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Community
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Local expert says
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75 cents W1NSTON-SALEM GREENSBORO HlGH POINT Vol XXVIII No 22
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The Choice for African-American News ?
Community
Gauge
Black History Month is upon us
and for the next 28 days, we will be
inundated with commercials, movies,
events, books and tributes geared
toward African Americans. But is it
enough just to honor the contributions
of this group with the shortest month of
the year or does more need to be done
to ensure that society understands that
black history means more than a 30
second byte or five nights of "Roots"?
We asked locals if they thought
African American history should be a
required subject for school children
just as American history, English and
math are.
"Yes, I don't
see why it should- _
n't. You have
European history,
Spanish history
and African histo
ry-it should all
be in a curriculum
course like litera
ture and English.
I think it should
be required."
Demarcus Tate
"Yes it should
be required. They
should let students
have the right to
lake black history.
Blacks went
through a lot of
struggles... and we
had to overcome a
lot of things. It
should be required
if they would offer
it."
William Otten
"I think all
cultures should be
a requirement, not
just white Ameri
can. black Ameri
can or Asian
American or even
Spanish American.
America is too
diverse. There are
too many cultures
and backgrounds.
If you look
throughout history to the people who
have contributed the most, they have not
gotten the most credit."
Derek Costin
"I do think it
should be a
required subject. I
think black history
is an integral part of
our history and of
our society. Often it
gets overlooked.
We talk about race
relations, but I think
we neglect to get
the background on
races and don't see where they're coming
from or know the experience that they are
having, even though we have interaction
with them each day.
"I have a lot of
friends from
Europe, and they
know a lot more
about the United
Stales' history - of
our racially divides,
about everything t
from when our
country was started.
It seems that we
don't teach our own
people about our
own heritage as
much as the rest of the world does, and it's
a very interesting dilemma culturally. I
think that if you start those things early on
in education that we can find ourselves
being a more aware people and gives us a
sense of history that will inev itably lead to a
sense of pride and a sense of community
that a lot of countries have.
- Compiled by Courtney Gaillard
The Class That Never Was
The last class of Atkins
High School reflects and
looks forward to reunion
BY FELECIA P. MCMILLAN
COMMUNITY CORRESPONDEffT
It has been 30 years since the
Atkins 1972 "Class That Never Was"
graduated from high schools. The sum
mer of 1971 changed their lives forev
er. Two weeks before school would
start in August, the students of this
class learned that they would not grad
uate from their long-cherished alma
mater, Atkins High School. Due to the
decision to integrate the schools in the
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County sys
tem, the students would be bused to
various schools around the city and
their beloved Atkins would be closed
for the year. Having gone to school
together since elementary school, the
students would spend their senior year
scattered to such schools as R.J.
Reynolds, East Forsyth, North Forsyth
and West
Forsyth.
These stu
dents, under
the leadership
of Pamela
Gray Harper,
Cynthia Watts
Timmons and
Randon Black
mon Pender,
havp HpriHpH
to have a class Harp?r
reunion Aug.
2-4 that may even include a mock grad
uation, the ceremony they missed out
on together 30 years ago. In the com
mittee letter, the group wrote: "This
decision changed our lives and made
our senior year a time of unexpected
turmoil and confusion. We made it
through that final year of high school,
somehow, hut our lives never seemed
the same. The years went by and we all
went on with our lives, but for many of
us something was always missing."
Harper sees this event as a way to
bring closure to a 30-year ordeal.
"1 feel so driven. This is something
I have always wanted us to do. We are
always sharing somebody else's class
reunion. I went to my husband, Arnold
Harper (Atkins "70), and people
referred to me as being from 'The
Class That Never Was.' I decided to
make it happen," Pam Harper said.
SSAH event
to feature
native Blaylock
BY PAUL COLLINS
THE CHRONICLE
Ronald E. BI ay lock, a Winston-Salem
native who runs one of the largest full-service,
minority-owned
brokerage and
investment banking
firms in the world,
will be the featured
speaker at the Soci
ety for the Study of
Afro-American
History of Win
ston-Salem/Forsyth
County Inc.'s ban
quet Feb. 7. The
banquet, which
will he held at Win
ston-Salem State
University 's Ander
son Conference
Center beginning at
6 p.m., will cele
. , , hratc black history
Blay oc antl is a fund-raiser
'for SSAH.
Blayhjck is the founder, chairman and
chief executive officer of Blayloek & Partners,
a full-service investment hanking firm in New
York City. Blayloek. who earned his M.B.A.
degree al the New York University Stem
School of Business, held senior management
positions with PaineWehhcr Group and Citi
Se, SSAH on A3
Photo by Bruce Chapman
Members of the class are still upset by the closing of Atkins High.
"When people find out ahoul this
reunion, they are in tears. It is going to
bring healing and closure."
Several of the class members met at
the home of Pamela Gray Harper
(North '72) on Saturday, to express
their feelings about their senior year.
Although many of them have achieved
much, they still remember the racism
and uncertainty they experienced dur
ing 1972. Some of them included
Wendy Wallace Banks (West '72),
Sarah McMillian (North '72), Northel
Gaddy, Randon Blackmon Pender.
They reminisced about riding their
bikes together to Fairview School (now
called Ashley Middle School), and
roller-skating in the street. When a
large number of them ,gathered on the
block of 19th Street and 21st Street,
Officer George Red would call to have
the street blocked off so they could
play safely. They also loved walking to
school together, taking the shortcuts
See Class on A9
Officials
uncertain
on future
of Diggs
BY SAM DAVIS
THE CHRONICLE
Where did the Winston
Salem/Forsyth County School System go
wrong in its attempt to forge a partner
ship with the Arts Based Elementary
Charter School
Board'.' Under the
partnership agree
ment Diggs Ele
mentary would
have become an
arts-based charter
school.
And now that
the merger plans
have fallen
Johnson through, what
does the tuture
hold for Diggs?
A lot of people are asking themselves
questions this week after the local school
system decided to scrap its plans for
merger when its proposal failed to
receive a favorable vote from a majority
of the parents in the Happy Hill Garden
community. Teachers and assistants' at
the school nar
rowly passed the
proposal by an
14-13 margin,
with four teachers
failing to , cast a
vote.
Despite sever
al meetings, with
parents in the
community,
school board offi- frver
cials, teachers and
the ABES board
and parents, a vote on the plan tailed to
draw a majority of parent whose children
currently attend the school. As of last Fri
day only 105 parents had voted, with 63
voting against the plan. The school board
had previously said it would not move
ahead with its plan unless a majority of
parents cast a favorable vote.
Don Martin, Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County School superintendent, had set
_ Sec Diggs on A5
The Chronicle
is among best
papers in state
FROM STAFF REPORTS
The Chronicle was named one of the best
overall community newspapers in the state Jan.
24 at the 2001 N.C. Press Association Journal
ism and Photojournal
ism Awards ceremony
in Chapel Hill.
The paper won
third place in the gen
eral excellence catego
ry. the most prestigious
category in the annual
statewide competition.
General 'excellence
prizes are awarded to
papers that exhibit the
best news coverage. Collins
editorial vigor, use of
photographs and pro
motion of community interests. The Chronicle
was one of 18 community newspapers from
across the state to compete for. the general
excellence award in the category for .mid-size
ncktspapcrs. Journalists from Minnesota judged
thecompetition, giving awards to the top three
papers.
A judge commented that The Chronicle
"serves its readership well with lots of local
articles and photographs (and an) interesting
collection of issues for readers to ponder."
Several Chronicle staffers accepted the
award last week from Gov. Mike Easley during
NCPA's awards ceremony.
S., NCPA < "r A4
Photo by Ke>in Walker
Instant Friends
Little Keyla Lewis-Fleming and Eileen Hall were complete
strangers when The Chronicle's MLK Prayer Breakfast
began the morning of Jan. 21. They were hard to separate
after it ended. Keyla made her way over to Hall, who is a
teacher at Konnoak Elementary School, and was quickly
made to feel welcome.
.
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