' m ?5?,^ ?? Hopefuls | ] Family Zc?iSf medal at court LaW House ?Ai-Hsr c o Rxsm cm fw lib wt i * PSW I 440" ?sr """'I L_ . J HH "WTONstuatc nw-so, mmmJ The Chronicle Volume39,Number5 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. ?THURSDAY, September 27, 2012 Photos by Layla Garms Dr. Ed Reynolds (left) with J. Matthew Williams. Lessons from a Trailblazer Current black male WFU employees dine with school's first-ever black student BY LAYLA GARMS THE CHRONICLE Dr. Ed Reynolds, Wake Forest University's first black student, returned to his alma mater last week. The San Diego, Calif, resident was on hand for a series of special events held to celebrate WFU's decision to voluntarily integrate SO years ago. The integration or the school is the focus of a yearlong cam paign at Wake called Faces of Courage. Reynolds, a native of Akropong, Ghana, took time to interact with current African American WFU fnrnltv anH ?taff during an intimate invita tion-only dinner at Noble's Grille on Sept. 20. J. Matthew Williams, assistant director of WFU's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, said he arranged the dinner because he want ed Reynolds to see the impact of his decision to attend to Wake Forest. "Ed Reynolds ... really opened the doors of oppor tunity for all of these men to work in their current capaci ty," Williams said. "Without him, where would we be?" Williams, a member of the university's Class of 2009, said he hoped the din ner would be an affirming experience for the men in attendance. "There's a huge misun derstanding that African American men don't occupy positions of authority in academia, and when you look around the room, you Smith sec the impact of their influ ence on our university," he stated. "...1 think it's impor tant to recognize our contri butions. Oftentimes, there's a very singular view of African American men, and showing the diversity of what we offer to the com munity is important." Wake Forest alumnus Kevin Smith was among the handful of staff members on hand. Smith, who began a two year fellowship in the Office of University Advancement in August, said the opportunity to come face to face with someone who played such an integral role in Wake Forest histo ly mauc 11 a tan i miss event for him. "It's something that's very impactful for me and something I think I'll remember for the rest of my life," commented the Wilson native, who graduated in May with a degree in English and political sci ence. "...He really changed the history of this entire uni versity. What he did defi nitely deserves recogni tion." Though many credit Reynolds, who went on to obtain graduate degrees from Ohio University, Yale and the University of London, with singlehanded ly opening the doors for the countless African American students who have come behind him, Reynolds, a father of one, says his enrollment in the school was a community effort. He See Reyaoids on A7 120 Years Later Photo courtesy of WSSU Above: Some of the very first Rams pose with WSSV Founder S.G. Atkins and his wife, Oleona Atkins, in this vin tage Slater Academy photo. Photo by Layla Garms Right: Marilyn Roseboro stands by the clock tower of her alma mater, ? near where the eel- ? ebration kickoff will be held. | WSSU kicking off yearlong slate of anniversary events tomorrow BY LAYLA GARMS THE CHRONICLE _ Winston:Salem State University will embark tomorrow on a yearlong celebration of its 120th anniversary. From its origins in a one-room schoolhouse, where founder Dr. Simon Green Atkins taught 25 students at what was then known as Slater Industrial Academy, the institution has blossomed into a sprawling 117 acre-campus with 6,400 students and faculty mem bers. Over the years, Winston-Salem State has been many things to many people. For city native Peyton Hairston Sr., it was a place to grow and find his pur pose. Hairston was one of 11 children, four of whom attended WSSU, then known as Winston-Salem See WSSU on A8 Panel: There are countless other Troy Davises BY TODD LUCK THE CHRONICLE A panel of death penalty opponents used the one-year anniversary of the execution of Troy Davis to call for the elimination of a system that they say is broken. Davis' case attracted international attention. In 1989, Davis, an African American, was accused of fatally shoot ing a white police officer in Savannah, Ga., though there was no physical evi dence to connect him to the crime and most of the eye witnesses in the case recanted their statements. Davis was put to death on Sept. 21, 2011. The panel, held at Wake Forest University, was moderated by Mark Rabil of the school's Innocence and Justice Clinic, and featured former inmate Darryl Hunt, retired death row Chaplain Rev. Carroll Pickett and lawyer Kristin Parks, who is currently repre senting a client whose case is drawing parallels with Davis'. Hunt, who was represented by Rabil when he successfully fought for his free dom after being wrongfully convicted of rape and murder, was a longtime advo cate for Davis. The case was personal for him, having been only one vote away from the death penalty at his own trial. Two days before the WFU panel. Hunt took part in another death penalty dis cussion at North Carolina Central University with Davis' sister, Kim. "There's nothing we can do to bring Troy back, but we can stop the other Troys from being executed, and that is the most important thing is to be able to prevent it from happening to someone else," said Hunt. "That's what we hope to get out of this by continuing to bring awareness." See Davti 011 A9 Aoto by Tbdd Lock Rev. Carroll Pickett speaks as Darryl Hunt and Kristin Parks look on during a panel at Wake Forest University. Watt loses many Forsyth constituents File Photo U.S. Rep Mel Watt has long represented the people of the N.C;t 12th District. BY LAYLA GARMS THE CHRONICLE Forsyth County residents who thought they were being represented in Washington, D.C. by U.S. Rep. Mel Watt may get a surprise on their ballot this election season. A highly controversial redisricting effort that the North Carolina General Assembly launched earlier this year is still causing confusion for some voters in the Twin City, according to voting rights advocates. The overall redisricting, which has also affected the districts of many state lawmakers, has received consider able press, but many voters don't realize that their house holds have been impacted by the changes, explained Susan See Districts on A# . Colorful Future Photo by Layta Gams Andre Phillips recently opened RAW Talent Tattoo A Piercing on North Liberty Street. The shop is decorated with Phillip's original grqffiti art. Read more on page A3. d|MBi ? III I |B ? I I I I ?? H \ m ? ^5? AMiMiForBitsfiess. BHf