A2 January 31, 2019
The Chronicle
Ronnie
from page Al
Over the years Long
has filed several appeals,
but none have been suc
cessful. But in 2017 the
Fourth District Court
agreed with Long and sent
the case back to District
Court, where it is now.
While discussing
Long’s case during
WSSU’s History, Politics,
& Social Justice Spring
Colloquium on Thursday,
Jan. 24, Jamie T. Lau,
supervising attorney of the
Duke Wrongful
Conviction Clinic, said,
“This system here in North
Carolina can wear you out
and wear you down.
“...That’s what
they’ve been trying to do
in Ronnie’s case.”
Lau, who joined team
“Free Ronnie Long” in
2014, said when he looked
at the case, he saw some
one who fell victim to
backlash from the state in
response to the progress
that occurred in the 1960s.
He said that backlash man
ifested its way into the
criminal justice system.
Arguments for Long in
the Fourth District Court
will begin March 19-21.
Lau said he is optimistic
that Long will finally see
justice. He said when
looking at the evidence,
it’s clear the law enforce
ment officers who investi
gated the case lied to con
ceal information and evi
dence that proved Long
was innocent.
After listening to the
evidence presented in the
case, Dr. Larry Little urged
dozens of students in
attendance to rally togeth
er and demand elected
officials do the right thing
and free Ronnie Long.
Little, a co-founder of the
local chapter of the Black
Panther Party and current
associate professor of
social science at WSSU, is
well known for his
involvement in the exoner
ation of Darryl Hunt, who
was wrongfully convicted
for the rape and murder of
Deborah Sykes in 1984.
Little encouraged the
students to start a petition
and a possible march on
Attorney General Josh
Stein’s office. He told the
students it’s not easy doing
this kind of work, but they
can make a difference.
“... It can be long and
it can be frustrating, but
we can have success.
We’ve heard the evidence.
W-S Ambassadors present
Everyday Awards
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
During their annual
meeting on Friday, Jan. 26,
the Winston-Salem
Ambassadors awarded five
women with the Everyday
Award.
The Everyday Award is
presented annually to cele
brate our neighbors,
friends, and colleagues in
Winston-Salem who work
Everyday Award winners Latasha Barr Lewis, Kayla Pinger and Roberta King
Latham during the Winston-Salem Ambassadors annual meeting last week.
Ronnie Long, a native of Concord, has spent the last 42 years in prison for a crime he says he didn’t commit. Last week students from
Winston-Salem State University joined the fight to “Free Ronnie Long”.
They know the truth. They
just won’t do justice, so
what I suggest we do is
start a petition drive,” con
tinued Little. “... Those
are the things you have to
do. If we do this for
Ronnie, I promise you
tirelessly, day in and day
out, and make our city a
better place. These every
day heroes do not seek
recognition for the things
they do, but nonetheless
make Winston-Salem a
better place.
This year’s Everyday
Award winners are: Jen
Oleniezak Brown (Fearless
Winston-Salem & The
Engaging), Allyson Rorem
(Jasper & Fern), Latasha
Barr Lewis (Cam’s Coffee
they will have to make a
move.”
For more information
on the case of Ronnie
Long or to join the fight
for his freedom, visit Free
Ronnie Long on
Facebook.
Creations), Kayla Pinger
(Emergency Restoration
Xperts) and Roberta King
Latham (Bennett Guthrie
Latham).
Winston-Salem
Ambassadors is a non-
profit organization with a
mission to educate by
increasing awareness of
the city of Winston-Salem.
For more information, visit
wsambassadors.org or call
336-794-6050.
Superintendent,
NAACP president,
speak on viral video
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
Last week, a 10-second
video surfaced of students
from Reagan High School
using racial slurs. In
response to the video,
Superintendent Beverly
Emory said students at the
school will hold discus
sions about ways the
school can highlight and
model equity.
In the video, which
received dozens of shares
and hundreds of views on
social media, four white
boys can be heard repeat
edly using the "N-word."
In less that 24-hours, the
video had made all the
local news networks and
the "white boys from
Reagan" were the talk of
the Internet.
In the days following
the viral video, Emory
issued this statement say
ing the video was unac
ceptable and will not be
tolerated. The statement
reads: “The video that has
surfaced in recent days
showing some of our stu
dents using racial slurs is
completely unacceptable.
The language and behavior
in this video is alarming. It
is offensive and simply not
acceptable in our district.
We work daily to create an
atmosphere that respects
and honors ALL students.
Regardless of the motiva
tion or intent, such behav
ior affects us all."
Emory went on to say
they will follow discipli
nary policies to "ensure,
those involved know this is
not representative of who
we are."
She continued, “With
that said, we are working
to come up with ways to
turn this upsetting situation
into a teachable moment.
In the coming days and
weeks, students at Reagan
High School will hold dis
cussions about ways the
school can highlight and
model our district core
value of Equity. We will
focus on the importance of
honoring the diversity of
all students. We will con
tinue the important conver
sations about the inappro
priate use of social media.
“I never want our stu
dents to feel offended or
disrespected. I regularly
see our students demon
strating incredible acts of
kindness and support. I am
so disheartened one video
is being seen as a represen
tation of our students when
that is just NOT who we
are.”
In a statement on
Facebook, Rev. Alvin
Carlisle said although the
students used language
that fuels hate, to call for a
public punishment of the
students would be “asi
nine.” He said, “Hateful
rhetoric has always been
the calling card for white
supremacists. In this sea
son of emboldened racism,
we can expect to see more
videos as we have of the
students at Reagan.
“To call for any public
punishment of these stu
dents is asinine. They were
not under the control of
their school. They were on
their private time, in a pri
vate vehicle. Bold and
effective action is always
steeped in logic.”
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