OPINION
The Chronicle
617 N. Liberty Street c^lbr^
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www.wschronicle.com
Ernest H. Pitt Publisher/Co-Founder
Donna Rogers Managing Editor
Elaine Pitt 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.
November
announcements
bring good
news for women
In the last few days, announcements about proj
ects concerning women have come from the White
House and Wake Forest University and The
Women's Fund in Winston-Salem. The announce
ments show that organizations have pledged more
research on women's issues and developed projects
concerning women, and that's a good thing.
The Women's Fund is a Winston-Salem
Foundation initiative that is funded by membership
fees and awards grants to groups and projects aimed
at improving the lives of women. At its 10th annual
luncheon on Tuesday, Nov. 17, The Women's Fund
awarded grants to five organizations that were
responsive to the issues and recommendations out
lined in its 2010 report "Through a Gender Lens: The
Economic Security of Women and Girls in Forsyth
County."
In October, the Fund released an updated report
titled "A Second Look Through a Gender Lens: The
Ecomonic Security of Women and Girls in Forsyth
County." The new report showed progress in the
graduation rate for girls from 2009 to 2014, and a
teen pregnancy rate in Forsyth County that has
dropped by more than half. But poverty remains a
problem.
The five organizations that received the awards
are:
*E1 Buen Pastor Latino Community Services,
which was awarded $24,500 for economic empower
ment of women in the Latino community.
?Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County, which
was awarded $15,664 for a home maintenance work
shop pilot program for women.
?Imprints Cares, which was awarded $29,997 for
programs to prevent teenage pregnancy and to sup
port teenage mothers.
?Old Town Elementary School, which was
awarded $7,550 for "Full STEM Ahead," an after
school STEM club for girls who attend Old Town
Elementary.
?Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which was
awarded $30,000 to implement the Contraceptive
Choice project, which will educate low-income
teenagers about contraceptive methods.
President Obama formed the White House
Council on Women and Girls on March 11, 2009,
when he signed an Executive Order creating it. He
said that the purpose of the Council is "to ensure that
each of the agencies in which they're charged takes
into account the needs of women and girls in the
policies they draft, the programs they create, the leg
islation they support."
On Friday, Nov. 13, Wake Forest University
announced that it is among a group of 24 colleges,
universities and public interest organizations that
collectively announced $18 million in commitments
to support and improve academic research about
women and girls of color. The announcement came
during a daylong summit on "Advancing Equity for
Women and Girls of Color," co-hosted by the
Council and the Anna Julia Cooper Center at Wake
Forest University.
Wake Forest's commitment includes more than
$1.4 million in ongoing support for the Anna Julia
Cooper Center's research focused on intersectional
scholarship, established scholars and junior scholars
whose work focuses on women and girls of color,
and post-doctoral fellowships for scholars research
ing related questions related to gender, race and
place.
Wake Forest University Provost Rogan Kersh
said: "Women of color will constitute more than half
of all women in the United States by 2050, but they
are infrequently the central subjects of scholarly
inquiry."
The White House Council on Women and Girls
project involving the academic institutions will help
rectify that.
These announcements propel women to the fore
front of work by organizations and academic
research in an effort to improve the quality of life for
women in Forsyth County and the nation. When the
quality of life for women improves, the life of the
family improves, especially in single-parent homes.
The focus on women in October brought disease
and violence to the forefront. We applaud these
recent announcements, which bring hope to women
in November.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Group applauds
Barber for
receiving prize for
creative citizenship
To the Editor:
[On December 8, 2015, Rev. Dr.
William J. Barber II, president of the
North Carolina State Conference of
the NAACP, will receive the annual
Puffin Nation
Prize for
Creative
Citizenship.
The prize is
awarded
annually "to
an individual
who has chal
lenged the
status quo
through dis
t i n c t i v e ,
courageous,
imaginative and socially responsible
work of significance," to support
their continued work and inspire oth
ers.]
Rev. Barber is a tireless champion
for civil rights and racial justice in
North Carolina, the South and across
our nation. He has committed his life
to the pursuit of equality for all peo
ple, and has a visionary outlook on
social justice advocacy. In North
Carolina, Rev. Barber has united a
movement to raise a moral critique
on state and federal policy makers
who stand in the way of progress.
This vision of change has taken
storm across the nation. The
Puffin/Nation Prize is an incredible
testament to Rev. Barber's work
building inclusive coalitions in the
name of justice and the work of the
Moral Movement. All of us at
Advancement Project are proud to
share our congratulations as he cele
brates this achievement.
Rev. Barber bridges generations
of civil rights advocates through his
focus on fusion politics and multi
tactic organizing. He has marched, he
has testified, and he has united peo
ple across all backgrounds and faiths,
races and ages, who believe in a bet
ter vision of our world - one with
greater equality for all.
Penda D. Han
Advancement Project Co
Director
Washington, D.C.
Advancement Project is a multi
racial civil rights organization.
I I
Founded by a team of veteran civil
rights lawyers in 1999, Advancement
Project was created to develop and
inspire community-based solutions
based on the same high quality legal
analysis and public education cam
paigns that produced the landmark
civil rights victories of earlier eras.
v
Congratulations,
'chief^ on service
award from QE&
To the Editor:
Congratulations Chief [Chronicle
Publisher and Owner Ernie Pitt]!
What a well-deserved award from
Quality Education Academy. You
have continued to serve this commu
lilljr WIUI pnuc
and dignity. I
am proud to be
able to call you
friend.
The
Chronicle has
been a voice
for the voice
less for more
than forty
years. It has
brought the
community together so many times,
but if there was ever a need for a
counter-discourse, The Chronicle
provided the people a chance to chal
lenge the status quo. Community
involvement is the life-blood of this
newspaper. Each week, it gives us an
opportunity to sit on one another's
front porches.
Peace and blessings,
Felecia Piggott-Long
Set example
by joining the
Emancipation
Association
I
I
To the Editor:
The W-S/FC Emancipation i
Association is to be commended for
its efforts to accomplish its goals ]
and objectives. Over the years it has
been accomplishing much with very
little financial resources.
It is past the time that citizens in
the community step up and do a bet
ter job of supporting this organiza
tion.
One would think that churches,
various organizations, businesses,
leaders and all who claim to love
and support education, equality,
freedom, justice and unity would
voluntarily add their names to the
list of members and contributors
of/to this noble organization.
For me, it has been somewhat
disappointing to see so many names
of individuals who are active in
groups listed above (and others)
absent from the membership role
and list of contributors to the
Emancipation Association.
Adults, what signals are we giv
ing to the young folk? Let's do a bet
ter job of being role models, by
walking the talk! Dec. 1,2015 is the
deadline for membership dues $10.
per person) and $25 or above to be
listed a$ a contributor. Names will
be listed/published in the next
newsletter!
Write check to: W-S/FC EA.
and send to Mrs. Larn Dillard, 2246
East Firstst St., Winston-Salem, NC
27101. Thanks for your generous
support!
Rudolph V. Boone Sr.
Immediate Past President
W-S/FC Emancipation
Association
Mayor Joines
deserves support
for his leadership
To the Editor:
My support for Mayor Allen
Joines goes without question. I'm
thankful that Winston-Salem has
been successful in reducing the
number of homeless people under
Mayor Joines' leadership. Mayor
Joines shows support of the less for
tunate in this city and supports pay
increases for our teachers. When our
citizens call him with concerns
about things happening in their com
munity, he responds without reserva
tion.
Winston-Salem is thankful to
have a Mayor such as Allen Joines.
Beaufort Bailey
Barber
Piggott-Long
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