Heartless
Agony of
defeat!
• Sec Opinion/Forum pages on A8&9»
• See Sports on page Bl*
Volume 44, Number 8
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
THURSDAY, October 26, 2017
The panelists for the forum at
Abdul-Rauf and John Carlos.
Photos by Timothy Ramsey
Wake Forest University, from left to right, are Ibtihaj Muhammad, Mahmoud
‘The next generation
has checked in’
Activist athletes talk
race, sports and politics
BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY
THE CHRONICLE
Last week. Wake Forest
University held a “Rethinking
Community Conference,” in which
the university brought together
thought leaders across the ideological
spectrum to explore what it means to
live in a society that is more diverse,
polarized, global and virtual than
ever before.
Journalist, politicians, scholars
and public intellectuals discussed
some of the most critical issues influ
encing academic, political and civil
spheres as part of Wake Forest's year
long focus on “Rethinking
Community.”
In addition to sports and commu
nity, the conference featured timely
discussions about free speech and
safe places, the fight to end or defend
DACA and a conversation about free
Perry
press and fake news.
The highlight of the conference
was a panel held on Friday, Oct. 20,
which included professional athletes,
sports writers, and activists to rethink
the role of sports in community and
address related tensions head on.
The panelists were Mahmoud
Abdul-Rauf, a former NBA player
who sat during the national anthem at
the height of his career; John Carlos,
U.S.A. Track and Field Hall of Famer
and 1968 Olympic medalist whose
black power salute on the podium
gained him worldwide attention; and
Ibtihaj Muhammad, World Champion
and Olympic medalist for the U.S.
Fencing team, best known as the first
American athlete to compete in the
Olympics wearing a hijab.
Dave Zirin, author jpodcaster and
political sports writer for The Nation;
and Melissa Harris-Perry, faculty
director of the Pro Humanitate
Institute, were the moderators during
the discussion.
Zirin jumped right into the press
ing question that seemed to be on
everyone's mind by asking the pan
elists what they thought of the new
generation of athletes taking up the
fight against oppression and using the
anthem to raise awareness of racial
inequality.
“It's very refreshing to see these
young individuals make the state
ments that they are making today,”
said Carlos. “Roughly 49 years ago,
people asked me after we did the
demonstration in Mexico City, ‘What
do you think you're doing?, What do
you think you accomplished?, Do
you know what is going to happen to
See Next on A4
Play provides
opportunity
for talk about
manhood
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE__
Following the stage production of “The Legend of
Buster Neal” by the North Carolina Black Repertory
Company last weekend, more than three men, including
elected officials, scholars, clergy, and community lead
ers, sat down to discuss the issues facing young black
men across the country and right here in our community.
The two-hour drama, set in modem-day Louisiana
tells the story of four generations of African-American
men and the issues each generation had to endure over
time. The production, which features an all African
American male cast, raises the question: What is the true
definition of manhood in the African-American commu
nuy:
Written and
directed by Jackie
Alexander, award
winning playwright
and NCBRC artistic
director, the produc
tion served as the
perfect prelude to a
powerful open con
versation at Little
Theatre on Sunday
evening. In the play,
a civil rights activist
reappears to lend
some advice to his
great-great grand
son who is headed
down the wrong
path.
After the 3 p.m.
show on Sunday,
Oct. 22, Dr. Trae
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Photo by Tevin Stinson
Antonio Stevenson shares his
thoughts on the issues young
black men face during an
open discussion on Sunday,
Oct. 22
Cotton, vice chancellor for student affairs at Winston
Salem State University, sat down with City Council
Member Derwin Montgomery, and longtime community
activist and city native Ben Piggott to get their thoughts
on the production and how it relates to real life.
Dr. Cotton started the conversation by asking the pan
elists about the concept of love and how it relates to mas
culinity. He said often men are taught not to show emo
tions.
Cotton said, “We’re talking about the intimate but not
about our emotional state. We’re taught as men not to
show love, not to show affection, what do you think
about that?”
Piggott, who currently serves as the supervisor at Carl
Russell Sr. Recreation Center and has served as a father
See Manhood on A4
New Senate bill threatens Justice Morgan’s tenure
BY CASH MICHAELS
FDR THE CHRONICLE
Just when Democratic lawmakers
thought they’d seen it all when it comes to
Republican voter suppression laws, ille
gal voting districts and, in the opinion of
many, over-all power grabs, comes yet
another legislative shocker.
As the third Special Session called by
Republican leaders in the NC General
Assembly ended’last week on Oct. 17,
Sen. Bill Rabon (R-New Hanover) filed
SB 698, a Constitutional Amendment
titled “Increase Voter Accountability of
Judges:”
With the
General
Assembly
reconvening
in January,
this amend
ment could
be on the
May 2018
ballot for vot
ers’ approval,
with judicial
elections held
Morgan
in iNovemoer zuio.
Then on Tuesday morning of this
week, Senate Majority Leader Phil Berger
(R- Rockingham) announced the forma
tion of a new 15-member Senate Select
Committee on Judicial Reform and
Redistricting.
Sen. Rabon is one of three Republican
senators to chair the committee. Indeed,
there are only five Democratic senators
appointed to the panel, meaning that
Republicans, just like in the rest of the
legislature, are in the majority and in con
trol, so they’ll have the final word.
“This committee will carefully con
sider all options on how we select judges,
including the House’s judicial redistrict
ing bill, merit selection models, retention
elections, and, if we maintain a system of
elections, their frequency and partisan
structure,” Sen. Berger added. “I sincerely
hope the committee reaches a consensus
recommendation that will modernize and
strengthen our courts.”
Most Democrats interviewed believe
that by “strengthen our courts,” Sen.
Berger and other GOP’ers simply mean
put more Republicans on the bench, espe
cially on the state Supreme Court. Dems’
nerves have already been rubbed raw by
House Bill 717, which calls for judicial
redistricting without any judicial input,
and they found no relief when
Republicans voted to literally cancel the
See Senate Bill on A4
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