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75 cents Winstoin-Salem Greensboro High Point Vol XXVIII No 32
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Watt
looking
for sixth
term
Watt says he is fed
up with agenda of
Republican House
BYT. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Although his controversial,
snake-like district spans several
counties. U.S. Rep. Mel Watt says
that he works hard to not be a
stranger to his constituents, "often
using congressional breaks to
attend
cnurcn
services,
ground
breakings,
communi
ty forums
and other
special
events.
He stress
es mm ms
Watt commit
ment to
pressing the flesh with folks in his
district is year-round and uncon
ditional.
"There is nothing worse for
me than to have someone say we
only see you during election
time," Watt said during a recent
swing through Winston-Salem.
?.-Watt is depending on the
friends he has made during his
many appearances to help him
win a sixth term this November.
He faces Charlotte Democrat
Kim Holley in the primary, and
then will likely face Republican
Jeff Kish. also of Charlotte, in
November.
While here. Watt appeared on
Que Pasa Radio, fieldirtg ques
tions from the growing Hispanic
population he represents. Watt
Viid he was surprised recently to
team that his 12th District experi
enced the largest increase in His
panic constituents of any congres
sional district in the nation. He
also made an unscheduled stop at
the grand opening of Azalea Ter
race. a seniors facility in Kimber
ley Park Terrace that recently
became the first completed proj
ect in the city's multi-phased
HOPE VI project.
Watt still is a fighter for many
of the issues that dro\ e him to first
run for Congress in 1992. He still
wants to make available more
opportunities for minority busi
nesses. make improvements in
education, make it easier for
working parents to provide more
for their families and help to
ensure that decent, affordable
health care is within the grasp of
everyone.
But watts admits tnat ne nas
felt as if his hands have been tied
by the Republican-controlled
House and what he sees as a very
narrow Republican agenda.
"I have been a voice against
an unenlightened majority." Watt
said. "All that (Congress) is talk
ing abut now is a defense agenda
(and) how to keep people from
cutting taxes for the rich."
Talk of bulking up the coun
try's military in hopes of spoiling
another Sept. 11 -like attack has
not sat well with many Democ
rats. Watt is critical of such plans
but says that he and others who
oppose such measures are not
unpatriotic or sympathetic with
terrorists.
"I think everyone was upset
by Sept. 11 but that does not mean
we have to take 40 to 50 percent
of our budget and spend it on the
See Watt on A4
Shcirpton '5 visit comes after busy year |
Reverend has seen
jail and controversy
in last 12 months
FROM STAFF REPORTS
When the Rev. Al Sharpton
takes to the pulpit at Union
Baptist Church Sunday, he will
he wrapping up an eventful
year for him and his burgeoning
National Action Network
(NAN), a year that has put him
in the headlines more times
than one can remember.
Sharpton. a well-known
New York-based civil rights
activist, was released from a
New York-area jail a year ago.
where he served several months
after be was arrested for
protesting U.S. military exer
cises on the Puerto Rican island
of Vieques.
Soon alter Sharpton's
arrest. President Bush decided
that the controversial bombing
exercises would be permanent
ly halted on the island next
year.
Soon after leaving jail,
Sharpton began throwing
around the idea of running for
president in 2004. Although
Sharpton has many skeptics
that question his viability as a
national candidate, there is little
doubt about Shaipton's political
power in his neck of the woods.
Endorsements from Sharpton
are often sought out by politi
cians in New York, and in 2000,
he convinced Al Gore and Bill
Bradley, who were then duking
it out in the Democratic presi
dential primary, to hold a
debate in Harlem.
Photo by Adam Scull/ PHOTOLINK
The Rev. Al Sharpton and Abner Louima hold a news conference last month after a judge
overturned the convictions of police officers who tortured Louima in 1997.
Much to-do has also been
made about Sharpton's relation
ship with fellow pastor and
activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Rumors have swirled for years
that the two men did not get
along. Those rumors intensified
after statements Sharpton made
to New York Magazine in its
December edition.
In the article. Sharpton
called for a new style of leader
ship.
"Jesse has lost some of his
instincts for issues .... He's like
Muhammad Ali now. He can't
fight no more, but he is still a
great champion." Sharpton told
Jack Newfield in the New York
Magazine interview.
But most of Sharpton's time
and attention over the last 12
months has been devoted to
NAN. a grassroots activist
group that Sharpton founded.
Recently, the group has taken
aim at the television satellite
and cable industry for not airing
enough positive programs fea
turing African Americans. Sev
eral demonstrations featuring
Sharpton have been held at
such companies in rfecent
months.
NAN has also been follow
ing closely developments in the
case of Abner Louima, who was
tortured by several New York
City police officers in, 1997.
Earlier this year, a court over
turned the convictions of offi
cers involved.
This Sunday, after Sharpton
speaks at Union's regular
church service, he will head to
Wilmington, where he will offi
cially open that city's NAN
branch. Sharpton is also expect
ed to make a stop in Princeville,
the historic Eastern North Car
olina town devastated several
years ago by a hurricane.
Officials at Union say that
See Sharpton on A9
Author recalls Holocaust heroes
Photo by Courtney Gaillari
Mark Klempner speaks at FTCC.
BY COURTNEY GAILLARD
THE CHRONICLE .
Many non-Jews played vital roles in
helping victims of the Holocaust but
often go unmentioned. Mark Klempner
made known the heroic efforts of those
who selflessly rescued and hid Jews dur
ing the Nazi occupation in a lecture
called "Just the Human Thing to Do:
Dutch People Who Rescued Jews During
WWII" at Forsyth Technical Community
College in Ardmore Hall.
In his travels to the Netherlands.
Klempner recorded his interviews with
the men and women, many still strong in
spirit and conviction today as they were
decades ago. He chose the Netherlands
because more rescuers have been hon
ored from there than any other country.
Klempner. an archivist for Wilson
Library at the University of North Caroli
na at Chapel Hill, discussed the encoun
ters of 25 rescuers who risked their lives
to save Jews who otherwise would have
been sent to concentration camps. He
allowed the audience to hear the rescuers
in their own words talk about their inspir
ing and remarkable deeds on the day
before the Holocaust Commemoration
Day.
"They came and took them all" is
what Klempner recalls his paternal
grandmother saying as she thumbed
through an old family photo album with
pictures of families at weddings, chil
dren. young couples. Stories like this
motivated Klempner to research and seek
out the people responsible for saving the
lives of so many Jews.
Hetty Voute and Gisela Sohulein were
best friends who were thrown into prison
,S'( Holocaust on A4
Blacks stepping to the plate in AIDS fight
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONIC! I
Ten years ago. when city residents first
started holding fes
live dinner parries in -
order to raise money
for AIDS charities,
the disease was still 1
perceived as an ill- I
ness that mostly '
affected white
homosexual men.
But since then, a ?
steady dose of reali- I
ty has been spoon- *
ted to the American Hayes
public by agencies
such as the Centers for Disease Control -
forever changing the face of HIV/AIDS. Of
the nearly 800.1XX) cases of AIDS reported
to the CDC in 2(XX). 5b percent were
African Americans or Hispanics. Recent
data show that the disease also is reaching
epidemic proportions among African
American females.
It could be called a sign of the times that
as Winston-Salem celebrates the I Oth
anniversary of local Dining for Friends,
more African Americans and Hispanics
than ever are helping the annual event raise
money to help those living with HIV/AIDS.
Verdell Hayes, associate director of
development at AIDS Care Service, said
organizers made a concerted effort to reach
out more to minority communities. Adver
tisements for Dining for Friends events
have been running in a Spanish-language
newspaper, and the word has been put out
to churches in the black community.
"A number of African-American
churches are choosing to share information
about Dining for Friends with their congre
gations so that the word can get out about
this event." Hayes said.
City residents will hold more than 50
dinner parties as part of this year's Dining
for Friends. Dinner guests are expected to
make contributions to HIV/AIDS causes.
A finale fund-raising gala will be held
Sn AIDS on AS
CAFE
748- 0
. Photo b> Kevin Walker
Charles and Virginia Hardesty and Susan Waynick, first from right, stand in
front of Forsyth Seafood Cafe. A Dining for Friends fundiraiser event will be
held at the cafe Monday.
Cuy
hopes
to nab
MEAC
o
Tournament would
mean millions for
local economy
BYT. KEVIN WALKFR
THE CHRONICLE
Win.ston-Salem has submit
ted a proposal to host the 2004
through 2006 Mid-Eastern Ath
letic Conference basketball
tournament. The MEAC is a
30-year
oia con
ference
made up
of li
histori
cally
black
colleges
and uni
versities
St re ten- Join?
ing from
Florida to Delaware, including
N.C. A&T State University in
Greensboro.
The MEAC is a much
smaller tournament than the
GIAA basketball tournament,
which the city hosted for six
years before conference offi
cials decided to relocate the
tournament to Raleigh in 1999.
But having the MEAC would
still add about $2.5 million to
the local economy each year,
according to Bob McCoy, pres
ident of the Winston-Salem
Convention and Visitors
Bureau, the agency that put
together the bid and submitted
it last month.
Anything tnat we can
invest in that will bring that
kind of return is worth it," said
McCoy.
The city's bid includes
funds for scholarships for
member schools and a guaran
tee of SI O.(MX) for each of the
11 schools. The bid also
includes guarantees to help the
MEAC break even if ticket
sales are soft, something that
McCoy says he does not antic
ipate.
"We believe that by includ
ing scholarship support, it will
help give us an edge over the
competing cities," said McCoy.
An official with the MEAC
Set' Rams on A9
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