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2A NEWS^e Charlotte Thursday, September 13,2007 City’s first black woman firefighter calls it a career Continued from page 1A faced on the job. Men fire fighters, unaccustomed to having women in the ranks, ignored her cind often left Lockhart to fend for herself. But she soldiered on. “It was brutal,” said Grady Lockhart, Linda's husband of 28 years. "She’d come home crying, but if it’s worth having, it’s worth the struggle.” Ultimately, Linda Lockhart pushed for equality on the job. CFD ultimately incorpo rated separate accomoda tions for women in addition to family leave. “The other women accept ed a lot of things, but they weren’t ready for women with the policies,” Lockhart said. Lockhart found her stride and ultimately became a mentor to younger firefight ers, especially women and people of color. Seven African American women firefighters have been hired by the department. Thirty- six women are among CFD's 970 firefighters. “Over the years, Linda took it upon herself to men tor other women to sustain them over a long period of time,” Key said. Said Lockhart: "Whenever they needed me, I was there for the cause.’’. The inherent danger of firefighting requires team work, which Lockhart said makes her time with CFD memorable. She’s grateful to have worked with profes- Dems, blacks in tenuous position Continued from page 1A was getting to be too black. It meant that they had to be less aggressive in their sup port of civil rights issues, and they began systematically to do that." So, despite President Clinton's reputation for an affinity toward black people, he was head of the Southern Governor’s Association, which was opposed to affirma tive action, says Walters. "And that's where the leadership of the party came from for eight years. And so, the • onfy reason they didn't do away with affir mative action was because of the protests on the part of blacks. Otherwise, they tried to tinker with that civil rights legacy every way that they knew how." As Democratic presidential contenders fight to succeed George W. Bush, could the party return to politics as usual? Democratic party leaders bristle at the question. "We've got to stop this stuff in the com munity saying the Democrats are taking everybody for granted," says Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. "There’s been more done in six months [by Congress] for the African-American commu nity than the Republicans did in six years. This is not a matter of giving up your values. If you do that, you can't win elections.” The record speaks for itself, says Dean. "This is not a matter of who likes black people. This is a matter of this system and the Democratic Party has really worked Incredibly well for African-Americans,” Dean says. "The first thing we did after the Democrats took over was raise the mini mum wage. That disproportionately affects African-Americans. Sixteen percent of all African-American workers were affected by that minimum wage increase." All 43 black members of Congress are Democrats, he adds. And with a record four black committee chairs, 16 subcommittee chairs, and black Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), those Blacks finally have historic power, Dean points out. "So, I completely disagree with the notion that this is about whether Democrats love black people or not. This is about Democrats creating a system where African-Americans could succeed." That system is working says U. S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and reputed dean of the Congressional Black Caucus. Ticking off a list of House successes. Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Surrounding Counties... Recruited by EBLs “Nottingham Wildcats” Belmont Abbey College Graduate and Basketball Star, NICOLE WOODS Needs Your Help! While the National League is underwriting many expenses, the total cost of relocating overseas is astronomical. Any financial assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated. SunTrust Bank is assisting this process RcNicw Miuhlights of Nicole's Local C areer / / • Sportsmanship Award conference recipient • SOTime CVAC Player of the Week • 2[JtME FIRST TEAM ALL Conference Selection • Conference (CVAC) Player of the Year • 2nd Team Dll All American • Belmont Abbey College Womens Basketball Most Valuable Player • 4th All-Time scoring at Belmont Abbey College with 1,641 points • #2 scorer in the nation for 2005-2006 season • #1 scorer in the nation 7 weeks 2005-2006 season • 37 points scored as a career high scored against Wingate and Queens University • 18 career double doubles • 15 rebounds in a single game against Limestone • 14 career high assists against Barton College • 14 games scoring 30 points or more • 3rd in the nation in single assists per game - 8.1 • Accounting senior student of the year at Belmont Abbey College Make checks, or money orders payable to: The Nicole Woods Overseas Fund, Mail to: SunTrust Bank, c/o Mgr., Deborah Conway, 8464 Belhaven Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28235 ®!)e Charlotte ^etoapapet is proud to be Nicole’s Media Partner thanki'bn/ for your help. Ki/OCrle/ sionals who were dedicated to the job and each other. "You always had some body with you and we always had good equip ment," she said. “It was never a one-person job, even though a lot of people don’t realize it.” "She finally got people’s acceptance," Grady Lockhart said. "There was some resentment, some racism, but she sticks to challenges." Lockhart, 49, has no plans to slow down. A pharmacy technician at Carolinas Medical Center, she's con sidering earning a pharmacy degree. She’s also mulling an offer to return to CFD as an administrator. "We’re not sure what direction she’s going to take, but she has plenty of options,” Grady Lockhart says. “It’s not like she’s going to be staying at home.” including the Hate Crimes Act, the Emmett Till Act to solve unsolved civil rights crimes, the D. C. Voting Rights Act and the Anti- Voter Intimidation Act, Conyers says the drawback for even more aggressive legisla tion may be in the math. With 233 Democrats and 202 Republicans in the House, there’s only a margin of 31 votes, he says. Therefore, if 16 Democrats don’t agree with the CBC and the leadership position and the Republicans stay orga nized, the Democrats lose. Even the Democrats are divided, he points out. There are 43 members of the CBC, but there are 48 Blue Dogs, or conservative Democrats. "Our majority is quite frankly a very thin one,” Conyers resolves. Conyers praises Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "She’s been cooperat ing with me fully," he says. But, that coop eration with African-Americans has not transferred into the presidential race, civil rights leaders say. "I am not supporting anybody," says the Rev. A1 Sharpton during a recent airing of his nationally syndicated radio talk show. "Until I know, whoever I support, where they are on issues like the Supreme Court and they talk about specific cases, I am not - N-O-T," he spells the word for emphasis. "I am per fectly willing to be the one to force all of them to deal with these issues if I have to.” Democrats received 89 percent of the black vote in the 2004 presidential election and black voters are largely credited with the current Democratic majority in Congress. Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP Washington Bureau and Capitol Hill lobbyist says less than i percent of the NAACP’s leg islative agenda has come to a positive reso lution and only about 10 percent has begun to move through the process. Shelton stresses that this is only the first session of the 110th Congress and he fully expects more progress on issues such as the drop out rate, high stakes testing in "No Child Left Behind", school construction, help for Hurricane Katrina victims, mandatory minimum sentences and the death penalty, which the NAACP opposes. The NAACP is a non-partisan organization, but Shelton says he has noticed a difference since the Democrats took over. ’We’re seeing more movement on our bills, more substantive movement,” he says. "There was very little movement on these issues." “It’s New and Sassyr You Need to Taste It! Uncle Henty’s Hunter’s Down-Home Bar-B-Q Sauce r Now in area .supermarkets We've Cot It Mild, With A Little Kick, or Some Like it “Hot" Now available in; Bi-Lo, Bloom, Compare Foods, Food Lion, Ingles, Kroger, Lowes Foods and PIggly Wiggly For location nearest you, special delivery, or catering services,, Cali Uncle Henry Hunter personally (a 704-97S-0463 Since igg} You are inuited te an Informational Program about Breast Cancer O^itr l llrtio: Hrj|i%fratir>n 6:00 PM PM fiuiicty Celling Coioiintl Avt-mir Cri.JiHntr, NC 7R7Q7 thsSUPPORf carovidc you M«k» tH»c43nRaKrt^'ii«»thxtK>««tou«jN«#byt>icaTts«newr(tt»n tremtn fesrum. Light wHt tut served. is limited. 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