Heath
f(vm pagt AI
singing and acting talents in numerous
productions such as" "Don't Bother Me
Brother, 1 Can't Cope." NCBRC Artistic
Director Mabel Robinson said he was
more than just a great talent on stage; he
was an example and mentor to the young
talents around him. She said he took her
son, Kierron Robinson, under his wing
and would later officiate at his wedding.
When he couldn t perform
on stage, Heath could be
found in the audience of any
Black Rep production he was
able to go to. Health would
also find other talents to sing
for the Black Rep, including
his daughter, Bethany, who is
also an accomplished singer.
Robinson said Heath's
tremendous talent and posi
tive spirit will be missed.
"There are certain ele
ments in people and energies
tnat you expect win oe in
your life forever. I couldn't believe it,"
she said. "So I had to just take a deep
breath and pray on it and say, 'OK, it was
evidently time for him to go'," she said.
Jones said it was while touring with a
production that he was moved to start his
own church. She said he founded Greater
Higher Ground in 1994 in a storefront
location off South Main Street with a
handful of members. Now the church is
located on Moat Drive with about 300
members.
Heath struggled with complications
from diabetes over the years. He was on
dialysis for eight years after his kidneys
failed before receiving a kidney from a
deacon at his church, DeForest LaGrone.
After the surgery, he released a CD, "Get
Right Church," and told The Chronicle
in 2006 he wanted his music to inspire
others. t.
"I've been through a lot, but I kept
my hand in God's hand" he said. "People
need to hear this music so that they can
be encouraged. They need to know that
they can make it and better days are on
the way regardless of their situation."
His health greatly improved with the
kidney transplant, but later complica
tions from diabetes caused
him to have a leg ampliation,
leading him to use a prosthe
sis to walk. Jones said Heath
didn't let his health chal
lenges keep him from the pul
pit or from visiting sick mem
bers of his church.
She said the family and
church have received an out
pouring of condolences from
the many people whose lives
Heath touched.
"He was able to make each
person feel special," she said.
"He had a special gift to make each per
son feel worthy no matter who they were
or what was going on in their lives. He
looked at the good in people and he
made them know that they could do bet
ter and be better."
*
On Friday, Jan. 30 from noon-6p.m.,
Heath will lie in state at Greater Higher
Ground, 4175 Moat Drive, followed by a
family viewing at 6-7 p.m. and a
Celebration of Life Service at 7 pjn. On
Saturday Jan. 31, there will be a viewing
from 10 a.m.-noon at Union Baptist
Church, 1200 N. Trade St., with a
Home going service at noon. The intern
ment will follow at Piedmont Memorial
Gardens.
Parmon
from page Al
Her job would allow
her to work out, of the
Greensboro office and
provide services to not
only Forsyth County resi
dents, but those in
Guilford and Davidson
counties as well. She
would be working with
residents who need help
such as getting their bene
fits from Veteran's Affairs
or those having issues
with Medicare.
"I will primarily be a
liaison between
Washington and the dis
trict," she said. "I'll defi
nitely be a voice and advo
cate for the people on
behalf of the congress
woman."
Parmon said that her
new job is no different
than what she did as a sen
ator.
"That's one of the rea
sons why I see it as a great
opportunity. It will allow
me to work with more
people in the district and
community addressing
concerns and helping peo
ple figure out how to be
advocates for themselves,"
she said. "I'm still a public
servant with the concerns
of the people as the root of
what I'm doing."
She would not name
who she wanted to replace
her, citing it as inappropri
ate and she is not endors
ing one candidate over the
other. However, Parmon
did say that she has an
idea of the type of person
she would like to see
replace her, even though it
will be up to the executive
committee of the Forsyth
County Democratic Party.'
"The environment in
Raleigh is going to be as
such that whomever is
selected needs to be a
strong voice and person
that's willing to stand up
and be heard," she said. "I
want to see the executive
committee elect someone
who understands the
issues and can deal with
the kind of unbalanced
government that we see in
Raleigh at this time."
The Forsyth County
Democratic Party will
hold a meeting today (Jan.
29) to determine who will
complete Parmon's term.
The meeting will be held
at Kennedy High School,
890 E. 11th St., beginning
at 6:30 p.m.
Each member of the
party's county executive
committee who lives in
Senate District 32 gets a
vote. There will be nomi
nating speeches and can
didate speeches before the
voting begins. The person
who gets at least 51 per
cent of the vote is the
nominee. The governor
will ultimately appoint the
nominee.
Parmon said that she is
excited to help elect some
one to take her seat and
that she is glad to have a
voice in the selection. She
also vows to help that per
son as a mentor.
"I'm going to be here
to help whomever because
this is going to be some
thing new (most candi
dates do not have legisla
tive experience). Whatever
1 can do to help, I'm going
to do."
?J
Photo by Ariana Daniels
Contenders for Parmon's seat (from left) Rev. Dr.
Paul Lowe, Joycelyn Johnson and Wilbert Banks
take part in a public forum Monday.
Bishop Heath
WSSU Photo by Garrett Garms
Dick Gregory sits and talks with students, Martreze Meachum (center) and.
Christopher Johnson.
Gregory
from page AT
the joint WSSU and Wake
Forest University's annual
Dt. Martin Luther King
Day event on Jan. 20.
The event, which was
free and open to the public,
included songs from
WSSU's Burke Singers and
the Wake Forest
University's Gospel Choir.
Following those selec
tions, attendees settled in
their seats to listen to
Gregory explain everything
from his thoughts on the
Bible, his reflection on
Martin Luther King Jr. and
what the youth can do to
? change the world. His lec
ture lasted just under an
hour.
A viral video has been
Circulating around
Facebook that shows
Gregory lecturing and
showing a minister claim
ing that he had to remem
ber to "move out of the way
so that he (the shooter) can
get a good shot," indicating
that he knew King was
going to be shot on April 4,
1968.
' Three weeks before he
died, we were in Chicago.
He said 'They're going to
kill me. Aren't they?' and I
said 'Doc, they're gonna
kill us all. Come on, we've
got a show to do,'" he said.
He went on to thank
King for his service and
said that he was grateful he
"bumped into the move
ment."
He also urged those res
idents who were students at
WFU and WSSU during
the Civil Rights Movement
to make sure their efforts
were acknowledged.
"Ya'll need to organize
and let the world know
what you did here,"
Gregory said.
Gregory oftefi broke up
the seriousness of his lec
ture with jokes, like saying
his worst enemy was his
mother lying to him.
"My mother told me
that Santa Claus bought me
these toys. A white man,"
he said, pausing.
"Everybody know ain't no
white man coming in the
ghetto after midnight."
Even through his
humor the seriousness of
the message hit home for
J
WSSU student Rodie
Lamb Jr. He had never seen
Gregory perform, but had
heard that he was great.
The junior said that he
didn't always know how to
take Gregory's mixture of
jokes with substantive
material.
"I didn't know if I
should laugh or be serious,"
he said. "He was definitely
straightforwaSftl and cap
tured the audience's atten
tion immediately."
He said that the part
that caught his attention
was when Gregory spoke
about King.
"One of the portions
that stood out for me the
most was when he said that
Dr. King knew he was
going to die. I put myself in
Dr. King's shoes, asking
myself would I be willing
to die for what I believed
in," Lamb said. 'To know
that you're about to die,
that's a very hard feeling to
put into words."
Gregory, being the
social activist that he is,
encouraged African
Americans to stand up for
their rights.
"You ain't never turned
on the radio or read the
newspaper where a white
mother or father crying
'cause some black cop has
shot their white son in the
back of the head 40 times.
Is that because we are more
spiritual? No. You know
white folks aren't going to
tolerate it. It's happening
because we tolerate it," he
said.
He said that the best
way for African-Americans
to liberate themselves is to
stop playing the economic
game and boycott. He feels
that cutting off America's
funds will cause the nation
to step in and protect
African-Americans.
"You know what we
have to do to shut this
down? All you have to do is
call for a boycott on -
Thanksgiving and
Christmas, but you not
going to do that because
you want your little chil
dren to have some toys, but
those are the ones they're
killing," he said. "Between
70 and 80 percent of retail
in America happens
between Thanksgiving and
Christmas. We have the
power to do it but we won't
because we've never been
liberated."
Lamb said that he was
in awe to be in the room
with someone who
marched with King and
that Gregory taught him to
question the information
given to him, especially
when it came to King's
death.
"Not only did he chal
lenge me to look at life
beyond myself and what 1
think I know, he also chal
lenged me to make sure
those around me are good
(taken care of)," Lamb said.
^ 1
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