See if you can help me with this when and if you have an opportunity Alia.
Author and lifelong educator King Virgil Cheek was born on May 26, 1937 in Weldon, North Carolina. His father was a Baptist minister and his mother was the first Black, female insurance broker in North Carolina.
James Edward Cheek, president emeritus of Howard University, was born in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, on December 4, 1932.
Am at moment waiting for presser, then away more or less until tomorrow.
The "King Cheek" sounds quite interesting.
This is ringing some major alert bells for me. I did research some time back on a major, major core marxist "group" who is doing the exact same thing. And I only learned about this group and what they are up to through researching Kim Roberts.
Second, Lavonia Allison's ma was one of the early "pioneers" in the Insurance Industry of NC. She and a man pioneered NC Mutual Insurance Company. Lavonia Allison sits on the board of NC Mutual Insurance Company. Currently.
Don't know if it's CM's sister or perhaps a relative she's named after, but a Marella Mangum lives on Cheek Road. Was it named after the family.
http://www.zabasearch.com/query1_zaba.php?sname=Marella%20Mangum&state=ALL&ref=&se=&doby=&name_style=1
However, I had no idea the one could purchase Insurance from North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company back in the 1800s to cover "slave insurance". (Laws of Incorporation, 1849).
From post #492 (this thread):--snip and in re Lavonia Allison:
"The two institutions that have shaped her life--Dunbar Realty and the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People--were born in 1935, five years after Allison. She grew up in the black Durham neighborhood of Hayti, amid middle-class professionals who included the early leaders of what was then known as the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs, as well as the founders and leaders of such key institutions as North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Co. and NCCU. Dunbar, founded by Allison's father, C.J. Ingram, is still heralded in city tourism literature as a keystone of Durham's historic "Black Wall Street" district. The company provided homes for roughly 300 families, a clientele made up of low- to moderate-income African Americans in neighborhoods adjacent to the NCCU campus
--end snips.
Additionally and currently, D-Erskine Bowles and Julius L. Chambers are on the board of directors of NC Mutual Life Insurance Company.---end snip
Charles C. Spaulding was one of the founding Members of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Companies, first black owner, in 1989. He is also credited with organizing Lavonia's group:
The Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People, organized in 1935 by C.C. Spaulding and Dr. James E. Shepard, has been cited nationally for its role in the sit-in movements of the 1950’s–60’s. For photos of Spaulding and Shepard
Additionally, in re Julius Chambers who sits on the Board of NC Mutual Life Insurance Company
--snip:
Monday, May 8, 2006:
Committee investigating the response of the Duke University administration to the allegations involving the men’s lacrosse team issues its report. The committee chairs were Julius Chambers, a civil rights activist and former chancellor of North Carolina Central University, and William G. Bowen, president of The Andrew Mellon Foundation and former president of Princeton University. Click here to read more.--end snip
And did you also know that on March 31, 2006:
President Brodhead meets with Durham Mayor Bell, NCCU Chancellor Ammons, local ministers and leaders of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People. He also communicates with alumni and parents about the lacrosse situation. Click here for more. Duke Student Government issues statement condemning sexual assault, violence and racial intolerance. Click here for more. Vice President for Student Affairs sends e-mail alerting Duke students to a rumor reported by the Durham Police to students living off-campus of a planned "drive-by shooting" of a house near Duke's East Campus, emphasizing there was no reliable information to support the rumor. Click here for more.--end snip
And lastly, more on the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People:--snips:
"There are few other U.S. cities where African Americans wield as much political clout. The population is roughly half black and half white; the majority of city council members are black. An organization called the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People has been influencing community affairs since the 1930s, when a large black middle class grew up around North Carolina Central, a black university, and Pear Street, which was known as the black Wall Street. Whites aren't allowed to attend meetings, but the committee has a long history of working closely with a progressive white organization called the People's Alliance. Don't even think of running for public office in Durham unless you have an endorsement from this powerful committee.
And now for some interesting stuff in re the election primaries in Durham -- regarding School Boards:--snips:
"For the first time since its creation in 1992, incumbents have been -- thankfully -- thrown off the school board by Bull Citizens. African-American voters rejected the tactics of Jackie Wagstaff in District 1 and Regina George-Bowden in District 2 and embraced their opponents.
So after 14 years of racially split votes and incivility on both sides of the color line, we now know how disappointing a school board member has to be to get sent home under our racially split district system.
It's also the first time in my memory that the endorsement of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People -- frequently called simply "the Committee" -- has been so disregarded by African-American voters.
The Committee's endorsement did help other candidates win their races -- Rep. David Price and Sheriff Worth Hill -- or get into runoffs -- Larry Hall and Anita Smith in House District 29. But in two districts drawn on racial lines to ensure that the Committee would have control of those seats, their candidates were soundly defeated. A third member of the Committee slate -- Steve Matherly -- came in at an unsurprisingly distant third in his race for District 3.
For years, Committee leaders had been promising to defeat Wagstaff, but they could not keep her and George-Bowden from packing their endorsement meeting with supporters. Perhaps the incumbents couldn't make the endorsements stick, because Committee leaders didn't stick with the endorsements.
This scenario is even more unusual when you consider that the historically democratic Committee has for a number of years tightened up eligibility requirements to prevent candidates from packing meetings with supporters.
Regardless, in District 1, Omega Curtis Parker edged past the 40 percent mark and avoided a runoff.
Dolores Davis Paylor also outpolled Wagstaff, 33 percent to 25 percent.
Interestingly, the Republican Party endorsed Parker, a Democrat, who won by only a few more votes than there were Republicans voting in that district. Add in the stealth Republicans who've switched to unaffiliated over the years so they can vote in Democratic primaries and it's within the realm of possibility that Parker's Republican endorsement gave her a winning edge.--end snips
Okey-doke. Now, who are the powerbrokers behind Nifong. The "Committee" at its website said they were endorsing Keith Bishop, who lost, to Nifong. But apparently, the Committee's "Sheriff" got the win., And from the same article linked above:--snip:
"District 2, the Rev. Fred Davis energized supporters who possibly canvassed every house in the district. Davis defeated George-Bowden by a landslide, 53 percent to 33 percent. D.J. Waldow came in at less than 13 percent, even with an endorsement from the Friends of Durham, a moderately conservative white group.Hmm.. who are the Friends of Durham?
Here's who the Committee endorsed.
And in re Nifong's win? "After the election results came in, yellow-shirted Nifong supporters chanted his name as they planned what they called a Cinco-de-Miko party in honor of his victory"
Apparently there is a group called The Durham People's Alliance who works in tandem with Lavonia's "Committee".
OH HELLO! Guess who supported Mike Nifong's Campaign? April 13th, 2006--snips:
"With a spirited race for DA and sheriff, I wouldn't be surprised if we did quite well" at the polls despite a lack of big-name races, said Tom Miller of the Durham People's Alliance.
David Smith, with Friends of Durham, said that the DA race "might excite some people" because of its high-profile candidates.
"Normally, people don't know or care what the DA does, but in this case there's more interest because of who the people are," said Smith. Smith also said there's definitely more buzz about the House seat in District 29 being vacated by state Rep. Paul Miller.
Both the Durham People's Alliance and Friends of Durham have recently released their election endorsements.
Following are both groups' explanations of some key endorsements:
Both endorsed incumbent Mike Nifong for District Attorney. Nifong has a longstanding rapport with the People's Alliance and, "Our general feeling was that he is a person of high integrity and great skill," said Tom Miller. "He's a tough but fair and honest prosecutor. When you have the state power concentrated in one person, you want that person to be thoughtful and sober."
Smith cited Nifong's experience as a prosecutor and his managerial skills as reasons for the endorsement.
Both groups also endorsed incumbent Worth Hill for sheriff. --end snips
*** Oh My. In an article I linked to above: Friends of Durham is described as a moderately conservative white group.
rofl. Hardly.