PHI BETA SIGMA
conclave comes
to Charlotte on
July 30/Story below
BBQ rating
Henry Hunter
grows a home
grown sauce
empire/6C
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The Voice of the Black Community
Also serving Cab
Mayor’s words strike a resonate ehord
McCrary’s criticism of African Americans imitating gang
By Cheris F. Hodges
cheris./todgeS'Sfhechartoffeposf.com
Could one sentence cost
Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory a
shot at political history?
Not likely.
McCrory has taken some heat
from the NAACP because of one
sentence in a letter he wrote
praising Charlotte-Mecklenburg
police for their efforts following
the Fourth of July fireworks.
“My letter said three things,"
McCrory said. "The dress,
behavior and action - a combi
nation of the three have caused
&nt of many blacks, too
great harm." is'ra)l'‘>ii©^"^'Vi^ng member," said White.
The comment that McCrory me ‘ However political j exi
made in the original letter was,
“too many of our youth, pri
marily African American, are
imitating and/or participating
in a gangster type of dress, atti
tude, behavior and action."
. - - experts
White, president ’ "6r'Hhe*«^o.^i^]St expect this dust-up to
Charlotte-Mecklenburg branch cause McCrory’s re-election
of the NAACP said McCrory’s
comments were insensitive.
"He associated all African
American youths with being a
campaign any problems.
“(McCrory) has never had nor
ever needed much of a vote
Please see MAYOR S/3A
McCrory
Bond
leaders
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR PHOTO/MEUNIE STETSON FREEMAN
Home away from home: Al Hajj Saboor Arta (center) was once a refugee himself. Now, he offers his land to some ^ 60 families of
Darfuri refugees, like the four men next to him.
An oasis amidst the chaos
Farmer’s gift builds bridges between African neighbors
By Scott Baldauf
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
IRIBA, Chad - When Darfuri
refugees started streaming
across the border into Chad
four years ago, fleeing a civil
war that has killed 200,000 and
displaced 2.5 million, many
Chadians opened their arms in
welcome.
Al-Hajj Saboor Arta Bakit took
one step further. He gave the
refugees some of his land to
raise their own crops. This step
has earned him some local
respect, some derision, and
three separate stints in the
local jail. But Bakit says he was
only acting on the urging of his
heart.
"When the refugees arrived
here, they didn’t have clothes,
didn't have shoes, they were
hungry, and when I saw them,
I cried," says Bakit, brushing
away dry animal dung from a
shady spot under an acacia
tree before sitting down. "1
don’t have money to give, but
I do have lots of land. I don’t
want money for it, I don’t want
thanks from government. 1 just
want thanks from God."
Not only does Bakit’s gift
provide 160 Sudanese families
with the chance to become
self-sufficient by growing their
own food, it also builds a cru
cial bridge between Chadians
and Sudanese refugees whose
welcome may be wearing thin.
Despite sharing the same lan
guages, religion, and in some
cases the same relatives, the
addition of some 57,000
refugees to the local popula
tion of 60,000 has doubled the
burden on water and land
resources.
With the Darfur crisis going
See GIFT/2A
FOCUS ON FUTURE LEADERS AWARDS
PHOTO/CALVIN FERGUSON
Brenda McMoore (left), president of Focus on Future Leaders pre
sents the Village Leader Award to Judy Williams at FOFL’s annual
awards ceremony.
Networking, levity at
fraternity’s conelave
By Herbert L. White
he(t)-wh(fe@fliechartofteposf.com
One of the largest African American fraternities is coming
to Charlotte later this month.
Phi Beta Sigma will hold its 93rd conclave July 30-Aug. 5,
with 10,000 visitors expected for the week. Organizers
expect an economic impact of $2 million for the week.
"Charlotte is the perfect place for our conclave," said John
Reaves, president of the Charlotte alumni chapter. “It sits in
the perfect geographic location, has a growing, diverse pop
ulation that can support such a large event and is a great
draw for people who are curious about the rapid growth and
opportunities here."
The Westin hotel is the site of fraternity business for the
week, while Marshall Park is the designated gathering place
for networking, concerts, a comedy show and picnic. Teams
from nine fraternities and sororities will compete at a step
show at Ovens Auditorium and a health fair will benefit St.
See FRATERN1TY/2A
profile
Campaign co-chairs say
they will rely on grassroots
approach on referendums
By Herbert L. White
he(t>.wh(le®fhecharioffeposf.com
Mecklenburg County’s bond campaign will
be led by a threesome of amateurs, which is
what its supporters want.
Co-chairs Eulada Watt of Charlotte, Bolyn
McClung of Pineville and LuAnn Tucker of
Mountain Island are relatively unknown to
voters, but have extensive social and profes
sional profiles in the county. Their job is to
convince voters to support S581.6 million in
bonds - including $516 million for Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools - as well as for mea
sures for Central Piedmont Community and
land bonds. Tucker, a member of the School
Building Solutions Committee that recom
mended $400 million for CMS last year, said
the committee is taking a grassroots
approach.
"We’re going to take input from people,"
she said. “We're not professional campaign
ers. We’re feeling our way. We’re not experts.
We need help."
Watt, a former CMS principal and member
of the N.C. Board of Education, said CMS
enrollment, which is projected to grow by
5,000 for 2007-08, threatens to swamp the
pace of construction.
"1 can vouch that education is much more
than a building, it's much more than facili-
Please see BOND/3A
Public school
options growing
despite limits
By Erica Singleton
FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST
When Jim Diana and his wife couldn't find
what they were looking for in gifted educa
tion for their son, they created it.
A former lawyer, Diana vaguely knew that
there was something called a charter school,
so he and his wife decided to start one after
moving to Charlotte from Washington, D.C.
"We hooked up with Sheila Gallagher, pro
fessor of gifted education at UNC Charlotte
and she was very excited about the idea,”
explained Diana. Gallagher created the edu
cation plan, Diana the business plan. In 2000,
Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy
opened.
Charter schools, which now enroll about
30,000 N.C. students, are becoming a more
attractive alternative to public schools.
"Enrollment has increased approximately
50 percent over the past five years," said
Terry Stoops, policy analyst for the John
Locke Foundation and author of a report
titled, “Ten Years of Excellence: Why Charters
Please see OPTIONS/6A
Everyday stress takes
a bit out of life, but
don t let it get the best
of your health/IB
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