Photo* by Fekcia McMillan
Honorees recognized for their "religious emphasis" prepare to make their entrance.
Women with a mission honored
BY FELECIA P. MCMILLAN. PH.D.
THE CHRON1CL1
The honorees entered to the
tune of "Amazing Grace." There
was standing room only at the sec
ond annual Women With a Mis
sion Women's Day Luncheon Sat
urday at Mount Zion Baptist
Church. Last year's celebration
also drew a full house.
According to Janet Atkinson,
floor manager. "This event sold
out early. It was such a success
last year."
The celebration was crowned
with the sound of music, featuring
FYeddye Dixon on piano. Bianca
R. James on steel drums, and
soloist Gloria Green.
Annie Hairston and Evelyn
! Sanders served as co-chairpersons
of the Luncheon Committee.
? Denise Hartsfreld. District Court
i judge, served as the mistress of
? ceremonies. The Mighty Men of
? Mount Zion serv ed as waiters for
! all of the tables. The keynote
J speaker for the occasion was
? Joyce Hash, co-pastor St. Peter's
World Outreach Center.
Hash reminded the women:
"We are taking off our high heels
and putting on our work clothes
and going into the community. Do
you know who you are in Christ
Jesus? We are right in the mid
dle of a mission field. It is time for
, us to get together in this commu
' nity
"We come from many differ
' ent churches, but the common
; denominator is how much we
? love Jesus. I am a woman on a
I mission."
Co-chairperson Evelyn
Sanders offered a description of
the occasion based on "faith, fel
lowship, and fidelity."
Hartsfield compared the pro
gram with Tom Joyner's shout
out sessions. "We are going to do
some shout-outs today for women
who have excelled in the areas of
religion, education, community
; affairs, business ventures, a youth
representative and alumni." Harts
field said.
! Sharon G. Correll. chairper
son of the Women's Day Commit
tee, thanked all of the women for
being present at the gathering. She
recognized their contributions to
the city and to their families.
Verdell Irene Hayes paid trib
ute to the honorees with a speech
tilled "NoUn Anyone Else's Shad
ow." According to Hayes, the
women included in the 2003 edi
tion of Women With a Mission
have always been "workers and
strikers and dreamers .They are
leading their own companies and
advising the CEOs of other enter
prises. They are working to end
poverty, injustice, and disease."
Hayes said: "There is no shad
ow of comparison of these hon
ored women w ith those who pre
ceded them, nor those who will
; follow diem...."
Each of the women received a
plaque, and their awards were
named after deceased women of
Mount Zion Baptist Church.
Honorees in the segment "reli
gious emphasis" included: Laura
Hayes Allen, Alice Houston
Banks, Marian Anderson Hair
ston, Cheryl Harry, Addie Jabbar.
Tanya Johnson, Veronica Gaither
Jones, Co-Pastor Joyce McCarter.
Mattie M. McClendon. Susie
Nance, the Rev. Mary F. Peterson
and Annette Banks Squire. Diedra
Stewart presented these awards.
Honorees from the area of
education included: Geneva
Brown, Norma E. Corley, Dr.
Sylvia A. Flack, Johnetta Moore
Huntley. Elvenia D. Johnson and
Dr. Ganesse "Gigi" Moultry
Gloster. Delores Graham present
ed these awards.
Those honored for communi
ty affairs included: Dr. Minnie
Friday Benson, VirNessa D. Ben
son. Joan Cardwell. RaVonda
Dalton-Rand. Valarie Sneed Falls
Harris. Barbara Hayes, Bessie M.
Henderson, Doris S. Herrell, Judy
Horsey, Brenda Humphrey, Mau
rice Pitts Johnson, Artanzia
Richardson Jones. Naomi W.
Jones. Doris B. Kimbrough. Wil
helmina Bell Lawrence Long,
attorney Davida Martin, Mable
H. Stevenson and Mattie Young.
Brenda Amason presented these
awards.
Those honored in the area of
business were: Chandra G. Irvin.
Miriam McCarter, Sandra Wilder,
and Theldora Small-Williams.
Blanche Robinson passed out
these awards.
The youth representative hon
oree was Diana Victoria Hines.
Jennifer Atkinson recognized
Hines.
Alumni honorees included Dr.
Loretta M. Braxton, attorney Jean
Burkins Cureton, Bemice
Sanders. Holly Elaine Stepp and
Shamay Torrance. Mildred Tuttle
recognized these people.
Rev. Serenus Churn paid
homage to the women's special
contributions in the church. He
recognized them as "the virtuous,
vivacious and victorious daugh
ters of Mount Zion."
"If the women decided to
leave the church, we men would
leave along with them. When I see
you, I think of the words of the
poet who wrote: 'She walks in
beauty....' When I think of
African-American women, 1 am
so impressed by the way you
patch the wounds of a child, keep
the school going, keep the com
munity going," Chum said. "You
are so beautiful to me."
Maurice Horsey, one of the Mighty Men of Mount lion, serves as a waiter.
Educator Doric Herrell and cosmetologist Bessie Henderson were
recognised for their contributions to community affairs.
City native shocks many
by winning primary for
Greensboro City Council
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
I Ml ( HRONtCI I
T. Dianne Bellamy-Small
sent tiny tremors through the
Greensboro political establish
ment two weeks ago.
Bellamy-Small, a political
novice with scant funds in her
campaign coffers, got the best of
incumbent Belvin Jessup in the
primary for the District I seat on
the Greensboro City Council.
She garnered nearly l(X) more
votes than Jessup in the four
person, nonpartisan race. The
two will now duke it out Nov. 4
in the general election.
"You can feed the multitudes
with two fish and five loaves,"
Bellamy-Small said last week.
"I had less than $1,500, and I
beat the incumbent."
Bellamy-Small was born
and raised in Winston-Salem.
Her parents. William and
Reather Bellamy, made sure she
kept her nose in books at East
Winston Library and that she
never missed services at Mount
Zion Baptist Church. She and
her husband, Andrew Small Sr..
moved to Greensboro nearly
three decades ago, but she
remains close to the city. She
said although her friends in
Winston-Salem won't be able to
cast ballots for her in what is
expected to be a close race, she
is still thankful for the support
she has received.
"People in (Winston-Salem)
are helping me by praying for
me," she said.
Bellamy-Small is a woman
of many talents. She has gained
acclaim as a singer, whose pow
erful pipes are known for mak
ing Negro spirituals come to
life, and storyteller. She works
as a parent educator and staff
development trainer for the
Exceptional Children Assis
tance Center. Bellamy-Small
also runs TDBSmall Enterpris
es. which provides Afrocentric
learning materials and consult
ing.
Making the leap into politics
wasn't a big jump for her. For
more than 20 years, she has
worked in her precinct, holding
several positions. Bellamy
Small said she always had her
eye on the City Council but held
back because of her family. But
now, her youngest son is a few
months away from turning 18
and college. 3
"My family was at a point
when I would not have to be
such a hands-on mother," she
said. "It was the most advanta
geous time for me to do this!"
Bellamy-Small said she has
cam
paigned
the way
she lives
- taking
time to
talk to
everyone
about
issues
that are
impor
tant. Her
platform concentrates on four
main issues: economic develop
ment. equity of services,
empowering communities to do
for themselves and programs for
seniors.
Bellamy-Small said eco
nomic development is a concern
for District 1 (East Greensboro)
residents.
"We have watched West
Greensboro grow at a phenome
nal rate, while East Greensboro
has not hardly grown at all,"
Bellamy-Small said. She said
she also is concerned that other
areas in the city seem to be get
ting the lion's share of city
amenities such as parks and
recreation facilities.
Bellamy-Small has no real
political experience, but she said
she has enough people experi
ence to make up for that.
"I think I have done enough
and 1 have seen enough to do
this job." she said.
Bellamy-Small, who has
adopted the campaign slogan
"There is no concern too big or
too Small." is confident about
her chances for victory. She has
already made the political
machine stand up and take
notice. Now she wants to finish
by winning next month. She
vows that she will be the peo
ple's council member.
"People will find an
I approachable me," she said. "I
am not going to change who I
am."
I \ ? . I
Bellamy-Small
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