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The Choice for African-American News and Informr *?
THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 1995
"/\mi er cohi ( ilc s nothing without (t
2710*
Rev. Mendez
Views in Line
j
By STAFF AND AP REPORTS
The Rev. John Mendez of Winston-Salem
supported the Progressive National Baptist Con
vention as it outlined positions on several issues at
its conference last week.
Nearly 3,000 delegates at the 34th annual
gathering of the Progressive National Baptist con
vention in Charlotte called for an economic boy
cott of California after university officials repealec)
affirmative action programs.
"That is absolutely correct/ Mendez said.
*We (blacks) pay taxes there. They don't deserve
bur support." " '
? ; Mendez, the pastor at Emmanuel Baptist
Church, was among delegates from five Winston
Salem churches who attended the convention
Where President Clinton, the Rev. Benjamin
Ghavis, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, -and Dr. Henry
Foster spoke.
Foster, the unsuccessful nominee for the U.S.
Surgeon General post, also attacked recent threats
to affirmative action at the convention.
He said the potential damage from disman
tling affirmative action could hamper blacks for
years.
Foster alluded to the recent decision by the
University of California system to end affirma
tive-action programs and of recent attacks on fed
eral affirmative-action programs.
"Real freedom does not exist without eco
nomic freedom," said Foster, who was presented
with a Distinguished Service Award by the PNBC,
yif you don't have the green stuff, you're still seg
regated."
The convention passed a resolution uiging the
government to lift its economic embargo of Cuba.
<%We have done the ticht tiling with Vietnam, let
us do the Christ-like thing in Cuba," the group said
in a statement
Mendez has preached revivals in Cuba and
said that the country is no threat to the United
States.
"There is no rationale to continue to punish
this little country," he said. "It is not right to con
tinue a trade embargo, which is causing undue suf
fering on the people there."
The PNBC., a predominantly black denomina
tion has about 2.7 million members, among them
civil rights leaders Ralph Abernathy and Benjamin
Hooks. The Rev. Martin Luther King was a mem
ber.
see MENDEZ page 12
FA'A'A-iyTASTic!
Chandler Lees An
American Dream
By VERONICA CLEMONS
Chronici* Staff Writer
Three years ago, Chandler Lee
jumped on a business opportunity and
purchased a financially distraught car
dealership here. He's been steadily
increasing profits since then.
"It was a big risk," said Lee, owner of
- Classic Cadillac on North Point Blvd.
"There were no employees, no inventory.
But I always wanted a Cadillac dealer
ship."
In 1994, Classic Cadillac's profits
were about $18 million. Lee said now the
company is doing about $20 million.
Contributing to that success, Lee said
Classic Cadillac offers high quality ser
vice that exceeds customers' expectations
and excellent mechanical service.
Prior to purchasing Classic, Lee was
president, CEO and chairman of Chandler
Lee Motors, Inc., in Southern Pines. He
sold that business after purchasing Clas
sic.
When seeking another dealership, Lee
was not particularly looking at Winston
Salem, but he said it was a good location.
sgot
the truth i
not worry
about the
repercussions."
"Winston -Salem is an excellent business mar
ket because of low unemployment and there's a
lot of wealth relative to other cities in the state/
he said.
Ernie Pitt, publisher of the Winston-Salem
Chronicle, said he met Lee in Pinehurst at a golf
tournament before the Cadillac dealership
became available. When the opportunity did pre
sent itself, Pitt said Lee called him to get his
opinion.
"Of course I told him it was a great opportu
nity not only because of his personal commitment
but because the city was big enough and we have
a strong African American community/ he said.
" I knew he was the kind of individual to make
significant contributions to the community."
Lee, 42, said the key to his success as a busi
nessman is keeping a positive attitude 100 per
cent of the time; never, ever thinking about fail
ure. When people ask Lee how he is doing his
see CHANDLER page 13
250 Register
for D.C. Rally
By JOHN HINTON
Chronicle Senior Sttff Writer
Nearly 250 African American men and
women in Winston-Salem have registered to attend
the Nation of Islam's Million Man March ached
uled for Oct 16 in Washington, D.C.
"We want to promote a more inclusive atmos
phere surrounding the Million Man Match under
the Minister Louis Farrakhan," said Minister See*
X (Fletcher), the chairman of the Local Oiganfcrinf
Committee for the March. 'The purpose of the
March is to establish a black agenda - to force -
presidential candidates to come to us and mkkess
our agenda/*
Scott X discussed the participation of local
African Americans during die committee's meet
ing Tuesday night at the F. Roger Page Business
and Technology Center in Winston Salon.
About 20 people attended the planning scirsion
including Larry Leon Hamlin, the founder and
artistic director of the National piack Theater Fes
tival, and North Waxd Alderman Nelson L. Msttoy
Jr. Local blacks registered to participate In Ike
March for free, but they will be asked to dosnt
between $1 to $10 to help defray transportation
expenses.
Several Black Muslim men, women, and chil
dren gathered to hear Scott X outline the Natal of
Islam* s plans for the March. Registering 5,000
African Americans in Winston-Salem and Forsyth
County to participate in die March is the commit
tee's goal. The March is only two months away,
and is expected to draw blacks. Latinos, and other
minorities from every m^or American city.
"Minister Farrakhan has called the event a day
of atonement for black men who have been
rejected by black women and the black family,"
Scott X said. "Black men are the despised and
hated people on this Earth. We are trying to dean
up the mental condition of Black America."
The committee needs $100,000 for 100 char
lerea ouses 10 transport me csciitufuunors to ?vaan
ington.
'It is going to difficult to raise the amount of
money in this city," Hamlin told the committee
members. "If this organization is taking the lead,
they you must reach out to local community orga
nizations."
He suggested a modest fee for people who
want to ride buses to the nation's capital.
"Everyone should pay $20 to ride,** Hamlin
said. "You would want to use chartered buses
because Greyhound may make too many stops."
His remark sparked laughter from everyone at
the meeting.
M alloy encouraged the committee to move
see RALLY pnget
Ito Becomes Spotlight in 0 .J. Trial
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Judge
Lance Ito ruled today that another
judge will have to decide if the
O.J. Simpson jury will hear
explosive tapes of Detective
Mark Fuhrman deriding Ito's
wife and uttering racial epithets.
'1 love my wife dearly, and I
am wounded by criticism of her
as. any spouse would be. And I
think it is reasonable to assume
that that could have some
impact,** Ito said, chcjjpng back
tears.
"As I mentioned, women in
male-dominated professions learn
to deal with this and those who
are successful, I think we all
observe, are tougher than most,
but having said that, the appear
ance of a reasonable concern that
this court could impartially rule
on these issues is there,'* he said.
The extraordinary ruling
capped a wild day that started
with the release of transcripts of
sidebar conferences about
Fuhrman's comments in taped
interviews with a screenwriter. At
one point, Ito said he may have to
withdraw entirely from the case.
"Just when you thought we
couldn't have anything crazier
happen," Ito said.
Just before Ito's ruling,
defense attorney Johnny Cochran
Jr. said no one wen^uncriticized _
in the Fuhrman tapes.
"He has no respect for any- .
one. Fm just pointing out to you
that if you send it to a woman, he
doesn't like them, send to a Mexi
can, he doesn't like them ... he
doesn't like anybody unless
they're white, Anglo-Saxon
police officers. ... I'm telling you
you're going to have a problem
no matter where you send this
case," Cochran said.
see JUDGE page 13
Johnnie Cochran
Laura Hart McKumy
Poor Funding Threatens NBTF's Survival in Winston-Salem
By VERONICA CLEMONS
CkronicUSuft Writer
The requests by some people to have
Larry Leon Hamlin move the National
Black Theatre Festival to another city may
be given serious consideration if the
foundcg and artistic director of the event
does not get increased support from the
city.
"Until you hear differently, the festival
will be here/ Hamlin said "The location
will depend on the amount of funds that
we will be able to attract from this area."
Hamlin asked the city to contribute
$50,000 to this year's festival. The S220
million city budget originally has allotted
the request but alderman unanimously
approved an amended budget that reduced
the $50,000 to $35,000, the same amount
contributed to the 1993 Festival.
City Manger Bill Stuart recom
mended that the Festival should only
receive that amount form the Occupancy
Tax Fund to maintain its level of prior
support.
East Ward Alderman Joycelyn V.
Johnson supported the board's decision
because the Festival receives funding from
other sources.
Hamlin said he would ask the city for
$150,000 for the 1996 festival which will
be the event's fifth year.
Fred Nordenholz, president of the
Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce,
said it was too early to know whether the
Chamber can increase its commitment to
the festival. The Chamber did double its
contribution to the *95 event from $15,000
to $30,000.
However, Nordenholz said there
would be a void in the city if the festival
were to change locations.
"Everyone in the community would
be disappointed if that happens," he said.
"It's a special and unique event thai gives
the community national recognition.*
The festival brings national names
and more than 20,000 people to the city
for a week and has a profound effect on ill
economic impact
At the present, however, the noise
level at the North Carolina Black Reper
tory Company's officehas lowered. The
festival staff is gone and the phones are
not ringing off the hook with people catt
ing about festival schedules or tickets,
Hamlin says he is getting back to his
see POOR page 13
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