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Volume 43, Number 49
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
-THURSDAY, August 10, 2017
GOP warned: Be fair
in redistricting maps
BY CASH MICHAELS
FOR THE CRONICLE
What kind of legisla
tive voting district maps
will the Republican leader
ship of the N.C. General
Assembly come up with by
Sept. 1, and what’s behind
a new House bill designed
to redistrict state judges?
Those are two of the press
ing questions hovering
over state lawmakers
as many gathered for
the third Joint Select
Committee on
Redistricting today to fur
ther consider criteria for
new voting maps ordered
by a three-judge U.S.
District Court panel two
weeks ago Democrats, and
members of the general
public, during a legislative
hearing last week, made it
clear that they want an
above-board process, free
of racial (as ordered by the
U.S. Supreme Court) and
partisan gerrymandering.
Today’s committee meet
ing was scheduled to focus
on adopting the criteria to
determine " what the
revamped maps should
look like once redrawn.
Democrats are con
cerned about the process
because GOP legislative
leaders have rehired
Thomas Hofeller, who
drew the 2011 maps that
the U.S. High Court recent
ly ruled were illegal
because 28 North Carolina
districts were racially ger
rymandered .“That doesn’t
do much to restore people’s
trust in the process,” said
Senate Minority Leader
Dan Blue. At an Aug. 2
press conference, Sen. Ben
Clark (D-Cumberland),
offered criteria that he and
Senate Democratic leader
ship felt should definitely
be considered in the mix,
including partisan advan
tage in redrawing the dis
tricts; no splitting of voting
districts (except when nec
essary) to comply with
zero deviation population
requirements; and ensuring
the none of the nine Senate
See GOP on A10
GOP chief is blasted over
Dems-murder comment
BY CASH MICHAELS
FOR THE CHRONICLE
If N.C. Republican
Party Executive Director
Dallas Woodhouse set out
to deliberately stirrup a
hornet’s nestof controversy
and criticism with his lat
est racial remarks, he’s
succeeded.
With no less than the
chairman of the N.C.
Democratic Party calling
Woodhouse “unhinged,”
Democrats and activists
literally lined up Monday
to blast the unabashedly
partisan Woodhouse for
stating in a series of tweets
Sunday that Democrats
See Comment on A10
Thousands flock downtown for closing NBTF events
Festivalgoers navigate the National Black Theatre Festival closing parade on Saturday, Aug. 5.
Photo by Tevin Stinson
BY TEVEM J5TTNSON
THE CHRONICLE_
The National Black
Theatre Festival closed in
exciting fashion last week
end as thousands of people
flocked downtown to get a
feel of “Black Theatre
Holy Ground.” Just before
midnight on Saturday,
Aug. 5, Otesha Creative
Arts Ensemble led a star
WINSTON SALEM. NC 2710M120 01
studded parade through the
streets of the city.
The parade began at the
Marriott Hotel on North
Cherry Street and ended
outside the Stevens Center.
As the sounds of authentic
African music echoed
through the streets,
bystanders stopped in their
tracks to get a glimpse at
some of the biggest names
in theater and performing
arts. The towering per
former on stilts caught
some eyes as well.
“This is wonderful. I
think they should have this
every year,” said a city
native outside the Benton
Convention Center.
“Each year it seems to
get better, and right now I
think this is exactly what
our community needs.
Stuff like this can build
strong communities.”
While standing outside
the Stevens Center, author
and educator Olasope O.
Oyelaran, officially ended
the festival. Oyelaran who
has been involved with the
festival since its inception
in 1989. also honored the
lives of African Americans
who have made major con
tributions to society.
Names like Maya Angelou,
Nina Simone, and of
course Larry Leon Hamlin
echoed from the comer of
W. 4th and Marshall
Streets when Oyelaran
asked the crowd to shout
the names of those who
influenced them.
“Although they are not
here physically, they are
with us spiritually,”
Oyelaran said.
After the closing cere
mony, Otesha and the thou
See Parade on A7
NBTF launches health initiative to
examine disparities
BY ASHLEA HOWARD JONES
FOR THE CHRONICLE
The National Black
Theater Festival (NBTF)
concluded the week on
Saturday with a health ini
tiative centered around two
plays produced by the
North Carolina Black
Repertory Company that
tackled health disparities
within the African
American community.
The health initiative,
which began at 11 a.m. on
Saturday, Aug. 5, featured
live music, breast cancer
screenings and medical
consultations.
See Health on A7
Photo by Aahlea H. Jones
Dr. Patricia Flowers, of the Shades of Hope
African-American Outreach Committee of the
Susan G. Komen Northwest N.C. region, was at the
health initiative spurred by the North Carolina
Black Repertory Company.
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