Members of Carver School Class of V ?64 who attended the worship service.
Members of Carver Class of 1964
worship at Goler Metropolitan
SPEC1AI fO nil CHR0N1CI I
The Carver School Class of
1964 culminated a 40th
anniversary weekend of cele
bration activities at Goler Met
ropolitan AME Zion Church on
Sunday, June 13. Rev. William
Conrad, a member of the Class
of '64, was the host minister.
Class Co-President Dr.
Francis Manns gave the Invoca
tion, followed by the history of
the class, from what was for
merly known as Carver Consol
idated School. John F. Rice rec
ognized the deceased members
with the lighting of the com
memoraffye candle.
About 25 members el" the
Class of '64 and their families
and guests were welcomed for
an inspiring message from the
minister. A reception by the
congregation followed. Cynthia
Warren Cunningham acknowl
edged the welcome on behalf of
the class. 0 ^
Any members of the classes
of 1964 from Anderson, Atkins
and Paisley who are interested
in participating in a joint com
munity project are asked to
contact Dr. Francis Manns Jr. at
(336) 661-0164 or John F. Rice
at (336) 705-5428.
Sharpton
fwm page C7
from FOX (News) and other
networks that are campaign
ing for George Bush." Sharp
ton said.
Sharpton won only 24 del
egates out of 2,162 needed
for the Democratic nomina
tion. Yet. he is a key player in
Democratic politics and has
been invited to speak at the
Democratic National Conven
tion.
"I think when you look at
the fact that I have been asked
to do a commentary on
CNBC, that I have been asked
by Kerry to speak at the
National Democratic Conven
tion and' that I'm starting to
campaign with him, only
those jealous critics thought I
wouldn't be taken seriously,"
Sharpton said.
There has also been spec
ulation that Sharpton may
soon reach an agreement with
CNBC for Jiis own talk show.
"Clearly, they are interest
ed," Sharpton said. "They
have already signed me up to
do a commentary. 1 am sure
they would not have done that
if they were not interested in
trying to create a more per
manent relationship."
However, no contract has
been signed.
Sharpton, who has
appeared on satirical televi
sion shows such as "Saturday
Night Live," bristles at the
suggestion that his commen
tary might not be taken seri
ously.
"Al Gore did. John
McCain did. Rudy Giuliani
did. Jesse Jackson did," he
said, referring to those who
had hosted "Saturday Night
Live." "How come all of a
sudden when I did it. I was
not going to be taken serious
ly?"
If anything, Sharpton said,
he should be taken more seri
ously than other commenta
tors.
He said. "My uniqueness
in having been a former can
didate who understands the
political climate that (I) will
be watching makes my com
mentary probably the most
unique that will be on screen
this year."
Wiley
fntm page C7
comparison to be apt. I lived
it. I know very well what it
was [ike to be good in an
occupation where nearly all of
the good guys were of the
other so-called 'race,' and
assumed by divine right deep
down that this was the way it
was. That made you not a col
league but a threat."
Wiley continued, "I
always could tell when 1 was
writing well, because 1 would
come in and nobody would
speak to me."
Throughout his career,
Wiley never bit his tongue. He
was unmerciful on whites as
well as blacks that he thought
had gone astray.
"Oddly, and we do mean
oddly, Michael Jackson
recorded what should be
Michael Gerald Tyson's theme
song," he wrote in one column
for ESPN.com. "'Man in the
Mirror.' As in, how can either
one of them be&r to look in
one?"
Warming to his subject,
Wiley wrote, "Like it or not,
apparently, the world is a
more interesting place with
Michael Jackson and Mike
Tyson in it. Jackson is much
too scary to contemplate, even
for a boxing writer accus
tomed to facial disfiguration
of all kinds."
Wiley had a deep respect
for the craft of writing and an
even deeper respect for veter
an writers such as Sam Lacy,
the legendary sports writer for
the Baltimore Afro.
Upon Lacy's death, Wiley
wrote, "There' a vicious
rumor going around that Sam
Lacy, columnist for the Balti
more Afro-American weekly
newspaper, is dead. They said
he died last week, 99 years
young, and missed Palmeiro
hitting his 500th home run on
Sunday. Mother's Day. Impos
sible. I know Sam Lacy. He
can't die. He's one of the
immortals."
Long before the Detroit
Pistons began dominating the
Los Angeles Lakers in the
NBA finals, Wiley was solidly
for Detroit.
"If either the Minnesota
Timberwolves or the Detroit
Pistons were at their full
strength rosters, and of sound
mind as well as body, each of
them, it can be argued, could
win the NBA title; and one of
them should win the NBA title
this year. ..One of them
should, and one of them just
might - that one being the Pis
tons."
In another column, Wiley
wrote: "The Finals is a refer
endum on who is the best
coach in NBA history. For me
(I ca/i only speak for myself),
it's Larry Brown."
After frequent appearances
on sports shows, in recent
years, Wiley increasingly
turned his attention to writing
books: "Serenity: A Boxing
Memoir," "Why Black People
Tend to Shout," "What Black
People Should Do Now: Dis
patches from Near the Van
guard," "Dark Witness: When
Black People Should Be Sac
rificed (Again)," and "Trial of
the Century."
He also co-wrote several
books, including "Best Seat in
the House: A Basketball
Memoir" (with Spike Lee),
"By Any Means Necessary:
The Trials and Tribulations of
the Making of Malcolm X"
(also with Spike Lee), "Born
to Play: The Eric Davis Story"
and Dexter Scott King's auto
biography, "Growing Up
King: An Intimate Memoir."
In a column on Kentucky's
first black basketball coach,
Wiley wrote: "...It couldn't
have been simple for Tubby
Smith to figure out how to
play the game at Kentucky.
There were going to be people"
who hated him no matter what
his record was. There are peo
ple who hate him still.
"I still recall a columnist
named Tom Callahan being
moved to write in 1978 that
Kentucky fans were happy to
have won the national title
under Joe B. Hall - the only
drawback was the hand that
had dropped 41 points that
night, Jack Givens', happened
to be black."
Ralph Wiley happened to
be black. And he was proud of
it.
Usher
from page C7
comments regarding the (Nu
Beginning) group."
The 105-minute documentary
traces Wheeler's earlier work with
Darrv] Wheeler's Happy Clowns,
a group of pre-teen school kids
that presented positive social mes
sages to students through skits and
songs in area recreation centers
and schools, to his current work
producing and promoting his
entertainer son, Dairyl "Lil D"
Wheeler Jr.
In addition to principals and
school board members from Chat
tanooga and Florida, where Nu
Beginning performed regularly,
former Mayor Gene Roberts and
WRCB-TV 3 personality David
Carroll appear in the documentary
to provide background commen
tary on the successes both groups
had.
"We have a video of them that
we took here (at the station), and
we all had the same reaction back
then that he (Usher) was the most
amazing child performer we'd
seen since Michael Jackson,"
Carroll said in a telephone inter
view. He also said that he has been
surprised by Usher's lack of
acknowledgment of his days with
the local group.
"I just finished reading the
new Rolling Stone and I've read
most everything else about him
over the years, and it's always
puzzled me why Darryl doesn't
seem to get any credit for nurtur
ing his talents." Carroll said. "It's
always the same story about him
(Usher) singing in church, and
then his mother moved him to
Atlanta and he became a star." -
The documentary contains
footage of a young Usher
approaching Wheeler about join
ing the group after a performance
i(t Dalewood Middle- School,
located on a street renamed Usher
Raymond Parkway in Brainerd.:
"He said he could sing." Wheeler
said. At a tryout. Wheeler said the
youngster's voice was OK. but his
dancing skills were lacking.
"There was something about
him. though, so 1 brought him in."
Wheeler recalls. He said he
rehearsed the boys constantly to
perfect their stage show and to
build camaraderie among the five.
"We used to have to tie Usher's
shoes to (another group mem
ber's) so he1 (Usher) could learn
the steps. I'd tell them. 'If Usher
messes up. you all have to do 50
push-ups'"
Wheeler said he suspects that
Usher's reluctance to mention him
or the group may stem from the
fact that the young singer and his
mother signed a contract with
Wheeler in IWI . Usher and other
members of Nu Beginning also
signed a contract with 4-Site
Records in Florida around the
same time. Wheeler said.
Shortly after Nu Beginning
recorded "Keep Dreaming" with
4-Site in March of 1992, Usher's
mother took her son out of the
group and moved him to Atlanta,
according to Wheeler, with whom
Usher was living at the time.
Wheeler insists there were no
problems at the time, but he had
been aware that Patton was shop
ping her son to record labels in
Atlanta, where she had been living
with her husband at the time,
Terry, since March of 1991.
Usher lived with the Wheelers
through the end of the Dalewood
Middle school year and the fol
lowing summer, then spent week
ends and tour dates in the fall with
the Wheelers and school days in
Atlanta. Usher signed with
LaFace Records in February of
1 993. Nu Beginning carried on for
a short while without him. but
"the magic, and the family, was
gone." Wheeler said.
Usher's biography on his offi
cial Web site, Usherworld.com.
notes that he was bom in Chat
tanooga and discovered music as a
9-year-old after becoming a mem
ber of St. Elriio Missionary Bap
tist Church.
For years, Wheeler said, he
has hoped to hear or read com
ments from Usher discussing the
nearly three years and thousands
of hours the rising star spent per
fecting dance moves and learning
new songs with Anthony Byrd,
Charles Yarborough, Andrian
Johnson and Reginald Mc-?
Kibbens. "We were brothers,"
says Byrd. 28, the oldest member
of the group.
All four still live and work in
Chattanooga, and say they are
happy about Usher's career suc
cess. They just want to be able to
tell him so and to tell others about
their history together, they said.
"His fame or his rise to suc
cess is what people think that
hurts us, but I have so much love
for him and he is so talented. I'm
happy for him," Byrd said. "It's
the fact that we can't get together
and show that brotherly love to
each other or to Darryl. What
hurts the most is when I see him
behind closed doors, he'll speak
and say he misses me, and then he
turns around and won't acknowl
edge us."
Byrd said his hardest moment
with Usher came one night in
1998 when the entertainer came to
town for a short performance at
Bessie Smith Hall. Usher made
eye contact with Byrd and Wheel
er but didn't speak and then
refused to roll down the window
of the limousine outside aftgr lhe..
show, Byrtfsaid. '"That was a redl
crushing moment for Darryl and
me," Byrd said. "Here was the
man that clothed him and fed him,
and he wouldn't even roll the win
dow down and shake his hand."
It was the chance to tell the
group's story publicly that pushed
Byrd, who still performs as a
backup singer and dancer with
Darryl Jr.. to be a part of the doc
umentary.
"A lot of people don't know
the true story," he said. "As a
young man growing up. it was
hard to see a person that was part
of your life doing well and you
can't tell anybody because your
friends mock you and make fun of
you. That hurts".
People doubt the role Nu
Beginning had on Usher's career
because he won't mention it. Byrd
said. Wheeler and Usher did speak
regularly on the phone until about
four years ago. "He would call
and basically tell me he loved me
and how much he appreciated
what I did for him, but he's not
done it publicly, and that is the
problem we all have," Wheeler
said.
Wheeler said telling the story
for the documentary has brought
some closure for him. but Byrd
said it has made things worse in
some ways.
"I feel more strongly now than
before (the need) to get with that
brother and ask him why. I want to
hear it from his mouth."
On<
Clifl
www carolinamusicways org
THE WINSTON-SALEM
SYMPHONY'S
PATRIOTIC
CELEBRATION & FIREWORKS
SATURDAY, JULY 3RD
(RAIN DATE SUNDAY, JULY 4TH)
GATES OPEN AT 5:00PM
CONCERT BEGINS AT 7:30PM
THE EVENING INCLUDES:
? YOUR FAVORITE PATRIOTIC TUNES
'A MILITARY COLOR GUARD
? SOLOS BY LOCAL FAVORITE
JOHN WILLIAMS, BASS
?A KJDS'TENTWITH LOTS OF KIDS' ACTIVITIES
AND BALLOONS
? THE MISS LIBERTY MARCH
? THE 1812 OVERTURE
? FIREWORKS!
PICNICS, COOLERS, BLANKETS &
LAWN CHAIRS WELCOME!
Tangfewood Park requests you leave griffs,
personal fireworks, and pets at home
For advanced tickets & more info call 725-1035 or
visit www. wssymphony.org
Ticket Prices: Aduta:$ 10. Youth (5 - 18) $8; Family (two adults and all
children) $30. Children under S FREE ? Groups of 10 or more get In
(or $8 each with advanced octet purchase ? FVking $2/car & {8/bus |
+ North pointh
wWiNsn*v-S*if.M
Journal
A ?T S COUNQ |