Son of NFL
legend
writes about
growing up
grounded
amidst
fame/ID
Volume 32 No. 13
WHAT WENT WRONG?
High expectations, poor
performance doomed
Panthers' season /IC
Even super receiver
Steve Smith is struggiing
SPIRIT OF GIVING
Sedgefipid
Eiementary fifth-
grader Anthony
Capo coiiects for
Loaves and Fishes
campaign/IB
tlPfieC
The Voice of the Black Community
CBC aims
to go high
tech with
new chair
Kilpatrick takes
over for N.C. ’s
Mel Watt
By Hazel Trice Edney
NAT/ONAL NEWSPAPER
PUBUSHERS ASSOCIATION
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep.
Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick
(D-Mich.), the new chair of
the Congressional Black
Caucus, says
her role will be
to galvanize
the clout of
CBC con
stituents to
help
Democrats win
Kilpartick presidency
in 2008 - in part, by using
technology.
“That’s what it’s all about.
It’s about 2008,” says
Kilpatrick in an interview.
“We represent 40 million
Americans in 26 states. So,
that’s an awesome database.
We’ve got a great opportunity.
And the technology is avail
able. So, that will be my claim
to fame. We’ve got a lot of
work to do and we’re ready to
do the work.
Kilpatrick, who succeeds
Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.), says
the 43-member CBC will now
be strengthened through the
use of cutting-edge technolo
gy-
“We want to establish a
national Internet, Web cast,
podcast, blog system where
we are able to talk to each
other - elected and appointed
officials - as well as leaders
and our natural allies, our
national organizations and
our ministerial groups,” she
says. ‘We’ve got to maintain
Democratic control of the
House [the Senate] and [gain]
the presidency; thereby you
get your issues and your pub
lic policies and your resources
back. We’ve had 12 years of
an America with Republicans
in charge - loss of jobs, big
deficits, interest rates high,
you name it, health care sys
tem in collapse. All of that
has got to be changed and you
have to have the presidency
to do it. We’ve got 24 months
to do the jobs and I’U be work
ing diligently to make sure
that that happens.”
The Congressional Black
Caucus, in its 35th year, has
grown to a new level of influ
ence. Three of its members
now chair major House com
mittees; Michigan’s John
Conyers (Judiciary); New
York’s Charles Rangel (Ways
and Means) and Mississippi’s
Bennie Thompson
(Homeland Security).-
Amaya Smith, spokes
woman for the Democratic
National Committee, says
beyond the CBC chairman
ship and subcommittee
chairs, key members are
becoming powerful players in
Please see NEW/3A
PHOTO/CURTIS WILSON
Sharon Sharpe, a city of Charlotte neighborhood specialist (left), works with Clanton Park
Community Association officials Annetta Alderman and President Dorothy Waddy to improve quali
ty of life in the inner city community.
One place, two
communities
For many inner city neighbors, quality of life is tenuous
By Erica Singleton
FOR me CHARLOTTE POST
At a stakeholder’s breakfast,
business owners, professionals,
and City officials listened to a
presentation from Owen
Furuseth, associate provost of
Metropolitan Studies with the
University of North Carolina-
Charlotte. In his presentation,
“One Place, Two Communities”,
Furuseth outlined the findings
of the 2006 Charlotte
Neighborhood Quality of Life
Study, and what it says about a
growing trend in Charlotte.
“City wide trends show that
the quality of life is increasing,”
said Furuseth. “Since 1997
property values are up, crime
rates are down, and education
scores are rising. However,
many low wealth communities
in Charlotte have improved, but
a question remains...of the sharp
differences between urban and
suburban living.”
The sharp differences
Furuseth mentioned, refers to
the findings from the demo
graphic, housing, education, and
social dimensions of the study
Please see CHARLOTTE/2A
Do black women really need black men?
By Sommer Brokaw
THE TRIANGLE TRIBUNE
Statistics say there are not
enough black men to go around. But
contrary to statistics, monogamy is
stiU a predominant value in the
black community.
So what’s a black woman to do -
if she does anything at all?
Willie Green-Aldridge, a married
artist fium Cary, says that, biblical
ly, a woman needs a man.
“I think it’s God’s design that there
be a female and a male, and that
they produce children as a unit,”
Green-Aldridge said. “But it’s much
more complex; I just can’t say they
need a black man, they need a
Godly man.”
On the other side, Kim Arrington,
a single spoken-word artist and
Durham-based poet, said women do
not need a man to be happy.
“A black woman needs to decide
what the definition is that makes
her happy,” Arrington said. “AU
women need love; black women
especially need a lot m6re love than
they’re getting. It’s a real rush to say
that a man, particularly a black
man, is the answer to aU that ails
Please see WANTED/6A
Serving up the
holiday cheer
Elizabeth Hawks (from left)
Wanda Hairston and Lil Farrer
prepare to set up the Excelsior
Club Humanitarian
Organization’s annual holiday
meal for seniors. The meal,
served at the Excelsior Club on
Beatties Ford Road, is for elders
living in public housing
TntTwnTUTS-piGiT 28216 SU Pi !
J3,T,€s B. Duke Librdi/
100 Beatties Ford Hi -
Charlotte NC 23216-;302
Diiueior
agenda
ahead of
schedule
Town hall meeting nears
midpoint in registrations
By Herbert L. White
hert:).wh(fe@fhecTiortotteposLcom
Momentum for a town hall meeting to
address disparities between African
Americans and whites is pick
ing up steam.
The Charlotte-Mecklenbuig
African American Agenda is
nearly halfway to its goal of
500 participants, says N.C,
Sen. Malcolm Graham (D-
Charlotte), co-chair of the
forum . The town hall meeting
is Jan. 5-6 'at the Charlotte
Convention Center.
“It’s been tremendous,”
Graham said. “Over 240 peo
ple tiavc pre-registered to par
ticipate. 'The community, has
been extremely excited.”
Participation is open to
everyone who registers by yVilliams
going to CM3A’s website, www.cm3a.org or
calling (704) 714-4439. All viewpoints are
welcome, Graham said, because issues
African Americans face - from inadequate
health care to fewer homeownership oppor
tunities - have no clear-cut answers.
“It’s like gumbo soup,” he said. “It’s the var
ious ingredients that make it good. It makes
the end product better because you have so
many voices. We’re not a monolithic group.
Please see AGENDA/7A
ihebox
NEWS, NOTES & TRENDS
Juvenile court
for more teens
finds criticism
By Gar/ D. Robertson
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
RALEIGH - Sixteen- and 17-year-
olds are barred fi-om serving on North
Carolina juries, can’t enter civil con
tracts on their own and can’t get mar
ried without their parents’ permission.
'That’s leading some legislators and
a state sentencing commission to
argue that they also shouldn’t auto
matically be treated like adults by the
judicial system.
The North Carolina Sentencing and
Policy Ad-visory Study Commission
recently recommended that the state
should raise the age at which criminal
defendants are automatically charged
in adult court fium 16 to 18.
North Carolina, Connecticut and
New York are the only states to set the
age limit for juvenile court at 16.
Every other state sets the age at 17 or
18.
“It doesn’t make sense to say they
are fully informed individuals in one
half of our legal code and the other
Please see TEENS/2A
PHOTO/WADE NASH
Churches add automated teller
machines to make tithing easier./5B
INSIDE Religion 5B Business 6C Classified 3D Recycle
To subscribe, call (704) 376-0496 or FAX (704) 342-2160.0 2006 The Charlotte Post Publishing Co.
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