TCB March 10, 2022 — Reynolda's Reckoning by Triad City Beat

MAR 10-16, 2022 TRIAD-CITY-BEAT.COM

WINSTON-SALEM EDITION

REYNOLDA’S RECKONING NEW EXHIBIT LOOKS AT REYNOLDA HOUSE’S PAST TREATMENT OF BLACK WORKERS, ARTISTS BY SAYAKA MATSUOKA | PG. 12

THE JOY OF FARMING AT CARTER G WOODSON PG. 11

DRIVER’S LICENSES, SETTLED PG. 8

MAR 10-16, 2022 TRIAD-CITY-BEAT.COM

E V I T C JE

B O Y R A

M I R P Republican school board candidates duke it out in the May primary BY SAYAKA MATSUOKA | PG. 4

REYNOLDA’S RACIAL RECKONING PG. 12

DRIVER’S LICENSES, SETTLED PG. 8

GREENSBORO EDITION

THE JOY OF FARMING AT CARTER G WOODSON PG. 11

UP FRONT | MAR 10 - 16, 2022

Coronavirus in the Triad

(as of Wednesday, March 9 ) Documented COVID-19 diagnoses

NC 2,604,971 (+11,980) Forsyth 91,574 (+238) Guilford 112,802 (+492) COVID-19 deaths NC 22,864 (+193) Forsyth 773 (+10) Guilford 1,024 (+0) Documented recoveries NC 2,560,824 (+26,772) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 110,276 (+1,248) Current cases NC 21,283 (-14,985) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 1,501 (-756) Hospitalizations (right now) NC 1,093 (-368) Forsyth *no data* Guilford 31 (-2) Vaccinations NC Partially vaccinated 6,356,475 (+22,349) Fully vaccinated 6,431,148 (61%, +14,207) Boosted: 3,183,855 (+27,942, 50% of vaccinated) Forsyth Partially vaccinated 249,641 (+279) Fully vaccinated 234,175 (61%, +360) Boosted: 113,423 (+844, 48% of vaccinated) Guilford Partially vaccinated 345,336 (+441) Fully vaccinated 326,972 (61%, +577) Boosted: 159,426 (+1.020, 49% of vaccinated)

BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Brian Clarey brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS

Allen Broach allen@triad-city-beat.com

OF COUNSEL

Jonathan Jones

ART ART DIRECTOR

The ghost of Darryl Hunt

n front of I thought about him often in the a capaciyears after that story ran, and even ty crowd more frequently after his death. Darin Bookmarks’ ryl Hunt was right about everything: back room, the racism prevalent in our criminal Phoebe Zerwick’s justice system, the ease with which voice wavers a young, Black man like himself by Brian Clarey on occasion but could have his whole life taken cracks just once, in the beginning, from him by the state, the futility of when she talks about the day Darryl pushing against a structure that was Hunt was found dead in his car, never designed to work in reverse. parked in a lot across the street So many of our institutions failed from the Joel. Darryl Hunt, again and again and Her career has been intertwined again. By the time we were through with Hunt’s life — and with him, there was death — since 2003, anything left. Phoebe Zerwick, barely when she began rePhoebe Zerwick, who has been porting on his wrongwho has been working ful conviction and the this story for 20 years, working this many twists and turns will not let us forget. story for 20 that finally led to his After her reading, exoneration in 2004. former Winston-Salem years, will not let She’s here tonight Journal Editor Mark us forget. reading from her new Wright gets a microbook, Beyond Innophone. He was on the cence, that attempts to make sense desk the night Deborah Sykes disapof Hunt’s harrowing journey, or at peared, he says. He acknowledges least glean its lessons and insist we his own rush to judgment after the all give them a look. initial arrest, the legacy media’s My own time with Darryl Hunt culpability in Hunt’s false conviction came in 2007, when we spent a coufor the murder, his own reluctance ple days together for a profile I wrote to believe in Hunt’s innocence even shortly after he got his settlement after it had been established. — $2 million from the state and city, “We all wanted someone to pay which his lawyer Mark Rabil remindfor it,” he says, before, finally, apoloed me could never fully compensate gizing. for the things Hunt lost.

1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336.681.0704 EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS Carolyn de Berry, John Cole, MANAGING EDITOR Sayaka Matsuoka sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

CHIEF CONTRIBUTORS

Michaela Ratliff michaela@triad-city-beat.com James Douglas james@triad-city-beat.com

Charlie Marion charlie@triad-city-beat.com

SALES KEY ACCOUNTS

Chris Rudd chris@triad-city-beat.com

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

Owens Daniels, Suzy Fielders, Kaitlynn Havens, Jordan Howse, Matt Jones, Jen Sorensen, Todd Turner

WEBMASTER Sam LeBlanc

COVER: GREENSBORO: Republican candidates for Guilford County School Board WINSTON-SALEM: Archival photos from Reynolda House Designs by Charlie Marion

WE BELIEVE REPORTING CAN SAVE THE WORLD. triad-city-beat.com

THURSDAY March 10

Free HIV & STI Health Screenings @ Women’s Resource Center (GSO) 11 a.m.

In honor of National Women and Girls HIV Awareness Day, Guilford County Public Health will provide free HIV and STI health screenings. Free Chick-fil-A and other goodies available for testers while supplies last. For more information, contact jwilson4@guilfordcountync.gov or krhodes@ guilfordcountync.gov. Opening Reception: Sherrill Roland, The Odds @ SECCA (W-S) 6 p.m. Make your way to Potter Gallery at SECCA for the opening reception of Sherill Roland’s exhibition The Odds, which questions the concepts of justice, innocence and chance, inspired by his ten months of wrongful incarceration. Find more information at secca.org. Virtual Dance Discovery Club @ NC Dance Project (GSO) 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY March 11

Delurk 10-Year Music Exhibition @ Delurk Gallery (W-S) 7 p.m. Celebrate 10 years of music from current and past members of Delurk Gallery during this twoday event, featuring artists Benny Boom, Mauve Angeles and more. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information. The Ever After: A Musical @ High Point Community Theatre (HP) 7 p.m. Is “happily ever after” really so happy? Find out during The Ever After, a family-friendly production which parodies daytime TV as princesses Cinderella and Snow White stop by a talk show for an interview, giving the real scoop on their lives. Find more information and purchase tickets at www. hpct.net/tickets. Shakespeare’s The Tempest @ Stephen D Hyers Theatre (GSO) 7 p.m.

2021 Triad Film Collaborative Short Film Showcase @ Red Cinemas (GSO) 7 p.m.

UP FRONT | MAR 10 - 16, 2022

CITY LIFE MARCH 10-13

by Michaela Ratliff

The 4th annual Triad Film Collaborative Short Film Showcase features 13 short films from various genres like horror and drama, all produced by Triad filmmakers. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information. ETC presents: Limn, Flat Cloud, THNG @ Etc.gso (GSO) 8 p.m. Join music lovers from around the Triad for this unique concert at the city’s new art collaborative. The concert will feature local artists such as Limn, a band who draws inspiration from Czechoslovakian lullabies, Flat Cloud whose music emanates “video game music” and THNG, a brandnew band with dark ominous sounds.

SUNDAY March 13 Creative Greensboro has partnered with Shared Radiance Performing Arts Company to bring you a teen production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Find more information and other show times at CreativeGreensboro.com

Jamie Pruitt @ Pig Pounder Brewery (GSO) 3 p.m. Spend your Sunday afternoon with a good brew and music by Jamie Pruitt. Find more info on the event page on Facebook. RWA: Generations @ Southside Recreation Center (HP) 2:30 p.m.

SATURDAY March 12

Pay-to-Play @ Crossnore Communities for Children (W-S) 8:30 a.m. Participate in this exciting outdoor adventure containing a 600-foot zipline, climbing walls and more. Find more information and more event dates at crossnore.org/miracle-heights-adventures-register.

Get ready to move your feet during this free dance session fit for all. Join local choreographer Amelia Byrd for a viewing of her piece “Womanifesto,” followed by a discussion and interactive activities. Visit danceproject.org/ncdf for more information and to register.

Literacy Fair @ Kaleideum North (W-S) 11 a.m. Kaleideum in partnership with A Bed and a Book and other community partners is hosting a free literacy fair designed to encourage literacy skills in early and middle grade learners through educational activities. Free books available while supplies last. Head to kaleideum.org/programs/ literacy-fair for more information.

The Revolution Wrestling Authority is excited to announce Generations, an afternoon of matches including the RWA Heavyweight Championship and RWA Tag Team Championship. To purchase tickets and read more info, visit Eventbrite.

Send your events to calendar@triad-citybeat.com for consideration in City Life and the Weekender.

NEWS | MAR 10 - 16, 2022

NEWS

Republican candidates for Guilford County school board cite concerns about student performance, curriculum transparency and discipline by Sayaka Matsuoka

ith the filing period finally coming to a close on March 4, Guilford County has a complete list of candidates for all of its elected offices including Guilford County School Board, which will have two Republican primaries in May. The first race concerns District 2, where Republican incumbent Anita Sharpe did not file for re-election, paving the way for two other Republican candidates — Crissy Pratt of High Point and Marc Ridgill of Liberty — to run against each other. District 2 covers the very bottom edge of Guilford County, including Pleasant Garden as well as Jamestown. The other Republican primary will take place in District 6, currently represented by Democrat Khem Irby who is running unopposed. The Republicans facing off to run against Irby in the November general election are Tim Andrew and Matthew Kuennen. District 6 covers the western portion of Guilford County, starting towards the center with Western Middle and High Schools then stretching towards the northwest to pick up Colfax as well as southwest to Northwood Elementary. Both Pratt and Andrew are running as part of a candidate slate called New Vision, New Direction, put together by the local conservative group Take Back Our Schools. Another candidate running on the slate is District 4 incumbent Linda Welborn (R), who has no primary challenger. TCB reached out to all of the primary school board candidates for this article but did not hear back from Marc Ridgill despite multiple emails and phone calls. Ridgill is a registered Republican and former Greensboro police officer who worked in Guilford County schools as an SRO. In 2020, TCB reported on comments Ridgill made on Facebook that likened Black Lives Matter protests to anarchy and felonies. He has previously run for Greensboro city council and Guilford County school board, in 2015 and 2018 respectively, losing both times in the general election.

A focus on student performance

f the four Republican candidates facing off in the two primaries, Crissy Pratt of District 2 is the only one with a public educator’s background. Pratt told TCB in a statement that she holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a Master of Education in instructional technology, and is a national board-certified teacher. She taught in Washington, DC public schools and has experience in online education. As a former educator, Pratt said that what concerns her the most about Guilford County Schools is student performance. “The entire purpose of a school system is to educate students, and right now, we are failing at doing that,” Pratt said. “Nearly 40 percent of our students were not passing the end of grade/end of course exams before the pandemic started. With all of the chaos of the past two years, our students are even further behind.” A look at data compiled by the NC Dept. of Public Instruction backs up Pratt’s assertion. Data from the 2018-19 school year shows that 48 percent of Guilford County Schools’ students were not proficient in math, compared to 41 percent for the state as a whole. For language arts and reading, the gap was a bit closer with 26 percent of GCS students exhibiting just Level 1 proficiency compared to 23 percent statewide. For the 2020-21 school year, the percentage of students who tested as not proficient in different subjects from math to reading to science grew significantly in Guilford County, but nearby school districts such as Forsyth County also showed significant learning loss. Guilford County also continues to have a higher graduation rate than the state average as well as a higher AP placement rate. Matthew Kuennen, who is running for school board in District 6, placed

NEWS | MAR 10 - 16, 2022

NEWS

FILE PHOTOS

L-R: Marc Ridgill has run for elected office before. In 2015 he ran for Greensboro City Council and in 2018, ran for Guilford County School Board. He lost in the general election both times. TIm Andrew is a project manager who says his main concern is learning loss.

To remedy this, he suggested that the board should devote more time during its blame on online learning during the pandemic. In his statement, he noted that the meetings to monitor student progress. policies put in place by the current school board were “draconian” and were “not based in science.” As an associate professor of exercise science at High Point University since 2015, A push for more transparency, in and out of the Kuennen said he’s seen the direct effects of the learning loss incurred by GCS classroom students in his classroom. nother issue Andrew mentioned in his response was the lack of infor“As a faculty member in the Congdon School of Health Sciences at High Point mation about the board’s authority and responsibilities compared to University, I have personally witnessed how these reductions in math and science the superintendent’s. In fact, one of the main talking points of Take scores have negatively impacted college readiness in our freshman cohort,” he Back Our Schools, the group that Andrew is aligned with, has been its wrote. “Across the state, we are seeing an increased need for 00 level (non-credit/ misunderstanding about the role of a school district superintendent. Last year, that remedial) courses as a means to address these learning deficits. There are instances lack of understanding led some who are associated with the group to target Superwhere incoming freshman need a year or more of intendent Sharon Contreras directly, as reported by remedial coursework before they are considered to be TCB. They accused Contreras of “abusing her powers” college-ready. These problems are widely recognized, and using it to enact mask mandates as well as other and we need educators with innovative strategies to COVID-19 protective measures. However, as evidenced ensure they don’t carry forward and contribute to lifeby TCB’s reporting, the school board voted temporarily long learning loss.” to increase Contreras’ powers so she could act expeTim Andrew, who works as a project manager and ditiously to enact policies related to COVID-19. Nora is running against Kuennen in the primary, echoed his Carr, the chief of staff for the school district, told TCB opponent’s concerns about learning loss. that the school board had the authority to vote to reTim Andrew “We need to focus on the fundamentals of edscind Contreras’ powers at any time and that Contreras ucation,” Andrew said. “Our test scores are not hadn’t used her emergency authority once during the great. Our math and English EOG scores have been pandemic. trending downward. In 2019, 44 percent of students were not proficient in reading In addition to transparency within the school board, Kuennen also pushed for (grades 3-8). Many young graduates lack the academic skills necessary to do well in transparency within the classroom, noting that “parents have the right to know the workforce or in the military. Quality of education must be our main effort.”

Many young graduates lack the acamdemic skills necessary to do well in the workforce or in the military.

NEWS | MAR 10 - 16, 2022

NEWS

FILE PHOTO

L-R: Crissy Pratt is the only Republican primary candidate who has a public educator’s background. Matthew Kuennen is an associate professor at High Point University.

stated that he has “significant concerns about critical race theory being taught in what’s being taught to their children.” schools” and argued that the theory “re-writes” the history of the United States. “Parents should be able to see all of the curriculum, books, and other materials Pratt echoed Kuennen’s view on CRT by stating, “I do not believe that we should that are being used in the classes their children are taking,” Kuennen stated. “Parbe teaching that students should be separated into two groups based on race: the ents should be able to access copies of the syllabi used in all of the courses their oppressed and the oppressors.” children are taking at the start of the academic year. That way, if there were conTCB has reported in the past how critical race theory is not taught in public cerns with any of the content that was included, those concerns could be addressed before they became a real-time issue in the classroom.” schools and is thus not taught in Guilford County Schools. It is instead, a higher-edPratt also noted that “parents should have access to information about what is ucation framework that acknowledges the existence of systemic racism and works to being taught in the schools and should have a place to voice understand the way race is embedded in American society. concerns or ask questions.” Andrew, who is the only Black Republican school board canThis line of argument has been popular amongst Republididate running in a primary, gave a more measured response. “Regarding critical race theory, it seems that different people cans and conservatives nationwide. Using the cloak of concern have different views on its definition,” he wrote. “If you believe about transparency, conservative parents and school boards that critical race theory is simply teaching the uglier parts of across the country have gone as far as banning books on American history, then I will agree with you that history should certain subjects, protesting the teaching of critical race theory be taught. If you believe that critical race theory is a worldview (which is not taught in public schools) and attempting to water Crissy Pratt that states that all aspects of life must be explained in terms of down sex education by banning conversations about gender racial identities, then I would challenge that.” identity and sexual orientation. Despite her objections to CRT, Pratt echoed Andrew’s position on teaching “the While Kuennen did not respond to a question about his opinion on the wave of uglier parts of history.” book bans, Andrew noted that he is “not for banning books per se, but we have to “I believe that we should be teaching an accurate version of history that reflects agree that some books are not age appropriate.” our country’s painful reality, which should include African-American history, Native Pratt directed TCB to her webpage on the topic, which notes that she too, does American history and all of the history of our country,” Pratt wrote. “Our history not believe in banning books, instead offering action items such as a set of critehas many ugly sides, and we should teach it honestly. We should be teaching our ria for rating books as well as a process to allow potentially controversial books to students to look at the events of history with a critical eye and we shouldn’t gloss remain in libraries. over the ugly parts.” When it came to the topic of critical race theory, which is not taught in pubKuennen, however, pushed back when asked about teaching African-American lic schools, the candidates appeared to diverge a bit on their answers. Kuennen

Our history has many ugly sides, and we should teach it honestly.

history in schools. “If this was being considered, my first question would be, what course will they remove to allow this change to be made?” Kuennen asked. “My kids are part Caucasian American and part Native American, so my second question would be if there will also be an option for them to study in these areas? On the Caucasian side, they’re Irish, English, Danish, Czechoslovakian, German and Italian. So, perhaps some further separation, to allow for focused study in each of these areas? Of course you realize that I am being facetious here. But I’m doing it to make a point. To me, this question seeks to cause further division.” Instead, he stated that he would support African-American history being taught within the context of North Carolinian history. “Given the demographic makeup of North Carolina, I am confident there are many instances where African Americans made major contributions to the history of our great state,” Kuennen wrote. “If your question was intended to ask if we should include those contributions when we are teaching NC state history, then my answer is a resounding yes.”

NEWS | MAR 10 - 16, 2022

NEWS

On school discipline and the Jan. 6 insurrection

ne of changes that Pratt mentioned she would push for if elected to the board was a “revision of the discipline policy to ensure that students are equitably and appropriately given consequences for their actions.” “There are too many classroom disruptions, and we need our students to understand that their actions have consequences,” she stated. In 2019, the Guilford County School board passed a proposal that formalized a process for parents and students to appeal short-term suspensions. At the time, those in favor of the changes pointed out the racial disparities of student discipline in schools. According to several studies conducted in the last decade, including a 2018 report by the US Government Accountability Office, Black students, boys and students with disabilities are disproportionately disciplined in public schools. During the debates, one of the biggest opponents to the change in the disciplinary policy were those associated with Take Back Our Schools. When asked about the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, the candidates either dodged the question or pushed back on the notion that there was an insurrection at all. “2020 and 2021 were shameful years in our nation’s history,” Pratt stated. “There was extremely inappropriate behavior from both sides of the political aisle. As a nation, we should be focusing on healing and coming together as Americans.” Andrew, on the other hand, dodged the question by stating, “[W]e’ve allowed politics to remove our focus from educating our children. I am committed to the concerns of the 17 precincts within District 6 regarding education.” And lastly, but perhaps most radically, Kuennen objected to the description of the Jan. 6 riots as an insurrection at all. “According to the United States Justice Department, there was no insurrection,” Kuennen wrote. “To date, ~225 defendants had been charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers. 275 defendants have been charged with obstructing a congressional proceeding. ~40 defendants have been charged with some sort of conspiracy charge. 0 defendants have been charged with insurrection.” While Kuennen’s assertion is technically true, in January, several individuals who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 were charged with seditious conspiracy. According to reporting by Vox, “seditious conspiracy occurs when two or more people work together to plan to overthrow the government or prevent the execution of its laws.” This week, news outlets reported that former Proud Boy leader, Enrique Tarrio, was charged in a federal indictment for his actions on Jan. 6. Send news tips to sayaka@triad-city-beat.com.

NEWS | MAR 10 - 16, 2022

NEWS

Federal court settlement may help thousands of North Carolina drivers get their licenses reinstated

by Suzy Fielders n March 4, a federal court in Winston-Salem reached a settlement in a class-action lawsuit that could potentially allow for thousands of North Carolina drivers to get their licenses back or have fees removed. Johnson v. Goodwin, which was originally filed on May 30, 2018, argued that the state DMV’s practice of revoking driver’s licenses due to unpaid traffic fines was unconstitutional. Now, close to four years later, the settlement indicates that the DMV must inform approximately 185,000 drivers of their right to a hearing and the process by which to request one if their driver’s license revocation was due to an inability to pay fines, penalties, or court costs. The hearings will determine if they are eligible for a fee reduction or removal and reinstatement of their license. The settlement impacts drivers who had their licenses revoked due to an inability to pay fees starting May 30, 2015, to present day. Prior to this settlement outcome, the court found drivers were not properly notified of their right to a hearing if they were unable to pay their fines. “People should know that there’s a process to request a court hearing and possible relief if they believe their driver’s licenses were wrongly revoked.” said Michele Delgado, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of North Carolina. “The public should have clear information about their rights to a state court hearing regarding their ability to pay traffic-related fines and costs before their license is taken away from them.” However, Dustin Chicurel-Bayard, Director of Communications for the ACLU shared that not all of the 185,000 drivers will be eligible for a reduction or elimination of fines or reinstatement of their license. “Data from the attorney of the Department of NC Justice indicated that approximately 57,000 will be eligible as the other number of people have additional barriers to reinstatement of their licenses or an inability to pay fees was not the only reason for their license revocation,” he said.

Why this happens

any traffic tickets which are issued at checkpoints result in an inability to pay, which leads to driver’s license revocation. However, in North Carolina there is a higher chance of drivers of color being stopped and searched at traffic stops compared to white drivers. According to Open Data Policing, in North Carolina Black people are 4 percent more likely to be searched at a checkpoint stop than white people. Their data also shares that 57.4 percent of Greensboro Police Department traffic stops are people How it started of color. Similarly, traffic stops by the Winston-Salem Police Department impact he settlement originated between Seti Johnson, a father of three drivers of color more at 54.3 percent. in Mecklenburg County, and Torre Jessup, NC Consequently, that’s a problem because driving is a necesDMV Commissioner. However, according to sity for many people to maintain their quality of life. Drivers Chicurel-Bayard, it quickly moved to a class-acuse their cars to get to work, go to the store, and even access This issue is clearly tion lawsuit after organizations such as ACLU realized that healthcare. about systematic thousands of North Carolina drivers were affected, and other “The impact of revoking a driver’s license is severe,” said plaintiffs joined the case. inequality and Miriam Gutman, senior attorney for the Economic Justice As part of their lawsuit, lawyers with ACLU, the Southern demonstrates racism Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center. “It deprives peoPoverty Law Center and the Southern Coalition for Social Jusof the ability to support and care for themselves and their as it is impacting the ple tice found that drivers who were unable to pay traffic or court families, and it funnels them into cycles of debt and poverty. fines were disproportionately drivers of color and those from drivers of color more We hope that today’s settlement can help disrupt that cycle for low-income communities. Past reporting by TCB found that many North Carolinians and their families.” than white drivers. Guilford County ranks second amongst counties with the most Johnson, the original plaintiff, had to make a hard choice Dustin Chicurel-Bayard driver’s license suspensions in the state while Forsyth County between paying traffic fines and supporting his children. ranks fourth. “After a routine traffic stop last summer in Cabarrus CounHowever, data shows that North Carolina is far from alone in this disproportionty, he was surprised to learn that his license had been revoked for unpaid traffic ate injustice. According to a recent ACLU research report, “6 percent of US adults tickets. He was forced to use his rent money to pay off the more than $700 he owed had outstanding legal or court debt, with Black adults (12 percent) and Latinx to reinstate his license,” according to the ACLU case page. adults (9 percent) more likely to have these debts than white adults (5 percent). PeoThe terms of the settlement agreement indicate that the DMV must send ple who cannot pay face mounting penalties in the form of additional fines, fees, notices to those approximately 185,000 drivers over a three-week period. Accordand other sanctions, such as arrest, extended probation, incarceration, and driver’s ing to Marty R. Homan, Communications Manager at the N.C. Department of license suspension.” Transportation, “There are several variables that will affect the start date for the Originally two plaintiffs were represented in the case, but once it switched to a mailings, but our current estimate is about a month from now.”

class-action lawsuit the case represented anyone who fit the criteria as a member of the affected class. “This issue is clearly about systematic inequality and demonstrates racism as it is impacting the drivers of color more than white drivers,” Chicurel-Bayard states. “The plaintiffs are all courageous to pursue this injustice and attempt to correct this issue and those it harms.”

SCOTUS and our (interim) Congressional districts

Jen Sorensen jensorensen.com

oday at Triad City In other words, it’s fair — even Beat, we feel somethough registered Republicans what, mostly, sortare outnumbered both by regisof confident that tered Democrats and unaffiliated the maps for the 2022 Election will voters they still get the “winner’s stand, as the US Supreme Court bounce” that comes with being voted 6-3 not to touch the decithe majority party. Even though sion handed down by the lesser they became the majority party by court. illegally gerrymandering districts This decision applies to the Conand suppressing votes. gressional map drawn by the state But we’ve been around long Supreme Court. In it, District 6 enough to know that “fair” won’t contains all of Guilford and Rockwork for the NC GOP, which sufingham counties, most of Caswell fers from a deficit in numbers so and, in Forsyth, most of the city steep that no amount of cracking of Winston-Salem. and packing will It’s cut for a Demoremedy it. They don’t This is what crat that will most happens when the have the numbers likely be represented because they don’t party platform by incumbent Rep. have the ideas — this consists of making is what happens Kathy Manning, who NC more like it was when the party faces no primary challenger. We also platform consists of in the 1950s. get District 5, which making North Carohas the rest of lina more like it was Forsyth County and an 11-county, in the 1950s, which is to say racist comet-like tail that extends west and backwards. to the Tennessee border. District NC Senate Majority Leader Phil 5, cut for a Republican, has a priBerger has already noted that mary conflict between incumbent these new Congressional districts Rep. Virginia Foxx and Republican are “interim” districts that held challenger Michael Ackerman, a only because SCOTUS did not former sheriff’s deputy who lost want to get involved so close to his partner in a shooting and now the actual election. Plans to assail works for juvenile court in Boone. them, he assures us, are already The NC GOP wanted to cut underway. Because without the these 14 districts into an 11-3 numbers, there’s only one way to split. We’ve settled on a 7-6, in the win — though there’s a hundred GOP’s favor, with one toss-up. ways to do it.

OPINION | MAR 10-17, 2022

EDITORIAL

OPINION

John Cole Courtesy of NC Policy Watch

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

I believe that we should be teaching an accurate version of history that reflects our country’s painful reality, which should include African-American history, Native American history and all of the history of our country. Crissy Pratt | pg. 5

February 5–May 8, 2022 The exhibition is organized by Aperture Foundation, New York and Kwame S. Brathwaite. The exhibition Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite and the accompanying Aperture publication are made possible, in part, with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Photographic Arts Council Los Angeles.

Major Sponsors

The Cathleen and Ray McKinney Exhibition Fund

PLAN YOUR VISIT

reynolda.org/beautiful

Reynolda House Museum of American Art 2250 Reynolda Rd. Winston-Salem, N.C. Kwame Brathwaite, Carolee Prince wearing her own jewelry designs. Prince created much of the jewelry and headpieces featured in Brathwaite’s work. African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS), Harlem, circa 1964; from Kwame Brathwaite: Black Is Beautiful (Aperture, 2019). Courtesy the artist and Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles.

CULTURE | MAR 10-16, 2022

CULTURE

In the dirt: Students taught self-sustainable living and community gardening at Carter G Woodson School farm by Kaitlynn Havens

pregnant calico scampers from an apartment complex, windows half covered with blankets, the others boarded with the last decade’s lumber. Next to it, nestled between Winston Salem’s Sunnyside and Waughtown neighborhoods and the intersection of Interstate 40 and Highway 52, is the Carter G Woodson School, and its urban farm. Curtis McLaurin, a retired Winston-Salem sanitation worker and selftaught farmer, began his work at Carter G Woodson School in 2015 as the school’s bus supervisor. But since 2018, he has been working to teach both his students and the community about the benefits of backyard farming and gardening. “The main focus of all of this is to teach self-sustainable living,” he says. “What we do here, you can do in your backyard, on a small scale. All you need is a potter. You can grow a lot, more than enough for your family. But it’s just too easy to go to Food Lion or Walmart.” On the 22-acre farm, “Mister Curtis,” his students — all from Carter G Woodson — and the few community volunteers he can convince to stay through the heat, grow peaches, figs, pears, apples, a variety of greens, zucchini, okra, cucumber and tomatoes. A coop assembled in the center of the space houses Long Island Red chickens; a newly cleared corner is the future site of a goat farm. Unlike many of the farmer’s markets or vegetable stands scattered throughout Winston-Salem, the Carter G Woodson Farm sells their produce directly from the ground to the neighborhood in which it operates. McLaurin proposed the idea of a garden after the school had several acres of kudzu removed from the property. “A light went off in my head, immediately,” he says. “I started seeing what you see here. A vegetable garden, a flower garden, fruit trees.” “This is meticulous,” he continues, holding up a germination tray that K-12 students will fill with seeds and maintain through the beginning of spring. “You dig down eight feet. Lay down a pipe, like a coil. A small fan pulls the heat out of the greenhouse and sends it out through the pipe. It’s called thermal ground heating.” McLaurin uses these science, economics and self-sustainability experiments to motivate and inspire his predominantly Black and Hispanic students. According to the US Department of Agriculture, Black farmers make up less than 2 percent of more than 3 million producers. But McLaurin hopes that starting them early can develop a passion for gardening for a lifetime. “Kindergarten through 6th grade [students] like the dirt,” he says. “You can’t get them out. After that, they have other interests. And they don’t want to work in the heat for free. We’ve got more competition now, other electives. The arts programs and computers, social media, gaming. Our hope is to get minorities back into farming.” McLaurin reflects on his own past of cultivation. He explains how his great-grandparents operated a small garden. “It was not even a fifth of this size,” he recalls. “They had hogs, chickens, and a garden. When we went there, we had to slop the hogs, feed the chickens and work in the garden. I got to like it.” McLaurin says he started his own home garden over 30 years ago by watching YouTube videos and taking advantage of resources at NCA&T State University and the North Carolina Cooperate Extension, which assists North Carolina residents interested in agricultural development. And as he watches his students dig their hands into the dirt, he reflects on how far the project, once just a seed, has become a self-sustaining

KAITLYNN HAVENS

In what was once a field of kudzu, the farm at Carter G. Woodson School is a learning lab, a classroom and a source of food.

reality. What was previously a parking lot is now a drop-off location holding three years’ worth of decomposed leaves, obtained entirely from the city’s triannual leaf pickup, to be used as compost. The farm’s anti-pesticide methods of pest control involve a home concoction of beer, molasses, mouthwash, ammonia, cola, and soaked tobacco — a recipe McLaurin shares with pride. For the future, McLaurin’s aspirations include solar panels over the chicken coop, access to water via the creek that runs under Interstate 40, approval from the city’s agriculture grants and maybe one day, enough kudzu-cleared land for a cow. Until then, he demonstrates his lessons of self and community sustainability with a small neighborhood vegetable stand, operating in the spring and by sending as many students as possible home with bags of their harvest. “I try to teach who want to be taught,” he says. “I try to make it interesting. That you can do this on your own.” Visit the farm at 437 Goldfloss Street in Winston-Salem. To learn more, contact info@cartergwoodsonschool.org.

CULTURE | MAR 10-16, 2022

CULTURE

In Still I Rise, Reynolda House reckons with its past treatment of Black workers, artists by Sayaka Matsuoka

COURTESY PHOTO

Left: Reynolda House and Museum’s front exterior Top right: Flora Pledger and Lillie Hamlin standing outside of Five Row

COURTESY PHOTO

he two women, standing, gaze into the camera, half smiles tered throughout. The journey starts with a sobering look at the origins of tugging at the corners of their mouths. Their expressions look the Reynolds family’s wealth, stemming from the fact that Hardin William forced, tired; but they pose for the shot, arms intertwined, supReynolds — RJ Reynolds’ father — owned thousands of acres of land which porting each other as they do in life. Flora Pledger, like her name, was tended to by more than 60 enslaved persons. He was one of the largwears a flowy floral dress and earrings while the older woman who leans est slaveholders in that part of Virginia, the exhibit states. And this is how on her, Lillie Hamlin, wears a similar, multilayered long-sleeved outfit. In the show starts its reckoning, with an admission that RJ Reynolds, whose the background, the side of a single building can be seen, its white exterior imprint on Winston-Salem is deep and pervasive, wasn’t a self-made man, walls and brick chimney an example of the women’s residences. This was but one whose familial ties to slavery aided him in amassing the wealth for Five Row. which he would later become known. The black-and-white photograph is just one But the story of Black people at Reynolda isn’t example of archival footage on display as part one-dimensional. Just as the history of Black of Still I Rise: The Black Experience at Reynolda, people in America isn’t just one of oppression, but a new exhibit which opened on Feb. 22 at the one of survival, creative thriving and celebration, Reynolda House Museum of American Art. so too is the experience of those who graced the Like with the stories of Flora Pledger and Lillie land and halls at Reynolda House and Museum. Hamlin, the exhibit aims to tell a fuller, honest As the exhibit takes viewers through the dehistory of the Reynolda House, from before its cades, it becomes evident that those who served inception to its conversion into a museum to the Reynolds family were, at many times, grateful present day, by including the experiences of for their lives there. For example, Flora Pledger, Bari Helms Black, enslaved workers and artists. It’s a move who lived in Five Row — the community of row many historically white institutions are making houses built specifically for the Black workers at after the murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020 thrust into the Reynolda — looked back fondly at her time there. American consciousness a renewed reckoning with its racist roots. “But I thought it was the best place I’d ever seen,” she states in the ex“While we wanted to celebrate the art moments in Reynolda’s history, we hibit. “I loved it, I loved it. And if it had the water and electricity that I’ve got wanted to dig into Reynolda’s complicated history when it comes to race,” now, I’d rather be there than anywhere that I could be.” says Bari Helms, the director of archives and library for the museum. And yet, at the same time, the exhibit explains how the community was The whole exhibit is tucked into what was a bedroom on the second built, out of sight from the Reynolds’ home and the nearby village buildings. floor of Reynolda House. It’s a text-heavy show, with small images scatIt also lacked running water or electricity, which other homes on the proper-

[W]e wanted to dig into Reynolda’s complicated history when it comes to race.

CULTURE | MAR 10-16, 2022

COURTESY PHOTO

Top: Five Row residents gathered in 1950 Right: Marnia Miller with her granddaughters

ty had at the time. “It’s about telling Reynolda’s past in a more honest and truthful manner,” Helms says. “When it comes to Rise, it’s a work in progress.” In addition to the story of the Black workers who tended to and maintained Reynolda House through the ages, the exhibit also delves into the museum’s relationship with Black artists. One of the main characters who cultivated and shaped that relationship was Maya Angelou, who championed Black art during her visits to Reynolda and eventually became the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in 1982. During her first visit to Winston-Salem in 1973, Angelou gave a speech to a standing-room-only crowd at WFU in which she talked about what it meant to be an artist in a Black body. Afterwards, she reflected on the event saying, “I had pulled no punches, and softened no points, yet whites stood beside Blacks, slapping their hands and smiling…. I knew that morning, that one day I would return to the South in general and North Carolina in particular.” COURTESY PHOTO Angelou bought a home on land that was once part of the Reynolda estate and died in Winston-Salem in 2014. While just a portion of the already small objection by many conservatives to teach Black exhibit, the throughline of how the museum has history, the exhibit emphasizes the absolute excluded, then welcomed, then embraced Black responsibility institutions like Reynolda have in artists throughout the course of its existence telling the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. provides vital context when viewed in conjunc“For people visiting the exhibit, I hope they tion with the museum’s other exhibits such as leave with a richer understanding of Reynolda’s Black is Beautiful, also on display now. history and that Reynolda’s history is Black histo“When we knew Black is Beautiful was comBari Helms COURTESY PHOTO ry and it’s interwoven,” Helms says. “To talk about ing, we wanted to do a companion archival history is to talk about Black history. It’s one in exhibit to capture some of the themes of Black the same.” is Beautiful,” Helms explains. Helms says that the museum has created an acquisition fund to increase works by women and people of color in the collection and that they will Still I Rise: The Black Experience at Reynolda is on display soon be installing audio interviews with Maya Angelou and artist Romare at the Reynolda House Museum of American Art until Dec. 31. Bearden as part of the show. Learn more at reynolda.org And as much as the world has changed since Angelou’s talk five decades ago, Still I Rise also reminds viewers how much has stayed the same, and how much progress there is still to be made. With the wave of anti-Black rhetoric creeping into schools, the pushback to critical race theory and the

Reynolda’s history is Black history and it’s interwoven.

If you read

then you know...

.About WS/FCS $16 million miscalculation .About new surveillance technology for police .About the March of the Santas

Triad City Beat — If you know, you know

Get in front of the best readers in the triad, contact Chris.

chris@triad-city-beat.com

NOW LEASING THE STEELHOUSE CENTER FOR URBAN MANUFACTURING AND INNOVATION

1451 S Elm Eugene Street #BusinessisBuiltHere

SHOT IN THE TRIAD | MAR 10-16, 2022

SHOT IN THE TRIAD Fuller Street, Greensboro

CAROLYN DE BERRY

Members of the 75th Greensboro Fire Department recruit class during a live-burn training exercise.

PUZZLES | MAR 10-16, 2022

CROSSWORD

“It’s In a Name”--for all across theme answers. by Matt Jones

Across 1. British men’s mag 4. Mennen shaving brand 8. Dangly throat bit 13. Future school members 14. Pig’s feed 15. What “atterizar” means, at Ibiza Airport 17. Late Canadian wrestler and brother of Bret 19. When many work shifts start 20. Soup at sushi bars 21. Wesley’s portrayer on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” 23. “___ in St. Louis” (1944 Garland film) 25. Battle cry against Cobra Commander 26. Acted as guide 27. Was a candidate 28. Dungeons & Dragons humanoid 31. “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” composer Morricone 34. ___ Bop (child-friendly versions of hit songs) 36. Squished circle 37. Louisiana band named for the genre it played 40. “The Sopranos” actress Falco 41. Atmospheric prefix for sphere 42. Had all rights to 43. In medias ___ 44. Disco ___ (“Simpsons” character) 45. Indian state formerly ruled by Portugal 46. Excessively theatrical 48. Like library materials 52. Star of multiple self-titled sitcoms 56. “To Sir With Love” singer 57. Cold sore-fighting brand 58. Father of Pocahontas (and example of the hidden word in the theme answers--this one just happens to be consecutive) 60. Fasten again 61. Legal appeal 62. “We ___ the Champions” 63. Country type 64. Himalayan monster 65. Big letters in gossip

Down

1. Psychoanalyst Erich 2. “Deal Or No Deal” host Mandel 3. 1980s attorney general Edwin 4. Pokemon protagonist 5. Far from perfect 6. Television’s Spelling 7. In a befitting way 8. Team that moved from New Orleans in 1979 9. Determine by ballot 10. Arm bones 11. Cafe au ___ 12. A as in A.D.

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:

16. Recliner room 18. Dissimilar, say 22. It comes before “the wise” or “your mother” 24. Cat call 28. Roast roaster 29. See who can go faster 30. Ball of dirt 31. Celebrity hairstylist Jose 32. “The Thinker,” for instance 33. “JAG” spinoff on CBS 34. Actress Riley of 2021’s “Zola” (and granddaughter of Elvis Presley) 35. Actor Ziering 36. Juice brand bought by Coca-Cola, then discontinued in 2020 38. Reach the limit 39. “The Sun Is Also a Star” author Nicola 44. Fleetwood Mac singer Nicks 45. Stood out in the rain, say 46. Move stealthily 47. Like some small dogs 49. ___ sea (cruising) 50. It might help you get up 51. Oscar of “The Office” 52. Candy unit 53. Don’t ignore 54. Czech Republic’s second-largest city 55. Walk-on, for one 59. “Bali ___” (song in “South Pacific”)

SUDOKU No Sudoku this week. Very sorry about this.

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: