Court
fiwmpageJO
last April. Observers say in
the likelihood that Senate
Republicans stick to their
promise to not even give
President Obama's nomi
nee a hearing, they would
run a tremendous political
risk of not only besmirch- -
ing Attorney General
Lynch two years in a row,
but also angering the black
Democratic voting base
during a presidential elec
tion year.
Indeed, black female
Democrats, the party's
most active base, would
certainly be fired up about
supporting one of their own
to again make history.
Given how . business
tycoon Donald Trump is
emerging as the likely GOP
presidential nominee,
observers say McConneU
and Senate Republicans
would not only run the risk
of a black voter backlash
when they could least
afford it, but could also
cripple their goal of hold
ing onto their Senate
majority in November, put
ting vulnerable GOP sena
tors at risk in states where
Obama won in 2008.
Even veteran SCOTUS
watchers, like Tom
Goldstein, who writes the
widely read
SCOTUSBlog.com, actual
ly changed his earlier pre
diction of another likely
Obama High Court candi
date, and recently ruminat
ed on the considerable
political benefit a Loretta
Lynch nomination would
bring.
The stakes could not
be higher the appointment
could flip the Supreme
Court's ideological balance
for decadesGoldstein
wrote recently. "Second,
gain as much political ben
efit as possible and exact as
heavy a political toll as
possible on Republicans,
particularly in the presiden
tial election. Precisely
because of the seat's impor
tance, this is the rare time
that a material number of
voters may seriously think
about the Court in deciding
whether to vote at all and
who to vote for."
Other observers believe
that while Lynch would
certainly be the best known
SCOTUS nominee
President Obama could for
ward to the U.S. Senate,
there are other black
female judicial candidates
whose stellar records of
accomplishment would
also produce an outstand
ing and history-making
first African-American
female associate justice of
the US. Supreme Court.
But given her exempla
ry record as US. Attorney
General thus far, observers
say Loretta Lynch would
be the president's most
powerful choice.
"The United States
Supreme Court and our
nation would be well
served with a nomination
of Attorney General
Loretta Lynch to replace
Justice Scalia on that
court," says attorney Irving
Joyner, law professor at the
North Carolina Central
University School of Law
in Durham. "Her creden
tials are outstanding and
she has been an outstand
ing attorney general during
the time that she has been
in that position."
Born in Greensboro,
Lynch was raised in
Durham by retired pastor
Rev. Lorenzo Lynch Sr.
and his wife during the
height of the civil rights
movement. Lynch graduat
ed Harvard Law School,
and successfully served as
U.S. attorney for the
Eastern District of New
York for several years
before being nominated to
succeed U.S. Attorney
General Eric Holder in
2014.
"Given her past out
standing service, her
demonstrated knowledge
of the law and excellent
judicial temperament, she
will make an outstanding
Justice on the Supreme
Court and be an intellectual
force similar to the late
Associate Justice Thurgood
Marshall," continued
Professor Joyner. "I would
strongly urge President
Obama to nominate this
outstanding African
American for service on
the U.S. Supreme Court."
Cook
from page AI
"We know replacing
the staff is an issue for a
number of people," she
said. "That is why we are
encouraging those teachers
who have been committed
to the students and this
community to re-apply."
Sim* the initial meet
ing was held to announce
the changes at Cook, the
lines of communication
between administrators
and parents have been
much improved. A number
of open discussions have
been held over the past
weeks to get a feel for what
the parents would like the
new program at the school
to look like.
During a meeting on
Monday, Feb. 29, dozens
of parents got into groups
and made lists of what they
would like to see changed
or improved. While a num
ber of parents called for an
improved after-school pro
gram, more educational
field trips, and improved
parent outreach, increased
community involvement is
one that made its way onto
every list.
"It takes a village to
raise a child," said Vincent
Neal, a parent and former
student at Cook.
"Back when I went
here, this was a great
school and the community
was a big part of that," he
continued. "For Cook to
succeed and continue to
grow, we have to tap into
the resources outside the
walls of the school. I think
that will make a big differ
ence."
For the first time, par
ents will also have input
about the new principal
who will take over for
interim principal/executive
director Constance Hash,
who came out of retirement
late last year.
According to reports, a
group composed of admin
istrators, teachers and a
parent will review the
applicants for the position
that is expected to be filled
later this month.
Emory also mentioned
a design team made up of
10 to 12 parents will also
be set into place following
the hiring of the new prin
cipal to ensure the voices
of the parents continue to
be heard.
"This is exactly what
we envisioned when we
decided to go with this
model, parents and admin
istrators working together,"
she said. "If we all believe
and work together, I'm
confident we can make this
work."
Matthews
from page XT
(now Wake Forest
University). On Feb 23,
1960 11 black students and
10 white students were
arrested for trespassing
during a sit-in at the local
Wool worth's lunch counter.
Mayor Marshall Kurfees
appointed a "Goodwill
Committee" of 10 black
and 10 white citizens tcr
devise a way to end the
protests, which resulted in
a desegregation agreement
for lunch counters in
Winston-Salem.
On May 25, 1960
Matthews returned to the
Kress lunch counter and
was the first African
American served there. He
said after he was finished,
the waitress threw the glass
he drank out of into a trash
can.
Former N.C. Rep.
Larry Womble was also
among the Winston-Salem
Teachers College students
in the sit-in. Womble, who
was the Student
Government Association
president at the time, also
knew Matthews from the
neighborhood and got to
know him more during the
sit-ins. He said he consid
ers him a local civil rights
hero.
"He was always dedi
cated, very sincere, very
committed to the cause and
the plight of equality and
trying to address discrimi
nation and racism in this
city," said Womble.
"Without him, I doubt we
would have made the suc
cess and the progress in the
speed in which we accom
plished it. He was a fantas
tic person."
Matthews, a 2003
Chronicle Lifetime
Achievement Award recipi
ent, also led efforts to
desegregate Greyhound
buses and the city's court
houses. He was also active
politically, registering a
record number of black
voters in the 1960s and
leading the local campaign
for Shirley Chisholm, the
first African-American to
run for president.
AAP Host Karim Allah
Sharif, who interviewed
Matthews on his show for
Womble
Exerts of the AAP interviews with Carl Matthews can be found on YouTube on the AAPmagazineonline channel.
Part of die interviews can also be checked out at the Malloy Jordan East Winston Heritage Center for viewing inside
the library. AH eight weeks of the interview can purchased in its entirety by contacting Sharif at 749-0355.
Photo by Tevia Stnuoo
Keisha Wisley discusses some changes she would like to be made at Cook Elementary during a meeting with
members of the board of education on Monday, Feb. 29.
eight weeks in 19%, said
that the historic sit-in victo
ry became a "scale model"
for the national civil rights
movement. Despite that, he
said Matthews got little
recognition for it in the
decades following the sit
in. Sharif said he was
among those who success
fully advocated for a state
historic marker for the sit
in. On Feb. 23 , 2000,
Matthews attended a dedi
cation of the state historic
marker and other events
held for the 40th anniver
sary of the sit-ins.
"He was a |reat man,"
said Sharif. "Not too many
are going to make the sacri
fices that he made ... for
someone to make the sacri
fices he made at the age he
made them, that's what
makes a great human
being."
Womble, who chaired
the sit-in anniversary, said
he had talked with
Matthews in recent weeks
about getting a statue or
bust of him erected, which
he still hopes to do.
Matthews had three
daughters, three grandchil
dren and four great-grand
children. His grandson Kali
Webster said his family
would miss him greatly and
that they're sorry that he
passed before he achieved
his dream of getting nation
al recognition for his sit-in
accomplishments like the
Greensboro Four and other
civil rights icons.
"That was his dream,
and that wasn't realized in
his lifetime, but hopefully
one day it will be realized,"
Chronicle file photo
Carl Matthews, center,
with other sit-in partici
pants at the state his
toric marker for the sit
in. SEE REMEM
BRANCE ON PAGE A7.
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