-See Page A3
vlinston-Saleftt^NC 2#*l
20 120409 I .'* * * 5-DlGIT 2710,
MORTH CAROLINA ROOM
FORSYTH GT/ ? PUBLIC LIBRARY
660 W 5TH ST
WINSTON SALEM NC 27i0i-2755
-X. ^
Vol. XXXV No. 34
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
THURSDAY, April 23, 2009
Tabor
dominates
weekend
track meet
?See Page BIO
Young
poets
compete
for title
" Ladies
don hats
i for ,anNUh ?
I party Forsytf
ccn \K
Cherry on top
Residents hope revitalization
plans will help breathe new life
into historic black community
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County
recently celebrated the kickoff of a development
that has been more than a year in the making.
Fifteen Habitat houses, valued at approximate
ly $100,000 each, will be erected in formerly
vacant or abandoned lots on Cherry and Garfield
streets over
the course of
the next year.
As always,
the homes will
go to carefully
screened fami
lies that meet
H a b it a t
requirements.
But the Cherry
Street devel
opment is
unique in its
implementa
tion, says
Habitat
E x e c utive
D i re c tor
Sylvia Oberle.
More than a
Alberta Black stands in front of
her home.
year and a half
of compromis
es, collabora
tions and community meetings have made the
project unlike any Habitat has launched before.
City officials, neighborhood residents and leaders
from nearby Kimberley Park Elementary have all
lent their support to make the effort a success,
Oberle said.
"We've taken more time on the people side, as
well as on the political and logistic side to do this
right," she explained. "We've had to really work
hard. The result has been a much better develop
ment."
The high visibility of the community, which
flanks University Parkway and is in close proxim
See Cherry on A12
Photos by Layla Farmer
Habitat for Humanity plans to build homes on this tract of land.
'Real Men' continue to be drawn to teaching program
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
A program designed to
encourage more males to go
into the teaching profession
is increasing its presence on
the campus of Winston
Salem State University.
Real Men Teach (RMT),
now in its second year,
recently inducted 16 new
members. The inductees will
be in constant contact with
mentors in various occupa
Derwin Calhoun, William Goodlett, Chris Graham and Ronald Willams Jr.
tions throughout the com
munity. The program hopes
that the interaction between
the college students and the
professionals will motivate
the young men to vigorously
pursue careers in education,
a field with a dearth of black
male talent.
Freshman Chris Graham
is one of RMT's latest
inductees. Becoming a part
of the group was a proud
moment for the Snow Hill
native. He calls RMT an
"elite group."
The 19-year-old says rec
ognizing the disparity of
black men in the teaching
profession inspired him to
pursue education as a career.
"I saw there was an
imperative need for male
See Teachers on A9
Coping
NBTF optimistic that it will overcome deficit
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Company, which hosts the bienni
al theatrical extrava
Twenty years ago,
Micki Grant's "Don't
Bother Me, I Can't Cope"
opened the first ever
National Black Theatre
Festival, ushering in an era
that would exceed the
expectations of many who
witnessed the fledgling fes
tival's debut.
Patton
ganza, are hoping to
recreate the magic of
that first hopeful year
by bringing the play
back to the local
stage.
The re-staging of
"Cope" at the Arts
Council Theatre May
1-3 is part of the
Black ReD's 20/30
Now, officials at the North
Carolina Black Repertory
? r
celebration, marking the 20th
See Black Rep on A14
> Photo by Todd Luck
Marco Mala receives his
scholarship award from
Truliant's Marjorie Rorie.
The New
American
Dream
Scholarships help
Hispanic college
students move closer
to graduation
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The Hispanic League's
Spanish Nite Gala had all the
trappings of a ritzy party -
I from the
fine dining
to the open
dance
floor. But
there was
no birth
day or spe
cial holi
day being
observed .
It was edu
Martinez
cation that was being cele
| brated.
Nineteen $2,000 scholar
ships were given to Hispanic
college students at the bilin
gual gala Saturday night at
Embassy Suites Hotel. Many
of the scholarships were
sponsored by local business
es and organizations.
Axel Lluch, director of
Hispanic/Latino Affairs for
Gov. Bev Perdue, gave the
keynote address, telling the
hundreds in attendance that
education is priceless
"I know we're going
through some hard times
here and everywhere, but you
carry your education with
you," said Lluch. "And that's
the beauty of education, that
See Scholarship cm A13
Photo by Ralph
Meadows
M ah e I
Robinson is
flanked by the
cast of the
Black Rep's
"Don't Bother
Me, I Can't
Cope."
DON'T
PASS
THE BUCK
BUY LOCAL
I. MA MR FA