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THE VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY
THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 4, 1997
VOLUME 23 NO. 12
75 CENTS
ALSO SERVING CABARRUS, CHESTER, ROWAN AND YORK COUNTIES
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Afro Center may bid for slave papers
PHOTO/DUKE UNIVERSITY
Slave documents, like this entry from a 1780 sale, could be headed
to Charlotte if the Afro-American Cultural Center decides to make a
bid to acquire them.
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Charlotte’s Afro-American
Cultural Center is interested in
acquiring slave documents that
were forced off the auction block
last month.
Afro Center interim director
Harry Harrison confirmed
Monday that the center had been
alerted to the availability of 19th
century artifacts, which were to
be sold last month at Christie’s, a
New York auction house. The
auction was cancelled after public
outrage over the sale. The docu
ments’ owner pledged to donate
the papers, which were part of a
larger collection of CivU War-era
autographs and manuscripts sold
by Christie’s, to a museum or his
torical society.
“Somebody called me about it
last week,” Harrison said, declin
ing to identify the individual or
organization. “We definitely
would be interested in looking at
it.”
The eight slavery documents,
grouped in three sets, or lots, in
the Christie’s catalog, included
posters announcing a reward for
runaway slaves, a slave auction
poster announcing “Chancery
Sale of Eight Likely Negroes” and
other papers. Harrison said
acquiring the artifacts “would be
a major coup” for the Afro Center,
but finances would be a factor.
Christie’s estimated the total
value of the documents at $2,400
to $3,700 before the auction was
called off.
“I couldn’t make a commitment
because that is usually something
that takes a committee to decide,”
he said. ‘We’ve got a board of
directors that we work with on
projects, so they would be
involved.”
Duke University history profes
sor Peter Wood Ph.D., said the
documents could be a major
acquisition for the Afro Center,
especially for teaching.
“There’s no substitute for real
Matters
of race
at issue
Summit tackles
issue in hopes of
starting dialogue
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
In 1960, James Ferguson led
sit-in demonstrations in
Asheville as founder and head of
the Student Committee on Racial
Equality.
He later attended law school at
Columbia University and became
one of America’s foremost civil
rights lawyers.
Over the years, Ferguson, now
senior partner at Ferguson Stein
Wallas Adkins
Gresham &
Sumter, has
represented
clients with
civil rights
complaints,
including the
families of
three African
Americans shot
and killed by
Charlotte-
Mecklenburg police officers since
1993.
But chairing the Leadership
Tbam of Charlotte’s Community
Building 'Iksk Force has taken
him beyond his earlier roles in
race matters. The committee is
planning a citywide race summit
Sunday and Monday at the
Charlotte Convention Center.
“It has made me look at this
whole issue of race beyond just
doing advocacy or advocating a
particular view, as I am usually
doing,” Ferguson said. “I’ve had
to take a broader view, fve had to
listen to and consider other view
points. I’ve had to admit to myself
and even to others that I don’t
See RACE on page 2A
Ferguson
Diversity dilemma for UNC system
PHOTO/ PAUL WILLIAMS III
UNC Charlotte students Juan Kelly, Derrick McBride and Bridget Kelly are part of the school's growing black student body. UNCC’s
total enrollment is 15.9 percent African American, the highest among historically white campuses in the University of North Carolina
system.
Review raises concerns
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHAPEL HILL - Despite
assurances that diversity will
be maintained on campus,
many UNC students wbo favor
affirmative action feel the
administration is in the process
of dismantling racial prefer
ences.
Molly Broad, president of the
UNC system, ordered all 16
campuses to take a critical look
at their affirmative action poli
cies and change those based
solely on race.
“I feel fear,”
said India
Williams, a
senior from
Raleigh who
is president
of the Black
Student
Movement at
UNC-Chapel
Hill. “I don’t
think every
one understands the implica
tions of Broad’s decision.
“Slowly but surely, we are
Connerly
coming upon a Proposition 209
for North Carolina.”
Williams was leferring to the
Cahfomia voter initiative that
bans the use of race as an
admissions criteria in public
universities. The person who
led the campaign for that ini
tiative - Ward Connerly -
spoke at Chapel Hill ffiiesday
on the invitation of the
Carolina Conservative
Coalition, a student oiganiza-
tion.
Broad insists that she does
not intend to
reverse
decades of
progress
toward inte
gration on
the UNC
campuses.
“It is very
difficult to
try to satisfy
everyone
that we are not in a retreat,”
she said last week.
See UNC on page 2A
Broad
Leake wants ‘integrity’ in schools
By John Minter
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Vilma Leake, the new District 2
representative on the Charlotte-
Mecklenbuig School Board, says
she doesn’t want the westside to
be the “stepchild” in the school
system.
“We have got to have integrity
in the system,” said Leake, a 30-
year classroom teacher who was
sworn in on TViesday.
She joins the board as it begins
another round of pupil reassign
ments at the elementary and mid
dle school levels and metes out
$415 million in bond money
approved in the Nov. 4 election.
Fairness, equity and busing
remain a part of what’s often a
contentious education debate in
Charlotte.
Leake said she is anxious to get
started, after winning election
over incumbent Sam Reid. Leake
got 64 percent of the district’s
votes in ousting the one-term
board member.
She joins two other new mem
bers on the nine-member board -
Molly Griffin in District 5
replaced long-time member John
Thte, and Jim Puckett, who oust
ed Pam Mange in District 1.
Other African Americans on the
board are at-large member
Arthur Griffin and District 3 rep
resentative George Dunlap, who
was unopposed.
After being sworn in 'liiesday,
Leake left for a statewide training
session for new school board
members Wednesday and
Thursday.
Friday and Saturday, she will
attend the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg board’s annual
retreat.
In an interview, Leake said, “I
campaigned on equity and quality
schools and making sure we
maintained an integrated school
district. I talked about midpoint
schools and the vocational tech
high school being a part of the
westside and the renovation of
the school in District 2 that so
badly need repairs.”
See BOARD on page 3A
PHOTO/CALVIN FERGUSON
Vilma Leake hugs a supporter Tuesday after she was sworn in as a
member of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board. Leake will
represnet District 2 on the board.
material,” he said “It’s a powerful
tool. It would be exciting if
Charlotte can get it.”
A Charlotte exhibit could help
people of all ethnic backgrounds
learn about slavery’s role in U.S.
history. Wood said, especially in
the African American community,
where the subject is taboo in some
circles.
“That could help combat uncer
tainty in the black community
that there’s no reason to talk
about slavery,” he said.
“A lot of resistance in the
African American community
comes from previous experiences
from the way history has been
taught.”
Hate
crime in:
Denver
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — A recent series of
crimes blamed on white-
supremacists has the NAACP
speaking out for the need to end
racial violence in Denver.
Since mid-November, white
supremacists have been linked to
the murders of a highly decorated
Denver policeman and a West
African immigrant at a downtown
bus stop.
A woman going to the West
Afiican man's aid was shot and
left paralyzed from the waist
down.
In the latest incident, a black
woman has accused six skinheads
of making racial slurs and attack
ing her at a Denver convenience
store on Thanksgi-ving Day.
Shomip Francis, 26, was treated
for cuts on her face by paramedics
called to the 7-Eleven store north
of downtown Denver.
Five adults and one juvenile
have been arrested on suspicion of
ethnic intimidation.
Police have filed their reports
■with the Denver district attorney,
who wfll decide whether charges
will be filed, Denver Detective
Virginia Lopez said Saturday.
The Denver chapter of the
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
has scheduled a news conference
for Thursday.
“We don't believe that any sin
gular incident describes ade
quately the nature of the chal
lenge before the community,” said
Annie Sulton, a NAACP staff
See HATE on page 3A
Inside
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Health 4B
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