Frederick Gregory becomes NASA's
first black deputy administrator
Frederick D. Gregory, a veteran space shuttle commander
and retired U.S. Air Force colonel, has been named deputy
administrator at NASA, the first African-American to hold the
nncilinn
1
As deputy administrator, Gregory is
chief operating officer for the agency,
which includes directing anct|man?gtng
NASA's programs and day-to-igy opera
"His considerable experience as afc
astronaut and aviator, and his leadership
in space flight safety are needed at this
critical time for the agency," skid NASA
Administrator Sean O'Keefe. '
In December 2001, Gregory was
named associate administrator for space
Gregory
flight, after serving as associate -administrator for saf ety and
mission assurance. He becante an astronaut in 1978, and
logged more than 455 hours during tbiee mission*-attrwrfpflie
Challenger shuttle, where he was mission commander in 1989
and 1991. In the Air Force, he logged more than 7,000 hours
in 50 types of aircraft and flew 500 mission in Vietnam, retir
ing in 1993.
Gregory's nomination to the position was confirmed by the
Senate, and he will be sworn into office by President Bush.
"This is an incredible opportunity," said Gregory. "I appre
ciate the president's confidence, and I'm thankful for the Sen
ate's speedy consideration. We have lots of work to do and
I'm confident we'll be able to continue NASA's historic lega
cy of accomplishment."
Miami-Dade County agrees to settle
NAACP lawsuit over 2000 election
MIAMI - Miami-Dade County has agreed to change the
way it conducts elections to settle a voting-rights lawsuit
stemming from the 2000 presidential election, when problems
allegedly kept blacks from casting ballots in Florida.
The deal, reached last week, comes less than three weeks
before the scheduled start of a federal trial on the lawsuit,
filed by the National Association for the Advancement of Col
ored People and other civil rights groups.
Under the agreement in Miami-Dade County, election offi
cials will modify voter registration, voter-roll maintenance
and polling practices, all of which plaintiffs claim disenfran
chised minority voters on Nov. 7, 2000.
Among the agreement's provisions:
? County officials will try to identify people incorrectly
removed from voting rojls as a result of "felon" lists provid
ed by the state Division of Elections. Felons convicted in
Florida are not allowed to vote unless their rights have been
restored. Wrongly removed voters would get a written expla
nation that their voting privileges had been restored.
? The department will make sure that all voters in line at
poll closing time, 7 p.m., are allowed to vote.
? Election staffers will mail a written explanation to peo
ple whose provisional ballots are disqualified. Provisional
ballots are given to voters whose eligibility to vote cannot be
immediately verified at the polling place.
? The elections department will keep the NAACP and other
' rights groups informed about how precincts will be staffed
| and equipped.
U.S. Rep. McKinney faces pointed
questions from challenger during debate
ATLANTA - Rep. Cynthia McKinney faced pointed
questions over Arab contributions to her re-election campaign
Friday from a former judge who hopes to unseat her.
The exchange came in a 30-minute
debate broadcast live over Georgia pub
lic broadcasting. McKinney kept the pro
gram's sponsors guessing until the last
minute whether she would show.
McKinney, known for her controver
sial positions, faces her toughest chal
lenge in 10 years in an Aug" 20 primary
contest against Denise Majette. Both are
black women in a district just east of
Atlanta that is primarily black.
When candidates were allowed to ask
each other questions, Majette said. "On
9-11 while the rest of the world watched in horror ... you were
counting money received from some people who have been
named as Arab terrorists. How do you explain this?"
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported earlier this
month that McKinney received contributions from several
people who have come under federal investigation for sus
pected links to Middle Eastern terrorists or have voiced sup
port for extremist groups.
"We don't racially profile our contributors," McKinney
replied. "All of our contributions are legal. My opponent, on
the other hand, has an awful lot of Republican money going
into her coffers."
McKinney attacked Majette for taking various stands on
affirmative action, saying Majette flip-flopped on the issue
and also criticizing her for opposing slave reparations.
Majette said she supports affirmative action and has been
a beneficiary of such programs. But, she said, reparations for
slavery can best be made through improved public schools
and by leveling the economic playing field for all.
- Compiled from staff and wire reports
McKinney
;The Chronicle (USPS 067-910) was established by
lErnest H. Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and is
published every Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle
'Publishing Co. Inc., 617 N. Liberty Street, Winston
Salem, NC 27101. Periodicals postage paid at Win
ston-Salem, N.C. Annual subscription price is $30.72.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
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Winston-Salem, NC 27102-1636
I
INDEX
OPINION A6
SPORTS B1
RELIGION B6
CLASSIFIEDS BIO
HEALTH C3
ENTERTAINMENT C7
CALENDAR C9
AME bishop ministers to Africa
BY SYLVIA DLNNAVANT
THE DALLAS EXAMINER
DALLAS - She has gone
I from Baltimore to Mozam
bique. She is the spiritual leader
of four African countries, the
mother of three and the mentor
to many.
Yet. Bishop Vashti Murphy
McKenzie's biggest challenge
hasn't been breaking the glass
ceiling; it has been rebuilding a
straw house.
As a result of McKenzie's
historic election, she not only
became the first female bishop
of the African Methodist Epis
copal Church, in July 2000, she
also became the presiding
prelate over the 18th Episcopal
District of the AME Church, a
post that is made up of
Botswana, Lesotho. Mozam
bique and Swaziland in South
em Africa.
Known for bringing about
change, McKenzie began an
immediate needs assessment of
her new parishioners, many of
whom were left homeless after
severe flooding in Mozam
bique. Q
"It was very important to do
needs assessment. I needed to
get to know the people. I need to
know how they worked, why
they worked, so that we could
work together," said McKenzie,
who was in Dallas recently at
the African American Christian
Counselors national meeting.
McKenzie and the 18th Dis
trict responded to this crisis by
providing funding and labor for
51 temporary houses outside
Maputo, Mozambique, in Octo
ber 2000.
The biggest challenge, she
said, has been realizing the four
countries may be similar, but
they are very different:
"Sometimes I have to keep
reminding myself where 1 am
and what language I am expect
ed to speak. Each country is
very different, they have differ
ent languages, and their needs
are different as well," said
McKenzie.
Although AIDS and HIV are
at epidemic levels across the
United States, both are at pan
demic levels in the continent of
Africa.
"Botswana and Swaziland
lead the world with the highest
rates of AIDS," said McKenzie.
The disease has infected one
in five people. The generation
between the ages of 18 and 24 is
in danger of being decimated.
Orphans become one of the
great fallouts from the devasta
tion of AIDS in these countries.
According to the National
AIDS Conference held in
Barcelona, Spain, last month,
about 25 million Africans will
be orphans as the result of the
devastation of AIDS.
For McKenzie, this issue is
too real. Vast numbers of young
people roam the country with no
physical or spiritual guidance,
creating a multitude of other
issues, she said.
'To combat this problem we
have developed group homes,
not orphanages," said McKen
zie. The group homes will house
12 children and one adult.
Unlike an orphanage, the homes
are developed to help bring spir
itual and physical enrichment to
the children and create stability.
This December, McKenzie
is slated to complete three group
homes, which will house 36
children.
"You might say 36 children
out of 25 million is not a
lot...but you have to start some
where," said McKenzie.
Throughdut McKenzie's
ministerial history, she has
shown a love and devotion to
youths. In her new post she is
using that devotion to enrich
and empower the children of the
60 schools in her district. She
also has started a computer
drive to get computers in the
school systems. She mentioned
one high school housed more
than 800 students.
"As the United States has
become a digitized country,
Africa must also join them in
that form of technology. We
cannot afford to be left behind,"
she said.
Last year McKenzie started
an educational workshop for
teachers in her district. Educa
tors from her sorority, Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., as
well as from across the country
joined her for a two-week train
ing session. She is planning to
make this an annual event and
bring in other educators as well
to make sure her teachers are
equipped to handle the educa
tional challenges of the 21st
century.
Before her appointment,
McKenzie served as senior pas
See McKenzie on A4
KRT Photo
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, right, shakes hands with parishioners.
Report: Poor shorted on education
JL
SPECIAL THE CHRONICU
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
The Education Trust last week
released a new report docu
menting large funding gaps
between high- and low-pover
ty and -minority districts in
many states. The analysis
reveals that, in most states,
school districts that educate
i the greatest number of low
income and minority students
receive substantially less state
and local money per student
than districts with the fewest
low-income and minority stu
dents.
The report. "The Funding
Gap: Low-Income and Minor
ity Students Receive Fewer
Dollars," looked at school
finance data by the Education
Trust. It found that:
? In 30 of 47 states studied,
the quarter of districts educat
ing the greatest number of
poor students receive substan
tially less (i.e. a difference of
$100 or more per student)
state and local money per stu
dent than the quarter of dis
tricts educating the fewest
poor students.
? Nationally, the gap
between high- and low-pover
ty districts is shrinking, but in
some states it's getting worse.
The good news is that the gap
has decreased in 27 states
since 1997, in some cases by a
substantial amount.
Unfortunately, the gap has
increased substantially (i.e. by
more than $100 per student)
in nine states over the same
period.
?In 31 of 47 states studied,
districts enrolling the highest
proportions of minority stu
dents receive substantially
fewer (i.e. a difference of
$100 or more per student)
state and local education dol
lars per student than districts
enrolling the lowest percent
ages of minority students.
The Education Trust
believes the gaps have real
consequences for the quality
of education low-income and
minority children can receive.
In New York, for example -
the state with the largest fund
ing gaps - the $2,152 per stu
dent difference by poverty
enrollment translates into a
whopping $860,800 differ
ence between high- and low
poverty elementary schools of
the same size (400 students
each). That amount would
easily be enough for the high
poverty school to compete
with elite suburban schools
for the most qualified teachers
and also provide extra instruc
tional time for students who
are behind.
Nationally, districts that
educate the greatest number
of poor students receive $966
less per student than low
poverty districts.
Notice of Availability
The Virginia Department of Rail and
Public Transportation and the North
Carolina Department of
Transportation have completed a
Tier I Final Environmental Impact
Statement for proposed high speed
passenger rail service between
Washington. DC. and Charlotte. NC.
Copies of the Tier I Final
Environmental Impact Statement may
be reviewed at these locations.
Public comments are vital to the project and will be
entered into the public record. Comments will be
received through August 30. 2002, and should
be sent to:
David B. Foster. PE
Mail Service Center 1553
Raleigh, NC 27699-1553
Charlotte, NC
NCDOT Division lO,
District 2 Office
76D5 District Drive
Charlotte. NC 28213
Davis Diggs
704-596-6900
Durham, NC
NCDOT Division 5 Office
2612 North Duke Street
Durham. NC 27704
Jon G. Nance
919-560-6851
Qreenaboro, NC
NCDOT Division 7 Office
1584 Yanceyville Street
Greensboro. NC 27415
4996
Mike Mills
336-334-3192
Henderson, NC
NCDOT Division 5, District
3 Office
1060 Eastern Boulevard
Henderson. NC 27536
Scott Capps
252-492-0111
Raleigh. NC
NCDOT Division 5. District
1 Office
4009 District Drive
Raleigh. NC 27607
Brandon H. Jones
919-733-3213
Roanoke Rapids, NC
NCDOT Division 4. District
1 Office
PO. Box 98
Halifax, NC 27839
(Location: NC 903. 1.5 miles
northwest of Halifax. NC)
Andy Mills
252-583-5861
Sanford, NC
Lee County Manager's
Office
106 Hillcrest Drive
Sanford. NC 27330
Gaynell Lee
919-718-4605
Salisbury, NC
NCDOT Division 9, District [
1 Office
4770 South Main Street
Salisbury. NC 28147
C.T. Corriher
704-639-7560
Star, NC
Star Municipal Building
454 South Main Street
Star. NC 27356
Robin Hussey
910-428-4623
Wilson. NC
NCDOT Division 4 Office
509 Ward Boulevard
Wilson. NC 27895
Jim Trogdon
252-237-6164
Winston-Salem, NC
NCDOT Division 9 Office
2125 Coverdale Avenue
Winston-Salem, NC
27103
Pat Ivey
336-631 1340
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