7A
NEWS The Charlotte Post
October 24, 1996
Grier Heights CDC wins Initiative grant
By Herbert L. White and
John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
The Grier Heights community
has won a grant to help its
development.
The N.C. Community
Development Initiative made a
$130,000 grant to the Grier
Heights Economic Foundation
Inc., a community development
corporation. The money will
help pay for administrative
costs in 1997.
“We want to make it possible
for the CDC to do even more by
providing funds for administra
tive expenses — funds which are
always hard for a CDC to obtain
- and technical assistance in
such areas as non-profit man
agement and residential and
commercial development,” said
Abdul Rasheed, president of the
initiative.
George Wallace, executive
director of the Grier Heights
Foundation, said the grant is a
“dream come true.” “For 11
years we have struggled to sta
bilize and revitalize this com
munity with minimal staff This
grant will allow us to hire peo
ple with the special skills we
desperately need.”
Grier Heights encompasses
more than 400 acres and is one
of the oldest African American
neighborhoods in Charlotte. The
Foundation has built single
family homes for low-income
buyers and will soon complete
the renovation of the
Billingsville School at 3100
Leroy St., which will become a
human resource center.
The NCDI funds 21 communi
ty development corporations
across North Carolina, includ
ing Reid Park and Northwest
Corridor in Charlotte.
• The Baltimore-based
Enterprise Foundation is estab
lishing an office in Charlotte
headed by Steve Washington,
former Charlotte neighborhood
development manager.
The Enterprise Foundation,
founded in 1982 by developer
James Rouse, works to insure
low income Americans have
access to decent, affordable
housing.
The local office wants to help
nonprofit housing agencies
working in the central city.
Washington is trying to raise
$1.5 million to kick off the local
efforts.
The foundation is working
with more than 700 organiza
tions in 150 communities across
the country.
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From The House of Charles
2311 LaSalle St. • Charlotte, N.C. 28216 • (704)394-0608
Slave ship exhibit is a big deal
Henrietta Marie
Continued from page 1A
schedule that includes lectures
by author and poet Gwendolyn
Brooks; Black Enterprise maga
zine pubhsher Earl Graves; law
professor Anita Hill, author of
“Race, Gender and Power in
America: The Legacy of the
Hill/Thomas Hearings;” activist
Angela Davis and Jose Jones,
president of the National
Association of Black Scuba
Divers.
“The workshops are what 1
consider a moving forward
process,” Womack said. “We are
not going to sit on stage and
talk about how cruel the world
has been to us. We are going to
talk about how to move forward.
'The subtitle for the exhibit is
‘From Enslavement to
Empowerment,’ she said. “We
have chosen that subtitle to give
the program balance...to move
from one spectrum to the other.”
Also among those set to partic
ipate in various events are
WilUam Tubman Jr., son of the
former president of Liberia,
author Dori Sanders of Clover,
S.C.; Harvard University profes
sor Cornel West, author of “Race
Matters,” and Michael Cottman,
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of
“The MilUon Man March.”
Womack said exhibit-related
activities also include an eight-
week empowerment workshop,
designed “to give people tools to
be successful.” Local partici
pants include TransAmerica
executive Bill Simms, Rep. Mel
Watt; Ike Heard, chairman of
the Mecklenburg County
Planning Commission and exec
utive director of the Northwest
Corridor Community
Development Corp., and Ron
Leeper, former Charlotte city
council member and building
contractor.
Ahmad Daniels, a program
participant, said the Henrietta
Marie exhibit is important
because it provides a window
into a forgotten time segment.
“Far too often, we hear what
Africa was like prior to the
Middle Passage and we certain
ly know what America was like
after the Middle Passage, far too
liltii: has been siiid about what
the Middle Passage was like,”
he said.
“This is probably as close as
many of us will come to seeing a
small snapshot of the history of
what took place during that
brutal and inhumane period.
“Charlotte itself stands to ben
efit immensely from this exhib
it. This may provide an opportu
nity for discussion...non threat
ening, non-fmgerpointing dis
cussion can begin the process of
healing.
Daniels said compares the
exhibit to the Truth
Commissions in South Africa,
which seeks and broadcast facts
about Apartheid.
“If we had something like that
after the end of slavery in 1865,
we would not be having so many
problems now,” Daniels said.
The broad range of speakers
coming for the exhibit programs
“represent the best we have to
offer,” Daniels said.
There’s even a three-part dis
cussion planned especially for
young people which begins with
them talking about how our
society affects them and moves
to resolution of problems and
issues through their own
actions. “What they feel they
can do to shape issues,”
Womack said.
She said over 100 of the 600
volunteers for the exhibit are
young people. All the volunteers
have gone through an intense
training, including enlightening
discussions.
Participation, in fund raising
and volunteers, has been inter
racial, Womack said. Big con
tributors have been
NationsBank, First Union
National Bank, the Arts and
Science Council, WCCB televi
sion, WPEG radio, and General
Motors, which is a national
sponsor, but also gave money for
Charlotte’s effort.
Spirit Square’s companion
exhibit of contemporary
American art dealing with slav
ery’s legacy, will run concur
rently with the Henrietta Marie
exhibit.
Also during the exhibit, other
programs will be held in the
area, including an exhibit of
Tom Feelings artwork at the
Afro-American Cultural Center;
Kwanzaa founder to visit
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
The founder of Kwanzaa is
coming to Charlotte Dec. 27.
Maulana Karenga’s visit is
being sponsored by the
Kwanzaa Task Force, the
brainchild of Tracy Taylor and
co-chaired by Ahmad Daniels
and Rev. Sheldon Shipman of
Walls Memorial AME Zion
Church.
The visit by the California
State University at Long
Beach professor to Charlotte
comes during the 30th
anniversary of the Kwanzaa
celebration, a series of cere
monies held Dec. 26-Jan. 1
and tied to a unique theme in
the African American commu
nity.
Daniels call Karenga’s visit
to Charlotte a “coup.”
“Dr. Karenga normally visits
major cities, like New York,
Chicago...,” Daniels said. “This
brings Charlotte one step clos
er to being that world class
city. It seems like people can
come from other countries and
be better received than
African Americans who have
Karenga
been here for three centuries.”
Daniels, who has been the
leader of most Kwanzaa rites
in Charlotte, said of Karenga’s
lecture here, “It’s like a
reward for me to have the
main man here.”
Karenga will deliver a lec
ture titled “Reaffirming the
meaning of Kwanzaa: Its cul
tural vision and values” at
Ovens Auditorium on Dec. 27
at 7:30 p.m. A reception will
be held at the Afro-American
Catch
on the web.
Reach our World Wide Web page at
http://www.thepost@clt.mindspring.com
a display on Africtm American
churches at the Museum of the
New South and an exhibit on
African animals at the Mint
Museum. Related exhibits will
also be held at the Hodges
Taylor Gallery.
Discovery Place, which passed
on an opportunity to sponsor the
Henrietta Marie exhibit, will
present a play on George
Washington Carver, an African
American scientist, during the
exhibit’s stay in Charlotte.
The Henrietta Marie exhibit is
free to the public, except for
tours, which will be on Mondays
and must be prearranged.
Womack said over 200 tours
have already been booked,
including one with about 260
people.
Regular exhibit hours will ho
Tuesday through Saturday, U)
a.m.-8 p.m.
Spirit Square is located at 345
North College Street uptown.
For information about the
Henrietta Marie and related
events call 704-372-9664. For
ticket information call 372-
SHOW or (800) 923-6431.
PRESERVINC; THE PAST— j
The Library is looking for items for a
25-year time capsule I
which will be placed in the new '
Beatties Ford Road Public Library
when it is dedicated in early 1997—items which
illustrate the history, culture and evolution
of the Beatties Ford Road neighborhood,
its citizens, organizations, businesses and institutions—
particularly the North Branch Library,
which has served residents of University Park and
other northwest Charlotte neighborhoods
for forty years.
Photographs • Maps • Documents
• Cassettes/Videos/CDs • Small items
Books, annuals, yearbooks, directories, calendars,
newsletters etc. will be selected as space permits.
BUILPINi;THE FUTURE
The 25-year time capsule will also include cylinders
which will be opened at two, five and ten year intervals.
You are invited tosubmit a "Letterto the Future" projecting
goals, listing aspirations, and making predictions.
For complete information and submittal form, contact:
North Branch Library
2324 LaSalle Street, Charlotte, NC 28216,
P ■ c M c (704)336-2882
Cultural Center, where
Kwanzaa rites have been held
in Charlotte since the mid-
’80s.
Karenga is chair of the
Department of Black Studies
at Cal State-Long Beach and
author of nine books and
many articles. He created
Kwanzaa around the Nguzo
Saba, seven principles for
empowering African
Americans. It is celebrated
among African American and
other African-based communi
ties around the world.
• • •
Daniels announced that sev
eral lunchtime Kwanzaa
events will be held at
Founders Hall in the
NationsBank Corporate
Center in December. The
events will be Dec. 26, 27 and
30 and feature performances
by such groups as the
Akwaaba Drummers and
Dancers, drummer Chris
Thompson and musician
Michael Porter.
Daniels will deliver mini-lec
tures about Kwanzaa. The
lunchtime programs are being
co-sponsored by NationsBank.
Education
- Smaller class sizes, supports raising teacher pay to at least the
national average
.\gainst vouchers, which would take money away from our
liublic schools
Safe Schools & Communities
Zero tolerance of guns and violence in our schools ~ they can’t learn
if they aren ’t safe
“ Violent criminals should be locked up and made to serve their full
sentence - no parole
Protecting Our Environment
Fountain Odom has been a “protector of our environment since the
1970’s. He’s worked for county-wide recycling, waste reduction,
clean rivers, and establishing nature preserves, parks, andgreemvays.
Endorsed by the Black Political Caucus
“Fountain Odom has been a wonderful asset to our community, and a powerful
advocate for children.’’
- Bishop George Battle
"Fountain’s leadership in the NC Senate has benefitted all of us in Mecklenburg
countY lie has helped create new opportunities for our children and our families.’
-Jim Richardson
County Commissioner, Former State Senator
Fountain Odom
Protecting Our Families, Our Values
Paid For bv Fountain Odom for Senate Committee