OPINION
The Chronicle I
Ernest H. Pitt
Publisher Emeritus
1974-2015
617 N. Liberty Street
336-722-8624 I 41 j
www.wschronicle.com
Elaine Pitt
Donna Rogers
Wali D. Pitt
Business Manager
Managing Editor
Digital Manager
Our Mission
The Chronicle is dedicated to serving the
residents of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County
by giving voice to the voiceless, speaking truth
to power, standing for integrity and
encouraging open communication and
lively debate throughout the community.
Government
should aid
programs that
help the poor
Thanksgiving 2015 has come and gone. Many
nonprofit organizations are reporting that they served
food to this number and that number of people dur
ing this time. This is a special holiday, so at this time
and at Christmas, people take it upon themselves to
do special things.
Now, as Christmas creeps up on us, people are
saying needy children need gifts because Christmas
is a special time. All children deserve gifts at
Christmas, right? <"
The problem is, how can a child feel like playing
when he or she is hungry? How can parents handle
the things they need to do when they have headaches
because of hunger and frustration because they can't
take care of their families? What happens after Dec.
25?
While Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines forms
a 21-member panel to combat poverty, many non
profit organizations are forging ahead to help people
get out of poverty. They are not just using elements
of President Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty,"
which Joines says has not worked in 50 years. They
are using elements of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt's "New Deal," which was implemented
during the Great Depression in the 1930s.
Under the New Deal, the federal government put
people to work on projects that benefited America,
such as constructing buildings and bridges.
In this century we had the Great Recession. Many
people who could provide for their families just fine
lost their jobs and careers, just as during the Great
Depression. They were plunged into poverty.
Programs today are putting people to work as part of
a comprehensive agenda that helps the people
involved get out of poverty and helps the organiza
tion. One such program is the Circles Program,
administered by The Shalom Project, which is help
ing participants through leadership training, commu
nity support and community transformation.
As part of a Women's Fund of Winston-Salem
event announcing grant recipients, participants in the
program recently told about how Circles is helping
them. They had various reasons for moving into the
poverty ranks, but they are moving toward the same
outcome: They want to be self-sufficient enough to
take care of themselves and their families.
They did not mention that a 21-member panel
helped them. People called "allies" helped them.
These are individuals who encourage and help peo
ple as they go through Circles. One participant told
about how she was drifting toward depression until
her allies stepped into her life.
What if the 21-member panel would decide that it
would disband and just give more money to the pro
grams that work now to bring people out of poverty?
What if city government hired poor people to help
build projects that are being built with money from
the bond issue approved in 2014? Joines claims the
War on Poverty has not worked. Tell that to
Experiment in Self Reliance. It states on its website:
"Like its sister Community Action Agencies (CAA's)
across the nation, ESR was bom out of Lyndon B.
Johnson's War on Poverty and the Equal Opportunity
Act of 1964, the economic twin to the Civil Rights
A *1
nu.
The organization, chartered in 1964, "has served
the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County community for
more than 50 years, working to eliminate poverty
and homelessness, and help people help them
selves."
All members of Winston-Salem City Council are
up for re-election in 2016. The filing period to run
has opened and will end Dec. 21. There are an esti
mated 60j000 people in poverty in Winston-Salem.
What if those in poverty who are registered to vote
did so next year?
Those in poverty now are hard-pressed to wait
five years to get out of poverty. Organizations are
working now to move people from the poverty statis
tics to the tax-paying ones, Government officials
should look at what is working and provide more
money to the organizations in charge of the programs
or form their own programs now. If not, there might
be new faces looking at how to help the thousands of
poor people who helped put them in office.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Black Rep giving
back through
'Black Nativity'
To the Editor:
From the beginning, the North
Carolina Black Repertory Company
(NCBRC) has used theatre to give
back to the community. Every two
years, the NCBRC hosts the National
Black Theatre Festival, its interna
tional outreach program, which
boosts the city and state's economies.
The company also prepares the next
generation of professional theatre
artists through the Teen Theatre
Ensemble (TIE), a six-week inten
sive that introduces local youth to the
fundamental elements of theatre.
True to its mission of developing
the community through the theatre
arts, the NCBRC will be producing
its annual revival of the classic gospel
play "Black Nativity" Dec. 4-6 and
11-13.
Created by the poet and dramatist
Langston Hughes, "Black Nativity"
tells the story of Jesus Christ's birth
from a black perspective. The play
blends gospel music, dance and poet
ry to captivate audiences. When it
debuted on Broadway in December
1961, the play was an instant success.
Soon, it quickly achieved internation
al success, touring many major cities
in Europe. As a result, "Black
Nativity" helped to legitimize gospel
music and became a staple of Black
theatre.
Just as it did in the 1960s, the play
still has the power to engage and
amaze the community. The story as
well as the accompanying gospel
music connects the viewer with their
spirituality. For the company's pro
duction, the creative team chose to
use a West African theme in the cos
tume and choreography to evoke the
ancestral roots of black people.
However, the NCBRC does not want
to engage the community only as
audience members. The production
team and cast are all residents from
the Triad.
Additionally, the NCBRC works
hard to involve the community
because the play holds personal sig
nificance to the company. Mabel
Robinson, the company's artistic
director, originated the role of Mary
in the Broadway production, replac
ing Cleo Quitman. She continued to
perform the role for many years on
the national and international tours.
She believes the experience to be the
highlight of her career as it sparked
her interest in Black theatre. Due to
the play's influence on her, she sug
gested it to Lanry Leon Hamlin, the
company's founder and former artis
tic director, who wanted to produce a
Christmas show to connect to the
community. It has become a tradition
now, as this year is the 15th produc
tion by the NCBRC.
The company is proud to be pre
senting its annual production of
"Black Nativity." We are also
extremely enthused to continue to
foster our relationship with the citi
zens of the region, whose support we
greatly appreciate. Please come out
and join us as we tell the story of
Jesus Christ's birth. As we always say
at the NCBRC, we're saving a seat
just for you.
Ivan Mosley
Office Assistant with the
NCBRC
and a 2013 WFU graduate
with a BA in Theatre
Black preachers,
don't let Trump
manipulate you
To the Editor:
1 am at a loss for words that black
preachers allowed [GOP presidential
candidate Donald] Trump to expose
our vulnerability over a meeting and a
press conference.
Preachers, let's look out for the
people we serve and not ourselves.
Trump has publicly disrespected
every minority group from Latinos to
2014 file photo: N.C. Black Rep Photo by Larente Hamlin
Some of the cast members of "Black Nativity" are shown.
Bishop Mack
those with special needs, to the Black
Lives Matter movement.
My thing is this: has Trump ever
been to a black church? If not, then
why now does he want the black
preacher to come to him?
Is it really about a conversation?
We have been talking for years about
jobs, better schools^ economic
empowerment. Where has he been
with his billions? But now he needs a
vote and a picture so he calls the
black preacher.
#Dont'tGetTrumped.
Bishop Sir Walter Mack
Pastor
Union Baptist Church
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