Bailey explains comments about Hispanics
BlackJ Hispanic
relations forum
has few fireworks
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
County Commissioner Beau
fort Bailey said thai the firestorm
that his comments about Hispan
ics created in January was much
ado about nothing.
"I was raised not to dislike
anyone," said Bailey. He made his
statements Friday at Southside
Baptist Church during the second
African- American/Hispanic Rela
tions Forum sponsored by the
city's Human Relations Commis
sion and the local branch of the
NAACP.
It was Stephen Hairston. the
president of the local NAACP,
who asked, Bailey, who was an
audience member, not a forum
panelist, to explain comments he
made in January during a meeting
of the city's Homeless Task Force.
Bailey told the group of business
people, community leaders, elect
ed officials and homeless advo
cates that the city's 10-year plan
to eliminate homelessness should
concentrate on homeless people
who were bom in this country.
Bailey also said loo much atten
tion is paid to the Hispanic com
munity at the ex pease ol' African
Americans and other American
natives.
His comments were heavily
reported by local media and
roundly criticized. Hairston even
wrote a letter to The Chronicle,
describing Bailey's statements as
out of line.
Bailey said the news media
twisted his statement, at least par
tially. '
"Some of my statements were
taken out of context; some of
them were not," he said. None of
the 40 or so people in the audi
ence questioned Bailey further or
challenged his response.
This second forum was muted
compared with the first one held
in June. At that forum the panel
played a supporting role as blacks
and Hispanics in the audience
voiced their concerns and feelings
about each other.
Last week's forum was more
structured. Panelists were invited
to talk about specific issues, such
as housing code enforcement and
the effect the state lottery may
have on minorities. Human Rela
tions director Wanda Allen-Abra
ha said the change in format
Photo by Kevin Walker
Noemi Alcantara calls for racial unity during last week's
forum. She works for Accion Hispana.
allowed for specific issues that
were brought up at the finst forum
to be addressed.
The lottery was the issue that
generated the most discussion.
State Rep. Earline Parmon. a pan
elist, is among the members of the
General Assembly who voted for
the lottery. The state lottery got
the green light in August when the
state Senate narrowly approved it.
Proceeds from lottery sales are
supposed to go toward education.
Panelists were asked if the lottery
was a good thing or bad thing for
minorities in North Carolina.
Rev. Aldo Barcel6 of South
side Baptist said he opposed the
lottery for moral reasons and
because it will cause people who
are already struggling financially
to invest their money in a far
fetched dream.
"It becomes a game of
chance, a game of luck." he said
through an interpreter. "It is not
good for minorities that are work
ing hard every day for their
money."
Parmon said she herself strug
gled with the moral issue of the
lottery, but she said ultimately, she
had to listen to the voices of the
people who elected her. Sixty to
70 percent of the people in the
state support a lottery, she told
Barcek) and the audience.
One member of the audience
said that churches send mixed
messages when they sell raffle
tickets for church fund-raisers
while condemning gambling. Bai
ley asked Barceld and another
pastor in attendance if they would
take lottery winnings if a winner
were to donate a portion of his or
her earnings to their churches.
Both pastors said they would take
the money.
A third African
American/Hispanic Relations
Forum is planned. The Human
Relations Commission and the
NAACP then plan to hold some
type of social event where the
groups can interact in a more
casual setting.
United
Way puts
out call to
contribute
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
In the wake of two recent
natural disasters in the United
States, United Way of
Forsyth County announced
recently the need for contin
ued donations locally during
its 2005 campaign that offi
cially kicked off Sept. 8. The
goal for this year is
$16,365,000.
United Way officials
applaud the generous giving
that is under way for disaster
relief in other areas of our
country, but they also encour
age local residents to remem
ber there is an ongoing vital
need here as well.
"United Way is the most
powerful way to change
lives," said Ron Drago, presi
dent of United Way of Forsyth
County. "We know this com
munity is extremely giving.
We see it any time a crisis
happens, most recently with
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The human needs in our com
munity are steadily increas
ing. however, and we need
everyone's support if we are
going to change more lives
here at home."
United Way offers finan
cial support to 34 partner
agencies in Forsyth County,
which includes disaster relief
agencies that have been assist
ing in Hurricane Katrina relief
efforts: the American Red
Cross, Experiment in Self
Reliance, The Salvation Army
and the Second Harvest Food
Bank of Northwest North Car-'
olina. United Way of Forsyth
County also contributed
financially to the American
Red Cross by recently donat
ing $50,000 for hurricane
relief efforts.
To learn more about the
campaign or to give, log onto
www.forsythunitedway.org .
City Councils Vernon Robinson cries foul over hassled voter
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
City Council Member Vernon
Robinson criticized the local and
state boards of elections last week
after a college student ran into
roadblocks when he tried to cast a
ballot for Robinson in last week's
primary.
N.C. School of the Arts stu
dent Adam Weinberg, a registered
Libertarian, said that poll workers
at the Griffith Fire Station Precinct
told him that he could not vote in
the primary. Earlier this summer,
the State Board of Elections
decertified the Libertarian Party
because the party failed to get at
least 10 percent of the votes cast in
last year's election. Libertarians,
though, still can cast ballots. The
State Board of Elections sent out
letters to county boards shortly
before the primary notifying them
that Libertarians could change
their party affiliation to Democrat.
Republican or unaffiliated on the
day of the primary, if necessary,
and cast ballots.
After putting up a fight, Wein
Photo by Kevin Walker
Min. Mikal Muhammad addresses the crowd.
MMM
from page A1
Islam leader Min. Louis Far
rakhan is calling for men,
women and children of all reli
gious backgrounds, political
persuasions and sexual orien
tations to take part in the Mil
lions More Movement on Oct.
IS to bring attention to topics
such as education, peace and
reparations.
Razzak wasn't just talking
the talk with her chant. She
plans to walk the walk with
other local people at the Mil
lions More Movement.
"We are suffering as black
people. I think this march will
be the one that can help change
our condition," she said.
There have been other
marches initiated by the
Nation of Islam. Two years
after the 1995 Million Man
March, a Million Woman
March was held in Philadel
phia. A Million Family March
took place in Washington in
2000. Razzak was on hand for
that march. ?
Donald MacThompson. a
political science professor at
Winston-Salem State Universi
? ty rticWSSn 70
people who listened to the pro
gram outside of Winston
Mutual that followed the
march. MacThompson was
among the hundreds of thou
sands of black men who took
fjm t in the Million Man March.
He remembers being
empowered by that march to
work for change. He Remem
bers the sense of brotherhood
he felt with the other marchers.
And he remembers feeling a
sense that things were about to
change for the better for the
black community.
MacThompson said .the
aftereffects of the Million Man
March were short-lived
because marchers went home
and left their resolve on the
National Mall.
"People had good inten
tions of actually going back
and practicing some of these
things... but nothing has hap
pened really," he said. Mac
Thompson said a scheduling
conflict will prevent him from
taking part in the Millions
More Movement, but he hopes
that what is preached there
will be practiced at home by
those in attendance.
The local mosque has char
tered several buses to transport
local people to the Millions
More Movement. Min. Mikal
Muhammad, who heads the
local mosque, has been touting
the Oct. 15 event for months.
He says this event will be
unlike past rallies.
"This is not just a march,"
he said. "This is a movement.
It is just the beginning."
The Millions More Move
ment has several long-term
plans, including the establish
ment of a "Black Economic
Development Fund" that
would be used to create an
economic infrastructure.
According to the Millions
More Movement Web site,
plans also include the creation
of a separate "Buy Black"
movement.
Muhammad believes that
Farrakhan. wht> spoke in
Greensboro last month to pro
mote the Millions More Move
ment, is the leader that can
guide blacks, other minorities
and even poor whites to
greater economic prosperity
and opportunity. The answer,
Muhammad said, lies in unity,
self-sufficiency and the other
principles that will be exhorted
in Washington later this
month.
"We need to take our des
tiny into our own hands," he
said.
Those who want lo reserve
space on one of the buses may
call (336) 721-1616.
Tickets are $50, which
includes the cost of the train
ride to the National Mall. Tick
ets can he purchased at Spe
cial Occasions Bookstore and
Shahbazz 's Restaurant.
berg said he was allowed to cast a
provisional ballot, which voters
are allowed to do when their vot
ing status cannot be confirmed at a
precinct. Provisionals count as
long as a voter's status can be con
firmed later.
Kathie Chastain Cooper, the
county's director of elections, said
her office received the letter from
the State Board the Friday before
the Tuesday primary. She said it
wasn't enough time to adequately
educate poll workers about the
Libertarian rule. She said poll
workers were instructed to call the
Board of Elections if a situation
like the one Weinberg found him
self in arose.
"Nobody called about it,"
Cooper said.
With or without Weinberg's
vote, Robinson would have won
his primary. The two-term incum
bent beat Republican challenger
B.G. Hauser by more than 160
votes. But Robinson said if just a
few Libertarians were turned
away in the Southeast Ward pri
mary - where it appears that
File Pholo
Vernon Robinson talks to young voters at Rock the Block.
Democrat Evelyn Terry won by
just two votes - it could have
changed the results of the race.
Cooper said she had no indication
that Libertarians were turned
away or even voted in the South
east.
Robinson said he wants poll
workers and election officials to
do a better job for next month's
general election, when Robinson
will face Democrat Molly Leight.
N.C. Libertarians will be auto
matically classified as unaffiliated
voters if they do not change their
party status to Democrat or
Republican by Oct. 17.
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