WS Chronicle

Stadium deal is not good for WSSU

To the Editor:

Since 2013 I have been waiting a decision on WSSU [Winston-Salem State University] and Bowen Gray Stadium. I can recall [Chancellor] Donald Reaves saying he would increase Winston-Salem State University student fees by $110 per student a year to pay for the stadium in the tune of $7.5 million.

I have spoken with a few of our council members and they are somewhat vague on the matter. I have suggested to the East Ward Councilman about a few town hall meetings since no public hearings were held before the proposed transfer of property. WSSU is in the East Ward.

My understanding is that WSSU has agreed to a 40-year lease with the racing people. It will take 40 years before WSSU can own the stadium outright. Would you buy a house and the seller tells you who can live in it?

It is further understood that during racing season the athletic department has to leave the field house at 5 p.m. on Fridays and not allowed to return until Monday at 8 a.m.

One would think WSSU needs to rethink what they are getting themselves into. WSSU, it is not too late to withdraw from a Bad Deal.

Beaufort Bailey, Winston-Salem

Prisoners, who have no voice, just want to be heard

To The Editor:

Thank you so much for your kindness and support. I was introduced to The Chronicle in 2009 and I have been a fan ever since. I have been fighting for change my entire 14 years of being incarcerated and I will not stop because the need is real.

I am looking for help not just for me but the thousands of guys and women that are mistreated, misrepresented and deeply misunderstood. This prison culture is reaching the black community and causing it many more problems.

I have been a prisoner in the North Carolina prison system for over 14 years now. There is so much I would like to say to the readers of The Chronicle but unfortunately time and space will not allow me to bare my heart totally to you.

The Chronicle has been nothing less than a blessing for people like me who has no voice and I am so thankful for the existence of the paper and the level of love that The Chronicle has for all of the people in need.

Unfortunately, the need for The Chronicle and its readers is greater than ever. I want to do something different. I have been reaching out to black leaders, the media, civil rights organizations, human rights organizations and my letters, phone calls and pleas fall on deaf ears.

The need is here! These people and organizations were formed to bring the voiceless a voice. These people and organizations have gotten too big for people like me. I and thousands of others just want to be heard. Let us tell our truths from experience, that’s all we ask. Our truths can help expose the many injustices so we can truly begin to heal and bring real change. This all starts by communication not just with prison officials, law enforcers and police officers but with us “prisoners.” Our pains and concerns are real. We are real people that came from and will return back to society one day.

How we return depends on what we did with our time, our treatment during the time we spent incarcerated and the resources available to us when we get out.

So my plea to the readers of The Chronicle is reach out to your elected officials, media, social activists, organizations that want to enact change.

I have been reaching out for 14 years with very little results on very serious matters, from the foster care system to the many mentally ill people who are just thrown in prisons.

I’m nothing that society says I am. I am just a black man, a human being that has made mistakes.

Tashawn Wilson, Polkton, N.C.