Winston-Salem Chronicle
~VnLlV,No. 26
Sulurday February25, 1978
“More than 25,000 weekly readers”
14 Pages
★ 20 Cents ★
Reynolds Health Center Head Equal
Youth Jobs Available
Merger Opponents Score Small Victory
by Sharyn Bratcher
Staff Writer
‘jt is somewhat of a victory,”
Chairman C.P. Booker toid the Rey-
:nolds Health Center Advisory Commit
tee Wednesday night, referring to a
letter he received from County Man
ager M.L. “Pete” Jenkins, which
stated that the director of the county
health department and the director of
the Reynolds Health Center are equals.
“He is on the road to doing what we
want him to do,” Booker told his
committee, who have opposed the plan
to merge Reynolds Health Center with
the county health department since the
merger was suggested by then county
manager Nicholas Meiszer last sum
mer.
Jenkins’ letter,, stating that the
director of the health center is not
answerable to the head of the health
department, indicates that he does not
favor Meiszer policy of merger.
Jenkins is reportedly still in the
“data collecting phase” of considering
the proposed merger, but Reynolds
See page 2
Land-Loss Is Topic Of Atlanta Meeting
New job opportunities
are available for young
people in North Carolina
this summer through the
Youth Conservation
Corps, a federally-funded,
nationwide program.
Youth, ages 15 to 18,
who are interested in
working outdoors and
learning about conserva
tion of natural resources,
are eligible for the pro
gram. They will be chosen
regardless of race, sex, or
family income by a nation
al computer system to
insure a good geographic
and economic cross-sec
tion of participants.
"It should be a great
opportunity for tho,se who
enjoy being outside and
doing hard work,’’ said
Mary
Freas, field coordinator
for the Human Services
Department.
"Youth will live at the
camp for eight weeks,
working 30 hours a week
on activities such as build
ing trails, planting trees,
tending fish hatcheries,
clearing stream banks and
surveying land," Mrs.
Freas said. "Ten hours
See page 2
Blacks Losing $100 Million A Year
Atlanta
ownership,
development, tax
and landowners
Rural land
control and
sales,
rights
Kennedy Takes
Oath For N,C. House
Wallace D. Muhammed stressed education and
self-confidence in his keynote address at Saturday's
banquet, sponsored by Masjid #56 of the World
Community of Al-Islam in the West.
Muhammad Speaks
Of Unity^ Self-Help
rhe Honorable Wallace
Muhammed, Spiritual
ader of the World Com-
inity of Islam in the
5st, addressed several
ndred persons at a ban-
et Friday night at Ben-
1 Convention Center,
rhe banquet, sponsored
Masjid Muhammed
5, was entitled “Ach
ing Oneness Through
lucation,” to benefit the
iter Clara Muhammed
hool #56, a private insti-
;ion maintained by the
;al organization.
Emam Irvin Shakir ser
ved as master of ceremo
nies at the banquet, which
featured Chancellor Doug
las Covington, Alderman
Larry Little, and Mrs. Lee
Faye Mack, president of
Concerned Citizens as
guest speakers.
Wallace D. Muham
med, son of the late Elijah
Muhammed, the organi
zation’s founder, stressed
brotherhood and unity in
his keynote address. Of
his father, Muhammed
said: “He pulled us out of
the fire -- to hate yourself
See page 2
Attorney Harold L.
Kennedy was sworn in as
representive to the
\’orth Carolina House in a
:ounroom ceremony wit-
lessed by over a hundred
ftell-wishers last Friday.
Judge William Z. Wood
idministered the oath to
Kennedy in a brief cere
mony in the hall of justice,
officially installing Ken-
tiedy in office, replacing
Sichard C. Erwin, who
■^signed the position to
ierve as a judge on the
C. Court of Appeals.
Kennedy was chosen to
succeed Erwin in a special
Section by the Forsyth
ounty Democratic party
January.
a brief speech to
Kose assembled for the
ceremony, Mr. Kennedy
J^ated: “I view serving in
legislature as an op-
wrtunity to serve the
^ple of Forsyth County
North Carolina. I
*ould like to do my best to
the people of this
%% and this state.”
He reminded the group
3t he will also be a
^didate for re-election
under the law are topics to
be discussed at the Nat
ional Association of Land-
owners (NAL) Second An
nual Convention to be
held in Atlanta, Georgia
from February 24-26.
According to Joseph F.
Brooks, president of the
national office of the
rN.ST/ Plans
Program On
Foreign Policy^
Winston-Salem State
University, in conjunction
with the Adult Continuing
Education Division of the
Forsyth County Public Li
brary. plans to conduct a
series of programs giving
citizens an opportunity to
express their views on
American foreign policy.
As a part of the Foreign
Policy Association’s
“Great Decisions” pro
ject, participants nation
wide will have an opport
unity to vote on eight
major foreign policy
issues, with the results
being forwarded to the
Jjepariiiiciii. ill
Washington.
Dr. Bill Sheppard, di
rector of extended educa
tion of WSSU, has been
named coordinator for the
counties of Davidson,
Davie, Forsyth, Stokes,
Surry and Yadkin. He is
in the process of arrang
ing certificate renewal
credit for teachers who
take part and holds out the
possibility of conducting a
credit course on campus
which would involve at
tendance at the lectures.
For additional informa
tion call Dr. Sheppard at
761-2121.
Emergency Land Fund
(ELF) and managing dir
ector of NAL, the conven
tion is expected to attract translates to 6,000 acres a
“since 1959, the annual
rate of Black farmland loss
is over 300,000 acres. That
over 300 Black landowners
and interested citizens.
The topics to be addressed
at the convention will deal
with possible remedies to
the problems ailing Black
landowners across the
South.
Explaining the nature of
the crisis. Brooks said,
week valued conserva
tively at nearly two million
dollars or $100 million
annually. ” “ Further,' ’
said Brooks, “if the cur
rent rate of loss continues
unabated, Black people
will be virtually landless
by 1990.”
Conference workshops
focusing on such topics as
tax and partition sales,
foreclosures and food pro
duction are issues import
ant to all Black people,
rural and urban, and are
among the daily fare ad
dressed by ELF and its
sister organization, NAL.
“The tax sale, the re
sult of a landowner’s fail
ure to pay his taxes,
creates a situation where
anyone may pay the de
linquent tax, thereby, in vivious instrument than
many cases, gaining legal the- tax sale. It is the
control of the land,” said practice wherein property
Brooks. He explained owned by a number of
that “procedures for not- heirs (so called “heirs
ifying Black landowners property”) is brought to a
have been notoriously lax; forced public sale to
sometimes purposefully transorm the land value
so that vast amounts of into cash so that it may be
Black-owned land have divided among the heirs
been unintentionally lost by anyone who obtains an
through this maneuver.” heir’s interest, no matter
, ,, how small it may be.
partition sale,
“The
said Brooks, “is a more
See page 2
Carter Pressed
In 10 Case
Urban League director Thomas Elijah illustrates his point at a workshop held by
the Urban League at Reynolds Health Center last Saturday.
Urban League Host
Saturday Workshop
Yvette McCullough
Staff Reporter
“Money tends to make
us discount our own pro
ductivity.” Ann Gehlen of
the Winston-Saiem/For-
sjd-h Library told a small
group at the Winston-Sa
lem Urban League Work
shop Saturday morning at
the Reynolds Health Cen
ter Cafeteria.
Gehlen, who spoke on
the standards and proce
dures for organizing, said
that an organization
should make everyone feel
that they are a part of the
group and that their con
tribution is important.
She said that sometimes
people equate the success
of an organization with the
number of members.
“Too often we get in
volved in the numbers
Supporters of jailed civil
rights activists known as
the Wilmington 10 have
presented President Cart
er with 40,000 petition
signatures from concern
ed people throughout
Europe calling for their
release. Criticizing Carter
for not having made a
personal appeal to North
Carolina Governor Jim
Hunt, about 500 D.C. area
residents gathered in 20
degree temperature a few
days ago to demonstrate
against the President.
Wilmington 10 demon
strators presented the
petitions to Ed Smith of
the White House staff and
also presented a letter for
Mr. Carter calling for
specific federal action in
seeking the release of
Rev. Ben Chavis and his
co-defendants. The letter
asked for a public pro
nouncement by Mr. Cart
er supporting a new trial
in the six (6) year old case,
asked that the Justice
Department be instructed
to file an amicus curiae
brief in behalf of the
defendants and recom
mendation for bail in the
U.S. Federal District
Court where an appeal is
now pending, and sug
gested that federal aid to
states be tied to human
rights as foreign aid has
been tied to that issue.
Two weeks ago, Gover
nor Jgunes Hunt decided
to reduce the sentence of
the Wilmington 10 in ap
proximately half the orig
inal terms. The eight (8)
young black men would
become eligible for parole
in 1978; Rev. Chavis
would not become eligible
until 1980.
Those connected with
the case call this sentence
reduction a political ploy
and completely unaccept
able. Citing the admitted
perjuries, irregularities
and admitted bribery in
volved, they maintain that
the Wilminton 10 are in
nocent and should be to
tally free and exonerated.
See page 2
game and lose sight of
why we’re involved,”
Gehlen said.
Don Shanks, vice presi
dent of Piedmont Airlines
spoke on the functions of
officers and committees,
and said that to have an
effective organization in
the community there is a
need for empathy. Shanks
defined empathy as, “to
See page 12
Board Discusses
Code Of Ethics
Harold L. Kennedy
to the seat in November. It
is his prime concern, he
noted, that North Carolina
move forward "with all
due speed into the third
century of this country."
Some of the issues
Kennedy mentioned as his
special interests are edu
cation, employment,
growth and new industry,
and the problems of senior
citizens.
Kennedy has practiced
law in Winston-Salem
See page 2
Aldermen Hear Revenue Ideas.
Veto Historic Properties Plan
There was little public
response on the use of
S2.5 million in federal
revenue sharing to be
discussed in a public hear
ing at Monday night’s
meeting of the Board of
Aldermen.
The staff proposal on
revenue sharing will not
be made until the budget
is presented in June, but
citizens were invited to
address the board Mon
day and give their views
on how the money could
be spent.
Tracy Singletary sug
gested that some of the
money be used to repair
the ‘old city hospital’
building on Third Street,
now used for the offices of
various organizations, in
cluding the Experiment in
Self-Reliance.
He also suggested that
rehabilitation grants be
given to senior citizen
homeowners in redevelop
ment areas, and that an
economic development
program for minorities be
established.
Other comments about
the revenue sharing funds
included a suggestions to
fix up Bowman-Gray Sta
dium and to use some of
the money for the junior
league hockey team to
rent the coliseum.
The Aldermen defeated
a proposal to designate as
historic properties eleven
buildings recommended
by the Historic Properties
Commission. The plan,
which would have the
assessed tax value of the
buildings and bar owners
for altering or tearing
down the structure with
out notifying the commis
sion, was defeated in a 5-3
vote, with all three black
aldermen voting against
the plan.
Jon DeVries, who also
voted against the plan,
suggested that an in-
depth study be made of all
historic properties before
granting any tax breaks.
The aldermen also
heard four speakers from
the Citizens Against Per-
See page 2
by Yvette McCullough
Staff Reporter
“I was elected by the
citizens of Forsyth County
and should answer to the
citizens of Forsyth Coun
ty,” Dr. James Sheppard,
a school board member
said Monday night at the
Board of Education meet
ing concerning the pro
posed Code of Ethics for
the school board mem
bers.
The Code of Ethics in
volves the rules pertaining
to community and indivi
dual responsibility, deci
sion making responsibi
lity, responsibility to the
superintendent and staff,
and responsibility of con
fidentiality.
Monday night’s school
board meeting was a
briefing session which
was held to inform the
public of proposed poli
cies. but action won’t be
takened until the Monday
February 27th meeting.
In other matters of bus
iness a protest was voiced
by residents in the Rural
Hall School District, Artis
Bohannon was recom
mended for promotion to
assistant principal at Min
eral Springs, and student
accident insurance and
the school calendar were
discussed.
The Rural Hall Protest
was in reference to the
proposed K-6, school plan.
Frank Wells, a spokesman
for the group said that
they are protesting be
cause in the proposed
plan, the districts sur
rounding the Rural Hall
school district will be K-6
and Rural hall will still be
K-4. Under the proposed
plan children attending
Rural hall for grades K-4
will be attendin; Fairview
Intermediate for grades
5-6.
The Rural Hall group
Fee page 2