Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Aug. 20, 1992, edition 1 / Page 4
Part of Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Winston-Salem Chronicle "The Twin City's Award-Winning Weekly" Established in 1974 Ernest H. Pitt ? Ndubisi Egemonye Editor/Publisher Co-Founder Member in good standing with: & ^=v North Caroima Audit Bureau A/mkiarml*d A National Newepapw North Carolina niiuii out c:au Arrmto*rr*l#d Pubfehar* Association Prws AnocMon ?f Circulations PuMahart, Inc. Editorial Black curriculum We applaud the minority affairs committee of the school board for moving deliberately forward with ^ specific plans for the inclusion of African- American history into regular classroom instruction. Studying the contribu tions of African- Ameri cans lets us in on the reality of history: it was made by many different ? cultures and both gen ders, not just white males. Acknowledging black history also serves a much deeper purpose: it allows black children to view their ancestors as talented people who gave their gifts, and their lives, for America. To integrate black history into social studies classes is to legitimize the contributions of African- Americans and afford black children an opportunity for heightened self-esteem. White chil dren are allowed to see blacks in a completely differ ent light when they study about black scientists who made important contributions 150 years ago. Black history belongs in the classroom every month: not just in February. Our opinion Black history is a rightful part of class room social studies. Upward moves The federal and local housing authority deserve credit for fostering a new self-help program for resi dents of the four local housing complexes. Self-help, independent thinking Our opinion Resident manager program is a step in the right direction. and acting, will be our salvation. During the next two years, 21 resi dents will be thorough ly trained in how to run a business. In time, they will build businesses that can contract with the local housing authority to provide much-needed services. We applaud the formation of a corporation between local housing developments. It will better enable them to receive and use federal dollars, and its very existence will strengthen the heart of the black community. We look to the leadership of Winston-Salem and the community at large to support this corporation in every way possible ? it is one vehicle to a very bright future for some very deserving and long-waiting resi dents. Dark moments A tragic ? and historic ? moment took place last Friday in the federal building here. Three highly visi ble members of the African- American community, a grandmother and two grandfathers, were sen tenced to prison. They each played different parts, and with varying degrees of understanding, in business deals the gov ernment maintained were illegal and unethical. To those who maintain that these people commit ted crimes far worse than what whites get away with every day, we ask: how many white grandmothers ? grandmothers who literally gave their children's beds to women who were completely down-and-out ? how many white women like that have been sentenced to prison? This fearless grandmother didn't commit murder, never hurt or betrayed anyone: her crime was being a : friend to the wrong person. Our opinion We will long remem ber the lessons of the Winston-Salem Four. Tise, McKellar deaths unintentional lb the Editor: It is imperative that the Win ston-Salem community intensify its efforts to bring the people closer together in terms of better under standing and being able to work together in social and political har mony. The racial tensions between Blacks and Whites are bad enough, but the tension between the Black community and the police depart ment has reached a point of crisis. I doubt seriously that the young adults who went fun-riding on a tractor intended to kill a police offi cer and wound another. I doubt seri ously that the five police officers who arrested a black woman, bound, gagged, and put her in a holding cell, really intended to kill her. It is likely that it would have required a professional medicine to realize that a person bound and gagged, with cocaine in her blood stream, could possibly die from positional asphyxia. However as most of us have learned, we must try harder to consider the conse quences of our actions. I think Police Chief Sweat tried to withhold information to prevent more racial tension. Not really understanding how the death occurred and why, he made the judgment to wait. It would have been better to report the occurrence and explain that a complete investi gation would take place and all questions would be answered when all information was in. By not com ing forward earlier, it looked like he was withholding information for a possible coverup. I think the jury is still out on Chief Sweat I would recommend to him that he consult with leaders in the black communi ty when making a decision of crisis proportions for an honest and objec tive opinion. Our police chief needs to be sensitive to the feelings of all ethnic groups that comprise this city. Police need more criminal justice information and education to better do their job. District attorneys need to do a better and more thorough job of investigating when prosecut ing crimes with radial overtones to avoid Darryl Hunt and Rodney King type trials. The black community has the serious responsibility of teaching young people not to hate the police uniform. Teach them that hate can only destroy some innocent policemen as well Teach them that when in con tact with policemen, hostility breeds hostility and respect breeds respect The problems that exist now affect the moral fiber of the com munity. We will have to live and work together or face further deteri* oration of the criminal justice sys tem, which in turn will undermine social and economic progress in our fine community. J. Raymond Oliver The human factor To the Editor: The death of Sheila Epps McKellar in the custody of the Win s ton -Sal em Police Department is a tragic and unfortunate event. Regardless of the fact that she had a CHRONICLE MAI LB AG Our Readers Speak Out criminal record, was a drug abuser, and had the HIV virus, she was still a child of God, and every life is valuable and precious in His sight As a local pastor and a former executive secretary of the Maryland Branch NAACP, I am concerned with the recent response and state ments of our black aldermen and the local branch NAACP. 1 agree with their statements regarding an inde pendent investigation of this case regarding the death of Ms. McKellar and why the public was not informed in a "timely" manner. However, I take exception to the statement that since four black youth were originally charged with the death of police Lt Tise, so too, all the police officers involved in the arrest of Ms. McKellar are murder ers and should be charged with first degree murder. The NAACP went so far to state, "What's good for the goose is good for the gander." In response to this statement, I raise two concerns for considera tion. First, the cases of Lt. Tise and Ms. McKellar are not related by event nor circumstance and should not be used to create a racial polar ization. Secondly, the majority of the police officers involved in the arrest of Ms. McKellar are black. To call for murder indictments against the arresting police officers "collectively" is a slap in the face "individually" to the black police officers involved. One of those arresting police officers is a member of my congre gation, Sgt L.O. Saunders. He is a devoted husband and father; a devoted police officer with integrity and honor, and a loyal and valued member of St James AME Church. I take exception to one such as Sgt L.O. Saunders being labeled "col lectively" as a murderer. For Sgt. Saunders and his family, this is a .very traumatic moment in their lives, as well as the McKellar fami ly and every other police officer involved. The officers and member ship of St. James AME Church pledge our support to Sgt. L.O. ? Saunders and his family as long as such support is required. To the McKellar family, St. James AME Church expresses sin cere sympathy and empathy in your hour of sorrow. To the Winston Salem Police Department, for you, we are praying. To the Winston Salem aldermen and the local branch NAACP, before making collective and general public statements, first consider the human factor. Rev. Carrington Carter St James AME Church Citizens vs. gov't To the Editor: Forsyth County government should be serving the people of Forsyth County. County employees should be serving the citizens. Instead, we citizens are expected to serve the county. Fellow citizens, we must unite and let our voices be heard. Every dollar taken from the citizens should be a dollar the citi zens receive. Taxes must be stabilized. No one wants a tax increase except government. We want the county to find new ways to generate revenue without taking more from us. For instance, our county needs to sup port the Sovereignty Program, cur rently endorsed by 347 taxing bod ies and the National Association of Mayors. This program calls for the U.S. Treasury to issue interest-free bonds to local taxing bodies to enable them to work their way out of the mountain of debt that is destroying them and to rebuild their infrastructures. Waste must be halted. Too much of our money is going to wel fare, school officials, county offi cials, and county offices. Not enough is being spent in the schools themselves for education and in programs for the elderly. We do not want more buildings, higher salaries for county officials, nor programs that encourage people not to work. Rather, the money should be spent for our children and our senior citi zens. . Our county government never consults us about how our money should be spent But your voice can be heard if you speak up. Send letters to the County Commissioners expressing your concerns. Let them know what you want; you don't have to settle for what we aze (not) getting. The organization "DIG" (Dump Irresponsible Government) is join ing with the Constitution Society to bring back "government by the peo ple and for the people." If you are interested in obtaining more infor- ! mation, you are cordially invited to attend our meetings. Our next meet ing will be September 14 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Winston Salem library, 660 W. 5th Street Walter V. Hunter Newell supports ward To the Editor: In response to the letter writers who have seen fit to criticize my defense of th? citizens of East Ward, I admit categorically that the constituency I serve gets primary consideration! This constituency has expressed its confidence in my abil ity to fight for its member's rights as first class citizens by electing me to the Winston-Salem Board of Alder men for four consecutive terms. They further respect the 15 years of service I have delivered on their behalf. I am too busy with the prob lems of the people of East Ward to be bothered by opinions ofthose who have little to do but espouse the tenets of bigotry and racism and have no concept of compassion. Virginia K. Newell Alderman Eastward Did you get insulted or did you help? In August 1991, 1 spoke to the leaders of 150 national black orga nizations at a N A ACP- sponsored summit conference on self-help. I proposed that the 350 black groups who spend $16 billion a year on conventions in white-owned facilities cancel their 1992 annual meetings and use $3 billion of the $16 billion to buy hotels and create a capital fund to rebuild our com munity. My idea requires that the black middle class reevaluate its behavior and take the leadership role in using the resources already at hand, instead of maintaining its contem porary function as managers of resources allocated by government and corporate programs. It goes without saying that I was soundly ignored. 1992 came and thousands of blacks returned to the same pattern, taking billions more of consumption-investment to non-black enterprises. At one 1992 convention of black leaders, a 70-piece all-white orchestra entertained. Of 50 waiters at the event, only two were black. And, of course, speaker after speak er blamed the Republican adminis tration for the black community's demise. The National Bar Association, the nation's black lawyers, met in St. Louis for work and fun at its 67th annual conference. Shortly afterwards, its president-elect money to black-owned restaurants and businesses in St. Louis. And because of white rejection, a hand ful of black businesses made a cou ple of bucks. In contrast to being insulted into self-help, the Xerox Midwest Concerned Black Employees TONY BROWN Syndicated Columnist claims she was disrespected by the hotel management A three-day boycott of the hotel's facilities, other than the 583 rooms already rented, followed. Of course, they couldn't move to a black-owned hotel because blacks don't own one mqjor hotel in America. The issue for the black lawyers became: should blacks spend their money in hotels that disrespect them? In retaliation, these well-heeled professionals took some of their responded to my proposal to rear range their convention dollars in black institutions. Instead of meet ing in a plush whitenowned Chicago hotel, they moved to a black-owned institution with dormitory facilities. While white hotel managers, security guards, and the St Louis police were banging on the door of NBA president-elect Paulette Brown's suite at the Adam's Mark hotel and threatening to physically throw her out, Wilberforce Univer sity president John L. Henderson and his staff were welcoming the Xerox black employees to a three day live-in on the campus of the nation's oldest black college. Aside from the symbolism, these black corporate managers from Xerox set aside a portion of their registration fee for a scholar ship fund for young blacks who don't have the money to go to col lege. The group plans to donate $600,000 in scholarships to this black college where the mean income of the students' families is a scant $16,000. The Xerox employees commis sioned a black artist and unveiled a painting from which prints will be reproduced and sold to aid Wilber force's students. And a good time was had by all because anything less would not qualify as a black meeting. How many blacks who attend ed their conventions can say they met*and greeted old friends, took care of organization business, and left behind $600,000 to train our youth and maintain the institutions that will insure our future as a peo ple?
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 20, 1992, edition 1
4
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75