All quotation marks retained as data.
All end-of-line hyphens have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.
All smart quotes have been converted into straight quotes.
[This text is machine generated and may contain errors.]
by CASH MICHAELS
The Wilmington us P
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II Ts hard
fought quest to become president
of the North Carolina Conference of
NAACP Branches is complete.
But now the real work begins.
The longtime civil rights activist
and pastor of Greenleaf Christian
Church in Goldsboro, elected
Saturday during a contentious
election in Greensboro - officially
took over Wednesday during a
special call meeting of the Executive
Committee. .
In an exclusive interview with The
Wilmington Journal after his victory,
Rev. Barber, anxious to move '
forward in making the organization
more effective and accountable in
the daily struggle for civil rights in
North Carolina, talked about his
gratitude, vision, and the challenges
that lie ahead.
"I have a deep sense of humility, ?
the minister, husband and father of
five said by phone from Goldsboro
Monday, obut also a deep sense of
appreciation that the people really
wanted to have an election about
issues and visions, and not just
about personalities. ?
Barber said during the campaign
and at the convention in Greens-
boro last week, he emphasized the
olongstanding values ? of the
African-American community and
the civil rights movement, like
ospeaking truth to power ? and oan
agitator being an innovator, ? and
being clear on social iustice.
He reminded all about pressing
issues like the black community Ts -
diminishing political power; failure
of the Legislature to pass the death
penalty moratorium; helping low-
wealth communities in the poorer
parts of the state; and challenging
the ultra-conservative Christian
Right as it moves forward in rolling
back the civil rights gains of the
60's.
Rev. Barber said he challenged the
NAACP membership not to be
content with only 15,000 statewide
in their ranks, when there are 2.1
million black eligible registered to
vote.
oWhen people responded to that,
that was quite appreciated and
moving. They let folk know that this
was bigger than a personality, but a
joining [to go forward], ? he said.
Rev. Barber now wants to return
the State NAACP back to its roots
as a ocivil rights, grassroots, social
justice organization that is not a .
behind-the-scenes organization, but
an organization that addresses the
relevant issues of our day forth-
rightly, upfront, out in the open, and
calls for substantive policy changes
in those areas of racism, discrimina-
tion and economic injustice. ?
oWe're not a social service
organization; we're a civil rights and
social justice organization. We're
not just a banqueting and meeting-
once-a-year organization, but truly
we are on the pulse of issues. we
face today, ? Barber added.
oWe've got to take back our moral
ground, and folk have to under-
stand clearly that we are not in the
pocket of anyone. At the NAACP,
we have our own agenda - the call
for equal opportunity, fairness and
justice. ?
Administratively, Rev. Barber said
his first priority is to obring stability
to our financial state, ? reviewing the
state chapter's financial books and
making sure that full accountability
is in place, Barber also wants to
reenergize many of the inactive
branches across the state by
visiting them and getting them
involved with his new vision over
the next 18 months.
And there will be a concerted
effort to empower young people by
bringing more in to the NAACP. and
having them learn and earn the
responsibility of leadership in
bringing about social change.
f
"I want friend and foe to know just
where the NAACP stands, ? Rey.
Barber said.
Those who T ve known and worked
with Rev. Barber over the years say
he Ts the right man to lead the state
NAACP now, as critical issues
affecting the African-American
community seem to increase.
oWe can see the rebirth of a
progressive movement of some
consequence in North Carolina, ?
former NC House Speaker Dan Blue
of Wake County told The
Wilmington Journal this week.
o[Rev. Barber] brings integrity,
credibility and tremendous intellec-
tual skills. ?
Professor Irving Joyner of North
Carolina Central University Ts School
of Law, agrees.
oT think a whole lot of Bill Barber, ?
Prof. Joyner told The Journal
Tuesday. oHe has certainly the
background and capabilities to lead
the NAACP, but he [also] has the
heart. He is certainly a very spiritual
person, and he Ts on a mission. I Tve
known him for years, and he Ts
always been on that mission. He will
help the NAACP, because their
missions are similar. ?
Joyner continued that the State
NAACP ohas to be an activist
organization; an organization that
goes to the people, [and] focused
on the rights, economic and
educational well-being of the least
of these. ?
"Rev. Barber has those goals as a
basis for everything that he does. ?
But the long road to leadership for
the young pastor, was rough.
Barber, 42, beat out long time
incumbent Melvin oSkip ? Alston
last weekend during the State
NAACP Convention in Greensboro.
Alston, who is on the national
NAACP Board, in addition to being
a Greensboro businessman and a
controversial Guilford County
commissioner, had been in office
since 1996, but hadn Tt faced any
real opposition in four years.
Rank-and-file NAACP members had
become wary of Alston Ts insider,
backroom style of leadership,
fearing that the state chapter had
lost its leverage on, and influence
with, state lawmakers on public
policy of African-American con-
cern,
For instance NAACP Legislative
Lobbying Day " when members
from across the state would come to
the General Assembly by busloads
to push for important measures "
was traditionally scheduled in the
middle or towards the end of the
legislative session. Too late, many
observers say, to have an impact on
the process,
There was high profile infighting,
with Alston trying to get respected
civil rights activist Carolyn Coleman
kicked off the national board when
she opposed some of his actions.
Alston even got former Durham
Chapter President Min. Curtis
Gatewood, once a rival and adver-
sary for his position, suspended.
Ironically, Coleman has now been
. lected First Vice President of the
NC NAACP, while Gatewood was
elected Second Vice President.
To the chagrin of members, Alston
allowed the chairman of the state
chapter Ts Political Action Committee
~ former Third Vice President,
Winfall Mayor Fred Yates «to bea
part of Democrat Erskine Bowles T
2003 US Senate campaign, raising
ethical questions
More questions were raised when,
in a March 23, 2005 letter, Yates was
cited by State Auditor Les Merritt
with allegedly receiving duplicate
travel reimbursements from both his
town and the Rural Economic
Development Center, Inc., which is
illegal.
The state auditor recommended that
Mayor Yates be charged with
obtaining property under false
pretenses, and three counts of
embezzlement because he is a public
official.
* But the incident that caused many
both in and out of the NAACP to
- question Alston Ts integrity was
when he, along with Yates, allegedly |
lobbied state lawmakers on behalf
of the payday lending industry, in
direct defiance of the national
NAACP Ts opposition to the
industry, and in direct contradiction
to his own pronounced opposition
to it, documented in a 2001 op-ed
piece published in the News &
-, Record,
To this day, Alston, 48, denies he
lobbied for the payday lending
industry.
When e-mail correspondence
between Alston and NAACP Board
Chair Julian Bond - first and
exclusively published by The
Wilmington Journal and The
Carolinian newspapers " made
public Alston Ts refusal to comply
with Bond Ts insistence that he stop,
many NAACP members across the
state said they had seen enough.
"Alston has a cloud of controversy
surrounding him from his seat on
the Guilford County [Commission
Board] to the payday lending
Complimentary isa ay
Please Take ORS
COSHAAUGE Ee, | --
a)
33
ak
ob
m
"\
Sc
Piece, ? wrote blogger Curmilus
oThe Political Agitator ? Dancy II
before the election.
When challenged by Rev. Barber
for the presidency last July, Alston
told the Greensboro News & "
Record that he was osurprised ? to
have been opposed for reelection.
He refused to debate Barber on their
different approaches to leadership,
Saying he didn Tt feel he had to.
Just weeks before the election,
. Various sources confirmed that
Alston allegedly had both the
_ Greensboro and Durham chapters
select their voting delegates to the
convention in Executive Committee,
48 Opposed to having the general
membership of each branch elect
the delegates, as the NAACP
bylaws reportedly require. _ -
Curmilus Dancy II, an NAACP
member from Edgecombe.County,
|} wrote about this in his blog:
?The problem with the Greensboro
Branch was when they had their
monthly meeting to elect their
delegates, they went into closed
session and elected their delegates
and they were supposed to be done |
in open session. Iwas aware of this
the same night it happened last
month because I was questioned
how the process worked and I told
them. The sad part is a letter came
from the State stating how the
delegates should be chosen and
also it is in the Constitution. The
other sad partis that, Skip, was at. the
meeting and allowed the mess to
happen even after he was ques-
tioned. The NAACP T ers in Greens-
boro ought to be mad as hell and
they ought to go to the next branch
regular monthly meeting and let
Gladys and Skip have it because
they knew better and was willing to
bring embarrassment to the conven-
tion in order to try to get
themselves elected instead of doing
what was right. ?
At the four-day convention in
Greensboro there was confusion.
Supporters of Alston circulated
flyers portraying Rev. Barber as
being a Bush supporter. The flyers
FEW NON-BLACKS ATTEND
MILLIONS MORE MOVEMENT
by Kristina A. Maury
October 17, 2005
Despite Minister Louis
Farrakhan Ts goal of reaching out
and uniting with Latinos, Asians
and Native Americans, only a few
non-Black faces dotted the crowd
at the Millions More Movement.
Yet, those few who attended did so
because they felt Farrakhan Ts call
for unity was necessary in order to
overcome hardships and make
America a stronger nation.
Not only was this event more
diverse than the Million Man
March, including gay rights
activists, a large number of non-
Muslims, women and children, but
this year Ts event definitely had
more of an international flair. This
was evident in many aspects of the
movement. Performer Wyclef Jean
rapped two verses in French and
Spanish; American Indian leader
Russell Means delivered a speech;
and Ricardo Alarcon, the speaker
of the Cuban National Assembly,
addressed the crowd in a video
message, Not to mention that, the
official Millions More Movement
website is available in Spanish as
well. In his long-awaited speech,
Farrakhan said, oThe time has
never been more right for a
strategic relationship between the
Black, brown, Native American and
poor. ? Farrakhan also spoke of
uniting with other ethnic groups
and expressed his belief that there
is power in numbers. oThink about
40 million Black people united; 45
million Latinos united; 4 or 5
million Native Americans united;
think about poor folk united. Think
about the impact that we will
have, ? he said.
The poor, disadvantaged and
oppressed were one in the same at
the event on Saturday. Jose
Gonzalez, 27, and his brother Steve
Gonzalez, 25, traveled from New
Jersey to attend the Millions More
Movement. The Gonzalez brothers,
who are Puerto Rican, attended for
humerous reasons. Despite how
the U.S government and leaders
may appear to non-Americans,
Jose expressed his belief that othe
poor people of the world are going
to see we are united. ? In his
opinion, the Black and Latino
community are one His brother,
Steve, added, oThis is no longer a
Black and white thing, but a class
thing. ? Kevin Shaknazarian, 25,
from Los Angeles, is an Armenian
originally from the Soviet Union.
Shaknazarian said that it was
important for people to come out,
regardless of their circumstance.
oYou don Tt get a real sense of this
unless you are here, ? he said.
Shaknazarian said that being
Armenian, he can relate with the
struggles of life as well. In his
opinion, the event was universal.
He stressed that humans are not
too different from one another. oOf
the billions of'people on earth, 94,
percent of us want the/same thing:
4
4
*
Peace, prosperity and a home of
their own, ? he said.
Raphael Perrino, 20, and his father
also attended the eyerit: The
Perrinos are Italians from Virginia.
Raphael is a member of the Neo-
Underground Railroad Conductors,
a group that stresses the impor-
tance of unity.
oI believe fervently that Martin
Luther King Ts movement was
essential but I also believe the
Black power movement that _
occurred afterwards was essen-
tial, ? he said.» ° Raphael stated _,
that he thinks that King Ts move-
ment was more of a damage control
a8 Opposed to Farrakhan Ts = T
movement, which he believes is
disaster relief. oTo have disaster
relief you have to have justice, you, :
have to have unity, you have to
have power and that Ts what |
believe Farrakhan is about and
that Ts why I am here today, ? he
sa .
Although the vast majority of
individuals in the crowd were
Black, the attendants who were of
other ethnicities were just as
enthusiastic and passionate as the
majority.
oI am here watching the work of
Jesus, ? said Jose Gonzalez. oThis
is an amazing event you're
witnessing, It Ts really a cry out for
peace. ?
rity Communities Since
governing the election were
_ indicated that oBlack Democrats ?
were responsible.
Votes were thrown out, sources
that were there say. Tricks were
pulled, 37 delegates were disquali- ©
fied, and longstanding rules ©
changed. . .: ,
In the end, once the balloting was
complete, Rev. Barber womby a
comfortable margi |
| The Py Iso gave Barber |
new officegs, ©
In addition to Coleman and
Gatewood, Michael Leach and Ron
White were elected third and fourth
vice presidents respectively,
After he lost Saturday night, Alston
again expressed osurprise ? that he
didn Tt win, but promised t®. ...do
whatever I can to. make Tsure the
organization succeeds. ?
Hopefully that méans smoothing "
the path for Rev, Barber with those
Alston supporters. whd may decide
to make the next two years difficult
"for the new NAACP president, |
observers say.
oT think he needs to go directly to
the people, ? Prof. Joyner said. oThe
people make up the NAACP. .. and
they want their leaders to come to
them to work with them to deal with
the issues and concerns at the local
level. As long as he is grounded in
the local chapters, and is actively
_ working for and with those groups,
[Barber Ts opposition] may make it
difficult fordim, butultimately he
will succeed. ?
oHe ought to reach out and have
an inclusive organization, but stay |
true to his principles, ? advises
former Speaker Blue, oand that Ts
putting in place a program that Ts
going to advance the cause of
freedom and justice throughout this
State. ?
Anyone who is not totally
_ committed to that proposition, he
ought to just go around, and not T
have in critical, strategic positions. ?
Blue adds that under Barber, the
State NAACP can now obe the
catalyst ? with other progressive
organizations to develop a joint
agenda othat really can have some
impact on the overall quality of life
in this state. ?
oHe Ts certainly in the right place,
at the right time, ? Prof. Joyner adds,
oand is the right leader for the
NAACP at this point. ?
Pictured above .. .
Princeville Ts, Mayor Oastes and
Vernon B, Parker who was the
keynote speaker for the
Princeville Survivor Day
Festivities. Vernon Parker is the
Assistant Secretary for Civil
Rights United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture
file photo
K4raqi7 4
ByGeogeE Cary
A listener Sent an e-mail last week
to Diane Rehm, the host of a
Pepi program on WAMU, a
ton, D.C. speculating on what the
fallout w be if a prominent
Goan were 80 gest that if
George W. Bush
aborted,
not be engaged in a war in Iraq,
Of course, Rush Limbaugh and
other conservative talk show
hosts would morph intogpoplexy.
*t6 strap down
They would have'té strap
_ 95 percent of the staff at the Fox
' News and Pat Robertson might .
assassinating the
© would utter such a
: even p
Two recent headliries illuminate
the depths of corruption being
promulgated by Republican lead-
ship.
First, former Drug Czar William
Bennett created a stir when he
theoretically suggested on his ra-
dio program that the genocide of
all African Americans would de-
crease the crime rate in America.
» and even more spurious
considering his position, was
news that House Majority mer
Tom Delay was indicted for illicit
use of campaign fuhds.
-With each branch of the Federal
government dominated by the
GOP the arrogance of power has
begun to show that these self-pro-
claimed progenitors of American
values are villains masqueradipg
as heroes.
When his indictments became
public Delay immediately de-
nounced them as partisan politi-
cal vendettas. Similarly, Bennett
has remained defiant, exclaiming
at every opportunity that his
words were taken out of context
and should not be retracted.
The decline of great nations usu-
ally occurs when corrosive inter-
nal factors lead to a weakened in-
frastructure, which devolves into
anarchy. A frail government
leaves a nation ripe for its exter-
nal enemies to conquer. While
America is still an infant when
compared to former world leaders
like Rome and the British Empire,
our current leadership is suffer-
ing from the same ineptness that
those former superpow-
ers.
Chief among these factors is the
hubris displayed by Republican
leaders who pontificate daily on
morality while leading sordid
double lives as thieves and adul-
terers.
While few Americans will argue
that Bill Clinton's presidency was
not economically profitable for
the entire nation, his Administra-
First Person
By Stephanie Lambert
Outlook Writer
Just two weeks ago I received in-
struction to cover the Millions
Movement for the Capital
Outlook. I knew that this assign-
ment would be huge, but I never
realized how immense the j
of the actual event would be on
life.
The trip itself was a long ride. |
someone saying, oit
doesn't matter how we get there,
as long as we get there ? and that
kept me motivated.
The group that I attended this
event wi
was amazing. There
for his comment. National Review
Online columnist AndrewC,
McCarthy deplored what he called
oa shameful effort to paint him "
[Bennett] as a racist. He Ts about as
bigoted as Santa Claus. ?"
Conservative officeholders, for the
most part, issued only perfunctory
rebukes of Bennett. .
Using almost identical language,
both a spokesman for President ©
Bush and Republican National
Committee Chairman Ken Mehiman
said it was onot appropriate ? or that
it Was oinappropriate ? when
referring to Bennett Ts comments.
Even if one accepts Bennett's
ohypothetical ? assertion that if all
Black babies were aborted, there
would be a decline in the crime rate,
that would still would not provide a
complete picture of what life would
be like without Blacks. ,
If all African-American babies had
been aborted, Whites might be
crashing into one another at
intersections. Garrett Morgan, a T
Black man, invented the first traffic
hypocrisy
tion was castigated for a number of
scandals, many resulting from his
personal frailties. Conservative talk
radio rose to prominence by criticiz-
ing Clinton Ts alleged roles in the
Whitewater scandal and Travelgate.
Conservatives desperately tried to
link Clinton Ts friend and Administra-
tion official Vincent Foster Ts suicide
to the then President.
As the Monica Lewinsky affair sur-
faced and the impeachment proceed-
ings ensued against the president, .
some Democrats went into hiding as
Republicans began their moral offen-
sive. Further complicating matters
was that the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a
former Democrat candidate for presi-
dent and Clinton spiritual advisor,
often counseled the President while
accompanied with his young par-
amour who was pregnant with his
child.
While Clinton was able to survive
impeachment, Republicans were able
to capitalize on the Lewinsky scan-
dal as most Americans disapproved
of the then president's personal be-
havior.
In 2000, George Bush was able to ob-
tain the votes of a number of former
Clinton supporters who felt that the
Democratic Party was out of touch
with morality. The GOP further capi-
talized on this factor in both the 2002
and 2004 elections by continuing to
cast democrats as hedonists who ad-
vocate abortion and support gay
marriage.
Now, we fully understand that Re-
publican leaders, too, often lack in
moral fiber. Even worse, the GOP lead-
ership is helmed by a number of
hypocrites whose personal conduct
is in Opposition to their public
stances. 9.
During the Lewinsky affair we
learned that chief Clinton persecu-
tor Newt Gingrich carried on an illicit
affair while his wife was dying from
cancer. We have also learned that
conservative commentator Rush
Limbaugh, who routinely criticized
crack addicts on his radio program,
is currently facing prison time for iJ.
arly 1990 Ts after gu
As such, it is not s
signal. If the men survived the
_ A self-described family values "
traffic, they might not have sur- son, Bentiett couldn Tt imagine
vived World War I. Morgan also life without the baby buggy.
invented'the gas mask, which saved Without the life of
V.H.
many lives in the war and today » Richardson, an African-American,
protects firemen and other emer-
gency workers. _
In Bill Bennett Ts world, even more
people might be dying from heart
attacks. Dr. Daniel Hale Williams.'an
first open heart surgery in 1893.
Bennett would certainly be tired of
walking up and down steps.
Without Alexander Miles, the Black
inventor of the elevator, that Ts what
Americans would be left with. And
if they didn Tt tire from climbing the
Steps, they might get tired of
shifting gears in their automotive
vehicles. Another Black man,
Richard Spikes, invented the
automatic gearshift. ==.
Of course, an automatic gearshift
wouldn Tt do them any good if they
didn Tt have the spark plugs "
invented by Edmond Berger; an
African-American " under the hood.
LOADS TO LIFT
By Chuck Hobbs
GOP leadership leaves strong scent of |
legally obtaining Prescription pain-
killers. .
In regards to Representative Delay,
we first learned of his hypocritical
nature last year when he was at the
forefront of the tort reform move-
ment to limit malpractice suits
against medical doctors.
Reports surfaced that both Delay
and his family had received a sub-
stantial financial settlement in the
medicat doctors for: wrongful death.
prising that a
man who preaches law, order and
morality is currently facing hard time
for conspiring with two political as-
sociates to funnel $155,000 in illegal
Corporate campaign contributions
into Texas legislative races, Delay
has also been indicted for money
laundering and facers life in prison.
Similarly, William Bennett has made
millions of dollars since leaving gov-
ernment as a conservative advocate
for morality.
He has long been a favorite of the
right to life movement for his ardent
Opposition to abortion. Surprisingly,
his recent comment was that oIf you
wanted to reduce crime, you could
" if that were your sole purpose -
you could abort évery black baby in
this country and your crime rate
would go down. ?
Bennett went on to say, oThat
would be an impossibly ridiculous
and morally reprehensible thing to
do, but your crime rate would go
down ?. Bennett has since tried to
characterize his comments as a hy-
pothetical. His theory, however, is
as vile'as any proffered by Heinrich
Himmler, Adolph Eichmann and
other Nazi war criminals responsible
for the Holocaust. President Bush,
through his Press Secretary Scott
McClellan, stated that he found
Bennett's comments inappropriate.
This stops far too short of the seri-
ous 9 ndemnation that such a
As we approach the 2006 midterm
elections the GOP may lose its firm
One in a million
was @ woman and her two
daughters whose relation-
ship was so loving and open:
two female students from
Florida A&M University who
desired spiritual guidance
and self motivation; two men
that had constant intellectual
debates on spiritual issues:
a mother, with her 3-year-old
daughter, with much knowl-
edge and wisdom and a
young man from FAMU, who
* was extremely passionate
yr piarsomrae
was y 4 Spee
_ the night before the event, |
- Was Nervous, yet anxious.
Scaréd, yet fearless. Hon-
ored,/yet with a feeling of
unwortliiness to be in the
saa greats.
would be sf in a place
where } King Jr.
- Stood, where the Rev, Jesse
Jackson spoke and where
Minister Louis Farrakhan
taught. I would be there.
The day of the actual gath-
ering, | was ready. As |
stepped onto the lawn of the
White House, the overall
spirit was positive and pure.
Blacks, Latinos, youth, eld-
erly, Christians, Muslims,
mothers, fathers, children,
they were all in attendance.
So many people coming to-
gether for one common
cause, It was simply beauti-
ful.
Being a young woman from
Panama City I haven't seen
too many celebrities in my
lifetime, and I was Originally
star struck at this event.
After I saw and spoke with
rapper Jim Jones of the Dip-
omy and ra syns ik
called m r almost.in-
stantly, oMama
I just met! ?
Ee w.
FS... ? government as we know it in
meeting the needs of the poor, the _
Bennett wouldn't have to imagine
that kind of life ~ he would be
experiencing it.
ife at home wouldn Tt be as
pleasurable without the air condi-
air conditioning would be bad _
enough, but to live without a
refrigerator would be even worse.
And that Ts what Bennett would be
doing if J. Standard, an African-
American, had been aborted.
If Bennett wanted to flee a burning
apartment building, he would have
to jump and take his chances. If
Blacks hadn Tt been born, J. W.
Winters would not have developed
~~ the fire escape ladder. &
Cutting the grass would be more'of.
a chore, too. Bennett migh
utilize sling blades instead of usi
the lawn mower invented by L.A. *
So many Americans have been
preoccupied with the war in Iraq,
the war on terrorism and their
struggles to hold on to or get a job
in this period. of economic
downturn, that they are unaware of
the other war underway that will
affect everybody living in America
for decades to come.
It is the Bush administration Ts and
Congress T radical war on poor
children and working families, which
will dismantle the role of
young, the disabled, and working
families.
It is an unprecedented, across-the-
board assault, which seeks to starve
the federal government of resources
to meet our children Ts needs.
Providing massive tax cuts to the
Tich in 2001 and 2003 while
dismantling child investments like
Head Start, health care, child care,
and education will leave millions of
children behind.
Tax cuts are reckless
And the reckless tax cuts enacted
by Congress in 2003 and signed by
President Bush last month amidst
economic downturn and growing
deficits will provide nothing to
millions of families, including a
majority of black and Latino
children, However, these children
will disproportionately suffer from
callous and huge budget cuts and
freezes,
The most egregious tip of the huge
icebetg of unjust budget priorities
occurred in the child tax credit
Provisions of the 2003 Bush tax cut
bill. In the $350 billion tax cut bill,
rage
toning unit invented by Frederick
M. Jones, a Black man. Life without
Burr, an African-American.
ti« s Pp
Black America
An educated person such as
William Bennett can appreciate the
need for an Talmanac and he can
thank another African-American,
Benjamin Banneker, for that. At
some point, Bennett uses pencils.
The pencil sharpener was invented
by J. L. Love, an African-American.
Even if the erudite Bennett prefers a
fountain pen to a pencil, he would
be out of luck if it had not been for
Walter B. Purvis, the Black inventor.
From a pure entertainment perspec-
tive, cam anyone really say they .
would have enjoyed watching
professional sports without Jackie
Robinson, Jim Brown, Bill Russell,
Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson,
Tiger Woods, Althea Gibson or
Arthur Ashe? .
Even the 2000 Republican national
convention in Philadelphia would
have been souless without the
appearances of Brian McKnight,
Khan, the Temptations,
/, Harold Melvin-and the Blue Notes,
» the Delfonics and Aaron Neville, all
"h
Sey.
LA "
which will mostly benefit the
wealthiest Americans,
congressional leaders with White
House approval, eliminated a $3.5
billion provision to immediately
extend the child tax credit to 12
million low-income children in hard
working civilian and military
families. :
In an unjust, callous last-minute act,
help to families with incomes
between $10,500 and $26,600 was
_. eliminated. Yet every millionaire will
blot get. a $93,500 tax break this year, a
After a huge public outcry, this
flagrantly unjust action was swiftly
corrected by the Senate by a vote of
94 - 2 without adding to the deficit.
The House should do the same
immediately. Yet House leaders are
putting up roadblocks and trying to
give still more tax breaks to higher °
income families by insisting ona
$82 billion bill to correct a $3.5
billion injustice,
Rather than passing the Senate bill,
House Republicans are pushing for
still more expensive new tax cuts for
high income families and trying to
bog down and deny immediate help
for low income working people who
need to pay their utility bills and put
food on the table right now.
Poor children in working families
should not be held hostage to more
political shenanigans. How can.the
House of Representatives and the
White House continue to
compound a profound injustice to
poor children by proposing a $82
billion child tax credit bill that would
give six times more child tax credit
help to higher income families than
to low-income families unjustly left
behind in the first place?
WTENTION
IDVERTIS] Rs LVDV
of whom would be have aborted
under Bennett Ts scenario. .
Finally, Bill Bennett Ts Republican _
buddies " Retired Army General "
Colin Powell, Secretary of State _
Condoleezza Rice and HUD "
Secretary Al Jackson " would not
have been'in George W. Bush Ts
administration " or any other one
~ if-they had been aborted.
William Bennett is smart enough
to know that all Blacks aren Tt
criminals. And if all Black babies
had been aborted, the nation
would have lost far more than
lawbreakers. ;
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 engage-
ment, go to his Web site,
www.georgecurry.com.
Marian Wright Edelman
Child Watch
White House biggest roadblock to justice for children
Quick action is essential to help
excluded low-income families. A
wife whose husband has been in
Iraq since Christmas is
overwhelmed with a brand new
baby as she struggles to make
ends meet. Their income of about
~ $20,000 is barely enough to pay
the bills. Yet the Bush tax cut left
her and | million other military
families behind, including 260,000
on active duty.
Crystal Smith, a 28-year old first
time.mom ywith.a \7-month old
daughter, told parents and
children participating in a stroller
parade to House Leader Tom
Delay Ts office last Wednesday
that she needs the tax credit help
to get by on her minimum wage
salary because she never wants to
go back on welfare.
I hope the White House and
congressional leaders will correct .
the gross injustice denying hard-
working families like these child
tax credit refunds while lavishing
hundreds of billions of dollars on
millionaires.
The White House and the House
of Representatives should see that
the Senate version of the child tax
credit is passed now so that
families who need help most will
get it without further enriching
families who need help least.
Marian Wright Edelman is
prestdent and founder of the
Children Ts Defense Fund whose
mission is to Leave No Child
Behind and to ensure every child
a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a
Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a
Moral Start in life and successful
passage to adulthood with the
help of caring families and
communities,
But as I listened and became more ob-
servant of the situation, I noticed with
each figure, Tavis Smiley, Come! West,
Al Sharpton, Russell Simmons,
Jadakiss, and the New Black Panther
Party, these men weren't just men with
a famous name, but were men with.so
much to say.
oI's not just a march, we are building
4 movement, ? singer Wyclef Jean said.
oI came out here to show my support,
It's great to see the sisters here too. If
there were no sisters, then there would
be no man. ?
Jackson was my favorite, He was soft
spoken, yet his words were loud. I was
so intrigued by his message and his
Overall presence that I stood there si-
lently in awe of the man standing be-
fore me. When I realized the opportu-
nity, I. gently tapped Jackson s fore-
arm.
oExcuse me Mr. Jackson. My name is
Stephanie Lambert from Tallahassee, T Farrakha
and IT was wondering if | could just
shake your hand? ? | asked timidly.
He laughed so hard | thought I saw
all of his teeth. .
oYes you may young lady, ? he said
with a smile upon his face as he
shook my hand. Even as I write this
article it brings a smile to my face
just thinking of that moment,
arrakhan Ts speech really made me
ponder issues that had never
crossed my mind, or may have never
crossed my mind if I hadn Tt attended
this movement. It was interesting
how he cloquently discussed issues
- in our society that we stand or live
by on a daily basis and never ques-
tion or discuss. He discussed equal,
ity, disparities in the black commu.
nity, the war, economics and so much
more
I witnessed the true process of in-
spiration,
oI am attending the movement to
hear the word of the Honorable Louis
uxhan and to support the cause
of bringing about unity and waking
but only had the mass 0
up the minds of the black people, ?
said Kamelah Muhammad ,a 19-
year old FAMU student.
In the end, if I were to mute all the
speeches, and erase the s akers,
- people
standing from the White House to
the Lincoln Memorial, I would have
been just as content. .
I got the Privilege to view the sea
of people on top of the oHill ?. Theld
the tears back and just embraced
the moment, It was just a blessing
to see so many of our people stand-
ing together, Preparing not just for
; better tomorrow, but a better to-
ay.
oI am here, ? | whispered. I stood
where King stood, where Jackson
spoke, where Farrakhan taught. I
was there. I was a part of history,
and I was one in nearly a million,
Stephanie Lambert is a senior im 7
tine uction student at F
ry University from Panama City,
s
a a RE See REE SIN oie ? eae
oe ER Woe eas
I was comfortably relaxing in
my home one Saturday morning
when I received a phone call from
. my cousin
who lives
i n
Durham.
She invited
me to tum
_ to Channel
40 C-Span
Book TV
to view a
roe -.
broadcast
of _ , the
Harlem
Book Fair.
She had
attended those book fairs in the past
when she lived in New York and
sounded very elated. And knowing
that I wrote for the M-Voice she
thought I would find this show
enjoyable. I watched the show
intently as Michael Eric Dyson
exchanged with bevies of black
writers as they expressed their
views about the African American
experience. One controversial book,
recently written by Dyson titled: Is
Bill Cosby Right: Or Has the Black
Middle Class Lost its Mind? began
to emerge as the focal point of
discussion.
Originally the Harlem Book Fair,
celebrating its 7th anniversary was
founded July 23rd, 1999 as an
extension of work begun by oThe
Black Book Review ? whose
founding members were advocates
for African American literature.
The first book fair, supported
by black writers, publishers;
booksellers and book buyers was
held on Harlem Ts West 125th Street.
Over 40,000 attendees from across
the U.S. meet to celebrate their love
of books, culture, education and
family was born out of African
American writers who wanted to
provide a windows into our
communities, our heritage and our
Suejette Jones
ce C
gifts. They wrote on fiction,
nonfiction, poetry, children Ts
books, health and lifestyle
management. There were writers
who also hailed from Africa and
the Caribbean " "and represented
a whole range of black
experiences. : .
Before I review Dr. Dyson Ts
book which I shall do so in my
subsequent article for the M-Voice,
I would like to share with you a
biographic overview of the writer
who has stirred so up much
controversy over it.
Michael Eric Dyson, an
ofdained 7
Baptist
minister
and
perhaps
the most
renowned =
lecturer Ee
following aS.
Cornel
West,
was
born
October | #& ;
23 , :
1958. Dyson grew up on the
ghetto streets of Detroit, Michigan,
and was a teen-age father who
lived on welfare and started college
at 21, to eventually garner a PhD
from Princeton University. Dyson
was an active youngster and early
on he developed his oratorical skills
by delivering speeches to the
members of the Baptist church he
attended. .
At school, Dyson first
discovered that he had been living a
. life of segregation. Having earned a
scholarship to a well-known and
respected boarding school in
Michigan and when everything
seemed to be falling into place,
things began to change once he
actually arrived at the school at age
16. :
All of the schools and clubs
ied but not Overcomed... The Trium
he had ever belonged to had been
made up of African Americans, and
he had had very little contact with
people of other ethnic backgrounds,
especially those with white skin. It
wasn Tt long before Dyson began to
feel uncomfortable around his
Classmates, who treated him poorly,
often wrecked his dorm room and
possessions, and used racial slurs
when referring to him. He began to
lash out against other students and
the boarding school in general, and
it was not long before he was
expelled. He returned to public high
school and graduated in 1976. His
responsibilities to his yet-unborn
eintteeen, Child led
him to
accept a
series of
jobs in
maintenance
and auto
Sales, but
he lost
h i s
just
weeks
before his
birth. Dyson was also known on
the streets as a hustler and a gang
member, and it seemed as if this
lifestyle, a style he blamed on
racism, was going to be prevalent
throughout the rest of his life.
Through everything, Dyson
centinued to attend his Baptist
church and, along with religion, he
slowly began to rediscover his love
of oratory. With the assistance of
his church pastor, he studied and
became a Baptist minister by the
time he was 21. Along with taking
on the new title came an increased
appreciation of his
responsibilities "that is to have a
better future for his eon.
After having graduated from
divinity school and having earned a
degree with high honors in 1982,
Whose City Is It Anyway???
Many Pitt County residents are
concerned about the implications of
The Daily Reflector Ts Paul Dunn Ts
August 21st cover story, oDowntown _
downturn. ? It is clear that Dunn Ts edi-
-1 oDowntown
scene not
portrayed
completely ?
puts it,
oreeks of
racism. ?
Further, Don
cdwards,
former
president of
Uptown
Greenville,
was on
point in
setting the record straight in oA dif-
ferent view of downtown. ? Still, on
October 9th, Dunn revisited the afore-
said controversy by focusing on mem-
Keith Cooper |
JLiindsey Ts |
bership policies and dress codes, ar-
guably discriminatory, of local bar
owners.
When I studied the pictures of
Dunn Ts August 21st piece, I saw-a -
bunch of black faces. Moreover,
they reminded me of a herd of bulls
gearing up for a downtown stam-
pede. An extension of this logic
~ might be that law enforcement would
use its olasso ? to control the herd.
Is this the picture Dunn intended
to paint? If so, that is a shame and
distortion of reality. Scare tactics must
not be employed to escalate or exac-
erbate racial tensions and widen the
racial divide in Pitt County. _
It was appalling that the owner
of the Cavern would state or imply
that blacks should not come over
the bridge and mingle with the white
downtown students. This is where
the black local leadership has, to
some extent, failed. Any bar owner
who makes such ignorant, insensi-
tive statements should be rebuked,
and blacks should refuse to patron-
ize that business. Moreover, on Oc-
tober 9, the Cavern Ts owner tried to
justify a wholesale exclusion of
blacks who, in his irrational think- .
ing, appeared to be thugs in ques- |
tionable attire.
All of us are God Ts children.
Franklin Roosevelt was right when,
in his Second Inaugural Address in
1937, he made the following asser-
tion: oThe test of our progress is
not whether we add more to the
abundance of those who have
much; it is whether we provide
enough for those who have too
little. ? We should look beyond race
and class and see each other as the
human beings God made us to be.
Finally, I agree with Lindsey Ts
comments about how rambunctious
white fraternity guys can be when
they drink excessively, regurgitate
on the streets, and often make fools
of themselves in public. What is
the bottom line? Let Ts fix the prob-
lem whether than stereotype.
CAN BLACKS MEET MILLIONS MORE CHALLENGE?
by CASH MICHAELS
The Wilmington Journal
Originally posted 10/21/2005
(WASHINGTON, D.C.] Almost a
week after the successful Millions
More Movement concluded,
African-Americans are now faced
with the same challenge that
confronted them in the aftermath of
1995 Ts Million Man March (MMM).
rutting preaching into prac-
tice. /
oOne of the concems that people
have raised about the MMM ten
years ago, even in our own commu-
nity, is how we follow up on the
commitments that we make today, o
North Carolina Congressman Mel
Watt, Democrat from Charlotte and
chair of the Congressional Black
Caucus, told the thousands on the
National Mall Saturday,
Though there were clear indica-
tions in 1995 that the MMM indeed
had a positive effect ~ black
adoptions went up; crime rates went
down; voter registration went up;
and more black men joined the
NAACP and other community-
based organizations ~ there was no
real infrastructure to constructively
channel and maintain that positive
action.
oThe progress that was made was
only short term, ? Dr. Joyce .
Blackwell, History Dept. chair at St.
Augustine's College, told NBC-17
News At Issue Sunday, oAnd it
could very well be because there
was no infrastructure in place in
many of the communities around
that would allow them to engage in
that kind on activist , s
Speaker after speaker at Saturday's
sergaiciall lore of the MMM
challenged African-Americans to
remember the calamity in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in
New Orleans as proof that the
government cannot be trusted to
help poor people in time of need.
Issues of poverty, crime, poor
education, economic development,
access to affordable housing and
healthcare have to be tackled now
mainly by black people themselves.
oThe government will never do for
the people of this nation unless we
organize effectively, so the burden
is on us, ? declared Movement
convener and Nation of Islam
leader Min. Louis Farrakhan in his
75-minute speech. oIf the govern-
ment is detrimental to life, detrimen-
tal to liberty, detrimental to the
pursuit of happiness, we have the
right to change government " the
right to reform it or abolish it, but
you have to decide America. ?
Farrakhan challenged the African-
American community to devise and
develop its own oministries ? or
infrastructures to address its most
pressing issues of poverty,
" education, healthcare and wealth-
building, as well as culture and
iculture.
he Muslim leader admonished
black leaders to keep their word and
commitments to the constituents
they serve, and cautioned all that
addressing the many problems that
face the community will not be
oshort or easy, ? and will call for
unity of :
oUnited we can solve our
lems, ? Farrakhan said, oand divided
we have nothing. ? "
Leaders from all strata of not only
the African-American, but Latino
and Native American communities,
spoke out on a plethora of issues "
from reparations to ending the Iraq
war to establishing a coalition-led
political party of color.
Speakers stressed the urgency of
the community to be focused, and
remain focused on solving the
problems that hold it back.
oWe're citizens, not refugees, ? Rev.
Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader, said
from the steps of the US Capitol.
oWe're survivors, not victims. We
must face disgrace with dignity, and
fight for democracy for all, not just a
few. ?
Jackson called for oMillions more ?
to go to the polls come the 2006 mid-
term Congressional races to remove
Congress from the grasps of neo-
conservative Republicans hands for
the first time in 11 years.
oWe must think globally and act
igh fod contin ved a hard
to fight for democracy in Sou
_ Africa, and then don Tt vote in South
Rev. Al Sharpton told the thousands
there that oWe come here to gas up
for a long struggle that will deal with
the empowerment and liberation of
our people all over the world. ?
Sharpton, among others, blasted
President Bush over the federal
government's slow response to
helping the black survivors of
Hurricane Katrina. But he also had
choice words for those in the black
community who question the need for
activism. i
oSome of us will sit back and talk
about, Should we march? T But others
of us will do the work. If you don Tt
want to march, sit down. If you're
scared, say that, sit down and shut
up, and let those of us who are not
scared come to Washington and say
what needs to be said, ?
oThis is no time for bowing and
scrapping. This is no time for buck
dancin T and genuflecting. Our people
are dying in Iraq or being drowned in
New 8, and you're sittin T
around somewhere scared to show
up? We'll show up, and go home and
organize, and we will in this...
country... around, ? Sharpton said.
Dyson began to take up another of
his talents " freelance journalism.
He wanted to improve his writing,
but it was also a way for him to
raise money to help his younger
brother who had gone to prison in
the early 1980s for second-degree
murder. He worked for numerous
magazines and newspapers, his
specialty being African American
popular culture and music. Three
years later he went on to receive a
masters T and doctoral degrees at
Princeton University while
simultaneously teaching there. _
Dyson furthered his study into
Page 3 The Minority Voice Newsps
| Because vé
| Happens to Black A
or. -
umphs of Michael Eric
at the University of North Carolina,
between 1995 and 1997, where he
was a professor of communication
Studies and head of the Institute for
African American research, he
offered a class on the effects of
gangsta rap on societal values,
Particularly within the African
American community. The class was
an Overwhelming success and
Students fought to get in during
every semester. While serving as a
visiting professor at Columbia
University, he continues his trend of
£angsta rap with different facets of
life, indulging religion, family and,
| AWARE OF ThE |
Wi iS 00,8
the world of rap and wrote a book,
oBetween God and Gangsta Rap ?
in 1996 in which his purpose was
to put gangsta rap in its cultural and
social perspectives. While teaching
By Susie Clemons
~ Greenville, NC
D od ne As r
ject venl
Subject to Unevenly
Weighted Standards?
Who in the world would
"have thought a well know person,
in the Greenville judicial arena,
would have had the audacity to
conclude that a certain African
America male someone appearing
before him a othug ? based on
appearances alone, Mr. Duke?
Who would have thought
that a well known person in the
sports hierarchy, namely basketball,
would suddenly mandate a more
orderly dress code having allowed
the current state of anything goes
oBling, Bling ? groupies and Nike
foot wear years of sovereignty, Mr.
Stern?
Perhaps neither Mr. Stern
nor Mr. Duke is aware of the otrickle
down theory or TDT. ? The TDT is
what happens to all of material life
as we live it. For example, if a
mansion is not within your means
you'll just have to settle for a
gussied up shot gun house or
trailer. If you can Tt afford a Coco
Chanel Suit, you buy the closest
similar at JC Penny Ts; no Bentley,
then a Mercedes, no Lexus then a
Camry and so on. Each example has
in common a trend that starts with
top dollar spending ending with
options for those with the least.
The rich, the creative, the evil and
the greedy set trends. The ques-
tion: Have dress codes gone astray
or are they subject to weighted
standards?
That in mind, where was
the moral eye of the judicial gravel
or sports commission when movie
icon James Dean, so named oRebel
Without a Cause, ? who with his
dangerously over the edge persona
- of extra oily hair, white tee-shirt, lug
soles shoes, a black leather bomber
and dark eyes, looked every bit the
part of a troubled othug ? about to
get into more trouble- yet he was
the rage of Hollywood, trickle down
fashion and impressionable minds
of the 60's? .
Too bad Mr. Deans T
troublesome appearance was not
, Caught in time by either Mr. Duke or
Mr. Stern; he still might be appear-
ing on the silver screen, rather than
resting six feet under.
oif PoUUNTERS ARe AT LEAST
AIS AMINO SANE ANGE Oy ora
ippens to
America
wit Btls oe
Dyson
quotes: oI don Tt have an earring in
my nose or ear. I don Tt have my
hair combed back in a ponytail, or
rough-hewn. I look like an insider.
But there Ts a whole lot of Negroes
inside of me. And when I get in
somewhere, I let them out ?
Note: Dyson . Dr. Cornel West,
a renowned theologian, activist, and
prolific author (aforementioned in
the above article) who is currently
a Professor in Humanities at the:
University of Pennsylvania in
T Religious and African Studiescame
came to Greenville in 2003 at the
invitation of Nell Lewis to speak at
to many people Ts surprise, literature
and poetry.
Reflecting on his current
position as a man of letters and
sought-after commentator, Dyson
East Carolina University.
My next article will entail a
critical review of Dyson Ts book: Is
Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black
Middle Class Lost Its Mind
Respectfully submitted : Suejette A. Jones
Educated at Rutgers and
Columbia University Mr. David "
Stern has done well, first working as
a lawyer representing the NBA and
since 1984 as NBA Commissioner.
On an interesting note ball players
Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon,
Charles Barkley and
entered the NBA the same year that
Mr. Stern became the leagues 4"
commissioner.
It was also during this .
time that Mr. Stern realized a new
profit on the mega endorsements of
Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and
Magic Johnson and also no fewer
than thirty franchise deals. Where
was the dress code then?
Moreover, if the dress
code means as much to Mr. Stern,
why not kill the soft salary cap that
allows the escalation of player
salaries, and pay a wage of lets say
$35,000 a year? That salary would
reduce NBA player status from
entertainer to blue collar. Also, little
is said about scantily clad NBA
cheerleaders- then again, they T re
the little honey Ts of courtside
suggestive fantasy who can do no
wrong.
Some of what female teens call
fashion, and wear in public, looks
straight off the ohoochie ? cheer-
leader rack. But then a majority of
professional cheerledders are not
Black females are they?
Mr. Sterns T newest action
is not only questionable but
perhaps peppered with guilt. It in
the aftermath of pocketed profits -
enough for several Stern genera-
tions - while school administrators
have struggled incessantly with
questionable classroom attire.
Parents - poor, rich, Black, White
and Hispanic and the countless
others - have suffered now for more
than a decade at bullet ridden youth
who desired to wear the latest
official NBA wear that for years has
been the praise of Stern; yet, now
makes a man raised in the finest of
Jewish households cry foul.
Similarly, Mr. Duke
appears to have found his con-
sciousness after far too many
African American male youth in
Greenville have lost their lives
because of thé garment(s) they
chose to wear or because of the
corners from which they choose to
fraternize, shoot fake hoops or find
a car in which to joy ride.
Imagine the difference Mr.
Duke could have made when he first
took bench, in Pitt County, had that
concern been his platform for
community service. Now throwing
attorney, Mr, Roddy Brown, in the
slammer on that pretext Dukes T
personal appeal would have
skyrocketed, not withered as some
report it as standing, sadly.
Dress Code Gone Astray
The flip side of this
argument is that the rearing of any
child; stil! living in his patents T
household, rest squarely upon the
parent. It Ts a pretty lame excuse for
any parent to say they have no
control over how his or her child
dresses, such that they cannot
control the buying habits of the
rich.
That being the case, Mr.
Stern needs to reconsider his latest
move. If for no other reason,
sporting is a sweaty job and it
appears somewhat twisted to dress
up to enter the gym, dress out
upon arrival, shower before leaving,
only to dress up again. Moreover,
he was father goose throughout
this change in status from ball
player to Entertainer!
But the approval rating for
both Stern and Duke can be
redeemed. They need only click
their heels three times, close their
eyes and pray...
Dear Lord, as soon as I get
over the fact that a good many T
White youth and adults, me
included, love the African American
culture for its strong beautiful
women, its intelligent men, its
energized youth, its food, its love,
its laughter, its movement, its
melody, its life, its creativity, its
imperfection " like mine - the sooner
we can all get along. Lord one more
thing, help me correct those
standards of the land that are
unduly weighted towards some
more than others. Amen.
| Susie Clemons is a
freelance writer email comments to:
opinionsandtalk @ yahoo.com
The
Minority Voice
ewspaper
is Published by
The sere Voice, Inc.
Jim Rouse
Publisher/Founder
Michael Adams
Operations Manager/Story Editor
Staff Writers
Susie Clemons
Suejette Jones
Home Office
405 Evans St.
P.O. Box 8361 Greenville,
NC 27835 Phone: (252) 757-
0365 Fax: (252) 757-1793
mvoicenews@ yahoo.com
The Minority Voice is
Owned & Operated by
| Jim Rouse Communications,
dba
woow Radio Greenville NC.
Wm. Clark: Gen. Mgr. and
W Radio, Washington, NC.
Our Nene Rates Are A
odest ear or
$20/Half Year
ae oe ee T ; ee x aps
ee ee Rr Pot wok ee i we
teen cs ei e ee
' versity in Durham, N
: Carolina,
Judge Fitch completed both his un-
dergraduate degree and in 1972 his
Jurist Doctorate. .
These days Judge Fitch can be
found in service to those seeking fair-
ness and competence within the Su-
perior Court Room over which he
resides, His sa position of election
following the Wilson and Edgecombe
County bench vacancy of Congress-
man G.K. Butterfield.
A ing successes have been
no stranger to this odown home guy ?
called a gentle giant by some, who
following earlier days spent in civil
rights marches and voting protests
between the Durham, NC and east-
em North Carolina corridor, he would
go on to form a distinguished law
practice, located in nearby Wilson,
_ NC, spend nearly two decades, from
1985 until 2001, as a North Carolina
State House Representative - one of
those years as House Majority Whip
another as House majority leader and
yet another as deputy house minor-
ity leader, as well as serve on numer-
ous law making legislative commit-
tees and panels, including ongoing
membership in the Legislative Black
Caucus.
Even with these triumphant vic-
tories, Judge Fitch solemnly ac-
knowledged that the greatest chal-
lenge of his political and legal career
has been his involvement in the draw-
ing of Congressional and Legislative
seats that would allow African
Americans an opportunity to elect the
candidates of their choice, an oppor-
tunity for those candidates to have
real Legislative as well as Congres-
sional delegation possibilities, he said.
Recall the Shaw vs. Reno case
of 1993, in its settlement the US De-
partment of Justice mandated Ma-
jority - Minority voting districts in
North Carolina. It is the drawing of
these T districts, however, hailed by
some as gerrymandering at the time,
that allowed former Congress
woman Eva Clayton (first district)
and Congressman Mel Watts (twelfth
district) the opportunity to Represent
African Americans and other minori-
ties in Washington, D.C.
That in mind, Judge Fitch agrees
that section 5, of the 1965 (VRA),
must continue to be written in the
democratic way
ever be afraid of ev-
erybody having a seat at the table-
yet we constantly want to put stum-
bling blocks in peoples to limit them
in their opportunity to vote.
ing Rights Act of 1965 is permanent,
Several of its provisions will again re-
Those provisions or sections are 5,
203, 6 and 9; and as with their prior
years of renewal, 1970, 1975 and
1982, discourse surrounding the ex-
ploitation of section 5 voter discrimi-
nation laws at local and state levels
persists.
There is an ever increasing de-
gree of furor concerning the-weak-
foundational ij ae
ened state of
in the Black Community, specifically
the [Black] Church, the family, and
Americans, have some difficult days:
ahead, said Judge Fitch. We've lost
our sense of family and community
togetherness. The [Black] Church
has not done what it was suppose to
or could do. When I grew up we
had extended family, which was the
next door neighbor. The absence of.
a strong community is by and largely
responsible for the disproportio:
number of Black males aged 14 and
transitioning in and out of the judicial
system and correctional facilities,
according to Judge Fitch. .
oAlso, as far as schooling is con-
cerned, the main ingredient that is
missing is a sense of community, For
example, you go toa community such
as Durhirn, Greensboro and you find
that Hillside, Dudley [schools] are still
in place and unchanged even through
times of turbulence. So there is a
continuity of history and heritage that
you are able to pass on, not just from
a community standpoint, but from
family to generations that gives you
some continuity. I find that those com-
munities, in my mind, are more for-
ward thinking. ?
Conversely in African American
communities the opposite has hap-
pened, the continuation of heritage
and tradition has all but been lost and
the community has obviously suf-
fered from the lack of it, Judge Fitch
noted. And that Ts the change we and
others are now observing. Some said
integration did it. Integration, as set
out by the courts - was never to in-
tegrate, rather it was to desegregate
- the word was coined that said inte-
grate and integrate meant a one way
street. Sure we've pro; but
we have not truly adapted to it, said
Judge Fitch.
It Ts anyone Ts guess as to why
African American communities are
lacking when it comes to being uni-
fied on all fronts. For Judge Fitch,
criticism of the disconnect that Afri-
can American communities experi-
ence is, at least in part, an inevitable
fallout considering the fragile reality
of our present bond. Judge Fitch
added, we must stabilize our history,
our family and our communities - our
survival depends on it.
Our destinies are still very much
entwined together, he said, but there
are still those of us who feel now
that they have a job, they have status
and that they're better off than some-
body else. We must realize tliat none
of us rise until all of us rise, until we
are able to understand that [lesson]
we're going to continue to have prob-
lems, he added.
But these are times that repeat
themselves, even in Slavery you had
available. It would have revealed Black
"
one p being pitted against the
other you callitaouse veroes the ile,
you call it whatever you want, Judge
Fitch added recalling the horrors of
ferring to the theory
slavery. Then ref a
of the Willie Lynch speech to Ameri
can slave owners in the 1890's to
maximize control over slaves, Judge
White money controls Black politics
by ALTON H. MADDOX JR.
Special to the AmNews
Originally posted 10/19/2005»
I doubt if any civil rights worker would
have put his or her life on the line forty
years ago if a crystal ball had been
have also been informed that the
condition of Blacks would get progres-
sively worse as more Blacks were
elected to political office.
Forty years after the Voting Rights Act
of 1965, no discussion is occurring in
the Black community about the impact
of politics on our economic and political
connect the dots and think outside the
box. Critical thinking and analysis,
Prior to the Voting Rights Act of 1965,
the Supreme Court announced the one
person, one vote principle. The
Dumberton Oaks Conference in 1944
sought to commit the one state, one
vote principle to a proposed United
Nations, It is now enshrined in Article
18 of the United Nations Charter.
This principle of international law is
intended to ensure political equality
among voters. Money has the effect, if
not the intent, of undermining this
Constitutional design. Putting money in
politics is like putting a fox in a chicken
coop. The fox wins every time.
This is one of the reasons why Dr.
Martin L.. King, Jr. knew that the Voting
Rights Act of 1965 would be ineffective
without the Poor People Ts Campaign. A
million Blacks must now camp out in
tents on Capitol Hill and wait until
America comes to its senses. Dr. King
had to pay, with his life, for knocking on
the right door, taking to the right people
and raising the right question.
fabric of the Black community; In
August 1998, Revs. Al Sharpton and
William A. Jones would connect me to
the Spitzer campaign. They publicly
claimed that their support for Spitzer
was conditioned on his promise for my
immediate reinstatement to practice law
in 1999,
Carl Andrews was Sptizer Ts liaison to
the Black community. He is now a state
senator and, for years, a close confidant
and top lieutenant of Assemb. Clarence
personal checks in 1998 and hiring his
cronies. Norman was convicted in
pepeember for pocketing campaign
In attempting to defend Spitzer against a
breach of a campaign promise, Andrews
claimed that Revs. Sharpton and Jones
each received a personal quid pro quo
for their endorsements, If true, | am sure
Spitzer would not have had it any other
way. He sees it as chattel slavery,
out of an express contract. The implied
CLASSIFIED
a
en
| sama
INQUIRE TODAY
(252) 931-0816
BUT AS FOR ME AND MY
HOUSE WE WILL SERVE THE
LORD
suse eepimenemesmmmenmmmnenss |
ROOMS FOR Patone Little (iar,
. Coll (252) 256-0788
Elite Properties
HRISTIAN 21?,? Give.
JOSHUA CHRISTIAN HOME pry nei oress
Business (252) 218-0018
) i Fax (252) 215-9800
Ww Toll Free 1-877-215-0015
, " Eh: fittietoertury2 leiteproperties. com
~ . Each Ottee i intepercturttly Owmed And Coereted
CHASTIAN HOME LENETTE CHAPMAN
REALTOR® Sales Associ e
way ober
www.
ay
Fitch noted, {this} story still rings true
today: the way to control us and our
destiny for years and years and years -
to come is to find the differences and
and subgroups, and then you pit those
subgroups against one- another thus
causing confusion, chaos and sepa-
Contract involves a promise that the
endorser will serve as a buffer and will
7 insulate the' successful candidate from
Public criticism in the Black community
not be tolerated, Talk show hosts have
been recruited to enforce this rule.
~ Politics in New Yorks based on
households in the bottom fifth of wage
eamers in New York make about 2 cents
compared to the top fifth income
Mansion for the next four years with "
relatively substantial Black support.
Money elects political candidates,
After I filed a civil rights action against
state judges for violating my constitu- |
tional rights, that whites are not bound
to respect, Spitzer filed anotice of
- @ppearance on behalf of those state
defendants, I asked him to disqualify
himself because he will be both a
witness and an advocate. He refused.
Thave asked Rev. Sharpton to file a
detailed affidavit about all relevant facts
conceming Spitzer Ts political campaign,
particularly, as it relates to his campaign
promise for my immediate reinstatement
to practice law in 1999, Rev. §
has given me an affidavit of fear, It Ts like
giving a federal judge a three dollar bill
with Little Richard on it.
The media is seeking to connect Spitzer
to Norman. Spitzer started giving
Norman personal checks in 1998. Iam
sure that many Black elected officials
and ministers have received similar
checks drawn on Spitzer Ts bank
accounts. Under these circumstances,
they have every reason to stay away
from me.
The drama with Spitzer never stops. It
has now engulfed my office at 16 Court
Street in Brooklyn. I have been in this
Office for over twenty-one years. It-has
been used for a number of community. nity
Around here,
In fact, we provide it to them, 2477. And
we've earned a slid reputation fo
and in the community. So you know you ¢an depend on us to keep your business
ap
ration. Sadly the fallout of this men-
tal conditioning is true today, he said.
Judge Fitch was clear in his re-
cans have survived much, including
the atrocities of slavery. Yet some
are still experiencing oppression,
while some of us have become the
the United African Movement since
1988, .
After borrowing five figures from a
major Harlem businessman, because I
have zero income, | satisfied the rent
judgment in Brooklyn Housing Court.
The check was sent, timely, by over-
night delivery to the landlord Ts attorney.
Thave the delivery receipt. The
landlord Ts attomey claimed that it did
not receive the check. The Harlem
businessman has the cancelled check.
Nonetheless, the landlord Ts attomey
has commanded a city marshal to serve
" awarrant of eviction. See Dred Scott.
This looming eviction is designed to
disrupt the federal litigation and to stop
my writings especially in this newspa-
per. | amusing every bone in my body
to stop this eviction. It is a crime in this
City to be a fugitive from the plantation
and to refrain from accepting white
money.
My mission is to end slavery and show
a white supremacist like Spitzer that he
has no business owning any Black
person. Slavery is the reason we are
unable to unite as a people. We may
assemble in D.C. annually but disunity
will continue as long as Black activists
and leaders continue to exchange
independence for materialism and media
attention. 7
The landlord Ts attomey for 16 Court
Street in Brooklyn is well connected to
Ferrer Ts mayoral campaign and to
Spitzer. The law firm of Borah, Goldstein,
Altschuler, Schwartz & Nahins is a
major donor to Ferrer Ts campaign.
Ferrer Ts landlord is William Schur, a
major donor to Ferrer Ts campaign. Schur
is also linked to the law firm. This law
firm is seeking my scalp. Connect the
dots.
Twenty years ago, I had just won an
acquittal in a pro bono representation, in
a ¢riminal caseyof Jonah Perry, a Comell
University student.and brother of
running like it should.
4
, | anytime soon yh
Edmund Perry, who was fatally shot by | }
businesses have plenty of power,
+ because of oisr consistent performance,
t reliability. In che business world
oppressor ourselves, he concluded.
allow us to be able to look at this thing
and evaluate it and come together as
we need to. After all and religiously
speaking, God Ts children wondered
around for many years inthe wilder-
ness before they were finally able to
realize that they were his chosen
people. ? os |
a white cop in Harlem. Jonah was .
charged with robbery as a cover for the
cop Ts claim of self-defense...
It would have been embarrassing to the
Black community forJonahtobe
represented by a public defender. We
ask our children to do well and then we
refuse to support them after whites have
either ensnared or entrapped them.
During my legal career, thiswasa. .
recurring theme and white supremacists
would use it to denigrate our children.
See Central Park jogger case.
The week after the acquittal, I got a
knock at my office from an IRS agent
with a newspaper article in her hand
about Jonah Ts acquittal. She told me that
Thad to cough up $25,000 (at least
$75,000 today) immediately or the IRS
would shut down my law practice for
good. . ° T
This Black woman told me that, like
other Blacks, I needed to lea how to
tum my back to Black injustice.
Otherwise, I would continue to skate on
thin ice without a life preserver, This was
not a threat. It was a promise. The
political establishment fulfilled it in May
1990.
A Harlem businesswoman loaned me
the money. I personally repaid every
dime of it to her. This would be an onien.
Moreover, the IRS claimed that the
National Conference of Black Lawyers, a
not-for-profit corporation, owed the
money and, because I once had a
management position at NCBL, I could
be singled out to repay the debt.
In the meantime, I had found out that
the New York Public Library had a
financial proposal with NCBL to stop me
from representing the Schomburg
Coalition probono. NCBL was also
working with the U.S. attomey, Rudolph
Giuliani, to get a grand Jury to indict me.
He convened a grand jury. Regrettably,
Black unity is not on the horizon
Bishop Speaks......
Roundtree (R) pose
Bishop Randy Royal , Bro Boston (L) and Bro
for the M TVoice camera at the Beaufort County
SCLC Annual Banquet where Bro Boston is the President. Bro
Roundtree the State President of the SCLC was on hand to witness
keynote speaker.
photo Jim Rouse
another dynamic message from Bishop Royal, the
se Et
] @ first step to
| for older adults
o locator . @
i he Lawiieeiiiy Sarena
ae hee
Vttutet ent. ee ee ee ee ae ee Se Oe Pe oe Pe me bk oe ae Be ee 8S HG 2
f t Fi Hy i 3 e 4 | : coe
ew al had ad ad LT Sad Laat LP faa hal ba bad tal bad tak bad Fa Sah Sak Saad sak bad antl Lad a aad bad eck ad da
Ly bao he ae tse fu Pn ks
fave Ice cs pas prec THTIAN HRP,
Dignan. Ha yi ora tr
bot tt
mee
hn th pee noma 9s
{tome ove nota we, Sammy a som, tn ae
THRATAM MOM hn. ot tie pr
ula berg heal ar
Cod ur or Kr rae
(282) $01 6TH or (22) 752 7 Wie Tor Ang
Nina 10 Myrtn hve, Grom, WC TRON ap
Rosa Parks - Timeline
1913: Rosa Louise McCauley is
born February 4 in Tuskegee,
Alabama.
1928: Rosa, then in ninth grade,
drops out of Booker T. Washing-
ton High School when her mother
becomes seriously ill. Shelater «
attends Alabama State Teachers
College for Negroes.
1932: Marries Raymond Parks, a
barber at age 19.
1934: Receives high school
diploma.
Page 5 The Minority Voice Newspaper October 1 - 21 2005
1943: Twelve years before her
historic stand, Parks is ejected from
a bus for refusing to board from the
back. She is brought on as a T
secretary at the NAACP in
Montgomery, Alabama.
1945: After being denied the right
to vote two previous times, Parks
Teceives certificate to vote on her
third attempt.
1955: The Civil Rights Movement
_ begins in earnest when on Decem-
ber | Parks refuses to give up her
seat on the bus to a white man. She
is later found guilty of breaking
Segregation laws. The situation
results in a 381-day bus boycott.
1957: Parks relocates her family.to
Detroit where she initially works as
a seamstress.
1987: The Rosa and Raymond
Parks Institute for Self Develop-
ment is established. The institute,
named after she and her husband
offers mentoring and guidance to
young African Americans.
1988: Parks retires from John
Conyers T office, after working for
him since 1965.
1992: oRosa Parks My Story, ?
published by New York Dial Books
represents Rosa Ts first published
work. ,
1994: After being robbed and
assaulted in her own home, Parks
moves to Riverfront Apartments.
She makes peace with her assailant
after his arrest and conviction.
1999: President Clinton awards
Parks the highest American civilian
award - the Congressional Gold
Medal of Honor.
2000: Across the corner where she
had refused to give up her seat on
the bus, the Rosa Parks Museum
and Library opens in Montgomery,
Alabama.
2005: On October 24, Rosa Parks
dies at the age of 92.
NORTH CAROLINA-ALUMNI ATTORNEY
DURHAM, NC - North Carolina
Central University (NCCD) alum-
nus Attorney Willie E. Gary do-
nated $100,000 recently to NCCU
during the halftime festivities at
the 2005 oWillie E. Gary Triangle
Classic ? football game to fund
scholarships. at the university Ts
School of Law.
oPeople ask me why come
| -. back to North Carolina, ? said Gary,
who also had sons to graduate
~ oNorth Carolina Central University
and Shaw University took a chance
on me, a farm boy, and gave me
an opportunity when others did not
think I was good enough. T Now, |
~ have lawyers from Harvard, Yale
and Princeton working for me and
I sign their paychecks. ?
~ from NCCU and Shaw University.
_ WILLIE E. GRAY DONATES
When asked about his expe-
rience at NCCU Ts School of Law,
Gary said, oIt was awesome; it
was the best years of my life. ?
Founded in 1939 to provide
an opportunity for a legal educa-
tion for African Americans, today,
with a student body of approxi-
mately 400, the School of Law is
one of the more diverse student
bodies in the nation.
oWillie Gary Ts contribution
will significantly expand our abil-
ity to attract top students to our
law school by offering them
scholarships, ? said-Attorne
Pierce, dean of NCCU Ts School
of Law. oLaw schools have be-
come quite competitive and in or-
der to compete for the top stu-
dents you must be able to extend
» WOOW 1340AM
Greenville, NC 27834
| Phione (252) 355-2500
Barbour
Fax: (2§2)355-5308 Automotive Consultant
full scholarships. In addition,
there are many deserving individu-
als that qualify for law school, yet
do not have the finances neces-
sary to pay for school. Willie Gary
has expanded our ability to assist
those students. ?
During the presentation, Gary
Was presented with a key to the
city from Durham Mayor William
oBill ? Bell and Mayor Pro Tem-
pore of Raleigh James West.
Gary also donated $100,000 to
Shaw University. He received his
bachelor Ts degree in business ad-
Y- ministration from Shaw and his ju-
ris doctorate from NCCU in 1974,
oThis is not the first time my
father has given a lot of money
to NCCU, ? said Kenneth Gary,
Gary Ts oldest son, president &
CEO of The Gary Foundation and
Gary Enterprises, the family Ts real
estate management company.
oMy brother, Sekou, and I are
both alumni of NCCU. ?
Sekou is a member of the
Florida Bar and recently opened
his own law practice, Gary Legal
Group, LLC, in Miami, Florida.
Gary Ts two other sons, Ali, edi-
tor and chief of oUpdate, ? the law
firm Ts newsletter, and Kobie, are
graduates of Shaw.
At halftime, the score was
NCCU 31 and Shaw 10. When
asked which team was he cheer-
ing for to win, Gary stated that
he was pulling for both teams.
However, North Carolina Central
University captured a 37-31 vic-
tory over Shaw University.
This was the first gridiron
meeting between the Eagles and
Bears in 35 years, dating back to
a 32-0 NCCU victory on October
31, 1970.
Getting Out of Bed...
THEN & Now
In the early 1900s,
He,
each day to the crowing of
roosters. The town ot
electricity and lit its first
streetlights on March 20, 1905,
causing the roosters to crow at
all hours in confusion.
100 years later, Greenville
citizens rely on electric clocks
powered by Greenville
Utilities. Now the ofowl ?
mornings without electricity
have gone to the birds.
JOIN US AS WEARK OLR
LOOTH ANNIVERSARY.
LOO
i
alin
Greenville Utilities
$1000,000
In the top photo from left
to right: North Carolina Cen-
tral University (NCCU) alum- ~
nus Attorney Willie E. Gary
makes remarks at the 2005 _
Willie E. Gary Triangle Clas-
sic ? football game between
NCCU and Shaw University as
his son, Kenneth Gary and
Alvin Brown, president of the
Willie E, Gary Football Classic.
In the photo beneath, |
from left to right we have: At-
torney Raymond Pierce, dean
of NCCU Ts School of Law, Dr.
Beverly Washington Jones,
NCCU Ts provost and vice |
chancellor for academics af- |
fairs, are presented with a
check for $100,000 for
NCCU Ts School of Law from
Kenneth Gary, son of Willie E. |
Gary and president &CEO of
The Gary Foundation.
Page 6 The Minority Voice Newspaper October 1 - 21 2005
E
Late-1800s author Emma Dunham
Kelley-Hawkins Ts novel Four Girls
at Cottage City inspired the Oxford |
University Press's Schomburg
Library of Nineteenth-Century
Black Women Writers. This is what
Henry Louis Gates Jr. once said of
the 40-volume set published in
1988.
Yet there was something odd about
Kelley-Hawkins Ts 1895 novel set in
New England: The characters were
blond, blue-eyed girls, who never
suggested they were mulattoes,
using cunning and stealth to live
on the other side of the color line.
In fact, Kelley-Hawkins was true to
herself; she was a white woman,
writing about her white experi-
ences.
A stunning piece of detective work
this year by Holly Jackson, a
doctoral student of English at
Brandeis University, revealed that
based on superficial evidence [a
photograph] and wrongheaded
assumptions [that Kelley-Hawkins
was a light-skinned black opass-
ing ? for white, an obsession of that
era] scholars incorrectly assumed
the author Ts racial identity. Some-
how, numerous scholars over
decades had perpetuated colossal
errors of identity and facts.
Jackson Ts February 20 article in The
Boston Globe was headlined
oMistaken Identity: What If a
Novelist Celebrated As a Pioneer of
African-American Women Ts
Literature Turned Out Not to Be
Black at All? ?
Jackson wrote: oHere at last, Gates
explained in his foreword, were the
literary ancestors of Zora Neale
Hurston, Alice Walker, and Toni
Morrison. With one exception, all
these works had been previously
out of print, making it difficult for
scholars to track down copies. In
fact, it was Gates Ts discovery of
one such lost T novel, Four Girls at
Cottage City T [1895] by Emma...
Dunham Kelley-Hawkins, that
prompted him to put these ne-
glected texts back into print " in
part, ? he wrote, so that I could read
them myself. T ?
So with the mystery about Kelley-
Hawkins Ts identity apparently
solved, what will the Schomburg
Center for Research in Black
Culture do?
oThat's a good question. We
haven Tt addressed it, ? Diana
Lachatanere, curator of manu-
scripts, archives and rare books
division at the center in Harlem told
Black Issues Book Review. oWe
haven't pulled her books from our
shelves. We need to look at the
article and have a conversation
with a few scholars and go from
there. ?
Lachatanere, in a June telephone
interview, said she was aware of the
mistaken ID assertion but had not
seen the article. Lachatanere then
said she did not know Jackson and
wanted to know owhat Skip T Gates
and other scholars think [before we
do anything}. ?
BIBR pointed out that Jackson
made the discovery while essen-
tially doing a project for Gates. We
e-mailed The Boston Globe article
to the curator. Ten days later,
Lachatanere Ts e-mail response to a
follow-up inquiry was oI read it and
have no additional comment. ?
Jackson had been contracted to
write a biography of Kelley-
Hawkins [,1863-1938} for the
African American National
Biography (AANB), affiliated with
Gates's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for
African and African-American
Research at Harvard University,
oL assumed she [Kelley dawkins]
was black myself, but it T became
abundantly clear that she was
white. I was surprised as anyone, ?
Jackson said.
When completed, the AANB owill
present history through a mosaic of
the lives of 10,000 individuals,
some known throughout the world
and others all but forgotten,
illuminating the abiding influence
of African Americans on the life of
this nation through the immediacy
of pesenel experience, ? notes the
ine home page
(www.fas.harvard.edu/~aanb).
Jackson, who expects to finish
work on her Ph.D. two years from
now and teach American literature
in a college, said her entry would
not be included in the AANB.
The Brandeis University English
and American Literature Web site
acknowledged Jackson's Boston
Globe article [http://
www, brandeis,edu/depertments/
english/accomplish. html). The
iece was also discussed on the
hier News Network Web site
http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/
10590-html.
Cracking the Case ©
Biographically, Jackson wrote in
the Globe, Kelley-Hawkins was a
cipher. There was no acknowl-
edgment of when she was born
or when she died, or her family
history, although she was
identified as an African Ameri-
can writer in numerous accounts :
dating to the early 1970s.
Jackson went about her spade-
work and dug for facts. Massa-
chusetts Vital Records produced
an Emma D. Kelley, born Novem-
ber 11, 1863, in Cape Cod,
Massachusetts. Powerful
evidence, but not absolute. proof
that she was the author. A rare
books librarian at Brown Univer-
sity provided Jackson with a true
first-edition copy of Kelley-
Hawkins's Four Girls at Cottage
City. 7,
Gates, who said he discovered a
copy of the out-of-print book, had
what appeared to be a second-
edition copy printed three years
after the original by a different
publisher, said Jackson,
' Jackson went on to cobble
together other essential biographi-
cal facts: Emma D. Kelley married
Benjamin A. Hawkins in 1893.
Four Girls at Cottage City was
published two years later, She had
published another novel, Megda,
in 1891. She later named one of
her two daughters Megda.
Jackson also found documenta-
tion on all four grandparents of:
Kelley-Hawkins. She established
the auther Ts date of death,
October 22, 1938, in Central Falls, ~
Rhode Island.
Richard Noble, the rare books
librarian at Brown, also noticed
that a Megda Hawkins was listed
at the church he attended in
Providence, Rhode Island. He
found a 1984 obituary that "
confirmed that the woman was
the daughter of Emma D. Kelley-
Hawkins. Kelley-Hawkins Ts
husband and second daughter
are also deceased.
Emma D. Kelley-Hawkins, wrote
Jackson in the Globe, oNever fit
comfortably within the African
American canon. Most puzzling has
been the apparent whiteness of her
characters, who are repeatedly _
described with blue eyes and skin
as white. as pure T or driven T
snow- "a conundrum that critics
have largely sidestepped by .
arguing that these women would ,
have been understood as white
mulattos, T or very light-skinned *
women of color by Kelley- |
Hawkins Ts original audience of -
black readers. ?
What made critics draw these
conclusions? Exhibit A was the
photo of the author on the cover of
her novel Megda. Jackson told
BIBR, oPeople read the photo as
-black and took that to be evidence.
Now, when you look, it Ts a little
more ambiguous. It may be the
quality of photo, all of this is
speculative, ?
Another detail that apparently made
_ scholars stubbornly assume that
Kelley-Hawkins was black was that
Cottage City, the name in one of the
author Ts titles,.is part of what is now
known as Oak Bluffs, the black
vacation. community on Martha Ts
Vineyard. .
There is a big problem with that
assumption: Kelley-Hawkins wrote
Four Girls at Cottage City about
17 years before blacks began
cont. pg6_
Mrs, Beatrice Maye
It Ts the Little Things
(Simple lessons for Teens
_ by Terrie Williams)
Treat people the way you want to
be treated.
Express gratitude.
Remember your manners.
Ask for help with school... When
there is conflict, violence is not the
4-H Mini Society youth compl
oINVEST IN SUCCESS I
GREENVILLE - The 4-H Mini Soci-
ety program, an outreach program
implemented by NC Cooperative Ex-
tension Service at NC A & T State
University held a youth entrepre-
gram. oHow To Start A Business. ?
- oanswer. Pec |
Stay real and be able to cut others
some slack, everybody has got
some form of baggage or is hiding
behind a mask.
' Tell the truth. "
| . Be kind to yourself and to others,
eat healthy food and get plenty rest.
Be about speaking with love and
» Fespect.
Save and share your money, it Ts a
"10. Give your time and talent to
your community.
Talk to your mom, your dad, or a
friend and counselor, someone you
trust when your thoughts ~mo-
tions seem all out of balance Keep-
ing it all inside is a slow poison.
Go for it. Nothing beats a trial but
a failure. (And we don Tt just get
through failures, we grow through
them).
Pay attention to your inner voice.
Sometimes you just have to deal
with things.
Don Tt be so cool that you freeze
people out.
Don Tt be afraid to change and al-
ways be willing to improve. "
Bouviet Ts Consulting Services re-
ceived their Certificate of Recog-
nition for T participating and com-
pleting the 4-H Mini Society Pro-
neurs training on August! 2th from
9am -2pm at the Bouvier Ts Consult-
ing & Tutorial Services on 112 West
Firetower Road, Greenville, N.C.
The training lasted 5 hours
daily. Twenty young people from
Moyewood Public Housing and,
This program was developed
and implemented in 1996 by Dr.
Marilyn L. Kourilsky, Institute for
Entrepreneurship Education. The
youth were familarized with the
business disciplines: Record Keep- eur:
ing, Entrepreneurship;
Honesty is an important part of both
you in public life and your private
life :
Everybody has bad days. Problems
are a part of life and we must deal
with them.
Enjoy your slang but know when
not to use it. Use your grammar -
the rules of Standard English.
Good Manners .
1. Sit up straight, you'll always be
more comfortable.
2. Don Tt talk with your mouth full.
Take small bites, Finish chewing.
3. Break the bread and butter one
piece at a time.
4. Don Tt leave lipstick stains on
glasses or cups.
. 5. Be careful not to eat too fast
when eating with others, every-
one should start and finish each
course about the same time,
6. Spread the napkin across your
lap and leave it there. If you leave
the table temporarily, leave the
napkin in your chair and slide the
chair under the table. The nap-
kin should be used for carefully
dabs at the comers of your
mouth.
7. Purses, briefcases, keys,
gloves - anything that Ts not a part
of the meal- do not belong on the
table. It is unsightly and unsani-
tary
ete seminar
MPACT LOCAL YOUTH ?
Economics, Ethics, Government
Law, Decision Making, Ideas and
Principles and working together as
a team.
Participants improved many
skills including: Leadership, Busi-
ness Communication, Group Coop-
eration, Individual Accountability
and Business Marketing. "
' Speakers during the week were
7 Portia Harper of Bouvier Ts Consult-
ing, Mildred Council, Greenville City
Council, Valencia Speight,.4-H
Allstars-Presentation on Manners.
Shelly Moore: (4-H Society Fa-
_ cilitator), Ann Speight, 4-H Volun-
teer Leader and Assistant, Fulesha
Edwards, Demetrice Parker, Megan
Fields, Melanie Fields, Melinda
Fields, Valencia Speight, Volunteer
Youth Leaders and Mariah P. Booth,
4-H Program Associate.
For more information or partici-
pation for your youth group con-
tact: Marian Booth, Pitt County Co-
operative Extension Service - 4-H at
252-902-1711.
M1 Re-Elect Pat Dunn
Working for All of Greenville
Paid for by Shirley Martin, Treasurer, Campaign te Elect Pat Dunn
with Private Baths
@ All Utilities
eo Free Parking
@: Maid Services
18) imtitl i '\
Affordable Housing Rates
Weekly $175.00 Daily $32.95
Pay As You Go... No Lease To Sign... No Credit Check...
e Spacious Fully Furnished Rooms
e Telephone, Cable with HBO
e Indoor Heated Pool & Courtyard
GUESTS COMING FOR THE HOLIDAYS?? ji sd
Now is the time to reserve your rooms - Deposit required nee hee: 2 ee
COLLEGE STUDEN TS WELCOMED!
Call the.
D. D. Garrett
Cail us If you need someone to collect
We handie Conv., HUD, VA. FHA Financing
Realtor @ Notary Public «
606 Albemarle Avenue
a Ng eh or (252) 767 - 1162
Number (252) 757-0018
lots...
» NC 27834
"Our Banquet Facilties are ideal for Business
Meetings Wedding Receptions, Graduations
Events, Family Reunions, Frat & Sororities
Functions or an
Festive Ocassions..."
ee gg
ie
i t
1 eae nel,
&
1
it
8. Bad manners make you look
like you weren Tt trained right,
Get in the habit of excellence.
Make sute your work is error
free. Mistakes in grammar or
spelling will count against you in
school-and-when you start send-.
ing out resumes, maybe even
your carrier tossed right out into '
the old ocircular file. ? You need
to do your best in every area of
life. .
Look for friends who can
build you up and support you and
whose values and vibe you can
support. The cool people are not
the ones who matter.
To live out your values, you
need to know how to T'value your
time well.
Persistence is the quality that
separates who make it from those
who don Tt. Those who make it,
Stay in the race. Create a good
life for yourself.
Parent to Parent
About 25 percent of all U.S.
school age kids are overweight,
and the numbers are climbing. As
waistlines increase so do the
health risks: U.S. hospital costs
for diseases related to childhood
obesity have tripled in the past
20 years, the American Academy
of Pediatrics: reports.
Why are more kids fat? Er-
ratic eating habits such as skip-
ping breakfast, too much TV,
minimal exercise and endless
novelty foods get much of the
. blame. Another part of the prob-
lem shouldn Tt be overlooked,
Ellyn Satter, author of Feeding a
Healthy Family, dietitian in Madi-
son, Wisconsin, oMeasuring
Weight for Height doesn Tt tell the
story. ?
Losing Weight...
When a teenager skips break-
fast and lunch then grazes until
bedtime, she Ts actually more likely
to gain weight, not lose., Skipping
breakfast, despite what many teen- -
agers think.
Going without, then overdo-
ing it, tends to cause a person to.
eat more and be heavier. .
Fatherhood
Every man in the United
States should be requested to take
the following pledge:
oMany people today believe.
that fathers are unnecessary. I be-
lieve the opposite. I pledge to live
my life according to the principle
that every child deserves a father,
that marriage is the pathway to ef-
fective fatherhood; that part of
being a good man means being a
good father; and that America
needs more good men ?.
A few good men should start .
creating Fathers T Clubs in their
local communities. _
A few well-known profes-
sional athletes should organize a
public service campaign on the
importance of fatherhood.
Through public speaking in the
schools and through a series of
public service television advertise-
ments, these sports stars could
tell us what their fathers mean to
them. They could also tell us what
it means to them to be a father.
Extracted from the book Fa-
therless America: Confronting our
most urgent social problem - by
David Blankenhorn
FEET get bigger as we age.
Yet people continue to wear the
Same shoe size. In many cases,
One Policy Does Not Fit All
Explore Options For Universal Life Insurance
(NAPSA)-Many financial advisors
would agree that the basis of a
good financial plan is life insur-
ance. The need to prepare finan-
Sially in the event of an unex-
pected death is universal. How-
ever, the financial needs of a fam-
ily with young children and a large
amount of debt are vastly differ-
ent from those of a couple of
empty-nesters looking forward to
retirement. ,
Universal life insurance is a
type of life insurance that ad-
dresses a wide variety of finan- -
cial needs in addition to providing
protection of a death benefit.
oGenerally speaking; univer:
sal life insurance provides
policyowners with a death ben-
efit, flexibility with how and when
they pay their premiums and a
way to accumulate cash, ? said
Mutual of Omaha Vice President
Andy Hutchison.
Some universal life insurance
policies emphasize guarantees in
order to provide policyowners
with additional security, Examples
of such guarantees include:
A guaranteed death benefit.
This will ensure your family is se-
cure in the event of a death.
v Guaranteed premiums. This
feature is ideal if you T re worried about
whether you will be able to afford
premiums that increase as you age.
vThe ability to choose your
coverage period. Some universal
life products offer a feature that
allows you to shorten the length
of time for which the coverage is
guaranteed and lower your pre-
miums accordingly. This can
able. For example, if given your
family history you think it Ts not
likely that you will live to age 100,
you can choose to pay premiums
based on coverage to age 90.
With other universal life in-
surance policies, their ability to
build cash value make them ap-
pealing.
oThe beauty of many univer-
sal life insurance policies is that
they offer a death benefit plus
they accumulate cash value that
grows tax free, ? Hutchison said.
oIf you are concerned about hav-
ing enough money to maintain
your lifestyle, you can use the
cash value to generate an income
stream during retirement. ?
Some universal life insurance
policies also offer a wash loan fea-
ture, which allows you to take in-
terest-free loans from the cash
value without incurring a tax hit.
The loans can be used to fund ex-
penses such as college tuition or
a mortgage payoff.
For more information, visit
www.mutualofomaha.com.
make your premiums more afford-
Terrence nn
eye
East Carolina Auto
& Truck Center
Memorial Dr. & Greenville Blyd
Post Office Box 1764
Greenville, NC 27835
eesee @ wt. 2
252-355-333, Exe. 2218
1-800-849-3355
PAX: 252-756-6914
WWW.0CAUtO. COMM
Bus: 252.752.3846
Top 20 Gospel/Praise & Worship
Music, Clergy/Choir Robes, Church Supplies,
Books, Bibles, Greeting Cards, Gifts, Wedding &
Social Invitations, Songbooks, Sunday Schoo! &
Mrs Bible, nye oe and re revit
"Bp alec men es Na Ava
Saturday 10a-4p
Cornerstone Christian Bookstore
1095 Allen Road, Greenville, NC
Fax: 252.752.4405
Page 7 The Minority Voice Newspaper October 1 - 21 2005
tight fitting shoes are the cause
of achy feet. . ;
THREE INGREDIENTS
that characterize all successful
leaders: vision, innovation and
passion. .
Happy EMPLOYEES mean
productive; EMPLOYERS SUC-
-CESS by Bessie Anderson
Stanley, (1904)
He has achieved success
who, has lived well. Laughed of-
_ ten arid loved much; who has en-
joyed the trust of pure women,
the respect of intelligent men and
the love of little children; who has
filled his niche and accomplished
his task, who has left the world
better than he found it, whether by
an improved poppy, a perfect poem
or a rescued soul; who has never
lacked appreciation of Earth Ts
beauty or failed to express it; who
has always looked for the best in -
others and given them the best he
had; whose life was an inspiration;
whose memory a benediction..
GREENVILLE
LADY LEADS
PIA
Mrs. Mamie Maye-Bryan
Mrs. Mamie Maye-Bryan, the
daughter of the late Mr. J. W.
Maye and Mrs.
Beatrice Maye, will lead the
Nebraska Parent Teacher Associa-
tion.
Mrs. Bryan was installed Sep-
tember 24th at the organization Ts
Annual Convention and Leader-
ship Conference and she will serve
two years.
She currently teaches music
education at two elementary
schools in Bellevue, Nebraska.
She is attively involved in her
children Ts education and she is the
organist/pianist at Offitt Air Force
Base Ts Capehart and SAC Chap-
els, in addition to. working dili-
gently.with the Links Organiza-.
tion as well'as volunteering at the
Hillcrest and Mable Rose Rest
Homes.
She credits her faith, family,
and friends as the reason that she
has been as successful as she has
been.
oThere is a female legacy, ?
she said. oI think we have history
repeating itself.. ? My mother was -
the first African-American to in-
tegrate schools in Pitt County, as
well having a park oThe Beatrice
Maye Garden Park ? named in her
honor. Her daughter, Janielle, is the
only African-American on the
girl Ts basketball team at the Uni-
versity of South Dakota, where
she is a sophomore.
Her two sons, William, a se-
nior and John Robert, a sopho-
more at Bellevue East High
Time cont. pg6
coming to Martha Ts Vineyard in
significant numbers.
Gates told Jackson thathe did not
know how Kelley-Hawkins came to
be identified as African American,
oT'm intrigued by the idea, however,
that so many scholars have
concluded that this woman was
black, and it certainly will be |
interesting for us to figure out
why, ? he said.
Family Knew of the Mix-Wp
Jackson said there are no difect
descendants of Kelley-Hawkins.
After her Boston Globe piece was
published, however, she spoke to
two different branches of the
family, including the family of the
author Ts sister Alice.
oThey were excited and happy with
my article and aware of the
mistake, ? said Jackson. oThey were
excited that someone was tied up in
the detective work.
oThey did not make attempts to
come forward and correct the
mistakes, ? Jackson explained.
oThey did not have anxieties about
people thinking they were black or \
white, They trace their genealogy
to English, Welsh and Irish settlers
in Cape Cod, They know their
family history very well. ?
So a caution for future literary
scholars should be to verify, verify
and verify biographical details
rather than make judgments based
On appearances or attitudes of an
era,
oI still think her novels are of huge
historical interest, ? said Holly
Jackson of Emma Dunham Kelley-
Hawkins. oReconsideration of her
place in literary history is appropri-
ate. ?
- Pediatrie / Adolesceat GYN Care ai
ed left to right ..... |
| Commissoner and Pastor David Hammond
| , Superintendant A.B. Parker,City Council
} Fepresentatives Mildred Council and __
| Melvin McLawhorm pause for a moment at
the groundbreaking of the future site of the
Wells Chapel Church of God In Christ
_ where Superintendant A.B. Parker is the
pastor. photo jim Rouse
2 '
Women Ts Health Center |
of Greenville
" #
| Compassionate Provider + Care from a Women's Point of View
Gwendolyn Knuckles, M.D., FA.C.0.G.
2317-A Executive Park Just Off Stantonsburg Rd Across From Hospital
WV EAN NOPE ry ne 280185
Weil Women Health Care & Routine Gynecologic Services ang 252.830.0627 fax + 1.888.200.5141
4 |
{ oi { + i
Board Certified Phyetetass
Estended Hours of Seneice
Affikatesd with Pitt Coumty Memorial Hospital
and Surg! Center Servtone of Pat
Most insurance plans weicomed
© (icing payment plars / ine of crv
Healthcare ?"?
infertility Evaluation, Treatment & Surgery
Uiasound
Coptrireptive Coamefing tnchating
Depo Provera, Bosure Coll, HUD & Tubal Lipation
Menopausal Evaluation
Hormone Replacement Therspy: & Osteopnss
Laparoscopic Hystevectomey & Other Minimally Insasive 'ociontgues
Colposcopy / LEEP / Laser Treatment
Chronic Pelvic Paint / Endometriosis
Urinary locoatinence Pyahution
Medical § Surgical Trestesents
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Whe Reverend David L.. Moore. Host Pastor
The Right Reverend Richard K. Thompson
neh wait csi wi ei hiss: iter ap ntlae aba ibacatpeis er oto
www.whe.com from a woman's point of view.
One Hundred Forty-Second Session
eof the
North oCarolina omference
= ae
Metropolitan A-M_E.Zion Church
1O2 West Martin Liw Lee KMimg Jr. Drive
Washington, North Carolina
Convening
November 14-20, 2005
Queen Contest & Banquet @ New Bern Convention Center
for more info: (252) 946-5524
. Presiding Elders
The Reverend Der. William 1. WW alnaw right
The Reverend Dr. Jeremiah Asbury
The Reverend ar. oityae LL. Murphy
Missionary Supervisér
Mrs. Georgia Thompson
Presiding Prelate
¢
iia sr ananassae celine. in
The 48th Annual
a
en gor ;
es Te n
we IF ae if
2005/2006.
3
ct Sera . 5
i ee ig .
A :
EBONY FASHION FAIR PRESENTS Bl
Sponsored By ke
Ledonia Wright |
Cultural Center |
Benefit Of
WRIGHT ASSISTANCE FUND-
STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
|
i
1
i
|
{
}
{
1
|
i
1
j
|
j
|
|
1
East Carolina University
Wright Auditoriom " Greenville, WC
Monday, October 31, 2005
7:00 p.m.
Ticket Price;
$23.00
Vick ©: om the world wide web ot:
werw wdu/beoe
rv |
AS haa sane ace
FRONY
RS WBLER
Page 8 The Minority Voice Newspaper October 1 - 21 2005
EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE
oCAR PICK-UP & DELIVERY
*CARPET SHAMPOO prrww prin
INTERIOR CLEANING VARIN
eMOTOR CLEAMING RIS MOBLEHDNE
+ WINDOW TINTING
" |
|
Now Serving
laleigh: (919) 412-9386
Wilson: (252) 291-8586
@
Even Heroes Need Heroes
Uc tv i ar em, are LA lr ved, li RU: nd Hee thang wor
uta der. Savy Lymn alee hes Type 1 deer loving. Unde hav tens, she
emer cheat har iow suger si Grau sy ured em with om hnouiln err sunghealy
ethectvd te har bey The neu ken has going, but Its neta car, WK your
HPPA, eemnethers ring find the anmanrs tm arerdiy Mileetns mtthin her byes,
Vou can ie 9 hare to dare Lyne and ethers in esate amelie, 2 aaa at Jen her
wat hs pers JO Wille De bel A Clee or Memverriboer 5 mt the Pitt (Camarigr Febagremumahy
eth bei ine tL ht eh
fadiaud w frmstey a shes
SS corm Pore be PRG Wir Hp lyr Mit Dt Kaen
Oe ee ee ee
Se0nd Ponmetivn. doring walk metstaate:
VTE BiG / ITT Cnr y AA POMS Sta tay ty dt
Reding & xcreer tras Meet and ee»
+ |
*
*
§| BRE-c THRISTRAAS 4 :
" " "4]
=
PPPRPPERPRTEEE
z
:
g
nna
Men T s Haircut
$10.00 to $12.00
Shave. $5.00
Eye Brow Arch
$5.00
. Boy Ts Haircut Ao
8:0 Sod
Neckline Taper & Edge re
$5.00 . :ffy
bs: Beautician T s
Pricing . Varies. According *
| To Hairstyle
Now. we Rising Pereenal st Car MRenatants
4 mibed Nursing Agaistants =
Sauare oEast 10rH 5 F
GREENVILLE | J
SHop: (252)754-2600 .
November 14, 2005
se Siop " (252) 754-2606 | 70pm. «Pr mply
wy Pt es ee 7 | _The Greene Hin
Jat SRE svete he
z ere |
Page 9 The Minority Voice Newspaper October 1 - 21, 2005,
Miss JoAnn Atkinson
& her mother leaving a
Sunday service at
Philippi Church of
Christ, at the close of
one of the live broad-
cast of the church
ministry which is
heard by many who ,
listen to WOOW 1340.
Philippi Church of =
Christ is now on 2nd &
3rd Sunday mornings
at llam.
oCORNERS TORE
LOAN ?
Fine Preowned
Automobiles! _ :
NO CREDIT!
POOR CREDIT!
-OR SLOW CREDIT!
-Many models to chose from
$1000 Down and
: DRIVE AWAY!!! .
Hemby. Mott Hemby
Ss Tarboro, NC Scotland Neck, NC ~~ Fountain. NC
we mae A oma (252) 823-5129 (252) 826-4406 (252) 749.3256
CORNERSTONE mey.y CENTER, INC
, Flor Creation
3004 s. Memorial Drive/P.O. Box 30745 Pet |
Greenville, NC 27834 | ; (252) ) 826-5084 |
Office: (252) 321- 3634 Fax: (252) 321 8699
North Carolina's National College Savings Program
This 529 plan offers:
Tax-free earnings
Flexible contributions
No enrollment fees
Multiple investment options
Use at virtually any college, anywhere
a CFNC org/Savings
Pout iaton 800-600-3453
of North Carolina
Poway + The Pro Description fiw North 1: Hwa T ray bi Savings Programe prowides on iifoerotion
plan yoo on aes Yate aed pt Pheawe- vend it « eunely befor tak loaete to inves. The ratures of 329 ~ " "
Proqrarns we ¢ pec signe fea rolve sanioand ta eves, and certs tan foatenes tnatenes ov ore ho expire on December 11, 2010, unless