HTtI TO lUta. »Cf*IT f Mtfl
gj^ie
April 1977
WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA
WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY
Vol. X, No. 5
Chairnmn Speaks On Wilmington 10 Case
a
Imani Kazana photo by Bryan Kluttz - Sentinel
Imani Kazana, chairman
of the National Wilmington
Ten Defense Committee
visited WSSU on Wednesday
March 16. Ms. Kazana
explained that she was here
in North Carolina to help
explain and inform the
public on current develop
ments in the Wilmington
Ten case. She further stated
that there are obvious
distortions and misconcep
tions about the case which
she hoped could be cleared
up.
Later in the evening,
Kazana talked to a small
group of concerned students
and citizens in an effort to
give a better insight into the
case, and ask for their
support. Kazana made use of
a slide presentation to
introduce the group of
to the victims in the case.
The “Wilmington, N.C.
Ten are young civil rights
workers — nine black males,
and one white female - who
were sentenced to a total of
282 years in North Carolina
prisons on frame-up arson
and conspiracy charges.
Rev. Benjamin Chavis is
serving the longest sen
tence, a total of 34 years, for
his leadership role.
The Wilmington Ten case
grew out ot a long history of
racial antagonisms and
prejudices present in Wil-
1" mington, N.C. which
reached a high point
following court ordered
- desegregation of the New
Hanover School system.
WilHston, the black high
school, was downgraded to a
junior high school. Black
students were then dis
bursed and then bused to
two previously all-white high
schools.
During the first semester
of desegregation the racial
antagonisms of the larger
community were translated
into the educational environ
ment. Blacks began to
complain when they found or
felt that they were excluded
from much of the extra-cur
ricular activities at the two
desegregated high schools.
Several racial oriented
fights broke out that finally
resulted in the black
students staging a boycott.
The boycott was sparked by
the refusal of the local high
school to allow Black
students to conduct an
assembly program to honor
the birthdate of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.
During the boycott, blacks
would meet at Gregory
Congregational Church. The
pastor of the black congrega
tion was Rev. Eugene
Templeton, a white man. As
Blacks continued to meet at
the church, unknown per
sons in cars and trucks
began to ride by and shoot at
the church. The situation
worsened, but appeals to the
mayor and Chief of Police to
provide protection for these
people were in vain.
Getting no positive re
sponses from the city and
law enforcement officials.
Rev. Templeton requested
and received aid through the
National Office of the United
Church of Christ and its
Southern Conferences. Leon
W^hite and Benjamin Chavis
were dispatched to Wilming
ton on February 2, 1971 to
aid the boycotting students
and the local congregation.
Continued attacks on the
church prompted officials of
North Carolina-Virginia
Field Offices of the Commis
sion for Racial Justice to ask
that a curfew be imposed. As
a result of city officieils’
refusal to do so, racial
passion erupted. Two per
sons were killed and several
were injured. Death victims
were a black youth and a
white man. The curfew was
immediately imposed follow
ing the death of the white
man.
In mid March 1972, police
arrested 13 persons on
charges growing out of the
February disturbance.
Among those arrested were
the Wilmington Ten.
The trials of the victims
were long and difficult. They
were sentenced in Februsiry
of 1976 and surrendered to
See KAZANA, p. 8
Author To Speak At Honor’s Day Program
WSSU’s Annual Honors
Day Program will be held on
Wednesday, April 6 at 10:00
a.m. in the Kenneth R.
Williams Auditorium. The
public is invited to attend
.vithout charge.
In announcing plans for
the occasion, Mr. Warren C.
Oldham, Director of the
Scholastic Achievement Pro
gram, explained, “There has
been a concentrated effort to
heighten the academic
achievement aspirations of
the student body by calling
attention to those students
who have maintained out
standing academi(j records.
Honors Day, which is held in
the spring of-each year, is
designed to focus on those
students.” The university
pays special tribute to alal
full-time students who have
made high achievement in
various academic fields
during the school year.
Students having the highest
average in each of the four
classes and students having
the highest average in each
major are honored. Recogni
tion is given to those
students with a cumulative
average of 3.3 or better.
Grading is based on a 4.0
scale. The principle speaker
for the Honors Day Program
will be Dr. Margaret Walker
Alexander, professor of
English and director of the
Institute for the study of
History, Life, and Culture of
Black People, Jackson State
University, Jackson, Missis
sippi. Alexander is an author
and poet of note with
“Jubilee”, a civil war novel,
and several books of poems
to her credit. These include
“For My People”, “Proph
ets for a New Day’',
“October Journey,” and “A
Poetic Equation: Conversa
tions between Nikki Giovan
ni and Margaret Walker.”
1977 Honors Day Award
Recipients
Highest Cumulative Average
By Class
F'reshman — Mary Eaton -
Henderson, N.C.; Sopho
more - Phillis Hardison -
Sneads Ferry. N.C.; Junior —
Wanda Ledford - Winston-
Salem, N.C.; Senior — Helen
Baker - King, N.C.
Highest Cumulative Average
By Department
Business
Business Administration -
Belinda Moore - Atkinson,
N.C. Business Education —
Mazie Capers - Winston-Sa
lem, N.C.
Education
Early Childhood — Della
Wiggins - Kinston, N.C.;
Intermediate Education —
Janet Brower - Cameron,
N.C.; English and foreign
Languages - Patricia Eu
banks -- Winston-Salem,
N.C.; Mathematics — Karen
Coleman - Norlina, N.C.;
Music — Elise Donald
Charlotte, N.C.;' Nursing -
Helen Baker - King, N.C.;
Physical Education - Harvey
McIntyre - Atkinson, N.C.;
Social Sciences
History — Joanne Glenn -
See SPEAKER, p. 6
WSSU ParenU^ Day Held
Winston-Salem State Uni
versity held its annual
Parents’ Day Conference on
Sunday, March 6. The theme
for this year was “Moving
Together in Unity”. Com
menting on Parents’ Day,
Dr. Haywood Wilson, Jr.,
Director of Student Affairs
and Chairman of the
Parents’ Day Committee,
explained that it provided
parents the opportunity to
see how students live and to
meet with faculty members.
He pointed out that if a
student is to succeed he
must have parental backing
and the support of faculty
and staff members. Activi
ties such as Parents’ Day are
held to promote this
necessary understanding
and cooperation.
The Parents’ Day Convo
cation was held at 11:00 a.m.
in the Kenneth B. Williams
Auditorium with Chancellor
Kenneth R. Williams as the
See PARENTS, p. 2 '