North Carolina Room Forsyth County Public Ubraiy ? 660 Wast Fifth Street ^ Heat is ^ : ===T Wlnston-5alem, NU Scents Dropout Former ^ -See Page A5 H i t y If "W 12 120712 1 ttttowm^DIGIT 27101 ? H IH1 m H WW I I PQRS^TCTY PlfLIC LIBRARY JL iL J| 111 III!4b -4b X WINSTON SALB1 NC 27101-275^ Vol.XXXVIII No.25 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, February 16,2012 Photo* by Lay la Farmer Monarchs from left: Jonyvi Fogle, Jai Black, Jamaal Goodman, Sherrard Wells, Jalil Bash, Jonathan Winbush and Kendrick Hairs ton Jr. The New Face of Lacrosse? ?I ?? ?^^???^^?^?11 ?? ? I Triple P-Lax Founder Marc Winbush (center) with assistant coaches Walter Black (left) and Dr. Perrin Black. -v^. -a -w Youth league started in East Winston BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE A group of youngsters in East Winston will be trying their hand at a new sport this spring as they leant the art of playing lacrosse. Triple P-Lax, a new organization created to provide mentor ship and expand the athletic horizons of local African American youths, is behind the effort. Founder Marc Winbush says one of his main goals is to open young people's minds, allowing them to understand that sports don't begin with basketball and end with football. "Our people fought too long for us to do better and have more for us to have that mindset," he said. "...I just wanted to make sure kids understand that the world is their oyster, don't put limits on yourself." Winbush is a physical education teacher and director of the lacrosse program at Forsyth Country Day School. The See Lacrosse on All Democrats encouraged to tight for November victones BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE | U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison told a group of local Democrats Saturday to embrace the things that set their party apart, while dedicating them selves to getting Democrats back in power in the North Carolina General Assembly and the U.S. Congress. "We as Democrats have got to stop pussy-footing around our diversity and be proud of it," said Ellison, the first Muslim American ever to be eiecieu to congress. ...it you turn your gaze to tne other side of the aisle, it looks like a country club. Sec Democrats on A9 Campbell Ph?Ko by Lay la Parmer U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (left) poses with his moth er, Clida Ellison, and younger broth er, Eric Ellison of Winston Salem. Warnock calls on churches to fight for justice Photo by Tbdd Luck Ebenezer Baptist Church's Dr. Raphael Warnock speaks at Winston-Salem State University last week. I ? BY TODD LUCK THE CHRONICLE The pastor of the church that was once led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told an audience at Winston Salem State University last week that not enough churches are dedicated to fighting injustice. "I would argue that the black church celebrates Dr. King and celebrates his movement as an extraor dinary historical moment, but I'm not convinced at all that black churches, even while engaged in jus tice work, see justice as an essential part of their Christian identity," said Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King served as pastor before his ascent to national Civil Rights icon. Warnock spoke as part of WSSU's long-running James A. Gray Lecture series, which explores reli gion and ethics issues. After a long pastoral career, Warnock became the youngest pastor in the history See Warnock on A10 BB&T target of church boycott Prominent local pastor stands by W-S-based bank BY TODD LUCK THE CHRONICLE Winston-Salem-based BB&T Corp. is the target of a boycott led by a national organization that claims to speak for thou sands of African American churches. The Washington. D.C.-based National Black Church Initiative (NBC1) is calling on black churches nationwide to boycott .BB&T because it says the bank doesn't sup port the black community - a charge that BB&T officials are vcnciiiciiiiy uciiymg. According to the NBCI, it has a coali tion of 34.000 churches, representing 15.7 million African American congre gants. The organiza tion says that it is calling on all of its member-churches to boycott BB&T for the next seven years. The aim, according to a NBCI press release, is to reduce the bank's profits by 40 percent. NBCI President Rev. Anthony Evans,, who founded the coalition in 1991, said BB&T has a track-record of not working with the African American community. tvans said that after some deliberation, it was decided NBCI would initiate its first-ever boycott. "Don't take my money and disrespect me by not investing in our community and foreclosing on our homes and our church es," said Evans, an assistant pastor at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. BB&T was founded in the Tarheel State in 1872 and has become one of the nation's largest financial institutions, with $174.6 billion in assets and 12.(XX) locations in 12 states and Washington. D.C. Most BB&T branches are located in the Southeast, which is also the area with the greatest number of NBCI churches. Evans admits that there is some bad per sonal blood between NBCI and BB&T. Evans said NBCI approached BB&T with a plan to form a partnership to create See BB&T on A6 ??? . Rev. Evans Rev. Lartey A Unified Front Photo by Layla Farmer A variety of local organizations and individuals gather at Salem College Monday to show their support for Race to the Ballot, a campaign against the controversial Amendment One, which would definitively ban gay marriage in the North Carolina. Read more on page A 10. ^^======3 | _ ?| CHAMBER A Wind Fof Business \ *x I X * an cr HH| ro ?a ^^^B HBI ^ ? H~ I . ^^^Br B? o BB ??