Home Sales
Continuing
To Increase
The number of Wake County
homes placed under contract con
tinues to increase. The news was
announced today by Audio Bare
foot, president of the Raleigh/
Wake Board of Realtors. Since the
first of the year 6,461 homes in
Wake County that were on the
market in the Multiple Listing
Service (MLS) have been placed
under contract. That represents
a 19 percent increase over the
same seven month period last
year,” said Mr. Barefoot. “The ma
jority will result in the transfer of
property within six to eight weeks
from contract date.*
The local real estate market con
tinues to be stronger than in moot
other parts of the country. “In
Wake County, economic conditions
ans better than in other areas, and
poople here are dearly more optd
mietic about the ftiture,” stated
the Realtor group’s president. Mr.
Barefoot pointed out that the vol
ume of housee placed on the mar
ket in MLS has also increased this
year. Currently, the MLS has
about 6,000 active listings, com
pared to about 4,400 last year at
this time.
“In the Triangle, when you add
low interest rates and good inven
tory of attractive homes you have
the formula for a great market,”
conduded Audio Barefoot
Support Offered
Hospice of Wake County is offer
inf several grief support groups
beginning in September. These
groups are geared towards people
who have experienced the death of
someone close due to a lengthy ill
The “Life in Loss” Support
Groups provide an opportunity for
grieving people to meet and share
with other people who have had
rimflar experiences. They also pro
vide education abut the normal
steps Cur coping with grief and of
fer hslpfril ways to deal with each
stags of the process. Two “life in
Loss’* Support Groups are avail
able: The evening group will meet
each Friday from Sept. 18 to Oct.
28 from 10:30 sjb. to 12:30 p.m.
TRULY STUNNING—Sony Music Entertainment
Inc./Celumbie House sponsored a benefit
icreenlng/rscsption of this summers smash thriller
comedy, “Mu’ Money” for the Rlmedlen Centers for
CMMren A Fsmies. Columbia debut recordino artist,
Nntnni Freelon, (far right) gave a stylish performance at
New York’s Bridland. The audience relished in her soulful
exhibition of cuts from her self titled album. Freelon is
Joined by Almayvonne Dixon of “Mo’ Money” and Richard
C. Wolter, President of Columbia House.
NAACP Denounces Court
Ruling Regarding Haiti
The national chairman of the
NAACP issued a scathing denun
ciation of the U.S. Supreme
Court’s decision to block a lower
courts ruling that would have re
versed the Bush administration’s
policy regarding the forced repa
triation of Haitian refugees.
Dr. William P. Gibson of South
Carolina blasted the Supreme
Court’s decision to grant an emer
gency stay of a ruling handed
down by the Second U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals in New York.
On July 29, that federal appeals
panel said that the right to apply
for political asylum extends to all
refugees, even if they are inter
cepted in international waters.
The administration had argued
that this right, which is governed
by federal immigration statutes,
only applies to refugees who are on
U.S. soil or within the 12-mile off
shore territorial limit. The Su
Comic Book Hero Fights To Compete
SAN DIEGO (AP)—Brotherman
is dower than a speeding bullet
and can't jump but a few feet at a
single bound, yet the comic book
character of a different color man
ages to defy odds much like Super
man."" .
Brotherman, decked out in leo
tards and with a big *B” embla
zoned on his chest and skullcap, is
an African-American do-gooder
who fights for truth, justice and af
firmative action on crowded comic
book racks.
“Up to now, the few black super
heroes have mostly been relegated
to roles as sidekicks or as part of
‘super* groups,” said Guy Sims, 31,
of Chula Vista, who penned the
story lines for Brotherman’s first
seven issues.
Brotherman is produced by Big
City Comics, a company run by
Sims’ brothers, David and Jason
Sims, out of Dallas. David Sims
serves as chief illustrator, while
Jason Sims manages the produc
tion and marketing side.
David Sims read comics for a
time while in elementary school,
but threw hundreds into the fire
place one day after realizing that
none of them came close to reflect
ing the black experience.
The differences between Broth
erman and Superman are more
than skin deep. Like Clark Kent,
Antonio Valor down a prestigious
position by day, as an assistant
district attorney, and is a vigilante
in his off-time.
But Brotherman lives in a
gritty, surreal urban environment,
known as Big City, that would
make Kent jump on the next bus
for Smallville. It’s populated by a
rainbow of faces, some of the
people talk in hip-hop, and the sto
ries read as if they were taken off
a police crime blotter.
“Welcome to the last place on
Earth,” reads the introduction to a
recent issue. “Overrun by the
crime and vermin determined to
keep it that way...Welcome to Big
City... the last place on Earth has
a new resident, Brotherman, Dic
tator of Discipline. He’s here and
everything’s gonna be all right.”
Comics observers say the advent
of Brotherman marks a first in the
industry-a black lead character
who is the product of blacks.
Still, there have been isolated
attempts in the last 30 years by
the two comics publishing giants,
DC and Marvel, to give African
Americans equal opportunities in
comic-book pages, as in the Black
Panther, Luke Cage and Black
Lightning.
“Most of these have been pretty
crummy,” said Kim Thompson, an
editor at The Comics Journal, a
Seattle-based traded publication.
“They’ve been written and drawn
by white suburban guys who have
watched too many Superfly mov
ies. The conception has been so
bad that the character comes out
either as a black stereotype, or
someone whose black side is com
pletely ignored.”
Thompson, who is white, consid
ers Brotherman to be an “interest
ing book.” He said he would like to
see comics starring Hispanics and
Asian Americans as well.
“The comics industry has never
been particularly ethnically sensi
tive, so it’s time to come into the
modem world,” he said.
Brotherman debuted two years
ago with less than a bang, pow,
zap. The initial press run was only
3,000 copies. Undeterred, the Sims
brothers began to build a distribu
tion machine, making contacts
with black bookstore owners.
Each quarterly issue now has a
100,000-copy press run, which is
comparable to the circulation for
comics like The Incredible Hulk.
Brotherman is sold at $2 per copy
by mail order and at about 100
black bookstores nationwide.
Brotherman T-shirts, post cards
and posters were introduced last
year.
Guy Sims says Brotherman’s
values typically reflect concepts of
right of wrong. Both believe in the
use of force only as a last resort,
and both often wrestle with con
flicting conservative and liberal
political impulses.
“I look at (Brotherman) as being
like the unsung hero of a neighbor
hood, the person who tries to make
things better but never gets the
credit,” Sims said.
preme Court’s action has the effect
of validating the administration’s
position temporarily, until addi
tional written arguments are sub
mitted. Lawyers for the Justice
Department and the Haitians are
expected to ask for expedited con
sideration of this issue.
Gibson also announced that the
NAACP and TransAfrica are or
ganizing a civil disobedience dem
onstration, to be held in front of
the White House on Wednesday,
Sept. 9. Prominent civil rights
leaders and concerned African
Americans from across the nation
will gather in Washington, D.C. to
display their support for legisla
tion that would protect the Hai
tians and to demonstrate their dis
gust for what they consider a bla
tantly racist policy.
The proposed legislation would
extend Temporary Protected
Status to all Haitians presently in
the United States and would end
forced repatriation without benefit
of interviews and hearings.
Dr. Gibson lashed out at the rul
ing. He said, “This decision is an
other example of the Supreme
Court’s shameful abdication of its
responsibility to guarantee equal
protection under the law to all
people.
“Their action has legitimized
President Bush’s inhuman, racist
policy regarding Haitian refugees.
By allowing the president’s execu
tive order to remain in effect, the
court has condemned thousands of
innocent people to persecution,
torture and even death. And they
have given comfort to the brutal
military junta that is terrorizing
the Haitian people.”
Gibson went on to blast Justice
Clarence Thomas, who joined in
the 7-2 majority decision. He com
mented, “By joining the court’s
majority in this opinion, Justice
Thomas has confirmed the worst
fears of those of us in the.civil
rights community who questioned
his commitment to individual lib
erty. His action also makes it dear
that he has no real concern for
protecting the lives of innocent
people of color.”
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01992 NationsBank Corporation. NationsBank of North Carolina, N.A. Equal Housing Lender fi Member FDIC