Newspaper Page Text
February 27 -
March 5, 2003
VOL. 22 No. 1099
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Gailions: 14 and counting
Augusta Focus staff writer
Lillian Wan displays her
plaque from Shepeard Com
munity Blood Center. The
plaque honors her for her
recent donation reaching a
total of 14 gallons donated
over a 22-year time period,
all through Shepeard. “The
giving of blood, the giving of
life ... it's a great feeling,”
says Miss Wan. “It’s now 14
gallons ... and counting!”
For more information about
your chance to donate blood
for others, contact the Shep
eard Community Blood Cen
ter at (706) 737-4551.
Joseph Jennings
Native
Augustan
has good
night
at the
GRAMMYS
See 3A
Deltas walk to
promote
awareness
By Shun Norris
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,
Inc. was formed, in part, for
public service and the organiza
tion will be fulfilling that part
of its goal with an upcoming
HIV/AIDS Awareness Walk.
The benefit will help to pro
mote health and wellness, par
ticularly among African-Ameri
can women.
“We are focusing on the
African-American community
because it is becoming a larger
group of those affected in the
new cases,” said sorority mem
ber Kim Gaines. “We are edu
cating the community.”
The walk will take place in
the heart of one of Augusta’s
African-American communities,
the Laney-Walker neighbor
hood. It will be held in conjunc
tion with the sorority’s Interna
tional Day of Service on Sat.,
March 8, beginning at 8 a.m. at
the Lucy Craft Laney Museum.
“It’s actually under the
umbrella of the mental and
physical health arena of public
service,” said Gaines. “Anyone
can participate in this walk. We
are looking for as many people
as we can.”
For those wishing to be tested
for HIV/AIDS, confidential test
ing will be offered at the muse
um from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Donations are being accepted
to benefit the Richmond County
Health Department Ryan White
Project, which promotes
HIV/AIDS awareness. Dona
tions will be accepted at the
Paine College bookstore or by
any member of Augusta Alum
nae, Eta Theta (Paine College)
or Mu Xi (Augusta State) chap
ters of Delta Sigma Theta.
- For more information contact
Kim Gaines at 706-738-4597.
Augusta Focus
ST tSs
I i ,
Higher Ground
Battle lines drawn on city revamp hill
By Shun Norris
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer
AUGUSTA
A bill to restructure Augusta’s
city government — substituting a
quorum for simple majority rule is
making its way through the gener
al assembly. And while its being
met by opposition from some
county commissioners, it may not
be enough to stop it.
This is the second time in as
many legislative sessions that law
makers have attempted to revise a
Thirty years after Richmond county’s
school desegregation court order, local
schools have drifted back to schools that
can be identified as either |
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' (Right) Blythe Elementary
school students show a lot of
love for their teacher. The
school’s rural setting attrib
utes to its predominantly
white student body.
‘ Photos by Theresa Minor
By Theresa Minor
AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer -
, ~ AUGUSTA
Bright eyed children work
in' small groups. They
appear anxious to help one
another and win the
approval of their teacher
swho moves from group to
group with instructions or
It is a picture that
launched countless Norman
Rockwell portraits. What
could be wrong with this?
According to the 1972 feder
tion_order for mehmond
ounty, plenty, The class
by Elementary - School,
D
fact, statistics compiled by
‘Education indicate Hornsby
R, R T R
‘cent black studenty enrotl
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Black History In The Making
r e A V— ' gpw’”w "ey ‘ :
Presenting Tubman Middle School Students Budding Writers ~ See 2B
city. government structure many
credit for achieving a balance of
power between black and white
commissioners. In the previous
year the efforts revolved around
giving the mayor veto power. This
time the bill involves a less contro
versial change. Rep. Sue Burmeis
ter (R-96) is introducing a bill that
essentially would allow fewer com
missioners to take action on
issues. :
“It is my understanding that
several representatives will not
sign on unless there is a resolu-
or White
0
s NE
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oY
ment. ;
According to the 1972
order signed by Chief US.
District = Court Judge
Alexander Lawrence,
schools with student enroll
ment consisting of 85 per
cent one race were “racially
identifiable” and required
“prompt and immediate
action” to eradicate the ves
tiges of “state imposed seg
regation.” , L
Based on that criteria, 40
percent of the schools in
Richmond C::gty are out of
district is gradually resegre
schools like Hornsby; but
‘also amiong rural area
ment — though none as
high as .the 85 percent
Fans e L mzerpd it s ABlo 08
(Left)Hornsby Elementary
School teacher, Connie
Brown, checks to make sure
students are on fask. Horns
by among the local schools
with 100 percent black stu
dent enroliment.
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supplied by Harvard Uni
versity’s Civil Rights Project
suggest that nationally
“schools are = becoming
increasingly segregated,
moving backward at an
accelerating rate.” v
Oddly enough, the trend
ing toward one race schools
is not triggering the type of
public outery that it once
did years ago. And those
who traditionally argued
that this type of situation
violates the intent of Brown
v. Board of Education or the
.are .now taking a more
ple wmll; perceive wefi;
ciE e R
See SCHOOLS, page 3A
. e
gy N
B R
a 8
o
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B I e e
tion,” said
Burmeister.
The law
maker has
confirmed
that she has
the six votes
needed to sup
port the bill,
including that
of commis
sioner Bobby
Hankerson.
“When I
spoke to com-
Rep. Burmeister
Local NAACP
to protest GOP
flag referendum
The planned return of a
controversial state flag has
Georgia’s future of diverse
advancement and economic
gain hanging in the balance.
And while many branches of
Georgia’s NAACP is taking
action to contest the divisive
symbol, Augusta’s branch of
the civil rights organization
is getting off to a slow start
in taking a stand.
The local chapter held its
regular meeting on February
24 but there was no mention
of the escalating political bat
tle.
Dr. John Maben, the presi-
dent of the Augusta chapter has said that there are
plans to speak out against the flag referendum, but a
timetable has not been set.
“The NAACP will be forming something locally but
I don’t know exactly when yet,” said Maben.
The Atlanta chapter of the NAACP meanwhile has
already mobilized and is taking the flag issue head on.
Its members have publicly denounced the proposed
referendum introduced by Governor Sonny Perdue
that asks voters to decide two questions — should the
current state flag be retained and secondly whether
the old state flag with a dominant confederate symbol
or a 1956 Georgia flag replace the current banner.
Atlanta’s NAACP has threatened an economic boycott
if Perdue does not reconsider. As a result, business
leaders and public officials have been concerned about
the economy and what the flag flap could do to Geor
gia’s attempt to quell perceptions of racism.
In spite of being slow to action, Dr. Maben main
tains action will be taken.
-
AIDS vaccine shows
promise to blacks, Asians
SAN FRANCISCO
(AP) A highly anticipated experimental AIDS vac
cine failed to protect most people from the disease in
its first major trial, but it did show promise in pro
tecting blacks and Asians, its developer said. The
announcement sent the developer's stock price
sharply down.
The overall expected rate of infection was not
reduced in the high-risk people who volunteered to
take the vaccine, Vax Gen Inc. said late Sunday. How
ever, the expected infection rate for the 314 black vol
unteers who received the vaccine was reduced by 78
percent _ a finding the researchers said was unex
pected. The rate was reduced by 67 percent for all
nonwhite volunteers other than Hispanics.
- “This is the first time we have specific numbers to
suggest that a vaccine has prevented HIV infection in
humans,” Vax Gen vice president Phillip Berman said
in a statement Sunday. “We're not sure yet why cer
tain groups have a better immune response.” :
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
Pty
AUGUSTA GA
PERMIT NO 302
missioner Hankerson he told me
that he would support it. He told
me that he wouldn’t have a prob
lem with a simple majority.”
Burmeister did not ask Hanker
son about supporting a resolution
but she was assured by other com
missioners that Hankerson would
sign on for one. But Hankerson
refutes that. -
“I' don’t know any of those
things about a simple majority or
any resolution,” said Hankerson.
See CITY GOVERNMENT, 3A
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John Maben