sWeek
ist key to
ipic win
• • • •
I^SSU on
fionship streak
NAACP investigating charges of racial intimidation in Florida. See A10
Community
See B7
See Cl
See C7
See A8
Masons have
cornerstone event
• • • •
Cle Thompson
makes local waves
Winston-Salem Greensboro High Point
Voi. XXVII No. 11
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e Choice for African American News
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2
III
lil
1
on
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1
IR
i
ag is the term
Winston-Salem
ty Friends of
ined to describe
liave staged over
I generate much-
br the universi-
T h e
“fun”d-rais-
ing tradi
tion contin
ued last
week with a
lavish
evening of
food, music
and dance.
Harlem
Night was
the last in
the Friends’
:es of successful
dining hall on
Winston-Salem
i nostalgic look
organizers tried
: of the Harlem
any people wore
popular in the
1 Canvas played
hat day - jazz,
read passages
ill Harlem Renais-
Dancers from
Troupe abun
dance for the
formed dances
flapper outfits,
seen a great
tendance,” said
rector of library
:e that as a sign
re interest in the
ii',
organization is
15th anniversary
e group raises
the library with
ire not budgeted
Is it receives,
t, the group’s
ted a large num-
book titles and
ibrary as well as
ita Lexus Nexus,
I' articles from
i iblications.
Ill |has already set
ir the coming
establishing a
’”1 system and
igs in the health
illl|lodney admitted
** fell short of its
Pieces of
The time capsule was cemented under this clock in Grace Court. Above right, an unidentified
woman writes a message in a notebook that was placed in the capsule.
Time capsule buried; to be opened in 2049
BYT. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
One could only imagine the
activities that may be happening
on May 12, 2049. The day will
mark the 200th birthday of Win
ston, one-half of the Twin City
which joined the historic town of
Salem in municipal matrimony
back in 1913.
Amid the parades, fireworks
and other bicentennial madness,
city residents on that day will be
given the opportunity to take a
look back at the city’s not so dis
tant past, a backward glimpse
that will give them insight to the
people, places and organizations
that built the foundation of Win
ston-Salem a half-century ago.
More than 150 people came
to Grace Court in the West End
Sunday afternoon to gawk at
dozens of items that were set to
be placed in -a time capsule early
this week. Appropriately, the
capsule will be cemented under a
giant clock in Grace Court. A
plaque on the base of the clock
gives direct instructions - the
time capsule is not to be opened
until that important day in 2049.
The time capsule is the latest
effort by the West End Associa
tion to connect the city’s past,
present and future. Last year, the
association unveiled the clock,
under which the capsule will be
kept, on the 150th anniversary of
the founding of Winston.
The association extended an
open hand to neighborhoods
and organizations throughout
the county to contribute items to
the time capsule.
“It’s more enriching to get
real neighborhood stuff than
items from the Chamber of
Commerce,” said Eric Elliott,
president of the West End Asso
ciation.
The response for items was
tremendous. Mayor Jack
Cavanagh, U.S. Sen. John
Edwards and state Rep. Larry
Womble were among many who
wrote letters that will be includ
ed in the capsule. Cavanagh, who
attended Sunday’s event with the
mayors of Lewisville, Bethania
and Rural Hall, said he hopes
See Time capsule on A9
No uncertainty
among African
American voters
BY SHARON BROOKS HODGE
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Gore
A week after America went to the polls, it
remained ambiguous whether a Democrat or a
Republican would lead the nation. However, in the
Triad, as well as across the country, the preference
for African-American voters was crystal clear.
“I voted a straight ticket,” said William Black, a
Winston-Salem Democrat. “On a national level, I
think it’s important to preserve Social Security.
And on the state level, well, let’s just say that I’m
not for vouchers.”
Exit interviews conducted in Forsyth and Guil
ford counties by The Chronicle indicated that peo
ple of color across the region echoed Black’s senti
ment. For most, the presidential campaign boiled
down to a vote on which party would be entrusted
with revamping savings for America’s elderly and
setting national priorities for a new millennium. In
every predominantly black precinct around the
Triad, Democrat A1 Gore defeated Republican
George W. Bush with significant margins.
For example, in Winston-Salem’s Martin
Luther. King Recreation Center precinct, the
Gore/Lieberman ticket was supported by 97.5 per
cent of voters. Furthermore, of the 663 ballots cast
there, 553 of them were votes for a straight Demo
crat endorsement. This was in stark contrast to the
voting patterns of Forsyth County’s predominant-
white neighborhoods, such as the Clemmons Elementary School
Frye
HAWS, CDC awarded grants
BY JOY SCOTT
THE CHRONICLE
See Library on A4
Grants awarded to the Win
ston-Salem Housing Authority
and the East Winston Commu
nity Development Corp. by
HUD will allow the agencies to
continue several of their pro
grams.
The $3,976,932 award to the
Housing Authority will be used
toward the resident training
program, an ongoing initiative
by the authority to improve res
ident life through programs
such as Residents Against
Involvement In Drugs in all
developments.
Fulton Meachem, Winston-
Salem Housing Authority
deputy executive director, said
the program, whose purpose is
to provide job-training skills for
residents, has been going on for
close to eight years now.
“I think it’s been very suc
cessful,” said Meachem, who
has been at the authority for five
years.
Meachum said a portion of
the money will also go toward
exterior community develop
ment such as sidewalk repair
and surveillance camera equip
ment.
East Winston Community
Development Corp., awarded
$7,018, will also use the funds
for its homeotvners education
program to counsel potential
homeowners. Executive director
James Grace said the idea for
the program was developed with
the intention of having a long
term homeownership education
class.
Grace said the program has
been very beneficial to potential
homeowners since it first began
See HUD on A4
ly
precinct. There, the Republican ticket carried 70 percent of the votes that
were cast.
“If I was rich, I would have voted for Bush,” said James Atkins as he
sold hot dogs from a vending cart across from the bus depot in downtown
Winston-Salem. He was one of the thousands of black men who voted
for Vice President A1 Gore.
“I felt positive about Mr. Gore,” said Harold Thompson Jr. On elec
tion day, the Pitt County native sat with friends Carynne Hardy, Carrie
Nicholson and Jacinta Alford on the campus of Winston-Salem State
University. They were waiting for a van, which arrived shortly from
Emmanuel Baptist Church.
The most significant gubernatorial issue for blacks was the future of
education in North Carolina. Without a doubt, African-American voters
were more comfortable with giving that responsibility to an administra
tion led by Democrat Mike Easley rather than one answering to Republi
can Richard Vinroot, who has supported giving vouchers - a type of tax
credit to help parents pay for private school.
“I generally don’t go Republican,” said 68-year-old Herman R.
Brooks of Greensboro. “I did vote for one Republican, Henry McKoy,
but that’s because he’s black. My problem with the rest of the Republi
cans is that they want to take my Social Security and put it in that Wall
Street lottery.”
On the morning of the election. Brooks stood outside a used office
furniture store on Martin Luther King Drive in downtown Greensboro.
As he puffedbn a cigar, he discussed the election with Dan McKenzie, 53.
“I say, ‘Let’s just keep all the Democrats in office,”’ McKenzie said.
“We are in good times right now. In fact, these are some of the best times
we’ve had since the civil rights movement in the ‘60s. Why in the world
would we want to change directions now?”
For Michael Wright, 56, “keeping the Republicans out of the White
House” did not mean rejecting all Republicans. He, too, acknowledged
supporting the only black candidate running on the Republican ticket.
Republican Henry McKoy lost his bid for treasurer to Democrat
Richard Moore 45 percent to 55 percent. But, as the election returns
demonstrated, most blacks were less willing to differentiate between a
white Republican and a black GOP candidate. In precincts such as the
See Voters on A1C
Imakers debate
far is too far
*1 led panel of Holly-
jbated whether vio-
' lilms are merely art
the exact opposite.
(i Hhing in film that
«i|_chilling than my
“ life growing up in
tough neighbor-
lyan Bernstein, the
eh films as “The
‘‘Air Force One.”
‘Sd many of his
last week for
, al conference on
™g hosted by the
f the Arts Film
hee-day conference
bnday, with more
teates sounding off
on the topic.
The conference came at time
when sex, violence and language in
film and music are under the micro
scope. Two months ago U.S. Sen.
John McCain held a hearing to
investigate charges that R-rated
movies were being marketed to
underage children. Many studio
heads were chastised at the hearings
for what many lawmakers called
despicable behavior.
One of McCain’s colleagues,
Sen. Fred Thompson, a Tennessee
Republican, was one of the pan
elists. Thompson is also a well-
known actor, with films like “Days
of Thunder” and “Die Hard 11”
under his belt.
Thompson defended McCain’s
right to call the hearing.
See Filmmakers on A9
Electoral College has to go, kids say
BY JOY SCOTT
THE CHRONICLE
Little Dominique Broad
way may not be able to vote
yet, but he understands how
people should have voted in
this year’s election. “Choose
who they believe in and who
they trust,” the 10-year-old
said.
In lieu of this election’s
recounts, rumors of ballot
tampering and family involve
ment, Dominique and the rest
of his fourth-grade classmates
at Forest Park Elementary
have come to one conclusion:
The Electoral College just
isn’t democratic.
Their solution: Start a
petition to do away with the
Electoral College.
“I think they should not
let the electoral votes make
the final decision who is pres
ident,” wrote 9-year-old
Shenika Sutton in an essay on
the popular and Electoral
College votes and their roles
in elections. “They should
count them all and give the
scores out of both votes. This
is why we don’t have a presi
dent now because of the Elec
toral College.”
Dr. Donald MacThomp-
son, associate professor of
political science at Winston-
Salem State University, agrees
with the fourth-graders’ idea.
“I’m a strong advocate for the
abolishment of the Electoral
College,” he said.
MacThompson said he
has read books and essays
See Electoral on A9
Photo by Joy Scott
This class at Forest Park is preparing a petition to try to do away with the
Electoral College,
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