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Winston-Salem Greensboro High Point
Vol. XXVII No. 3
113 062201 ******»»***2_Qjgj,p 275
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The Choice for African American News
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2
Iderman
ighs in on
outs debate
VIN WALKER
ONICLE
tbinson
rred by his Eagle Scout roots, Alderman Vernon
)n unveiled a resolution last week that called for
to end its yearly United Way campaign if Unit-
reduced its funding to the local Boy Scouts coun
cil.
Robinson withdrew the reso
lution Monday night, however,
before his colleagues got a chance
to weigh in on the issue. Robin
son said he was satisfied that the
United Way will not follow the
lead of other United Way agen
cies by cutting funding to the Boy
Scouts because of the group’s ban
on homosexuals.
In an interview last week,
Robinson said he came up with
tlution because the United Way was “playing
11” with the Old Hickory Council, the umbrella
ition for more than 10,000 in Forsyth and sur-
g counties.
y few (United Way) agencies have gone after the
outs...only three from around the country,”
>n said.
inson said the local United Way, its president
ago) and its board had been inundated with calls
gry citizens, outraged at the mere suggestion that
icy would target Scouts.
John Conrad, a spokesman for the local United
d the Old Hickory Council was never in danger
g its United Way funding, which averages about
I each year.
rad said the United Way’s 77-year-old relation-
h the Old Hickory is strong as ever,
j Boy Scouts are not going toiose any funding,”
rad said the issue has been made bigger than it
is. The United Way requires all of the agencies it
sign partnership contracts that include a non
nation clause. On the advice of legal counsel,
said, sexual orientation was added to that clause,
rad said United Way felt it would be no conflict
ovision was added because the local council does
; a history of discriminating against anyone.
;y do not discriminate to our knowledge. We
issues with (the Old Hickory Council)....Our
hip is not with the national organization in
t is with the Old Hickory Council on (Silas
he said.
as of Tuesday, the Old Hickory Council had not
he partnership contract, in part, according to
because of the provision dealing with discrimi-
gainst homosexuals.
set deadline for all partner agencies to sign the
nt was last week.
rad said he has “every confidence” that the coun-
;ign the agreement, possibly by the end of this
ut Conrad added that the current non-discrimi-
lause relating to homosexuals may have to be
i somewhat” before that happens,
inson announced his resolution a day after a bill
;e the charter of the Boy Scouts of America was
Imingly defeated by the US. House of Repre-
:S.
bill, introduced by a Congresswoman Lynn
, D-Calif, was defeated 362-12. Woolsey said
See Boy Scouts on A10
Ftioto Dy Kevin vVaiKer
Ed and Miriam McCarter stand in front of a display in their bookstore. Special Occasions.
Book Wars
In ‘mega market, blaek-owned bookstores try to stay above water
BY JOY SCOTT
THE CHRONICLE
Any bookstore owner can ask
how your day is, but not every
owner knows your family.
“How old is your son now?”
Ed McCarter, owner of Special
Occasions Bookstore in Winston-
Salem, asked a customer.
Chit-chat about family, life
and great black authors is some
thing often heard in the book
store. Photographs of famous
authors who have passed through
for book signings, fraternity and
sorority paraphernalia, religious
and general books about black
culture adorn the walls.
But despite Special Occasions’
loyal customer base, husband and
wife owners and operators Ed and
Miriam McCarter admit the
emergence of large franchise
bookstores carrying big name
black authors has impacted the
store’s selling appeal.
“It’s a challenge to remain
competitive,” said Miriam
McCarter.
Offering well-known authors,
online services and spectacular
mark-downs on best-selling titles,
the franchises have become more
accessible to readers, the
McCarters believe. But Miriam
McCarter insists that just because
the bookstores are more accessi
ble doesn’t mean they’re better in
relating to the black audience.
“The ethnic market on a
whole is not their market. They
want to market the best known,
but they’re not going to deal with
the wide breadth that our dealer
ship is looking for.”
While larger bookstores may
be using the World Wide Web as
bait for customers, James
Muhammad, owner and operator
of Dynasty Books, a black book
store in Charlotte, said he doesn’t
expect his customers to choose
buying on the Internet over com
ing to the store.
“A lot of (black) people are
See Black bookstores on A9
Alston, Green go
tit for tat on local
radio show
BYCHERIS HODGES
THE CHRONICLE
Alston
Green
Administration spotlights black colleges
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
The day before President Clinton proclaimed
this week as National Historically Black Colleges
and Universities Week, the Department of Housing
and Urban Development announced that it had
awarded $10.4 million in grants to 38 HBCUs.
The grants are for community development. The
schools will use the money to develop programs
and partnerships to stimulate growth and econom
ic development in local communities through activ
ities like job and computer training.
Fifty-three HBCUs applied for the grants.
Those with the best proposals were chosen, accord
ing to HUD. Three schools in North Carolina
made the cut: Barber-Scotia College in Concord,
Elizabeth City State University and N.C. A&T
State University.
“The schools receiving (the grants) are key play
ers in HUD’s efforts to revitalize America’s neigh
borhoods,” said HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo in
a statement. “We need their involvement because of
their location and relationship with their communi
ties.”
Elizabeth City State University will receive
$475,000. The school will use the grant to concen
trate on improving housing in the county in which
the school is located and several other surrounding
counties.
“We will rehabilitate homes that are substan
dard so that low-income people can occupy them,”
said Morris Autry, director of Elizabeth City’s
community development program.
The university will partner with several agencies
in the area to make the project a success, Autry
said. Outreach and financial assistance programs
also will be set up to help families get placed in the
See Grants on AS
Things have not been easy for embattled Guilford
County School Board member Keith Green these last
few weeks. He is facing criminal charges in an alleged
chair-throwing incident. Now Green’s business deal
ings with the school system are
being analyzed to see if there is a
conflict of interest.
Green’s company, Behavorial
Interventions, has a $1.3 million
contract with the Guilford
County School System for ser
vices provided to students. Guil
ford County Commissioner Skip
Alston, who is also the president
of the state NAACP, has called
for an investigation into the con
tract by the State Attorney Gen
eral’s Office.
The Guilford County Board of Commissioners set
tled a lawsuit with the school system by shelling out
over $3 million in August. That amount is $1.5 million
more than the commissioners originally set aside in
their budget, said a spokesperson from the Guilford
County School System.
This issue with Green’s company was brought to
light after the .Aug. 26 chair
throwing incident. Allegedly,
Green tossed a chair at John
Hammer after being called a
boy. Hammer is the editor of the
Rhinoceros Times. After the
incident, he wrote an article
about Green’s company’s con
tracts with the school system.
Alston and Green squared
off against each other in an
impromptu show-down Tues
day on “The Bottom Line,” a
radio show that airs on WNAA 90.1 FM, N.C. A&T’s
radio station. Green was a guest on the show and
Alston called in. The exchange between the two men
was heated, to say the least.
The show’s host. Bob Davis, said the show was sup
posed to give Green a chance to tell his side of the
chair-incident story. His attorney accompanied him on
the show because of the pending charges, but things
changed when Alston called in.
“I was surprised at some of the things Skip said,”
Davis said about the verbal altercation between Green
and Alston. However, Davis was not surprised that
Alston called the show. “Skip calls frequently,” he said.
The reason he called Tuesday was to refute charges
that Green had leveled against him. Alston said he had
not planned to call the show, then he heard Green
accuse him of calling him a “house nigger.”
Alston denied calling him a house nigger. He said
he called Green a house Negro and an uncle Tom. He
also accused Green of “selling out black students” in
Guilford County.
“It’s not just Keith Green,” he said of the School
Board. “He’s just the most arrogant.”
Green represents a district in the county that is 75
percent white. He said that he represent all students,
not just the African Americans. “I’ve done the very
best that I can to represent all students,” he said. “I
think people expect you to serve the district you are
elected to represent.”
But Alston said that is not enough. He said that
See Green on A11
Bridge
Community group hosts
event to celebrate city’s
Southside
BY CHERIS HODGES
THE CHRONICLE
Photo by Cheris Hodges
on Fred Terry accepts a balloon from one of his
‘St constituents at the Southside CDC's festival.
Sunday in King s Plaza Shopping Center,
members of the southeast Winston-Salem
community came together to celebrate their
community. Families of African Americans,
Hispanics and whites walked around the area
in the parking lot designated for the festival.
Children happily accepted balloons and
gift bags from vendors.
The Southside Community Development
Corp. hosted the Festival 2000. This was the
second year for the festival.
Steve Mack, the CDC s treasurer, said the
event came to life because the group was try-
See CDC on AS
Hispanic festival draws
people from all backgrounds
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
For the past nine years the annual Fies
ta festival has been an open invitation to
city residents to embrace the richness of
Hispanic culture for a fun-filled day of
music, food and fellowship.
Thousands have responded to that invi
tation over the years with their presence
and a great amount of enthusiasm. Offi
cials with the Hispanic League of the Pied
mont Triad (HLPT), the group that puts on
the yearly spectacle, say attendance num
bers have skyrocketed in recent years,
putting Winston-Salem’s Hispanic festival
in the same league with similar festivals
held in larger cities like Washington and
See Fiesta on A4
Photo by Kevin Walker
Members of a family of Puerto Rican descent dance
together in the streets at the Fiesta festival.
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