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Volume 32 No. 38
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By Herbert L. White
fierb.whifeSfhecriortotteposf.com
In a simpler time, college
presidents were learned elder
statesmen.
Today, they’re professional
salespeople, expert practition
ers of major-league wheeling
and dealing.
Faced with increased compe
tition for students and funds,
college presidents have to be
adept at pumping revenue onto
The Voice of the Black Community
anyone
listen to
us now?
Black issues yet
to resonate with
candidates
By Amber English
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
PUBUSHERS ASSOCIAVON
WASHINGTON - The war
in Iraq and the issue of
immigration took center
stage during the second
2008 presidential debate in
New Hampshire Sunday
night.
These are issues that
African-Americans care
about, political observers
say, but, what about the
low quality education in
city schools, the violent
crime rates that are up for
the second year in a row,
the unemployment rate
among African-Americans
that consistently doubles
that of whites and the
mandatory minimum sen
tences that keeps blacks
crowding prisons across
the nation?
Though African-
Americans are adamantly
against the war and immi
gration is on America's
front burner, political
observers say Democratic
candidates have yet to
tackle the bread and butter
domestic issues that dis-
parately relate to black
people.
“With the Democrat
Party, when the candidates
get to the issues, they
make us a part of the
omnibus,” says Thomas
Todd, a political commen
tator who is a former fed
eral prosecutor and former
leader of Operation PUSH
in Chicago. “But being the
most loyal and the largest
voting block in the
Democratic Party, you
would think that they
would deal with issues that
specifically address the
problems facing black peo
ple or African-Americans.
It’s not being done."
Health care, education,
and other domestic issues
were touched upon briefly,
but mostly within the last
10 minutes of the debate.
The two-hour debate
See ANYBODY/6A
Under indictment,
Jefferson defiant
By Hazel Trice Edney
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER PUBUSHERS ASSOCIATION
WASHINGTON -U. S. Rep. Bill Jefferson (D-La.), who
last year told the NNPA News Service
in an exclusive interview that he was
baffled about why the FBI raided his
congressional office, has been indict
ed with 16 counts of alleged bribery,
racketeering, using his office to solic
it bribes and obstruction of justice.
The charges were handed down
from the U.S. attorney’s office in
Alexandria on Tuesday, a year after
FBI agents launched a controversial raid on his
Capitol Hill office. They have prompted his lawyer as
well as leading members of the Congressional Black
Please see JEFFERSON/2A
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PHOTOAVADE NASH
Johnson C. Smith University President Dorothy Cowser Yoncy, who has announced her retire
ment in 2008, says fundraising “is 80 to 90 percent of the portfolio of being a president.” Tapping
Into revenue streams is especialty important to private, historically black colleges.
Selling the mission
Prolific fundraisers like JCSU’s Yancy a collegiate necessity
their campuses. Leaders at his
torically black colleges also
have to cope with chronic
underfunding that their main
stream counterparts don’t have
to deal with.
“In the ‘50s, a president was
considered to be sort of a
statesman and they were sup
posed to speak out on certain
types of issues," Johnson C.
Smith University President
Dorothy Cowser Yancy said.
TuHion and fees af five N.C. colleges
N.C. A&T State University $3,872 (in-state)
III I
UNC Charlotte $1,949 (in-state)
PRIVATE SCHCX3LS IN BLUE; SOURCE: COLLEGE WEBSITES
“But fundraising became a
major part of the portfolio
before I became president and
now it is 80 or 90 percent of the
portfolio of being a president.”
Private schools, which rely
primarily on non-government
money for survival, generally
have higher tuitions and fees
than public colleges. That dis
parity in costs puts smaller
schools in a perpetual chase for
funding.
“The roles have changed sig
nificantly," said Livingstone
College President Jimmy
Jenkins. “Private colleges are
competing with public schools
that are perceived as institu
tions funded by the state. That
puts pressure on private college
presidents to compete.”
Please see FUNDRAISING/6A
Fats of life: Black teens more obese
By Shari Logan
NATTONAL NEWSPAPER
PUeuSHERS ASSOCIATION
WASHINGTON - Colletta
Washington, an 18-year-old
from Oxon Hills, Md., is feeling
good about herself.
She just graduated from
Potomac High School even
though she struggled to main
tain good grades throughout the
four years. One semester her
report card had mostly Cs and
some As. But in the fall she will
attend Howard University with
her tuition paid.
Many teenagers like her would
be proud as well. But some of
her peers who look like her are
suffering inside. Washington is
5 feet, 190 pounds and consid
ered obese.
Low self-esteem, loss of confi
dence, and depression are just
some of the pains experienced
by obese teens, says Dr. Robin E.
Drucker, a pediatrician at the
Palo Alto Medical Clinic in
California.
“There is a negativity associat
ed with obesity in America,”
says Drucker. “Some children
Jefferson
PHOTOAVADE NASH
URBAN YOUTH GRAD: Jason Palmer (second from right) is all smiles offer he was
named best all-around student at the Urban Youth Education Program last
week. Palmer, who earned his high school equivalency from the Urban League
program, plans to enroll at Johnson C. Smith University. Celebrating his
achievement are from left: Rick Furrell, the Urban League’s GED program direc
tor administrative assistant Phyllis White and life skills instructor Johnny Worthy.
Adams
are perceived to be lazy or unin
telligent.’’
Washington says her weight
does not bother her as much as
some teens. “I grew up around
big women and they always
looked good when they stepped
out," she says.
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention reports
that at least 21 percent of black
teens between 12 and 19 are
obese, increasing the chances of
obesity-related diseases such as
heart diseases, high blood pres-
Please see AFRICAN/3A
N.C. bill would offer state’s
ex-offenders registration
upon release from prison
By Herbert L. White
heft).wTiile®fhecf'Qrtotteposf.com
N.C. lawmakers are considering a bill that
would alert ex-convicts of their right to reg
ister to vote upon release from prison.
HB 1020 would mandate the state offer
voter registration information to ex-offend-
ers upon restoration of their
rights as citizens. The bill has
passed the House of
Representatives 99-12 and .
, awaits hearing in the Senate.
"The bill is important
because so many people are
trying to restore their lives and
part of being a good citizen is
having the right to vote," said
Rep. Alma Adams, D-Guilford,
chair of the Legislative Black Caucus and co
sponsor of the bill.
"Sometimes people don't participate
because they don’t know they can; others
don’t participate because they don’t want to.
We want them to know this is available to
them.”
Ex-offenders must petition the state for
their voting rights without state aid. If the bill
Please see BILL/3A
New drug oifers
promise for
STD treatment
By Hazel Trice Edney
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER PUBUSHERS ASSOCIATION
DURHAM - A new treatment for a bother
some vaginal infection that disproportion
ately affects black women has been discov
ered.
The Food and Drug Administration recent
ly approved Tindamax for the treatment of
BV (Bacterial Vaginosis.)
“Tindamax is the first new oral therapy to
be approved for the treatment of BV in a
decade, and provides a shorter course of oral
treatment with fewer doses per day and a
better tolerability profile than the current
standard of care," Mission Pharmacal
announced in a statement.
BV happens when the normal balance of
bacteria in the vagina is disrupted and
replaced by an overgrowth of certain bacte
ria. Symptoms may include a foul or fishy
odor in varying degrees and a milk-like vagi
nal discharge.
BV is the most common cause of vaginitis,
an inflammation of the vagina. Others are tri
chomoniasis and yeast infections.
Defense fund
honors spirit of
local activism
By Herbert L. White
herb.white@thechai1offepost.com
The N.C. NAACP Legal Defense Fund will
honor Charlotte-area activism and leadership
at its annual fund raising banquet June 9.
The banquet, at the Marriott hotel at 5700
Westpark Drive, will start at 6 p.m. with a
reception, followed by the program at 6:45.
Tickets are $75; call Franklin McCain at (704)
598-7737 for information.
Among the honorees are:
• Charlotte Coalition for Social Justice, a
Please see BANQUET/6A
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