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75 cents W1N STON - S A LEM GREENSBORO HlGH POINT f *' * "*9CVIII No. 47
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'Catching on Spiritual Fire'
Photo by Felecia McMillan
From left, Zilla Brown (St.
John CMC), Rachel Davis
and Corrine Laws (Russell
Memorial CMC, Durhani)
and Annie I. Williams (St.
John CMC) chat between
plenary sessions Tuesday.
Christian Methodist episco
pal churches from North
Carolina and South Caroli
na are gathered at Benton
Convention Center and
Adam's Mark Hotel this
week for Carolina Annual
Conference. The theme of
the conference is "Catching
on Spiritual Fire." For story
and more pictures, see
page A11.
Congressman making national
push for bill to aid ex-offenders
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE ,'
About 630,000 ex
offenders are expected to be
released front U.S. prisons
and jails this year. If past
statistics hold true, a great
majority of them, about 62
percent, will be re-arrested
in the next three years, and
40 percent of them will
eventually end up back in
the slammer.
A U.S. congressman is
trying to change the fate that
awaits most ex-offenders by
giving them something to
live for and skills to help
them sustain themselves in
the real world.
Rep. Danny Davis (D
III,) introduced the Public
Safety Ex-offender Self-Suf
ficiency Act of 2002 back in
February. Since then, he has
been busy garnering support
for the legislation, which
would create low-income
housing credits to encourage
the development of housing
uhits, job training and other
essential services for ex
offenders.
The number of tax cred
its awarded to each state
would depend on the number
of ex-offenders in a particu
lar stale. By using tax credits
as incentives, Davis said tax
payer dollars would not be
used to fund the legislation,
which has also been dubbed
the "second chance" bill.
"It would not cost the
taxpayer anything." Davis
said Tuesday by phone from
his Washington office. "It
would be an investment on
the part of private develop
ers."
Davis said the legislation
was conceived after the topic
of ex-offender re-entry
became a constant issue at
every meeting he attended in
his Chicago-area district.
Many ex-offenders, Davis
said, are released and find
they have no homes to go to
and family members who are
often not waiting with open
arms. Some end up on the
streets or in homeless shel
ters, Davis said.
"This bill gives them sta
bility." he added.
Congress doesn't have
much time left before it
wraps up this year. Davis
does not expect his bill to
get any consideration this
year, but he is hoping to gain
more and more momentum
See Bill on A10
File Photo
Most people released from jails and prisons will have
more run-ins with the law, according to data.
Store charged with religious bias
KRT Photo
Rastafarians, such as this Texas couple, are distin
guishable by their dreadlock hairstyles and the
men often sport thick beards. Rastafarians also
often wear clothing that incorporates the colors of
the flag of Jamaica, where the religion originated.
BY COURTNEY GAILLARD
Till CHRONICLE
The U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
has filed a religious discrimination
lawsuit against Winn-Dixie Raleigh
Inc. on behalf of a Rastafarian man
who claims a store refused to hire
him because of his religious beliefs.
Melchizedik Elechi declined to
shave his beard, which is a symbol of
religious devotion in the Rastafarian
religion, in order to take an entry
level job position with a Winn-Dixie
store on Capital Boulevard in
Raleigh.
Citing violation of Title VII of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964. which
prohibits employment discrimina
tion based on race, color, religion or
sex. the complaint Alleges that the
Raleigh store "refused to accommo
date the sincerely-held religious
belief and practice of Elechi. a prac
ticing Rastafarian. who is forbidden
from shaving any bodily hair, includ
ing his beard."
The complaint requests that
Winn-Dixie Raleigh Inc. provide
Elechi with appropriate back pay and
benefits, and provide compensation
for past and future pecuniary losses
as well as punitive damages for its
malicious and reckless conduct.
Mindy Weinstein. regional attor
ney for the EEOC's Charlotte Dis
trict Office, said that Elechi had
"expressed a need for an accommo
dation (from Winn-Dixie) in an
attempt to resolve the case before fil
ing the suit." Weinstein said the com
mission usually files several reli
gious discrimination lawsuits each
year.
Rastafarianism is a religion that
adheres to Jamaican-folk Christiani
ty inspired by ideals from Marcus
Garvey's Universal Negro Improve
ment Association. The religion origi
nated in Africa when the founding
? figures proclaimed the divinity of
Ethiopian emperor Ras Tafari (Ras
meaning prince), who then became
known as Haile Selassie. Selassie
was believed to be the living god. or
"messiah." for the black race.
The Rastafarian hairstyle. char
See Lawsuit tm A9 |
Roarin' Back
CAT-TV users are attempting to show aldermen,
residents that they are trying to help themselves
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Friends and users of CAT-TV,
the city's cable public access chart
nel, have always maintained that
the station's diversity is its greatest
strength. CAT-TV is a place where
people of various races, professions
and religious beliefs come to be
heard and seen by thousands.
CAT-TV officials will take that
diversity concept outside of the
walls of the station s small Marshall
Street headquarters next month and
to the Benton Convention Center
for the first-ever, large-scale fund
raiser to benefit the station.
KAT Jam 2002 will be an all
day music bonanza featuring more
than a dozen acts from musical gen
res ranging from country to gospel.
All the acts are volunteering their
talents for the fund-raiser.
"One of the reasons for this
concert is to promote harmony in
the Winston-Salem community the
Sc. CAT-TV <>rt A10
i iii ii 11 i ell. i
Photo by Kevin Wa(ker
Fleming El-Amin (from left), Vance
Cabiness and Paul Tomlinson.
Local lawmakers
and churches vary
on need for lottery
BY PAUL COLLINS
THE CHRONICLE
Two local legislators. Reps. War
ren "Pete" Oldham and Larry
Womble. said they support a proposed
state lottery, A
third local lep
islator - Sen.
Linda Garrou
- could not be
reached for
comment.
Rev. Dr. Carl
ton Eversley,
pastor of
Dellabrook
Presbyterian
Church, said
that, like his
denomination and the N.C. Council of
Churches, he opposes a lottery. How
ever. Eversley said he thinks it's
going to pass, but there needs to be
guarantees that proceeds from a lot
tery would be used for education
(over and above the current levels of
funding. Several other pastors could
not be reached
for comment.
House Bill
1676 - the
2002 Educa
tion Lottery
Referendum
Bill - says, in
part: "The
question of ,
whether the I
General
Assembly
shall enact an Education Lottery shall
be submitted to the qualified voters of
the State at an election on the question
to be held at a statewide primary, gen
eral. or special election on a date to be
determined by the General Assembly.
"The net proceeds from the Edu
cation Lottery shall be used to enable
all North Carolina children to have
the education they deserve. The funds
shall be used to establish a voluntary
statewide prekindergarten program to
prepare at-risk four-year-olds for
Sec Lottery on A9
Oldham
Eversley
Black board members
don't agree about site
of proposed school
BY SAM DAVIS
THE CHRONICLE
With less than a week before the
final vote is scheduled to take place
on the location for East Winston's
new high school, African Americans
appear to be lining up on two different
sides on the issue of where it should
be located.
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth |
County School Board is scheduled to I
vote on the issue Tuesday, Geneva L
Brown and Victor Johnson Jr., the I
lone African Americans on the board. I
both agree in principle on several
things about the new school. Howev
er. location is not one of them. |
Brown said the School Board has .
an obligation to follow through on its I
promise to the East Winston commu- I
nity.
So School on A5
Victor Johnson
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