2A
NEWS/ The Charlotte Post
Thursday, July 10, 1997
Gantt
Erving
Scarborough surprises everyone
• That’s their McDonald’s: The
McDonald’s
Cafeteria/hotcl/amusement park
saga may be taking a turn down
the homestretch. Fly’s spies have
lx*n workin’ overtime, and they
hear a consor
tium led by for
mer Charlotte
mayor Harvey
Gantt has laid
a cool 100 G’s to
stop fonK;losure
pn)ccedings.
Word has it
that HaiVs
posse has
worked out a
deal with
AMRESCO, which is handling
the McDonald’s account. Gantt
and his peeps will take control of
the whole shooting match, lock,
stock and barrel. No word yet on
who’ll run the West Charlotte
landmark, which has known
nothing but debt in recent years.
• Speaking of food, why does the
Charlotte Convention Center
have seven chefs on staff when
the city is supposed to be gung-ho
about outsourcing services? The
Fly is partial to good grub, but
these guys can’t be cooking 24-7,
cun they? Maybe somebody in
City Hall can hit one of the spies
and ‘splain some of this.
• That’s racin’; Everybody in
NASCAR country (and those of
you who mis
take a cool suit
for great-look
ing clothes)
knows that a
couple of bros,
Julius Erving
and Joe
Washington,
plan to field a
Winston Cup
Jearn next year.
And here’s a name that could be
S.ssociated with Dr. J and Little
(loe in ‘98: Ernie Irvan. Erving
and Washington have told anyone
who’ll listen or can read Braille
that they’re looking for a top-shelf
jtwkey for their Ford, and of Em
needs a ride after getting dumped
by Robert Yates Racing this week.
Now, Fly isn't trying to tell the fel-
bcs how to take care of biz’ness,
but Irvan can still swap sheet
metal with the best of ‘em. 'Think
t)f the mileage everyone would get
put of that affirmative action
story.
,- • That’s show business: People
juT: talking more about this week
end’s Tbm Joyner throw-down
Dke it’s goin’ out of style. But the
Jfhole thing hit a behind-the-
jcenes snafu last week when
^ends of Big Plays owner Ray
See FLY on page 3A
Continued from page 1A
years. I’ve done that. When 1 was
in the district (3) I said I would
rpove up to at-large and I’ve done
that.
“I’m on the board of diretors of
the National Black Elected
Officials. I’ve served as chair of
the League of Municipalities. We
have done what we need to do.”
Scarborough did not rule out a
run for another elected office in
the future: and denied a rumored
bid this year for mayor.
“I never considered being
mayor," she said. “I never wanted
to be mayor of the city of
Charlotte. I’m going to continue
to stay active in the community
and continue to serve people in
other capacities.”
Black Political Caucus chair
Bob Davis said he was surprised
to hear Scarborough was not
running for reelection. Davis said
he’d heard as late as Tuesday
morning that she would run
against Pat McCroiy.
“I was shocked,” Davis said of
the announcement.
Fellow council member
Malachi Greene said he, too, was
surprised by Scarborough’s
announcement.
“I knew Ella had higher ambi
tions,” Greene said. “Tve talked
with her on several occasions
about higher offices, but I have
never heard her say anything
about wanting to be mayor.”
Greene said Scarborough prob
ably wanted to spend more time
with her two children and per
haps concentrate on her job in
community relations with Duke
Energy. “It was a pact she had
made with her children,” Greene
said. “I can undertand that.
Families give up a huge amount
when someone is serving in
office.”
Greene said the Democrats
always have to work hard in local
elections and Scarborough’s
reelection was not a given.
“We are going to have to work
hard,” Greene said. “I was going
to have to work even when EUa
was in the race. Her election was
not assured.
She was very
fortunate to
win the first
time and we
were very for-
tvmate she
won.
“I don’t think
Ella not run
ning means the
Democrats are
going to lose control of the city
council. Politically, Charlotte is a
very competitive city beween
Republicans and Democrats,
Sometimes that has something
to do with race. Sometimes it
don’t”
“People are concerned about
Democratic control and black
representation being lost. We
had to work all the while for aU
those things. We are going to
have to work hard again.
Greene
Everybody is going to have to
work like the dickens.”
District 3 council member
Patrick Cannon, who succeeded
Scarborough, was surprised as
well.
“I was awaiting for her to say
she was going to do something
else,” Cannon said. “I did not
expect a period at the end of her
sentence when she stated she
was not going to run for city coim-
cil at large for the next term.”
Cannon said he thinks
Scarborough will run for a higher
office some day.
“It sounds like council member
Scarborough will be keeping her
options open politically,” he said.
“It is certainly going to disturb
some grooves relative to the
Democratic strength that is cur
rently in place. It means now that
we must strategize on how we
will continue to be effective as
Democrats on the City Council,
either in the majority or the
minoirity.”
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Muslims embrace Fairakhan and Nation
Continued from page 1A
“They bestowed upon him the
title of imam, which is the title of
a spiritual leader...one who has
intimate knowledge of the Koran
and Muslim law.
“After 67 yers of being divided
from Muslims throuhout the
world based on misconeptions
reported in the media, bauriers
have been eroded. The title of
Black Muslims (commonly used
to refer Jo Nation members) has
been removed.
“We never used it on ourselves.
It was bestowed on us as a way to
make distinctions between us
and other Muslims. Now those
from the east are recognizing
that title does not have a place
among our people.”
As the conference closed
Sunday, Sheik M. Billo, the grand
iman of Cyprus, placed a white
turban on Farrakhan’s head and
said it symbolized his new status.
Farrakhan’s/ recognition as a
leader in the worldwide Islamic
community is an honor no other
African American leader has
achieved because of cultural and
religious differences, according to
Islamic experts. Malcolm X,
Farrakhan’s predecessor as
national spokesman for the
Nation of Islam, was unable to
achieve the same heights because
he was assassinated in 1965 at
age 39. Some, including
Malcolm’s family, blamed
Farrakhan for the assassination,
but Farrakhan has since recon
ciled with them.
“This is beautiful and I hope
Muhammad
today I have worn it well,”
Farrakhan said of Billo’s turban.
“And I hope Allah will allow me
to live up to what it represents.”
The title marks a mgjor turn
ing point in the Islamic commu
nity, which
began with the
N O I - 1 e d
Million Man
March in 1995
and
Farrakhan’s
21-nation
world tour last
year.
“He is the
leader of the
entire Muslim
community,” Syed S. Khundmiri,
executive director of the Geo-
Political Academy, USA in
Burbank, Calif., told The
Chicago Tribune.
Last weekend’s conference
drew Muslim religious leaders
' and scholars from the Middle
East, Africa, Europe and Russia.
It was the first of the annual
gatherings held in the U.S. and
was hosted by Farrakhan at the
request of Moammar Gadhafi of
Libya. Gadhafi had given
Farrakhan a human rights
award when the two met last
year. The U.S. government has
refused to allow Farrakhan to
accept the award’s $250,000
prize and other monies Gadhafi
promised to Farrakhan.
Gadhafi addressed the confer
ence via a satellite hook-up,
delivering a 50-minute address.
He called Farrakhan a “freedom
fighter” and said he had sparked
unity rallies in Muslim commu
nities around the world.
The conference was beamed to
millions of Muslim across the
world via television.
“A lot of that is owed to
Minister Farrakhan’s work,”
Muhammad said. “One of the
things that helped was the
Million Man March. The eastern
leaders were impressed that we
could have that kind of gather
ing.
“On his World Friendship 'Ibur
to 21 nations, including Iran,
Lybia and Turkey, he extended
the olive branch of peace and
explained our views.”
Ibrahim B. Syed, president of
the Islamic Research Foundation
Inc. of Louisville, Ky., said the
new title for Farrakhan removed
a significant barrier.
“If you go to Mecca, you are
MusUm,” Syed said. “If you go to
the Nation Of Islam, you are
Muslim.”
Farrakhan led the call for
Islamic unity and a platform of
unifyication, Muhammad said.
He said that included a call for
lifting the economic embargoes
on nations such as Iraq, Iran,
Cuba, Lybia and Sudan.
“We demand the immediate
removal of sanctions that are
causing the deaths of defenseless
men, women and children,”
Farrakhan said.
Muhammad said the confer
ence spelled out several action
steps including a unified agenda
for re-addressing the way Islam
has been historically presented in
the education system, devising a
banking system to achieve finan
cial stability and dealing with
human rights issues in the treat
ment of women in Islam.
Farrakhan said he wants the
next century to be the century of
peace, unlike the century of war
that was the 20th century. He
said he will call a meeting of
world leaders on New Year’s Day
in 2000.
The Associated Press con
tributed to this report.
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Tom Joyner brings show to town
Continued from page 1A
A listener’s brunch will be held
on the Catawba Queen from 1-3
p.m. Saturday. Entertainment is
provided by Sweet Dreams.
Tickets are $25.
Joyner will also host the
Smookin’ Grooves Ibur Saturday
at Blockbuster Pavilion. The tour
features The Roots, Cyprus Hill,
George Clinton and Erykah
Badu. Tickets are $33.50 and
$23.50 and are available at all
TicketMaster outlets.
Joyner earned the name “The
Fly Jock” by commuting between
Dallas and Chicago to do morn
ing and afternoon drive shows for
ei^t years. His nationally-syndi
cated show, started in 1994, is
heard by 3 million listeners daily.
i Refreshing course
PHOTCV DIANNE V CURTAIN
Water safety Instructor Freddie Clinton makes a point during a progressive swimming class
Wednesday at the National Youth Sports Program at Johnson C. Smith University. The sports,
math and science camp had 510 youth along with another 140 from Friendship Baptist Church’s
Youth Opportunity University Pr^ram.
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First Baptist Church - West
DR. RICKY A. WOODS, SENIOR MINISTER
1801 OAKLAWN AVENUE • CHARLOTTE, NC 28216
Greetings in the name of our Risen Christ.
This letter is written to express my dreams and hopes for the
8:00 A.M. Early Morning Service at First Baptist Church-West.
It is a dream of a place where persons may experience kindness
and grace in an often unfriendly world. It is a dream of a diverse
worship experience that embraces the wide range of music
within the Black church as well as providing sound theological
teaching and preaching. It is a dream for the means of growing
the membership of first Baptist Church-West as well as growing
disciples to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is a dream of creat
ing an oasis of Christian courtesy, brotherly love and bodily
unity. It is the hope of providing a place and a people to live out
the meaning of their faith to a changeless God in changing
times.
We invite you to come and dine on spiritual manna that has
been provided and be participants in a dream to live to God’s
glory and our good. Come and be caught in the grip of His
grace.
A fellow dreamer
Ricky A. Woods
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