The
Vol. XXXIV No. 29
? See Page A12
22 llM&T .
NORTH CAROLINA ROOM
FORSYTH CTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
660 W 5TH ST
WINSTON SALE34 NC. 27101-2755
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THURSDAY, April 3, 2008
Wake [
freshman
earns
lofty honor
-See Page Bl
Business
leaders
inspire
students
There is
reascm rek
ceh
Wallets
of local
minorities
overflowing
Blacks and Hispanics in
Forsyth spent nearly
$2 billion in 2006
BY LAYLA FARMER
?THE CHRONICLE ' / ? ? " ? ;
Money, power, respect - they all go hand
in hand. And Keith Grandberry wants to
make sure local minority populations get
their fair share of each.
"We really need to educate the people of
Winston-Salem on the economic impact that
minorities have in this community," said
Grandberry, president and CEO of the
Winston-Salem Urban League. "I think it's
me most impor
tant thing that we
can look at in this
community
economic buying
power."
? Raising
awareness in
black and
Hispanic com
munities about
their collective
economic impact
could lead to
more socially
conscious spend
ing, Grandberry
believes.
we need to
be aware of our power and we need to be
sure that we use it effectively," he said. "I
don't think that we are looking at the power
that we have. We need to look at how we can
take some of that money that we're spending
and create opportunities for ourselves."
Monday, the Urban League educated
local people about the tremendous economic
impact that blacks and Hispanics have in
Winston-Salem, and Forsyth County. The
"lunch and learn" event was a collaboration
between the Urban League and the North
Carolina Institute of Minority Economic
Development - a statewide nonprofit that
supports underrepresented sectors of the
business community.
Attendees learned that blacks in Winston
Salem spent an astounding $1.8 billion in
2006, while local Hispanics in that same
year shelled out $612 million for goods and
See Spending on A4
Dr. James Johnson Jr.
Photo by Layla Farmer
Antonio Cunningham stands outside of his Liberty Street barbershop.
Together
They Stand
Liberty Street merchants form association
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Antonio Cunningham has
spent most of his career on
Liberty Street. Cunningham,
36, began barbering at a small
shop on the Liberty Street
Corridor - the stretch of land
between the 12th St. to New
Hope Lane (formerly 18th St.)
intersections - 15 years ago.
"I was just young and I felt
like I needed to do something
with my life," he said of his
decision to become a barber.
"I was cutting (hair) at
home, you know, just kids in
the neighborhood, so I
thought I'd go to barber
school and give it a try; I
ended up enjoying it."
After the shop on Liberty
closed, Cunningham moved
on, opting for a chair in the
downtown area. But when he
decided to open his own shop
years later, Cunningham
returned to his roots.
"I enjoyed it, you know,
the flow of the traffic; it's
right in a community, a neigh
borhood where kids can walk
to get their haircuts; you don't
See Merchants on A4
mi
Photo by Jaesoo Pitt
Officials cut the ribbon last week to formally open Foundation Heights.
'Here We Grow Again7
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Foundation Heights has been
called many things - swanky, mod
ern, even a collegiate Waldorf
Astoria. But no one is calling it the
"D" word.
"It used to be a time when we
called these a dormitory, now it's a
residence hall. ..which means this
WSSU formally opens newest residence hall
ain't your mother's or father's dor
mitory," said Nigel Alston, the
chairman of the Winston-Salem
State University Board of Trustees.
Alston was among several uni
versity leaders that took part in a
dedication and ribbon cutting for
Foundation Heights, WSSU's third
new "residence hall" in as many
years. Foundation Heights has
already been broken in by the more
than 300 students who call it home.
It opened to students last
September. Friday's ceremony was
an occasion to honor the various
players who brought the project to
fruition and to spotlight the
school's continued growth.
"We have the best housing
facilities in the entire University of
North Carolina system," bragged
Chancellor Donald Reaves, who
says he states that claim often,
even to other system chancellor
and UNC system administrators.
See WSSU on A6
Study War No More
Locals hold vigil to mourn the 4,000th American casualty in Iraq
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
A small group gathered last
Thursday night for a solemn
vigil to mark the 4,000th death
of a US. serviceperson in Iraq.
The vigil, held at Llyod
Presbyterian Church, focused on
the human cost of the five-year
old Iraq War; participants also
prayed for the war's end. The
vigil was one of many spon
sored by the American Friends
Service Committee (AFSC), a
Quaker group that advocates for
peace and social justice. Debra
Dillard, an organizer with
AFSC, said the vigils are also
designed to mourn Iraqi casual
ties.
"We wanted to take the
opportunity to draw attention to
it and so make the connection
not only to the U.S. loss, but the
See vigil on A6 Vigil participants take their message to the street.
All-American Girl
Photo by Kevin Walker
Two-year-old Kenkedy Kornegay got into the spirit last
week at a voter registration rally by waving the American
flag. The rally was held at the Urban League and attend
ed by dozens. To read more about the event, see page B7
of this week's issue.
In Memory of
Charlene
Russell Brown
"Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better "
fflimintl Home
Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support
822 C?rl Russell Ave.
Cat: Martin Luther King Dr.)
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
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