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www.augustafocus.com o esoovsnvecsconee Miss UNCF crowned at Paine yv:., B ‘ ; v M . i a2~ 5 -4 / B | Q P A T A "h A Monique Limontas (left), a sophomore early childhood education major from Pow der Springs, Georgia, was crowned Miss UNCF by Paine College President, Dr. Shirley A.R. Lewis (right), during the College’s 14th Annual Evening of Jazz. Limontas raised more than $6,000 for the Paine College UNCF Campaign. Photo courtesy of Korey London U F )7 '. gt 1 t Vo ‘_ g . -;A’;r The Augusta Ballet presents £ 33 “Three Musketeers The Augusta Ballet 03-04 season opens in October with the swashbuckling antics of “The Three Musketeers.” Audiences will be thrilled with dramatic swordplay, swooning ladies, and magical merriment, which come to life in the clas sic tale by Alexander Dumas. The adventures of I)’Artagnan and his compatriates offer tremendous fun for the whole family.. Story and show times on page 1B ] e e A | '__f;v i 1 George Curry, former EMERGE magazine publisher, will deliver a keynote address at Springfield Baptist Church. See page 4B “ - .SN . q GA NEWSPAPER/ ( HIPS DEPI MAIN | IBRARY, UGA ATHENS, GA 30602- Serving Metropolitan Augusta, $ ah River Area Residents pit prayer against drugs and violence in inner city neighborhood By Theresa Minor AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer AUGUSTA A weekend of violence and blood shed turned out to be the call to action for residents in an inner city Augusta community known as the South Nelliville Neighborhood. The group, armed only with Bibles and prayers, held a vigil on a street corner that has been the scene of what the group believes to be esca- Women of color too “hootylicious” for mainstream America? By Haley A. Dunbar AUGUSTA FOCUS Staff Writer AUGUSTA The bronze, pecan and mocha colored faces of African and Latino American women just began to appear on the covers and screens of American main stream media in recent decades. Certain “assets,” however, have failed to show up with them, leaving many to wonder whether 36-24-36, uh 40, will ever add up for mainstream America. In the August 2002 issue of the men’s magazine Maxim, photographs of R&B singer Bey once were airbrushed to make her hips, thighs and posterior appear smaller. In a similar inci dent, posters promoting Jen nifer Lopez’s most recent movie, Gigli, featured a scaled-down version of the actress’ high pro file backside. While reports are sketchy as to whether or not either of the superstars expressed concerns about the alterations, the general consen sus among many Augusta-area women of color is clearly against such practices. “It bothers me to think that Hollywood can’t accept our curves,” said 27-year-old Maria Alonso, “because they’re as much a part of us as our skin. And the idea that photos are being altered only means that we haven’t really been accept Area drug officials call for increased drug and alcohol treatment services AUGUSTA Hope House, Inc. for Women and Augusta Steppingstones to Recov ery are issuing a call for more treatment services and better coordination of existing services. The organizations are two of only a handful of treatment services avail able in the CSRA for recovering addicts. The call to action comes as the nation observes National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. “We urge the commu nity to support efforts to make substance abuse treatment available to all in need,” said Dr. Gerald Carrier, executive direc tor of Hope House, Inc. “It is estimated that 76 percent of those in need of treatment for a prob lem with alcohol or illicit lating drug activity and the accompanying vio lence. “It’s become more drug infested and violent over the past few weeks. QOur senior citizens are afraid. These men are disrespecting them. They can’t even walk down the street without being harassed by them. We're saying enough is / L i < : s 9 - .. . ol A Tl i e P e - 36-24-...uhh...407? Photo by H. Dunbar ed.” Industry insiders say that it’s not a matter of acceptance but rather “doing what works best for the photo in order to portray the model as best as possible.” But many women of color, hold ing fast to the old adage beauty is in the eye of the beholder, argue that the definition of “as best as possible” depends on who’s looking. “I've dated all types of men and it’s been my experience that black men appreciate a sister drugs do not seek or receive treatment. Mil lions of people are in need of treatment for both substance abuse and mental disorders, but too often they are undiag nosed, misdiagnosed, or slip through the cracks entirely, such as those in our nation’s homeless population, Over 70 per cent of the people living in our streets suffer from mental illness and/or substance abuse addic tion.” The disease of sub stance abuse is treatable. Medical experts compare the disease and its treat ment to health issues such as hypertension and diabetes. “People live with these diseases for life. You're never cured but you can be treated. It’s the same with drug and alcohol y gt L .-,r» » R gy 'g" 7=y RN ! i L 70l 3 E ] &y P’ § k. D" e 1 4 *l.,'v‘--‘," . RS e \&. LIRS - i AT § e : s i » X’\“’-}’ ® o g f 1& (A el & ‘:'z}fix’ L o R il | 8 -‘f%‘.t”fi-" % " » ; ,-";*‘, % 5y o ! i i 1 Augusta men weigh in on the “back” issue See 3A R AL e A A R 858 85 B AT with some ‘oomph’ while white men look favorably on narrow hips,” said Latrice Johnson, a 36-year-old African-American woman. “So obviously in a white male dominated environment like the entertainment industry, the idea of ‘beauty’ would be decided on by white males,” she said. And while most can agree with Johnson’s premise, prob lems arise when the “rulers” of the industry are not willing to include other ideas of beauty in their media outlets; particularly when the outlets are largely sup ported by the holders of those other ideas. “In a country as racially mixed as America, it's crazy for there to be one standard image of beauty — especially an unrealis tic image,” said Alonso. “The blonde haired, blue eyed size six considered by many to be all- American is not even in the same realm of my reality yet it’s pushed in my face constantly. And the sad part is that even the average white woman doesn’t live up to these images,” she See BOOTYLICIOUS, 3A addiction,” Carrier said. “Drugs and alcohol abuse and addiction have dev astating health and socie tal consequences. The disease of chemical addic tion causes tens of thou sands of deaths each year and, when left untreated, takes an enormous toll an estimated $294 billion annuauy ” President George W. Bush and his administra tion have proclaimed September as National Alcohol and Drug Addic tion Recovery Month and have taken steps to tear ing down -the stigma attached to chemical addiction, especially for women, so that more people will seek treat ment, During September, communities nationwide join together to help peo ple recognize that sub stance abuse is a treat able disease, and that treatment is as effective as it is for other chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Hope House, Inc. for Women and Augusta Steppingstones to Recov ery join together to spon sor a Substance Abuse Education Assessment Screening Workshop for people in Augusta who feel they may have a problem with drugs or alcohol or have a friend or family member that may need support. The workshop is free to the community and will be held September 29 - 30, from 2-6 pm. at 1701 Wrightsboro Road. For further information please call 7379879 or 733-1935. PRSRT P‘T‘D US POSTAGE PAID AT d David Simpkins talks to a neigh bor about the escalating drugs and violence in their community. The two were among a group who staged a prayer vigil to draw attention to their concemns. Photo by Theresa Minor enough. They (drug dealers) have got to get out of this community,”said Rev. Marvin Mcßae, pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist See PRAYER, page 3A r A A A o ; A , ’ ¢ g 2 . ’ Py v = :*’ P "v A" : &3 ; .2% #_& ~ A 'Y ARTS DANCE These ladies were performing a folk dance as part of the perform ances by the Chinese groups which were featured in the recent 2003 Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festi val that ran Sept. 19-21. The three local Chinese organizations also provided several hours of various entertainment ranging from dances to music to martial arts demonstrations. ltems sold includ ed Chinese beer (Tsingtao beer for $3), fortune birds ($1 for one, $3 for a bunch), art works, artistic zodiac cuttings and the most popu lar item: food. Photo by Lillian Wan Panel questions No Child Left Behind law COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) A panel of Midlands and state educators and lawmakers is questioning the federal No Child Left Behind law. The law set new requirements to measure student performance and rais es accountability levels for schools that fail to meet the standards. Under the law, a student can transfer from a school that fails to make annual progress to a school that does. “This is a one-size-fits-all piece of leg islation passed by the Congress, and it doesn’t fit South Carolina,” state Educa tion superintendent Inez Tenenbaum told a group of about 100 people Sunday at a church here. Tenenbaum and six other panelists were guests at the Columbia Branch of the NAACP’s education committee town hall meeting. Members of the panel said they sup port the concept of measuring perform ance and requiring accountability, but question the practicality of the law. “Your children are more than any one test, or two tests or three tests,” Rich land District 1 Superintendent Ronald Epps said. Many on the panel complain that stan dardized tests are too often looked to as the sole measure of performance. “All students don’t learn at the same rate,” said Jan McCarthy, president of the South Carolina Education Associa tion.