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DRVI7 1E/01/16 **CHILL
UNC-CH SERIALS DEPARTMENT
DAVIS LIBRARY CB# 3938
P 0 BOX 8890
CHAPEL HILL NC 27599-0001
VOLUME 95-NUMBER 34 DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBERS, 2016 TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913 PRICE: 50 CENTS
DCABP Founder’s Day Banquet Honors Becton, Webb-Bledsoe
Contributed By: Sandra Du
bose, Speaker/ Author
The excitement in the room
was palpable as old familiar fac
es, and 1 st time attendees arrived
at the 81 st Annual Founder’s Day
Banquet for the Durham Com
mittee on the Affairs of Black
People. Over 500 attendees of all
colors and hues of brown arrived
at the Durham Convention Cen
ter on the evening of Sat., Aug.
27. From politicians to clergy,
educators and entertainers, all
who attended walked in “proud
ly looking like royalty,” while
the women were ushered to their
seats by the distinguished young
gentleman of the Union Baptist
Church Boy Scout Troop 411.
The Mistress and Master of
Ceremony were Radio One On-
Air personalities, Karen Clark
from Foxy 107/104, and Brian
Dawson from K97.5. Karen
Clark is a native of Durham and
graduate of UNC Chapel Hill.
Brian spoke affectionately about
the great relationships and sup
port he has received from the
Durham community throughout
his career. The mood was set as
the 100 Men in Black Ensemble
opened up the program with a
soul stirring rendition of “Lift
Every Voice and Sing.”
On the tables sat black stones
as part of the decor serving as
a reminder of the event theme,
“Turning Stumbling Blocks into
Stepping Stones.” After a greet
ing by Durham Mayor William
Bell, there was an invocation
by Rev. Mark Anthony Middle-
ton and words of exhortation
from DCABP Chairman, Omar
Beasley. Elected officials were
invited to stand and briefly ad
dress the audience. They each
expressed their passion and
commitment to serve the state
of North Carolina. Throughout
the night, we enjoyed dynamic
performances from talented lo
cal artists, such as the Empower
Dance Company, Violinist Dex-
troist Timmons and The Hillside
Dance Company.
This year’s honorees included
Durham, North Carolina native,
Ms. Mayme Webb-Bledsoe. In
her speech she recounted fond
childhood memories, and the joy
of having her 1st grade friends
present to share in this moment
with her. She encouraged us to
get back to being a family and
to support our community which
was the value system that al
lowed her to achieve her accom
plishments in life. The Honor
able Charles Becton was also an
honoree. He shared his journey
and closed with words from his
heart through a poem he penned
years ago with wisdom that read,
“The most treasured gift is giv
ing.”
(Continued oin page 2)
Michael Palmer, chair Civic Committee, Durham Committee,
left, is shown with honoree Charles L. Becton, center and Omar
Beasley, Durham Committee Chair.(Photo by RobertOxedine)
Michael Palmer, chair Civic Committee, Durham Committee,
left, is shown with honoree Ms. Mayme Webb-Bledsoe.
US government, lawyers
want voter ID ruling enforced
By Gary D. Robertson
RALEIGH (AP) - The federal government and others who sued to overturn North Carolina’s voter identification law told the U.S. Supreme
Court on Aug. 25 that keeping the photo ID mandate and other rules in place for the November elections would harm black voters and increase
confusion.
Their lawyers also want early in-person voting restored to 17 days in the fall election season because the 2013 law, which had reduced it to
10 days, was struck down justifiably for racial discrimination. They were responding to last week’s request by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory
and other state officials to delay a ruling by a lower appeals court striking down several sections of the law.
Last month, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Republican-led General Assembly enacted the 2013 law with intentional dis
crimination in mind by targeting black voters more likely to support Democrats.
“Once an electoral law has been found to be racially discriminatory, and injunctive relief has been found to be necessary to remedy that
discrimination, the normal rule is that the operation of the law must be suspended,” wrote Ian Heath Gershengorn, the acting U.S. solicitor
general. He warned that failing to suspend the law “would inflict irreparable injury on minority voters.”
State officials disagree. If the state’s delay request is successful, the voter ID requirement would be enforced and early voting would re
main covering 10 days in North Carolina, a presidential battleground state. The delay is needed, the attorneys for the state argue, while they
ask justices to consider weighing legal issues in the case.
State officials wrote Aug. 15 that orders to revert to old election rules before the 2013 law would make it difficult for both voters and elec
tion officials entering the election season, which also includes races for governor and U.S. Senate. The voter ID requirement already was used
in this year’s primary elections. Ten days of early voting began earlier.
In two filings Aug. 25, the plaintiffs wrote that more trouble for voters would come by keeping the 2013 law’s requirement in place, espe
cially since election officials are already re-arranging voting plans based on the result of the 4th Circuit decision July 29.
Elections boards in all 100 counties have been ordered to approve new 17-day schedules for early voting sites and hours. The State Board
of Elections held a training conference recently to plan for the adjustments. And a state-mandated voter guide getting mailed to 4 million
households soon has been changed to remind people a qualifying ID no longer will be necessary to vote, according to a filing for the state
NAACP, League of Women Voters and other groups and registered voters who sued.
The state has already taken a number of critical remedial steps to implement the 4th Circuit’s decision,” the groups’ lawyers wrote.
Chief Justice John Roberts, who receives such appeals for North Carolina matters, had asked for a response from the plaintiffs’ lawyers
by Thursday afternoon (Aug. 25). Outside lawyers for the state could yet file another brief countering Thursday’s arguments. A ruling date
is unknown.
Legislative leaders and McCrory, who is seeking re-election this fall, have said the 4th Circuit decision was wrong. McCrory has said voter
ID is a common sense requirement to increase the integrity of elections. The appeals court judges pointed out the state provided no evidence
of the kind of in-person voter fraud the ID mandate would address. A trial court judge in April had upheld the 2013 law.
The office of North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, a Democrat challenging McCrory in November, is no longer helping defend
the voter ID law after the 4th Circuit decision.
NC chapter of
NAACP starts
15-stop voter
registration
drive
RALEIGH (AP) - The
North Carolina chapter of the
NAACP is concluding its se
ries of actions commemorat
ing the 1963 March on Wash
ington with an event to mark
the start of a voter drive.
The Rev. William will lead
the start of what he’s calling
the “Moral Marches to the
Polls” on Monday evening
(Aug. 29) at Pullen Memorial
Baptist Church in Raleigh.
It’s the first of 15 stops to en
courage voter registration.
During the weekend,
NAACP branches were asked
to hold statewide held voter
registration drives, and faith
leaders were asked to hold
services with the theme of
voting rights.
Barber is president of the
state chapter of the NAACP
and leader of the Forward To
gether Moral Movement.
Elijah J. Pookey’
Fisher, III Dies,
Fisher Funeral
Parlor
Elijah J. “Pookey” Fish
er, III owner operator of
Fisher Funeral Parlor, Inc.
died Aug. 30, at Duke Uni
versity Hospital.
He was born June 6,
1938, a son of the late Rev.
Dr. Miles Mark Fisher and
Mrs. Ada M. Fisher.
In 2016, Fisher celebrated
his 60th Hillside High School
reunion. This “Golden Eagle”
graduate of North Carolina
College, now North Carolina
Central University, majoring
in Business and Commerce
went on to the Cincinati
School of Embalming in Cin
cinati, Ohio where he gradu
ated with honors returning
home to Durham, NC to oper
ate his funeral service which
has provided “Service for all
within the means of all” for
over 50 years.
(Continued On Page 6)
President Barack Obama watches a virtual reality film captured during his trip to Yosemite Na
tional Park earlier this year, in the Outer Oval Office, Aug. 24,2016. Personal Aide Ferial Govashiri
sits at her desk at left. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
ACT scores show many grads
not ready for college-level work
WASHINGTON (AP) - The latest scores from the ACT college entrance exam suggest many of this
year’s high school graduates aren’t ready for college-level course work.
In its annual score report released Aug. 24, the testing company said only 38 percent of graduating
seniors who took the exam hit the college-prepared benchmark in at least three of the four core subjects
tested - reading, English, math and science. That compares with 40 percent last year. The benchmark is
designed to measure a strong readiness for college.
The average composite score also declined a bit, down from 21 to 20.8 this year. The four tests are
scored on a scale of 1 to 36. The composite is the average of the four scores. Many colleges use the com
posite in admissions.
ACT’s Paul Weeks says the declines were expected, given the growing and changing demographics
of the testing population.
Sixty-four percent of the 2016 graduates took the ACT, meaning nearly 2.1 million students, com
pared with 59 percent the year before. That increases the share of test-takers who aren’t necessarily col
lege bound, said Weeks, senior vice president for client relations, in an interview.
By comparison, 1.7 million graduating seniors in 2015 took the SAT, the other major college entrance
exam. The College Board expects to release updated 2016 numbers for the SAT in the fall.
Of the ACT-tested high school graduates this year, 61 percent met the English benchmark of 18 points,
which indicates a student is likely ready for a college composition course and would earn a “C” or better
grade.
In reading, 44 percent met the 22-point mark that suggests readiness for a college-level social-scienc
es course. For math, 41 percent met the 22-point threshold that predicts success in an algebra course. And
in science, 36 percent reached the 23-point score that predicts success in an entry-level biology course.
(Continued On Page 6)