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In Our 29th Year Issure No. 2011 October 2012 Associate Consultant Serving the Triad Free
A Community's
Passionate
Journey to Save
Black Youth
by John Raye!
Mr. Bill McClain
If the future of Black America rests in
the hands of Black youth, some parents,
grandparents and elders in any given
Black community are probably a bit frus
trated at this looming reality and also
probably a bit nervous about their own
future.
Uncertainty, gross confusion or abject
sadness may be the best way to describe
the current future outlook for Black
youth in this country.
Note these two facts. The nation's prison
and jail population currently stands at about 2.7 million; of that number, 65 % are Black males. On the
national level, upwards of 40% of Black children in grades 7-12 have been suspended or expelled at
some point in their school careers as opposed to 20% of Hispanics and 15% of Whites.
Despite this disparity, many Black youth continue to excel in the classroom and all are not headed
for "the Big House" or the "state farm". And all do not parade around in public wearing clothing that
suggests their brains got hijacked and ended up in the wrong place.
Still, there is a clear disconnect, a troubling undercurrent, a disturbing presence that something must
be done, and done soon, if this trend is to be stopped, changed or reversed.
Putting boots on the ground to deal with this unfolding undercurrent is the Winston-Salem-based,
GIDE-YEA program, which is better known as the Youth Education Academy.
[Continued on page 10]
Dick Gregory
Celebrates
a Milestone
Living legend, national treasure and
civil rights and health activist Dick
Gregory turns 80 this Friday.
When you turn 80 these days, it's
something to celebrate. Living
legend, national treasure and
civil rights and health activist
Dick Gregory turns 80 this Fri
day and will be celebrated via a
3-hour live radio tribute this Fri
day on "The Carl Nelson Show"
on 1450 WOL Radio in Washing
ton, D.C
Gregory is practically his own
chapter of Black history. The St.
Louis native once ran for Pres
ident and got his start as a civil
rights leader after excelling at
track in high school. After being
drafted into the Army, his com
ic skills were discovered and he
moved to Chicago after his ser
vice. There he became a cohort
of comedians like Bill Cosby. But
"Playboy" founder Hugh Hefner
put Gregory on the map after
hearing him perform a racially
satiric routine in front of a pre
dominantly white audience.
Gregory began performing at
the then popular Playboy Club
and the rest is definitely black
history.
Gregory's popularity and his
skits [Continued on page 14]
AWSTA Super Soldier
Steps Down for the Last
Time
By John Raye
These days, some sad
faces abounds at the
Winston-Salem Transit
Authority, the agency
that oversees public
transportation for the
city, and is responsi
ble for moving some
14,000 daily passen
gers safely to and from
their homes, jobs, educational institutions and
other outlets.
The agency is losing one of its pillars, some
one, who, as they say, "makes the train—only
this time it's the buses-run on time".
That special someone would be Martha Jones,
the second-longest serving member of the
WSTA board of directors, and an extraordinary
public servant who has long volunteered her
time, talent and resources, free of charge, to
community based, civic, social, religious, busi
ness and political organizations for well over
half a century.
Earlier this month, Jones gave notice to the
board that it was time to relinquish the seat
she has held continuously for a quarter of a
century, 25 years.
[Continued on page 12]
Inside This Issue
America In Denial pg 2
The New Flu pg 4
More Americans
Are Walking... pg 6
Lowes Announces
$100,000Grant P9 'll
Mount Sinai /
Belk Benefit pg 14