Love's Alright:
How Usa Cooley
Met Her Match/IB
■«r
McFerrin
Conducts
Show/7A
Volume 19, No. 40
Charlotte
THURSDAYMAY20,1993
Harding High's
Powell Goes For
State Title/7B
50 Cents
ATTRACTIVE CHALLENGE
News i
And '
om Charlotte
'Of The World.
Lewis
Black Males Get
In The Spotlight
Black men will be the cen
ter of attention at two
events this
weekend.
The N.C.
Black Male
Showcase
USA will be
held Satur
day at 7:30
p.m. at the
Blumenthal
Performing
Arts Center.
Thirty men
will be pre
sented for their Involve
ment In the black commu
nity.
The event Is sponsored by
The Charlotte Post, Payless
Rental Car and Hyatt Ho
tels.
Tickets are $20. For more
Information, call 553-0286.
The 21st Century Commis
sion on African American
Males wUl hold Its annual
dinner In honor of
"Outstanding Black Men"
Sunday at 7 p.m. at Found
ers Hall at NationsBank
Corporate Center at 100 N.
Tryon St.
Matthew Perry, a District
Court Judge In S.C., will be
the keynote speaker. For
mer mayor Harvey Gantt,
Elizabeth Randolph and
Gerson Stroud are dinner
co-chalrs.
The 1993 honorees are
Reps. Mel Watt, James Cly-
bum of S.C. and John Lewis
of Georgia: James Ferguson;
Stroud, N.C. House Speaker
Dan Blue, author Gle^ Wat
son, Rev. James Barnett,
Anthony Foxx and Orange
County (Cal.) district attor
ney Carl Fox.
The commission was
formed In 1991 by Virginia
Gov. Douglas Wilder and
former N.C. Sen. Terry San
ford to address the Issues
facing black men.
For more Information,
call (202) 686-2891.
Focus On Group
Advisory Board
Focus on Leadership Is sol
iciting organizations to
serve on its advisory board.
The body consists of one
• representative from each
• organization to support and
advise Focus on Leadership.
For more Information,
call Vivian Mitchell, Focus
on Leadership's board
chairman at 536-8820.
Once For Old
Times' Sake
The old Irwin Avenue Ele
mentary School will bid
farewell to the public this
weekend.
The school, which has
been at 329 N. Irwin Ave. for
20 years, is being disman
tled for relocation as a mag
net school next year. People
who wish to see the old site,
which was once home to
Harding High School from
1935-61. can do so from 3
p.m.-5 p.m.
Stories, exhibits and pho
tos will be offered from the
old building, with an oppor
tunity for visitors to lay
claim to artifacts. Former
teachers and administra
tors are expected to attend.
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'IH
raOTOCALVIN FERGUSON
Stephanie Counts, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' magnet programs coordinator, is leav
ing to become chief executive officer of the Charlotte YWCA.
Stephanie Counts Takes New
Responsibility As YWCA Head
By Cassandra Wynn
THE CHARLOTTE POST
A t every
turn,
Stephanie
Counts,
Charlotte-
Mecklen-
buig's
magnet
schools
coordlnat
or, has ac
cepted a
tough challenge and suc
ceeded.
Now the Charlotte educa
tor has decided to take on
the biggest challenge of her
life. She has accepted the
position as chief executive
officer of the Charlotte
YWCA.
The announcement that
she would leave Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools June
30 came as a surprise to
many.
But for Counts, It’s the
natural outcome of com
mitment and hard work.
"I have been tapped for
things when It was right."
Counts said. "Sometimes
change is wonderful. I have
career goals, but at the en
try of one position, I never
knew the next one was on
Its way."
Counts made It clear that
she did not seek the posi
tion. "When I was ap
proached by the executive
search firm, my first reac
tion Is that I am an educa
tor. As I began to consider
the position, I saw that the
Y's mission is to serve
women and children in the
community."
One key element In
Counts’ decision to become
YWCA CEO was that she
See COUNTS On Page 2A
■
• Age: 41.
• Present Job: Coordina
tor of magnet schools,
Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools.
• New Job: Director of
Charlotte YWCA.
• Eklucation; Bachelor’s in
sociology and education.
State University of New
York at New Paltz (1972);
master’s in sociology from
same school (1973) and
master’s in administra
tion. UNC Charlotte (1981).
• Previous Honors: N.C.
Principal of the Year, 1991-
92; National Distinguished
Principal by the National
Association of Elementary
and Secondary Principals.
• Family: Husband Ho
ward, a strategic planner at
Hoechst Celanese; son Jon
athan, 15.
In The
Public's
Interest
Sen. Jim Richardson Moves Up In
Effectiveness In General Assembly
By Herbert L, White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
■
N.C. Senator Jim Richardson Is on a roll.
The Mecklenburg Democrat is becoming a
force in Raleigh, according to a poll conducted
by the N.C. Center For Public Policy Research,
a non-partisan watchdog group that monitors
the General Assembly. He continues a steady
climb In effectiveness, from 42nd his first
term in 1987 to a tie for 32nd in’91.
But how good are Mecklenburg’s other black
legislators doing?
Reps. Pete Cunningham and Howard Barn
hill have made slight Improvements during
their tenure. Through 1991, the last year
available, Cunningham, a
four-term Democrat, was No. 87 In the 120-
member House of Representatives while
BanffiUl was a spot behind, making the five-
term Democrat the lowest-rated member of
the Mtcilenburfe delegation. The iiighcwt-
rated Mecklenburg representative Is John
McLaughlin at 36. Fountain Odom is the
highest-rated senator at No.
21. Jerry Blackmon was low
est at 4^. There are 50 state
senators.
Cunningham Overall, three blacks are In
the House’s top 10: Speaker
Dan Blue (D-Wake) was first In ’91; Toby Fitch
(D-Wllson) was No. 8 and Mickey Michaux (D-
Durham) was ninth. Blue has been a represen
tative since 1981: Fitch and Michaux since
1985.
The rankings are the result of surveys of lob- Blue
bylsts, capital news media and legislastors,
said Ran Coble, the center’s director. Legislators are ranked
according to their participation In committee activities, abil
ity to guide bills through floor debate, expertise In special
See LOCAL LEGISLATORS On Page 3A
Good Old Boys Oiib:
Pa. Hunters Rehise
Black Applicant
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIDLAND, Pa. - A private
hunting club refused to give
an application to a black po
lice officer because only
white males can join, ac
cording to the club leader.
"This Is a private club. We
can do what we want," said
James Boyle, president of the
Midland Sportsmen’s Club.
’We don’t want blacks. We
don’t want women."
The state Human Relations
Commission is Investigating
the club’s membership rules,
said spokeswoman Laura
Treaster. "Right now, we
can’t answer ff It’s legal or
not, but we can certainly say
It’s not right," she said.
Kenny Williams, 40, was
denied an application sever
al times during the last two
years. Williams, v/ho Is
black, is a policeman and
crane operator in Midland,
about 25 miles west of Pitts
burgh.
Williams said he first was
told he couldn’t apply be
cause his brother broke a
screen door at the club dur
ing a graduation party In
1976. Later, friends who be
long to the club told him pri
vately he couldn’t get in be
cause he was black.
"I think It’s dumb," Wil
liams’ 11-year-old son, Gino,
said In Sunday’s Beaver
County Times. "\^at does It
matter what color I am? I
Just want to fish."
The 50-year-old club has
between 400 and 500 mem
bers. It boasts a lake, social
hall, archery range and gun
range.
Last week, the club was ad
vised to stop discriminating
by the Pennsylvania Federa
tion of Sportsmen’s Clubs.
’We can not, and we will
not, defend racism," said Bo
nita Hoke, the federation’s
executive director. The club
is a member of the federa
tion.
4A-5A Editorials
7B Sports
10B Classifieds
""*5toryT3eaT*"
Call (704) 376-0496.