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The Chronicle
Volume43,Number43 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, July 7, 2016
Hcrae haves Drtan lea?e boanl
Changes
announced
during first annual
meeting under
CEO James Perry
BYTEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
The evening was bitter
sweet during the Winston
Salem Urban League's
annual meeting held inside
the Novant Health
Conference Center on Silas
Creek Parkway.
During the first annual
meeting under the tutelage
of Chief Executive Officer
and President James Perry,
members elected nine new
directors to the board.
While ushering in the
future, the league also said
goodbye to four directors
during the meeting on June
28, including board chair
Evelyn Acree, who has
served almost half a
decade.
Dr. Chere' Gregory,
vice chair and chair of the
nominating committee,
announced the names of
the directors during the
meeting as general mem
bers and those affiliated
Acre
with the Young
Professionals organisation
listened intently.
The new directors are:
Marquis H. Bennett, Tim
W. Bell, Hana T. Carson,
Gerri Johns, Marcus T.
Lane, Jimmy L. Norwood
Jr..Gregory Scotts Parks,
James W. Shaw Jr. and
Quentin Williams.
Although the meeting
was open to the public,
only members in "good
standing" were allowed to
vote during the board elec
tions. Prior to the meeting,
members received a ballot
with the candidates' names.
After reading the
names, Gregory, senior
vice president of physician
services at Novant Health,
said she felt confident in
the new directors' ability to
bring the community
together.
"Rarely have I seen
such an exciting cross-sec
tion of smart, committed
leaders," she said. "They
are ready to unify behind
this organization."
Following a tribute
honoring her, Acree said
she felt confident and at
peace with her departure.
"They say you should
leave things better than
they were when you found
them. And I can confident
ly say that the Winston
Salem Urban League is
better now that it was when
I found it."
Acree, the senior vice
president of Mechanics &
Farmers Bank Piedmont
Triad Region, has served as
board chair since 2012.
During her tenure, the
nationally acclaimed
agency that strives for
racial- equality through the
alleviation of poverty, has
expanded offerings beyond
Winston-Salem and
Forsyth County and into
other communities across
the state.
Board secretary Tamara
Smith thanked Acree for
her dedicated service.
Smith mentioned that
although she is leaving, her
name will live on through
the good deeds of the
See Changes on A2
Ministers'
Conference
awards students
$11,000 total
BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY
THE CHRONICLE
^ Going to cqjlege and obtaining a degree is a dream
many high schodl seniors have each year. For some, the
trouble is not getting into college; it's paying for it.
The Ministers' Conference of Winston-Salem and
Vicinity (MCWSV) assisted 11 high school seniors in
their quest for higher education last Thursday night at a
service at St. John C.M.E. Church. The MCWSV award
ed each student a $1,000 scholarship to assist with the cost
of attending the institution of higher learning of their
choice.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Seed Fund
"As we send these student
forward to matriculate their
baccalaureate degree, we are
sending them out because
they are chosen, but also they
are chosen to come back and
give to the community."
-Rev. Omar L Dykes
Scholarship Award is given to students who apply and
carry at least a 2.8 grade point average (GPA). lite win
ners are decided by the members of the conference, who
have been doing so since 1984. Since its inception, the
conference has given out more than $150,000 in scholar
ships.
"Without the partnership of the Winston-Salem
Chronicle and Mr. [Ernie] Pitt, we would not be able to do
what we are doing," said Bishop Todd L. Fulton, president
of the Ministers' Conference.
This year, The Chronicle and the Ministers'
Conference collaborated with The Chronicle's annual
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Breakfast Forum raising
funds for the scholarships.
"The most important thing about these scholarships
are the youth is our future, and by providing these schol
arships you, are affording kids who would not have the
See Awards on A2
Photo by Todd Luck
Jo Anne Allen speaks about her petition during the Forsyth Country Board of Elections on Friday, July I.
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The Forsyth County Board of Elections (BOE) viewed
contested signatures for a potential unaffiliated mayoral
candidate during its meeting on Friday,
July l.
JoAnne Allen needs about 6,000 signa
tures by Aug. 6 to get on the ballot as an
unaffiliated candidate for mayor. She
would challenge Mayor Allen Joines, who
is currently uncontested. The petition
form, provided by the N.C. State Board of
Elections (N.C. SBOE), requires signers to
give their name, address and date of birth. That informa
tion is run though a computerized petition-checking mod
ule provided by the N.C. SBOE to verify that signers are
registered voters who live within the jurisdiction of the
contest.
Staff then compares the signer's signature from the
petition to the one from that signer's voter registration
information to see if there's a general resemblance
between the two.
Allen contested 11 signatures that were eliminated for
not matching, so BOE Director Tim Tsujii had the board
examine each one. The board agreed that all but three
should still not count.
The BOE sends letters to signers who
were disapproved because their information
differs from what's in their registration or
because they aren't registered. So far, 959 let
ters have been sent out, and 229 have been
returned. Tsuji said that several people have
come to the BOE office questioning why they
received the letter.
Allen said she turned in 3,400 signatures
so far and, according to the-BOE, 2,320 signatures have
been approved as of last week. Allen said that number
should be higher. She said she found registrations for
many of those who've been discounted and that she'll be
providing that information to the BOE.
"It tells me something is wrong with the policy," said
Allen.
More election issues
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Hagan welcomes new citizens at Old Salem
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHBONin F.
Former Sen. Kay Hagan welcomed 49 new cit
izens from 26 countries into the United State's
melting pot as Old Salem Museum and Gardens
hosted an Independence Day Naturalization
Ceremony in the area where the first official July
Fourth celebration in the country was held.
?MHMMMHN
Photo by Todd Luck
Former Sen. Kay
Hagan talks about
immigration at Old
Salem Museum and
Gardens.
It was held in Salem, N.C. in 1783.
This is the sixth year the naturalization cere
mony has been held on July 4 at Old Salem. This
year was the first time it rained, so the ceremony
was moved indoors, making it a standing room
only event. Many attendees who couldn't get in
stood by the door listening to the ceremony.
The 49 new citizens who took the Oath ol
See New Ctttieiw on A2
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