Outkast’s
Andre
Benjamin
stars in
tepid
‘Class of
Volume 32 No. 3
CT C. SMITH UiV!V£RSITY
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA 28216
$1.00
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The Voice of the Black Community
Watt
Caucus
presses
Rice on
Darfur
Black lawmakers
urge U S. response
By Herbert L. White
herb.vvfi/fe@JhechartoIfepost.com
The Congressional Black Caucus
is luring the Bush administration
to take immediate action to end
genocide in Darfur and stabilize
Africa.
The group met with
Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice last
week on Capitol HUl
to discuss getting
United Nations
I forces into Sudan to
help end llie region’s
humanitarian crisis.
“The caucus had a
substantive discus
sion with Secretary
Rice to let her know
of our concerns
regarding the ongo
ing genocide and
human ri^ts viola
tions in Sudan,” said
U.S. Rep, Mel Watt,
a Charlotte
Demccrat and chair of the CBC.
“We also warned her
that the situation is
rapidly approaching
the magnitude of
what occurred in
Rw anda and that the
United States and
the world pledged
never to allow that to
happen again.”
In addition to meeting with Rice,
the caucus recently met with
Chinese Ambassador Zhou
Wenzhong to urge the Chinese gov
ernment to use its influence with
Sudan to end the killing. China is a
major investor in Sudan.
Caucus members also plan to
meet with Arab leaders to press
them for help and assistance.
“The international community
needs to speak with one voice in
calling on the Khaiioum govern
ment to end their campaign of geno
cide in Darfur,” said Rep. Barbara
Lee (D-Calif). “Given China’s invest
ments in the region, I hope that they
will be a part of the solution, and not
part of the problem.”
Rep. Donald Payne noted:
“China’s growing influence in Afiica
must be a positive force to help us in
our efforts to encourage transparen
cy and good governance on the con
tinent. That means Beijing must
Rice
Payne
See CAUCUS/3A
Charlotte
native
Melissa
McDaniel
ends her
Also serving Cab 28216 S13 PI
James B. Duke Library
100 Beatties Ford Rd
Charlotte KC 28216-5302
PHOTOADALVIN FERGUSON
Latin-American Coalition Executive Director Angeles Ortega-Moore’s description of how
Charlotte handles immigration resulted in an apology to African Americans. “It used to be
everybody here loved the Latinos,’’ she told the Washington Post last week. “They would say
‘We like you more than the blacks.' Now we’re like the Big Bad Wolf.’’
Crossing border of
ethnic sensitivity?
Activist told newspaper whites prefer Latinos to blacks
By Cheris F. Hodges
cheris.hocJges@ffiecharioffeposf.com
The executive director of
Charlotte’s Latin American
Coalition has come imder fire
for saying whites like Latinos
more than blacks.
But Angeles Ortega-Moore
said the comment, published
last week in the Washington
Post, was taken out of context
and not meant to offend any
one.
However, some blacks are
offended.
'1 believe it was taken out of
context,” said Ortega-Moore
who has been fielding angry
e-mails since the Washington
Post story, written by Peter
Whoriskey, was pubhshed
last Wednesday
Ortega-Moore was quoted
■ as saying Charlotte’s immi
gration situation is “tense,
very tense. It used to be
everybody here loved the
Latinos. They would say We
like you more than the
blacks.’ Now we’re like the
Big Bad Wolf”
Ortega-Moore doesn’t deny
that she made the comment,
but said she was only repeat
ing what whites have said to
her and other Latinos in the
Charlotte area.
“My intent was not to
offend, but to show that with
in all these years, issues
between whites and blacks
Please see ACTIVIST/6A
There she goes: Charlotte’s All
American Miss enjoyed title reign
By Harold Tyson
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
On Saturday, Charlotte
native Mehssa McDaniel
ends her reign as All
American hfiss.
McDaniel is the first
Afiican American to wear
the crown in the 11-year his
tory of the pageant system.
She won the crown on
October 1, 2005 in a two-day
competition in Myrtle
Beach, S.C.
McDaniel graduated fixan
Independence Hi^ School
in 1997. She earned a com-
mtmication studies degree
finm UNC Charlotte in 2002
with a minor in journalism.
McDaniel’s pageant career
began when she competed
lawsuit
seeks10
win 40
Slave descendants want
federal court to revive
reparations suit
By Ashley M. Heher
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO - Lawyers for slave descen
dants have asked a fedferal appeals court to
revive a landmark leparations case that
demands 17 of the nation’s insurers and
banks publicize and pay for their roles in the
country’s slave trade.
The case, which names Wall Street behe
moths JP Morgan Chase & Co., Aetna Inc.,
Bank of America and others, says the com
panies’ predecessors issued loans to slave
owners and, in some cases, owned, insured
and transported slaves - all at a financial
profit that hdped ensure their success today
“I am here seeking justice for the physical
damage, emotional damage,” said Antoinette
HaireU, a genealogist fiom Kentwood, La.
who clutched raw cotton as she spoke inside
a federal court house Wednesday ‘We were
left in poverty My family’s hardship and fi«e
labor was not in vain,”
But lawyers for the companies told a panel
of judges at the U.S 7th Circuit Court of
Appeals in Chicago that the case is without
merit and the corporations did nothing to
harm the current-day descendants.
“These are inherently speculative claims,”
said lawyer Owen Pell.
The three-ju(^e panel - led by Circuit
Judge Richard Posner, who asked lawyers
about whether their clients could prove slav
ery caused current day financial losses ■
seemed to agt^.
Please see REPARATIONS/7A
in the Miss Independence
Carousel Pageant and the
1997 Miss Black North
Carolina pageant. In the
Miss Independence
Carousel pageant, McDaniel
was second runner-up and
in the Miss Black North
Carolina Pageant she gar
nered the 3rd runner-up tro-
Please see ALL/6A
thebox
NEWS, NOTES & TRENDS
Seeds of hope
for black
farmers
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - Dogged by allega
tions of racial insensitivity, Sen.
George AUen has introduced a bill to
help black faimei’s.
Allen, R-Va., has spent weeks refut
ing accusations that he
used racist language
and liked Confederate
symbols.
Acquaintances finm
college have said he
used a common slur for
blacks. Stories have
been revived about him
keeping a Confederate
flag at home and a hangman’s noose
in his law office.'
The furor began Aug. 11, when the
senator called a volunte^ for his oppo
nent “macaca” considered by some to
!e see ALLEN/3A
Allen
LifelB
Religion 5B
Sports 1C
Business 6C
A&E ID
Classified 30
To subscribe, call (704) 376-0496 or FAX (704) 342-2160.® 2006 The Charlotte Post Publishing Co.
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