TCB June 3, 2021 — Sidewalk Service by Triad City Beat

JUNE 3-9, 2021

TRIAD-CITY-BEAT.COM

black mothers turn to doulas

PAGE 13

are we back to normal?

PAGE 12

cops or kids? county funding met with protests

PAGE 8

SIDEWALK SERVICE Greensboro’s Borough Coffee serves specialty coffee by bike BY SAYAKA MATSUOKA | PAGE 11

JUNE 3-9, 2021

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

Spring, the genuine article

s it me or does the honeysuckle smell sweeter this spring? I swear my nose can pick it up from 20 yards away these days. by Brian Clarey I catch its scent when I’m running on the greenway, just as I did in my French Quarter neighborhood, wafting over spiked brick walls, or in backyards of the Long Island suburbs, playing ringolevio in the dusk before the streetlights came on and we all had to go home for dinner. And have you noticed that the weather this spring is making a spectacular, graduated crescendo into summer? Instead of exploding from 65 degrees straight into the 90s, we’re taking baby steps up to the high heat, interrupted with rainstorms both delightful and terrible but always welcome. Have we ever had such a glorious spring in the North Carolina Piedmont Triad? Maybe not…. Maybe not. Spring is an awakening. Spring is a rebirth. Spring is a reconnect. Spring is morning dew and green shoots, new

clothes and long days. Do any of us even remember last spring? When the pandemic slowly but inexorably blotted out everything else, when everything was closed and we spent our days at home and our nights at home, yearning for escape and eventually coming to realize that there was nowhere to run? It was hot last year. Wasn’t it hot last year? And can we even call what happened then a proper spring? It’s different this year and even the birds in my yard know it. What kind of birds are those? Wrens? Warblers? Some kind of sparrow? Small and tough, they’ve multiplied in the pandemic, built more nests around the backyard and chased the crows into the high trees by the creek. They’ve bullied my cats into the underbrush and freely hop around the back lawn, getting fat on the worms that also seem to proliferate. More birds, more worms, more ants, more flies, which means more spiders, more lizards and then back up the food chain. Everybody’s hungry; everybody eats. Yeah. It’s springtime again. At long last.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

It doesn’t fill me with pride to know that we’re paying people poverty wages that require them to work two to three jobs into their fifties and sixties….

—Casey Thomas pg. 8

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

CHIEF CONTRIBUTOR

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 Sorensen, Clay Jones

COVER

Austin Jeffries and Gray Johnston are the new owners of Borough Coffee, Greensboro’s first coffeeshop powered by a bike. Photo by Sayaka Matsuoka

Coronavirus in the Triad: (As of Wednesday, June 2)

Documented COVID-19 diagnoses NC 1,003,508 (+3,941) Forsyth 36,617 (+245) Guilford County

47,028 (+271)

COVID-19 deaths

13,110 (+79)

Forsyth

388 (+8)

Guilford

(2 weeks no new deaths)

Documented recoveries NC

979,410 (+7,344)

Forsyth

35,229 (as of 5/27)

Guilford

45,742 (+505)

Current cases NC

10,988 (-3,482)

Forsyth

236 (+2)

Guilford

593 (-216)

Hospitalizations (right now) NC

610 (-85)

Forsyth

42 (+6)

Guilford

24 (+3)

Vaccinations NC First Dose Fully vaccinated

4,522,226 (+1,045,147) 4,077,660 (38.9%, +870,506)

Forsyth First Dose

174,909 (+41,056)

Fully vaccinated

157,174 (41.2%, +34,182)

Guilford First dose

248,125 (+54,439)

Fully vaccinated

(41.8%, +44,361) *adjustment

JUNE 3-9, 2021

UP FRONT | JUNE 3-9, 2021

CITY LIFE June 3-6 by Michaela Ratliff

THURSDAY June 3

Fresh Catch Seafood @ Cork and Grind (HP) 5 p.m.

FRIDAY June 4

Donuts in the Park @ Miller Park (W-S) 9:30 a.m.

Celebrate National Donut Day by joining the city of WS for donuts, crafts and more. Contact WePLAYEvents@cityofws.org for more information.

City Sunsets @ Center City Park (GSO) 7 p.m. Fresh Catch Seafood Shack food truck will be at Cork and Grind offering seafood meals to pair with your wine, beer or coffee. View Fresh Catch’s menu on their Facebook page.

Thursday Night Music @ SouthEnd Brewing Co. (GSO) 6 p.m.

Enjoy a variety of ales from SouthEnd as the evening is ignited by live music from Buddy Ro. View SouthEnd’s full menu website.

Sip & Smoke @ Garage Tavern (GSO) 7 p.m.

Enjoy bourbon and cigars on the patio during this sip and smoke event. Tickets can be purchased at Garage Tavern and include three bourbons, two cigars and appetizers. Act quickly! Seats are limited.

Grab a lawn chair and head to Center City Park for this free summer concert series. Join Quilla, an electronic music producer, for an evening of uplifting, catchy beats with her signature vocal loop compositions. Learn more about Quilla by visiting her website.

Women’s Self Defense Seminar @ Macon’s Martial Arts (HP) 7 p.m.

The black-belt experts at Macon’s Martial Arts are hosting a free women’s self-defense seminar. Arrive dressed comfortably and prepared to learn basic self-defense tips and tactics. No experience is necessary. Visit the event page on Facebook for more details.

Games in the Park @ High Point Museum (HP) 10 a.m.

Drag Queen Car Wash @ Parkway United Church of Christ (W-S) 11 a.m.

SUNDAY June 6

Outdoor Market @ The Market (HP) 10 a.m.

JUNE 3-9, 2021 | UP FRONT

SATURDAY June 5

Enjoy the open air as you shop during this outdoor market event featuring vendors with handmade crafts, baked goods and more! Visit the Market’s Facebook page for more information.

Music & Food @ COHAB (HP) 7 p.m.

The historical park will become an early American game playground as children learn how to use rolling hoops, stilts and play leap frog from costumed interpreters. Visit the event page on Facebook for more info.

Start off Pride Month right with a clean ride. Pride W-S, Mr. and Miss Pride W-S and T with a Tude is hosting a car wash featuring a food truck and more for you to enjoy. A $10 minimum donation is requested. To learn more, visit the event page on Facebook.

Pull up to COHAB for craft beer and Latin street food from Que Viva food Truck. Live music will be provided by Avery Shaffer.

NEWS | JUNE 3-9, 2021

NEWS

Immunosuppressed individuals should stay vigilant, wear masks even if vaccinated, experts say by Nicole Zeniker

got my first coronavirus vaccine her next dose,” Hellinger said. “But she in early March. was really looking forward to the end of The process went smoother the whole thing.” than I could have hoped for, esTillie usually goes to theater camp pecially given all the panic around signfor the summer. It was cancelled in ing up for an appointment. But before 2020, but she was hoping to go this year, the volunteers gave me the shot, they Hellinger said. Given that the CDC is no told me I might not get the full benefits longer advising people who have been from the vaccine. vaccinated to wear masks, she does not That is because I’m on a medication feel comfortable sending her daughter. for Crohn’s disease called Remicade, “That was her struggle, that she had which suppresses the immune system. that expectation that it would be her Given the significance of this informapassport to freedom, and it isn’t,” said tion, you’d think my doctor at the time Hellinger. “Even if she has her vaccine, would have said something earlier. she might get it and bring it home.” While the CDC and medical experts Jillian Staiti also has MS and was on are still advising people with underlying the same medication as Hellinger from health conditions to get the vaccine as September 2019 to April 2021. Now, she there don’t appear to be any adverse eftakes Tysabri, which works by stopping fects, a few early studies have found that harmful cells from crossing into the post vaccination, 15 to 80 percent of imbrain and spinal cord. munocompromised individuals produced Recently, Staiti got a spike protein fewer antibodies, making them more antibody test for COVID-19 and tested susceptible to contracting positive, which she said COVID-19 than others was a huge relief. Because who were vaccinated. she had been on OcreWinston-Salem resident vus recently, her doctor Gabrielle Serang Hellinger was not sure her B cells is in a similar situation. would have replenished Hellinger is on a medicathemselves in time for her tion called Ocrevus for vaccine. multiple sclerosis, which Staiti’s household also decreases B cell function includes her husband and that is necessary to help three children, only one the body fight off infection. – Gabrielle Serang Hellinger of whom is currently old Many other conditions, enough to get the corosuch as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, type navirus vaccine. Her husband had been 1 diabetes and cancer may also also working out of the house for the past decrease immune function or require year, though Staiti says he has been very medication that suppresses the immune careful. system. “There was a possibility it might have “It’s something that, if you add up been more severe for people on Ocreeveryone who would be impacted, it’s a vus,” she said of the virus. “It’s super lot of people,” Hellinger said. “Everyimportant people get vaccinated because one who has had a cancer treatment or of populations that are at risk or can’t an autoimmune condition. Everybody get vaccinated. I feel like people forget knows somebody. It’s not that rare.” that.” Hellinger has done much of her own Doctors recommend people with research on infectious diseases and imcertain conditions continue to socially mune function regarding the vaccine. distance, wear masks and see friends and She also reached out to her doctor, who family outside when able, though they told her to continue practicing social disare not sure just how cautious people tancing and not to take very many risks. need to be in these cases. Still, she feels for her kids, ages 11 and Dr. Carl Fichtenbaum, a doctor of 13, who will also have to continue to be infectious disease conducting vaccine very careful. Tillie, 13, recently received research at the Cincinnati College of her first vaccination. Medicine, says enough studies on people “She’s counting down the days until with compromised immune systems

‘It’s something that, if you add up everyone who would be impacted, it’s a lot of people.’

COURTESY PHOTO

(R-L) For Gabrielle and Tillie Hellinger, the COVID-19 vaccination comes with its own risks.

hasn’t been conducted, though that is beginning to change. “Almost all of the major studies excluded people with immune conditions,” Fichtenbaum said. “Anyone can be vaccinated because we don’t see any harm, but they want to take some precautions still.” Regardless, Fichtenbaum advises those on medications consult with their doctors. “We’ve been looking very carefully at

what recommendations to make, recognizing that we don’t have all the information yet,” he said. “It’s frustrating for those people, for their families and for healthcare providers because we like to be able to give people answers.” To learn more about immunocompromised people and vaccinations, visit the CDC’s website.

JUNE 3-9, 2021 | NEWS

NEWS | JUNE 3-9, 2021

Activists call for fewer deputies, more school funding in budget, but county commissioner says it’s not that simple by Sayaka Matsuoka

he Guilford County Board of Education and the County Commission once again appear to be at odds when it comes to funding. In late April, Guilford County School Superintendent Sharon Contreras outlined her budget recommendation for 2021-22. She requested $35 million in additional funding from the county to help pay for an increase in teacher pay and a raise in school nutrition workers’ pay to $15 per hour. Included in the $35 million is a request for $10 million for capital outlay to fix and maintain school facilities. However, during a May 20 county commission meeting, County Manager Michael Halford recommended a little over half of what Contreras had requested — a $13.4 million increase. In response, local activist groups Guilford For All, the Guilford County Association of Educators and others called on the county commissioners to eliminate vacant positions within the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department to fully fund Contreras’ ask. “There are some of us who are for taking $1.4 million from the sheriff’s department and the jail because of a commitment to bringing real safety like an increase in wages and making an economy where everyone can survive,” said Guilford For All member Casey Thomas. “And then there are others of us, who wouldn’t necessarily consider themselves abolitionists but felt like it was common sense to them to pay the real people that are working and understanding that people deserve at least $15.” But that’s not how the budget works, said County Commission Board Chair Skip Alston. He said that any vacancies that exist within county departments are taken into consideration when the manager makes his recommendation. “We have hundreds of vacancies right now in various departments, so we don’t budget for those positions to be filled,” Alston said, “but we budget for the fact that they have to be filled at some point.” He also pointed out that because of the vacancies, many deputies have to work overtime, which ends up costing the county more because they are paid time and a half. As the longest-serving commissioner on the board, Alston said he is not in favor of reallocating fund-

ing from the sheriff’s department for the school board’s request. In fact, he said he’s not in support of defunding law enforcement at all. “I am in favor of increasing funding because we need more experienced officers,” he said. “You get what you pay for. We need to increase pay for our deputy sheriffs, we need better quality of officers, we need more experienced officers and we need to increase the training of our officers…. So a lot more should be spent on law enforcement, not less.” Alston pushed back on the notion that the school board is not getting enough funding by stating a point that County Manager Halford also noted during his presentation. “This is the largest increase in funding that the county has given the school board in over 20 years,” Alston said. “We have a more friendly board towards schools than you had in the past when you had majority Republicans.”

Will a Democratic shift mean more funding for schools?

ANDREW GARCIA

Guilford for All activists gathered outside of the Guilford County jail in May to advocate for less funding for the sheriff’s department and more funding for schools.

James Upchurch, another one of the new Democrats on the board, said that he, too, wouldn’t support the budget as ne of the biggest upsets in local it currently stands but thinks it’s a good elections last year took place on starting point. the county commission when “There’s a lot of things in the budget three Democratic newcomers, shifted the proposal that should make people hopemakeup from a 5-4 Republican majority ful about the direction of our county,” to a 7-2 Democratic board. Many of the Upchurch wrote in a statement. “A large Democrats ran on campaign promises increase in education spending, fundto increase funding for ing to address the schools, something that disparities in infant the Republican-dommortality, the creation inated board did not of a public relations prioritize, according to department, fundactivists. ing for an inclusion, Mary Beth Murphy, equity and diversity an 8th grade teacher director. Fifteen dollars and newly elected per hour for par- time Democrat on the county staff for which county commission, there’s a full-time posi– Guilford County Commission said that she wants tion, no tax increase. Board Chair Skip Alston there to be more There’s still some work funding for schools to be done. It’s not included in the final perfect in my opinion, but it’s the best budget. budget proposal our county has had in “I was hopeful that the manager’s promany years.” posal would have included more funding Upchurch also echoed Alston’s sentifor schools,” she said. “My priority has ment by stating that he wished there had been to secure adequate funding for our been more collaboration between the schools, and so I am working with my county commissioners and the school colleagues and the manager to find a board before Contreras had put out her way to do more and ensure we are truly budget request. Alston said that he wants investing in public education.” there to be a collaborative budget com-

‘This is the largest increase in funding that the county has given the school board in over 20 years .’

mittee made up of both county commissioners as well as school board members to talk about what can realistically be funded. “Then we wouldn’t have this back and forth as it relates to what we can do and what we can’t do,” Alston said. “They would understand our budget and we would understand their needs.”

Who does the funding affect?

ounty Manager Halford recommended that $7.5 million of the $13.4 million that he suggested as additional funding for the schools be used for general operations and salary increases while $5 million could be used for teacher supplements. About $884,000 would be for capital outlay. According to Contreras’ budget presentation, Guilford County Schools lags behind in teacher supplements compared to other school districts in the state. Data shared during her April 20 school board presentation showed that Durham County saw an 8.6 percent increase in teacher supplemental pay from 2015-20 while Guilford County only saw 3.8 percent. Wake and Mecklenburg school districts had more than 27 percent increases while the WinstonSalem/Forsyth County school district saw a whopping 51 percent increase over

your budget support school nutrition. money to send around. We are right in We’ve supported the children in Guilford the middle of a pandemic. I will not be County through this entire pandemic, supportive in raising taxes to do this. We and we’re asking that you do the same will have more funds possibly available for us.” in the next budget and the budget after Pickard, who has worked as a custothat… So I would hope that the school dian for Guilford County Schools for 25 board would look for temporary ways years, told the Guilto fund the $15 per ford County Assohour now and they ciation of Educators can do that through that he barely made bonuses using the $30,000 a year. federal funding.” “Our salaries Activists like haven’t moved in Thomas support the over 10 years,” he school board’s fundsaid. “Stop playing ing proposal because games with people’s it includes the federal lives…. We voted funding Alston menyou in. You need to tioned but noted that stand with us, not the federal money against us.” is temporary and In response, Alston – Casey Thomas, Guilford for All would run out after said that the school a few years if no board should be able permanent sources to get creative with the federal funding of funding replace it. That’s why part of they will be receiving to raise all staff what Guilford For All is pushing for is a members’ wages to $15 per hour at least 1-cent property tax increase. for now. “We understand that commissioners “What we’re trying to do is buy time,” may be worried about what people think Alston said. “The county does not have if they raise property taxes to raise the

‘It doesn’t fill me with pride to know that we’re paying people poverty wages that require them to work two to three jobs into their fifties and sixties ...’

revenue to make this real long term, but that’s why we voted for them,” Thomas said. “That’s why we went door to door, so that they would be bold enough to raise the revenue and stop starving our schools…. It doesn’t fill me with pride to know that we’re paying people poverty wages that require them to work two to three jobs into their fifties and sixties, so what? I can save a buck fifty on taxes a month? It’s just ridiculous.” In the end, Thomas said they don’t want to fight the county commission on this, they want to work together to better the schools. “This is not an attack, but this is a push,” Thomas continued. “We will have their back if they do the right thing. They should definitely be funding the schools. This is why a lot of people came out to vote in droves for them. Ultimately, we want a Guilford County where everyone can have what they need to thrive.”

JUNE 3-9, 2021 | NEWS

the last six years. However, the $5 million for teacher supplements suggested by Halford is only half of what Contreras asked for in her recommended budget. In addition to supplemental teacher pay, the school board and activists are asking for bus drivers, nutrition workers and other school staff to make at least $15 an hour. But according to Alston, an increase in bus driver pay to $15 an hour was already approved and fully funded back in 2019 and 2020. “We funded it immediately,” Alston said. “My understanding is that they are getting $15 right now. If they’re not, I’m going to be very upset about that because I fought very hard on that.” Even with bus driver pay increases, that leaves the issue of nutrition workers like Julia Oxendine and custodial staff like Curtis Pickard in a grey area if enough funding doesn’t make it into the final budget. “I’ve struggled and worked two jobs in the past just to make sure that my bills are paid,” said Oxendine, who has worked in school nutrition for 19 years. “We’re asking you to find a way to make

The Guilford County Board of Commissioners will be holding a public hearing about the budget on Thursday, June 3 at 301 W. Market St. The board will be voting on the final budget on June 17.

FOOD+DRINK THE RETURN OF THE TRIAD’S BEST DINING GUIDE To get in front of the hungriest readers in the Triad, contact Drew. drew@triad-city-beat.com

OPINION | JUNE 3-9, 2021

OPINION EDITORIAL

Critical race theory for dummies

ears ago, anyone who whislife. And it’s a theory in the same way pered about a vast, right-wing that gravity is a theory: We live under its conspiracy was labeled as a rules whether we acknowledge it or not. nut, a conspiracy theorist, a Bills are making their way through wearer of tin-foil hats. statehouses across the country, with These days the GOP conspires right varying degrees of success. out there in the open — to illegally seat In North Carolina, the House has Supreme Court justices, to vilify trans already passed HB234, entitled EnsurAmericans, to thwart a commission ing Dignity and Nondiscrimination/ studying Trump’s Insurrection. Schools, which was written expressly And now the conto address critical race servative jerk squad is theory by “prohibit[ing] collectively focusing its public school units Critical race theory dim sites on critical race from promoting certain encompasses slavery, concepts….” theory, which they all agree is an un-American The text of it reads segregation, Jim way of thinking though like panacea for white Crow, the schoolsthey lack the vocabulary fragility: no hiring dito-prison pipeline and analytical skills to versity trainers who talk and other aspects of about white supremacy, explain exactly what it is. Critical race theory no blame for “actions American life. has been adopted as committed in the the shorthand for the past.” And schools are theories behind Black Lives Matter, the very specifically not allowed to teach 1619 Project, Derek Chauvin’s convic“that the United States was created by tion for the murder of George Floyd members of a particular race or sex for and the racial strife that we’ve been the purpose of oppressing members of experiencing in the US for the entirety another race or sex.” of our history. It’s ludicrous, of course, to pass a law But technically it addresses the like this in a slave state, where Jim Crow structural causes — legal, economic flourished and some communities still and otherwise — that lead to different refuse to tear down their Confederate outcomes between the races in our monuments. But here we are. country. It encompasses slavery, segreIt’s been in a Senate rules committee gation, Jim Crow, the schools-to-prison since May 12, and has already passed its pipeline and other aspects of American first reading.

Culture

by Sayaka Matsuoka

ustin Jeffries’ legs are tired. Sure, he runs the occasional half marathon for fun, but the culprit these days isn’t his usual jogs. It’s the coffee cart he’s been pedaling around town. Borough Coffee, owned by Jeffries and his partner Gray Johnston, is Greensboro’s newest coffee venture. Rigged onto a bike, the set-up is pretty simple: a small motor, LED lights, a built-in cooler, an electrical battery, two pourover stations, a shiny white La Marzocco espresso machine and some scales and grinders. That’s it. But it’s a lot to be pedaling down the street. “I think the limiting factor that we’re learning is we don’t have a trailer right now, so we’re pretty much biking that thing wherever,” Johnston says, as the two sit on the patio at the Double Oaks Bed and Breakfast. “Yeah, and that falls in line with our philosophy of being a little bit more sustainable, a little more thoughtful and more community based,” Jeffries says. “But my legs are beat, dude.” Jeffries, with his trademark backwards cap and unyielding optimism, will likely be recognized by those who frequent Tate Street Coffee, where he worked for the past eight years. More recently, he started working as front-of-house manager for the newly opened downtown wine bar Lewis and Elm. Earlier this year, Double Oaks owner James Keith reached out to Jeffries about whether Tate Street did on-site coffee events. At the time, the business was just opening back up again and Jeffries didn’t think it was feasible. But a few months went by and he couldn’t shake the idea for a mobile coffee business. That’s when he called Johnston. The two grew up together in Greensboro, becoming friends at Grimsley High School and staying in touch throughout college and the few years after. When Johnston moved back to town in 2016 after a short stint in the Triangle, the two started brainstorming about businesses they could start together. “We were just going off about how we love Greensboro and how we should start something to make more people come back here, and the first idea was a hostel,” laughs Johnston. Eventually the two landed on the idea for a coffee cart because of Jeffries’ background in the industry and Johnston’s love of the craft. After doing

some research, they landed on a pre-fab bike by Ferla Bike, based out of Los Angeles, to kick off the business. Despite Greensboro’s size there aren’t that many coffee shops in the city and there are even fewer ones that would be considered specialty coffee shops, they say. “If you go to any other city, there’s probably a coffee shop in every other neighborhood, and it’s good coffee too,” Johnston says. Currently, they are sourcing their beans from Black and White Roasters out of Wake Forest. The company, started by two US Barista Champions, is known for high-quality coffee; that’s the kind of culture that Jeffries and Johnston say they want to bring to the city. “I love all of the coffeeshops here and I think SAYAKA MATSUOKA people tend to find their specific coffeeshops because L-R: Gray Johnston and Austin Jeffries are the owners of Borough Coffee, a new coffee venture in Greensboro that serves coffee from a bike-powered stand. it maximizes what their values are, but what we do and hire more employees, but only if they can afford to pay at feel like is a lack is high quality, artisanal, person to person least $15 per hour. crafted drinks and, as silly as it might seem, I think we have With both of them working full-time jobs, they say that the high hopes that we can deliver that on our bike,” Jeffries says. main goal of the business isn’t about making a profit. It’s more “Like you might be walking down the sidewalk and just get the focused on service and making sure they are offering an excepbest tasting pour over you might find.” tional product. Starting Borough Coffee during the pandemic Their menu, which includes drip coffee, espresso drinks, gave them both time to reevaluate their priorities and make pour-overs and cold brews,is limited because of their tight sure they ran the business the way they envisioned. setup but they plan to eventually do nitro cof“We can be as idealistic as we want to,” fee, too. Jeffries says. “It’s purely like, What kind of busi“When we worry about, are we offering ness do we want to run? And the absolute first enough what people like? We’re like, we’re on thing we will sacrifice is profitability.” a bike,” Jeffries says. “And that’s our grounding For them that means paying more to install phrase.” solar panels on the roof of the cart and using Johnston, who works for the city in the more expensive compostable cups rather than transportation department, says that the plastic ones. That also means working to pay attention to detail by Black and White also future employees a living wage. aligns with their mission to be an ethical busiThe pandemic also helped Johnston take a ness. chance on his lifetime passion of starting a “We wanted to do the specialty scene coffee business. because the coffee tastes better, but also “Everything was just too heavy, so I think because it feels ethically sourced,” he says. this project for me personally has been an op“And coffee is a whole crazy world of unethical portunity to do something that’s more about behaviors.” joy,” he says. “And it doesn’t have to have super big intentions Their mission to be the friendly, neighborhood coffee cart but there’s this level of openness that we have that we aren’t extends to their future goals of expanding the business. putting all of this pressure on this. At the end of the day, it’s Eventually they want to have more carts and even a brick-andjust another way to meet our community and give them a mortar at some point. Right now, the business is operating on space to hang and drink good coffee.” Sundays at Double Oaks during brunch. If business increases, they hope to set up at local colleges, festivals or sports events

JUNE 3-9, 2021 | CULTURE

Borough Coffee brings specialty coffee to Greensboro on a bike

Learn more about Borough Coffee by following them on Instagram at @ boroughcoffeegso or by visiting Double Oaks on Sundays for brunch.

CULTURE | JUNE 3-9, 2021

IN THE WEEDS It’s beginning to look a lot like normal

short walk through downtown Winston will dissuade any who thinks we’re still in pandemic lockdown. Yes, you still see masks, and by James Douglas most businesses have changed the signs to something more accommodating like, “Well, if you’re vaccinated, I guess it’s okay to take your mask off.” But who are we kidding? No one is wearing them anymore. Walking by Finnigan’s Wake, you see the tables are pushed closer together, the bar seating increased almost back to full capacity. A bustle surrounds the place almost like the Before times and besides the employees serving the tables out front, nary a mask. There’s a couple, mats in hand, walking up the sidewalk to their yoga class in the afternoon sun. One has her mask on. A pod of scooters carrying a group of 20-somethings flashes by, silently weaving from the sidewalk to the street, aimless, drifting drivers on their way to whatever strikes their fancy. Maybe there’s a show somewhere. A bassline rumbles down the street and it sounds suspiciously like there might be one. But the sun’s still out! A year and a half ago, most shows wouldn’t start before 9:30 p.m., when the attendees (and the band) would be half in the bag already. That’s still true, but everything operates earlier now. The “New Normal” we heard so much about last year is now some brand of “New New Normal.” A partially masked family walks past, Mast General parcels in hand, the two children gripping in a death vise their small paper JAMES DOUGLAS bags overflowing with gummy worms and hard candy. Norman Rockwell gone Twilight A city’s nightlife starts to awaken. A view from Stxth and Trade streets in downtown Winston-Salem. Zone. The father looks up and down the street, probably trying to remember where lengthens the shadows as the patio lights turn on at welcome news. he parked. During lockdown and restrictions, the only the surrounding restaurants. There’s a line out the door What’s this feeling? There’s emotion here. The genpeople we saw were the regular residents and the workat the pizza shop and a small crowd posted in front of eral malaise and anxiety has been replaced by some ers of downtown (those who still Tate’s, their laughter echoing up form of relief, catharsis and, yes, maybe a little guilt. worked). Today, almost five months the street. Camino’s denizens sit We’re not through this, not by a long shot, even though into vaccinations and lessened out front, laptops open, books there’s a fair amount of people acting like we’re back to What’s this feeling? There’s restrictions, groups are everywhere: devoured over lattes in the upnormal. It’s comforting to see this, it’s good to run into emotion here. The general tourists, day-trippers, recent colcoming twilight. The crowds here people you didn’t even know you missed. It’s almost malaise and anxiety has been are more plentiful than in the lege grads and their parents trying like the past year didn’t happen and we’re still not done to find a restaurant. replaced by some form of Arts District. Here, it feels close dealing with it. There are still remnants, though. to what we considered normal The sun is down now, the streetlights pop on, their relief, catharsis and, yes, Some distancing still exists. This before the world shut down. orange glow bathing the thoroughfare. A cyclist with maybe a little guilt. new bustle, while busy, still isn’t There’s a band in Bull’s Tavern hundreds of multicolored LEDs covering his bike, and quite at pre-pandemic standards. setting up for the night. Rechimself, floats down the avenue like a Christmas tree A turn down Fourth Street reation Billiards has a line of gone rogue, a modern-day Paul Revere signaling the reveals the bassline’s culprit: an old El Dorado at the people down the bar. Masks are minimal. This is fine arrival of a new day. stoplight pumping out Baby Huey funk. The setting sun too. Numbers going down, the lessened risks are all Maybe it is.

Culture

by Michaela Ratliff

n Ancient Greek, “doula” means slave, but for Krystal Divine’Queen, the word signals a return to her ancestral roots of giving birth at home without the use of drugs. “Birth is seen as something that needs to be medically managed when it’s really something holy, sacred and divine,” Queen says. “Our ancestors had it right. Our oppressors turned us astray.” Queen first became a mother at 18. She originally wanted to have a home water birth, free of drugs but veered from her plan because of a lack of support, a lack of knowledge about childbirth and a fear of the unknown. She stressed about what could happen if she gave birth naturally and felt overwhelmed by the costs of a home water birth. Still, after having her second child later in life, she decided any future children she would have would be on her own terms. She took control of her third birthing experience by serving as her own birth companion which spawned a desire to not only share her knowledge, but to influence others. “I chose to become a birth worker because my intentions were to support women and feel as liberated as I did during my birth experience,” she says. Queen, who lives in Greensboro, isn’t a trained doula but rather a self-taught home-birth companion. Her business, My Indigenous Lifestyle, urges the use of natural and holistic remedies not just through pregnancy and birth, but the entire life. Her company’s motto, “Reclaiming our ancestral roots,” means returning to the way women gave birth before medications were introduced — at home, free of drugs and sitting, squatting or standing instead of lying down. As a Black woman, Queen recognizes the grave statistics that show Black and brown women at much higher risks for maternal mortality compared to white mothers. “In 2017 when I found out I had to give birth in the hospital, that is when I found out about Black women being three to four, sometimes three to five times more likely to die than white women when we have a hospital birth,” Queen says. In a 2020 report from the National Center for Health Statistics containing the first update of information in over a decade, “the maternal mortality rate for

COURTESY PHOTO

JUNE 3-9, 2021 | CULTURE

Reclaming their roots: Use of doulas on the rise for women of color

COURTESY PHOTO

Eboni Allen is a certified doula who earned her bachelor’s from UNCG and now resides in Durham.

Krystal Divine’Queen is a self-taught home-birth companion who runs My Indigenous Lifestyle.

2018 was 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births, and the rate for non-Hispanic Black women (37.1) was 2.5 to 3.1 times the rates for non-Hispanic white (14.7) and Hispanic (11.8) women.” For Eboni Allen, these statistics show why there has been an increase in popularity for non-traditional births among women of color. “I think it’s becoming more popular to the Black and brown communities,” Allen says. “That’s originally where doulas and midwifery started. Now, we’re reclaiming our ancestral history when it comes to birth work.” Allen, who earned her bachelor’s in biology from UNCG and now resides in Durham, received her doula certification in 2018 and founded My Dear Doula the following year. Earlier this year, she earned her master’s in STEM education from NC State University. She says she fell in love with the birth work after experiencing pressure from hospital doctors to use drugs she was uncomfortable using during birth of her son in 2017. “They were trying to give me Pitocin after an epidural,” she says. “If I didn’t know the risks associated with Pitocin, I probably would’ve gone with it at that point.” Pitocin is an oxytocin injection used during labor to induce contractions of the uterus. According to the Food and Drug Administration, adverse reactions reported in the mother after the use of Pitocin include cardiac arrythmia and rupture of the uterus. In the fetus, neonatal jaundice, premature ventricular contractions and other arrhythmias and fetal death can occur. Allen describes the doctors as “pushy,” saying they insisted using Pitocin and even tried negotiating starting with a lower dose. “If we don’t know our rights, risks and benefits, we can end up making decisions we wish we hadn’t had we known,” she says. “It made me fall in love with advocation.” Allen says her clients’ reasons for choosing a doula range from a bad birth experience to hearing how helpful doulas can be.

“They just want that added support of a woman there who does know and has seen birth and could comfort them if any adverse things come up,” she says. Although she gave birth in the hospital too, Queen encourages home births. However, she says she will attend a hospital birth in the event of an emergency. The one thing she strongly encourages is the baby bonding with the mother as soon as possible so each can become familiar with the other’s hormones. “It’s hard to have a connection with a nurse,” she claims. “Your body recognizes when you don’t know this person.” At her business, Queen sets the mood with her energy, turning the birthing experience into a spiritual ritual. If preferred by the mother, she dims the lights. She brings an oil diffuser for aromatherapy, using lavender to reduce stress and sandalwood to calm nerves. For Allen, her ears have been her biggest help to her clients. “A lot of women just want someone to listen to them, I’ve found,” she says. Other times, clients want Allen to tell them what to do. She once had a client with a breech baby debating between having a Caesarean section or external cephalic version, an operation to turn the baby. The client insisted Allen tell her what she would do if she were in her position, but she refused. “Our role as doulas is not to tell people what to do, it’s to lay out the options and support either way,” she stresses. Both women emphasize that before choosing a doula, it’s important for mothers to know themselves, their wants and their needs. They should ask care providers questions about everything from Caesarean rates to induction rates. They also shouldn’t treat ob-gyns as a one-size-fits-all. It begins with having a provider on the same page from the beginning. “Nobody has time to be fighting during labor,” Allen says. “It all starts with picking someone that will respect your rights.”

To learn more about Eboni Allen and My Dear Doula, visit EboniMyDearDoula. com. Connect with Krystal Divine’Queen by visiting MyIndigenousLifestyle.com.

SHOT IN THE TRIAD | JUNE 3-9, 2021

SHOT IN THE TRIAD Chestnut Street, Greensboro

CAROLYN DE BERRY

Prince Johnson, owner of Smoke Mouth Grill, tends to the meats for a meal with friends on Memorial Day weekend.

CROSSWORD ‘Go No Further’—better off without it.

SUDOKU JUNE 3-9, 2021 | PUZZLES

by Matt Jones

Across 1 Org. with an Octagon 4 “ ___ bleu!” 9 Peace out 14 What a Cessna can hold 16 Gear part 17 “Follow me” 18 It’s a block ... house (and it’s mighty mighty ... cold) 19 Concern for the production designer of the show “30 Giant Rock”? 21 Highest-rated 24 “The Book of Mormon” co-creator Parker 25 Says yes to 26 Out ___ limb 27 First name in talks? 28 The Great Gatsby © 2021 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) 29 “Plush” rock band, initially 32 Chill-inducing 34 Z, in New Zealand 35 Hanauma Bay site 36 Auto manufacturer’s second-place prize? 40 Ethereal 41 Half of a Nickelodeon duo 42 Gets closer 43 A TD earns six 44 Lincoln, familiarly 45 Mid-2000s Sony handheld console, briefly 47 “That’s impressive!” 48 551, at the Forum Answers from last issue 49 Just skip it 22 Kind of musical wonder 50 They do copy (abbr.) 23 Potato-peeling tools 51 What beauty may be in, if you’re indecisive? 28 Rapid transit 56 Interior design focus 29 Brutal 57 Sign starter on some old restaurants, maybe 30 Eric’s moniker 61 Repair wrongs 31 Prize amounts 62 From Ulaanbaatar, e.g. 33 Wall climber 63 Like diamonds and gold 34 Satori-seeking discipline 64 Actor Charles of “Whose Line ...” 35 Matador’s motivator and “Nashville” 37 Trip around the world 65 “Without further ___” 38 Spike in filmmaking (or what the theme answers are missing) 39 Hardly remote Down 44 Bruce Wayne’s butler 45 Having a kick 1 Bars on product labels, briefly 46 Spill absorber 2 Progressive character? 48 “Lorna ___” (1869 novel) 3 Zoom need 49 Some used cars 4 Furry marine mammal 51 Ball-shaped cheese 5 Attract 52 Cryptozoology figure 6 Put in the fridge 53 MBA course 7 “Toy Story” composer Newman 54 Browser button 8 Microsoft browser 55 ___ points 9 Like glue (2021 Eurovision ranking for United Kingdom) 10 Dances by jumping up and down 58 Actress Vardalos 11 Goof off 59 Uncouth fellow 12 “Am ___ late?” 60 “Achtung Baby” co-producer Brian 13 “___: Love and Thunder” (2022 movie) 15 Lincoln’s loc. 20 They may have forks 21 Shoe reinforcement

(editor@jonesincrosswords.com)

Answers from previous publication.

If you read

then you know... • The rumored settlement amount for the Marcus Smith case • Who is affected by learning loss • Which city could have the largest city council soon

Triad City Beat — If you know, you know

To get in front of the best readers in the Triad, contact Chris or Drew

chris@triad-city-beat.com drew@triad-city-beat.com