Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Aug. 25, 2005, edition 1 / Page 6
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6A NEWS/ICte ClMrlottt $«« Thursday, August 25, 2005 liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Ex-offenders save next generation By Roderick C. Willis AFRO NEWSPAPERS BALTIMORE - Little Tim is only 7 years old, but is wise for his age. He has seen a lot of violence in his neighbor hood, much of it ending in death. Tired of the killing and violence, Tim often marches with adults who mentor him and want to stop the violence and ill^al drug trade that tri^ers much of the death and destruction. His mentor, Ellsworth Johnson-Bey is a strong and sometimes-controversial man who would like nothing better than to ensure that little Tim is never tempted by the lure of selling drugs. So Johnson- Bey and his cn^anization offer Tim and other young pec^le the opportunity to make money by selling a legal prod uct — bumpCT* stickers that read 'Unity or Die” — with 40 percent going to Tim and 60 percent going to an oiganiza- tion, Solvia Natioa Johnson-Bey is part of a group of brave men and womrai who patrol some of the toughest drug markets in Baltimore. Their mission is to rescue drug dealers from a life of crime and encourage young dealers to adapt an alterna tive lifestjde. ‘We cannot sit back and tell young people not to sell drugs and give them no opportunity to survive,” said Johnson-Bey “Hy encouraging this boy to do the rig^it thing, and giving him an alternative to the poof- it in drug, we may have saved a life and built a future for him.” One would ordinarily have Tuskegee Airmen older, but still fighting By Travis Reed THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ORLANDO, Fla. - Even after 85 years of living, 1st Lt. Wilson Eagleson still remembers plenty Not all the names, necessarily but a lot of dates and details. How it felt when shrapnel blew through his fighter plane and into his leg on a combat mission more than 60 years ago, and what it was like to be a second-class citizen as a black pilot in a segregated military during World War H. But he also remembers the good things, and tha:e are even more of them. Ea^eson is one of the few remaining menbers of the TViskegee Airmen, an elite group of the smartest and toughest young black men in 1940s America, recruited for an “experiment” - to let them perform the same complicated and demanding job white people had been doing for decades. Many commanders didn’t believe blacks had the intelligence or dexterity necessary to pilot, Eagleson said. “Failure was not an option. If the experiment had failed, it would have proven their point,” he said. Ea^eson joined about 80 airmen in Orlando this week for the group’s 34th annual convention, a six-day gathering that unites the decorated soldiers with each other and younger black mili tary pilots for a week of story-swapping business. Perhaps much more business than one mi^t imagine for a yearly convention. All five of the first class of airmoi have died, and the remain ing pilots are well into their 70s and 80s. No one knows exactly how many Tliskegee Airmen are left, but military officials estimate about 200 of the 1,000 or so men who won their wings at the Alabama air base are still alive _ besides countless aircraft; maintenance men and other ground crew woikers who helped forge the group’s proud history The men know they aren’t going to live forever, and convention attendance has steadily dropped each year as more airmen suc cumb to age or illness. However, they’re doing what they can in the meantime to preserve the airmen’s proud history like offer ing scholarships to youths interested in aviation and speaking to young urban blacks about a job that changed their lives _ and the course of history Many have taped interviews, and written books to document their extraordinary lives, thou^ some air men have left the war in their past. “They don’t see tliemselves as heroes. They simply did what needed to be done,” said retired Col. Len Nevels, who heads the committee that organized the convention. “Because these guys are so modest about what they did, a lot of people don’t even acknowledge it.” They were chosen - some without even knowing it - because they scored well on military* tests, and most had already tak^ at least a few years of college. They were kids -18,19, 20 - given poor equipment and the most dangerous bomber protection assignments by prejudiced overseas commanders. And they built a proud, storied squadron that ran drdes around other crews above Europe in shiny gray planes with red tads The airmen never lost a plane under escort to enemy filters, a sterling record that quickly made them popular with the bomber pdots. The group develc^)ed such a reputation that some German pdots stopped pursuing American planes they knew would be escorted by the scrappy airmen. Now all these years later their faces are lined with age, their voices slightly weaker. But America’s first black fighter pdots remain humble and proud of their decorated past - Eagleson has two Purple Hearts - and the brotherhood they share as airmen Some turned out to be career servicemen despite continued discrimination, but plenty others went into business or got law degrees after the war ended in 1945. Many of them are and were links in a chain of educated black families that excelled despite tall obstacles. The airmen want the same for generations to follow, and focus on talking with kids in schocds and offering airplane rides to get them interested. They also meet with young, wide-eyed black pdots who fly the military’s planes today — a proud sight for any ^d soldier. If asked, the airmen will talk about the racism and bigotry and how no one thou^t they were worth anything before they proved they could fly a plane or pack a parachute. Instead, the accidental celebrities coxmt blessings fM* what they’ve got - and changed. Ea^eson was one of the officers who dosed the TViskegee base after President TVuman signed the equal ri^ts act in 1948, returning to the place where he met a bimch of oth^ young, black, overachieving men who wovdd become lifelcoig fiiends. Health screenings for Hawkins defense fund The Reginald A. Hawkins Pioneer L^al Defense Fund, N.C. NAACP and Mecklenburg County Paik and Recreation will ho^ the Health Carousd of the Cardinas Saturday at Grady Cole Center. The Mecklenbmg County Health Department and other local health and sodal services organizations will provide free screenings, infcrmation and reTeiral services from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. For infrrmation, call Geneal Gr^ory at (704) 531-8838. Herbert L. While grave reservations about such a task, because it can invite violence. Perhaps one reason Johnson-Bey and other mmi- bers of the group are not afraid is because many of them led the same kind of life and are ex-offenders who are now giving back to the same communities they once terror ized. Johnson-Bey wears another important hat in the commu nity He is founder and chief executive officer of an oigani- zatiion called F.O.X-O., the Fraternal Order of X- Offenders. This group recent ly held a symposium, in ran- jimction with the Mayor’s Office of Children Youth and Families, to address the grow ing needs of those returning to the community after being incarcerated. The symposium was held at Sojourner Dou^as College and attract ed ex-offenders and communi ty oiganizations that assist ex-offenders in transition. ‘Tt is the ex-offender who is educating or mis-educating our yoimg people,” said Johnson-Bey These are the individuals who are role mod els in many of our communi ties. They are the mother and fathers of many of our chil dren If we cannot engage the ec-offender to become a con structive force in the commu nity we will encoimter him or her as a destructive force.” Statistics reveal that between 8,500 and 9,000 men and women are released fium state and federal prisons each year in Maiyiand, with more than half returning to four zip codes in Baltimore. Many of these ex-ofienders are in need of employment, housing, health care and otha* s«’- We are always open www.thecharlottepost.com vices. Jamal Moses, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Children Youth and Families, offers support to ex- offenders and their families. ‘This symposium is extremely important, as it helps us to identify the probl^ns facing the ex-offender,” said Moses. ‘’The mayor’s Office of Children Youth and Families is committed to giving assis tance to those returning to the community and thar fami lies. We cannot, however, assume that we have all of the answers to all of the prob lems. We must listen to their concerns and meet people where they are. It is incum bent upon eveiyone who can help enable ^-offenders to become self-empowered, sdf- assertive and self-confident and effective productive citi zens.” Come In For Your Back-To-School Hair Cut #rier Parber Sc Peaiitp Center 3239 Drenan Street • Charlotte, NC 28205 • 704-334-4946 Hrs. M-W-T-F SAM to 7PM • Sat. 7AM to 6PM • Closed Tuesday SPECIALIZING IN ALL TYPE'HAIRCUTS BEAUTY & BARBER PRODUCTS Owner; Marvin E. 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WANT TO FIND GOVERNMENT AUCTIONS? WANT TO APPLY FOR STUDENT LOANS? WANT TO CHANGE YOUR ADDRESS? WANT INFORMATION ABOUT GOVERNMENT JOBS? WANT TO RENEW YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE? Want to know where to get oil this information? From student loans to Social Security benefits to buying surplus government property, all kinds of government information are just a click or call away. FiRSXGOVgov 1 (800) FED-INFO A public service message from the U.S. General Services Adminisfrotic
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Aug. 25, 2005, edition 1
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