JAMES 6. DUKE MEMORIAL LIBRARY
Volume 32 NO. 19 —JOHNSON C, SMITHUniveRSITY
CHARLCTTE, NORTH CAROLINA 28216
•.Ml' 3 0 2007
Bosit
The Voice of the Black Community
- - • - 'c ^ j ir 5
Also serving Cabarri cescties Fcr,^ ; ’
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WEEK OF JANUKBV 35-31,
Museum
exhibit
chronicies
African
American
Muslims/SB
MONEY MATTERS
Baby boomers
adapt to hondiing
their finances
oniine/6C
LIFE’S A BREEZE
Chariotte ski ciub
takes to siopes,
but the good
times are year
‘round/1 B
What’s an apology worth?
Democrats admit role in 1898 Wilmington massacre, but little else
By Herbert L. White
heft).wh/te@thechoriofteposf.com
The N.C. Democratic
Party apologized Sunday
for its role in the 1898
Wilmington massacre in
which scores of African
Americans were killed.
But it doesn’t do much
else.
A resolution passed
unanimously by the-
party’s executive committee
acknowledges Democrats’ par
ticipation in the only armed
coup d’etat of a municipality in
U.S. history.
“Sometimes, moving forward
requires a sober look at the
past, ’’ said state chairman Jerry
Meek. “The Democratic Party of
2007 - and of the last half cen
tury - isn’t the same party that it
was in 1898. This resolution is
important because it renounces
past actions of the Democratic
Party and celebrates the party of
today."
A political mea culpa won't
change the current relationship
between black voters and
Democrats, says Ted Arrington
Ph.D., chairman of UNC
Charlotte's political science
department.
i see APOLOGY/2A
PHOTO/NEW HANOVER COUNPt' PUBLIC LIBRARY
A mob of whites destroyed the printing press of the Wilmington
Record on Nov. 10,1898, the first act of terror in the only recorded
coup d’etat on U.S. soil. Dozens of African Americans and their
white allies were killed or run out of town. The N.C. Democratic Party
issued an apology Sunday for its role in the violence.
Caucus
backs new
House
speaker
Black lawmakers
support Hackney
for top position
By Sommer Brokaw
THE TRIANGLE TRIBUNE
DURHAM — Joe Hackney
wasn’t the first choice of
black lawmakers as N.C.
House speaker, but he has
their blessing.
Hackney, who took over
for Matthews Democrat Jim
Black Wednesday, is a cen
trist with a track record of
working on behalf of issues
important to African
Americans.
Hackney was
elected along
party lines,
with all 68
Democrats
/'■ voting for
' m him, while
Hackney Rep. Paul
Stam of Apex
was the choice of 52 House
Republicans.
Stam will
serve as
i n o r i t y
leader.
‘While Rep.
Hackney
would not
have been my
first choice for
Speaker, he
has a history of supporting
issues important to poor
people, black people and
working North
Carolinians,” said Camell
Robinson, president of the
N.C. Congressional Black
Caucus. “Because of the
makeup of the three branch
es of government, our first
choice would have been the
election of a black House
speaker.”
Such £is former speaker
Rep. Dan Blue, a Raleigh
Democrat who replaced
Bernard Allen after Allen’s
death last year.
“In the event of a floor
fight between Hackney and
Dan Blue, I believe the
black community would
embrace Dan Blue’s run,”
Robinson said.
But that fight didn’t mate-
See CAUCUS/3A
Vi
Blue
PHOTOAVADE NASH
Students at Crossroads Charter School make their way to classes Monday. Two years ago,
loitering in the halls was among the school’s discipline challenges.
Campus moves
past crossroads
Charter school once threatened by unrest and closure
makes comeback with firm administrative leadership
By Cheris F. Hodges
cLieris./TodgesiSfTieclTarioffeposf.com
Two years ago, Crossroads
Charter High School was in
crisis.
Today it’s a school students
want to attend.
Staff and students alike
credit Principal Kenneth
Simmons for the change.
Simmons, a former princi
pal in the Charlotte
Mecklenburg School system
was hired after Charles
Newton fired amid
protests from parents and
students in 2005.
"When I came, it was three
weeks before school started
in August (2005)," said
Simmons. “All I knew was
what had been told to me."
Simmons inherited a school
in chaos. Students didn’t have
hot lunches and Newton
closed the school when stu
dents protested campus con
ditions. The state, which over
sees charter schools, threat
ened to close Crossroads for
ever.
"I was hired to see if I could
come in and make a differ
ence, " he said.
Grace Cole, who chose to
send her son and daughter to
Crossroads, said the school is
a lot different and better than
Please see CAMPUS/2A
Special prosecutor in Duke lacrosse
case no stranger to spotlight’s glare
Obama
explores
campaign
options
U.S. senator inches
toward announcement
for presidential run
By James Wright
AFRO NEWSPAPERS
BALTIMORE - U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill,
has set up his exploratory committee for a
possible run for the
Democratic nomination for
president in 2008. Obama said |
that he will decide whether he
will officially run for the White
House on Feb. 10.
Exploratory committees are
designed to let a candidate ■
know whether a bid for office Obama
is viable. The committees
gauge public opinion, fundraising capabilities
and media strategy for a candidate.
Obama said that he has thought long ana
hard about running for president, according
to his Web site.
"Running for president is a profound deci-
sion-a decision no should make on the basis
of media hype or personal ambition alone-
and so before I committed myself and my
family to this race, I wanted to be sure that
thi8 was right for us, and, more importantly,
Please see OBAMA/3A
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
RALEIGH - The special prose
cutor taking over the Duke
lacrosse sexual offense case isn't
a stranger tO the legal spotlight,
or to some of the defense attor
neys in the high-profile case.
Special Deputy Attorney
General Jim Coman, who was
appointed to the case earlier this
month, has prosecuted mem
bers of the Ku Klux Klan and var
ious public officials in North
Carolina. Outspoken while direc
tor of the State Bureau of
Investigation, Coman has earned
a no-nonsense reputation during
his long career in law enforce
ment.
“I've heard others say he is a
bulldog and mean and tough,
but my experiences have always
been very pleasant," said
defense attorney Joseph
Cheshire, who is representing
one of the lacrosse players
charged in the Duke case. “He’s
always been reasonable."
Coman, the son of a New
Jersey police chief, has worked
in law enforcement his entire
life. His first high-profile case
was the prosecution of Ku Klux
Klan members accused in the
shooting deaths of five
Please see DUKE/3A
thebox
NEWS, NOTES & TRENDS
Barber-Scotia
homecoming
stomps yard
It’s homecoming season at Barber-
Scotia College.
The historically-black college in
Concord is hosting a series of events
Feb. 2-4, including tailgating parties,
step show, an alumni social and dance
and golf tournament.
The Feb. 2 step show is the week
end’s highlight, with groups from high
school, middle school and colleges
invited to compete. Admission is S4
and the show starts at 6 p.m. at Lionel
Newsome Gym.
For information and a list of events;
call Dana Reid or Wilma Means at (704)
789-2900.
CIAA adds extra bye for
W A.
next month’s basketball
toumament./1C
INSiBE
Life IB
Religion 5B
Sports 1C
Business 6C
A&E 1D
Classified 3D
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