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ihe_ z_ ;ONICLE Vol. XXXII No. 1 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1,2005 Parkland hopes to continue its win streak See Pane til Campaign stresses health checkups Ste Page AS North Carolina Room f nrryth Q'"?y P||ft|jf I ihraw p.^j.West Fiffo\Steegt 75e"n" h'M/if6ton-Saten^Kp''27 1 01 at dinner o -year# * S"F?*'a ^ Angelou to students: Abolish N-word Photo by Kevin Walker World-renowned poet Dr. Maya Angelou spoke to more than 1,000 freshmen last week at Winston-Salem State University. BY T KEVIN WALKER THE CHRONICLE Her way with words has garnered her fame and prestige around the globe. But Maya Angelou says that there are some words that not even she, or anyone else, can make sound grace ful and dignified. The world renowned poet and longtime city resident told more than 1 ,000 Winston-Salem State University freshmen last Thursday that the "n-word" is toxic, regardless of how it is used or who uses it. "It is poison," she said, her words resonating through a packed K.R. Williams Auditorium. For the second straight year, Angelou was the keynote speaker for WSSU's New Student Convocation. See Angelou on A5 "It was created to denigrate an entire people. Don't use the word. I beg you." - Maya Angelou Survivors Women with sickle cell have beaten the odds to live long lives BY T. KEVIN WALKER THE CHRONICLE GREENSBORO - The doctors' words still echo in Lela Fields' mind. Each syl lable was like a tiny dagger that cut through her skin to pierce her soul. "He told me that I would among a small group of women who have lived to 70 and beyond with sickle cell, a chronic ailment that causes red blood cells to mutate into sickle-like shapes, making blood flow difficult. The Sickle Cell Disease Associa tion of the Piedmont (SCDAP) has identified six die before I was 30 years old," she recalled. Fields was in her early 20s at that time. A few years earlier - after suffering several bouts of pneumonia and even a coma - she was diagnosed with sickle cell ane mia. Fields' doctor Robinson such women in the Triad (five in Greensboro and one in High Point). The women will be lauded later this month at the agency's banquet at the Airport Mar riott. SCDAP holds its banquet each September, was not being overly cruel. At the time, sickle cell was not only widely misunder stood but a virtual death sen tence. Treatment options were null and misdiagnoses were common. Fields knew the odds were against her if she stood alone. So she decided to stand by a higher power. She says when she left the doc tor's office that day, a pres ence walked by her side and began talking to her. It said that everything would be OK. Fifty years later. Fields still believes in what she heard that day. "I just say, 'What will be. will be,"' said Fields, who is now 70. Faith is a common trait which has been designated National Sickle Cell Month. The women have become unofficial ambassadors for the agency, showing others living with the disease that it is possible for them too to live long, productive lives. Sickle cell claimed the lives of Vera Nell Moss' brother when he was 33 and one of her sisters when she was 25. Moss, who was diag nosed with sickle cell in the 1950s, is 71 . Her older sister, wht? also has the disease, is an astounding 83 years old. Mary Albea and Ida John son are both 7 1 . They both spent decades knowing that something was not quite right with their health but not See Sickle cell on A1 1 Program aims to decrease dropouts Dozens of students have signed up this school year BY COURTNEY GAILLARD THE CHRONICLE It's not your traditional alternative education pro gram, but the Career Prep Pilot Project (C3P) aims to curb dropout rates and navi gate students onto a career path. Nearly 60 students have already signed up to partici pate in C3P. Students enrolled in this new Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools program will spend part of t h e school day at t h e Career Center taking career Burton techni cal education courses and the other half of the day in school. The Office of Dropout Prevention Intervention and Recovery Services consulted a number of students through a series of focus groups and polls last spring. Most of the students expressed great interest in honing trade skills related to automobile tech nology. Thanks to the input from the students, dropout pro gram specialist Tony Burton says, this unique pilot pro gram that the school system has developed may discour age ninth-graders from drop ping out of school. He says the highest rate of dropouts last year was seen in the ninth grade. During the 2004-2005 academic year, 772 WS/FCS students dropped out of school. The WS/FCS rate of 3.46 percent for grades 7-12 was slightly higher than the state's rate of 3.29 percent. "One of the main things that (students) were talking about was that school was boring," said Burton. "After talking to them, we realized See Dropouts on AS Phoio by Kevtn Walker Lela Fields (clockwise from center), Ida Johnson , Mary Albea and Vera Nell Moss. Three Democrats vie to replace Fred Terry BY T. KEVIN WALKER THE CHRONICLE In the uncertain world of politics, one decided not to seek re-election. Three Democrats and one Libertarian want to fill Terry's shoes. Among the group of contenders is his Baxter announced his intentions to run for the council. A few years shy of 30. Baxter is no novice when it comes to campaigning. Last year, he ran thing is guaranteed this election year: There will at least be one new face on the Winston-Salem City Council after the Nov. 8 election. The new council member will come from the Southeast Ward, which Fred Terry has quietly rep resented for the past Baxter eight years. Terry decided months ago that two terms was plenty for him. He is the only current member of the council who has Boyd tarian Thomas Leinbach in November. Weeks before the Board of Elections opened the candidate filing window. Antonio wite. fcvelyn. in me Sept. 27 primary, she will face Antonio ler maine Baxter and Jimmy Lee Boyd. All three candidates say they are the right fit for the Southeast, a ward that is one of the city's most racially diverse. The winner of the Democratic pri mary will face Liber Tarry work as a budget analyst for the town's Sec Primary on A10 unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary against popular incumbent Linda Gar rou for the N.C. Sen ate. "I learned a lot from that campaign," he said. Timing is one of the lessons he learned. Baxter, who commutes to Chapel Hill each weekday to Distinguished Gentlemen Photo by latum Pmi Mayor Allen Joints, from right, talks with Chancellor Harold Martin and Stodman Oraham last weak at Diggs Oallery. Oraham vras the special guest at a business divrsity conference hold at WSSU. In Grateful Memory of Our Founders, Florrie S. Russell and Carl H. Russell, Sr. " Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better" ffiugggjl ffifmteral Momc Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support 822 Carl Russell / (at Martin Luther Kin Winston-Salem, NC 2 (336) 722^345 F?* (336) 631-82 rusfhome<S>bellsouth . For Reference No* *o toe taken from this library
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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