Pope House evacuated By Tom Gallagher STAZT WRITER If you can't take the heat...move to Pope House. It was round 4 a.m. on Sun day, Jan. 30th when Mica Gwendyn was awakened by the smell of kerosene. Soon others were risen by what Pope house residents later described as "a loud banging, clanging sound." A ruptured jacket, which stored water for the basement boiler, caused the noise and odor. Fumes came through the heating vents, causing many to question their safety. "It smelled so bad that I thought I would pass out," said sopho more Sera Cleaver. "We just went outside and sat in the cold." Freezing rain had covered the campus in a layer of ice over night, adding a degree of hazard to any attempt to repair the bro ken boiler. Road conditions were dangerous, and given the early hour, maintenance work ers would not be available until mid-morning. Sophomore Alex Wilson, who had spent the night at the house, decided to call the fire department. Unfortunately, the door to the basement was locked and no one at the house had a key. "[The firemen] had an axe and they were about to bust the door down, but then someone from security came and let them in," said Senior Dan Blocker. • The floor of the basement was flooded by water that had spilled from the boiler. As a pre caution, the firemen decided to turn off the boiler, which left most rooms in the house with out heat. "There was no real danger with the boiler itself. I guess [residents] thought there was oil on the floor, and that's why they called the fire depart ment," said head of mainte nance Mark Miller. The coming day would bring more mayhem to the scene. A tree fell within a few feet of the house, damaging a car in the gravel parking lot nearby. "It was like the apoca i i_ j , • v t the- re/ THE GUILFORDIAN Greensboro, NC Greensboro sit-ins marked \ *FE i muflßShJm \ JKGFT] FI J | m | A member of the original sit-in and Mayor Holliday speak to the crowd of about 75 people. By Rebecca Muller STAFF WRITER The crowd stood in a circle across from W. Friendly avenue, waiting patiently for the great milestone that was about to oc cur: the unveiling of a site do nated by Guilford College to commemorate the Greensboro sit-ins that occurred on Feb. Ist, 1960. Forty years ago, African American young men decided to sit in a segregated area of a lo cal Woolworth to eat. This event and the events that followed eventually helped lead to the desegregation of the South, changing the lives of millions of people. "Twenty years ago, there was a marker on Elm Street," said Alex Stoesen, History Pro fessor Emeritus. "Ten years ago, Sycamore Street was changed to February Ist street." Now, Guilford is doing its part to honor this event. The marker is also intended to honor those who were liberators and liber ated before this time period by the Underground Railroad, which reportedly had a stop on campus. "Fugitives fled through Guilford County, eventually get ting to Canada," Adrienne Is rael, Professor of African Ameri can Studies, informed the crowd. "In 1826, Levi Coffin moved to Richmond, Indiana, where he continued his danger ous work." Keith Holliday, Mayor of Greensboro and a Guilford alum, recalls visiting Richmond many times as a Quaker youth. "This rich heritage is shared between Greensboro and Rich mond," he said. "The unveiling here signifies unforgettable events." Jib-Reel Khazan (a.k.a. TheGuilfordian c/o Student Activities 5800 W. Friendly Ave. Greensboro, NC 27410 February 11, 2000 Ezeil Blair, Jr.), who attended the Tuesday ceremony, was one of the four men to participate in the sit-in movement. "We set a date to do this because we had nowhere else to go," he said. "Genetically and culturallly, I belong here. I'm an American by ancestry." He pointed out that America is an Arabic word "Amer" meaning "commander and "ica" standing for "icon. The words are Arabic for "sacred portrait," one who keeps peace. Khazan expressed his ini tial hesitation at participating in the sit-in. "I didn't want to go," he said. "I didn't even like the cooking of Woolworth. It was more than getting a hamburger and coffee —we wanted to test whether we really 'hold all these truths self evident.'" Khazan believes that the Bill of Rights should guide our lives. "America is your oyster you can make it what you want it to be." After reading a poem en titled "The Potter's Clay," Khazan stated, "You should con tinue to mold and shape democ racy so it will be pleasing to you." Finally, the time all were waiting for arrived. Several children grabbed the string to the cover, and George Black, Guilford's choir conductor, led the crowd in an old gospel song, "Steal Away to Jesus." Reverend David Bills, leader of a Greensboro Baptist church, gave a final benedic tion: "For those who've gathered to keep the world the way it was designed to have 'free dom for all.'" Khazan firmly believes that one should always be willing to share what one has with others to make society better. "Let's keep the tree of life growing. Don't be afraid to test the truth or stand up for your rights. There's one million people who want to put their foot right where we are today." AARON THOMPSON Please : recycle this paper.

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