TCB May 12, 2022 — The Big Cheese by Triad City Beat

MAY 12-18, 2022 TRIAD-CITY-BEAT.COM

HATING MADISON CAWTHORN pg. 8

cakes e s e e h C s DJ’ ods o g e h t p serves u eryone for ev s | pg. 12 aven

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BIG E S E E H C ADVERTISEMENT

THE RETURN OF FINNIGAN’S pg. 6

FIGHTING FOR ABORTION RIGHTS pg. 4

UP FRONT | MAY 12 - 18, 2022

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK It comes and it goes

t’s Thursday. Someone in my circle has informed me their partner has tested positive for COVID. They’re by Brian Clarey quarantining. He’s got a cough. That same day I travel to Boone to pick up some students for summer break. COVID’s on the rise here, they tell me; they’re glad to be escaping without catching it. It’s Friday, prom night at my daughter’s school. Half of the class won’t make it, because they all got COVID at another prom a week earlier. Over the course of the weekend I note a surge in coronavirus cases among my social-media contacts. It happens a few weeks after the state stopped updating the COVID numbers every day — not that it would matter if they did, because everyone is taking home tests, which never get factored into the official equation. With this dearth of accuracy, anecdotal evidence becomes even more compelling. Once again I feel like the coronavirus is closing in on me, like I did in the summer of 2020, and again that winter, and on three separate occasions in 2021, and again just a few months ago, when everyone was getting it from their kids, who picked it up at school. I thought I had it once last year, but it was just a spring cold or maybe some allergies. My wife has had

BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian Clarey

brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS Allen Broach

allen@triad-city-beat.com

OF COUNSEL

1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336.681.0704 ART WEBMASTER Sam LeBlanc ART DIRECTOR Charlie Marion

charlie@triad-city-beat.com

SALES KEY ACCOUNTS Chris Rudd

chris@triad-city-beat.com

Jonathan Jones

AD MANAGER

EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR

noah@triad-city-beat.com

Sayaka Matsuoka

sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

CHIEF CONTRIBUTORS Suzy Fielders James Douglas

contact with it several times but it never latched on. Our daughter has steadfastly masked at school even after the requirements dropped and has thus far avoided the virus. It’s Monday, and I book an appointment for a vaccine booster — my second — at the Four Seasons Mall. My first three shots, two rounds of vaccines and the first booster, came from Walgreens. I brought my daughter to the Greensboro Coliseum for her initial shots. The place was set up for tens of thousands of people to move through in those early days of the vaccine; it never once operated at full capacity. At the mall, there’s a testing facility in the parking lot, empty in the mid-afternoon. They give the shots in what was once an anchor department store, now a tiny operation in a cavernous space, run by two-person team of nurses who remark that it has been a busy day. Besides me, there is a mother with four young children and a woman whom I immediately categorize as old but is probably the same age as me. Outside the vaccine station, I do not see a single person at the mall wearing a mask. It’s Tuesday. I’ve got no side-effects from the vaccine — I never do — but I’m staying home anyway to write and do some business. My wife texts me at lunch with the news: Our daughter’s prom date has COVID. And now, again, everything stops. We know what to do. We’re just so tired of doing it.

james@triad-city-beat.com

Noah Kirby

CONTRIBUTORS

Carolyn de Berry, John Cole, Owens Daniels, Luis H. Garay, Kaitlynn Havens, Jordan Howse, Matt Jones, Autumn Karen, Michaela Ratliff, Jen Sorensen, Todd Turner

COVER: Darryl Myers Jr. is the owner and operator of DJ’s Cheesecakes based out of Winston-Salem. (courtesy photo) Design by Charlie Marion

by Michaela Ratliff

THURSDAY May 12 Tequila Flights @ Black Mountain Chocolate (W-S) 12 p.m. For just one weekend only, enjoy flights of high-quality tequilas to pair with Black Mountain Chocolate’s specialty pastries and desserts. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information. Activism within the Courts @ Greensboro History Museum (GSO) 6 p.m. Join Dr. Virginia L. Summey for a discussion of her new book The Life of Elreta Melton Alexander. Summey and Dr. Omar Ali from UNCG will discuss the contributions of Alexander, who was the first Black woman to graduate from Columbia Law School and be elected district court judge in North Carolina. Check the museum’s Facebook page for updates.

FRIDAY May 13 OneBlood Drive @ Bull City Ciderworks (GSO) 12 p.m. Bull City Ciderworks invites you to do your part to save a life by giving a pint of blood and drinking a pint of cider. Those 21 and up are in for a free cider voucher for donating. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information. Celtic Legends @ High Point Theatre (HP) 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY May 14 ArToMaT 25th Anniversary Swap Meet @ SECCA (W-S) 11 a.m.

Art-o-mat artists invite you to celebrate 25 years of Art-o-mat during this event with Art-o-mat blocks available to purchase and swap, locally-crafted food and beverages, live music and artist demonstrations. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information and a schedule of the day’s events.

Find your adventure. Miracle Heights Adventures engages individuals and groups in experiential learning activities that embody the spirit of adventure, build resilience, and empower collective success.

UP FRONT | MAY 12 - 18, 2022

CITY LIFE May 12-15

Stars, Wars & Treks @ Brewer’s Kettle (HP) 7 p.m. The Brewer’s Kettle is celebrating Star Wars during the month of May with this sci-fi art installation. Meet the artists during the artists’ reception on this day. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

SUNDAY May 15 Eastgate Comic Con @ Greensboro-High Point Marriott Airport (GSO) 10 a.m. Eastgate Comics is back with another Comic Con for fans of all things comic, pop culture and anime. Both kids and adults should dress to impress for the cosplay contest. Find more information on the Facebook event page. The Music Man Jr. @ Reynolds Place Theatre (W-S) 7 p.m.

High Point Ballet is bringing the fairies and creatures of Irish folklore to life during this celebration of Irish culture. This exciting performance explores Irish music and movement through dances, ballads and more. Purchase tickets at highpointballet.org/celtic-legends. Send your events to calendar@triad-city-beat.com for consideration in City Life and the Weekender.

The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem presents The Music Man JR., based on the six-time Tony Award-winning musical comedy. Harold Hill intends to con the citizens of River City, Iowa into purchasing instruments for a boys’ band he vows to organize, but does he? A wrench is thrown in these plans when he unexpectedly falls for the town librarian. Purchase tickets at ltofws.org.

a program of:

1001 Reynolda Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27104

TCB-3x10-MHA-2022.indd 1

4/12/2022 11:21:21 AM

NEWS | MAY 12 - 18, 2022

NEWS

Critics say GSO mayoral candidate Justin Outling’s mailers are misleading at best, fearmongering at worst by Sayaka Matsuoka

However, some voters like Thomas say the difference in the mailers is a cause for concern. Thomas noted how in the past, Outling voted against a $15 minimum wage for city workers and has not made the issue of Marcus Smith’s death a central part of his platform. To be fair, neither has his biggest opponent, incumbent Nancy Vaughan. But there’s a difference, Thomas said. “Nancy voted against these things too, but Nancy is not running as not Nancy,” she said. If Outling is elected mayor, she said some voters may be surprised at Outling’s willingness to cater to a more conservative voting block. “It was interesting to me because it seemed like he was trying to figure out a way to appeal very strongly to the left and the right, which is smart politics, but I don’t know if it gives people an accurate picture of what they’re being offered,” she said. Thomas currently works as an organizer for Guilford For All, a nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy group based in the area. While the organization has endorsed several candidates in this year’s primary election, they have made no endorsement in the Greensboro mayoral race. “The reason that Guilford For All decided to not endorse in the mayoral race is because we saw two very similar candidates in a lot of ways between the two front runners, Justin Outling and Nancy Vaughan,” Thomas said. “And we didn’t see enough alignment with anyone who’s running for office to make an endorsement that we felt would move us closer to a Greensboro that resonates with our values.”

asey Thomas was surprised. When she got the first flyer in the mail addressed to her, she said she was annoyed but didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until her husband got a different flyer that she decided to speak out. “You have people who may decide to target based on race; some people decide to target based on a voter score; some people target based on the area that someone lives in,” Thomas said. “There are all sorts of factors that campaigns use to decide who might get what mailer. That’s not the thing I have issue with. It’s the stark difference in the values that are being communicated in each mailer.” The flyers in question refer to two different styles of mailers sent out by Justin Misleading crime data Outling’s mayoral campaign in the last week. Outling, who currently represents randie Ragghianti told TCB that when she first received the mailer District 3 as a city councilmember, is running for mayor in this year’s election featuring the Rhino Times headline, she thought it was a flyer endorsagainst incumbent Nancy Vaughan, as well as two challengers, Mark Cummings ing someone like Republican Ted Budd. and Eric Robert. “I was really frustrated to receive this mailer,” she said. “I’m not a One of the flyers shows Outling with the words “Fighting for you” on the front. fan of a Democrat that is running for office who signals that they are conservative, In smaller text, a paragraph talks about his father’s experience working as a bus which is what this mailer is doing.” driver and his mother, who worked as a social worker. On the back, Outling promAs a white, unaffiliated voter, Ragghianti believes that she and her spouse were ises to fight for access to “affordable housing,” “better paying jobs” and “equal targeted for their demographics. opportunity and access for all.” “It definitely made me less likely to vote for Justin Outling,” she said. “I don’t This first flyer is the one that was addressed to Thomas, a Black, female voter know that his policy positions are any different from Nancy’s, but I’m concerned who is registered Democrat. The second flyer, however, came for her husband who that he may be more likely to sway to the right if he’s going to send these kinds of is white, male and unaffiliated. mailers to voters.” On the front of the second mailer is the As TCB has reported before, as part of his image of a Greensboro police car. Layered campaign strategy, Outling has repeatedly on top of the car is a cut-out headline from shared either misleading or outdated data November 2020 by the Rhino Times, a local when it comes to violent crime in Greensboro. conservative online news outlet that reads, He has made a World News Report article “Greensboro ranked as state’s most dangerthat cited Greensboro as the eighth most ous city.” Under the prominent headline is a dangerous city in the US, a large part of his quote by Outling. rhetoric. However, the article itself is mislead“The status quo has not solved GreensCASEY THOMAS ing because it uses data based on metro areas, boro’s crime problem.” which in this instance, includes the city of The back of the second mailer shows OutHigh Point. When asked about this discrepanling and a community member smiling with cy before, Outling failed to comment. a Greensboro police officer. Compared to the first mailer that included short quotes Now, in this latest mailer, Outling again uses outdated data that some say is about campaign promises, this flyer has more detailed initiatives about Outling’s aimed at stoking fear amongst voters. “action on safety” including tackling the root causes of crime such as providing The 2020 article by the Rhino Times cites data by BestLife, an online website that summer jobs, job training and affordable housing. He also mentions funding and used statistics including rate of violent crime, pedestrians killed in traffic accidents, training law enforcement, putting crime reduction at the top of the city council’s natural disasters and COVID-19 deaths to come to their conclusion. Based on all agenda and building trust between law enforcement and the community. of these data points, the BestLife article found that Greensboro ranked the worst Given Outling’s public comments about public safety, the second flyer doesn’t in the state. However, in their 2021 article using the same data points, Greensboro come as a surprise. As TCB has reported, Outling has argued that the council doesn’t even make the list. Moreover, when looking just at total crime indexes for doesn’t spend enough time on public safety during its meetings and has promised North Carolina cities for 2020, Greensboro does not make the top of the list. he would host monthly work sessions to address the increase in violent crime in the According to SBI data that looks at both violent and property crimes year over city.

Nancy voted against these things too, but Nancy is not running as not Nancy.

NEWS | MAY 12 - 18, 2022

NEWS

Critics say that flyers recently sent out by Justin Outling’s campaign are fearmongering.

year, from 2019 to 2020, the Greensboro Police Department saw a 1 percent inAccording to data collected by the city and the State Bureau of Investigation, crease in crime. While many law enforcement departments saw a decrease during Greensboro’s violent crime rate has been increasing for the past couple of years. that same time period, other municipalities such as Winston-Salem and Forsyth In 2019, Greensboro logged 2,453 violent crimes according to SBI data compared County saw a much larger increase of 3 percent and 74 percent respectively. to 2,714 in 2020 — a 10.6 percent increase. But inflating the problem, particularly That’s why using information like this for quick hits can be misleading, according when it comes to violent crime, is a common tactic used by political parties to stoke to the FBI, which compiles these statistics every fear. year. In their guide on how to properly use their According to an article from 2015 by Slate, voters are data, the department cautions against creating often motivated by fear and it affects the kind of infor“misleading perceptions which adversely affect mation they pay attention to. geographic entities and their residents.” “When people are anxious, they seek out news that “Data users should not rank locales because they believe will be helpful in resolving their anxiety,” there are many factors that cause the nature and said Shana Kushner Gadarian, a political scientist BRANDIE RAGGHIANTI type of crime to vary from place to place,” the FBI at Syracuse University in the piece. “However, they notes. “UCR statistics include only jurisdictional are most likely to seek out, remember, and agree with population figures along with reported crime, threatening news, which may not actually help lower clearance, or arrest data. Rankings ignore the uniqueness of each locale.” their anxiety.” UCR refers to the FBI’s uniform crime reporting data. And the messaging of the political parties can differ, too. When asked about his use of the Rhino Times’ outdated and misleading headline “The issues Republicans focus on lend themselves to provocative messaging — as a prominent part of his flyer, Outling argued that what he did was “factually the kind of fears that hit home quickly,” the article states. “A terrorist. A criminal. true.” A job-stealing border crosser.” “What I did was I cited the Rhino Times, I took out an excerpt and included it And that’s why critics say Outling’s flyers, and the differences between them, hit with the mailer. Full stop. Period. That is what it is,” he said. “The factual truth is a nerve. that the Rhino Times had an article that had that headline, and their article therein “It does not feel good,” Ragghianti said. “It feels divisive for the city.” discusses their study and just like with any study, you can analyze it and disagree When asked whether she has voted in this year’s election, Ragghianti said that with it.” she hasn’t yet because she can’t decide who to vote for in the mayoral race. And while Outling’s use of the Rhino Times’ headline can be argued as a false“We feel like we have no good choices, but this flyer made us very unhappy,” she hood, that’s not to say that the city doesn’t have a violent crime problem. said.

It does not feel good. It feels divisive for the city.

NEWS | MAY 12 - 18, 2022

Guilford DA candidates affirm abortion rights as dozens rally in GSO over the weekend

NEWS

by Sayaka Matsuoka

SAYAKA MATSUOKA SAYAKA MATSUOKA

Close to 50 people gathered at a rally in downtown Greensboro on May 8 to support abortion rights.

he rain couldn’t stop them. Despite dropping temperatures and a steady shower, close to 50 people gathered at the corner of Market and Eugene streets in downtown Greensboro on May 8 to express their support for abor-

tion rights. “Not the church, not the state, women must decide their fate!” they chanted as cars drove past and the crowd huddled under a canopy of umbrellas. The action was organized by members of GSO WHOA, the city’s working-class and houseless organizing alliance, after an unprecedented leak of Supreme Court documents on Monday signaled the court’s intention to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer. Greensboro Revolutionary Socialists, Winston-Salem DSA and Sunrise Greensboro also helped plan the event. Billy Belcher, a longtime member of GSO WHOA, spoke during the rally saying, “[W]ithout abortion access, people will die. We gathered today because we want to stop this dangerous ruling class.” And while alarming, Belcher’s statement is based in fact. According to the World Health Organization, each year, 4.7-13.2 percent of maternal deaths can be attributed to unsafe abortion and that “restrictive abortion regulation can cause distress and stigma, and risk constituting a violation of human rights of women and girls, including the right to privacy and the right to non-discrimination and equality, while also imposing financial burdens on women and girls.” A recent study by Duke University also estimated that banning abortion in the US would lead to a 21 percent increase in the number of pregnancy-related deaths overall and a 33 percent increase among Black women, who are disproportionately affected by limited abortion access. One individual who spoke at the event said that when they were 17 years old, they were raped and they decided to have an abortion. Now, 18, they said that they didn’t know what their life would look like had they carried the pregnancy to term.

“I know I wasn’t ready for that,” they said. “I don’t know any 18-year-old that is…. I’m afraid.” Brenton Boyce, a candidate for Guilford County district attorney also spoke during the event. Boyce is running against incumbent Avery Crump in the primary election. They are both Democrats, meaning that the winner of the primary will take the seat. If elected, Boyce said he would protect abortion rights in Guilford County. “I do believe in choice and a person’s ability to have autonomy in their body and what they do,” Boyce said. “I will not prosecute health care providers… and I will not prosecute patients as well.” GSO WHOA does not endorse Boyce. Late Saturday night, incumbent Avery Crump responded to an email from TCB asking about her stance on abortion access. “With the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned, as a woman and mother I reaffirm my stance on a woman’s fundamental right to make decisions related to her reproductive health,” Crump said. “It is her choice. As an experienced prosecutor, I have worked closely with victims of rape and incest and witnessed the consequences of this violation on their bodies. I will not seek to prosecute or revictimize women and children for accessing needed medical care.” Towards the end of the rally, Forrest Hinton, a longtime advocate for abortion rights in the area, spoke about his experience volunteering as a clinic escort at the only abortion clinic in town. “I have been physically assaulted,” he said. “The situation is worse than you think and the authorities are not there to protect us. This is our opportunity to stand up, fight back, wherever you are.” According to GSO WHOA members, the next event, which will be a fundraiser for the Carolina Abortion Fund, is scheduled for May 29 at Hester Park at 12 p.m. Follow the group on social media for updates.

Finnigan’s Wake to reopen early this summer

Shape our community’s future for the next 50-100 years.

by James Douglas

for the school bond.

NEWS | MAY 12 - 18, 2022

NEWS

The average school building in Guilford County is more than 55 years old and in desperate need of heating, roofing, plumbing, technology and security upgrades. The $1.7 billion school bond will:

• Ensure every school in Guilford County receives technology and safety upgrades, such as wireless connections, increased bandwidth and digital locks. • Renovate, rebuild and construct 34 schools across the county designed for today’s learning environment.

innigan’s Wake will be reopening soon, according to new owner Brian Cole. Cole will be the new operator of the longtime downtown fixture, and heads The Cole Group, a team of partners that operates businesses primarily in the special event and hospitality sector. Finnigan’s Wake was started in 2006 by Philip “Opie” Kirby and John Cahoon. It was shuttered in late 2021. Cole is co-owner of the Silver Moon Saloon (the next-door neighbor of Finnigan’s), Hoots Beer Company, and runs the regional event company Random Task Management. Disclosure: TCB reporter James Douglas works for Silver Moon and Hoots Beer Company. “We decided to buy Finnigan’s after Opie approached us about the possibility,” Cole said. “Aside from a friendship there and a love of the restaurant itself, the business is exactly what we are looking for.” The new Finnigan’s expects to have old favorites like the annual St. Patrick’s Day Party and continuing the long tradition of charitable events like St. Baldricks and the Giving Tree. Some previous management and staff have stayed through the transition to help make the reopening as seamless as possible. Long standing menu items, beer selection and liquor choices are expected to return. “Trade Street needs more active businesses in the 600 block,” Cole says. “We are eager to restart Finnigan’s and attempt to carry on the spirit that Opie and his team built.” Finnigan’s expects to reopen in early summer.

GOT NEWS? Send news tips to sayaka@triad-city-beat.com.

• Expand Career & Technical Education, STEM, Arts and Early\Middle College opportunities to children of all income levels and demographics. • Create facilities 1.5 times more efficient to operate, lower energy costs and reduce operating expenses. • Create nearly 20,000 local jobs as construction takes place over the next 7-10 years. Strong public schools benefit our entire community by preparing talent for the workforce, attracting and retaining businesses and supporting economic development. More information about the school bond and the fraction of a penny (0.25%) sales tax to help repay the bond can be found at

www.smartschoolbond.com

Citizens from across the community are supporting the school bond and fraction of a penny sales tax for schools. Scan here to hear their stories.

Turn out to vote on May 17

(or vote early starting April 28) and vote YES and YES at the bottom of the ballot.

OPINION | MAY 12 - 18, 2022

OPINION

EDITORIAL Madison Cawthorn’s petard

t 26 years of age, Rep. Madison Cawthorn is the youngest member of Congress in US history. This is the nicest thing we can say about him. Cawthorn is a white supremacist who, while still a candidate, called his visit to the vacation home of Adolph Hitler a “bucket list” event. He’s a serial liar who made fabrications about his acceptance into the US Naval Academy (he wasn’t) and training as a Special Olympian (nope). He’s a criminal who has this year brought a loaded gun to the airport and been charged with driving without a license. He spilled the tea about coke orgies in Congress. He dick-slapped his cousin. And he’s in lockstep with Trump, going so far as to help him whip up the crowd before the Jan. 6 Insurrection. Cawthorn is so loathsome that the rest of the North Carolina GOP hate him, too — on the establishment side, anyway. Sen. Thom Tillis has endorsed one of his primary challengers, Chuck Edwards. And scuttlebutt says that the oppo research against Cawthorn is coming from inside

the house, so to speak — that is, from sources within the NC GOP. But what’s a progressive to do about Cawthorn? Yes, the reasoning goes, he’s despicable and immature, lacks the proper respect and qualifications for his office, abetted an actual insurrection and, on top of that, he’s completely full of shit. But! If the local Republicans hate him… he can’t be all that bad, right? (Spoiler alert: He is that bad.) In the Triad, we can say that Cawthorn is not our problem because he’s not in our district — he represents Asheville, of all places, in the 11th District seat once held by Mark Meadows, who is also, possibly, a traitor to our country. But Cawthorn, who like his mentor Trump has weaponized the trappings of fame, is everybody’s problem because he’s a sitting member of Congress and his ideas are gaining traction nationally. So the only thing to do is move to the 11th District and vote against him, and bring a bunch of friends. Or the concerned progressive can just sit back and watch as the conservatives, again, eat one of their own.

Cawthorn is so loathsome that the rest of the North Carolina GOP hate him, too.

Jen Sorensen jensorensen.com

John Cole ncpolicywatch.com

CALLING TRIAD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS - JOIN NCCJ IN SUMMER 2022 FOR THESE POWERFUL PROGRAMS! ¡ATENCIÓN ESTUDIANTES DE SECUNDARIA! ÚNANSE A NCCJ ESTE VERANO CON ESTOS INSPIRADORES PROGRAMAS

Session 1: June 19-24 Session 2: July 17-22 Diverse groups of teens gather for an unforgettable week of learning about themselves and each other as they practice building an inclusive and compassionate community. Anytown is a week-long overnight camp. 40 service-learning hours. Apply at nccjtriad.org/anytown

June 9 - 11

apply now

Teens learn, share, and ask questions about race and racism without judgment. Includes a special tour of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum. STARR is a day camp (no overnights). 22 service-learning hours. Apply at nccjtriad.org/programs/starr

Questions? Contact María Perdomo at mperdomo@nccjtriad.org or 336-272-0359 x 110 ¿Preguntas? Contacte a María Perdomo (Asistencia en español) mperdomo@nccjtriad.org or 336-272-0359 x 110

CULTURE | MAY 12 - 18, 2022

CULTURE

AAPI Stories by PAVE NC: Christian Chan by Sayaka Matsuoka

SCOTT MUTHERSBAUGH PERFECTA VISUALS

Christian Chan is an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and Educational Development at UNCG. His work primarily deals with research and teaching the impacts of trauma, particularly race-based trauma.

In celebration of AAPI month, TCB will be sharing stories by PAVE NC, a local volunteer-run organization that highlights the stories of Asian-Americans in the South, for the month of May. To learn more about PAVE NC, visit their website pavenc.org or read TCB‘s profile of the co-founders, Tina Firesheets and Christie Soper on our site. This story was originally published by PAVE NC.

Q A Q A 10

hristian Chan (he/him/his) is an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and Educational Development at UNCG. He’s been in Greensboro since June 2020, when he moved to the city from Idaho. His work primarily deals with research as well as teaching about the impacts of trauma, particularly race-based trauma, within counseling and education. Chan is gay and is of Filipino, Chinese and Malaysian descent.

Tell me about your background and how you came to Greensboro. Really what brought me to Greensboro was this really beautiful opportunity to join the UNCG community. I transitioned from living for three years in Idaho while I was at Idaho State University and I got a tenure track assistant professor position at UNCG in June 2020. It was during the middle of COVID, but the beautiful part about the transition was that I have felt at home at UNCG and in Greensboro from day one.

Can you tell us more about your work at UNCG? My primary role is related to research, teaching and service. For research, I live and breathe and practice intersectionality. What that means is not just connections between social identities, but it’s so much more than that. It’s about how we think about action and how

Q A

we’re locating and dismantling intersecting forms of oppression. They’re tied to our lived experiences, especially for many of us who live with multiple marginalized identities. It shows up in my passion for understanding the effects of oppression and trauma, particularly race-based trauma, on counseling and educational pathways. I think a lot about how we seek out counseling and how we think about our own careers and education. So those are the two main areas that I cover.

What is it about UNCG and Greensboro that made you feel so welcome from the start? I found that at UNCG I’m rediscovering my joy in community on campus and in work. I feel like I’m meshing all these worlds together. Just seeing the community on campus doing such profound work, that is what really fulfills me and shows me where I’m really connecting to my heart. When we find institutional departments that really support, affirm and

CULTURE

Q A

I’ve also been able to find connection and home in all of these LGBTQ+ communities too. For example, I played in the Stonewall Sports league this past year. I really found that this is a perfect-sized city for me. I feel like it’s easy to find connections here.

You mentioned that you have multiple marginalized identities. Can you tell me a bit about your racial background? I grew up in suburbs of LA in West Covina, and I found that different transitions in my life made me more attuned to my racial development and more attuned to how racism manifested in these different environments. In L.A., in many capacities, we would talk about race and identity and cultural values. It was something that was practiced in everyday life, but not something that was broached in an explicit way. It became more explicit when I went to Notre Dame. When I went to the Midwest, it was a source of peace because I loved the community of Notre Dame, but it was a huge culture shock for me. Not necessarily because of the transition from the city to a college town, but because of some of the racial microaggressions that I faced from the day I got to campus. There were assumptions that I knew every other Asian on campus or about what my ethnic identity was based on my last name or the color of my skin. The thing was, it was also displayed amongst my BIPOC colleagues and friends. There were jokes about Asian glow and drinking. I was facing much more explicit forms of racism. It pushed me to find community with other friends and colleagues. That helped me to deepen my connections to my own culture.

Q A

healing as part of my family. I think a lot about my family. My parents still live in the LA area, and I think about the definition of family and what it means to me. I think that has been a large part of who I am and how I grew up. That was a way to represent what my cultural values mean to me. A part of who I am is that I cherish family and community.

How do your other identities, such as you being gay, coexist with your background as an Asian-American?

CULTURE | MAY 12 - 18, 2022

celebrate our expertise, we’re celebrated for everything we bring as a person. In the past, I’ve been tokenized for having multiple marginalized identities. But here, I’m celebrated for who I am and the fullness of who I am; this is a place where I feel like I belong.

If I’m going to work with students, I have to know myself and be really connected to who I am. That is what became so central for me. So that means not only showing up as a Southeast Asian, but also what it meant to be a queer, brown, Southeast Asian. That is not an experience that I can set aside. In order to make sense of who I am, I had to connect my different identities. It’s also about realizing that there are identities where I carry privilege. It’s important for me to be reflexive and know my impact and know where I’m not seeing certain things. One piece about my gender identity is that I am a cisgender male and I’m nondisabled which makes me mindful about ablelist privilege. I also grew up in a middle-class family even if I was a child of immigrant parents. Those are ways I think about how I have privilege. I also grew up Catholic; I’m still working through that. I think about body size, too. I’m someone that shows up in the world as fat. So I’m thinking about how that impacts racism and oppression. In the LGBTQ+ community, we’re still facing racism and sizeism.

In order to make sense of who I am, I had to connect my different identities.

Q A

Tell me more about those cultural connections. My parents are both immigrants so there was so much preservation of culture and traditions. Going through that undergraduate experience really deepened my connection to my racial and ethnic identities. It helped me to deepen my passion, which is shedding light on disparities on racial minoritization, racial discrimination. It helped me to attune to ways we were thinking about systemic racism. The racialized experience for Asian communities has been happening for decades and centuries. That acknowledgement is scary for us and it’s also hurtful. There’s so much emotion we’re living in. So I was coming to an understanding of my own family and what the hesitancy is around mental-health counseling, and what part I am playing in the

Q A

Can you talk a bit about the importance of mental health, particularly in the Asian-American community? I think there needs to be more community initiatives. What I mean by that is, it’s about having providers who are affirming, having providers who are willing to recognize and honor the experience of Asian communities, but it’s also continuing to do community outreach. We need to be meeting with community leaders to continue to find ways to say, ‘Here are the resources and you’re not alone.’ Because it’s easy to feel like we are alone. It’s scary to seek help and it’s scary if you’re not sure how to navigate the system. We also need to see providers who look like us. In so many ways, that is my hope. I want to see in all of our mental health professions, colleagues who look like us and I think that’s what matters.

CULTURE | MAY 12 - 18, 2022

CULTURE

Big Cheese: DJ’s Cheesecakes says their goods are for everybody by Kaitlynn Havens

COURTESY PHOTO In addition to their popular cereal-flavored cheesecakes, Dj’s Cheesecakes is known for their variety mini cheesecakes.

hey call his son, “Lil Cheesecake.” Ten years ago, Daryl Myers Jr. watched from a prison visitation yard as his youngest son took his first steps. Now, Myers incorporates his son’s breakfast cereal, and the skills and training acquired with Triad Community Kitchen, into some of Winston Salem’s most loved cheesecakes. DJs Cheesecakes, owned and operated by Myers and his wife, Jennifer, began with a social media post. A picture of a strawberry cheesecake Myers learned to make that day in class garnered so much attention from friends and family that something clicked. “I posted it; Facebook went crazy,” Myers says. “I said okay, let’s make this a business.” Myers discovered and cultivated his love of cheesecake through the Second Harvest Food Bank’s Culinary Training program and Triad Community Kitchen. The latter provides an opportunity in culinary training for community members who, like Myers, are met with road blocks to employment after time spent in the criminal justice system. “After I graduated, I tried to get into one of the restaurants downtown” he says. “I was so wet behind the ears that I had a beautiful cheesecake, showed it to the

chef, he asked me the ingredients, and I blanked.” When downtown establishments turned him away, Myers turned back to Second Harvest Food Bank. “At this point in time they had a restaurant inside the DoubleTree Hotel on University called Providence,” he says. “I had a portfolio of my work and progress. ‘You can come over here.’ Providence gave me the opportunity to put my cheesecake on a menu.” DJ’s Cheesecakes snowballed from there. Myers currently serves 13 different locations throughout the Triad, ranging from country clubs to bodegas. “We want to be accessible to everyone,” he says. “With food, there really is no limitation. We put our principles into building a brand that’s based off adhering to the people, to the ones that support us.” Without a standard menu, Myers’ cheesecake flavors have as much variety as the locations he sells them. “We could be walking through the grocery store and my son sees Crunch Berries,” he says. “Okay let’s try that. My kids are my critics, the first to try it every time.” His cheesecake concoctions include Cinnamon Toast Crunch, pink lemonade,

We say we’re your neighborhood cheesecake plug....

CULTURE runs by, asks when he’s going to be back to teach, and runs out. “You can use your mistakes to push you and motivate you,” he says. “I made myself accessible to people who wouldn’t give me an opportunity at all just off a box that was checked on a piece of paper. Don’t ever let a mistake define you because you’re going to make them. Mistakes are inevitable.” Find DJs Cheesecakes on Instagram at @djscheesecakes336, and on TikTok @ djscheesecakes. Contact Myers directly to order via their Facebook page, DJs Cheesecakes.

CULTURE | MAY 12 - 18, 2022

KAITLYNN HAVENS

Fruity Pebbles, Lucky Charms, his top-selling banana pudding (his wife’s grandmother’s recipe) and seasonal specials like a Little Debbie Christmas Tree cheesecake. Myers’ commitment to family, community and his past mentors are clear in his marketing and distribution. “We’re accessible to anybody,” he says. “You don’t have to go too far. We say we’re your neighborhood cheesecake plug — you can get to it within 10 minutes wherever you’re at in the city.” Walking into J and J Food Mart on Broad Street in Washington Park, the cashier beams as she talks about the flavors she’s suggested to Myers. Another patron shouts from the back cooler that they’ve known “DJ” since he was a kid. At Triad Community Kitchen, Myers is met with commotion and encouragement from old instructors and fellow chefs. A request for “one of those cherry ones,” is met with an “I got you, man.” As for now, DJs Cheesecakes has no plan for a storefront, but that isn’t stopping Myers from dreams of expansion. “We got people commenting all the time from Tennessee, from Virginia,” he says. “We want to work on getting our cheesecakes to them. Shipping our cheesecakes is the next step.” Myers smiles as a fellow Triad Community Kitchen chef

Daryl Myers Jr. got his start making cheesecakes after training through Second Harvest Food Bank and Triad Community Kitchen.

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DANNY H. ROGERS

GUILFORD COUNTY SHERIFF

NOW LEASING THE STEELHOUSE CENTER FOR URBAN MANUFACTURING AND INNOVATION

Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers is working for the county, our community and all its citizens.

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1451 S Elm Eugene Street #BusinessisBuiltHere 13

SHOT IN THE TRIAD | MAY 12 - 18, 2022

SHOT IN THE TRIAD BY CAROLYN DE BERRY

W. Market Street, Greensboro

Guilford County early voting runs through Saturday, May 14. Election Day is Tuesday, May 17.

‘Skill Sets’—going a bit squabbly. by Matt Jones

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:

Across

1. “People Puzzler” airer 4. Adult Swim’s “Joe ___ Talks With You” 8. English university city 13. Tab, for example 14. “I’m rippin’ up ___ doll ...” (Aerosmith lyric) 15. “Ad ___ per aspera” 16. ___ of the hat 17. Really close group of friends? 19. Equilateral unit of steam? 21. Palindromic dental deg. 22. How cuneiform characters were often preserved 23. Dollar bill depiction, familiarly 25. Yell after finishing a ride, maybe 26. Reddit Q&A forum 29. To be, to Nero 30. They’re on all four Monopoly board edges, for short 31. Territorial land grabber 35. Response to “Are my shoes really that waterlogged?” 39. Fashionable quality 40. NFL Pro Bowl safety Chancellor 42. Albanian’s neighbor 45. OutKast’s city, for short 46. “Fine, what’s the answer?” 48. “Be right there” 51. Snowball thrower 52. Bathrooms in Bath 53. Sound from an ocean predator imitating a mouse? 57. High-pitched cries of joy during summer? 59. London’s national art gallery 60. “Arrivederci” relative 61. They’re all mined 62. Actor Sitka (one of two actors who appeared with all six different Stooges on film) 63. ___ Haute, Indiana 64. Nair rival, once 65. Punk record label, or a retired ultra-fast aircraft

Down

1. Showed one’s ire 2. Antique book protector 3. Seaport southeast of Roma 4. “Crazy” singer Cline 5. La Salle who returned to “Coming 2 America” 6. Jar sold near the farfalle 7. Ottoman Empire official 8. Uses high-tech beams 9. “Roman J. Israel, ___” (2017 movie) 10. Musical practice pieces 11. Stage offerings 12. Bike seat 13. Expensive eggs 18. ___TV (“Adam Ruins Everything” network) 20. Cattle farm 24. “The X-Files” program, for short

PUZZLES | MAY 12 - 18, 2022

CROSSWORD

26. Former Bowl of Hawaii 27. Everest, for one 28. “Tokyo Vice” star Elgort 32. Sounds of dismay 33. Mensa still tests them 34. 1968 CCR hit preceded by the lyric “Baby I love you” 36. Alerts from HQ 37. Winter Olympics groups 38. Exchange blows 41. She was followed by Scholz 42. Carefree reply 43. Turn LEAD into GOLF, maybe? 44. Tend to your Crockpot stew a few hours later 47. Squat muscles 49. Suffix similar to -ish 50. “Crazy Rich Asians” director 51. “Hey! Over here!” 54. Many millennia 55. Like some collectibles 56. Cubism-influenced Swiss artist 58. To be, in Tijuana

SUDOKU

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: