\,V It Author, talk show host Tavis Smiley to return to Winston-Salem.. tsWeek RTS\ pUIlK ey off to iting start • • • • Howard Deacs Community Local group goes caroling • • • See C7 Trumpet awards to honor legends Winston-Salem Greensboro High Point Vol. XXVII No. 16 107 062201 ***********3-DIGIT 275 SERIALS DEPARH'iEnT CB #3938 DAVIS LIBRARY UNC CHAPEL HILL CHAPEL HILL NC 27514-8890 The Choice for African American News THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2 1, 2 I for to :ism Program will help aid transition BYT. KEVIN WALKER THE CHRONICLE bring Hispanic children and their par ents into the fold, training them in skills that many English speakers take for granted. arolina Martin r. Commission the General 3 to encourage hout the state ream of the late be commission bey presented a the YWCA of and Forsyth its Millennium reping, multi- that aims to ither. 1 directs us to le, to include all ork actively to jptance among Florence Cor- director of the the Millennium for women, for and teen-agers 8r today with Jfermining what cultural rela- like tomorrow. 1 that as long as i are coming ingful dialogue ; bridge will be id the Y’s Mil ls the place tt can happen. i jump-started ago with an fn the Winston- fln. The Echo Illy designed to that bring peo- r constructive lillennium Vil- rroduced Sisters Itraightforward Women of vari- jup meets regu- .)t button issues. nationally- t Face to Face fCA as part of :t. The exhibit, the Y gives a eof racism and I Daisy Rodriguez Bartash left a 20- year career in the corporate world to tackle a new set of chal- lenges, ones that, arguably, 'ffs uot atout takim them bv tkc hauds and are more difficult than any ® she discussed in a board- room. Bartash has been pegged by the Winston- Salem Chamber of Com merce to head El Puente, a new pro gram based out of Hall-Woodward Elementary School that will try to leading them; it’s about guiding them and giving them took” - Daisy Bartash “This is near and dear to my heart,” Bartash said of the reason she left big business. “It’s just an amazing thing when something good can come out of what you are doing.” The chamber came up with El Puente, which means “the bridge” in ^ Spanish, to help His- panics who have not yet learned to navigate through American cul ture because of lan guage barriers. Many Hispanics, Bartash said, have difficulty finding health and social ser vices for their children because of their lack of English skills. See Bridge on A2 Photo courtesy of Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce Daisy Bartash symbolically poses near a bridge. Holiday Hooray! •Photo by Kevin Walker Shedrick Adams plays the role of Santa Claus at a Christmas party last week for tots at the Beth lehem Center. The little ones were treated to music, food and Adams' spirited portrayal of Old Saint Nick. See page All for story and more pictures. Many blacks still upset, despite finality in presidential race BY HAZEL TRICE EDNEY •NNPA Gore Johnson elected to national board iublic relations fdirector at the .rchitect of the ge. She said the MLK commis- e Y to continue s that will help lents. f to (the Millen- las really been ►uld hope for,” See MLK on A4 SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE Alderman Joycelyn Johnson of Winston-Salem was elected to the board of directors of the National League of Cities (NEC) Dec. 9 as the' league concluded its annual meeting in Boston. Johnson, who currently serves on the NEC Community and Eco nomic Development Policy Steer ing Committee, will serve a two- year term on the 40-member NEC board. The board, which elects 20 t batch of Forsyth County Jail inmates receive GEDs new mem bers each year, has the lead role in shaping pri orities and directing the activities of the oldest and largest national organization representing municipal Johnson governments. More than 4,000 local govern ment leaders attended the 2000 Congress of Cities. The delegates also elected new officers for the coming year, and Mayor Dennis Archer of Detroit was elected to serve as NEC’s president for the year 2001. “Joycelyn Johnson has been a valuable leader in her community, and we look forward to having those talents and insights con- See Johnson on A9 WASHINGTON - Protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court Dec. 11 - from grassroots to leading activists - vowed that their quest for justice for black voters in Florida will continue even if it takes the next four years. “We are sending a strong word to the Supreme Court of ‘No Justice, No Peace,”’ said A1 Kally, among the thousands of Democratic and Repub lican protesters awaiting the ultimate U.S. Supreme Court decision on whether to restart the recount. The court ruling came night of Dec. 12 in favor of a Bush White House in a 5-4 decision. “We’re going to call George Bush a thief and take the protests to the White House every day,” said Kally, a 44-year-old travel agent of Hyattsville, Md. Gary Flowers, a deputy director of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition, said the Chicago- based organization will continue to hold rallies and vigils calling on the “United Nations to investigate” the treatment of blacks at the polls, including arrests, harassment, racial profiling, and people being arbitrarily turned away in predominantly black areas. Flowers, who helped to register new voters across the nation, said at least 200,000 new voters were registered in Florida alone. Of the 940,000 African Americans eligible to vote, 893,000 voted, he said. The fact that the most disenfranchisement happened in majority b’ ck areas is not a mistake, he said. The crowd heated up as Jackson emerged from the courthouse to a chorus of simultaneous cheers and boos. “Jes-se! Jes-se! Jes-se!” the Democratic protest ers chanted, hailing the civil rights leader who has flown back and forth from Florida to D.C. to his home base in Chicago, fighting for the vote count that the U.S. Supreme Court would ultimately say is unconstitutional. Flowers, greeting members of the crowd, vowed that Jackson would continue the fight long past this phase of the battle. People of all ages and backgrounds - from Main Street-type lawyers arguing their cases, to students too young to vote, to seasoned activists from the Civil Rights Movement - chanted in front of the monumental white building encircled by some 40 police men, many in riot gear, including helmets and batons in hand. See Protest on A4 Bush BY T. KEVIN WALKER THE CHRONICLE Photo by Kevin Walker I looks through an anthology of short stories with [il/ioms, one of the contributors to the booklet. Claudette Henry read a poem at a graduation ceremony early this week, just minutes before she received her GED. The poem focused on staying positive, even as others doubt, and holding onto hope, even when there is nothing else to hold onto. Henry said she’s been there. She wrote the poem one night, several months ago. To her, it is not just words on paper, but an affirmation, a source of light and hope in a place where one expects to find neither. Henry’s graduation ceremony took place in a small room behind a corridor of steel, locked doors. She wore no cap. A dark blue jumpsuit with the words Forsyth County Deten tion Center scrolled across the back substituted as her gown. Henry and about a dozen of her fellow inmates became a sta tistic when they received their GEDs, but a positive statistic this time. They joined about 100 other inmates who received GEDs over the past three years through a program administered by Forsyth Technical Communi ty College. “I was determined to get this,” Henry said proudly as she stared at a transcript of her passing GED scores. Her certifi cate will be sent from Raleigh. “I want to make a difference; it’s time enough,” she continued. Henry’s release date is unclear. Her plans for the future are not cloudy, though. Henry talks with great excitement about studying computers and pursuing a high-tech career. Prison officials say inmates like Henry who receive their GEDs in jail have less chance of returning once they are released. Brenda Manley, program man ager at the jail, said the rate of recidivism (relapse into criminal behavior) for GED graduates is only about 15 percent, far less than the rate for inmates without them. “We feel that it is the key to cutting the recidivism rate,” Manley said. “We usually don’t see them again once they get that diploma.” As program manager. Man- ley said she has proudly taken the charge given to her by Sher iff Ron Barker and Maj. Wayne James (the Sheriff’s Department runs the jail) to implement pro grams that give inmates a chance to become productive members of society once they serve their time. Everything from English as a Second Lan guage classes to haircutting courses are offered at the jail. But the GED program has become the most popular. Man- ley said. The waiting list for the courses usually has more than 100 names on it. Sessions are limited, with a few instructors coming to the jail a couple times a week to guide inihates toward achieving GEDs. Roni Valenti, GED examiner for Forsyth Tech, said waiting list numbers usually rise after a jail graduation ceremony. The graduates’ fellow inmates are usually inspired by what they see, she said. “When we first started here See Inmates on A10 FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS CALL (336) Z22-8624 • MASTERCARD, VISA AND AMERICAN EXPRESS ACCEPTED

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