loma Tragedy Spawns Many Heroes
9om page 1
destruction he has ever seen was
iA Vietnam until Wednesday,
April 19, 1995.
Boykin, who was riding near
downtown with his daughter
Brenda Palmer and grandson
Richard C. Palmer IV, reached
t He site of the federal building
jitit 15 minutes after the blast.
Boykin, said he knew instinc
tively from the smell and from
the looks of the crumbling build
ing that hundreds of pounds of
explosives had been used.
Boykin said the building smelled
of a bomb that had to be made
with plastic explosives and toxic
fumes. He guessed that 1200
1500 pounds of explosives had
been used to cause such destruc
tion. "But the building was well
constructed. We could see the
pillars firmly standing, although
nothing else was, and that helped
us find many in those initial
moments," Boykin said.
As Boykin 's daughter drove,
by, they saw the huge black
smoke billowing up from down
town and rushed to the scene
where they immediately saw a
dazed man walking not far from
the federal building located at
200 NW 5th Street. Boykin told
Brenda to stop so they could ren
der assistance. The dazed man
told them of the blast and by
then they could see the building.
Boykin told his daughter to help
the man, kissed his grandson
goodbye and headed off to help
anyway he could.
Brenda said she started cry
ing when her father said he was
going in the crumbling building.
However a friend of Boykin,
also on the scene, comforted
Brenda by saying her father was
a brave man and would be okay.
In addition to his distin
guished 23 plus years military
career, Boykin served an addi
tional 20 years in the Justice
Depaitmerrtrpfimariiy at the fed
eral prison in El Refto^ar-a
Physicians' Assistant. While
Brenda called the dazed man's
wife to let her know he was
okay, Boykin had arrived on the
scene and identified himself to
officials as a Physicians' Assis
tant and immediately went to
work trying to find survivors, a
job for this 65-year-old man that
would last from shortly after 9
a.m. until after 5 p.m., that day.
- When he walked in, Boykin
said he could see that the first
floor of the Alfred P. Murrah
federal building had totally col
lapsed and he knew that bodies
were trapped underneath. "Peo
ple were walking around in a
daze. Just a shell of the building
was left," said Boykin, describ
ing the scene he viewed as he
took those first steps inside." "It
was like the side was cut out
(like a claw reached in and
pulled a huge chunk out) and the
part of the structure left was slid
ing-dowi! into a heap of rubble."
Boykin who entered the building
on the south side clesfcribCeHiaw
in those initial moments he could
already see parts of bodies scat
tered and some of the workers
crushed at their desks, dead."
It was shortly after that he
saw one of his friends, Susie
(Boykin couldn't remember her
last name), who worked in the
credit union. Susie told Boykin
that at least eight people were in
the credit union at the time, she
and another person were stand
ing off to the side when the roof
caved in killing the other six.
She was one of the lucky ones,
who with the assistance of
Boykin, made it to a stretcher
and was taken to a nearby hospi
tal.
Boykin said he worked all
day, stopping only when the res
cue workers were evacuated
from fear of additional explo
sives detonating and drinking
only a little bit of water on the
breaks. "People were walking
? wounded," said Boykin, who
personally aided at least six of
the victims.
Yes, he felt angry. "But peo
ple who do stuff like this don't
have any feeling," he said.
Boykin said late Wednesday
night that he was sure the parts
of a vehicle (a wheel and part of
a running board) found by a law
enforcement officials would
surely lead to the arrests of the
criminals who caused the blast.
What impressed Boykin the
most and kept him going that
day were people, parents waiting
and praying, looking for any
sign of their children. Within 30
minutes of the blast, parents had
made it to the scene and lined
the street along with others
silently awaiting any news. Oth
ers joined the volunteers, who
also started immediately gathei
ing, rendering aide to pec >le
escaping from the federal build
ing and surrounding structures
nearby that were severely dam
aged.
Why did he do it? "It is no
more than right to do it since the
government gave me my training
and education. I'm too old to go
into combat, but I'm still willing
to help," Boykin said .
Lizzie E. Boykin, James
Boy kin's wife of 30 years, said
the entire family thinks of him as
a hero. "We ail think he's a hero
because he just ran into the
building and started rescuing
those who were able to get out of
the building," said Mrs. Boykin.
Boykin just brushed off all
the talk of being a hero by say
ing he did what he had to do and
there were many others pitching
in every way they could to help.
Watt Discusses
By VERONICA CLEMONS
Chronicle Suff Writer
Congressman Mel Watt said he
las not voted in the majority lately,
ind he wanted to tell his constituents
why. ,
"I. don't like being against the
:ide, but I cant support what's been
transpiring in the first 100 days of
Congress," he told about 30 people
who attended a town meeting at Win
ston Salem State University last
week.
Watt said out of 33 bills that have
conie before him, he has voted yes
for 6nly five. The reason for him sup
porting so few of the proposed bills
by tpe majority Republican House of
Representatives is they that hurt the
poor and help the wealthy.
Many of the bills will bring cer
tain doom to many programs and
drastj^ajly cut others, but Watt said
sincftranj$f tteSM&toy?<?n'y
Congressional Issues at Town Meeting
passed in the House there is still time longer an entitlement program and
to talk to senators representatives and proposes to give the issue to the
express concerns. . states.
One bill Watt voted against is the "As much as I'd like to reform
recisions bill in which Congress welfare, this bill does nothing to cre
makes cuts in existing governmental ate jobs," He said. "It reduces fund
programs to offset the debt the gov- ing, puts it into block grants and says
ernment has incurred for disaster 'here states it's your problem."
relief.
Watt said the House went far Watt called the proposed bills
beyond the amount that needed to be that Republicans claim will bring tax
cut to offset the $5 billion spent in benefits another version of "trickle
disaster relief. It has proposed cuts down economics." Watt said the the
totaling $17.4 billion, most of which ory of cutting taxes for the rich in
does damage to many programs to hopes that they would invest it to cre
help needy people. ate new jobs didn't work. "Unem
"I would have no problem if the ployment rose and the budget
cuts were done systematically and on become fur her from being balanced,
a reasonable basis," Watt said. "But he said
of those recessions, 66 percent came Watt also said all of these pro
out of programs that benefit the poor posed bills will have a great impact
and middle income families." on his constituents of the 12 district.
Watt also has a problem with the the second poorest in North Carolina,
welfare reform bill. One reason is However, he said there is not enough
because the bill will make welfare nov^npise {UOUtrage coming from his dis
? _ ? , ? . ? ; ? ?_ , ?
trict and
others who
will be
adversely
affected by
numerous
bills that
may ulti
mately be
passed in
the Senate.
"Our
nation is
headed in
the wrong direction," he said,"and
these bills are pushing us farther and
faster down the wrong road. We need
to turn up the volume and say to the
U.S. Congress that this kind of policy
making is unacceptable."
Watt encouraged those present at
the meeting to share the information
with neighbors, churches and com
munity groups. , ? . : 4 ! j ,
Congressman Mel Watt
,n
Watt Promises
from page 1
that light is taken away they go back to their old
styles."
Several postal workers, black and white, told the
Chronicle stories of mistreatment from postal man
agement. Employees said the source of the problems
at the post office is Postmaster Mark Matics. They
complained that Matics' management style is abu
sive and intimidating. Some called for his resigna
tion.
After several attempts by Watt representatives,
post office officials in Greensboro finally met with
the Congressman. Management sent a closed-ended
questionnaire to employees who complained still
because they said it did not allow for feedback.
Watt said complaints about the postal service in
all areas of the 12th district is high. However the *
uation in Winston-Salem is unique and more diffi
cult because while there are laws dealing with race
discrimination there are none that deal with ir *nsi
tive management
The Congressman also said that his office will
continue to try and work with the system possibly
setting up some sensitivity training.
Paul Robeson Students Learn Who They Are
from page 1
"Seldom are speakers so
dynamic that they keep me still,
spell, bound with my mouth
open/' she said.
Smith said listening to John
son and watching the video of his
..school which showed an example
of first-grade African American
males computing math equations
without pencil or paper con
vinced her even more of the
necessity of such a school in the
city.
"I'm more convinced now
that we won t stop until we get
it," she said. N,1 don't see how we
can afford not to have it."
Johnson said students per
form better when they have a
positive sense of self that comes
from knowing their history. Stu
dents in the Academy, be said,
understand their history as it
relates to the subjects they study.
"When young people believe
they are the descendants of kings
and queens they won't act like
slaves," he said.
Martin said he has had dis
cussion with Coalition members
about seeking grant funds that
will allow school board members,
administrators and some commu
nity members to visit some mod
els of the Afrocentric school.
Smith said she believes John
sons visit to Winston-Salem did a
lot to boost the Afrocentric
school concept with the school
system. His presentation
answered many questions and
took away some worry.
"I feel his message wilt dis
pel any myth about an Afrikan
centered school," she said. "I
think his visit will take some of
the anxiety out of it, some of the
fear out of it and the intimidation
out of it." The achievements of
students at the Academy, Johnson
said, proves children can learn
regardless of whether they are
poor or come from single headed
households.
What helps these students he
said is building their self-esteem
through the power of words'.
Labels* Johnson said, do much to
damage a student's self esteem
and their feelings of self worth.
He knows. Because of a speech
impediment he bore the label of
LD (Learning Disabled.)
It's important, he added, for
administrators to play a signifi
cant role in helping their teachers
understand the power of words
and "program young people for
excellence." An even greater
asset is the concept of listening,
he said. The Afrikan centered
perspective, Johnson said, draws
from rituals and ceremonies for
listening.
Smith said she does not see it
being a problem with an Afrocen
tric model coming to Winston
Salem. "If they are experimenting
with the magnet school concept,"
she said, "they should be able to
put in place an African centered
school."
Eversley Visits
from page 1
"The children are highly
motivated and they feel special."
he said. "They get nurturing and
cultural clarity and sensitivity
that they don't get in 'regular
school/
"Children are better edu
cated, write better, speak better,
compute better and also have
some sense of who they are as
black people," he said of the stu
dents he observed.
Eversley said he also talked
to administrators about disci
pline. Only once in 20 years has
Watoto asked anyone to leave.
Discipline problems, he said, are
handled creatively.
These three schools, he
added, also dispel the myth that
Afrocentric is a new concept and
an unknown term.
People have been at this
work of Afrocentric schooling
for 20 years or more," he said.
Nationhouse Watoto School,
Three Afrocentric Schools
a private institution for grades
pre-K through 12 is 20 years old
All students wear African attire.
African Peoples Action
School is also private and stu
dents wear uniforms.
Children's Village is public
and exists as a school within a
school for grades 1 ,2 and 3.
AH of the institutions, Evers
ley said, have various similarities
such as the unity circle where
there are opening and closing rit
uals. The three schools also
adhere to the basic philosophy of
the Council of Independent
Black Institutions, of which they
are a member.
Founded in 1972, CIBI, is an
umbrella organization for inde
pendant Afrikan-centered
schools and advocates for those
type schools. C1B1 activities
include bi-annual conventions,
annual teachei training institutes
and a semi-annual of a newsletter
and annual Science Expositions:
There are about 50 members in
the organization from the U.S.,
West Africa and the United
Kingdom.
Eversley said he hopes
everything works to allow others
to do what he has done.
"Clearly, I want other people
to have the experience I've had,"
he said. His trip, he added, will
help prepare others to go.
Although the Coalition has
made no deadlines for the school
board, members are anxious to
have them to respond to the pro
posal. Eversley said he sees no
reason why an Afrocentric model
could not be included in the first
quadrant that will test the magnet
zone concept
An Afrocentric school here,
Eversley said, would show stu
dents far exceeding state stan
dards as they do in the cities he
visited. "We don't want to just
meet the state standards, we want
to exceed them," he said. "The
state standards are much too
low."
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