,THE
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NSTON SALE11 NC 27.01-2755 L
Winrtnn Fl.liam NC 27101 THURSDAY, January is, 2007
vol. xxxiii no. 2? 5 tVHIoIUI roaiqni, imw &./ mi
Carver hoop
star plays
to win each
match-up
?See Page HI
Besse says
he will run
for Lt. Gov
in 2008
See Page .45
Breakfast
attracts
crowd of
about 700
Set Huge B14
Evers '
widow
recalls .
struggles
Myrlie Evers-Williams has
taken a lead role in the ?
Civil Rights Movement
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
In the spinl of Dr. Martin
Lulher King's famous dream.
Evers-Williams
Wake
Fores t
and
Winston
Salem
State uni
vcrsities
collabo
rated on a
special
Martin
Luther
King Jr.
Celebration, held at WSSU's
Dillard Auditorium Monday
night.
Performances by students
from both schools brought the
audience to its feet, ajjij a hand
ful of students and faculty mem
bers from each institution were
recogni/ed with "Building the
Dream" awards for their exem
plary service.
Then keynote speaker,
Myrlie Evers-Williams, took the
stage. Her fiery eyes and warm,
yet unflinching, demeanor
caught the audience's attention,
even before her commanding
voice echoed from the stage.
"Already I have become the
recipient of an uplift of spint, a
charge in the heart tliat says,
'Beat a little longer,"' she com
mented straightaway. "I'm hear
ing the message through song,
through the spoken word, and
seeing the dance, that moves me
to feel that hope is very much
alive." - "**? *a
Evers Williams is the widow
of civil rights icon Medgar ,
Evers, whose assassindiUon in (
1963 brought national attenUon ,
to the movement and made him ,
a household name. Since that (
time, Evers-Williams has (
remained acuve in the fight for
civil rights, chairing the naUanal ,
NAACP from 1995 to 1998. ,
She spoke of her late hus ,
band, and of countless others }
like him, wh6 took tremendous ]
risks to ensure a better future for (
their people
"It was a lime of turmoil, 'j
when a few people w hose names ,
w e may not even remember or
See Evers-Williams on AV
Free Ride
f
Photo by Kevin Walkci
Christian Taylor looks, from the comfort of his father's arms, at the large crowd of
people who marched Monday from Mt. '/.ion Baptist Church to the Benton Convention
Center. The annual trek has become a MLK Day tradition. '
Exhibit honors N.C. fallen soldiers
B Y TODD LUCK -
HI!' C HRONICLE
Seventy combat boots, each
representing a soldier from North
C arolina who died in Iraq, were
displayed last Friday in
Corpening Plaza as part of a trav
eling exhibit on the human cost
of the Iraq War.
The combat boots were
tagged with the name, rank and
hometown of each fallen service
member and many featured
items that w ere left by the fami
lies of the fallen. Smaller, less lit
eral visuals on war causalities
were there as well, including a
pile of teddy bears made by
members of Forsyth Friends
Meeting to represent all the chil
dren who died or lost a loved one
Photo by Todd Luck
Marietta Nava looks at Ihe exhibit with her son, A J. Pina.
in the conflict. There were also a
vanety of shoes that had been
left by volunteers who have
Q
worked with the exhibit, each
pair representing an Iraqi who
Sec Soldiers on A 1 1
Pholo by Layla Farmer
The Rev. Linda Beat stands with her husband, Marion, outside
of her church.
Madame
President
Beal hopes making history will help
other female pastors
BY LAV LA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
"Always vigilante."
That is the motto of the
Minister's Conference of
Winston-Salem and Vicinity,
which was founded by Rev.
R.M. Pitts Sr. in
iok .><
inception, the con
ference has worked
for equality and jus
tice, taking stands on
a variety of issues
that have impacted
African Americans
and the county as a
whole.
During its con
tinued struggle for
the equal treatment for all peo
ple, in more than seven decades,
the conference has never had a
female president - until now.
The Rev. Dr. Linda Beal was
installed as president of the con
ference - which is touted as thp
oldest and largest predominant
ly black ecumenical clergy
organization in Forsyth County
- on Jan. 7.
"There have alwkys been
women in the conference ... but
not many were in the forefront
Gilliam
It's just a good thing, just a good
feeling, that your- peers or your
colleagues recommend you and
feel like you're qualified to do
it," remarked Beal, who is
founder and pastor of New
Liberty Full Gospel Baptist
Church. "I think they have
______ learned to value the
women a 101 more
than perhaps they
once did. It's a great
honor."
Beal has served
the organization in
several capacities
over the years, includ
ing as first vice presi
dent, a title she held
for the past six years.
liaH
enough time to demonstrate that
she had the ability," said the
Rev. Reuben Gilliam, chair of
the nominating committee and
pastor of North Winston Baptist
Church lor the past 16 years.
"Plus, since that time, she went
on and got her doctorate degree
- Doctor of Ministry - which
really helped her in more w ays
than one."
Beal's election was the
see Bcal on A 13
Ruffin and others honored with MLK Dream Awards
Plioto by Todd Luck
April
R ii ff i n -
Adams, left,
stands hy
while her
sister,
R e n i t a
R uffi n ,
thanks the
crowd for
the honor.
BY TODD LUCK -
THE CHRONICLE ^
The daughters of the late Ben
Diii'lin in lu\nin'
on his behalf Monday tliir
ing the 27th Annual Noon
Hour Commemoration, the
city's oldest annual pro
gram ^honoring the life and
work of the Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr.
April RuffmAdams
and Bemta Ruffin were on
hand to receive their
father's "Dare to Make a
Difference" Award. Ben
Ruff in, the first -ever African
American chair of the UNC Board of
Governors and a longtime civil rights
champion, died last month, a feu
days shy of his 65th birthday.
Evans
Ruffin-Adams told the crowd,
which was packed to capacity at the
Benton Convention Center, that the
best way to honor the
momrtrir rtf llAl folVlPr llu
UIVUIUI^ U1 I1VI IUUIV1 1.1
by fighting for the things
he held dear.
"As marty of you
know, my lazier was
big on education," she
said. "Dare to educate
yourself."
Mayor Pro Tempore
Vivian Burke, Poet Maya
Angelo and Edwin
Wilson, Provost
Emeritus of Wake Forest
University, w ere also presented with
"Dare to Make a Difference" Awards.
Angelou, who was 111 Atlanta kicking
ofl her new Target MLK -inspired
campaign in Atlanta, accepted her
award via a pre-taped video. Burke
and Wilson were on hand lor the
event.
w ant to say thank-you to the
people who believe in dreams,"
Bujijc said in her acceptance speech.
One of the dreamers she pointed out
was Mutter Evans, who founded the
Noon Hour Commemoration and has
kept the event afloat through thick
and than. Burke also used her time at
the microphone to encourage the
crowd to exercise their right to vote
"We can do better," she said
Wilson recalled lus early years in
Winston Salem, more than 50 years,
when two of the first people to
befriend he and his wife were I)r.
F.L. Atkins and I)r. Kenneth R
Williams, both former presidents of
See Award* on A 13
In Grateful Memory of Our
Founders,
Florrie S. Russell and
Carl H.Russell, Sr.
"Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better"
ffius&ell Jfmtgral ffijmne
Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support
822 Carl Russell Ave.
(at Martin Luther King Dr.)
Winston-Salem. NC 27101
(33ft) 722-3459
(336) 631-8268
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