Page 6A - THE CHARLOTTE POST
NNPA Awards
Best In Sports: Left to
right, Isaac Washington,
publisher of the S.C. Black
Media Group (second place),
Mike Pitt, publisher of the
Winston-Salem Chronicle
(first), Henry Brown of An
heuser-Busch, Fran Farrer,
advertising manager of The
Charlotte Post (third) and
Bob Bogle, president of the
National Newspaper Pub
lishers Association (NNPA)
show off their awards recent
ly in Los Angeles. The Post
also won first place for best
entertainment section in the
annual competition. The
NNPA commonly referred to
as the Black Press of Ameri
ca, is a trade organization
made up of more than 200
black-owned publications.
Thuisday, July 8,1993
Sorority Dedicates
Memorial To Black
Freedom Fighters
By William Reed
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
VALLEY FORGE, Pa. -
Black Americans are often
found complaining that the
have "nothing to celebrate"
during Independence Day
festivities.
Just in time for celebration
of the 4th in 1993, Delta Sig
ma Theta Sorority gave Afri
can Americans a monument
to commemorate the service
of thousands of black sol
diers who gave their lives
during America's war for In
dependence.
At the Valley Forge Nation
al Historical Park, the Del
tas, one of America's largest
black sororities, unveiled
the park's latest landmark, a
"Monument to Patriots of Af
rican Descent." The Deltas'
celebration was in concert
with the 215th anniversary
of the Continental Army's
march out Its encampment
in Valley Forge. More than
30,000 people came to this
site, 20 miles west of Phila
delphia, to celebrate.
Although much of Ameri
ca's historical books and les
sons left out the contribution
of blacks, through the re
search of Temple University
professor Charles Blockson
and another black historian,
Benjamin Quarles, the Del
tas were able to show the na
tion that "over 5,000 Negroes
served in the patriot forces"
during the American Revolu
tion. On December 19, 1777,
General George Washington
led his tired 12,000-member
Continental Army into Val
ley Forge during the heavy
winter snow. History does
not show the numbers that
died during the long, hard
winter of 1977-78 but the
survivors emerged a fierce,
fighting force that went on to
win the American war for in
dependence. At least 500 of
the troops that fought, and
endured the horrible condi
tions of that winter at Valley
Forge were of African de
scent.
The monument to these
blacks is based on black art
ist Cal Massey. The Deltas
are a 850-chapter organiza
tion, and the Valley Forge
chapter led the campaign in
raising $100,000 to erect the
monument. Black newspaper
publisher Hugo Warren of the
Philadelphia New Observer
and television personality
Toni Marsh were among the
citizens from the local area
that provided community in
put to the history-making
project. Warren noted that:
"Blacks from across the
country should come and see
the good works we've done, in
the past, and now for the fu
ture." Massey's illustration
portrays three black soldiers
wearing tri-comer hats and
Revolutionary War uni
forms. The monument is lo
cated in the 30,000-acre na
tional park across the road
from the site of the original
encampment of the Second
Rhode Island - the first
black regiment to serve In
the Revolutionary War.
Brigadier General Clara L.
Adams-Ender, Commanding
General of Fort Belvoir, Va.
and the highest ranking
black woman in the U.S.
Army, gave the keynote ad
dress at the unveiling cere
mony. Over 14 percent of the
350,000 soldiers who served
in the Continental Forces
were blacks who were freed
men or slaves seeking their
freedom through combat. Ac
cording to Blockson, blacks
such as Salem Poor, Peter
Salem, Washington's person
al slave Billy Lee, and Oliver
Cmmwell, who was in the
boat with Washington during
the historic crossing of the
Delaware River, were among
the troops stationed at Val
ley Forge.
Nigeria's Future In
Air Pending Elections
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
Unofficial returns Indicated a considerable win by Moshood
Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) over National
Republicans candidate Bashir Tofa. But military President Ib
rahim Babangida, in office since 1985, has reneged on his
promise to release results on June 20, and has nullified the
election.
Protestors say President Babanglda's action Is a blatant pro
hibition of democracy to Nigerian voters.
They say it appears that the Nigerian people are being denied
the freedom and democracy they have earned.
'We want to bring to the attention of the American public,
the president, and the Secretary of State that in Africa's larg
est nation, 95 million people are being denied Democracy,"
says Randy Echols, U.S. Representative for Chief Abiola.
Abiodun Aklnola, publicity secretary of the SDP-USA and a
pharmacist at Howard University Hospital, says Nigeria is
the 8th largest oil producing country in the entire world, and
as such, should be the fourth largest democracy in the whole
world. Democracy is the cornerstone of U.S. Foreign Policy
and the United States government has spent millions of tax
payer dollars promoting an Installing democracy all over the
world. It would be unconscionable to ignore the voice of 95
million Nigerians.
The June 12 election, the first in a decade, promises Nigeria's
release form military rule and return to civilian democracy
on Aug. 27 when the newly elected president is inaugurated
into office.
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