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4A EDtTORIAL AND OPINION/tt^e Cliatbittt $o« Thursday, November 3, 2005 ®l)c Cl)arlotte ^ojit The Voice of the Black Community 1531 Camden Road Charhtte. N.C. 2iQ()3 Gerald O. Johnson ceo/publisher Robert L Johnson co-publisher/GENERAL MANAGER Herbert L White EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIALS ForChatlotie City Council Mayor - This year’s mayoral ra(» is a rematch of the 2003 race between Craig Madans and incumbent Patrick McCrory In that race Madans got a surprising 40 percent of the votes while spending only one tenth of the money This time around Madans continues to focus on McCrorys ^ perceived missteps while providing little in terms it. / of his own vision for Charlotte. We are strong believers that you should vote your hopes and not your fears. Consequently McCrory gets our nod. City Council at large Tliere are some very good candidates on both sides of the aisle in this year’s at large race. The Republicans have John Lassiter and Pat Mumford joined by John Tabor, currently the District 6 representative, and former city council representative Lynn Wheeler. Strategically the strong Republican field has the potential of giving " the Republicans a m^ority council position if McCrory as expected wins the mayor’s seat. Andy 1 Dulin will replace John Tabor in District 6. Hence, a Republican sweep in the at large race would mean a Republican 7-5 m^ority council. The Demoa'ats are countering with a potent field of their own. Joining incumbent Susan Burgess are newcomers Anthony Foxx, Darrell Bonapart and former council member David EIrdman. Mr. Erdman was chosen to complete the remaining term of A1 Rousso in 1999, but has never won election. Out of this very strong field of qualified candi dates we like the following; John Lassiter and Pat Mumford have demon strated the ability to efficiently articulate their positions on issues, but more importantly have shown a sensitivity and openness to hear dissent- ®^ * ing opinions. ^ ^ We also like Anthony Foxx. Mr. Foxx has no experience working as an elected official, but has a wealth of experience serving in political capaci ties at the federal, state and local levels. We feel Foxx Lassiter Mumford Burgess Parks Iverson Correction An editorial in last week’s Post was published with an incorrect photo of Anthony Fox, co-chair of the Vote Yes Fra" Bonds Committee. The cmrect photo is to the right Fox MATTERS OF OPINION A view from the back of the bus George E. Curry his perspective on governing would be a good addition to the board. We were tom between Buigess and Erdman, both of whom would be good on council fium different perspectives. We opted with Burgess because of her heavy involvement with neighbor hood issues and concerns. Rosa Parks ’ act of defiance creates an American original Wednesday’s fimeral service for Rosa Parks closed a chapter on a remarkable American’s life. Along with the celebration of her 91 years of life and a nation’s thanks as mother of the dvil rights movement, we can also take heart in this coirntrys promise of maximizing potential. Mrs. Parks was more than a seamstress when she refused to give up her seat to a white passen ger on a bus in Birmingham, /\la., in 1955. She was a college-educated woman who held offices in the local NAACP and was schooled in dvil dis obedience tactics that human rights activists aroimd the world now use. For a coimtry with well-documented flaws of inequality, there’s something about America that can confer great stature to common folks Rosa Paries was probably more interested in sitting wherever she pleased that day in Birmingjiam, but history and opportunity beckoned. All they needed was a commons’s touch and courage. That’s what Mrs. Paries provided, and what all Americans should aspire to. Clothes make new NBA man Tlie National Basketball Assodation hasn’t been able to fix the decline in fundamental skills among its players, but at least they’re better dressed. The 2005-06 season marks the start of a league wide dress code in which players partidpating in team functions must wear shirts with collars and lose the gaudy pendants and baseball caps in are nas TTie league, concerned about its image as a thu^ed out gathering of tall brats, can’t be blamed for wanting to dean up, although some athletes, like Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson, call it an assault on fi^ speech and the hip hop culture. We don’t see it that way Charles Baridey who was as much an anti-hero in his day as Mr. Iverson is now, is supporting the new rule, primarily because of the message it conveys to young people. Tliat’s a very responsible stance by Mr. Baridey. who once was very adamant about not being a rde model, when in reality he was and still is to an extent. Let’s face it. In many families, athletes and entertainers are the role models of not only children, but adults. Tliese heroes set the tone in behavior, thinking and fashion, and many of fol low. IftheNBAmust act as the adult in enacting a dress code for the fashion-challenged, it’s a very good thing. Lost in all of the cross-coun try funerals and memorial services for Rosa Parks — in Montgomery, Ala., the site of the famous 1955 bus boycott and launch pad for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s career as a dvil ri^ts leader; in Washington, D.C. where Rosa Parks became their first woman to lie in state beneath the rotun da of the U.S. Capitol and, finally in Detroit, her adopt ed hometown — was the depth of indignity caused by being forced to sit in the back of the bus. Without a doubt, Rosa Parks was a courageous lady But to fuUy understand why she did what she did, you would have had to walk in her footsteps and sit where she sat — in the back of the bus. I know because I, too, am an Alabama native and of all of my childhood memories of segregation, one of the most painful involved bypassing empty seats up fix)nt and either sitting or standing behind a white line in the rear of the bus. The scars are deep; I could n’t have been more than 4 when I recognized, even at that innocent age, something was amiss. I couldn’t articu late exactly what it was, but I knew it wasn’t right. Afiican- Americans, no matter how educated or well-dressed had to, by custom and by law, scramble to the back of the bus while the most ignorant and useless White person could sit up fiont. I had a part-time job in hi^ school in the early 1960s washing dishes at the University of Alabama. One afternoon en route to work, Clarence “Boot” Hurst, a schoolmate who also worked in the dishroom, said, ‘Xefs sit in the fiunt.” I agreed and that’s exactly what we did. The driver said, “You boys know you’re not supposed to sit up here.” We didn’t say a word and the driver kept going. When we got ready to get off at our stop, a White man drew a knife and told us we couldn’t exit through the fiont door. We hesitated and then left through the back door, content that we had proven our point. We were scared during the whole ride, but on that particular day we were going to take our chances. That’s why I can relate to Rosa Parks’ decision on that cold December day in 1955 not to give up her seat to a White man. I am not si^- gesting for a moment that our one-day protest weis on par with the contributions of Rosa Parks. But I am stating that, as they like to say in sports, on any given day African-Americans foimd ways to challenge the system. That diallenge was formal - ized several years later when Rev TY. Regers, president of the local Southern Christian Leadership Confaence chap ter, organized a boycott of the city bus system. SCLC orga nized car pools that mirrored the city’s bus routes and dri vers picked up passengers along the way and took them to their destination - for fiee. By not charging, no one could accuse us of operating a taxis service without a license. My family didn’t own a car at the time, but I borrowed my Uncle Percy’s car so that I could be part of the action. At the end of the day Miss Dot and other women had cooked us a pot of food at the First Afiican Baptist Church, our rallying point. We would hold mass meetings there and get reenergized for our boycott campaign. Unable to withstand the pressme, officials were forced out of business. When service was eventually resumed by another company seating was on a desegregated basis. S^regated seating on city buses was just one aspect of America’s version of apartheid. Another vivid memory of that era also revolved around transportation. Before, dur ing and after the bus boycott, my mother did domestic work across town. She was consid ered good enou^ to cook for a prominent White family and care for their kids. Yet, when it was time to bring my moth er home, she had to ride in the back seat. The sight of my mother rid ing in the back seat caused me to vow at a very early age that neither I nor my three younger sisters would be sub jected to that kind of humilia tion. We were going to go to college -1 didn’t know how at the time — and education would be our ticket out. We were determined, to break the chains - and we did. Now, if you see one of us sitting in the back seat, it’s because we’re being chauffeured. Rosa Parks is- being described in various news accounts as a seamstress. As Jesse Jackson observed in Montgomery she didn’t get arrested for sewing. Rosa Parks was arrested for taking a stand by sitting down. And for those who had to sit in the back of those buses, she gave us a better view of the world. GEORGE E. CURRY is editor- in-chief of the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service and BlackPressUSAeom. He appears on National Public Radio as part of "News and Notes with Ed Gordon." CPCC bonds provide critical upgrades Zeiss By Tony Zeiss SPECIM. TO THE POST Since our college’s birth in 1963, we have been making promises and keeping our promises to this community From our humble b^inning more than 40 years ago, a host of dedicat ed college and community leaders built Central Piedmont Community College into an institution that is recognized nationally in workforce devel opment. Tbday CPCC serves more than 70,000 people on six campuses. As president of Central Piedmont Community College, I am proud to say that you can look most anywhere in Mecklenburg County and see evidence of our work. In the past five years, our enrollment has increased 25 percent, while our square footage has only increased 23.7 percent during that same time period. Nearly 1,000 CPCC students were unable to get the cla^fees they needed this fall because of space limitations. By the year 2015, CPCC is expected to serve nearly 100,000 people. 'Ihat’s why the 2005 bond ref erendum is extranely critical to the coll^;e and our com munity On November 8, this com munity will have an opportu nity to approve a $46.5 mil lion bond referendum fes* the college. CPCC has not had a local bemd referendum on the ballot since 1999. Our college has been a good steward of the community’s money, with all of our local bond dollars either spent or currently under contract. )Mth funds fix)m previous bonds, CPCC added expansions or complet ed renovations at aU six cam puses, opened a new confer ence center and a new Academic and Performing Arts Center. In addition, the college has also been noted for its effi cient and effective operations. CPCC operates on a lower cost per square foot than both the national educational market and the state commu nity college average. The $46.5 million bond request in November will address scane of the most crit ical needs including renova tions and expansions. The fol lowing outlines what the 2005 bonds wiU mean for CPCC and the community: • Expansion of the popular construction trades facilities at Harper Campus • Expansion of the dental assisting faeflities at West Campus • New culinary arts facility on Central Ceimpus • Rehabilitation to paridng decks on Central Campus • Renovations to the Taylor Building and Pease Auditorium on Central Campus • Renovation of an existing building on Caitral Campus for additional visual arts pro grams • Rehabilitations to exist ing CPCC buildings These bond dollars will finance the next phase of the college’s strategic plan to eepand access to CPCC edu cation and training. Central Piedmont Community College is a dri ving force in economic devd- opment in this area and a tremendous asset to this com munity Seventy-five percent of all jobs require training done by community collies and no college does this bet ter than Central Piedmont. In 2002, the National Alliance of Business named CPCC the “Community College of the Year” for its response to the workforce and technology needs of local employers and job seekers through innovative educa tional and training strate gies. I want to thank you for your past support of the college Your commitment and involvement are invaluable. I also hope you will join us in the effort to educate this com munity on the value of CPCC, the importance of this bond referendum, and the need to vote on November 8. TONY ZEISS is president of Central Piedmont Community College. LETTERS Wal-Mart more bane than boon for people of color (“Retail lifeline for ^TUdnson area,” Oct. 27 Post) is a serious ly narrow-minded assessment of Wal-Mart and its impact on people of color locally and ^obally We both know Wal-Mart does a lot more harm than good, all in the name of profit. You should be more responsible in your approach to far-reaching issues like this. People need to know that Wal-Mart underpays its workers and that many of them cannot even afford their own benefits pre^am. Ev^ if the local ccanmunity had not welcomed Wal-Mart, they hardly have the legal resources to fi^t the corporate giant. George Thompson Charlotte Connect with tEJe $oit f Send letters to The C^hariotte Post, P.O. Box 30144 Cl^^otte, NC 28230 or e-mail editorial^-thecharlottepost.com. r We edit for grammar, clarity and space. Include your name and daytime phcaie number Letters and photos will not be returned by mail unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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