Hunt
frtm pa^e Al
date, says he was eager to
return to the birthplace of his
faith.
"It's really something that
refocuses me and anyone who
does it," he commented.
"Once you make it. it becomes
almost like an addiction."
In addition to being a spir
itually transforming experi
ence for many, Griggs says
that making such pilgrimages
represents an integral pan of
the Islamic faith.
"One of the benefits of
performing umrah is the
prophet of Islam, Muhammad,
has said that it one performs
hajj, and that hajj . that pilgrim
age. is accepted by Allah, then
the reward of that is paradise,"
he stated. "If one performs
umrah and your umrah is
accepted by Allah, then all of
your sins are forgiven - so you
can't lose."
Though Griggs had made
the trip to the Middle East sev
eral times before, when the
four embarked on the journey
April 22, it was the beginning
of a very memorable experi
ence for all concerned, he said.
"To tell you the truth, the
last time I was there and made
hajj was 1999, and one of my
prayers was that the next time
I come that one of my daugh
ters would be with me." he
recounted. "And for Dairy I,
Darryl reminded me that when
he was in prison years and
years and years ago, that I had
said to him at one point, 'One
day we're going to be sitting at
the Ka'abah together.'"
Making his first umrah
was an overwhelming experi
ence for Hunt, who says the
full impact of the trip is still
sinking in.
"For me, after reading so
much and studying it, to actu
ally be there, it was just mind
blowing," he remarked. "It
was amazing ... it was just so
much to see and to feel and
just to be spiritually uplifted
because you understand your
history and now you're walk
ing in the footsteps of your
history. That was something
Photo courtesy of K Gnggs
The trip also included a stop in Egypt. Here are Darryl and
April Hunt and Imam Griggs on camel-back.
that I'll never forget."
Hunt's tale of wrongful
conviction is well known by
many locally and now interna
tionally thanks to a HBO doc
umentary, "The Trials of
Darryl Hunt," that is showing
this month on the network. He
was in jail before his 19th
birthday, wrongfully convict
ed of killing a white woman.
Investigators botched the case
and prosecutors turned a blind
eye to evidence that pointed to
Hunt's innocence. Still, he was
convicted twice for the murder
by two separate nearly all
white juries. Four years ago,
DNA evidence finally won
Hunt, who had been sentenced
to life in prison, his freedom
after nearly two decades in
prison.
In the weeks and months
following his release from
prison. Hunt says he almost
couldn't believe that he had
finally been delivered from his
hardship. He likened that to
the intensity of his emotional
experience on the umrah.
"There were so many emo
tions going through me at that
moment," he related. "When I
first got out of prison, I always
used to pinch myself and say,
'Am I really out?' I'm over
there in Mecca, and I'm pinch
ing myself, 'Am I really here?'
and I'm feeling the ground -
'Am I dreaming or am I really
here?'"
The $1.6 million settle
ment Hunt was awarded by the
city of Winston-Salem, which
concluded that the city's
police department did not han
dle Hunt's case well at all,
made him financially able to
make the journey for the first
time in his life.
Hunt says he Jias felt a
renewed sense of d&lication to
his life's work since touching
down back in the states May 4.
"I haven't stopped since
I've been back. My wife took
the keys from me when we got
in the house (after the trip)
because she thought 1 was
going to go to the office,
which 1 had it on my mind," he
remarked. "This really helped
me get back and really focus
in and get some clarity about
what we are doing, and how to
really make an impact."
As founder of the Darryl
Hunt Project for Freedom and
Justice, Hunt's professional
responsibilities are great, mak
ing it difficult for him to take
time off to travel, but he said
he hopes to return to Saudi
Arabia to make his hajj within
the next year.
No matter what happens
next. Hunt says he is infinitely
grateful he was able to make
the the trip.
"If Allah took me right
now, I'm happy," he said.
Spring
Stroll
Phmo b> Kevin Wilici
Ziddorah Flowers and
her six-month-old
daughter, Zamiah,
enjoyed the beautiful
weather Tuesday as they
walked down Fourth
Street. Downtown
streets were packed with
people who also could
not resist the sun and
blue skies.
CSS
from page A8
fying and working with
proper school officials, placing
burdens on other students and
teachers.
"There has been very little
accountability." explains Sam
Dempsey, director of excep
tional children programs for
Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County Schools. "Some prob
lematic situations have led us to
conclude that we needed to
establish higher standards.
Some of the CSS workers sim
ply have not met our minimum
qualifications to be in our
schools and work with our chil
dren.
"We have looked to the
model used in several other
counties -across the state for
guidance, and our goal is to
work with a group of about six
companies, which would pro
vide a choice for parents, while
enabling school personnel to
develop relationships with CSS
agency personnel."
Providers must meet sever
al criteria to be eligible, and one
of the key considerations is a
"demonstrated capacity to
uphold high standards of train
ing and provide quality service
across multiple schools simulta
neously " according to the
agreement, which will be effec
tive at the beginning of the
2007-08 school year.
"There already are some
excellent providers in the com
munity, and they're working
with the school system," says
Dempsey. "We just want to
ensure that each student has
access to the same quality of
services and that those services
can be properly monitored and
audited."
Dr. Jane Foy. medical direc
tor of the School Health
Alliance for Forsyth County,
agrees. She says, "The criteria
we have developed will assure
that students who need these
services are correctly identified
and that CSS. providers and
school personnel collaborate
with students and their families
in meeting their needs."
Alcoholism
from pagf AS
members in 150 counties.
There are no dues or fees for
AA membership. AA is a pro
gram of total abstinence, and
the members simply stay away
from one drink, one day at a
time. Sobriety is maintained
through sharing experiences at
group meetings and through a
12 Step recovery from alco
holism program. In many NC
communities, there are Spanish
language AA meetings that
meet on almost any day of the
week. There are also meetings
for family members of alco
holics (Al-anon and Ala-teen).
If you or someone you love
has a drinking problem, take
control and make the decision
to get help today.
- Contribution by Sarah
Fahey
For further information,
questions or comments about
this article, call toll-free 1-877
530-1X24. Or, for more infor
mation about the Maya
Angelou Research Center on
Minority Health, visit
www.wfubmc.edu/minority
health.
Winfrey
from pane A2
has been number one in
the nation for 20 consecutive
years and has 48 million view
ers a week in the U. S. and
abroad.
Anchoring "was my
father's dream for me. But,
God had a bigger dream for
me... And so I tried to live in
the space of God's dream,"
she said.
The euphoric moment was
emboldened by the fact that
Howard University history
has played such a major role
in the overall advancement of
Blacks. The brainstorming for
arguments in the Brown v.
Board of Education began at
the Howard Law School .
The late Supreme Court
Justice Thurgood Marshall,
Nobel Laureate Toni
Morrison, civil rights activist
Stokeley Carmichael and
singer Roberta Hack are just a
few of the names in the uni
versity's alumni hall of fame.
But, even amidst the
utmost fame and the success
of having her own film com
pany. Harpo Productions and
"O, the Oprah Magazine",
Winfrey warned the graduates
that opportunities will con
stantly come to "sell out"
what they believe to be right.
She said her producers
tried to change her name to
Susie, but she resisted. And,
over the years, she has been
repeatedly warned that certain
subject matters would cause
her advertisers to flee
"If I could count the num
ber of times I've been asked to
compromise and sell out
myself for one reason or
another. I would be a billion
aire 10 times over. My integri
ty is not for sale and neither is
yours," she Routed to the
cheering crowd.
Winfrey, who received an
honorary Doctor of
Humanities, is known for her
passionate and compassionate
style of communicating.
Howard President H. Patrick
Swygert introduced her by the
words of poet Maya Angelou,
"The only thing greater than
Oprah's accomplishments is
the size of her heart."
Her talk show topics often
espouse themes and anecdotes
that tug at the heart. Her
speech was no different.
"You receive a lot of
awards in your life. But,
there's nothing better..." she
said as she choked back and
wiped away tears, "...than to
be honored by your own."
Just as quickly, the audi
ence broke into laughter as
she quipped, "I'll be calling
myself Dr. Winfrey on
Monday morning."
Preceding Winfrey, hon
orary doctorates were also
bestowed upon Julian M.
Earls, executive-in-residence
at the Nance College of
Business Administration at
Cleveland State University;
Henry Luis Gates Jr., director
of the W. E. B. Du Bois
Institute for African and
African-American Research at
Harvard university: Walter E.
Massey, president of
Morehouse College; and Irene
Sue Pollin, founder of Sister
to Sister: Everyone Has a
Heart Foundation. Inc.
AH of them credited their
ancestry for their success.
Winfrey did the same.
The loudest applause and
cheers during her speech came
in response to her recalling the
advice of her beloved grand
mother. Hattie Mae Lee, a
maid, who worked for whites.
Her grandmother charged her
to grow up and "get some
good white folk that are kind
to you," Winfrey recounted.
"And I regret that she didn't
live past 1963 to see that I did
grow up to get some really
good white folks - to work for
me."
In giving back to commu
nities, Winfrey implored the
graduates to lean on Howard's
motto of "Truth and Service".
She said, "The most
important lesson I can offer
you from my own life is that
in order to remain successful
and continue to wear the
crown, as you walk the path of
privilege, you cannot forget
the less privileged that you
left behind. You use your life
in service, somehow to others
and you turn around and give
back what you've been
given... You've come from a
long line of giants whose
shoulders you stand on, giants
who graduated from this
school and giants who never
made it to school... I believe
in the words of Jimmy
Baldwin, 'Your crown has
been paid for so wear it.'"
i Massey
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