Vol. XXXIV No. 23
THURSDAY, February 14, 2008
Monroe
produced
film to be
screened
-See Page B1
Wedding
planner
offers tips
to others
- See Page A3
Step
dancers
take to
the stage
. 'See Page B7
Eoung people have untappea ^ower,
ivs member of the Greensboro Four
BY TODD LUCK
Mra CHRONICLE
B ? Jibreel Khazan - one of the four N.C.
? A&T State University freshmen who
v sparked the sit-in movement of the
? - told a small crowd at Winston-Salem
? State University last week about how he
| helped change the nation.
"I want to talk to you about one of the
'j greatest phenomenon of the 20th-century
W (that was) initiated, organized and led by
| young people - teenagers who are not
j considered adults," Khazan told the
I audience of about 30 people. "This
f movement, called the original sit-in
i movement, resurrected enlightened soci
ety. (It) was a vision and a dream of
" many of the young people of my genera
tion."
Khazan, whose name was Ezell Blair
Jr., when he and the other freshmen sat at
the whites-only lunch counter at a down
town Greensboro Wool worth on Feb. 1 ,
1960. Their acts of civil disobedience
were aimed at ending the eatery's segre
Igation policy, but they did much more
than that. The Greensboro Four (or A&T
Four), as they would come to be known,
helped add a big spark to the Civil Rights
Movement and launched similar sit-ins
WSSU Photo
The former Ezell Blair speaks at WSSU last week.
by students in towns and cities across the
nation.
KhazanV speech was sponsored by
the WSSU Student Government
Association as part of the school's slate
of Black History Month events. Terence
Muhammad, a community activist from
Greensboro, introduced Khazan, saying
that Greensboro Four are proof that
young people can make a difference.
"It's always been the young who start
a movement," said Muhammad.
Khazan described his childhood in
segregated Greensboro. He said when he
was nine years old he dreamed of some
day going downtown and eating at
whites-only lunch counters and drinking
out of the "white" water fountain. He
recalled that whites got to sit down and
eat at Woolworth's, while blacks had to
stand and eat at a separate counter or take
their food outside.
Khazan met Franklin McCain, David
Richmond and Joseph McNeil, the other
members of the Greensboro Four, when
he enrolled in A&T. They talked him into
taking part in the sit-in. There has been
some debate about who first suggested
the sit-in. Some have even speculated
that the idea first came from a non
Greensboro Four member. Khazan didn't
weigh in on the debate.
"Whoever's idea it was, it was an
idea whose time had come," he said.
He admits that he was initially scared
See Khazan on All
JO
WPU Finn by Ken B?oiki
Dr. Herman Eure speaks in Wait Chapel last week.
Trailblazing Eure
probes WFU's past
School's first black PhD. gives Founder 's Day address
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
A black man who made history at
Wake Forest University more than three
decades ago used the school's annual
Founders' Day Convocation last week to
rcneci on its evolution or
inclusiveness.
Dr. Herman Eure, an asso
| ciate dean of the undergradu
ate college at Wake, served as
the keynote speaker for the
Feb. 7 convocation, which
took place in Wait Chapel. _
Eure obtained his Ph.D.
from the university in 1974 -
becoming the first African
American ever to do so - and
immediately joined the facul
ty as an assistant professor of
biology.
"One of the questions that I have been
asked over the years has been, 'Why did
you stay?' People knew that the climate
for a black faculty member at any school
in the South during that period must have
been difficult," said Eure, who currently
serves as full professor in addition to his
, position as associate dean. "The reason
that I stayed, however, is very simple -
Hatch
Wake Forest has a way of getting under
your skin - I, like many other sons and
daughters of this institution, feel a con
nection to Wake Forest that is frankly,
hard to describe."
Eure referenced his scientific back
? ground often in his speech, likening jhe
growth and development of -the
institution to the evolution of the
modern day horse.
"As with the horse, the mod
ern version of Wake Forest
should be better than the old ver
sion, yet still reflect its ancestral
lineage," he remarked.
"Therefore, our strategic priori
ties should set forth our aspira
tions for what we want to
become, and also embrace the
best traditions of our past."
Eure spoke at length about
the university's history, noting some of
the most important turning points, such as
1942, when women were admitted as full
time students; and 20 years later, when
Edward Reynolds, the first full-time,
black student, enrolled.
"Tradition, in and of itself, may not
always be good. Sometimes tradition can
simply mean that you have been doing
See WFl! on A13
"File Photos
Lee Garrity
Annual
banquet
honors
students
BY LAYLA FARMER
I THE CHRONICLE
For nearly three decades,
the Winston-Salem Department
of Human Relations has hon
ored individuals in the commu
nity who exemplify its ideals
through thoughts words and
deeds that promote cultural
understanding and mutual
UCI1C vu
1 e n c e .
The
depart
ment
changed
its format
seven
years
ago, and
began
collabo
rating
with the
Simington
Witiston
SaJem/Forsyth County School
system to create a program that
focuses entirely on . youth who
live up to its criteria.
"We know that adults get a
number of kudos throughout the
year for different things that
they do, but we wanted to have
a program that's focused on and
celebrates our youth," com
mented Wanda Allen-Abraha,
director of the department.
"Very seldom do you see
children celebrated for their
civic duties and their communi
ty service - you just don't see
that," she added. "These are
really good kids who have very
positive relations in the commu
nity and so that's exactly what
we're celebrating."
Seventy-two local students
made the grade this year, and
were feted at an annual banquet
Tuesday night at the Embassy
S?e Awards on A13
Area contractors take advantage of academy
Small business owners
get priceless knowledge
at a discount
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The competitive world of
business contracting is lucra
tive, but often only for a select
few. An ongoing program is
helping to change that and bal
ance the playing field in an
industry that is still dominated
by white men.
Minority contractors - or
Historically Underutilized
Business (HUB) contractors -
are learning the tools of the
trade in a series of classes at
More than two dozen are enrolled in the classes.
Winston-Salem State Academy.
University being sponsored by Participants, who meet
the HUB Contractors Business weekly, are learning about
commercial blueprints, project
management and construction
estimating. It is the kind of
top-notch training that is
financially out of reach for
many folks. Such classes can
cost upward of $1 ,200 per per
son. The HUB Academy only
charges participants $50.
The Goler Community
Development Corporation is
one of the partners behind the
local HUB Academy. The
CDC is behind the transforma
tion of the Goler/ Depot Street
Community near Patterson
Avenue and Martin Luther
King Jr. Drive. The CDC's
efforts have already spawned
new townhomes, lofts and a
senior-living high-rise.
See Academy on A4
In His Shadow
Photo courtesy of the Aits Council
Arts Council Board Member Tom Ingram brought Alana
Alves with him last week to the Sawtooth Center for the
kick off event for the Council's annual fund-drive. Alves.
a West Forsyth student, was accompanying Ingram, a
Wake Forest University Health Services project manager,
as part of the Clemmons Rotary Club's Shadow Program.
In Grateful Memory of Our
Founders ,
FlorrieS. Russell and
CarfJI. Russell, Sr.
"Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better"
IRuggeti fflmtiral Home
Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support
822 Carl Russell Ave.
(at Martin Luther King Or.)
Winston-Salem , NC 271 Ol
(336)
Fax (336)
rusfhome ? bellsouth jnct