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Published Each Thursday Since January 18,1973
Carolina Indian Voice
Pembroke, NC Robeson County
"Building communicative bridges in a tri-racial setting "
ToLUME*2Q NUMBER 30 TmJRSDAYrnJGUST27TT99r^""" IS CENTS PEM COrF*
Delay expected on Lumbee Bill
HR 1426, the Lumbee bill, may not
reach the flow by the end of this
Congressional session. According
to Ruth B. Locklear, Enrollment
Director, the Senate is set to adjourn
in early October. Unless the bill is
voted by then, die bill will die this
year. Ms. Locklear stated the tribal
attorney on HR 1426, Dr. Arlinda
Locklear, has met with several
people on Capitol Hill to gear up for
next year's legislative contest in the
event the bill dies this year. "In the
meantime", she reports, "Dr. Arlinda
Locklear is working closely with
Senator Terry Saaford's office in
Washington, D C. should opportu
nity on the calendar arise in Septem
ber for a 2nd cloture vote." Even if
that happens, according to Ms.
Locklear, the tribe must have at least
60 of its supporters present for an
other cloture vote.
Because of a legislative block on
the bill, said by Lumbee to have been
organized by Senator Jesse Hehns,
cloture must be invoke toover-ride
the legislative block. Under Senate
rules, the legislative block can only
be removed when 2/3 or 60 Senators
vote to invoke cloture on the bill. On
February 27,1992, the Senate voted
58 to 31 to invoke cloture. Majority
Leader George Mitchell promised
Senator Terry Sanford another op
failed short by 2 votes.
Senator Helms' unforeseen ab
sence from die Senate brought a de
lay in moving the bill for a 2nd clo
turc vote. Typically, the Senate will
delay voting on any bill where a
Senator has expressed a particular
interest or asks that it not be brought
up during his absence.
Senator Helms is expected back
in Washington when the Senate con
venes in September. Whether there
will be time on the Calendar for a 2nd
cloture vote remains highly uncer
tain, according to the Enrollment
Director. Even if time permits an
othervote before the Senate adjourns
in early October, the tribe must have
at least 60 Senators present who will
vote affirmatively on the cloture
motion.
Once cloture has been invoked, it
then permits the Senate to consider
the Lumbee Bill in debate for an up
or down vote. Unlike the cloture
vote which requires a 2/3 vote of the
Senate, passage of the Lumbee bill
wdlrequireasimpte majority of those
Senators present who constitute a
quorum of the Senate.
According to Ms. Locklear, "Sena
tor Sanford has already demonstrated
that the Lumbee bill has the majority
support ofthe U.S. Senate. That was
demonstrated on the 2/27/92 cloture
vote when 58 Senators voted in fovor
ofthe cloture motion." Our biggest
problem in the Senate, she noted,
was the legislative block said to be
- organized by Senator Jesse Helms.
Under Senate rules, any Senators)
may block a bill from debate and
passage by expressing his opposition
to the Senate leadership. When that
occurs, the Senate Leadership reaches
a time agreement cm the debate with
the opposing Senator. When the op
posing Senators) refuses to agree oo
a tune limit for the debate, it signals
a filibuster will be ran ihould the bill
arise on the floor. According to Ms.
Locklear, neither Senator Helms or
his colleagues will agree to a time
limit on the floor debate. "It is an
other instance", she stated, "when
the rule of a few is imposed upon the
majority."
Senator Teny Sanfbrd is facing a
Republican contender in the upcom
ing November election. He has spon
sored the bill in the U.S. Senate for
the federal recognition of the Lum
bee since 1988. Among other things,
this bill extends full recognition to
the Lumbee while permitting local
Tuscarora groups a legislative op
portunity to seek separate recogni
tion through the U.S. Department of
Interior, ifthey so choose. Presently
, these groups are barred from Ad
ministrative recognition. Also, the
bill requires the adult members of the
Lumbee Tribe to reorganize under a
tribal constitution and establish its
form of tribal government.
Dr. Arilhda f/xklear is the former
Executive Director of the Native
American Rights Fund in Washing
ton, D.C. She is now in private prac
tice where her clients are restricted
to American Indian Tribes. She has
been the tribal attorney on the Lum
bee bill since its introduction in the
Congress. Ms. Locklear said that the
Lumbee bill would have never went
this far without the hard and dedi
cated work of Senator Terry Sanfbrd,
U.S. Representative Charlie Rose,
and Dr. Arlinda Locklear.
Friendship Missionary Baptist
Church extolls value of friendship
The outside appearance of Friend
ship Missionary Baptist Church, situ
ated on a two-acre tract three miles
west of Pembroke, at first glance
seems to defy ordinary architectural
design for a church building. Mem
bers of the log structured church say
the design and selection of building
materials came about only after much
forethought. They say they wanted a
building constructed of materials tra
ditionally recognized as natural in
sulators.
The logs were selected because
they tend to keep the building's/inte
rior warm in the winter and cool in
the summer," explains Rev. Coolidge
Cummings. "And, too, the log exte
rior projects hospitable qualities."
The pastor says the chinch's friendly
image doesn't end with the architec
tural design. "Our church members
are genuinely friendly people." Be
cause of those qualities, Rev.
Cummings says, the church was so
named.
In December I98S, 33 friends
gathered to form Friendship Mission
ary Baptist Church. Rev. Cummings
was elected pastor. Having no actual
church building, the group began
holding mid-week Bible study ses
? sions in a private home across/the
$ toed from die present church site.
K Because of a growing membership,
? two months later, the group held
Eat a determination began to over
Weekly sermon and song within
the humble structure obliterated the
noise of chattering window panes
caused by wind gusts. By winter's
end the church group had settled for
worship services inside a vacant gro
cery store on secondary highway 710
between Pembroke and Red Springs.
For almost a year Sunday School
lessons were taught in rooms parti
tioned with cloth fabric. It was in the
building that members produced and
staged the newly-organized church's
first Christmas drama.
Months earlier construction of die
new church had begun on the Red
Springs Rd. site outside Pembroke.
Carpentry skills of community men
were evident as Maine logs rose on
the 4,680 sq. ft. building. Hundreds
of man-hours were donated to the
project. And though construction
was incomplete on Thanksgiving Day
of 198S church members gathered
for worship services in the building.
There in die midst of building mate
rials stacked on floors, the group
engaged in prayerful recognition of
die holiday.
Today Friendship Missionary
Baptist Church holds all privileges
afforded its association with the Burnt
Swamp Baptist Association. The
Sunday School program offers five
classes and a nursery. Formal wor
ship services sre held weekly. A
du^en'shoun preludes the services
MMMflieaUy Bollard is assistant
sponsors an all-night event where
socialize and later watch videae be
fore retiring to a church sleep-in.
The church has displayed prize-win
ning floats in annual Lumbee Home
coming parades. Christian holidays
are observed with dramatized pro
grams. The church and its choir host
an open invitational song meet ev
ery fourth Sunday night. An OUT
REACH program was initiated last
year and every second Sunday of
each month church members go out
into the surrounding community to
visit non-church members. Later
they return to the church for a cov
ered dish, or bag lunch meal.
The six-year-old church is cur
rently conductinga campaign to raise
money for a sanctuary. Mr Howard
Jones, deacon, ays ftmds have come
from church membership. "Our
chuch believes in self-support when
it comes to money matters," he com
ments. "We don't sponsor traditional
fund-raising events as such. Our
doctrine is to support ourself in
church financial matters." Every
third Sunday is high offering day at
the church he says.
Mrs. Denise Bullard, church
clerk, says whilethe church policy
is one of self-support gifts are ac
cepted. A Raleigh resident donated
a vintage cast iron church bell which
will be used once the sanctuary is
erected. And theatre seats were given
by a Charlotte church. A piano was
donated by a private individual.
^ChuroTmSMArsri^aaiipi
tme which extolls the vshmoffHend
dip.. In so doing the members are
iaftniiiLnifflMMlMdlhlktir
Dr. Lowery joins Dr. Collins at
Pemberton Place Dental Clinic
by Bnrbtra Brpvtbey-Lecklear
SfectalM QwHil todinn Veke
Whin Or. Ronnie Lowery enters
the treatment rooms ofhis Pembroke
dental clinic the patients, more often
than not, ask him, "Where's the doc
tor? Who are you?"
It has to do with his boyish look.
He looks more like a 16-year-old
with a new driver's license than like
the 25-y?ar-old newly licensed den
tist he actually is.
Dr. Lowery graduated from UNC
Chapel Hill School of Dentistry in
May. In July he joined his brother-in
-law, Dr. Jeff Collins, in a practice at
Pembroke Place Dental Clinic in
Pembroke.
The 1985 graduate of West Robe
son High School (now Purnell Swett
High School) completed three years
of study at Pembroke State Univer
sity before transferring toUNC-CH.
While in professional school. Dr.
Lowery says he spent practically
every week-end in his beloved Rr>K~
son County as a respite from the
pressure oflong intense spent in class
rooms and clinics.
"I love the space the rural area of
my homeplace offers," he says of the
family-owned farm located in the
Prospect community Hesaysitison
the land that he now finds respite
from his professional practice as well.
Dr. Lowery, the only son of
Praford and Lendora Lowery,
plays an active
role in the operations of the farm
which has been in his family for three
generations. A professed "Country
Boy" he says he is equally happy
whether donned in a laboratory jacket
or old wait shirt
Still single, but engaged. Dr.
Lowery says be subscribes to a simple
life-style. He still drives his trusty
decade-old car and continues to live
with his parents at his childhood home
near Preston Gospel Chapel. Sand
wiched between his professional
practice and farming involvement
are community sports activities. He
has kept close ties with old boyhood
friends and joins them in weekly bas
ketball and volleyball practice ses
sions.
Dr. Lowery is a member of Preston
Gospel Chapel where he belongs to
The Encouragers," a group within
the church who endeavor to spiritu
ally encourage young people.
Dr. Lowery says be will remain in
his Native Land. "Robeson County
is my home and is where I want to be.
My roots are deeply planted here."
Fleetwood recognized tor
?
one million safe man hours
Two and a half years ago Kent
Johnson, production manager for
Fleetwood Homes of N.C. #41 Pern
brake, decided that it was time to
eliminate disabling injuries in his
plant for the sake of the valuable
associates Kent felt that major inju
ries could be stopped with a few
important ingredients.
The first of these ingredients was
a total commitment This meant a
serious effort on the part of manage
ment and the associates to eliminate
injuries Commitments was uniform
from the newest associate to the plant
General Manager.
Secondly, a safety committee was
formed. Bobby Barnes was the chair
man of this committee. The commit
tee met once a week to make deci
sions on how they could install the
commitment throughout the plant and
improve the workplace where it
would be safe and pleasant environ
ment for all. They planned and con
cluded that a goal of one million safe
associate work hours was to be
^^^^^^Cantiaiiedofpage 4
/ dtrndkmam A FRIEND LOVETH
AT ALL TIMES, AND A
BROTHER IS BORN FOR ADVER
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