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Shiloh Baptist Church
Congregation Will Enter
Their New Sanctuary
Story On Page 6A
Local Politicians Exploit
Our Limited Resources
Story On Page 2A
Linda Geiger Believes
In The Best For Her
Brookhill Neighborhood
Story On Page 4A
*
Linda Geiger
FENTRESS MARTIN
....Graduate student at UNCC
By Jalyse Strong
Pont Staff Writer
Fentrew Martin’* ultimate career
goal is to become the Dead of a
" l«. preferably at a
black university. A
te student at UNCC, she’s In
•the process of career preparation.
Fentress received her B.S. In
buslnew et AJrT State University.
>She’s now working on her M B.A.
She'll then pursue s Ph.D., at which
school she hasn’t yet decided.'.
) She’s chosen the business field
explaining, “It’s very diverse.
There’s a lot to work with.” Fentrew
fwas the recipient of a four-year
.scholarship In business at AAT. And
MWow she graduated the college in
.1W4, she was fortunate to have a
professor who developed into her
mentor and influenced her subse
quent career choice.
;r “Dr. Craig is tha Dean of AAT
Business College,” Fentress relatw.
“Be was a great inspiration to me. I
fill his show one day;
I’d like to assume the
for someone else
; to me.’^.ifrljr-"
HOIMIU Ei;
* ■ ffs- ■-'* ••• V
Don’t try to ctom a bridge until
you’r* sure one la than.
itUlM! .ii JHaSL iSL3 15 ftl • *“
time for a couple of personal
development activities. She’s a
member of Toastmasters. As a Peer
Mentor at UNCC, Fentress counsels
incoming black freshmen and sopho
mores. Also, she’s interested in
modeling full-rigure fashions.
Finally, she’s a member of the
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
As far as hobbies go, Fentress
calls herself a "dabbler.” "I dabble
in everything,” she elaborates. She
likes old movies, especially John
Wayne westerns, and she likes
critiquing films. She enjoys dancing.
And Fentress Is a poetess also. "I
don't have as much free time for
writing now,” she admits. Fentress
was more prolific during high school
and college days, when she had
poetry published in the school’s
newspapers and once in Black Star
magazine. Her other leisure activi
ties include rollerskating, skate
boarding, cooking, quiet evenings
alone-or with a companion.
She says she best describes her
self as "Miss Congeniality.” "I'm
optimistic, I like meeting people,
making friends and maintaining
friendships,” Fentress adds.
in a family of aix children, at 33
years old, Pentreas is the baby. “I
am the youngest,” she corrects
“There’s some advantages to it,”
Pentreas comments. ' 'The youngest
can acquire a lot of material things
from older brothers and sisters. But
sometimes the situation isn’t that
great When you’re considered the
baby’ you don’t get that raepect,”
she laughs “My brothers and sisters
will talk about some thing and they
won't include me,” Fentress
complains.
But she always has an ally in her
mother, Rasa Mae, who Fentress
confirms Is the person she most
admirea. “She’s strong, mentally
and physically,” Fentress
describes. “She's a survivor and a
giving person.”
Black Women's
*"SV ▼ V'lllvll S JL
She’s also the person who gave
this week’s beauty her unusual first
name. “She found It in a magazine,"
Fentress explains. “And I, recently,
found it on the map. Fentress is the
name of a city in Tennessee." Has
her different name caused her any
discomfort? “It’s O.K. now,"
Fentress answers. "There are so
many unusual names now that
people more readily accept them. I
get compliments but I still get fanny
looks, too." ,/
A native of Wadesboro, N.C.,
Fentress had lived in Charlotte for
two years. She says she doesn’t miss
her hometown. “There’s not much to
miss," she claims. To Fentress, the
city of Charlotte, in contrast, “has a
lot of promise.”
Black Community To
Honor A Great Lady
By Loretta Manago
Post Managing Editor
Friends of Louise Sellers who live
in the Biddleville area have long
recognized the labor and sacrifice
Mrs. Sellers has given their com
munity and on Saturday, April 5,
those same friends will be giving her
her flowers while she lives.
Through a “Louise Sellers’ Appre
ciation Day," friends of the Biddle
ville area will take the time to say
thank you to a woman who has given
tirelessly of herself and her time.
The auspicious occasion will not only
give friends the opportunity to
express their appreciation for Mrs.
Sellers, but Mayor Pro Tern A1
Rousso and other local dignitaries
will make kind remarks as well.
The event, which will be held at
McDonald's Cafeteria, will also be
the site for other worthwhile pre
sentations. Dr. George Battle,
pastor of Gethsemane AME Zion
3r$aM0BKNi&
honored as the founder and first
president of the Biddleville-Five
Points organization. Also on that
night scholarships in Mrs. Sellers’
honor will be established at Johnson
C. Smith University and UNCC.
Saturday promises to be a mem
rable evening. The dinner and pro
gram, beginning at 7 p.m., will be
entertained by the Caribbean Queen
Modern Jazz Dance and singers
Karla Carrington and Sonya Black.
For those who are unfamiliar with
Mrs. Sellers, she is many persons
rolled into one. A mother, house
wife, entrepreneur, and commun
ity leader, Mrs. Sellers inspires
everyone she comes into contact
with, by her unselfishness, perse
verance and capacity to care.
With a foresight and understand
ing not possessed by many, Mrs.
Sellers fought hard to see the
Biddleville-Five Points area would
not face the extinction that another
black community, Brooklyn, did.
She saw that if what happened in
Louise Sellers
.To be honored Saturday
Brooklyn happened in Biddleville it
would mean the loss of the neigh
borhood to those who had no
understanding or concern for the
existing social fabric or the
resultant economic impact on the
community.
Her work in this one community
alone is astounding. Mrs Sellers
performed a relocation survey in the
Biddleville-Five Points neigh
borhood in 1981 Last year in the
same neighborhood she performed a
public housing survey Mrs Sellers
Veteran Member Barbara Davis
y-%'Jt • * !.
Heads AKA’s Mid-Atlantic Region
By Audrey C. Lodato
Pout Staff Writer
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority hat a
membership of about 100,000. In the
U.S., chapters are grouped into nine
regions. The Mid-Atlantic Region, of
which Charlotte is a part. Is made up
of North - Carolina and Virginia.
Barbara Davis, 30-year member of
Charlotte’s Alpha Lambda Omega
graduate . chapter, is regional
director, -i
Ms. Davis, a retired educator,
describes the Mid-Atlantic Region
as ‘‘one of the outstanding ones. The
dedication, camaraderie, desire to
be a part of, cooperation, love and
knowledge are tops in this ragioo.
I've never been refused when I’ve
asked anyone to do anythii*.” The
region is holding its 33rd conference
in Charlotte April >4-17.
Active metnotn in tne two states
number about 6,000. Total regional
membership la 6,606. <: ■
Ms Davit herself sesms to typify
the region she directs She works
tirelessly supervising the mere then
88 chapters uadar her charge. Sbs
presente workshops for both begin
ning and oetabliahed chapters, holds
meetings at both regional *ad
dueler levels (tears ere five
clusters la the two states), develops
iSerliErS
bylaws stipule tions-the Hat goat on
and on R’a nearly a full time job In
Iteaif, Ms. Davis admits -
Serving aa regional director
w 'S ’) ■ * i.r..T ~ ■ :
. Barbara Da via
.AKA ragtaaal Blractar
requires a lot of travel, not only
within the region but alao to national
board meetings hold throe times a
member of the* national board of
director*. At board meetings,
explains Me. Davte, “we discuss
changes in oonetitutiewt wage
plants, tha national scene andhow
we are to function Within It
politically, eeSbomically, socially,
racially ’’ Proposals and recom
mandations art than nteasntad to
tha national body!, or boula, which
meets every two years The next
boule will meet in Detroit. MI. in
July.
Regional directors serve for two
year terms Ms Davis is concluding
her second term and is running for
the office of national treasurer.
At the local level, she has held the
offices of president, vice president,
treasurer, corresponding secretary,
and parliamentarian She’s also
chaired numerous committees
What has kept Ms. Davis involved
in the sorority for 30 years? "It's a
service-oriented organization," she
replies "We deal with people We
have had any number of outstanding
projects." Especially meaningful to
her has been the leadership project
for high school students She served
as her chapter's first chairman of
that project, which is now in its sixth
year.
Another reason she cites for her
continued involvement is the fact
that AKA "is and was the first
female black organization We’re
now in our 7Mh year."
Ms. Davis, whose husband, John
A. Davis, is assistant principal at
West Charlotte High School, taught
English at West Charlotte for SO
years. She also worked in ad
ministration before retiring from
the school system in IMS.
The following year, she took on the
job of principal at Oar Lady of
Consolation School for two
Ms. Davis Is a member of the
Sae BARBARA Oa Page SA
is the founder of the Biddleville
Five Points Alcoholic group and is
project consultant for the Public
Housing Project Western Sight
Housing Project She has coordinat
ed numerous community cle^ups,
as well as coordinated and secured
gas lines, sidewalks, curbs and
gutters for her community Her
work has led transients to receive
housing assistance and placement
and she has worked diligently for
placement of people on relocation
workload Presently, Mrs. Sellers is
president of the Biddleville Five
Points organization
A native of Pembroke, N.C., Mrs
Sellers is currently the manager of
Wright It Associates, her own pro
fessional cleaning company
In other areas of the community
Mrs Sellers serves on the board of
directors of Friends of JCSU, The
West Trade-Beatties Ford Road
Area Merchants Association and is a
member of the Mecklenburg Citi
zens Forum, the 2005 Advisory Task
Force, the School Board Health
Committee, the Community Issues
Council, the Strategies To Elevate
People, the Project Catalyst Task
Force Steering Committee, Grass
Roots leadership Organization and
the Summit Avenue Housing Pro
ject advisory committee
Mrs Sellers is a supervisor of the
Alternative Sentencing for the
courts Drugs It DUI) and an
arbitrator for the Mecklenburg
Court System
Tickets to attend the appreciation
day for Mrs. Sellers are $10 and can
be purchased at Burger King,
located on Beatties Ford Road, or by
calling E. Carrington at
535-1899
Dp. Cleon Umpai
Accepts WSSU
• i.
Chancellor