INDY Week 2.16.2022 by Indy Week

Raleigh | Durham | Chapel Hill February 16, 2022

SARAH SHOOK'S

SUPERPOWER

On third album Nightroamer, Shook’s raw, observant songwriting shines bright through cosmic country BY MADELINE CRONE, P. 12

Raleigh W Durham W Chapel Hill VOL. 39 NO. 7

Interior of the Village Regional Library in Wake County, p. 9 PHOTO BY BRETT VILLENA

CONTENTS NEWS 6

Durham's community leaders understand the problems driving gang and gun violence in the city, but will they finally be able to address it?

Activists and the family of Daniel Turcios are frustrated by a lack of answers for what they say is an unwarranted shooting. BY LEIGH TAUSS

BY THOMASI MCDONALD

FEATURE 10 Wake Libraries is revising its policies around collections and book challenges but some librarians say the system's administration isn't transparent. BY JASMINE GALLUP

ARTS & CULTURE 12

On third album Nightroamer, Sarah Shook's raw, observant songwriting shines bright. BY MADELINE CRONE

For emerging North Carolina R&B artist SevvTheArtist, authenticity is everything. BY KYESHA JENNINGS

15 In I Want You Back, Jenny Slate and Charlie Day play two affable schemers desperate to get their exes back. BY LEIGH TAUSS

THE REGULARS 5 Op-ed

3 15 Minutes 4 Quickbait

16 Culture Calendar

COVER Photo by Brett Villena

WE M A DE THIS PUBLIS H ER S Wake County

MaryAnn Kearns Durham/Orange/ Chatham Counties

John Hurld EDITOR I AL Editor in Chief Jane Porter Managing Editor Geoff West

February 16, 2022

Arts & Culture Editor Sarah Edwards

Theater+Dance Critic Byron Woods

C RE ATI V E

A D V E RTI S I N G

Creative Director

Senior Writer Leigh Tauss

Contributors Madeline Crone, Grant Golden, Spencer Griffith, Lucas Hubbard, Brian Howe, Lewis Kendall, Kyesha Jennings, Glenn McDonald, Gabi Mendick, Anna Mudd, Dan Ruccia, Rachel Simon, Harris Wheless

Annie Maynard

Wake County MaryAnn Kearns

Staff Writers Jasmine Gallup Thomasi McDonald Editorial Assistant Lena Geller Copy Editor Iza Wojciechowska

INDYweek.com

Graphic Designer

Jon Fuller Staff Photographer

Brett Villena

Durham/Orange/ Chatham Counties John Hurld Sales Digital Director & Classifieds Mathias Marchington

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BACK TA L K

Last week, we wrote about the proposed community development near West Point on the Eno that’s drawing a lot of opposition from some residents, including the children of Margaret Nygard, often called the ‘Mother of the Eno,’ but also some support from members of a nearby, predominantly Black church. First, a correction— we misstated the date of the Board of Adjustments public hearing that could decide the fate of this development; it is in late May, not in February. Some readers who oppose the proposed project said we overstated the amount of support it is receiving.

“[This] article completely distorts the degree of support for the West Point Development by the community at large. At the January hearing, around fifty people testified and only ten of those people (all members of the church down the road) supported the development,” wrote LAURA JARAMILLO on Twitter, and continued: “Article makes it sound as if the neighborhoods around the river that oppose the development are all white when that is far from the case. what about all the black and latino homeowners whose properties will be flooded beyond recognition in a few years in the development goes thru “The church down the road draws from a large community some who live in the area and many who don’t are in some astro-turfed agreement with the developer who is a fundamentalist christian. these people will be the least affected by the ecological crisis the development will cause “Further, the idea that those who oppose the development are selfish nimby’s who don’t want affordable housing near them considering that the west point development includes no affordable housing, it is a plan for 400 LUXURY UNITS—on the banks of a river “Ten people following orders from their pastor does not a ‘groundswell’ of Black support for the development make. ask the many Black families who live here who will actually be affected by the development and stop distorting the narrative.” Also on Twitter, JESSIE BO BESSI writes: “We need to find a solution that protects the water quality of the watershed, and the health of those who depend on the living waters of the Eno.”

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Raleigh

15 MINUTES Kristina Lane, 24 In December, Lane sold most of her belongings and transitioned to living in a 1987 Ford Econoline 350 van. BY BROOKE DOUGHERTY backtalk@indyweek.com

What inspired you to pursue van life? I first had the idea because my brother’s girlfriend was living in a van and I thought, “Oh, that doesn’t seem as hard as I thought it was in my head.” I got to spend a couple days living in the van at the end of August last year, and it was fun and adventurous and I guess more convenient … like, your home is just right there. I started looking at vans after my landlord decided to raise my rent at the end of October. Part of the reason I wanted to live in a van is because when you’re renting, all your money just disappears. You’re not putting it toward anything, but with your van … you own it. I was tired of not having my money go anywhere I would see in the future, and decided to buy a big purchase—my van. I put in my 60-day notice [at my house] and moved into the van a month later, in the beginning of December.

Was it difficult to transfer your life from living in a house to a van? Yes and no. I’m really good at organizing and I already didn’t own a lot of things. The main things that I owned were furniture that I had to sell or put in my parents’ attic. I took the things that I knew would bring me joy and the things I knew that I would use. Arts and crafts and hobbies definitely were coming with me since I’m going to have a lot of time in my tiny house and I wanted to make sure that I’m doing things that I love. I got rid of things I hadn’t worn in six months or a year. I got rid of probably 70 percent of my clothes.

What are the biggest challenges and changes you’ve had to make to adjust? Not having a constant water source. My water tank is only seven gallons, and I can’t really shower and brush my teeth and wash my dishes on seven gallons of water. Showering is also a big one. I have a gym membership and I just go there, or when I’m hanging

out with a friend I ask if I can use their shower, or use dry shampoo which is a lifesaver. I have baby wipes if I feel gross, and I wash my face and bangs everyday. I didn’t get enough solar [power] the past couple of snowstorms we had. My power kicked out, which means that I didn’t get enough sun and it didn’t generate enough power on my battery so my battery shut off …. I had to go and find a plugin. It’s just a basic, three-prong wall outlet that plugs into the back of my van. I found some outlets in downtown Raleigh, and sometimes I just go and plug it in there. It literally just takes 30 minutes to power fully back up.

What is your favorite thing about van life so far, and why is it important to you? I think the movement that it allows me to have … getting out of constant stagnancy; having to stay in one place forever kind of freaks me out. I’ve always related to people that say that being in a cage is one of their worst fears—not moving and not being able to move. So having that freedom is a really beautiful and sacred thing to me. Having the ability to wake up in a different place every day … or not. Having the option to choose. I always tell people that it’s a very interesting balance of convenience and inconvenience. Yes, it’s convenient that my entire life is within arms’ distance, but also it is inconvenient because my house is on wheels and if I hit a curb, my life flies off the wall. It’s a constant keep-up of the van, but it’s also so tiny that it’s easy to keep up. It’s really beautiful having that balance put in a different perspective. For a lot of people, their heat runs constantly through the winter and they don’t have to even think twice about it or they take for granted the running water that comes through their fingers. For me, I’m thinking how tiny I can get this stream so I can wash my hands. It’s inconvenient, right? But it’s so convenient because I live closer to work than anyone else since my van fits in a normal parking space. Read the full interview at indyweek.com. INDYweek.com

February 16, 2022

Q UIC KBA I T

Money Makers Candidates have raised over $1 million in the 6th Congressional District race, encompassing Durham and Chapel Hill. BY LEIGH TAUSS

Money raised and spent per candidate $500,000

$459,138

KEY

$400,000

$300,000

Raised

Spent

$306,007

ltauss@indyweek.com

sk Gary Pearce what you need to win a campaign and the veteran political consultant and former advisor to Governor Jim Hunt will tell you two things: a strong message and enough money to get that message to voters. In North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District race, a crowded field of eight progressive candidates has raised over $1 million combined in their bids for the Democratic primary, which will undoubtedly determine who gets sent to Capitol Hill in the overwhelmingly blue district. Three Republicans are also running despite having virtually no chance at victory if the district’s boundaries hold as congressional maps are redrawn this month. About 85 percent of donations in the race have gone to three candidates—Durham County commissioner Nida Allam and state senators Wiley Nickel and Valerie Foushee—according to Federal Election Commission data. Some candidates like Allam have relied more on small donations ($200 or less); Nickel, on the other hand, has heavily invested his own money. Money probably won’t buy a winner this election, but it sure doesn’t hurt. Here’s how the candidates stack up according to their latest campaign reports, which cover up to December 31.

$200,000

$135,302 $100,000

$163,076

$163,896 $77,357

$62,425

$30,056

Nida Allam

Wiley Nickel

Valerie Foushee

Eight other candidates combined

How each candidate raised their funds 0.2% 2.1%

7.5% 26.7%

35.5% 56.7%

71.2%

Nida Allam

Wiley Nickel

2.8% 15.7% KEY

PACs Small donations Large donations Self-funding

TOTAL RAISED BY ALL CANDIDATES:

$1,092,118

81.5%

Valerie Foushee

February 16, 2022

INDYweek.com

OP - E D

A Vicious Cycle North Carolina is caught in a catch-22 when it comes to attracting and paying early childhood educators well and keeping child care affordable for families who need it. But there are some ways to reward and incentivize teachers. BY JOHN R. LUMPKIN backtalk@indyweek.com

s our nation continues to recover from COVID-19, it’s important that our main priority isn’t merely to get back to where we were before the pandemic started. The last year has shown business leaders that, while we get ready to reopen to full capacity, the pre-pandemic status quo won’t cut it moving forward. One of the biggest obstacles to economic recovery is an obstacle that existed long before COVID19: the child care crisis. This crisis has only worsened during the pandemic. We need to take steps to face it now. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation recently funded a survey of child care center staffing. More than 80 percent of those surveyed said that the pandemic has made it more difficult to hire and retain qualified staff. The staffing crisis has forced one-third of North Carolina providers to temporarily close their doors with little notice to parents, sending them and other primary caregivers scrambling. And, nationwide, six out of 10 child care centers shut down at some point during the pandemic, with many struggling to reopen due to a lack of workers. Unfortunately, attempts to remedy this problem are caught in a vicious cycle. In North Carolina, low pay is the top reason cited by early childhood educators as to why they have left the field. The annual mean wage for child care teachers in the state is $24,600, compared to $30,680 for pre-K teachers and $49,540 for kindergarten teachers. Almost 40 percent of early childhood teachers in North Carolina rely on public assistance to meet the needs of their own families. While raising their salaries could attract more workers and help solve the staffing

“In North Carolina, low pay is the top reason cited by early childhood educators as to why they have left the field.” shortage, it would escalate another crisis point in the child care landscape: affordability. Center-based infant care already costs 11 percent of the median income of a married couple in North Carolina. With a price tag averaging $9,254 per year, child care is more expensive than the $7,056 average annual cost of North Carolina public college tuition. These high prices prevent families from paying more for child care, meaning that providers can’t earn enough revenue to raise the wages of their employees. The end result is a negative feedback loop that is hurting our economy. The current estimate of statewide economic damage in North Carolina due to lost earnings, productivity, and revenue caused by the shortage of quality child care is $2.9 billion annually. The question now is: What can we do to stop these losses? A report I released along with ReadyNation, Child Care Providers: The Workforce Behind the Workforce in North Carolina, outlines how bolstering

the early childhood workforce in the state is essential to increasing child care supply and children’s access. The report explains that the best way to achieve these goals is to increase compensation for early childhood educators and create incentives for teachers to pursue further education and training. Fortunately, North Carolina has two existing programs that support these aims. The Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Early Childhood Scholarship Program provides scholarships for two- and four-year degree programs in early childhood education. Upon completion, T.E.A.C.H. participants qualify for a raise or bonus from their employers. Our state also has the WAGE$ Project, which rewards additional education with salary increases. Multifaceted strategies like these represent promising ways of building a well-qualified workforce, increasing the quality of early care and education, and ultimately benefiting children with enhanced experiences and improved learning. North Carolina must invest in programs like T.E.A.C.H., WAGE$, and additional strategies that reward and incentivize educators. These investments can help ensure all early educators receive the professional compensation and support they need to provide high-quality early learning experiences for all children and parents who want and need it. Simply put, if we want families to have access to quality child care in North Carolina, we need more qualified teachers to enter and stay in the workforce. W John R. Lumpkin, MD, is the president of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.

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February 16, 2022

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Durham PHOTO BY JUSTIN COOK

Who’s Minding the Children? Gang activity, drug dealing, and gun violence persist in neighborhoods near downtown Durham. Community leaders know what the problems are, but will they finally be able to address them? BY THOMASI MCDONALD tmcdonald@indyweek.com

tis “Vegas Don” Lyons is a legendary former gang member who has spent the past 22 years guiding young people in Durham away from gangs through his nonprofit Campaign4Change. As a member of a steering committee that has worked since 2011 to address gang activity, gun violence, and drug dealing in Durham, Lyons has some thoughts about why these problems continue to plague young people in the city’s predominantly Black neighborhoods surrounding downtown. One is the idea that the impacts of slavery still haunt the African American community, what Lyons calls “post-traumatic slavery syndrome.” “It’s true: hurt people hurt people,” Lyons explains. Lyons, 54, experienced a childhood with an abusive mother and absent father, one where he and his older sister and younger brother were placed on food pun6

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ishment and not allowed to eat at home, and bathroom punishment—their toilet became a nearby patch of woods near their home. “I’m still traumatized and I ain’t never went and sat on [a therapist’s] couch,” Lyons says. Lyons started a gang in the 1980s, the North Durham Vice, long before the emergence of Crips and Bloods in Durham. Between 1986 and 1989, he robbed drug dealers and liquor houses and shot 17 people before he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Lyons, who credits his maternal grandmother for instilling the importance of an education in him, got out of prison after serving five years and has since won the respect and support of elected leaders and corporations with his desire to educate, empower, and change the mind-set of young people who are at risk for joining a gang.

Lyons and the other community leaders on the steering committee have the tall order of developing effective strategies to reduce young people’s exposure to gang-fueled violence, particularly in Black neighborhoods near the downtown district. And, as the summary of a 200-pluspage gang assessment report that city and county officials discussed last week makes clear, the effort hasn’t seen much success so far. “Violence exposure in eight of those neighborhoods is exacerbated by extreme poverty and exposure to other social vulnerabilities that have remained mostly unchanged since 2014,” states a summary of the report, which has been in the works for seven years and is expected to be made public by the end of this month. According to the report, on average, more than 64 percent of children are living in poverty in eight of the neighborhoods. Even more disturbing, more than 70–82 percent of children live in poverty in some East and South Durham neighborhoods. Nine of the neighborhoods “have high rates of underlying social conditions that contribute to children and youth becoming involved in the criminal justice system and gangs.” Jim Stuit is the steering committee’s gang reduction strategy manager who works with Durham’s Criminal Justice Resource Center. Stuit noted that several of the city’s public housing complexes are located in neighborhoods identified in the assessment report, including McDougald Terrace, which has the highest incidence of violence in the city, along with the complex on West Cornwallis Road and along Old Oxford Road. Stuit says that there are about 1,050 gang members in Durham, with some as young as 14 years old. He notes that by the age of 12, the youngsters who eventually join gangs start hanging out with older members in their neighborhoods. The average gang member has a 10th-grade education and was suspended from school multiple times before dropping out. “They’ll tell you, ‘School wasn’t for me,’” Stuit explains. “But I suspect the real reason is they fell behind [in their studies] and didn’t want to show the other kids how far they had fallen behind. Maybe he’s not a good reader, got into school fights, before dropping out and turning to the streets.” Stuit notes that gang activity is so prevalent in the city’s most violent neighborhoods there are children growing up in the culture inside their homes and when they step outdoors. Their older brothers, uncles, and fathers are gang members. “Most of them need money to support their kids, to pay child support,” Stuit explains. “That’s what’s driving the drug trade. Most of [the gang members] don’t have a job. They drop out of school and they can’t pass a drug test so it’s difficult to get a job. Gangs are easy to get into, to sell drugs, commit robberies to get

money. They need money just like you and I need money.” The report includes input from a variety of stakeholders, including the public schools system, community residents, and former and current gang members. They all describe, at best, “low levels of satisfaction with the response to gangs.” In addition to analyzing the underlying conditions that increase the likelihood of youth violence, the report, compiled by Tytos Consulting in Wake Forest, points to 12 Bull City neighborhoods that “are currently affected by excessively high rates of serious interpersonal violence (aggravated assault and homicide) that are … higher than Durham’s overall rate per capita of these crimes.” A significant number of households in those neighborhoods are headed by a single parent and many of the children are living in poverty. The report further notes that young people throughout Durham “experience a high level of exposure to risk factors for gang involvement, including substance use, delinquency, the presence of gangs in their neighborhood and at school, family gang involvement, victimization, and exposure to violence.” The report’s author is Michelle Young, formerly a senior researcher with the National Gang Center, where she helped cities across the United States implement the federal office of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention gang model. Young moved to Durham in 2013 to work with Project Build, a gang intervention program, and is credited as the driving force that led to the creation of Bull City United, which works using a public health model to stop shootings and killings with Durham County’s Public Health Department. Young says that Durham’s earliest efforts to address its gang and gun violence problem started in 2006, with a police-led initiative known as “Operation Bulls-Eye” that sought to reduce crime in a two-mile span just east of downtown that was defined by high crime rates and gunfire. Even then, quality-of-life issues were at the forefront of the conversation, particularly the need for access to parks and better housing. Young notes that housing is still playing a major role, but in the inverse: housing costs have increased by 50 percent over the past decade and longtime residents are being pushed out. Neighborhoods near the downtown district, albeit neglected, used to be affordable. Development of those areas into high-end residential, restaurant, and entertainment areas has served as a catalyst for violence.

Highest

Lowest

The Durham census tracts that experience the most gang-related activity, comparatively PHOTO GOOGLE MAPS “Each neighborhood has its own culture with gangs,” Young explains. “When people are shifted out of a neighborhood into another neighborhood culture, that can cause a lot of problems. When groups who were living on the Southside suddenly move to Club Boulevard, it could be rough.” Young adds that growth is going to happen, and there are invariably “winners and losers” in the process. “Some families profit by selling their property,” she says. “Others are displaced. The goal is to reduce crime and bring jobs, and make sure people have a place to be.”

urham County district attorney Satana Deberry told the INDY in an email that the assessment report “rightly puts the focus on the concentrated areas of Durham where residents are most at risk for gangs/ gang violence, and on the risk factors that lead people to become involved in gangs.” “It is always important to note that a small number of people, and a very small number of juveniles, are involved in violent activity in our community,” Deberry wrote. “Among juvenile complaints in Durham in 2020, only about 15 percent of juveniles had a complaint involving violence.”

Deberry adds that the assessment report’s research “clearly identifies risk factors for gang involvement that we can and should address,” including poverty, adverse childhood experiences, family history of incarceration, lack of safe, decent housing, and educational attainment. “We know what works to reduce violence, we just need to invest in those solutions,” Deberry wrote, noting some solutions are easy, such as increasing green space and outside lighting, improving vacant lots, creating cul-de-sacs in streets experiencing violence, and providing fully funded mentorship opportunities to young people. “Others are more stubborn—like limiting access to guns, reducing substance use, and helping people out of poverty,” Deberry wrote. “To address violence we should invest in the economic mobility, opportunities, and health of residents in these census tracts.” The district attorney also sounded a cautionary note. “Manufactured fear and divisiveness are both unnecessary and counterproductive,” she says. “Battling crime and poverty takes time, investment, and long-term commitment—we cannot abandon those approaches out of fear of cyclical crime patterns.”

urham’s new mayor, Elaine O’Neal, says the problems that have contributed to the city’s violent crime have persisted in the neighborhoods identified in the report for generations. She points a stern finger at several entities, including government, corporations, and the greater community for the city’s youth gang culture, drug enterprise, and gun violence epidemic. A well-intentioned integration of the schools that had the unintended consequence of diluting the voice and pride of the Black community, as evidenced by the racial academic achievement gap, and the disproportionate rates of school suspension for Black students is one contributing factor. The shutting down of tobacco factories and jobs that bolstered the overall economic health of Black neighborhoods by providing “a man-made bridge out of poverty” is another. And what O’Neal calls “the Big F”—the disproportionate number of Black people in the community who have been convicted of a felony that blocks them from “ever being a success in life”—is another. “That tells them, ‘You will never take part in the American Dream,’” O’Neal says. “There’s no active jail sentence attached to that felony conviction, but you have attached that person to a lifetime sentence from society. This has been happening generationally, and now we have raised a generation who doesn’t care. I was complicit in this system and I had to get out and do something.” O’Neal notes people with a felony conviction can’t apply for, and are prohibited from living in, public housing and are routinely turned down for apartments in the private sector. She notes that earlier this month, there were 3,300 vacant apartments in Durham, with 116 one-bedroom units renting for $900 a month, that are unavailable to a large swath of Black residents with felony convictions, even if the offense dates back to the 1990s. “So where are they going to stay?” the mayor asks. “We have at least two or three generations of men and women who have never had a stable home or who have never signed a lease.” O’Neal says those circumstances have all played a role in the deterioration of innercity neighborhoods and in the violent crime that has become a troubling fixture, particularly among Black children. “There’s a Third Culture here and we never see them, because we don’t want to,” O’Neal explains. “The government is never a silent partner. It’s always at the table, and so this neglect is either benign or willful. So, we have to figure out why your system is failing at every turn.” W INDYweek.com

February 16, 2022

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Raleigh Rosa Jerez addresses a group of supporters gathered at Moore Square in Downtown Raleigh at a call for justice in response to her husband, Daniel Turcios, being shot and killed by Raleigh police earlier this year. PHOTO BY BRETT VILLENA

Back Fire A month after Raleigh police shot and killed Daniel Turcios, his family is still waiting for answers and demanding justice. BY LEIGH TAUSS ltauss@indyweek.com

On Thursday, 50 demonstrators marched through downtown Raleigh calling for justice for Daniel Turcios, a local man Raleigh Police Department officers shot and killed last month in front of his family alongside a highway. The marchers were almost all Black and brown, chanting peacefully while police blocked off intersections with motorcycles. As the activists, many from advocacy organization El Pueblo, marched across Blount Street, the blue glow of police headlights flickered through their bodies like flames. They marched to the Capitol grounds and down Salisbury Street to the Wake County courthouse before walking off without incident. Turcios did not need to die, his family and activists believe. Police have tried to justify the shooting by saying Turcios was potentially intoxicated and wielding a knife. Now, more than a month after Turcios’s death, his family is still waiting for answers. Wake County district attorney 8

February 16, 2022

INDYweek.com

Lorrin Freeman, who will be tasked with deciding whether to pursue criminal charges against the officers involved, says her decision won’t come soon. “The autopsy and toxicology are still pending,” Freeman told the INDY last week via email. “I also have not received the SBI report and I expect it will be at least 30 days before I receive that.” Whether intoxicated or not, Daniel Turcios was trying to get away. As seen through the lens of officer W.B. Tapscott’s body camera in footage released earlier this month by Raleigh police, Turcios’s back was turned and he was walking—not running—away from the scene, his muscular arms hanging by his sides when Tapscott fired his taser into Turcios’s left shoulder. Turcios probably did not understand why he was suddenly under attack. He did not speak English, and witnesses say he was knocked unconscious in the rollover crash that

happened just moments earlier. He’d awoken disoriented and confused. After a tense confrontation with his wife, Turcios turned and was walking away from the crash site, not toward anyone or anything—the officers and his family were behind him. His eyes faced the highway shoulder when burning electrical currents ripped through his back. Turcios dropped like a bag of bricks. But he was not a weak man. Five police officers surrounded him, and Turcios, holding a small knife, attempted to get up. The struggle lasted only seconds. Less than a minute after Tapscott pulled the trigger on his taser, officer A.A. Smith fired two gunshots at Turcios, downing him again. But for a third time, Turcios, exhibiting incredible strength, attempted to rise. Three more bullets from Smith’s gun downed him a final time. “He was killed like a dog,” his wife Rosa Jerez—who watched along with her two sons as officers killed her husband—said in the days following Turcios’s death. Activists are pushing for the officers involved in Turcios’s death to be held accountable. At the march last week, the handwritten placards they held were in Spanish: “Cuando Se Lee Poco Se Dispara Mucho,” which translates roughly to “When you read little, you shoot a lot.” The mood was somber, as the crowd gathered in Moore Square during golden hour before a handful of TV crews and print journalists. Kerwin Pittman, an advocate with Emancipate NC, had few words left to say about the killing. “Daniel Turcios’s life mattered and it is time we address the elephant in the room, which is, if Daniel Turcios was white, we wouldn’t be here today,” Pittman said. “Disproportionately, Black and brown populations are murdered across the country at a higher rate than anybody else and what you are seeing is this unfold right here in the capital city of Raleigh, North Carolina.” The wait has been agonizing for the family, and frustrating for community activists trying to keep public pressure on the case. They are skeptical of the judicial system’s capacity for justice: Freeman declined to charge Tapscott two years ago when he shot and killed Keith Collins, a Black man with a history of mental illness who ran when Tapscott started chasing him along Pleasant Valley Road. Tapscott shot Collins 11 times, seven after he had already collapsed to the ground. In Spanish, Jerez described Turcios as a loving father whose only concern following the crash was getting his family to safety. “The officers on that day did not care what I or Daniel wanted and instead treated us like suspects from the moment they arrived,” Jerez said. “Daniel should not have died. He was not a threat. We hope this will be an opportunity for police to learn from their mistakes so no other family has to suffer the tragedy that we face.” W

FE AT U RE

Inside Village Regional Library, Raleigh PHOTO BY BRETT VILLENA

ake County Public Libraries drew scrutiny in December when administrators took Gender Queer off shelves—but the institution’s missteps go beyond the temporary removal of a controversial book, according to insiders. A recent INDY Week investigation reveals the library’s collection department has had problems for years, with librarians and senior staff saying they’re excluded from decisions about book removal and maintenance. Librarians also spoke of a stifling work culture, where anyone who questions the decisions of administrators is reprimanded and shut out of future decisions. Employees are still strongly discouraged from talking to the media, with many hesitant to speak on the record.

Who decides to remove books?

By the Book Wake County Public Libraries is revising its policies governing collections and book challenges, but some librarians say the administration is less than transparent. BY JASMINE GALLUP jgallup@indyweek.com

Before 2005, the responsibility for responding to book challenges rested with library managers, who worked with their supervisors and the library’s director to reply to attempts to ban books. The process involved seeking input from librarians on staff as well as administrators, which many libraries prioritize when it comes to addressing book challenges. That changed, however, when Wake County Public Libraries shifted the responsibility for selecting and removing books from individual library managers to a central department. As the library system grew, maintaining separate collections of books for each branch became “inefficient and expensive,” says county spokeswoman Stacy Beard. The library system moved to a floating collection, where books could be shared among all branches. That’s not unusual, but the change resulted in unforeseen consequences. Since library managers were no longer buying books, they were no longer leading the response to book challenges. Instead, the collection services department, which oversaw all 23 libraries in Wake County, began handling book challenges directly, often without the input of local librarians. Since then, the senior collections manager has typically reviewed book challenges. Theresa Lynch—who worked in technology administration roles managing Wake County’s online library system, e-books collection, and online programs administration—took over the role of senior collections manager in 2012. Lynch wrote in a September 7 email obtained by the INDY that reviewing book challenges usually involves only herself, the patron, and the manager of the library where the challenge is received. The decision to remove Gender Queer was based primarily on Lynch’s evaluation, without input from public-facing library staff. This process is unusual compared to that of libraries across the country, where reconsideration committees are often formed to respond to book challenges. In Durham County, for example, challenges to books are reviewed by a group that includes the deputy director, finance officer, and other library staff, in addition to the collections manager and library manager. Decisions can then be appealed to the library’s Board of Trustees. INDYweek.com

February 16, 2022

Antiracist Baby and Our Skin Gender Queer wasn’t the only book that the library’s informal book reconsideration policies affected. Last year, two children’s books about race were set to be removed from a section of the library on Lynch’s say-so. Antiracist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi was removed from the library’s board book section, a collection of picture books printed on durable paperboard for babies and other very young readers. Administrators also planned to remove Our Skin by Jessica Ralli and Megan Madison, but copies of the book were still checked out. The books remained available in other parts of the library—Our Skin, a picture book designed for readers ages two to five, was housed in the children’s nonfiction section, alongside chapter books on subjects like U.S. history and countries of the world and some classic children’s tales such as Aesop’s fables. Antiracist Baby, also designed for young readers up to three years old, was moved to the picture book section. Moving Our Skin and Antiracist Baby out of the board book section was a matter of finding the best place to shelve them, says Michael Wasilick, Wake County’s library director. Despite the fact that publishers have now started printing traditional picture books in board book format, there are differences in how children and parents use board books versus picture books, he says. The content and format of certain books may make them more suited to the board book collection, while others may need to go to the picture book collection, Wasilick says. “It’s about, how do we make books more accessible for our parents and caregivers?” he says. “And [help them] use them the way they’d like to use them, whether it’s to flip through a book with the child or if it’s for the child to use themselves.” But emails between Lynch and Wake County’s deputy library director Ann Burlingame, who oversees six senior managers in the county’s library system, suggest the decision about these two books was based on the fact that they addressed race rather than on how advanced the content was. In an email to Lynch, Burlingame writes that “it’s too bad” Our Skin has to be taken out of the board book collection “because the beginning … is very good, but where you flagged the book makes it feel [like it has]much more of an agenda and I am not sure it is historically accurate.” 10

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Why is this important?

THE NEW “COLLECTION PURPOSE POLICY” Board books: These books, Burlingame writes, are sturdy books designed to introduce babies and toddlers to the concept of books and reading. They introduce readers to “concepts, first experiences and social behaviors. (I.e., letters, numbers, colors, shapes, potty training, going to the doctor, sharing, taking turns, and playing).” Picture books: In this section, the library selects books that “are appropriate for the younger child, who will often be exploring these books alongside their parents, caregivers, family, and friends.” Picture books should offer diversity in characters and content “to reflect the diversity found in Wake County,” Burlingame writes. They focus on stories about “friendship, families, school, animals, and other topics of interest to children.” Children’s nonfiction: Books on this shelf are “appropriate for young children through school aged and designed to support students with school projects … independent learning … interests … and social issues.” Like picture books, they should include “broad subject diversity.”

The new collection development policy Following the decision to remove Gender Queer from the library entirely in December, administrators faced backlash from librarians, patrons, and the media. The response prompted them to review the library system’s book removal and book challenge process. Beard admits the current process of responding to book challenges is flawed, saying that under the post-2005 system “there weren’t really clear guidelines” for who should be involved in the decision to take a book off the shelves. Following the Gender Queer controversy, a committee, led by selection manager Dan Brooks and comprising collection department staff, library managers, librarians, and one library assistant, convened to review the library system’s book removal policies. The committee will present a final draft of the new policy to the Wake County Board of Commissioners for review on February 28, Beard says. In the meantime, Gender Queer and the board book versions of Our Skin and Antiracist Baby are all back on shelves, awaiting re-evaluation under the new policy. Following the challenges to Our Skin and Antiracist Baby, Lynch and Burlingame also began developing a new “collection purpose policy” that outlines what kinds of books should be housed in each section of the library. The policy will also be subject to review by the Board of Commissioners.

If approved, the new policy will be used for the “selection of materials, request to purchase, and requests for reconsideration,” according to an email from Burlingame. That doesn’t mean just that some books may be moved from one section to another but also that various children’s books are at risk of being removed entirely or simply never purchased in the first place. Brooks, the selection manager, other librarians on his selection team, and senior library managers reviewed the policy that Lynch and Burlingame devised, Burlingame said. In an early and partial draft of the new collection policy acquired by the INDY, Burlingame outlines standards for the board book, picture book, and children’s nonfiction collections (see box above). Librarians, however, have concerns about the new policy. “In my professional opinion, and others agree, these definitions are dated,” one library manager told the INDY on the condition of anonymity. “If it were 1995, I would tend to agree with some of what [Burlingame] is saying. [But] for years, publishers have been publishing board books that were originally published as picture books. The purpose for board books goes beyond what she has described.” The current board book collection, according to the Wake County library catalog, includes titles like I Am Human: A Book of Empathy, and When God Made You. Board books cover some complex topics like family, love, and religion, as well as things children might see out in the world, like gardens or ambulances.

It may seem inconsequential to nonlibrarians, but Wake County's lack of a formal policy has seemingly made it easier to remove and relocate books without explanation. Removing a book without following an official process “sends the message that the policy does not matter and it is easy to remove resources from a library,” according to the American Library Association website. In an effort to preserve intellectual freedom, many libraries comparable in size to Wake’s have posted policies onine about their criteria for book selection, removal, and challenges. Montgomery County Public Libraries, located in Maryland between Washington, DC, and Baltimore, states it “does not remove, restrict or withdraw materials because they are regarded as discriminatory or inflammatory by an individual or group.” The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library collects books “that represent a diversity of views” and “include[s] items which reflect controversial, unorthodox or even unpopular ideas,” its policy states. “The Library … will not, either directly or indirectly, ban or censor any material.” Wake County Public Libraries, on the other hand, does not seem to have made its collection policies publicly available. Although the library has procedures and guidelines for selecting books and reviewing book challenges, there was no collection development policy on its website as of early December, but the library system shared the policy with the INDY upon request. The goal of the library is to create a more transparent policy that allows more input from librarians and patrons, says Wasilick. He and other administrators plan to look at what collection policies libraries of similar size use, such as those in the Seattle, Fairfax, and Austin metro areas, to help develop Wake’s collections policy before it goes before the Board of Commissioners for approval. Administrators will also consider best practices from the American Library Association, Wasilick says. “Part of this is trying to get the people that use this collection more engaged with selection as we go forward,” says Wasilick. “The people who are actually working with the customers, how do we engage those librarians with the [book] selectors? Then we can talk about what to buy and where to put it so it’s best used. That’s the change we’re looking for.”

A hostile work environment

Next steps Some steps have been taken to address the concerns librarians have, according to Wasilick. After the coronavirus pandemic hit, many of the traditional ways staff communicated got shut down, he says. This summer, Wasilick plans to visit each of the county’s 23 library branches and continue visiting on a more regular basis, he says. He also plans to keep in touch with staff with weekly emails and regular “Open Mike” meetings with a rotating group of librarians and library assistants. “We’re trying to just create some structures that will make communication easier and more natural,” Wasilick says. “It’s just a challenge looking at how you do that in such a large system.” Burlingame added in her statement that “we are committed to expanding communication across the entire library system and ensuring that everyone understands policy/procedures with the opportunity to express their thoughts.” W

Spanish-language books W

ake County Public Libraries’ informal collection policies may also have affected the institution’s collection of foreign-language books. Wake County librarians, like those across the country, regularly “weed” the collection for books that are damaged, old, or out of date. As shelf space fills up, books might also be removed if they are unpopular (have low circulation) or if more comprehensive books are available. Back in the spring of 2020, administrators engaged in this process for the foreign-language collection, which at the time contained 2,798 copies of Spanish-language books. About 500 were bilingual children’s books, while another 2,000 or so were in the juvenile and adult Spanish sections. “Some [foreign-language] books were removed from the collection due to their age (the average age of the books was 12.9 years) and low circulation,” county spokeswoman Stacy Beard wrote in a statement. As of February, however, many of those books haven’t been replaced. While the library made its biggest investment yet in bilingual children’s books last year, buying about 1,600 new copies, the juvenile and adult Spanish sections were thin. Copies of juvenile Spanish books totaled 201, while copies of adult Spanish books totaled 177. According to the library’s online catalog, the majority of Spanish-language titles are currently housed at two libraries as part of the “Spanish Language Materials” section—East Regional in Knightdale and Green Road Community in Raleigh. The next highest number of books can be found in the children’s sections of various libraries. Those areas are also home to some of the highest Hispanic populations in Raleigh, according to the 2020 Census. Across the county’s 21 other libraries, however, in the adult and young adult sections, copies of Spanish books are scarce. “The Wake County Public Library System is committed to having a significant Languages Other Than English collection that reflects the growing diversity of our community,” Beard wrote. “While the WCPL does not believe that it currently has an adequate LOTE collection, some progress has been made while a plan is being developed.” The library began discussions about ordering more juvenile, young adult, and adult Spanish books last summer, Beard says. Administrators expect about 1,620 more books to arrive this spring, bringing the total number of Spanish-language books in the collection to about 3,600. W

“We're trying to just create some structures that will make communication easier and more natural. It's just a challenge to do that in such a large system."

ke up w a W i

At Wake County libraries, questioning the decisions of senior administrators is unacceptable, according to three librarians who spoke to the INDY on the condition of anonymity, because they were afraid of facing retaliation, each said. Employees are publicly demeaned or bullied in meetings if they question Burlingame, according to one library branch manager. Employees have learned to avoid asking questions or raising concerns about library policy, “because you never know what is going to set her off,” the library manager says. “If you go against them, you are committing career suicide with Wake County,” the library branch manager adds. “You will not be promoted.” Burlingame refuted these claims in a statement, writing that retaliating against employees is inconsistent with her and Lynch’s management style. “My weekly meetings with the six Senior Library Managers include spirited debates and straight-forward discussions with a design toward collaborative and constructive outcomes,” Burlingame wrote. “My priority is to continue to improve WCPL’s management style and help library managers at all levels grow their performance as leaders.” Burlingame added that decisions about promotion and advancement are based on the input of many employees at different levels, and that the library has safeguards in place to ensure no one person can “impair advancement in the library.”

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February 16, 2022

M U SIC

SARAH SHOOK & THE DISARMERS: NIGHTROAMERS

[Thirty Tigers; Friday, Feb. 18, 2022]

Sarah Shook

Sarah Shook’s Superpower On third album Nightroamer, Shook’s raw, sharply observant songwriting shines bright through cosmic country. BY MADELINE CRONE music@indyweek.com

t the age of 17, the artist at the helm of the Chapel Hill-based neo-country outfit Sarah Shook & The Disarmers was prohibited from listening to music with the exception of worship music and classical composition. After graduating from homeschooling—a few years before moving to Garner with their family at the age of 19—Sarah Shook took their first job as a cashier in smalltown western New York. Shook’s coworkers all attended school together, making Shook the “new kid.” Between shifts, they would discuss new artists and swap music recommendations. Naive, yet abundantly curious, Shook began to wriggle out from the grips of fundamentalism. “When they found out that I wasn’t allowed to listen to music, they were appropriately horrified,” Shook laughs. “So they kind of took me under their collective musical 12

February 16, 2022

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wing, and they started sneaking me CDs to smuggle into my own house.” Back home, Shook would wait until the light under their parents’ bedroom door went out across the hall to pull out the contraband. Beneath the covers, Shook entered a new dimension through headphones. From Belle and Sebastian to Gorillaz, they engorged themselves in the labyrinth of secular storytelling and synth-pop sounds. “I cannot describe to you the emotional roller coaster that was,” Shook says. “I’d never heard music that sounded like that before.” In the two decades since, that awestruck teenager has channeled their infatuation into a genre-defining career as an outlaw artist who celebrates being an outlier, with unabashed songs about mental health struggles that many

PHOTO BY BRETT VILLENA

would keep close to the chest. Shook does not claim to have the answers, but they do feel a certain responsibility to share their notes in case they contain something others might have missed. Today, despite being a late bloomer, the 36-year-old artist is taking the third Disarmers album release in stride. Due February 18 via Thirty Tigers, Nightroamer sees the quintet digging deep into their country roots while branching outward in an extension of honky-tonk rock with budding pop-punk production. Standing proud and poised behind Shook’s commanding vocals and guitar guidance are Eric Peterson (lead guitar), Aaron Oliva (bass), Jack Foster (drums), and Adam Kurtz (pedal steel). With the veteran hand of Grammy-winning producer Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam, k.d. lang), Nightroamer challenges any previously held notions of the band’s genre labels. Pushing past the foundational elements found in Sidelong (2015) and Years (2018) that defined the band’s undeniably country sound, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers prove illimitable. The seasoned dynamic introduces newfangled pop sensibilities while maintaining a melody-centric structure to highlight Shook’s songwriting. “When I write a song, I’m thinking about the song. I’m not thinking about genre, or where it fits in with our sound,” Shook explains. “Writing songs, for me, is a very singular activity. And part of that is because sometimes I write songs that end up not being for The Disarmers. And sometimes I write songs that are like, ‘Nobody but The Disarmers can play this song.’ Learning how to make those distinctions has been part of the process.” Shook’s songwriting is best defined by a raw lyricism that matches their candid approach to mental health. Fueled by their own struggles with depression and social anxiety from a young age, Shook’s songwriting became a kind of superpower. Conveying deeply personal experiences and emotion, Shook says, “comes naturally.” As a child, Shook remembers the difficulty of talking about their feelings. They began writing songs at the age of eight or nine and by the time they were a teenager, Shook realized the practice to be a “magical avenue to sort of connect with my emotions.” “I’ve never had any hesitation or negative emotion about sharing the songs that I write,” Shook continues. “I feel like it’s a safe thing for me to do, to use song format to talk about my experiences, and my thoughts and ideas and opinions on things.” Shook—who came out as bisexual at age 19 and has since also come out as nonbinary—recognizes this superpower as a rarity. Observant, but not self-critical, their lyrics empower anyone struggling with love, loss, recovery, addiction, or mental health. On Nightroamer, unrestrained expressions of their own experiences with abusive relationships (“Somebody Else”) and personal growth (“No Mistakes”) cut through stigma and build bridges to their most isolated listeners.

Beyond their experience, Shook recognizes that everyone’s struggle is individual and everyone’s pain is valid. “It Doesn’t Change Anything” is Shook’s intimate offering to those feeling the most alone. Employing empathy, the guitar-led tune is a simple acknowledgment of the burden of battling addiction and depression. The high and lonesome sound of the record’s most country-tinged track serves as a tender “I see you” moment. “It’s really, really hard to battle depression and anxiety,” Shook says. “And when you throw in the fact that people are also feeling shame about it, it just doesn’t make it any easier. I feel like having candid conversations around mental health is something that doesn’t take a lot of effort. Just saying some simple things can help someone feel like they’re not a freak for having depression. It can help people feel less alone and give them a little bit more space to actually deal with the real issue instead of the shame surrounding it. And help them know that depression is actually really normal; unfortunately, it’s a very common experience.” The band derived the 10 tracks on Nightroamer from a stockpile of songs Shook wrote on the heels of Years and began rehearsing in late 2019. Two of the songs that made the final list were not what Shook had originally envisioned for The Disarmers. At the end of the last rehearsal before heading to Los Angeles to record in February 2020, the band was looking to blow off some steam and asked Shook what else they had for them. Shook presented them with “I Got This” and “Been Lovin’ You Too Long.” “So we played them, and they were like, ‘Yeah, these should go on the record,’” Shook recalls. “It’s awesome to play music with people who are not concerned—like I am not concerned—with fitting some kind of criteria, or being pigeonholed as a country band.” “Been Lovin’ You Too Long” takes Sheryl Crow’s country-gone-angst approach to the next level with punk-rock percussion. Backing drums on “I Got This” infuse cosmic pop into the self-pump-up song for a pleasant change of pace. “We have a lot more elements to our sound than just country,” Shook continues. “Obviously, we love country; we wouldn’t be playing it if not. But it’s just a part of us; it’s not all that we have to offer.” Exploration is at the heart of Shook’s creative process. Getting in late to the listening game, Shook admits, “I feel like I’m still catching up.” But catching up also means doing it their own way. If a typical way of consuming music for most people might be to encoun-

ter an artist and whirl through their discography, Shook’s approach is sideways: with the exception of Elliott Smith, they say, they often find a song they like and “obsess over it for like a month, and then move on.” Shook isn’t influenced by any one artist, they say. Instead, their lyrics bloom from emotion, and it’s that emotion that shapes the sound of the final product. “I can’t speak for my bandmates, but I have no desire to imitate a sound or go after a style,” Shook explains. “The songs that I write come from personal experience, and the music that comes out is a very singular thing with its own sound. And I like that about it—I don’t think I’d have it any other way.” The band finished recording Nightroamer just days before the world shut down in March 2020. Shook and the band agreed that given their performance tier there was no point in releasing an album without a supporting tour—so they sat. And waited. By mid-2021, it became evident that touring still wasn’t sustainable. They waited some more. This holding pattern was maddening for Shook, who had grown accustomed to spending 150 days of the year on the road supporting 2018’s Years. But the stillness of homelife proved fruitful as they evolved from the person who wrote Nightroamer. “In some ways, I feel pretty distant from those songs—just as far as how much personal growth I’ve accomplished in the last couple years,” Shook says. “Once I realized we weren’t going to tour I threw myself into engineering better mental health and physical health for myself. And that has been a really cool thing.” In the two years since wrapping, Shook settled into sobriety and sought more effective coping mechanisms. One of those, of course, is songwriting. Shooks says album four plans are underway with The Disarmers, and a separate set of songs from that time will soon serve as their new “indierock-pop” solo album, titled Nightmare. “I think a lot of the songs on Nightroamer were written at a time when I was starting to become more introspective,” they say. “There was, like, a self-awareness that was sort of in seedling form—in its infancy. And then being able to be home for a couple of years provided me the opportunity to really lean into that.” After two years of letting the album sit, Nightroamer became a mile marker of Shook’s evolution as a person, partner, bandmate, and storyteller. “When you can look back and feel almost like that version of yourself is unrecognizable, it shows growth, and that you’ve come a really long way—and that’s awesome.” W INDYweek.com

February 16, 2022

M U SIC

Her Take: On Carolina Hip-Hop ILLUSTRATION BY JON FULLER

The Real Deal For emerging queer North Carolina R&B singer SevvTheArtist, authenticity is everything. BY KYESHA JENNINGS

music@indyweek.com | @kyeshajennings

evvTheArtist, an emerging R&B singer, is Jill Scott with a hint of Erykah Badu. Her influences range from gospel to classic and alternative R&B, and her songs circumnavigate the complexities of love and romance. Through them, she celebrates both the joy that healthy love can bring, as well as the toxicity that unhealthy love can create. Born Charlotte Jackson, the Greensboro native has achieved impressive accomplishments in just a short amount of time. Her debut EP, Pre-K, released in 2020, demonstrates her diligent commitment to making music her career. (Even the title is a nod to being a student in the music game.) Since then, Sevv has released two critically acclaimed singles, “Show Me” (2021), a collaborative love track with fellow Greensboro artist Knotty Zah, and the summer romance “Sunshine” (2021). The latter track has been featured on BET Soul, SiriusXM, Music Choice R&B Soul, and TIDAL’S Rising R&B playlist. 14

February 16, 2022

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The Black queer songstress, who is careful not to place limitations on her blooming career, describes her music as authentic. Through her artistry, she wants to remind others to “be themselves,” meaning they shouldn’t feel that they have to place themselves in a box based on what society says they have to be. “You know, it’s all about what you want to do,” she says over the phone, “and as long as you do that, it’s authentic—these are the principles SevvTheArtist believe in.” This perspective is reflected in her music tag: at the beginning of each song, listeners are reminded, “If it ain’t authentic, I don’t want it.” In high school, Sevv participated in both the jazz and marching bands. There, she learned the tenets of live instrumentation and was able to hone in on different sounds and tones that she now incorporates into her music. Her single “Sunshine” is positioned like a love letter, as Sevv declares the deep love she has for her partner. In the video, Sevv prioritizes all forms of Black love and plays Cupid. Sevv knows a thing or two about love, too: She’s been in a seven-year partnership with her girlfriend and manager, Donika Whitsett. “I wanted to create a new view of what Black love could be,” she says. “I really wanted to just let it be known that Black love is positive. That was super important to me” The music industry has made some progress in representing and supporting LGBTQ artists. Within the past two years, Lil Nas X has embraced his Black queer sexuality and shaken up the hip-hop and pop industry in a revolutionary way. The same goes for Frank Ocean, who is often touted as the “queer icon of the decade.” The day before the release of his debut album, Channel Orange, in 2012, Ocean published an open letter that revealed that his first love was a man. Since then, Ocean has achieved critical success and has become well known for protecting his spirit by remaining low-key; many would say that Ocean paved the way for a host of other queer artists. In an article about the “Black Queer music revolution,” Variety writer Jeremy Helligar points out that “a number of Black and

biracial female performers—Janelle Monáe, Halsey, Kehlani, Azealia Banks, Syd from the Internet, Tayla Parx and Young M.A. among them—have since emerged as visible members of the LGBTQ community.” Still, the music industry has a long way to go, especially when it comes to making space for masculine-presenting queer artists. “If you think about Young M.A., she is probably one of my favorite female rappers. But if you look at how she is portrayed in the media … I feel like she should be a lot further in her career than she is right now,” Sevv says, adding that the industry hasn’t figured out how to market Black LGBTQ artists like Young M.A., thus excluding them from the conversation. “I just feel like in media nowadays, there’s little room to be yourself,” Sevv says, citing Texan R&B singer Kaash Paige as an example. Paige, who is signed to Def Jam, is openly bisexual. “When she first came out, she was, like, a tomboy,” Sevv says. “I was like, wow, this is crazy! She’s getting all of these mainstream views. She’s going viral. And then as soon as she reached her peak, I feel like her image started shifting a little bit.” Sevv, though, is not interested in changing her image. She says she wants to be a role model so that others can be inspired by her commitment. As an emerging artist, she’s not chasing money or fame. Her goal is simple: to build a solid fan base that supports her music and shows. She defines success as being able to do what makes her happy and to no longer question if she’s on the right path. “I want people to look at me and be like, ‘Hey, you know, I feel that! I want to look like that too,’ and not feel that it’s a problem with being free or how they choose to present themselves,” she says. Currently, the artist is wrapping up her newest project, Blu, set to be released by the end of the winter. “A lot of people get caught up in the money, the glitz, the glamour, the jewels, the cars,” Sevv says. “If my music can touch the person next to me or a young girl who is struggling with finding out who she is, that’s success to me, you know— I’ve lived out my purpose on earth.” W

SC R E E N

I WANT YOU BACK | HHH

Now streaming on Amazon Raleigh's Community Bookstore

Charlie Day and Jenny Slate in I Want You Back PHOTO COURTESY OF AMAZON PRIME

Lonely Hearts Club In I Want You Back, Jenny Slate and Charlie Day play two grifters scheming to get their exes back. BY LEIGH TAUSS ltauss@indyweek.com

t’s all fun and grift, until someone catches feels. Except: everyone already has feelings, but for their exes, who have rejected them. I Want You Back, a new rom-com starring the perversely adorable Jenny Slate alongside the adorably perverse Charlie Day, smartly relies on the convention of the genre while pushing a deeper agenda on what this love stuff is really all about. The film opens with Slate’s Emma ordering a second “Lovers cocktail” at brunch while her hunky sweet fitness-fanatic boyfriend, Noah (Scott Eastwood), gently breaks the news that he’s met someone else. Minutes later, we meet Peter, played by Day, who finds himself sob-singing “Happy Birthday” at the

birthday party of his girlfriend’s nephew. Well, ex-girlfriend—Anne (Gina Rodriguez), his girlfriend of six years, has just broken up with him. Later, Emma and Peter—who work in the same office building in Atlanta, Georgia—meet in a stairwell and begin bemoaning their existentially crushing heartache, which spins, as these things do, into a sloppy, liquor-fueled karaoke session. And then they get a brilliant idea: use each other to attempt to con their exes into getting back together with them. Their plan is so crude, outrageous, and morally bankrupt that clearly it’s bound to blow up in their faces spectacularly. But that’s precisely why we tune in, to watch these weirdos flail. There’s a comedic para-

dox to reveling in a wound familiar to anyone who has ever been dumped. Going into this film, I was a little worried Slate’s and Day’s performances would be on too similar a wavelength: one awkward howler might be cute, but surely two would be a symphony of pure annoyance. I Want You Back director Jason Orley, though, recognizes this, and the best moments are when Slate and Day play off the supporting cast: the delightfully aloof Manny Jacinto playing a mawkish, hubristic middle school drama teacher, Rodriguez serving up barbed effervescence as Anne, and the apple of Slate’s eye, Eastwood, as Noah, a painfully straight man obsessed with nutritional metrics and how much he can lift. Orley is mostly known for his work with comedian Pete Davidson, directing his 2019 streaming-screen debut in Big Time Adolescence and his comedy special Alive from New York, and fans will be happy to know Davidson does have a cameo playing a character straight out of a Saturday Night Live sketch. I Want You Back works because this is a romantic comedy and we know from the onset that Slate and Day will end up together. But what non-formulaically proves more important is what they learn about relationships, and themselves, along the way. If you are looking for one of those neat little romances where the two magnetically fly into one another’s arms at the end of Act 3, I’m happy to report you’ll be disappointed. Here, Orley is smart to rely on the conventions of the genre while also upending audience expectations. Spoiler: the real love story isn’t between Slate and Day; it’s in how they come to love themselves again after heartbreak and learn what it means to believe in and support another person selflessly. This yields surprisingly heartfelt results: the bond that Emma and Peter build is not just a shallow “love at first sight” romance. It’s a slow burn, and if you get through all of the film’s two-hour run time, it might warm your heart, too. W

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February 16, 2022

C U LT U R E CA L E NDA R

Please check with local venues for their health and safety protocols.

Okwui Okpokwasili joins Tift Merritt in a livestreamed conversation on Thursday, Feb.17 PHOTO COURTESY OF CAROLINA PERFORMING ARTS

screen Ocean Body Feb. 9-16, various times. CURRENT ArtSpace + Studio, Chapel Hill. Ackland Film Forum: Tears of the Black Tiger Thurs, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m. Varsity Theatre, Chapel Hill. The Conversation $10. Feb. 18-24, various times. The Carolina Theatre, Durham.

art Mindful Museum: Virtual Slow Art Appreciation Wed, Feb. 16, 7 p.m. Online; presented by NCMA. February Spotlight Show: Featuring B.F. Reed Thurs, Feb. 17, 5 p.m. Bev’s Fine Art, Raleigh. Gallery Talk: Student Co-Curators Alana Hyman and Noah Michaud Thurs, Feb. 17, 6 p.m. The Nasher, Durham. Guided Tour: Peace, Power & Prestige: Metal Arts in Africa Thurs, Feb. 17, 1:30 p.m. Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill.

The Spark with Tift Merritt: Okwui Okpokwasili Thurs, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m. Online; presented by Carolina Performing Arts. Virtual Artist Talk: Renée Stout Thurs, Feb. 17, 6 p.m. Online; presented by the Gregg Museum of Art & Design. Donna Stubbs: 5 Points Gallery Featured Artist Fri, Feb. 18, 4 p.m. 5 Points Gallery, Durham. Guided Tour: Explore the Ackland’s Collection and Peace, Power & Prestige Fri, Feb. 18, 1:30 p.m. Ackland Art Museum, Chapel Hill.

Family Studio: Block Art Party $8 (members), $10 (nonmembers). Sat, Feb. 19, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. NCMA, Raleigh. Great Backyard Bird Count Sat, Feb. 19, 10 a.m. NCMA, Raleigh.

The Worst Person in the World $10. Feb. 18-24, various times. The Carolina Theatre, Durham. Predator & Toy Soldiers $10. Fri, Feb. 18, 7 p.m. The Carolina Theatre, Durham.

Hasan Minhaj performs at DPAC on Thursday, Feb. 17 PHOTO COURTESY OF DPAC

stage Strictly Speaking with Elizabeth Doran Wed, Feb. 16, 6 p.m. KennedyMcIlwee Studio Theatre, Raleigh.

Kuumba Community Drum Circle Sat, Feb. 19, 2 p.m. NCMA, Raleigh.

Sick Chick Flicks Film Festival $20+. Feb. 19-20, various times. Varsity Theatre, Chapel Hill.

Chris Fleming: Tricky Tricky $38+. Thurs, Feb. 17, 8 p.m. Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh.

Live from the Studio: Ivana Milojevic Beck Sat, Feb. 19, 1:30 p.m. NCMA, Raleigh.

Everything is Terrible! $16. Tues, Feb. 22, 8 p.m. Motorco Music Hall, Durham.

Hasan Minhaj: The King’s Jester $44+. Thurs, Feb. 17, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. DPAC, Durham. Fortune Feimster: Hey Y’all $35+. Feb. 18-19, various times. The Carolina Theatre, Durham.

Urban Bush Women: Hair & Other Stories $10+. Feb. 18-19, 8 p.m. Reynolds Industries Theater, Durham. Bely y Beto $35+. Fri, Feb. 18, 7 p.m. Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh. Alton Brown: Beyond the Eats $45+. Sun, Feb. 20, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. DPAC, Durham. Hadestown $35+. Feb. 22-27, various times. DPAC, Durham.

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February 16, 2022

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Mitski performs at The Ritz on Friday, Feb. 18 PHOTO BY EBRU YILDIZ

the Triangle’s Arts & Culture Newsletter

music Blends with Friends (Open Decks) Wed, Feb. 16, 8 p.m. The Pinhook, Durham. Dillon Francis x Yung Gravy: Sugar, Spice and Everything Ice Tour $45+. Wed, Feb. 16, 8 p.m. The Ritz, Raleigh. Squirrel Flower $13. Wed, Feb. 16, 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle Back Room, Carrboro. Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band: Straight To You Live Tour $45+. Thurs, Feb. 17, 8 p.m. The Carolina Theatre, Durham. Sun June $15. Thurs, Feb. 17, 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle Back Room, Carrboro.

Carolina Gospel Jubilee Presented by PineCone $22+. Fri, Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m. Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh.

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the North Carolina Symphony $44+. Fri, Feb. 18, 8 p.m. Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, Raleigh.

Loamlands / Aquarian Devils $10. Fri, Feb. 18, 7 p.m. The Pinhook, Durham.

Black Violin: Impossible Tour $35+. Sat, Feb. 19, 8 p.m. DPAC, Durham.

Mitski $28. Fri, Feb. 18, 8 p.m. The Ritz, Raleigh. Narrative of a Slave Woman: Songs of Hope, Justice, and Freedom Fri, Feb. 18, 7:30 p.m. Nelson Music Room at Duke University, Durham. Sarah Shook & the Disarmers Album Release Show $15. Fri, Feb. 18, 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro.

Ciompi Quartet Sat, Feb. 19, 8 p.m. Baldwin Auditorium at Duke University, Durham. John Moreland $17. Sat, Feb. 19, 8 p.m. Haw River Ballroom, Saxapahaw. JULIA. Album Release Show $7. Sat, Feb. 19, 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle Back Room, Carrboro. Low Cut Connie $18. Sat, Feb. 19, 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro. Umphrey’s McGee $30. Sat, Feb. 19, 8 p.m. The Ritz, Raleigh.

School of Rock Chapel Hill: Cupid’s Jam $10 (suggested donation). Sun, Feb. 20, 1 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro. Sights and Sounds Concert Series: Chamber Music Raleigh Presents Harlem Quartet $28 (members), $17 (students), $31 (nonmembers). Sun, Feb. 20, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. NCMA, Raleigh. The Brook & The Bluff SOLD OUT. Mon, Feb. 21, 8 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro. Illuminati Hotties / Fenne Lily $15. Mon, Feb. 21, 8 p.m. Motorco Music Hall, Durham. Andy Shauf $18. Tues, Feb. 22, 8:30 p.m. Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro.

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ALL RE A LTHC T HEA ERS GE K R WO

FF O % L 10 ON ALKS

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In-Store Shopping Curbside Pick Up www.regulatorbookshop.com 720 Ninth Street, Durham, NC 27705 In-store and pick up hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10a-6p

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this week’s puzzle level:

There is really only one rule to Sudoku: Fill in the game board so that the numbers 1 through 9 occur exactly once in each row, column, and 3x3 box. The numbers can appear in any order and diagonals are not considered. Your initial game board will consist of several numbers that are already placed. Those numbers cannot be changed. Your goal is to fill in the empty squares following the simple rule above.

If you just can’t wait, check out the current week’s answer key at www.indyweek.com, and click “puzzle pages.” Best of luck, and have fun! www.sudoku.com solution to last week’s puzzle

February 16, 2022

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2.16.22 INDY CLASSIFIEDS classy@indyweek.com

C L AS S I F I E D S EMPLOYMENT SOFTWARE ENGINEER II (Raleigh, N.C.) Software Engineer II, F/T, at Truist (Raleigh, NC) Deliver technically complex solutions. Perform system integration support for all project work. Consult & partner w/ the business product owners to understand the end goal & offer solutions & recommendations during the dsgn. Must have Bach’s deg in Comp Sci, Comp Engg, or related tech’l field. Must have 4 yrs of exp in s/ware engg or dvlpmt positions performing/utilizing the following: applying in-depth knowl in info systems & understanding of key business processes & competitive strategies related to the IT function to identify, apply, & implmt IT best practices; applying broad functional knowl in reqmt gathering, analysis, dsgn, dvlpmt, testing, implmtn, & deployment of applications; planning & managing projects & solving complex problems by applying best practices; providing direction & mentoring less exp’d teammates; & utilizing exp w/: TFS, Rally, Iterative, NDM (Connect Drive), FTP, SOAPUI, IBM WebSphere MQ, ALM (Application Lifecycle Mgmt), UNIX, Visio, SSAS, SSIS, DTS, RAD/JAD, Shell Scripting, Pega, FileNet, Websphere, Azure, Open API & service architectures, GIT, Maven, Java, & Azure DevOps Services. Email resume w/ cvr ltr to: Paige Whitesell, Paige.Whitesell@Truist.com (Ref. Job No. R0053335) SOFTWARE ENGINEER II (Raleigh, N.C.) Software Engineer II, F/T, at Truist (Raleigh, NC) (Multiple Openings) Deliver technically complex solutions. Perform system integration support for all project work. Consult & partner w/ the business product owners to understand the end goal & offer solutions & recommendations during the dsgn. Must have Bach’s deg in Comp Sci, Comp Engg, Electronics Engg or related tech’l field. Must have 4 yrs of exp in IT positions performing/utilizing the following: applying in-depth knowl in info systems & ability to identify, apply, & implmt IT best practices; understanding of key business processes & competitive strategies related to the IT function; planning & managing projects & solving complex problems by applying best practices; applying broad functional knowl in defining technology reqmts; interpreting internal & external business challenges & implmtg best practices to improve products, processes, or services; leading technology projects of moderate complexity; applying Agile &/or Waterfall methodologies; dsgng, dvlpg, & testing of mainframe applications using COBOL, CICS, DB2, JCL, VSAM technologies; & utilizing exp w/: COBOL, CICS, DB2, JCL, VSAM, Mainframe systems, Changeman, FileManager, Fault analyzer, Rally, NDM (Connect Direct), FTP, SOAPUI (cross platform API testing tool), IBM WebSphere MQ, REXX, SQL, DFSORT, ICETOOL, ALM (Application Life Cycle Mgmt), & Visio. Position may be eligible to work remotely but is based out of & reports to Truist offices in Raleigh, NC. Must be available to travel to Raleigh, NC regularly for meetings & reviews w/ manager & project teams w/in 24-hrs’ notice. Email resume w/ cvr ltr to: Paige Whitesell, Paige. Whitesell@Truist.com. (Ref. Job No. R0053333)

RISK DATA & REPORTING SENIOR ANALYST (Raleigh, N.C.) Risk Data & Reporting Senior Analyst, F/T, at Truist (Raleigh, NC) Lead complex analytic projects & perform efforts such as analysis, dsgn, coding/creating, & testing. Dvlpmt will incl but not be limited to creating customized data warehouses, loan level analysis, & reporting solutions using analytical tools/prgmg languages such as SAS, R, Python, SQL, Cognos, Tableau, QlikView, Microstrategy & Microsoft Office Products. Must have Bach’s deg in Comp Sci, MIS, or related tech’l field. Must have 5 yrs of progressive exp in Data Analyst positions performing the following: applying in-depth knowl of principles, practices, theories, &/ or methodologies associated w/ the professional disciplines of IT, project mgmt, finance, & risk mgmt; applying knowl of the industry’s competitive landscape & the factors that differentiate the co. from competitors in the mkt; leading small projects; & utilizing exp w/: SAS, R, Python, SQL, Cognos, Tableau, QlikView, Microstrategy, & Microsoft Office Products. Position may work remotely but is based out of & reports to Truist offices in Raleigh, NC. Must be available to travel to Raleigh, NC regularly for meetings & reviews w/ manager & project teams w/in 48-hrs’ notice. Email resume w/ cvr ltr to: Paige Whitesell, Paige. Whitesell@Truist.com (Reference Job No. R0053332). IT SERVICE DESK ANALYST (Morrisville, N.C.) IT Service Desk Analyst (Morrisville, NC) - Ensure maximum productivity and minimum downtime to internal customers by providing a superior support experience for issues related to IT equipment and processes. Reqs: Bachelor’s + 1 yr exp. Mail resume to: Affordable Care Dentures & Implants, 629 Davis Dr, Ste 300, Morrisville NC 27560, Attn: Y. Gonzalez.

E V EN T S

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