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17 110806 1 5-DIGIT 27101
NORTH CAROLINA ROOM
FORSYTH CTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
660 W 5TH ST
WINSTON SALEM NC 27101-2755
RON IC LE
Vol. XXXIII No. 3 THURSDAY, September 14, 2006
Super
WSSU fan
inducted
into hall
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Roger
Sharpe
gunning for
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Nun continues
fight against
death penalty
Susan Sarandon won an Oscar for
playing Sister Helen Prejean
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
GREENSBORO - Sister Helen Prejean, the nun portrayed in the
movie "Dead Man Walking," spoke about social injustkejast week at
the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Prejean lives in New Orleans and authored the book "Dead Man
Walking." which the
1 995 film was based
on. The book
recounts her experi
ences ministering to
death row inmates.
Susan Sarandon
played Prejean in the
movie and won an
Oscar for the role.
The book also went
on to became an
opera and a play.
Prejean is an out
spoken opponent of
the death penalty and
helped shape the
Catholic church's
current strong stance
against the practice.
She founded
Survive, which con
soles and supports
the families of mur
der victims. She's
also very concerned
about poverty and
> inequality, both of
which she said were
shown in New
Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit.
"How do you have an evacuation plan for a major city and not
include poor people?" she asked a crowd of several hundred.
Prejean told the audience that she wasn't always a crusader for
social justice. She spent years as a nun giving little thought to the poor
and disadvantaged, even though half of New Orleans' population lived
in poverty.
"It's possible to live our entire lives without seeing the other
America unless we wake up." Prejean said.
A trip to hear another nun speak about social justice changed things
for her. Prejean said that her burning desire to help the poor was
sparked when the nun talked about Jesus' ministry to the poor, when he
told them to be poor no more.
Her work with the disadvantaged eventually led her to become pen
pals with Patrick Sonnier, a death row inmate convicted for his role in
the murder of a young couple. Sonnier was her window into the world
of death row. She visited Sonnier and was there even as he was execut
ed. Sonnier s brother was the person who pulled the trigger in the mur
ders, but only Sonnier was executed for it. Sonnier and another death
row inmate Prejean met were the inspirations for Sean Penn's character
in the movie.
"I'm not making him into a hero," said Prejean. "He did an
unspeakable thing, him and his brother, but he was still a human being."
She called the death penalty "torture." citing the psychological cru
elty of the repeated pardons and appeals that cause many inmates to
never know when they're going to die. The Supreme Court said that the
death penalty should be used on the "worst of the worst" but nobody
See Prejean on A 14
i Photo b\ Tddd Lucl
Sister Helen Prejean gives a signed book U
a fan.
Hope Endures
Phoi?v. by Kevin Walker
Corey Cameron gives his son, DiaShawn, a belter view of the action.
Community still battling crime
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Residents of Cleveland Avenue Homes came
out in force Saturday for an afternoon-long block
party that celebrated the anniversary of
a program that aims to rid the commu
nity of drugs and other evils.
Hundreds were attracted to the
event; it was hard to avoid. The main
stretch of road in the neighborhood was
shut down to accommodate a sound
stage and a children's activities area. A
warm, gentle breeze carried the aroma
of hot-dogs, burgers and fried fish, and
the Boss Drummers, the legendary
Winston Lake Family YMCA perform
ers, started the event out with a bang -
literally.
Residents say there was a time when an event
such as the one held Saturday would not have been
possible. Cleveland Avenue Homes, a public hous
ing development off of 14th Street, had developed
a well-earned reputation as a haven for drug deal
ers. Parents kept their young ones near, and it was
nearly impossible for law-abiding residents to
walk two steps without witnessing illegal activity.
"It was awful," said Mattie Young, who has
lived in the community so long that she is cajled
"the mayor" of Cleveland Avenue Homes.
Young and her neighbors had complained
about the drug activity for years. Police
made arrests, but . the same dealers
returned to the community once they
served their time. ,
Last year, the Winston-Salem Police
Department tried something different -
the New Hope Initiative. After a pro
tracted undercover investigation that
involved photographing dealers at work.
The drug dealers with the most egre
gious violations were arrestetL and
charged severely. Those with relatively
ipinor infractions were confronted with
the evidence collected against them and given the
choice to either stop selling or face the conse
quences. Police, in conjunction with local church
es and agencies, offered those who chose the law
abiding, path help with job training, substance
abuse and even rental payments.
See Cleveland Avenue yn A 10
Young
Tests
created
to deter
blacks?
Professor's book finds
links between racism,
standardized tests
BY LAY1.A FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
African-Americans have
come a long way from the days
of Jim Crow - or have they?
Scott Baker, a professor at
Wake Forest University, says that
racial
inequality
is still
alive and
well in
the edu
cational
system ,
even now
in the
year
2 0 0 6.
Baker
studied the histories of several
schools in Charleston. S.C. -
fromj 920 to 1970 - for his book
"Paradoxes of Desegregation."
After extensive research, it is -his
estimation that when segregation
collapsed, new forms of discrim
ination and racial inequality took
hold.
It is Baker's belief that stan
dardized tests were adopted to
"exclude African-Americans."
"The evidence that 1 found in
school board minutes and in uni
versity archives really pointed to
this subtle resistance." he said.
"Letters from school officials,
school superintendents and
school board members said. ..that
'if we adopt these tests (the
national teachers' examination
and others), most whites are
going to outperform blacks, and
so what we're going to do is
recreate, in a more legally defen
sible and rational form, the kind
of system that we once had
here.'"
His research found that some
affluent blacks thrived on the
standardized tests when they first
were implemented. But unfortu
n a t e 1 y
"advantaged African
Americans" were the minority.
"The majority of African
Americans. who were disadvan
taged due to discrimination and
lack of opportunity. becan?c
Sec Tests on All
Baker
Leaders reflect on fifth anniversary of 'day of infamy'
PfjiKot hv Krvin Walkri
Chief John Gist and Pal Norris salute during the playing of "Taps."
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
City leaders used the fifth anniver
sary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks to praise the men and
women in uniform who are
ready and willing, at any
given moment, to give their
lives to protect and serve.
A commemoration serv
ice began shortly after 9:30
a.m. on Monday. Five years
ago at that time. Americans
were shocked and startled as
they learned of the attacks,
which claimed the lives of
nearly 3,000.
Monday's weather matched the
solemn occasion. There was not a hint
of brightness above as a procession of
law enforcement vehicles, fire trucks
and ambulances slowly trekked down
?iimiji'LMi "
Fourth Street with their lights flashing
and sirens muted. The scene attracted a
small crowd of onlookers who stood -
and often waved - as the procession
passed. Children - who weren't yet born
when the attacks occurred -
held up homemade flags as
they watched from the curb.
The procession took a right
at Liberty Street and ended at
Corpening Plaza, where every
one from the mayor to the
City's police and fire chiefs
offered thoughts and reflec
tions. They also offered praise.
"We can never thank-you
enough." Fire Chief John Gist
said to a crowd dominated by
police officers, firefighters and other
first-responders*. "We could never pay
you enough."
See 9/11 on AS
Firefighter Brian Manual
uses a fire truck ladder to lift
an American flag.
11 1 m i 1 i
Garrity
In Grateful Memory bf Our
Founders,
Florrie S. Russell and
Carl H. Russell, Sr.
"Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better "
ffiugggll fflmtmtl !Momc
Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support
822 Carl Russell Ave.
(at Martin Luther King Dr.)
Winston-Salem. NC 27101
(336) 722- 3459
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