N .C .'s Barber elected to the
National Board of the NAACP
I'MKunivM? 3 1 KtTOKT
The Rev. Dr. William J.
Barber II, president of the N.C.
NAACP, won election last week
to the civil rights organization's
national board
The Goldsboro- based pastor
of Greenleaf Christian Church
Disciples of Christ will join the
board Sept. 1 - the same time
that Benjamin Jealous, the
National NAACP's Executive
Director, will start.
Barber was up against two
others for the Region 5 seat on
the national board. He received
177 of the 329 delegate votes for
the seat, beating incumbent
Madie Robinson, of South
Carolina, who received 94
votes. Barber was nominated
for the position by fellow North
Carolinian Helen Coleman, who
already sits on the national
board.
The election took place dur
ing the 99th Annual National
NAACP Convention _in
n u
Cincinnati, Ohio, which was
attended by more than 9,000
delegates, alternatives and
observers.
Barber was buoyed in the
election by a passionate, inspir
? x- -l- i ?
ing, and visionary speech to the
delegates of Region 5, which
includes Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Tennessee, South
Carolina, North Carolina and
Mississippi.
The Rev. Barber has won
praise across the state and the
nation for his efforts as the head
of the state NAACP as he has
fought for justice and equal
rights for all North Carolinians.
File Photo
The Rev. Dr.
William J.
Barber speaks
from the pulpit
of a local
church during
one of his
many visits to
W i n fa o n -
Salem.
(Why Cull MKbcU
Barack Obama in Winston-Salem earlier this year.
Local Ubama Office opens Friday
CHRONICLE S I M l R1PORT
The Barack Obama for
President Campaign will open
its Winston-Salem office on
Friday, July 25 dunng a grand
opening event from 6-9 p.m.
The public is invited to
attend. The office is downtown
in the Loewy Building, 500 W
Fourth St. Obama staffers, elect
ed officials and members of the
local Democratic Party are
expected to be on hand cfor the
event.
Reportedly, the Obama
Campaign will launch an
aggressive strategy to win North
Carolina in the November
General Election. Although the
state has not been kind to
Democrats 10 the past, the cam
paign believes it has a shot to
steal the Tar Heel Sta? away
from Republican Presidential
Nominee John McCain.
On Tuesday, the campaign
announced three new additions
to its "North Carolina office: ,
Susan Lagana, w ho will serve as
the campaign's N.C. communi
cations director; Deputy
Communications Director Paul
Cox; arid Kevin Monroe. They
will join N.C. Director Marc
Farinella and the rest of state's
executive staff in the Raleigh
office..
Doycoii
front page AJ
organizers, said employers
should be concerned about
what their employees know and
their on-the-job performances.
"It should not be about
what you look like," said
Hines-Gaither.
The Salem College profes
sor is extra sensitive to this
issue. People often ask Hines
Gaither if her waist-length
braids ever pose a problem for
a icw snaaes aarKer man the
color that got Love into hot
water. As she held a bright yel
low and green sign that read
"BOYCOTT THE GRAND."
Jones expressed disbelief in the
situation that got Love sus
pended and pride in her daugh
ter for taking a stand.
Many of those who protest
ed are Salem students who
became just as passionate
about the issue after Hines
Gaither began sharing her frus
tration about the situation with
anyone who would listen.
ner at work. At^alem
- the nation's oldest
educational institu
tion for women - the
professor's hair has
never been an issue.
But it is not as if the
campus is without its
rules.
Hines-Gaither
says, she understands
and agrees that com
panies, agencies and
schools should have
policies that govern the way
they operate. She doesn't, she
says, understand a rule like the
one used to suspend Love for
wearing a hairstyle that is fair
ly common. p
"When I saw this on the
news, I was outraged," Hines
Gaither said.
Beautician Erricca Cargill
was among the protesters urg
ing local people to spend their
money at other theaters. She
doesn't understand how anyone
i could have taken issue with
Love's hair color. Cargill said
burgundy dye is extremely
popular among African
American women.
"I dye the hair of business
women all the time," she said.
The hair of Tanjela Jones,
Hines-Gaither's mother, is just
Hints
little difference between
Love's situation and one in
which someone would have an
adverse reaction to her hair - or
lack thereof.
"When you have an issue
like this, anything else can
come into play," she said.
"That's why I am here: to say
this isn't OK and it can't be
OK."
The demonstrators say that
many drivers who planned to
go to The Grand Saturday,
changed their minds after read
ing the fliers and protest signs.
Still, it was a very brisk busi
ness day at the University
Parkway theater, as local
moviegoers helped the latest
Batman movie, "The Dark
Knight " strike box office gold.
I his could
have been me. I
could have been
the one suspend
ed," said Achlai
Ernest Wallace. "I
get braids. I get
weave. I get
color."
Her classmate,
Kezia Bobo, is
bald due to a
medical condi
tion, but she sees
The movie is playing on at least
two of The Grand's 18 screens.
Messages left for the the
ater's manager and Love were
not returned by press time. The
head of New Orleans-based
Southern Theatres, which owns
The Grand, provided a written
statement to The Chronicle in
response to an inquiry about
the boycott.
CEO George Solomon calls
allegations that Love was dis
criminated against "inaccu
rate," and says his company
employees a diverse group of
people.
"As an employer of approx
imately 1 .200 throughout -the
Southeast, we have and will0
continue to be an Equal
Opportunity Employer as we
practice fair and ethical prac
tices," he said.
Solomon emphasized that
Love isback at work and that
the issue. is in the past.
"We have resolved the situ
ation, and Meyosha remains
employed with us to this day ...
I am pleased to report that the
situation is resolved," said
Solomon.
But those who held picket
signs and handed out fliers
along the busy street in front of
the theater already knew that
Love's suspension had ended.
They say they are concerned
about the next person who may
be suspended, reprimanded or
fired because of his or her
appearance - and not just at
TTie Grand, but any place of
employment.
"(Love) was definately a
catalyst for this, but this is not
about an individual, it is about
an issue," Hines-Gaither said.
"Meyosha will be going to col
lege in a few weeks; what
about the next person?"
Water Safety
from page AS
?
children and are doing something else, like
talking to another person, reading, eating, or talk
ing on the telephone. Among adults, the risk fac
tor of alcohol use is involved in many water and
boating fatalities. Other risk factors that can occur
in children and adults are:
? Not wearing a life vest / life jacket
?. Not practicing safety around recreational
watercraft
? Lack of swimming knowledge - The CDC
has found in a national study, that African
Americans self-report being the most limited with
regard to swimming ability
? Seizure disorders - persons with these ill
nesses shoufcl be monitored when around bath
tubs, poofs .lakes, rivers, the ocean or any open
water.
How can I reduce my and my family's risk?
- NEVER leave children alone in any water -
this means bathtubs, pools, or natural water
- ALWAYS swim with someone else - at least
have someone watching you while you are swim
ming in case of emergency
- Teach your children not to run, push, or jump
over others near the water
- Learn the steps of Cardio-Pulmonary
Resuscitation (CPR) - CPR has been shown to
save lives, when often it can take a few minutes,
for paramedics to arrive. Your local Red Cross
offers these classes.
- Make sure you and your family always use
life vests that are approved by the US Coast Guard
- Avoid drinking alcohol before swimming,
boating or other water sports.
? Inflatable floats are not designed to keep
swimmers safe or save lives.
- Make sure that you and your family swim in
safe areas of rivers, lakes, and oceans
- Take yourself and your family to swimming
and water safety classes - Most local swimming
pools and YMCAs/YWCAs, as well as some
parks, offer these types of classes.
- If someone is watching your children, make
sure they knows how to swim, know CPR, and
File Photo
Summer is prime time for water tragedies.
have a telephone close by for an emergency.
- If you have a pool at your house, make sure
that the area is properly protected with locked
doors so that children cannot go into the pool
without adult supervision.
- If you go to the beach, make sure you do not
drift away from shore when there is a riptide.
- If you do get caught in a riptide, swim paral
lel to shore and you will eventually swim out of
the riptide, and then you can swim toward shore.
- Know the weather conditions before swim
ming or boating on lakes, rivers or the ocean
Enjoy the North Carolina summers with your
family, but do so using common sense and observ
ing safety rules so that this beautiful time does not
turn into a tragedy!
- Contribution by Sarah Langdon, BA
For further information, questions or com
ments about this article, call toll-free 1-877-530
1824. Or, for more information about the Maya
Angelou Research Center on Minority Health,
visit http://www.wfubmc .eduJminorityhealth .
Photos provided (>
Protestors gather after what they called a successful campaign.
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