Thursday, January 5,1989
LIFESTYLES
Section B
Page One
Rev, Graves Is The
First Black Minister
At First United
By LORA VANDERHALL
liScst^es Editor
Rev. Jeunes Graves Is the first
black minister In North Caroli
na to become an assistant pas
tor to a predominately white
congregation, In the United
Methodist denomination.
He l#*asslstant pastor at First
United Methodist Church, 501
N. Ttyon Street.
Graves, who is into his second
)rear as an assistant pastor, is a
warm and modest man who
came from a humble beginning.
Growing up in Jamestown,
North Carolina, which is be
tween High Point and Greens
boro, Graves had his share of
growing pains.
"When I was in the ninth grade
I dropped out of school. I Joined
the army for three years with
one year of that time in Viet
nam," said Graves.
"After that I developed a real
Interest in helping people."
Graves realized the need to
complete his high school edu
cation so he obtained a GED.
Soon after this he was hired by
the Guilford County Sheriffs
Department where he was a
deputy sheriff for five years.
'While working with the sher
iffs department I became inter
ested in the plight of the home
less," he added.
Graves worked for the High
Point Police Department for
three years, during the last year
he started working toward be
coming a minister.
He entered A & T State Univer
sity and received a degree in so
ciology. In December 1987, he
received his masters degree
from Southeastern Theological
Seminary in Wake Forest.
Graves is currently making
plans to pursue a doctorate de
gree.
His first full time appointment
in the ministry was here, at First
United Methodist Church.
Dr. Harold Bales, Senior Mini
ster at First United Methodist,
says they did an extensive
search before finding Rev.
Graves.
'We were very deliberate in our
selection of him. Rev. Graves is
a splendid colleague and he is
greatly loved by all who know
him. His gentle spirit and quiet
manner belle the pioneer nature
of his ministry," said Bales.
Bales says, that Graves was
selected because of his spirit,
personality, life experiences
and his devotion to working
with the street people.
Graves said that when he first
found out that he had been se
lected, his thoughts were more
focused on the fact that the po
sition would give him a imlque
opportunity to minister to
homeless people.
The church has an active min
istry with the Uptown Day Shel
ter.
"The fact that the church has a
predominately white congrega
tion was incidental. I had a real
desire to minister to the street
people," said Graves.
First United has a congrega
tion of over 1400 p>ersons. Only
Photo/CALVIN FERGUSON
Dr. Harold Bales (r), senior pastor at First United Methodist
Church, is shown above with Rev. James Graves, (1) one of the as
sistant ministers at First United Methodist.
ten of the 1400 , which Includes
Rev. Graves' family, are black.
'This is a great opportunity for
me. People are individuals and
you should accept them for
who...and what they are and try
to help them. There is not a
point from which you can't fall,"
said Graves.
Besides serving as chaplain
for the Day Shelter, he assists In
the Sunday morning worship
service, teaches a ministers
Sunday School class and other
pastoral duties.
'We have a warm congregation
and they have been affirming,
supportive and accepting," he
said.
"But I do get homesick some
times. Those old gospels and
spirituals are still ringing deep
in ny heart."
Graves, 41, says that moving
to a city this size was a major
adjustment for him and his fam
ily. He and his wife, Mae. have
four children: Kevin, 20,
John, 19, Tracy, 17, and Saman
tha. 13.
Graves Is active in community
activities such as the Westslde
Advocacy Group and the Human
Rights Committee at Metro
School.
"I have really been enriched
because of this rare opportunity
and I just want to go on and be
the best minister 1 can be,"
Graves concluded.
Seversville Partners Opens A New Office At Clinton Chapel
Ron Rom (U, program director of SeversvUle
Partners, Inc., talks with Chris Simpkins (c).
Photo/CALVIN FERGUSON
president of the Seversville Community Organi
zation and Hannah Cureton ft). vice prudent.
By LORA VANDERHALL
Lifestyles Editor
. ScveTsvUVe PaxlTVCTS, a cYwvrch-
sponsored program to address
the root problems of families in
the Seversville neighborhood,
will have an open house in its
newly renovated office at Clin
ton Chapel AME Zion Church
on Sunday, January 15 from 12
noon until 4 p.m.
The ofilce is located in the ed
ucation area of Clinton Chapel,
1901 Rozzelle's Feny Road.
Over a ten year period the Se
versville Partners, with the in
volvement and participation of
Seversville families have com
mitted themselves to improv
ing the community.
There are five churches from
the Catawba/Mecklenburg
Presbyteries that initiated the
program, however there are not
any presbyterian churches in
the Seversville Community.
The churches that make up
the organization Includes: C. N.
Jenkins Memorial Presbyterian
Church, Covenant Presbyterian
Church. First United Presbyteri
an Church. Grier Heights Pres-
■hyteriaiv Church and Siaicsvihc
Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Clinton Chapel and James
Tabernacle recently became as
sociated churches.
The main areas of concern for
the group are: support and en
couragement of the Seversville
Community Organization,
neighborhood cleanup and con
tinued maintenance, employ
ment and underemplo3anent, in
dividual counseling with an
emphasis on youth Issues,
crime and education.
The office of the program di
rector, Ron Ross, will be located
in the new office space.
'The office was renovated by
some of the residents and it is
the first structural change that
we've made so far." said Ross.
Rev. Retoy Gaston, pastor of
Clinton Chapel, says ^e space
was donated because it is im
portant that a program of this
type stay in the community.
"I think that during this day
and age the church can best
serve the community around
them. "We tecl that it is impor
tant to keep the people in the
community informed about ser
vices that are available to
them," said Gaston.
One of the primary goals of the
Seversville Partners is to focus
on existing resources In the
community and to utilize those
agencies.
"Our objective is to help the
residents of Seversville learn to
do for themselves," said Ross.
The organization has made
some progress within its first
year.
'We had a major cleanup effort
last May and it was very suc
cessful. We offered workshops
and retreats for the youth. And
we also have a study and story
hour every Tuesday and Wed
nesday at Bruns Avenue
School," said Ross.
"Seversville has a tremendous
amount of potential," he added.
Black Farmers: A Disappearing Group In Mecklenburg County
ByM.LXaNey
Post Staff Writer
There Is an endangered species
that has Just about run into the
status of being defunct
Black farmers In Mecklenburg
County arc scarcer than hen's
teeth. The ultuatlon of farmers
overall has degenerated by vir
tue of factors such as economic
and social history.
But the position of the black
feumer Is precarious to say the
least. The south. In particular,
has not been kind to it's black
citizens on the farm.
The high price of land, the de
velopment of technology and the
assault on land usage have com
bined to displace traditional
farm workers.
More and more, big business
has encroached on the markets
that had been the source of UvU-
hoods for small black farmers.
North Carolina's lingering lega
cy of sharecropping is a leftover
from the plantation system.
It exploited the vulnerable po
sition of small Ismdowners and
made it virtually impossible for
Black farmers to adequately face
the challenge of Increased me
chanization, and industrializa
tion of farming methods.
In Mecklenburg County there
are only four Black farmers,
who actively pursue farming on
a full-time tests.
But none of these four Is in
volved with the production of
cash crops. Mostly, farming
done by Blacks in the county are
small-scale operations by re
tired persons.
The crops produced go to local
" ...the Secretary of Agriculture..., at
best, has shut his eyes or, worst, has
sanctioned the extinction of the black
farmer...throughout the South. "
The tobacco harvester was once a very impor
tant asset. Today black farmers are leaving the
Photo/LuNEY
farm in droves. Tomorrow black farms may be
Just a memoiy.
farmer's markets and are impor
tant as supplemental income for
the elderly. Historically, cotton
was the most Importeuit crop for
black farmers, with tobacco a
close second.
Regionally, cotton has always
been more important in the
western part of the state them in
the eastern section, where tobac
co was preeminent. "
The boll weevil devastated
Black farmers in the early '20s
and helped give impetus to the
mass immigration of Blacks
away from the farm.
Just as many Blacks found life
on the farm secure and familiar,
and so they made up their minds
to sta^'.
Today, even these few holdouts
are being forced into other
modes of living. Black farms are
being lost at the rate of one every
minute.
Though this figure specifically
applies to the national level, it Is
easy to understand the implica
tions for the county.
The Euinual rate of decline for
Black farmers is 9.7 per cent as
compared to 3.9 per cent for
whites. The national average is
4.6 per cent. The type of involve
ment presents a sharp contrast
as well.
For example, 61 per cent of the
white Americans who farmed
did so as land owners, working
in their own Interest. Only 27
per cent of Blacks were so self-
employed, whereas 62 per cent
worked in agriculture as labor
ers for salaries.
In a recent year, more than
two-thirds of cdl Black farmers
ended the farm year In debt.
Studies done regarding farm
family diets indicate that nearly
25 per cent of Black farm fami
lies rarely ate fresh meat.
Another statistic shows only
2.6 per cent have ever had a
tooth filled. Although there are
numerous federal programs de
signed to help farmers such as
the Agricultural Stabilization
and Conservation Service
CASCS)and the Farmers Home
Association (FHA) and the Fed-
fral Extension Service, most do
not reach Black farmers.
According to THE EBONY
HANDBOOK. 97 per cent of
Black farmers asked said, "they
had never received any help
from their ASCS county com
mittee."
Statistical data taken from a
report submitted by the South
ern Rural Research Project
(SRRP) has already propheslzed
the demise of Blacks as farmers.
The report shows that more than
92 per cent of the farmers asked
said that they are called by their
first names by the representa
tives of these agencies.
But, "frequently," the report
comments, "after spending a full
day at the farm office, away
from the work at the farm, a
Black farmer will be told to
come back the next day."
The SRRP report maintains
that as result of being mistreated
and Ignored by those agencies,
the Black farmer is "Isolated and
appallingly uninformed about
federal programs and therefore
does not participate liTthem."
Black farmers by a three-to-
one margin were unaware of
FHA loans available for such
concerns as Improvement of soil
and water conservation.
More than two-thirds did not
know about FHA loans for fami
ly or farming costs. Thus the
programs that are essential to
the continued welfare and eco
nomic growth of Black farms are
not reaching the rural areas
where they are needed to safe
guard and give Impetus to self-
sufficiency.
Migration away from the farm
continues at an alarming rate.
The report concludes that, "The
responsibility for change lies
with the federal government.
'The President of the United
States, who appoints the Secre
tary of Agriculture himself,
who, at best, has shut his eyes or.
worst, has sanctioned the ex
tinction of the Black farmer...
throughout the South."