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FORSYTH CNTY PUB LIB >%? '? li
IK Chronics i
?r The Choice for African-American News and Information
Tonia Favorite, a stude^d|j I
University. When Tooia sttpfUB
po<Uum to addrew the apooa(?n|||^H
tnoutori, Mr MrvouaoMi
Surroiraded by *uch a '?
of witnesses, Favorite denied |{m|HR|
and spoke words that bsouabt tnjjHIBBB
eyes of many.
. Favorite thanked The College
cfaooeing her as a scholarship s||H^H
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dollars a year is a lot of moaey^to^jj^^M ?
County commissioners reject
Martin Luther King holiday
LEXINGTON, N.C (AP) ?
Davidson County remains one of
the only six counties in the state
that has not declared Martin
Luther King Jr.'s birthday a holi
day.
The Davidson County Board of
Commissioners voted Tuesday
unanimously against creating a hol
iday for county employees.
After the vote, supporters of the
holiday said they left the meeting
angry but not surprised.
4
"This is Davidson County. I
know the mentality of the people
here," said the Rev. E.L. White of
Mount Sinai Baptist Church, who
led a prayer vigil before the meet
ing. Opponents of the holiday,
such as Robert Moore, who said he
represented the Ku Klux Klan, said
that one man did not deserve a hol
iday.
Commissioners said economics
not race was their reason to vote
against the holiday.
Adding the holiday, which
would have been the 12th on the
county calender, would cost the
county $96,000.
"If people want to celebrate it,
they can celebrate it," said
Commissioner Fred McClure. "But
passage of the Martin Luther King
holiday will not improve race rela
tions in this county."
History in the making:
Black Publishers honor pioneers
By BRIDGET EVARTS
The Chronicle Staff Writer
Second only to the church in its influence, the
African-American press has remained a fixture in
the black community since antebellum times. Even
while men. women and children were held in
bondage in the Southern states, their brothers and
sisters in the North published newspapers, such as
Frederick DouglaSs' North Star, to expose the bru
tality of the "peculiar institution."
"The black press is thunder, booming in the
wilderness, crying out for moral justice," said
Chronicle publisher Ernie Pitt at the first annual
North Carolina Black Publishers' Association ban
quet, held Aug. 21 at the Friday Center on the cam
pus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill.
Pitt, the president of the NCBPA, and represen
tatives of the association's other 10 papers gathered
to honor pioneers in publishing, journalism, public
relations and entrepreneurship.
The publishers honored have each established
themselves as activists for change. Louis E. Austin,
editor and publisher of The Carolina Times in
Durham, was instrumental in the fight to dismantle
UNC's segregation policy.
When Wilmington native Paul R. Jervay Sr.
graduated from Hampton Institute (now Hampton
University) in 1928, he, like most young men his
age, traveled north for job opportunities in the
major cities. Jervay, however, returned home to
establish the Carolinian in Raleigh.
Known as "Dean of the Black Press," Thomas
C. Jervay Sr. earned more than 150 awards for his
professional and social achievements while publish
ing the Wilmington Journal. And Willie L. "Bill"
Johnson racked up a number of "firsts" in his life as
?vjvell: he was the first black to serve as a mail carri
er in Charlotte, as well as the first black reporter
known to work for a white daily paper in that city.
See History on A2
Former HAWS director
finds niche in Tampa
A Two authorities competing for grant ?
By BRIDGET EVARTS
The Chronicle Staff Writer
Most local folk thought of
Art Milligan Jr. as a good guy to
have in your corner. Now
Winston-Salem might have to
meet Milligan across the ring.
Milligan, former executive
director of the Housing
Authority of Winston-Salem
(HAWS), left that position last
December to head the Tampa,
Fla., Housing Authority (THA).
Since then, Tampa has received
JL
Milligan with open arms; his
associates at the housing author
ity praise his style as "efficient
and accessible."
"He seems to be a no-non
sense person, but very person
able," said Kay Wells, a member
of the Tampa Housing Authority
board of commissioners.
Now Milligan is using that
efficient and accessible style as
leverage for a federal grant that
could completely revamp the
Tampa Housing Authority.
HAWS is applying for the
?
same HOPE VI grant. The
HOPE VI program (Home
Ownership for People
Everywhere) was established four
years ago by the Departments of ; ?
Veteran Affairs and Housing and
Urban Development to graduate
public housing tenants to home-;
owner status.
Only about 20 housing
authorities nationwide are
efcpected to receive a chunk of
the $500 million available
See Grant on A2
Dole* Abigail Gwyn gtfi down to butlnatt with tough
plumbing fobs.
Dulce Abigail Gwyn: A plumber with a plan
By FELECIA P. MCMILLAN
Special to THE CHRONICLE
Most of her clients just call her
"D.A." This is short for Dulce
Abigail, "Dulce" is Spanish for
"Sweet," and according to Maria
Smithson, a client and friend, this
plumber fits the bill.
Smithson, who is 82, was one of
Gwyn's first customers. She first met
Gwyn when Smithson was preparing
to sell her home. Gwyn installed a
sink and did other services to make
the home more marketable. Gwyn
was then working as a carpenter's
helper. Gwyn also assisted Smithson
with the cultivation of her vegetable
garden, since some of the initial work
was difficult.
"Dulce is a young woman of good
character," said Smithson. "I am
impressed with her ambition, energy
and effort."
Gwyn appreciates the friendship
and encouragement of Smithson as
she builds her business.
Gwyn has been the owner of
Dulce Plumbing since 1992, when she
became licensed and insured to do
quality residential plumbing for new
homes, remodeling jobs and repair
services. Her motto is "None of your
plumbing needs are tougher than
Dulce Plumbing."
She graduated from Forsyth
Technical College with a degree in
Plumbing and Pipe Fitting in 1991
and completed her work experience
locally and her examination in
Raleigh.
"I wanted to put myself in a posi
tion to have favorable alternatives
rather than just dilemmas," Gwyn
said.
She has not regretted her choice
because of the viability of the market.
Although she was the only female in
her class of 10 students, her instruc
tor, Ike Brown, did not treat her any
differently.
However, she has experienced var
ious displays of doubts when she
answers a call from time to time. The
client may make such comments as "I
didn't know you were a female," or
"Are you sure you can do that?" or
"How are you going to do that?"
Gwyn just chalks this behavior up to
the content of their character and the
"limits of their environmental expo
sure."
"These off-handed remarks dimin
ish the value of a human being, and
people make these statements without
much thought of what they are say
ing," Gwyn said.
Willis Black, an electrician for 20
years, has worked alongside D.A. in
home improvement. "D.A. can caH
her own shots," Black said. She cao.
choose to work with just about any
construction firm, or she can contin
ue to go solo, he said. He encourages
others to follow her lead. I !
She takes pride in what she does.
"It is not a glamour thing, but I do
what I have committed myself to, the
best quality work, good workman
ship, and professional service. People *
must have respect for that," she said.
She said she strongly believes in.
developing her body as well as her
See DULCt o,vA4
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