VOLUME 21 NUMBER 26
FREE
SEPTEMBER 26, 2015
Published Since April 1995 Serving DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale Counties • www.facebook.com/ocgnews
DeKalb’s Panthersville Stadium renamed William “Buck” Godfrey Stadium By Joshua Smith
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he stadium that DeKalb’s County’s winningest coach, William “Buck” Godfrey, orchestrated so many Southwest DeKalb High School victories now bears his name. The 8,500-seat Panthersville Stadium in South DeKalb was officially named the William “Buck” Godfrey Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 19. Among those helping the former boys football coach celebrate the milestone were several members of his family including his daughter, sports broadcaster Rashan Ali, DeKalb County NAACP President John Evans, former Southwest DeKalb Panther and NFL Quarterback Quincy Carter, DeKalb County Athletics Executive Director Horace Dunson and dozens of for-
Photo courtesy of iShootAtlanta.com
L-R: DeKalb’s most winningest coach, William “Buck” Godfrey, and DeKalb County Athletics Director Horace Dunson pose for a picture in front of the newly-named William Buck Godfrey Stadium in Decatur.
mer players and coaches who worked under Godfrey’s leadership. Godfrey led the SWD Panthers to a record of 273-89 over 30 years of coaching. After starting
his coaching career with just three coaches, Godfrey turned Southwest DeKalb into a factory for collegiate and professional talent. More than 270 of God-
frey’s former Southwest DeKalb players received college athletic scholarships and 200 of them earned bachelor’s degrees, 37 have master’s degrees and 17 earned doctorates. Godfrey has said in several interviews with On Common Ground News that his legacy off the field was just as important as the one he left on it. “The real winners are made off the field, when the scoreboard goes off. Yes, I taught them Xs and Os over the years, but what I take pride in the most is knowing that I taught them how to dress, how to eat properly, character, how to be a man—not just football,” said Godfrey. “When I look at athletes like Fred Jones, Cosey Coleman, Quincy Carter or any other players who made it to the NFL, it gives me the
same amount of pride to see my former players in other fields. We got seven preachers, police officers, six principals and a list of other former players who are professionals in other fields besides just sports.” Hundreds were in attendance for Saturday’s pre-game celebration, many wearing blue and gold T-shirts with Godfrey’s name on it, to share stories and honor the man who has already become a strong symbol in the community for raising good football players and great men. The vote by the DeKalb County School Board to rename Panthersville Stadium in honor of Godfrey back on April 1 was unanimous. Former players and colleagues shared stories See Godfrey, page 6
ATLANTA’S SEXUAL VIOLENCE CRISIS Southeast conference unites advocates By Valerie J. Morgan
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bout 200 stakeholders came together recently to discuss resources critically needed to combat a growing problem plaguing the metro area: Atlanta’s reputation as one of the top hubs for human trafficking and child sex exploitation in the U.S. Roderick Cunningham, executive director of the Beverly Cunningham Outreach Program in DeKalb County, organized the Georgia Southeast Regional Conference on Child Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking in partnership with the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. The daylong conference, which included top policy makers and state and local officials, was held at Atlanta Metropolitan College Conference Center in Atlanta on Sept. 22. “I was very pleased with the turnout and the fact that we were able to bring together so many needed resources under one roof. Whether we realize it or not, we are in a state of emergency,” Cunningham said. “We are ranked No. 9 in domestic violence and we’re known internationally as one of the top hubs for human trafficking. We’ve got
to turn this around and awareness and education are the keys. ” According to those working on the frontlines to halt the crisis, men from around the world fly in to Atlanta, pay for child sex slaves and fly home in time for dinner with their families. More than 600,000 child sex slaves in the U.S. and Canada generate $5 billion worldwide, critics say. The city’s adult entertainment industry is known internationally for nude clubs, escort services and massage parlors that attract male conventioneers. The proliferation of young girls exploited on Internet web sites also is a big problem. The conference in Atlanta guest speakers included State Rep. Dee Dawkins-Haigler, chair of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus; DeKalb County Solicitor General Sherri Boston; Carlis V. Williams, Southeast Regional Administrator for the Administration of Children & Families (Region 4); Deborah Hightower, CEO of Hightower, Inc.; and R&B singer Leanne “Lelee” Lyons, formerly of the girls’ group, SWV (Sisters With Voices). Lyons shared her personal testimony as a victim of sexual abuse and that of her daughter, who was sexually abused by Lyons’ boyfriend. State Rep. Dawkins-Haigler moderated the panel discussion that included Lyons and Dorsey Jones, who was also sexually abused and is the author of “Stretched Beyond Measure.” Both women discussed red flags to look for that may signal a child is being sexually abused. “Kids don’t show out for nothing,” Lyons said, stressing that parents,
Photos by Glenn L. Morgan/OCG News Two of the faces behind the statistics: R&B singer Leanne “LeLee” Lyons and Dorsey Jones, author of “Stretched Beyond Measure,” shared testimonies at the conference about their sexual abuse.
caregivers and others should pay close attention to behavior changes in children. “The first thing that comes to my mind is when children come home with gifts that you know you didn’t purchase. If they come home with their nails done, hair done, bracelets that sort of thing —that’s a sign,” said Jones. Jones said that parents should also watch out for depression, bedwetting, change in personal hygiene, promiscuity, change in eating habits, vocabularies that include words that have never been used at home concerning body parts and showing fear around certain individuals. Dawkins-Haigler said she partici-
pated in the forum because of the staggering numbers impacting the metro Atlanta area. “A lot of our boys and girls are getting caught up in human trafficking, not to mention that Georgia is No. 8 in the nation in domestic violence. We’re No. 3 in human trafficking in the nation,” Dawkins-Haigler said. “We’ve got to do something to get our young people out of this. Dawkins-Haigler, who helped introduce a proposal to state lawmakers called “Loved Does Not Hurt,” said she plans to continue to work on developing legislation that would provide education See Sexual Violence, page 6