TCB Nov. 12, 2020 — Kamala Rising by Triad City Beat

Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point Nov. 12-18, 2020 triad-city-beat.com

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Kamala Harris becomes the first woman of color to be elected VP PAGE 12

After the election PAGE 9

Ties That Bind PAGE 11

T-giving hacks, Part I PAGE 10

Nov. 12-18, 2020

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

Trolling the pollsters Part of the across one the other day: When I brought Trump team’s up the subject of inaccurate polling, he ridiculous tapestry said, “Oh yeah. I always lie to them.” of denial concerns This took me aback, as if someone had election polling just admitted to pissing in the pool. this cycle, and I have a background in sociology and how far off it was, statistics, so I know that many (many!) as another piece people are reluctant to have their opinions by Brian Clarey of spurious proof surveyed. But it never really occurred to that the results are invalid. me that so many people lie to pollsters They’re right about one thing: The just for the fuck of it, and there was never polls were off this year. Election prognosany discussion of it in any of my statisticators were not as far off as tics classes or the cases we they were in 2016, when the studied. New York Times gave Hillary These are smart people, It never Clinton an 85 percent chance trying to gather information occurred to me of winning on Election Day. before we make important But they once again underesdecisions. Who would object? that so many timated the power of Trump, Well, people do. people lie to the scale and shape of his But why? Even a seemingly pollsters. voters, their reluctance to be insane or destructive action polled. makes sense to the person We’ve all heard of the “shy performing it. What would Trump voters,” who buy into the man compel someone to deliberately skew our and his myth but are hesitant to share best efforts at accuracy? those views in public because it makes They likely don’t look at it that way. other people not like them. In theory, I Some people resent being asked quessupposed, it all made sense: Supporting tions. Some people are afraid of the truth. Trump is a pretty shameful act, right up Some people like pissing in the pool. there with bad-mouthing the troops and As for my friend, he thinks, that meahating dogs. suring public opinion is a windmill-tilting And then there are others who lie to that can never ascertain a true measure; pollsters… just for the fun of it. I came his actions merely reinforce that point.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Especially in the year of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, when you see how we march in the streets and organize, that’s power. You can’t ignore it.

— Deidre James, page 12

BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian Clarey brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS Allen Broach allen@triad-city-beat.com

EDITORIAL SENIOR EDITOR Jordan Green jordan@triad-city-beat.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sayaka Matsuoka sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336.256.9320 COVER PHOTO: SPECIAL SECTION EDITOR Nikki Miller-Ka Kamala Harris becomes the first niksnacksblog@gmail.com BIPOC vice president. EDITORIAL INTERN Michaela Ratliff [Photo by Zak Neumann/ Little ART Village Magazine, littlevillagemag. ART DIRECTOR Robert Paquette com] robert@triad-city-beat.com SALES

KEY ACCOUNTS Drew Dix

drew@triad-city-beat.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Carolyn de Berry, Matt Jones

Nov. 12-18, 2020

CITY LIFE Nov. 12-18 by Michaela Ratliff

THURSDAY Nov. 12

Speaking Our Piece: Protestors’ PostElection Reflections @ Greensboro History Museum (GSO) 6 p.m.

SATURDAY Nov. 14

Fall Leaves Sensory Hike @ Piedmont Environmental Center (HP) 9 a.m. Join a PEC naturalist for a breath of fresh air on this hike highlighting the sounds and smells of fall. This event is for adults and youth ages 15 and up and costs $3. For additional info, call the PEC office.

The Gratitude Festival @ Ma’ati Spa (WS) 12 p.m.

Fall Market @ Winston Junction Market (W-S) 11 a.m. Ma’ati Spa is hosting their second annual Gratitude Festival, showing gratitude to the Earth, the harvest and each other. Local vendors, vegan food and more will be available. Although the event is free, the spa asks that you get registered on Eventbrite.

WEDNESDAY Nov. 18 Join activists Joshua Branton, Gavin Cooley, Virginia Holmes and Azariah Journey for a Zoom conversation where they’ll discuss the protests that brought them together and what they have planned for the months ahead. Register on Zoom. Henry V On-Demand @ University of North Carolina School of the Arts (W-S) 7:30 p.m. Sara Becker, School of Drama faculty members directs Henry V by William Shakespeare as a radio play. After its premiere, Henry V will be available as a podcast. To purchase tickets, visit UNCSA’s website.

Featuring vendors specializing in locally handmade crafts and goods, this sociallydistanced event will be one to enjoy. Check out the event page for more information.

SUNDAY Nov. 15

Sunday Brunch @ SouthEnd Brewing Co. (GSO) 10:30 a.m. Stop by SouthEnd for Sunday brunch! $3 mimosas, French toast and a chance to create your own omelette will be available. For more information, visit the event page.

Virtual Happy Hour @ Deep Roots Market (GSO) 6 p.m. Deep Roots Market is hosting a virtual happy hour where a wine connoisseur will guide you through tasting three white wines. Pick up the 3-pack of wines at Deep Roots to save over 15 percent! The event will be livestreamed from Deep Roots’ Facebook page.

FRIDAY Nov. 13

Nightmares from Elm Street @ Triad Stage (GSO) 9 a.m.

Join Triad Stage for literal nightmares from Elm Street where three spooky tales will be presented to you as a radio play. To purchase tickets, visit Triad Stage’s website. Potty Mouth Pottery @ Distractions (HP) 7 p.m. Stop by Distractions for an adult only pottery decorating event. Reserve your space for only $5 on Distractions’ website.

Nov. 12-18, 2020

Coronavirus in the Triad:

(As of Wednesday, Nov. 11, compared to last week)

297,444 (+17,065)

Forsyth

10,156 (+820)

Guilford County

13,170 (+997)

COVID-19 deaths NC

4,667 (+204)

Forsyth

137 (+16)

Guilford

215 (+4)

Opinion

News

Up Front

Documented COVID-19 diagnoses

Culture

Documented recoveries NC

261,719 (+15,401)

Forsyth

8,574 (+546)

Guilford

10,954 (+2,219)

Shot in the Triad

Current cases NC

31,058 (+1,460)

Forsyth

1,445 (+258)

Guilford

1,556 (-1,459)

Puzzles

Hospitalizations (right now)

1,230 (+44)

Forsyth

34 (-9)

Guilford

113 (+29)

NEWS

Nov. 12-18, 2020

What the 2020 election results say about North Carolina by Jordan Green You think you understand North Carolina politics. The 2020 election results say you don’t.

Up Front News Opinion

Members of Siembra NC filmed a video to promote early voting outside the UNCG polling place on the first day of early voting.

Democratic-trending counties. Down Home focuses on multiracial organizing for working-class interests in rural communities. The organization gained the most traction in Alamance and Cabarrus counties, which swung 4.0 points and 10.2 points respectively towards the Democratic presidential candidate. While Down Home defines them as rural, the two counties are both former textile hubs located on heavily traveled interstates adjacent to cities. In Alamance County, Democrat Ricky Hurtado appears to have squeaked out a narrow victory over Republican Stephen Ross in House District 63, one of the few Democratic pickups in an election where Democrats overall lost seats in the House. In Cabarrus County, Down Home-backed Democrat Gail Young fell short in her bid to unseat Larry Pittman, a Republican incumbent who has attended receptions hosted by the NC Sons of Confederate Veterans and who once called President Lincoln a “tyrant,” in House District 83 by less than 1,400 votes. Aimy Steele, another Down Home-backed Democrat, also lost her race to her Republican opponent, Kristin Baker, in District 82, but by a wider margin.

Puzzles

In Guilford County, where Biden led Trump by a 23.1-point margin — compared to Clinton’s 19.9-point margin in 2016 — a corresponding surge of voters helped Democrats sweep the three races for board of commissioners, although Republican Alan Branson is seeking a recount against Democrat Mary Beth Murphy, who currently leads him by only 18 votes. In neighboring Forsyth County, Biden likewise expanded the Democratic lead in the presidential contest by 3.5 points. It was not enough the put any of the three Democratic candidates in the suburban, Republican-leaning District B over the top. But they narrowed the gap significantly, with Christopher Smith, the leading Democratic candidate, trailing Republican Richard Linville by 9,959 votes, or 2.6 points. In contrast, Democratic candidate Selester Stewart trailed Republican Gloria Whisenhunt, by 23,442 votes, or 7.1 points, in 2016. “They told us this was going to be a blowout, but we showed that it’s not unwinnable,” Smith reflected on election night. Down Home North Carolina, an organization launched after Trump’s 2016 election victory, mobilized voters in five

Shot in the Triad

Durham and Forsyth — generated 227,736 votes combined for Biden in surplus of what they delivered for Clinton four years ago. With unprecedented turnout driving electoral trends in opposing directions, depending on county, it’s clear that the state of North Carolina contains political multitudes. Voters in North Carolina reelected Roy Cooper, a Democratic governor whom they credited for a cautious, science-based approach to the pandemic, while at the same time electing Mark Robinson, a pro-Second Amendment social-media sensation who has described COVID-19 as a “globalist” conspiracy to destroy Trump and referred to the LGBTQ community as “devil worshiping child molesters,” as their next lieutenant governor. They elected Ricky Hurtado as the first Latinx member of the NC House from Alamance County, a community sharply divided over the fate of the Confederate monument in front of its Historic Courthouse. And they elected Madison Cawthorn, a far-right candidate who has flirted with white supremacy and the QAnon controversy, to Congress in a district whose constituent counties are overwhelmingly trending blue.

JORDAN GREEN

Culture

Democrats consolidated dominance in the counties that make up North Carolina’s three major urban regions — Charlotte; Raleigh and Durham in the Triangle; and Greensboro and Winston-Salem in the Triad — comparing unofficial election results with 2016, when Donald Trump ran against Hillary Clinton. Likewise, in the blue mountain enclaves in counties encompassing Asheville and Boone. Joe Biden, the Democratic presidentelect, flipped New Hanover County, home to Wilmington. Urban-adjacent counties like Cabarrus, northeast of Charlotte; Johnston, southeast of Raleigh; and even Alamance, wedged between Greensboro and Durham, also saw significant swings toward the Democratic presidential nominee. The mountain counties, from Hickory to the western tip in Cherokee, while still heavily Republican, trended blue to varying degrees. But the 2020 election, which remains to be certified as absentee ballots trickle in this week, is not necessarily a story of Democratic ascendancy in North Carolina. Trump, who will likely carry North Carolina when all the votes are tallied, strengthened his hold over rural Piedmont counties, from Granville to Rockingham, and the northwestern highlands, from Stokes to Wilkes. The outgoing president stacked up a huge advantage in Robeson County, where he held a rally in the waning days of the campaign and promised the Lumbee people that he would back tribal status. The gambit appears to have paid off, with Trump building out his 4.3-percent margin over Clinton in 2016 to 17.8 points over Biden this year. It wasn’t just Robeson where Trumpism made gains: Rural counties on the coastal plain, including some that are traditionally Democratic, swung heavily towards Trump. Scotland County on the South Carolina state line, which Clinton carried by 7.6 points in 2016, tipped into Trump’s column by 1.8 points this year. But overall, Biden whittled down Trump’s 2016 lead over Clinton, from 3.6 points to 1.4 points, or from 173,315 to 75,118 votes, according to unofficial results. The five largest counties in the state — Mecklenburg, Wake, Guilford,

Nov. 12-18, 2020 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

Despite losing her bid to be the first Black woman to serve on the Alamance County Board of Commissioners, Dreama Caldwell is being credited with mobilizing new voters. “In Alamance County, more Black Democrats turned out than white Democrats for the first time ever,” said Gayle Schwartzberg, Down Home’s political director. “I think you can attribute that to Dreama’s run. The fact that these races were so close despite the barriers says a lot. Black folks turned out despite the [Oct. 31 police pepper-spraying] incident in Graham. In Cabarrus County, folks were having issues at the polls. There was voter intimidation specifically at early voting sites where Black people traditionally go to cast ballots.” Schwartzberg said Black voters in Cabarrus County encountered people displaying Confederate flags or Trump flags draped around their necks and getting close to their personal space. Andrew Willis Garcés, an organizer with Siembra NC and member of the national political action committee Mijente, credits Caldwell with mobilizing Black voters to put Hurtado over the top. “I think that’s part of Ricky’s success story,” Garcés said. “There was this Black and brown slate of candidates. She activated a lot of Black voters. We think it’s really important that Ricky is the first Latinx member of the House. The story could be there’s a lot of Latinos who turn out, but the truth is that Black voters are a much bigger contributor to his win.” Schwartzberg said it’s possible that some of the Democratic drift in counties like Cabarrus and Alamance is due to progressive voters moving there from nearby cities, but she emphasized that the majority of Down Home’s volunteers are people who have spent most of their lives there. ‘To have somebody running who looks like you, who has shared experience is really powerful,” Schwartzberg said. “Folks look at Dreama and see a lifelong member of the community, someone who was born in public housing. They see a Black woman who is a single mother. We had a whole slew of single moth-

ers on our endorsement list. Having the ability to vote for someone who reminds you of yourself is really powerful.” Parallel to Down Home’s efforts to mobilize a multiracial coalition of voters, Siembra NC’s efforts to specifically mobilize Latinx voters was born out of the Trump’s unexpected victory in 2016. “Siembra was founded as a reaction to Trump’s war on immigrants,” Garcés said. “The day after the election I was working 10 hours a day at American Friends Service Committee answering phones from parents asking what they could do because their kids were getting bullied. And that was in Guilford County. That was just the tip of the iceberg. By January, we had executive orders designed to terrorize our community.” In January 2020, Siembra launched a Latinx voter registration project in North Carolina. In 2016, Garcés said, there were 180,000 Latinx people in North Carolina who were eligible to vote but were not registered. In four years, Latinx voter registration increased 36 percent in North Carolina, Garcés said. “We had a project for people having quinceañeras — which is the celebration of your 15th birthday,” Garcés reported. “If you let volunteers come in, they would get a grant of a photo booth they could use for taking selfies. We had young women making very impassioned speeches at their quinceañeras saying, ‘You’ve got to register if you’re about to turn 18.’” During the election, Siembra members drove through Latinx neighborhoods with public address systems urging people to vote, and on Election Day, they deployed 78 volunteer vote protectors in nine counties, Garcés said. While the nonpartisan Siembra focused on mobilizing Latinx voters, a partner organization Mijente campaigned against Trump and for local candidates, including Hurtado, Caldwell and Steele. Siembra also partnered with Down Home, Guilford for All and Forsyth Freedom Federation, which promoted specific candidates in their respective counties. “Our job with Siembra was to make sure Latinx people felt like it was part of

Voters approached the West King polling place in Stokes County, where Donald Trump increased his vote share from 75.9 percent to 78.3 percent from 2016 to 2020.

their obligation to their families to vote,” Garcés said. “Latinx people historically have had the highest non-participation rate for every election. We think the majority of us are going to vote to defend our communities.” Garcés said the campaign deployed volunteers who themselves are ineligible to vote to mobilize others to vote on their behalf. Juana Tobar Ortega, a Guatemalan woman who is in sanctuary in a Greensboro church, made pupusas and horchata for Mijente Fuera Trump canvassers. DACA recipients reached out to Latinx voters who sat out 2016, and urged them to participate in 2020. And, Garcés said, two women whose husbands were detained by ICE in 2020, stood outside markets and provided rides to early voting for anyone who hadn’t voted and provided transportation to the polls. Despite voters in mountain counties slightly tacking to the left in the presidential race, it wasn’t enough to make a difference in down-ballot in races, including the House District 119 race, where Democrat Joe Sam Queen was unseated by Republican Mike Clampitt. “Looking at the races for the state House and Senate and for the courts, it’s a tough year for us,” Schwartzberg acknowledged. Overall, the urban-rural split in North Carolina has deepened over the past four years. Trump’s vote share declined by 4.6 percent in urban counties and by

JORDAN GREEN

3.5 percent in suburban counties, said Western Carolina University political science professor Chris Cooper, while his vote share went up by 1.3 percent in rural counties. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the roughly 20 counties on the coastal plane, including several northeastern counties represented in the US House by Democrat GK Butterfield. “Eastern North Carolina is hollowing out demographically,” Cooper said. “They’re areas that are not doing well economically. Culturally, they fit better with a Trump administration.” He added that outmigration of young people in those counties could help explain why voters there are becoming more conservative. The 2020 political map suggests increasing Democratic dominance over urban counties and corresponding Republican strength in rural, eastern counties, with fierce battles waged in transitional counties like Alamance and Cabarrus. What you won’t see, Cooper said, is one party begin to dominate the presidential race or other contests that determine control over the council of state, legislature and courts. “What I see is continued purple, is stability,” he said. “We were close in ’08. We were close in ’12. We were less close in ’16. It looks like it’s going to be incredibly close in 2020. I see us as being the kind of state decided on a razor’s edge.”

Nov. 12-18, 2020 Up Front

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Up Front

Nov. 12-18, 2020

OPINION We don’t have to play along

Up Front News Opinion Culture

The 2020 Election is the election 30,000 votes to overcome his deficits that just keeps happening, through in Georgia and Arizona — which, by agonizingly slow vote counts and the way, have already been called for ridiculous lawsuits, aggressive tweets Biden by both the Associated Press and cowardly Republicans. And yet a and Fox News. president-elect has been declared; a He’d have to pony up some cash. It’s transition is underway; we have already $3 million for the Wisconsin recount danced in the streets. alone, and the Trump team is desperSure, Trump and his minions would ate for cash. I doubt the Badger State like nothing better than to steal this would extend him credit. election from the American people, And there is no legal remedy for the ultimate “Up yours!” his cause. Yes, Trump to lib-tards, RINOs, believes that he’s stacked antifa and all the other the Supreme Court in factions that Trumpers his favor. But cases from Trump wants don’t consider to be each state in question — to steal this American — which, of at least four and perhaps course, is why Trump says election from five — must eventually their votes don’t count. make it in front of the the American Pretending to win is highest court in the land a good strategy for the before they can throw people. disgraced autocrat — Not the election. And as of a loser! — and his lackeys Tuesday, Trump’s team alike, who need the has had its first 10 cases voter base energized for the impendthrown out of court. ing Georgia runoff. Do they realize, So, what are the rest of us to do though, that there is no endgame to while the children among us throw this approach? their tantrum? Unfortunately, we will Understand: There is no mathematihave to suffer through this for at least cal means for Trump to overturn the another week while cases get filed results of this election. He’d have to and dropped. Until then, remind your overturn at least two states that have Trump-loving friends that this contest already been called by experts, includhas already been decided, and that ing Pennsylvania where he’s down the hole they’re digging will only get 47,000 votes, and then negate another deeper until they put down the shovels.

Nov. 12-18, 2020

EDITORIAL

Shot in the Triad Puzzles

Nov. 12-18, 2020 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

Nik Snacks Less is more with alternative options this Thanksgiving

hanksgiving will be different this year. Maybe 2020 is the year that you serve a different kind of meat as the centerpiece dish. Maybe lamb is your jam. Perhaps you’d like to be stuck with duck. Let your fork dance by Nikki Miller-Ka with pork. Possibly goat really will be the dish that your guests proclaim is the greatest of all time. Because of COVID-19, many of us won’t be able to gather with those we love for the annual extravaganza of food. That doesn’t mean this year’s meal should be a write-off. You can still make Thanksgiving memorable — even extra special — by serving a unique and creative meal to your family and guests, even if it’s just for two. My Thanksgiving Day plans are still up in the air. I don’t know if I will be traveling to be socially distant with relatives or hunkering down at home with an ostentatious holiday setup. If I do stay home, I have an elaborate plan to make a reverse turducken. Traditionally, it’s a whole turkey stuffed with a whole chicken stuffed with a whole duck with seasoned stuffing at the core. Since there are only two of us, I am going to attempt to stuff a chicken with turkey breast and a duck breast with smoked oyster-and-andouille sausage stuffing. The leftovers are going to be killer, but I want to be able to explore other Turkey Day options as well. Straying from tradition can feel emotionally loaded this time of year, but it might be worth it. If the usual cook isn’t on duty and the seats around the table aren’t going to be filled, why stick with the same food? It’s a chance to try something new, especially for first-time holiday cooks. A “classic” Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people costs about $48.91, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual informal price survey. With a little planning, there’s no reason you can’t find excellent deals between now and the big day. The NC 10% Campaign has teamed up with NC Choices to promote Meat Suite, a new online platform where North Carolinians can buy local, niche meats in bulk. The only farms listed are ones that sell whole, half, quarter animals, or combine bundles offering meat in bulk for one price. The campaign provides resources so that customers can feel comfortable buying in bulk directly from farms and processors. Tips: 1. Plan, plan and plan. Make a list of everything you plan to make. Look up make-ahead instructions for each of your recipes to see which ones can be made in the days or weeks in advance. 2. Use your recipe list to set make-ahead dates for each recipe. Keep in mind prep time, cooling and chilling requirements and storage (freezer, refrigerator, room temperature). 3. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Don’t experiment on Thanksgiving! If you’re unfamiliar with a technique or

A turkey with all the fixings is fine, but the coronavirus Thanksgiving gives us a chance to experiment with the main course.

a specialty ingredient, this is not the time to test out a new theory. If you’re frying a turkey for the first time, I suggest practicing with chicken wings in order to understand the mechanics of the propane and to feel comfortable come Turkey Day. 4. Creating a charcuterie board with a cornucopia of items could be more palatable for your dinner table. An array of cured meat, hard and semi-soft cheeses with dried fruit, nuts, jam, honey and crackers or bread still falls in line with the spirit of the holiday. 5. If you plan to stay home for Thanksgiving with only those who live in your house, organize a virtual dinner in to still share some of the holiday spirit with friends and distant relatives. Cook dinner for high-risk loved ones and devise a contactless way to deliver the meal to their door. 6. Don’t forget meals and snacks that might slip through the cracks: holiday breakfast and lunch, dayafter leftover creations, pre-meal appetizers, beverages and cocktails. Remember to ask guests for dietary restrictions and allergies. There’s nothing worse than finding surprise vegans at your dinner table after you’ve

STOCK PHOTO

gone through all of the effort to plan the meal. 7. Accept help if offered. Enlist help for prepping ingredients, bringing ice, wine or snacks, table-setting and entertainment (even if that means queueing up Netflix on the big screen).

For Vegans and Vegetarians: Looking for a showstopping meat-free centerpiece ideas this holiday? Try these vegan options. Mushroom and Vegetable Wellington: Wrap hearty sauteed mushrooms and select seasonal vegetables in puff pastry and bake to golden brown perfection. Layered vegetable terrine: Similar to a lasagna, this is high-impact, visually appealing dish is simple to assemble and easy to get creative with vibrantly colored vegetables and layers of herbed ricotta or cashew cream cheese. Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Herbed Pesto: Make a spice blend, add oil, rub it all over this cousin to the cabbage and roast in a hot oven to produce this cruciferous stunner.

by Sayaka Matsuoka

Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

he woman works carefully, hands diligently to provide for gripping the utensil as she hunchherself and her child whom es over her workstation which has she protects and carries as been prepped for making tortishe labors. llas. Her jet-black hair is swept back into Nearby, in a black-andtwo tidy braids that disappear beneath a white photograph by Marmakeshift cocoon that’s strapped to her ian Post Wolcott, captured back where her child sleeps peacefully, in 1939, another domestic their fist closed just next to their mouth. scene plays out across The mother’s lips are sealed in concenthe frame. Titus Oakley’s tration and bags have formed under her family of five, including eyes. three young children, “Tortillera with Child (Rest and works together within the Work)” by Jean Charlot is one of several confines of a single bedworks of art that hangs in the upstairs room stripping, tying and gallery at the Weatherspoon Art Mugrading tobacco in Granseum. The lithograph is displayed as ville County. It’s the end of part of an exhibit titled Ties that Bind, the Great Depression and put together by Elaine Gustafson, the the whole family works in museum’s curator of collections. tandem to survive. Like the “The works show relationships among pandemic that continues family members,” Gustafson says. “And to rage on throughout this that is defined how anyone wants to year, the decade of the ’30s define a family. There are some motherwas marked by hardship child relationships, male-child relationand strife. Gustafson says ships, siblings, self-identified families.” that it’s times like these The show, which opened in mid-Septhat make one think caretember but had been planned months fully about relationships in advance, was almost serendipitous, and what they mean to us. Gustafson says, because of the way the “People can think about pandemic has changed and emphasized these issues and what COURTESY IMAGE Titus Oakley’s family of five ties tobacco in a Marian Post Wolcott photo, part of Ties That Bind at the Weatherspoon. relationships. has happened with this “One of the things about the panpandemic and people losShe says that while she wanted to show the intimate and demic is that we were all re-exploring, ing their loved ones and not seeing their families,” Gustafson closeness of certain relationships, she also wanted to explore re-examining what relationships were says. “I think a lot of people are thinking about relationships the idea of relationships that may not serve us anymore. important to us, which ones we missed, and what matter to them and mourning as well as celebrat“I just want people to be able to see a work and say, ‘Oh I get and how sometimes those relationships ing.” that,’ or, ‘That is reflecting of me and my situation,’ or ‘That were driving us crazy because we didn’t As the holidays fast approach, she says that these questions brings me comfort,’” she says. have the outside resources,” Gustafson will become even more prescient. Rather than traveling up A large painting depicts a golden, lit-up apartment building says. “So, this was just the perfect timnorth to celebrate with her family as she usually does, Gustawhere its inhabitants can be viewed in an almost voyeuristic ing.” fon says she’ll stay in Greensboro with fashion. In one room, a man and woman appear to be arguIn Charlot’s her daughter. ing based on the two figures’ body language while in another, piece, the intimate “It’s like, We’re going to spend the holia fun gathering is taking place. Each room acts as a separate bond between the days just the two of us?” Gustafson asks. Ties that Bind will be on scene from the last, a separate life, a separate relationship. mother and her In a second room, the curator turns display at the Weatherspoon The title of the work, “Night Clouds,” by Roger Brown, child is at once obthe notion of the ties that bind on its Art Museum in Greensboro alludes to the setting outside of the high-rise where large, bilvious and familiar. head to look at relationships that might lowy storm clouds have gathered and threaten to engulf the through Feb. 13. The museum Since the onset of be struggling or are in conflict. building. In the piece’s description, Gustafson writes that the the pandemic alIn a photograph by Nikki S. Lee titled is open Tuesdays through clouds “serve as an allegorical backdrop for the larger physimost nine months “Part (37),” the artist has taken a picture Saturdays from 10 a.m. to cal and metaphysical forces that hinder the human endeavor.” ago, mothers of herself with a male companion but And in this moment, in the midst of the pandemic, the paint5 p.m. Admission is free. across the world later crops him out of the frame so that ing seems to parallel our current reality. have stepped up in only she is pictured fully. In the photoVisit weatherspoonart.org for “That’s exactly what I’m showing is the two opposite ends many ways within graph, Lee sits on a mustard-cloth covmore information. of the spectrum of the ties, the relationships, that bind us,” their households, ered couch and rests her elbow and wrist she explains. “It’s about the important relationships in our from childcare to easily on the cropped-out man’s right leg lives but also those that are due to isolation or even a mother schooling to workand looks directly out at the viewer. Her and child that has grown separated or is strained or someing. Within Charlot’s straightforward gaze is somewhat unfocused. thing like that, but they’re still tied. There will always been ties work, these assumed responsibilities “There’s some fun elements to some of these where we between those people.” of motherhood are on display as the don’t know what the narrative is and you can kind of project,” unnamed woman works quietly and Gustafson says.

Nov. 12-18, 2020

CULTURE Ties that Bind reflects on familial relationships

Nov. 12-18, 2020 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

CULTURE ‘A huge deal’: Local women of color celebrate Kamala Harris’ win by Michaela Ratliff

t finally happened: A woman of color will serve as vice president of the United States. On Nov. 7, Democratic candidate Joseph Biden was elected president while running-mate Kamala Harris would serve as vice president. The groundbreaking win was monumental for women of color around the Triad who have strived for generations for representation in such powerful positions. “It’s a huge step forward that gives me hope,” says Maria Perdomo, a Colombia native and UNCG alumna who has resided in Greensboro for 15 years. She compares waiting for the results of the election to the state of the US in the last four years. “Election night I was constantly refreshing my phone,” says Perdomo. “I was sleeping but I wasn’t resting, kind of like how the past four years was never in a restful state.” The unrest Perdomo refers to is police brutality against people of color and rising racial tension. Deidre James, political director for US representative-elect Kathy Manning’s campaign, believes that without Harris, Biden would not have become president, citing the collectiveness of Black people as an aide to the campaign. “Especially in the year of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, when you see how we march in the streets and organize, that’s power,” she says. “You can’t ignore it.” James found Harris to be relatable in more ways than one as both women are members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the first historically Black Greeklettered sorority. James joined AKA to become part of something bigger than herself, she says. She says Harris exemplifies everything she believed AKA to be when she joined: successful women of distinction. To James, any member of one of the Divine Nine — a group of nine historically Black Greek-lettered fraternities and sororities — achieving such a feat would have been a celebration, but Harris being her soror makes it that much better. “To have it be someone from my sorority makes the victory even sweeter,” she says. Tammy Tao of Greensboro says that she has complicated feelings about Harris becoming the first woman of color to ascend to the office. While she’s excited about representation, she says that she

Deidre James with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, both sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

resents living in a time where women of color are tokenized and used for strategic purposes. “It somehow undermines their accomplishments in my mind,” Tao says. “As if the only way she got there was because Biden promised a minority woman. It couldn’t possibly be because she’s a damn smart human, which I do think she is.” Still, she says that she’s thrilled to see a non-white male in the second highest office. “I don’t particularly relate or get more excited about her being part-Asian, but I’m excited about her and her energy,” Tao says. Perdomo says she believes the dialogue in the White House will change after Harris becomes vice president, as she hopes she’ll bring more attention to women’s rights. “For Black women, for Asian women, for women in general,

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to see someone who looks like them be open to conversation is a huge deal,” Perdomo says. For James, Harris’ appointment is more personal. “When Black people get representation in the media, that’s usually limited to commercials about soap or superficial things,” she says. “This representation is real, it’s close to home. She went to an HBCU.” Just after Harris secured the vice presidency, James mentioned how Asya Baker became the first Black woman to win Miss Mississippi and the first representative from Mississippi to win Miss USA, further emphasizing her point that what’s happening right now will change the narrative of the United States. “Black women are a force to be reckoned with,” she says.

Nov. 12-18, 2020

SHOT IN THE TRIAD

Up Front

Percy Street, Greensboro

News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad

Celebratory home in the Dunleath neighborhood.

CAROLYN DE BERRY

Puzzles

Nov. 12-18, 2020 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

CROSSWORD ‘Leg Work’—keep on counting! SUDOKU

Across

by Matt Jones

1 1990s Disney show with characters from “The Jungle Book” 9 Clear music holder 15 Prozac maker 16 Enter, as data 17 They have two legs each 19 Icon used in Twitch chat to express feelings 20 Uganda’s Idi 21 Being, Roman-style 22 “Tiny Alice” dramatist Edward 25 Active chemical in cannabis 28 “Parklife” group 29 The heavens, for Olympians 32 They have four legs each © 2020 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) 37 Broadcast studio sign 38 Key to get out? 39 Cover once more? 40 They have six legs each 43 “Here are the words on the label ...” 44 State with a three-word capital 45 Abbr. in a job posting 46 Charlie of “Hot Shots!” 48 Singer with the EPs “BLQ Velvet” and “PRINCESS” Answers from last issue 52 “Transformers” actor LaBeouf 54 Abbr. on marked-down clothes 27 Advanced very slowly 55 They have eight legs each 28 Daft, in Derby 61 Like a difficult battle 30 You are here 62 Comedian Sarah who once wrote “Hard 31 Van Gogh’s brother work beats talent when talent doesn’t 32 “Holy moly!” work hard” 33 Maternally related 63 “Game of Thrones” actress Williams 34 ___ profundo (lowest vocal range) 64 Followed 35 Morning TV host Kelly 36 Like some angles Down 41 Tiny ear bone 1 Tiny laugh 42 “American Gods” actor McShane 2 Class reunion attendees 47 It might go over your head 3 Cars for execs 48 Shimerman of “Deep Space Nine” 4 Make happy 49 Streisand’s “Funny Girl” role 5 Mathematical ratio 50 Levy again 6 Middle East gp. 51 Bond, for example 7 French 101 pronoun 52 Downhill runners 8 “All the news that’s fit to print” initials 53 Hindu festival of colors 9 Sevastopol resident 54 Maui, for one 10 Metric prefix for “tenth” 55 Rum ___ Tugger (“Cats” cat) 11 “Call Me Irresponsible” lyricist Sammy 56 Bitter brew, briefly 12 City southwest of Tulsa 57 Athens X 13 Sample of wine 58 One-hit wonder band behind 14 Methyl ending “How Bizarre” 18 Actress Issa 59 “When the Rain Begins to Fall” 22 Olympic flame lighter in Atlanta singer Zadora 23 Winter Games vehicles 60 Einstein’s birth city 24 Rudely abrupt 25 “Is ___ fact?” 26 Poet Gil Scott-___

(editor@jonesincrosswords.com)

Answers from previous publication.