Afro-American Children’s Theatre presents ‘The Wiz’/Page IB
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VOLUME 22 NO. 6
THE VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY
THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 24,1996
75 CENTS
ALSO SERVING CABARRUS, ROWAN AND YORK COUNTIES
Alexander saga drags on for one more month
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Kelly Alexander Jr., sus
pended president of the N.C.
NAACP conference, has less
than a month to respond to an
audit report made in closed
session to the National
NAACP board of directors last
weekend.
The board
delayed a
long-awaited
decision on
whether to
reinstate or
take further
action
against
Alexander,
who was sus-
Alexander
pended in May from the posi
tion he’d held since 1989.
After his suspension, an
audit was ordered, but could
not be completed because
some records were not avail
able. Auditors had focused on
a cash management account
at Merrill Lynch into which
Alexander said he had
deposited about half of
NAACP funds for the past
seven years - as much as
$700,000.
Neither Alexander or top
NAACP officials could be
reached for comment this
week, though national
NAACP CEO/President
Kweisi Mfume reportedly said
a final decision on Alexander’s
position could take several
more months.
Melvin “Skip” Alston, acting
president of the state NAACP
chapter, said Tuesday that the
national board wanted to give
Alexander a chance to respond
to the audit before making a
final decision.
“I totally agree,” said Alston,
who has sparred verbally with
Alexander since taking over
The bonds that tie
Voters decide
on roads, local
infrastructure
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Charlotte voters have more to think about
than who will fill local, state and national
offices this election.
Nearly $100 million in bonds are also on
the Nov. 5 ballot - $66.3 million in street
projects and $32 million for neighborhood
infrastructure improvements. The bond
packages are separate items on the ballot, so
voters can vote for or against both.
Much of the street bond money will be
used in southeast Charlotte for extensions to
Colony Road ($10.9 million); Johnston Road
($8.5 million); Fairview/Sharon Road ($3.9
million); Prosperity Church Road ($4 mil
lion). And, $5.7 million will be used for a
railroad bridge at Mt. Holly Road.
In all, $46,410,000 will be used for road
way and intersection improvements and
$19,965,000 will be used for other trans
portation projects, such as sidewalks, minor
improvements and business corridor
upgrades.
Included is funding for Phase I of the
planned widening of Beatties Ford Road.
The neighborhood improvement bonds are
a first for the city in which specific communi
ty-based projected are listed and financed by
the city. The bonds, if approved, will pay for
infrastructure in 18 “distressed” neighbor
hoods, some inner city, some suburban.
Previous neighborhood improvements had
been made in the 73 inner-city neighbor
hoods - within four miles of uptown - in the
City Within A City program.
For example, $625,000 of the new bond
money would be spent to extend Morning
Drive and Sudan Street in the Reid Park
community. The city utility department will
also extend water and sewer lines to allow
for new home construction on those streets.
New homes are plaimed as part of the hous
ing authority’s reconstruction of the adjacent
Dalton Village public housing complex.
Also, $2.6 milhon will be spent in the Villa
Heights community in north Charlotte to
add curbs and gutters and sidewalks along
streets.
Charlotte City Council member Pat
Cannon said bond monies will address sev
eral lingering needs in some low-income
See BONDS on page 2A
ILLUSTRATION/E. WILLIAM HARRIS
Helms ads bring on memories of ‘90
By Emery P. Dalesio
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
RALEIGH - Republican U.S. Sen.
Jesse Hebns’ campaign is raising race
as an issue in a new television ad just
two weeks before his rematch with
Democrat Harvey Gantt, who is
black.
The ad began running this week
and echoes the last weeks of their first
contest in 1990. Helms' ad accuses
Gantt of enjoying
preferential treat
ment because of his
minority status to
reap milhons of dol
lars.
“We’re back to
1990,” said David
Paletz, a Duke
University political
scientist who stud
ies politics and the
Gantt
Heims
media. “Race has
always been there.
Race is now there in
black and white.”
If Helms repeats
his 1990 strategy,
voters could see
sharper ads on affir
mative action before
the election on Nov. •
5, Paletz said.
See ADS on page 2A
Henrietta Marie exhibit promises to be the best yet
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Charlotte’s three-month dis
play of the Henrietta Marie
slave ship exhibit and accompa
nying programs will be the most
unique so far on its national
tour.
The exhibit, which has been
seen in Detroit, Chicago and,
most recently, Los Angeles,
includes relics from an actual
slave ship which sank in the
Florida Keys aroimd 1700 after
depositing its human cargo in
the Caribbean. The ship was
discovered in 1972 and is part of
the permanent collection of the
Mel Fisher Maritime Museum
in Key West, Fla. It began a
national tour last year.
Charlotte is the fourth stop.
The exhibit “A Slave Ship
Speaks: The Wreck of the
Henrietta Marie” will be dis
played Nov. 8-Jan. 25 in the
Knight Gallery at Spirit Square
in Charlotte.
Spirit Square vice president
Dawn Womack says the sched
ule of programs and lectures,
plus related activities at other
local facilities, will be a time of
healing and empowerment.
That process has already
begun.
Womack said a drive to raise
$50,000,netted $155,000, over
600 volunteers have signed up
and tour groups from as far
away as Arkansas have already
signed up to visit the exhibit.
“We knew this was going to be
a challenge,”
Womack said.
“For many
people the
healing has
begun. I know
my life will
never be the
same.”
All of the
Womack donations will
be used for the exhibit and
related programs, said Womack,
who is credited with working to
get the Henrietta Marie exhibit
for Charlotte, after Discovery
Place, a science museum,
turned it down.
“More money means more pro
grams,” Womack said of a
See SLAVE SHIP on page 7A
for him. “They voted to give
Mr. Alexander 30 days to
answer those charges or pro
vide receipts or justify those
charges and if he doesn’t do
that within 30 days he will be
suspended permanently.”
The Executive Board of the
National Board of Directors
will receive his answer to
See ALEXANDER on page 2 A
Fighting
Back wins
$1 million
grant
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Fighting Back won a $1 mil
lion grant to continue its anti
drug efforts in Charlotte’s
westside communities.
The organization on Tuesday
announced the grant -
$1,009,275, for 17 months -
and a kickoff celebration in
conjunction with National Red
Ribbon Week’s salute to youth
who have pledged to be drug-
free.
The new grant is slightly
less than the $3 million,
three-year program first won
by the organization, which
works in Mecklenburg county
commissioners District 2 and
is administered by the
Mecklenburg County mental
health department.
Fighting Back projects are
community-based coalitions
working to reduce substance
abuse and related problems by
using existing resources.
Charlotte’s effort was
launched three years ago with
a $3 million grant from the
Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation.
Renewal of the grant came
into question after infighting
and other problems stymied
early efforts. A succession of
directors led the organization
and there was even a dispute
over whether the county or
neighborhoods would control
the program.
Monday’s events include a
press conference to announce
the grant with Dr. Anderson
Spickard, national director of
the Fighting Back Project.
“Charlotte has overcome
some tremendous hurdles to
get to a place where they
could make a real impact,”
Spickard said. “Community
mobilization is no easy task. It
takes perseverance and a real
dedication to working on sub
stance abuse issues to get
everybody in the community
committed to solving these life
threatening problems.
“This 17-month Robert Wood
See DRUG on page 2A
Inside
Editorials 4A-5A
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Lifestyles 9A
Religion 11A
A&E IB
Regional News 6B
Sports SB
Classified 13B
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