Photo by Jefti. Yvonne Hints, from left, Florence Corpening, Chief Pat Sorris, Dr. Vivian Burke, Sandra Jones, Janie Wilson, Sylvia P. Adams, Simona Allen and Beverly Graham. Women from page A1 M. Ivey, CEO of Reynolds American, Inc.; and Sandra Jones, founder and chairman of Segmented Marketing Services, Inc. Local Poet Nell Davis Britton read an original piece inspired by Proverbs 31:31. Titled "I am Every Woman," which she tailored to fit the occasion. Each honoree's con tribution was carefully woven into her prose. "I am every woman, I am every woman you see; for 1 dwell in every woman and every woman dwells in me," she declared. "... I can be an educa tor that touches a child's mind, I can be an executive director of any and every kind; like the director of the Salvation Army or the YWCA, and I can be a minister who makes a difference today; I can serve the Arts Council or the Winston-Salem Symphony, or I can be a phar macist with my own pharmacy; I can be every woman who is appreciated as the CEO of Reynolds American, Incorporated; I can own a mar keting business that is segment ed, or my marketing skills may be direct mail oriented; I can reach the highest goals that every woman can see, even aspire to be the chief of police; I am every woman, going about the community, being the very best that God has planted in ?? me. Janie Wilson, owner of, Excalibur Direct Mail/Marketing Services and one of the founders of the Women's Fund, a women's phi lanthropy initiative, rounded out the group. "It's been a joy to do this and I will be taking this back to them to share as well because as far as the Women's Fund goes ... everybody's pitched in and done just such a a phenomenal job," she declared. "We've gotten off to just a wonderful start in our infancy. We're looking forward to moving on as we grow and hope women in our community will join us as members of the fund." Wilson was also recognized earlier this month at the YWCA's Leadership Awards Luncheon. "It's a little overwhelming but I do appreciate it and it's such a wonderful group of women," she commented. "I'm very lucky to live in a situation in a wonderful town with won derful friends, good business colleagues and a wonderful community to serve." Law panel froth page Al - freedom. The panel was moderated by Blake Morant, dean of the School of Law. He framed the discussion as one about the "human frailties" of the justice system. Morant said human biases and lack of resources can cause a case's outcome to not reflect the evi dence. Rabil said that happens far es and the lead detective told internal affairs every black male in the city was a suspect. "In Darryl's case, hell yeah racism was an important part of it," said Rabil. 0 Rabil said he had his own biases to overcome. He assumed Hunt was guilty when he took on the case. Hunt took 8 polygraph and provided wit nesses that confirmed his story. He did everything his attorneys , asked and proved his inno cence to them. But Rabil said cence. Hunt said, which was one of the many difficulties he faced. "For someone who is inno cent, sitting in jail, who has no money, he has no hope," said Hu(jt. The panel was sponsored by the Winston-Salem Bar Association. Fledgling film company seeks local talent BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE " Local actors who dream of being on the sil ver screen may get their wish sooner than expected. Officials with fcH2 (pronounced LH-squared) Productions, an independent film company, announced last Thursday that it would host a casting call May 3 in hopes of attracting talent for its debut film, "The Rising of the Sun." The story is one of three screenplays penned by Writer / Director Charles Horton and the debut effort of the local outfit. "We definitely are looking for experienced and inexperienced actors and actresses," said Horton. "We envision this film to really be big ... not only in this area, but across the nation." Much of the movie will be shot in Winston Salem and other parts of the state .The filmmak ers want to help breathe new life into North Carolina's once-booming film industry. In the late 1990s, he state was third only to California and New York in terms of locations for film and television production. Although recent films like George Clooney's "Leatherheads" have been filmed in North Carolina, the state is not the powerhouse it once was. LH2 hopes to draw on local talent as much as possible, according to Horton 's wife, Aisha Booth-Horton, who serves as the company's chief financial officer. "It is important as we film in this community that we pull on the strengths that rest in this com munity," commented the educator who has writ ten three children's books to date. The Hortons founded the production compa ny late last year along with Producer Kelly Leak. Many roles, have already been cast. Kaci Martin, a former colleague of Horton's, will play Reporter Lexi Storm in the film. "It's just a pleasure to be able to be a part of this ana to see their dreams come true," she gushed. "I'm just very excited for everyone." Xavier Leak is also one of a handful of actors who have already been cast in the full-length film. "I have been friends with Charles and Aisha for quite some time," said Leak, who will play the role of "Mrs. Reid" in the film. "Along the way, Charles has shared with me tidbits about his dream. We've been praying for him and believ ing right along with him."" "The" Rising of the Sun." is billed as "a legal* thriller with twists and turns sure to keep the audience engaged." The film will hit home with the audience, Booth-Horton believes. "There may be some cries out from the audi ence, 'Amen!' or 'Yes, that's right!'" she said. "There's a lot of relative information that people will not only gain, but be entertained while gain ing this information." "The Rising of the Sun" will begin rolling in late June, Horton says. LH2 Productions' "The Rising of the Sun" casting call will be held Saturday, May 3 from 10:00 a.m. until 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express, 4305 Big Tree Way, Greensboro. The casting call is open to actors of varying degrees of experience All candidates are asked to bring a current hea3 shot and current resume or bio. For more information, visit www.therisingofthesun .com . ' Photo by La via Farmer Actress X a v i e r Leak, from left, with Charles and Aisha H o rt o n , D e I o r e s Watson and Kaci Martin. iuu uhcu. nc tucu a law article that estimated about five percent of all convictions are wrongful. There are 2.3 million people , currently incarcer ated, which means more than 100,000 innocent people are in jail, he said. Morant asked thp nnnpl u/hat Hunt he shouldn t have needed convincing in the first place. "All the signs of innocence were there, but he had to con vince me of that," said Rabil. "I should have walked into that room ... without a presumption of guilt. If I, as a criminal defense lawyer, am causes errors in the system responsible for wrongful incar cerations. "My answer is volume, vol ume, volume," said Wright. Wright said the courts are a huge system with an over whelming number of cases. Because of this, he said, there ois a reluctance to stop, restart and revisit cases. Wright didn't discount other factors, like racism, which he said is made much more prevalent by the over-" , loaded courts. Rabil, who is white, agreed racism plays a part in many wrongful convictions. He said in Hunt's case, Ku Klux Klan members acted as eye witness not applying the assumption of innocence.^ain't nobody apply ing the assumption of inno cence." Rabil said he's struggled with the racism within himself and in the legal system. He said most people don't want to admit they have racist tenden cies that can create bias through the whole legal sys tem, from arrests to trials and verdicts. Money, or lack of it is also a large factor in wrongful con victions, the panel said. While prosecutors have vast resources to try a case, the defense's resources are based on what a client can pay. Money is vital to hiring the experts needed to prove inno Drinking from page A2 Hennesey Cognac, which most disproportionately exposed Black youth com pared to all youth. TV ? 72 percent of alcohol advertising spending on Black Entertainment events, target young adults ages 18-24, use sex as an angle, and promote binge drinking, said Mclay. Part of National Council on Alcoholism's work is to implore adults not to buy alco hol for their children, nieces, nephews, cousins or neigh bors, he continued. While the council still uses education as a method of prevention, it has Television (BET) targeted . 10 pro grams more likely to be seen by youth; ? Advertisers spent approximate ly $4.8 million to place ads on all IS programs most popular with Black ? youth. Moritsugu gained more success through "environmen tal prevention," which is campaigning for liquor stores to place advertisements on doors, windows and walls over five feet high and out of face view of children. "You can educate the kids but if they are still seeing these Eddie Mclay, director of information for the National Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Addictions - Bay Area, told The Final Call the battle to end underage drinking means targeting alcohol com panies and distributors, which are both well-rooted in America's political arena. Liquor stores, restaurants and bars must be held accountable for their roles in youth drink ing, he said. A majority of the ads, espe cially those during sporting advertisements as the cool way of being, it's easier for them to blow off adults and say 'it's my life.' But if they don't have this stuff in their face all the time then it's less likely they'd go ahead and do it," Mclay added. Last March, Kenneth Moritsugu, then-acting U.S. Surgeon General, issued a Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce the enduring national problem of underage drinking, primarily because of the poten tial long-term negative impact to the adolescent brain. Anesthesiology Cardiothoracic Surgery Cardiology Dermatology Emergency Medicine ' 11 Endocrinology Family Medicine Gastroenterology General Surgery Geriatrics Hematology/Oncology Infectious Diseases Irtfernal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Neurosurgery OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY Ophthalmology Orthopaedics Otolaryngology Pathology Pediatrics Plastic Surgery Psychiatry Pulmonary Medicine Radiation Oncology Radiology Rheumatology Urology EVERY WOMAN... EVERY NEED... WE'RE HERE FOR YOU. EVERY WOMAN IS UNIQUE, and so are her medical needs. That's why the OB/GVN physicians at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center specialize in all areas of women's health, including: ? The only all-female OB/GYN group in the area located conveniently off Stratford Road in Winston-Salem. ? Extensively trained and experienced fertility specialists who work with your doctor to provide advanced care in our state-of-the-art office at CompRehab. ? GYN surgeons utilizing the latest non-invasive surgery techniques. ? High-risk obstetricians who offer comprehensive treatments during your entire pregnancy - from 3D and 4D imaging to cutting-edge prenatal testing and genetic counseling. ? ? A pelvic floor dysfunction and incontinence center providing the latest treatments for women with bladder control problems. ? A new menopause clinic focusing on the health issues of mature women. ? GYN oncologists working with our team of Comprehensive Cancer Center specialists. For more information or an appointment, call 336-716-4039 or visit wfubmc.edu/ obgyn. And whatever your insurance, chances are we take it. KNOWLEDGE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE. Ann Rowe (daughter), Gail Gordon (daughter), Linda Cox (mother) ? ? Since 1993, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has been consistently ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.SNews & World Report Wake Forest University Baptist MEDICAL C K N T F. 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