HURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12,1991
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY DAY
30 PAGES THIS WEEK
Urban League
House Speaker to speak during
Equal Opportunity Day.
INSERT
DA03
DAVIS LIBRARY
UNC CHAPEL HILL
Senate Hearings
Read Judge Clarence Thomas’
complete opening statement.
PAGE A4
8/0S/91
TXT'* CHAPErniL Nr2751A f • f
Winsion-oaleni Chronicle
5 cents
"The Twin City's Award-Winning Weekly"
VOL. XVIII, No.3
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AG Program only 5.6% black
By SHERIDAN HILL
Chronicle Staff Writer
The AG Program
For every 100 students in the
school's Academically Gifted (AG)
Program, less that 6 (5.6) are
African-American. African-Ameri
can parents are concerned and
are expressing discontent with the
selection process.
t
t
white students
black students
In December 1990, there were 2,055 chil
dren in the AG (Academically Gifted) program
in grades 3-9 in Forsyth County. Of those, 116
were African-American, 41 Asian, three Flis-
panic, one was American Indian, and 1,891
were white.
The local student body is 37% black, yet
only 5.6% of students in the AG program are
black.
Why so few black children?
"For the past 12 years we've asked the
very same thing, and we never got a satisfac
tory answer," says Walter Marshall. As former
president of the NAACP and current chairman
of the education committee, he has monitored
the situation closely.
One of the biggest reasons may be that
white parents have lobbied long and hard to
get their children into gifted classes. "Some
white people almost go into a frenzy if their
kids aren't in the AG program," says Marshall.
"At Cook Middle School at one time, about
70% of the white kids were in the AG program,
and the rest of them were left in classes with
black kids."
Sue Carson , community services manag
er for the school system, defends their actions.
"We make a special effort to find black children
who may have been overlooked in the initial
testing," she says. "In fact, we test every single
child who is recommended by a teacher."
No one knows how many teachers are
able to discount race and cultural factors in
their choice of students to be tested for gifted
classes, but the county does have a fair per
centage of black teachers. Of 2400 teachers,
23% are black.
The tests used to determine eligibility for
gifted classes are the California Achievement
Tests (CAT) and a cognitive skills test that is a
kind of IQ test, according to Carson. Both are
standardized tests.
Beaufort Bailey, who for many years was
the only black on the school board, notes that
having too few black children in AG classes is
a self-perpetuating problem.
"A lot of parents feel like it is too much
pressure, even if their child is gifted, to put
them in a classroom with all those white kids.
They can't cope. Our children still have a ten
dency to segregate themselves even in an
integrated situation."
One school official wondered if black chil
dren are victims of pressure not to excel aca
demically, but Bailey disagrees. "I've never
heard one tease another about being smart. If
anything, they help each other.”
"We did a little survey, " says Walter Mar-
P/ease see page A8
ONTHE
AVANT-GARDE
By TANG NIVRI
black folks only
This piece is written for black folks only. So
if |rou are one of the many white folks who read
Tang regularly, put the paper down and we'll see
you next vireek.
Last night I had a terrible dream. The Sen
ate Judiciary Committee found itself hopelessly
deadlocked in its deliberations over the confir
mation of Supreme Court nominee, Judge
Clarence Thomas. Both sides were preparing to
fight the "mother of all battles' when a certain
senator, running for reelection, decided that he
had had a "change of heart" and was now will
ing to listen to those who opposed the Thomas
nomination.
Fumbling through his notes, he found the
phone number of Ben Hooks, president of the
NAACP,
"I know it's late Mr. Hooks, but this is Sena
tor Jesse Helms and I need you to tell me one
more time why you want me to oppose the
Thomas nomination ..."
When I woke up, I was trembling with fear.
It was as if I had seen the future and it did not
include us.
Question? When are we going to stop wor
rying about what white folks think about us?
Really, when are we going to do what we gen
uinely think is in our OWN best interest —
whether they approve or disapprove?
Right about now some of you are probably
saying, "My God, I can't believe the brother is
actually saying this. I've felt the same way for so
long. Thank God somebody has finally said it."
Well hold on; I may not be saying just what
you think I am. This is not some kind of an anti
white diatribe. This is about the sunrival of our
people.
I ask the question because it seems to me
that every time WE make a move, we do either
one of two things: buy the white man's ice
because we think it's cooler OR proudly die of
thirst because we think he has poisoned the
well. We have conceded all middle ground.
These days, everybody is talking about
diversity and the demographic changes under
way in our society. But for us, the whole issue of
diversity is focused on ideology — which is the
correct ideology that will ultimately lead us to
the promised land — liberal or conservative?
Such is the debate which simmers underneath
the confirmation hearing of Judge Clarence
Thomas.
The debate has been spirited and even
downright nasty. Many of Thomas' critics
^use him of having forgotten that he is black,
implying that the brother has the "hue but not
the view." Critics point to his record as chairman
of >the EEOC, his opposition to quotas, they
don't like his wife and et. al. One brother even
went so far as to say that our whole future
Please see page A9
Turner says Clark lied
Developer faced with charges explains actions
By SHERIDAN HILL
Chronicle Staff Writer
"Basically, John S. Clark is lying,"
says Herman Turner, president of New
Walkertown Market Associates. " I have
not and New Walkertown Market has not
embezzled anyone. We
will have our day in
court with John S.
Clark, and they will get
what's coming to
them."
now going head-to-head with John S.
Clark Construction. Last week, Clark
added new charges of embezzlement to
the suit filed in August against New
Walkertown.
Turner maintains that he is prepared
to pay Clark the balance of their contract
Despite Herman
Turner's best efforts,
the New Walkertown
shopping center and
New Walkertown Mar
ket Associates are still
beset with problems.
Last year Turner
made several visits to
St, Paul United
Methodist Church to
reach an agreement
over restitution for
damage to their property. Last week they
got nervous and filed suit against his
company.
The city is breathing down his neck
about how he spent $195,000, and John
S. Clark Construction is suing his com
pany, New Walkertown Market, for
$192,000 owed to them.
In the continuing saga of the New
Walkertown shopping center. Turner and
New Walkertown Market Associates are
Additional financing will be
needed to complete project
In a statement issued last
week, Herman Turner said, "It is
important for New Walkertown
Market Associates to put the shop
ping center project back on track
by resolving the Southern National
Bank foreclosure and finalizing
additional construction financing
already committed to the project,"
But there is some debate over
the existence of the additional
financing that Turner claims to
have,
"Herman has asked the city to
guarantee another loan, this time
fo' $200,000," said Ronald Seetjer.
city attorney. The city is currently
responsible for $375,000 of the
$495,000 that New Walkertown
Market Associates borrowed from
Please see page AS
simply couldn't get paid. He used the
church thing as an excuse to not pay us.
But if you look at the value of the work
they required and the value of damage
to the trees, it isn't anywhere near the
amount Turner is holding."
Turner says that New Walkertown
Market Associates
hasn't paid the
$192,000 bill from
Clark Construction
because Clark has
not compensated St.
as soon as restitution is made to St.
Paul United Methodist Church for dam
ages done to their property. The church
has sued New Walkertown Market for
actual and punitive damages.
"We had a fairly decent relationship
with Herman," said Ricky Shutt,
spokesperson tor John S. Clark Con
struction.
"We thought we built him a good
building, and then at the end we just
Paul United
Methodist Church for
cutting nearly five
acres of trees on
church property with
out authorization.
"We asked Clark
to take care of this in
March 1990, when it
happened, and they
chose not to do that,"
says Turner,
While Turner
holds Clark responsible, Clark represen
tatives are quick to point out that they
subcontracted the job to Bel-Tex Con
struction at Herman Turner's request.
"We had never had anything to do
with them, but as a favor to Mr. Turner
we agreed to use them,” said Robinson.
"Then, without any notice to Clark, Bel-
Tex and a subcontractor they hired went
Please see page A8
Herman Turner
Project
under
capitalized?
There are those who charge
that New Walkertown Market's
problems stem from starting out
with too little money. Herman
Turner disagrees, and has an
explanation.
"East Winston is one of the
poorest areas in Forsyth County,
is primarily black, and it was cre
ated to house the poor. That is the
result of institutional racism, and
we were-taking bold steps to turn
that around."
John S. Clark's attorney. Gray
Robinson, thinks Herman Turner
had the best intentions when he
hammered out a variety of
Please see page A11
Petree gets grant
for at-risk kids
By YVETTE N, FREEMAN
Chronicle Staff Writer
The Winston-Salem Foundation has
awarded Petree Middle School a $25,000
grant to develop a new innovative curricu
lum aimed at helping at-risk students at the
school.
The $25,400 grant will allow a nine-
member team composed of teachers and
curriculum coordinators from four middle
schools, to develop a curriculum founded in
the Paideian concept and focusing on semi
nar teaching.
The Paideian concept is based on
three theories which define how students
should be taught - a didactic/lecture pre
sentation, coaching, and seminar teaching.
Mandy Lotts, Petree's curriculum coordina
tor explains the latter as, "When you give
students, for example, a piece of literature
to read. And then you have a seminar
where the leader of the seminar opens up
the seminar with a leading question. And
from that leading question, if it's a good
question, hopefully, you can stimulate any
where from 45 minutes to an hour and a
half of discussion among the students."
She went on to explain the the purpose
and importance of this approach among at-
risk students. "It's really geared toward
increasing self-esteem; toward increasing
critical thinking skills," she stated. "And we
felt that it would be wonderful for our kids
who are at-risk kids, to be in a situation
where there is no right or wrong answer;
Please see page A9
Jackie Jackson, guidance clerk; Bill Bailey, home school coordina
tor; and Mandy Lotts, curriculum coordinator at Petree Middie
School, are all excited about the grant awarded to the school.
FOR HOME DELIVERY CALL • 722-8624 •