An enemy of the civil rights center
I'll start with the positive.
I'm pleased that Skip Alston agrees with my suggestion that the civil rights center should carry a February One Place address.
Otherwise, I wasn't impressed with his comments to Greensboro Politics the other day.
Like this statement about critics: "They are misinformed and not involved in the process and are ignorant to the facts of what are taking place with the museum. They are likely reading the News & Record which is full of misinformation and no facts at all who has proven to be an enemy to this project from the very beginning."
Ryan, the correspondent, asks: "Skip the News & Record is a donor correct?"
"Yes," Alston says, "you keep your friends close and your enemies even closer."
JR addresses the last point, explaining that the N&R gave the museum $150,000 in 2002.
The "enemy" reference isn't Alston's first shot at the N&R regarding the civil rights museum. I don't understand it in light of our consistently supportive editorial policy. Today's editorial is the latest of many urging the community to back the project.
Obviously, with $150,000 staked in the project, this isn't just lip service. In my book, that's a lot of money.
The problem for Alston seems to be that the N&R also has reported various setbacks and financial difficulties the museum has had, plus its very slow progress.
It's the newspaper's role to ask questions and report the ups and downs.
Even setting that aside, any business that contributes money to an organization has a right to question how it's being spent.
Frankly, for the person in charge to call such a major donor an "enemy" is just unbelievable. If that's the response donors get, it's no wonder the civil rights center is having such a hard time raising money. It just doesn't strike me as an effective way to encourage giving.
It's not up to me how the N&R allocates its considerable charitable contributions. It is my personal opinion, however, that further donations could support other worthy organizations that would not brand us an "enemy."
I admit that's a petty, spiteful and inappropriate attitude. But I'm definitely not the only one who's guilty of it.
Addendum: Regarding Alston's criticism of the N&R as a source of news about the civil rights center, perhaps he should see about offering his own information about the facts taking place at the museum. There's not much to see on the "events and news" page of the center's Web site.
Comments (10)
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Skip has a BLOG - http://www.triadblogs.com/skipalston
But he doesn't use it.
I don't know why he does not understand that the more information he releases, the more he points out how the money will be spent, the more he shares the vision, the better people will understand.
If he only looked at successful operations, he could see the benefits of being pro-active in communications.
Posted on February 1, 2008 10:34 PM
I want to send a donation to Skip - to whom do I make out the check and to what address should I mail it?
Also, can you please furnish the addresses for the ministries of Ernest Angley, Kenneth Copeland, Jack Van Impe, Joel Ostreen, Oral Roberts, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, & Jim Bakker - I want to send a check to all of them -
Posted on February 2, 2008 5:42 AM
Just another liberal project with taxpayers money to buy votes for the good ole boys in Raleigh. Doug looks like your boy Roy Moore ( you know the one you said would clean up corruption in Raleigh) Has some more problems, state employees suing to get records, as to why the man is getting 100,000 dollars from money managers controlling the state pension plan. We have another new highway collapsing, seems the highway boys are busy raising money for Moore. He been accused of using state funds to collect campaign money.
Posted on February 2, 2008 7:10 AM
Doug, good response. By any chance did the N&R earmark its funds for a specific item in the museum?
Ryan
Posted on February 2, 2008 7:21 AM
Skippy, If your reading this article would you give to this cause ?
Over the last 10 years where are the kids coming around with Unicef like boxes, collection kettles, direct mail and the rest ? I haven't been solicited once. They're paying a director $100k to do what ?
I voted against the bonds because Gso will have to come up with $10 - $20 mil in parking and infrastructure costs when this museum is completed. It needs to be completed with private money.
Skippy wants the money in the bank. I have no doubt that he is eyeing a $1mil or so for his own pocket.
It's so sad that the African-American community and others including the N&R have no other place to go other than to line up and get their kool-aid from the local branch of the Civil Rights Industrial Complex.
I'm for turning the whole thing over to the Smithsonian today. They will convene an appropriate committee and director to complete and run the museum. The Gso City Council should start condemnation proceedings on the site as per the recent Supreme Court decision. All future donations should be made to another entity and held in trust until another path is set.
Posted on February 2, 2008 10:01 AM
In 1960-61 school kids across the state raised money to purchase USS North Carolina and have it established as a commemorative memorial in Wilmington. What's wrong with a similar method for financing the CRM?
CRM Board members should serve in a rotating, voluntary capacity and be compensated for mileage expense of attending meetings. They should not receive salaries or director fees, unless at a very nominal rate. Messrs. Jones and Alston need to be recognized for their founding efforts, but should realize that their insistence on remaining in charge impedes efforts to see the museum through to completion.
Posted on February 2, 2008 4:40 PM
Ryan, I don't know if the N&R donation was earmarked.
In no way do I think any civil rights center money is going into Skip Alston's pocket. But, as Don Moore says, it would be good for him or the center to be more proactive in providing info about what is happening
Posted on February 2, 2008 10:18 PM
Doug, when you have the majority of the millions being spent on "adminstrative" costs and very few dollars (comparatively speaking) on actual construction costs, I think that raises more than a few red flags. Plus, at least 10 years after the purchase of the building, water in the basement is "discovered." Did nobody look in the basement before that? What, they couldn't find a flashlight?
Alston and Jones are holding this project hostage. They should recuse themselves. This damn thing would have been finished years ago had the simply walked away from it. But they never will. Their egos simply will not allow it.
Posted on February 3, 2008 12:25 PM
I agree that Skip Alston isn't personally benefitting from the Civil Rights Museum. But I think it is fair to ask some tough questions about the museum, including:
1. What have museum organizers done to raise private funds for the project?
2. How has the money that's been raised been used?
3. What possible reason could there be for spending taxpayer money on this project? If it's such a good idea, surely the private sector can support it.
Personally, I believe that Skip Alston and Earl Jones are the biggest enemies of the Civil Rights Museum. If they had stepped aside, this project would've been finished years ago.
Posted on February 4, 2008 9:58 AM
Thanks for comments. Apologies to those who tried to post comments on Sunday. Apparently the blogs had some technical issues for a while.
Posted on February 4, 2008 5:40 PM