TCB March 11, 2021 — Labor of Love by Triad City Beat

Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point March 11-17, 2021 triad-city-beat.com

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LABOR OF LOVE WINSTON-SALEM ACTIVISTS FIGHT FOR A NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY PAGE 6 Jordan Green moves on PAGE 2

Sam Fribush x Charlie Hunter PAGE 9

Social studies re-evaluated PAGE 5

March 11-17, 2021

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

Jordan Green moves on

t’s true: This This week, Sayaka Matsuoka has finally week’s issue fulfilled her destiny (according to me) by of Triad City becoming TCB’s managing editor, a bear Beat will be of a job that I know she will wrangle to suit the last with her style. She started here as an intern our Jordan Green very first year, 2014; I am more proud of as senior editor. the reporter and editor she’s become than He’s moving on to I am any of my own journalistic accomby Brian Clarey cover right-wing plishments. extremism for Raw Story, and while he’ll Those keeping score will notice that stay on at TCB as an editorial advisor, this makes me the last man standing from helping train and mentor the next generaour original crew that started the paper in tion of new reporters, we all know it’s not 2014. That was always the plan. the same thing. I had my epiphany almost 10 years ago, Jordan and I have been shortly after I stopped drinkworking together every day ing and right before I got Seven years since December 2004, when fired: I decided to stay here, along, TCB has we were thrown together to in the Triad, dedicate the next become bigger build a newsroom for the 20 years of my career to local than any one first true alt-weekly the Triad news through the vehicle had ever seen. We’ve been of alt-weekly journalism. I voice or editing each other’s work, talkdecided to become a lifer, to personality. ing through tricky reporting keep the home fire burning problems, debating journalism and get the torches lit. ethics and sweating the details together I’ve learned that it can be more gratifyfor two-thirds of my professional life. ing to help other people attain their goals I would say that don’t know what I’m than to reach your own. That’s kind of my going to do without him, but actually I thing these days. know exactly what I’m going to do without And someone’s got to inspire and train him. Seven years along, TCB has become the next generation of great Triad journalbigger than any one voice or personality. ists. Might as well be me — so far I’ve got And Green’s departure opens up so many as pretty good track record. possibilities for our future.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

I’ve never met someone that gifted who shares his —secrets. Sam Fribush pg. 9 1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336.256.9320 BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian Clarey brian@triad-city-beat.com

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

OF COUNSEL Jonathan Jones EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR Sayaka Matsuoka

sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

STAFF WRITER Michaela Ratliff michaela@triad-city-beat.com

SPECIAL SECTION EDITOR Nikki Miller-Ka niksnacksblog@gmail.com

EDITORIAL ADVISOR Jordan Green jordan@triad-city-beat.com

ART ART DIRECTOR Robert Paquette robert@triad-city-beat.com SALES

SALES EXECUTIVE Drew Dix drew@triad-city-beat.com

KEY ACCOUNTS Chris Rudd chris@triad-city-beat.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Carolyn de Berry, Matt Jones, Jordan Howse, Jen Sorenesen, Clay Jones

COVER: Couple Kasey Mayfield and Brianna May by Chelsea Clayton

Coronavirus in the Triad: (As of Wednesday, March 10)

Documented COVID-19 diagnoses NC 877,764 (+12,210) Forsyth 32,391 (+410) Guilford County

39,598 (+522)

COVID-19 deaths

11,595 (+232)

Forsyth

352 (+7)

Guilford

518 (+0)

Documented recoveries NC Forsyth

837,824 (+17,985)

29,921 (as of 2/27, no new data)

Guilford

37,945 (+738)

Current cases NC

28,345 (-6,007)

Forsyth

*no data*

Guilford

1,134 (-216)

Hospitalizations (right now) NC

1,075 (-228)

Forsyth

*no data*

Guilford

61 (-12)

Vaccinations NC First Dose

1,729,160 (+243,707)

Fully vaccinated

1,045,316 (10.0%) (+162,477)

Forsyth First Dose

62,218 (+8,653)

Fully vaccinated

40,487 (+5,158) (10.6%)

Guilford First dose

81,565 (+12,513)

Fully vaccinated

47,273 (+8,138) (8.8%)

March 11-17, 2021

CITY LIFE March 11-14 by Michaela Ratliff

THURSDAY March 11

Set your soul on fire on Friday nights at High Point Yoga School during soul revival. Spots are limited due to COVID restrictions, so reserve your space in advance on HPYS’s website.

Funky Confusion Band @ Cabo Mexican Grill (HP) 7 p.m. Up Front

New Beginnings Exhibit @ Marshall’s Little Art Gallery (GSO) 5:30 p.m.

Soul Revival @ High Point Yoga School (HP) 6 p.m.

SATURDAY March 13

News

Ride to the Rock @ Riding High Harley-Davidson (HP) 11:30 a.m. To welcome spring, Marshall’s Little Art Gallery is hosting a multi-artist exhibit of works inspired by growth and fresh start, including pottery and painting. To learn more, visit the event page on Facebook.

MixxedFit @ McCleese Fitness (GSO) 6:30 p.m.

Opinion

Enjoy the variety of sounds played by Funky Confusion as they debut at Cabo Mexican Grill. Learn more about Funky Confusion Band on their Facebook page.

SUNDAY March 14

Concert of Gratitude @ University of North Carolina School of the Arts (W-S) 3 p.m.

FRIDAY March 12

Shake Your Shamrocks @ The Katharine Brasserie and Bar (W-

S) 12 p.m.

To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the Katharine is inviting you to shake your shamrocks in support of Winston-Salem PRIDE with lunch and a drag show. Visit PrideWS.org to purchase tickets.

The Reynolda Quartet, comprised of UNCSA faculty, is hosting a livestreamed concert of works that reflect on the strength of the human spirit. Tickets are just $10 per household. To purchase tickets and view the concert, visit UNCSA’s website.

Puzzles

Terence Walker has curated an interactive art exhibit with paintings, audio and more dedicated to Black legends in various industries like music or politics. Visit HeavyEnergyUniversity.com to register for free.

HP Harley-Davidson invites you to grab your bike and enjoy a free ride to Hanging Rock State Park. Register on site. To learn more, visit the event page on Facebook.

Shot in the Triad

SOULiloquies: Stories of Underground Legends Exhibit @ Center for Visual Artists (GSO) 6:00 p.m.

Culture

NC A&T alumna Charity Maddox invites you to McCleese Fitness for a fun workout, combining dance and fitness. Whether you join virtually or in-person, admission is $5. For registration information, visit the event page on Facebook.

Puzzles

Shot in the Triad

Culture

Opinion

News

Up Front

March 11-17, 2021

NEWS

Winston-Salem activists push for LGBTQ+ non-discrimination order by Michaela Ratliff

asey Mayfield and other activists are advocating for a non-discrimination ordinance protecting LGBTQ+ people in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County after the passage of similar ordinances in nearby municipalities. Mayfield is one-half of a same-sex couple that was denied wedding service in December from Warehouse on Ivy in Winston-Salem. She said she wants the city to broaden their protections of individuals like her against discrimination. As previously reported by Triad City Beat, Greensboro enacted an NDO in January that bans discrimination based on hairstyles and provides LGBTQ+ protections. NC Policy Watch reported that the city of Durham and Orange County — which includes Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough — also passed a similar NDOs that included protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. In January, Raleigh updated their own nondiscrimination policy to be more strict according to Indy Week. “It is weird feeling like in Greensboro where my office is, I’m technically protected, but when I come home, I’m not,” Mayfield said. Mayfield and her fiancée, Brianna May, are members of the Non-Discrimination Ordinance Coalition, a newlyformed collective pushing for the passage of the ordinance made possible by the expiration of HB-142 in December 2020. HB-142, which partially replaced HB-2 — otherwise known as the antitransgender bathroom bill — stated that no local government in NC “may enact or amend an ordinance regulating private employment practices or regulating public accommodations,” leaving potential for discriminatory practices to take place. The NDO Coalition’s website states that they want an NDO in WinstonSalem to provide LGBTQ+ protections and ban hair discrimination. “There’s actual harm being done in our community right now,” said Wake Forest University Associate Professor and NDO Coalition member THM GellarGoad. “And not just to LGBTQ people, but there are also employers in the area that discriminate on the basis of natural hairstyles.” They are also asking for protection for those with medical conditions or disabilities, being defined as “any genetic

With the passage of non-discrimination orders in Greensboro, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and Durham, Winston-Salem residents say it’s time their city has one too.

information and ADA supported physiologic, mental or psychological condition or disorder; such as visual, speech or hearing impairments, HIV, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, cancer, emotional or mental illness and specific learning disabilities.” They have partnered with local advocacy groups such as North Star LGBTQ Community Center and LGBTQ Democrats of Forsyth County to achieve their goals. Based on a draft of an NDO policy shared during a Feb. 9 community development meeting, the city currently has plans to enact a policy that reads as follows: “The policy of the City of Winston-Salem is, and shall be, to oppose any discrimination based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, handicap, age, political affiliation or national origin in any aspect of modern life.” As a gay member of WFU faculty, Gellar-Goad regularly has students seek his advice in their own struggles with self-identity. He believes the ordinance would be beneficial to current and prospective students. “Having this ordinance is a great way for the city to signal everyone is welcome here,” he said. Although the NDO Coalition wants to see action right away, city council first wants to ensure a non-discrimination ordinance is enforceable. Winston-Salem City councilmember Jeff MacIntosh,

who represents the northwest ward, said such an ordinance has been discussed at recent city council meetings; however, defining details of the ordinance have yet to be made concrete. “There hasn’t been a lot of conversation about specifics,” MacIntosh said. “It’s more about, Should we proceed? up to this point.” At the community development meeting on Feb. 9, the idea of an ad hoc citizens non-discrimination study subcommittee dedicated to LGBTQ+ members in Winston-Salem was proposed. Council member Robert Clark, who represents the west ward, said he believes the potential subcommittee should discuss issues internally before the city establishes the ordinance. Council member Annette Scippio, who serves as vice chair and also represents the east ward, said while she is not opposed to such a group being established, a subcommittee should be formed for each marginalized group. “Where we have known continuing discrimination issues, and we are sensitive to them, then we certainly need to have a group focused on those issues,” she said. Kevin Mundy, representative of the southwest ward, stressed the ordinance should be passed as quickly as possible for economic and social reasons, stating potential residents could be turned away from coming to the city via an internet search. “If you search, ‘gay in Winston-Salem’ what you find out is that businesses in

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Winston-Salem discriminate against gay people,” said Mundy, who is gay. He continued, “I challenge you to Google and I think that’s the third story that you’ll find. We need to change that narrative that if you’re looking to move your company here, we’re gay-friendly and supportive.” MacIntosh said he would likely vote in favor of the ordinance depending on its stipulations. He said city council wants to ensure the order could last a long time. “We wanted something we could actually make stick versus something that is essentially a resolution,” he said. According to City Attorney Angela Carmon, city council is currently discussing the details of a non-discrimination policy. During the February meeting, she stated that it could possibly take a maximum of three months for the item to be forwarded, depending on the desire of the committee; however, once it is in place, she and city manager Lee Garrity would have a 100-day period to enact enforcement policies. While the agenda for the next city council meeting is not yet available, Meridith Martin, assistant to the city manager, said that the non-discrimination ordinance will continue to be discussed. The NDO will be discussed at the next community development meeting on March 16. To learn more about the Non-Discrimination Coalition visit ndocoalition.com.

News

Advocates say updating the social studies standards will ensure a more diverse education for students.

Shot in the Triad Puzzles

talk about this,’ and we can say, ‘Okay.’” Cox and Bean agree that along with implementation and curriculum guidelines, the state is going to have to invest in other resources like new books and professional development. “We have a number of outdated resources even for the old standards, so the state is going to have to invest in resources for these new ones,” Bean said. Bean said that while he believes the approved standards could have gone further to be more inclusive, he is in full support of them and how they will encourage teachers and students. “[The new standards] will take some teachers changing their mindset because you can’t teach antiracism without being antiracist,” Bean said. “Our students are craving the opportunity to connect to their material. Their lived experience doesn’t match up to what they’re being taught, and that is doing them a disservice. These standards allow them to dissect and debate and become better critical thinkers.” The educational standards set by the state board are used to create school curriculums. The approval process for supporting documents like professional development plans and course specifics will begin in April and conclude in December, according to the NC Department of Public Instruction’s implementation timeline. The new standards are set to be implemented for the 2021-22 school year.

Culture

Olivia Oxendine, a Republican board member and descendant of the Lumbee tribe, agreed with Robinson on the tone of the standards. “I take away America the oppressor, not America the land of opportunity,” Oxendine said. “We have come a long way toward racial equality. When I began teaching many years ago, I could’ve never dreamt, as an American Indian, of the opportunity to serve on the state Board of Education. It wouldn’t have been possible.” The standards and preamble meant to address the concerns on tone, as written in Draft 5, were approved at the board’s regular meeting on Feb. 4. Northern Guilford High School teacher Courtnee Cox, who has been in classrooms for about 18 years, said that she — a Black woman — has included topics like racial and social justice in her social studies courses because she’s always believed in the importance of teaching history relevant to her students. The news standards, she said, will keep other teachers from shying away from tough topics on race and identity. “When the Capitol riots happened, I was teaching in that moment,” she said. “I could’ve easily said, ‘We’re not talking about that right now, we’re talking about the judicial branch,’ but I immediately linked it to our civics lesson. The kids are eager to talk about it and people discount our children and their perspective and I refuse to do that. These standards give our children permission to say, ‘Let’s

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Opinion

Salem Forsyth County Schools social studies program manager, was part of the team that wrote the new standards and said she wanted to include some of the inclusive teaching philosophies that WSFCS has been using in the district’s curriculum for years. “In order to understand any event, you’ve got to have the voices at the table who were part of the event,” said McKnight, a Black woman. “Kids need to be aware of all, and we can no longer leave out folks based on race and gender. These standards give a lot less leeway.” Several versions of the standards were drafted and the fourth draft was taken to the board in January. Much of the state board’s discussion surrounding the new standards had to do with vocabulary; debating the existence of systemic racism and the use of the word “identity” when paired with gender. State board member Amy White said that if the word “identity” was included in the final draft of the standards, she could not approve them. “Gender is based on science which suggests that human beings are born either male or female,” White said at the Jan. 6 meeting. The group tasked with writing the new standards went back to draw up a fifth draft. This draft removes the word “systemic” and the word “gender,” in hopes to include broader strokes of racism, discrimination and identity issues. The draft also features a preamble written by state Superintendent Catherine Truitt. For some, including Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the changes were not enough. “I don’t like the tone of these standards,” said Robinson at the Jan. 27 meeting. “I think they are politically charged and divisive and smack of a lot of leftist dogma. The things that we’ve added into these standards don’t serve a purpose. “I don’t think these standards are for the benefit of our students,” he continued. “I don’t think they are age appropriate. There is nothing in these standards that I think is going to help our children succeed later in life. Nothing. I find them, quite frankly, unacceptable.” The 52-year-old Black Republican, who was elected to lieutenant governor in 2020, said there was never a time when his education was not inclusive, and suggested keeping the previous standards from 2010.

Up Front

he State Board of Education has revisited the standards for social studies coursework for public schools, prompting praise by some teachers and opposition by board Republicans. Every five to seven years, the NC Department of Public Instruction revisits the standards and provides updates in content and approach. In February, the State Board of Education approved updated standards for social studies courses designed to include different perspectives of American history. Teachers in Guilford County say these updates came at a good time. “The protests we saw this summer from Black Lives Matter activists are having an impact,” said Robbie Bean, a white male social studies teacher at High Point Central High School. “We’ve got to look honestly at our past and present to fix problems, so the future is brighter for our kids.” State school board members represent eight districts across the state. Representatives from each of the districts worked together to create, write, revise and edit the new standards for students in K-12 public education, to be implemented in the 2021-22 school year. Overall, the standards focus on telling American history beyond the perspective of white men, upon which it had previously solely been based. The approved standards begin with kindergarteners learning how to connect to the world around them; high school seniors will graduate with more in-depth knowledge of financial literacy, as well as the contributions of African Americans, Latinx and Hispanics, indigenous people, women and other historically marginalized groups. Jill Camnitz, a white state school board member from the northeastern region of the state, said that while blame and guilt often underly the conversations about racial, ethnic and gendered experiences, the new standards aim to do neither. “We’re seeking to draw on the richness of the American historical experience so our children can better understand their legacy and strengthen their sense of connection to each other and work together to improve the American experience for all,” she said at a special called board meeting on Jan. 27. Rebecca McKnight, the Winston-

March 11-17, 2021

Teachers, state reps and state board of education members argue over updating social studies standards for 2021-22 school year by Jordan Howse

FRESH EYES

Winston-Salem City Council — and Congress — must protect LGBTQ+ North Carolinians like me from discrimination by Kasey Mayfield

Shot in the Triad

Culture

Opinion

News

Up Front

March 11-17, 2021

OPINION

Puzzles

(L-R): Brianna May and Kasey Mayfield were denied service at Warehouse on Ivy in Winston-Salem last year because they are gay. Now, they’re speaking out to raise awareness for equality.

early a year into the COVID-19 pandemic that has devastated so many families, kept loved ones separated and thrown an exhausting damper on any semblance of a social life, my fiancé Brianna and I decided to cheer ourselves up by diving into something that was supposed to be light and fun: wedding planning. But within a few days of searching for venues near our hometown of Winston-Salem, we discovered that this dreadful period had additional challenges in store. One of the first venues in which we expressed responded to my initial query by asking for more information: How large will the wedding be? What dates did we have in mind? And this one: What’s the groom’s name? I responded that my fiancé is another bride, that her name is Brianna. And within a few hours, we received a brusque reply: “We do not host same-sex marriages.”

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Reading the letter felt like a punch in the gut: Same-sex couples have had the freedom to marry in North Carolina for almost seven years, since before Brianna and I had even met. But anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment still plagues so much of our state. It felt painful to be denied service because of who we are. As Brianna and I talked it over and did more research, we realized that what happened to us was just the tip of the iceberg of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. Every year, LGBTQ+ people experience discrimination in so many areas of life: People are fired from their jobs, evicted from their homes, kicked out of restaurants, denied care from medical providers and turned away from businesses because of their sexual orientation or gender identity every day. A 2020 study found that 1 in 3 LGBTQ people — including 3 in 5 transgender people – experienced discrimination in the past year alone.

OPINION In North Carolina, 6-year-old criminals

News Opinion Culture

orth Carolina is home to an garten. Many cannot tie their shoes or outstanding public university do zippers. They sit in car seats. Some system — despite the best efof them believe in Santa Claus. We don’t forts of the current boards of trust 6-year-olds to pour a glass of milk. governors — and lush, loamy soil suitable Naturally, the juvenile complaint process for grapes, tobacco, sweet potatoes and is stacked against Black children, who bore anything else one might want to grow. 47 percent of all juvenile complaints from It has mountains, and more than 12,000 2015 to 2018, although just 22 percent of miles of coastal shoreline. the state population is Black. It is also the only place in the entire Of the 7,300 complaints lodged against world that charges 6-year-olds with crimes. children in that time frame, defined as This fact bubbled to under 12 years old, almost the surface in a News & 300 of them, about 70 per Observer report pubyear, were against 6-yearNorth Carolina is lished on Sunday: North olds. Just 20 percent of the only place in Carolina has the lowest these cases made it to court, minimum age in the where almost all of them were the entire world world for juvenile justice dismissed. that charges court proceedings. And The cases that make it to that age is 6. the end of the line fall exclu6-year-olds with What this means is sively on kids whose parents crimes. that at the age of 6, a can’t make court appointchild can be considered ments, hire lawyers or skip a defendant in a comwork. But even complaints plaint, must answer charges in court and that are dismissed stay on the child’s they, or their parents, can face penalties record — it can keep a kid out of certain for their actions. Until 2015, they could be schools or scholarships, prevent them incarcerated in North Carolina, now that from playing sports, exacerbate any future age is 10, the N&O piece reports, “after a charges and can even affect the housing 45-pound 7-year-old was put in detention for the kid’s family. for not coming to court.” It’s preposterous. The state legislature Is there anyone in this entire state who should address this immediately, and any thinks that a 6-year-old is fit to stand trial? legislators who favor making criminals of Six-year-olds are barely out of kindersmall children should be called to account.

Up Front

Kasey Mayfield lives with her fiancé Brianna May in Winston-Salem.

EDITORIAL

March 11-17, 2021

All of this is able to happen because North Carolina, like many states, does not have statewide nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people; these protections don’t exist at the federal level either. Here in NC, the responsibility has fallen upon local leaders to pass inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances, and a half-dozen, including Greensboro, so far have done the right thing. Now, it’s time for the Winston-Salem City Council to follow suit by listening to the hundreds of constituents who have raised the issue through the NC is Ready campaign, and passing protections, too. Brianna and I were left vulnerable to discrimination and couldn’t do anything to stop it from happening again — and sure enough, after the venue turned us away, we heard from another gay couple whose contract was also canceled from the same venue just a few weeks before their wedding. In spite of our negative experience with this business, we know that WinstonSalem is rapidly evolving, with residents opening their hearts and minds to LGBTQ+ people. And we’re proud to be a part of that change. Last year, shortly after we hung a rainbow flag outside our house, we received a letter from a young queer person in the city who wanted us to know that seeing the flag meant so much to her, inspiring greater courage and confidence. We had enough of an impact that she remembered our address while driving by — and that was just a mindless act of decoration. Think what we can do as a community if we actually worked with intention and compassion to make a difference. How much safer and more welcome would LGBTQ+ people feel if our city council passed a comprehensive nondiscrimination ordinance? How much more affirmed would we be if our US senators, such as Richard Burr, voted for the Equality Act to enact these protections federally? The positive outcomes of these policy victories would be immeasurable. Brianna and I want our city to be a part of the momentum that LGBTQ+ North Carolinians are feeling across the state as ordinance after ordinance pass with unanimous support. We want to ensure that no LGBTQ+ person is made to feel the way we felt while opening that rejection email. We want to see our elected officials — both locally and in the US Senate — come together at last and vote to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination. It’s time for action.

Shot in the Triad Puzzles

March 11-17, 2021 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

Nik Snacks PDY&F community garden aims to curb hunger in Northeast GSO

ortheast Greensboro has been hit hard over the past 20 years. It’s a community dealing with the consequences of disinvestment and is one of 80 designated food deserts in North Carolina. In 1998, Winn Dixie Corp. by Nikki Miller-Ka restructured its corporate model and closed the sole source of retail grocery in this section of the city, leaving the shopping center with no anchor stores to replace it. Then, community members fought a 12-year battle with city government to prevent the expansion of the White Street Landfill. In April 2018, an EF-2 tornado touched down, destroying large swathes of northeast Greensboro where, according to the city, 174 households needed relocation assistance and caused schools to be shut for months. Then, in 2016, the creation of the Renaissance Community Coop aimed to combat the 18-year absence of a grocery store in the community. While only open two years, the grocery store encouraged community wealth, ownership and provided access to healthy food options. In January 2019, it closed, widening the food access gap for thousands of households. Now, almost two years later, a new community garden located near the old co-op aims to curb the effects of hunger in the area. Staffed by volunteers and board members, the Positive Direction for Youth and Families (PDY&F) is a nearly 30-year-old nonprofit whose goal is to alleviate hunger and homelessness through a variety of programming. A donation of two acres of land from PDY&F board member, Barbara Lockett, at 1500 Huffine Mill Road kicked off the project, which aims to train volunteers, introduce gardening to eager students, provide healthy food options, significantly decrease food apartheid, combat hypertension and diabetes, generate wealth in the community and create the next generation of Black and brown farmers. “It’s nice to have canned goods and pantry items, but we want to address the health issues,” says Faith Lockett Gardner, PDY&F assistant executive director and local pediatrician. Food deserts, defined by the USDA as “urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food,” are a significant problem in the state. According to a NC Committee on Food Deserts report from 2013, residents living in food deserts are more likely to suffer from obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other diet-related conditions, while simultaneously being more likely to be food insecure. Gardner’s husband, James, has taken the reign of the garden as an avid home gardener and science teacher at Ragsdale High School. He had a garden as a child growing up in rural Virginia and is digging into his roots by providing guidance and direction to volunteers. The garden started the first week of December with a few raised beds, mulching and soil. During the first week of February, turnips, onions,

The PDY&F community garden is staffed mostly by volunteers at this point.

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garlic, strawberries, potatoes, beets and carrots were with PDY&F have lofty, yet attainable goals for the planted. garden. The hope is to build and maintain an all-organic Volunteers have donated soil, mulch and their time, garden in four phases. Phase one involved hiring a horbut more is needed. ticulturalist to build raised beds and lay “We need more,” James says. “We want the foundation. The project is currently in to beautify the area and make it accessible phase two — in-ground gardening. Phase Learn more to everyone.” three looks to develop hydroponics and about the PDY&F Star Surgeon, a family and consumer aquaculture to produce three times the science teacher in Graham is a PDF&Y food while utilizing only half the carbon community volunteer who is passionate about profootprint. garden on their moting community sustainability through Right now, volunteers are being asked Facebook page. nutrition. to bring water to the site for irrigation as “Once you get the community involved the site does not yet have access to water, and people have access to quality foods, electricity or restroom facilities. you can change the health of the commu“There’s a void right now and I think nity,” says Surgeon. we can be the ones that fill it,” says James. “It’s doesn’t Having the opportunities to have healthy food is immatter your color, who you are or who you sleep with, portant. The Gardners and other community members when you’re hungry, you’re hungry.”

by Brian Clarey

Up Front News

L-R: Sam Fribush on the keys, Nick Falk on the drums and Charlie Hunter on guitar light up the stage at the Ramkat.

ANDY TENNILLE

Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

much deeper and dirtier than the original. Their turn on Bonlivestreams at the shuttered nightclub like everybody else, he nie Raitt’s “Something to Talk About” foregoes her trademark figured he’d apply these skills to homegrown talent and packslide-guitar licks in favor of Hunter’s staccato riffs and that age them as the “Home Sweet Home” series on their YouTube. thing Fribush is doing with his right hand. It’s a natural for the The series is hitting a sweet spot — a lot of pandanna projects first song of the evening. have been landing as of late: new bands, new songs, new con“Refresh my memory on the arrangement for this one,” nections forged even as the local music scene has been driven Hunter asks his bandleader. It’s taken him a lifetime to make it largely underground. look this easy. Where Fribush has been classically trained since This is Hunter’s first time inside the Ramkat. It will not be before high school and through the conservatory, Hunter had his last. One of the most noteworthy traits Hunter’s displayed to figure a lot of this out for himself. since coming to town is his willingness — eagerness, even — to “I start.” Fribush says. “Soon after, play with local artists, and not just Eric you come in.” Gales. “Bom bom bom bom bom,” Hunter “I’ve never met someone that gifted Listen to Riverboat/The Root, says, articulating the beat. who shares his secrets,” Fribush says. “And that’s the vibe,” Fribush finishes. After the set — just seven songs, plus by the Sam Fribush Organ Trio Hunter may be the mentor, but this an encore for the eight people in the on the group’s Bandcamp. is Fribush’s band — he sets the pace, he room which is really just an R&B groove Look for the Home Sweet calls the tune, he books the gigs. Hunter at a medium pace — Hunter’s in the is just a hired gun, a role he seems to post-gig endorphin rush. Home performance on the relish. “I don’t really play a lot of guitar like Ramkat’s YouTube channel. Off they go: Fat organ rolls on a this,” he says. And that explains the rented Hammond B-3, and then Hunter connection with Fribush. walks delicately across it with the “He’s a generation younger than me,” strings of a Silvertone, which he’ll later Hunter says. “But we like all the same describe as a guitar that was “made for children.” The Raitt music. And he can groove. He’s way too young to have all of number is so recognizable, even as they deconstruct it, let it that organ language.” unspool and then wind it back in. Hunter says his touring schedule, which pre-panamana *** would sometimes top 200 gigs a year, won’t resume until Andy Tennille’s got six cameras running tonight, includNovember. Until then he considers himself a part of the local ing the ones at the corners of the stage, in his hands and a music scene. small, tabletop dolly that tracks left and right. It’s the sort “There’s so much talent in this town,” he says. “It just needs of thing he used to do for Tom Petty and Widespread Panic in to be collated.” his past life, so after the panna cotta, rather than try to host

Opinion

ne could be forgiven for not knowing that Sam Fribush was back in town. It’s not like there have been any live gigs or jam sessions where one might pick up this info; after the panny, the cultural grapevine went mostly silent. But it’s true: Fribush — who started playing piano and keys with grown men in this city when he was a high school student at Weaver, who finished his formal education at the New England Conservatory and had been working on his hard-knocks degree in New Orleans when everything went to hell — is back in Greensboro. Has been for months. I found out from his father, who runs the COVID-19 testing station on Spring Garden Street. Charlie Hunter found out from Jimmy Washington. And that’s where this tale begins. Everybody knows that Hunter has been living in Greensboro since before the pandemic. He’d been holding small shows at the tiny On the 1 performance space, working curious projects and oneoffs like the Bitches Brew Halloween show at the Crown, recording with Eric Gales at Earthtones, all while keeping his touring schedule before the curtain fell last spring. He heard about Fribush, about the small studio set up behind his parents’ house, and then he went over there to see for himself. “Yeah, he just came over,” Fribush says. “We just clicked right away. “He was my pandemic buddy,” he continues. “He showed me how to play a shuffle. I went to the New England Conservatory, and Charlie’s the best teacher I ever had.” *** Now the two of them, along with drummer Nick Falk, share the stage at the Ramkat, in front of an empty room. There’s maybe eight of us in here, not including the talent but counting the sound and video crew, Ramkat staff and a couple of looky-loos. The Ramkat’s “Home Sweet Home” series is perfect for the band Fribush and Hunter created: The Sam Fribush Organ Trio, with a double album fresh on Bandcamp that mines classic funk, R&B, soul and whatever else no one else wants to play with them — instrumental, sparse, with a groove and a backbeat. Like a jam band, maybe, but that seems reductionist. Their version of Allen Toussaint’s “Riverboat,” stripped of vocals, is so

March 11-17, 2021

CULTURE The magnificent return of Sam Fribush, starring Charlie Hunter

Vanstory Street, Greensboro

March 11-17, 2021 Shot in the Triad

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A FEMA mass COVID-19 vaccination site at Four Seasons Town Centre. The site officially opened on Wednesday and will be operate seven days a week for an eight-week period. It is expected to administer 3,000 doses a day.

CAROLYN DE BERRY

CROSSWORD ‘Hi, Turnover’—when you can look at it both ways. SUDOKU by Matt Jones

March 11-17, 2021

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Shot in the Triad Puzzles

21 Red Muppet 25 *Aa and pahoehoe, for two (or the other way, like military fleets) 27 Designation at an Arabic meat market 28 “30 Rock” character Lemon 29 “Where ___?” 31 *___-wip topping (or the other way, more unusual) 32 “The Last King of Scotland” name 35 “Octopus’s Garden” singer 37 *___-toed boots (or the other way, half of those pairs of boots) 40 *DNC member (or the other way, married) 42 Dave Brubeck standard 43 “___ complete mess” 44 Eugene clock setting, for short 46 Vitality 48 “Battlefield Earth” author ___ Hubbard 49 Dr. Seuss title turtle 50 Early inning statistic 51 Fullest extent 53 *Reveals one’s true feelings (or the other way, pater ___) 56 Russian rum cake 58 Cockpit figure 61 Be immodest 62 Financial advisor Orman 64 Maple, for instance 65 Intricate story 67 Chance ___ Rapper 68 Super-spicy

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Classical conclusion “Armageddon” author Leon Wheel of Fortune wedge to be avoided Texas shrine to “remember” “Rugrats” father “Fingers crossed” “___ Sin” (HBO Max miniseries) “Je ne ___ quoi” Farther along Edinburgh boy Like some biceps exercises, e.g. Suddenly occur to Electronic keyboards, casually Outwit, in a way

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1 Havana’s home 5 Herb with leaves used in Japanese cooking 10 Classic Ford models 14 Like some arguments 15 Complete 16 On vacation 17 Meyer of the “Saw” movies 18 How to view the alternate answers crossing the circled squares 20 Expert’s offer 22 Artist’s stand 23 Army creature? 24 Dinner table basketful 26 Troubled outburst from Scooby-Doo 28 Charlie of the 1960s Orioles 30 Indigenous New Zealanders 33 Denounces 34 Performance style at UCB and Second City 36 ‘50s Ford failure 38 Baked Italian dish 39 “___ Up” (Violent Femmes song) 41 “Here’s ___ from me to you ...” 45 *”Rudolph the Red-___ Reindeer” (or the other way, Japanese audio company) 47 *”Barber Shop Chronicles” playwright Inua ___ (or the other way, letter used to abbreviate “forte”) 49 Encouraging words 52 *Athlete running 5,280 feet (or the other way, second run of crew practice) 54 “Call Me ___” (Mayim Bialik sitcom) 55 Inter, as a pharaoh 57 Marry in haste 59 “Nightswimming” band 60 “Blue Ribbon” beer maker 63 Cool, once 66 It helps clean the word in the circled squares (as well as the alternate version) 69 100 centesimi, pre-euro 70 Like jungle foliage 71 Cheap instrument 72 Done 73 Suffix for kitchen 74 FBI operative 75 Freshman, usually