Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point March 4-10, 2021 triad-city-beat.com
CLEANSED —BY— NATURE
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Winston-Salem’s Marc Farrow shares the Japanese art of forest-bathing PAGE 8
Help for GSO renters PAGE 5
GSO city council race PAGE 4
SOULiloquies at the CVA PAGE 9
March 4-10, 2021
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK
Highway to happiness; or, Follow me to the Greensboro Urban Loop!
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inally, after years of orangecone obstacle courses and precariously rerouted side roads, after clear-cuts by Brian Clarey and controlled burns, after literal tons of that good, red dirt finally gave way and the beautiful, clean concrete ramps began to rise: The Greensboro Urban Loop has reached — almost! — my neighborhood. Maybe you want to call it by its proper name: Interstate 840, which is what the signage will say when it’s all said and done. But I just call it “the loop.” We’re on familiar terms after years of following its progress across the northern end of town, writing about it, pointing it out to my kids every time — and I mean every time — we drive by. And now it’s here! Almost! It won’t reach the Yanceyville exit, which would be closest to my house, for another year. But right now, I can pick it up on North Elm Street and cut my drive time to the airport in half, which will come in handy when I have occasion to use an airport
again. I’ve been using it to get to the grocery stores on North Battleground, avoiding the scrum of Cone and Lawndale. Just the other day, my son and I ordered dinner from the wrong Big Burger Spot. We drove from the one on Battleground to the one on Guilford College Road in 12 minutes. I know because we timed it. In 2016, I wrote: “The most important construction in Greensboro isn’t a highrise or a performing arts center. It’s a road that will change everything.” I still believe. The Greensboro Loop connects the northeast part of the city with everything else. It will activate the eastern-most dead end of Cone Boulevard, which for now just peters off into the undergrowth. And it will make Greensboro feel more like a city and less like a town, which in my opinion is always a good thing. Real cities have loops. Raleigh has a loop. Baltimore had the very first one in the nation. Washington DC has two — an inner and an outer. Even Fayetteville has a loop. And Winston-Salem has one in the works, about 20 percent finished, to be fully online sometime after 2030. Geography is destiny, baby. And now, my neighborhood is literally on the map.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK The forest is the therapist; the guide is the one that opens the doors.
— Marc Farrow pg. 8
BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian Clarey brian@triad-city-beat.com
PUBLISHER EMERITUS Allen Broach allen@triad-city-beat.com
(As of Wednesday, March 3)
Documented COVID-19 diagnoses NC 865,554 (+15,924) Forsyth 31,981 (+564) Guilford County
39,076 (+614)
COVID-19 deaths
NC
11,363 (+289)
Forsyth
345 (+5)
Guilford
518 (+5)
Documented recoveries NC Forsyth
819,839 (+24,318)
28,820 (as of 2/20, no new data)
Guilford
37,207 (+1,481)
Current cases NC
34,352 (-8,683)
Forsyth
*no data*
Guilford
1,350 (-872)
Hospitalizations (right now) NC
1,303 (-227)
Forsyth
*no data*
Guilford
73 (-6)
Vaccinations NC First Dose
1,485,453 (+233,031)
Fully vaccinated
882,839 (8.4%) (+151,996)
EDITORIAL SENIOR EDITOR Jordan Green
SALES
Forsyth First Dose
35,329 (+6,096) (9.2%)
drew@triad-city-beat.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sayaka Matsuoka
CONTRIBUTORS
Fully vaccinated
29,233 (+5,108)
Guilford First dose
69,052 (+10,671)
Fully vaccinated
39,135 (+9,358) (7.3%)
jordan@triad-city-beat.com
sayaka@triad-city-beat.com
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1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336.256.9320 COVER: SPECIAL SECTION EDITOR Nikki Miller-Ka Marc Farrow of Winston-Salem niksnacksblog@gmail.com Forest Bathing leads individuals and small groups on forest walks ART as a form of therapy. (photo by ART DIRECTOR Robert Paquette robert@triad-city-beat.com Sayaka Matsuoka)
Coronavirus in the Triad:
KEY ACCOUNTS Drew Dix
Michaela Ratliff, Carolyn de Berry, Matt Jones
TCB IN A FLASH @ triad-city-beat.com First copy is free, all additional copies are $1. ©2018 Beat Media Inc.
March 4-10, 2021
CITY LIFE March 4-7 by Michaela Ratliff
THURSDAY March 4
Boards, Blooms & Brews @ Bull City Ciderworks (GSO) 4 p.m. Up Front
Spring Break & Summer Camp Registration @ Kaleideum North (W-S) Online
Working: A Musical @ Winston-Salem Theater Alliance (W-S) 8 p.m.
News
Kaleideum is excited to announce that registration for spring break and summer camp is open. Activities vary by age and include playing educational games, making art or testing engineering skills. Visit Kaleideum’s website to register.
Believe in the G @ UNCG (GSO) 12 p.m.
During this two-day event, UNCG alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and friends are encouraged to show Spartan pride by wearing blue and gold and making a donation of any size to the university. To learn more, visit BelieveIntheG. UNCG.edu.
FRIDAY March 5
An Evening of Short Plays #39 @ Creative Greensboro (GSO) 8 p.m.
SATURDAY March 6
Culture
Aussie and Border Collie Takeover @ Doggos Dog Park &Pub (GSO) 6 p.m.
WSTA presents Working: A Musical, the story of the world’s most taken-for-granted employees, based on the book by Studs Terkel. For more information, visit the event page on Facebook.
Opinion
Enjoy a cider while shopping for St. Patrick’s Day-themed charcuterie boxes from Wanderlust Boards. Gracie’s Garden & Flower Truck will also be in attendance with floral arrangements for sale.
Nerf Wars @ Oak View Recreation Center (HP) 2 p.m.
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Friday and Saturday, tune into Creative Greensboro’s virtual production of six short plays written by CG’s Playwright’s Forum. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $10. To register, visit CreativeGreensboro.com.
SUNDAY March 7
It’s time for another takeover, this time for the Aussies and border collies. Admission for these pups is free! Humans must be 21 to enter. Before you go, be sure to check out the house rules on Doggos’ website.
Test your Nerf skills during this fun competition hosted by Oak View Recreation Center. Register in advance at HighPointNC.gov.
As part of Women’s History Month, NC Folk Festival alumni Rhiannon Giddens and Rissi Palmer are speaking about their experiences as Black women in the music industry during this free, virtual event. Register at BHERC.org.
Puzzles
Black Carpet Speaker Series — Women in Music @ Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (Online) 3 p.m.
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Puzzles
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Up Front
March 4-10, 2021
NEWS
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Greensboro city council candidates cautious on reimagining policing by Jordan Green
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ncumbents plan to seek reelection in at least three of the five district seats on Greensboro City Council, although it’s unclear what the districts will look like, or when the election will even be held. Redistricting is required by state law and under the US Constitution after every decennial census. And due to the fact that delivery of the census data has been pushed back to late September — well after the statutory filing deadline — it’s not even clear when the next city council election will take place. But three sitting council members — Sharon Hightower in District 1, Nancy Hoffmann in District 4 and Tammi Thurm in District 5 — have confirmed plans to run for reelection. Justin Outling, the current representative in District 3, is planning to challenge incumbent Nancy Vaughan for mayor, setting off a scramble to fill his vacant seat. Goldie Wells has not indicated whether she plans to seek re-election in District 2. Hightower said she recently made up her mind to run for a fourth term. While ticking off some accomplishments, she said other efforts are beginning to come to fruition and she wants to see them through. “The fact that we’ve really been having serious conversations around racial equity, and we’ve created the Ad-hoc Committee on African-American Disparity” helped sway her decision, she said. Hightower is the city council liaison to the committee. She said the city’s $15-per-hour minimum wage, which was implemented two years ahead of schedule, will help close racial disparities in the city, and touted the decision to make Juneteenth a paid holiday as a step forward. She said she wants to continue to be involved with the city’s Minority Women Business Enterprise program to keep pushing the city to provide more opportunities for minority contractors. Hoffmann, who is completing her fourth term, said she sees her role in the next term as that of a “senior counselor.” “Experience matters; I know that it makes a difference,” she said. “Whenever you start a new job, there is a learning curve. I think experience matters, and knowing your way around counts for something.”
L-R: Sharon Hightower, Chip Roth, Tracy Furman, Nancy Hoffmann, Tammi Thurm and Zack Matheny
She also has personal reasons for wanting to stay involved. “It may be a curse, but I have a brain that doesn’t seem to turn off,” she said. “I’m always noodling on different ideas, thinking about different things. I want to continue to do that.” Tammi Thurm, who is completing her first term, also plans to run again. Chip Roth, a business consultant with ties to the Biden and Obama administrations, kicked off the District 3 race in early February by launching an attack against potential candidate Zack Matheny, raising concerns about a possible conflict of interest with his job as president of Downtown Greensboro Inc. Matheny defended the propriety of serving in both positions, saying he has cleared it with the city attorney. Matheny sent out a campaign fundraising email on Feb. 8, but said in an email to Triad City Beat on Tuesday that it’s still too early to confirm whether he’s officially running. Tracy Furman, a former candidate for Guilford County Commission and executive director of Triad Local First, initially announced her candidacy for the District 3 seat in mid-February but switched her intentions to the at-large seat this week.
Pushback against ‘defund the police’
As the representative of District 1, one of the two majority-minority districts in the city, Sharon Hightower’s constituents expect her to consistently press the case for racial equity. The position typically requires the representative to point out disparities, and also to gauge incremental gains. But the killing of George Floyd shattered the illusion of progress in Black communities across the country. “Why are Black people having such a
hard time?” Hightower asked. “Why has every other group progressed, and we haven’t progressed? We say we have arrived, and then an incident like George Floyd occurs, and we say, ‘If we’ve arrived, why are we having to deal with this continuously?’” But Hightower, who is perhaps the most progressive member of council, rejects the demand raised by many of the protesters in the summer of 2020 to defund the police. “When we talk about defunding the police, it’s really not ‘get rid of the police’ because we need policing,” she said. “I think it’s really a conversation around, can we do both? Can we have policing, but also have the resources that the community really needs to strengthen their community, whether it’s more community recreation centers, more mentorship, more education.” Hightower pointed to racial-equity training undertaken by the Greensboro Police Department, along with investments in affordable housing, job training, mental-health services and the Cure Violence program as examples of how the city is addressing systemic racism. “‘Defund the police’ is a bumpersticker phrase,” said Nancy Hoffmann, the District 4 representative, while asserting that city council has addressed some of the concerns about systemic racism. For example, she noted that she has supported the Cure Violence program, which deploys violence “interrupters” to mediate conflicts independently of the police and head off problems before the police need to get involved. Tammi Thurm, the District 5 representative, cautioned against comparing Greensboro to other cities across the country that are reducing police budgets. “Look at a city like Austin that has
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
defunded their police,” she said. “They were spending 86 percent more than we were per citizen. I do not foresee us moving any significant funds from police to other services. Our police department is struggling with funding now.” Tracy Furman, an at-large candidate, said she supports police reform, but not scaling back the force. “I am not for carte-blanche taking money away and putting it someplace else,” she said. “I think it’s a both-and question, not either-or. Our police department needs reform.” She added that she is impressed by Chief Brian James’ leadership, citing the new Homeless Assistance Resource Team, whose officers are encouraged to refer people experiencing homelessness to services rather than make arrests. “There’s only two police officers assigned to it,” Furman said. “When I am on city council, I would definitely move to expand that. When it comes to racial justice and mental health, we definitely need to address them. We need to make sure all of our departments and services support equity.” Roth has mentioned that his son is mixed-race in answer to a question about the demands raised during the protests for racial justice last summer. “I’m concerned that some that seek local public office may find false security in engaging in a national discussion,” he said. “I am not a proponent of defunding the police. I am a proponent of refining our approach to the challenges that police officers commonly face. We should expand to the capacity for us to bring mental health services to our citizens.”
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To learn more about how to receive rental assistance through the city, visit greensboro-nc.gov/ covidhousingassistance or call the Greensboro Housing Coalition at 336-691-9521. Those living in the county should visit guilfordcountync. gov/services/grants/emergency-rental-andutilities-assistance-grant-program or call (336) 641-3000 for further information. For more details about ERAP, visit home.treasury.gov/ policy-issues/cares/emergency-rental-assistanceprogram.
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to be able to stay in their homes, but also should be able to ensure housing stability for these households,” Bowers said. “This timing is going to help a lot of households. We will be able to capture the people who are in the in-between.” Mayor Vaughan encouraged renters to communicate with their landlords about plans to apply for funding if they’re currently struggling to make payments. “It’s really important that people communicate with their landlords and their utility providers,” Vaughan said. “Most are being really flexible, but if you don’t communicate, that makes things harder on you in the end.”
Culture
county had given out $163,561 in rental assistance funds and $52,845 for utilities assistance. “We are getting them in as fast as possible,” Alston said on Monday. “People are very excited. We are happy to be in a position to be able to help. At this rate, we should be able to continue for about two to three more months. We’re going to keep it going until we spend all of this money that we have allocated for this.” Both the county and the city received federal funding from the CARES Act last year for rental assistance. Caitlin Bowers, the community development analyst for the city of Greensboro, said the city received a little more than $700,000 in August 2020 through the CARES Act, which went to the Greensboro Housing Coalition. That funding helped about 900 households receive rent or utility assistance, with the maximum amount allotted set at $1,900 per household. Renée Norris, deputy director of the Greensboro Housing Coalition, said about 55 percent of CARES Act funding has been spent. However, because the amount of funds from Treasury Department is much greater, Bowers said that they hope to be able to serve more households or provide more funds per household with this incoming fundcations and we’re just a small nonprofit ing. She estimates that compared to the in Greensboro,” she said. “We were $1,900 maximum allowed through the getting calls from people throughout CARES Act, a more realistic amount the county…. A lot of these people of funding would be about $5,500 per became unemployed at the beginning of household on average. this pandemic or they had their hours At the county level, Alston said that reduced. Some people have had a seriall of the CARES Act funding has been ous reduction in income or lost income spent, but hopes that if a proposed $1.9 totally. Some are still facing an enormous trillion COVID-relief stimulus package backlog for rent or utilities.” is passed soon, that local governments Those who qualify for will receive additional emergency rental asrental assistance funding ‘This timing is sistance, either through in the near future. going to help a lot of the county or the city, “It’s very important,” will be able to spend it on Alston said. “This is a households. We will backpay for rent or utilisafety net for some people ties or current and future be able to capture who really would have hit rent and utilities. Utilities rock bottom and would the people who are include gas, electricity, have had to be on governwater and sewer, trash in the in-between.’ ment subsidies for quite a removal, and energy costs while, but this has allowed – Caitlin Bowers such as fuel oil, according them to keep families to the Treasury Departtogether, to keep food ment. on their tables, and it helps the local Bowers said the new funding for the economy to stay stimulated.” city comes at just the right time because Norris, with the Greensboro Housing the CDC moratorium on evictions ends Coalition, said her agency has seen a at the end of March. huge increase in need since the start of “The funding is important because it’s the pandemic. not only helping people in the short term “We have received thousands of appli-
Up Front
by Sayaka Matsuoka reensboro organizations will be receiving a total of $8.7 million to help families and individuals cover rent, utilities and backpay by the end of this month. The funding comes directly from the US Treasury Department’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which will supplement rental assistance already being distributed by the county. “We know that there is a huge need out in the community,” Mayor Nancy Vaughan said. “This will help address a small part of that.” The city of Greensboro applied for the funding and will be distributing the $8.7 million to four community partners: Greensboro Housing Coalition (projected to receive $1.4 million), Greensboro Urban Ministry ($3.1 million), Housing Consultants Group ($811,229) and the Salvation Army of Greensboro ($3.4 million). Once the city’s program launches at the end of March, eligible residents will be able to receive funding from one of the organizations to help pay for rent or utilities. Those who apply may only do so with one organization and funds will be allocated out on a first come, first serve basis. To be eligible, applicants must have a household income at or below 80 percent of area median income. For a single-person household, applicants would need to make at or less than $37,050. For two people, less than $42,350; for three, $47,650 and for four, at or less than $52,900. One or more individuals in the household must qualify for unemployment or have experienced a reduction in income, or experienced financial hardship because of the pandemic. Applicants must be able to demonstrate that they are at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability as well. Currently, individuals who live in Guilford County but not within city limits have the opportunity to apply for emergency rental assistance funding through the county, which received a little over $7.3 million from the program. With additional funds approved by the county commission, a total of $8 million became available for rental assistance starting on Feb. 8. Since opening up the application process, the county has received 434 applications, with all but 72 of them approved for some funding, according to county commission Chairman Skip Alston. As of Feb. 26, the
March 4-10, 2021
GSO organizations to rollout $8.7 million rental assistance this month
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Up Front
March 4-10, 2021
OPINION
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EDITORIAL
The pandemic’s false spring
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he coronavirus vaccine is Guilford and Forsyth counties, and making its way through the South African variant of the virus North Carolina. Already 8 — B.1.1.7, which is the most contagious percent of us have been fully yet — has started spreading through vaccinated — 8.7 percent in Forsyth, 6.7 the state. Unless you’ve already been percent in Guilford — and another 1.4 fully vaccinated, it’s just as easy to million have taken the first dose. catch coronavirus today as it has been A new vaccine from Johnson & Johnthroughout the pandemic. son has been approved, one that only It is entirely possible to catch cororequires a single dose and doesn’t need navirus twice. It is still possible to be extreme refrigeration. infected with coronavirus and not know And our governor has eased someit. Close proximity with other humans what the coronavirus restrictions that remains the most likely way to contract have been cramping our colthe disease. lective style for these last 12 And remember that these months. We can host slightly Let loose with nastier variants arise only larger groups. We can gather that long through mass replication, inside public spaces. Bars are their likelihood increasing exhale that’s open past sundown. with each new case. Time to unclench, right? Now is a terrible time to been pent up Let loose with that long catch the coronavirus. We’ve for so long? exhale that’s been pent up finally begun to grasp the Not so fast! for so long? thing after a very long year, Not so fast! finally made some tools — It’s true that our numbers treatments, vaccines and are declining in all the right ways. There safety protocols — to address it. Most are plenty of hospital beds right now, of us will be vaccinated in a matter of and lots of available ventilators. But the months. If we act in concert, we can air remains rich with virus-contaminated be out of this thing by the onset of droplets, and the insidious nature of summer. But if we don’t get a handle COVID-19 has only become more on it this spring, we could be looking at virulent. And there are real long-term another long coronavirus winter when health effects from the virus that we are we head back indoors. just starting to understand. Thousands of active cases still plague
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Up Front News Opinion Culture
s the wind snapped, that grew out of necessity and whipping the chilled air turned into convivial cultural around, Patrick Harman, touchstones in New York City and executive director of the elsewhere. Bodega can also mean Hayden-Harman Foundation “storeroom” or “wine cellar.” Culand founder of Growing High turally, bodegas are neighborhood Point, spoke to a crowd of about institutions. Store owners are part 40 volunteers, city council memof the pulse of the locality, privy to by Nikki Miller-Ka bers and spectators gathered for the community’s goings-on. the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Growdega mobile The main purpose of this particgrocery store. Harman’s words carried off into the cold ular mobile bodega is to alleviate breeze, but the warmth of the socially distanced crowd hunger in area food deserts. Curon Friday, Feb. 26 made the affair intimate and memorently, there are seven recognized rable. food deserts in High Point. With a Growdega, an electric-green mobile grocery made population of 115,000, the GreensNIKKI MILLER-KA from a converted bookmobile, will service neighborboro-High Point area ranks number A ribbon-cutting for High Point’s Growdega, which will bring fresh food to the city’s food deserts. hood food deserts in High Point, which is rife with 14 on The Food Research & Action them. The market’s products will include fruits, vegCenter’s most recent national list nels his passion into each row, sowing leafy greens, root etables, canned goods and some personal use items like for food hardship while the state of NC ranks seventh. vegetables, squash and tomatoes for food boxes and paper towels and dish detergent. The mobile grocery Independent neighborhood grocery stores in High now for the Growdega. store will make nine stops, operating five days a week. Point are far and few between, but there are some “I was born in the Dominican Republic on a coffee Drivers Donnie Matthews and Carolina Vacquez will bright spots in the otherwise bleak food insecurity farm,” he says. “My parents worked in bodegas in and alternate shifts as inventory specialists and point-ofoutlook. around New York City.” sale cashiers. SNAP recipients will have their dollars José Abreu, owner of Superior Foods and the Budding His uncle was the previous owner of Superior Foods matched courtesy of a grant from Foundation for Artichoke retail grocers, is part of the solution to curb and Abreu took over the business more than 10 years Healthy High Point. food insecurity in High Point. Not only did he supply ago. Abreu’s work is part of a natural progression. The The drivers visited all of the sites the Growdega bus with groceries link in the food chain not only begins with him, they are last week to share an inventory for its maiden voyage, he is one of expanding and growing with him too. He is a purveyor, list with neighbors and a weekly Learn more about Growdega five urban farm leaders who turned he’s become a broker, a farmer, a producer and a leader schedule. city-owned plots of land into agrion their Facebook page. in the community. “We have space for milk, cheese cultural resources for Growing High To the future Growdega customers and neighbors and meats, which can be ordered Point. outside of the designated food deserts, it may look in advance,” said Matthews, as he “I got into agriculture about five easy. Many hands make light work but the project ingave a tour of the mobile unit. Cans of collard greens years ago through the High Point Food Alliance,” he cludes many contributors to make it a reality. and pinto beans flanked the sides of the vehicle next to said. “About three years ago, I took over an empty lot “That’s the magic of community,” said Harman. “This bags of fresh celery and boxes of leafy cabbage. and converted it into a growing lot.” magic is real. It’s not sleight of hand. That’s the story of The name “Growdega” is a play on the Spanish word Abreu has been operating Twin Oaks Urban Farm on Growdega.” “bodega” — small, family-owned convenience stores White Oak Street since the spring of 2018, and chan-
March 4-10, 2021
Nik Snacks Growdega mobile market drives through High Point’s food deserts
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March 4-10, 2021 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles
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CULTURE Cleansed by nature: Japanese forest-bathing calms the mind, body by Sayaka Matsuoka
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he subtle, sweet taste of the standard” for forest therapists, as Farrow calls unseasonably warm February it. Now, through his business, Winston-Salem air dancing on the back of my Forest Bathing, Farrow takes individuals and tongue in the afternoon. The small groups on walks through forests. And distinct, satisfying crunch of wild grass while it’s not necessary to have a guide to enas it crumbles underfoot. The glances of gage in forest bathing, it can be helpful for those light that bounce off tree branches that just starting out. canopy the forest overhead. “I’m trained to do this in a particular way in I wouldn’t have noticed any of these order to be able to open up some doors that small, yet beautiful instances of nature perhaps would be difficult to do on your own,” had it not been for the man that walked Farrow says. “As they say, ‘The forest is the a few yards ahead of me, his sage green therapist, the guide is the one that opens the backpack swaying ever so slightly as it doors.’” grappled with the weight of his hiking To start engaging in the practice, Farrow gear. explains that we will be going through a series Marc Farrow is a certified forestof invitations. The first one he calls “pleasures of bathing guide and physical therapist presence.” who lives in Winston-Salem. For him and Farrow picks a spot behind the picnic table others who practice forest-bathing, a at the entrance of the Black Walnut Bottoms walk in the woods becomes more than Trail in Winston-Salem where moss covers the just a simple form of exercise. ground and sunlight dapples between the tree “This practice is and it’s not meditabranches above. He asks me to stand across tion in nature,” Farrow says as we sit at from him and to start taking deep breaths, in a park picnic table. “This is antithetical through the nose and out through the mouth. to the running-hiking thing because it’s Not unlike during yoga classes I’ve attended, SAYAKA MATSUOKA Forest guide Marc Farrow uses forest bathing as another not exercise; you’re not going to break he encourages me to feel the breath filling my form of therapy for clients. a sweat. It’s a situation where you’re lungs and expanding my belly, in and out. I trying to slow your life down in this close my eyes and begin to tune into the sounds says Farrow. “And those are the two largest areas that this process because in our society, it’s, Go, around me and notice the chorus of croaking peeper frogs practice can really have a positive impact on.” go go! And it gives us the opportunity to from the surrounding swamp, the occasional rev of a far-off Farrow also understands that it’s not going to be for not only slow down but pay attention. car engine. everyone. At the end of the walk, he invites me onto a picnic That’s where the beauty lies.” “Begin to notice the temperature of the air,” he says. “The blanket and mentions how one woman who attended a sesThe concept of forest bathing, or sensations on your skin. Maybe even bringing attention to the sion left in a huff after complaining the whole time. shinrin-yoku in Japanese, doesn’t actuhair on your skin.” “A lot of people don’t know what they’re getting themselves ally have anything to do with bathing, I stand like this for another 15 or so minutes with Farrow into,” Farrow says. “And that’s okay, that’s alright.” Farrow explains; it’s actually more about guiding my senses, encouraging me to take deep breaths to He explains how a two-hour session — the optimum time immersing oneself in nature. The term smell the air or try to taste it. At the end, I open my eyes and a for a beginner — can be therapeutic by bringing out deep feelwas coined and popularized in the 1980s flash of green fills my vision, the vibrancy of the moss flooding ings. He mentions one instance, earlier this year, when Farrow in Japan as a response to the internet my sight. I notice how the branches waver in the breeze and guided his father through a seated session. Farrow says it surand technology boom. At the time, rehow they shine, almost as if self-illuminating when hit by the prised him how contemplative the practice made his father. searchers became concerned with a rise sun’s rays. I feel calmer. “The things that came up for him blew me away,” Farrow in stress-related illnesses, looking for soFor the next two hours, Farrow guides me through the says. “He was really taking in and from a distance, sort of lutions in the benefits of spending time trail, walking at a slow, deliberate pace. He introduces more looking at his life laid out and where he is and where he came outside. According to multiple studies, invitations that engage my senses. One asks me to notice from and where he was going. I just didn’t expect that from forest-bathing things that are in motion or encourages him. So, it can be difficult for some people.” has been linked to me to toss things into a trickling creek During a biography invitation earlier during the walk, I reduction in stress, and watch the impact create whirls in found myself contemplating the relationship between a trio To learn more about anxiety, depression the water. I experience the texture of of trees that grew next to a small creek. Two towering giants Farrow and his business, and anger; stronger goldenrod seeds as I crumple them in my flanked a central, smaller tree that looked to be sprouting visit wsforestbathing.com. immune systems hand and find comfort in the softness of outwards towards the larger entities. It reminded me of my and improved sleep. a deconstructed milkweed. The world, relationship with my parents and brought up questions of You can find his business on As a certified this seemingly ordinary trail, becomes an identity and parenthood. To what extent are we bound to Facebook at Winston-Salem physical therapist, endless array of sensory discovery. become our parents? To what extent are we able to branch out Forest Bathing. Farrow says he was “It’s about slowing down and really to become our own individuals? Our own trees? drawn to forest trying to engage all of your senses as Of course, not everyone has these sorts of deep epiphanies therapy as another much as you can,” Farrow says. on these walks, Farrow says. But that’s the beauty of forest science-based way And given the incredibly stressful bathing, he adds. There’s no wrong or right way to do it. The to help people. After his wife brought events of the last year coupled with the ongoing pandemic, important thing is to just get out there. the phenomenon to his attention, he Farrow says now is the perfect time for people to try forest “One of the sayings we came up with during the training is, got certified through the Association bathing. ‘The forest has your back,” Farrow says. “There’s something to of Nature and Forest Therapy, the “gold “Depression is huge right now, anxiety is huge with people,” that. It gives you that sense of being held.”
by Michaela Ratliff
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hen Terence Walker views “Contact”— a painting by Dwayne Howell — it’s like looking in a mirror. “That was me a month ago,” he says, the day his daughter Sakina was born: Jan. 25. In the image, a man cradles his newborn’s head as the child reaches back at him. His gaze is defined by a yellow ray of light extending from his left eye that surrounds the baby’s head. Viewers can’t help but be drawn to the light as it stands out against the muted tones of blue and gray that define the man. The ray seems to represent knowledge the man intends to pass on to his child or how the child metaphorically is the light of his life. “Contact” is one of the many pieces of art featured in SOULiloquies: Stories of Underground Legends, an interactive exhibit at the Center for Visual Artists in Greensboro curated by Walker that opened on Feb. 5. Each piece in the exhibit features a corresponding QR code next to it that allows visitors to view further information that relates to each piece. Using his background in music, Walker says that he wanted to extend the reach MICHAELA RATLIFF Curator Terence Walker says the goal of the exhibit is to showcase Black legends of the past and present. of his latest album, 4 the Record, by expressing it in the form of paintings and stories. fered him positive feedback on the albums. She also dropped Hulk, the blue boxing shorts Tyson wears and the tribal tattoo Walker has been rapping for over a deknowledge of New Orleans’ history and influential Black on his face are instantly recognizable. cade, specializing in conscious hip-hop, figures, sparking an idea in Walker. “Big Mama,” a painting by Greensboro artist Carlos Parks, a subgenre dense with political mes“I was like, Damn, I gotta get the history of all these other features a matronly Black woman washing what appears to sages and themes. With his music, he underground legends we don’t know,” he says. be her grandchild. It is unclear whether Big Mama is dipping aims to bring awareness to the plight of He contacted close friends to create books, paintings and or wringing out the washcloth she holds. She carries a slight the Black community, racism and other poetry to pay homage to the legends in the exhibit. smile on her face as she spends time with the child. According issues. In 2016, he released his album “I can take it beyond the music,” he says. to Walker, a standout piece of the exhibit is “Nana’s Baptism,” Strictly4MyNegus, followed by StrictlyThe artists were given no restrictions on their creations, a story written by Morgan Myers that coincides with “Big 4MyNegus Act II: dedicating their pieces to those they conMama.” United States of sidered underground legends whether “As she tells the story, you get to see the image in motion,” Affliction in 2017. they were musicians, family or even he says. “She gives it life.” The next album SOULiloquies: Stories of friends. Myers speaks as Nana in her story, telling a summarized was supposed to Underground Legends is The walls of the gallery are covered version of her life to the baby she’s bathing. The sound of be called SOUwith portraits of hip-hop artists, political water dripping, a chair rocking and the muffled rustling of a on display at the Center for Liloquies: Stories activists and local figures. A painting of towel being spread play in the background, infusing additional Visual Artists until April 5. To of Underground Winston-Salem musician LB the Poet texture to the image. Legends. register for the exhibit, visit makes an appearance. From the music to the art to the stories featured in it, the “Initially I just The “Homage to Hip-Hop” section of apparent theme of Black excellence dominates the show. HeavyEnergyUniversity.com. wanted to highthe exhibition is enhanced by the headIt features Black art by Black artists, with Walker aiming to light my grandbopping, ’90s rap-influenced beats that remind Black people of their history, ancestors’ accomplishparents and talk play during the exhibit. Two chairs and a ments and political activists’ feats. He stresses Black people about the underground legends in my TV sit in the corner where viewers can relax and enjoy hip-hop should never stop seeking knowledge of the people that came life,” he says. influenced films such as Belly or Paid in Full. Howell’s Earth before them. Things changed. 718 series combines Black public figures like boxer Mike Tyson “The more we learn about them, the more we learn about During a car ride to a workshop held with Marvel heroes like the Hulk. The combination of the two ourselves,” he says. at NC A&T State University with New figures mirrors and enhances the physical strength of each Orleans poet Sunni Patterson, she ofcharacter. Although he appears green and muscular like the
March 4-10, 2021
CULTURE CVA’s SOULiloquies illuminates and reflects Black legends
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1 Online request to “pay your respects” when your playable character dies 12 Internet acronym with origins on Usenet 15 Lead singer on the “Pinkerton” album 16 Hawaiian delicacy 17 One way to get up from the ground floor 18 Extreme degree, for short 19 Actor Hawke 20 B’way purchase 21 Washington Irving’s Bones 22 Scott of “30 Rock” and “Big Hero 6” 25 Location of a theater, in clichÈd ads 27 Soviet WWII force © 2021 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) 29 Bandleader for Leno 30 Really silly 31 H.S. units 32 “Time to head out” 33 Japanese naval architect of WWII, Baron Yuzuru ___ 38 Shaker ___, OH 40 “Funky Cold Medina” rapper 41 It involves pinning and throwing 45 Like some chances Answers from last issue 46 Begins with, in a screenplay 47 Bearded “South Park” puppet 23 “Ehhh, really?” 48 Fitzgerald of jazz 24 Actor Sheridan of “X-Men: Apocalypse” 49 Cobra’s warning 26 “Essential” product of wormwood 51 Pandemic-era romantic meetup 27 “Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-___” (Irish classic) 54 ___ Harbour (Miami Beach resort area) 28 Canine suffix for Bern or Peking 55 Instant ramen brand name, originally 34 Get ready to ride again (before ditching the middle letter) 35 Carrier to Leonardo da Vinci Airport 58 Prefix with scope 36 Pantheon figure 59 Statistician with a speciality 37 High card 60 Wanna-___ (copycats) 39 Site of intense magnetic activity 61 Opportunity to get a computer program 40 “___ Goes to the Mayor” early 41 Briggs who hosts “The Last Drive-in” 42 Watching just one more episode, maybe Down 43 Some potluck desserts 1 Untied 44 ___ bind 2 Sedimentary material in a delta 50 Buckwheat bowlful 3 Exasperated outburst 52 Jamie Lee’s “Freaky Friday” character 4 Paradise residents 53 Direction from Madrid to Barcelona 5 Subject of a historic June 2020 Supreme 55 Non-profit that started NPR in 1970 Court ruling 56 GRF’s vice president 6 Pres. from Missouri 57 2021 U.K. award for “Jurassic World: 7 Friendly prefix? Fallen Kingdom” actor Toby Jones 8 Short 9 Pop poolside painter 10 Event to test out an act, perhaps 11 High rock pile 12 Former Fugees member Hill 13 “Check this out!” 14 Chemical indicator 21 Item with underwire
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