mmmmmu???
(AP Pho?c Scott Applewhiief
World AIDS Day
The Rev. Kwabena
Rainey Cheeks goes an emo- ;
tional account of his strug- ^
gles as a man and a minister
m the fight against prejudice ?
toward the HIV-infected as ?
he spoke to an interfaith L
congregation obsersing
World AIDS Day in
Washington Sunday. Nov. 30. Cheeks, a gay pastor, has con
ducted funerals, for people who died of AIDS but were
rejected by parents, churches, and funeral homes.
AP phot,-, f -. \e.-.S Sundo'. RoO?'* G'rOU*)
Farrakhan and Hussain
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. left, answers
questions from Fox .Yens Sunday host Tony Snow Nov. 30
in Washington. Saddam Hussein is more popular in Iraq
than President Clinton is in the I'n.ited States. Farrakhan
said Sunday as. he prepared to depart on a world tour
including a visit to Iraq
IAP Photo Lou Kraskv)
Pledge against racism
With smiles and a handshake. Ronnie Maxwell, chair
man of the S C. Democratic Party, left: Jesse Washington,
executive director of the Greater Columbia Community
Relations Council, center: and Henry McMaster. chairman
of the S C. Republican Party, right, seal what they called the
nation's first pledge to eliminate negative racial politics in
state government The two party leaders signed the pledge
during a news conference Monday. Dec.I. in Columbia.
S.C
[AP PPclc QCoriOf H0|
Free at last -
:
FILE ? James F Willis is shown in his New York home
in this copy of a 1995 file photo. Alaska's Gov Tony
Knowles pardoned Willis, now 72. Wednesday. Nov 26. of
a 1946 manslaughter conviction that witnesses say was a
racially motivated attack. The pardon will allow Willis to
qualify for veterans benefits.
Haley r
Tribute
Workers H
position a H
bronze statue I
of the late I
Alex Haley R
into place at K
Morningside jj&
Park in
K n ox v i 11e.
T e n n . .
Wednesday.
Nov. 26. fol- ^
lowing a dedi
cation ceremony
? ? ? .1 r .
Ma ley. autnor of me acciaimea no\ei koois. was oorn in
west Tennessee. In his later years, he had homes in
Knoxville. Tenn.. and Norris. Tenn He died in 1992.
? <
r
(AP'Phcto/Knoxv'He News Sentinel. Oov Owen)
Bed and breakfast a $150 a night oasis in crime-ridden inner city
By MICHAEL PEARSON
Associated Press Writer
EAST ST. LOUIS. Ill
(AP) ? Down the street from
the Chocolate City nightclub,
next door to the Family
Dollar and not far from
where the bullets fly, Herrett
Parker and her husband are
playing host
Behind the gates and
plain facade of the 85-year
old building they call home.
Mrs. Parker dishes up lavish
meals, draws whirlpool baths
and otherwise fusses over her
guests at the Parker Garden
Bed & Breakfast.
That's right A S150 a
night oasis in the midst of
one of America's most crime
ridden. drug-infested towns,
a place where many people
would pay to get out if only
they had the money.
"Even the black folk from
St Louis are leery. They read
the same newspapers." Mrs.
Parker said. "But when they
come through that door, they
don't know where they are."
The Parker Garden is
located just east of the
burned-out heart of East St.
Louis, a motley assemblage
of sagging buildings, fast
food shacks and liquor shops
left for dead three decades
ago when its middle class fol
lowed industry out of town.
Just a few blocks away, hous
ing projects provide the set
ting for almost nightly
shootings.
Vet business is thriving
The Parkers opened their
home to guests in June and
have had paying customers
nearly every weekend since,
Mrs. Parker said Bookings
have already exceeded the
entire first-year expectations,
she said
The Parkers are part of a
small but growing class of
pioneers in a $5 billion indus
try that has long been domi
nated by white, rural
innkeepers, said Pat Hardy,
executive director of the
Professional Association of
Innkeepers International in
Santa Barbara. Calif.
Where just a few years
ago Hardy knew of just one
black-owned inn. there are
now more than a dozen scat
tered throughout the country
? from Anacortes. Wash to
Martha's Vineyard, Mass.
Why?
For starters, resistance to
black innkeepers has been
slow to fade, said Doris
Clark, president of the
African-American
Association of Innkeepers
International and owner of
the Twin Oaks Inn on
Martha's Vineyard Island.
She had to mount a three
year court battle to overcome
the objections of neighbors
who thought she would be
better ofT opening in a pre
dominantly black area.
But blacks are also spend
ing more and more money on
travel, and many prefer to
stay with black-owned busi
nesses, she said.
"As African Americans,
there aren't very many places
we feel comfortable staving."
she said
Most visitors to the
Parker Garden are local cou
ples, and all have been black.
Unlike traditional bed and
breakfasts, with their empha
sis on Victorian charm, the
Parker Garden was designed
as a modern romantic retreat.
One suite features a
whirlpool set into a mirrored,
candle-strewn alcove. In the
other, lovers can nestle in the
tub watching a flickering fire
place or. in warmer weather,
relax on a private balcony
overlooking one of the city's
rare gardens.
The Parkers say they don't
need to go to great lengths to
protect their guests. Gates
and a watchful eye seem to do
the trick. "We've lived here
for 19 years and nothing has
happened to us." Mrs. Parker
said
Acquantta Spencer of
Pittsburgh opted recently to
stay at the Parker Garden
instead of a hotel when she
carn^ to tow n for a funeral.
Alf the pampering helped her
forget the bad reputation
lurking outside.
"I walked in and I just fell
in love." she saidi "I didn't
know it was supposed to be
so bad here, in the city, but I
would come back. You don't
think about it here."
Granted, two bedrooms
hidden behind wrought iron
gates and red brick walls
aren't likely to change East
St. Louis' reputation as a
haven for drugs and gangs.
It's certainly nothing on the
scale of the $210 million lux
ury hotel being built next to
the Casino Queen riverboat.
But the Parker Garden is
being seized on as a symbol
of renewal in the town that
gave the world jazz legend
Miles Davis before crumbling
into chaos.
That an electrician and
his wife would sink thou
sands of dollars of their own
money into a business predi
cated on attracting visitors is
powerful tonic for a town
long steeped in despair.
Mayor Gordon Bush said.
"We're moving ahead in
the city with projects which
are much larger." he said
"But what's unique about this
is that it shows the confidence
of our own residents."
"If people like us don't
stay and try to make the place
better, then no one's going to
stay," he said.
Juanita and i.l. Palmar apatatm tha African-American cultural complax in
Kalaigh.
SLAVE SHIP
from page A /
American svstem of judicial appeal
works, because American courts are
under a lot of question and pressure
now." Palmer said "And. historically,
we want to show how slaves were
brought across the Middle Passage,
and we want to? show how the
Amistad event was one of the major
events that led to the Civil War."
The events are the subject of a
new Steven Spielberg movie.
"Amistad." which opens nationwide
Dec. 12.
"I don't know whether his is going
to be a historical presentation or
entertainment." Palmer said.
The story of the Amistad has not
been covered in many history books.
Now the Spielberg film, books about
the rebellion and even an Amistad
Trail, part of the Connecticut
Freedom Trail, are popularizing the
tale.
Palmer was on his way to look up
something else in a library about five
years ago when he bumped into an
abbreviated account of the story. It
haunted him. He delved into it.
He and his wife, who have devoted
their retirement years and incomes to
developing the African-American
Cultural Complex on their three-acre
homesite, eventually decided it was
feasible for them to try to bring that
piece of history back to life.
The Palmers worked with a state
Department of Archives and History
employee and learned about Amistad
organizations across the country.
They visited New England sites perti
nent to the Amistad experience.
Now. the projects are in the plan
ning stages, and the cultural center is
starting to become a reality after the
Palmers efforts to raise money finally
began paying off
"I'd like for it to tell the history of
the African-American people." Mrs.
Palmer said.
Some preliminary work has start
ed. A builder is enlarging one of the
center's small exhibit houses to
accommodate some Amistad and
other exhibits, and an artist has ren
dered plans for a three-hut village to
represent Sierra Leone. Next, the
amphitheater stage will be renovated.
A composer is working on the
pageant.
The Raleigh Arts Commission
and City Council appropriated $7,500
for the pageant and $2,000 for a half
size replica of the ship. Board mem
bers have pledged $400 each, totaling
$4,000. The A.J. Fletcher Foundation
notified the Palmers last week that
the center's request for a S5.000 grant
had been approved.
But there is a long way to go. and
other grants and gifts are being
sought.
Palmer estimates it will take
$150,000 to get the pageant to the
point of performance. A preliminary
estimate calls for about SI.5 million
to design, build, equip and operate a
state-of-the art Amistad model adja
cent to the amphitheater, a figure
Palmer says may be unrealistic. He
thinks they can briag in an Amistad
for less, but he is determined to do
whatever it takes to get the little ves
sel on board.
"It's too big a part of American^
history to be buried." Palmer s;iid.~
"It's going to happen This is not a
dream. It is going to happen at what
ever the cost."
TESTS
from page AI
Evaluation Systems of Amherst.
Mass. It contains 50 reading ques
tions. 50 math questions and two
writing questions covering general
knowledge.
The test includes such questions
as:
? Math: "Tara can develop 2 rolls
of film in about 18 minutes. At this
rate, how long will it take for her to
develop 8 rolls of film?? The answer
is multiple choice, giving the test
taker a one-in-five chance of guessing
correctly.
? Writing: "Most students have
had some type of difficulty in one
course or another. ... Write about one
such situation you faced either as a
student or as a teacher.
? Reading: The test asks that pas
sages be read, then asks multiple
choice questions about the passages.
In one. a book index about (lowers is
given with 29 entries and page num
bers. Two questions ask which pages
to see for information about medici
nal uses of flowers and how to
describe the organizational pattern of
the index.
"The path of least resistance is to
go with a basic math and language
test." said John Dornan, director of
the Public School Forum of North
Carolina.
A meaningful testing program
would examine teaching competency
and cover at least 30 areas of teaching
specialties. Dornan said.
"The issue is are the people teach
ing adequately? Passing or failing this
test won't give you information about
their teaching methods," he said. "Do
you have a test for a teacher of read
ing at a middle school?"
State officials looked at the tests
available and decided to try the
CBEST version, said Deputy
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Richard Thompson.
"There were a very limited num
ber of tests available that measured
the reading, writing and mathematics,
which is the core knowledge you
would expect any teacher to have."
Thompson said. "We keep hearing
that it's probably lOth-grade level.
"This test ain't going to tell you if
folks can teach geometry. It should
tell you if they have the verbal skills
to communicate anything ... It will
tell you if they have some core knowl
edge skills."
The same test is used in California
to screen people seeking a teacher's
license. Georgia. Arkansas and Texas
used similar tests to screen licensed
teachers, but dropped them shortly
after starting them, according to
research by the Public School Forum.
In Arkansas and Texas, the tests
had "little impact on instructional
practices." according to a Public
School Forum report. In Georgia,
test results screened poor teachers
effectively and caused the state uni
versity system to focus on education
colleges, the report said.
Under the North Carolina law,
teachers get three chances to pass the
test before being fired. Teachers who
fail the first test are placed on paid
leave and get remedial classes at state
expense.
Thompson said state education
officials will do whatever the
Legislature wants if the law is
changed. As the law now reads, how
ever. the intent is to give teachers a
general knowledge test at the end of
the 1997-98 school year.
"If the purpose is to see if some
body can teach well, this is not the
test for that." Thompson said.
"If the legislative intent is for that
to be scaled up. we'll certainly correct
it. We did not have the time to devel
op a test and validate it from scratch.
You can't just give a test like that
when you're talking about some
body's employment without validat
ing it."
Dornan said the current system
also doesn't address the problem of
teachers who are pushed into classes
out of their specialty.
"If people can't pass this test, it is
a rather sad comment on the fact that
they have passed a college program
and gotten a teaching certificate,
because the test is not very demand
ing." Dornan said.
SUMMIT
from page AI
uncles can offer critical
support assisting with the
needs of children and single
parents. "They can help
folks wflo otherwise would
n't realize some of their
hopes, dreams and goals."
she said.
Another issue that
Robinson said needs to be
addressed is bureaucratic
obstacles to volunteers.
"We have to realize that
sometimes we create hin
drances to people offering
their time, if you say you've
got to be this kind of per
son or you've got to be cer
tified and licensed,"
Robinson said.
In addition, there needs
to be greater awareness of
making services more con
venient and available in
communities, said Robin
son. who has been with the
Sickle Cell Disease
Association more than 15
years. For example, provid
ing health care for low
income people and
immunizations for children
should be arranged in a set
ting as close by as possible.
Area delegates to the summit include the following:
Forsyth County
Nan Griswold
Nigel Alston
Ronald Drago
David Hudson
Walter Marshall
Martha Martinat
Henry May
Bill Moser
Barbara Pace
Maurene Rickards
Annette Scippio
Nancy Young
Gailford County
Molly Keeney
Martha Adams
Karen Adams
Santes Beatty
Treana Bowling
Kathy Bovette
Rick Holbert
Kumar Lakahvani
Judy Mendenhall
Gladys Robinson
Linda Sloan
Jim Stanley
Boo StaufTer
Pncilla Taylor
Judy Wicker
Robert Williams
PROTESTS
from page AI
"There needs to be a public
debate so there will be a public
understanding of the arguments pro
and con." Hooker said. "I welcome
anything that heightens the intellec
tual climate on campus, and any kind
of debate does ? as long as it's done
with civility."
Protesters plan to show solidarity
for affirmative action at Connerly's
speech but not disrupt it, Fischer
said
DOUGLAS
front page AI
alternative, then someone could get
shot. And you have to remember,
when an officer draws his weapon,
that is deadly force. I'd much rather
spray someone than have to shoot
him."
According to Douglas, there are
some things mentioned in the book
that the State Bureau of Investigation
won't exactly find flattering But some
stories needed to be told, he added
The purpose of the book is not to
embarrass the SBI. Nor is it to boost
the author's ego, Douglas said
"This isn't a vanity publication. I
just wanted to chronicle and share my
career." Douglas said, adding that
he'll be giving away the proceeds from
his publication.
Livingstone College in Salisbury
will be the benefactor. Douglas said
the school enabled him to fulfill his
dream ? becoming an officer of the
law. So he hopes the income from his
book will make that education possi
ble for someone else who lacks the
financial resources to get a college
education.
Douglas earned a bachelor's
degree in sociolog> while attending
Livingstone He is also a graduate of
the National Fire Academy, and he
attended the National Drug
Enforcement Academy in
Washington. D C. Douglas spent sev
eral years assigned to the D A R E.
(Drug Abuse Resistance Education)
unit, where he was a trainer, facilitator
and coordinator for the Southeastern
states. He is a lifetime member of the
North State Law Enforcement
OfFicers Association
A resident of Greensboro,
Douglas is a member of the Guilford
County Area Mental Health
Developmental Disabilities and
Substance Abuse Board, president of
the Greensboro chapter of the
Livingstone College Alumni
Association, a member of Mt. Olivet
AME Zion Church, and board mem
ber ,of Brothers Organized to Save
Others (BOTSO). a group that men
tors young men through al^facets of
everyday life.
A book signing will be held at
Livingstone College on Sunday.
>
' 1 1 ^ 1 1 i i i