OPINION/LETTERS
Winston-Salem Chronicle
ERNEST H. Pitt, Publisher/Co-founder NDUBISI EGEMONYE, Co- Founder
' ^
Richard L. Williams, Executive Editor
Elaine Pitt, Director of Community Relations
MICHAEL A. PlTT, Advertising Manager MEL WHITE, Business Manager
Rwandan Water Project
" The Rwandan Watet Project recent^ conducted by
churches in and around Winston-Salem was one of the
greatest collaborative humanitarian efforts in a long time in
the African- American community.
Everyone worked together for this worthwhile cause.
TTTe~mTmsters worked tirelessIy~to see to it that enough
water was collected to make a difference in that starving
country. For weeks, many church basements wpre filled
I with water as their congregations actively participated in a
project to help out. Those who didn't collect water, took up
offerings to buy truck loads of water. . ? j
After hearing about water collected but not able to be
. shipped to Newark, N.J., area truck drivers volunteered.
And Maya Angelou, who was the brain child behind the
project, showed ?ortce again why she is the remarkable
woman she is.
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The project bg^gan simple enough. Ms. Angelou had
been talking on the phone with her son out in California. He
was distraught oyer the suffering of the children in Rwanda
and wanted desperately to do something about their plight. ' ;
Ms. Angelou then talked with her minister, the Rev.
>: Serenus Chum Sr., and shortly thereafter was bom the
Rwandan Water Project. v
The 194*000 pounds of water still has not been flown to
Rwanda, but that should be taken care of soon.
But for this community to be galvanized into conducting
' what turned out to be a project of monumental humanitarian
proportion is indeed a plausible ettort.
The coming together for this effort was truly remark
able. Not only were churches in Winston- Salem involved in
dsville, E^rlington, High Point, Mount Airy, Madison and
Martinsville.
The Ministers' Conference, headed by the Rev. Ronald
Davis, wants to make sure that efforts to help the continent
of Africa does not end with the Rwandan Water Project.
Davis organized African- American churches to follow
in the tradition of Henry McNeal Turner and Mary Churchy
Terrell to spearhead an effort that would allow African
Americans to directly help their kith and kin in Africa.
The Ministers' Conference recognizes the responsibility
the black church. has to Africa and wants to have an. on
going relationship with African countries. The group of
ministers will continue to look at policies this country has
with African nations. One concern the group has is that *'
while Egypt or Israel receives several billion dollars from
the United States, the rest of the African countries combined
receives less than one billion dollars.
The Rwandan Water Project shows what African-Amer
icans can accomplish when we put our minds to it. Focus on
a problem and work toward a resolution. So often, we talk
about problems in our communities and worry over them.
The Rwandan Water Project was a clear example that
problems are not to be worried over ? but solved.
We should use that same drive, effort, energy and orga
nization that went into making the Rwandan Water Project a
> success to address some problems in the local community,
? as well. . , &
Did You Know ...
That sex may be a remedy for some migraine
headaches? A study by Dr. James Couch at the Southern
Illinois School of Medicine found that eight of 52 women
suffering migraines report their headaches were completely
gone after making love and 16 reported headache pain had
been reduced. Sex may also relieve tension headaches.
Credo of the Black Press
T%e Black Press believes that America cm best lead the world away from antago*
' nisms when it accords to everyperso* ? regardless of race or creed-? full homo* and
legal rights. Hating no person, the Black Press strives to help every person, in the firm
belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held bock . ]
J__l_l.mil ----- ... .. ? . .. - .
Writers Make Appeal to the Housing Authority
(Editor's note: This letter was
written to the HAWS commissioners
chairman William Andrews and
board members.)
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To the Editor: . ^
- - . ? ' - ??"KSf5r* ? ?
Mr. Andrews and members of
the board, I hope and trust things jire
well with you.
Unfortunately, all is not well
within the Housing Authority as
recent reports of the unpaid suspen
sion of Attorney Clifton Graves in
both the Winston-Salem Journal and
Winston-Salem Chronicle attest J
J It is evident that professional, if
not personal, problems exist between
Attorney Graves and his supervisor,
Executive Director Ait Milligan.
Sad, if not tragic, is the situation
where here two talented young
African-American men, all too rare
in responsible, professional positions
in Winston-Salem's public sector,
seemingly cannot get along. ;
*, '
My family and I are personal
friends with Attorney Graves, his
wife and children. We sponsored a
"welcome back Clifton and Sylvia"
celebration at our home when they
returned to the City.
This would not allow me to con
done or excuse unprofessional
behavior op the pan of my buddy.
However, for Mr. Milligan to be
the arbiter of fact in a dispute
between he and Attorney Graves ^
seems blatantly unfair.
The New Testament admonishes
all of us to abstain from the very
appearance of evil or impropriety.
This letter, therefore, is an
urgent request for you to provide
Clifton and his legal counsel, Attor
ney Irv Joyner, an independent arbi
trator for this grievance procedure.
I I hope you can see your way
clear to act on this as soon as possi
ble in the ^merest of community
peace with justice.
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Carlton A.G. Eversley
Dellabrook Presbyterian Church
CHRONICLE MAI LB AG
Our Readers Speak Out ,
President Clinton , center, joins the Rev. O'Neil MackeySr., right , in a hymn during Sunday morning set',
vices at the Bethel AME Church in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City recently. New York Gov.
Mario Cuomo, facing a hotly contested re 'election campaign , is at left.
About letters . .. s. ,
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. ? .(?' ?nr>\ni? fr-Vir? -wtl to noil ***
. - i. , \ Chronicle Mailbag, P.O. Box 1636
Winston-Salem, N.C. 27102.
Clifton Graves
Art MUligan
Irresponsible cnoice
To the Editor:
As pastor, of United Corner
stone Baptist Church, I've had mem
bers who've lived in the public hous
ing and those who've worked for the
housing authority. You serve an
important role in this city.
Therefore, public disagreement
and in-fighting hurts all of us. It
grieves me that this note to you is
even necessary. However,, the sus
pension of Clifton Graves without
pay is well known. People are con
cerned throughout the community
that a family man with a lucrative job
is now suddenly having to do with
out Clifton is a home-grown lawyer
with a long history of civil service.
If Mr. Graves did something
wrong, nesnouia Be punished.
Before that's been determined, cer
tainly a suspension with pay would
be in order. Most importantly, an
investigation of Mr. Graves should
be conducted and concluded by an
impartial party. For Mr. Graves' fate
to be determined by Mr. Art Milli
gan, the executive director who sus
pended him in the first place, would'
be irresponsible at best
J. Ray Butler
United Cornerstone Baptist Church
Inner City Poverty isn't Just a Problem for the Poor
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The civil rights movement, so
tional rights and expanding opportu
i nities for African Americans in the
i past, is as relevant today as it ever
was.
To me, that seems an obvious
conclusion based on the continued
racial gap in our society, and on the
needs of African Americans and
^ indeed, all Americans.
But m the wake of the
NAACP's well-publicized difficul
ties; some people are beginning to
question the movement's relevance.
1 see a continuing need for
organizations that expose and com
bat racism.
It's an unfortunate, but undeni
able fact; of life that racism is still
with us, even if is has taken on sub
tler forms than in the past
Studies show that when black
and white job applicants with equal
qualifications apply for a job, the
white person gets it more often than
the hi arlr candidate ? ?
We still face discrimination in
> housing, lending, and other aspects
of life, including the destructive
media stereotyping that brands ail
young black males as potential law
breakers.
By identifying and combating
racism, civil rights groups help to
keep the Constitution alive and hotd
discriminatory institutions to
account.
But there' s^anothcraspect to
the agenda of most
civil rights organi
zations that makes
their role even
more relevant in
the changed envi
ronment of the
1990's - overcom
ing the poverty
that grips the urban and rural poor.
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Inner city poverty isn't simply
a problem for the poor; the exis
tence of large numbers of alienated,
desperately poor people inevitably
means that everybody's quality of
life suffers.
It is also a threat to the econ
omy, for America's future depends
on its ability to compete in a global
economy transformed by technol
ogy.'
To compete successfully, we'll
need to ensure that all of our people
have high skill levels, since those
left behind will be a drag on the rest
of us.
So civil rights organizations
need to work on those economic
problems, helping those pushed to
the mainstream economy.
Too many people forget that
the remarkable economic progress
made by so many African Ameri
/
TO BE EQUAL
By HUGH B. PRICE
cans in the past generation stems
from the heroic work done by the
civil rights organizations in defeat
ing Jim Crow laws and opening up
opportunities. -
- Those striking successes helped
to create today's large, stable black
middle class.
The challenge of the 1990s is to
help poor people become economi
cally self-sufficient, especially those
who may not have the strong family
arrdcommunity support, quality
education, and skills needed to suc
ceed in today's demanding econ
omy.
That task is made more diffi
cult because the manufacturing jobs
that used to provide opportunities
for people with relatively few skills
and little schooling, have largely
vanished.
So has another major force in
turning young men into solid, pro
ductive citizens - the armed forces.
We often forget
that the army
served to help
generations of
???????(??high school
dropouts learn
social skills and
work habits.
That nar
rowing of opportunities affects peo-;
pie of all races, and every organiza- ;
tion in the nation should be;
concerncd about it.
They need to be fighting;
poverty, alleviating the pain of the ^
poor, providing services and advo
cacy, and influencing public policy
jo help lift people out of poverty.
Even as we fought for racial
justice, economic and social justice
have always been important for
civil rights organizations, and they
are now at the core of our new role
in the 1990s.
(Hugh B. Price is the execu
tive director of the National Urban \
League,)