Newspapers / The Carolina Indian Voice … / Oct. 28, 2004, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Carolina Indian Voice (Pembroke, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
IVmhivk'.-. N V H Carolina Indian Voice "liiuUims. C^mmimicjti'v I'rui^cs In A In-K.icul Setting VOLUME 32 NUMBER 42 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2004 25^ Saddletree Elder observes 85th birthday James W. Thomas also known as (Big Boy Thomas) celebrated his 85th birthday with family andfriends June 5th 200J at the Saddletree Church of Cod. Mr. Thomas states that he has lived a long and full life, stating Cod has blessed him throughout his life with good health a sound mind, and a lifetime of unforgettable memories. Mr. Thomas has 5 children (who are pictured below with him at his birthday celebration.) 15 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and a host of family andfriends. Mr. Thomas is proud to be photographed with his Indian headdress and Indian Dream catcher. Mr. Thomas is proud of his Lumbee heritage and looksforward to the day that the l.umbee Indians are federally recognized. Seated from left to right: James E. Thomas, James W. Thomas, David Earl Thomas standing from left to right: Delia Mae Locklear, Rosa Lee Jacobs, Vickie Locklear. Landmark book, The American Indian Integration of Baseball JOHNSON CITY - "In this book Professor Powers-Beck presents the most extensive compilation of Indian baseball players and related information ever assembled," Joseph B. Oxendine writes in his foreword to The American Indian Integration of Baseball, a new book by Dr. Jeffrey Powers-Beck at East Tennessee State University. "This book is about Indians in organized baseball at all levels, not just the Major Leagues " Recently published by the University of Nebraska Press. The American Indian Integration of Baseball is the second book written by Powers-Beck, a professor of English who became assistant dean of ETSU's School of Graduate Studies in the spring of 2004 "Reading this book is a genuine treat not only for the baseball fan but for those persons interested in the personal struggles of Indians in the non-Indian world. It is well crafted and rev eals a keen understanding of the subtleties of the basoball and a sensitivity to the Indian personality." according to Oxendine. author of American Indian Sports Heritage and himself a f'umbcc from North Carolina Preceding Jackie Robinson's entry into Major League Baseball by a half-century, Louis Sockalexis, of Penobscot lineage, debuted in the big leagues in 1897, and American Indians have had a presence in professional baseball ever since But. as outlined on the new book's dust jacket, that presence "has not always been welcomed or respected, and Native athletes have faced racist stereotypes, foul epithets, and abuse from fans and players throughout their careers." and this book "describes the experiences and contributions of American Indians as they courageously tried to make their place in America's national game during the first half of the twentieth century " Simply put. this work is the first book on the subject. Until PowersBeck, no one had written a book-length study of the American Indian integration of baseball "It tells many stories that have never been told about baseball in the federal boarding schools for American Indians, such as Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania and Haskell institute of Lawrence. Kansas." said Powers-Beck "This book documents the lives of many forgotten Indian players, including Elijah Pinnancc, the first full-blooded American Indian to play Major League Baseball; Louis Lcroy. a minor league legend who played in the big leagues with Boston and New York; George Howard Johnson a talented spitball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, and Moses Yellow Horse, one of the most exciting players of the 1920s," according to Powers-Beck, whose work also contains the "first history of the Nebraska Indians, the succcssfulscmi-pro Indian team that barnstormed across the nation early in the 20th century " In addition to his 1998 book. Writing live Flesh The Hertxrt Family Dialogue, Powers-Beck is the'editorof a book entitled Elizabeth Major. Printed Writings 1641-1700 (Early Modem Englishwoman Series) and has written numerous articles, book chapters, notes and reference articles, reviews, and conference papers His teaching interests include English Renaissance literature Lyric poetry. Milton, the Bible as Literature, literary theory and criticism, and composition Powers-Beck has also designed and taught a variety of courses on English at ETSU and preciously at Indiana Univcrsity-Bloomington The son of Arnold J. Beck and Jacqueline Beck of Iowa City Professor Powers-Beck dedicated the new book to his twin brother and "double play partner," Brian J. Beck, who an attorney in Kalamazoo. Michigan For more information about the new book or its availability at bookstores or through the University of Nebraska press, contact Dr. JcfTrcy Powers-Beck at (423) 439-8638 A Front Page Editorial Tribal Administrator, Leon Jacobs, seems to Feel we should "throw money" at problems Recently our Tribal Government held a press conference and announced thai HUD had released funds that had been fro/en front the 2003 housing program They announced that HUD said there was no wrong doing and everything was okay with the housing monies They did not. however, although a request was made, present anything in w riting front HUD that suited the investigation was over and the rules and regulations had been satisfied Our Tribal Administrator is a political appointment by the Tribal Chairman Soon after he was sworn in. Chairman Jimmy Goins. suited that Darlcnc Jacobs, previous administrator, would not be re-appointed The reason he gav e was that HUD named her as part of the problem with administering housing funds He named Leon Jacobs as lus appointment and the council in a split vote, voted for the termination of Darlcnc Jacobs and the hiring of Leon Jacobs We state without hesitation that the Constitution of the Lumbce Tribe gives the Chairman the authority to appoint the administrator, with the consent of the council We have no problem with a new cliairman picking his own tribal administrator. There is a problem when we hear that Darlcne Jacobs was in someway responsible for the poorly administered housing program Then ten months later we hear front the Chairman that there was no wrong doing in administering the program We have heard that Leon Jacobs is recommending paying Darlcnc Jacobs S 100.000 in compensation for having violated her contract There appears to be a problem here She was only making $80,000 a year so what is going on'' Leon Jacobs seems to feel that the best way to handle any problem is to "throw money at it " We suggest that if Darlcnc Jacobs is entitled to $ 100,000 tliat die Chairman and the Council give her a public apology and reinstate her Whatever they do. we hope soon they will make services to the tribal membership their top priority We hope, if the money has been released, they will give a public airing of the report from HUD and lay these issues to rest. November 2. 2004 is election day On that day we will also vote on seven tribal council members If your representative is up for election, we encourage you to take a close look at them Be sure they are not self serving and then vote for the candidate of your choice, the one whom you feel will serve the needs of the total membership Ask yourself this question, if they arc elected, w ill they be accountable This editorial, as well as previous editorials on our Lumbee Tribal Government, was written by the Editor, Connee Brayboy. . I " * I ] / . ' , . s | Please Exercise your j right to vote on Tuesday, November 2 4\. Jvvv.vv.-'?' ' i LRDA Head Start Is Part of Head Start Awareness Month By l lnita Clark Pembroke, JVC- Governor Michael Easlcy recently proclaimed the month of October as Head Start Awareness Month for North Carolina The Head Start Program lias assisted more than 22 million lowincome preschool families across the nation since being established in 1965. In Robeson County, the Head Start Program has assisted thousands since opening in 1984 With a budget of $130,000. the Lumbcc Regional Development Association Inc (LRDA)bcgan the program In 2004. it lias a budget of more than S2.000.000 and is open to children of all races Today, the program consists of three Head Start centers In July of 2005. the Green Grove Project will be opening This new center will be able to touch the lives of 100 children many of whom arc currently being served in a home-based program Mr. Dewey Locklcar. LRDA Executive Director, is encouraged each time by the smiling faces he sees when visiting the Head Start centers and reading stories to the children When asked about his feeling regarding the Head Start program Locklcar replied. "it is critically important that our children be prepared to learn when they enter school Head Start gives the children vital exposure to a learning environment The interaction with other children, teachers and introduction to a structured curriculum is vital to their preparation This in combination with strong parental support and involvement This gives oyr Head Start Children a better chance for success in school " Mrs Patricia Locklear serves as the Director of the Head Start Program and Child Services Director for the corporation A person who dearly loves children, she sees her position as an opportunity to open doors for many that for many other reasons have already had the door closed in their faces A 30-ycar veteran of the corporation, she has seen many positive changes come through the doors of her Head Start Program Many at the time of their testing for entering the public school system arc farther advanced than those who did not get the opportunity to be a part of this program Both the program and the stafT arc multi-cultural Children and staff members come from all walks of life "A child is a child and if I am to be remembered by someone it will be as an advocate for the children. Someone who took the time to care," she says with a smile as she sits behind her desk full of reports about the daily operations of the five centers Any one of her employees will tell you about Locklcar encouraging them to continue their education "It is a ripple effect," she states "when you throw a rock into a pond, it causes a ripple By our teachers learning, the children learn from them which means the children in our centers receive a better education " Several of the current stafT members only had a high school education when they joined Now. because of their hard work and dedication they cither have a 2-ycar or 4-ycar college degree The staff members arc always encouraging parents to fill out an application so that their children will have the opportunity to be a part of this program On the other hand, LocklCar is a lt)-ycar member of the Robeson County Partnership for Children Board of Directors Her duties also include scats on the More at Pour and the Infant Mortality Task Force Over the years Locklcar has seen many children with special needs, many of them terminal And she has gone out of her way to raise money for these children in 2000. by Governor Hunt and the Smart Start Program of Robeson County recognized Locklcar as a "Champion for Children " She has her own web page where she gives advice to parents and lets them know that all of us make mistakes It is located at hltp www lumbcc org/childrcnscrviccs htm Each day is a new day for the Head Start Program Locklcar and her staff oversee the daily operations of the program. Locklcar will not hesitate to tell you that her stafT and the children at the centers arc part of her "extended family " Their vision is to provide a Village/Support System through this program that nurtures their development and helps each child become a productive and educated member of society They also strive to enhance the social and cognitive development of the children The in other words, their desire is to make our county and nation a better place to live And it all begins with the life of a child when they walk though the doors of the Head Start program and meeting their dedicated staff. Anyone desiring information about the Head Start Program can call the LRDA at 910-521-8602 Report to the Tribal Membership In llus week's Report to the Tribal Membership, I apologize for not being able 19 report on the October meeting of the Tribal Council. I was unable io attend the meeting due to sickness However, in light of the upcoming tribal elections, I would like to take this opportunity 10 discuss the Lumbcc Tribal Elections Board outlined in the Lumbce Tribal Constitution under Article X. Article X Section 1 of the Lumbcc Constitution states, "There shall be an independent Tribal Elections Board of the Lumbce Tribe of North Carolina..." It is important to note that our governing document. the Constitution, established this body as an independent body. The Tribal Chairman nor the Tribal Council has any authority over the Elections Board Tlus is extremely important because it prevents those running for office in having say so or authority to determine how elections will be conducted. Subsection a gives the Board the authority to adopt the necessary rules and regulations under authority of our T ribal Constitution and T ribal Ordinances governing voter registration and the conduct of all regular and special tribal elections. This simply means that they, the Elections Board, will decide how elections will be held. However, any rules adopted by the Board must not violate the Lumbce Constitu,tion or any Tribal Ordinance Subsection b gives the Elections Board the authority to conduct all recall, initiative, and referendum proceedings For example, if there is an effort by the Lumbcc Tribal membership to recall Tribal Chairman Jimmy Goins, the Elections Board will be the entity to oversee the Recall process. The Tribal Constitution requires the Elections Board to consist of five tribally enrolled members over the age of eighteen In accordance to our governing document, members are appointed by the Tribal Council and shall serve a six-year term They arc also subject to term limits Members of the Elections Board cannot serve consecutive terms The Constitution also states, "any matter decided or certified by the Tribal Elections Board shall be deemed final action and shall be reviewable to the Supreme Court of the Lumbec Tribe " For example, if there is a complaint filed with the Elections Board, as Council member Larry Townsend did recently, and the person filing the complaint docs not agree with the decision of the Elections Board, that decision can be appealed to the Supreme Court The Judicial Branch is the only branch of our tribal government who may review decisions and actions of the Elections Board This Board ensures the tribal membership that tribal elected officials will not be involved in how elections will be conducted. The Lumbcc T nbal Elections Board has one of the most important governmental responsibilities of our tribal government - To date the Elections Board lias performed their duties with the utmost integrity. Mrs. Emma Lee Locklcar who serv es as Chairman of the Elections Board, and also possesses vast knowledge of elections and elections procedures. as well as the other members of the Board, arc to be commended for a job w ell done Lastly. I would like to encourage all candidates running for tribal office to examine our governing document, the Lumbcc Constitution, and become familiar with their responsibilities if elected. It is imperative that those running arc doing so for the right reasons They should be aware of what their role as a Tribal Council member will be The Councif is the legislative arm of our tribal government, and is responsible to enact ordinances to protect the rights of the Lumbcc people It is my hope that each and every candidate wishes to serve to represent the tribal membership and not for sclfiscrving reasons While some candidates arc electable, will they be accountable to us the Lumbcc tribal membership In the last election, there were several persons running for office on a platform of "Accountability." However. once elected they seemingly forgot about being accountable to the tribal membership, and began focusing on the opportunity to travel on tribal funds, providing housing services specifically for those they wished to have services, and providing employment opportunities for friends and political supporters Next week we will discuss horrid rumors of a supposedly secret plan by tribal officials to sabotage our tribal government by Cynthia /,. Hunt, Enrolled Member Tribal Neus Correspondent New phone numbers for Carolina Indian Voice Please make a note of the new phones numbers for the Carolina Indian Voice. 910-521-0796 910-521-0992 910-521-9154 And the new fax number: 910-521-7670
The Carolina Indian Voice (Pembroke, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Oct. 28, 2004, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75