WOVEN ART
Mint Museum of
Croft + Design
exhibit shows
function and
torm of baskets
A8,E/1D
Navajo-style bowls and trays wiii be on dispiay.
The best J
high schooi
footbali
games,
piayers
step up this
week o
Teen racer
on fast track
to NASCAR
promotion
Marc Davis
won six races
at Hickoiy
Volume 32 No. 2
Cliarl
$1.00
The Voice of the Black Community
28216 513 PI
Jaaes 8. Duke Library
100 Beatties Ford fid
Charlotte KC 28216-5302
Crash course for struggling high schools
Reconstitution mandate means major changes for Garinger, West Charlotte, West Mecklenburg, Waddell
By Erica Singleton
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
More than student achieve
ment will be at stake for
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’
undeiperformii^ high schools.
Jobs will be on the hne, too.
Ill response to public and legal
pressure to boost undeiperform-
ing schools, Supeirintendent •
Farrakhan
hands over
control of
NOI
Administrators
take on most of
leader’s duties
Bv George E. Curry
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHERS ASSOCIAVON
WASHINGTON - likening
his predicament to that of
Cuba’s Fidel Castro, Minister
Louis Farrakhan says he is
facing some
serious health
challenges,
causing him to
turn over
administration
of the Nation of
I Islam to its
Farrakhan executive
board and can
cel all appointments and per
sonal appearances imtil fur
ther notice.
Fan*akhan said his illness
is related to the heavy dosage
of radiation he received as a
result of having prostate can
cer in the late 1990s- He
imderwent surgery in
November 2000 at Howard
University and on a recent
visit there was found to have
an infection and inflamma
tion.
“I have been suffering from
the after-effects of an
extremely high dose of radiat
ed seed implantation that
indeed killed the cancer cells
that had broken the prostate
capsule, but over time, these
seeds have done severe inter
nal damage,” he explained.
Farrakhan said his illness
represents “a period of test
ing” for his organization.
“In this period of testing,
you can prove to the world
See FARRAKHAN/3A
Peter Goiman unveiled part of
his reform initiatives this week.
On Thesday, Gorman outlined
plans to reconstitute four high
schools. Three - West Charlotte,
West Mecklenburg, and
Garinger - are part of the High
School Challenge grant, and E.E
Waddell was added due to low
composite scores on last year’s
End of Course tests.
The school board voted 8-1 to
approve Gorman’s proposal to
use $4.9 million to improve
achievement in the sdiools. The
plan still has to go to
Mecklenburg Comity commis
sioners for approval.
“These schools are stUl not suc
cessfully teachit^ more than half
their kids,” said Gorman. ‘We
know that, we are concerned
about it.”
On September 12, the school
boai-d held a public hearir^ in
which they did a first reading of
thdr “reform governance policy”
- three new policies and one
revised policy and one revised
bylaw that will “drive action in
the district.”
“There comes a point where
policy needs to become action,
where the rubber meets the
road,” Gorman said. “And for our
reform initiatives that was last
evening.”
Schools are evaluated on how
effectively they are teaching
Please see HIGH/2A
PHOTO/CURTIS WILSON
WBAV Radio news director Beatrice Thompson was the first black woman to anchor a Charlotte TV
newscast, in 1979. Thompson says she’s encountered racism and sexism during her career.
ASCENT OF A WOMAN
Trailblazers beat odds to succeed
Breaking glass ceiling requires fortitude and longevity
By Erica Singleton
FOR THE CHARLOTTE FOST
Part of a series on issues facing
African American women.
Beatrice Thompson did not set
out to be the first black female to
anchor the news in Charlotte.
Actually, when she was
younger, she wanted to be an
aioheologist.
‘T was fascinated by documen
taries...and I liked antiquities.
My cousins hated to play with
me, because they didn’t know
what I was talking about,” remi
nisced Thompson.
Women historically have
always been second when it
came to achievement in business
and society StUl, many black
women have led, in spite of the
odds; firom the first black million
aire being Madame C.J. Walker,
to her contemporary counterpart
and media queen Oprah "Wnfirey
In Charlotte, they have made
their mark, despite opposition
and sometimes confrontation.
As a teeen^er, Thompson saw
first hand the effects of urban
renewal on black neighborhoods,
which in led her into journalism.
“No one explained what was
going on,” said Thompson.
“There was no redevelopment;
just get up and get out. It made
me angry I watched white real
tors use black families as block- '
busters...startup white fli^t.
These kinds of elements went
into my decision.”
Please see WOMEN/6A
Caucus
pushes for
vendor
inclusion
N.C. House bill would
lower participation of
blacks, activists allege
By Cynthia Dean
THE TRIANGLE TRIBUNE
RALEIGH - Economic development and
inclusion have emerged as major priority
issues with the Noiih Carolina Black
Leadership Caucus.
Heated debates over House Bill 1827,
which trimmed state goals for minority par
ticipation in government construction pro
jects, set the tone for the caucus’ Sept. 16
meeting.
For the past two years, the organization
had joined black confractors in an effort to'
defeat the bUl, but it finally passed on the
last day of the General Assembly Efforts to
gain a veto fiom Gov Mike Easley failed.
“HB 1827 addressed minority- andwomen-
owned business participation in construction
contracts with the state Department of
Transportation. The governor’s executive
order cited a statute which deals with goods
Please see CAUCUS/7A
Charlotte medicine gets
dose of African doctors
PHOTO/CUFtTIS WILSON
Drs. Andrew Ighade (left) and Frances Obeng are two of a growing
number of African-bred doctors practicing in Charlotte.
By Erica Singleton
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
When you walk into Mid-
Carolina Pediatrics, you are
greeted by a waiting room deco
rated with characters from the
movie “Finding Nemo,” and the
cheerful soi^ and conversation
of children’s programming fill.R
the air.
Next door at Alfa Medical
Clinic, the d6cor is simplistic:
leather chairs, tables with mag
azines, and a single television
turned to 24 hour news. The two
offices couldn’t more different,
but they are beside each other is
due to what they do have in com
mon.
Dr. Andrew Ighade of Mid-
Carolina Pediatrics and Dr.
Please see DOSE/3A
thebox
NEWS, NOTES & TRENDS
Filmmaker
honored for
body of work
By Herbert L. White
he/ti.'Ariife^lhechorloffeposf.com
Filmmaker Steve Crump will have
his moment in the sim Friday
The Light Factory and Reel Soul
Cinema will salute him with “A
Filmmaker’s Odyssey: Tribute to
Steve Crump at 7 p.m.
at The Light Factory's
Duke Power Theater.
Crump, a reporter at
WBTV (channel 3), has
produced 18 documen
taries, most hi^ilight-
ing subjects based in
the South. His first
film, “South Africa New
Carolina Partners” started a string of
groundbreaking documentaries that
garnered national awards. Crump’s
filmography includes documentaries
3 CRUMP/3A
Crump
Music legend Nancy Wilson
makes rare appearance to
champion education/2D
Life IB
Religion 4B
Sports 1C
Business 6C
A&E1D
Classified 3D
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Recycle
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