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Winston-Salem Chronicle
75 CENTS
The Choice for African-American News and Information
THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1994
"Power c om cilcs nothing without u struggle." ? Frederick Douglass
? * J i* " ?
Family Questions Murder-SuicideTheory
A "/ saw them that weekend and . . . they were the happiest they had ever been" ?
By DAVID L. DILLARD
Chronicle Staff Writer
Relatives of a young Winston-Salem couple found
dead 10 days ago say the incident was not a murder-sui
cide as police reports indicate. Instead, they believe, the
shooting was an accident or the couple was shot by
someone else.
Police' officers found Raymond Lee Graham. 29..
and his wife Teresa Black well Graham. 28. late March
13 lying inside their car in the 3300 block of New
Greensboro Road.
"It has been hard to accept the way it was reported,"
said Joe Covington, Raymond Graham s father. "I know
it wasn't a murder-suicide..If anything it was an accident
suicide." ,
When police found them, the car had been wrecked
and, both Grahams had been shot in the head. 1
"They were so much in love with each other," said
Clara Graham, Raymond Graham's mother. "It was such
a beautiful marriage. It bothered me when that happened.
It still bothers me now. but I don't believe it. It's like they
are gone on a trip."
The Grahams grew up together and have been insep
arable since childhood. Both had never dated anyone
else and were married in their teens.
Covington said they had visited him that weekend
and that they appeared happy.
"I saw them that weekend and everything was fine
? they were the happiest they had ever been," he said.
"Raymond and Teresa were the example the other kids
wanted to be like."
Raymond was employed by Triad Printing Com
pany and his wife was a cheerleader coach with the Tiny
Greyhounds football organizations They had two chil
dren Raymond Jr.. 6, and Sha-Kessia Nicole, 12. .
The Grahams had been married nearly nine years
and recently moved into their home at 624 Waltrud$
Lane. ? !
"I was so proud and happy for them, especially to b?
so young," Clara Graham said. "You don't find too man J
young people doing good and moving out into a beauti*
ful house. I told them other people would be jealous of
them having something like that."
Police Lt. Larry Reavis said police believe their cafr
had ran off the road, then one shot the other then turned
see FAMILY page A3
Working Toward Racial Healing
U' . ?
A Black, white churches hold joint worship service
By CHUCK WALLINGTON **
Special to the Chronicle
The congregation of two Baptist churches ? one
predominately white and one African-American ? are
working together to tear down racial barriers while also
working to building a Habitat for Humanity house.
More than 600 members of the two churches held a
joint wor&hip service Sunday morning at First Baptist
Church on Highlajfc} Avtrnie in East Winston
"We are on the leading edge of a great new adven
ture," said the Rev. Richard Groves, minister of Wake
Forest Baptist Church, who delivered the sermon.
But beyond buihJing~a- house tugetlierfor^tow^
income family, he said: "Ours is a ministry of reconcili
ation. That is in large part what we are about, as we
relate to one another over the next few months."
The financial and volunteer equal partnership the
two churches have formed to build the Habitat for
__Humanity house is the. first of its_type in Winston
Salem and is the first to benefit from a special Winston
Salem Foundation grant made to encourage such inter
racial partnerships.
The two congregations have raised more than
-$34,000 in cash contribution, each exceeding its initial
$15,000 goal.
The local Habitat of Humanity organization will
contribute $10,000 from the Winston-Salem Founda
tion grant.
"There is so much more we can and need to do
together," Groves said. "We need to talk. We need to be
together. We need to be honest with each other. We
need to get to know one another. We need to eat
together. We need to do these things for the sake of the
world.
"But more than that," he added, "we need to do
them because Jesus prayed that we might be one. and
we are not going to be one with another unless we get
together and break down some walls." '
The house will be built in Winston-Salem's Mom
ingside neighborhood on Pleasant Street in thVWin
ston-Salem State University/Bowman Gray Stadium
area. Construction is expected to start around April 1
and be completed in the late summer.
Following the Habitat for Humanity concept, vol
unteers from both churches will help build the house,
along with the family that will live there anef others
who donate their time and talents.
see WORKING page A3
Jeffrey and Renee Davis , with children Victoria and Antoine , will move into their new home soon. Also pictured
are the Rev. Wendell Johnson (right) of First Baptist and the Rev. Richard Groves of Wake Forest Baptist.
Speaker at A- A
Summit Tells Participants to "Looks to the Stars"
By MARK R. MOSS
Chronicle Staff Writer
The Rev.- Eddie Lawrerfce, pastoj of Greenwood
Baptist Church in Warrenton, said at last weekend's
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County African-American
Summit that during- slavery a saying that helped the
slaves endure was: "Look to the stars, children. Look to
the stars."
That adage implied hope, he said, and believing in
hope is what has helped African Americans to become
leaders in a variety ^>f fields.
"Thus, we a century and a half later . . . (also) have
our eyes on the stars," said Lawrence, who is also direc
tor of Churches and Community Development Projects
of the N.C. Association of Communis Development
Corporations. ?
Looking to the star- was perhaps a ^u^iing princi
ple of the two-day African-American Summit.
Lawrence also gave an historical perspective of the
black race.
"When you don't know your own history, it's easy
to believe what others say you arc. Lawrence said.
He said the Garden of Eden was not in Rome or
Paris, but in Africa. He said that civilization s first sur
geons and the first hospital were founded in Egypt on
the African continent. There were universities in Egypt
that taught mathematics and other disciplines before the
Greeks, he said.
Lawrence said that during antebellum, w hites were
able to control their slaves because they kept one slave
in the house and the other in the field.
African Americans are offspring of generations of
slaves who weren't supposed to survive, he said. "You
weren't supposed to make it but you did." he said.
"Why did you survive? Because somebody told you
to look at the stars."
The intent of the summit is to develop an action
plan to implement solutions to five issues: economic
development, education, criminal justice, housing and
youth. Summit participants attended workshops on each
of the issues and developed a step-by-step plan to
implement tFie so 1 u t ions.
"I'm hoping with this conference we'll get away
from rhetoric . . said former Alderman Virginia K.
Newell. "We've been talking too long."
? "The highlight of it all.- Newell said after the sum
mit. "was that we had a re-awakening of the young peo
ple. . . . I'm hoping that if nothing else, we'll follow
through on what some of the young people suggested."
About 200 people participated in the event, includ
ing about 30 young people.
Newell casticated school intecration and the effects
<<*? u
it has had on black children.
"We were further along forty, fifty, sixty years ago,
than we are today." she said. "Aside from education.'
we've cot to love each other."
She advised the summit participants tq be willing to
admonish black 'young people who they see doing
wrong.
Powerful Black Methodist Leader to Retire in '95
A Rev. Ferree is one of two black district superintendents
By DAVID L. DTLLARD
C hroniclc Staff Writer
The Rev. James W. Ferree, superintendent of the
Winston-Salem District United Methodist Church,
enjoys supervising over 40 pastors and visiting local
churches, but says he plans to step down next year.
Ferree. one of the most powerful black parishioners
in the state, oversees 59 Methodist churches and handles
a budget of over SI 00.000.
I'm going to serve one more year then retire from
work," he said. "I'm in pretty good health so 1 just finish
out my term." Each term last for six years.
Ferree is one of 14 district superintendents in' the
Western North Carolina Conference of the United
Methodist Church who make administrative decisions
for the churches including overseeing a budget of over
$15 million and the appointment and dismissal of pas
tors. *
Ferrec is one of two black superintendents in the
conference.
"We work in a cabinet and find out needs and the
interest of the church and the pastors." Ferree satd. The
pastors report to us. we approve their salaries and report
to the conference. Basically that's what it's all ^bout."
Of the 59 churches in his district, seven areSlack.
see POWERFUL page A 7
WHERE TO FIND IT
Bu siness . . . 7. . . . .7. . BIO
Cl ASSIFIEDS . . B12
COMMUNITY NFWS A4
Editorials : A12
Entertainment Bll
Oritl aries B9
Religion \ B8
Sports t B1
his H F.F.k /v Black History
William H Lewi s appointed assistant attorney general of the United
States on March 2f> 191 1
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