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■MV: de:' Hli. , ILL a VOLUME tt - NUMBER 5 DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2003 TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913 PRICE: 30 Te Blacks Expecting Too Much From President Obama? By Hazel Trice Edney NNPA Editor-ia-Chief "Hello. My Name is Freida. I am a 52 years young black female that had 3 strokes and [I am] doing fine right now. I am a full time stay at home artist. I have sent you a copy of my hero. Sir Barackster. I created him on Nov. 1st because I felt he would be the hero." Those are the words of Freida Thompson of Manalapan. N.J.. in a letter to the editor of the NNPA News Service. "I really, really, really w'ant him to take care of the health issue." Thompson said in a phone inter view this week. ‘Medicaid, even social security. I don't think that's jjeally enough money to live off of live go* five pre^^jptiohs I've got iib gef it’s just Bdt enough." says hHiempson. If the** was one thing she would ask of President Obama, it would be "free health care.'L. . e;, gs^lCWbealth care to civil ^hts,', P^aittfeciual justice. Thompran's epHineois reflect it^oss -;and othe*'Amerfcans - ^ound the nation who know that Obama -arguably America's most i^nspitational president- will be lim- iled'iil His ability todb-everything. 'Yet. many hope that because of his- fllack experience and identification with struggle, his priorities might 'distinguish him from White presi dents of the past. ' Are Blacks expecting too much of the new president? That depends on who's being asked: "Expecting a lot from him is a good thing." says Hillary Shelton, director of the Washington Bureau of the NAACP, who monitors and lobbies for Capitol Hill legislation on behalf of Black people. "The expectations should be high. A lot of promises were also made by the candidate and now the President. And holding him to that is impor tant, but being realistic about that and understanding that you've not just hired a commander-in-chief but. we've elected a leader, which means we must all get engaged in helping to fix these problems," Shelton says. Thomas Todd studied the ques tion from a different direction. “No where in the campaign did he really promise to handle the Black agenda - nowhere," says Todd, a Chicago-based retired U. S. attorney, known for his impassioned speeches. "I think Blacks have al- jowed themselves to get caught up in the euphoria and the celebration and that probably is not realistic. So. my attitude has been that Black people - once they get past the his toric nature of what has happened, must hold this president as account able as any other president." The expectations are clearly very high for the new president who, in his first two weeks in office has: * Visited Capitol Hill in an at tempt to win bi-partisan support for his economic stimulus package. * Signed his first bill, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act enabling more employees to challenge un lawful pay discrimination based on gender race, age and disability. * Reversed a string of anti union executive onlers issued by the Bush Administration. * Established a Middle Class Working Families Task Force. * Ordered the closing of the controversial Guantanamo Bay lockup for al leged terrorists. Across the board, there is the clear understanding that President Obama has simply inherited “a piess" from the previous adminis tration. as described by Shelton, _ But, Blacks in leadership posi- fions around the country, many who interfaced with Obama's transition tram to get their policy wish lists neard, say some of their proposals ife race-specific and long-standing. “We have seen a complete deg- l^ion of our schools and a lack investment in the puhiic school Carter draws huge church crowd for Baptist : " Students march during a celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. Studens marched from Hayti Heritage Center to NCCU’s B.N. Duke Auditorium. See photos on pages 14 and 15. (Photo By Lawson) Madame TuS^uds to include US first lady in wax WASHINGTON (AH - Madame Tussauds wax museum is adding Michelle Obama to its collection of famous figures in its Washington branch. Museum officials released pictures of the design process and said the Mrs. Obama's depiction will be unveiled in March. Designers will have spent six months on the figure, studying photographs and video footage of the first lady, Janine DiGioacchino. general manager of the London-based attraction's Washington branch, says having an image of Mrs. Obama is an honor, because "as our nation's first African- American first lad), a proud working mom and budding style icon, Mrs. Obama is a roie model to women around the cotaer and around the globe." ' The figure was designed at Merlin Studios in London will be placed alongside President Barack Obama's figure in- the museum's Oval Office replica. After .lacqueline Kennedy and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Obama will be the third first lady to be in cluded in the collection. Fayetteville State investigates frat beating complaints FAYETTEVILLE (AP) - Officials at a North Carolina university are investigating complaints that a century-old fraternity, whose past ranks included Martin l uther King Jr., took potential members off campus and beat them, a newspaper reported Jan. 30. Police and administrators at Fayetteville State University were looking into activities by the local chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Dr. Janice Haynie. the university's vice chancellor for student af fairs. said her office was looking into complaints from concerned par ents who called and sent e-mailsi "At this point, all we have are allegations." said Haynie. "But we certainly don't condone hazing." Dean of Students Landon Hadley met with several of the students who wanted to join the fraternity this week to discuss the allegations. The newspaper said fraternity leaders allegedly took a group of students oft'campus, blindfolded them and beat them with a wooden paddle. University spokesman Jeff Womble also is the fraternity's adviser and would not talk about the allegations. "There is an investigation going on. and it would be too premature to comment at this point." Womble said. Alpha Phi Alpha was founded in 1906 at Cornell University and is one of the oldest black fraternal organizations in existence. Be sides King, who joined the fraternity at Morehouse College, famous members at a number of university chapters have included Olympian Jesse Owens, former ambassador and Atlanta mayor Andrew Young SIR BARACKSTER - Thompson’s drawing of PresWen. w"- ■ Bnrack Obama a* “Sir Barackster”. (ler •>-* system and a real focus on quality education beyond all of the platitudes and praises and causes and catch phrases and 'Leave No Child Behind'. That does not do it." says Albert E. Dotson, Jr., chairman of the board of the 100 Black Men of America, which primarily mentors Black youth. “We've got to see a real investment in our public school system." Leslie Baskerville. president and CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, says that in an appeal to Obama's then transition team, she made a plea for the restoration of Title 3 funding for historically Black Colleges and Universities, "Title 3 funding is the life-blood of HBCUs. It keeps their doors open," Baskerville said, noting how the Bush Administration recommended "a whopping cut of Title 3 dollars that would be tantamount to a million dol lar loss per institution that's eligible. Ninety-seven HBCUs are participat ing in the Title 3 Program." she said. "So we have to reverse that." H. Alexander Robinson, president and CEO of the National Black Jus tice Coalition points to HIV/AIDS disparities in the Black community, "The office of National AIDS Policy has to be reinvigorated. There hasn't been a director in that office for almost two years." says Robinson. “During that entire administration, it has been left to languish. With ur gency with health care reform on the table, with the economic downturn that's facing all of theAlDS service providers, there needs to be leadership from the White HoUsb fliat in fact addresses HIV and AIDS." Coming hack to what the nation has said is Obama's number one is sue. Julie Cunninghjim. president and CEO of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, says "Putting America back to work." is crucial, but it must be done such that African-American contractors get a piece of the pie and that "there is accountability and compliance tied to those dol lars." Public policy issues notwithstanding, Freida Thompson, the artist, says her friends are discussing a historic concern that they doubt will be changed by the Obama presidency, but they hope he will at least try. That is racism. “People are saying it's going to be the Whites against the Blacks. They're saying it's not going to get any better just because he's in the of fice. 1 really want him to say something about that. 1 really want us all to get along." Thompson says. Illustrating the depth of the problem. Thompson recalls something that her 7-year-old grandson. Angelo, said: “'Grandma, now you're going to need security for Sir Barackster.'" message- BIRMINGHAM. Ala. (AP) - Former President Jimmy Carter ad dressed a parked ^jyfeenth Street Baptist Ch»j^ ^i^my^lew Bap tist CoyeriWLs^^&ge of racial reconcifiation and cooperation on social issues. Some 1.200 people filled the historic Birmingham church Jan. 31 where four black girls died in a 1963 Ku Klux Klan bombing. Carter told the Southeast region al meeting of the new Baptist orga nization he helped found last year ’ in Atlanta that there's "no way for ' us to ignore Jesus' emphasis on the poor, the brokenhearted," fie said the evolution of the New Baptist Covenant is the “highlight of my religious life." He spoke at a worship service that was followed by workshops on poverty and rac ism. "It's not an accident that God led us to Birmingham and this in- stitute.'’'C^er said during a break fast at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Carter recalled a time when ra cial prejudice was rampant in Bap tist churches, and theologians de fended separate worship. "The Baptist church was a stal wart defender of segregation." he said. “It was ingrained in our con science." Carter said the meeting will help churches work better together. “We don't know whether we have a meeting or a movement," said the Rev. Jimmy Allen, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention and co-organizer of the New Baptist Covenant. “What we re after is a movement." The Rev. Arthur Price, pastor at ‘ Sixteenth Street Baptist, said. ?Can y.you imagine that 45 yeqrs ago, peo- '){)le used to gather here to strategize iin how to put an end to racial in- ,rt»qualit\?" I? Recalling the church bombing, he said. "Imagine that 45 years ago this window to my left where Jesus is knocking on the door, the face of Christ was blown out. 1 believe that God was telling us back then, as he is telling us now. that we are more united than we are divided." Norfolk 17 survivors revisits history NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Gov. Tim Kaine apologized for state actions 50 years ago that closed public schools rather than accept black stu dents. The governor issued the apology Feb. 2 in Norfolk, where six all-white public schools were closed during Virginia's "Massive Resis tance'' to school integratiop. Members of the Norfolk 17 visited those schools Feb. 2. The 17 were the first black students who attended the all- white schools after a federal judge ordered them reopened to all. Kaine said Virginia was a "back’ ird state" when it in stituted its own brand of ra cial segregation. Norfo:;. Mayor Paul Fraim also ' s" ' ’ " ;und
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