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SERVING CHARLESTON, DORCHESTER & BERKELEYCOUNTIES SINCE 1971
 THE THE
CCHRONICLEHRONICLE
VOLUME
XXXVII NUMBER 24•1111 King St. •Charleston, SC 29403• FEBRUARY4, 2009
• .50
PRST STDUS POSTAGE PDCHARLESTON, SC -PERMIT #415
We remember and honor the heroes, big and small who were a part of the fabric of our lives.
C E L E B R A T E B L A C K H I S T O R Y M O N T H
Septima P. Clark Rev. Fred Dawson Louise T. Barnes St. Julian Devine
William Earl Douglas
Victoria DeLee Charles Dingle
Rev. Msgr. Thomas
Duffy
T.C Drayton C.C. Allen
Rev. A.H. Clark H.T. Daniels Rev. HB Butler
Father L. Cunningham
Isaiah Bennett
Kent Byas Rev. Dr. BJ Whipper St. Julian Brown Melvin Brown
Arthur Christopher
Rev. Ann Donald
Benny Brooks
Tobias Gadson
Rev. James Blake
Walter Jenkins
William Gilliard
AlbertBrooks
Jerome Kinloch
Christopher
Lewis
Rev. Sam PriceJuanita Brown
Bishop David Joiner
James BlairMrs. BukshaA.J. Jenkins
Mr. Meriweather
Rev. C.L. Campbell
Bernice Robinson
Bernard Broughton
Juanita Jordan
Dr. Delma Woods
AJ Clement
Rev. Jerry Williams
Esau Jenkins
Rev. Omega Newman
Casear Deas
Rev. Robert Woods
Dr. D. Wilson
Benjamin Flowers
Maranda Holmes
Rev. A.R. Blake
Mamie Fields
Laura Mack Simms
Carl Gethers
Prof. Eugene Hun
t
George A. Payton
Rev. J.D. Dash
Rev. Nathaniel BrooksAtty. John WrightenNavy Chief Jack White
Mr. Murrell
D. Smalls
Roscoe Mitchell
Daniel Jenkins
Rev. Willis T. Goodwin
Louise Hill
Fabian Rivers
Ethelyn Parker
Janie Williams
Richard Ganaway
There is nothing more danger-ous than to build a society witha large segment of people inthat society who feel that theyhave no stake in it; who feelthat they have nothing to lose.People who have a stake intheir society, protect that socie-ty, but when they don't have it,they unconsciously want todestroy it.
Dr. Martin Luther King
Where justice is denied, where pover- ty is enforced, where ignorance prevails,and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspira- cy to oppress, rob and degrade them,neiher persons nor property will be safe.
Frederick Douglass
 
 THE CHRONICLE
1111 King StreetCharleston, SC 29403
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(843) 723-2785Fax: (843) 577-6099Email: Chaschron@aol.comJ. JOHN FR
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Contributing Writers-
Hakim Abdul-Ali Beverly Birch Bob Small 
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EADLINE:PUBLIC SERVICESFRIDAYPRIOR TOPUBlICATION DATEMember:
National Newspaper Publishers, Assoc.South Carolina Press Assoc.
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harleston
Credo of The Black Press
The Black Press believes that America can best lead the world  from racial and national antago- nism when it accords to every person, regardless of race, creed  or color, his or her human and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every personin the firm belief that all persons are hurt as long as anyone is held back
2- February 4, 2009The Chronicle
 Time To DoRight By Our Children!
Mr. Arthur Peter LawrencePresident, WestsideNeighborhood Association We endured thefight of our lives, with a few casualties: we lost Fraser Elementary, and welost grades 7 and 8 at Charleston Progressive. Yet, we still have JamesSimons Elementary and,for the most part,Charleston Progressive. We united, we battled for our schools, and the loss–though stinging- it couldhave been worse. Pleasekeep in mind: we must not rest. President Barack Obama said that the stateof our country might get  worse before it gets better: we must remember that.In the next few months, wemight get presented withanother laundry list of schools the CharlestonCounty School District  wants to close as they scramble to get out of thered. Let us remember  what we just went throughand continue to stay engaged in the politicalprocess. Attend the PTA and School Improvement Council meetings. Be a constant fixture at theConstituent School Boardand County School Boardmeetings. We must watchas well as pray, for the sakeof our children and our community. We cannot risk falling asleep at the wheel.In the past, thiscommunity has alloweditself to be used by the sys-tem. It has entrusted itsfaith in the government and political leaders withthe naïve expectation that these leaders will makedecisions that would be inour best interest. Theresult: we have govern-ment agencies who,because of a financialshortfall that probably resulted from mismanagedbudgets, wasteful spending and lack of accountability,are willing to compromiseour children’s ability to goto their neighborhoodschools. District 20schools might again facethe chopping block asmoney woes continue. Weface losing schools whilethe folks of District 2 (East Cooper) are having new schools built. That’s right:as we close Fraser Elementary, and reducethe numbers of classesavailable at CharlestonProgressive, Mt. Pleasant is building a newer, bigger Mamie WhitesidesElementary, Mt. Pleasant  Academy, and MoultrieMiddle. Therefore, it isclear that we must not assume that government leaders will make decisionsthat will be in our commu-nity’s best interest. Wemust be proactive. Wehave to be aware andastute on matters our lead-ers discuss. Just a few  years ago, a group of ustold everyone that this day  will come; form themoment the CharlestonCounty School District closed Rivers Middle, wetold the community to pre-pare for to lose moreschools, unless we stand upand speak out. Yet, hardly anyone took heed. Our schools’ PTA meetingshave been nearly empty;few parents had taken thetime to get involved withtheir children’s education.It took this latest schoolcrisis to get everyone’sattention. How long will you keep your attention onthis situation? Will youdrift away to complacency 
It’s All About Saving The Children!
Arthur Lawrence
until the next round of clo-sures? We must get involved and stay engaged. While we are not guiltless in what has hap-pened, we are only partially to blame. Gentrificationhas played a part in this,too. The peninsula’s popu-lation is changing.Renters are being forced tomove to make room for those who are willing topay more; people arefalling prey to subprimeloans and high property taxes. A lot of us will bedisplaced and replaced. Asdemographics change,District officials might beunder pressure to helpmake room in Dist. 20schools for the new groupof Charlestonians. As our schools close and our pop-ulation changes, the stu-dent body will likely look completely different by theend of the next decade, if not sooner. We must real-ize that we can, and must,be in charge of what hap-pens to us. We can do thisby working harder, making sacrifices, living frugally,and staying engaged in what goes on around us-from around the corner, tothe Board Room at 75Calhoun, to City Hall.If we don’t step upand speak out, we will con-tinue to have a small groupof people make decisionsfor us. Think about this:our School District paysconsulting firms to makedecisions. This latest round of school closures was in part the brain childof a consultant from out-side of Charleston. Thereare a group of locals whoconsult the SchoolDistrict, too. This meet-ing of the minds consists of people whose passion for our children and our com-munity is questionable, at best. If you do not believeme, then I suggest you goto 75 Calhoun, invoke theFreedom of Information Act and request a copy of the list of CCSD consult-ants. As a matter of fact,ask of CCSD and all other government leaders any question you want. Weeach have the right to dothat. And when the answer given is an unacceptableone, be prepared to voice your dissent to the powersthat be. Our tax dollars areon the line. We must stay engaged and ask questions. And please remember this: when we oppose a plan, wemust be ready to do morethan speak out in opposi-tion; we must also come with an alternative plan. It is not enough to fight. Wemust present a writtenalternative plan that willquestion the sensibility of the one the government hascreated.Counter, not cower. Stand up for your rights and for your chil-dren’s rights. It is our duty to do right by our children.Do right by them by doing something right: go to themeetings, keep up with what goes on around you,ask questions. And when you oppose a plan, voicedissent, offer suggestions. We have the power tomake a difference!
Donna Brazile isComing to Charleston
In recognition of Women’sHistory Month, the Women’s ResourceProject, Inc. is sponsoring a luncheon with politicalstrategist, author andadjunct professor, Ms.Donna Brazile, as guest speaker. This specialevent will be held at theEmbassy SuitesConvention Center Ballroom, 5055International Boulevard,North Charleston onFriday, March 20, 2009from 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM. Tickets are $35.00 and thedeadline for purchasing isMarch 1, 2009.Ms. Brazile was the first African American woman to leada major presidential campaign when she served as cam-paign manager for Al Gore’s 2000 presidential bid. Sheserves as chairwoman of the Democratic NationalCommittee’s Voting Rights Institute (VRI), an organiza-tion that was established to help protect and promote therights of all Americans to participate in the politicalprocess.She is author of the best selling book Cooking withGrease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics and adjunct professor at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. The Women’s Resource Project, Inc. is a non-profit organ-ization that was formed to promote economic, political,cultural and spiritual awareness, as well as healthy lifestyles among women. Its mission is to foster and sup-port the personal and communal growth of womenthrough education, networking and public advocacy.
 
Donna Brazille
Educating Our Children - If Not Now... When?
By Sandi EngelmanMuch has been said about the so-called budget shortfall at the Charleston County School District (CCSD). But,there is still a big elephant in the room and it needs to beaddressed. When will the children who live downtown and in our rural areas get a quality education? Just a few years ago,the money was rolling in, butthe students still laggedbehind according to education standards. The previoussuperintendent said she needed more money to pay admin-istrators so these kids could get a good education. But for the life of me, I still can't figure out how the administra-tors played into this "good education" role. Teachers were being ham-strung at every opportunity:Don't recommendstudents for suspensions or expulsionsbecause it affected the district's national and state stand-ing; give them a grade that really doesn't reflect their progress, but one that looks better on state and federalreport cards. The few children who are causing the problems know they are in control because they make it back to the classroomsin record speed. A policeman once told me a student whohad been arrested at their school made it back to theschool before he finished his paperwork. There are probably 10 or 15 students in most schools caus-ing 90% of the behavior issues. But, the question stillremains, when will the other children be allowed to get aneducation? When a student falls behind, they can't makeup elementary school shortcomings in high school.$50 million a year flows in to CCSD by way of TitleFunding. That funding includes money for remediationand assistance to students. But where does it really go? If $488 million dollars a year won't provide a quality educa-tion for 40,000 students, what will? A billion?I remember sitting in the interview for the former superin-tendent when she was asked how she would fix a brokeneducational system. Her quick response was, "Don't  worry, I can." Well, five years later the students inDistricts 4, 9, 20 and 23 are still being robbed of theopportunity for a quality education. We are always saying, "These are our future leaders." Andthey should be. Some of the children in these districts areexceedingly bright, with hope for a better life. And it iscriminal to take that hope away from them. There are not enough Magnet Schools in CharlestonCounty to accept these children, so an immediate solutionis imperative to improving the educational system inCharleston County. Just saying, "Excellence is our stan-dard" doesn't make it happen.Only 78 percent of Americans graduate from college.Realizing that, many of our students need an opportunity to attend a vocational school. CCSD has a $500 milliondollar capitol improvement plan in place, but we aren't teaching our students masonry, carpentry, plumbing, elec-tricalengineering or drafting. We need these trades and weneed them now.Life isn't fair. And life hasn't dealt some of our children a level playing field. It is up to our community leaders tochange that situation. If they can't, what purpose do they really serve?Let's stop telling everyone how great our schools are.Clearly, that isn't the case. Let's put an end to this failing school system. Put the money in the classrooms where it  will do the most good - not in the pockets of the adminis-trators.(Sandi Engelman is a former member of the Chas. County SchoolBoard)By Bob SmallLeroy SimmonsSr. said he can finally findsome closure in the deathof his son. A jury found 19 year-old Richard VernonDeas guilty of murder andpossession of a firearm dur-ing a violent crime in thekilling of Leroy SimmonsJr.Deas was sen-tenced to 40 years on themurder charge and five years for possession of a firearm during a violent crime. The sentence will beserved concurrently.Leroy Simmons Jr. was killed in October 2007 in the early morning hoursafter leaving his girlfriends’ house on Line Street. While waiting for a cabSimmons was approachedby Deas who allegedly tried to rob him. During the altercation Simmons
Father of Slain Youth SaysKillings Must Stop
fell to the ground and wasshot several times. He diedseveral hours later at Medical University Hospital. After hearing the verdict Friday afternoon,Simmons said he felt jus-tice was served. He saidboth families lost in theincident. “Two young black men are no longer in their communities. All for what?Some coins and a few goldchains? This madness hasgot to stop,” he said.Simmons, traveledfrom the Atlanta, Ga. ToCharleston for the week-long trial. He said he hadto listen intently to testi-mony during the trial. I was trying to find somereasoning as to why these young people would want to kill one another. It just doesn’t make sense,” hesaid. When he was giventhe opportunity to addressthe court Simmons toldDeas that he forgave himfor what he did but wouldnever forget what he did. “He took a life from a fami-ly,” Simmons appealed tospectators in the court-room who knew both the victim and the accused tofind a way to end the sense-less violence. “We have tostop the killing. This black on black crime is devastat-ing our communities andleaving too many empty spacs in our lives.” Simmons said he was satisfied with the sen-tence because no amount of time can bring back a love one. “We have to moveon. He (Deas) is a young man who will be incarcer-ated until he is 59 years old with no chance of parole. That is a lot of time tothink about what he didand ask himself, was it  worth it,” he said.
Leroy Simmons, Jr.
How far you go in life depends on your beingtender with the young, compassionate with theaged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerantof the weak and strong. Because someday in lifeyou will have been all of these.
~George Washington Carver
 
February 4, 2009- 3The Chronicle
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val1962

To a great man: Rev. Kent Byas my stepfather. I'm proud to say that he has done so many great things for the Charleston Community. R.I.P Dad.

reply02 / 18 / 2010
Damon_Anderson_7486

R.I.P Rev Kent Byas MY Celeb look-alike

reply02 / 06 / 2010
Damon_Anderson_7486

Funny how I thought my father never done nothing for me ,Thanks dad im a proud son.R.I.P Rev.Kent Byas

reply02 / 06 / 2010
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