robinson made it happen. I think there will he some residual bene fits from that," he said. 1 Educational reform will be Robinson's major issue. ? "You really can't run for alderman and talk about (educa tion reform). You can't run for school board or county commis sioner to really talk about that." Robinson said. "Really the only time you can have dialogue with black women voters...on that issue, which I believe is a pivotal isslte for this race, is in a legisla tive race." _ The topic or educational reform is timely. Recently the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was not unconstitutional for pub lic money to be used to pay for religious school education and a recent poll showed that more African Americans than ever are in favor of vouchers - a system that would allow parents to use public money to help pay for pri vale school education for their children. Robinson said he gets fre quent calls from black mothers in East Winston who need money to help send their children to Quali ty Education Institute, a private Afrocentric elementary school. Robinson contends that he is the only candidate running in the district who believes in true edu cational reform, although one of the Democratic candidates (Ear line Parmon) started and ran a charter school for more than a decade. Robinson believes that public schools have failed black children and private schools may be the answer. He says many blacks agree with that point. "I hope that every black woman voter in the 72nd District, by the end of this campaign knows three numbers - 5 (the percentage of black eighth graders proficient in math). II (the percentage of black fifth graders proficient in reading), and 40 (the percentage of black ninth-grade males who graduate from high school after four years)," Robinson said. His data are from the Nation al Assessment of Educational Progress. Those familiar with Alder man Robinson may think that candidate Robinson is a kinder, gentler person. During his nearly five years on the Board of Alder men, he has unleashed his conser vative points of view "on a num ber of issues. He opposes efforts by the city to spur racial diversity not only through city contracts, agencies and loans but also on volunteer city committees and commissions. He has also been a staunch opponent of using city money to help finance nonprofit agencies. Some of the agencies that rely on public money to oper ate provide social services to a great number of black clients. Robinson maintains that his issues have not changed now that he has to win over black female Democrats instead of white male Republicans. He says he still believes in smaller government and lower taxes, both of which he says will help black families. He also says he still is a strong advo cate for the city's firefighters and police officers, many of whom are black, according to Robinson. Robinson, however, did not support the efforts of three black police officers who were demot ed by the police chief in 1999 for failing to keep a rap concert at Joel Coliseum under control. While the other African Ameri cans on the Board of Aldermen argued that the officers should be given back their ranks (which eventually occurred). Robinson sided with the chief's right to make the decision. Robinson knows that voters in the 72nd District have not always seen eye to eye with him, but he says other issues are petty compared with educational reform, which he says is the first step in changing the fate of the black community. "Is the survival of your chil dren and grandchildren, keeping our sotis out of prison so our daughters have somebody to marry, is that an insignificant issue? Is that equal to the other issues? I don't think so. I think that is the number one issue," he said. File Ph'olo Vernon Robinson speaks from his seat on the Winston-Salem Board of Aldermen. He was recently re-elected. NOTICE MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED FIRMS The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is seeking minority and women-owned firms (MAVBE) to bid on upcoming highway projects throughout the State. The Locations of the projects are: o z 8 2 Ql 6.051045 8.1040902 6.051016R 6.252001 R 6.52I005R 6.5.41005R 8.1515801 8.1405502 8.2570705 8.24051X15 8.2420705 6.621008R 8.1792602 8.1802202 8.1811702 6.781008R 6:801(X)7R 6.821006R 8.2871102 8.7586005 c ? 3 3 0 0 o oc Dare Currituck Dare Brunswick. Iredell Johnston. New Hanover Franklin. Nash Wayne Johnson Wake Granville Wake Bladen Forsyth Catawba Cleveland Catawba. Gaston. Lin coln Alexander Cleveland Iredell McDowell Madison 0 a ? Construction of Passenger/Vehicle Ferry " Grading, drainage & paving Grading, drainage, curb & gutter, milling & resurfacing Guardrail & dynamic message signing Milling, resurfacing, Shdr reconst. & pvmt markings Shoulder reconstruction & resurfacing Resurfacing with ultrathin bonded wearing surface novachip Widening, grading, drainage, paving & culvert Grading, drainage, paving & structure Grading, drainage, paving & structure Grading, drainage, paving & structure Milling, resurfacing & pavement markings Grading, drainage, paving & structures Median guardrail & guiderail and rail retrofit Median guardrail Shoulder reconstruction, milling & resurfacing Shoulder reconstruction, milling & resurfacing Widening, resurfacing & shoulder reconstruction Widening, grading, drainage & paving Grading, drainage & paving \ c o ?5 03 -I Hatteras Inlet Operation US-158 at NC-168 in Barco US-158 from the Wright Memorial Bridge in Southern Shores to US-64/264 in Nags Head 1-40 & 1-77 near Statesville. I 40 & 1-95 near Benson & US 17NC-87, US-17/74/76, US 421 & NC-132 near Wilming ton 4 sections of US-64 US-117 from the Duplin Co. line to US-13 1-95 from 1500 feet south of mp 100 to the Wilson Co. line NC-55 from southeast of SR 1108 (Wake Chapel Rd) to northwest of SR-1114 (Ralph Stephens Rd) Bridge over Island Creek & approaches on SR-1430 Bridge over Powell Creek & approaches on SR-2226 Bridge over Colly Creek & approaches on SR-1532 NC-67 from 1-40 Bus/US.-421 to 0.2 miles north of SR-1528 Bridge over NC-127 and approaches on Main Ave. in Hickory US-74 from east of Cleve land/Rutherford Co. line to US-74 business & from SR 2245 to Cleveland/Gaston Co. line US-321 from NC-275 in Gas ton Co. to Catawba Co. line NC-16 from the Wilkes Co. line to N'C-90 US-74 from NC-226 to SR 1161 1 section of NC-901 SR-1001 (Sugar Hill Rdifrom 1-40 to US-221/NC-226 (Mari on Bypass) US-25/70 bypass/NC-213 from west of SR-1393 (Smith Hal low Rd) to east of SR-1601 ? GOALS BY 0 ? PERCENT t; 211 ui I UJ I w J! C CD CD CD Sui o ; ? English 09? English 39? English '59fc 3% English 0?k 0% 'English ~5%~ ~W ' English W 39? English Metrics 8?k ' i English 9# English W i ________ i English m ; English 5~ 3% English 59? English English ~ " English TT~ 39? English 59? 39? English 59?" 39? Metrics 59? English 59? *** MONDAY, August 15,2002 6 PM ? MIDNIGHT *** North Raleigh Hilton ? 3415 Wake Forest Road ? Raleigh. N.C. LETTING DATE: August 16, 2002 Prime contractors will be available to receive quotes for trucking, sub-contracting and materials. MAVBE's needing more information and/or technical assistance may come to Room 522 to meet with representatives from the Bennington Corp.. NCDOT's Supportive Provider. (919)832-6027 NCDOT Office of Civil Rights & Business Development 1 ?800*522-0453 Certification of highway contracting firms: Richard Chrisawn Certification of supply/service/engineering firms: Robert Mathes Comments or concerns: Delano Rackard: Director Nt-y
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Aug. 1, 2002, edition 1
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