WS Chronicle

Support Cancer Services, which  has been helping people for 60 years

To the Editor,

I am writing this letter about the local disparities and lack of awareness about Cancer Services in hopes of bringing awareness to this issue. There are a large number of people in Forsyth County that have no idea that Cancer Services of Winston-Salem exists. This is disheartening considering that this organization has been in existence for over 60 years.

I want to bring this issue to the forefront, by reaching out to the community and equipping them with information, starting with the newspaper.  Most people still have access to the newspaper at this time, because certain age groups tend to be more comfortable with reading the local newspaper instead of social media or the websites online.

Secondly, I want to send key resources into the community to the areas that are unaware and untouched in Forsyth County and the surrounding areas.

The lack of knowledge should not be a reason that individuals do not know about an organization that helps the families in the community. Cancer Services of Winston-Salem provides a multitude of services, which includes a dietician, wellness programs, patient advocacy, medication and financial resources, community outreach, encouragement and support, along with impacting lives in a positive way.

I am very passionate about changing the lack of awareness in the community and this is just the beginning of my efforts to fix this issue. My plan is to continue to move forward and advocate for more people in the community to utilize Cancer Services of Winston-Salem.

Sherry Switzer

Winston-Salem

Elect opposition to those who are destroying N.C.

To the Editor:

Gov. Pat McCrory and Sen. Richard Burr are half way through leading North Carolina to rock bottom. Their edicts of gentrification, gerrymandering, voter suppression, low wages, hydraulic fracking, micro-managing the public school system, complete takeover of the university system, no Obamacare and now the $50,000 (or more) special session of the legislature to pass an anti-LGBT law.

If we are naive enough to re-elect them in November, they will complete their assignment given to them by the billionaires Koch brothers and little millionaire home boy “honest “Art Pope.

Will your join me by voting for their progressive opponents Roy Cooper and Deborah Ross???

James Hankins

Wilmington, N.C.

Greensboro CVB remains committed to diversity 

To the Editor:

The Greensboro Convention & Visitors Bureau’s mission is to aid in the marketing of our community’s assets, maximizing economic impact while providing excellent service. We will continue to serve all travelers and those interested in visiting. We understand there is a wide range of opinion and concern about the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act (House Bill 2).

Our primary mission remains to increase tourism’s economic impact to the city of Greensboro and Guilford County.

Respect for diversity and inclusion also remains a constant for our staff and area hospitality partners as well as for our valued visitors.

The Greensboro Convention

and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors

Moral and civil rights leaders need to consider mass nonviolent sit-in

To the Editor:

We cannot be silent in the face of this race-based, class-based, homophobic attack on wage earners, civil rights, and the LGBTQ community.

Unless Gov. McCrory and the legislature repeal HB 2 by April 21, the Forward Together Moral Movement, better known as ‘Moral Monday,’ will consider launching a campaign of sit-ins at the General Assembly – a moral witness against this unconstitutional and immoral legislation.

With our many allies, we will coordinate a campaign of nonviolent direct action along with other forms of nonviolent protest to instruct our representatives to respect the rights of all citizens.

Rev. Dr. William Barber II

President of the NC NAACP

and architect of the Moral Monday Movement

HB 2  traumatizes

They believe North Carolinians are too busy to read their bigoted law. They think we will not grasp its explicit, far-reaching and radical impact on our civic and economic life.

HB 2 traumatizes our democracy. It impairs our local governments. It undermines the rights of most citizens. And it diminishes civil rights and basic human respect for trans-gender children and adults who wish to use public restrooms in a safe, dignified manner.

Bishop Tonyia Rawls

Executive Director

The Freedom Center for Social Justice

Forsyth County United Way is not so uniting

To the Editor:

As children growing up in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, we were raised to be very community minded by always being charitable to the neighborhood and any organization that helps all the people in Winston-Salem. We were told that you never know when you may need that helping hand.

Through Sara Lee Company, one of my family members won for being one of the largest contributors to United Way.

Even today through the East/Northeast Winston-Salem Neighborhood Association and the Ashley School Precinct, which both are volunteer community services, we give of our time and funds striving for a better neighbor/community.

We have co-partnered with the City of Winston-Salem in many area plans, mostly for the East/Northeast wards . We co-partnered with the Winston-Salem Police Department. We have participated in so many things to uplift this community since 2005.

And if I might add, we excelled at being the most active neighborhood association in the E/NE wards, which was our purpose: to shine a light on the much needed renovations in this Black Historical Community.

Over a year ago, I was contacted by a neighborhood organization to inform me that 13 neighborhoods had been chosen by Forsyth County United Way for rehabilitation assistance, but we were not one of them.

Now mind you, my neighborhood sits in the very middle of these 13 neighborhoods that were selected.  So we continued to beautify our neighborhood by cleaning the streets, painting a mural, and continuing our winning streak of being the citywide largest National Night Out for the sixth year in a row in hopes that we would be given some consideration for funds other than committing our properties to the City.

Most people would like to leave their property to family members and not be indebted to the City, which would inherit the property.

So after almost two years of hearing this sad news of not being selected, we felt gerrymandered, black-balled, red-lined for some reason. Actually, it seems mean-spirited to leave our neighborhood out.

We can only attribute the decision by Forsyth County United Way via its Board and Advisory Committee.

We invited Forsyth County United Way out to our Mural Debut in hopes they could see the progress we want for our neighborhood and reconsider helping us as well. We know of no explainable reason to be singled and left out like that.

We hope someone would contact me to explain what we are doing wrong.

Marva Reid, President

East/Northeast Winston-Salem Neighborhood Association

and Community Advocate Ashley Precinct Chair