Goshen makes Negro League tribute
A Historical marker unveiled for 50th anniversary of Red Wings
(loft to right) Andrew Brown, superintendent, Jmnitpri District of tho
United Methodist Church; Bishop Mormon Alston, foimet toom piuyor; Mayor
Carolyn Alton; tho C*v. fttrtwi Jonss, pastor all Mow Ooshon United
Methodist Church; and Catherine Kelly tnoch, wife of the deceased owner of
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By FELBCTA P. MCMILLAN
Special to Tha Chkohk u
"We present this historical marker in
memory of and in honor of the men
who played baseball as the Goshen Red
Wings, to the glory of God." The people
of the Goshen community in
Greensboro made this statement in uni
son upon the occasion of the dedication
of the historical marker that now stands
at the original home of the Greensboro
Red Wings, the Goshen School. The
school is now adjoined by New Goshen
United Methodist Church, at 3300
Randleman Road. More than 200 people
from the community participated in the
lawn dedication Sunday, July 27, at 1:30
p.m. in front of the original site.
James Tonkins, second baseman;
Clement Verona short stop; and Walter
Herbin, center, lit candles as a memorial
to the players, owners and fans.
Catherine Kelly Enoch, wife of Sam
Kelly, owner of the Red Wings, and the
Alston Brothers, Lewis, Norman and
James, performed the unveiling of the
historical marker in honor of the
Greensboro Red Wings and Thomas E.
Alston, the first baseman for the Red
Wings and the first black player for the
St. Louis Cardinals.
Bishop Norman Alston, pitcher for
the Red Wings and brother of Thomas
See Tmun on A2
75 cants WlNSTON-SALEM GREENSBORO HlCH POINT Vol. XXIII No. 41
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Wad0 Wagorman in 1994. Sho
worked for SILf, tho roiiof orga
nization sot up by tho Unitod
Nations to assist war-torn
Liboria.
Wagorman '< March for missing
family mombors ondod with a
tragic discovory. Sho found tho
romains of aunts, unclos and
cousins outsido of Monrovia,
Liboria's capital.
Liberian carries on after war
* . .
* *
By BRIDGET EVARTS
The Chronicle Staff Writer
Wade Wagerman may watch the inaugura
tion of Liberian president-elect Charles Taylor
this Saturday on television. Then again, maybe
she won't.
Wagerman, who arrived in the United States
less than a month ago, barely survived the civil
war that ravaged her native Liberia for almost
16 years. She spent six years searching for fam
ily members and running away from the fight
ing.
She now lives in Winston-Salem with her sis
ter Lerine Gibson, a clerk for the city's
Minority/Women Business Enterprise program.
"We're not into politics," said Gibson. Those
familiar with the atrocities committed during
Liberia's civil war may understand why the two
sisters sometimes have to block out news of
their native country.
In a seemingly ironic twist, voters supported
former warlord Taylor, who incited the Liberian
civil war in 1989. But most did so with hopes
that the election will herald a new era of peace
for the long-suffering country.
?'(
Liberia occupies a unique place in African
history. The American Colonization Society, a
private organization that sought the resettle
ment of freed American slaves, first settled in
Monrovia, now Liberia's capital, in 1822.
Twenty-five years later, the group of Americo
Liberians declared the territory as an indepen
dent republic.
The former slaves did not recognize the
rights of the territory's native inhabitants in the
See Survivor on A7
Black leaders to revive
Winston's Roundtable
By BRIDGET EVARTS
The Chronicle Staff Writer
The cry, "Where are our lead
ers?" has become an ominous
refrain in the black community.
When bad things happen, or good
things don't happen, many
African Americans Find a void
where once was a voice.
That may soon change.
A diverse group of African
Americans ? activists, profession
als, elected officials, civic volun
teers, concerned citizens and
business and religious leaders ?
are trying to revive the Black
Leadership Roundtable, an orga
nization that served as a think
tank for Winston's African
American population over a
decade ago.
The Black Leadership
Roundtable fostered political
awareness in African Americans,
said the Rev. Carlton Eversley, an
original member of the organiza
tion.
The Rou
ndtable en
couraged
African Am
ericans to
vote on
issues, not
party lines.
Carlton Evers/ey and offered
citizens the
information they needed to make
educated decisions at the polls.
All too often, said Eversley,
African-American candidates and
interests were sacrificed because
blacks voted a straight
Democratic ticket.
"The Roundtable said, 'Look,
think very strategically to getting
your vote to black candidates and
any white candidates you think are
good,'" said Eversley. This
approach, considered radical at
the time, is now generally accepted
See Meeting os A7
Guilford school redistriding on hold
By BRIDGET EVARTS & WIRE REPORTS
The Chronicle Staff Writer
The Guilford County Schools
redisricting steering committee
agreed Monday night to hold off
on further decision-making until
they receive clear direction from
the school board.
The steering committee was
expected to vote July 28 on a final
feeder zone map. Feeder zones
decide school groupings: which
elementary schools would "feed"
into which middle and high
schools.
The committee's proposed
"Unity" map, which divided the
county into five feeder zones, was
hotly contested at a series of five
public forums held earlier this
month.
Most of the questions parents
raised at the forums, such as equi
ty in schools, busing and the defin
ition of "neighborhood schools,"
are not decided by the committee,
which was formed by the school
board as an advisory group.
Until the school board provides
the committee with answers to
these questions, no map will be
chosen. The committee asked that
the school board respond by Aug.
18.
"We were given a tremendous
amount of responsibility, and we
have taken responsibility for issues
over which we have no authority
WS/FCS redisricting continues
By BRIDGET EVARTS
The Chkcmkle Suff Writer
White Guilford County grapples with the school redistricting
process, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools mom into the
third year of its school assignment plan. This year, the elementary
schools that will implement Zone 4 of the plan are North Hills, Old
Richmond, Rural Hall and Northwest.
The local redistricting process has not been a quiet venture.
Several Winston-Salem parents filed a complaint with the U.S.
Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) shortly
after the school board approved the redistricting {dan.
In the two years since, representatives from the OCR have visit
ed Forsyth County at least twice to investigate the parents' com
plaint, which stated that the student assignment methods would
create a racially unbalanced school system.
The complaint remains open, said Rodger Murphy, OCR public
relations officer. Data shows that the majority of reassigned ele
mentary schools fall short of the racial balance guidelines set by the
school board, which mandate that no school should be more than
80 percent white or 60 percent black.
? zip," committee member Jack
Kaufman of High Point was quot
ed as saying. "And th&e are issues
that keep us from^making deci
sions." -s
The school board created the
committee by selecting representa
tives from each of the nine school
districts, as well as stakeholder
groups, which are community and
business organizations such as the
NAACP and the Chamber of
Commerce.
The redisricting process, which
? ? i,
began last fall, was expected to be
completed this spring. A
December deadline was projected
for the school board to begin
implementing the new zones in the
1998-99 school year. Since the
start, the redistricting process has
been beset by controversy.
More recently, African
American groups have charged
racism in the process. The Pulpit
Forum, a black ministerial
See ItedUhkl on A3
(left to right) Elite
Meekint, assistant
ticket manager;
^ Larry Lean Hamlin,
' producer/artistic
director of the
National Black
Theatre Festival;
Keisha Carter, volun
teer; and Eula
Covington, box
office clerk, pause
far a breather dur
ing the final prepa
rations of the I997
National Black
Theatre Festival.
National Black Theatre Festival to celebrate
'Reunion of Spirit' in Winston-Salem Aug. 4-9
By FELECIA P. MCMILLAN
Special to The Chronicle
Larry Leon Hamlin, founder,
producer and artistic director of
the National Black Theatre
Festival, expects more than
50,000 people from around the
world to attend this year's festi
val. This historic event will once
again grace the streets and the
ater venues of Winston-Salem,
during the week of Aug. 4-9. The
legendary Debbie Allen, actress
and dancer, will serve as the hon
orary chairperson of the festival.
"I am absolutely excited about
the unfolding of this year's festi
val," said Larry Leon Hamlin,
artistic director of the North
Carolina Black Repertory
Company, "There has been a
great deal of action and excite
ment as we try to dot every I and
cross every T, and time is running
out for preparations." Hamlin
created the festival in an effort to
bring the black theaters of
America together. The idea was
to develop an agenda that would
strengthen black theater and
ensure its continuity for genera
tions to come.
Having achieved this goal, the
Festival has taken on the chal
lenge of "uniting the black the
aters of the world using the genre
to improve the quality of life for
all of humanity." Hamlin encour
ages locals to purchase their tick
ets now, because many of the
shows are almost sold out. He
looks forward to seeing the resi
dents of the Triad as they wel
come their guests from around
the world "with very warm hospi
tality."
The theme for the fifth
National Black Theatre Festival
See Festival ovA2