OPINION
The Chronicle
617 N. Liberty Street
336-722-8624
www.wschronicle.com
m
Ernest H. Pitt
Donna Rogers
Elaine Pitt
Publisher/Co-Founder
Managing Editor
Business Manager
Our Mission
The Chronicle is dedicated to serving the
residents of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County
by giving voice to the voiceless, speaking truth
to power, standing for integrity and
encouraging open communication and
lively debate throughout the community.
We remain
committed
after 41 years
FROM THE DESK OF ERNIE PITT
In the spring of 1974, what had been no more
than a dream for me, began to materialize. As I
approached graduation from the School of
Journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill, it was like D-Day.
My thoughts: Either you're going to do it or you're
not. I decided to take a job with The News and
Record in Greensboro and scout out Winston-Salem
as the place to sow some seeds.
Knowing absolutely nothing about Winston
Salem except that it was the fourth largest city in
North Carolina without a Black newspaper. I took
the first exit off of Business 40 not wanting to miss
the city altogether. I exited at the WSSU campus. I
drove onto campus by mistake and turned into the
parking lot in front of the Alumni Building. I went in
and met the first person in the city to discuss my
master plan. Her name was Dr. Greene, the alumni
chairwoman. She was perhaps the one who con
firmed my desire to start a newspaper here. She was
very encouraging where others had laughed and
scoffed at my idea.
On my days off I would come to Winston and see
who would help me get my penniless idea going.
Here again, I found one individual who saw the
vision which God had given me. This man's name
was Frank Murrell. Mr. Murrell was an entrepreneur
with only a third grade education but he was a man
of God and could see the idea of what a black-owned
newspaper could do in a city as racially segregated as
Winston-Salem, whose black population at the time
was just under 50 percent - hardly a minority.
Later on I discovered that there had been another
black newspaper here in the '40s owned by my other
mentor, Mr. Carl Russell, Sr. owner along with his
wife, of Russell Funeral Home. Between the two
they kept me focused on my dream. Mr. Russell was
almost elected mayor of Winston-Salem by write-in
ballot had not the white establishment not thrown in
another black candidate to split the black vote. Sound
familiar?
Mr. Russell knew the power of the press. He also
learned that that power combined with advocacy
could be dangerous to your freedom. I came to learn
that as well.
I was dating Elaine at the time who was working
on her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at UNC
Chapel Hill, and visiting on weekends, helping to
sell newspapers and typeset copy. She became a steel
beam of support to me. We were married 4 years
later. She and I sold newspapers; I wrote stories (the
first being one about a man who sued his next door
neighbor because her rooster crowed too early and
too loud). That was the last story for the first issue
written on a brown paper bag and published
Thursday, Sept. 5,1974.
There were many more stories involving issues
that would only be told by The Chronicle, and many
excellent editors and journalists who would help me
tell them: Like the case of Sheila McKellar who was
arrested, taken to the magistrate's office and when
she left that office she was immediately pronounced
dead. The many other stories like the castration of a
black man in the Washington Park area that not for
The Chronicle would never have seen the light of
day.
Even The trial, conviction and incarceration of
Daryl Hunt was tainted by the inaccuracies of the
few stories done in the daily. The Chronicle did the
only interview with Daryl Hunt to get his side of the
story out. Ask Larry Little. At the time, under the
leadership of Allen Johnson, editor. The Chronicle
received the Community Service Award for coverage
of Daryl Hunt. The NC Press judges indicated that
without The Chronicle's coverage, Hunt's side
would have gone uncovered. All told when the facts
came out 18 years later the same daily that was a part
of the conviction also took credit for his exoneration.
I wore many hats in the early days including pub
lisher, editor, and reporter, advertising salesman and
circulation manager.
John Templeton, our first editor, wrote a 13 part
series on the history of black Winston-Salem. When
he left The Chronicle he went to become the editor of
the nation's oldest black newspaper. The Afro
American in Richmond, Virginia. Who can forget
Azzie Wagner who wrote a column called "Social
Whirl"? Her portrait hangs in the lobby of The
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Funnel frustration
about Officer
Kerrick's case into
positive action
To the Editor:
I am disappointed by the North
Carolina Attorney General's decision
to not retry the Randall Kerrick case
[in the shooting death of Jonathan
Fenell] and hope this decision will
not lead to greater mistrust within our
community.
While
many of us are
frustrated by
today's deci
sion, we must
funnel that
frustration
into positive
and produc
tive action
that includes
serious dia
logues about
Adams
criminal justice reform, greater diver
sity in jury selection and the underly
ing prejudices that have an undue
influence on our criminal justice sys
tem.
"I urge people to come together
peacefully to unite and heal our city. I
remain committed to working with
the community, law enforcement and
local leaders to ensure tragedies such
as this never occur again.
My heart breaks for the
[Jonathan] Ferrell family; they will
remain in my thoughts and prayers.
U.S. Rep. Alma S. Adams (NC
12)
Washington, DC
Roy Cooper,
let 2nd jury
decide case
of police officer
To the Editor:
[Attorney General] Roy Cooper
should not block a new jury of 12
Mecklenburg [County] citizens from
deciding the case where Jonathan
Ferrell was shot 10 times and killed
with three police officers present on
the scene. Roy Cooper should retry
the case.
Quite frankly, a politician run
ning for higher office should not
make a unilateral and political deci
l
sion in place of the people of
Mecklenburg County. Political ambi
tion clouds the public trust when the
administration of justice is short-cir
cuited. Jury decisions create more
trust and faith when they are allowed
to move forward, even if a new trial
is necessary.
Divided juries are not uncommon
and the same jury more often than
not resolves their differences.
Second juries also produce unani
mous results. For Roy Cooper to
interfere with the continuing proper
administration of justice in this case
is wrong and unconscionable.
n
Koy
Cooper's
office already
has a very
spotty record
regarding the
proper admin
istration of
justice as it
related to his
supervision of
the SBI [State
Bureau of
Inv<??tiofltinnl
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Subsequently, the SB I was removed
from his office. Once again, Roy
Cooper is not living up to his leader
ship responsibilities for our state.
Cooper should let the jury
decide.
Ken Spaulding, Democrat
Candidate for Governor
Durham, NC
Work to pass
laws against
dog chaining
To the Editor:
The Old Farmer's Almanac is
predicting an unusually harsh and
bitterly cold winter for much of the
country, including below-normal
temperatures for the Northeast and
above-average snowfall in the South.
As much as we might complain
about having to shovel or drive in
the snow, no one has it worse than
dogs that are forced to spend the
winter outdoors, on the end of a
chain or in a backyard pen. Constant
exposure to cold temperatures puts
dogs in danger of hypothermia, even
if they have a doghouse. Every year,
chained dogs and even newborn pup
pies are found frozen to death inside
their doghouses after succumbing to
the cold.
But even in the best weather,
spending day after day confined,
with no exercise, no companionship,
and nothing to do is no life at all for
"man's best friend." Many chained
dogs sink into severe depression or
become aggressive and a danger to
children who wander too close.
Let's work to pass laws restrict
ing or banning dog chaining - as
more than 200 jurisdictions nation
wide have already done, including
Clayton and 19 other municipalities
in North Carolina - and be good
neighbors by checking on chained
dogs in our community, encouraging
people to let their dogs live indoors
and always reporting abuse and neg
lect immediately.
Christina Matthies
Clayton, N.C.
Ways to make
school year
successful
To the Editor:
Three simultaneous actions will
make this school year successful!
Students and parents must plan
together, do homework together,
have family discussions and make
education the first priority for the
next 10 months in their home.
The school system must do a bet
ter job of educating "all" of our stu
dents. The teachers are trained and
must be allowed to teach. The
administration must start cleaning
house starting with many unneces
sary high-paying jobs in central
office and use that money to bring
back more teachers assistants.
The church must become activi
ty-involved in education. Jesus and
all the other spiritual leaders were
teachers. Every church that has a
building should use it Monday
Friday as an afterschool safe haven
and tutoring outreach center for the
"neighborhood children." We could
help eliminate discrimination and
increase knowledge in that under
used consecrated building.
Proverbs 27:17 (Paraphrased)
"As iron sharpened iron one person
sharpens another."
James Hankins
1
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