7A
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NEWS^e Cliarlotte
Tuesday, April 27, 2006
Poverty fake, but reaction is real
Continued from page 1A
six, the Yoimg Leaders simu
lated families that had to
move around the conference
room at the YMCA to navi
gate an imaginary city to
attempt to provide the basic
necessities for each family.
The city services the
makeshift families were
expected to interact with
were a bank, food pantry,
general employer, a pawn
broker, a grocery store, wel
fare office, police station, util
ities and rent payment cen
ters.
Heather Griffith of the
Charlotte Regionial Visitors
Authority observed young
leaders, who range from 25 to
40 years old, struggling to
survive under the conditions
created by the exercise.
“My job is to be the police
officer, but I can see how
they’re struggling to make
ends meet, and knowing how
to provide care for their chil
dren while they go off to
work,” Griffith said.
listen Davis with
Charlotte Racial and Ethnic
Approaches to Community
Health felt the simulation
would give middle-class
whites a chance to identify
with poverty.
“It’s very important for indi
viduals across the board
because it gives a real depic
tion of what’s going on in
communities with the indi
viduals we serve,” Davis said.
“I know specifically for me in
the position I’m in we service
a lot of low income individu
als, and it’s easiest to give ser
vice to someone when you
understand what they are
truly dealing with.”
Ronnie Devine, who
declined to say where he is
employed, believes the simu
lation can benefit everyone in
corporate America.
“This is very powerful and
there should be some corpo
rate CEOs in here because
it’s dealing with trying to bal
ance payir^ utilities, mort
gage, and having food for
your kids,” he said. “If an
individual is not getting paid
the right amoimt of money,
it’s very difficult to survive.”
The simulation made an
impact on Tracey Davis of
Vanguard, who wanted to see
her company grow by being
exposed to the exercise.
“I’m looking to bring it to
Vanguard because I think it’s
a great way to make everyone
aware of what’s happening,”
Davis said. “It think it would
be awesome to bring to our
group, we’re sheltered, we
don’t think it could happen to
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For 53 years, precinct judge has been on job
Continued from page 1A
courthouse.
“There were no polling
places in the black neighbor
hoods,” Bryant said. He later
registered 720 black voters to
create the Burton School
precinct southeast of down
town.
“I’ve been the continuous
chief judge at this precinct
ever since,” he said, a slight
but immistakable trace of
pride in his voice.
County Elections Director
Mike Ashe said his army of
precinct officials ranged in
age from 21 on up to Bryant
and came from across the
spectrum of society.
“I got some of everything,”
he said. It can take as many
as 600 poll workers to run a
presidential election in
Durham and a large chunk of
Ashe’s election-season work
force is currently in the midst
of required training ahead of
next month’s primary.
“It’s a good civic service, you
know that?” Bryant said.
Despite serving through
tumultuous times, especially
during the Civil Rights strug
gles of the 1960s, Bryant said
his service wasn’t character
ized by racial tension, despite
serving white voters.
“In fact, we had some white
precinct workers,” he said.
Bryant, who retired in 1981
as an insurance officer after
37 years with N.C. Mutual
Life, has seen several presi
dents come and go at the
poUs. He’s also seen a lot of
change in the way votes are
counted, with machines -
which he said he adapted to
well - replacing the hand
counts that used to stretch
into the next day, which
caused a conflict back when
elections were held on
Saturday.
“People were going to
Sunday school and we’re still
at the precinct coimting bal
lots,” he said.
Having half a century of
experience comes in handy
for a precinct judge, especial
ly one who signed up most of
the voters to begin with.
“I knew people in the com
munity, so I knew if someone
was voting who wasn’t in the
precinct • or trying to, any
way,” Bryant said.
At almost 90, he’s thought
about stepping down, ‘hut
since I have the time, I use
it,” Bryant said.
“There’s something really
beautiful about being a part
of democracy,” said Nicole
Rowan, who at 32 is one of
the youngest chief judges.
“It’s a really nice feeling to be
part of something that deter
mines our everyday lives - it’s
important.”
Rowan became a poll work
er when she moved to
Durham from Oregon seven
years ago as a way of getting
to know people. Since start
ing as an assistant, she’s now
chief judge in Precinct 8 and
has gotten to know the voters
who cast ballots at
Montessori Magnet School
and describes elections there
as “a feel-good day.”
“We always make a big deal
when we have a new voter at
our precinct,” she said. ‘We
clap our hands and go Woo-
hoo!”’
Although Ashe hghtheart-
edly sums up the precinct
worker’s role as “Get ‘em in,
get ‘em a ballot and get ‘em
out,” the training keeps them
up to speed in campaign law
and procedure.
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