5A
OPINIONS/Oiarlotte ^ost
Thursday, April 6, 2006
Duke assault
opens wounds
The rape accusation of a black exotic dancer against
three white members of Duke’s Lacrosse team three weeks
ago was more shocking than the top ranked Blue Devils
basketball team’s elimination from the NCAA sweet six
teen tournament.
Rape allegations are always incendiary, but when you
stir in the elements of class and race, you end up with a
volatile concoction like this one which is captivating and
I further dividing not just a small North
i Carolina town, but a nation.
“Rich kids unite!” is Just one of the signs
of support for the team posted outside the
house where the alleged incident occurred
and is also, apparently, the sentiment of
the 46-member lacrosse team. "lb date,
they have remained tight-lipped, refusing
to speak to police about what did or did not
happen that night, Only the team’s captain
has given a statement to the media saying
that the allegations are false and that the DNA tests,
whose results will be kept private, will prove their inno
cence.
Such defiance in the face of such a serious charge has
rubbed many people the wrong way in that here you have
an Ivy League university in the middle of a comparably
poorer city which happens to be 44 percent black and, to
many people, that the powers-that-be there failed to
responded appropriately. For instance, the lacrosse season
was not suspended by Duke’s president until two weeks
after the allegations first surfaced. Additionally, as far as
we know, there has been no encouragement on the part of
the school for the team members to voluntarily tell police
their side of the story.
While the lacrosse team is currently under no obligation
to step forward and speak since no one has actually been
charged with a crime, conventional wisdom, it seems,
would dictate that if they are innocent, then they would
each be scrambling to exonerate themselves. But it is the
unconventional nature of the situation that has consumed
the nation.
Save the Tawana Brawley story in 1987, few cases of this
particular type have captured headlines and been sensa
tionalized to the extent this one has been. Some people
have wondered aloud how the investigation would be pro
ceeding if the alleged victim were white and the accused
were black athletes fix)m, say. North Carolina Central
University, a historically black institution. A member of
the NCCU board who was interviewed by ESPN conclud
ed that they would probably be down at the pohce station
right now trying to figure out how to get out of that situa
tion.
As to who is telling the truth in the Duke case, we will
have to wait and see. As much as I hope these boys didn’t
commit this heinous act, I sincerely hope the alleged victim
is not lying. Either way it can only intensify an already
strained relationship between elite Duke University and
the blue-coUar community that surrounds it, which brings
up another djmamic of this equation.
Besides the racial component, the class chasm has added
to the tension. Lacrosse is a sport that is typically associ
ated with the blue-blooded, high society type. The team’s
good of boy camaraderie has left some feeling as if the
players’ parents wiU simply hire high-powered attorneys to
“handle” the situation, something a person of lesser means
would probably not be able to do. Ironically, the class issue
in this case may actually have the capacity to bring some
members of different races together. For instance, I could
hear the disgust in the voice of a white male caller on a
local radio talk show last week as he defiantly accused the
lacrosse players of being guilty but cynically predicted that
their “rich daddies” will get them off.
The alleged victim is a student at NCCU, which is my
alma mater, and I often had occasion to go to Duke’s cam
pus. Save figuring out its complex library system, I per
sonally always felt completely comfortable there. But I
suppose the place does have an air about it that could be
intimidating to those not used to its atmosphere. The loom
ing stone gray, cathedral-like buildings, though beautiful,
are not exactly welcoming and, in my experience, students
scurry by you with nary an acknowledgment of your exis
tence. It really is like its own separate community.
Despite this reputation, the university, often referred to
as “the plantation,” has tried to be more connected to the
community. It has poured $10 million into the city and is
Durham’s biggest employer. This reality could create a del
icate balancing act between the zealous pursuit of justice
and the community not wanting to bite the hand that feeds
it.
AH parties may be innocent for now, but this case is
responsible for once again unearthing the race, gender and
class elephants in the room that no one talks about until
something unfortunate like this happens. The question is
what happens next. One thing is for sure - no matter the
outcome of this case, things in Durham will definitely
change. I’m just not so sure it wiU be for the better.
ANCLELA LINDSAY is a Charlotte attorney. E-mail her at lind-
saylaw00@yahoc .com.
Time for us to live
healthier hfestyles
April is Minority Health Month, a time set aside to give particu
lar attention to national and local efforts to address continuing
health problems facing racial and ethnic minorities and other
health disparity populations.
The government has been working for the past five years to
improve access to health care services and eliminate disparities in
the areas of infant mortality, cancer screening, cardiovascular dis
ease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and immunizations. Despite some
progress, we have yet to increase quality and
length of healthy life in these targeted population
groups.
Public policy has clearly identified health dispar
ities as a top priority. The Congressional Black
Caucus listed eliminating racially and ethnically
based health disparities at the top of its 2005 leg
islative agenda. Nevertheless death rates for
Afncan Americans, Asians, and Native Americans
is higher than non-whites for heart disease, stroke,
cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, influen
za, pneumonia, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and homicide.
According to the Centers for Disease Control,
North Carolina had more than 7,245 total HIV/AlDS cases at the
end of 2004 with more than 1.137 new cases in 2004 alone. And
Hispanics are at high risk for death caused by motor vehicle injury
and homicide.
In order to achieve better access to health services and seriously
reduce health disparities, community-based organizations, espe
cially faith-based groups, must be empowered through effective
partnerships to screen, monitor and deliver basic health services
to their members. President Bush said that “the indispensable
and transforming work of faith-based and other charitable service
groups must be encouraged. Government cannot be replaced by
charities, but it can and should welcome them as partners.”
Tb reach target populations, health care resources and services
must be made available where people five, work, learn, worship
and play. Pubhc health departments, traditional health service
providers and communities must continue to partner with each
other in order to prevent service duplication and to ensure that no
one fails to get connected to services for which they qualify. The
key is capacity building at the community level.
Churches are the epicenters of life in minority commimities.
They fill the gap left by traditional health care and social service
agencies through congregational nurses, missionaries, deaconess
ministries^and other lay health advisor volunteers. Many church
es are developing sophisticated Community Development
Corporations to facilitate neighborhood outreach. These CDCs
operate schools, food programs, adult and child daycare, housing
development projects, and health services that are available to the
general public.
'The new trend is the development of family life and wellness cen
ters that address the holistic needs of individuals and families. As
part of advanced health ministries, trained congregational nurses
provide health education classes and seminars, coordinate support
groups, offer disease prevention screenings, and act as first respon
ders for medical emergencies during church services and related
activities. They also visit congregants at home, in hospitals and
nursing homes. They are excellent patient advocates because they
are by nature culturally competent, knowledgeable about the peo
ple they serve and are trusted by them.
The American Nurse Association recognizes congregational
nursing as a specialty practice of nursing. The Cabarrus Health
Alliance along with Presbyterian Hospital’s Parish Nursing and
Health Ministry and Northeast Medical Center are working hard
to address disparities through a program called Search Your
Heart. This is a faith-based program for heart health and stroke
prevention in minority churches and commimities and is an excel
lent example of church-based health ministries in partnership
with established health systems.
Churches, temples, mosques and other spiritual gathering
places are natural groupings of people who share common charac
teristics. It stands to reason that faith-based organizations should
be viewed as necessary key partners in regional planning efforts to
address health outcomes neighborhood by neighborhood.
However, to be effective, care must be taken by faith-based groups
to establish formal liaisons with pubhc and private health systems
to ensure proper referral, patient monitoring and follow-up.
Faith-based organizations need community specific data that
can help them plan health and social services programs that to
address their congregation’s needs. Armed with this information,
lay health advisors can target specific individuals and groups for
prevention, intervention, and monitoring.
Armed with accurate and specific information, lay health advi
sors and parish nurses can effectively man the front lines in the
battle to eliminate health disparities.
VERNEASE HERRON MILLER is a GlaxoSmithKline Faculty Fellow at
the Institute for Emerging Issues. She also is an associate professor for health
law and ethics and director of the Healthcare Administration Program,
School of Adult Studies, and Pfeijfer University at Charlotte.
Connect with tICjie #oit
Send letters to The Charlotte Post, P.O. Box 30144 Charlotte,
NC 28230 or e-mail editorial@thecharlottepost.com.
We edit for grammar, clarity and space. Include your name and
dajdime phone number. Letters and photos will not be returned
by mail unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped enve
lope.
OUR VOICES
Garinger High
international studies
benefit students
The writer is principal at the International Studies School at
Garinger High School.
I am pleased to inform you about the International
Studies School at Garinger opening this August. As
the principal, I am excited about how this new school
wfil provide students with the necessary sldlls to be
successful in the 21st centiuy and empower them to
be engaged citizens of the world. Globalization has
brought the world to our community, so our students
now need to have the knowledge of world regions, cul
tures and global issues in order to seize the opportu
nities.
The cornerstone of international studies includes
the awareness of the world’s cultures and geography,
proficiency in languages other than English, problem
solving skills and inquiry-based learning. The cur
riculum will have an infusion of international content
and the study of global issues into all subject areas.
This theme will stimulate students’ ability to analyze
information from a variety of perspectives and
explore linkages across cultural, economic and politi
cal lines.
As a small school, it will open with 100 ninth-
graders and then add 100 students each year. This
concept will allow students to focus on building rela
tionships where they will be assigned to an advisory
group, which will provide focused guidance to them
throughout the high school years. The International
Studies School is looking for students who want to
learn about the world around them and who are com
mitted to studying a language other than English.
We are in the process of planning information ses
sions for parents. Until then, please don’t hesitate to
call or email me with questions. You can also check
out our website for more information at globalstud-
ieshighschool.org. I look forward to hearing fix)m you.
Applications are now being accepted for The
International Studies School through April 21. Please
return them to; International Studies School, 1100
Eastway Drive, Charlotte, NC 28205.
Natasha Thompson
Charlotte
HBCUs should refocus
I first heard that Morris Brown College was in trou
ble a few years ago by e-mail. I instantly felt com
pelled to seek out solutions to the problem, but soon
lapsed into complacencj’ due to the magnitude of the
problem and the limited scope of our student organi
zations.
Since then, the nation has been struck by the great
est natural catastrophe of our time. Hurricane
Katrina destroyed millions of dreams, and once again
dispersed one of America’s most cohesive African-
American economic communities. Historically black
Dillard and Kavier universities suffered enrollment
losses being located in a disaster area. Yet there is
still hope for New Orleans.
So I am reminded to keep seeking solutions.
If Morris Brown, Dillard, Xavier and other troubled
HBCUs are to reclaim greatness, they r.iust begin to
look carefully at the economics of their existence. In
the past, blacks had an overwhelming demand for
basic education while the law seriously limited the
supply. Since then, the U.S. economy has evolved
fiom agricultural to informational. But more impor
tant, the law no longer restricts who can educate
black students. Furthermore, many consider today’s
basic education a commodity.
As a student at "Ifexas, I learned that a market
approach to education is a sound economic model.
Historical giants such as Booker T. Washington and
businessman A.G. Gaston were vastly aware of this.
Therefore, it is time again to “cast down our buckets.”
New strategies must be implemented. An effective
approach cannot exclude the importance of Afifcan-
American institutions or the economic impact of edu
cation as a product as well as a process.
The goal of HBCUs should be to restructure as
research institutions. Many of the top research col
leges and universities demonstrate a market
approach to education. They first identify their core
competencies and create research programs around
them. They then focus their resources on the recruit
ment and retention of scholars who promote the suc
cess of those programs. And finally, they provide their
product to industry on the open market - generally as
licensed intellectual property providing the school
-'With residual income that funds more research.
Eric Brown
Austin, Texas.