OPINION
The Chronicle
Elisha Covington office Manager
PAULETTE L. Moore Administrative Assistant
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 pow^r, standing for integrity and
encouraging open communication and
lively debate throughout the community.
Don’t forget
to check on
mental health
of veterans
“Thank you for your service.”
That’s a phrase many of us say to veterans we meet or
we know. We want to acknowledge that we realize their
contributions to helping protect our country and the free
doms we enjoy.
But we need to do more than that. What about the
mental health of veterans who return to the United States
after serving and are discharged from the military? Do we
James Taylor Jr.
Publisher
Tevin Stinson
Shayna Smith
Donna Rogers
Timothy Ramsey
Todd Luck
Managing Editor
Sports Editor/Religion
Senior Reporter
Specialty Reporter
Advertising Manager
check the mental health of those veterans?
It’s unfortunate that several mass shootings in the
United States have been attributed to veterans, including
the most recent one at First Baptist Church in Sutherland
Springs, Texas. Twenty-six people were killed and scores
of others were hurt when a gunman unleashed militaiy
style shooting on civilians who were apparently unarmed.
A neighbor of the church was armed and helped to bring
an end to the mass killings.
We always ask when these' mass killings occur
whether they could have been prevented. And then the
subject of mental illness pops up. Were these mass killers
mentally ill? We don’t seem to be able to understand that
evil is real. Maybe we have seen it too many times in
movies, where, in our minds, it’s just something someone
dreamed up. It really can’t happen, can it?
The question then becomes, how were the people
treated who did the killings? Were they surrounded by
loving friends and family or discarded along life’s high
way? '
. We may never know about some of these mass killers
because they kill themselves or are killed by police before
we get the answers we seek. Journalists and law enforce
ment officials try to do forensic profiles of the killers to
get answers. What if the answers lead to simple hugs and
warmth were denied for the mass killers? Could we accept
that?
As we spread the love this Veterans Day on Saturday,
we will no doubt will say to veterans “Thank you for your
service.” But don’t forget to ask them “How are you
doing?” too.
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moim&
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Discussion about
access to weapons,
mental health
is needed
To the Editor:
Our hearts and spirits are chal
lenged again with innocent citizens
being the victims of unimaginable
violence. The root of violence begins
with one person failing to see human
value in another person and con
El-Amin
sciously plans to do harm.
The level of harm is directly par
alleled to access to weapons. Why is
there immediate denial of the link
between mental health and weapons
of mass destruction? Would the con
cert participants in Nevada or the
people of faith in Texas been subject
ed to historically multiple deaths if
the weapons had not been used? Can
people of good will have an open dis
cussion on the link between access to
weapons and the state of mental
health in our country without demo
nizing each other?
Perhaps the citizens of the States
should take the lead in these discus
sions because the federal politicians
seem unable or willing to even have
a dialog on an issue that's literally
killing innocent people over and over
again.
"We the people, in order to form a
more perfect union " must act.
Fleming El-Amin
Winston-Salem
Note; Fleming El-Amin is a
Fofsyth County commissioner.
Black on black
crime hurts
real people
To the Editor,
In 1979,1 opened a small tavern
and business was good and within a
year I added space to accommodate
the increase in customers.
Then things started happening.
First a break-in by a black man, then
two shootings by black men that
ruined my business and caused me to
sell out.
I received my CLD license to
drive a school bus. During my 12
years of driving, I would give stu
dents money for making good
grades, lunch and I gave a little girl
an overcoat.
I also saved a kid’s life using the
hymnal method.
Prince Ibraham Elementary
School and Mt. Zion Church gave me
a certificate for doing what I did.
Then my black supervisor
accused me of talking on the cell
phone while driving. I was dis
missed. I never had a cell phone, not
then and not now. Two years prior to
me being dismissed, cell phones
were issued to all bus drivers.
Then I was charged with a misde
meanor and hired a prominent black
attorney and paid him in advance and
he never showed up in my defense.
To quote my elementary school
teacher, “We are like crabs in a bar
rel, when one is almost out, another
one will pull it back in.”
Will we ever learn?
Alvin Little
Winston-Salem
Perseverance prevails for one
African-American woman
Algenon
Cash
Guest
Columnist
“What
you do today matters and
influences your future.
Don’t wait to start building
your foundation for suc
cess,” counsels Telisa
Toliver, vice president for
Chevron Pipe Line
Company during an inter
view to gain her perspec
tive on careers for African
American women in the oil
and natural gas industry.
Her advice is especially
compelling as the oil and
natural gas industry faces
the retirement of scores of
skilled industry workers
over the next decade. This
is widely expected, so
much so that the industry
calls th
chr—"
jobs
women
including
crew
these
with
norities,
African
Americans, according to a
recent IHS study
(http://www.api.0rg/~/med
ia/files/policy/jobs/ihs
mi nority- and-female -
eitiployment-rcport.pdf).
Toliver is a model of
what can be achieved with
this focus, and can testify
to the opportunities that the
energy industry offers to
African-American women.
She started as a college
intern with the oil and gas
industry some 25 years
ago, and is now a business
unit vice president for the
United States’ second
largest oil company, man
aging business develop
ment efforts for their trans
portation of oil, gas, natural
liquids and other prod
describes her
career path as “more
opportunistic than linear,”
noting that she “always
took advantage of opportu
nities” to broaden her
knowledge base, so she
could “fully understand the
industry and be positioned
for growth within the com
pany.”
Of course, when she
first started out, there
weren't as many opportuni
ties for African-American
women in the energy
industry as there are now.
Nevertheless, convinced
that her reputation was her
“best weapon against
obstacles,” Toliver concen
trated on “seizing opportu
nities” and “producing
good outcomes” and “did
n't worry too much about
the perceived hurdles.”
“It's a shame that most
female students give little
thought to careers in ener
gy,” Toliver said. ”1 know
from personal experience
that the oil and gas industry
is an incredible place to
work. Students should not
be too shortsighted or lim
ited about where job oppor
tunities can be found. Don't
wait and expect for things
to come along. We are all
competing on a global
scale, so don't think nar
rowly.”
Toliver rejected the
idea that there was too
much of a barrier presented
by the fact that oil and gas
companies typically recruit
at engineering-based uni
versities. When asked
whether that may put stu
dents at historically black
colleges and universities at
somewhat of a disadvan
tage, Toliver said that
should not be viewed as an
obstacle.
”It didn’t deter me
when I was a student at
Tuskegee University,”
Toliver said. “On the con
trary, I realized that I need
ed to be more assertive,
and landing an internship
was the first step in launch
ing my career.”
“The oil and gas indus
f
try is committed to diversi
ty and is actively recruiting
minorities and women. We
are expanding our network
of schools and colleges to
educate students about the
potential opportunities, and
promoting the importance
of STEM education. But
as many recognize, more
can be done. Universities
must carefully think about
the needs of the industry,”
she advises, “and align pro
grams effectively.”
With the coming “crew
change” America will
need talented and dedicat
ed people to continue . our
energy renaissance'.' As
Telisa Toliver is a testa
ment, individuals who per
severe will fill that pipeline
and drive America’s energy
leadership through the 21st
century. They just need to
understand, “Whatever you
do today matters.”
Algenon Cash is the
managing director of
Wharton Gladden &
Company, an investment
banking firm, he is also a
national spokesperson for
the oil and natural gas
industry. Reach him at
acash@whartongladden.c
om.