The real Erin Brockovich visits WFU
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Environmental activist
Erin Brockovich visited the
campus of Wake Forest
University Tuesday night to
drum up support for Yadkin
Riverkeeper.
The organization works
"to respect, protect and
improve the Yadkin Pee Dee
River Basin through educa
tion, advocacy and action."
according to its Web site.
Significant pollution is
endangering the river, say
Riverkeeper supporters.
"We don't have too many
rock stars in the environmen
tal movement, but we've got
one of the biggest here
tonight. Erin Brockovich,"
Yadkin Riverkeeper Dean
Naujoks told the audience
that packed the school's
Brendie Recital Hall.
Though she has spent
nearly two decades doing
consumer advocacy work,
Brockovich did not become a
household name until 2000,
when Julia Roberts played
her in a hit film. Roberts
would go on to win her first
Oscar for the role.
The film. "Erin
Pholo by Layla Farmer
Erin Brockovich addresses the crowd at Wake Forest.
Brockovich," highlighted
Brockovich's efforts to hold
the PG&E Company
accountable for dumping
hazardous chemicals into the
drinking water in Hinkle,
Calif.
"Here is a woman who
essentially single-handedly
takes on a mult-million dol
lar industry ... and what's
amazing is that she won,"
said Zoe Gamble Hanes,
president of the Yadkin
Riverkeepers Board of
Directors, in her introduction
of Brockovich. whom she
called her hero. Hanes. an
attorney, said she was
inspired to attend law school
and study environmental law
after seeing the blockbuster
movie.
"We're here tonight so
that each one of you can be
inspired the away that 1 was a
decade ago," Hanes told the
audience.
Brockovich talked about
the film, its effect on her life
and work and the famous
revive that led her to the
national spotlight as an
activist during her nearly
hourlong speech.
"While the movie may be
yesterday's news, the issue
isn't," cautioned the 50 year
old. "...The topic of envi
ronmental injustice continues
to live on today and it's more
important today than it was
10 years ago." '
Brockovich said people
often don't believe she is the
"real" Erin Brockovich, but
from the podium, with her
hoop earrings swinging and
her self-described "potty
mouth" in full effect, the
energetic and edgy blonde
lived up to the character
audiences across the nation
fell in love with.
"That character that you
see in the movie is real," she
declared. "1 will forever be
somebody who wants to right
a wrong, even if I don't look
or dress the part."
Since the film,
Brockovich has continued
her work on environmental
issues as well as champi
oning a variety of other con
sumer- focused causes, from
product liability to pharma
ceuticals and workers com
pensation She said tackling
problems that have such far
reaching effects requires a
full fledged community
effort.
"It took all of us to create
the problem and it's going to
take all of us, collectively, to
fix the problem, but I think
we can do it," she said. "...It
is up to us to choose whether
to take action or not."
Brockovich encouraged
audience members to believe
in themselves and remain
vigilant in their quests for
justice.
"1 know now, more
importantly than anything,
that we must stand on our
convictions," she declared.
"...We've got to look to our
selves. We are the hope, we
are the light, and we can be
the stepping stones to that
change."
For more information
about the Yadkin
Riverkeeper, visit
www.yadkinriverkeeper.org.
For more information about
Erin Brockovich. visit
www. brockovich .com .
Union
from page A 1
Carpenter says the pro
gram has already made a dif
ference for him.
"It's helped me a lot," he
remarked. "I knew a little
bit about shoe shining when
I was in ROTC in high
school, but it's nothing like
shining shoes on people's
feet and to see how pleased
they are with my work."
Carpenter and the other
shiners have perfected the
craft under the careful tute
lage of several veteran shoe
shiners.
Harold Payne learned to
shine shoes as an Army serv
iceman in the 1960s.
"I knew I knew how to
shine shoes and I said at my
age. 1 needed to pass a little
bit of this information on,"
commented the 72 year-old.
who joined Union Baptist
when he moved to the city
less than a year ago.
Union Baptist member
Samuel Richardson has also
been working with the shin
ers. Richardson, an employ
ee at Volvo of the Triad, says
he has spent a lot of time
around professional shiners
over the course of his life
and has taught himself the
craft.
"I've been shining my
own shoes every week for
about 20-25 years, and I just
eniov doine it," he
related.
Sixteen year-old
Dominique Fleming
says he wanted to
take part in Soul 2
Sole, "just to keep a
little money in my
pocket so I don't
have to be asking my
mom for money all
the time."
i^ummiquc. a ris
ing senior at North Forsyth,
says his football practice
schedule has made it diffi
cult for him to work a part
time job, but the hours of
Soul 2 Sole don't conflict
with his other obligations,
Dominique, who plans to
join the Marines next year,
? S?vs he IjJSUl^ned a lot
' fW)m Jjis" 'ps trticipation in
l)r. Mack
Soul 2 Sole.
"It's been going well." he
said.
Payne says
he is thrilled to
see so many
career opportu
nities are open
to today's gen
eration of
African
American men.
"When I got
out of school.
mere were only
three things we could be: a
school teacher, an undertak
er or a preacher." he related.
"When 1 look at how that
field has opened up. 1 am
overjoyed."
For more information
about Soul 2 Sole, call (336)
724-9305 x222.
Chairty
from page A7
Baptist Medical Center. The
cost of providing charity care
increased from $32.1 to
$44.3 million. The total does
not include the cost of pro
viding care resulting in bad
debt for services on which
the Medical Center was
unable to collect - an addi
tional $24.4 million.
The Medical Center states
that the increase reflected an
increased need for charity
care due to declining eco
nomic conditions, expansion
of the charity care definitions
to include a broader patient
population as well as the
increased cost of providing
care.
The cost of serving
patients with Medicare,
Medicaid and other govern
ment programs jumped from
$8.7 million in 2008 to $32.6
million in 2009.
Additional community
benefits include community
health improvement services
such as health education and
screenings for the public,
donations and sponsorship of
community events such as
the Komen NC Triad Race
for the Cure, unreimbursed
costs of providing medical
and health education, and the
uncovered costs of conduct
ing research.
"As our region's only
academic medical center.
Wake Forest Baptist con
tributes uniquely to the
health and well-being of
Forsyth County and the
Piedmont Triad." said Dr
John D. McConnell, Wake
Forest Baptist's chief execu
tive officer. "As an academic
medical center, we accept our
responsibility to provide
services above and beyond
other health care providers.
Those include extensive
community-based programs,
a research mission that con
tributes to providing the best
medical care, and training of
tomorrow's health care pro
fessionals, many of whom
will stay to practice in the
community. "
h n/.vtisn
Sun
Foe Yot k
Sat
Photo by Lay la Farmer I
Samuel Richardson poses with Harold Payne.
Grant
firm pa ge X8
Wayne County Reads of
Goldsboro ($6,000) for "A
Country, A People," which
features an exhibit of photo
graphs taken by U.S. military
troops recently deployed in
Afghanistan.
Community
Empowerment Fund of
Chapel Hill ($5,000) for
"Micro-finance Narratives in
Durham, NC," a documen
tary film telling the personal
stories of two micro-entre
preneurs.
Southern Documentary
Fund of Durham (55,000) for
the completion of
"Landscapes of the Heart:
The Elizabeth Spencer
Story," a documentary film
about Southern writer and
Chapel Hill resident
Elizabeth Spencer.
God
from page A 1
church and state has recently sparked debate
in horsyth County. I he Board ot
County Commissioners is fighting a
judge's ruling that prohibits prayer
before board meetings. A judge
ruled against the use of sectarian
prayers, which reference specific
religions, in January.
Commissioners voted this spring to
allow the Alliance Defense Fund, a
conservative Christian non-profit
organization, to appeal the ruling.
More than 900 people attended the
meeting, where a divided Board of
County Commissioners voted to
appeal. The decision garnered state
and national attention.
David Plyler, the chairman of the
Board of County Commissioners,
cast the deciding vote for the appeal.
All three Democrats on the Board
voted against it. After much consid
eration. Plyler voted with his fellow
Republican commissioners. He said
he voted to pursue an appeal only
after he was assured that county tax
payers would not have to foot the
bill for the costly appeal. The N.C.
Partnership for Religious Liberty
has promised to pay attorney fees
and damages if the county loses.
"To have everybody in the coun
ty who may not believe in the
Christian religion to pay a bill to
appeal a fundamentally Christian
question just didn't seem right to me.
but. having said that, the Christians
stepped up to the plate and said 'if
that's the case, not a problem,"' said
Plyler.
Americans United for Separation
of Church and Stale - which bills
itself as a watchdog organization on church
Plyltr
Weston
Momry
Cnnrad
and state issues - and the the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU) are behind the law
suit against the county.
Americans United Chapter President
Steve Weston said most of the reli
gious references in the prayers before
board meetings have been of a "funda
mental istic Christian nature" with not
enough inclusion of other religions.
"It marginalizes significant reli
gious minorities and that's just not the
American way," said Weston. "We're a
tolerant people and we welcome all
comers."
Debra Conrad, the vice chair of the
Board of County Commissioners, dis
agrees. She said that asking private
citizens to pray before meetings has
been a long-standing tradition. Conrad
said the Board has had people of dif
ferent faiths give the prayer over the
years and that she had never heard any
complaints about it before the current
controversy. She believes strongly in
the appeal
'"I will vote in favor of it it all the
way to the Supreme Court, if neces
sary." she said.
The Ministers Conference of
Winston-Salem and Vicinity, which is
made up primarily of black religious
leaders, took a vote on the issue ear
lier this year. Conference Second
Vice-President Rev. Willard Bass, an
assistant pastor at Green Street
United Methodist Church, said the
majority of members voted to support
public prayer, but only when different
faiths are equally represented. Bass
said Commissioners have not done a
good job at inviting non-Christians to
give the prayer
"We want to make sure that prayer
in the public square is, in fact, fair
and equally shared and not just
Christian-based," said Bass
open ha ppi ness