Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Jan. 7, 1999, edition 1 / Page 6
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OPINION * The Chronicle v ernest H. Pitt PublisherICo-Founder Not rim egemonve Co-Founder / . Elaine Pitt Business Manager, fannie Henderson Advertising Manager JERI V ol ng Managing Editor ' ; Steven Moore Production Manager ?mowiLMMV - i i ? ?? ClftuUiUm *? Hard Lessons in Educational Equity ? ? . . > ? . Class is in session. And Winston-Salem residents are learning some hard lessons in educational equity. Let's review. History In the 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that separate but equal schools are unconsti tutional. That Jandmark decision sparked school desegregation efforts across the U.S. "Forty years later. America is turning back the clock on school integration. Attendance zones created by the Winston-Salem/Forsylh County school system's 1995 redistricting plan led to white flight from inner-city schools. The plan virtually eliminated busing in favor of neighborhood schools. Now, the NAACP is suing the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system for resegregating the schools. History repeats itself. Mathematics In the current climate of resegregation, inner-city schools, loss es have been suburban schools, gains. Since implementation of the redisricting plan; the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County system has seen the redistribution of both students and resources, resulting in overcrowded suburban schools and underutilized inner-city schools. ' As enrollment^ declines and diyersity decreases at inner-city schools, fundraising efforts suffer and parental involvement falter. A study by the school system's Equity Committee showed that the schools with the highest percentage of minority students had the lowest volunteerism rates and raided ^be least PTA fund? last school year. This disparity stems frbm both race and class. English Webster's Dictionary defines equity as "that which is fair and just." On the other hand, equality is defined as "correspondence in quantity, degree, value, rank , abjlity, etc." In American politics, integration has come to mean "the com bination of educational and other public facilities, previously seg regated by race, into one unified system." In the 1961 book "Nobody Knows My Name," author James Baldwin asserted, "Integration and education are not synony ^ mous." That may be true, but segregation, and education are not syn ? onymous either. Science . ? Learning does not occur just because black and white students sit side by side. There is no secret formula for educating children. Countless studies show that quality curriculum, early interven tion. small classes, dedicated staff, involved parents, high expecta tions and adequate facilities and resources lift student achieve-, ment. J Civics \ ' ?*? ? * ' ('? Education for African Americans is a question of power. Thus, we support the NAACP's school desegregation lawsuit and the organization's efforts to help our studehts and improve our schools. As the late NAACP leader Roy Wilkins stated: "Nothing should be overlooked in fighting for better education. Be persis tent and ornery; this will be good for the lethargic educational establishment and will aid the whole cause of public education." To the Editor: Observing the national holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. is neither a white nor a black celebration. Rather,, it is a reminder to ALL of us that we have start ed ? but not completed ? our nationwide journey of reconciliation and justice. There are several opportuni ties coming up, and I hope that these services are not considered as being just for African Americans. , The following services will be held in the Triad and Mecklenberg areas: ? The Western North Car olina Conference of the Unit ed Methodist Church will hold its MLK service at Uni versity City UMC in Char lotte, starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16. From Win ston-Salem, the Green Street Church van will leave from 639 S. Green St. at 8 a.m. To 1 sign up for the van, folks can call Pastor Mike Goode at (336) 722-8379 by noon Jan 15. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Dr. J. D. Ballard, pastor of United Metropoli tan Missionary Baptist Church. ? The Citywide MLK cele bration sponsored by WAAA will be held at the Benton Convention Center at noon on Monday, Jan 18. I am not satisfied with what it says about our citizenry when there are so few white faces present. ? At 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18, the [ owusfofc1. DannffcWf? DISGRACE! V, WWUMl I WW, 7 a# ^ > w*aw! J llllI w Ministers' Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity will sponsor a service at Saint Stephen Missionary Baptist Church, 5000 Noble St. The Rev. Paul Lowe, pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, will be the guest speaker. Please consider this a per sonal invitation to join me in at least one of these celebra tions. Ellen Yarborotigh, Minister for Church and Community Relations Green Street United Methodist Church ?i Confederate flag may fly on N.C. license plates Val Atkinson Jones Street The N.C. Court of Appeals ruled that the Sons of the Con federacy could be issued a North Carolina* Civic License Plate with their logo - the Confederate Flag, r on it. The North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles dgnied the SOTC's initial request on the grounds that the organization was not a civic organization. The SOTC appealed the decision through the court system a received a favorable ruling by the N.C. Court of Appeals. Appellate .Court Judge Patri cia Tinrmons-Goodson dissented on the grounds that the Sons of the Confederacy did not qualify for issuance of a North Carolina Civic License Plate because they did not meet the definition of a "Civic Club" under General Stat ue 20-79-4 (3a). Timmons-Goodson feels, and I agree, that the SOTC is a his torical rather than a civic organi zation. Civic plate applicants must answer the following ques tions regarding their organiza tion: Is this a tax-exempt organi zation? Does your organization have a local charter? Is your organization a part of a national ly recognized civic organization? How does your organization qualify as a civic club under Gen eral Statue 20-79-4 (3a)? What is the primary function of your organization? Is this a non-profit organization? . These six questions must be answered to the satisfaction of the N.C. DMV before a civic plate can be issued. When J was Assistant Director for the Vehicle Registration Section of the N.C. DMV, I didn't think that the SOTC's answers to these six ques tions qualified them for issuance of a civic plate. I didn't think so then and I feel even stronger aboufe^fieir disqualification now. There's very little civic about . trying to justify fighting for the preservation of a way of life that enslaved human beings so that their enslavers could enjoy a life of wealth and privilege. That position certainly does n't represent or promote ideas of civic or racial harmony. The Confederate flag has dif ferent meanings to different groups in America. For many African Americans the Confeder ate flag represents slavery, ante bellum oppression, Jim Crow, The Ku Klux Klan and a mod ern-day link to a past of degrada tion, bigotry and racism. North Carolina has made great strides, over the past couple of decades to rid itself of antebellum images and labels. To have the SOTC parading across this state dis playing the Confederate flag on their license plate would send the * wrong message to African Amer icans and other minorities, and to the nation at large. The constitutionality of this case is clear, and Timmons - Goodson was right - the Sons of the Confederacy do not meet the provision of General Statue 20 79-4 (3a)." But ijr addition to the constitutionality of this case. North Carolinians should be concerned about the state's image and the impact of the court's - decision on whether we're headed towards the "New South" or slip ping back into the Old South. i ? The decision made by the State Supreme Court will send a strong message to North Car olinians and the rest of the ^ world. I think the high court has no choice but to rule in favor of the DMV and disallow the issuance of a civic plate to the group. It's the best decision for the N.C. DMV and it's the best deci sion for North Carolina. Val Atkins is columnist for Consolidated Media Group Voices from the community... As we approach the year 2000, there is growing concern over the Y2K bug, a glitch in some computers that could render them useless. Some think the bug could paralyze everything from bank machines to airplanes. We asked local residents if they were concerned about the Y2K bug. Wyvorn Anthony "If they do shut down, that will let man know that we are'suppose to have it up here (pointing to head) not all in computers Computers have destroyed a lot of minds -because they can do everything for lit" . ttoymona Brown "God is in control of things, hut we aren't promised tomorrow, much less the year 21 KM). And as smart as man is and as gracious as God is. He'll Ness us with the wisdom that we need" / J. Kay Butter "I think that computers wilt con tinue to progress. It is one of the most profitable entities that Hf have in the norld There is no h ay in the world that they will shut down." Ronald Fluitt "I have heard a lot of talk about this issue. Everyone 's focused on the had. should he looking at where we are spiritually in the millennium It doesn't haw to happen. If we all get together we can turn this thing ? around '? ????? Vmlma Fluitt "The only ones that would really concerned ahout il are the ones who have daily uses of computers I do work on a computer. My coworkers think it is a hig deal, hut it doesn't - concern me." ,
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Jan. 7, 1999, edition 1
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