Some say Rams’ victory came at too high a price. See Page A2
SportsWeek
Rams pull off
impressive victory
• • • •
Carver, West have
stormy game
Community
Women to complete
Habitat house
• • • •
See
f, V, \
See C7
Reynolda House to
celebrate women
5 cents
Winston-Salem Greensboro High Point
Vol. XXVII No. 1
SFRIALS DEPT.
ii4 1^6220-
X »: ***** A
SEIRIAuo DLiPAi:<’i^ih;i\T
CiD DAVXS jjIBRARY
Ui'«C CHAPrii I ri j_i I. I
CriAr'iiLU NC 2/514-8390
5 lJX\3
; /o
The Choice for African American News
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7,
The race is on
Local parties, groups trying to register, educate voters
BY CHERIS HODGES
THE CHRONICLE
Photos by Cheris Hodges
ura Elliott stands at Forsyth County's Democrat-
headquarters with a symbolic donkey.
The first election of the new
century has many implications.
Voting this year is not something
that the major parties want people
to take lightly.
In North Carolina there will be
a new governor and the seats for
many state senators and representa
tives are up for grabs.
On the national scene, the presi
dential seat will be decided as well
as many seats in Congress.
Voters, particularly minority
voters, are the key to these changes.
To inform people of the power of
the ballot, Gov. Jim Hunt has
declared September Citizens Voter
Registration Month.
According to Hunt, there are
about 1.5 million unregistered eligi
ble voters in the state. The State
Board of Elections and the 100
county boards of elections will be
conducting a statewide voter regis
tration drive in September
In Forsyth County, voter regis
tration applications must be post
marked by Oct. 13 in order for a
voter to be registered for the Nov. 7
general election. If applications are
returned in person, they must be
received by 5 p.m. Oct. 13.
The local Democratic and
Republican parties are also actively
reaching out to educate voters
about their candidates for various
offices. Jack Stewart, chairman of
the Forsyth County Republican
Party, said the GOP is sending out
candidate brochures to give people
See The race on A5
Jack Stewart holds a sign touting the Republican
candidate for president.
Treen reprimanded after
hair-throwing incident
JOY SCOTT
1 CHRONICLE
The Guilford County School
ard wasted little time last week
ing action against one of its own
;r a highly-publicized incident at
oard retreat Aug. 26.
In an emergency meeting Sept,
the day after the release of an
)logy by board member Keith
en’ for overreacting and throw-
a chair at Rhinoceros Times
itor John Hammer at the retreat
le board voted to adopt his letter
apology but reprimanded him
his actions.
“The board finds it unaccept-
e for a public meeting to be
rred by such a disruption,
ults, especially people in the pub-
;ye, must be able to freely express
ir differences,” the board’s state-
nt read. “The Board of Educa-
1 demands high standards from
students and employees, and can
lect nothing less from board
mbers.”
In a statement released by
;en and his attorney. Green said,
hould have exercised more toler-
e and patience. For my conduct,
n sorry.”
Green said the apology was tar-
3d to whomever it applies.
“I value the high standards that
e been set for the board and my
are conduct will adhere strictly
the code of ethics that governs
mbers’ conduct.”
The code, which all board mem-
s are expected to follow, states,
;t with honesty, fairness, integri-
and discretion in all relation
's; and respect the opinions of
ers with tolerance and patience.”
A heated exchange and a
awn chair ended the notion of
it could have been a relaxed
ilford County Board of Educa-
Green
tion retreat.
But Green wasn’t the only one
flying things in the air that day.
“Come on, boy, do it now!” was the
expression
Hammer, a
white man,
said he
remembers
telling
Green, a
black man,
before the
chair was
thrown.
“I wish I
had used
‘punk’ or ‘kid,’” said Hammer. “I
didn’t have a long time to think of
what to say.”
Because of pending “communi
cating a threat” and “simple
assault” misdemeanor charges
pressed by Hammer against Green,
Green could not comment on
everything that happened during
the incident. But in an interview he
did say he thought the term “boy”
was used as a racial slur.
“I do think the term ‘boy’ upset
him,” said Hammer. But, “In my
mind it was not a racial incident.”
Hammer said the choice to use
the term could have stemmed from
the hastiness of the incident or the
fact Green is younger. He also said
he does understand how some may
be inclined to tack on the “racist”
label hereafter and how it could
have been taken in a racial context.
“It was the wrong choice of
words, but that wasn’t the intent,”
he said. “I don’t take offense if
someone calls me boy.”
Although he admits his wording
was less than professional, he thinks
the board owes him an apology.
“It didn’t make me angry as
See Keith Green on A3
Officer
Friendly
Photo by Kevin Walker
Capt. Tim Samuels peers out
of the window in his office at
the Public Safety Center.
After 29 years, Samuels ready to bow out
BYT. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Capt. Tim Samuels vividly
remembers a conversation he had
in the early 1970s with a young
Black Panther on the topic of
blacks and the Police Depart
ment.
The man contended that it
was the responsibility of the
Police Department to gain the
black community’s trust and loy
alty, even if the department had
to bend over backward in order
to do so.
The talk was pure obscurity
to Samuels back then. He was
also young, black and a rookie
with Winston-Salem Police
Department, and of the mind-set
that his role and that of his col
leagues was to enforce the law
while protecting and serving.
After 29 years in blue and
more than enough police tales to
fill an anthology, Samuels’ mind
set has changed. He now says the
young radical hit the nail on the
head all those years ago.
He now says an invisible wall
has been erected between the
department and minority com
munities, a wall that officers must
scale.
“It’s going to take us, the
police, reaching out to the citi
zens,” he said.
More black faces in blue uni
forms will also help bridge the
gap, Samuels said, blacks who do
not have the us against them
mentality.
“If we really want changes, we
need to get in there (the depart
ment),” he said.
Samuels has developed a rep
utation over the years for his
frankness as much as his award
winning smile, which colleagues
and friends say he is rarely with
out.
Often Samuels holds unsched
uled meetings with younger guys
on the force, mostly African
Americans. Samuels discusses
with them their particular peril
and ‘sometimes relates stories
from his early days in the depart-
See Samuels on A10
Local school
focuses on
dropout prevention
BY CHERIS HODGES
THE CHRONICLE
For five years, students have
been getting help from a special
school in the county;
But Leap Academy is much
more than a holding tank for stu
dents who have been left behind in
traditional schools. The children
at Leap actually learn. The teach
ers are some of the brightest in
the county and they work with the
students on an intimate and per
sonal level.
According to Leap’s principal,
Colette Love, the focus of the
school is dropout prevention.
“All of the students here have
been retained. When you fail a
grade you’re about 40 percent
more likely to drop out of
school,” she said.
Love added that kids make up
their minds to drop out of school
at age 10, although they cannot
legally do so. She said this is espe
cially true for African-American
males. Of the 280 students at
Leap, 65 percent are African
American.
This year Leap is also serving
fifth-graders. Love said the
younger the students are, the
more responsive they are to
Leap’s program.
“I am very excited about
working with the fifth-graders,”
she said.
Love said the school does not
only help the children learn, it
also helps them with other “at-
risk” aspects of their lives.
“For instance, if they have a
drug abuse problem or they’re
being abused, we have support for
them in those areas to help,” she
said.
uuaiu ui j^uuc^d- iveirn vreen on
nily reunites at Old Salem
Tutoring program restarts
DVDATTT r'r\T T TNTC ^
See Leap on A4
Photo by Paul Collins
tdra Brown, who is from another branch of the family tree, smiles
she greets a relative fram Benbow-Oliver branch.
BY PAUL COLLINS
THE CHRONICLE
The Benbow-Oliver family had
several reasons to celebrate last
weekend. For starters, it was the
clan’s 30th annual reunion.
Also, research by Mel White,
director of African-American pro
grams at Old Salem, has shown that
the family is connected back to
black Moravian potter Peter Oliver,
who died in 1810 and who was the
last black to be buried in the Salem
God’s Acre when the cemetery was
still integrating burial sites.
A third reason to celebrate:
Some representatives of another
side of the family, which has been
having its own reunions since 1942,
attended the Benbow-Oliver
reunion to discuss the possibility of
having both family groups meet
together in the future.
See Reunion on AS
&
BY PAUL COLLINS
THE CHRONICLE
Deborah Fluitt was one of the
400-500 people attending the for
mal kickoff of the 2000-2001
V.I.P. Corporate Volunteers for
Kindergarten Readiness program
Wednesday Aug. 30, in the Grand
Pavilion Room of the Adam’s
Mark Plaza Hotel.
Fluitt is a first-year volunteer
in the program, which has volun
teers tutor targeted students who
are below grade level.
Fluitt said she hopes to learn
techniques through the program
that she can use at home with her
9-year-old son, who suffered a
severe brain injury in a car acci
dent a couple years ago. The boy,
now in the fourth grade, receives
tutoring in school.
“It was hard for me actually
See VIP on A1 1
Photo by Paul Collins
Deborah Fluitt gets some refreshments after the kickoff program.
FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS CALL (336) 722-8624 • MASTERCARD,, VISA AND AMERICAN EXPRESS ACCEPTED