Obama
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winner, accompanied
Obama at his Winston-Salem
appearance and at some of the
senator's other North Carolina
events on Tuesday. Franklin,
Professor Emeritus of History at
Duke University, also sat beside
Obama during the discussion
with African American journal
ists. He said that he too got bit
ten by the Obama bug after
hearing the then-U.S. Senate
candidate speak at the 2004
Democratic National
Convention.
"1 had faith in America once.
I lost faith in America as 1 grew
up. The hope I have in America
today rests to my right side,"
Franklin said, motioning to a
grinning Obama.
The closed-door conversa
tion with Obama Touched on a
multitude of., topics In many
cases, he reiterated his oft
pitched platform positions but
related them specifically to the
African-American community.
The senator acknowledged that
when it comes to issues like
unemployment and sub-prime
lending, minorities are often hit
the hardest.
"The saying goes, 'when
America gets a cold, black
America gets pneumonia,'" he
said.
He was asked his thoughts
on the recent acquittals of three
New York City police detectives
who had been charged with fir
ing 50 shots at an unarmed black
man.
"It struck me as potential
excess force," Obama said of
the shooting death of Sean Bell.
The senator added that while
he believes that law enforce
ment should be the responsibili
ty of local agencies, the federal
Justice Department's Civil
Rights wing should probe cases
like those of Bell and the Jena
Six. o
"Law enforcement has a dif
ficult job, and I am very respect
ful of law enforcement," he said.
"But law enforcement works
best when the community has
confidence that (the law) is
being applied with fairness."
If elected president, Obama
said his Justice Department
would take a more proactive
approach in the hopes of keep
Sen. Obama answers questions during a conversation with
members of the black press.
ing such incidents from occur
ring in the first place. He talked
about his efforts in the Illinois
Statehouse to push for law
enforcement agencies to provide
traffic stop statistics so that any
patterns that could be consid
ered racial profiling could be
nipped in the bud.
"The federal government
can provide best practices to
local communities," he said.
Obama said that he has not
had second thoughts about not
traveling to Memphis on April 4
to mark the 40th anniversary of
the assassination of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. McCain and
Clinton both attended cere
monies outside of the Lorraine
Motel on that day, but Obama
chose to campaign in Indiana,"
which will hold its primary the
same day as North Carolina.
Earlier this year, Obama
skipped Tavis Smiley's annual
State of the Black Union forum,
an event that Clinton attended,
to campaign. His absences drew
criticism from some, especially
Smiley, who is reportedly leav
ing his gig on the "Tom Joyner
Morning Show" because listen
ers do not like that Smiley has
taken issue with Obama. The
senator says he cannot be every
where, all the time.
"I have been running for the
presidency of the United States
of America. That requires me to
reach out to all corners of the
country. In order for me to be
successful. I have to reach out to
communities that don't know
me." said Obama, who added
that he was in Atlanta with the
King family on Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. Day in January.
He said that if he had attend
ed the State pf the Black Union,
which was in New Orleans this
year, he believes that he would
have been preaching to the
already converted.
"It would not make sense for
me to devote a day to speaking
to people, who know me, know
my track record, and in large
numbers support me, when 1 can
be spending that same day talk
ing to people who don't know
me and might not support me,"
he said.
The senator ruled out the
possibility of running as a third
party candidate in November if
he should lose his party's nomi
nation.
"I'm a Democrat!" he said.
Obama also has faith in his
party. He believes that when the
'08 Democratic National
Convention convenes in Denver
in late August, the party will be
united behind its nominee.
Obama said Democrats can't
afford to sit home and pout if
their candidate loses the nomi
nation. The future of the nation
depends on their active partici
pation, he said. ?
"If I were the loser, this cam
paign is not about myself and it
is not about Sen Clinton., It is
about the American people,"
said the senator. "What I am
convinced of is that we cannot
afford four more years of the
same policies that we have seen
under George W. Bush and that
is essentially what John McCain
is offering. So we have no
choice when it comes to sitting
out (the General Election)."
W-S Prep's Ellis elected VP of NCAE
A~ n ? . r*/M ir*f\ tlW the list five
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICl-H
Rodney N. Ellis Sr.. an eighth-grade language
Winston- sale 11 v rui r>y u i v uuiiij
years as a delegate to the National Education
Association ("NEA ? annual com enuon and
*Kiv the world's
lccpnir
arts teacher at Winston- Salem
Preparatory Academy, has been elected
vice president of the NCAE. He will
begin his two-year term on July 1 .
NCAE is the state's largest educa
tion association, representing more than
65 000 active, retired and student mem
bers in North Carolina.
Ellis has been an active NCAE
member and leader for 13 years. He was
president of the Student NCAE chapter
at Winston-Salem State University from
1996-1998. He was elected to two con
secutive terms as president of the Forsyth County
Association of Educators (FCAE), the local affiliate
of the NCAE, from 2003-2007. He was also FCAE
vice president. In 2005, he was elected to his current
position on the NCAE Board of Directors, where he
has served or both the Government Relations and
Finance and Personnel committees.
At the national level, Ellis has represented
His community sen ice inciuuc? rang <u. ^...v
member of Goodwill Baptist Church, where he has
served on the board of directors and as president of
youth ministries. He organizes step-drill teams as
well with various community youth groups and
churq^es.
A nati\ e of Mocksville, Ellis earned a bachelor's
degree in Widdle Grades Education from WSSU.
representing
largest democratic, deliberative body.
An educator for 10 years, Ellis was
honored as Teacher of the Year at Winston
Salem Preparatory Academy for the 2000
01 school year. He was the 2002 recipient
of the" Black Achievers Award from the
YMCA and. i? the same year, was named
Phi Beta Sigma 's Man of the Year. Ellis is
also currently a member of the Board of
Trustees for the North Carolina Teacher
Academy, a position he was appointed to
in 2005 by the governor's office.
RE-ELECT
Judge John M. Tyson
NC Court of Appeals ? Tuesday, May 6, Primary
Endorsements From:
? Congressman GK Butterfield
? Judge Shirley Fulton,
? Judge Abraham Penn Jones
? Rev Senator CR Edwards
? Speaker Dan Blue
? Eric Micheax Esquire
? Chief J.D. Pone
? Asa Spaulding
? JJ Jones
? The Fayetteville Press Newspaper
Paid for by the TYson for Court committee
i
I'VE NEVER MET A CHILD WITHOUT POTENTIAL.''
*
? , <r
AS PRESIDENT, HILLARY CLINTON WILL MAKE SURE ALL CHILDREN SUCCEED
Making College Accessible and Affordable
Fully Funding No Child Left Behind
Providing Universal Pre-K
Closing the Achievement Gap
"W *W ? 1 ^ f*r President
Hillary
?**te==ss=
www.hillaryclinton.com
Better Schools, Better Education for North Carolina's Children
PAID FOR BY HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT