NCCU'S NEW CHANCELLOR - Debra Saunders-White was named the new chancellor of North Carolina Central University last week by the UNC Board of Governors. Her tenure begins June 1st. Saunders-White currently serves in the US Dept. of Education. Before that, she was the vice chancellor for Information Technology Systems at UNC - Wilmington, and a systems designer for highwer education at IBM. Saunders-White succeeds interim Chancellor Charles Becton, and former Chancellor Charlie Nelms. [Photo courtesy of the Campus Echo].
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RALEIGH POLICE CHIEF
LEARNED TO LEAD
By Cash Michaels
Editor
When
President Barack Obama delivered the State of the Union address Tuesday evening
in Washington, Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown was right there in the Congressional gallery as a guest of Fourth District Congressman David Price.
Only
twelve days into her permanent position (she had served as interim chief since
last October when Harry Dolan retired), Chief Deck-Brown was there not only to
hear the president’s address, but also meet some of the Washington powerbrokers
who could help her get the resources she needs to better protect the citizens
of Raleigh.
That
has been Deck-Brown’s job as a law enforcement officer ever since the
African-American woman joined the Raleigh Police Dept. – the only police agency
she’s ever worked for – in 1987, when Fred Heinemann was leading the
department.
The
Franklin County worked hard to learn under Heinemann, who introduced community
policing to Raleigh; then Chief Mitch Brown, her brother-in-law; Chief Jane
Perlov, the department’s first female chief of police, and finally Deck-Brown’s
immediate predecessor, Chief Dolan.
From
all of them, Deck-Brown says, she learned how to bring the community and police
department closer together for better communication, interaction, and
ultimately better public safety.
I’ve
had the opportunity to [be] mentored by some very great leaders,” Chief Brown
told The Carolinian in an interview
last week. “Each one of them brought a different concept and a different vision
to the police department, but the one thing that resonated with all of them was
fairness, and seeing the humanity in our community, and wanting to make a
difference.”
Chief
Deck-Brown graduated from East Carolina University prior to joining the Raleigh
PD. She served as a patrol officer, crime prevention officer, detective,
sergeant, lieutenant, captain, major, deputy chief, interim chief, and now
chief. When Raleigh City Manager J. Russell Allen began a national search to
replace the retiring Dolan, rank-and-file police officers with the department
made it known loud and clear that Deck-Brown had their solid support,
especially when she got rid of an evaluation test many thought was unfair and
unnecessary.
Mgr.
Allen told The Carolinian that when he measured Deck-Brown’s experience and
accomplishments against other candidates were considered some of the best
nationally, he was convinced she could do the job, especially since she already
knew the department, and had 25 years already invested.
“She
was the best choice,” Allen said.
Building
on the strong foundation of her predecessors, and moving forward to lower
crime, improve public safety, and keep pace with whatever homeland security
measures are required to partner with the state and federal government against
terrorism, are just some of the many policing challenges Chief Deck-Brown
agrees she faces.
But
also building an even better relationship with the community, and especially
young people, so that they see a police officer as someone to run to, and from,
is also a high priority for this new leader, she says.
Protecting
the citizens of Raleigh, a city that has demonstrably grown in size and
population since Deck-Brown first walked a beat, is a tall order. But the first
black woman in the history of the Capital city to lead its police department
says she’s ready for it.
“We
have to be very smart about how we use our personnel and our equipment, to
better serve the community,” Chief Deck-Brown says.
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OVER 15,000 JOIN HK
ON J’S
CALL FOR ECONOMIC
JUSTICE
By Cash Michaels
Editor
As
far as the eye could see – from the NC Legislative Building on Jones Street,
all the way down through the block-long plaza to the state Capital – an
estimated 15,000 marchers, at least a third of which were high school and
college students from across the state, joined the throngs for the Seventh
Annual Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HK on J)– The People’s Assembly last
Saturday.
But
unlike previous years, members of the black, white, Latino, gay, labor and
activists communities came with more of a mission than ever before, alarmed by
the quick actions of the first Republican majority NC General Assembly in
recent history to stop Medicaid expansion, cut unemployment benefits and do
precious little to address the state’s historic poverty levels.
“It was by far the largest,
most diverse, most well-organized People's Assembly the NAACP has ever
organized …,” said attorney Al McSurely, NCNAACP Communications chairman, who
went on to call it, “…the largest civil and human rights rally on record ever
in Raleigh.”
Led
by HK on J convener, Rev. Dr. William Barber, president of the NCNAACP,
Saturday’s massive assembly forcefully addressed the key issues of economic
sustainability and ending poverty; healthcare for all; voting rights,
immigration; fairness in the criminal justice system, and educational equality,
among others.
Joined
by National NAACP Board Chairwoman Roslyn Brock, NAACP Board member Carolyn
Coleman, and Wilmington Ten leader Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Rev. Barber blasted Republican
lawmakers for voting to refuse federal money to expand Medicaid to over 500,000
more poor in the state (Gov. Pat McCrory has subsequently agreed with the
Legislature); voting to firing all appointees to state boards, commissions, and
even 12 special judges, in an effort to replace them all with Republicans;
reducing unemployment benefits from $535.00 to $350.00 per week, in addition to
shortening the payment period from 12-20 weeks and expanding the wait period
for benefits to begin from one to two weeks; floating tax reform that would
eliminate the state personal and corporate income tax in favor of raising the
sales tax, which would severely burden the poor when buying food and other
essentials; and pursue establishing a photo voter ID law, even though, by state
Board of Elections estimates, at least 600,000 primarily Democratic voters in
state do not have any form of official identification.
Barber
also warned of Republican plans to make “right to work” part of the NC
Constitution.
The
NC NAACP president warned that even though the GOP has super majorities in both
the state House and Senate, that will not stop the over 100 members
organizations of the HK on J Coalition statewide from speaking out, and
opposing what they see as regressive policies that could hurt the poor,
perpetuate further economic injustice, and turn back the clock on civil rights.
“The
just must live by faith, and know who we are,” Rev. Barber said, referring to
why, no matter what critics and haters say to derail the movement, the diverse
HK on J Coalition must stand strong together.
NAACP
Chairwoman Roslyn Brock, noting that 2013 holds many 100th and 50th
anniversaries of significant civil rights events like the 1963 March on
Washington and hundredth birthday of the late civil right icon Rosa Parks. She
also marked the Feb. 12th 104th anniversary of the birth
of the national NAACP, saying that Black America must continue to lead the
fight for equal and civil rights.
“HK
on J,” Brock called out, “We are here, and we will not be silent!”
Ben
Chavis, who once again thank former Gov. Beverly Perdue “for her act of
courage” for granting pardons of innocence to the Wilmington Ten before she
left office December 31st, said he was contemplating “coming home”
to his native North Carolina from Florida, so that he could engage in the
struggle here once again.
‘I’m
glad to see this day coming back to North Carolina,” Dr. Chavis said, adding
that the many young people there were “the future of the movement.”
“We need HK on J. We need freedom,
justice and equality.”
Calling
them “dinosaurs in the Legislature,” Chavis also remarked that regressive
Republican lawmakers should be “cleaned out” and retired to the state museum
across the street from the Legislature with the other “relics” there.
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SUTTON CALLS
COMMISSION BOARD’S “POWER
GRAB…A BLATANT
OVERREACH”
By Cash Michaels
Editor
There’s
been much criticism about the Wake County School Board authorizing the hiring
of a legislative lobbyist to fight efforts by the Wake County Commission Board
to own school properties and change school district elections, but Wake School
Board Chairman Keith Sutton says there really isn’t much choice.
“It’s
a power grab,” Sutton told The Carolinian
in a telephone interview earlier this week. “I think it’s a blatant overreach
by the county commissioners, and really just steps outside the realm of their
authority.”
Indeed
none of the Democratic majority on the Wake School Board were pleased with word
that the Wake Commissioners had placed their “power grab” of school board
authority and elections on their 2013 State Legislative Agenda. Beyond just
taking over ownership of school properties, Republican commissioners want
their GOP colleagues in the General Assembly to change Wake
School Board elections from nine separate district elections, to 5 district
elections, and four at-large elections, meaning that Wake voters beyond their
various districts could elect four of the nine district members.
The
Republicans hope that adopting this electoral change would immediately give
them a chance to topple the Democratic majority on the school board, which will
currently remain in power for at least the next three years.
Sutton
says the move is clearly political, and does nothing but ramp up the tensions
between the boards at a time when they should be working together to put a
school construction bond before the voters by next fall.
“It’s
pure politics and…they’re just doing it simply because they can,” Sutton says,
adding that there isn’t much that can be done to stop them beyond the
resistance, namely a legislative lobbyist, that the school board exhibits.
Wake
Commissioner Tony Gurley has blasted Sutton for now spending $100,000 in
taxpayer money just to hire the lobbyist. The Wake School Board chairman
replies, “If they had just left us alone, left the business of the school board
to us, and took care of the business of the county commissioners, they wouldn’t
have to worry about spending any taxpayer dollars on lobbying.”
Sutton
says the question of who should own school system buildings and properties has
actually been around for years. It is only now, because the NC General Assembly
finally has Republican majorities in both houses, that the Republican-led Wake
commissioners decided now was the time to move on the issue.
Because
school boards in North Carolina don’t have the power of taxation, they have to
get their funding from their local county commission boards. In many cases,
school boards have to get their commission boards to sign off on bond
referendums to fund new school construction.
Wake
Commission Chairman Joe Bryan says because they fund the schools, the
Commission Board should own the school buildings and properties. He and other
Republican members say it is more efficient, and ultimately saves the taxpayers
money.
The
Democratic majority on the Wake School Board says school construction involves
a lot more than just owning the properties. Intense planning goes into what
schools must be built where to serve what areas, in addition to assigning
students accordingly. The school system staff and board, not the Wake
commissioners, are best suited to handle that, Sutton and company say.
The
issue has ramifications beyond Wake, however.
The
Republican-led New Hanover County Board of Education is watching the tension in
Wake County very closely because it fears its Commission Board, and other
Commission Board across the state, may ultimately want to do the same thing if
the NC General Assembly signs off on the Wake Commission Board’s request.
They
also fear Wake Commissioners legislative request to help fund charter schools
in their area, saying that will just take further funding away from the public
school system overall.
“…[S]hort-sighted
and ill-conceived,” wrote NHC School Board member Derrick Hickey in a recent
blog.
Other issues are keeping Chairman
Sutton’s school board plate full. Filling Debra Goldman’s District 9 seat until
this November is one of the newest agenda items the board must attend to.
Goldman, who left the board two weeks ago, came on the board
with the Republican takeover in December 2009. Despite her many controversies,
Sutton says Goldman was a “hardworking board member” who came for her
constituency, and paid attention to detail.
Retooling the new student
assignment policy in time for the 2014 school year was the subject of an
extensive board committee meeting last week. Board members discussed how to reconstitute the plan so that
stability, proximity, student achievement and diversity are important
components.
Chairman Sutton says the one thing
he feels the school system could do better this time is have the need for
student diversity better reflected beyond just student assignment and the
magnet school program. In fact, he says, he’s like to see a system Office of
Diversity, similar to what Guilford County Public Schools, so that that
standard is properly maintained in all areas, including procurement and
recruitment.
“Diversity has to be part of your
organizational culture,” Sutton says, ‘Not just a piece here or a piece there.”
In 2010, the then Republican-led
Wake School Board gutted diversity out of the system’s Policy 6200 in its drive
towards establishing neighborhood schools. Discussions are now underway to have
it reinstituted.
Regarding school security, Sutton
says a new task force, co-chaired by Wake Sheriff Donnie Harrison and former
Raleigh Police Captain Al White, is in the process of identifying members to
serve.
Once up and running, the task force
will review safety plans, emergency and threat preparedness throughout the
school system, and make recommendations to the board in 90 to 120 days. The
need for the panel arose after the school shooting massacre of 26 people – 20
of which were first-graders – last December at Sandy Hook Elementary.
Wake high schools and middle
schools already have armed school resource officers in them, generally either
off-duty Wake Sheriff’s deputies or Raleigh Police officers. But some groups
have expressed concern about putting more officers in schools, particularly
elementary campuses that are currently unguarded, making them “armed camps.”
Sutton says that certainly isn’t
his intention, only the safety of all students. He assures that the task force
will have diverse interests on it.
Recently the school board hired a
search firm to move forward with the selection of Wake’s next permanent school
superintendent. Board members are scheduled to sit down with the firm to
express what attributes they want in the candidates.
Sutton says he’s heard nothing from
the Civil Rights Division of the US Dept. of Education regarding the racial
bias complaint filed by the NCNAACP against the Republican-led school board.
As for the complaint filed by the
conservative Wake County Taxpayers Association to AdvancED against the board’s
Democratic majority in retaliation for the firing last September of former
Supt. Anthony Tata, Sutton says the system is still at “warn” status regarding
its accreditation of system high schools, and it has one more report to file
regarding issues it was directed to address.
Published reports indicated that in
a January letter, AdvancED said while progress had been made, it felt more
needed to be done for the school boards Democrat and Republican members to get
along. It also wanted to monitor how the superintendent search was going, and
how the new student assignment policy would be implemented.
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WILSON MAN FINALLY
FREED FROM GEORGIA PRISON
[ATLANTA,
GA.] It’s not the complete exoneration he sought, but John McNeil is finally
released from a Georgia prison after seven years. The Wilson, NC native had
been sentenced to life after he fatally shot a contractor who was attacking him
with a weapon outside of his home in 2005. A witness and a police officer
deemed the shooting self-defense, but a year after the incident, prosecutors
convicted McNeil of first-degree murder. On Tuesday, a Cobb County, Ga. judge,
saying that mistakes were made in the first trial, re-sentenced McNeil to 20
years in prison, but gave him seven years credit for time served, and placed
him on 13 years probation. To get the deal, McNeil had to enter a plea of
involuntary manslaughter. “I just want to breathe freedom,” McNeil told
reporters, accompanied by NcNAACP President Rev. William Barber, as he left
prison.
The
release was bittersweet. Last week, McNeil’s devoted wife, Anita, succumbed to
cancer after a long struggle. Her funeral was last weekend. Rev. Barber, who
presided over the funeral, said she fought valiantly for the freedom of her
husband.
DHHS SECRETARY
RESPONSIBLE FOR TEA PARTY WOMAN’S HIRING, MCCRORY SAYS
[RALEIGH]
Gov. Pat McCrory, after ducking the issue for a week, finally admitted to
reporters that the hiring of Dianna Lightfoot, a Tea Party activist whose
disparaging tweets and Facebook postings forced her to resign last week as the
head of the state’s pre-kindergarten program, and the failure to properly vet
her beforehand, was the work of new NC Dept. of Health and Human Services
Secretary Aldona Wos. “Mistakes were made,” McCrory said, referring to the
controversial hire he says he had no input in. Lightfoot had a online paper trail
of controversial statements, from calling former Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton a “butch,” to referring to gay people as “bigots.” She even called
Pres. Obama’s healthcare act “enslavement.” Lightfoot was forced to resign two
days before she was to take office. Ironically, Lightfoot was once opposed to
publicly funded early childhood programs.
MCCRORY AGREES WITH
NO MEDICAID EXPANSION
[RALEIGH]
After waffling on the issue, Gov. Pat McCrory this week joined with Republican
legislative leaders in calling for no expansion of Medicaid, saying that “it
would be foolish” to put more poor people in the state program if the system is
broken. A state audit found at least $1 billion in cost overruns, something
Republicans say must be fixed first. They also don’t trust the federal
government’s assurance that it would pay for the additional 500,000 patients
for the next three years, and then pick up 90 percent of the costs thereafter.
Critics say by rejecting expansion, not only are more poor people denied vital
health care services, but the state stands to lose new federal money and at
least 23,000 jobs that would come with it. State GOP lawmakers voted this week
to stop Medicaid expansion.
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TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 2-13-13
DUKE SUSPENDS FRAT
AFTER “RACIST” PARTY
Duke
University officials have suspended a campus fraternity that was accused of holding
a racist party that stereotyped Asian people. Duke officials say they don’t
know how long Kappa Sigma fraternity will be suspended, and they hasten to add
that the suspension has to do with other issues that were being investigated,
not the party. The national fraternity also suspended the Duke chapter last
week, and Asian students held a protest on campus against the party. The
chapter president has since apologized by letter in the student newspaper.
JUDGE CHANGES MIND,
APPROVES WAKEMED SETTLEMENT
A
federal district court judge, who previously expressed dismay twice with a
fraud settlement federal prosecutors pushed in the WakeMed Medicaid fraud case,
has now changed his mind, and signed off on the agreement. Judge Terrence Boyle
did the about face last Friday, in effect deferring prosecution of hospital
officials for two years for the admitted fraudulent billing for overnight stays
that never happened. WakeMed, in turn, will pay an $8 million fine, and agree
to fix its billing system. If it
meets all requirements, charges will be dismissed. Judge Boyle originally
wanted prosecutions, but agreed that doing so would shut WakeMed services to
underprivileged patients.
FIRST DURHAM COUNTY
RABIES CASE REPORTED
The
first rabies case of 2013 has been reported for Durham County. A dead raccoon
found on the front lawn of a home on Strawberry Lane on Jan. 29th
has tested positive for rabies, Durham Animal Services Division reports. The
raccoon was apparently killed by a dog, officials say. Pet owners are advised
to make sure their dogs and cats are properly vaccinated and up-to-date.
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CASH IN THE APPLE for 2-13-13
By Cash Michaels
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY, KALA – On February 14th, 2003, ten years ago today, my
second precious daughter was born, KaLa.
And we could tell from the very beginning that she was going to be very
special.
And now, ten years later, there is
no question we were correct.
KaLa
is an excellent student in school, and always has been. And she is a very
creative person, especially with her drawings, and arts and crafts. But she is
also developing into a very fine writer and researcher, and KaLa’s grasp of
facts and details at her young age is quite impressive, and in my totally
biased opinion, will take her far.
But
the thing that most impresses me about my youngest one is her heart, which she
expresses every day through her singing. This child lovingly sings out loud and
strong every day, and has even begun writing her own songs.
Perhaps
my most favorite activity with my KaLa is sharing some of the music and movies
from the past, introducing her Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder, showing her
videos of some of the old classic performers, and also some of the best in
classic black music.
To
hear her, days later, seek out these songs and artists on her own, and sing
along with them, is really a joy (though I must confess, KaLa found, “She’s a
Bad Mama Jama” on her own.
So
from your proud mother, Markita; older sister Tiffany; and me, Happy Tenth Birthday KaLa. We love you, and
encourage you to keep learning, growing, and praying. Always practice those
three, and you can’t go wrong.
MY
FILMS AT 2013 HAYTI HERITAGE FILM FESTIVAL – I missed entering last year, but
I’m back this weekend as an entrant in the 2013
Hayti Heritage Film Festival at Durham’s
Hayti Heritage Center, 804 Old Fayetteville Street in the St. Joseph’s
Historic Performance Hall.
The
festival starts today, Feb. 14th, and ends Sunday, Feb. 17th.
This
fine event, for almost 20 years, has featured some of the most informative and
inspiring independent black filmmaking in the nation, and this year, I’m
honored not to just have one, or two, but THREE of my films shown.
And
the best part about that is all three are being shown back-to-back-to-back,
starting at 1 p.m., on Sunday, Feb. 17th.
At
1 p.m. the first of my films shown will be the documentary about the NCNAACP’s
“Truth and Hope Poverty Tour,” which
takes us across the state to hear from people living in extraordinary
conditions of poverty. It is powerful, factual and relevant, and deserves to be
seen by every North Carolinian.
Indeed,
every American.
The
next is a mini-documentary titled, “Pogo
Joe: Fighting the Game,” about “Pogo Joe” Caldwell, a former NBA and ABA
basketball All-Star, and the only player who could stop “Dr. J” Julius Erving. Joe, who is now in his 80’s, once played for
the old Carolina Cougars basketball
team in the 1970s, and was permanently kicked out of professional basketball
because he stood up to the powers that be who wanted to cheat him, and treat
him like a slave. There was even a CBS “60 Minutes” story about it.
This
is also a powerful piece that teaches an important part of black sports history
that can’t be ignored. Even if you’re not into sports, the story alone is worth
seeing.
And
finally, my last mini-doc, “Carolyn
Coleman: Portrait of a Leader.” This was a tribute film I did in honor of
Ms. Coleman, who currently serves as a Guilford County commissioner, and also a
member of the national NAACP Board of Directors. Ms. Coleman has a long and
distinguished history in the civil rights movement, particularly here in North
Carolina.
This
short film is both dramatic and inspirational. After you do see it, there will
be no question that Ms. Coleman is a woman of history.
I
am immensely proud of all of these films, produced by my company, CashWorks HD Productions, and I’m very
pleased that they are all being shown during the 1 p.m. hour this Sunday at the
Hayti Heritage Festival. And yes, I’ll be there to talk about them with anyone
who wants to hear about them.
I
don’t know if any of them will win anything, but that’s not the reason why I
made them. I made them to indeed, inform and inspire. Capturing the essence of
our collective humanity is what I believe a good filmmaker does. That’s what I
try to do.
So
attend the Hayti Heritage Film Festival in Durham, starting tonight at 6 p.m.
with the opening reception. But make sure that you attend everyday you can, and
especially this Sunday.
For
more information and the daily schedule, go to http://www.hayti.org/hayti-heritage-film-festival.html,
or call 919-683-1709, ext 21.
SAD FOOLISHNESS – As you know by
now, last Saturday’s Historic Thousands
on Jones Street – the People’s Assembly march and rally at the NC
Legislative Building was a smashing success. Organizers estimate at least
15,000 demonstrators of all walks of life took part, and heard progressive
messages against turning the clock back here in North Carolina.
I was there to see it for myself,
and it was a great day of pride and activism.
But not everybody in our community
sees it that way, or appreciates what the
NCNAACP is doing, or the tremendous courage that its diligent leader, Rev. Dr. William Barber, has to get it
done.
Indeed there are some who look to
tear him and the NCNAACP down BECAUSE they are so visible and outspoken.
Earlier this week, I had someone
whose talent I greatly admire write to me, challenging what the NCNAACP does,
and why. This person, who I shall not name because that would be grossly
unfair, has written me in the past with negative, and clearly unfounded
accusations against Rev. Barber specifically, which I diligently and forcefully
refuted because I know Rev. Barber very well.
Few people on this planet have my
complete trust. Indeed few have earned it. William Barber is certainly one that
has. I’ve seen his work up close. Indeed I’ve worked with him, and he with me
when I’ve called for assistance on an issue, like the successful Wilmington Ten
Pardons of Innocence Project.
I’ve seen this leader care, and
cry, and sacrifice for the least of us. I’ve seen him bare the burden of cruel,
racist threats…even as recent as last week.
And I’ve seen him to be true to his
word, and then some, which is all that any of us could ask of one another.
William Barber is all of this, and
a man of GOD as well.
So outside of his own family or the
people who’ve worked closest with him, no one can tell me about NC NAACP
President Rev. William Barber.
But whether it’s jealously,
callousness, or just pure hate, this person who wrote me again this week,
believes Barber and company to be at the least, misguided, and at the most,
corrupt. So we had a running debate for a day or two.
Because this column is running long
already, I’ll spare you the highlights of that debate now, and save it for next
week. But needless to say, there are those around us who don’t get, and I’m
sorry say, probably never will.
But we MUST keep pushin’ on for
what we KNOW is that brighter day for ALL of our citizens, and I have every
intention of doing so.
No matter who doesn’t like it!
Make sure you tune in every Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m.
for my talk radio show, ''Make It Happen'' on Power 750 WAUG-AM, or online
at www.myWAUG.com.
And read more about my thoughts and opinions exclusively at my blog, ‘The Cash
Roc” (http://thecashroc.blogspot.com/2011/01/cash-roc-begins.html).
I promise it will be interesting.
Cash in the Apple - honored as the Best Column Writing
of 2006 by the National Newspaper Publishers Association. Columnist Cash
Michaels was also honored by the NNPA for Best Feature Story Journalist of 2009,
and was the recipient of the Raleigh-Apex NAACP’s President’s Award for Media
Excellence in Sept. 2011.
Until next week, keep a smile on your face, GOD in your
heart, and The Carolinian in your life. Bye, bye.
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