[This text is machine generated and may contain errors.]
Eastern North Carolina's Minority Communities Since 1
By MICHAEL WINES
LILONGWE, Malawi - Since Nov.
10, 1999, Lackson Sikayenera has
been incarcerated in Maula
Prison, a dozen iron-roofed
barracks set on yellow dirt and
hemmed by barbed wire just
outside Malawi's capital city.
He eats one meal of porridge daily.
He spends 14 hours each day ina
justice scandalously uneven.
But by African standards, Malawi
is not the worst place to do time.
For many of Africa Ts one million
prison inmates, conditions are
equally unspeakable - or more so.
The inhumanity of African prisons
is a shame that hides in plain sight,
cell with 160 other men, packed Black Beach Prison in Equatorial
on the concrete floor, unable even Guinea 18 notorious for torture.
to move. The water is ditty: the Food is so scarce in Zambia Ts jails
toilets foul. Disease is rife.
But the worst part may be that in
the case of Mr. Sikayenera, who is
accused of killing his brother, the
charges against him have not yet
even reached a court. Almost
certainly, they never will. For
sometime after November 1999,
Justice officials lost his case file.
His guards know where he is. But
for all Malawi Ts courts know, he _that officers had deemed 50
does not exist. prisoners incorrigible. Then,
: dispensing with trials, they ex- Se
oWhy is it that my file is miss- ecuted them. -
ing? ? he asked, his voice a mix of a
rage and desperation. oWho took Even the African Commission Ts
my file? Why do.I suffer like this?
Should I keep on staying in prison
just because my file is not found?
For how long should I stay in
taan?. Bor f ? democracy activist. who herse there. In Africa, they would be and courts, Said Marie-Dominique _ ssopimneneniettes «.»..PTiS0N ihmates have not. a
Prise For how long? spent eee Tarn enind . hotels. ? _ , Parent, the Malawi-based regional "% THs EVTESCTY GION awe "led: "Piola as tt thy : " ae.
This is life in Malawi's high- under a dictatorship. . director of Penal Reform Interna- abiding citizens, the world Ts fourths of Mozambique Ts prison-
- Most African governments spend T
security prisons, Dickens in the
tropics, places of cruel, but hardly
unusual punishment. Prosecutors,
judges, even prison wardens agree
that conditions are unbearable,
confinements intolerably long,
that gangs wield it as an instrument
of power. Congo Ts prisons have
housed children as young gs 8.
Kenyan prisoners perish from
easily curable diseases like gastro-
enteritis. .
When the African Commission on
Human and Peoples T Rights last
visited the Central African
ic Ts prisons in 2000, it heard
special representative for inmates
has not Visited an African prison in
18 months. There is no money, said
the representative, Vera Chirwa, a
oThe conditions are almost the
same, ? Ms. Chirwa said. oIn
Malawi, in South Aftica, in
ique, in almost every
country I have visited. I Tve been to
Eranice, and I Tve seen the prisons
little on justice, and what little is
spent goes mostly to the police
tional, a British advocacy group.
Prisons, she said, oare at the
poorest nations have little incen-
tive to improve convicts T lives.
But, then, not everyone in African
_ prisons is a convict.
GOLDEN LEAF FOUNDATION AWARDS $1.5
MILLION
Chancellor James H,
Ammons received a
mock check for $15 million
from the Golden LEAF Foundation to purchase equipment need for the
DOLLARS
augment these competencies in the
areas of QC/QA regulatory affairs,
intellectual property, physiology of
expression systems, immobiliza-
tion chemistry, statistics of product
development and bio separation
level. ?
BRITE is a part of the statewide
initiative to make North Carolina a
TO NORTH CAROLINA CEN-
Two-thirds of Uganda's 18,000
ers, and four-fifths of Cameroon's
Even in-South Africa, Africa Ts
most advanced nation, inmates in
STORY CONTINUES pg4
Edgecombe
" County
Sheriff Ts Office
continues to
- Serve
a oun
oThis award is truly wonderful, ? The Edgecombe County Sheriff Ts
said Dr. Li-An Yeh, director of Office is responsible for criminal
ms BRITE. oThis award will allow us investigations, traffic offenses,
in to take this program to the next service of cfiminal and civil
processes, narcotic investigations,
alcohol beverage control enforce-
ment, court security, transport
Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise Center _ premiere provider of skilled prisoners, central communications
of Excellence. From left to right: Chancellor Ammons, Valeria Lee, vorkers or the biotechnology for all county emergency ScIViCES,
president of the Golden LEAF Foundation; Courtney Mills, program
officer with the Golden LEAF Foundation and Jessie Bunn, member of
the Golden LEAF Foundation Board of Directors.
NCCU Ts 95th Anniversary Gala,
OFFICE OF PUBLIC RE.
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
industry. BRITE is one segment
of the comprehensive training
effort. The BRITE Center will
provide laboratories for under-
graduates and outstanding scholars
conducting research in several
areas Critical to biotechnology and
oRemembering a Giant...
99
Shown at the memorial services for Mr. Nobles, or sometimes to
operation of the detention center
and most recently, animal control.
Under the direction of Sheriff
James L. Knight, the Edgecombe
County Sheriff Ts Office continues to
serve a population of 55,000
CONTACT: SHARON SAUNDERS | citizens of Edgecombe County in
PAMELA TOLSON biomanufacturing. referred to as oBilly Myles ? was his eldest son, Steven M. Nobles of the most effective, efficient and
At NCCU' Ts 95th Annivers tion. We believe it will help North Of the 160 biotechnology Atlanta, Ga., his daughter, Ms. Rita Nobles Rhem, and his youngest During 2004, a octets 98
Gala, the Golden LEAF Founda- Carolina to move from its present companies located across the state, son Adam oChad ? Nobles, both of Greenville, NC. Also Bishop Pana wore answered The sheriff's
tion awarded perpeny ta ah Ase in ihe . 68 an Bare be) Blake Phillips, funeral director (shown with microphone), holding the office, which consist of 50 swom
$1.5 million to the university as _ tion of biomanufacturing compa- "_is projectéd that there will be a Um with Mr. Nobles T remains is one his granddaughters, Danielle officers answered over 35,418 calls
art of a oCapital Equipment for __ nies, ? | 98% increase in jobs in the Rhem and standing in the background is Mr, Nobles T grandson for service, served over 22,800
es patie alenetd for Through the Institute, NCCU pharmaceutical - a - ee Michael Rhem. Mr. Nobles was known worldwide for his writing No. evictions and oper pastes,
e Biomanufacturing Researc ugh the Institute, manufacturing industries, a 10: : . +e tad ari .
Institute & eae Enterprise _ will develop an academic degree "_ increase in R & D jobs in physical, si i Be was mos ses GLI: males on the Ed Sullivan 1,958 arrest.
(BRITE) Center of Excellence. ° program in at the baccalaureate, engineering and life sciences and a Ow, Dack in the days, (Jim Rouse Photo) 7
master's and doctoral degree 146% increase in jobs in the The Traffic Unit issued over 400
The grant will be used to levels. medical and diagnostic laborato- citations, including DWI, safety
urchase equipment for the BRITE ries industry, belt/child safety seat, speedi
acility, which is scheduled to open
in 2007.
and laboratory work, uniquely Carolina State University and the from the Rocky Mount Harley
oThe University is extremely qualifying them to become highly North Carolina Community Davidson Dealership, which will be
honored to receive this award and illed workers for this industry, College System formed a consor- added to the traffic unit. The
the support from the Golden LEAF Further, NCCU Ts schools of tium with state's biotechnology officers will be assigned to run |
Foundation to help NCCU become _ business and law will industry to develop a comprehen- radar to aid in enforcing speed limit
a leader in biotechnology, ? said seminars and courses targeted at sive educational program to create laws. They will work a! f
Chancellor James H. Ammons. marketing and regulatory policies * highly skilled workforce. traffic onic ted details j eek
oWe believe we can create a for the biotechnology industry, . Mw.. traffic acelden ns
viable and expanded workforce Building upon the core competen- , " fun ts traffic control,
amons traditional end non- cies of 's current science Seen at the Memorial Services held for Mr. William oBo ? Nobles were eral escorts, parades and other
traditional students as well as curriculum, the biotechnol the Jones brothers affectionately known as oPop ? (standing left) and special details, They will also
diversify the workforce popula- "_ laboratory experiences will Bro. Mule (seated), along with Zack oThe Maestro ? Reddick. educate the public on traffic safety.
These students will cycle
through numerous biotech modules
Last year, NCCU, North
we
(Jim Rouse photo)
DWLR and NOL. The Sheriff's
Office has purchased 2 motorcycles
_ Story continues... page 6
"
init ae
= oe ne
By George E. Curry
Despite a landmark Supreme
Court ruling upholding the
legality of the University of
Michigan Ts law school affirmative
action program, affirmative action
increas ing attacks, sometimes with
the complicity of the Justice
Department.
A recent example involves a letter
the Justice Department sent to
officials at Southern Illinois
University-Carbondale charging
that three graduate fellowship
programs designed to increase
underrepresented women and
people of color are unfair to
Whites and males. The Justice
Department said if the STU
programs are not terminated by
Friday, it will sue the institution.
University officials have requested
4 meeting and an extension to
avert a legal showdown.
The three fellowships under attack
are the Proactive Recruitment and
Multicultural Professionals for
Tomorrow, the Graduate Dean Ts
Program and the Bridge to
Doctorate. University officials told
othe Daily Egyptian, the campus
newspaper, that 129 such fellow-
ships have been awarded since
2000, with 12 percent going to
sige he oes
make no effort to increase the
presence of people of color on
campus.
Less than 8 percent of Southern
Illinois University Ts 5,500 gradu-
ate students are Black or Latino.
The attacks on affirmative action
are being led by Right-wing think
tanks, notably the Center for Equal
Opportunity, headed by Linda
Chavez and based in Sterling, Va.
It has filed complaints with the
Justice Department against SIU
and North Carolina State Univer-
sity.
Even more troubling than attacks
on programs designed to end the
under representation of people of
color and women is the way that
many universities have caved in
without putting up a fight.
Roger Clegg, vice president and
general counsel for the Center for
Equal Opportunity, told the Daily
Egyptian newspaper: oWe have
contacted hundreds of schools over
the past few years about programs
like this. The overwhelming
majority have changed the
programs after we contacted
them. ?
In other words, the think tank has
been able to accomplish through
threats what it could not achieve
in the U.S. Supreme Court.
The attack on affirmative action
extends beyond graduate fellow-
ship programs.
Last year, Clegg testified before
the Texas Senate Subcommittee on
Higher Education to oppose even
the 10 percent plan favored by
President Bush. Under the
program, the top 10 percent of
each graduating class is guaran-
teed admission to the University of
Texas.
The cruelest hoax is that the likes
of Clegg are citing laws specifi-
cally designed to help African-
Americans " the equal protection
clause of the 14th Amendment and
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights
Act that prohibits discrimination
based on race, color or national
origin " to dismantle programs
that, if successful, would close the
gap between people of color and
Whites, .
In an effort to identify T all race. ?"
and gender-conscious programs "
presumably so that they, too, can
be attacked " Clegg Ts group has
drafted what it calls a model
oRacial and Ethnic Preference
Disclosure Act ? for states and the
federal government to adopt.
The proposal for federal legisla-
tion would require annual reports
from all institutions of higher
education that receive federal
funding.
. \
Section 2 of the draft legislation
states: oThis report shall: begin ~
with a statement of whether race,
color, or national origin is_
considered in the student "
admission process (if different
departments within the institu-
tion have separate admission
processes and consider race,
color or national origin differ--
ently, then the report shal}
provide the information required
by this report for each depart-
ment separately). ?
This is part of a larger campai
by the misnamed Center for ="
Equal Opportunity to eliminate
all programs that address racial
inequality. It has compiled a 41-
page list of legal provisions in
every state that it finds objection-
able.
Among them: an Alabama law
that requires that half of the
trustees of predominantly Black
Alabama State University be
desler icans, an oe
provision that requires that five
of the nine members of a
Women's Business Ownership .
Council be female, a Kentu
law that requires that school
board screening committees in
communities where people of
color constitute at least 8 percent
be represented by at least one
member, and a Colorado law that
insists that financial institutions
holding state investment funds
give priority for business loans to
women and people of color.
Prodded by the Civil Rights
Movement, the nation has made
progress in reducing racial,
ethnic and gender discrimina-
tion. However, that progress will
come to an abrupt halt if right-
wing groups are successful in
their campaign to eliminate all
race-, ethnic- and gender-
cons¢ious corrective programs.
Sadly, so-called progressives
have failed to counter the Right-
wing attack on affirmative
action. ~
George E. Curry is editor-in-chief
of the NNPA News Service and
BlackPressUSA.com. He appears "
on National Public Radio (NPR)
three times a week as part of oNews
and Notes with Ed Gordon. ? To
contact Curry or to book him for a
speaking engagement, go to his
Web site, www.georgecurry.com.
45 - Block Revitalization
Plans Nearing Close: What
- Abou
? By Susie Clemons
Greenville, NC
\Ctemens
Jt. Drive?
Greenville, NC - Earlier this
year, in July, The Minority Voice
News reported that West
Greenville Focus Group (WGFG),
4 Coalition of residents, neighbor-
hood groups, community organi-
zations and businesses owners,
Were uneasy on the proposed West
Greenville Revitalization Plans.
To revisit the matter the
Greenville Redevelopment
Commission approved plans for
Center City - West Greenville
Revitalization in a landslide vote
of 6 to 1, over the objections of
West Greenville residents, The
City of Greenville Planning and
Zoning Commission Placed those
plans on hold pending an investi-
gative review into concerns raised
by WGFG through its spokesman
~~ Mr. Ozie Hall Jr.
The Planning and Zoning
t investigation is
nearing a close. They and WGFG
members have been, in recent
months, under intensive labor
negotiating ayer es policy
affecting West Greenville resi-
dents iness owners.
etigh concessions have been
made, this month the City of
Greenville sponsored a town hall
meeting at Mount Calvary
Church, on Line Avenue in
Greenville, NC, to share addi-
tional planning details, hear
community concerns and to
answer questions.
Those persons primarily in
attendance were WGFG members,
SCLC and NAACP representa-
tives and a few others. Troubling
news Came to a representative
from the Minority Voice News
from several West Greenville
residents who said they would not
be in the audience later that
evening, as church attendance
had been requested elsewhere
inside the 45 - Block area.
No matter that much of the
proposed changes indicate a
return of West Greenville to its
former desirable status; some
citizens are still concerned that
there may be more missing from
well intended discussions and
remaining negotiations.
In particular, some business
Owners want to ensure that they
get a fair shake in the deal,
including market value should
they have to relocate their
business. Similarly, area home
owners want to ensure they are
not haphazardly pushed aside for
the commercial expansion of the
10" Street Business
. FG members are
watit for Martin Luther King
Drive to become the commercial
node for Black business as it is
designated to remain a major
thoroughfare
t MLK Jr. Drive?
_ Recently, Greenville City
Department Head of Planning
and Community Development,
Merle Flood, Community
Preservation and Revitalization
Senior Planner, Carl Rees, and
Greenville City Senior Planner,
Christopher Davis, granted the
Minority Voice News a meeting to
shed light on these issues and
also to offer history on the Center
City " West Greenville Revital-
ization project planning.
Merle Flood explained that stra-
tegies for which are the umbrella
for the proposed comprehensive
look for all of Greenville, during
a time when any number of -
projects were being discussed and
acted upon. The main factor of
planning was which projects
would come first and what type of
planning would be necessary to
make West Greenville the
community it used to be, said
Flood.
In particular, the 45 - Block
Revitalization strategy was
perceived as having a plan of
ongoing project improvement and
development over an 8 year time
frame. The City Aaa aide
, explai ood
een of several key targets:
1). Remove to the blighted |
conditions of the West Greenville
neighborhood, 2)..Get home
increased from the
current to at least 50% at a
bare pepe existing how's the
issue 0 sing in need
of repair, be it owner or renter
occupied. 4). Begin working with
code enforcement officials to get
those types of situations fixed.
__ Blackonomi
You Aske
You have heard the saying, oBe
careful of what you ask for, you
just might get it; ? and it Ts really
true, When the Trent Lott debacle
was upon us I was shouting, oLet
him stay; don Tt ask for his
resignation. ? Obviously those who
wanted him to step down won that
battle, but I wonder what will
happen now that he is no longer
the leader of the U.S. Senais
There were those who asked the
Senate to censure Lott instead of
defrocking him, namely, the
Congressional Black Caucus
(CBC), and I commend them for
that. Time will tell if their
suggestion was-the best, and I
think we will find out very
quickly.
In my opinion, it would have been
q better for Lott to remain in his
position because during his
numerous apologies he also made
some very interesting statements.
He said some things for which he
could have been held accountable
to Black folks, thus opening the
door for possible concessions on
our behalf. But nooooo, we
wanted him out because he said
what he Td been feeling and
thinking for years, and this time
we not only heard him (I assume
we also heard him in 1982 when
he said the same thing), we paid
attention tot) 8 he rss
If we had not gone along with his
Republican cohorts, Armstrong
Williams leading the charge, we
would be able to say to old Trent,
oHey, didn Tt you say you support
ative action? Aren Tt you the
guy who said you didn Tt really
appreciate the contributions of
~ by James Clingman
MLK, but now after a recent
epiphany you are a changed
man? ? We could have asked Trent
Lott several questions in reference
to his apologetic statements, but
now African-Americans can hold
him accountable for nothing.
It was really funny how things
played out. The CBC asked for
Lott to be censured, John Lewis
attepted his apology saying,
oLet Ts move on, ? Armstrong
Williams decried Lott Ts remarks
as unacceptable in the party with
the obig tent, ? and finally, after he
was granted permission by his
boss, Colin Powell spoke out
_ against Lott Ts remarks as well.
The whole thing smacked of
ridiculous theater, if you ask me.
The Republicans saw:this Lott
thing as a way to engender Black
folks and.to take greater advan-
tage of the Democrats T laxity
when it comes to their primary
ominority ? voting block. George
oDubya ? has an agenda he is
desperately trying to ram through,
and scapegoat Trent Lott proved
to be an unwilling assistant. Bush
,could not afford to be derailed and
Lott was not such a big deal that
he could not be sacrificed. To top
it all off, Black folks, at least those
who just had to have Lott outta
there, played a major role and
actually helped Bush in the
process. I bet it was congrats and
attaboys all around the big tent
when Lott stepped down.
I don Tt know what the new
majority leader will do for Black
folks, if anything, but already
Black folks are stepping to the
front of the line to endorse him,
praise him, laud him, and hold
Bill Frist up as though he were the
Messiah himself. I guess we T ll
have to wait to see. But with Lott,
we knew what we had, and we
finally had something on him.
What do they say about the bird in
the hand?
I hope you can see this is all
charades and more of the same
when it comes to politics. Bush
sacrificed Lott, but he re-nomi-
nates Charles Pickering for
federal Judge (A payback to
Lott?). So much for the obig tent. ?
Bush says he Ts concerned about
the poor and downtrodden, but he
puts forth an economic program
that will give the richest among us
a windfall, while the poorest get
little or nothing. Our president _
also has issued a brief that speaks
against the use of affirmative
action in admissions at the
University of Michigan, a case
now before the U.S. Supreme
Court. Lott said he supports
affirmative action; I wonder what
oUncle Clarence and the
Supremes ? will say.
Bush is determined to go to war in
Iraq and sacrifice more young
lives, and he needs the support of
the-American people. Trent Lott
was an obstacle to that support,
and he had to go. As for the role
of Black folks in this whole thing,
Jerry Falwell said it best in a
recent interview about Lott.I
paraphrase: We are about to go to
go to war, and now is a time when
we have to let everyone know,
especially Blacks, that they are
important to this country. I guess
so, Jerry, especially when we will
the primary victims of the war.
It Ts a shame we can Tt be as highly
regarded any other time.
Yes, we should be careful, very
careful about what we ask for,
because we may get something
worse than what we already had.
Just remember, politically speak-
ing, Bill Frist owes Black folks
nothing. He made no commit-
ments, no promises, and no deals,
except those deals he may have
already made with a few Black
people. But that Ts cool; it Ts just
politics, right?
James E. Clingman, an adjunct
Professor at the University of
Cincinnati Ts African-American
Studies department, is former editor
off ry: Cincinnati Herald Newspaper
nai Aisa darian Chamber
Commerée: He \hosts the raitio T""
program, o TBlackonomics, ? and is
the author of the book, oEconomic
Empowerment or Economic Enslave-
ment-We have a Choice. ? He can be
reached at (513) 489-4132, or by e-
mail at
jclingman@blackonomics.com.
The final 45 - Block Revital-
ization Plan Proposal will include 3
elements of importance in its
overall design, Carl Rees advises:
Refurbishment and potential
expansion to Sadie Salter Schools;
Multi-genetational recreational
opportunity; Economic Incubator to
include job training center, events
center, and space for adult educa-
tion instruction.
10" Street Connector
According to Merle Flood, the
10" Street Connector has been in
the works for quite some time,
approximately 10 years. Current
plans regarding its placement
neithef call for the removal of
homes along Farmville Boulevard
nor have final plans for its location
been approved.
More importantly, according
to Flood, the North Carolina
Department of Transportation
(NCDOT) will not only have the
final word on the Connector
placement, but the State of North
Carolina will be responsible for
negotiating with effected residents,
not the City of Greenville as held
by some.
According to Flood, o tti-
mately, we will do everything to not
only make sure those home owners
understand the process but we will
assist those home owners with
viable area relocation. Currently
the 10" street connector has no
permanent placement as yet, and
for-us to make any kind of plans
with that federal highway adminis-
tration money, we must comply
with their standards ?.
. Relocating West Greenville
Residents
City of Greenville planning
officials Merle Flood, Carl Rees
and Christopher Davis all agreed
that the City of Greenville is not
interested in moving lations of
people from that area. The goal,
they stressed, is to work with as
many existing residents as is
possible to make the experience of
me ownership a reality.
To accomplish this, added
/
Christopher Davis, a positive
transformation to the neighborhood
must be achieved so that people
want to live there and to move
there; that includes renters and
~ home owners alike, as well as
consumer business such as physi-.
cian offices and similar profession-
als. He further noted that for any
"of this to work and to have lasting;
existing and future area home
Owners must get involved and
become good stewards of their
property and of their. community.
Carl Rees pointed out that while. he
was not working on the project in
the beginning, that he is aware of
meetings that were held with
current West Greenville residents
and also those held with West
Greenville leaders to seek out their
community concerns.
He further acknowledged, othose
concerns were entered into the
redevelopment plan proposal, they
were: additional commercial
Services; economic stimulus;
neighborhood updates and o portu-
nity for home ownership; arf and
security; sidewalk, storm drain and
lighting improvement, additional
occupant dwelling code enforce-
ment; a return of the neighborhood
to its former appeal, ? said Rees.
Additionally he noted, these are
very real issues that the planners
are using as a blue print into this
final stage of planning.
Home Ownership Key to Improy-
ing Blight in West Greenville
Based on models of other success-
ful neighborhoods, it is assumed
that the crucial factor to im ving
West Greenville is increased hoa
Ownership; with that positive
clement addressed then too are
those earlier mentioned community
Concerns addressing safety, security
and increased neighborhood value.
oSince Greenville has become an
entitlement city to get federal
funding, West Greenville has
always been a target area [for
improvement]. It Ts only that a
larger target area " North
Greenville- from the river down to
Dickerson over to Memorial, that
noted Christopher Davis.
Furthermore, he added, that many
of those updates were not visible or
as dramatic; however, of those
improvements is include the City of
Greenville Ts successful residential
development, Country Side Estates.
That in mind, ideally the goal is to
convert renters into homeowners,
where the City of Greenville
provides assistance. For example,
two renters within the 45 " Block
Revitalization area have been
successfully converted to home
owners. There also are several new
homes undergoing construction in
the Revitalization area. They are
located between McKinnely Street
and Douglas Avenue.
Also diversity in housing is a
major factor in all of this to include
duplexes and apartment develop-
ments... possibly something similar
to Macgregor Village, added
planning official Christopher
Davis, who further stated oin its
final stages we want West
Greenville to reflect America. ?
NEXT ISSUE: Cleaning Up
Undesirable Properties
Questions or comments
can be addressed to:
Some Basic Guidelines :
1. Be careful with your
appearance.
2. Honor other people Ts
territory.
3. Expand your knowledge.
4. Honor your working hours.
5. Be friendly.
6. Keep personal information
to yourself.
7. Be positive and supportive.
8. Keep an open mind.
9. Follow through.
10. Listen,
12. Solve your own problems.
13. Work hard.
14, Donot bein too big a
hurry to advance.
Commonsense Statements
1. Talk about your own
mistakes before criticizing
the other person.
2. No one likes to take orders. °
3. Ask questions instead of
giving direct orders.
4. Praise is the sunlight to the
warm human spirit.
Give the other person a fine -
reputation to live up to.
a
Use encouragement.
7. Make the other person happy
about doing the thing you
suggest.
8. Learn to speak effectively "
prepare for leadership.
9. Give honest and sincere
appreciation.
. Don Tt criticize, condemn,
or complain " the 3C Ts for
failure.
11. Become genuinely
concerned about others.
12. Show respect for the other
person Ts opinion.
SOME TRUTHS....
1. Anyone can have a wed-
~. ding, but only God can
create a marriage.
2. A boss should have not
have to tell a Christian to
use his time well or to
Work hard.
3. For better or worse, you
will reap what you show.
4. Our tongue can be our own
%
worst enemy.
5. Beware of judging.
6. Hate evil; love good.
A godly person will be
known as one who does
what he says he will do.
God is looking for :
ordinary people to do
extraordinary work.
9. Words and actions must
agree
oMillion More March ?
I asked my co-worker, Angela
McWayne, about her bus trip to
the Million More March on
October15, 2005. Here are the,
highlights of our interviews.
1. Who organized the trip?
There was an organizing
committee made up of people
from the Nation of Islam, SCLC,
ECU Students, and other people
from the Greenville community.
2. When/where did you leave
from?
About 150 Greenville
residents met at C.M. Eppes
recreation center late Friday
night, October 14th to meet the
buses that would take us to
Washington DC where we would
meet up with others participating
in the March.
3. How was the ride up there?
The ride to Washington
was uneventful. The bus left
about midnight but most people
on our bus slept knowing that we
would have a long day on
Saturday. A tape of the Million
Man March was on TV for those
wanting to watch
4. What did you do when you
first got off the bus?
We arrived in Washing-
ton, DC around 4am on Saturday
morning. It was of course still
dark so all the people from our
bus began walking from 7" to the
Mall. We arrived at the Mall
around Sam. The Marshals from
the Nation of Islam were already
in position and greeting our
group as we entered. It excites me
anytime that I see my people
moving towards something
positive. This was no exception.
.5, What was your itinerary
while there?
Arriving at the Mall
around Sam we had the opportu-
nity to walk around prior to the
program beginning at 9am, As
we approached the Mall, al-
though still dark out, you could
see the lights illuminating around
the Capitol. In the distance you
could hear morning prayers for
the various faiths being offered
up. ;
The opening program began
around 9am with Marion Mayor
giving the welcome. Afterwards
we heqrd testimonials from
various leaders. A tribute to
victims and survivors of Hurri-
canes Katrina and Rita was next
on the agenda and I was amazed
that with the number of people in
attendance, the respect shown
across the Mall as the moment of
silence was called. Next the
Millions More Movement Priority
Issues was discussed which
included an international connec-
tion and a youth perspective. We
heard from some who spoke in
opposition of the war and others
who brought attention to violence
in the streets of our nation.
I had the pleasure of hanging
with Ms. Fannie Mae Sharpe and
her granddaughter during the
program. There were many people
in attendance including Ms.
Sharpe who wore buttons, carried
signs, or wore tee shirts of loved
ones who were taken away from
their families much too soon. It
was touching to see these people
connect with one another in
asking what had happened to their
loved one. I sensed that it was
good for them to be in an environ-
ment were they could share their
story with someone who had been
through a similar experience,
One thing that saddened me were
the number of tee shirts with small
children on the front and on the
back to read signs such as, oStop
the Black on Black Hatred ?. And
oStop the Black on Black Vio-
lence ?...
At this point in the program, I was
able to meet up with my son so it
made the experience more
valuable knowing that of all the
places he could have been on a
Saturday, he chose to experience
this historical event.
6. Comments on the march and
speaking?
Another person on the
bus that I would like to recognize
is Mr. Benny Roundtree. In 1980 I
was visiting my aunt in Swan
Quarter, North Carolina, A black
man by the name of Allen Taylor
was picked up by an officer and
taken to jail. By the time-he was
released, I remember his face
yf
By Gregory Whitfield
being disfigured from the beating
that he says he received from a
particular officer who had a
reputation in that community for
that type behavior. I remember
Mr. Roundtree being one of the
leaders that came into that
community to attend the meetings
and eventually leading us on a
march against the city and that
particular officer. That march
back in 1980 was my first and the
Millions More March was my
largest gathering. Thank you Mr.
Roundtree for continuing in the
struggle.Some of the highlights
from the March that stuck with me
were
1) Minster FaRRAKHAN TS SUGGESTION THAT
MINORITIES COME TOGETHER AND FORM OUR
Own Pouca Parry, oPOP ?. (Parry or
THE Poor T OR THE oPARTY OFTHE Por. E T T).
2) Minister FARRAKHAN SUGGESTION THAT WE
POOL.OUR MONEY TOGETHER TO HORM THE
FOLLOWING MINSTRIES HERE IN THE US.
A), Deparmventor DEFENSE
B) DDePARTMEENT OF AGRICULTURE:
©) Demrmenror Arr & Qucrure
bD) Derarienror TRADE &
COMMERCE
E) Demremenror Jusnce
') Deepak MienTor INFORMATION
a) Deparment or SCIENCE &
THOHNGLOGY
H) DePARTMENT THAT UNITES THE
SmrntuarCommuniry
0 Deenerenror Heart & HUMAN
Servick:
J) DeparTMENT OF EDUCATION
There were people who did not attend
for various reasons. If you want to
view the speeches from the privacy of
your own home the website if you
have a computer is: hitp://
news/mmm2005, him
. Additional comments and feelings
I wish that each of you who
were not there could have been there.
Interview by Gregory with
Angela MeN
Assistant with Eastern Area Health
Education Center
esd T ale at
IS THERE A BALM IN
GILEAD? (Excerpts from a
challenge to the black church)
BY THE REV. EARL D.
TRENT, PASTOR =,
FLORIDA AVENUE BAP-
TIST CHURCH IN WASHING-
TON, DC |
We in the black church must
first take a look in the mirror
and see what stares back for a
number of reasons. First, it is
our mandate and mission to care
for our community. We are
commissioned to be the light and
the salt, the preserving agent, of
the world of your people. The
Black church has a vital role in
promoting a high school code of
conduct and ending the inappro-
priate behavior that shackles our
minds. Too often sexual :
behavior, abuse, and sexyal
harassment in both pulpit and
~ pew are ignored or laKeled an
oindiscretion ? and never seri-
ously addressed. We further fail
to urge and model fiscal respon-
sibility for the dollars that pass
through our hands, and we fail to
actively support our own people
in business.
Secondly, the Black church is
virtually the only institution that
Suejette Jone:
Book Review: oIs Bill Cosby
Right? Or Has the Black
Middle Class Lost Its Miid? ?
By: Michael Eric Dyson
On May 17, 2004, Bill Cosby
stepped to the podium in
Washington, DC Ts Constitution
Hall to receive an award for his
philanthropic endeavors during
an event commemorating the
50" Anniversary of the Brown v.
Board of Education decision.
Kam Williams comes forth to ?
offer a critical review of Dyson Ts
book. He quotes:
When Cosby opened his mouth,
instead of lauding the efforts of
civil rights pioneers, he bitterly
scorned poor blacks for not
holding up their end of the deal.
On and on Cosby went, beating
black parents and youth for their
numerous faults, his ramblings
united by one theme: the
miserable condition of the black
poor brought on by their own
self-destructive behavior.
Cosby Ts remarks are not the
isolated ranting of a solo gun
Slinger, but simply the most
recent, and the most visible,
shot taken at poor blacks in
more than century-old class war
in black America. His views
are widely held among the
Afristocracy: upper middle
class blacks and the black elite
who rain down fire and brim-
stone upon poor blacks for their
deviance and pathology. If
Cosby Ts claim is that the black
poor have lost their way, then |
don Tt mind suggesting that the
black middle class has, in its
views of the poor and its support
of Cosby Ts sentiments, lost its
mind.
I wonder whether Bill Cosby
has had any regrets over
delivering his thought-provok-
ing speech essentially calling
upon the black community to
reorder its priorities in terms of
education, employment, and
culture. If not, he certainly
might after hearing how very
intinvate aspects of his own
personal life have been held up
to public scrutiny in Dyson Ts
book. Dyson, ordained street
minister and the author of many
books on African-American
earned his doctorate of divinity
Letter To The Editor:
MICHAEL W. GARRETT
Greenville
Board smart to approve
school uniform plan
Monday, November 07, 2005
The decision by the Pitt
County Board of Education to
begin having elementary school
students wear uniforms is a
huge step in the right
direction, The board is to'be
com-mended for having the
courage and wisdom to do what
is neccesary to remove the
overbearing influence that the
profit-motivated fashion
industry exerts over the lives
and household budgets of
families with school-age
\
is soley controlled by Black folk
(although in some areas that is
no longer true.) Liberation is
about ownership and control.
Third, the Black church is the
most fluid as an institution in our
interclass structure. It is the only
place where the strength of class
division loses some of the its
detrimental impact. I emphasize
some. Unfortunately, class and
color divisions still have a great
deal of unspoken influence in our
lives.
What will we see as the Black
church when we look in the
mirror? Black Americans go to
church at a higher percentage
rate than any other group in
America. Our preachers preach
better. Our services are livelier -
and longer. We give a higher
percentage or our income to the
church more than any other
group in America. We are
represented in all the major.
denominations and have led the
Pentecostal and now the Full
Gospel Movement, yet we lead
the nation in five major negative
categories: more crime, more
unemployment, more disease and
bad health, more AIDS, and
more SID (sexually transmitted
disease) exist in our neighbor-
hoods than in any other neigh-
of
at Princeton and currently
teaches another Ivy League
institution, namely , the
University of Pennsylvania.
He also serves as the self-
anointed guru and spokesman
for the Hip Hop generation, at
least in the hallowed halls of
academia. This gangsta rap
apologist can always be
depended upon to lend his pen
and voice to the spirited
defense of the so-called thug
life.
As a critic who has reviews
several of his books, I have
been so overwhelmed by the
earlier work of Dyson that I
had long since dismissed him
as an intellectual. li i
-More given to a superficial
sensationalism than to any-
thing of substance. How else
might one respond to his
building a biography of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.,
around a false FBI allegation
that the slain civil rights leader
was gay? Or, by constrast, his
uncritical veneration of Tupac
Shakur despite the late
Tapper Ts profane, violent, and
self-destructive ways? In fact,
I found one so awful, that I put
in unreturned calls to Dyson Ts
colleagues to ask why they had
praised it on the back cover,
because it was readily apparent
that they couldn Tt possibly
have bothered to read it.
It is no surprise to see Dyson
cashing-in on the celebrity of
another icon, since Cosby Ts
controversial remarks certainly
have generated considerable
publicity while initiating a
healthy debate in African-
American circles, After
reading is Bill Cosby right? I
have both good news and bad
news to report. The good news
is that this is the first Michael
Eric Dyson book which I found
to be coherent, absorbing and
entertaining. The bad news is
that its title is misleading, for
rather than a debate about any
tensions between poverty-
stricken balcks and the
African-American upper -
crust, mostly mounts to a no
holds barred assault on Cosby Ts
private life.
Dyson covers everything
froni Cosby Ts alleged love
child, Autumn Jackson, to his
son Ennis T murder to his
strained relationship with his
legitimate daughter Erinn, who
has had her well-publicized
borhoods in America.
Nearly forty percent of Black
America is below or near the
national poverty line. What is
wrong with this picture? The
grim, haunting truth is that othe
harvest is past, the summer is
ended, ? and we are not doing
very well. These are harsh words
'.and a harsh evaluation. Stop,
figure out who is to blame. If the
God we serve is just, why are we
at the bottom heap of society as a
people? Though we worship and
' pray loud and long, the undeni-
able fact is that we as a people
are losing ground. To continue
in the same manner of preaching
and teaching on traditional and
the latest fad themes and simply
continuing to do owhat we have
always done ? is a highly ques-
_tionable course of action. It does
not mean we have lost our faith,
but we must face the reality that
what we are doing can be out of
step with the needs of our people
and out of step with the will of
God. Let us acknowledge the
depth of our problems and do
something about it. oA charge to
keep I have, a God to glorify,
who gave His Son my soul to
save, and fit it for the sky. ?
Words by Charles Wesley (1707-
1788). The most common tune is
by Lowell Mason.
Book Review: oIs Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle
Class Lost Its Mind? ?
battles with both drug addiction
and sexual assault at the hands
of Mike Tyson. I was surprised
to learn that Cosby had been a
high school dropout, that he has
used the N-word on stage, and
that he cared enough about his
Jello, Kodak, and Ford endorse-
ments to refuse to take a DNA T
test, and to have his out-of-
wedlock offspring prosecuted
and imprisoned for blackmail to
avoid risking a hit on his image
by way of proof of paternity.
Yes, Dyson does touch on the
black class war and generational
divide, but he delineates his
position on those conflicts, and
rather eloquently, right'in'the ~~
rather eloquently, righ inthe
quently; each chapter opens with
a quote from Cosby Ts infamous
speech which touched off the
controversy and is followed by
well-researched attempts to
prove him a hypocrite in relation
to his own words by pointing out
his moral fallings at various
stages of his life.
I have no idea what Dr. Cosby
did to tick Dr. Dyson off this
badly. And while I may be the
first to admit that this sort of
invasion of privacy makes for a
fascinating read, it by no means
settles the debate about any of
the social issues it pretends to
address. For in a most infuriat-
ing fashion it simply scratches
the surface again and again, only
to uncover more surface in each
instance. This is a book you
can Tt put down for all the wrong
reasons.
CODA:
Michael Eric Dyson is sched-
uled to deliver the upcoming
commencement address at
NCCU in Durham, NC.
CORRECTIONS:
In the previous article that |
wrote, the headline should have
read:
oOverwhelmed but not Over-
come ?. Also, it was erroneously
printed that Dr. Cornel West is a
Professor at the University of
Pennsylvania. Dr. Dyson is a
Professor at the University of
Pennsylvania. There was no
mention of Dr. West's position.
However, Dr. Cornel West is a
Professor at Princeton Univer-
sity.
Respectfully submitted:
Suzejette A. Jones
children. Illiteracy is the No. 1
barrier against overcoming
poverty. We can never begin to
irradicate illiteracy until we
remove the significant barriers to
learning; especially during the
early and formative years,
A student whose self esteem is
lowered because his or her
parents simply can't afford the
cost of keeping up with fashion
trends will not do as well in their
studies be-cause part of their
concern and attention is directed
toward what they and others are T
feeling and saying about who's
wearing what.
The opinions of their peers
mean everything to many young
kids and even older ones,
The predictable argument that
the cost of uniforms will be a
needless burden to low-income
families is thoughtless nonsense.
Also, expect those who rountinely
spend hundreds on fashionable
clothing to feel cheated because
they will lose a means by which to
be able to boost their egos by de-
meaning others who don't have
hundreds to spend on fashion fads.
As school wardrobes become a
non-factor, students will have to
win friends and popularity the old-
fashioned way " with good
character, humility and treating
others as they wish to be treated.
Peace Mee Meets Ves Newmpaper eet. o12008 r
Lica by Piece have waited
Seven years to see a judge.
Some of Aftica Ts one million or so
_ prisoners - nobody knows how
many - are not lawbreakers, but
victims of incompetence or corrup-
ion or justice systems that are
we ad understaffed, underfinanced
and overwhelmed.
Kenya Ts former
prisons commissioner sugges
lat year that with peopes egal
representation, a fifth of his
nation Ts 55,000 prisoners might be
declared innocent. aa
The most immediate and apparent
inhumanity is the overcrowding
. that Africa's broken systems breed,
_ Compounded by disease, filth,
-abuse, and a lack of food, soap,
_ beds, clothes or recreation. A
ee ¢
survey of 27 African governments
by Penal Reform International
found that national prison systems
operated, on average, at 141
: percent of capacity. Individual
- prisons were even more jammed:
Luzira Prison, Uganda Ts largest,
holds 5,000 in a 1950's facility
built for 600.
. Babati Prison in Tanzania, built for
- 50 inmates, housed 589 as of
- March.
Malawi Ts 9 ,800 inmates, living in
effectively the same cells that were
too crowded when they housed
4,500 a decade ago, are luckier
than many. Three years ago, half
the prisoners had yet to go before a
judge. Under a pioneering program
run by Penal Reform International
: and financed in part by the British
: government, paralegals have
- winnowed that to fewer than one in
- four -
among the lowest rates in
sub-Saharan Africa.
Yet the flood of newly accused still
* outstrips Malawi's ability to deliver
justice.
oThis is not a hotel, where we can
* accommodate no more than our
e+e @ @
eee ie SEES
$7 OCC COMM Dea al
ees ¢ @
Eien Fenaiation leapt
Pepaadbn cically, or
capacity, ? said Tobias Nowa,
Malawi's commissioner of prison
operations. oWe must accommodate
whomever is sent to us. ?
has catalyzed the robles of
Africa Ts prisons. Freedom has
permitted lawlessness, newly
empowered citizens have demanded :
order - and governments have
delivered.
Malawi's prison population has
more than doubled since the "
dictatorship ended in 1994, But its
justice system is $0 badly broken
that it is hard to know where to
begin repairs.
Malawi's 12 million citizens have
28 legal aid attorneys and eight
prosecutors with law degrees. There
are jobs for 32 prosecutors, but
salaries are so low that the vacan-
cies go unfilled.
So except in special cases like
murder and manslaughter, almost
al! accused go to trial without
lawyers. The police prosecutors
who try them have only basi¢ legal
training. And the lay magistrates
who sit in judgment are largely
unschooled in the law.
Justice Andrew Nyirenda, 49, the
chief of Malawi Ts High Court, said
the system had been swamped by
the growth and rising complexity of
crime since Malawi became a
democracy in 1994.
oThere are conspiracies to commit
crimes, drug trafficking, even
human trafficking, and instances of
lower-level white-collar crimes
where people are literally swindling
institutions, ? he said. oThese are
extremely complicated cases for
people who have not been trained
sufficiently. We get convictions that
aren Tt supposed to be convictions,
and acquittals that aren Tt supposed
to be acquittals. ?
Pacharo Kayira, one of the eight
prosecutors, seconds that. oI Tve
done so many cases where I don Tt
agree with the conviction by the
lower court, ? he said in an inter-
view here. oIt Ts not the best
situation, to say the least. ?
Malawi Ts police officers can take
two years merely to send prosecu-
tors their report on a homicide.
Prosecutors need months more to
decide whether the case should be
taken to a lower court, the start of a
legal process that lasts years.
Malawi's High Court, which must
pass judgment on all capital crimes,
has not heard a single homicide
case in the last year. There js no
_ money to assemble lawyers, a
locales where the crimes cooug
no money to empanel juries as ~
required since 1995; no money for
the written record that the Supreme
Court needs for its mandatory
review of convictions.
Ishmael Wadi, Malawi's director of
"public prosecutions, said his eight
prosecutors had a backlog an
untried fraud and tax-evasion cases,
173 robbery and theft cases, 388
fatal accident cases and 867
homicide cases.
oWhen the offenses occur, they
send the files to this office, ? he
said, oThe files keep on coming, so.
the number keeps increasing. So
what do you do? You accumulate
the files, keep them nice and put
them on the shelves. ?
And the caseload is rising. Capital
crimes - homicide, rape and
manslaughter - - consume
all the time of legal-aid lawyers and
prosecutors. While they process
about 380 homicides ,a year, 500 to
600 other homicides are committed.
Shortages of judges, prosecutors
and lawyers ensure that justice is
both sluggish and mean. Many
inmates sit in cells for lack oft bail
that can total less than $10 or $20.
The interminable wait between
arrest and courtroom torments the
innocent and lets the guilty escape
justice. Evidence in police stations
is misplaced or discarded. Wit-
nesses die and move away.
Mr. Kayira, the prosecutor, encoun-
ters such cases far too often, after
much life has been wasted and long
terms already served, by both the
innocent and the guilty. "
oThere have been many times when
I have used the discretion
me as a prosecutor to tell the police
to release a person who has been
there five, six years, ? he said. oI
look at their file and say to myself,
There isn Tt the evidence here to
_convict this person. T o For prisoners
like Lackson Sikayenera, their
cases lost in a system that only
sporadically works, the only
alternative is to hope someone
hears their pleas for help - ot to
make a new life.
The Road to Prison
Built 40 years ago to house 800
inmates, Maula Prison, on a recent
visit, held 1,805 inmates, all but 24
them men, Mr, Sikayenera lives
in Maui: Ts Cell 3, one of 160'in a
P ig the size of a two-car garage.
Once a farmer near Dowa, a dirt-
road village 25 miles north of
Lilongwe, Mr. Sikayenera was sent
here after he killed his elder
brother Jonas. Their father, he said,
gave hira a choice tobacco plot that
pen Claimed was rightfully his.
Jonas threatened.to kill him if he
did. not surrender it. Lackson
refused, he said, and Jonas at-
tacked.
oTo protect myself, I took a hoe
handle and hit my brother on, the
forehead, and he fainted, ? he said.
oThen I went to the police to report
that I had harmed my brother. ? The
police jailed him, then moved him
to Maula Prison a week later.
That was more than 2,100 days
ago.
awakens the rest-each night for
mass turnovers. The most privi-
leged inmates sleep on their backs,
ringing the walls of the cell.
Everyone else sleeps on his side.
. oIt is so unhygienic here, ? Mr. '
Sikayenera said. oBasically, if you
need any source of water, you have
to get it from the toilet, The
showers, most of them are broken.
There is a lot of dysentery. A lot of
the time, the water isn Tt running. ?
Maula Prison Ts commanding
officer, an expansive man named
Gibson Singo, disputes none of ~
that.
oThey were designed for 50 or 60
people in one cell, ? he said. oBut
now it Ts 150, 155. If you talk of
human rights, there is no way you
can put 150 people in one room. ?
Maula and four nearby prisons split
a monthly state allotment of |
$12,500, from which Mr. Singo
must pay Maula Ts 124 employees
and meet inmates T needs. Maula Ts
share is laughably small. There are
no prison uniforms, no blankets, no
soap, save what charities provide.
The only food is nsima, corn mush
leavened, with beans or meat from
the prison rabbit hutch. The only
drink is water.
The mush is boiled in massive tubs
outside the prison, where wardens
moved the kitchen after hungry
inmates began fighting over the
food. The old kitchen is now a
rudimentary school, its lessons
scrawled in chalk on the walls.
about one Pan 60:1 inmates,
The average for American prisons.
is one death per 330 inmates.
It could be worse: Zomba Prison,
100 miles south, loses one in 20
inmates annually. But it is bad
enough.
story concludes.... pg8
oHeel/Sew Quik
pera
i Ps '
Carolina East Center
ly Across From Ryan Steak House
Suite #24
3400 South Memorial Drive
Open Mon-Sat 10AM-8PM
Telephone (252) 756-0044
Cornerstone r
Christian
Top 20 Gospel/Praise & Worship
Music, Clergy(Choir Robes, Church Supplies,
Books, Bibles, Greeting Cards, Gifts, Wedding &
Social Invitations, Songbooks, Sunday School &:
Vacation Bible. saa Materials and much more!!!
| Commentaries Now Available!
ay through Friday |2p-6p
Saturday |Oa-4p
Comerstone Christian Bookstore
1095 Allen Road, Greenville, NC
Bus: 252.752.3846 Fax: 252.782.4405
Free Financial Aid Information
ti
For Students & Parents
3 figure out the franca! ald process
# find Information about ac hod ered pee and grants
» save money an duction loaru for students and parents
&D talkto financial old spectatat
2 com plete ald forrres ond ire
www.CENC org
Page 7 The Minority Voice Newspaper November 4 - 11, 2005
, , Local Student Honored
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens acknowledges the media wie ent ne
as he arrives for his arbitration hearing Friday in Philadelphia. Eagles High School Students ?
coach Andy Reid suspended Owens Nov. 5 for a series of incidents that. :
included public criticism of the organization and quarterback Donovan
McNabb. Following his suspension, Owens is expected to be deactivated
for the rest of the season _
CNOK
JASMINE HIGHSMITH
With the tise of crime among
young people today, whenever one
of our youth prepares to achieve
success in life we should acknowl-
edge them. It gives us great
pleasure to recognize Jasmine
Highsmith for her accomplish-
ments. Jasmine has several awards
to her credit which include; the
National Science Award,the
Editors Choige Award, and the
National Honor Roll just to name
a few. At the time of.this writing
Jasmine can now add oPoetic
Writing ? to her resume. We would
also like to thank Ms Jasmine
Highsmith for giving us the
opprtunity to share with our
readers her first published writing:
I Tm no Longer Mad
To my Dad
I Tm no longer mad that you
didn Tt try to find me.
I Tm no longer mad that you
died and left without me.
I Tm no longer mad that you
didn Tt say goodbye. .
I Tm no longer mad, but how:
can I stillcry? "
I Tm no longer mad because
you appear in my dreams,
telling me hi and saying that
you miss me.
I Tm no longer at the heart-
ache tha you once caused.
I'm no longer mad that you
left me without a father,
I Tm no longer mad because I
forgive you for everything.
I now realize that you loved
me and that you wanted to be
with me always.
so now I'm saying I love you
too and I Tm sorry for reject-
ing you,
I'm sorry that you Tre gone
and that you might be all
alone,
I Tm no longer mad that you
didn Tt try to find me.
I Tm no longer mad that you
died and left without me.
I forgive you for everything
that happened,
But Dad, I miss you and I Tm
no longer mad.
(SUES arte ce
Larcie Hardy Vines worked
as a teacher Ts assistant in the
public school system for thirty-
two years, after graduating from
Pitt Community College. Now
retired, the author enjoys sewing
and singing from her home in
North Carolina. She also sings
in many churches, Combining
her love of reading and writing
with her general enthusiasm for
helping children, Mrs, Vines has
written When Mr, Rayfiell
Made Stone Soup, her first
witellubead te tr
Page 8 The Minority Voice Newspaper November 4- 11,2005
oThis person might be given 500
-Millions: pg4 ; beside the chalk artwork, is a list
" "- of rules, laws that are both days of cleaning the cell. ?
prosaic and telling: Do not make " : . . 1 at
noise when the lights are off.Do After 20 or so, the offender might |
not smoke during prayers. be taken again to.a cell judge, who
. can grant a reprieve. a ;
Prisoners must be clothed, lést a a .
bare body excite sex-starvedmen. oThe reason why there is all this
oSodomy is not allowed in. this hierarchy is to find conflict | ©
house, ? one rule states.
resolution, ? Mr. Sikayenera said: _
oSo there is no chaos. And it Ts . .
A cell hierarchy maintains order. effective. In most of the cells, you
A minister of health checks daily _find there is no fighting. People
for sick prisoners and arranges don Tt break the rules, ? :
medical care.
Mr. Sikayenera is the magistrate + al
How They Survive If justice outside the prison is of Cell 3. For six years, noone in
: ee eae slow to come, inside it is swift, Malawi's justice system has
oIt Ts just unbearable, ? said lest unrest ensue. Cell policemen "_ decided whether he should be "
Frances Daka, 32; jailed on an. oarrest ? rule breakers, and cell ©. punished or freed. But in prison, _
unresolved murder charge since magistrates hear evidence and _ elevated by seniority andfellow _.
2002. oWe make ourselves live. pronounce sentences. . : inmates T respect, he metes out
just to survive, ? - mercy and retribution with an _
oLet's say someone was helping "_ even hand. And without Sa
Survive they do, in ingenious himself while the others are - delay. oWhen a case comes up, ? he. ?
eating, ? Mr. Sikayenera. said.
ee ee
fashion. On each cell Ts wall, said, utterly without irony, oit is na. The Cllalienerdlive Portan Dediestion ef the late W. H
3 dealt with. Right there. ? reese The| morative Portrait Ded 7 :
i ; a | ara | Robinson from whom the Robinson School is named was unveiled Sunday, October
_ |» ECU Ts SBTDC Director Returns from Mississippi after 16,2005 at 3PM atthe W. H. Robinson Elementary School Media center. te
a 4 : Helping Katrina Victims iy Coan The principal, Mr Bruce Gray, welcomed the approximate fifty people who attended,
not know how to apply for federal... followed by comments from The Reverend Michael Dixon, Pitt County Board of Educaton
eaeee@eeene w
Gulfport, Mississippi where she
assisted business owners filing
for federa! assistance after
hurricane Katrina.
Along with about 30 other
SBTDC volunteers from around
the country, seven of which were
from North Carolina, Wilburn
traveled to Gulfport expecting the
demeanor Of people to be somber.
What she said she did not expect
was the physical devastation
resulting from Katrina.
| By Jennifer Robinson V t federal". as'a business. counselor: She was ogrpeuerteaee ee ' Pane
ve ost rammwnencnan ons of ont ke without the help of the named director of the Eastern - Remarks were given by Mrs. Rebecca Thomas,artist, with Mrs. Thomas and
f GREENVILLE, NC - East S cause it requires an = Region SBTDC earlier this ear. site swe the Sita to oe? . :
| Carolina University Ts Small enormous amount of paperwork, g ep ils year. = Mrs. Beatrice Maye, the former principal Ts wife, Mr. Calvin Henderson, community leader
[ Business and Technology she said, recalling her experiences. " The SBTDC focuses on mahage-. and Pitt County NAACP Chairperson and Mrs. Doris Harper, a student under Mr.
i Development Center (SBTDC) 0 aan o- cuoline a ment counseling, addressing issues 3 = . |
i Director, Carolyn Wilburn, aftermath of Hurricane Floyd. including financing, marketing, i | ;
' | recently returned. to joan North human tesources, operating, © A special thanks goes to the Town of Winterville,the portrait donors. A reception followed.
i Carolina after a two-week stay in oNot only were we there to*help as business planning, and feasibility |
oSections of Gulfport looked like
a tent city, ? said Wilburn.
oEverywhere you looked there
were tents. Entire families are
still living in tents outside their
homes. For some, that plot of
land is all they have left, and they
do not want to leave it. It is
heartbreaking knowing that
people are living in such a state:
however, they continue to remain
very hopeful to return to normal
soon. ?
SBTDC volunteers worked
through the Small Business
Development Center at the
University. of Southern Missis-
sippi in Gulfport and had an
office at a local hospital which
was closed for reconstruction
prior to the storm.
Throughout her two-week stay,
Wilbum aided approximately 20
to 25 people in filing federal
assistance for their homes and
businesses. Many people would
North Carolinas National College Savings Program
professional business counselors,
we also served somewhat as T
personal counselors, ? said
Wilburn. oWe listened to their
stories about what they had been
through. This was an important
part of understanding both their
personal and professional loss. ?
The city of Gulfport experienced
30 to 40 foot storm surges,
spreading as much as 'six miles
inland, flooding homes and
businesses. Some structures still
have standing sections, but: many
others have nothing left at all,
oI was here in 1999 when hurri-
cane Floyd hit, so 1 knew what
- these people had been going
through, ? said Wilburn. oIt took
many months for eastern North
Carolina to recover from the
effects of the flooding as a result of
Floyd. That made me more =
emotionally attached to the
disaster in Gulfport. I was glad to
be able to return the favor after'the
help our area received six years
ago from people across the
country. ?
When New Orleans is considered
safe to enter, SBTDC volunteers
will _probably-be sent in-to do the re a
same type of work they did in
Gulfport, helping business owners
and the community reestablish
itself.
Wilburn has been with the SBTDC
since its inception in November
1985, serving most of her 20 years
This 529 plan offers:
Lan-lre CurIngs
[ leville contributions
No enrollment Lees
assessment for small and midsized _
businesses. Their purpose is to
help businesses grow and to
expand economic development in
our region. The ECU office serves
a 12-county area including =
Beaufort, Carteret, Craven,
Edgecombe, Greene, Jones, .
Lenoir, Martin, Pamlico, Pitt, .
Wayne and Wilson counties, -
The SBTDC is part of ECU Ts
Regional Development Services.
RDS is one of the university Ts
gateways through which its
considerable outreach and applied
research resources are made
available. By the use of its re-
sources and expertise of ECU
faculty and students, RDS creates
exceptional opportunities for the
community to address concerns in
eastern North Carolina,
ulfport Wilburn ? - SBTDC
Director Carolyn Wilburn waits to
help Katrina victims at a make-
shift Small Business Development
Center in Gulfport, Mississippi
which was housed in a local
hospital closed for reconstruction.
eae ame
itulations ... ? Shown above is the Bish
Tovely Wife; Mirs. Brown, their datightePalt PAs
tor Ts Anniversary that was held at the City
: (Jim, Rouse Photo)
- oIt Ts A Celebration Cong
oMt. Calvary FWB Chure » hil
Dixie at the Pas
Chairwoman Sister
Multiple investment options
Use at virtual any college, anywhere
CENC orySavings
SUOHALN A459
ae
. of North Carolina
© Ceili beads toe, (ge S04 The Orgran Cow epeen te Wath Care tet Autor Os + orem
TU Pestle bop Pome red ?,? varvtilla bedi ny hers : win Oe lay
i aa mget ad oad. |b fe! a! 004.09 oy Fos oe pre bd] 0 ites Ay
