OPINION
The Chronicle |
Ernest H.Pitt \?>br?#
Publisher Emeritus Cr
1974-2015 ' /I ?
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Elaine Pitt Business Manager
Donna Rogers Managing Editor
wali D. Pitt Digital Manager
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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.
Help keep
President
Obama's
legacy alive
President Obama is making the rounds as he
nears the end of his presidency. We've seen him fired
up and ready to go, but no more than on Sept. 18
when he spoke at the Congressional Black Caucus
Foundation 46th Annual Phoenix Awards Dinner.
This was his last speech to that group as president.
Add to this the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, and
you have a powerful speech to Black America. You
nave a "double-dog dare you" speech to Black
America.
In historic elections, Obama was elected presi
dent the first time in 2008 then again in 2012. His
legacy could be said to be mixed, but there were
some historic moments: helping to keep the United
States out of a depression, saving the U.S. auto
industry, killing Osama Bin Laden like he said he
would and getting the Affordable Care Act passed, to
name four. Obama is working to make sure people
remember him in a positive light just as all presi
dents who near the end of their terms do.
What better way to keep hope alive than with
Hillary Clinton. Clinton, Obama s former rival, was
honored at the dinner. She is now embracing his
legacy and has said she would continue working on
matters that matter to black Americans, such as jus
tice reform.
Obama said this at the dinner (see
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press
office/2016/09/18/remarks-president-congressional
black-caucus-foundation-46th-annual):
"In fact, if you want to give Michelle and me a
good sendoff - and that was a beautiful video - but
don't just watch us walk off into the sunset, now.
Get people registered to vote. If you care about our
legacy, realize everything we stand for is at stake.
All the progress we ve made is at stake in this elec
tion. My name may not be on the ballot, but our
progress is on the ballot. Tolerance is on the ballot.
Democracy is on the ballot. Justice is on the ballot.
Good schools are on the ballot. Ending mass incar
ceration ? that's on the ballot right now!
"And there is one candidate who will advance
those things. And there's another candidate whose
defining principle, the central theme of his candida
cy is opposition to all that we've done.
"There's no such thing as a vote that doesn't mat
ter. It all matters. And after we have achieved his
toric turnout in 2008 and 2012, especially in the
African-American community, I will consider it a
personal insult, an insult to my legacy, if this com
munity lets down its guard and fails to activate itself
in this election. You want to give me a good send
off? Go vote. And I'm going to be working as hard
as I can these next seven weeks to make sure folks
do."
Obama clearly points out the high stakes in this
election. It's monumental, possibly more important
than the last two elections.
The president asks you to go vote for Hillary
Clinton. He was once her rival, yet he appointed her
secretary of state. He is embracing her candidacy.
Whatever you have against Clinton, you have to
know that the alternative is much more dire.
Help keep the president's legacy alive. A group of
students urged Michelle Obama to stay four more
years. Mrs. Obama said "No," but you can say
"Yes." Vote for Hillary Clinton to continue the fight
Obama started. Otherwise, we had better be prepared
to go back in time where it won't be comfortable.
Go to the new Smithsonian National Museum of
African American Histoiy and Culture after it opens
in Washington, D.C., this weekend and see what it
was like.
President Obama ended his speech this way:
"And what an inspiration all of you are ? espe
cially the young people who are here.
"That's why I am still fired up. That's why I'm
still ready to go. And if you are, too, if you're ready
to continue this journey that we started, then join me.
Register folks to vote. Get them to the polls. Keep
marching. Keep fighting. Keep organizing. If we
rise to this moment, if we understand this isn't the
endpoint, this is the beginning, we're just getting
going, we're just getting moving - then I have never
been more optimistic that our best days are still
ahead."
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
WSSU mourns
excellent student,
leader, mentor
Rodney Ellis
To the Editor:
Winston-Salem State University
[WSSU] is deeply saddened by the
recent passing of Rodney Ellis '99.
u:?
L/UIUI^ Ills 111 IIC
at WSSU, Mr. Ellis
was an excellent
student, leader, and
mentor. After his
graduation, he
remained connected
to the university,
mentoring our stu
dents and engaging
with our faculty.
He was a passionate advocate for
teachers and the issues they face
inside and outside the classroom. His
devotion to education and to students
will be sorely missed across this state.
The Winston-Salem State
University community is grieving the
loss of this exceptional man.
Winston-Salem State University
Ellis
NCAA gains kudos
for taking games
away from N.C.
To the Editor:
The NAACP applauds the
NCAA; its President, Dr. Mark
Emmert; its Board of Directors; and
all of its member institutions for tak
ing this courageous step in support of
the rights of transgender people all
over this great nation. Only through
such bold action can we change the
attitudes and actions of those who
continue to be guided by fear and
even hatred of those who seem to be
different.
North Carolina's enactment of
House Bill 2 ("HB2"), and its
unabashed protection of those who
discriminate against the LGBTQ
community takes us back to a very
dark time in our nation's history,
when de jure segregation and dis
crimination were the norm.
The NCAA's laudable decision to
put its considerable economic weight
on the side of justice, humanity.
inclusion and equality shows that
measures such as HB2 ultimately
cannot stand.
The North Carolina legislature
could l\ave chosen to allow munici
palities to lead the way in improving
civil rights and labor protections
within the state; it instead chose to
handcuff all of its municipalities and
to ensure that the least progressive
thinking on these issues determines
the rights of all North Carolinians and
all persons visiting the state.
North Carolina's HB2 is an
affront to everything the NAACP
stands for. It overturned more than a
dozen local ordinances and pre-empts
cities in North Carolina from:
""Creating a higher minimum
wage and improved working condi
tions,
?Enacting stronger workplace
anti-discrimination laws, and
?Ensuring fair and equal access to
public accommodations.
Just as with the NCAA's decision
in 2001 not to hold championships in
states that fly the Confederate flag
over their capitols, this week's deci
sion by the NCAA again shows its
moral courage and leadership. We
join the NCAA and those states that
have banned official travel to North
Carolina and call for the repeal of
North Carolina's retrogressive and
reprehensible HB2.
Cornell William Brooks
NAACP President and CEO
Baltimore
Pat McCrory's
discrimination bill
has cost N.C.
millions of dollars
To the Editor:
What a disappointment for bas
ketball fans.
Add this to the thousands of jobs
and hundreds of millions of dollars
Pat McCrory's discrimination bill
have cost North Carolina.
Fortunately, voters will soon
have a chance to undo the damage
McCrory and Republicans in the
General Assembly have done and
put our state back on track.
Dave Miranda,
Communications Director
North Carolina Democratic
Party
Raleigh
NCAA's hypocrisy
shows as it
moves games
from N.C.
To the Editor:
There is an expectation of priva
cy when women and children go into
the shower or locker room, and it's
more than an expectation - it's a
right. And our elected officials have
^InTTI
a duty to protect that right.
file NCAA is punishing the State
of North Carolina because it dares to
stand up for the common-sense
notion that everyone has a right to
privacy, decency, and safety in bath
rooms, showers, and locker rooms.
The NCAA is guilty of extreme
hypocrisy - while it bullies the peo
ple of North Carolina to allow boys
in the girls' locker rooms, showers,
and bathrooms, it prohibits boys
from playing on the girls' sports
teams.
Twenty-four states have sued the
federal government over the very
mandate that the NCAA is now try
ing to force on the people of North
Carolina.
NC Values Coalition
! Raleigh
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