YESS means saying no
Program honors youngsters who vow to stay sexually abstinent until married
BY COURTNEY GA1LI.ARD
THE CHRONICLE
Isaiah Smith. Kelvin
McCaskill and Javielle Chamber
lain were among more than -Ml
kids who pledged to remain absti
nent before marriage. The pre
teens are participants in Youth
Empowerment Support Services
(YESS), which held a graduation
July 15
lor un
Preven
tion Pro
gram at
t h e
Anderson
Center on
the cam
pus of
Winston
Salem
State Uni
VMvitv
YESS, Catholic Social Ser
vices program, promotes sexual
abstinence to preteen boys
through The Code, to preteen girls
through Sisters and to first-time
teen parents through Hand to
Hand. Equipped with the ideals of
chastity, respect, morality, respon
sibility and self-control, YESS
offers guidance, values and tools
to youths with regard to sexual
activity.
Both Smith, a student at the
Downtown Middle School, and
McCaskill, a student at Atkins
Middle School, said The Code has
taught them "new things they
wouldn't have learned" otherwise
about sex.
Chamberlain, also a student at
Downtown Middle School, said
Sisters has taught her about sexu
ally transmitted diseases. She said
she plans to remain sexually absti
nent until she gets married.
"You never know what
(STDs) you might catch, and you
don't want to end up (sick or preg
nant) like other people," Cham
berlain said.
Jeff Jones, director of YESS
Prevention Programs, said that it's
important for this abstinence mes
sage to reacfi children at a young
age before they succumb to peer
and societal pressures.
"We want to start the kids
early because we're going up
against MTV, BET and other TV
shows that throw all kinds of mes
sages out at the kids which are
really for adults to see." Jones
said. "We're celebrating the kids
who made a commitment to the
program, and we want to celebrate
them for hat ing this drive to do
positive things in their lives."
Willie G. Stevens, home
school coordinator at Latham Ele
mentary School, was the guest
speaker at the graduation. He
shared a positive message of his
own by telling the graduates and
audience members to "take notes
because we're going somewhere."
"This is not the end; this is the
beginning. Take personal respon
sibility for your actions," Stevens
said. 'Take care of yourself. Don't
let just anything go into your body
or into your mind....All behavior
starts somewhere, so be extremely
careful what you start because
your behavior is going to follow
you wherever you go."
Stevens went on to tell gradu
ates the importance of believing in
themselves, respecting others,
maintaining a positive attitude and
setting goals in life.
"Don't think or act like a vic
tim and then you won't become
one, because throughout history
we have been known to be victims
of something....Don't let anyone
tell you that you are nothing!
Look them square in the eye and
tell them I am somebody and I
will be somebody'" Stevens said.
All graduates were awarded
certificates signifying their com
pletion of their respective pro
grams. The Code graduates were
awarded trophies, and Sisters
graduates were awarded charm
bracelets (each with a single heart
charm). The graduates then recit
ed a pledge before family and
other witnesses affirming their
promise to practice sexual absti
nence until marriage. Parents
were asked in turn to pledge their
love and support for their children
and to set moral examples through
their words and actions.
The YESS Prevention Pro
gram will start back up again in
the fall with groups at six sites:
Latham Elementary. Diggs Ele
mentary, Ashley Elementary,
Salem Gardens. Winston Lake
YMCA and the Salvation Army
Boys and Girls Club.
Jones
Photo hy Courtney Gaillurd
Members of The Code, a CSS program, pledged to remain abistinent at the YAES5 Prevention
Program Graduation.
Tennis sisters
from paA 2
play tennis and not being able
to use the bathrooms when you
stop for gas because you were
black," Mosley said.
The two persevered, not
only excelling on the court,
but graduating in 1941 with
degrees in physical education.
They were elected to the
school's athletic Hall of Fame
in 1977.
After getting their master's
degrees from New York Uni
versity, Margaret and Rouma
nia eventually settled back in
Washington. Roumania mar
i
ried James Walker and started
a family, including daughter
Frances and son James.
Roumania held tennis
camps in the D.C.-area to
expose underprivileged blacks
to the game and also coached
high school basketball. Mar
garet was a special education
teacher.
Weekes and her brother say
their famous relatives made
tennis a center point of family
activity, but never spoke of the
racial injustices they battled
just to play the game.
"They weren't bitter about
anything." Weekes said.
"They were never disappoint
ed they couldn't play w ith
white players. Race was never
an issue."
In fact, both siblings say it
wasn't until they read about
their mother and aunt in books
and saw them inducted into the
Tuskegee Hall of Fame that
they realized what kind of
impact they had.
"I was . shocked," Walker
said. "I used to use my moth
er's trophies as toy soldiers,
there were so many of them.
But as a kid. you don't recog
nize those things."
Weekes and Walker
weren't the only ones who
failed to recognize the soft
--ipoken sisters, Mosley said.
"They were reflective of
people of color who resisted
segregation, but were not
going to put their lives on hold
because of it," she said. "They
succeeded in spite of the
obstacles."
Because they succeeded,
new paths were laid for play
ers like the Williams sisters,
whom the Peters watched
closely as they emerged into
stardom,
"When Serena and Venus
won their Wimbledon titles. I
told my aunt. 'It should have
been you all. " Walker said.
"She said, 'No. It's their turn
now."'
John Collins, president of
the ATA's Southern Region,
said the Peters sisters were
"truly trailblazers."
"They opened doors we are
trying to reopen." he said. "It
shows our kids there is a histo
ry. a foundation for successful
tennis competition."
And now, they're finally
being honored.
"She didn't worry about
getting honors, but she would
have been very honored to
receive these awafds," Weekes
said of her mother. "I really
wish my mother were here to
see this."
Project to
offer chance |
to be vocal
politically
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT SH
i
Residents of the Happy
Hill community will meet with
local leaders on Sunday to dis
cuss voting rights and political
participation in a public forum
called "Speak Out! Restoring
Faith in Democracy." N.C.
Reps. Larry Wontble and Ear
line Par
m o n ?
along ^
with Sen.
Linda*;
G arrou <
will give!
citizens a
chance to
voice *
their con- >
c e r n s
recardine
the state of their community, u
The student-organized
Democracy Summer, an arm
of Democracy North Carolina,
is sponsoring the forum.
Democracy North Carolina is ...
a nonprofit, nonpartisan group
that aims to ensure equal
access and full participation of ,
all voters in the electoral ,
process.
Low voter turnout in
Happy Hill also is expected to
be a topic of discussion at the .
forum.
The forum will kick off,,
with free food and a round
table conducted by area civic
groups. Members of the com
munity will be invited to
address state and local offi- ,,
cials at the microphone. Also
scheduled to attend the forum ,,
are Ben Piggott, Rev. Edith
Jones. Lee Faye Mack, Rev. ?
Carlton Eversley and Rev.,
Carrie Bolton.
All who wish to attend the
forum are invited to the Sims
Recreation Center. 1201 Alder
Street, from 3-6 p.m, Legisla
twrtwwill begin speaking at 4
?*' For more information, con
tact Jennifer Fr\e at 967
9942. ext. 23.
Garrou
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