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1 HE CHRONICLE
Volume43,Number37 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, May 19, 2016
Can city be a Tap 50 metro area?
Winston-Salem is behind its job goal,
faces poverty and education challenges
BY TODD LUCK J
THE CHRONICLE '
Winston-Salem is currently far short of its job growth
goal of becoming one of the top 50 metropolitan areas in
the country by 2020, according to a State of the
Community presentation on Tuesday, May 17.
Community leaders, led by Mayor Allen Joines, made
presentations showing the city's progress and struggles in
areas like jobs, poverty, infrastructure and education. The
goal to be one of the top 50 metropolitan areas by 2020
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was announced last year with a promise of annual
progress updates.
"We're going to come back to you every year and
report how we're doing," said Joines. "We're going to be
totally transparent, we're going to tell you the way it is."
In order to reach the goal, Forsyth County will need to
add 27,000 net new jobs by 2020, which is 5,400 jobs a
year. However, according to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, Forsyth County had net job growth of 2,715
between September 2014 and September 2015. This was
below the growth of Guilford, Buncombe and New
Hanover counties.
"Frankly, the growth is not as good as we'd like it to
See City on A2
Alan Caldwell,
Reynolds' civic
engagement
head, retiring
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
Alan Caldwell will soon retire after making his mark
as head of civic engagement at Reynolds American Inc.
Caldwell, a 35-year Reynolds employee, has become
the face of Reynolds'efforts to help the community.
Reynolds American is a Fortune 500 company headquar
tered in Winston-Salem that owns R J. Reynolds Tobacco
Photo provided by Reynolds American Inc
Caldwell
Company, which is the second largest tobacco company in
the country.
Caldwell received the Man of the Year award at The
Chronicle's Community Service Awards banquet in April,
which he said was a humbling experience.
Caldwell was born in 1956 in Winston-Salem. He
grew up in East Winston during segregation.
"We had one part of town we were supposed to be on
and the other folk had a part of town they were supposed
to be on," he said. "But it didn't stop us from having
dreams and values and things of that nature."
He said the city was a great place to grow up. He's the
sixth of seven children. His father was a janitorial super
visor and his mother was a department store clerk. Nether
went to college but made sure all of their children did. He
said that he and his siblings were "steeped in religion and
taught how to do things the right way the first time."
Caldwell is also well known for his football career. He
said it was his brother Everette, who he shared a newspa
per delivery route with, that convinced him to play foot
ball at Carver Middle School. Their father refused to let
them, concerned they wouldn't be able to keep up with
their work and school, but Everrette forged his signature
so they could play anyway. Eventually word got back to
their father that they were playing, and winning, football
games. After seeing them in action, he let them continue
since they were able to keep their grades up, but told them
to never sign his name to anything again.
Caldwell received an athletic scholarship to UNO
Chapel Hill where he graduated with a bachelor's degree
in industrial relations in 1978. While at UNC, he was
See Caldwell on A2
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Photo by Tevin Stinson
Author and well-known scholar Melissa Harris-Perry delivers the keynote address during Winston-Salem
State University's commencement ceremony on Friday, May 13 at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial
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Melissa Harris-Perry: Defy
odds, make a difference
WSSU graduates ready
for next phase
'' BY TEVIN STINSON '
THE CHRONICLE
The Lawrence Joel Veteran's
Memorial Coliseum was filled with
joy and excitement last Saturday as
more than 800 undergraduate and
graduate students from Winston
Salem State University completed
their academic voyage during the
126th commencement ceremony.
During their seemingly endless
wait to cross the stage, chipper laughs
and chatter echoed throughout the
crowded corridors as the students dis
cussed their journey to graduation
day and future plans.
Durham native Jarian Mitchell
said he was excited to be receiving
his bachelor's degree in justice stud
ies. Following graduation Mitchell, a
member of Omega Si Phi fraternity,
will be commissioned as a Second
Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Military
Police Division. Mitchell said
although it was hard at times, the sup
port of family and friends is what got
him through.
"It wasn't easy," he said. "I'm just
thankful for all the support I received
over the past four years. Without
them I may not be standing here
today."
Magnum Cum Laude candidate
Tevin Taylor patiently stood in line
chatting with friends while waiting to
receive his degree. "It's a blessing,"
he said. "This is something I have
really worked hard for my entire life.
To be standing here today is just a
blessing."
An exercise science major from
Rocky Mount, Taylor said now he
will pursue a doctorate in physical
therapy.
'"Kris is only the beginning. I will
See WSSU on A8
Improvise in life, speaker tells WF grads
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Wake Forest graduates need to be ready to Improvise,
.aid commencement speaker Eboo Patel, who served on
President barack unama s
Advisory Council on Faith-based
and Neighborhood Partnerships.
Patel spoke to about 1,900
graduates during the Monday,
May 16 commencement ceremo
ny held on campus. Patel is ah
Oxford graduate and Rhodes
Scholar, who is founder and pres
ident of the Interfaith Youth
Core, a Chicago-based non-profit
that promotes interfaith coopera
tion. Patel was tapped for the
interfaith council position in
2009, which helped develop Obama's Interfaith and
Community Service College Challenge that invites col
leges to commit to interfaith and community service pro
gramming.
Patel used musician Louis Armstrong and jazz, an art
form known for improvisation, as an analogy for what
Wake students will need to do in life, saying the nation has
ventured into a "Jazz age" that requires constant change.
He used his own example of joining the speech team after
not making the Varsity basketball team, which helped lead
him to his current career path.
"I'm not telling you to throw away the roadmap you've
sketched for your life, I'm just saying your liberal arts edu
cation ought to have given you the eyes to read the road
signs along the way and the ability to change direction
when the original plan goes sideways," said Patel.
Camry Wilbom of Winston-Salem was among the
graduates who've already done a bit of adapting. After ini
See WF on A8
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