"There's no free lunch. Don't feel entitled to anything you don't sweat and struggle for." - Marian Wright Edelman, child advocate Worker Finds 'Lynched' Coke Bottle Serving Eastern North Carolina Since 1981 October 14 - October 21, 1999 in Auto Plant; Sues Toyota for Racism Brooks Announces Candidacy Richard Brooks announces his, candidacy for Washington City Council. Brooks is retired from E. |. Dupont in Kinston. He currently operates a private maintenance service. The candidate is married to Mary Little Brooks and they have one daughter, Flora May, and one son Richard Lee. The Brooks have one granddaughter Keisha Langley. The family resides at 820 Boston Avenue. Brooks was appointed to the Washington Board of Adjustments in 1982 and served on that appointed board i)ntil 1997. He was the chairman of the Board of Adjustments for 3 years. The family are active mem- bers at The Temple of Jesus Christ in Washington.Brooks serves as the chairman of the trustees in addition to other committees. He also serves as president of the Boston Avenue Community Association. Brooks has served as an Washington volun- teer fireman for 19 years. "I have been interested and involved in community affairs for many years. Now that | am retired, | feel that | have the time to contribute to help improve our community so that it will be a good place to live. | enjoy helping people and | want to make sure that everyone in our community is treated fairly. The only promise that | will make is that I will listen to everyone's opinion before | make a decision on City Council." NAACP pressures Alabama law enforcement to solve mysterious disappearance of six in 1986 By J. ZAMGBA BROWNE Amsterdam News Staff The mysterious disappear- ance of six African-American adults in Alabama last May has become a major concern of the nation’s oldest civil rights organi- zation, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Kweisi Mfume, who heads the organization, has asked Alabama law enforcement to accelerate its investigation of the missing peo- ple, who range in age from 22 to 28 years old. They were last seen riding in a 1986 Chevrolet Caprice near Opp, Ala., in the southeastern part of the state. The civil rights leader said family members and friends asked the NAACP to press state investigators for details about the case and to find out why it is taking them so long to solve it. “Law enforcement is investi- gating the case, but perhaps more resources are needed,” said Mfume. “We think that, as a result of our involvement, author- ities have stepped up their probe. “A car full of people can’t just vanish into thin air. Somebody must know something,” he added. The missing people were iden- tified as Eula Josett Lee, 27; Lamar Junior Stackhouse, 25; Tamara Monique Ward, 22; Vale- ria Genieta McCoy, 27; Angela Roberts Young, 26; and James A. Reynolds, 28. Mfume described the car they were driving as faded maroon in color with Alabama license plate No. 34BM771. Anyone with information should call the Alabama Bureau of Investigation Flo-Jo’s Mom Sues Son-in-Law for Wrongful Death of Athlete SANTA ANA—The mother of the late Florence Griffith Joyner has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her son-in-law, Al Joyner, in what she says is part of a family dispute over control of the famed runner’s legacy. The complaint filed last week in Orange County Superior Court al- leges that Joyner failed to “exercise reasonable care to avoid foresee- able risk of harm” to his wife and that “harmful or offensive touch- ing” caused her death. An Orange County coroner's report completed shortly after Griffith Joyner's death in Septem- ber 1998, at age 38, concluded that she suffered an epileptic seizure in her sleep and suffocated, The autopsy found ho indica- tion of foul play or suspicious cir- cumstances. “We're standing by our au- topsy,” satd Assistant: Sheritt George Jaramillo The plaintiff, 69-year-old Flo- rence Griffith, declined to speak directly about the suit, but said it stems in part from a dispute with Joyner over his decision to starta foundation in his wife's honor She said the Flo-Jo Memorial Community Enpowerment Founda- tion is undermining the efforts of a separate charity group, the Florence Griffith Joyner Youth Foundation, which she supports. Griffith said Joyner also tried recently to evict her from the Rancho Santa Margarita home in which she lives. Joyner owns the home, she said, but her daughter had allowed her to live there. Al Joyner cquid not be reached for comment. Come now James Callier. a black employee of a Long Beach Toyota company. who filed a $5 million lawsuit in Superior Court — re- cently alleging racial harassment and discrimination in his work- place. Callier sued TABC, Inc.. an auto parts-making subsidiary of Toyota Motor Manufacturing of North America. for whom he is a press operator. claiming that on Sept. 14. 1998 he found a Coke bottle on his desk that had been painted black. with eyes drawn in and wool-testured material glued on as hair. Callier's suit alleges that a rope fashioned into a hangman's noose - was Wrapped around the neck of the bottle. simulating a lynching. (pon Seeing the lynched bottle figure. "Mr. Caller immediately the direct target of what seemed to be a known and tolerated. racially hostile work environment that existed at the company,” said Ton J. Jaramilla, Callier's attorney. In his suit. Callier contends that he and other employees at the Toyota company were made to tolerate racist slurs on a daily basis, that swastikas were drawn on the equipment and_ that "NIGGER go back to Africa" was scrawled on the company's bath- room walls in plain view of the supervisors. who. themselves, ad- dressed African American em- ployees as "nigger" or "black boy," Callier's complaint states. Callier claims that he, himself. was directly addressed as a "damn nigger" by a white employee. Callier was hired by the com- pany in 1992 and continues to work there. "He should not be the one to leave." Jaramilla said. "He 's been a victim and he did nothing wrong.” Jaramilla said her client com- plained to supervisors about the alleged racist work environment in the plant about 10 to 15 times. "It was only this final incident with the lynched Coke bottle when he finally said ‘enough' and filed the lawsuit." she said. The local chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality held a news conference last Thursday at which it called for a boycott of Toyota products in a show of support for Callier. and the group plans to demonstrate at the Long Beach plant this week. TABC's Vice President David Dedinsky denied all of Callier's claims and told the City News "We refute the charges and intend to defend the action. As a company. we make a very strong effort to create a positive work environment, which is free from any racial. sexual or religious harassment of any sort.” "This particular episode was fully investigated, and we even took steps to offer a $1,000 reward for any eyewitnesses, and had professional fingerprinting tests performed on any of the objects in question. All of that was unsuccessful, "Dedinsky con- tinued. The company official said Callier's claims that his com- plaints to supervisors were ig- nored are “not true." "We reacted instantly, as soon as we found that bottle. We reacted at the first complaint." he said. understood ‘that he had become Town chartered by Slaves flooded TARBORO, NC - Lorenzo Lyons is in shock.In less than two weeks, the lifelong Princeville resident has lost his home, his job and dreams. When Hurricane Floyd dropped 20 inches of rain on the historic eastern North Carolina town Sept. 17. Lyons, 31. like most others there. had no idea his life would be changed forever. ‘I'm in shock," he said, eating a hot dog in the parking lot of his new "home" - larboro High School, one of two emer- gency shelters set up after Floyd hit. Most of the hundreds at the shelter are his neighbors from predominately black Princeville. population 1.800 plus. They too believe that after some wind damage and minor flooding, they'd be back within a day or two. Instead, the first town chartered by freed slaves in 1885 has made national headlines for being literally underwater for two weeks. The dikes that were constructed to keep the Tar River out have now kept the flood waters have subsided. officials say it will be a while before it completely drains and Princeville can be rebuilt. The resident8 can't wait that long. Many are elderly with fixed incomes; others are young families who work on nearby farms or in factories in Edgecombe County. Those were flooded out too, leaving tens of thousands throughout the region with no home, no business and no job. By Tuesday. over 47 statewide were known dead. "Some are sad," said Lyons, "and some are like me - they can't believe it.’ Donald Ray Williams, 51, has lived on Mullins Street in Princeville for just under a year. His wife, Bettie, pastors a church right next door. The morning of Floyd, he grabbed a small bag because he was sure he'd be back. Now both buildings are underwater. "| didn't know it would happen like this," he said, standing in front of his car at the shelter and whatever worldly possessions he was able to grab. "They said we can't go back because of all of that disease and Stuff," Williams said. "Dead bodies and dead animals. To compound the problem, hazardous chemicals from a nearby farming plant are believed to have been released into the floodwaters along with sewage, adding to the probability of disease. In all, 650 homes, 30 businesses, are gone - an estimated $43 million in damage and destruction. Bettie, 51, says many of the people are hurt. Some feel they haven't been treated fairly since arriving at the shelter. Some are anxious to get back home, no matter what the condition. And many are hearing disturbing rumors that several of their neighbors are unaccounted for because they didn't believe such an unprecedented catastrophe could, or would, happen. IAW. Service: Princeville Mayor .Shown above is the mayor of — Princeville along with Pitt County Commissioner Jeff Savage. Dr. Tommy Hines. Bro. Bobby Teel and others. They were enjoying happier days last year during Commissioner Savage’s campaign for the 8th House District representing Edgecombe County. The mayor was in the process of making the town of Princeville a historic tourist location. Photo By Jim Rouse Adopt a Family, Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church was the scene for the Ministers and Civil Rights Leaders such as Martin Luther King III, state president of the SCLC Bennie Roundtree, former Congressman Walter Fontroy, National Talk Show Host Joe Madison from WOL Radio station Washington, D.C., and famous civil rights fighter Golden Frinks. The pastor of Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church is Sidney Locke. Photo by Jim Rouse WATCH OUT FOR HOME REPAIR SCAMS PROTECT YOURSELF IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CALL ATTORNEY GENERAL MIKE EASLEY TOLL FREE AT 1-877-99-SCAMS i cin g ‘the ‘Invisible Tracks’ Part 1 When I received a call inviting me to be part of the National Underground Railroad Familiarization Tour, I initially viewed it with conflicted skepticism. Was it _ substantive enough to clear a crowded week of appoint- ments? Or was this a subliminal excuse for a half- hearted opportunity to “get away” under the guise of writing about culture and heritage? Upon returning from the trip, I found it more than substantive, I found it soul-searching, even soul-touching in terms of reminding me (and us) of the ravages of the time and the difficulties and risks our “immediate” ancestors endured to become the creature they were created to be, free. In atime when conveniences undermine our desire to struggle, and our vision (and children’s vision) to see beyond restricted social acceptance and material pleasures, this tour that is being formalized in several parts of the country (Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Maryland, Canada) in such a way as state or federally funded “historical” tour sites (many run by whites hat resisted but now see the economic benefit to heritage tourism) that it not only helps you understand the historical significance of the sites, but also what struggle and sacrifice was. It would provide a true cultural “reconnection” for most of us, if not all of us. Even the “blackest of the black (philosophically)” would gain invalu- able insights to the psyche of the man or woman who had the courage to risk what they risked to leave the plantation in search of freedom. We need to get away and experience the hardships of the “invisible tracks” first- hand. See what they saw and try to fee! what they felt. It wouldn't be hard. Like visiting Egypt or Goree Island in Senegal, visiting the safe houses and tunnel sites (many just discovered recently), the ancestors are so close to you, you feel their spirits tapping you on the shoulder. Even if we have to “steal away” from work for a week, itis well worth it. And this is an absolute must for our children, and anybody who claims “they know our suffering.” National Underground Railroad Tours are our Museums of Tolerance for those who have such great desires for multicultural exchange of painful experiences and cultural dialogue. The latest new phenomena sweeping the East Coast, Southern, and Midwest states are called “Heritage Tours.” black is back” around the rest of the country. The West and Northwest, * While black is out in the latest area of study is the demise of 19th century political economy in the South. The tool that broke down the South's primary economy, slavery, and the politics that went along with it after the Civil War, was the under- ground rail; a system so sophisticated that much of its mechanics are only coming to light 140 years later. In the historical context of how African people in their desire to remove themselves from the wrath of slavery, the Underground Railroad is just a footnote. Historical discussion, in both American and so-called “black” history, are limited in acclaim and account. Escape from slavery was by and large viewed as an anomaly. But it was a deeply spiritual endeavor, a burning desire to reconnect with the creator on human terms and go beyond the subhuman realities created by oppressors of man. And just as the civil rights movement has been secularized in history to evolve around one personality, Martin Luther King Jr., so has the Underground Railroad attributes been secular- ized to one personality, Harriet Tubman. In a recent conversation about the upcoming political (or silly) season, John Hill, chief of staff for Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, and former head of affirmative action for Los Ange- les County, struck a chord that has been reverberating for days. Hill, a very thoughtful, intelli- gent and intense gentleman, pointed to some issues which seem to have been overlooked by far too many African American people. He pointed out that the current (Clinton) administration has cre- ated a climate in this country that no chief executive of the country has equaled or has even come close to equaling. As he talked, it became clear that during this administration, more minorities have been placed in policy-making positions than ever before in history. Beginning with the late Ron Brown, who was named secretary of commerce of the United States. Then there was Hazel O'Leary, who was secretary of energy. Ron Espy, who headed the agriculture depart- ment. Anattemptto smear Espy wound up in defeat, but Espy was seriously damaged in the fray. Sull he had been appointed to the post and did a damned good job while he held the office. Clinton had the nerve to name a black woman, Dr. Jocelyn Elders, as surgeon general, and when she came under fire from his opponents, he had no choice but to accept her resignation. 4 Still, he was undeterred. He “named Dr, David Satcher as her teplacement. Satcher has some lo- cal ties since he once headed the Drew Medical School here in the Southland. He stole Satcher from the presidency of Meharry Medical College in Nashville. These are just a few of his appointees. The real issue here is simple: For the first time in history, the cabinet of the President of the United States began to take on the cole:, if you will, of the nation it- self. This was, and is, the legacy of the Clinton administration. Today, there are blacks, Hispan- ics, and women, all in positions of real, not imagined, power. Other presidents, including John Kennedy, could have done it, but they didn’t. Lyndon Johnson could have done it. He certainly had the power, but he did not use it for us. The list goes on ad infinitum. This brings us to the next point. Hill pointed out a survey, which indicated a number of African Americans are supporting the can- didacy of George W. Bush on the Republicanticket. Hill asks a simple question and we concur. Why? The economy of this nation has never been better. There are black people making more money than ever before. What could be changed or made better by electing a George W. Bush, ora Pat Buchanan? Would either of them do more for minori- ties than Clinton has done? We think not. Yet we seem to have an inordi- nate number of black people run- URBAN PERSPECTIVE A Hard Look at Clinton’s Initiative on Race Part 2 The final report of the advisory board to the president's Initiative on Race 1s entitled, One America in the 21st Century: Forg- ing a New Future. The report is important be- cause it is supposed to shape the race relations debate in the United States in the near term. hearings and meetings concentrated on deci- phering the role race plays in a wide array of institutions and cultural practices and public policy, including civil rights enforcement, edu- cation, poverty, employment, housing, stereo- typing and the administration of justice, health care and immigration. t Broke, Please Don't Fix it ning tothe Republican Party to sup- port one or another of their candi- dates. Again, why? The whole intent of the various Civil Rights Movements in this country since the end of the Civil War has been to achieve racial equality and to be a viable and func- tional part of the rules-making group. It is finally a reality. For the first time since we were brought to this country in chains in the 17thcentury, we are there. Why would or should we want to go back to the way things were 100 years ago? It makes no sense. This is not a political endorse- ment for any candidate. It is just some statements of fact that cannot be refuted or even argued. The things, which have taken place in this country within the past seven years, are things we longed for, begged for, marched for and died for. There is another issue, which must be seen for what it is. Within our ranks, we have those men and women whose only concern is themselves. So, if they align themselves with certain political figures, it bodes well for them. But it does not necessarily bode well for the rest of the African American people. They don’t give a tinker’s damn about the plight of the race. They are concerned primarily with their own greed. They can boast of their affilia- tion with the “other” group with some degree of selfish pride. They have helped themselves and per- haps to some degree, have been able to help a few others. But those ~The Minority Voice: Oct 14 - Oct 21, 1999 | few others they have helped are not a drop in the proverbial bucket, when we have had to look at all of the others who are still in need. The steps that have been made in our behalf since the inception of the Clinton administration are unparal- leled. We need to recognize that without a lot of hoopla and fanfare, he has gone about his mission with clarity and determination. There are some among us who will lambaste his personal life. That is their individual prerogative. In the meantime, those detractors need to look at the strides made by Afri- can Americans since he took office. None of the things for which he has been charged had anything to do with how he handled his office and how he made sure that his cabi- net was reflective of the America he swore to serve and uphold. Factually, it is time we pulled our collective head from the sand and realized what has been done in our behalf these past seven years and than ask ourselves what the future will hold? Clearly, all is not right with the world just yet. We are, however, on the right track. When we are faced with the choices we have, we need to look closely at the track records of those people who seek our sup- port and our votes. Even with the remaining prob- lems, it appears we are on the right track. If that is tha case, why should we attempt to force the wheels of progress to move backward? If it ain’t broke, the best thing to do is leave it aldne. see 1s more and more companies investing in their workers ... grams to provide them upward mobility.” Pro- fessor Hine says this seems like a reasonable request. If only these minorities be made to mirror the larger white ideals, they could escape on training and education pro- their problems growing out of “racial disparity.” Recounting the escapades of the most successful conductor, Harriet Tubman (who freed 300 out of bondage) trivializes the impact and true effect of those who collaborated in a sophisticated system of escape that branched 23 states and freed 40,000 (that they could account for). That doesn’t account for the half-million that left and were caught and/or killed trying to escape slavery. So many were escaping, and being aided by free blacks, abolitionists, Northern business people (who couldn't compete against the South’s free labor) that it broke down the system. It wasn’t about Lincoln altogether, and it’s a puzzle now being put together. As the pieces have begun to fall in place in great volume, the picture is clearer now. What makes this exploration of the Underground Railroad such an intriguing proposition is that it offers the opportunity to expand history and, in some cases, correct history as it relates to our transition into American society. It wasn't like there were four million of our ancestors just standing around just waiting for somebody to free them. It was a constant engagement of how to escape versus how to keep them enslaved. It was the creation of codes and unwritten systems, many of which are still in effect today (on both sides of the color line), whereby two races forced lo interface under the most horrendous circumstances, yet could not communicate their sincerest thoughts to the other. Life for the enslaved and the enslaver was a constant gamesmanship (much like it is today). Who can manipulate whom? One with the force of man’s law, the other with the force of God’s law. The Underground Railroad is a testament that man’s law didn't always prevail uver God's law, no matter how history tries to represent it. And for the African ap’ in study to focus on our experience at its highest point (when we were kings and queens) instead of during our lowest points (when the truest test of our God-centered nature was called to bare). We focus on our “ancient” ancestry versus our “immediate” (or American, there has been a “g not so ancient) ancestry The first generations of Africans in slavery in America, as well as the Accordingly, assessments of the report of the advisory panel provide instructive analysis and, hopefully, public discourse on race relations issues. This week’s (and last week's) column pro- vide two views of the One America report. The first was Professor Howard Winant's Racial Formation in the United States—from the 1960s to the 1990s. Today’s column summarizes Race and Class in the 21st Century by Dr. Darlene Clark Hine, professor of American History at Michigan State University. W.E.B. DuBois accurately prophesied in the Souls of Black Folk (1903) that the problem of the 20th century would be that of the color line. In later writings, he elaborated on the color line metaphor and added a class analysis. DuBois’ keen insights into the contours of divisions and tensions between the predominantly white im- perial master capitalists and the international laboring groups of all colors bequeathed to us, among other things, a powerful, indeed sober- ing, paradigm. Allconversations about race, racism and race relations require a simultaneous class analysis and sustained consideration of gender. But it 1s within the framework of race and class intersec- tion that Professoy Hine offers reflections on One America in the 2]st Century: Forging a New future, The President's Initiative on Race’s Advisory Board Report to the president. Executive Order #13050 created the Initia- Any review of the One America report 1s likely to raise troubling questions. The assertion that as a country we are more “united than divided” obscures the deep historical and con- temporary divisions that characterize the basic fabric of American society. Moreover, one must ponder whether the report advances our under- standing and ultimate goal of resolving the crisis of color and class. In other words, should the objective have been to break new ground rather than to find common ground? Did the conun- drum of race and political expediency prevent the advisory board from calling outright for a transformation of American capitalism? One of the strengths of the One America report is its discussion of the changing nature of “race” in America. For too long, the terms of race analyses have focused on the easy dichotomy of white and black. The report offers five cat- egories for race in contemporary America: American Indian or Alaska Native; black or African American; Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, white or non-Hispanic white; Hispanic or Latino. These underscore the nu- anced complexity of racial taxonomy to a degree heretofore unmatched in the history of race rela- tions in the United States. We desperately need new paradigms that honor and accept and, in-. deed, deity difference. A major reservation of Professor Hine’s is what she calls the problem of an “invisible hand.” The One America report does not make explicit who or what is doing whatever to which Minorities, while willing to embrace a core of shared American values, are nonetheless loathe to relinquish their distinct traditions, history and cultural productions as payment for a fully as- similated American identity. As America has become the world’s pre- eminent post-industrial superpower, its myriad minorities continue to press for greater partici- pation in arational economy and equal access to the social and educational systems and make incessant demands for a more equitable share of political power. Racial discourse is now so convoluted that it must have been a welcome respite, as some board members implied, to listen to ordinary, everyday people talk about their perceptions and understandings of race. Anecdotal recollections and poignant testimony, however, while cer- tainly cathartic for some, do little to extricate us from the difficulties and disparities of race, conjoined with class, sexuality and gender. It bears repeating that racial discrimination does violence to human dignity and personality and devalues the culture and lifestyle of those marked “other.” We must collectively inculcate in the next generation a deep appreciation for those mo- ments and times. when differences are irrelevant and even retrograde. As the advisory board cor- rectly posits, all Americans share core values and beliefs in justice, dignity, respect, equality and opportunity and inclusion. To this extent, we are one America, but we are not a perfect last generation of enslaved Africans, had to be as learned, as disciplined, as calculating as any European scholar and without the benefit of formal education; following the rivers and. lakes, reading the sun, moon and stars, communicating by rhythms and sounds, reading body language and attitudinal behaviors to discern friend or foe in life or death situations. The fruit of their sophistication and their struggle was, in part, the success of the Underground Railroad. Over the next three installments of this series, you will be able to witness how complex this system was in its timing, in its collaboration and in its geographical breath. The route we took was considered the most traveled (and most dangerous) route, through Kentucky, Ohio, and Michi- tive on Race and an advisory hoard charged with the task Of advising the president on issues of race and racism. The advisory board held a series of conversations and forums with private citizens and corporate, religious and local lead- ers over a period of 15 months. The board's group(s) and who will implement or enforce its recommendations should any of them become public policy. Advisory board member Linda Chavez Th- ompson declared, “One of the things we'd like to union. The most pressing challenge is to identify the forces, make visible the underlying systemic factors and mount a concerted relentless move- ment to traverse and eradicate the barriers that divide us. STANLEY CUTCHINS, retired from New York City Health Department — We Greenville’s New Beginning KERNA HILTS k & MAYOR x gan to Canada (Harriet Tubman escaped from Maryland and took, the East must encourage Coast route through Rochester, New York). ownership of Those of us who went on the tour had to go through a deprogramming Black businesses of our own, given by the tour operator, a sister, named Angela deSilva, by contracting cor- porate companies for sponsor- ship. Hold seminars in schools, churches and civic organiza- tions to give advice about start- ing your own business and to encourage keeping Black dol- lars in the Black community. Forget about getting rich through lotto. RALPH G. COOK, presi- dent, the Gil Group — We must require from the Black consumer respect, and you as the vendor must respect the people that we deal with and | the pleasant and thoughtful { _ salesperson that makes your day and gets your business on the right track. We must seri- P enemas ously admit that goodwill alone ‘ will not close the gaps in income between Black and white house- holds. Closing the wealth gap is something we African-Ameri- cans can do more about on our considered one of the foremost modern day scholars on the Underground Railroad (she’s identified several sites on the tour undiscovered before her contact with them). First, what is the Underground Railroad? You wouldn't believe how many people thought (and still think) it was an actual railroad. Most people thought it was a singular route traveled back and forth. All of that was incorrect, The Underground Railroad was a coordinated system that had literally hundreds of routes, and the routes changed frequently by day or night, and by state and jurisdiction. Thus coining the term, “Invisible Tracks.” If you knew where it was, you could close it down. It never happened. Slavery closed down first. (FIRST OF A FOUR-PART SERIES, PUBLISHED FIRST WEEK OVER THE NEXT FOUR MONTHS.) « wd Paid for by the committee to elect Kerna Hilts : ed Ne LAREN IT GO SE CSA AMR A SRE BSS SPECIE. Mee mam PATER HEE PCRS: a ma sot ate The Minority Voice: Oct 14 - Oct 21, 1999 Ween pnmens. The Minority Voice Newspaper, inc. 405 Evans Street PO. Box 8361 Greenville, NC 27834 Phone: (252) 757-0365 Fax: 757-1793 Joy 1340 AM WOOW Radio Station Greenville, NC 27834 Joy 1320 AM WTOW Radio Station Washington, NC 27889 Pictures received by The "M' Voice Newspaper become the property of The "M'" Voice Newspaper and we are not responsible for lost pictures. All articles must be mailed to the above address. If you have a complaint, please ad- dress it to the publisher, Mr. Jim Rouse, owner. Member of | NABOB-NC Association of Black Publishers, National Association of Black owned Broadcasters, NC Association of Broadcasters, © NACCP SCLC, NCAB, NNA, BMI, By HOWARD DODSON Over the last four decades, scholarship on the transatlantic slave trade has experienced something of a_ renaissance. Scholars in Europe, Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean have made the slave trade the object of new historical, economic, political and cultural studies. Gradually, they have begun to discover and assess the far-reach- ing impact that the silver trade and slavery have had on their respective societies, nations and continents as well as on the glob- al political economy. What I pro- pose to do in this brief presenta- tion is suggest some of the ways in which the intended and unin- tended consequences of the slave trade shaped the modern world as we know it today. There is no general agreement in academic circles or among the public at large about what consti- tutes the modern world and when it began. Some trace its origins back to the 13th century. Others date it from the late 19th century, when European colonial powers consolidated their economic and political hold over the peoples of the world, including Africa and Asia. For my purposes, and with- in the context of this presenta- tion, I have chosen to date the ori- gins of the modern world from the first of the Columbian transat- lantic voyages. Said another way, the modern world began with Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas; it was that voyage that ushered in the era of European colonial expansion that resulted in, among other things, the orga- nization of the transatlantic slave trade. The slave trade, in turn, fostered the development of entirely new levels of communi- cation, trade, cultural exchange and economic and political inter- dependence between the peoples of Europe, Africa and the Americ- as. The emergence and develop- ment of these interdependent continental relationships distin- guishes the modern era from its predecessors. Over the 400-year history of the trade, upwards of 12 million Africans survived the middle pas- sage and were distributed throughout the Americas — North, Central and South America - and the Caribbean. Estimates of the total number of African lives lost or impaired by the process of war- fare, capture and enslavement that fueled the trade range from Open Monday Friday: 9-5 1-, 2-, and 3 - SAAD RENTALS bedroom housing units REAL ESTATE pe 907 Dickinson Ave., Greenville, NC., (252) 757-3191 Since 1949 Section 8 Accepted TO BUY REAL FAX 757-0018 aS RENT OR SELL ESTATE CALL DD, SORBET * "SINCE 1946" Call Us If You Need Someone To Collect Your Rent And Manage Your Property! Several Nice Building Lots. We Handle Conv., HUD, VA & FMA, Financing. . 606 ALBEMARLE 757-1692 OR 757-1162 The study involves: 1. Exercise training 2.Testing for Diabetes 3. Muscle Sampling _ 4. Exercise Stress Test 5. Calculating Body % Fat 6. Check for Heart Disease East Carolina University’s Human Performance Lab is currently conducting a research study and is looking for individuals who want to get in shape. yyy! Captured slaves being led away fpr? ; A e x . A waft if fe rd \ f ., . a “oF TR 50-100 million people. The slave trade in all its facets — capture in Africa, transshipment across the Atlantic and sale in the Americas — took place in a market-driven, uneven fashion over a period of 400 years. It was uneven in terms of the time when the migrations occurred, the places from which the African captives were taken and the islands, continents and colonies in which they were enslaved. Upwards of 40 percent of the Africans sold in the western hemi- sphere went to Brazil, while only 4.5-5 percent ended up in the con- tinental United States. The tiny island of Barbados matched the United States’ percentages. while Jamaica almost doubled them. Upwards of 50 percent of the sur- vivors of the middle passage were transported to the Americas dur- ing the 18th century. Over 90 per- cent of the Africans involved in the trade were from the west African coast. The demographics of the slave trade take on an even more remarkable significance when studied within the overall context of the peopling of the Americas. Contrary to popular opinion, African peoples constituted the majority of the people who migrated from the Old World to the New World during the forma- tive stages of European colonial expansion in the Americas. This suggests an even larger economic, political and cultural role for: African peoples in American colo- nial development than we have even begun to imagine. According to several sources, between 1492 and 1776, or rough- ly the first 300 vears of what we understand to be the colonial pen od of American history, 6.5 million people crossed the Atlantic from Africa and Europe and settled in the Americas: North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Of those 6.5 million people, only 1 million were Euro- pean. The other 5.5 million people were African. Most of the histories that we have read have been wnitten from colonial perspectives: from the perspectives of the minority of the population: from the perspectives of the institutional histories of the colonizing powers. They haven't taken into account any of the eco- nomic, political and social conse- quences of the simple demograph- 1c fact that the overwhelming majority of the people involved in the rnaking of the colonial Amen- cas were African. Indeed, as late as 1820. the ratio of Africans to Europeans who had come from the Old World to the New was still 3:1, so those of us who are involved in the studv of the African Diaspora and the Ameri- can experience are really faced with two sets of intellectual chal- lenges. The first is to set the record straight about the African expen- ence in the Western Hemisphere, but second, and of equal impor- tance, we are taced with the chal- lenge of rewriting, in a fundamen- tal way, the history of the Americ- as. Because if, as indeed appears to be the case, two-thirds or more of the peoples of the Western Hemisphere have not been included in the history, then we don't know very much about the history of the Western Hemi- sphere. We are faced with the twin challenges of trying to rethink and understand, both what has been the nature of the African experience in this hemi- sphere, and what has been the impact of the African presence, and African economic and politi- cal and social activity on the shap- ing of the Americas. What has been the impact of African peoples on the making of the Americas and the rnodern world? It should be clear from the pre- ceding summary that one of the major consequences of the slave trade for the Americas was in the peopling of the Americas. African peoples formed the foundation on which the societies and cultures of the Americas were built. More- over, if there is any truth to this notion that the Americas should be called the “New World,” it was the African peoples in the Americ- as who made the Americas new. If the concept of the “New World” has any real meaning, it is a direct consequence of the pres- ence and activities of African peo- ple in this hemisphere (the major- ity of its immigrant population) during the formative period of the development of the nations, com-~ ~ munities and societies of the Americas, especially those in the Caribbean, Central and South America and the southern United States Let’s begin with the people themselves. There has been a ten- dency among some sectors of the academic and educational com- munity to think of Africa as a country rather than a continent, and to think of African peoples as a homogenous group. The fact of the matter is that the African peo- ple who were involved in the slave trade experience were extremely diverse, frequently as much strangers to each other as they were to their European captors. Africa is indeed a continent with a multiplicity of ethnic, national and religious groups and this cul- tural, religious, national and lin- guistic diversity was represented in the populations that were involved in the slave trade. Upon arriving on these shores, they fashioned themselves into new peoples. They brought their Yoruba and Ga and Akan cultural attributes with them, but these facets of their identity were inter- connected and intertwined with the cultural and ethnic experi- ences of the other Africans they met, as well as with indigenous peoples and the peoples of the var- ious calonial powers. And-so the African peoples themselves, both biologically and culturally, were transformed into new people a a | 7 1. 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For exam, salatyh and testing information call t | (630)- 836-9243 8 - 8PM. 7 days Site, | |] Of | Mother Love's Daughter. A mother’s love for her daughter can | “Newlyweds. Shown is the lovely Mrs. Brandy Forres and hef handsome husband Mr. Quinton Forrest. The couple were recently! | married at York Memorial AME Zion Church by Pastor George. The’ Photo By Jim Rouse reception was held at the Holiday Express. You can see for yourself : how thrilled they were to tie the knot. Photo by Jim Rouse . | be seen on sister Jessie's face as she poses for the “M™ Voice camera. District 2 - On November 2, 1999 Your Vote Is Needed To Help: : Restore A Unified City Council * Growth & Expansion * Crime Prevention Initiate Early Intervention and Prevention Efforts For At Risk Youth. Develop, Encourage and Fund Home Ownership For Low Income Families Expand Community Policing * Restore Homes Occupied By Low ale Elderly Vote Rose Glover City Council Let Us Make The Difference. 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See application for full details. Ss af e and Sound in the Year 2000 Member FDIC. This is a Year 2000 readiness disclosure bee | tt HOW TO BE A GOOD SPORTS PARENT Parents come to youth sports because they care about supporting their ‘children, appreciating the benefits of physical exercise and team play. This caring usually helps children enjoy sports and remain healthy. both emotionally and physi- cally. However. it is possible to care too much, which can make sports one of the most negative experiences for a child. By adopting the following posi- tive behaviors and avoiding some of the common pitfalls, parents can help keep the games and enjoyable and rewarding for the rewarding for their children. 1. Start with the fundamentals. Most experts say children should start in sports when they show a genuine, self-motivated interest. This does not seem the first step should involve organized compe- tition. Getting started means playing. It seems learning fundamentals and skills. It means picking up games and playing catch, kicking balls Reap lcctetior2 the Desk of Mrs. Beatrice Maye and shooting hoops in the back- yard. Too often, kids/lightly over play and skill building and get right to the game action and all of its trappings. Instead of focusing on fundamentals, they're more intent on performing. Age 10 is the right age for kids to get involved in organized sports. By age 12 many kids have done everything. They've traveled, received tro- phies, had new uniforms, been cheerleaders, made the all-star team, the whole thing. What’s to look forward to? 2. To prevent burnout, don't overdo the rewards. It’s OK to miss a game, parents. Supportive parents have been known to start living through the children, push- ing kids accomplish what the parents could not. It is what experts call achievement by proxy, which can damage a parent-child relationship. Back off parents. Don’t wear T-shirts saying “I am Johnny's mother”. Don’t go to every practice. Skip a game or two. Part of growing up is the separating process. The child should not have a mom or dad looking Over the fence at every move. Kids see themselves in sports as an opportunity to be with friends, wear a shiny uni- form, and if the ball comes to them, fine, they try to score. ) @ %. Avoid projection. As a parent, it is not easy to stay in the present with children. Too often in sports, parents start projecting that. Woow, my daughter could be a great star some day. Projection implies a dissatisfaction, — that what the child is doing now is not good enough. It also adds pressure on kids who face enough pressure already from their peers. at school and from within. More than 70 per cent of children drop out of youth sports by age 12. The number one reason is too much pressure. Parents may be pushing their child toward a college scholarship: For every $1 dollar available in academic scholarships. ‘So, if you are in it for a scholarship, it pays to have your children do homework rather than shooting free throws”, says Keith Zembower, sports consult- ant and retired coach. 4. Approach the coach with a cooperative attitude. Coaches are powerful role models for chil- dren, and sometimes face stagger- ing responsibilities. Many coaches do a good job, but all coaches make mistakes. Evaluate the coach early in the season. He may know about sports. but is he or she a good person. If the coach treats people fairly, and if he doesn’t. don't let your kid play for the coach. Never, parent, come out of the stands and confront a coach before, during, or after a game. Your child learns that’s how you resolve things. Wait a day. Call and rather than being confronta- tional, be cooperative. Most coaches today are volunteers. Ultimately. being a good sports parent is a balancing act. You hug your children in loving support and at the same time you let them go. Too much of ene or the other can cause problems. but if parents have to err to one side, it would be on the letting go side. ListeN first say less. hug more. but let the children play their games. 6. Parents, find yours sport. go play your own game. — Get involved in a soft ball or tennis league, or play pickup hoop games at your health spa/club. You will get good exercise, burn up some of your nervous energy and quickly remember - or learn -that the game you watch your son or daughter play is not always as easy as it looks. After you play your game, you will probably be quicker to empathize than criti- ‘cize your child’s play. Who knows, maybe when you feel blue that a grounder got through your legs and cost your soft ball team the championship, it will be your child who puts an arm around you and say, “That’s OK. It happens to everyone”. (BY: Gary Legwold, BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS, APRIL 1998) TEACHING CHILDREN GOOD MANNERS Teaching children is not interrupt adult conversations, follow these: First. in learning not to interrupt strengthens patience. Second. learning not to interrupt strengthens respect for adults. Third. the adult is annoyed when a child interrupts an adult conver- sation. With regard to the last. it seems that today’s parents teach their children it'S perfectly all right to interrupt two adults in conver- sation and for any reason at all, by simply saying. “Excuse me!” Too many parents are lazy when it comes to taking time to teach their children. They think parent- ing is taking a child to a basketball game and watching from the stands. Parenting is not a spectacular sport. It’s hands on. lake the time to teach a child by explaining and rehearsing how to ,, be recognized when two adults are engaged in conversation. And don't forget. when your child does the right thing, to tell him how proud you — are. Punishment is a necessary aspect of discipline. but without equal amounts of praise. it breeds contempt. John Rosemond. Child psycholo- gist/author Note: A dining room is just a physical space. WORDS OF WISDOM Knowledge is indeed power. Maya Angelou You touch people by realizing that they want what everyone wants: recognition, respect, and to feel as if they matter. When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you until it seems that you cannot hold on for a minute, never give up then. for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Look at the business of daily living - getting groceries, paying bills. overseeing homework.doing household chores, buying birth- day gifts and occasionally run- ning to the bank. shoe repairs. gas station, dry cleaners. and the post office. FAMILY VALUES 1. Do not lie. steal. throw tantrums. or appear in public poorly groomed. 2. To criticize family to outsiders is unconscionable. Let com- plaints stop at the door. 5 3. You can do whatever you put your mind to. 4. Defend and depend upon one another. 5. Household rules are absolute and chores mandatory. 6. Stay close. even in living tar apart. FRIENDSHIP I. It is noble to have a friend, but still nobleer to be a friend. Richard Wagiiér 2. Say a good word gbout everybody. 3. Nothing bad ever came: trom real LOVE even an overdose of real LOVE. Virginia Basler 4. Those who bring sufiShine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. Sir James Barrie 5. No one is rich enough-to do without a neighbor. Danish Proverb 6. Wars and strife shall end when man has made the man next door a friend. Edgar A. Guest 7. After the verb to love. to help is the most beautiful verb in the world. 8. When a friend ask, there is no tomorrow. Old Proverb 9. A friend is what the heart needs all the time. Henry Van Dyke 10. The language of friendship is not words but meanings. Henry David Thoreau 11. Some people make the world brighter just by being in it. 12. A little act of kindness can fill a heart with joy. Katherine Nelson TIP TALK |. Don't rest your ladder on a gutter. If you bend or dent it, water may “puddle. 2. Rake when leaves are dry. Wet ones are heavy and slippery. Greenville’s New Beginning ttt KERNA AYOR -_ ih vo eos