TCB Nov. 18, 2021 — Cracked! by Triad City Beat

NOV. 18 - NOV. 23, 2021 TRIAD-CITY-BEAT.COM

CRACKED GERRYMANDERING BREAKS UP THE STATE’S LARGEST METRO AREAS BY NICOLE ZELNIKER | PG

BLACK@INTERSECTION PAGE 12

ELSEWHERE TAKES OFF PAGE 11

GUNS IN SCHOOLS PAGE 8

NOV. 18-23, 2021

Coronavirus in the Triad (as of Wednesday, Nov. 17) Documented COVID-19 diagnoses NC 1,510,086 (+12,409) Forsyth 52,943 (+487) Guilford 68,678 (+652)

COVID-19 deaths NC 118,514 (+143) Forsyth 576 (+4) Guilford 879 (+0) Documented recoveries NC 1,466,246 (+12,164) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 66,519 (+579)

Hospitalizations (right now) NC 1,049 (-46) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 49 (-6) Vaccinations NC Partially vaccinated 5,902,781 (+82,271) Fully vaccinated 5,892,983 (56%, +20,980) Forsyth Partially vaccinated 233,893 (+3,160) Fully vaccinated 216,877 (57%, +805) Guilford Partially vaccinated 323,461 (+3,617) Fully vaccinated 302,731 (56%, +842)

Brian Clarey brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS

Allen Broach allen@triad-city-beat.com

OF COUNSEL

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Michaela Ratliff michaela@triad-city-beat.com

Chris Rudd chris@triad-city-beat.com

SPECIAL SECTION EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITORIAL ADVISOR

Jordan Green jordan@triad-city-beat.com

EDITORIAL MANAGING EDITOR

ART ART DIRECTOR

STAFF WRITER

SALES SALES EXECUTIVE

Sayaka Matsuoka sayaka@triad-city-beat.com Nicole Zelniker nicole@triad-city-beat.com

1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336.681.0704 CHIEF CONTRIBUTOR KEY ACCOUNTS

Nikki Miller-Ka niksnacksblog@gmail.com

Charlie Marion charlie@triad-city-beat.com

Drew Dix drew@triad-city-beat.com

This is not a eulogy

t was a long year, during which he rarely left his chair in the living room by Brian Clarey and, later, the hospital bed. His was a slow ride: painful, desperate. At the end he was so weak he could barely speak, yet so strong he clung to life for days after he’d stopped eating and drinking. My father inlaw is not for me to eulogize. He didn’t even like me all that much at first, truth be told. After five or 10 years I really think he started to warm up to me, but I’m not fit to interpret the arc of his life. Jim belonged wholly to his wife and to his daughters, who rarely left his side since last Thanksgiving, when things started to go bad. My wife and her twin drove down to that tragically beautiful seaside town of Beaufort, SC every other week to cook meals and clean house. Later they’d rub his feet to help restore

circulation. Finally, there was nothing left to do but hold his hand as he suffered. And suffer he did. It was beautiful to watch, this final act of caregiving against the inevitability of death, in the same way the Spanish moss in Beaufort is beautiful at sunset as it catches the last of the light in its tangles, when the water in the bay ripples down into flat glass and the sky, slowly, goes quietly dark. All around me now I sense the end of things — of people, of places, of ideas that have served us so well for so long. I can feel the wheel turning, one generation replacing the next like a shark’s teeth, growing from the back. We’ll head down to Beaufort one last time to send him off, to gather with the people who loved him and do things the way he would have wanted, because that is what you do. And maybe we’ll walk down to the water at Pigeon Point at sunset to watch the water turn to gold, perhaps catch some dolphins breaking the surface before we go home.

Maybe we’ll walk down to the water at Pigeon Point at sunset to watch the water turn to gold.

Current cases NC 25,326 (-102) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 1,279 (-73)

BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

Carolyn de Berry, James Douglas, Matt Jones, Jordan Howse, Jen Sorensen, Clay Jones

COVER

Forsyth and Guilford County redistricting maps illustrated by Charlie Marion

N. GREENE ST.

N DAVIE ST

N. ELM ST.

Ho Re lida tur y n s

NOV. 18-23, 2021

N CHURCH ST

Community Tree E. FRIENDLY AVE.

PIEDMONT WINTERFEST Ice Rink | NOV. 19 - JAN. 30

E MARKET ST.

MERRY MADNESS PASSPORT Spend Local, Win $$ | NOV. 27-DEC. 24

TINSEL TOWN

W. WASHINGTON ST.

HUGHES ST

S. DAVIE ST.

HOLIDAY WINDOW DECORATING Vote for your favorite | NOV. 27-DEC. 31

LYNDON ST

E SYCAMORE ST

E. WASHINGTON ST.

Community Tree Display | DEC. 3-31

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS Community Tree Lighting | DEC. 3

W MCGEE ST

Holiday Parade Route

S DA VIE ST

HOLIDAY PARADE DEC. 4

S. GREENE ST.

Selfie-lovers Dream | DEC. 3-31

FEDERAL PL

PEPPERMINT ALLEY

Festival of Lights Route

SANTA AT THE BILTMORE DEC. 4-5, 11-12, 17-19 SANTA CON Bar Crawl | DEC. 11

CLASSIC HOLIDAY MOVIES Carolina Theatre ALL MONTH LONG

W. LEWIS ST. S. ELM ST.

THE NUTCRACKER Greensboro Ballet at the Carolina Theatre DEC. 11-12, 17-19

R DR

ARLINGTON ST

MLK J

GATE CITY BLVD

DOWNTOWNINDECEMBER.ORG

UP FRONT | NOV. 18-23, 2021

CITY LIFE Nov. 18-23 by Jasmine Gaines

THURSDAY Nov. 18 Theatre Art Galleries exhibit @ 220 E. Commerce Ave (HP) 5:30 p.m.

Get a different perspective of art at this upcoming visual art exhibit. Greig Leach, Lyudmila Tomova and Joseph Lahita will have galleries to display their unique styles. For more information visit their website. University Band and Wind Ensemble @ UNCG Auditorium (GSO) 7:30 p.m.

Icons the Drag Dinner Show @ Chemistry Nightclub (GSO) 8 p.m.

Come witness the finest drag in North Carolina. Bring your family for this entertaining and affordable dinner. All ages are welcomed, and social distancing will be practiced. For more information visit the event page. Let’s Have a Ball Dance Series @ Fred Astaire Dance Studio (GSO) 8 p.m. Join this dance company for the final round of the three-part series. Enjoy a night of practicing the Hustle, Merengue and Salsa dances. Be sure to come out in your best performance attire. Visit fredastaire.com/greensboro for more information.

SATURDAY Nov. 20

The music majors of UNCG welcome you as they perform a challenging yet historic ensemble to display their artistry. Masks are required while inside the performance hall. To pre-register for tickets or for more information visit the UNCG website.

FRIDAY Nov. 19 Reynolda Village Holiday Stroll @ Reynolda Village Shops and Restaurants (W-S) 5 p.m.

Tis’ the season to enjoy a historic stroll through Reynolda Village to jumpstart the jolly holiday. Carolers, free carriage rides and site-seeing of Christmas decorations will keep you occupied on the tour. Fan favorite shops will provide holiday selections with a special appearance by Saint Nick. Visit the Facebook page for more information.

Crafts Fair @ M.C. Benton Jr. Convention Center (W-S) 10 a.m. The gathering of crafty artists working in wood, glass, and fiber is back. Photography and printmaking are also included in this yearly exhibition. Three honoree artists will select the winner that meets the Piedmont Craftsmen standard. Visit the piedmontcraftsmen. org for more information. Hearth Cooking @ High Point Museum (HP) 10 a.m. Early Americans enjoyed meals cooked on an open hearth. Come see what the hype is about at High Point Museum, where all ages are welcome to the feast. Costumed interpreters will cook some traditional harvest meals in the Hoggatt House. For more information visit the

Facebook page. Whimsical Women Fall Art Show @ Bailey Park (W-S) 11 a.m. Celebrate the 25th anniversary of this show with over 100 whimsical artists in Bailey Park. Receive updates about the event on the Facebook page. Sting @ Tanger Center for the Performing Arts (GSO) 8 p.m. The Greensboro Symphony Orchestra (GSO) presents Sting, the world’s most renowned and distinctive artist. Join the Grammy award winning singer as he performs alongside of GSO. The performance will include contemporary interpretations of his most celebrated hits. For more information visit the symphony’s webpage.

SUNDAY Nov. 21 Thanksgiving Drive Thru @ E. Cone Boulevard (GSO) 10 a.m. Evangel Fellowship is hosting this drive-thru event for families in need of food for Thanksgiving. Be sure to sign up by Nov. 19. Check the Facebook page out for more information.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 17 NOV, WED 9pm – 12am

PREZ - In the Beat of the Night 103.1 WUAG

20 NOV, SAT 8 – 11pm

The Joy Band feat. Molly McGinn, Sam Frazier & Chris Micca

23 NOV, TUE 8 – 11pm

Charlie Hunter Duo w George Sluppick

27 NOV, SAT 3 – 11pm

Aric Naylor Celebration of Life - Various Artists

30 NOV, TUE 8 – 11pm

Charlie Hunter Duo w George Sluppick

18 NOV, THU 8pm – 11pm

Slim Gambill - Guitarist for Lady A

21 NOV, SUN 8 – 11:30pm

The Hit w Chuck Pinckney

24 NOV, WED 9pm – 12am

PREZ - In the Beat of the Night 103.1 WUAG

19 NOV, FRI 9 – 11:30pm

Sam Fribush Organ Trio James Taylor & His All-Star Band

22 NOV, MON 9 – 11:30pm

J Timber Open Mic

26 NOV, FRI 9 – 11:30pm

Friendsgiving - Old Heavy Hands

26 NOV, FRI 9 – 11:30pm

Friendsgiving - Old Heavy Hands

28 NOV, SUN 8 – 11:30pm

The Hit w Chuck Pinckney

29 NOV, MON 9 – 11:30pm

J Timber Open Mic

1 DEC, WED 9pm – 12am

In the Beat of the Night w/ Maia Kamil

4 DEC, SAT 10 pm

1 DEC, WED 9pm – 12am

In the Beat of the Night w/ Maia Kamil

8 DEC, WED 9pm – 12am

PREZ - In the Beat of the Night 103.1 WUAG

10 DEC, FRI 9pm – 12am

Dj Harrison Album Release Party

3 Chambers After Party & Wutang Tribute Night! 10pm

11 DEC, SAT 9 – 11:30pm Abigail Dowd

Activists battle newly redrawn NC district maps in court by Nicole Zelniker

f all the new US Congressional maps for the 2022 election cycle, North Carolina’s are by far the worst. On Nov. 4, the Republican-led NC General Assembly approved the newly redrawn district maps for the upcoming 2022 elections. This means that some voters who had previously voted in one district may end up across the line in another. Currently, North Carolina’s 13 congressional districts are represented by eight Republicans and five Democrats, even though the state has historically been split evenly regarding the political parties of voters. This next election is likely to tip the scales even further to the right, as the new maps have been redrawn using cracking and packing in the three largest metro areas in the state. Packing is when voters of similar voting pattern are put together in one district. This is what has happened in the city of Raleigh, which gives District 5, a 65-32 Democrat advantage, and Durham County, which is folded into District 6 that is 71 percent Democrat. Charlotte becomes District 9, also 71 percent Democrat, while the rest of Mecklenburg is cracked off into District 13 (59 percent Republican) and District 8 (57 percent Republican). Cracking is when one group of like-minded voters is split up into many to include more voters of the opposite party so that the first party does not have as much power. This is what has happened in Guilford County, where Greensboro has been cracked into three separate Congressional districts Rep. Destin Hall (R-Caldwell), who worked on the state House maps, said, “We focused only on traditional criteria like keeping counties and cities whole. North Carolinians can be All three of the Triad’s new district maps received a failing score from the Princeton Gerrymandering Project. The top map depicts the new US Congressional districts. On the proud of what has been the most transparent bottom left is the new state House map and next to it is the new state Senate map. redistricting process in state history.” “Instead of voters choosing their politicians, we have politicians choosing their votPublic input has always been an important part of redrawing state maps, but Deers,” said Pearce. “When that happens, the only people these politicians have to listen mocracy NC Communications Manager Joselle Torres says the public has had a lot to are the extreme ends of their base.” less of a say in recent years compared to years prior. In the last few weeks, Torres and others at Democracy NC have been working to For example, while 63 public hearings were available for the public to give their inmake sure voters’ comments are interpreted correctly by the General Assembly. put in 2010, there were only 13 in 2020. In the two weeks since the maps were drawn, “The biggest thing for us is representing the people that the North Carolina General only two hearings were available and the public only had four days to analyze them Assembly has shut out,” said Torres. “When we think about the candidate filing deadbefore the hearings. line for Dec. 6, how can we ensure bad maps don’t lead to bad elections?” The NC NAACP and Democracy NC, among other organizations, have already Greensboro representative Pricey Harrison, of District 61, is one of the few Demfiled lawsuits claiming all three newly drawn maps are unfair or illegal. ocrats who feels secure in her seat. She says, however, that this may not be the best “The main issue in one of the lawsuits is that legislators did not use any racial data thing. in creating these maps,” said James Pearce, the organizing manager at Represent Us, “We’ve got six safe seats, but it’s better for the public if you have competitive seats,” an organization dedicated to rooting out systemic inequality in politics. “They’re reshe said. “There will be a primary, and this is the problem with this gerrymandering, quired to create a number of majority-minority districts. This is especially bad around is that the election is going to be made in the primary. You need to compromise and Greensboro, where African-American members of the Senate are going to be drawn work together.” into more competitive districts and we’re going to see a loss of BIPOC representaHarrison has been fighting for fair elections since she took office in 2004. She says tion.” that if it were up to her, she would have an independent redistricting commission The new state Senate map packs Winston-Salem into District 32 and cracks Guilredraw the election maps rather than current representatives. ford County into three districts. “You can’t forget the info you have in your head about where the Republican preRepresent Us worked with the Princeton Gerrymandering Project to grade the cincts are,” she said. “It would be better for the public because you wouldn’t be trying North Carolina maps that were submitted for approval. Each map was graded on parto protect your incumbency.” tisan fairness, competitiveness and geographic features. The project works by taking computer simulations of the redistricting plans and comparing the official maps. Candidate filings are due by Dec. 6, 2021. The primaries will be held on March 8, 2022 and the All three maps got Fs overall and Fs for partisan fairness, meaning that as the maps general elections on Nov. 8, 2022. are now, few Republican candidates will have to compete to keep their seats. Some of the other state maps have Fs, such as Texas’ Congressional and Senate maps and Ohio’s state house maps, but no other state has a failing grade for all three maps as of yet.

NEWS | NOV. 18-23, 2021

NEWS

NEWS | NOV. 18-23, 2021

NEWS

As violent crime continues to ravage W-S, community aims to tackle the issue of guns in schools by Lauren Berryman A Mt. Tabor student is one of 28 victims to die by gunfire on school campuses nationwide this year. Some local leaders say more school resource officers could alleviate the violence, while others call for better mental health options and demand poverty be addressed.

go, many kids spent more time in their neighborhoods. “You have these issues that are spinning out of control in communities,” said Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. “These issues spin their way into the school systems. These disputes from the violence leave the community and come to the school.” For the first time in 10 years, FBI data shows North Carolina’s violent crimes rate surpassed the country’s rate in 2020. Homicides in the state continue to exceed the national rate as well. “I’m concerned; I’ve always been concerned,” Judy Uhrig, Winston-Salem resident, said. “These guns, they’re everywhere.”

s gun violence escalates around the country, lawmakers, law enforcement agencies, school officials and community leaders continue to grapple with the presence of firearms in schools. This year, more than 18,000 people have died by deliberate or accidental gunfire in the United States, including more than 1,300 children, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a not-for-profit research group tracking gun violence in the US. This number does not Addressing gun violence in schools include suicides, which would nearly double the count. o abate gun violence incidents in WSFC American Violence, also tracking gun incidents, found Schools, county leaders have both shortthat shootings are up in cities including Winston-Salem, and long-term goals. Following the Mt. where 38 more shootings occurred from October 2020 Tabor shooting, principals and officers now through September 2021 compared to the previous year. search students with hand wands as needed; staff use While officials search for a solution, gun violence detectors to screen people coming to large events, like continues to take the lives of youth, including 15-yearfootball games. A search dog brought into schools by the old William Chavis Renard Miller Jr., who was shot at sheriff’s office now sniffs for guns. Mt. Tabor High School on Sept. 1. This tragedy marked “My immediate response is that I have taken what the first deadly school shooting at any Winston-Salem/ they call ‘rob Peter to pay Paul,’” Sheriff Kimbrough Forsyth County (WSFC) School, district officials said to said. “I have pulled people from other parts of this agenthe best of their knowledge. cy to augment the school system. Miller was fatally shot by I can’t keep that up though. I another 15-year-old student, can’t pull people from what they Maurice Trevon Evans Jr., on normally or should be doing, but what started out as a normal I’ve got to do that to make sure Wednesday at school. Evans’ our schools are safe.” attorney said the teen allegedly Kimbrough said in an shot Miller out of fear after interview last month that the receiving a death threat from principals he talked to think him, the Winston-Salem Journal their schools need more officers reported last month. Miller is in schools, commonly known as one of 28 victims to die by gun school resources officers (SROs), violence in US schools so far this to keep students and staff safe. year, according to Everytown Currently, 37 deputies work in Research. the SRO division, one at each “I was just frozen,” said Kyli WSFC middle and high school. White, a second-grade teacher, On Jan. 1, five more SROs thinking about how she reacted – Terrance Hawkins, Lit City will start at Mt. Tabor, Paisley, to the Mt. Tabor shooting. “I Parkland, Reynolds and Glenn immediately, in my mind, went — where weapons have been back to Sandy Hook,” where 26 found — upping the number to elementary students and school staff in Connecticut were 42 deputies. shot and killed in 2012. But many activists and social justice scholars don’t Since the beginning of the school year, WSFC think more police will solve the gun violence problem. Schools, which serves about 53,000 students, has reportRather, they argue that it reinforces the school-to-prison ed seven guns and six BB guns on campuses according pipeline, which is a national trend indicating marginto an email by Brent Campbell, chief marketing and alized students are fed into the criminal justice system communications officer for the school system. rather than having their needs met with additional counSome worry the pandemic led to increased trauma seling and educational opportunities. among youth, resulting from parents losing jobs and “I believe that there is still a role for law enforcement less-structured schedules for kids. With fewer places to in our society, but I do not believe that simply having

‘It really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at the history and see how mass investment in one side of town and disinvestment in another can create all sorts of communal ills.’

more police is the answer,” said Kami Chavis, professor of law at Wake Forest University’s School of Law, speaking to the national trend of gun violence. “I think that we need to have more effective law enforcement, and law enforcement officers need to be seen as guardians of the community rather than having a warrior mentality.” WSFC Schools Superintendent Tricia McManus said while security measures have been taken, “that doesn’t fix the underlying problem.” She explained that fostering relationships with students is key because the community’s support is necessary to succeed. “Students have to feel that the adults in the schools know them,” she said. “That they’ve built relationships with them. That there’s someone there that they can speak to. That’s the kind of culture that we expect in all schools. That’s the kind of culture that changes the trajectory for our children, and so that’s where we’re investing most of our time.” But some WSFC Schools social workers divide their time between multiple schools. And McManus said in an interview last month that she is having trouble filling two social-worker positions. Her next step, she said, is figuring out why students are bringing these weapons to school. She wants to create an environment where kids can talk openly to help safely and effectively resolve disputes.

The root of the problem

cManus explained one way societal issues make their way into schools is through the burdens, or “backpacks,” some children carry. “They have a backpack of things that you can see and are clear. And they have a backpack that’s invisible of things that you cannot see,” McManus said, referencing the book Two Backpacks, by Adolph Brown. “That’s what has to be uncovered.” Sheriff Kimbrough acknowledges these burdens stem from the economic, social and racial divisions within the city. “In one part of the city, it has a 14-year less life expectancy than anywhere else in the county. In the same part of the city, you have the highest rate of poverty,” Kimbrough said, referencing data from the US Small-Area Life Expectancy and Estimates Project. He said issues with poverty, equality and equitability drive violence in these communities. There have been 29 murders across the city this year, tracked by the Winston-Salem Police Department in a report and crime map. As Kimbrough indicated, the murders are mostly confined to one part of town: along US 52 in East Winston. “Unfortunately, in my opinion, it took them doing the shooting in a school for people to start taking it seriously,” said Sarah Gray, a Winston-Salem resident. “This is happening out in these neighborhoods and streets often. It’s just people kind of can turn a blind eye because it’s

Community involvement

NEWS | NOV. 18-23, 2021

not their neighborhood.” To some social justice scholars, addressing mental health or gang presence is not enough. They said these issues are byproducts of a larger, systemic issue, and that’s poverty. “We know that Winston-Salem is infamous for the way that children are trapped in cycles of poverty, and everyone in the city is complicit in it,” said Dr. Brittany Battle, assistant professor of sociology at Wake Forest University. She added that gentrification and limited resources allocated to oppressed communities exacerbate divisions. Terrance Hawkins, founder of a local youth development initiative called Lit City and lifelong Winston-Salem resident, echoes this sentiment. “When communities are systematically destabilized, gangs organically form,” Hawkins said. “Those gangs are a response to fear, a response to trauma, a response to so many other issues that Black and Brown working-class communities of Winston-Salem face.” To label it a gang issue, he added, zooms in on the symptom without addressing the cause. To address poverty, he said these communities need better access to affordable housing, healthcare, mental health, transportation and education. “It really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at the history and see how mass investment in one side of town and disinvestment in another can create all sorts of communal ills,” Hawkins said. COURTESY PHOTO

“You have these issues that are spinning out of control in communities. These issues spin their way into the school systems.” said Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. about the gun violence in schools.

n Nov. 20, locals can exchange their firearms for cash with no questions asked at football. The sheriff’s office and YMCA are partnering the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. This buywith My Brother’s Second Chance to mentor Forsyth back program, led by CouncilwomCounty youth. an Barbara Hanes Burke and the “Some join the gangs because Winston-Salem Police Department, they’re getting bullied by other is one of the city’s latest efforts to kids,” Stevenson said. “Some just reduce the number of guns in the aren’t receiving love from anyone community. else. They’re just trying to belong.” To help augment changes taking In addition, Hawkins has spent place in schools, local activists, the past 10 years leading the including Antonio Stevenson, grassroots organization Lit City, founder of the after-school mentorwhere he works with local Black ship program, My Brother’s Second and Brown children in schools, Chance, are encouraging commurecreation centers and churches, nity members to get involved in empowering them to develop their supporting the city’s youth. identities, navigate barriers and While service is voluntary, Stevengrow in self-advocacy to resist socie– Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby son said, “your payment is you’re tal injustices. Kimbrough saving a life.” Hawkins said he’s looking Stevenson said kids search for a forward to Cure Violence Global sense of belonging after the school coming to Winston-Salem to help day ends, leading some to join de-escalate violence. gangs. His program offers kids another support system by The organization treats violence as a public health teaching leadership skills, offering tutoring and practicing issue and, more specifically, a transmissible disease.

‘I can’t pull people from what they normally or should be doing, but I’ve got to do that to make sure our schools are safe.’

“If someone is exposed to violence, whether that means witnessing or experiencing it, they’re then more likely to have the potential to commit violence in the future,” said a representative from Cure Violence. “It spreads from person-to-person and then becomes contagious as it becomes a norm in that community.” Cure Violence hopes to change the narrative, saying it is not bad people who are violent, but that violence is a bad behavior that can change. And that’s why Kimbrough said it’s going to take a multifaceted approach to fix the overarching problem of violence in the community. “[Gun violence] is not a school problem. It’s not a sheriff’s problem. It’s a community problem. It’s a ‘we’ problem,” Kimbrough said. “We’ve got to come together and fix this problem.”

OPINION | NOV. 18-23, 2021

OPINION EDITORIAL

Jen Sorensen jensorensen.com/subscribe

Gerrymandering is for scumbags

he new maps are in, and they suck. Well, they mostly suck. Republicans in the NC House were able to control some of their otherwise unbridled greed to make a somewhat reasonable redistricting map: In 120 districts, most incumbents will be able to keep their seats. Out of 120 seats, the final count has 55 safe Republican seats, 42 safe Democrat seats and 24 competitive seats, about half of which lean slightly to the right. There is, however slight, still a sense of fair play. The NC Senate map is subtle in its stacking of the deck, giving the Rs 24 safe seats and the Ds 17, leaving nine up for grabs. It keeps Greensboro relatively whole for Sen. Gladys Robinson (D), ceding the rest of Guilford County to Sen. Michael Garrett (D) and a couple of Republicans who took office after one longtime incumbent stepped down and another got embroiled in a sex scandal. It splits Forsyth County, and Winston-Salem, in two. The Congressional map is the most egregious abuse of power the NC GOP has enacted yet, a sinister gerrymander that’s part of a national political coup designed to reinforce minority rule in the United States. Of NC’s 14 Congressional districts, eight of them are now safely Republican, an insurmountable majority that could tip as far as 11-3 after the 2022 elections if things go the Republicans’ way in this off-year election.

It’s disgraceful. It’s shameful. It’s corrupt. And it’s un-American. Let’s look at the math: There are 7,166,999 voters in the state as of this week — 2.49 million Democrats, 2.45 million unaffiliated and 2.18 million Republicans. So registered Republicans make up less than 31 percent of the electorate, yet they will control almost 80 percent of Congressional representation. The map packs Winston-Salem into a rural district that drops as far south as Lincoln County. It cracks Greensboro into three districts, all of which may end up being represented by Republicans even though the city and county are solidly blue. One of these Greensboro districts, the one where current Rep. Kathy Manning (D) lives, also contains parts of Boone, the section where Rep. Virginia Foxx (R) lives. This bill passed earlier this month in its third reading with aye votes from every single House Republican. This willingness to abuse power, to instill the rule of the minority over the majority, to subvert the will of the people of the state of North Carolina shows an astonishing lack of character, even for elected officials. There’s a word for people of low character, whose words can’t be trusted and whose motives are kept to themselves. They’re scumbags. And they’re running the show.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK These are not European versions of Blackness, Westernized versions of Blackness. This is, to me, how Black people look.” — Duane Cyrus, page 13

1451 S Elm Eugene Street #BusinessisBuiltHere

by Nicole Zelniker

pril Parker and Matthew Giddings should not, under any circumstances, be allowed to fly a plane. Giddings, the executive director of Elsewhere and Parker, Elsewhere’s managing director, hosted the 12th annual Extravaganza at Greensboro’s quirky living museum and artist residency on Saturday, an event which included a street party with live music and a flight simulation/tour around the museum. The two of them boarded their flight, which played on a projector screen on Elsewhere’s ground floor, and zoomed over Greensboro and into the third-floor window. Unfortunately for them, they got stuck in the ribbon room and unceremoniously thrown out of the plane. After a quick run-in with a toy shark, they flew out through the mirror room as someone in the back of the audience laughed and yelled, “This is hilarious.” “The theme is all about taking flight,” explained Devin Miller, an event volunteer. “It’s all about departing and arriving.” Throughout the evening, attendees were invited to move from their homes to the museum to the street party, which was airport-terminal themed, something that had taken the Elsewhere team a while to plan. At one point, the theme was “homecoming,” but Giddings thought that word might have too strong an association with NCA&T. Then, the idea became transportation. Finally, they landNICOLE ZELNIKER ed on flights. Miller was there as a flight attendant, one of the Elsewhere Living Art Museum transformed into an airport terminal for the evening. several volunteers who guided guests from points A to B. Miller, who has worked with Giddings bethrough the next room, where they were redirected to the bar behind the musefore, said he immediately jumped on the chance to help when asked. um, where another volunteer posed as a comedic and rather artistic vampire. “When he called us and said, ‘Hey, we need volunteers for our exhibit,’ it was The charismatic host showed the group his drawings which included a blank no problem,” said Miller, whose wife was also volunteering as a flight attencanvas, or “self-portrait.” At one point, he claimed that bats are better than dant. “We’ve been down here quite a few times, maybe a dozen times, and we cats. like what they’re doing in the community. So when he called to ask for volun“I can prove it alphabetically,” he said. He flipped the page of his sketchbook, teers, I absolutely showed up.” where he had listed alphabetically the words Bat, Cat, Dat, Eat and Fat. This is Giddings’ first extravaganza as executive director, and Parker’s first “You see?” he said. “At the very top of the alphabet, it goes, ‘Bat.’ However, as managing director. So much of the event was new, including the extensive ‘Cat dat eat, fat.’” This earned appreciative laughter from the small crowd. collaborations with the neighborhood. Every single restaurant on Elm Street The group dispersed afterwards into the street party. The bands played into contributed to the event, whether financially or with food, as did most of the the night, filling the chilly November air with music which mixed with the sound businesses. Elsewhere ended up with over $10,000 in sponsorships. of the audience’s amused laughter. And even though this year’s event has just “Departing and arriving is about marking this moment in Elsewhere’s history,” ended, the museum’s team is already planning next year’s extravaganza, which, said Giddings. “The arrival of this moment, the departure from the way we’ve for now, will be Nightmare on Elm Street themed. run extravaganzas in the past.” “It’s on brand for Elsewhere to be kind of over the top,” said Giddings. Inside, Giddings began the tour to a group of a dozen or so passengers. “There’s a maxim that we kept repeating, that ‘More is more.’ So we would “This is our first flight ever, so I hope you feel safe on this trip,” he said, stand- often just do the thing that was more complicated and collaborative and fun, ing in front of a projector screen. “There may be a few bugs but because we do even if we didn’t make as much money as we’d hoped. The investment in all everything collaboratively, you’ll be called upon to make sure we get where we these relationships is more than a set number of dollar.” need to go safely. “We’ll be flying into Elsewhere, Terminal E,” he continued. “You’ll have about Elsewhere’s next event is a 24-hour Fort Night membership drive, with the five minutes to prepare for your next flight. You will have to take off your shoes event being free for members, $5 for children and $15 for adults. at security, so prepare yourself for that, and you may want to say a prayer.” His last comment earned him laughter from the group. After the flight simulation played on the screen, the group cleared out

CULTURE | NOV. 18-23, 2021

Elsewhere Museum takes off in evening of flight during annual CULTURE Extravaganza

CULTURE | NOV. 18-23, 2021

SECCA’s new show ‘Black@Intersection’ reimagines, CULTURE recalibrates, reveals Black art by Sayaka Matsuoka

In “Three Women” and “Three Sisters,” photographer Devin Newkirk reimagines the three muses as a trio of Black women and girls.

hey come in three, beautiful embodiments of grace, endless pools of inspiration for songs, dance and poetry. They are the Muses. On a bare wall inside the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, photographer Devin Newkirk’s interpretation of the Greek goddesses hangs next to images of shifting dancers and a powerful couple in black and brown. Two women crouch together, their backs to each other, their bodies forming a triangular fortress. One wears large hoops that kiss her leopard-print covered shoulders, her hair a soft afro. The other acts as a counterbalance, her attire more muted, pared down. Below them, a final woman sits with her arms outstretched behind her, reaching towards the platform upon which the other two have positioned themselves. A champagne skirt drapes over her legs, pooling at her feet and cascading beyond the frame. They look out at the viewer, acknowledging their presence, commanding respect. The piece is just one of many in the upcoming show at the contemporary museum called Black@Intersection which opens on Friday. The exhibit was guest curated by Duane Cyrus, a longtime dancer, lover of the arts and professor at UNCG. The goal for the show, Cyrus says during a tour of the exhibit on Monday, is to “address the intersectional nature of Blackness.” The show includes 25 artists from all over the world, many of them from

North Carolina and more than half of them women. As a Black performance artist who has worked in the field for decades, Cyrus says he is acutely aware of how Black bodies have been portrayed in different mediums throughout the years. “I wanted to emphasize that Black is comprised of many voices,” Cyrus says. “These artists don’t represent the full scope; there’s no way we could do that. But what they do and why I chose them is because they do help to identify a few themes.” The first he calls “Lens,” or ways in which artists are looking at the current moment such as the pandemic or Black Lives Matter protests and incorporating them into their work. The second is “Vision,” or works that “encapsulate a different Blackness or Blackness that could exist outside of a binary attachment to whiteness.” On the outside entrance walls of the museum, looming murals by Charlotte artist Wolly McNair transport visitors to another realm. Here, Black female-presenting figures wield weapons and commune with birds, their faces covered in geometric paint, limbs wrapped in threads and metals. The works look like pages out of a graphic novel, the figures exhibiting traditional African features like face masks and body markings juxtaposed with futuristic, space-age

CULTURE | NOV. 18-23, 2021

backgrounds. As part of those themese, Cyrus chose multiple photographs that capture They look like pieces that could be part of the Afro-futurist movement, which the nuances of Blackness in film. For him, the communication between bodies Cyrus acknowledges, but he’s careful not to label them as such for fear or and photography, when done right, is a marriage like no other. boxing them in. “There is a direct correlation between the moving body in performance… and “The minute we say a term, suddenly, all these parameters flood in about what we see with still form like photography,” Cyrus says. “Because a great what it’s supposed to look like,” he says. “What’s been great about these artists photo captures movement…. It’s about what the body can express…. I always is that one artist might be representing multiple themes and that’s that interappreciate the mise en scene; I’m very visual with my choreography so the sectionality, that fluidity I’m hoping for.” connection with me is seeing how bodies negotiate space.” Contrasting with McNair’s piece are photographs by Toronto artist Destinie Part of that explains the reasoning behind the artist’s “Resistance Project,” Adelakun including, “Adé - Crown of Oshun and Oya.” Like with McNair’s works, which Cyrus started in 2019 as a way to celebrate and recognize Black womAdelakun plays with historical notions of en in art, education and history. As part of Blackness by dressing her models in elabothe project, he has worked with numerous Black@Intersection opens at SECCA rate, beaded headdresses and textured garyoung artists, including photographer Devon ments. The titles of the works draw directly Newkirk to reframe the narrative about what on Friday with an opening reception from African deities. it means to be a Black woman today. from 5-8 p.m. The show will run Nearby, African artist Ibou Ndoye’s colorful That’s where the image of the three womabstracted portraits capture vibrant scenes en, which is also the title of the work, was until April 17. To learn more about the of everyday activities. When engaging with born. After Newkirk shot the image, Cyrus show, visit secca.org. For more on Black art, Cyrus explains that having a global was so taken by it that he convinced the phoperspective was important to him. tographer to recreate the image casting his Cyrus visit theatreofmovement.org. “Sometimes when we think about African three grandnieces as the muses. The idea, art, we only view it in a historical, traditionCyrus says, was for the three girls, who live in al sense, at least here in America,” Cyrus Winston-Salem, to be able to not just visualexplains. “And we don’t fully remember that there is a contemporary African ize themselves as works of art but actually see themselves reflected as such. voice.” And that’s how he hopes viewers feel about the show, too. Walking through the gallery, he explains the two remaining themes: “Corpore“I want people to takeaway that Blackness consists of a diverse group of al” and “Resistance Project.” people,” he says. “That we have contemporary voice, that we are not just part Both examine how Black bodies are projected out into the world. of the past, that we are not shaped solely by the oppressions that we have “It’s about Black artists using their bodies to claim Blackness for ourselves,” experienced, that we write the narrative for our future.” he says. “There’s such a history of Black bodies being co-opted, fetishized, objectified, oversexualized. The image is not controlled by Black people…. These are not European versions of Blackness, Westernized versions of Blackness. This is, to me, how Black people look.”

PUZZLES | NOV. 18-23, 2021

CROSSWORD by Matt Jones

“A Lot of Back and Forth”--here are a few examples.

SUDOKU

Across

1 Regular doofus 6 Spits some bars 10 Noun’s modifier (abbr.) 13 “The Crown” crown 14 ___ Parker (fashion brand) 15 1998 figure skating gold medalist Kulik 16 Deodorant brand 17 Contestant who may show up seemingly out of nowhere 19 Facts and figures about a flat paddleboat? 21 Noteworthy span 22 Mississauga’s prov. 23 “The Orville” creator MacFarlane 24 Prognosticator 26 “The Matrix Resurrections” star © 2021 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) 30 French Polynesia’s capital 33 1950s French president Rene 34 Long stories about a “M*A*S*H” character’s featured instrumental breaks? 38 Quickly 39 Sanctifies, in a way 40 Big name in violins and jet skis 43 “Strange” prefix 44 Physiques 46 “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” star Simu 47 Suffix after potent or caliph 50 Prescribe city-wide anxiety medication? 55 Dinosaur with large thumb spikes Answers from last issue 56 Sidewinder, e.g. 57 Attendee 58 Davidson of “SNL” 30 “Que ___?” (Spanish greeting) 59 Word before workings 31 Savage of “MythBusters” 60 ‘21 World Series champs 32 His items were too big, hard, and hot 61 River in World War I headlines 34 Jamie Foxx’s Oscar film 62 Megan Thee Stallion song about which Weird 35 Specialty of Emo Philips or Milton Jones Al tweeted: “Just listened to this. Not a very faith36 16-bit hedgehog ful cover version, if you ask me.” 37 Her backing group is The Banshees Down 41 Triceratops feature 1 Lacking new ideas 42 It’s written for commercials 2 Job offerer 45 Polygon’s count 3 Early earwig? 47 “Oh what the hell, I’ll just crush him like ___” 4 Brendon of Panic! at the Disco (Mr. Burns quote) 5 One who doesn’t take defeat well 48 “Oh Myyy!” memoirist George 6 Identify with 49 Apply 7 Page-___ (calendar brand) 50 Latvia’s capital 8 Falafel holders 51 Awards distinction for Audrey Hepburn 9 Quest participant 52 Tank filler 10 Ski resort near Salt Lake City 53 Show of hands 11 Gossip 54 Paquin of “The Piano” 12 Toronto team, casually 15 Completed, in Hollywood parlance 18 90 degrees from norte 20 Genuflection joints 25 “Don’t sweat it!” 27 “Mad TV” cast member Paul (the only openly gay cast member at the time) 28 Train station figs. 29 Admin’s domain, for short

Answers from previous publication.

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then you know...

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SHOT IN THE TRIAD | NOV. 18-23, 2021

SHOT IN THE TRIAD North Church Street, Greensboro

CAROLYN DE BERRY

Happy Thanksgiving!