Former Black Panther Party leader Little
speaks out on petition to have
marker removed
BY TEV1N STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
Last month, an online
petition was started to have
the marker honoring the
Winston-Salem Chapter of
the Black Panther Party
(BPP) removed.
The Winston-Salem
Chapter was the first BPP
in the South and was
known for its many com
munity service programs,
including a free breakfast
program for children, an
ambulance service and
medical screenings.
The Winston-Salem
Chapter was one of many
branches that came from
the original Black Panther
Party in Oakland,
California.
The petition was started
by Wayne Pearce of
Henderson, N.C. Pearce
believes the marker should
be taken down because of
the recent actions of the
New Black Panther Party
during a rally in
Charleston, S.C., where
they called for the killing of
white people and the chil
dren of slave owners.
According to the peti
tion, the people of
Winston-Salem are calling
for the removal of the sign,
although Pearce isn't a res
ident of Winston-Salem or
Forsyth County.
During an interview.
Dr. Larry Little, who was
the leader of the local
branch during the height of
its popularity, was quick to
point out that Pearce isn't
from this area and doesn't
understand what the BPP
did for the community.
"He isn't even from
here," said Little. "He
doesn't understand the
impact we had on this city,
not just with African
Americans, but the entire
city. We were about equal
rights for all, not just black
people. He doesn't under
stand that."
Little went on to men
tion that the New Black
Panther Party doesn't have
anything to do with the
marker or the original
Black Panther Party.
"The New Black
Panther Party is a totally
different organization, with
no ties to the original Black
Panther Party," Little said.
"We went to court to try
to stop them from using our
name, but because they
added "New," there was
nothing we could do."
During the first week,
the petition gained over
100 signatures. That num
ber quickly grew to over
3,000 in less than a month.
Although the petition
almost reached its goal of
5,000 signatures, Little is
confident that the marker
will never be removed.
"It's not going any
where," said Little. "The
marker is a historic monu
ment."
The marker honoring
the BPP is protected under
a law that protects historic
monuments, which renders
the petition useless.
As of Tuesday, Aug. 25,
the petition had 3,931 sig
natures. An update left on
Aug. 2 states that Pearce
has downloaded the signa
tures in case they are need
ed.
Pearce could not be
reached for comment.
Little said that people
should do more research on
the Black Panther Party to
understand what they were
about.
"A lot of people don't
understand what we stood
for, when the city honored
us with the marker, that
was the biggest crowd ever
for a marker unveiling,"
Little said.
The petition can be
viewed at change.org, a
freemium petition tool that
has over 100 million users.
The marker honoring
the Winston-Salem Chaptei
of the Black Panther Party
is located at the northeast
corner of Martin Luthei
King Jr. Drive and East
Fifth Street.
This marker dedicated to
the Winston-Salem
Chapter of the Black
Panther Party is near
the intersection of
Martin Luther King Jr.
Drive and Fifth Street.
Photo by Ttvim Stinson
Submitted photo
Publisher Sheila
Robinson of Winston
Salem meets with
Daymond John.
Local magazine
publisher meets
with'Shark Tank'
personality
SPECIAL TO THE
CHRONICLE
Local magazine pub
lisher Sheila Robinson is
on a mission to continue
the growth of her 10-year
old parent company
Robinsdn & Associates
Communications LLC,
with media brands
Diversity Woman maga
zine, INCLUSION maga
zine and national Diversity
Women's Business
Leadership Conferences.
Robinson is also an
author, a thought leader and
doctoral student at the
University of
Pennsylvania.
She visited the FUBU
Headquarters in New York
City the week of Aug. 21
and had the opportunity to
share her vision for growth
with Daymond John,
founder and CEO of FUBU
apparel and television per
sonality of "Shark
Tank." Robinson states
that it was an empowering
session that inspired her to
think beyond her current
vision and she left the ses
sion invigorated.
"All I could think of
when I left the session,"
said Robinson, "was
'Watch out New York,
there is a new 'Shark' in
town, and Stay tuned!!"
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