Winston-Salem Chronicle
l>u- City's A?ard-W wrung Weekly
Ernest H. Pftt ? Ndubisi Egemonye
Editor/Publisher Co-Founder
/
Member in good standing with :
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N?t<xv? N*wn0*P*< North Audit Burcjlu
Pu?fc?h*rt A??OCt?tK>o Pr?? AMoeMfron Of ClfCUlJItlOnS PgWuMll. Inc.
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Editorials
Fighting For Our Lives
Looking back at East Winston's thriving business com
munity in the 1940s brings pride' and honor to the heart
until you compare it
with today s black We, as African-Americans, must
businesses, who are our sdttd support to black
fighting tooth and nail businesses - or one day there will
for survival. not be b,ack hlstor> t0 ce,e"
* brate. .
Fifty years ago, ? ?
the city was tightly
segregated. Most black
people knew better than to take their business into the
~ white community. They-felt their money wasn't welcome,
and they were acutely aware that money spent in the white
community generally stays in the white community.
Civil rights victories led to affirmative action policies,
and blacks began to get a better education and higher-pay
ing jobs. But as our buying power increased, we forgot the
- lessons of the past: If we don't patronize our own busi
nesses, who will?
As the black dollar became mightier, it began to show
up on marketing surveys. Corporations realized that court
ing the black consumer was smart; it would pay off prof
itably on the bottom line.
Across the country, companies give Irintrto new mar
keting campaigns targeting the black consumer. Smiling
black faces began to appear on billboards, television, and
in print, urging us to pledge our loyalty to those products.
We fell for it hook, line and sinker. We began to
spread our dollars around. We began to drive by the black
auto dealer, overlook the black grocery store, disregard the
black clothing store, tune out the black media, slight the
black florists, bookstore. The list is endless. And these
bu$inesses suffered.
They saw their moderate profit margin dwindle do\yn
to nothing. They went in the red. They hoped and prayed
for a renewed sense of loyalty in the black consumer.'
Some of them tried marketing to white consumers. All the
while they knew that there is only one cure for what ailed
their business: more black customers.
Increasing numbers of African- Americans spend their
money in the white community. But ask yourself this
question: How many white people go into the black com
munity to spend their money?
We didn't realize the power of our dollars. We didn't
notice that others were starting to sell us our own culture.
Today, we even buy symbols of black culture from white
businesses. Can you picture the day we buy Kente cloth
and African beads from a white-owned chain store?
Meanwhile, what has become of those precious black
dollars that went to white businesses. Some of us made the
assumption that businesses who courted us as customers
cared about black issues: a deadly association.
The business that wants your dollar does not necessar
ily believe in hiring qualified black applicants, handing
over authority to talented black employees, or using your
black media to advertise its products.
Never, ever underestimate the power of your dollar.
Invest your dollars in the black community. A dollar rolls
over eight or ten times in the white community. In the
black community, we have a sad but true saying: paid on
Friday, back in the white community by Saturday morn- .
in g.
For the sake of our ancestors, for the future of our
children, patronize black businesses. If you don't, one day
in (lie not-too-distant future, there may not be any black
history to celebrate.
We, as African- Americans, must
give our sdtid support to black
businesses - or one day there will
not be any black history to cele
brate. -
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Mail to: A/in&ton-Salem Chronicle
PO Box 1636
Winston -Salem. N.C. 27102
The Wlnston-Sahm Chronic tm is
published every Thursday by the
Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing
Co Inc, 617 N. Liberty St.
Mailing address: PO Box 1636
Winston-Salem,
NC 27102
Phone: (919) 722-6624
FAX: (919)723-9173
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Justice System: It's Who You Know
To The Editor:
I was taught the Legal Scale'
America. 1 had a bad experience
uith what I felt was injustice in a
North Carolina court. I filed a
Motion for Increase in Child Sup
port. The defendant retained legal
counsel, who is known to be his
every night " of the week drinking
buddy. The retained legal counsel is
?dso. which was obvious, a personal
friend of the judge (Judge Loretta
Biggs). When my docket was called
and 1 walked into the courtroom. I
knew by the smiles and nodding of
the heads of the court officials, that
I didn t have a chance.
I explained to the judge that my
child care expenses had increased
since my child is getting older;
therefore. I was requesting an^
increase in child support payments.
I also explained that since the defen
dant had been served, with "papers,"
he voluntarily quit his job (he had
been employed for only 12 weeks
prior to quitting and had not worked
in six years before then). Immedi
ately. my motion was denied
because the defendant was unem
ployed. Now. I strongly believe if
the judge sitting on the bench at that
time had not been a personal friend
of tha defendant's legal counsel, the
judge "would have suggested or
maybe ordered the defendant to
seek work to maintain his obliga
tions, not to mention his responsibil
ities. Instead. Judge Biggs made the
comment to the effect, ' he should
motion for a decrease." To me. that
was a suggestion to the defendant
but was appalling to me to hear a
person in her position make such a
comment. The defendant is several
payments behind in child support,
which happened while he was
employed during those 12 weeks. I
am a taxpayer, a registered voter,
who regretfully voted for this judge,
and a public official (Notary Public,
commission expires 8/93). In the
meantime, this other person (defen
dant) is not a taxpayer because he
will not work, and he definitely is
not a registered voter, due to his
educational illiteracy, and the- way
he earns a living is illegal.
This unemployed person can
afford legal counsel but cannot
afford to keep up his child support
payments. How can one respect a
CHRONICLE MAILBAG
Our Readers Speak Out
legal authority who would allow or
even suggest otherwise? Is this legal
system designed to protect the non
taxpayers and the criminals? I
remain confused.
Keep up the good work. Judge
Biggs. I've learned a good lesson
from this incident:' Learn all the
facts about the candidates before
voting. It's not what you know, it's
who you know.
Crystal L. Brown
, JV Coverage
- To The Editor
On behalf of all the parents of
junior varsity athletes in the Win
ston-Salem Forsyth County school
and your fine staff of writers and
photographers for the excellent cov
erage of our sons' and daughters'
athletic endeavors.
VV'e all know how much time
and effort our kids put forth, and to
receive the type of recognition that
the "W inston-Salem Chronicle"
affords them is gratifying.
Thanks once again for yoyr ,
excellent coverage- We appreciate
what you do for the young people of
our community.
Jeff Byrd
Inspired By MLK
Here's, a tollow-up to your
story of M.L. King Jr.'s appearance
in at the Goler Memorial
Church. That night 1 brought with
me a friend, a South African free
dom fighter, to the church. It was
packed and King was late. As we
stood on the back pews- stretching
our neck to vee King enter, he hap
pened to enter the door next to us.
King, recognizing me from my
work with him in Georgia, sug
gested I come to the pulpit platform
with him. I declined, asking instead
if my friend could go. He did and
sat with many others on the floor of
the crowded pulpit. It was the thrill
ot the lifetime tor m y Tr r i end. but^
when we got home that night he was.
terrified. He had noticecLthe global
T V. coverage present in tne* church
and worried that it would be shown
back home in South Africa., "I'm a
marked man. Me alongside Kjng in
America! The> *11 get me now for
sure " He returned home soon after
wards and was indeed jailed in
1964. Again, in ll>77 his organiza
tion. the Christian Institute of South
Africa, apd himself were put under
ban. He remained banned, for seven
years. During that time the book I
The Buffalo Sot ?
dier Monument
stands Saturday
in Fort Leaven
worth , Kartell
was dedicated by
GeneratQoUn
PowfTl, chair
man of the Joint
Chiefs of Stuff.
The monument
honors black sol
diers serving
their country in
the 1930s and
1940s.
wrote about him, Beyers Naude:
Prophets to the South^tfrica, was
also banned. But he Domains faithful
to his mission to free South Africa
from white opp^ssion, and when I
saw him in &*uth Africa two years
ago hp stillXmembered the inspira
tiona to tfrat night on Goler Memor
/ ^ G.McLeod Bryan
/ Dept of Religion
/ Wake Forest University
C \
Pride And Honor
On January 18, 1993, the day in
which we reflected with pride and
honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther
"King, my husband and I, along with
our friends, had lunch at the newly
opened "Cactus Jacks" restaurant on
the comer of Deacon Boulevard and
Cherry Street. As we were leaving,
to our amazement, posted at the
cashier were two pictures. These
pictures displayed the old Negro
stereotypes we remember those pic
tures of "black-face, large teeth" etc*
A member of our,?grfeup
requested the manager whom we
were told was out but the assistant
manager appeared. He began to
share with her the period in which
those type pictures were used and
the negative stereotyping they dis
^lay^-He proceeded to share with
her the insensitive nature of this
establishment to hang such pictures.
She informed " is that these pictures
were "art" and compared them to
the newspaper cartoons sketches.
She continued to state that the pic
tures were purchased from "a black
person."
Needless to say, "she didn't get
it," and when we left the pictures
were still hanging.
I do not know the current stasis
because my family and I will no
longer enter that establishment or
any others that openly display such
racist items. In 1993, in Winston
Salem, North Carolina, a city that I
recently read is considering apply
ing to become an "All 'American
City" this type of display of so
called "art" is unacceptable. .
Yvonne P. Booker
Who Clinton Owes For The White House
President Bill Clinton is busy
breaking most of his campaign
pledges. He is rejecting his promise
of a middle-class tax cut. hedging on
his promise to reduce the White
House staff, postponing action on
the gay ban to military service and
adopting George Bush's anti-Hait
ian Immigration ruling.
Of course, he does not have to
break his promise to Black people,
he made none. Other than the
wealthy Blacks in his cabinet and
well educated Black appointees, the
total Black community is not in line
for any specific benefits. In a way,
Slick Willie has a slicker approach
to ignoring Blacks than did George
Bush.
I w rote The Wall Street Journal
in August 1991 that cultural diver
sity is the foundation of our eco
nomic. competitiveness and warned
the Republican Party that the inten
tion ' \.V 4 I") lacks a> a result
of the so-called "Southern Strategy"
win the White vote was an eco
nomic hazard and as ill-political
omen. "White suburbanites could
defect from the Republican fold if
the party becomes stigmatized as
racist." I predicted.
After the 1992 Republican
National Convention in Houston,
the party of emancipation was
openly called "diverse." "mean
spirted" and "intolerant." as well as
"racist." and many suburbanites,
working women, gays, pro-choice
advocates. Jews, even some moder
ate WASP Republicans came to
feel as unwelcome as most Blacks.
Recently, pollsters told the nation's
GOP governors that voters have
added "narrow-minded" and
"restrictive" to the image of Repub
licans.
But politically, exclusion is
costly. One opinion poll prior to the
election showed Clinton and Bush
in a statistical tie (449c to 43r/r
respectively) for the White vote.
However. Clinton's entire 12-point
nationwide lead was the result of
over 90% Black support.
An anti-Republician Black
vote, accounting for between 18 ?/c to
509c of Clinton's total in strategic
Electorial College states where the
White vote was close, gave Clinton
the presidency. That strategic advan
tage made it possible for Clinton to
and empowerment would neither
have lost 83% of the Black vote nor
have driven middle-of-the-road sub
urban voters, working women and
young people away with a divisive
social agenda, framed by an unrep
TONY BROWN
Syndicated Columnist
become President with the majority
of votes in only his home state
Arkansas, less than a quarter of
those eligible to vote and only 399?-A
of the White vote.
With only 209J- of the Black
vote. Bush would have won. No
matter what some Republicans per
sonally think of Black people, it's
just not smart politics to ignore a
significant voting bloc.
A Republican Party of inclusion
resentative minority that controlled
over half of the delegates at its 1992
national convention.
Will the GOP read the times
and voluntarily reform itself or stub
bornly persist in its exclusionary
dogma, fragment into factions and
become obsolete as a. vital political
force? And will it recognize diver
sity as a strength and a national asset
and fiscal responsibility as its princi
ple tenet?