Morris Dees talked about hate and hope.
Photo by Garrett Gwms/WSSU
Dees, a bigot's worst
nightmare, at WSSU
D I LAI LA rAKMtK
THE CHRONICLE
The crowd of more than
300 rose to its feet as Morris
Dees took the stage, clapping
enthusiastically as he
approached the podium.
The civil rights warrior
and founder of the Southern
Poverty Law Center spoke at
the Albert H. Anderson Center
on the campus of Winston
Salem State University last
Thursday night, as part of the
school's J.
Alston Atkins
Memorial
Lecture in
Constitutional
Law series.
Named for
the youngest son
of Simon Green
and Oleona
Pegram Atkins,
the university's
founders, the
series highlights
the impact of constitutional
law on its citizens through the
perspectives of some of its
most foremost experts.
Chancellor Donald Reaves
characterized J. Alston Atkins
as a man who "never gave up
his work for civil rights nor
his study and love for the con
stitution... a man who used
his ... skill to create a more
just society."
Like Atkins, Dees has ded
icated his life to the pursuit of
justice, said Attorney Jonathan
Harkavy, who introduced
Dees to the crowd.
"We're in the presence
tonight of national treasure,"
stated Harkavy, of the law
firm Patterson Harkavy. "He
has been at the forefront of our
nation's struggle against hate
groups, while securing for us a v
more just society."
Dees, formerly a success
ful businessman, had an
epiphany while snowed in at
an airport in the mid-1960s.
He sold his publishing compa
ny - which grew to become
one of the largest in the South
- and took up the cause of lit
igating for civil rights, facing
off against some of the most
prolific hate groups in the
nation.
Though he didn't officially
become an activist until he
was an adult. Dees credits his
grade school teacher with
instilling the values of equali
ty in him at a young age.
J. Alston Atkins
"She shared her views
about fairness and equality ...
she'd say, 'How can you love
God that you've never seen
and yet hate your neighbor
that you see?'" he related.
"She wanted us to grow up to
be good citizens."
Dees spoke at length about
the Nov. 4 election and its
implications for the direction
of America. He drew parallels
between the hopefulness of
the Civil Rights Era prior to
Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr.'s assassina
tion and the pre
election spirit of
Sen. Barack
Obama's supporters.
He likened the piv
otal moment in his
tory to a turning
point in the history
of another society,
the Biblical
Israelites, who he
said wandered in the
desert for 40 years
because they were too afraid
to cross the River Jordan to
get to the Promised Land.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
also spoke of a Promised Land
in his famous "I've Been to
the Mountaintop" speech just
before his death, a fact that
was not lost on Dees.
"I think it's ironic that it's
been 40 years since the Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King (spoke
those words) and now we're
back at that river," he said.
"America is facing the oppor
tunity to put the past behind
us, to cross that river... We
have a front row seat to histo
ry."
Dees, an ardent Obama
supporter, spoke optimistical
ly about the outcome of the
election, calling it "a historic
election to show that this
nation will judge a person by
the content of his character
and not the color of his skin.
"There have been dark
days in the history of this
country and I think the sun is
soon to rise," he remarked.
Nevertheless, Dees cau
tioned the audience not to get
complacent if Barack Obama
is victorious.
"Regardless of how things
turn out ... you have to
remember that the march of
justice continues," he said.
Dees' remarks were fol
lowed by a lively panel dis
cussion featuring Attorney
Robert Elliot, District Court
Judge Denise Hartsfield,
WSSU associate professor and
activist Larry Little; WFU
Law School Professor Wendy
Parker.
The lecture was sponsored
by the Kilpatrick Stockton law
firm.
Exposed wiring isn't only
a danger in houses...
which is why the city has drafted a minimum code for
commercial structures.
COME LEARN MORE about the draft Minimum Nonresi
dential Ordinance at a public information session.
6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1 1
Room 530, Bryce A. Stuart Municipal Building
1 00 E. First St. Winston-Salem ^
A question and answer period will
follow a presentation on the draft code
The draft code is posted online at
www.cityofws.org^sn
WnsinihSalcm
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- Contributed by Ramon Velez, MD, and
Sarah Langdon
Do you need further information on this
topic or resources in your area or have ques
tions or comments about this article? Please
call toll-free 1-877-530-1824. Or, for more
information about the Maya Angelou Center
for Health Equity, please visit our website:
http .//www.wfubmc .edu! minority health .
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