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North Carolina Room f-"or$yih County Public Library 660 West Fifth Street Winston-Salem, N. C. 2710! 0 . ] ' JGDOt.. . 1 01- "3 r ! > \ ?1 M Y ' " il Ni PQCJM ( ' v* ' j ! H : j ! U W I NL> 1 UN- ? .ALL M N?. ' l The Choice for African-American News and Information THURSDAY, JULY 13 1995 75 CENTS \l'o.\cr i om i'(/cv nothing without a struggle. ' ? / rcdcrick Donglu sv . . VOL. XXI. No. 46 Helms1 AIDS Stance Insensitive to Many A Senator ignores scope of disease, plight to African-Americans By JOHN HINTON Chromci* Senior Sttff Writer ^ U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms* recent remarks on fed eral funding for AIDS research were harmful to AIDS patients, especially African Americans who are succumbing to the disease in growing numbers, an AlDs sufferer in Winston*Salem said this week. 'It doesn't matter how you got the disease because you are fighting a losing battle," said a 28 year-old black male who first contracted the HIV vims in 1988. "Blacks with AIDS are also fighting a losing battle because most of them cannot afford treatment The man, who spoke to the Chronicle on the condition that he not be named, said that he devel oped full-blown AIDS last year. He contracted the disease by engaging in homosexuality, he said. "We do need education," the man said. "People with AIDS needs to be taken care of. (AIDS research) is the only thing that keeps us going. It seems that (politicians) are always trying to hurt u s." . Helms' statements demonstrate that the North Carolina Republican is ignoring the scope of the disease, showing his insensitivity to the plight of African Americans, local observers say. Helms told The New Yprk Times last week that he wanted to reduce the amount of federal money for AIDS suffetox&jpecause he says it is their "delib erate, disgusting, revolting conduct" that is responsi ble for their disease. AIDS is only the ninth leading cause of death in America but accounts for more federal financing than other diseases that kill people, Helms said. "We've got to have some common sense," he said in an interview, "about a disease transmitted by people deliberately engaging in unnatural acts." Critics say some conservative senator's position has the potential to effect advereely the lives of 201 African Americans who represent 83 percent of the reported cases of people stricken the HTV virus or full blown AIDS since 1990 in Forsyth County, according to statistics by the N.C. Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources. The Rev. Jenny N. Britt, director of the Crisis Control Ministry of Forsyth County, criticized Helms for making generalizations about AIDS. Britt heads an agency that provide emergency services to local AIDS patients - 60 percent of its clients arc African Americans. ? "He is making blanket assumptions that AIDS only attacks one segment of the community,'* she said. "It is a very narrow minded view because it lumps all AIDS sufferers with a segment of the pop ulation that he doesn't approve of. He totally ignores babies and childreti who contract the disease through blood transfusions and other ways." Helms, a longtime oppo nent of homosex ual rights, wants to reduce AIDS spending just as Congress is considering reauthorizing the Ryan White Care Act of 1990, die five year federal pro gram for the caie and and treatment of people with AIDS, the Times reported. The law named for an Indiana teenager, who died after contracting AIDS through a blood trans fusion, expires on Sept 30. HELMS page 14 Jesse Helms James Lackey, volunteer for the Recruitment corps, shows how patients in the Family Heart Study would get blood drawn when testing for heart disease. * . ? . ? . v * # African American Women At Risk for Heart Disease A Study first to include black families with health problems By SHANNON HICKERSON Chronicle Staff Writer African American women have a risk of dying from diseases of the heart and blood vessels almost double that of white women (300/100,000 vs. 180/100,000), according to Gerardo Heiss, principle , investigator for the Family Heart Study, (FHS) a project of the University of North Carolina and Wake Forest University. The study is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a division of the national Institute of Health. It is designed to understand the inherited and lifestyle factors that relate to the risk of heart disease in families. This is the first family study of heart disease in the United States to include African Americans in significant numbers. "The majority population doesn't tend to look at the minority population and address questions that are appropriate in the African American community," Heiss said Out of the four areas that are partici pating in the study, Massachusetts, Min nesota and Utah, Forsyth County is the only one that is actively recruiting African Americans. "Forsyth County's component has a critical role to play in advancing our under standing of how heart disease affects African America families," Heiss said. "Only in Forsyth County is there a well organized African American community see AFRICAN page 14 City Settles With McKellar's Family By JOHN HINTON Chronicle Senior Staff Writer The city of Winston-Salem and the family of Shelia Epps McKellar have reached an agree ment on a lawsuit by filed McKellar's family on behalf of her estate, according to a news release from the city's attorney office. The settlement calls for the city to pay $75,000 to McKel lar's estate and was reached solely for the purpose of avoid ing further time, cost and incon venience in connection with this case, the release stated. On July 18, 1994, Esther Epps, mother of Shelia McKel lar, filed a lawsuit for wrongful death an violation of civil rights against the city. Chief George Sweat, and the five police offi cers. Ms. Epps alleged in her complaint that the police should have taken her daughter to the hospital rather than arresting her, and that her failure to do so see CITY page 14 City to Reconsider M/WBE Program Dy junn mn i un Chronicle Senior Staff Writer \ The city's Finance Commit tee will consider changes to the Minority/Women Business Enterprise Program at its meet ing on Monday in City Hall, including a provision that would eliminate employment profiles of companies bidding on public contracts. The staff will present recom mendations to the committee for certain requirements related to M/WBE firms as prime contrac tors, subcontracting for projects under $300,000, and the elimina tion of employment profiles sub mitted with bids, according to a memorandum from City Man ager Bryce Stuart to Mayor Martha S. Wood and the Board of Aldermen. The Finance Committee will Nelson M alloy consider these amendments at its meeting at 4 p.m. in the commit tee hearing room adjacent to the see CITY TO page 14 12 II m 17 This Week i* Black History July 13-17, 18*3 Hostility to Ml ad far of Mtcb, "the arae" of ttie rand potential competitor a Ac labor rata, led to "New Yrt EW) RkKv" one of the nooks race non io :Americ?hBloiy.Mobi| wept through sliuti, ?mi I I l IIHIKICQ HSCC InQ lwpd dun on hmppoits. n Jefferies' Poetry Published Nationally A East Forsyth graduate has been writing for 11 years By JOHN HINTON Chronicle Senior Staff Writer A modest mother of two is sneaking up on the poetry world and the talented Maya Angelou. Kim M. Jefferies of Winston-Salem had her original poetry published in Echoes of Yesterday, a treasury of today's poetry compiled by the National Library of Poetry. Her 20-line poem is entitled "Lies" and its topic is honesty in relationships. It appeared on page 54 of the book that contains 750 pages of poetry. "I try to tell people not to believe everything that you believe," said JefTeries, 29-year-old mother of two sons. "Go to the source. Don't assume everything you hear is true." She works as an employee relations assistant at Sara Lee Direct and also operates a part-time business called Computerworks Unlimited as a word processing special ist. Jefferies has been writing poetry about her personal experiences for 1 1 years since she was a student at East Forsyth High School, exchanging verses with her friends. "I have been writing poetry since I was 16," said Jef ?ee JEFFERIES page 14 Jefferies displays Ike book where her poem was published FOR SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 722-8624
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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