Winston-Salem Chronicle
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"The Twin City's Award-Winning Weekly"
VOL. XVII, No. >7
N?A-T*l*0'N*A?L
NEWS
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?Mr. Speaker'...BIue poised to become a first
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An Analysis by Jack Setts
Special to the Chronicle
;,r Daniel HBJwe Ir. ms less than# year old
when conservative and liberal forces clashed
in the "50 U.S. Senate race, the watershed
election that would set the tone for continued
political strife between ffoe parties and
:: between the races through the *70$* the 80s
I and into the '90s! Now Blue is almost certain
to come to top political power in "91 when the
i General Assembly convenes January 30.
Barring a political miracle on a gargantuan
scale* 'Blue will become the first African*
I ,,, American to fcold tbe Nq*& Carolina speaker- J
| ship and only the third' Africa^ American
politician in the nation to hav? held such a
position.
Blue's speakership, promises to be one of
accommodation and openness mixed with a
return to strong Democratic Party organiza
tion and influence in the House. And his
speakership occurs when the House will be
facing the toughest issues in years ? a
declining economy and shrinking tax rev
enues, legislative and congressional ^district* ?
inland tough choices about the elation of|
North Carolina's schools.
What does that mean for a Blue speaker
ship? "I think it's going to be a pleasant ses
sion/* says state Rep. Annie Brown Kennedy -
(D-Fprsyth), a key ally of Blue. Kenaedy ^ 1
.three other close associates of
ning a series of meetings to craft a pkft for
the operation of the House in *9K92 from
| tht%ommitteef s&ictuife on dowjlf^pierel
seems to be a real desire on the pari of legisla
tors to be a productive session this session,"
Please see page Ap
Photo by Karerr^am
Wake County Representative Daniel Blue has the look of a
man on the cutting edge of history.
Infant care
gets funding
By PATRICIA SMITH-DEERING
Community News Editor
A program thai provides young,
low-income parents with information
and support in learning and applying
parenting skills will now be broadened
and expanded as a result of a Winston
Salem Foundation grant given to the
Association for the Benefit of Child
Development (A.B.C.D.), which is an
agency of the United Way of Forsyth
County. The $20,000 grant will be
applied to the services offered through
the A.B.C.D. Infant/Toddler Stimula
tion Program for families attending the '
Pediatrics Clinic at Reynolds Health
Center in Winston-Salem, Forsyth
County, N.C.
The target group of the program is
first-time parents who arc 22 years old
or younger, whose children are from
newborn to 24 months. The majority
Please see page A 13
Photo by Elizabeth Martin
Angelyn Smith and her three-week old daughter, Cheri Ann Son
tese, share a tender moment only a mother and child can know.
Board favors
King holiday
Passage expected
By RUDY ANDERSON
Chronicle Managing EdU&r
The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners has
moved a step closer to passing a resolution allowing
county employees a paid holiday in honor of slain civil
rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The board
voted 5-2 Monday night, Dec. 17. However, since the
vote was not unanimous, the resolution will have to be
voted on again at the board's next meeting Jan. 14.
The issue has been the subject of controversy and
a sore point among local A I'rican- Americans since it
was defeated in a close 3-2 vote when considered by
the board last January. This time though, with Mazie
Woodruff and Earline Parmon, the first commissioners
to be elected by districts voting for the resolution cou
pled with favorable votes by board chair, John Holle
man, and member Gerald Long, passage was assured.
That vote was bolstered by new vice chair, Wayne
Willard, who switched his earlier position opposing
the holiday and voted for its passage.
"My main concern has not been the holiday but
the cost of it," Willard said. "I knew with the present
makeup of the board, the vote would be 4-3 if I didn't
change my earlier position."
Please see page A 15
~ ? _ <
Urban League amends rotation policy
By RUDY ANDERSON
, Chronicle Managing Editor
The Winston-Salem Urban League has amended its
bylaws to establish a defined length of time that board
members can serve on the board before rotating off.
That was just one of many issues covered by the board
during a rather tumultuous three-hour meeting that
ended with the resignation of one of its board members
who had served on the board ten years.
The meeting had not been underway more than ten
minutes when a very vocal group, lead by Lee Fayc
Mack, stormed into the boardroom. A quick motion by
vice chair Sterling Spainhour, and second by Marshall
Bass immediately threw the meeting into executive ses
sion.
That action prompted an angry outburst from Mack
who asked, "When is this board going to open up to the
public?" Mack had been part of a group that had picket
ed the Urban League office building on Fifth Street
throughout the day Wednesday. -
Problems at the Urban League surfaced when the
board voted to get rid of executive director Delorcs
Smith November 21. That action caused a spilt on the
board between those supporting Smith's reinstatement
and those wanting her to leave. It also triggered a ground
swell of reaction throughout the community and demon
strations at the North Carolina School of the Arts aimed
at board chair Joseph Dickson who is*vice chancellor
there.
Two weeks ago, nearly 200 people attended a com
munity forum at First Baptist Church on Highland
Avenue where they^were told by the board's treasurer,
attorney Renita Thompkins-Scgers, there was no law
Please see page A9
Preacher to_run civil rights group
NAACP President elected
<L
By PATRICIA SMITH-DEERING
Community News Editor
The Reverend Joseph L. Nance, former
secretary for the local branch of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored
People, was clectcd president of the branch ai.
the election held December 18 at the Winston
Lake YMCA.
Nance defeated Diana Williams-Cotton,
NAACP district director, and Charles S. Smith,
receiving 52% of the votes in a race that was
hotly-contestcd and rife with allegations -of
unethical campaigning. Turnout was surpris
ingly light with just 48 of the NAACP' s total
eligible Winston-Salem membership casting
their ballots. He succeeds Walter Marshall,
who served two two-year terms as president.
? Other officers elected were: William H.
Tatum, tirst vice president; the Rev. Louise
Kirk, second vice president: Anita I). Poindex
tcr, secretary; and Ricky Wilson, treasurer.
Bringing the community together has top
priority for the NAACP agenda, said Nance.
"We seem to be divided, so our goal is to get
the community informed and involved," he
said- He believes that his role as president is
not the determining factor for the succcss of
Please see page A 1 1
. . <
Photo by Elizabeth Martin
Rev. J.L. Nance wants more community involvement In local
NAACP.