Bill Cosby will headline May
fundraising event for N.C. A&T
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
Comedy legend Bill Cosby will
headline a fundraising event for N.C.
A&T State University later this
spring.
"An Evening with Bill Cosby" will
be held May 9 at 7 p.m. in the
Guilford Ballroom at the Sheraton
Four Seasons in Greensboro. Tickets
are now on sale for the event, which
will feature live music and a special
performance by Cosby. Table sponsor
ships start at $1,000. A limited num
ber of individual tickets are available
for $125 per person. The event will
benefit and support the University's
scholarship initiatives.
Since becoming A&T's chancellor
last year, Dr. Stanley F. Battle has set
as one of his priorities new scholar
ship initiatives that will provide
increased financial support for merit
scholars.
"An Evening with Bill Cosby" is a
showcase event that will help higlu
light the university's vision of making
scholarship funds available for the
best and brightest students." Battle
said in a statement. "Dr. Cosby has
made it his busines^. to support all
institutions but has been a champion
for Historically Black Colleges and
Universities throughout this country.
We look forward to this event and are
excited about the support we continue
to receive from our community."
Cosby is one of the most recogniz
Chancellor Battle
able faces and names in American
entertainment. The 70-year-old
Philadelphia native got his start in the
1960s doing stand-up at clubs
throughout the country. His big break
came when he was casfed in "I Spy."
Generations of young audiences
know Cosby from children's televi
sion show "The Electric Company,"
on which he starred for its first two
seasons. He created the animated clas
sics "The Adventures of Fat Albert
and the Cosby Kids," and was fea
tured in a series of popular kid-friend
ly commercials for Jello.
i Cosby's biggest entertainment suc
cess was 'The Cosby Show," a hit
NBC sitcom that ran from 1984-1992
The show, which Cosby created and
produced, broke new ground by por
traying professional African
Americans in a non-stereotypical
manner.
In recent years, Cosby has made
headlines for his statements on the
state of African- American culture. He
has been criticized by some and
applauded by others for coming down
on the black community for what he
says is a lack of focus on education
and low morals. Many of his views
are outlined in "Cogie on People: On
the Path from Victims to Victors," a
book he recently authored with Dr.
Alvin F. Poussaint, a professor of psy
chiatry at Harvard Medical School.
Cosby has practiced what he ?
preaches in terms of education. He
was already a mainstream celebrity
when he returned to school to earn an
undergraduate degree from Temple
University. He received his master's
and doctorate degrees from the
University of Massachusetts.
Cosby recently lent his name to a
collaborative educational program.
The Cosby Kids Initiative, at N.C.
A&T and Guilford Technical
Community College. The program
aims to enhance the academic per
formance and related areas of targeted
students in fourth, sixth and eighth
grade.
For ticket or additional informa
tion. call 336-433-5570.
Bill Cosby's career spans half a century.
Photo courtesy of AAT
Photo by Layla Farmer
B e d f o r d\
Vaughn holds I
a copy of his
book, "A
Treatise: A
Call for
Action, a
Turnaround
in the Black
Community."
Vaughn
from page A1
"A Call to Action" is
deeply personal to Vaughn.
Photographs of his own family
serve as illustrations for the
82-page work, which is dedi
cated to Wihelmenia Vaughn,
his wife of 56 years.
I'm not a writer," he con
fessed, "but the ideas are good
ahd it's heartfelt and itss based
on fact and some significant
experiences."
Education is an important
component in securing an
upward mobility for the black
community, Vaughn asserts.
Moreover, it is the burden and
responsibility of the parents to
see to it that their children are
receiving the best education
possible, he says.
"Our children will only get
an education if we decide we
want them to have one," he
declared.
Published in 2006, "A Call
to Action" landed Vaughn an
interview on C-SPAN the fol
lowing year. But Vaughn says
he doesn't care about the pub
licity.
"I didn't write this book to
sell a book; I wrote this book
to get some action," he said.
Churches, sororities, frater
nities and countless other com
munity-minded organizations
must be dedicated to the cause
in order for real change to take
place, Vaughn^says.
"I'd like for every church
in town have a mentoring pro-?
gram," he said. "There's room
for every church to look out
side its walls and start doing
things in the community."
A cohesive, multi-organi
zational effort is needed for
African Americans to move in
a more positive direction, he
contends.
"It's going to take every
body and every group (.to make
a change)," he commented.
"Every organization has to
take?some responsibility - oth
erwise organizing is a waste."
The couple moved to
Winston-Salem late last yeaf
and is quickly settling into
their new home. Mr. Vaughn,
an actor and a theater buff.
says he is excited to be in the
birthplace of the National
Black Theatre Festival. He has
already joined the local
NAACP and is working to
boost area mentoring pro
grams.
He is currently working on
his third book, tentatively
titled, "Answering the Call for
Action," which he hopes to
publish later this year.
Call to Action " is avail
able at Body & Soul. For more
information about the book, or
to contact Vaughn, call (336)
788-3960 or e-mail him at
bb\'@ redshift .com .
Bass
0Jn>m page A2
was able to secure more
than $82 million and the sign
ing of eight new laws to help
improve the state's Foster
Care System.
Committed to serving the
47th Assembly District
(47AD), Bass created the
People's Council, which is
made up of four Commissions
(Education, Environment,
Small Business and Health) in
order for constituents to get
involved in the political
process. The Commissions
aiso nosi
events
and
activities
in the
district
to pro
v i d e
informa
tion on
key
issues
anecung
47AD residents.
Before Bass began her
political career, she founded
and ran Community Coalition.
As executive director, she
built a community based
social justice organization in
South Los Angeles to empow
er residents to get involved in
making a difference. Today,
the organization is considered
a model to engage the com
munity throughout the coun
try.
California's next
Assembly Speaker grew up in
the Venice/Fairfax area. She is
the only girl of DeWitt and
Wilhelmina Bass. Her father
worked as mail carrier and her
mother, who once owned her
own beauty salon, was a stay
at home mother. Bass grew up
with two older and one
younger brothers. She is a true
Los Angelino graduating from
Hamilton High School, Cal
State Dominguez Hills (BA -
Health Sciences) and
University of Southern
California School of Medicine
(Physician Assistant
Certificate).
o Bass married Jesus
Lechuga and had a daughter.
Emilia Bass-Lechuga. After
their divorce, Bass and
Lechuga collectively raised
Emilia and her siblings. Bass'
four step-children. All of them
are still a major part of her
life. Emilia grew up with a lot
a surrogate aunts and uncles
who worked with Bass at the
Community Coalition. She
grew up to be a beautiful, pas
sionate woman who wanted to
follow in her mother's foot
steps to help others. After
marrying the love of her life,
Michael Wright, Emilia con
tinued to study to be a civil
rights lawyer. Emilia's pas
sion for life continues to be a
motivation to Bass in her per
sonal and professional life.
"I'm excited to be a histo
ry maker," states Bass. "It's
an honor that my accomplish
ments will inspire others to
get involved in the process to
make change a reality."
Nunez
NOTICE OF A CITIZENS INFORMATIONAL WORK
SHOP FOR THE PROPOSED REPLACEMENT OF
BRIDGE NO. 322 OVER 20TH STREET ON SR 1725
(UNIVERSITY PARKWAY) IN WINSTON-SALEM
TIP Project No. B-4745 Forsyth County
The North Carolina Department of Transportation
(NCDOT). will hold the above Citizens Informational
Workshop on Tuesday, April 8, 2008, between the hours
of 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM at the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Community Center, 2001 Pittsburg Avenue, Winston
Salem, 27105.
Interested individuals may attend this informal workshop
at their convenience during the above stated hours.
Department of Transportation representatives will be
present to answer questions and receive comments from
the public about this project. The workshop is being held
to present the purpose and need for the project, as well
as alternatives being considered.
This project proposes to replace Bridge No. 322 with
another bridge on a new alignment. The new bridge will
be built in construction stages alongside the existing
bridge.
Anyone desiring additional information may contact Ms.
Natalie Lockhart, Project Development and
Environmental Analysis, Bridge Unit, 1551 Mail Service
Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1551, phone (919) 715-5508,
fax (919) 715-1501 or email: nnfockhart@dot.state.nc.us.
NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the
Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who
wish to participate in this workshop. Anyone requiring
special services should contact Ms. Lockhart as early as
possible so that arrangements can be made.
The Chronicle March 13, 20, 27, and April 3, 2008
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