The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 19

LOCAL NEWS BART GORDON GOP candidates take on incumbent Page 2B Volunteers 6B Deaths 7B Weather 8B i i SUNDAY, JULY 12, 1998 Greg ory devoers race panel fBi IL. tllh.irrrl which he dared black people to challenge him about "Because I go to the movies with y'all. They say They do all kinds of perverted stuff, and I ain't never seen one of y'all get up and protest" He touched on what seemed like everything during his one-hour tirade: recent newspaper and broadcast retractions for stories he said were true; Waco, Texas; OJ. Simpson; Ebonics; 1998 Race relations conference "Have sex," members of the audience said. "So why is everybody shocked about that? Safe sex is no sex," said Gregory, who before turning his energies to activism was a well-known stand-up comic.

Earlier, the two other panelists said health-care access is not a cureall for America's health-care ills, calling for more preventive measures. It is unacceptable for other countries to have lower infant mortality rates than the United States, said Foster, a Nashville obstetrician who teaches at Meharry Medical College. The number of African-American babies who weigh too little at birth is more than double that of white babies in America. A baby bora in other countries including Trinidad, Jamaica or Cuba has a better chance of surviving his first year of life than an African-American child born in the United States. "Certainly, if every criminal in American deserves a lawyer, every baby deserves a doctor," said Foster, who al- Health gathering becomes his pulpit By M0N10UE FIELDS Staff Writer A panel discussion on race and health became Dick Gregory's platform yesterday after the activist said he "blames everything on white folks." He later explained that he didn't mean any harm to the whites in the room because there are only five real white people on this planet, with the rest posing as impostors.

"Because white ain't got nothing to do with color," he said. "It's an attitude." Gregory's comments came at the 32nd Race Relations Institute at Fisk University as he sat on a panel with health professionals Dr. Henry Foster and Dr. Fredia Wadley to discuss "The Struggle for Equal Health Care." It was a speech containing countless n-word references, the Oklahoma City bombing; affirmative action and fare. He noted that when it comes to welfare and jobs, whites can't have it both ways.

"Either we're all on welfare, or we got your jobs." He also outlined why the nation's children are having sex. When schools give students free lunches, they expect students to eat "So when they start passing out condoms in public schools, they expect you to do what?" JAHED LAZARUS STAf-F Dick Gregory speaks his mind at the Race Relations Institute Conference at Fisk University Turn to PAGE 411, Column 4 EE Industry confused by rules Penalty mishmash keeps horses home Rural vs. urban teacher pay gap fuels lawsuit found the state's school funding plan unconstitutionally deprived rural schoolchildren of a basic educatioa The result was the Basic Education Program, or BEP, in which additional state money is given to poor school districts whose local sales tax base cant support basic education services. Since the By TRINE TSOUDEROS and DORREN KLAUSNTTZER Stuff Wntm A Tennessee Walking Horse with a winning gait but two sore feet could earn its owner a blue ribbon and its trainer a two-week suspension from the show ring. That was last year.

This year, nobody really knows what to expect "There is no difference in the (inspection) meth- rrt'i rnn rr 1 i 1 i I IIxAlS iJ 1 ods," said Jimmy BEP took effect more than $1 billion has been shifted to rural schools. But the program leaves it up to local school systems to set and fund teacher salaries! If Donelson. wins, the case McConnell, presi- dent of the Walk- Jfts ing Horse Train- ers Association. Tennessean News Services Lewis Donelson, the lead attorney in the rural schools lawsuit that led to a statewide reform of education funding, has now sued the state over the disparity of teacher pay between counties. Donelson, a former state finance commissioner, sued last week in Davidson County Chancery Court seeking to force an equalization of teachers' salaries in rural and urban school districts.

In February, Donelson appeared before the House Education Committee to call for an end to disparity in teacher salaries and to recommend a way to pay for it "It is clear the culprit here is not state funding, but local funding," Donelson told the committee at the time. He also said that he was appearing before the education committee to give lawmakers a chance to find a solution but was prepared to go back to court if necessary. He has now filed that suit The newest lawsuit is the third in Donelson's efforts to give rural schoolchildren equal educational opportunities. He won the first case when the Tennessee Supreme Court ine cuiierence is in the penalties." Confusion is the operative word here. The six differ DONELSON Tennessee Walking Horse contnnersy could have mai jor implications to Tennessee taxpay; ers and transform the way local gov; ernments get their tax dollars, much' as Donelson's 1993 victory on behalf of rural school systems changed the state's basic funding formula for education.

Metro Davidson County would lose Turn to PAGE 2B, Column 1 FA If 7 City's cultures come together STAFF PHOTOS BY FRbbMAN RAMSEY Nelson Winbush, whose grandfather served under Gen. Forrest sports a Confederate Flag tie. Forrest's cavalry rides again ent organizations that inspect show horses for signs of abuse use different sets of rules. Add to that the government's new penalties, imposed by federal veterinarians who show up unannounced at horse shows for spot checks. Those rules went into effect July 1 and nobody is really certain how they will jibe with the other organizations' systems.

Horses are inspected at walking horse shows because of a decades-old practice of abusing the animal to perform their trademark step. Estimates of how widespread the abuse is range from less than 3 of show horses to more than 90. Confused about what rules and penalties to expect trainers are keeping their horses home. The walking horse market is depressed. Attendence at shows is anemic.

"Last year, they were just thick in there, we had parking problems," said Thomas Chastain, who helped put on the Tony Rice Center show in Shelbyyille this year. "I think it is off quite a bit this year." The show, held the day after the new government rules went into effect drew 30 fewer entries than last year. R. Craig Evans, chairman of the National Horse Show Commission, sees a silver lining in the chaos. And even to the months of public attention and criticism of his industry.

"The scrutiny has brought the focus of the industry to these issues," said Evans, whose organization inspects and judges the majority of horses at affiliated shows. "Almost like in a great economy, we lose our otherwise good judgment and focus. The industry was going along so very well, we weren't as focused as we should have been." Turn to PAGE 2B, Column 4 different sites to take part in crafts such as Australian bark-painting and Mexican yam-painting. "It's my third year here, and I just love the atmosphere," said Carmen Gaud, who's from Puerto Rico. Gaud, 47, has lived in Nashville for 11 years.

"This is a greiit opportunity for Nashville to realize the diversity in cultures in Nashville," she said. Meanwhile, Martin 0. Deschenes, executive director of the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute, said he is on a crusade to see that every child in Tennessee speaks at least one other language. "That's one of the ways we could have a better relationship with other countries," Deschenes said. "As you learn different languages, you become aware of the culture." Bussakorn Rajvongs of Thailand said the same is true with food.

"I cook American food with Thai flavor," she said while people stood in line waiting to be served Thai food. "If we can do that, then the cultures can come together." By DAVID HEFNER Staff Wnter The peacemaker Mohandas Gandhi would have been proud at yesterday's display of respect for different cultures, his grandson said. Amid global strife, the third annual Scarritt-Bennett Center's Celebration of Cultures demonstrated the best in humanity, Arun Gandhi said. "Many of the world's conflicts are because we're so ignorant of each other," said Gandhi, 65, the honorary chair of the event and founder of the M.K. Gandhi Iastitute for Non-violence in Memphis.

"It's very frightening. When we begin to sow the seeds of understanding then we will come to peace." The daylong event brought together more than 40 different cultures from around the world. Natives of different countries who now live in the Middle Tennessee area cooked indigenous food, played indigenous music and sold indigenous wares. Virtually all continents were represented. Children gathered around will ride again.

He is riding again." The Joseph E. Johnston Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans organized the event Also participating were 40 other SCV camps, the United Daughters of the Confederacy and 10 re-enactment groups in period dress. In attendance was state Sen. Doug Henry, D-Nashville, who got the state to clear trees from the interstate view of the statue. Another notable attendee was the last surviving Confederate widow, Alberta Martin, who achieved celebrity status with the crowd.

The statue, in a private Confederate Flag Park near Crieve Hall, has drawn criticism. Some say the statue reveres the South's racist past Forrest was a slave trader and the first grand wizard of the Ku KluxKlan. Turn to PAGE 2B, Column 4 Confederate flags fly to cheers of crowd as General's statue unveiled PjlSARAJLCQBI and BONNA M. la CRUZ Stuff Wntm Under the gaze of a new Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest statue, 400 sons and daughters of the South yesterday remembered the Dixie of their ancestors and their favorite Tennessee war hero.

And as they waved hundreds of Confederate battle flags and hurrahed the singing of Dixie, secessionist fever emerged. "He's crying, 'Follow said artist Jack Kershaw, of the gold-colored Forrest on his horse, visible from Interstate 65. "Forrest will ride again. Dont doubt that" Encouraged by cheers at the unveiling ceremony, Kershaw said, "It's not a question of (iD Forrest UT i i jhM 11 lllfllNH Alberta Martin, said to be the last surviving widow of a confederate soldier, arrives at the ceremony. Jerry says he's headed in the right direction Tennessean columnist Jerry Thompson wants his readers to know that he's still headed In the right directiqn regarding his recovery from a recent surgery.

I'm like the 1 turtle In his race with the hare," said Thompson, who has been battling cancer for the past 10 years, and whose Thompson's Station column usually appears on this page on Sunday and Monday. "When I get there I'll be there. But seriously, I can see some progress every week." Cancer fighters set to blast home runs Hundreds of people are expected at Greer Stadium tomorrow for the "Let's Knock Cancer Out of the Park" appreciation night for American Cancer Society volunteers, cancer survivors and supporters. After a pregame picnic, guests will watch the Nashville Sounds play the Oklahoma Redhawks at 7 p.m. at the smoke-free Greer Stadium.

More than 25,000 Tennesseans will be diagnosed with cancer this year. City Editor Tommy Goldsmith, 259-8065 Regional Editors: Frank Gibson, 726-5907 Gail M. Kerr, 259-8085 Laird MacGrogor, 259-6028 Robert Sherborne, 259-8080 Mike Sherman, 259-8899 Margaret Sizemore, 726-5941 NightWeekend Editors: Dwight Lewis, 726-5928 Wendi C. Thomas, 664-2194 George Zepp, 259-8091 Fax: 259-8093 E-mail tips: newstlp8Ctennes8ean.com Rails to Trails project earns Ashland City honor Ashland City is the Mldstate winner of the 1998 Governor's Greenways and Trails Stewardship Award for Greenways and Conservation. Mayor Grey Jenkins accepted the award Thursday in ceremonies at Sycamore Recreational Area.

The honor was for the city's Rails to Trails project, which is a four-mile developed walking and biking trail along the old Tennessee Central railroad bed. Jenkins said the plaque is on display at City Hall among other awards and certificates. PAUL OLDHAM Humane Society expansion goes before commission Plans to expand the Humane Society of Dickson County go before the county commission July 23, when commissioners will decide if the area around the existing center at 410 Eno Road can be rezoned to accommodate the expansion. Additional public meetings will have to be held before the center can obtain a building permit. The expansion is needed for the center to be able to keep animals longer.

So far this year, the shelter has taken in 2,122 animals and found homes for 305. DEBORAH HIGHLANip.