Fighter for social justice http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/jun/13/fighter-for-social-justice/opinion/
JOURNAL EDITORIAL STAFF Published: June 13, 2009 Nelson Malloy's announcement last week that he won't seek re-election to the Winston-Salem City Council was a watershed moment. Love him or hate him, the Democrat has for 20 years pushed the council to give more attention to matters of social justice. Now, with every council seat open in the September primary and November election, some candidates say the council should be pressing harder on economic development and other issues. Malloy said that the new generation -- including the Democrats who want his North Ward seat, Denise "D.D." Adams and Wayne Patterson -- has not worked hard enough for social justice. Malloy is 62 and wheelchair-bound from a gunshot wound in his youth. His health and the need to spend more time with his family figured heavily in his decision, he said. He speaks softly, but passion informs his words as he talks about his seemingly improbable win in 1989 to gain a seat at the city's table of power. He's a black man who grew up poor in Winston-Salem, the son of a maid and janitor. He's also a former member of the radical Black Panther Party that grew out of the civil-rights movement. In 1977, Malloy, who attended Winston-Salem State University, was visiting Black Panthers out West. He ended up shot and left for dead in a Nevada desert, a crime that has been linked to the Panthers. Malloy has never discussed the incident publicly and declined to do so again last week. The violence -- including killings of police officers -- committed by Black Panthers in other parts of the country can't be denied. But Malloy noted that the local chapter of the Panthers did good works for the community, through feeding programs for needy school students and a free ambulance service. For a while after the shooting, Malloy said he would sit alone and cry. "I went through the normal and natural process of, I guess, emotional and psychological peaks and valleys and roller coasters. I mean, you're talking about a person 31 years old, good health and full of life and all of a sudden he's cut down and paralyzed. For a while I said, 'My life is over.' " He alternated between that feeling, he said, and one of wanting to make the best of his life. He stayed active as a scoutmaster and through programs to help the homeless and the physically and mentally disabled. He first ran for the board of aldermen, now called the city council, in 1989. His friend Larry Little had long encouraged him to do so. Little, an associate professor at WSSU, said that voters embraced Malloy "because they knew he was dedicated, even if they disagreed with him." Malloy's win wasn't really all that improbable. Little, also a former Black Panther, had held the North Ward seat a few years before. Other blacks had served on the board of aldermen as well. But Little didn't think they were progressive enough. Malloy took office as the city's power structure was shifting, from one in which corporate leaders called the shots to one more open to other voices. His physical condition alone brought on change; a ramp was installed in council chambers for him. Malloy's council style is reserved. He's been effective at helping to improve the city's recreation areas, helping to craft an ordinance governing development of big-box stores and working to lessen the impact of the Hanes Mill Landfill on its neighbors. An ideal council includes members whose backgrounds and interests are as varied as those of their constituents. Malloy, who has cared more about getting to know the residents of his ward than business leaders, has been a voice for the underdog. His council record isn't perfect. In 2002, he missed so many council meetings because of health reasons that some felt he should step down. And last year on this page, we criticized him for grandstanding in publicly asking that the city do more to ensure that the private companies it does business with not hire illegal immigrants, which the federal government already requires. But Malloy has made considerable impact in the realm of social justice. He has worked for affordable housing, and on the plan to end chronic homelessness. He helped establish the citizens police review board, and has been among those raising questions about Kalvin Michael Smith's 1997 conviction in the Jill Marker beating case. But most important, he was an early advocate for Darryl Hunt, wrongfully convicted in the 1984 murder of Deborah Sykes. After Hunt was exonerated in 2004, the council created a citizens' committee that reviewed the case and recommended reforms in the Winston-Salem Police Department. Malloy can be all but conservative on economic development. He defends the city's investments in the Dell computer plant, which has cut 260 positions this year, and in the baseball stadium, where construction has stalled. "I'm not the radical I used to be," he said. Radicals might not be needed on city council, but passionate advocates are. Patterson and Adams each said they would be that type of council member. Patterson noted his work as a civil-rights attorney, handling cases of wrongful termination and discrimination based on age, race and sexual-orientation. He said he also reviews cases pro bono for the NAACP. Adams, who has a long record of community service, said, "I think that there are some new people that got engaged during the last political cycle that have much to give, but are just looking for an opportunity." A Republican who wants the North Ward seat, John Hopkins, said that he's been active in the community, too, and "I'm certainly supportive of initiatives that protect people from abuse, be it governmental or from the private sector." We need candidates and incumbents who will ask hard questions, champion causes, encourage debate and challenge us to think. Nelson Malloy has been a master at that, whether you agreed with him or not. For his service to the community, he deserves our thanks. . --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sixties-L" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sixties-l?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
