2001
from pa Re AI
the District Court bench.
With the three new judges, the
court grew to 15 members. Biggs
became the third African Ameri
can on the court and the fourth
woman.
"It was tut honor to he select
ed by former Gov. Hunt, and I
look forw ard to serving as long as
the law and the people of North
Carolina allow me to do so."
Biggs said in February.
In 21X12. Biggs will have to
not only win over voters in
Forsyth County but residents all
over the state in order to keep her
spot on the court.
An ambitious group of mostly
religious and community leaders
unveiled a new group that would
work on ways to jolt economic
and residential development in
East Winston. In a symbolic
move. The Nehemiah Initiative
held a coming-out party on the
Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
The group let the city know that it
too has a dteam. a grand vision for
East Winston that includes revital
ization and financial empower
ment. Members of the group
vowed to work with the pro ate
sector to secure sound invest
ments for East Winston and solid
partnerships that would benefit all
parties involved.
Months before he would
become the center of a debate that
would engulf the black communi
ty for weeks, political commenta
tor Tavis Smiley returned to Win
ston-Salem to promote his latest
book. During a stop at Special
Occasions. Sntiley. known for his
strong political views, was in rare
form. He criticized black leader
ship and raised doubts about the
nation's soon-to-be president.
"Some of us still do not want
to call him the president-elect."
Smiley said about George W.
Bush to a crowd of more than l(X).
"but the president-select because
he was selected by the Supreme
Court."
A few months later Smiley
was axed from his talk show-host
ing duties on Black Entertainment
his wallet to many worthy organi
zations and causes over the years,
including the Winston-Salem
Slate University Foundation and
the YMCA.
February
,_The Ministers Conference of
Winston-Salem and Vicinity came
to the defense of William Bran
don. the owner of the Eastway
Pla/a Shopping Center.yafter
hanks threatened to foreclose on
the property.
Brandon's center had been a
crown jewel in East Winston
when he first opened it He
received funds from the city and a
loan front a consortium of 12
banks in 1993 to open the shop
ping center. But times got tough.
He lost a major clothing store and
struggled to find new tenants.
Brandon and the ministers
claimed they did not know why
the banks moved to foreclose on
the property. Brandon said he had
made regular payments on his
loan.
The ministers helped to broker
a temporary fix for Brandon. The
foreclosure w as pushed back for a
short time, but Brandon's tight to
keep the shopping center played
out throughout 2(X)I. Brandon
prevailed, though, and is now one
of several owners of the plu/.a.
Mayor Jack Cavanagh also
found himself in a familiar place -
in hot water with the African
American community. Cavanagh
added his two cents to the contro
versy snrrounding Brandon by
telling a reporter that black entre
preneurs seek City Hall financing
for business ventures that are not
fully thought out. The ministers
demanded an apology; they got
one.
The city spent thousands of
dollars to create a new logo for the
city and thousands more on a
mass marketing campaign to
make city residents aware of the
logo. "O! Winston-Salem, Now
that's Living" w as selected by res
idents as the city's logo after a
series of focus groups. The logo
was to be used to help market the
city to outsiders. The logo and its
cost became a running joke
Hie Photo
Fans waif to get their books signed by Tavis Smiley.
Television, reportedly because he
was a bit too outspoken for BET
chief Robert Johnson. Smiley's
friends on the "Tom Joyner Morn
ing Show." where he is a frequent
guest, urged blacks to voice their
displeasure over Smiley's dis
missal. Special Occasions started
a petition drive locally and gar
nered the names of dozens of peo
ple. In the end. though. Johnson
did not budge and Smiley found
bigger mountains to scale at net
works such as ABC.
Well-known local philanthro
pist Marshall Bass started out the
year by lending a helping hand to
parents who want to enroll their
children in the highly acclaimed
Best Choice Center. Bass started a
$50,000 endowment for grdnts to
help parents pay tuition at the cen
ter. which runs an after-school and
summer program that gives
youngsters lessons in everything
from computers to math
Bass made the decision to
start the endowment after the cen
ter's board of directors raised
tuition. A retired R.J. Reynolds
executive and head of his own
consulting firm, Bass has opened
? _
among some aldermen and resi
dents. though. Some claimed it
was a waste of money: others said
it was simply tacky.
The nephew of School Board
member Geneva Brown came to
town to take part in a fund-raiser
held by his aunt. Thomas Brown
was seeking the most visible sher
iff's job in the country at the time.
In November 2(XX). the last man
elected sheriff of De Kalb County.
Ga.. was shot down as he walked
from his driveway to his home.
Brown had added his name to
a packed field of candidates seek
ing to replace the murdered sher
iff. Brown, who was serv ing as
interim sheriff as he ran for the
office, said during his visit that
there were suspects in the murder
but he could not reveal informa
tion about, leads because the
investigation was ongoing at the
time. Brown won the election in a
landslide a few weeks later, and
later in the year a prominent offi
cial in the IX' Kalb County Sher
iff's Department was charged
with the murder of the former
sheriff. He will stand trial soon.
News broke that some
African-American police officers
File Photo
The Rev. James Sloan and the Rev. Micheal Williams hold a
news conference at Eastway Plaza Shopping Center.
I ilc Photo
Dan Besse addresses a crowd at Miller Park on the day he announced that he would run for
Southwest Ward alderman. About 100 people were on hand for the announcement.
iii Winston-Salem were livid at
Chief Linda Davis for leaving a
captain in charge while she was
away from the department. At the
time, the
depart
ment had
one assis
tant chief,
African
American
Mike
McCoy.
Many
people
thought he
Davis should
naturally
be in charge in lieu of the chief.
The perceived slight did not come
long after Davis demoted three
African-American sergeants for
what she called failing to control a
rowdy concert at Joel Coliseum.
McCoy had publicly cried
foul when Davis was named chief
in 1999. He was a top contender
for the job. Later in the year.
McCoy applied for the chief's
position in Wilson but did not get
the post.
March
The city got its second
African-American assistant police
in Patricia Norris. a 24-year veter
an who had run the department's
professional standards division
before being promoted. With Nor
ris' appointment, the hierarchy of
the city's Police Department
bucked tradition, with a female
chief and two black assistant
chiefs.
Norris. at the time, said being
a woman is not important in her
line of work. Being at the top of
one's game, she said, is very
important, however.
"I think we have gotten to a
point where it doesn't matter what
sex a person is as long as they can
do the job," Norris said.
The results of a nationwide
survey that gauged the level of
social interaction among residents
in a variety of cities found that
folks in Winston-Salem do not
mind digging deep into their
pockets to give to charities but
avoid interaction with neighbors.
The local survey was conduct
ed by the Winston-Salem Founda
tion. which months earlier had
started a special fund to help bring
residents
closer
together
through a
variety of
initia
tives.
Among
the results
of the sur
vey were
thai most
Green ?? whites in
the city
have at least one black friend and
most blacks have at least one
white friend. The survey also
revealed that Hispanics in the city
were slow to trust non-Hispanics.
Members of the Black Lead
ership Roundtable and the Win
ston-Salem BaO Association
protested in front of the Forsyth
County Courthouse to try to save
the life of Willie Fisher, a Win
ston-Salem man on death row.
Local opponents of the death
penalty had won a big victory a
few months earlier when the city's
Board of Aldermen voted to sup
port a death penalty moratorium.
"I believe that there are alter
natives of punishment." said Todd
Mclver, the then-president of the
?Winston-Salem Bar Association,
which is made up of local African
American lawyers. "Life in prison
will have as much effect, plus it
will keep them from committing
other crimes in society." But the
momentum the anti-death penalty
movement was gaining came too
late for Fisher, w ho was convicted
in 1993 of stabbing to death his
girlfriend. Fie was put to death a
few days after the protest.
Forsyth Technical Communi
ty College announced that" it had
found a new president after an
exhaustive search. Gary Green
came to the school from Calhoun
Community College in Decatur,
Ala., where he served as executive
vice president. Green officially
tixik over the reins of the retiring
Desna Wallin in July.
The Rev. Sun Myung Moon
came to Winston-Salem, not to
perform one of his infamous mass
weddings hut to lead a national
tour for world peace and religious
solidarity . The "We Stand Togeth
er Tour" reportedly visited all 50
states, with Mixin. the founder of
the controversial Unification
Church, calling for people of \ ar
ious faiths to come together.
Moon's appearance drew hun
dreds. although the 80-something
Moon did not do much talking
during his stop here.
For a quick second. CIAA
officials considered bringing the
popular basketball tournament
back to Winston-Salem. A city
delegation had put together a
decent package to try to lure the
tourney back to the city, where it
was staged for six years in the
1990s. But the CIAA announced
that the grass in Raleigh was
much loo green to leave the capi
tal city. In making its decision to
extend its stay in Raleigh, the
CIAA cited that a record 75.000
fans attended the February 2(X)I
tournament, an all-time record.
The last year the toumey was in
Winston-Salem, about 42.000
people attended.
has been much more successful
than her brief career in music. Her
latest novel. "The Coldest Winter
Ever.*' was a best seller and is
being made into a cable movie.
Souljah. known for shooting
from the hip. gained national
recognition after then-presidential
hopeful Bill Clinton criticized her
for comments she made about the
Los Angeles riots.
A $ 13,000 check was present
ed to Cook Elementary School
Principal Pamela Pelc by a group
of African-American churches
that collected the money* during
their revival services.
"We are thrilled to pieces. It
means that we can get things for
the children that otherwise we
would have to do without. It is a
blessing," Pelc said during a spe
cial assembly at the school where
the check presentation took place.
The school planned to use the
money to buy classroom comput
ers. books and new chairs for the
gymnasium. Officials from the
churches said they wanted to help
the school because it is located
near the churches and most of the
students who attend the school
come from low-income families.
The Rev. Joseph Parks, pastor
of Grace United Community
Church, told students and the staff
of the school. "We pray that all of
you know today that all seven of
these pastors,
who represent
probably more
than K).(KK)
other people,
are concerned
about you and
you are great in
all of our
lives."
The other
churches
involved were
Mount Pleas
ant Baptist,
Philips Chapel
Baptist. Saint
Mark Baptist,
Saints Home
United
Methodist and
Union Chapel
Baptist.
Maxwell Christine Banks Grier .,
VI ov
April
The school system began to
tout initial plans for a multimillion
sch<x)l bond referendum by hold
ing talks at several county schools
and taking part in forums such as
one held by the Black Leadership
Roundtable. At the time, the sys
tem had hoped for a $200 million
bond referendum (it was later
pared down to SI50 million), and
plans for a new school in the
African-American community
were not set in stone. At the
roundtable meeting, members
expressed concern that new
schools were being proposed
while half-empty ones, such as
Kimberley Park Elementary and
Atkins Middle, could still accom
modate students.
The first annual Piedmont
Jazz Festival was in the Triad. The
festival was the brainchild of N.C.
A&T State University Chancellor
James Renick. a longtime jazz
enthusiast.
The four-day festival brought
many well-known and rising jazz
artists to Greensboro. High Point
and Winston-Salem, including
Rachelle Ferrell and Nnena
Freelon. who did an artist work
shop at Winston-Salem State Uni
versity for students interested in
pursuing careers in music.
" WSSU got another visitor
soon after Freelon. Novelist and
raptivist Sister Souljah drew a
nearly packed house at the K.R.
Williams Auditorium on the uni
versity's campus, where she spent
close to two hours talking about
everything from the tone of
gangsta rap to middle-class black
folks.
"The problem nowadays with
us as black people is that America
has taught us to be individuals
w hereas in the African culture. T
means 'us.'" Souljah said.
Souljah's career as a novelist
The inter
im chancellor of Winston-Salem
State University became the per
manent chancellor after serv ing at
the helm for 16 months. The
Board of Governors for the Uni
versity of North Carolina system
easily approved Harold Martin for
the job.
WSSU's board of trustees had
launched a national search for a
chancellor but in the end. board
members decided that Martin was
the best man to lead WSSU into
the new century. One of Martin's
first official duties as chancellor
was to preside over WSSU's
109th commencement exercise,
where WSSU's largest class ever
graduated.
Across town. Wake Forest
University honored Dolly
McPherson during its commence
ment. McPherson. the first
African-American woman to join
Wake Forest's faculty, retired ear
lier in the year after 27 years of
teaching at the university. The
New Orleans native became a
favorite of students and popular
among fellow faculty at the
school.
McPherson was an educator
for 51 years before she retired.
She told The Chronicle that she
enjoyed every minute of her
teaching career.
"I have challenged and I have
been challenged. I have taught
and I have been taught. I have no
regrets. I have enjoyed it," she
said.
More than a hundred people
lined their cars along Carver
School Road in the wee hours of
the morning hoping to get the
chance to snatch up SI a gallon
gasoline at Jones Chevron. The
tiny station was a madhouse as
people tried to make it to the
pumps before the one-hour sale
expired.
The gas at the station was the
cheapest in town at the time. A
neighboring station had the same
grade of gasoline for $1.75; other
stations had gas prices approach
ing $2. The $1 gas was part of a
national promotion sponsored by
"Tom Joyner Morning Show."
Selected stations front New York
to Dallas offered up cheap gas to a
w illing public fed up with escalat
ing gas prices.
Allen Joines officially
announced his plans to run for
mayor. He did so by visiting sev
eral sites throughout the city to
discuss issues with residents.
Joines said that he would rely on
his background to help him win
over voters. He served as a city
administrator for 30 years and had
developed a close working rela
tionship w ith a cross section of
people and organizations through
his work with the city,
'These folks know me. They
know my ability to do projects
and bring together groups on very
complex issues." Joines said dur
ing a stop on his day-long tour.
June
More than I (K) people that
live in the neighborhood near
North Cherry Street and Indiana
Avenue were up in arms over talk
of converting an empty building
in the community into a halfway
house for former inmates. The
idea came from a private compa
ny that operates many such facili
ties across the country. During
early discussion with city offi
cials. the company stated that the
facility would not be a threat to
the surrounding neighborhood.
But neighbors were not buying
that. Led
by their
alderman.
Nelson
Mai loy,
residents
began a
letter
wri t i ng
campaign
and a
Malloy
M a I -
loy said he and his constituents
were not against the former
inmates or efforts to reform them
but believed that other areas
would be better suited for a
halfway house.
"Everybody deserves a sec
ond chance, but the issue at hand
is about the appropriateness of
where they want to locate this
facility," Malloy said.
The building that was in ques
tion. located at 4508 Cherry
Street, is still vacant.
The proposed cafeteria in East
Winston was still being proposed
after a two-year effort to raise
money through the selling of
stocks to East Winston residents.
But many investors began to tire
of the promises and began asking
questions and asking for their
investments, which ranged from
$10 to S3.(XK) in some cases, to be
returned.
Concerned residents' fears
were not calmed by the fact that
David Capital - a group created
by the East Winston Community
Development Corp. to spearhead
the building of the cafeteria - had
spent nearly all of the $434,300 it
had raised but had not yet even
purchased the land for the pro
posed cafeteria. Most of the
money was spent on consultants,
advertising and professional serv
ices. according to a finance report
given to shareholders.
James Grace, who heads the
| East Win
s t o n
CDC,
said the
CDC
underesti
mated
how
much
money it
would
Grace take to
raise capi
tal for the (sroject; therefore, more
money had to be spent on things
such as a promotional video and
brochures touting the project. The
last time Grace spoke to The
Chronicle on the record, he said
he was moving forward with
plans to locate the eatery in East
way Plaza in the old Cato building
that has been vacant for some
Milk'
Candidates began to situate
themselves behind the starting
gate for the September primaries
and the November election. Dan
Besse. a lawyer and environmen
tal advocate, officially threw his
hat into the ring for the Southwest
Ward aldermanic seat. Besse held
a kickoff rally at Miller Park, in
(he heart oDhe ward, to announce
his decision to run.
The event was attended by
many loyal Democrats, including
Marlowe Foster, who had made
his intentions to unseat South
Ward Alderman Vernon Robinson
known early in the year.
. Besse told the crowd that vic
tory was within his grasp.
"I believe that we need repre
Set 2001 on A5