FORUM
C
'I am really happy when...'
Nigel Alston
Motivational
Moments
"The mind is like a para
chute. It doesn't work unless
it's open. "
- Unknown
How many of you like lo
read? I asked the class of
fourth-graders. Immediately,
all but one hand. Jazmine's,
popped up in the ai^She had a
shy smile on her face as she sat
sideways in her chair looking
at me. Eventually she raised
her hand too. Later, like
Phillip, who likes math, she
would not put it down, eager
to participate and add her
voice to the conversation.
D'Zanderia was not as shy
or reserved, though. She took
the initiative to walk to the
front of the class and tug at my
coat to get my attention. She
had something to tell me. It
was a private matter, one on
one, not for the rest of the
class to hear.
"You and I have something
in common," the fourth-grader
told me, with confidence, as
she looked up at me. She is a
cute little girl with bright,
inquisitive eyes; a warm,
beautiful smile; and plenty of
energy and enthusiasm.
D'Zanderia and her classmates
love to learn and she really
wanted me to know that she
was a writer too. and, accord
ing to her teacher, an excellent
one.
Ms. Mack, the teacher, had
introduced me to the class as a
speaker, writer and friend.
Standing in the front of the
class, towering over the stu
dents seated at their desks, we
engaged in a conversation
about books, the importance of
reading and their favorite sto
ries".
Ms. Mack's class had full
participation in a local pro
gram with a national empha
sis. the annual arts program
Reflections, an arts recogni
tion and achievement program
sponsored by the National
PTA. The program offers stu
dents the opportunity to create
works of art for fun and recog
nition. Students in preschool
through grade 12 are encour
aged to create and submit
works of art in four areas: lit
erature. musical composition,
photography, and 1he visual
arts.
I was invited to the school
(North Hills Elementary - a
2002-2003 School of Distinc
tion), to serve as a judge for
the participants in grades three
through five, by Ernestine
Huff. Huff, along with her
husband. James, is an accom
plished artist and has a daugh
ter in fifth grade at the school.
Art is her profession. She vol
unteered to be involved in the
PTA and is very instrumental
in the annual arts program and
its success at North Hills. This
year's participation included
more than 170 entries from
kindergarten through fifth
grade. Fewer than 70 partici
pated t Wo years ago.
Huff loves the school and
the idea of being involved in
providing a good foundation
for students in their formative
years. The Reflections pro
gram not only offers the
opportunity for students to
express themselves creatively,
iLteaches the value of presen
tation, meeting deadlines and
following guidelines. That is
as important to Huff as the art
itself.
This year, the program has
as its theme "1 am really happy
when...."
"I am really happy when I
read fiction. I am really happy
when I watch television. 1 am
really happy when I eat a pop
tart. I am really happy when 1
act smart. I am really happy
when 1 eat. 1 am really happy
when I write on a sheet. 1 am
really happy when 1 dount
sheep," wrote one student.
Another shared these com
ments: "1 am really happy
when I go out and play with
friends at the end of a long
school day. 1 like lo play tennis
and practice my swing. That's
why I'm happy as soon as it's
spring. ...And I'm really happy
when I'm just being me."
I was refreshed after leav
ing the school, serving as a
judge and visiting the class
room or fourth-graders. I am
really happy when ... I am in a
roomful of elementary school
children. It is exciting to see
them so excited. I am really
happy when ... those children
raise their hands enthusiasti
cally, responding to questions,
demonstrating an eagerness to
learn and share. ?>ood teaching
is going on in that class. The
teacher expects the. students to
excel. I am really happy when
... I meet good people, like
Ernestine Huff, who are giving
of their time and talent.
You can feel the passion
and see the commitment of
their efforts making a differ
ence in the school. Those
efforts can lead to an attitude
expressed by another partici-_
pant who wrote: "I like school
because it leads to a path of
success."
That should make us all
happy. It keeps the dream
alive.
Nigel Alston is a radio
talk-show host, columnist and
motivational speaker. Visit his
Web site at www. motivational
moments. com.
Disrespecting the D.C. Primary
Ron
Walters
Guest
Columnist
On Tuesday, the District of
Columbia hosted the earliest
presidential preference election
featuring the Democratic candi
dates for president. More accu
rately, it featured some of the
major candidates who believed
that the vote was important
enough to show up. They were
Howard Dean, whose name was
first on the ballot. Rev. Al Sharp
ton, former ambassador. Carol
Moseley Braun and Congress
man Dennis Kucinich.
Although no delegates werg
chosen, the election was devised
as another way of illustrating that
the District of Columbia is still in
the shadows of democracy; it has
no voting representation in either
in the House or the Senate,
although it has a non-voting dele
gate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, in
the House. The only question is
whether the District was able to
capitalize on the opportunity to
make its point about the disen
franchisement of the city in
national politics.
The absence of Dick Gephart.
Joseph Lieberman. John Kerry,
and Wesley Clark was an insult to
the citizens of the District and to
the major political purpose for
which the vote was proposed in
the first place. Their behavior
continues to illustrate that they
are woefully out of touch with the
core of the Democratic Party. If
Howard Dean, the front-running
candidate could show up, why
couldn't they? I'll tell you why.
They still subscribe to the conser
vative Democratic Leadership
Council's (DLC) view that one of
the problems with the Democrat
ic Party is that it is too Black and
that by coming into the District of
Rev. Al Sharpton
Columbia, a predominantly
Black city, it would have contin
ued to link them with an image
that is alienating to many conser
vative White voters.
Another reason they didn't
come was that they felt by "wast
ing" money on the District elec
. tion, they would be jeopardizing
their national campaign. But that
just means that they are running
scared, and that Dean, who is
flush with funds, is taking the
District seriously. Another possi
bility is that they had conceded
Washington as Dtfan country and
did not want to get embarrassed.
The District election was
important because it helped
determine who is preferred by an
overwhelmingly Black and liber
al White electorate, which looks
very much like the base vote of
the Democratic Party nationally.
Going into the race. Rev. Al
Sharpton had the most to loose
because the demographics of the
District of Columbia favored
him. If he looses to Howard
Dean, the thinking went, that
would free others in the Black
community to jump on the Dean
bandwagon. One reason Dean is
doing so well with Black voters is
that Sharpton hasn't challenged
him effectively.
Sharpton began his campaign
by saying that he wanted to take
the Democratic Party back to its
traditional roots." but Dean has
trumped him on this. Sharpton
should have countered by rolling
out some of the issues that run
deeply in the Black community,
such as the repeal of punitive
mandatory minimums sentences
and three-strikes laws. But Dean
has beaten him to the punch on
these issues.
This is dangerous for Sharp
ton because hip-hop mogul Rus
sell Simmons is running a cam
paign in New York State against
the Rockefeller drug laws that
were used as the basis for the dra
conian sentences that have
imprisoned thousands of Blacks
who might otherwise be free.
What happens if Simmons now
throws his considerable weight
behind Dean in Sharpton's own
back yard?
There was little chance that
Sharpton would be knocked out
by a Dean victory in the District
primary election , but the fear
was that he might be wounded
enough to make it difficult for
him to gain momentum in South
Carolina where he hopes to do
well. After the big shows in Iowa
and New Hampshire, the spot
light shift to South Carolina.
Carol Mbseley Braun would
have more standing had she been
more impressive in the District of
Columbia. But in most face-to
face contests, she usually does
much poorer than Sharpton
among Black voters.
What can you say about
Kucinich? He's often tagged a
"spoiler." a tag usually pinned on
Black candidates. Dean's show
ing should not be surprising, con
sidering he has spent money and
time in the District and half of the
City Council has already
endorsed him.
The District of Columbia was
just the beginning. South Caroli
na, with half of its electorate
Black, will be the next major test.
Ron Walters is the Distin
guished Leadership Scholar,
director of the African American
Leadership Institute in the Acade
my of Leadership and professor
of government and politics at the
University of Maryland-College
Park. His latest b(x>k is "White
Nationalism. Black Interests "
( Wayne State University Press).
PUBLIC NOTICE
The Emergency Food and Shelter National Board, chaired by
the Federal Emergency Managemenet Agency (FEMA), has
granted Forsyth County $155,526 to distribute to agencies pro
viding emergency services. Funds are only to be used to sup
plement feeding and shelter programs in Forsyth County.
Applications will be accepted by Forsyth County's local board,
from non-profit organizations in areas relating to:
a
? Mass Shelter (on-site)
? Rent/Mortgage Assistance (for clients)
? Other Shelter (outside the agency's own facility)
? Emergency Repairs (mass shelter and/or
feeding operations)
? Supplies and Equipment (for use in
mass shelters.)
The deadline for submission of proposals is 12 noon on
Wednesday. January 21, 2(MM (no late applications accepted).
Please contact (336) 723-3601 for additional information and/or
an application form.
Ava II. Blount
Broker
(336) 462-60X6 DIRECT
(336) 748-5318 BUSINESS
(336) 748-5363 FAX
realava@aol.com
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