TRIAL BY FIRE
Bobcats guard
Raymond
Felton hopes to
build on rookie
season success.
iSports/1 C
Davidson
College
hosts 'Force
of Nature’
artists/1 D
Yuri Shibata
turns dust into
vivid prints.
Volume 32 No. 4
$1.00
Welcome
addition to
emerging
neighborhood
Also serving Cabr
PHOTO/CALVIN FERGUSOW
Social, political and community leaders release balloons Tuesday at the groundbreaking of the Stratford Richardson YMCA on West
Boulevard. More than $8 million was raised for the facility, a record for Charlotte.
Groundbreaking of West Boulevard YMCA a catalsytfor development, programs
By Herbert L. White
heft).vvfi(te@hechorfofteposf.com
Dorothy Waddy is
covintuig the days
when she can use her
YMCA membership
closer to home.
Waddy, a memba*
of the West
Boulevard
Neighborhood
Coalition, is monitor
ing the pace of construction
at the Stratford Richardson
branch on West Boulevard.
Political, community and
social leaders were at the
construction site Ihesday to
celebrate the official groimd-
breakmg of the facility
named in memory of lor^-
time west Charlotte political
and social titans.
“Gkxi is good all the time,
and all tlie time God is
good,” Waddy said. “He does
make a way and we’ve wait
ed a lor^ time, but it’s a
reality In a few more
months itll be here.”
“This is the only part of
Charlotte that doesn’t have
a YMCA,” said Stan Law,
community vice president of
the Stratford Richardson
and Dowd YMCA branches.
“It’s been a lot of community
support of this specific
neighborhood, wide
ranging community I
support in terms of I
fimd raising. It’s a long
time coming but when
you work and stru^le,
dreams do come true,
and this is what this
fadlityis all about.” Richardson
see NEWEST/6A
28216 S13
Janes B. Duke Library * '
100 Beatties Ford Rd
Charlotte NC 28216-5302
Women'
are more
willing to
go it alone
With fewer black men
available for marriage,
women follow ambitions
By Erica Singleton
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
Part of a series on African American women,
their lives and concerns.
Jennifer Nelson just turned 30. The Clover
Junior High School language arts teadier
bought her first home in
February When she is not ^ ^
serving her weekends in the »
Army reserves. Nelson likes
to unwind at the Jazz Cafe in
Charlotte.
Like approximately 90 million other
Americans, Nelson is single, andthou^liot
opposed to a.relationship, she is making the
most of ho* life without one.
“I don't ready need anyone for completion
as a person,” explained Nelson, “but I would
love someone to compliment me. That would
be lovely, but I don’t need it.”
In a census report released in August 2005,
“We the People: Blacks in the United States”
foirnd that 4 in 10 African Americans have
nev^ been married While 27 percent of the
entire U.S. population 15 or older had never
been married, 41 percent in the black com
munity have avoided the altar. At the time of
the 2000 census, 42 percent of black men
were married, compared to 31 percent of
black women.
The report found that overad black women
have higher education attainment levels
than black men - 15 percent of black women
have earned at least a bachelor’s degree com
pared to 13 percent of black men.
A higher proportion of black women tend to
Please see WOMEN/2A
Stratford Richardson by the numbers:
$8.3 millioii $1.2 million 23.5 37,500 2007
Cost ol construction
Toward $2 M endowment goal Acres
Square feet Opening
Study: Young blacks are most politically engaged
By lorinda M. Bullock
NA7/ONAL NEWSPAPER
PUBI.ISHERS ASSOCIATION
Think America’s youth is noth
ing more than a bimch of lazy
and ungrateful text-mess^ing,
mail-dwelling, iPod-blasting
brats? If so, think again.
A recent survey released last
week from the Center for
Information and Research on
Civic Learning and Engagement
saj^ to think again, espedady
when it comes to America’s blade
youth.
According to the study, African
American yovmg people are “most
likely to vote regularly belong to
groups involved with podtics,
donate money to candidates or
parties, display buttons or signs,
canvass and contact the broad
cast media or print media.”
The study ako said Black peo
ple between the ages of 15-25
were most likely to raise money
for a charity tying with Asian
Please see SURVEY/3A
Friends of restaurateur say
thank you with big bash
PHOTO/KEN KOONTZ
Charlotte insurance agent Bob White, Michelle Harris and
Bi-Lo executive Helen Ellis helped celebrate entrepreneur
Rudean Harris’ 52 years as a restaurant owner.
By Ken Koontz
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
More than 100 friends, community
and business representatives, family
and patrons turned out last Sunday
to esqjress tJieir love and appreciation
for Charlotte’s legendary restauran-
tem and loiuige owner Rudean
Harris and her 52 3^ars in business.
“In Honor of Rudean” was held at
the Rameses Tbrnple on Beatties
Ford Road.
Harris was driven to the event in a
stretch limousine and walked in on a
cane to help steady her gait after
having major surgery just two weeks
prior to the event.
Expressions of personal relation
ships with “Miss Rudean” ranged
fixan a tearful recollection by Beverly
Please see HEARTY/6A
thebox
NEWS, NOTES & TRENDS
Stroud papers
shed light on
city’s history
By Herbert L. White
Oert).wf-i/fe@/hecharioffeposf.com
Mxich of Gerson Stroud’s life story
can be found at UNC Charlotte’s
Atkins Library
There, in the special collections sec
tion are papers, awards
and newspaper articles
of a life that starts in
segregated Charlotte,
winds to a period of
social and educational
upheaveal and winds
down as a stalwart of
history and community Mr. Stroud
activism.
Mr. Stroud died Oct. 4 at the N.C.
State Veterans Nursing Home in
Salisbury at age 87. A edebration of
his life will be held Saturday at Jane
M- Smith Memorial Chapel at
Please see PAPERS/7A
Dave Hollister
makes switeti to
gospel music /5B
iNSflli
Life IB
Religion 5B
Sports 1C
Business 6C
A&E ID
Classified 3D
To subscribe, call (704) 376-0496 or FAX (704) 342-2160.© 2006 The Charlotte Post Publishing Co.
Recycle
o
oooc