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44The Voice Of The Black Community
jjolume 9, Number 47 THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, May 3, 1984 Pri^e: 40 Cents
mti-- —
•sary
__ \
Election ’84
**v -
Special Edition
Features In Section B
' _. \
J.C. Smith Friends
Launch Membership Drive
Story On Page 10A
Gospel Festival _
Will Be Held Sunday
Story On Page 6A
Large Turnout Expected
For Tuesday’s lection
TONIA DEW ALT
- 1 South Mecklenburg senior
Tonia Dewalt Has
.
1 Gifted Mind!
.By Teresa Simmons
Ml*t Managing Editor
Charlotte truly has a gift
of niinds, one being Tonia
Dewalt, a senior at South
Mecklenburg.
Presently, she sports a
3.71 average and is plan
ning to major in pre-law
and speech and minor in
business administration.
‘T plan to become a
business lawyer. In this
way I can help people - not
only the innocent but thoee
victimized by criminals as
well. The profession will
enSble me to better soc
ciety.”
Ms. Dewalt was accepted
at Bennett College with a
scholarship and to A&T
State University, but plans
to attend Johnson C, Smith
University on a full four
year academic scholar
ship. Her next step is to
attend Columbia Univer
sity’s Law School.
"I realize that you have
to go after what you want.
Because if you want it
badly enough you can
reach it.’’
Ms. Dewalt, one of two
daughters of Mr. and Mrs.
Freddie Dewalt, attends
Mt. Carmel Baptist
Church where Rev. Leon
Riddick pastors. There, she
is active in singing on the
Young Adult Choir. She
also founded the Sunday
morning day care at the
rch for pre-school child
"I really love child
ren," Ms. Dewalt stated.
She is a member of the
Political Action Commit
tee, the National Council of
Negro Women, the
NAACP, the BETA Club
and is a member of the Red
Cnee and Student Govern
' TKOMMA
" *• ' - *
Whatever It is that keeps
people from getting rich.,
most of us have It.
ment at school. She was
also a Delta Sigma Theta
debutante.
“I enjoy community ac
tivities,” she began. For
relaxation, Ms. Dewalt en
joys listening to good mu
sic, reading novels and
dancing. Her favorite en
tertainer is Deniece Will
iams.
In addition to the scho
larship Ms. Dewalt re
ceived, she has numerous
other honors and awards.
She has been named to
Who’s Who Among Ameri
can High School Students;
Who’s Who Among Com
munity Leaders; and was
honored by International
Youth in Achievement. She
was also nominated for
Who’s Who Among Intel
lectuals. ----
She has been positively
influenced by her father,
Freddie Dewalt, Andrew
Young and Patsy Rice. All
three have encouraged her
in a specific portion of her
life.
Perhaps these three have
been instrumental in mold
ing the conscientious young
lady. She is willing to turn
the world to a more posi
tive place to exist. Her
political views are out
standing considering her
age. But in talking with her
one gets the impression
that political and foreign
matters have been her con
cern for years.
Nationally, Ms. Dewalt
would like to see the U.S,
foreign policy changed.
,“We should have more
open communication and
less underhanded deeds,”
She commented. As for
criminal acts she does not
agree with capital punish
ment. She has, however,
taken a firm stand on the
punishment for sexual of
fenders. “I’m not in favor
of capital punishment but I
am in favor orcastratu)rvTT~
Ms. Dewalt strikes one as
being a person bound to
reach a certain influential
destiny. She has planned
to complete her juris doc
torate in five years. At the
end of this time Charlotte
will certainly be blessed
upon her return.
Knox Labels Accusations “Nasty Politics”'
By Karen Parker
Post Staff Writer
Former Mayor Eddie
Knox stated recently,
accusations he is an "anti
gun person” is "nasty
politics.”
According to the Demo
cratic candidate for go
vernor, some gun associa
tion members in the state
believe he is against the
right to bear arms. Knox
remarked, *'I believe peo
ple should have the right to
own guns to protect their
businesses and their
homes However, if people
want to transport a hand
gun from their home or
business, they should have
a permit."
Knox stated enacting
such a bill would “pre
vent people of bad moral
character from enjoying
this privilege”, (trans
porting handguns). Knox
continued, “We have lost
more people in the United
sota as a result of nra
arms than we loot in Viet
nam War for the same
period of time
Eddie Knox
.Mailing great strides
The nasty politics which
Knox referred to has not in
his estimation hurt his
campaign, though he be
lieves that was the intent of
some of his opponents and
their supporters.
When asked about re
ports sifted from the
Greensboro area revealing
incidents of Knox's past
political actions, he stated
his campaign has still
made “great strides" in
that vicinity. "We’ve built
a goocf* coalition in the
black community, and
tried to earn respect,”
Knox assured. _
The close-at-hand elec
tion is conjuring up me
mories of when Knox ran
against Mayor Harvey
Gantt in Charlotte’s 1979
mayoral race. The tactics
which Knox used were con
sidered by Gantt and
others as displaying racial
overtones.
Nevertheless, Mayor
Harvey Gantt endorsed
Knox recently. Knox
claims endorsements by
Gantt and black com
munity leaders inform
people across the state of
his good record. He men
tioned his accomplish
ments as mayor in the
areas of housing, employ
ment. minority business
affairs, and human ser
vices.
‘‘My record will show
that 1 have done more to
involve blacks in top go
vernment positions than
any of my opponents The
attorney general, (Rufus
Edmistem heads 33 top
positions, but he hasn’t
hired any - blacks to fill
them,’’ Knox stressed
He noted Rufus Edmis
ten who was the -Secretary
of Commerce, hired "two
blacks in his department "
Knox will remain in
Charlotte Saturday to cam
paign at precinct meet
ings
Jackson To Speak Here
By Karen Parker
Post Staff Writer
Supervisor of Elections,
Bill Culp, reported recent
ly, 6045 percent of black
voters will come out for the
primary election Tuesday
Culp stated Jesse Jack
son's bid for President is
the moot significant reason
blacks are expected in
large numbers The Presi
dential candidate will visit
Charlotte Saturday, ac
cording to his N.C. press
secretary, Clara Williams.
“Around 1 p.m. Satur
day, Jackson will meet
with the presidents of com
See JACKSON Ob Page 4A
Blacks Call
For Totigha*
Crime Laws
—Nearly -75- percent-of—
blacks surveyed are call
ing for stiffer penalties for
'Criminals and more
money allocated for halt
ing, the rising crime rate,
according to a poll by the
National Opinion Research
Center. While they make
up only 12 percent of the
U.S. population, blacks are
the victims of an alarm
ing percentage of the vio
lent crimes committed
(42.3 percent of all nriur
ders, 23 percent of rob
beries and 18 -percent of
aggravated assaults). The
National Organization of
Black Law Enforcement
(NOBLE) believes this is
due mainly to a higher
unemployment rate among
blacks and generally lower
socio-economic conditions
which makes them more
susceptible to attack.
While NOBLE’S govern
ing board will not meet
until this summer to dis
cuss crime problems and
solutions, the group’s exe
cutive director has indi
cated NOBLE .is especially
supportive of President
Reagan’s efforts to help the
victim^ of crime and to
assist State and local law
enforcement programs jn
crime prevention. Pre
sident Reagan’s anti-crime
package would update the
federal criminal code,
-make it easier to enforce,
and make it as tough as
possible on criminals.
Change the insanity de
fense to place the burden
on the defendant to prove
insanity with clear and
convincing evidence. The
burden is now on the pro
secution to prove the de
fendant is sane.
The Historian CjMmmittee at Walts
Memorial A!iffe Zion Chnrch was in
strumental in contributing valuable in
formation to the history book on Walls
entitled "We've Come This Far By
Faith.” (Photo By Timothy McMullen)
Finds Bright Side
Walk Members Grasp History
By Teresa Simmons
Post Managing Editor
To'stretch our minds back
in time is a task many
would prefer to avoid. For
some there is the shocking
history of brutality towards
family members placed in
bondage. Members of
Walls Memorial AME Zion
Church reached for their
genesis - a project that took
six years to complete.
Now that they have
grasped that history they
have found that the spi
ritual side of their ances
tral church family has a
bright side. -
_From taped responses of
present-day senior citizens
of the church; from copies
of old newspaper clippings
and city court house
papers , and from tlje AME
Zion Church history, Walls
has formulated a work of
art.
Members of the church
like Lillie Means, chair
person of the church's Cen
tennial Steering Commit
tee of the church, Carrie
Hudson, Frankie White,
Sherrow N. Hines and, of
course, the pastor of the
church, Rev. J. White, ac
quired -the-historyr Other -
members of the steering
committee who aided in
clude Cheryl McCullough,
Arnetta Dawkins, Charles
Means, Julia Cureton, Thel
ma Clawson, Lewis Claw
son and William Givens.
The 100th year of the
church is being celebrated
this year with various ac
tivities. The last event,
held in April, was an his
torical pageant written and
directed by Walls Memo
rial church member, Ar
netta Dawkins. In May a
special Mother's Day ser
vice will be held (May 13)
as well as the Children’s
Choir Concert (May 20)
The planning of this
year's centennial events
took much time. But per
haps the most-tedious job
was compiling the history
of the church
Rev. J. T White had
already asked Lillie Means
to head the research. Both
researched by looking into
old hooks at the library,
from old church bulletins
stored away in the attics of
the church's senior citi
zens, from telephone con
versations and from old
newspaper clippings. Some
information, Mrs. Means
said, could not be found
from city records. "Many
files were destroyed by fire
in the 1800’s in Charlotte,"
- she informed._
Much information was
gathered from resources
close at hand. ‘ We got all
the senior citizens together
and had brainstorming
sessions to jog their me
mories and we taped the
conversations," Rev
White stated.
Before the sessions, Rev
White and Mrs. Means had
prepared purpose ques
tions They first talked to
individuals who had lived
in the Little Hope-Mt
Calvary setting "We then
moved to the next setting
of Mother Walls, States
ville," Mrs Means ex
plained
The members of
Walls who helped formu
late the history of Walls
Memorial include Carrie
Hutson, Arnetta Dawkins,
E A White, Josephine
Morris. William Clawson,
Ella Givens, Lewis Claw
son. Worth Williams. Haze
Moore and Greely Rich
ardson '
' One of the founding fam
ilies of the church - the
Gawsons • still has four
members in the church
Older family names from
the history of the church
also include the Ingrams,
Rays, Cuthbertsons, Stew
ards, Weldons, Pettices,
Browns, McCoys; and be
ginning in the 1900's the
Whites, Richardson,
Means, Reeves, Givens,
Monroes, Beavers and the
McKinneys. >
Walls’ historical back
ground will be placed in
book form and published
Culp Says
55% To Vole
At 111 Sites
_Bv Karen Parker
Post Staff Writer
Twenty thousand addi
tional people have regis
tered to vote in Mecklen
burg County- since the
November 8, 1983 election*
Few people eligible to
vote want to miss out on the
most exciting elections to
take place in many years
"I think the primary, May
8, will be more meaning
ful to voters than in 1976
when Jimmy Carter ran for
President,” stated Bill
Culp, supervisor of elec
tions for Mecklenburg
County.
According to Culp, the
turnout in 1976 was 36
percent. In just five days.
50-55 percent of the voting
population will probably
fill the 110 voting sites in
the city and county.'
What’s stirring residents
in this area to make them
talk about hardly being
able to wait to get to the
polls Tuesday? First it’s
the Presidential primary
However, Culp explained,
having local candidates in
both parties .running for
governor is a contributing
factor as well. Eddie Knox,
a Democrat, and Jim Mar
tin. a Republican, are
candidates within the 9th
District. Knox is Of Char
lotte, Martin of Moores
ville.
Finally, the 9th District
’ race for Li 3 Congress
which is drawing national
recognition and support
will increase the number of.
people reporting to vote
The Lt Governor s race is
also significant to most
voters
“No doubt the Fresiden
tial. congressional and
gubernatorial races are
overshadowing the other
races which are taking
place," Culp noted He was
referring to the board of
county commissioners pri
mary and the non-partisan
election for the Charlotte
Mecklenburg Board of
Education
Even the primary race
for U S Senator is con
sidered sorrjewhat less ex
citing at this point. Three
Democrats and two Repu
blicans are battling for the
seat. Nevertheless, most
political analysts are indi
cating the political war is
really between Sen Jesse
Helms and Gov Jim Hunt,
and those results won't be
revealed until November
Candidates for the Asso
ciate Justice of Supreme
Court and Judge of Court of
Appeals don't campaign
much so that race arouses
little if any excitement
"If a second primary is
necessary, it will be held
June 5, along with the
primaries for State House
and Senate,” Culp indi
cated. A runoff among De
mocratic candidates for go
vernor and 9th District
Congress, and among Re
publicans for Lt. Governor
is likely,” Culp added.