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FORUM . .j. ? . ? ? Passing on our history to the next generation It has been James B. 50 ,on8< ^ 1 don't actually Ewers Jr. remember when I started Guest celebrating uuesi Wack hjstory Columnist 1 do recall that it started out as Black History Week. Upon quiet reflection and over time, I have come to realize that black folks created and invented a lot of things. For example, Alexander Mills invented the elevator and Albert R. Robinson invented the electric trolley. In addition, John Love invented the pencil sharpener and John Burr invented the lawn mower. As I grew older, a week of black history turned into an entire month. I am sure that Carter G. Woodson, in 1926, didn't really think about this turn of events. Yet, I suspect the contributions were so enormous that one week simply would not do. There are some compelling questions to be asked regarding Black History Month as we know it now. First, there are those who are calling for an end to Black History Month. They argue that there ought to be a seamless transition from black history to American history. Proponents also say that Black History Month further separates and segregates our society. It is my thinking that as long as many of the gaming tools and dis pensers of information give out little or partial information, then Black History Month must continue. I agree that our his tory should be interwoven into American history; however, at this point the rhetoric and the practice of the rhetoric don't match. I have often mused whether talk ing intentionally about the contributions of black people make some people uncom fortable. I am sensitive to this comfort issue, however sometimes folks have to feel uneasy in order to appreciate the facts. Will the information tools tell us that Sarah Boone invented the ironing board; that Alice Parker invented the heating furnace; and that George T. Samon invented the clothes dryer? We probably have to go to mates are of different ethnicities. With all of these groups together, you have a real melting pot of ideas and learning styles. The questions then boil up, "How do black students feel about celebrating Black History Month?" Are they embarrassed by it? Are they afraid of being rejected? And finally, do they believe there is any corre lation between their success and die suc cess of their ancestors? "The celebration of Black History Month during this time has special significance, especially for young students. -James B. Ewers Jr. some extremes to acquire this information. The celebration of Black History Month during this time has special signifi cance, especially for young students. If you are my age or a little younger, you are a product of segregated schools. You either went to an all-black school or an all-white school. This wasn't a reflection on us as much as it was the times. Many of us lived in places where our contact with each other was quite limited. As a result, it may have been easier to celebrate the accom plishments of black folks because there wasn't the peer pressure or the resistance. And because we had black teachers for the most part, these purveyors of the informa tion affirmed our pride. Obviously, we now live in different places and during a different time in pur history. Students now learn in integrated classes and their class Recently, in a few public settings, I have shared a few analogies. For instance, there could be no Condoleeza Rice without there first being a Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American to run for President of the United States; there could be no Barack Obama without there first being an Edward Brooke, an African-American Senator from Massachusetts; and finally, there could be no Usher without there first .being a Sammy Davis, Jr. The analogies are endless, yet the point is that we all stand on the mighty shoulders of those who came before us. They were role mod els for us before the term became chic and fashionable. The proposition has tb be made to young people that their own suc cess is inextricably tied to the success of their ancestors. One of the things that I have observed inuMiauon oy Ron Rogers ror inc i_nrofucur more with young students is that they mix well together. Seeing black students and white students together is not the aberra tion that it once was. So it would stand to reason that white students would also appreciate Black History Month. It has always been my view that we can all learn things from each other. I do hope that black students celebrate with "great pride this month the many achievements that have been made through the years. February will be gone before you know it. While I think we still need to cel ebrate in February, we need to do more throughout the year. There are too many highlights to keep them confined to one month. I encourage parents, grandparents and other love providers to keep this spirit of information-sharing alive and well. Use the library and the Internet as wonderful sources for information. We have an opportunity to provide our children with a platform made up of respect, admiration and caring. We can love and care about each other every day. Let our children, friends and neighbors see us as the torch bearers of kindness, civility and good will. February should be a month of inclusion, not exclusion. We grow more when we learn more. Celebrate black history because it is American history. James B. Ewers, Jr. EdD. is a former tennis champion at Atkins High School in Winston-Salem 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. Our voices should be heard everywhere: Why the courts ruled against Republicans Rep. Ed Hanes Guest Columnist Last week a panel of Federal judges ruled that the current Republican drawn boundaries in the 12th and 1st N.C. Congressional districts are unconstitutional. The find ing concludes that Republican lawmakers concentrated black voters in two districts with the intent to dilute the political clout of black voters across the State. It is now the time to follow the directive of the court and redraw the district lines with contigui ty, compactness, and true democracy in mind. .The district in question for Winston-Salem, North Carolina's 12th, is one of the least-compact districts in the nation. The Justice Department used Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act to promote the creation of majority-minority districts like the 12th. These dis tricts were drawn to ensure that traditionally marginal ized people, blacks in par ticular, would be guaran teed representation in Congress. The 12th District has been majority black since it was drawn in 1999. We have had two representatives during this time: Democrats Mel Watt and the current Congress woman. Dr. Alma Adams. Our current discussion in North Carolina is a fine example of the problem with unconstitutional dis tricts based strictly upon race. When black voters are stacked in one district, their broader political influence is drastically diminished. The facts on the ground are clear: black voters are heavily over-rep resented in the 12th District, but under-repre sented everywhere else across the State (except for the also litigated 1st Congressional District). Republican congressional districts have mushroomed under this plan. Candidates outside the 12th and 1st Districts are free to disregard the concerns of black voters completely. Republicans have found that they can exploit this reality to their advantage and have done so with great success. Things are changing. We've now seen a handful of lawsuits from national and state Democratic par ties to get majority-minori ty districts overturned. These circumstances can sometimes create tension within minority communi ties and between the Democrats we predomi l. 8^$pr ? nantly vote for. Black incumbents want to ensure safe districts for reelection, while party leaders want minority voters more dis persed to increase the party's chances of winning more races. This is an inescapable tension. So far that hasn't been the case in North Carolina. Democratic Legislators in Raleigh voted on Tuesday 15 to 1 to redraw the 12th District in a way that is not "serpentine" in nature and instead, promotes compact ness and fair representa tion. Congresswoman Alma Adams and Congressman GJC. Butterfield have both issued everi-handed state ments saying they support the creation of fair and con stitutional districts in line with what was requested by the courts. Our Congresswoman Adams has taken this appropriate stance even as she finds herself in a very unfair position. She lives in Greensboro, serves the dis trict, and did not have input into the maps previously drawn, as did the two Congressmen who previ ously served Districts 1 and 12. In considering new maps a pragmatic approach must take place. There needs to be greater geographic balance between Charlotte and the NC Policy Witch Triad while honoring the idea of compactness. The lines should be drawn under the 2010 Census. The district needs to return to fewer than 50% African American (as was the case when Mel Watt first won the seat). Forsyth County should remain in a district with one Republican Congressperson (Virginia Foxx) and one Democratic Congressperson (Alma Adams). Our city deserves the same bipartisan repre sentation as the other major urban centers in Wake and Mecklenburg Counties. This can be accomplished quite easily by placing the western liberal precinct's in the city into the 12th ik District. That would ensure bipartisan representation in Winston Salem, Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, and Greensboro. The questions boil down to this: Are people in a given district similar to each other on any given demographic measure? Is the political process free, fair and democratic? The courts have determined that as the maps are currently drawn, the answer to those questions by way of consti tutionality is no. Minority groups have been stacked and, thereby, removed from the broader political process. This cannot stand. Black people are, in fact, people and should be counted in the whole! Our lives, our voices, and our votes matter from Murphy to Manteo. We are part of the fabric of North Carolina and have earned our right to representation through constitutionally consistent districts in every corner of this state. We paid for that right by whip, through blood, by protest, and eventual freedom. It is never the wrong time to do the right thing! N.C. Rep. Ed Hanes Jr. is leader of the Forsyth County Legislative Delegation and a member of the Congressional Redisricting Select Committee. R
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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