oice Newspaper What You See Is What You Get, What You Read Is What You Know And Save. Serving Eastern North Carolina Since 1981 ' Jul 3. - Jul 12, 2003 FREE! ) 0, Sharecroppers' son fi its to reclaim his name By LaWanda Johnson —_ and married three years ago, - =| came one day and took her." Sept. 25, 1918, and his brother AFRO Assisstan for he confided. in her. “me Stoddard was 18 months old chose Sept. 16, 1912,Stoddard's Without a birth certificate you cannot go to school, get a pass- Port or join the military, Without a birth certiffcate, you cannot prove who you are, how old you are or where you came from. And you cannot retire without benefits. oo, David Stoddard, 86, has known this kind of uncertainty all his life. Sitting on the back porch of “He would say, ‘Alice, I don't know who I am," she said. -"It would break my heart," When the two were given a honeymoon cruise that required ‘birth certificates, it was the fi- nal push that she needed to un- cover her husband's identity. Using her husband's oral his- tory as a guide, Alice Stoddard learned that during the time of her husband's birth in South Carolina, African Americans when his mother's brother ar- rived to retrieve him and his then 4-year-old brother. Both were too young to tell their un- cle, Judge Stoddard and his barren wife, Maggie, what their names were and how old they were. The Stoddards made up names for their little charges, and David remembers that Hoover was president. A little over a decade later found the boys homeless again. brother, Willie, decided to take advantage of Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps under the Emergency . Employment Act. The corps provided employment and voca- tional training for unemployed youths and, to a lesser extent, for war veterans and Indians, through conservation and natu- ral resources development work..It also provided money . for Willie Stoddard to send for were the offspring of slaves. It was during the Great his brother's support, — his home in Fredericksburg, . They were mainiy poor, unedu- ression, according to "Willie left David behind be- Va., Stoddard looks down at his cated sharecroppers. Stoddard, when his aunt and cause he was too young to en- stepchildren and grandchildren "Sharecroppers never broke uncle died within a few years of _list," said Alice Stoddard. while absently stroking the even with the landowners," said each other.Stoddard said he David Stoddard, hoping to fi- -head of his dog, Mariah. Ms. Stoddard, 65, who knew stayed alive by eating roots, nally go to school and escape Though partially disabled by a life as a sharecropper in North herbs and berries out of the the poverty and violence stroke he suffered two years Carolina. “They really were still woods, and the generosity of against Blacks in the South, ago, Stoddard smiles a toothless Slaves." . people like Mrs. Patterson. hopped a freight train to grin and talks about his life In 1915, death and birth re- "Me and some other boys use Washington. _ .. and growing up in South cords were just beginning to be- to go to Mrs. Patterson's house Everybody was thinking that Carolina when Hoover was come a reality, and wait for food," he said. the North was the place to go, president. How he met his fa- "Once they stopped register- "She worked at a hotel and she said Alice Stoddard. = ther, Will Barksdale only once. ing us with their livestock, then would bring home the leftovers Everybody wanted to get out’ of He remembers walking through | _Ahey just didn't register us at to feed children who didn't the South. a , town with his father. wa all;”. she. said. have no family." Stoddard said Eventually, David and Willie Stoddard's wife, Alice, helps David Stoddard says he was they would all gather outside Stoddard were reunited in the to fill in the blanks. She says the third child of Lillian : her back door. This act would District and together embarked she has heard his story a thou- Stoddard and Will Barksdale, . . . lead to trouble. upon what turned out to be a sand times. . and was born around 1916, just Department of Health. in 1918, at age 35, of bronchial "One day the sheriff came and lifelong quest to prove their "He remembered much more one year after the. government According to death records pneumonia during the influenza _said we stole a car," said identities. He lived in the before the stroke," she said. began to keep track of the obtained from, the South epidemic; Woodrow Wilson was Stoddard. "We weren't even Distri¢t until Bill Clinton began Alice Stoddard said she remem- births and deaths, according to Carolina Bureats-of Vital president. there. They put us on the chain serving his second term as bers that when she and her hus- EFF HERS RUM: VARS ed SH aaa eae mont Enpowering Womans Conference 2003. Rev. Smith who Hilton Hotel. Evangelist Arrington who is the director of the Greenville County Statistics, Lillian Stoddard died organized the womans conference here at the the Little Willie Center. Photo by Jim Rouse WCPS Radio Station shown above is the owner of WCPS, oti Tarboro, NC. JJ Johnson and staff, and commu- "His mother was a sharecrop- per on the same plantation that her parents and their parents paren Meir pare -~ofh NAG. Deen. slaves,” said. Alice Se d. © died, no- € a. When : : body even. knew the children's tarded and David said the state gshington AFRO, on S arecroppers' son fights to re- claim his name." The story was about David Stoddard, $4 who was born in a small town in rural South Carolina at a time when the state was just beginning to is- sue birth certificates to African gang for 30 days." Stoddard said they dug ditches and cut leaves. He remembers Roosevelt Was president, oes The boys Had up birthdays cards to get a job. David chose Dobbs-Farmer was able to con- . firm that Willie and David were in fact the sons of Lillie Stoddard, but things changed from that point on. Lillie Stoddard died on December 11, 1918, apparently just months after giving birth to David. The birth certificate un- president, David Stoddard had taught himself how to read and write over the years, but was never able-to find anyone willing to when it € necessary, un-, invest the time it would take to hames or when they were.born. der President Roosevelt's New untangle his past. He relied They had a sister who was re- Deal, to obtain Social Security heavily on his ability to remem- ber every detail of his past, AFRO reader helps sharecropper's Son discover his lost past By LaWanda Johnson brother, Willie, knew they were "It was not ungommon for peo- AFRO Assistant Editor the children of a sharecropper ple to name children after peo- Darlene Dobbs-Farmer, a sys- named Lillie Stoddard, who ple they knew," said Dobbs- tems programmer with the died during the influenza epi- Farmer, Pentagon, was wandering 7 demic. With Dobbs-Farmer's After being sure she had found around trying to find something help, the Stoddards were able to the information, Dobbs-Farmer _to eat when she saw the head- fill in the blanks of David called the AFRO and was put line on the June 7 issue of the Stoddard's life. in touch with the Stoddards, "What they have is a. prepon- derance of evidence," said Dobbs-Farmer. Evidence that will prove that David Stoddard was in fact 62 years old when he initially applied for his Social Security and was denied. He was told that he was born in 20, now proven to be two Americans. Raised by an uncle covered by a zealous clerk, years after his mother's death. and given a ‘new name, Jeanette Grayson, at the The Stoddards were elated. Stoddard and his wife had em- Department of Vital Records in "Oh, my God," said Alice barked on a quest to recover his South Carolina, belonged to Stoddard. "When she told me true identity. Dobbs-Farmer was immediately intrigued. A genealogist re- searcher by hobby, Dobbs- Farmer took the newspaper to her desk and went to work. She soon hit her mark. "I read the article," she said. "Then I read the article again and highlighted certain infor- mation. Then | proceeded to ut David's life together," bs-Farmer said it took her an hour. "I realized I was on the right track from the infor- mation | found in the AFRO," she said. With the help of the 1920 Census Report, she was able'to find 3-year-old Willis Barksdale and his 18-month-old brother, listed on the report as "Baby" Barksdale, living on Dials Road Willie Stoddard. Dobbs-Farmer says her work in methodical. "I start with the present and work backwards," she said. "And you have to know the laws of the state. South Carolina is an interesting state."She said that while doing research for another family, she was able to uncover some star- tling information; she found that some kind of forced labor was going on even after the Civil War. "I'm just a person who is interested in history." With the help of the Census Report that contained informa- tion supplied by David Stoddard's grandmother, Cindie Stoddard, Dobbs-Farmer found that David and his brother were living with their uncle, Mack, and his wife, Lillian. The cou- about what she had found, the hair stood up on the back of my neck. We had almost given up hope. I never guessed this much information could be found." And David Stoddard can't stop smiling. "Thanks to Darlene, he has a life and a history, " said Alice Stoddard. "You can't put a price on that." Dobbs-Farmer was even able to tell David Stoddard that his mother was buried in Mt. Carmel.Cemetery, "We will visit her grave this summer," said Alice Stoddard, "The whole thing is Just mind- blowing to me," said Dobbs- Farmer, who has traced her own family history, Because of her research, she is one of just te dio station needs your support, give to your with relatives in Laurens ple, thoughyto be barren, actu- _a few Black members of the nity ihe ori a helping ont BBQ cookout. The radio station n Pb by sim Rowse County, S.C. ally had two sons, 18-year-old Daughters of the American local radio station, its your | I sat down and found the in- David and 9-year-old Judge. Revolution. "Anything can be ‘prmation and I started to won- "David Stoddard wag nace, as done if the right person looks der why no one else had found j | made up my mind to fight your. power with: mine. ‘But | found out | was no.more against you than a grain of sand against a mountain, because you beat me and then bot- it," said Dobbs-Farmer, 44, "| thought ‘because they don't have a vested interest, they have nothing to gain by help- not actually in the home at the time," said Dobbs-Farmer. "I checked the 1930 Census Report and there was no men- tion of him at all,” at it." Dobbs-Farmer, who is on the Prince William County Historical Commission, says she will pursue her master's in i z ‘ ing, " " | | 3 4 tled me up inside my own body and you've been keeping Davi Stoddard u had en Dav Pr Sad at rhe health information manage- hg to find his true i | ili le, TE Wg! tas me in jail inside myself ever since. | fer moat of his Iie fie ns Willis Barksdale, became Willi its excting when help some. 7 —Zora Neale Hurston a i College & a - . Not long ago, the Supreme ments in Gratz y. Bollinger, a challenge by.two'White stu- . - dents denied admission to the University of Michigan law school. The rejected applicants that without affording weight to membership in the designat- ed minorities, a small number of such applicants would be ted. It argued that failure of the law school to enroll a “critical mass” of minority groups adversely affects its therefore, race is a valid con- sideration for admission. Several justices, particularly Antonin Scalia, obviously felt grades and law school ad that the admissions policy of the law school was discrimina- tory and to justify it, in accor- dance with established legal precedents, the university would have to show a “com- pelling interest.” Justice Scalia suggested that if the diversity desired by the university is so “compelling,” it could accom- plish it by reducing its admis- sions s generally. The university argued that it should not be confronted with a choice between having an exceptional: law school and, at the same time, a diverse student body. I have a problem with the way the argument before the Supreme Court took place. It seems to me that both-sides were acceding, perhaps unin- tentionally, to the suggestion college grades and law school admissions tests are the basis upon which the strength of applicants to law schools depends. It is curious to me that this assumption seems to underlie such arguments since, Black slavery in —_ : . ee igh PU fe RON WALTERS AFRO File Photo The recent story of a man, now 104 years old, out of rural isi serts that his fami- ly was still jh slavery in the 1960s. I believe him. In 1997, there was a story in the Washington Post by Len _ Cooper, a Black journalist, who said that he remembered stories in his own family about people who were still in slavery in the South in the 20th century. This prompted him to go to the national archives to try to find some information on this hunch. He found it in the boxes of materials on the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. co I was shocked when I read” the story, so I went to the national archives in Washington and asked for the NAACP boxes for 1920-1940. In them | found letters from Black people in several places in the South . saying, in effevt, thar Sey were still in slave; ,. they were “eing brutalized, they vould not gel away and they were not being paid. In their own words, some Said that the sharecropper sys- tem had them in a situation “worse than slavery.” Apparently, some of these Cases were passed on to the U.S. Justice Department for igation. Now, the Justice ment field offices in the South often functioned in col- lusion with the racist county sheriffs who ran the convict- lease system. Under this Sys- tem, the sheriffs would charge a Black person with a crime, lock him up, and then lease him out to the nearest planta- Blackonomics “in fact, grades and admissions tests standing alone have not proven to be good determinants of success in the practice of law. Indeed, for the rigitt price, a number of companies make money raising the scores of affluent applicants. I recall an incident that try in abject poverty, by his grandmother without either of his parents. My classmate - attended an unremarkable high school in his small town’ and, I would certainly infer, enjoyed little or no cultural advantages. I don’t know how my grades and admissions tests. _ law school in the nation’s capi- tal, the person, Black, White or - Chartreuse, who can do that - gets my vote. It’s interesting that the strongest defenders of a so- called neutral selection process are always those who come out _ best using it. If the process was © It is interesting that the strongest defenders of a “neutral” selection process are come out best using it. If the always the ones who Process was “neutral,” why do the winners keep com ing out of the same - Places? — 7 ccempinlieeizemmamntemenesie ne occurred one afternoon at my law school. I was studying in a classroom a few desks away from the only other person present, a Black classmate whom I had seen but did not know personally, After a while, we began chatting and I learned that he had been raised in the Appalachian coal coun- eee : . scores Compared to those of my classmate, but I know which application would have impressed me more if I was on the admissions committee. Compared to his, my childhood was a cakewalk. Whatever it takes for someone to go from an impoverished, parentless Appalachian background to , ene el as “neutral” as some suggest, why do the winners keep com- ing out of the same places? Why does someone whose per- sonal accomplishments are truly amazing need to do more than show those accomplish- ments to convince others that he deserves a place at a law school? the 20th century? — tion owner, who would often put the prisoner. back in slavery, legal slavery. By the way, this iS permitted in the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which outlawed slavery “except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convict- ed.” Cooper says that the last case he found was in 1950. So, the fact that some Blacks were still in Slavery in the 1960s is not far-fetched. This means that in some areas in the South in the 20th century, even during the civil rights movement, Whites were still practicing slavery, because can’t instantly stop a practice that existed for 246 years, from 1619 to 1865. It takes a long time. And so it did with slav- ery. I can’t help wondering how widespread this was. When did slavery actually end and how many people can say that they know where people were kept We have to stop this lie that “slavery ended in 1865” __ that so many people are tellin ignorant of the facts. g just because they are missions tests In the end, both sides of the affirmative action debate face a - dilemma. If we want to consid- er people in all their fullness for opportunities like a chance to go to law school, it’s impos- sible to do that without discre- tion in the selections process. On the other hand, it is precise- ly the existence of discretior, that makes discrimination pos- sible. I want.admissions com- Mittees to be able to consider the special qualities of people, like my classmate, not because he is Black, but because of. what he has done with his life. - Since I don’t believe in the existence of “neutral” admis- sions criteria, I would rather take a chance on what the University of Michigan is try- ing to do. James M. Kramon, a ‘Baltimore attorney, is author of “You Don’t Need a Lawyer,” “Smart Business for Contractors,” and over 50 arti- cles dealing with legal issues. lawsuits against the govern- ment or private corporations. In many Cases, the evidence rests on the experience of our old timers. Will more of them now come forward to tell their story? _ A modern corrective on this story is important because the lie that slavery ended 138 years ago is being used by opponents of reparations and in general by conservatives to block this _ movement. But Blacks them- _ Selves need to know that the In any ause, the Justice Department did investigate and indict some slavers in the 20th century To find is, you have w& look in another set df 4 the Justide 4 me 1950, whete the files are labeled “Slavery/Peonage.” The last case that I saw was the prosecution and sentencing of the Dial brothers, who ran a plantation 35 miles outside Birmingham. Ala., and kept Blacks in slavery in 1946. Len if one oF two cases were dis- covered, you can be sure there were many others that were nots But even this mild-evi- . ‘gedence also says that. we haveito-.. “Stop this lie that “slavery ended” in 1865” that so many people *** are telling, just because they are ignorant of the facts. Legal slavery might have ended, but if you can enslave Blacks legally by criminalizing them, when did that end? Common sense says that you _ of this is true and if their sto- 4, in slavery in 20th century America? We need to talk to our old timers to see how much tivs-Cai, be substantiated in-vare... ious localities. a Some of the organizations working on African-American reparations, such as the National Coalition for Blacks for Reparations in America, or the Famer-Pellman group, or the Reparations Coordinating Committee, have developed link between slavery and their lives in 2003 is much closer than they think. If true, and it is, how does that explain the life circumstances of many employment skills,-education . _ Blacks with respect to wealth, Ron Walters is a distin- guished leadership scholar, director of the African American Leadership Institute and professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland-College Park. We have been programmed by programs JAMES CLINGMAN . NNPA News Service Have you noticed every time a problem arises between African Americans and “the establishment,” the usual result is another program for Black folks? Have you also noticed that the programs we get usu- ally result in economic progress for the establishment? Have you ever wondered why we accept “programs” as the solutions to our problems, all the while standing on the side- lines and watching “the estab- lishment” get progress in their efforts to “help” us? Well, I have noticed these and other Black strategies being implemented over the years, and I have come to the conclusion that we have, indeed, been programmed by programs Let's look at some exam- Ples, but first let me clarify what I mean by “the establish- ment.” It comprises members of our local societies who always seem to “get the call” or come to the rescue when a socially oriented problem needs to be solved. They can be Black, White or otherwise, but they are considered “safe” by those who really run the show. The two factions get togeth- er and make the plans, which more often than not result in new (and sometimes old) pro- grams for the rabble-rousing, dissatisfied, angry Black folks. But those who make the plans are the ones who get real eco- nomic progress. They get the high-level positions; they get the consultant contracts; they get access to the funds allocat- ed to set up the programs; they get development rights to build mor housing, cy get progress; we get programs. And check this out. Even when we get our programs, such as affirmative action, set- asides and the like, “they” develop ways to get in on that action as well. For instance, ed White women more than any other group. Hey, wasn’t that “program” developed in response to past injustices against Black people? Changing the names of those programs to “women business enterprise,” “minority business enterprise” and “small business enterprise” programs soon compromised some of the set-aside pro- grams, again originally desig- nated for Black folks, The result? Black business. es, for which the programs are written, get lost in massive “certification” paperwork - can you imagine having to “certi- fy” your Blackness in order to gel a portion of the meager percentages set aside for all of these groups? - and end.up, if they are lucky, getting the We have been programmed mesmerized by programs, put to sleep by programs, of the 70 percent and even some @f the 30 percent. They get ord press we get programs. We have been programmed to believe that all we need is vil program and things will be just fine. We have fall- en forithe ruse of corporate - greed shrouded in a cloak of Why do we keep buying the same old song and dance? Why do we keep allowing oth- ers to play us that way? How can we look at ourselves in the mirror and not see the sad eyes of our children who long for a better world? How can we not hear the desperate cries of our by programs, Ss hypnotized by programs, and we are being killed - literally and fit uratively - by programs that put millions into the crumbs that fall off the set- aside biscuit. To make it even Worse, , White males get the lion's affirmative action has benefit- » share of the resources, without having to certify they iire White, and because they are married to and are the fathers of White females, they get in on the WBE action as well. In my hometown, White males can now also get in on the city’s 30 percent “small business” set-aside program because of its “race-neutral” criterion and its increase in the net worth ceiling of an indi- vidual small business owner from $325,000 to $750,000. Thus, White males get the all largegs toward Black people. We hive accepted politicians _ who pretend they are working to “I@vel the playing field,” all the while advancing them- selves and forgetting about thos@ upon whose shoulders they ftand. We have been pro- grammed by programs, mes- merifed by programs, hypno- tized by programs, put to sleep by pfograms, and we are being killed - literally and figurative- ly - by programs that put mil- liong into the pockets of others and Rave us dangling by a thin tring hoping there is a safety net below. That safety net? Another program, of couse. Let Your Opinions Be v0Ckets of others... ee I youth, who are asking us to stand up as Black men and women and stop this madness? How can we sleep at night when what is happening to our people is so blatant and overt that even a child can recognize it? When are we going to stop feeding on the Pablum placed before us, fighting over the portions, which were original- ly and entirely meant for Blacks, only to end up with a small percentage of the per- centage designated for “minorities,” women, and “small” business owners? Programs would be all right if they did what they were set Up to do. But we have allowed them to deviate so far from their purpose that they have become nothing more than a joke - with Black folks being the punch line. If White women have been discriminat- - ed against, they should have a long talk with their fathers, uncles and husbands. Blacks didn’t have anything to do with that, so why should White women share in our programs? No other minority has suffered the*horrendous treatment that Blacks have suf- fered in this country. So where did those minority programs come from? Small businesses, according to various defini- tions, can employ hundreds of Persons, have receipts in the millions and, as I said earlier, comprise owners who have a net worth - not income, but net worth - of $750,000. How can Black-owned micro-enterpris- _ 8 and sole Proprietorships compete with that, especially within the same small business program? Yes, progratns have pro- grammed us, and we had bet- ter start deprogramming our- selves, right now, James E. Clingman is an adjunct professor in the University of Cincinnati's African-American Studies Department. ‘ ° Pg3 tionc OVERCOMING OUR PRIDE Greetings: I would like to talk to you about a spirit that is overtaking our churches today, that spirit is called pride. It is a Spirit that ~ has been around for a long time but it is seldom recognized until it has done some dama e. Pride is the sin that deceives us. Its effects are found everywhere. It is the chief cause of human strife and tragedy. Pride is the original sin, committed Satan resulting in his fall from heaven, and by Adam and Eve when they were sent from the Garden. All other evil can be traced back to pride. What is this sin? Pride is an undue sense of our own superi- Ority; it is inordinate self. esteem. It is the raising of our- selves above others, As a result of pride, our relationships with God, with others and with vur- selves are severely affected. C.S.Lewis wrote, "Pride always means enmity -- it is enmity. And not only between man and man, but enmity to God..:.A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.... As long as you are . proud, you cannot know God." We are God's creation, He- _Claborately designed us and brought each of us into being. In every way God is vastly su- perior to us. He is infinite; we are finite. He is righteous; we have sinned and are unright- cous. He is wise; we are fool- ish. When we are proud, we deliberately choose not to ac- knowledge God's Lordship in our lives. Instead, we exalt our own way of doing things, and we say to God, "I'll do this my -. way. Doi't interfere in my life." But if we do not know that God is immeasurably supe- rior to ourselves, then we can- not know him at all. Pride alienates us from others. If we Judge others. If we judge oth- ers and deem them to be infe- rior to us, we become cripple in our ability to relate to them. Pride wrecks relationships, set- ting husband against wife, par- ent against child, friend against friend, worker against boss. In our pride we can become iso- lated and alone. Pride also wreaks havoc in our own lives, According to the book of Proverbs, there is more hope for the fool than for a proud person. Indeed, a proud person is the biggest fool of al? be- cause pride will bring him low, leading to his ultimate destruc- tion. The symptoms of pride can be likened to those of can- cer. At first we are unaware of the cancer, and it grows silently inside our bodies. Then we.re- alize that something isn't right. If we ignore it, the cancer be- comes a consuming and poten- tially lethal disease. So it is with pride. Once we recognize the symptoms of pride in our lives, we have two choices: we can ignore the symptoms and let pride destroy us, or we can g0 to God and ask him to show us the extent of the problem — and trust him to help us deal with is. The symptoms of pride > include: Stealing from God's glory. To have an honest estimation and understanding of our God given gifts and understanding of our od-given gifts and abilities is not pride. Such an assessment is necessary if we are to de- velop the talents that God-has invested in us. ‘However, it is a dangerous form of pride that. - Causes us to take credit for the gifts that God has given us. Self-centeredness. If, in the ex- ercising of our spiritual gifts and natural abilities, we ride over the feelings of others and: insist on getting our own way, then we need to reexamine our se ree If we are not using our » a ilities to bring blessing to others, then we are misusing them. A demanding spirit. The pride of a demanding person is re- vealed by his constantly bring- ing attention to the things that have not been done for him, - rather than the things that have n done. In demanding that people do things our way, we are saying, "I am superior to you.” Superiority. Pride causes us to lieve we are more important than others and to look down on them. Such haughitiness re- veals a belief that somehow we are closer to God or better that other people because of our doctrines, actions and intrinsic worth. Sarcasm. Caustic comments may be socially acceptable, but they have no place in the Kingdom of God. Sarcasm is a thinly veiled attempt to impress people by highlighting the faults of others in a pseudohu- morous way. Through sarcasm we judge and reject people, for- getting that they too are made in the image of God. A Judgmental and critical atti- tude. Jesus died to make us one, but criticism divides and destroys churches. People who are critical and judgmental have difficulty seeing the good in. others and, when they are con- fronted with it, are quick to ne- gate it through comparison. In Judging another person we are saying, "I can do it better, Why don't they just move over and let me do. it?” Impatience. By being impatient we signify that our ideas, pro- jects, programs and schedules are more important than those of other people. Many times we have to wait on others but be- coming impatient at such times, regardless of who is at fault, is never justified. . , An unteachable spirit. None of us is above the need for correc- tion in some area of our lives. When we are con fronted, do we listen? Or do we ignore what that person is telling us? Do we accept his reproof? Or do . we become aloof and resentfi| that he would dare to correct us? If we can lay aside our pride, we will benefit from the insights of many wise and godly people. However, if we are un- willing to accept this kind of correction, we have become un- teachable. Self-pity. Self-pity results when we cling to our hurts, frustra- tions and disappointments in- stead of turning our problems over to the Lord. We do this because we enjoy. the attention . that comes when someone feels sorry for us and because we think we can do a better job of dealing with our problems thn God can. Is it possible, given the deceitful human heart and the deceptive nature of pride; to have victory over pride? Perhaps our goal should be not just freedom form pride but the opposite of pride: humility. Our focus should be Christlikeness, the essence of humility. Our concern then would be focused not only on getting rid of something but on yielding to Christ so that He can make us like Himself. We can begin-to define humil- ity by what it is not. Humility is not being embarrassed by the disclosure of our worst sins. It does not come from being shamed publicly, Humility is not a form of self-hatred, nor is it a low estimate of our gifts and abilities. It is not aesthetic withdrawal from the world, and it is not a mystical experience. What then is humility? Humility is dependence on . Humility is acknowledg- ing our absolute and total de- pendence on God, the Creator, and daily looking to Him as the one true Source of forgiveness and mercy, as the One who gives counsel and direction in every decision in life. Humility is a longing in our hearts for a relationship and communion "with God. Humility is the will ingness to be honest with our- ” se ves and with others, to be known for who we really are. We don't need to tell: everyone everything about ourgelyes, But we can come to terms With our fears and failures, and share them with godly people who are close to us, Honesty about our shortcom ings should be a way of life. For . example, if we fail to fulfill our x ep ogele responsibilities at work, we should admit that we were wrong and ask for forgiveness. If we offend a family member, we should humble ourselves and apologize for our insensi- tivity and impatience. BRING IN‘THIS. AD RECIEVE 10% off f < SUPER CENT ch Invent Will Be At No NO CHARGE! ER ‘4 ory Some Iharge REGISTER FOR FREE REGBINER < 9pe. ‘Queen Anne Dining oom Group w/Hutch. Queen si ope Pillow Top ty t - Mee Oe ee we. nde Ok ne oT SO ueen Size attress Sets Black & Brass . 13pc Table Set) rome Twin Spe Table Set Futon/Bunkbeds ‘with Mattress. Consider the importance that God's Word puts on humility: "Whoever humbles himself life this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." "For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the hum- ble with victory." "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." When we see a spirit of pride creeping in on us we should pray and ask God to help us. | Let us pray, first we must ac- knowledge our sin, then pray, "Lord, | desperately need You in my life. I have come to the end of myself. I ask You to use this time to bring me to a place of brokenness. Do anything You need to do in my life to produce Christlikeness and hu- mility in me. I ask you to be ruthless in dealing with my sin. No matter how long ‘it takes or what You have to do, I wel- come Your loving judgment in my heart. No matter what the cost, Lord, I commit myself to go Your way. I ask for no shortcuts to my growth." In Jesus name | pray Amen. Now when you have conflict instead of looking at it in a negative way, think of it as God wanting ‘to use that'conflict to show us what is in our heart. Ruthless honesty about our- Selves is the only way to break the pattern of pride and decep- tion. Humility brings liberty, healing, truth, growth, and rec- onciliation to God and others. We cannot force humility to grow, but we can choose to humble ourselves and, in so do- ing, welcome the indwelling Christ to rule supreme in our lives, Remember to pray without ceasing and keep on the whole armor of God. BRING IN THIS AD RECIEVE 10% off .% a month 3) ra kable and . Foldable Bookshelf anaee” 15 BO Queen Anne 3 Pe, Living Room Group | Sofa, Loveseat & Chair Meee a DEE” Queen Anne — 4 ‘Sofa Table — Cherry ar Oak: 6'x9! Farmhouse Dinette| “Table & 4 Chairs” a i seell] : ' { - ‘ reen "ae Spc. Dinette Se Black Glass Gossip Bench —. I Twin Size. Mattress Set Curio El, 4 Colors Available Orie Rugs | Cabinet ‘15 sige raed ‘en Oe arch” . 4 Colors *. i ‘ | *39 Available ¥& y\ iawn 148 ao” Rees * Big Man England Recliners | Eng “ | : Leather Company . was NOW . 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All righn reves Lowe's ond the gable design are registered wodemerts of \FAIC, 030701 Tool Clearance! 10-40% off select brand name Power tools, hand tools and truck tool boxes See'store for details, Qu Road Winterville, antities may vary by store, Fe nee NC 28590 Otmaig Seat me economics TKR Looted Jul 3 - 12, 2003 onion ame cameaRRTRRINE ies Be, a Congratulations Graduates ®@eeees Way to independence. Pictured - Jesse These sucessful Perkins,Reginald Fleming,and Ezekiel Moore. Hats Off to you. P\ Susjette Jones Universities Sponsor Separate Graduations for Blacks and Other Minorities At the University of pennsylva- nia, the class of 2003 presenta- tion was the event at this year's Black Senior Celebration. The ceremony here attended by -al- most half the university's 140 black graduating seniors, Asian American and Latino seniors in the weeks leading up to Penn's general graduation ceremony may 19, University officals say these ra- cially and ethnically themed ceremonies are a way for mi- nority students to celebrate their cultural connections ‘as well as their ability to overcome the special challenges they face at predominantly white universi- ties. But opponents of these separate cermonies se¢ themm as a manifestation of self- segregation, which they say is too common at colleges and THE i | universities that proudly cite their racial diversity, Other schools are hosting ra- cially separate graduation events to their regular ceremo- nies: Vanderbilt University had a seprate recognition cermony for black graduates, Washington University in St. Louis hosted a black senior alli- ance ceremony. The University of Michigan and Michigan State University held black cele- bratory ceremonies. Stranford University will host a black graduation ceremony next month, and the University of California at Berkeley hosted its Black Graduation May 17. Many other schools aiso have special ceremonies honoring Latino and Asian students. There are conflicting viewpoints about these separate ceremo- nies. College officials say they offer a way for minority stu- dents to support and recognize one another in an environment that they often find isolating. Black and Latino Students, they also are more likely to sink if they feel adrift at predominantly white schools. The difector of the Black Cultural Resource Center at Penn says, "When black stu- dents come together, the as- sumption is often that they are being separatists, but the reality is that they are being full mem- bers of the university commu- nity who take on responsibility for contributing to the lager community." The director of Asian American OIAWS | THE WHISPERS. THE TT. Town Meeting \ Chancellor Bill Muse, East Carolina University (ECU), will conduct a town meeting on how to continue enhancing communication with Pitt County’s minority communities to better understand and meet the needs of local African _ Americans and Hispanic/Latinos. NIT On SALE NOW. AWY- JULY 22 ENE SAS @ URE 6 60g pe eu ea bia- ne : } tb <“e bo ek + «5a eee e i Tuesday July 8, 2003 7:00 PM : graduates of the Motivation Strickland,Rodney Bullock,Bradford Sh Barber School are on there Boyd,Harriet Harper,Cedric _ Photo by Jim Rouse Studies at Penn, calls the sepa- rate celebrations a way to honor students. who might otherwise be overlooked. Earlier this . month, the house hosted, a 150- guest celebration for their Asian graduates, . Some opponents of affirmative action argue that although many of the nation's colleges now have substantial minority Populations, those students of: ten operate in parallel worlds . that are frequently defined by. race or ethnicity. They attened » it J Cpeccons and Reviows the same classes, but they often - are members of separate frater- nities, soroities and cultural centers, they study in separate — oups, they eat at segregated dining tables and they unwind at separate parties. Another leading opponent calls Separate graduation ceremonies part of a well-intentioned but counter-productive approach to diversity. He says, "These cele- brations are part of a larger context of cultural centers, black orientations, black stud- ies, black ‘housing. They are part of an infrastructure of pro- grams aimed at making stu- dents feel wicome. * The problem is that this whole en- tourage of efforts has formed to isolate students in cultural ghet- tos." Excerpted from the article: "Diversity or Division" by Michael Fletcher Note: This writing is back- dated from events mentioned that have transpired FOUR TOPs TEMPT ATTICS: n ECU & Minority Communities Du Bois Banquet Facilities 200 Hooker Road Greenville, NC (behind Piggly Wiggly) ‘pe 7: First Citizen’s Bank © WOOW 1340am & The Minority Voice Newspaper "Presents The 22nd Annual Labor Day Gospel Family Reunion © AND | The Minority Business Expo September 1, 2003 Guy Smith Stadium Hwy 13 N. Greenville, NC Open @ 11:00 am Rain. or Shine Gates nner ea turin g~~~~~~~ WW ~Tommy Ellison & The Singing Stars~ _-_ ~The Vine Sisters and Family~ | ~Big James Barrett and the Golden Jubilees~ ~Tammy Edwards and The Edwards Sisters~ ~The Junior Consolators~ | ~The Johnsonaires~ _ AND MANY MORE... ~Adv. Tickets $18.00~At Gate $20,00~- You can pick up tickets at WOOW Radio Station 403 Evans Street Greenville, NC 27835 vendor application’s available BAR Millennia | COMMUNITY BANK The biggest Smiles in modern banking. Forget _ | the . , Stock | Market 4 Try Our Money Market! % “oT Are you frustrated with your continuing losses in tHé Stock market? Then do somethin ne | g about it today! - Balan S ce Tiers Interest Rates APY <*10,000 1.94" | APY *10,000-'24,000 ae 135. *25,000-*49,000 2.00" 167 orate ed 2.50* 2.53 ‘100,000 and over 2.75* . 2.78* 1310 W. Ar on Blvd. Greenville, NC 27834 Phone (252) 695-0077 Fax (252) 754-0735 www.bankmcb.com Interest rate and annual | change at any time. 0; ning balance: *1, 000. pes i or r 1G par charge in excess of six wit ual Housing Lender INVEST IN YOUR HERITAGE SUBSCRIBE TO THE M'VOICE NEWSPAPER a D, @ so@en@eniwes, Bes Se a) ee VC besanemdar Oke... Gove mm § gees € oats Govar Marner Hee meee Ce veoatnes The Minority Voice Deatrsatke Cabbics . . To apply for your subscription write: SUBSCRIPTIONS 405 Evans Street Greenville, NC 27834 a> tiaih ot Wie, and: al tor 8 Phage \ " J SUBSCRIPTION PAYMENT MUST BE fig. | INCLUDED WITI] YOUR ORDER: : » Meu! we abddiad & es Pe s tcf *! (aD eS . . 6 month subscription $25.00 [] 12 month subscription $50.00 [7 Name: Address: City: State: Zip: hee en nerene ean ceni:n oneal Jul 3 = 42, 2003 Old documentary examines ‘Amos ’1’ Andy By D, ‘ 2 e . e cromon a ily | hos v ang, two yersiane © A Mos ‘n’ Andy,” the most contro- * The radio show was phenomenally pop- | versial series in TV history, returns ular t it the Depression. So much so, tis weskend aera hits of early RKO ea movie in 1990 in which Gos: | en played Correll played But it’s still such a hot potato that only — in blacktace It was the shades nn Portions of it will be shown, in a docu- popular film that year; these days, even with wens Rel (Arovatierd he the presence of Duke Ellington and the Cot- even it'll be seen only on ton Club Orchestra, it’ cultural cable and satellite channel Trio, not ona artifact, and co broadcast network. Yet when the white team ended a four- TUNE IN | “Amos ‘n’ Andy: year search and cast black performers ina TV ON Anatomy of a Contro- - % version of “Amos ‘n’ Andy” in 1951, it wasa ae versy,” a one-hour docu. (= aN a triumph of sorts for black actors, who finally Mon & Fri | BeDtary with George aN ‘{ i. case their talents on network TV. 630am | Kirby as host, aired on sw of i _ Alvin Childress as quiet Amos, Spencer for television in 1986 — on d ; Williams Jr. as too-trusting Andy and es- | Amos & | the 20th anniversary of [h- . — pecially Tim Moore as the blustery, con. Andy ace by CBS to Alvin Childress, left, and Spencer Williams _iving Kingfish were classic sitcom charac- to pressure and com- ‘ th An: tere, often Sioa ints from the NAACP starred in the 1950s comedy ‘Amos ‘n’ Andy. played to perfection, plain Ye characters and withdraw “Amos ‘n’ Andy” reruns ABAIE PHOTO or sce tinted Bet ate riod circulation. of the sitcom, or view them at the Museum of lawyers and police officers. What drew the ite Even now the show remains an infamous, Television and Radio. of the NAACP, and eventually drove “Amos” largely unseen chapter in TV history The furor over the show is understandable. off the air, is that it was the only show on TV The 1986 documentary, which features clips “Anatomy of a Controversy” outlines the his- featuring bla from one shortened episode of the 1951-53 tory nicely, from the ways in which white ra- were dloniossd neo fe character Goes eich Seite a cen negro now ny lortunately, for now, way to see , i ing black ot only d *fullepisode isto shell out for home videosets characters in Chicago’ “Sam ‘a? Henny,” to init, ness end ook but stands up Gospel Music Celebration S LE fontp.... sharerope sn ” OB OT SALES 2 Rae STS Pa right down to the overalls his father wore with a red plaid handkerchief hanging out of the pocket the one day he saw him and they walked through the town together with his brother. Last year, after months of in- vestigation, Alice Stoddard was able to show her husband what they both believe is his birth certificate, filed by a midwife on July 24, 1916, for the first time in his life. He was born on July 14, 1916, in Laurens County, S.C., and his name is Will Barksdale. "He was elated,” said Alice Stoddard. "He just couldn't stop grinning. He kept asking me, ‘What's my name? What's my father's name?’ He kept saying, 'He must have loved me. He gave me his name’." Now it was time to right sev- eral wrongs, particularly the date that the Social Security Administration has maintained is Stoddard's birthday, some- time in 1920, a full two years Eee | A Taste of Heaven’ * Se a vf Like Father,Like Son..... In these trying times it is so refreshing to see a righteous man bringing up his son in the same way. This Picture was taken while this father and son were out selling the latest edition of the Final Call Newspaper. photo by Jim Rouse ae { Stoddard were, in fact, the par- * ons. ; . “i ' . ents of David and Willie. a. Christian Bookstore and Music Gallery = FOOTWEAR a cording to documents obtained Hours: Mon-Thurs., 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m Carolina East Center by the hee Fri.-Sat., 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. (across from Ryan's Steakhouse) I told them they were my Sunday, 1-5 p.m. 3400 Memorial Dr., Greenville wet uncle, Dut ek ; Emattiateb2021@hotmail.com (252) 321-2021 CAROLINA EAST MALL Finding his birth certificate a GRE ENVILLE,NC ae ea Sees 1) “Full and Half Soles fuses to believe that he is Will ¢ ‘Heel Repl . Spee and refuse s recog- el Replacement nize the fact that he is four years older than the documents wr. NN | | | : tive tat itso 6 | A ee : | Shoe suiee ung Work Key Gonust® than $25,000 in beck Social Pr 1900 South Pitt Street. We Clean Timberlands This vas at uncommon up Greenville, NC 27835 Open Mon - Sat 10AM - SPM until a few years ago when 0044 most people born during that time period began to die off,” said a Census historian, Mike Hovland.Agcording to Hovland, during the mid-1960s, the Census Bureau received more than 500,000 requests for : ye searches from people trying to ». find out their real age. H . "Any poor or rural area popu- ours: lation are going to be. poorly re- Mon-Sat 9am -9pm corded,” he said. Social Security Public Sun Ipm-6pm Information Specialist Christopher Williams agreed. "At that point in time, record ( 252 ) 321-6991 . elephone 252-756 shy’s the limit | keeping was not good and for Telephone Registration begins Blacks, it was not good at all,” . July 7, 2003 said Williams. "His problem is [ . . an two-fold; 99.9 percent of the Final Registration be ins cases we get are about proving August 14, 2003 a date of birth, not an identity. , We would have tried the best Fall Semester Classes begin that we could to find three ieces of evidence to prove that August 15, 2003 he is who he says he is." i. Alice and David Stoddard re- fuse to give up. They are wait- determin e... ing for a hearing date for yet another appeal. They will rep- your dreams resent themselves because they 1 don't have an rete but Listen to Joy 1340 from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. for discover... the Social Security ese nows The Bev Smith Show. Brought to you by the your potencta Administration will not allow him to be who he is,” said Alice Stoddard. "They are de- nying him his birthright." American Urban Radio Networks, The Bev | Smith Show is the only national talk show tar- . geted to a Black audience. Bev goes in decp, develop... | Your career | | Alice Stoddard says her ee tackling top pcliticians, examinir.y health care | Cally to Beeld Seoddard to : issues affecting African-Americans, laughing, | substantiate the nao he was. crying and sharing joy nightly, Monday | Will Barksdale. Furthermore, +h Eri: Uh Choo ton: | | he has been David Stoddard all through Friday. The Bev Smith Show has its | | | his life. | ta own 800 number allowing listeners to tal’: "The burden of proof is his. “toll free” to Bey and her provocative guests. | Even if you believe a person is. | | we be dle ee eit a id | Focus your marketing on Joy 1340 AM —— Commantey T | not be able to prove it,” sai , y, ‘ 5 your marketin a0 AM. Coltage | Williams. Ked: ASSN aE en To advertise with “The People’s Station,” «all 252 32] 4245 | JOY ] 3 4 0 AM our sales department at 252.757.0365 www.pittec.edu | ltheneatieaeentitietdiineen dn oe 4 — ame es a: i ed oe ae ren > <_< | Jul 3 - 12,, 2003 _——— SUBSCRIBE TO THE MINORITY VOICE NEWSPAPER pg? 2.02% 2.9% 7 Month CD 15 Month CD ce) 2. % 25 Month CD Annual Percentage Yield (APY) Excellence in Community Banking You'll be amazed at how fast your money grows at ECB’s 18 branches. 4 Suasiamna’ Ponatty for Lary’ Wandrmnal. Liméod tno oftor fala subyct © cnango 251609 an seat w mr opin Mra CO remot $1050 mqueg Ce WILLOUGHBY FUNERAL HOME... L ; 50 Owner Hemby Willoughby chiles for a moment for our camera while preparing to serve another family. . 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