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NemStot h Toal wants more minority judges in S.C. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina Chief Justice Jean Toal says lawmakers need to figure out a way to get more minorities on the bench as state judges. About 6 percent of the state's judges are black, and during her annual State of the Judiciary speech last week, Toal acknowledged that closely mirrors the percentage of minorities that pass the site's bar exam. Bi^'it does not reflect the diversity of South Carolina's population," Toal said. Census numbers from 2000 show the state's minority population is closer to 30 percent. To a/ Toal didn't offer any specific solu tions, but said it would require lawmak ers to be more willing to consider black judicial candidates and educators and lawyers working to get more minorities into and through law school, . Also in her speech, Toal told lawmakers she will need more judges next year. The Legislature has not added any new judges at the Family or Circuit Court levels since she took over as chief justice in 2000. South Carolina currently has one judge for every 3,378 cases - nearly 10 times the rat?*of Massachusetts. Ritzy, costly black history museum proposed for downtown Indianapolis INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - A 90-foot glass tower, performing arts center and cafe would be part of a proposed Indiana Museum of African American History in downtown Indi anapolis. The design concept released last week for the four-story, 120,000-square-foot museum building includes a multicol ored glass tower that would overlook White River State Park. It would be the park's tallest structure. The $50 million museum's grounds would feature many details reflecting the experience of black Americans, said Alpha Blackburn, chairwoman of the museum board. For example, the west end of the museum would be shaped like a ship's bow supported by images of people standing with arms raised over their heads. Blackburn called that feature "an obvious reference to the way blacks found themselves in this country" aboard ships that carried enslaved Africans to America. Despite securing a three-acre tract between the NCAA Hall of Champions and National Institute for Fitness and Sports, the project still faces many obstacles. Chief among them is raising the estimated $50 million needed to build and operate the museum. Only $1 million has been raised for the project so far, but the museum's board hopes it can open in 2008. College of Charleston hires its only black administrator amid diversity questions CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - The College of Charleston now has a black among the ranks ot its top administrators. The college has hired Victor Wilson as senior vice president of student affairs. He becomes the only black among the school's deans and senior vice presidents. "It's not something I'm unaccus tomed to," said Wilson, 44. "People will see I have the skills and will get the job done. While people are blathering on about how I only got the job because I'm African-American, I'll be off proving them completely wrong," he said. Wilson Wilson is currently associate vice president for student affairs at the University of Georgia. He was chosen from 120 candidates in a national search for the post that came open in late 2001. The vacant position stirred a controversy last fall when professor Dave Marshall proposed a faculty senate res olution that encouraged President Lee Higdon to fill it from an "applicant pool as diverse as possible." NAACP files $10 million discrimination lawsuit against Washington State district SEATTLE (AP) - The NAACP on Monday filed a $10 million claim against the Kent School District, alleging dis crimination against black students by security guards at schools in the district south of Seattle. The claim was filed on behalf of three female students and their families who contend they were "violated and humiliat ed with undue use of force, handcuffing, and physical and mental abuse," The families each are asking for more than $3.3 million in damages, arguing that theirthildren's civil rights were violat ed- . , ? ? ?wo girls, students at Meeker Junior High, allegedly were mistreated by a white security guard at the- school, said Carl Mack, president of the Seattle chapter of the National Associ ation for the Advancement of Colored People. A third student allegedly suffered similar treatment at Kent Meridian High School. District spokeswoman Becky Hanks did not immediately return two calls requesting comment Monday morning. The district has 60 days to respond to the claim; after that the group can file a lawsuit. The NAACP learned of the alleged incidents late last year when a parent, Shuloney Williams, complained that on sever al occasions a security guard at the junior high school had assaulted her 15-year-old daughter, Shuvonyeh Veasley. The Chronicle (USPS 067-910) was established by Ernest H. Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and is published every Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing Co. Inc., 617 N. Liberty Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. Peri odicals postage paid at Winston-Salem, N.C. Annual sub scription price is $30.72. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Chronicle, P.O. Box 1636 Winston-Salem, NC 27102-1636 Lyons discusses doing hard time BY K. CHANDLER THE WESTS IDE GAZETTE This is the second and last pari of a series thai was first pub lished last week. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - (Continuing from last time, after 18 days in solitary confinement. Rev. Henry Lyons, former heead of the million member National Baptist Con vention, was moved to a perma nent prison camp following his conviction for swindling $4 mil lion from mortuary companies desiring to do business with con vention members. The story picks up from there.) "I movent from Orlando to Marion County, Ocala, Florida. Ten miles north of Ocala there is a maximum-security prison that holds 1,500 men. They call the kind of prison time I did, hard time. I did hard time in prison. "Once 1 got there I didn't know what to expect, didn't know what to think. I didn't c know where to go. The first thing 1 learned was that out of 1,500 men, about 600 were in there for life. Now when you're in prison for life you have a whole 'nother mentality than someone who's in there for three or four years and trying to get out. because there is hope (for that person). But when you're in there for life and that's home for you and you're never going to leave and you know that and there are no more chances for you in the courts, then that kind of person is capable of doing anything. So what I'm try ing to say here is that it didn't take me long to find out that Photo by Gary Caskey/ Reuien. Henry J. Lyons waves while standing behind the speaker's podium during the opening session of the National Baptist Convention in 1997. death for me could be imminent. Just bruijh up against someone and they'd jump on you and beat you up or stab you with what they call in prison, a "shank,' or illegal knife. "You could just look at some body wrong and they'd take offense to that. They'd take a serious negative attitude. If they just got out of the bed wrong that morning, or some guard said something to them. I learned that I had to walk real 'soft.' I also learned that if I saw trouble there. I'd go around it as much as 1 could to avoid it. I also learned to speak softly and basically avoid any eye contact because even eye contact could be taken the wrong way. "After months of that kind of activity, I began, let's say, to feel my way around a little better. And then in prison you've got quite a strong Christian commu nity, and so the Christian brothers came to me and embraced me and kind of gave me some instructions as to how to maneu ver around in prison. It was very, very welcomed believe you me, because there you're in a dormi tory situation, which is complete ly open with about 70 men in a space just tike this room here. You see fights breaking out all the time. You see stabbings all the time, along with killings and folks committing suicide because they have no hope. They've lost all hope. "And so the Christian broth ers came to me and embraced me and I began to sort of be with them as much as I could, because in prison everybody works. Everybody works. Every day you've got to get up and go to work. So the biggest (portion) of my work in prison was teaching folk to earn their GED, because I have a degree and so I was able to teach them. And so that was a real rewarding situation for me. "The other thing was that the Christian witness in prison was pretty strong, just like the Mus lim experience in there. And I will never forget the time at Mar ion - I was allowed to conduct only one revival while there, but the 'Lord told me to put on a revival. And I just couldn't believe the Lord said it, but He said it. so I set out to do it. I called the Christian brothers together and said, 'We want to do a revival.' "Well, to my surprise, most of them didn't have an idea of See Lyons on A9 Nagged black woman gets 'Uppity' with T-shirts BY REGGIE WILLIAMS AFRO NEWSPAPERS WASHINGTON (NNPA) - One T-shirt with two-words, "Uppity Negro," inscribed across the chest was supposed to be her protest. This was Andrea Carter's solution to what she calls "the constant nagging" she received at her job because of the candor of her speech. "You're not going to treat me any kind of way, and you're not going to talk to me any kind of way," Carter said she often found herself saying. Examining her actions to ensure her behavior wasn't unreasonable. Carter maintains she discovered that out of all the customers - blacks, Ethiopians, Asians, South and Central Americans, Mexicans, Arabs and Eastern and Western Euro peans - who frequented the Adams Morgan coffeehouse where she worked, the clients who most often had complaints about her were American whites. "Why can't I be respected and why must I negotiate it?" Carter asked. Carter believes, even today, that white people still think African-Americans need to remain in their place. "By wearing the shirt, I would take the power out of the intimidation tactic in chastising me by announcing I embraced the audacity of being uppity," explained Carter, president and owner of the Uppity Negro apparel line. Before she could launch her T-shirt protest. Carter was fired for what she describes as being uppity. Carter admits to "will fully" talking back to a white Attention Homeowners Homes 1 year and older need to be checked for termites "A flea circus is a good act but it takes termites to bring a home down. " Call Triad Pest Control 1535 S. Martin Luther King Drive Winston-Salem, NC 788-3020 INDEX OPIN/ON AS SPORTS. B1 RELIGION. B4 CLASSIFIEDS. 87 HEALTH. C3 ENTERTAINMENT.. ,.C7 CALENDAR. C9 customer in a store filled with customers. After her termination, she really had no reason to create the shirt. But after talking with friends, she discovered she was n't alone in feeling a dignity intrusion. To her surprise, folks began saying, "Hey, I need a T shirt." With renewed spirit, she began producing coffee mugs, tote bags, hats and sweatshirts in addition to the shirts. Carter began selling the mer chandise at Howard University's homecoming. Purchasers, inquiring about the shirts' ori gins, shared their stories of com promised dignity. "I was amazed to hear the stories of so many people who felt like I did," said Carter. While the word about Carter's products continues to UPPITC hegko Photo by Reggie Williams/Afro Andrea Carter created "Uppity Negro" T-shirts. spread, she contends many peo- "They don't get it," she pie fail to understand the moti- said. "Black people who experi vation behind the apparel. See Shirts on A9 SALEM s? ^ COLLEGE /y/ . _ c^yarcti Events Sister Helen PREJEAN "Dead Man Walking. ..The Journey Continues" Wednesday, March 10 at 7 p.m. Shirley Recital Hall ? Salem Fine Arts Center Salem College Lecture Series presents Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Penelope NIVEN Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m. Shirley Recital Hall ? Salem Fine Arts Center The Center for Women Writers presents the Third Annual Beverly Johnson Pritchard Lecture, delivered by Penelope Niven, author, biographer and Salem College Writer in Residence. Author of Carl Sandburg: A Biography Barbara NISSMAN Saturday, March 13 at 8 p.m. Shirley Recital Hall ? Salem Fine Arts Center Pianist Barbara Nissman in Concert performing works by Sergei Prokofiev and Franlr Dszt . Patti PETERSON ? . ? Mt.ac-5 jSf Monday, March 29 at 8 p.m. Shirley Recital Hall ? Salem Fine Arts Center Soprano Patti Peterson in an alumna artist recital * CO M I N ? A Poetry Reading by Former United States Poet Laureate, Rita Dove Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. ? Hanes Auditorium ? Salem Fine Arts Center Co-sponsored by the Forsyth County Public Library ? Spring Choral Concert Featuring the Salem College Chorale and Chamber Choir Friday, April 23 ^t 8 p.m. Shirley Recital Hall ? Salem Fine Arts Center Events are free and open to the public ? For more information call 917-5313 ? www.salem.edu ? Salem College School of Music Faculty Recital Friday, April 30 at 8 p.m. Shirley Recital Hall ? Salem Fine Arts Center SALEM
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