Watts for vice president? Rep. stumps for Bush during Charlotte speech
By JOHN M1NTER
CCM&nt inATED MEDIA GROUP
Republican Congressman
J.C. Watts - still rumored to be a
possible vice presidential candi
date ? brought his rural Okla
homa, down-home values to
Charlotte recently to stump for
Texas Gov. George W. Bush,
who Watts and other observers
believe could attract more
blacks to the Republican Party.
They note that Bush got
healthy chunks of the black and
Hispanic vote in his re-election
bid last November, an election in
which the Republican Party
took a beating, largely because
of the black vote.
Watts spoke at a fund-raiser
for Bush's Presidential
Exploratory Committee that
raised more than S75,000.
Some of that money will be
used to bring Bush to North
Carolina sometime early next
year, if not sooner.
Such success raises Watts'
stature within the GOP, where,
as the only black Republican in
the U.S. House, he's a favorite in
a party wishing desperately to
attract more blacks and other
minorities to its ranks.
The former University of
Oklahoma quarterback is a con
servative Christian. He has the
body of an athlete and youthful
good looks so important in poli
tics these days.
He's made some headlines in
recent weeks with a proposal to
relieve black farmers of any
taxes on the multimillion dollar
settlement with the federal gov
ernment and attacks on proba
ble Democratic presidential can
didate Vice President A1 Gore,
who said recently he favored let
ting faith-based organizations
help solve community problems.
Watts said that Gore has
voted against faith-based
schools and a pilot program
allowing low-income parents to
send their children to religious
schools. ,
"It looks as if Vice President
Gore has recently had a Damas
cus Road experience considering
his past voting record in the Sen
ate and the House," Watts said.
According to many political
observers, like Hal Weatherman,
9th District Rep. Sue Myrick's
aide. Watts is on the "short list'
of potential vice presidential
candidates. Myrick and Watts
are both members of the
Houses Republican leadership
team. Watts is No. 4 in the
House Republican hierarchy.
And the venerable N.C. Sen.
Jesse Helms invited Watts down
to Wingate University and his
Jesse Helms Center.
Watts spokesman Bill Shep
ard avoided mentioning Watts'
vice presidential possibilities but
noted that he has a strong
national following.
"We get people coming by all
the time, from other areas, say
ing, 'I wish you were my conA
gressman," " Shepard said. "He
does have a message. He got his
values growing up in rural Okla
homa. He can relate to people
nationwide. That has allowed
him become a national fig
ure."
Shepard said Watts signed
onto the Bush Exploratory
Committee early.
"He seems to like him and
came out strong for him," Shep
ard said.
Shepard said one reason
Watts likes Bush is the congress-'
man "feels he will be able to
carry on the Big Tent policy."
One of Watts' favorite lines
on the speaking circuit is that
Republicans and minorities have
a lot in common and that the
GOP needs to make a more
determined effort to attract
blacks - who he says are conser
vative on many issues - into the
fold.
Watts switched to the Repub
lican Party 10 years ago and now
represents a district that is.
majority white. Watts was
moved to join the GOP after
covering a political debate as a
senior journalism major.
"The Republican candidate
had made sense," Watts said.
"His words resonated with the
values on which I had been
raised, echoing all the things my
dad had taught me: work hard,
play fair, be responsible, pay
your- own way. Those were words
I thought my dad owned. I
couldn't believe a Republican -
let alone a white Republican -
would be agreeing with my
father."
It took him 10 years to give
up what he dalled "his
birthright," being a Democrat.
Now he has typical Republi
can views - smaller government,
less taxation, more freedom in
personal lives.
"He doesn't like welfare or
things that keep people in
dependency," Shepard said.
Ten left in search for St. Aug president
BY ANGELA BURRUS
CONSOLIDATED MEDIA GROUP
RALEIGH - During a meet
ing last week, the presidential
search committee of St. Augus
tine's College evaluated and nar
rowed their choices down to 10
candidates, with expectations of
having a new president by early
fall.
The position had been
vacant since the end of May
when former president Bernard
Franklin resigned from office.
Following Franklin's resigna
tion, the committee advertised
the position in three academic
journals as well as hiring a
national search committee
before receiving inquiries.
' . '-?*.? i
Candidates were presented
by the Educational Management
Network, a division of
Whitt/Kiefer, the firm hired to
assist with the search process.
Originally, 35 candidates
applied for the position.
The EMN performed an
extensive screening process to
determine which candidate best
met the, established criteria,
which reduced the number to 25
candidates. That list was pre
sented to the committee.
Its a very diverse pool,"
William Mossett, search leader
and college trustee, said in pub
lished reports. *- -
Mossett added that ethnicity
is not an issue. The committee
will hire the candidate who will
I
help advance "religious thrust of
the college as well as the acade
mic thrust."
During the next few weeks,
the committee will-conduct face
to-face interviews with 10 candi
dates and further pare the list
down to three.
After the three candidates
have been selected, they will be
introduced to the executive com
mittee of the board of trustees, *
faculty,-students and the com
munity. ? ,
Afterward, the executive
committee will present one can
didate to the full board of
trustees for approval.
The new president is expect
ed to be in position by January
2000.
'The Trial' to run at Black Theatre Festival
v <\
Special to THE CHRONICLE
The 1999 National Black
Theatre Festival will host "The
Trial of One Short-Sighted
Black Woman vs. Mammy
Louise & Safreeta Mae." The
play will open Aug. 5 at 8 p.m.
and will run through Aug. 7,
with 3 p.m. matinees and 8 p.m.
performances on Friday and
Saturday at The Arts Council
Theatre in Winston-Salem.
The star-studded cast
includes Barbara Montgomery
("Amen") as the judge, Petronia
Paley ("Guiding Light") as the
prosecutor and Ebony Jo-Ann
(Broadway veteran) as Mammy
LouiSe. Director Paul Carter
Harrison and producer Woodie
King Jr., in association with
ETA Creative Arts Foundation,
present this multifaceted satire.
Robert Simonson .of Time
out Magazine (Nov. 5-12, 1998,
issue) says, "A long play title is
usually not a good sign: A
wealth of words on the title page
often masks something lacking
in the subsequent text. Not the
case with 'The Trial of One
Short-Sighted Black Woman Vs.
Mammy Louise and Safreeta
Mae.'"
Playwright Marcia L. Leslie
set out to write a lighthearted
one-act that would examine
what Aunt Jemima might say if
she popped off of the pancake
box. What the playwright
gained was an insight to the
- humanity, dignity and the his
torical implications of these
cardboard divas. What was the
purpose of these images and
what was the reality?
Leslie structures this play as
an unorthodox mock trial, but
what transpires is an intergener
N ational healing of African
American women over their
depiction in the media. Victoria
Dryer, the middle-class, short
sighted character, discovers that
assimilation without self-real
ization is futile.
Dryer is a young black exec
utive who is the "token"
employee of a television produc
tion studio. She has her realities
and images agitated when
Mammy Louise and Safreeta
Mae reveal their truths and real
ities. Dryer charges that the two
defendants, antebellum slaves -
Mammy Louise, a robust, dark
complexioned cook, and Safree
ta Mae, a flirtafious mulatto
concubine - are guilty of creat
ing the relatively negative
images often portrayed in the
media. v
Dryer resents the centuries
old itpages that the m'edia por
trayed of black women: as either
the Aunt Jemima figure or the
lightrskinned. i longhaired
temptress. She brings them to
court for misrepresentation in
front of a no-nonsense judge
with a conservative prosecutor
and an Afro centric defense
attorney. - The other characters
involved in the case, from the
past and present, are sworn in to
testify. They provide splendid
yet haunting comic relief.
Leslie, an accomplished
writer, has utilized her writing
ability on television shows that
include "The Cosby Show" and
. "The Parenthood." Leslie's
"The Trial of One Short-sighted
Black Woman vs. Mammy
Louise and Safreeta Mae" has
been produced at the Shake
speare Festival Grove in Orange
County; The Arts Consortium
in Cincinnati, Ohio; Howard
University and Harvard Univer
sity. It also has garnered the Jeff
Citation in Chicago and has
been honored by the Black The
atre Alliance in Chicago with
the Best Writing of a New Work
i ' .SV, Trial on A11
The Downtown Middle School
____ is Proud to Present
j^QLg&. Its Very First Eighth Grade Class
'? 1998-99
ABna. EltrMcth 0?talcv? Han. Early MtOaDan - " - |l "
? a*iaa Ctaana Dam. Tyka Hill Make. MtDwan. H I *1 11 , IV Pane*
' BaantoK/iaa Dnnin. II Sanaa Hptton I iilm " f ~ | Una Mi a
Ma. to Mi Dylan Hod*. k tot* HIBil.il Mia tot. Lat
?'"?I" Trto Dana. Kfyadt Itanaknii. Sato Maanhau , Sato. Canary
tona.KaBto DainLaa* , - ? ? III aa. ato J Mto. Kaa
toatMtotoy Dtn Mnkad I . Itttk Mctota. Mart Sato Kama
??III to am li DtoonCkai I I Mm HttoDipai lain. Kttojt
; ?to.caa DtoaSara II rati OMantato - n I ?
? 1 1 I '??? Dana Clan kaa. Enta O Cttna. Dana toa? rtoaai
B?**-**? t>?. Mrtti loan. KM* OUm, Latfwy SaKm. CWmmAHT
toto. Sato * Dtorv fay IDato. k bay Eat. Sato Sana. Sana
Btoato Jai Kyle. Malar. lata Mtor Tat lata
totSBasBt. ta)M BkaiOaa Lttaal Anton Eal Ayatoa TtyM. DatM
toanCataa bntohal La. tya Erato kaact Ttoto. Sat
y?Eataa. ITtornnr Lara. Miat Parana. Sanka Tton Garn
y-*- "i I"1 Entrtnwa Oavac I nam. Gaan EMM. Kaa Tti I n. B wtont
!-"?!?? htonkAla Lactaaka. taaaka Pkatan BinSiii Ttl |lll.Atktay
yy .Wtaa Eaai?e. lit... Lartnt. Era Pinnon Mekat TIB. Kaa
?" Ml k Tkarrtota Mat. Dana nam'. Nicole Tumi
"***?" I' ' Oak lb Mtocy. HoBy Qnck Dane Waaf. Dnay
toncMaecn CatoSctn K.H.nlta btla. Me?n Wan Nknk
Byai Titoa GeeaM Atody Haul Cakn lata. Eryn I k Hit I
Oii|l |B Cataay Otoat Daa? Mat. Dat ? I II i Ktoy Wkke. Kya
y*! GotoaManke. McCally Eanct lakkay Wknley torokr
Cm". Aacha Ghflta. Dan Mediae. 1 I toato Una Wtoy. Skam
ttoto in Dtra Gtaaaaa. Tkana McDaal laato Saaark. Otana titan Aatoay
?"*?_ Ml" HakaanEnc McDnnto lanca Soon Aa. Witaa. Ckna
CMKCknaaa Hak Nrcki MtFtok. fkaua It. tot - f ? ?
'' ' Haain Wilkin Markka I I Von kM. Va?a. Sat
QntoTitoky HatoDaad McGay Alaaa Von tatct ZatocL Wtoa
Your Accomplishments Include:
95% of students tested proficient t multiple choice test)
85% of students tested proficient (performance test)
89% of students tested At or Above Grade Level (Reading)
83 9% of students tested At or Above Grade Level (Math)
*100% of the students took all the tests
.
We are so proud of each and every one of you.
Best of Luck in all that you do! !
U.S Hep. J. C. Watts extolled the virtues of presidential candidate George W. Bush during a stop in Char^,
lotte recently. 'V[
COMMUNITY
CONNECTION
CALENDAR
Culture Jam of 1999
Coca-Cola and the City of Winston-Salem Parks & Recreation
will present its "Culture Jam" of 1999
SUNDAY ? ? ? 4:00 PM ? ? ? JULY 18?
WINSTON LAKE "FAMILY DAY"
, This event is FREE and open to the public/
We will kick off the summer with fun, games, music & talent.
Local talent auditions to to be held. Come out and show what you've got!!
All performances must be clean and participants must provide their own music.
Always in the Community, Always Coca-Cola
^1 I
I With FHA's new I
I hl^hsf loan limits, I
?; ,
I I
I you can buy your ?
I dream home. I
I
I I
Ht
?i
n
? ?RVvlK^HiWAHaSV^VAHiiSiiEVSvMAiMiiViiVA^RniK^^^H
?'
? '
y ?//g^|B Since 1934 we've helped over 26 million Americans get into new
J&jijl^ homes. And starting this year, HUD can help you get a home loan for
ffi IPfltta up to $208,800. Be sure to check with your lender to find out what
111 the FHA-insured loan limits are in your area. We can also help you
syMHl with any questions you might have. Just call 1 -800-HUDS-FHA and ask
for our free 100 Questions and Answers brochure. It'll tell you how
to get an FHA loan for as little as 3% down. How to choose the right
lender. How to prepare yourself for the homebuying process. "fl jr
And much more. In fact, if you're looking for a home, it's all |\"| 1 /|
the information you need. ?* AvIV*
HUD and FHA ait on your nde. I
^B ^^"?"1 '?SmSS*'