OPINION
? ??i^?^^11^
The Chronicle i [
617 N. Liberty Street *c/f/Y^
336-722-8624 * W* |
WWW.WSCHRONICLE.COM \
tniiy ?
Ernest H. pfrr Publisher/Co-Founder
Donna Rogers Managing Editor
Elaine Pitt Business Manager
Our Mission
The Chronicle is dedicated to serving the
residents of Winston-Salem and Forsyth
County by giving voice to the voiceless, speak
ing truth to power, standing for integrity and
encouraging open communication and
lively debate throughout the community.
Follow the lead I
of Democrats
in Forsyth Co.
J
The Forsyth County Democratic Party elected a
new slate of officers on April 11. Voting members
chose Eric Ellison as its chairman. (
He told The Chronicle that he was motivated to j,
seek the post because he has been working with elec- s
tions for the past 22 years, and he sees how important e
the 2016 election is going to be. *
"I think this is historical," Ellison said.
To that end, the party is working to counter any
negative effects of the Voter Information Verification
Act or "VIVA" (S.L. 2013-381). Beginning in 2016,
North Carolina will require voters to show a photo j
identification (photo ID) when they show up in per- {
son to vote.
Ellison said the party has already started working (
to make sure people who have been identified as
those who might be affected by the new law will be ]
ready to vote with no problems in 2016. The North .
Carolina Democratic Party has identified thousands ,
of people who "might be victims" of the new law,
Ellison said. There are 99,000 Democrats in Forsyth
County, he said.
He said every week people
will be working at phone banks,
calling those people who might
be affected and making sure
they understand the new law
and how it could affect them.
And the workers also will be
"hitting doors" as well at some
point, Ellison said.
Those who support the new
law say what's the big deal? We
have to have government
issued IDs anyway. That's not true for a good deal of
African-Americans. It takes money to obtain the
required identification to Vote, which many African
Americans don't have. And the person getting the ID
has to go to an authorized place to obtain the ID,
which could seem like 100 miles away to a person
who has no transportation.
Here are the acceptable photo IDs needed to vote
starting in 2016:
?Unexpired North. Carolina drivers' license,
including a learners' permit or provisional license
?Unexpired North Carolina non-operators
identification card (Department of Motor Vehicle
ID Card)
?Unexpired United States passport
?United States military identification card
?Veterans Identification Card
?Tribal enrollment card issued by a federally
recognized tribe
?Tribal enrollment card issued by a tribe rec
ognized by North Carolina
?Out-of-state drivers' license or non-operators
identification card (valid only if the person's
voter registration date in the county is within 90
days of the date of the election)
There are no photo ID requirements for people
who vote by-mail absentee ballot; however, by-mail
absentee voters will need to provide identification
information when requesting an absentee ballot.
Civilian absentee ballot requests must be made on
the State Absentee Ballot Request Form.
The request form will require voters to provide at
least one of the following identification information:
their drivers' license number, the last four digits of
their Social Security number; or a copy of a Help
America Vote Act (HAVA) ID.
In the past, registering to vote was all that was
needed. A voter registration card was mailed to the
person who registered. What happened to that great
idea? That card is a form of identification.
It can be used to verify proof of residence in order
to get a post office box, for instance.
People died and went to jail so that others could
get that card. It has value, even though it's free.
The new law is spurring the Democratic Party to
move; more organizations and people in the commu
nity should move, too, to fight against a law that is
designed to keep African-Americans still.
* ?
-^^TViC CYttoftVClf ?1015 I
m.GOgMrta |
railwtf
[mm
.l!*J
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
?und emergency food banks
US. Rep. Alma S. Adams, a member of the House
Committee on Agriculture and the Subcommittee on
Nutrition, on Monday, April 20, released the following
tatement after a report released by the Food Research
ind Action Center listed High Point and Greensboro as
irst in the nation for food insecurity:
To the Editor:
I have lived and served in the Greensboro and High
aoint areas for decades and know firsthand that access to
iffordable and nutritious food plagues these communities,
rhis report is yet another painful reminder of the severity
if the food crisis facing the 12th District.
As the Representative in Congress for the 12th
District, I remain committed to addressing this issue here
it home and in Washington. That is why I made it a prior
ity to join the House Committee on Agriculture and the
Subcommittee on Nutrition.
As a member of those committees, I will be able to
fight for vital programs like SNAP [Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program] that help many families in
the 12th District access quality food.
Just last month, I urged the Appropriations Committee
to fund the Emergency Food Assistance Program at $420
million, to adequately address the issue of food insecurity
and food bank funding in North Carolina and throughout
the nation. I will continue to fight on behalf of the 770,000
people of the 12th Congressional District by making sure
that our food banks and co-ops have the funding they
need, that vital food programs like SNAP are protected
and moSt importantly, that more of our families have
access to quality and nutritious food.
But even with SNAP benefits and other food pro
grams, families still struggle to put food on the table,
which is why I will be working to address the larger issue
of low-paying jobs, systematic poverty and unemploy
ment, which contribute to the crisis our communities are
facing.
Rep. Alma Adams, Democrat
Representing the 12th Congressional District
of North Carolina
Editor's note: Adams' office says that according to the
latest Census data, more than 27 percent of residents in
North Carolina's 12th District live below the poverty line,
and there is a 13.8 percent unemployment rate. These fac
tors, as well as funding cuts for area food banks and cuts
to federally funded programs like SNAP, influence food
insecurity.
Aaron Hernandez: Did he really fall from
grace or was it just a matter of time?
James
Ewers
Guest
Columnist
When I think of the New England
Patriots, I think of Super Bowl
Champions and Aaron Hernandez.
The game between the Patriots and
the Seahawks was a game for the
ages. Yet, for many sports fans, the
murder trial involving former Patriots
Tight End Aaron Hernandez over
shadows the game.
The guilty verdict was unanimous
against Hernandez, and he will spend
the rest of his life in prison without
the chance of parole. He was found
guilty of killing Odin Lloyd in 2013.
Before his death, Lloyd had been a
linebacker for a semi-professional
football team, the Boston Bandits
since 2007.
As the guilty verdict was being
read, Hernandez stood there stoic, not
moving a muscle. Watching him
made me wonder if he was in shock
or if he expected the guilty verdict.
If I had a choice to make, I believe
he expected the guilty verdict. Aaron
Hernandez has been around trouble
since his college days at the
University of Florida. His attitude as
a Gator was, "You can't touch me."
And he was right, at least while he
was in college.
He was drafted by the New
England Patriots in 2010, and that is
when his life really started to spiral
out of control. Aaron Hernandez was
a gifted professional football player
during the day and a thug at night. In
addition to this guilty verdict, he has
a double-murder trial set for later in
the year. He will have the right to
appeal the guilty verdict, although in
my opinion his chances are not good.
It appears as if unless a miracle hap
pens that he will only be able to catch
footballs behind prison bars. ?
In the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts, in these types of
1.
" Aaron Hernandez has
been around trouble since
his college days at the
University of Florida. His
attitude as a Gator was,
You can't touch me."
-James Ewers
cases, there is a part of the post-ver
dict called victim impact statements.
It gives family members a chance to
express their hurt and sadness about
their lost loved one.
Ursula Ward, the mother of Odin
Lloyd, gave
a heartfelt
testimony
about her
loving son.
Her com
ments were
followed by
other family
members,
who gave
similar testi
monies.
I have to
wonder how
did Aaron
Hernandez
Hernandez convince Odin Lloyd to
become one of his road partners?
Was it because they dated sisters? We
will never know.
There are a number of points to be
made in the Aaron Hernandez case.
First, not every athlete should be on a
college campus. More stringent
background checks and monitoring
may be a solution. But will this solu
tion help this billion-dollar industry
called college football? When a col
lege coach sees a student-athlete
exhibiting inappropriate behavior,
why not suspend him or boot him off
the team? Duke basketball coach,
Mike Krzyzewski, kicked junior
player, Rasheed Sulaimon off of the
team, never to return. Maybe that is
why Duke is Duke. Some schools
will put up with thugs in cleats and
shorts while others won't.
All of us can choose who we are
around during the day and night. Do
we want to be around high character
men and women? Of course we do.
4.
What did Odin Lloyd see in Aaron
Hernandez that made him want to be ?
around him? Was it his fame and
notoriety? It is safe to say that former
pro football player Aaron Hernandez
had been living on the edge for a long
time. This time he finally fell over
the cliff of bad choices and poor deci
sions.
I hope every coach in America
shares this story with their players.
What happened to Hernandez could
easily happen to another athlete with
promise. I have always said that the
best athletes are hanging out on the
corners of America because they
don't have the discipline and the self- ,
control to be in organized team
sports. Sometimes they slip through
the cracks like Aaron Hernandez did.
It is not if they slip through the cracks
it is simply how long they stay.
Aaron Hernandez didn't stay very
long .There are countless college and
professional teams that have prob
lematic players with promise.
Coaches must ask themselves if char
acter counts. If it counts, you will
make the necessary adjustments. If it
doesn't and you want to win at all
costs, you will do nothing .Family
members always suffer because of the
poor decisions and indiscretions that
our children make. The pain
expressed by Odin Lloyd's mother,
Ursula Ward, could be felt through
the television.
There won't be any grandchil
dren, not another birthday or him
wanting to know what's for dinner.
The pain lingers and the torment is
forever.Tomorrow is not promised,
not even this aftemdon. Death will
overtake us all. It is not when we die,
it is simply how we die. Remember
the family of Odin Lloyd.
James B. Ewers Jr. EdD. is a for
mer tennis champion at Atkins High
School and played college tennis at
Johnson C Smith University where he
was all-conference for four years: He
is the President Emeritus of The Teen
Mentoring Committee of Ohio and a
retired college administrator. He can
be reached at
ewers.jr56@yahoo.com.