OPINION/ FORUM
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Ernest H. Pitt Publisher sco-Foumier
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T . - K E V I N Walker Managing Editor
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Many police officials were on hand at Tuesday's meeting.
Speak Up or
Shut Up
' - Like many of you. we at The Chronicle are still pinching
ourselves, trying to come to grips with the wonderful
improbability that is Barack Obama. His Inauguration was
the realization of the dream of a people, the manifestation of
what so many of us have fervently hoped and prayed, yet
dared not to wish for.
It is indeed an awesome moment in our nation's history
and we feel incredibly blessed to be here to witness it. But,
as the President himself Was reminded us on more than one
occasion, our work is far from over.
Sinc6 his election. Obama has appealed to Americans
time and time again to remain vigilant and to look to our own
neighborhoods and communities to see where we can create
positive change. He implored his supporters to take the
vigor and passion we once spent on his campaign and trans
late it into new programs, new partnerships, new hope for
our neighbors, for our townships, for our nation.
Here in Winston-Salem, there is ample opportunity to ful
fill the promise many of us made to ourselves on Election
Night, the promise to allow ourselves to be hopeful and to
believe in a better tomorrow.
One such occasion arose Tuesday night, with the Police
Department's community meeting on the new patrol plan.
Unfortunately, that opportunity is one that was missed by
the vast majority of the black community. Minority atten
dance was dismal at best, -with Caucasian attendees outnum
bering African Americans almost four to one.
Whatever the reason for the low numbers, one thing is for
sure: we won't get the help we need if we don't ask for it.
It's no secret that the WSPD hasn't always enjoyed an
amicable relationship with the black community. Countless
public forums and other open events prior to this one have
yielded complaints aboul the Department's policies, prac
tices and procedures So where were we Tuesday?
Police Chief Scott Cunningham is asking, no. imploring
community members to offer the Department their feedback
and input, and very fextf of us from the black community
were there to give it to him.
Regardless of how we feel about the WSPD. these forums
are an opportunity for citizens to get in on the ground floor,
meeting the officers that will be in charge of keeping them
safe The department has said it is willing to make the direct
numbers available for the officers in charge of each beat, and
for their supervisors all the way up the line. Cunningham is
adamant that citizens should make the proper people aware
of any problems that arise with the Department or in a given
area.
"They'd better be taking dog-gone good care of you," he
told those in attendance at the meeting on Tuesday "If not,
I expect you're going to rattle these (captains', sergeants'
and lieutenants') phones, and then you're going to rattle
mine."
0
Police Chief Cunningham is making an earnest effort to
make this community better, and safer, for all of us. He is
serious about holding his officers to a code of conduct that
demands that everyone is treated with respect and dignity.
We, as black people, ought to be the first to stand behind
him, and it's not too late to do so.
If you missed Tuesday's meeting, there's still plenty of
time to make your voice heard. Visit www.wspd.org or call
(336) 727-8000 to find out when there's a meeting near you.
then,GO. Meet the men and women who will be patrolling
your neighborhood. Get information; take down phone num
bers - let them know what problems you face. Do it for you.
Do it for us. Do it for our nation.
Y/aiirm see it
Ain't I A (Black) Woman?
Courtney
Gaillard
Guest
Columnist
Apparently. I am not "a
true sister."
That's what Jacqueline
Moore Bowles, national
president of Jack and Jill of
America Inc., implied last
week in a story on CNN.com
about the Black first family.
In the article, Bowles
says: "Too often successful
black men look for other
things ... a white woman or
someone who is light, bright
and darn near white ... She
[Michelle Obama| is a true
sister, and she makes no
bones about it,"
I find it disrespectful and
insulting that a Black
woman would make such
comments following the
inauguration of this nation's
first Black president. This is
a time when all Americans*
are hoping that we can con
tinue to make great strides
in the color war that contin
ues to plague this country.
Not to mention that last
week we also celebrated the
life and legacy of Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., who
encouraged us all to "judge
a man not by the color of his
skin, but by the content of
his character."
You see, I am a Black
woman. I am one of those
"light, bright and darn near
white" Black women she
referenced. So does this
mean I.afn not "a true sister"
because I do hot have brown
skin like Michelle Obama?
My grandfather, who was
Black, married my grand
mother. who was a White
woman. They raised four
children together. My two
brothers are married to
white women, and both are
raising biracial children. So
is Bowles implying that my
grandfather and brothers
married their wives because
they were looking "for other
things'?-' And what exactly
are these "other things?" Is
she insinuating that black
men marry outside of their
race for reasons other than
love?
I am proud of my family,
my multiracial heritage and
the various shades of our
skin.
I am proud of the risks
and sacrifices my grandpar
ents made to marry and liVe
in inner-city Chicago as a
mixed couple at a time when
their love posed many dan
gers. My grandfather stood
guard by their window with
his shotgun, watching my
grandmother get off the bus
so that he could walk, her
safely ey'er> night to the
front door of their building.
That's an act of love if I ever
heard one
I am proud of all of the
days my father and his
brother ran home from
school to. avoid altercations
w ith neighborhood kids who
didn't take kindly to their
"light" skin. I am eternally
.grateful to all of the unsung
foot soldiers - black, white,
brown and yellow - that sat
down and stood up. marched
and sang during the Civil
Rights Movement.
On its national Web site.
Jack and Jill touts itself as
"a family organization that
provides cultural, social,
civic and recreational activi
ties that stimulate and
expand the mind to enhance
life." Bowles' comments
certainly stimulated my
mind, but 1 find nothing
enhancing, fair or inclusive
about her implications.
1 never participated in
Jack and Jill as a child. But
what are my light-skinned
nieces and nephew to make
of these comments by this
organization's leader? Jack
and Jill of America's Web
site also states that the coun
try's "oldest and largest
African American family
organization" is "committed
to ensuring that all children
have the same opportunities
in life." Does this commit
ment extend to black young
sters of all shades or just to
"true" black children with
brown skin?
According to my birth
certificate from Los Angeles
County, I am black It states
nothing about how "true"
my race is. Perhaps Bowles
can shed some "light" on it.
Ms Bowles, you don't
know the men in my family.
1 think they are phenomenal
people, not became of the
women they married to*w"
the hue of their skin, but
because of the men. and
fathers they turned out to be
That's the truth that matters
to me. ? , ? v
Courtney Gaillard, a for
mer Chronicle reporter,
lives in Winston-Salem and
works in the advertising
industry.
Why Do They Fear Eric Holder?
Harry
Alford
Guest
Columnist
The Rule of Law and the
U.S. Constitution are sacred
codes for our society. We
must protect them to ensure
our democracy and guaran
tee equal protection under
the law for all of us.
Anything less is chaos and
tyranny.
My fellow citizens, we
have been threatened with
chaos and tyranny during the
last three Attorney Generals.
The office of the Attorney
General is one of the four
most important cabinet posi
tions along with Treasury,
State and Defense. Proper
execution of its duties and
the management by its exec
utives is key to our future
and our image throughout
the world
The United States is sup
posed to be the model for
values and liberty Our lead
ership role is at risk.
Who would have thought
that the United States of
America would be commit
ting War Crimes through tor
ture. privacy violations, etc?
We have lately committed
torture and have subcon
tracted torture to other, less
democratic nations via
Rendition. We have held
people in prison without
habeas corpus or charges.
We have brutalized citizens
of other nations through the
misconduct of our troops
and agents. It is now time
for Justice to be served.
Change must come and it is
on its way via the election of
President Barack H. Obama.
He has promised change
and he will deliver. At the
Justice Department he has
selected the very talented
and experienced Eric
Holder. There is no one
more qualified to take on
this task and we are blessed
with his nomination.
But wow, there are those
who fear this warrior for jus
tice. They are afraid of the
accountability that must be
applied to those who have
transgressed, no matter who
they are.
They can run but they
cannot hide. Many are
squirming at the fact that
justice is about to smack
them upside their head no
matter how high up in the
pecking order they may be.
Wrong is wrong and no one
should get a pass.
History shows us that
4his must be done to protect
?ur values. Those who mis
managed prisoner of war
camps during the Civil War
were prosecuted and sen
tenced accordingly.
U.S. troops who per
formed "water boarding"
during the Vietnam War
were prosecuted according
ly. It is wrong to torture and
justice must prevail. It is
wrong to steal money or ruin
mortgages through Wall St.
shenanigans and justice
must prevail.
It is wrong to discrimi
nate in offices set up for
civil rights and justice must
prevail. It is wrong to steal
the juicy procurement con
tracts and half perform them
and justice must prevail. So
Eric Holder is a blessing for
us and those who are guilty
can try to put up a fight but
he is coming and Hallelujah.
After World War II. we
evaluated the performance
of the Japanese Imperial
Army in the Philippines
Eric Holder
where rt*ey brutalized civil
ians, l\hilippine and
American troops. We quick
ly held trials and every offi
cer of the Japanese military
in the Philippines met the
Hangmen's noose.
Every one of them was
executed. Many of the high
ranking noncommissioned
officers (top sergeants) were
also hanged for war crimes.
There were also other formal
trials for Japanese officers
who committed war crimes
such as torture and. of
course, the Nuremberg
Trials dealt with the German
officers and politicians
violated humanity.
The Soviet Union, at the
end of World War II, went
rather "Medieval" in issuing
justice. As they conquered
eastern Germany they col
lected over one million
German military prisoners
of war. They marched them
off into deep Russia and
only 5,000 ever returned
home.
General Zhukov issued
this edit to his conquering
Soviet troops (paraphrased):
They have ravaged our land
and killed 20 million of our
people. You are all hurting
and must exact revenge. As
of 6:00 p. m tonight and dur
ing the rfext 48 hours,
Germany is yours. No house
or business will be locked.
Those violating this order
should be executed on the
spot. Have their women,
wine and liquor, and their
money. Enjoy in the name of
the Motherland.
During the next two days
over 126,000 German
women were gang raped by
Soviet troops. More than
16,000 of these women com
mitted suicide, fearing that
this would be their plight
forever. It was more Pay
Back than Justice to the
extreme (Cable TV Military
Channel).
U.S. agents and their
contractors have tortured,
kidnapped and violated the
rights of human beings in
violation of the Geneva
Conference. We are not the
old Soviet Union and the
courts must be utilized to
correct these transgressions.
We must clean up Wall St
reet and must address dis
crimination in the name of
the Federal Government.
American citizens should be
protected by privacy laws
land not abused.
Our ideal has been
threatened and we need an
Attorney General to clean
the mess up. No man is
above the law. Eric Holder is
the right guy at the right
time. The U.S. Senate must
confirm him as soon as pos
sible. There is much work to
do! Yes we can.
Harry Alford is the co
founder, President/CEO of
the National Black Chamber
of Commerce, Inc. Web site:
www.nationalbcc .org .