December 30, 2021

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Volume 48, Number 17

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W I N S TO N - S A L E M , N . C .

THURSDAY, December 30, 2021

Kwanzaa celebrations engage community via virtual events Celebration continues today through Saturday

BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE

For over a decade Triad Cultural Arts (TCA) has brought people together from around the city for the week-long celebration of Kwanzaa. This year, due to the pandemic, the event was held virtually.

Celebrated each year from Dec. 26 – Jan. 1, Kwanzaa, which means “first fruits of harvest” in the African language Kiswahili, is an African American celebration that focuses on the traditional African values of family, community, responsibility, commerce, and selfimprovement. Each day of Kwanzaa is represented by a principle or theme that serves as the focus for the celebration that day. Dr. Maulana Karenga introduced Kwanzaa in 1966.

Local festivities began on Sunday, Dec. 26, where the focus was Umoja, which means unity. The keynote speaker was delivered by Forsyth County Commissioner Fleming El-Amin. On Monday, Dec. 27, the focus was Kujichagulia, which means “self-determination,” and the keynote speaker was The Honorable Denise Hartsfield.

Tuesday, day three of the celebration, centered around the theme Ujima or collective work. The festivities were hosted by the Big 4 Alumni Association, who put on a talent

Photo by Tevin Stinson

Kwanzaa, a seven-day celebration, focuses on African values of family, community, responsibility, commerce and self-improvement. This year’s event, hosted by Triad Cultural Arts, was held virtually. show featuring Sam Hamlin, Rev. Sam Hickerson, Ralph Meadows, Mozell Duncan, Joe Anderson, and the Legendary Napper Singers.

Day four, Wednesday, Dec. 29, celebrated Ujamaa, which means collective economics. The Winston-Salem Black Chamber of Commerce members presented a skit focused on supporting

African American-owned businesses.

Today, Thursday, Dec. 30, the public is invited to Brown and Douglas Recreation Center to celebrate Nia or purpose. During the event, Otesha Dance Assemble will perform live and the keynote address will be delivered by Rev. Dr. John Mendez.

Day five, Friday, Dec. 31, the focus will be

Kuumba or creativity. The public will have the opportunity to learn how to make a Kwanzaa drum, collard green salad, and discover some diverse book recommendations. This celebration is sponsored by the Forsyth County Public Library.

Saturday, Jan. 1, the final day of Kwanzaa is centered on the theme

Imani or Faith. The celebration will be marked by the Annual Celebration of Emancipation hosted by the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Emancipation Association. The guest speaker is Reverend Dr. Dwight Hash Sr., Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church.

Attorney Reba Warren will perform the annual reading of The Emancipation Proc-

lamation and scholarship awards and recognitions will be conducted by Daniel Piggott.

Events hosted by Triad Cultural Arts will stream live every day at 6 p.m. on Zoom on the “Triad Cultural Arts” Facebook page.

For more information and a complete list of events and sponsors visit www. triadculturalarts.org

The Hinton Foundation ‘turkey and toys’ event helps 100 families have a happy holiday

BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE

Last week volunteers with The Hinton Foundation, a local nonprofit that supports current and college-bound marginalized undergraduate students, did their part to ensure families had something to eat and something under the tree this holiday season. On Thursday, Dec. 24, the foundation, founded by Christopher Hin-

ton in 2017, hosted their fourth annual Turkey and Toy Drive that helped 100 families.

Hinton said while the focus of the foundation is to empower the next generation of world changers, they also understand the importance of empowering the community as a whole.

“First, our vision was to empower students through scholarship dollars and stuff like that and as we grew, we started to redefine that mission,” Hinton continued. “Education is important, of course, but how do we take the blessings that we have and leverage those to empower the community as a whole to do great things?”

Here in Winston-Salem there are several communities that are considered “food deserts,” an area that has limited access to affordable and nutritious food. Hinton said that’s why they started hold-

Photo by Tevin Stinson

The Hinton Foundation’s fourth annual turkey and toy drive helped 100 families. ing the Turkey Drive and thanks to donations from the community, they were able to add toys.

“As you know, Winston-Salem is a food desert in certain places, so that’s why we have this event, to

make sure families have a holiday feast and not have to worry about where their next meal is coming from,” Hinton said.

Along with the turkey and toys, families also received several other items

including vegetables, milk and other kitchen staples.

Sponsors and partners for The Hinton Foundation’s Turkey and Toy Drive include North Point Academy, TLC Learning Academy, Oak Summit

Academy, Max Kinder College, Church Childcare, and the local chapters of Phi Beta Sigma and Zeta Phi Beta.

When asked how it feels to be able to give back to those in need, Hinton said, “It feels amazing, it really does my heart good because it’s not necessarily about what we get out of it.

“I’m not trying to solicit more sponsors or donors or anything like that … we want to see the smile on the kids’ faces when we’re giving them a gift. Seeing the smiles on the parents’ faces when they have that sense of relief,” Hinton said.

“Being able to lighten the load, even if it’s just a little while, does our hearts good as a foundation.”

For more information on The Hinton Foundation, visit https://www.thehintonfoundation.

www.wschronicle.com

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D ecember 30, 2021

The C hronicle

Support Nikole Hannah-Jones and The 1619 Project

BY OSCAR H. BLAYTON

Most folks in Black and brown communities have heard of The 1619 Project that was published by the New York Times Magazine in 2019. This important and ambitious project, led by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, pulled back the curtain of euphemistic rhetoric composing American historiography that points only to the good in our history and sweeps under the rug the evil deeds perpetrated against people of color for more than 400 years.

The 1619 Project sought only to do one thing – start an honest conversation about how toxic attitudes about race have shaped this nation’s past and made America the country it is today.

For her effort and her scholarship and her truth telling, Ms. HannahJones has been subjected to foaming-at-the-mouth

of events that are interconnected – although their connection is often overlooked by most historians – that led to slavery being a driving factor of the American Revolution.

The first set was the taxation issues of the 1760s. As a result of the costly French and Indian War, Britain began to tax its North American colonies on items such as glass, lead, paint, paper and tea.

There were other taxes, including the notorious Stamp Act, which levied taxes on paper products and documents on paper.

The colonists protested these taxes vigorously, and eventually all these taxes were rescinded, except for the tax on tea. The colonists saw these taxes by England as arbitrary, and a distrust began to grow among the colonists toward Britain and how it might oppress its subjects in the colonies.

Secondly, the British Parliament passed the

Submitted photo

Nikole Hannah-Jones attacks by conservative politicians and right-wing pundits. These racially motivated jingoists have stirred The 1619 Project into the witches’ brew of grievance politics and created a screaming mob of frightened white people who fear that an open discussion of America’s history will take something away from them. They want to wage war against anyone who dares to reveal America’s true history.

This is a battle for the truth. And Nikole HannahJones and the people who developed The 1619 Project should not be left to fight this battle alone. We all must arm ourselves with the knowledge of the truth and enter the fray. It is our duty.

And I would like to play my part by pointing out some truth about American history.

Some of the loudest howling from the American white supremacists against The 1619 Project has been to denounce the statement that one of the principal factors driving the American Revolution was the fear that Britain would bring an end to slavery in the colonies.

With wild-eyed frenzy, conservative commentators argue, “How could such noble men as our founding fathers be motivated by such a low-down motive?”

But given the fact that Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe – four of the first presidents of the United States and participants in the Revolution – were slaveholders, it is clear that these screeching conservatives are attempting to obfuscate historical facts to prevent an open and critical examination of the issue.

There are numerous historical data points that can be examined regarding the causes of the American Revolution, enough to fill books comprising a large library. But the examination and consideration of a few facts will corroborate what the project has said about the relationship between slavery and the American Revolution.

There were three sets

Declaratory Act of 1766.

When Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, it simultaneously sought to strengthen its control over the colonies by declaring that the British Parliament's taxing authority was the same in America as in Great Britain. In this way, it was asserting its complete authority to make laws binding in its colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”

Even with the passage of the oppressive Declaratory Act, there was not a great deal of fervor for independence among the colonists until the third series of events were precipitated by the Somerset case in 1772. James Somerset was an enslaved Black man who had been taken from Norfolk, Virginia, to London by his enslaver, Charles Stewart.

Once in England, Somerset began to realize that he might live as a free person.

Stewart got wind of Somerset’s interest in freedom and had him chained in a ship scheduled to sail for Jamaica, where Somerset was to be sold. Abolitionist friends of Somerset petitioned the highest court in England for his release. And after months of legal maneuvers, Lord Mansfield, chief justice of the highest court in Great Britain, ordered Somerset’s freedom, stating that slavery “is so odious, that nothing can be suffered to support it, but positive law.” And further, he ruled, “I cannot say this case is allowed or approved by the law of England; and therefore the black must be discharged.”

This ruling by Lord Mansfield sent shock waves through the American colonies, especially those in the agrarian South.

It was clear that Britain would not long abide slavery in its possessions overseas. The Declaratory Act now had real significance because all English colonies were created by charters granted by the crown.

And in each of those charters was a “repugnancy clause” stating that no colony could make laws that were repugnant to the laws of England. This left the colonists no way to

contest laws freeing slaves in the colonies. Three colonial acts relating to other matters already had been struck down by English authorities in the two years preceding the Somerset decision. So, Lord Mansfield’s remark about slavery being odious was a very real threat to slavery in the Americas. The repugnancy clause in colonial charters, coupled with the Declaratory Act and the decision in the Somerset case, threatened economic doom for the colonists, especially Southerners. Almost all the wealth in the southern

colonies was created by slave labor. The only reason white enslavers had so much wealth was because enslaved Blacks had none.

Not only did the enslavers in America know of the Somerset case, the enslaved knew of it as well. A Virginia Gazette advertisement printed on June 30, 1774, stated in part about a runaway slave: “He will probably endeavour to pass for a Freeman by the Name of John Christian, and attempt to get on Board some Vessel bound for Great Britain, from the Knowledge he

has of the late Determination of Somerset’s Case.”

The handwriting was on the wall. Southern planters, as well as northern slaveholders, would not be able to hold onto their slaves for more than a generation or two. America would become a very different place without slavery. Rather than have that happen, the colonists went to war.

These are facts white supremacists and their right-wing pundits do not want you to know. But these facts are not hard to confirm. Books that speak

to these facts are in libraries and online. We must arm ourselves with the facts and use them to battle for truth. We cannot let Nikole Hannah-Jones and The 1619 Project fight this fight alone.

Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia. His earlier commentaries may be found at https://oblayton1. medium.com/.

family meals ready when you are

Visit foodlion.com/catering or stop by the deli at your local store.

Place your order by filling out the order form online or in-store.

Pick up your order from the deli at a time that works for you.

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T he C hronicle

D ecember 30, 2021

I’m a mom first.

I may be Dr. Nina Ford Johnson a pediatrician, but I’m a mom first. My babies are my top priority, always. With COVID going around affecting Black kids at a higher rate, I’m telling any parent with children 5 and older to get the COVID vaccine.

Find vaccines near you at vaccines.gov

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D ecember 30, 2021

T he C hronicle

OPINION

James Taylor Jr. Publisher Bridget Elam

Managing Editor

Judie Holcomb-Pack

Associate Editor

Timothy Ramsey

Sports Editor/Religion

Tevin Stinson

Senior Reporter

Shayna Smith

Advertising Manager

Deanna Taylor

Office Manager

Our Mission The Chronicle is dedicated to serving the residents of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County by giving voice to the voiceless, speaking truth to power, standing for integrity and encouraging open communication and lively debate throughout the community

U.S. Supreme Court asked to flip decision and put Bill Cosby back in jail

BY LAUREN VICTORIA BURKE NNPA NEWSWIRE

Kevin Steele, the prosecutor who put legendary actor and comedian Bill Cosby, 84, in jail in 2018, has filed an appeal to the United States Supreme Court to reinstate Cosby’s conviction.

Cosby was released on June 30 after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that former prosecutor Bruce Castor’s decision not to prosecute in 2005 should have prevented Cosby from being charged in 2015.

“Unwilling to accept its epic loss in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Montgomery County District Attorney has now filed a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Supreme Court. In short, the Montgomery County D.A. asks the United States Supreme Court to throw the Constitution out the window, as it did, to satisfy the #metoo mob,” Cosby’s spokesman Andrew Wyatt said in reaction on November 29.

“There is no merit to the DA’s request which centers on the unique facts of the Cosby case and has no impact on important federal questions of law. The United States Supreme Court does not typically interfere with the rulings of a State’s high court unless it conflicts with the decisions of other state high courts or our federal court of appeals. This is a pathetic last-ditch effort that will not prevail. The Montgomery’s County’s DA’s fixation with Mr. Cosby is troubling to say the least,” Wyatt added.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in the case that would later be overturned was brought forward by Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee, who alleged that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her at his home in Philadelphia in 2004. Steele called the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s June 30 decision on Cosby, “a dangerous precedent.”

“A prosecution announcement not to file charges should not trigger due process protections against future criminal proceedings because circumstances could change, including new incriminating statements by the accused,” Steele argued.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling, which was 6-1, found that Cosby relied on his deal with Castor that he would not prosecute.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is a political analyst who appears regularly on #RolandMartinUnfiltered. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke.

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The truth will always keep America going in the right direction Dr. James B. Ewers Jr.

Guest Columnist

The year 2021 has been challenging and eventful.

Nothing has come close to it in my lifetime.

Upon reflection, some things took center stage and not always for the good. These events did not warrant a curtain call.

They were shameful and shocking.

Before the shame and the shock, it is my view that COVID-19 and the variants served as the backdrop for all that went on in 2021. This virus ran roughshod over all of us.

We witnessed firsthand the pain and terrible suffering caused by this once-in-alifetime illness.

All of us were affected in some way. There were no detours to take. The coronavirus came crashing into our lives. It left a path of physical anguish and mental torment that is still with us.

Yes, we have the vac-

cine, and it does work. The problem is that not enough of us think it works. In my opinion, not taking it is a bad decision.

There are people in the United States of America who are uncontrollably stubborn. Facts, science, and statistics don’t matter to them.

Reports say that about 39% of Americans are not vaccinated. That is a bad statistic. Our lives are at risk. By not getting vaccinated and boosted, we are playing around with our lives. What we have in this country is a healthy dose of arrogance and ignorance when it comes to some issues.

Thus, the creation and beginning of “The Big Lie.” The creator of it has become a pied piper to millions of followers. The rhetoric rendered by these people is nonsensical and irrational. Many in this camp are followers. They hear people in power and those perceived to have power say they believe the lie. As a result, they get on the bandwagon. Slowly but surely, they are seeing that the “Big Lie” is just a bunch of fabrications woven together. It has no

basis.

We as Americans have one president and one vice president and we know who they are. Those who say otherwise are unfamiliar with the rule of law.

There was an election held in November and it has been certified and verified by the court system in America. Despite this, a faction of Americans continues to spew out these untruths. My hope for the new year is that we dispel and disarm this myth once and for all.

The fact of the matter is that the “Big Lie” is simply a big lie.

Many of the same people who support it are unvaccinated, yet are the beneficiaries of President Biden’s Build Back America programs. That is both hypocritical and self-serving. Their moral compass is low and has led to this split in our America.

According to reports, the Omicron variant has been detected in every state in the Union. Now more than ever, it is important to get vaccinated and boosted.

The good news, if any, is that the symptoms are not as severe, which

means fewer people will pass away from it.

However, some people see it differently. Christina Ramirez, a biostatistician at the University of California, Los Angeles, said, “I don’t want to be an alarmist, but I don’t think that you can let your guard down.”

Currently, there have been approximately 154,000 cases DAILY over the past 14 days.

So, as we prepare for 2022, let’s take our health more seriously. Let’s stamp out and strike down all facets of the “Big Lie.” Support President Biden.

Get vaccinated and boosted and encourage others to do the same.

America being together and healthy beats the alternative.

James B. Ewers Jr., Ed.D., is a former tennis champion at Atkins High School in Winston-Salem and played college tennis at Johnson C. Smith University, where he was all-conference for four years. He is a retired college administrator. He can be reached at overtimefergie.2020@yahoo.com.

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T he C hronicle

D ecember 30, 2021

FORUM

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U.S. military the cause of frequent incidents of pollution Sebastian Santos Guest Columnist Thought experiment: China contaminates the groundwater in certain places on Oahu, the most populous and popular island in Hawaii.

Should we issue a statement of concern?

Should we impose trade sanctions? Should we bomb a few Chinese military bases? Should we just declare war on China?

Whatever response is appropriate in our thought experiment, now consider that the actual perpetrator is the U.S. military.

Indeed, the U.S. Army is accusing the U.S. Navy of

contaminating the water in a massive number of its 24 military communities in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor. U.S. Navy attacks U.S. military on Pearl Harbor? Can it get any more ironic?

Though the news of the Navy’s egregious error has sparked outrage amongst the citizens of Hawaii and abroad, this is not necessarily anything new. The U.S. military is one of the biggest polluters in the world. Just a tiny fraction of what we are learning now: *Military members, their families, and surrounding civilian residents in the Marietta, Georgia Dobbins Air Reserve Base are learning this week that their drinking water is contaminated by some of the “forever chemicals”

used on the base and that the first many heard about it was when the local Fox News reporters came to them for comment. These chemicals are known carcinogens and cause thyroid disease and - some of the worst news in the pandemic - weakened immune systems in children. *The Pentagon is the world’s greatest single consumer of oil and thus one of the largest single emitters of greenhouse gases and thus the single entity most responsible for climate chaos - massive hurricanes, forest fires, floods, rising seas, climate refugees, and more.

Aside from jet fuel leakages and them being one of the largest consumers of oil in the world, a great deal of nuclear weapons testing has led to

islands in the Pacific and areas of Native American land to be desolate and abandoned. These actions have made some of these areas unlivable to this day.

The U.S. military spends more than any other military. The international position that the U.S. is usually seen is one where they are considered the strongest and most powerful, commanding respect from allies and instilling fear in adversaries. As a result, they have also been excused from most of their mishaps and negligence by the international community and historically by our own EPA. Unless we act and hold the military accountable for their extreme negligence and haphazard usage of equipment and chemicals that has persist-

ed for decades, incidents like the one in Hawaii will continue to arise. Possible reforms may include: *Ensuring the military’s budget is reduced or at the very least reprioritized to bioremediation, pollution prevention, and military purchase of clean energy and manufactured items. *Holding the military accountable for every environmental impact it produces anywhere, including basic transparency so military members, their families, and all civilians understand the threats to their health and can make informed decisions.

All these incidents are done with your earned money, your income taxes.

All those decisions are made in your name in our democracy.

All these acts are either accidental or deliberate, of course. Accidents should be teachable events so better prevention protections are instituted. Deliberate decisions to pollute because it’s easier should be outlawed and there should be serious consequences.

Otherwise, our own “protectors” are the ones hurting us.

This is wrong at every level and only correctable by all of us deciding to elect lawmakers who will take this as seriously as it deserves to be taken.

Sebastian Santos, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is a graduate of Portland State University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Lewis and Clark College.

This holiday season, we need Congress to help families and farmers Eric A. Aft Guest Columnist

For many families here in Northwest North Carolina, two years of uncertainty around jobs, day care, and protecting the health of loved ones have taken a toll. But now families face another unexpected challenge – rising costs that only exacerbate existing struggles. Havoc in the food supply chain, induced and worsened by the pandemic, is making everything from pork chops to peanut butter more expen-

sive. At Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, we and our on-the ground partner food assistance agencies see the consequences to the many local families we serve.

Having food should be the last thing on any child’s mind, and parents should not have to worry about how they will put food on the table. Yet, even as many of us are planning for holiday feasts, millions of families continue to suffer from hunger in the U.S., and the problem remains especially dire in our rural communities, which make up the majority of the 18 counties served by Second Harvest Food Bank.

That is why it is critical for our lawmakers to

invest in The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which supports Second Harvest Food Bank and the 430 + food assistance organizations we partner with to serve your community.

USDA data show that one in three people who live in households at risk of hunger earn too much money to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other federal nutrition programs. Many of these families turn to the Second Harvest Food Bank network of emergency food assistance programs that depend on programs like TEFAP. TEFAP is an innovative program that brings

food from U.S. farms and producers to Feeding America Food Banks, the local food assistance organizations we serve and, ultimately, families facing hunger. The program offers more than 120 nutritious foods, including fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, nuts, milk, cheese, and whole grains. It is the cornerstone of food supply for Feeding America’s network of more than 200 food banks, which includes Second Harvest Food Bank. In 2020, the Feeding America network distributed 1.2 billion pounds of food to rural America, including 465 million pounds of food provided by federal programs like TEFAP.

Even with the vital support TEFAP has offered throughout the pandemic, Second Harvest and our local partners recognize the reality that many families have not yet been able to get back on their feet.

Food insecurity remains a serious and persistent problem. And that means we have our work cut out for us.

Second Harvest Food Bank and our local partners are proud of our work to bring healthy food from TEFAP to families in need every day, but we can’t do it alone. We need leaders in Congress and the White House to protect funding for this program that produces dual benefits for U.S. farmers and produc-

ers and families facing hunger.

We urge members of the community here in Forsyth County to contact their Senators Tillis and Burr and Representatives Manning and McHenry to remind them of how TEFAP makes a difference for children and families during tough times.

The holidays are an important time for families to come together and give back. Our community is a family that must unite now to take care of our neighbors facing hunger.

Eric A. Aft is the chief executive officer for Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC.

New Year’s solution Joseph Kertis Guest Columnist Thanksgiving has come and gone, and largely, we survived. The COVID-19 pandemic put last year’s festivities on hold, so these holidays are the first opportunity that many have had to gather and celebrate. But this could also mean that many people who’ve become addicted to drugs and alcohol are seeing their family again, which could bring a lot of things to light.

That’s because the COVID-19 pandemic drasti-

cally worsened America’s already horrific drug epidemic. Last year was the deadliest year for drug overdoses in American history. More than 93,000 people died of an overdose in 2020, which was an increase of more than 30% from the previous year’s total, as reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. And in 2021, those numbers are still climbing.

So, we have a large number of people who have begun abusing substances or have increased their use, leading to the worst point we’ve seen in our country’s history of addiction. And many of them will be joining their families for the holidays, a time of year when addic-

tion is usually at its worst.

According to Marcel Gemme of Addicted.org, the holidays are already a recipe for overindulgence.

Many people’s holiday plans involve consumption of at least alcohol, which can easily lead to misuse.

Those who already struggle with addiction may find that the holidays bring up negative emotions or additional scrutiny from family members. They may use even more substances to cope with the negative feelings or try to hide their drug use. All these things can lead to consuming drugs or alcohol when one might otherwise not.

With addiction rates increasing and more people gathering this holiday

season than any time since 2019, the chances of the year ending in tragedy are much higher than experts would like to see. But instead of preparing for the worst, this time could be viewed as an opportunity to solve the problem.

A solution to America’s drug epidemic is needed.

We have poured an excessive amount of time, attention, and resources into fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and those efforts are what are allowing us to have this holiday experience in 2021. Tackling the nation’s addiction problem with even a fraction of the same intensity level given to COVID could potentially end one of the worst public health

threats we’ve ever known.

After all, drug overdoses alone have taken more lives than the coronavirus has in America, with a death toll that’s more than 25% higher. And that’s only taking into account drug overdoses since 1999 and does not include other drug-related deaths such as those from accidents and illnesses.

This New Year, let’s aim to address this problem once and for all. We can each go on hoping it gets better, which it isn’t, or we can do something about it.

Taking action to solve addiction may start small.

But it starts with each of us. Take this time to see your loved ones and really

Have a story idea?

Let us Know!

News@wschronicle.com

check on how they’re doing. You might just save the life of someone you love, and that’s all that matters, whether we’re fighting COVID or addiction.

Joseph Kertis is an experienced healthcare professional turned journalist.

His experience in the field of substance abuse and addiction recovery provides a unique insight into one of our Nation’s most challenging epidemics. He utilizes this knowledge in his writing to give an expert viewpoint that spreads awareness through education.

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T he C hronicle

BUSTA’S PERSON OF THE WEEK

Corey Jones explains his mantra: ‘Bang Bang’ is much louder than gunshots

BY BUSTA BROWN FOR THE CHRONICLE

Unfortunately, we’ve heard a lot of bang bang in our Black communities lately. The bang bang from gunshots, followed by the cries of mothers and fathers.

The lyrics to the 1970 classic “What’s Going On” by the late great Marvin Gaye, sadly continues to stay relevant today.

“Mama, mama, there’s far too many of you crying.

Brother, brother, brother, there’s far too many of you dying. We’ve got to find a way to bring some lovin’ here today.”

This past Christmas, four neighborhoods in Greensboro experienced a bang bang louder than any gunshot. Those neighborhoods were Hickory Trails, Smith Homes, Claremont Court, and Ray Warren.

“My favorite quote, and the only one I live by is: Bang Bang! It’s an acronym for Be Always Near God,” said Corey Jones.

He answered Marvin Gaye’s call to bring some lovin’ to our Black neighborhoods. “Being someone from these neighborhoods and having friends here, I decided to give them a great Christmas, because sometimes they’re the little voices that are not heard.

When they need love and support, sometimes no one hears them. But I did!

“So, I asked the Greensboro community to help me raise money for the kids in Hickory Trails, Smith Homes, Claremont Court, and Ray Warren.

We raised enough money so that each neighborhood could give their children a great Christmas. I wanted them to see that they have someone that believes in

them. It gave me a joy that no words can describe,” shared the father of two.

Corey Jones was born in New York and raised in Jamaica Queens by a single mother. “The person I admire most is my mother. I watched her work 13 hours a day and she never complained. That made me want to work as hard as I can so she doesn’t have to work so hard. I wanted to make her proud of me, and that was the driving force to mold me into the man I am today,” said Jones.

I’m sure his mother is very proud of the man he’s become. Corey’s passion for youth and to make our Black communities great again are equal to some of the great civil rights leaders of the ‘60s. I asked the highly sought-after actor and comedian what would be the ultimate success for his career. His answer wasn’t what I expected.

“Most people would think it’s a big time movie star, along with a sold-out world comedy tour. But I actually want to work for the City of Greensboro and give back to the people.

That’s what I really want to do, Busta.

“I feel my success in comedy, stage plays, and film were all to get me to where I’m the happiest.

And that’s building better and stronger families, schools, and communities.

That’s my end game, Busta,” said Corey.

He didn’t have a father figure in his household growing up and said that forced him to take on the role as man of the house. “Because I didn’t have a father figure as a boy, I lacked confidence.

I didn’t have that positive influence in my corner and that’s not due to my grand-

Submitted photo

Corey Jones, comedian, actor, writer and community leader. parents or mother.

“Lack of confidence caused me to become the class clown. Someone who always wanted to make others laugh for attention and to hide from my lack of confidence. But I eventually turned it around and used it to make me strong.

It also taught me how to survive on my own,” he said.

In 1999 those survival skills came into play. Corey moved to Greensboro with dreams to take over the world. But that dream quickly fell short, “God has different plans when you make up a plan of your own,” said the comedian and actor. He took a few seconds to gain his composure and then looked at me while nearly in tears. “I became homeless,” he said softly.

“All the friends I came here with got incarcerated and eventually went back to New York, and I was here by myself. I stayed in the streets for a while.

It helped build my character and also taught me to respect others. I realized that you never know what someone is going through, so we should never prejudge. I was one that prejudged homeless people as alcoholics or drug addicts.

But I learned that life just happens.

“When I got tired of the narrative, I turned my life around. I had to remember that I’m the author of my own story. I got tired of being looked at as if I was no one, when deep inside I knew I was someone. So, I brought that person out,” he said.

The new narrative of

Corey Jones’ story is an amazing one. Thanks to his good comedian friend Lady Shalamar for giving him a start in comedy, he became one the most sought-after comedians in the country and the most requested MC in the Triad. After receiving his first standing ovation as a comic at a popular spot in Winston-Salem, he hasn’t looked back.

Corey’s material is very clever, thought provoking, and absolutely hilarious.

He’s become one of the most sought-after actors as well. He stars alongside well-known director and actress Alyze Elyse in the series “Blame” and the film “Seven and Tracey Going Broke” on Amazon and Tubi. He’s been in several stage plays as well.

“One thing I’ve learned from you, Busta. You told me to never limit myself.

Never stay in one lane and you’ll always stay in the game,” shared the multitalented entertainer.

I asked how he prepares for a comedy show or a film. “I begin with prayer and thank God for blessing me with so many opportunities. I remind myself that this is what God made me for, and it’s why I’m here.

Then I bounce around in my dressing room and say, it’s showtime.”

What is his greatest accomplishment so far? “No matter how far God has taken me, I never forgot to extend it down and help others come up. I want my two daughters to see that a man is supposed to give it his all in whatever he does.

And to make a difference in the lives of others. I love when they tell their friends my daddy is famous, but most importantly, I want them to say he’s a man with good morals and a

good father,” Corey said as his voice trembled, fighting back his tears.

What I dig most about Corey, AKA Mr. Petty: He loves to see his peers succeed as well, and doesn’t mind taking a backseat if it means the whole team wins. If you’ve ever seen his social media platforms, Corey is never ashamed to share his trials and tribulations. What’s most inspiring about his openness is that he turns them all into triumphs.

What pushes him to be great? “I never want to go back to the person I was.

Yet, I’ll never forget where I came from and will always reach back.”

As we came to the end of the interview, we talked about our favorite comedians. I’m turning 60 in two years and planning a three-day extravaganza. If I had the money, I would have Richard Pryor MC one night, Eddie Murphy the next, and then Brian Regan. I asked Corey, if he had the choice of only two comedians on his dream comedy tour, who would it be? He didn’t hesitate!

“Bernie Mac and Katt Williams!”

As we closed, he shared a word of inspiration, “At one point in my life, my name wasn’t mentioned in the rooms that it is now. And now my name has become familiar in those rooms. So always believe in yourself and know that you can live your dreams as well. No matter what anyone else says, I’m living proof that it can happen.”

My phenomenal Person of the Week is Corey “Mr. Petty” Jones. Follow Corey on Facebook @ Corey Jones MrPetty and mrpettybangbang and @ IG and Tic Toc.

T he C hronicle

D ecember 30, 2021

A7

Local parents set all four kids on path to success

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE

Daryl and DaNina Napper met at Winston-Salem State University 30 years ago. That romance blossomed into a now 26year marriage and four beautiful kids. Over the years, the couple has led their children through high school sports and academics to now having three of the four becoming college graduates, with one two years away from his degree.

Daryl Jr. is a Carver High School graduate who earned a football scholarship to Johnson C. Smith University, where he graduated summa cum laude.

De’Quan also graduated from Carver and attended Elizabeth City State University and played football and is a graduate as well.

Their only daughter Destiny played basketball for Atkins before graduating from North Carolina Central University. Their youngest son Daniel is currently attending Fayetteville State University and is on the football team.

Having four children so close in age was a tough task for a young couple. Adding sports on top of their academic obligations was no cake walk either.

“It was definitely a balancing act,” said Mrs. Napper.

“In all honesty, what we did was every day they came home before they went to Pop Warner practice,” said Mr. Napper. “My wife, she was the academian, so she would shut the house down for about an hour as far as academics are concerned.”

Balancing everyone’s schedule, on top of their work and relationship duties, was another area the Nappers had to focus on as well.

“Most of the time, what happened was, De’Quan and Daryl would play on the same team pretty much until they kind of aged out,” said Mr. Napper.

“When Daryl and De’Quan went to school, Daniel couldn’t play Pop Warner football because we were on the road traveling with them. He missed out on about two years of football as far as

The Napper family has lived by the word of God. Pop Warner football is concerned.”

The Nappers say it was a lot of work to keep their kids away from negative influences because there are distractions around every corner.

“In all honesty, it was a lot of prayer,” Mr. Napper said. “We tried to be totally involved, but we allowed them to experience some stuff and we had such an open family relationship. We had conversations if something was bothering them.

“We let them know that they could come talk to us and I say to any family, that to build relationships with your kids, it has to start young. Will they understand and comprehend everything you say? No.” Mr. Napper has been a pastor for 20 years and he and his wife led their home through the teachings of the Bible.

“They understood that daddy believes what the Bible says,” he said. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, and so they spent a lot of time in the church. Most of the time they

would spend time sleeping in the van because I was pastoring in Greensboro at the time.

“When they were very young, they spent a lot of time in Bible study. They spent a lot of time at vacation Bible school with their grandmother, when she was at Emmanuel. Life wasn’t easy for us, but it was a whole lot of prayer time.”

“Even though sports took a major part of our life because they were teenagers by the time I realized that sports was such a major part, because we just jumped in and did what we had to do when we had to do it,” Mrs. Napper added. “They were very involved, and they knew that God came first.

“They knew they had to read their scriptures and do homework before the athletics came in. They were in the church choir; they were ushers, and they were involved with several other organizations in the church.

Many times, we were the first ones to get there and the last ones to leave.”

The Nappers stated they

Submitted photo

treated their only daughter Destiny the same as the boys as far as discipline and love was concerned, but being the only girl, she was with her mother a lot of the time.

“I kept her with me a lot and I am blessed about that and even to this day, we are extremely close,” said Mrs. Napper. “I would say I probably kept her with me more than the boys, so she was basically treated the same for the most part.

“We just always instilled in them that that’s your sister. If they were wrestling or playing or something, they knew how rough to be and how rough not to be.”

The Nappers don’t feel as though they have done anything special by putting their kids on the best possible path for success.

“We really feel like we didn’t do enough, and we feel like that because we want them to be so successful,” Mr. Napper said about his kids. “They are extremely successful now, but we want them to be so successful

and supersede our major expectations for them.”

Both Daryl and DaNina feel one of the major reasons for their kids’ success has been their commitment to the Lord.

“When I stepped into the ministry, my great grandfather Bishop Napper had a bunch of children and raised them in church and he would always say ‘Don’t kill my name, I worked hard for my name,’” said Mr. Napper. “My mother kept that same tradition and raised her four children in church.”

“They understood the importance of God because daddy used to sit on the table and say to them basically, don’t give up on God, because God will never give up on you. I don’t care how tough it gets, God will always be there for us. It’s something I instilled in them very early and we have experienced that, even today.”

Mrs. Napper added, “It’s a mixture of this is what we were supposed to do, and this is what we did. Number one is God, thank you for leading us in doing this, because parenthood is not easy and you don’t get a manual when they come. We were dependent on God so much in raising them, because that’s what it took.”

Mr. and Mrs. Napper admit they had some rough days as a couple, but made it through with help from God. “I am going to say it’s hard, but it’s simple, prayer,” Mr. Napper said when asked what helped them through the tough times.

“A family that prays together, stays together. What people fail to realize is that we didn’t have much.

“We were just like a normal family that got those things in the mail that said insufficient funds when you write a check.

Sometimes our kids lived off of hotdogs, but it was those moments that were difficult that her and I found a way to always draw closer to each other.

It was moments where you never thought we would make it out of it, but God brought our spirits together and would always carry us.”

A8

D ecember 30, 2021

T he C hronicle

THURSDAY, December 30, 2021

Also Religion, Community News, and Classifieds Timothy Ramsey Sports Columnist

LaVar Ball wasn’t as crazy as we thought he was When he first hit the scene a few years ago with his then outlandish claims, many thought LaVar Ball was talking out of the side of his neck. While all of his claims did not come to fruition, he has brought his family to heights I never thought they would reach.

A little over four years ago, Ball became the talk of sports nation when I began making these bold statements like he could have beaten Michael Jordan in a game of one-onone, or saying that his son Lonzo was better than Stephen Curry. Many people laughed him off as just another guy looking for his 15 minutes of fame.

Those outlandish statements led to a lot of attention on his sons Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo. At the time, all three were starring for the Chino Hills High School basketball team and with Lonzo being the oldest, he was first to have to live up to all of the hype that his father placed on his slender shoulders.

It had to be tough for Lonzo to try and live up to those standards his father set for his three sons.

To his credit, Lonzo lived up to the hype early on.

He was a highly recruited guard in the 2016 class.

He chose to attend UCLA to play his college basketball.

As a freshman, Lonzo led the nation in assists and broke the UCLA record for the most assists in a season. He won the Wyman Tisdale Award as the nation’s top freshman and was a consensus firstteam All-American player in 2017.

For his efforts at UCLA, Lonzo was taken with the second overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.

That may not have been the best place for Lonzo to start his career. The pressure of playing in Tinsel Town, as well as the pressure of living up to the hype, may have been too much for him. Lonzo’s time in LA was filled with injuries and failed expectations.

After two years, Lonzo was shipped to the New Orleans Pelicans in a package deal for Anthony Davis, where he became a better player with less expectations. Lonzo bettered himself in nearly every statistical category during his time with the Pelicans.

Prior to this season, Lonzo was traded to the Chicago Bulls in a sign-and-trade deal. His current contract is a four-year $85 million dollars. At only 24 years of age, I’d say Lonzo is well on his way to a great career.

LiAngelo was up next for the Ball brothers. LaVar has always claimed that “Gelo” was the best scorer of all his sons, which is up for debate.

Gelo shined at Chino Hills just like his older brother did. He was a three-star recruit and signed to play at UCLA as well. He never played college basketball due to a shoplifting incident in China prior to the 2017-18 season. His career has been somewhat derailed since then.

After deciding to forgo his collegiate career, See Ball on B2

Photos by Alphonso Abbott Jr.

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE

The 2021 Frank Spencer Holiday Classic basketball tournament was

one for the ages. There were upsets and underdog winners on both sides of the brackets. The Winston-Salem Prep Phoenix were the champions of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools bracket and the Glenn Bobcats were the champions of the Pepsi Bracket.

Phoenix takes home Frank Spencer championship

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE

Josh Pittman could not have asked for a better start to his first year as head coach of the WinstonSalem Preparatory Academy boys’ basketball team.

Not only has the Phoenix played well in their non-conference schedule, they put it all together to win the Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County Schools bracket of the Frank Spencer Holiday Classic.

“Of course, I was thankful and the first thing I did was thank God and the first thing I just looked at the faces of the kids and that’s what it was all about for me,” Pittman said about winning the Frank Spencer Tournament. “Just seeing those kids succeed when so many people doubted them and said we were going to have a down year.

“Just to see those guys be able to call themselves champions and enjoy the fruits of their hard work and labor meant the world for me. That’s the joy of it for me. Me personally, I like to see these young kids do well, be champions, and hopefully that will translate later on in life, and that’s a memory they can take forever.”

The Phoenix came into

Submitted photo

In his first year as head coach, Josh Pittman has a Frank Spencer Championship on his mantle. the tournament as the No. 3 seed and their confidence was high because of their play during a tough nonconference schedule. They were 4-2 prior to the Frank Spencer and Pittman knew that challenging schedule would bode well for his team.

“Normally at Prep, they put together a tough schedule because basically in Winston, we are normally the only 1A school, period,” said Pittman. “So, we always play those rivals like Glenn, Mt. Tabor, and Walkertown, and all the other schools in the area you can play.

“It’s going to be a hard schedule regardless, but you get prepared because

everything we saw in our non-conference schedule, we pretty much were going to see at the Frank, so it was good for us.”

Parkland was the first team Prep was to play in the Frank Spencer.

The Phoenix had already played the Mustangs twice heading into the Frank Spencer and we all know how tough it is to beat a team three times in the same season.

“I just tried to tell our guys to stay grounded and to understand that it’s very difficult to beat a team three times and to make sure we play our game and we focus on ourselves,” he said. “I was just constantly talking to the guys when I

saw them in the hall and telling them that we have a big game and to play them like we have never played them before. I think that’s how they approached it and it ended up helping us out in the end.”

Prep dominated Parkland, beating the Mustangs 71-50 in their first-round game.

“I just knew that we could kind of exploit the matchups with them and we kind of take away some of their strengths,” Pittman said about the matchup with Parkland. “I knew if we could hold some of their key players down a little bit below their averages, then we would be able to beat them.

“They have some good guys and they are well coached and if their guys get going, then it could be a long night. Our goal was to try and keep their best player right at that 15-point mark and hold everybody else at bay, or at least below their average, and thankfully we were able to do that.”

For their semifinal game, the Phoenix faced North Forsyth. The Vikings are a scrappy team with a lot of length that makes them very tough defensively.

“The North Forsyth game was different because we played them in a jamboree in the summer and when we played them at the Frank, they had added three or four new players that we hadn’t seen before,” he said. “They came out in a 2-3 zone and a 1-3-1 press and the smallest guy on the team was 5’9” and everybody else was 6’5”, 6’6” and up.

“So, we had to basically adjust and just stay close and keep grinding and doing what we were doing by figuring out ways to attack the zone until the rim opened up. At any point with my team, because we have almost five See Phoenix on B8

B2

D ecember 30, 2021

The C hronicle

Bobcats bounce top seeds en route to Frank Spencer Championship

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE

Beating the best en route to a championship gives a team added satisfaction to their victory. For the Glenn Bobcats, that’s what they felt winning the Pepsi Bracket of the Frank Spencer Holiday Classic.

The Bobcats were the No. 5 seed going into the tournament. On their way to the championship, they defeated the No.1, No.2 and No.4 seeds of the tournament.

“We weren’t really fine with where we were seeded, so when they came out, we just used it as motivation,” said Glenn head coach Jonathan Gainey.

“No matter what seed you are, at the end of the day you want to be holding the trophy on the championship night and we were able to do that.

“I was just happy for the boys because we have been working hard. We set team goals this year and one of the goals was to win the Frank Spencer. We worked hard and we knew it was going to be tough.”

The Bobcats played with a chip on their shoulder for their first-round game against Atkins, winning the game 69-48. It was as if they wanted to prove they were better than their No. 5 ranking indicated.

“We were focused and when the seeds came out, I told the team where I put us at and it was above 5, so we kind of felt slighted, but you know everyone has their own opinion,” said Gainey. “I told them that we can’t be mad at what people think of us, but we can prove everybody wrong and that was our motivation.”

For the game against No. 1 seeded Mt. Tabor, the Bobcats were focused and ready to play, said Gainey.

Photo by Alphonso Abbott Jr.

Glenn wins the Pepsi Bracket of the Frank Spencer Holiday Classic.

“For us, we wanted to show people we can play, because sometimes there is a mystique; Mt. Tabor has been one of the better teams in the city for the last 15 years,” Gainey said.

“Andy (Muse) does a great job and he is a very good coach.

“When you look back over the last few years who has been the best teams, it’s been Winston-Salem Prep under Andre Gould, it’s been Andy Muse at Mt. Tabor, then there was Howard West, and now Billy Martin at Reynolds, so we knew going into that game we wanted to play at our pace. Mt. Tabor wants to speed you up, so we just wanted to spread the floor and make them defend. I knew if we could control the pace, which we were able to do, I knew we would be there in the end and we were able to pull that game out.

Gainey did not want his team to get too high emotionally after beating Tabor, because they still had another game to play.

He told his team they did not come to the Frank Spencer to beat Mt. Tabor, but instead came to win the entire tournament.

“I just wanted to make sure we checked that box by being Frank Spencer champions,” Gainey said

about his mindset going into the championship game. “We knew it was a championship game, so we knew it was going to be a lot of energy.

“We were up 10 at halftime and I told the guys we won the first half, but we have to stay focused for 16 more minutes and we were able to do that. I told them if we cut our mistakes, we would be able to check that box and that’s what we did.”

Gainey, who has been Glenn’s head coach for five years, felt his team had what it took to compete with anyone in the city. That’s why winning the Frank was a realistic goal this year.

“We knew what type of team we had, we knew the work we put in over the summer, and our football team did a great job and made a deep run, so we didn’t get those guys until three days before the season started,” he said.

“We were kind of behind the eight ball with everybody getting on board and blending the football guys with everyone who made the team.”

Gainey says he knew there were doubters around who felt his team could not compete with others around the county. He says it gives him a little extra

satisfaction being able to disprove the doubters.

“People are always going to have their doubts about you, and they will always say what you can’t do,” he stated. “The only thing you can do when they say that is not get mad but to just prove them wrong.

“We know what we do in that gym. We know how hard we are working. There is no secret to success, you just have to outwork your opponent.

Again, I am happy for Glenn and I am happy for our program. There are two things you can be, the hunter or the hunted. We were the hunter a couple of years ago. Now I think we have people's respect.

We had to gain it, but more importantly, we earned it and that’s what you want.

We are going to get everybody’s best now. We are no longer the hunter; we are the hunted and I like being in that position and look forward to the challenge ahead.”

Gainey is a graduate of Glenn High School, so winning the Frank Spencer Tournament for his alma mater gives him extra enjoyment. He says he doesn’t want to look too far ahead, but would rather take it game by game.

Ball

From page B1

LiAngelo signed with the Lithuanian professional team Prienai. He later played in the Junior Basketball Association, a league founded by his father, then finally joined the G League during the 2019-20 season. He is currently signed to the Greensboro Swarm, the G League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets.

Although LiAngelo has not made it to the NBA as of yet, he is still playing professional basketball in a league that is basically the minor leagues of the NBA. All he needs to do is continue progressing his game and one day soon he could get the call to be moved up to the NBA. As a father, you have to be happy with your least successful son being a pro ball player and living his dream.

Last, but definitely not least, is LaMelo. The youngest of the trio and probably the best has had a great start to his professional career thus far.

LaMelo started his high school career at Chino Hills just like his older brothers, but following a coaching dispute prior to his junior season, he left Chino Hills and signed with the same Lithuanian team his brother Gelo did in Prienai.

He briefly played for the Junior Basketball Association before returning to play high school basketball as a senior with SPIRE Academy in Ohio. LaMelo saw his NBA prospects dip due to him not playing much with Prienai and eligibility concerns. In 2019 he chose to play overseas once again, this time with the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League in Australia.

Playing in Australia was a blessing for LaMelo. He went from being a projected second round pick to being a high lottery pick in just one year.

LaMelo eventually be-

came the third overall pick of the Hornets in the 2020 NBA draft and would go on to become the Rookie of the Year for 2021.

He began his career with the Hornets coming off the bench. It wasn’t long before he earned his way into the starting lineup. He fractured a bone in his right wrist in March of his rookie year, but came back to finish the year strong.

This season, Melo has picked right back up where he left off to end last season. He has always been a tremendous passer, but everyone can tell he has worked hard on his jump shot as he is more consistent with his three-point shooting this season. He is definitely one of the young stars in the NBA and his future is very bright.

I don’t want to admit it, but LaVar seems to have been mostly right about his sons. Two out of the three were top three picks in the draft and if not for the China mishap, he may have had all three sons in the league at the same time.

I may not have gone about it the same way, but you have to give credit where credit is due. Ball deserves credit for how well he built a brand for all of his sons and his family. Not only are they all playing professional basketball, but they also have the “Big Baller Brand” company and a television show on Facebook Watch.

To think LaVar and his sons have built their brand to this level in just under five years is a testament to LaVar and his wife for seeing the vision.

He has always said that it’s about family and so far, that’s exactly what he has built, a strong Black family where everyone is successful. Let’s go ahead and give that man his flowers now. You may not like him or the way he acts, but you can’t argue with the results.

Salute, LaVar.

T he C hronicle

Elder Richard Wayne Wood

School Lesson

Justice, Vengeance, and Mercy Scriptures: Genesis 4:1-16 By the end of this lesson, we will: *Explore God’s justice in the face of human sinfulness; *Reflect on the dangers of allowing sin to control us; *Repent on thoughts and actions that could harm others and ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Background: The story of Cain and Abel is viewed most often as one of sibling rivalry with God choosing the younger brother over the older brother, or a shepherd over a farmer. Sibling rivalry is in fact a theme that runs throughout the book of Genesis. However, the story of Cain and Abel also has many parallels to the story of the Garden of Eden: God issues a command; humans disobey; God confronts them; they protest; and God punishes them with expulsion. There is, however, more to the story.

Lesson: The First Brothers (Genesis 4:1-7). “Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived …”

Eve gave birth following a command given her and Adam in Genesis 1:28. She named her first son Cain, which means “acquire,” and her second son she named Abel, which means “breath” or “breathing spirit.” The phrase “and she again bare” (verse 2) according to some scholars suggest that Cain and Abel were twins.

Whatever the case, we go from birth immediately to occupational adults. “… Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground” (verse 2). Cain and Abel both brought offerings of their wares to the Lord.

Cain brought “fruit of the ground,” produce in general, but Abel brought “the firstlings of his flock … fat portions” – the best animals. “And the Lord paid heed to Abel and his offering, but to Cain and his offering He paid no heed.” There is no explanation given as to why the Lord accepted Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s. We may infer that Abel offered his with great devotion – Hebrews 11:4 says that he offered “By faith …” The emphasis here, though, is not on the reason for God’s preference, but on Cain’s refusal to reconcile himself to it. Cain became furious and despondent. “Cain was much distressed and his face fell.” (verse 5). The Lord responds to Cain’s reaction with a question, a reminder, and a warning in verse 6. God questions his anger, reminds him that if he did what was right, he would be accepted, but if he chose not to obey God’s commands, ever-present sin crouched and was waiting to pounce like a lion to fulfill it’s desire to overpower him. It was his responsibility to ward off sin - “but you must master it.” The cure for emotional problems is found in spiritual realignment (verse 7).

Jealousy Leads to Sin (verses 8-9). Rather than listening to God’s counsel, Cain rejected doing well, refused to repent, and so crouching sin pounced and turned him into a killer (verse 8). Cain was flippant in his answer to God’s question, “Where is Abel your brother?” God knew the answer to His question. He wanted to give Cain the opportunity to confess his sin and start to do right after doing wrong. “I do not know. Am I my brother’s See Mercy on B8

B3

South Africa’s 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Bishop Tutu, has died at the age of 90

BY STACY M. BROWN NNPA NEWSWIRE

Sunday

D ecember 30, 2021

Long before Nelson Mandela won his freedom from 27 years of imprisonment fighting apartheid in South Africa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu earned the moniker “the nation’s conscience.” White and Black residents of the popular African nation lauded the bishop for his relentless fight to unite races and end the racist system of apartheid.

South Africa’s leading advocate for change and reconciliation under a Black majority rule and the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Bishop Tutu, died in Cape Town on Dec. 26 at the age of 90.

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa first confirmed the bishop’s passing.

“He was a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead,” President Ramaphosa exclaimed.

A spokesperson for the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said Bishop Tutu succumbed to cancer after a decadeslong battle with the disease. Bishop Tutu reportedly had been hospitalized several times in the years since his 1997 diagnosis, but continued his work.

His demands for freedom and advocating that justice be accomplished in a nonviolent manner

helped earn Bishop Tutu the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

Born on Oct. 7, 1931, in Klerksdorp, South Africa, Bishop Tutu’s mother, Aletha, was a domestic worker, and his father, Zacharia, was a teacher.

Bishop Tutu was baptized a Methodist, but his family would later join the Anglican Church, according to his official biography.

When he was 12, his family moved to Johannesburg.

Bishop Tutu often spoke of Rev. Trevor Huddleston, a white preacher who opposed apartheid.

Rev. Huddleston earned the young Tutu’s admiration because of a simple gesture: Rev. Huddleston tipped his hat to Tutu’s mother.

Desmond Tutu studied at the Pretoria Bantu Normal College and earned a degree in teaching from the University of South Africa. He taught for three years but resigned after South Africa enacted the Bantu Education Act, lowering Black students’ education standards.

He married Nomalizo Shenxane and the couple remained together for more than 66 years, until Bishop Tutu’s death.

They have four children, Trevor, and three daughters, Theresa, Naomi, and Mpho.

“Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a mentor, a friend, and a moral compass for me and so many others,” former U.S. Presi-

Desmond Tutu dent Barack Obama said in a statement.

“A universal spirit, Archbishop Tutu was grounded in the struggle for liberation and justice in his own country, but also concerned with injustice everywhere. He never lost his impish sense of humor and willingness to find humanity in his adversaries, and Michelle and I will miss him dearly.”

England’s Royal Family tweeted condolences from Queen Elizabeth.

Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali also tweeted out his sympathies.

“I join other world leaders in expressing my sadness at the passing of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who has been

Submitted photo

the embodiment of the struggle for liberation,” Prime Minister Ali wrote.

“Ethiopia sends its condolences to the people and the government of South Africa.”

Officials at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Atlanta also released a statement of sadness.

“Our hearts go out to his family. Archbishop Tutu was a global human rights activist and a compassionate, bold, consistent voice on behalf of the ostracized and oppressed,” the King Center officials wrote. “May we carry his love forward.”

Stacy M. Brown is the NNPA Newswire senior national correspondent.

Local church continues tradition of feeding those in need for holidays

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE

Whole Man Ministries (WMM) launched a two-day event starting on Dec. 22 to ensure families would have food on the table during the Christmas holiday.

WMM partnered with the Rescue Mission to pass out 300 boxes of food, along with a $20 gift certificate with each box.

“They (the Rescue Mission) ended up contacting us, because I am sure they have seen what we have done in the city this year,” said Barry Washington, senior pastor of Whole Man Ministries. “We are Church of the Year again, to be honest with

VID-19 cases recently, the church also partnered with the N.C. Council to provide free COVID testing, vaccine and booster shots before the gathering of families for the holiday season.

“It is very important because of the uptick in this alarming virus, it is so important that we get our children and our loved ones vaccinated,” he said. “As I see now, people are getting this thing more, because it was on the decline and now it’s on an inSubmitted photo Whole Man Ministries fed over 300 cline.

“We think it’s important, we families for the holidays. have had four of these outings where you. In the year 2021, they have seen we share the booster, and we plan to have at least one or two more in the what we have done.”

See Church on B6 Because of the rise in the CO-

RELIGION CALENDAR

Thursdays and Saturdays Free Meals Christ Rescue Temple Church, 1500 North Dunleith Ave., will serve hot meals as part of the People Helping People Feeding Program. Meals will be served every Thursday and Saturday from noon until 1 p.m. at the church’s location. For more information, call 336-7229841.

Each Sunday Worship services Green Street United Methodist Church, 639 S. Green St., Winston-Salem, invites you to join online worship services on Sundays at 11 a.m., or in-person services at 8:45 a.m. The 11 a.m. service, which is available via Facebook and YouTube, is a celebration of the diversity of the human family, a no-frills service that is thoughtful, personal, and deeply spiritual. The 8:45 a.m. service is a quiet, contemplative space including prayer, scripture, preaching, and communion; masks and social distancing will be in effect in the sanctuary. Join us at www. greenstreetumc.org, on YouTube, or on Facebook.

Each Sunday Sunday service Transformation Ministries will have service every Sunday at 10 a.m. We are located at 4880 Burnette Drive. Masks are required.

Dec. 31 & Jan. 2 First Waughtown Baptist Church (FWBC) Online FWBC will have an eventful weekend with three services, each offered in a different mode. On Friday, Dec. 31, from noon to 1:30 p.m., Senior Pastor Dr. Dennis W. Bishop will offer prayer for each household represented in a drive-through prayer line at the rear of the church (or at the front under the canopy in case of rain). Watch Night Service will be conducted virtually beginning at 10:30 p.m. Friday via YouTube, https://www.youtube. com (First Waughtown); Facebook Live, https://www. facebook.com/FirstWaughtown/; and the First Waughtown website, https://www.firstwaughtown.org.

On Sunday, Jan. 2, First Waughtown will return to the building for in-person worship service for the first time since March 2020. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. for screening prior to the 10 a.m. service. Completed waiver forms and masks that cover the nose and mouth are required. The form, other details of the re-entry service, and information about evening virtual Sunday School are available on the FWBC homepage. Just click on the RE-ENTRY 2022 link at the top. First Waughtown Baptist Church is located at 838 Moravia Street in WinstonSalem.

Jan. 1-5 Spiritual revival New Hope AME Zion Church, 7000 Shallowford Road in Lewisville, will celebrate its “Spiritual Renewal” service on Jan. 1-5, 2022. The ministers that will be speaking are: Jan. 1 - Rev. Michael A. Frencher Jr. at 3 p.m.

Jan. 2 - Rev. Robert N. Kelley at 3 p.m.

Jan. 3 - Rev. Belinda S. Harris at 7 p.m.

Jan. 4 - Rev. Johnny E. Scott at 7 p.m.

Jan. 5 - Rev. Dairl L. Scott, Jr. at 7 p.m.

Come join us each night for powerful messages from these dynamic preachers. The Theme is “Spreading Spiritual Holiness” from 2nd Corinthians 7:1. Dairl L. Scott Sr. is the pastor. For further information, contact 336-945-9083 or 336-945-5618.

How to submit items to the Religion calendar: The deadline is Sunday at 11:59 p.m. to have all calendar items submitted for that week’s paper. Send your calendar items to news@wschronicle.com. You can also drop them off, Monday through Friday before 5 p.m., or mail your items to Winston-Salem Chronicle, 1300 E. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101; or send them via our website, www.wschronicle.com.

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NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to the requirements of Article 6 of Chapter 160D of the General Statutes of North Carolina, that the City Council of the City of Winston-Salem will hold a virtual public hearing at 7:00 p.m. on January 3, 2022, on the following proposed amendments to the Official Zoning Map of the City of WinstonSalem, North Carolina: 1. Zoning petition of Senior Services, Inc. from GB-S (Two-Phase) to GB-S (Adult Day Care Center; Child Care, Drop-In; Child Day Care Center; Offices; Services, A; and Recreation Services, Indoor): property is located on the south side of W. Thirtieth Street, between Shorefair Drive and Millbrook Drive; property consists of ± 10.07 acres and is PIN 6836-17-2768 as shown on the Forsyth County Tax Maps and on a site plan on file in the office of the City-County Planning Board (Zoning Docket W-3504).

2. Site Plan Amendment of Challenges of the 21st Century, Inc. for changes to the site and parking layout on property zoned IP-S: property is located on the north side of Goldfloss Street, between Vargrave Street and Glendale Street; property consists of ± 2.42 acres and is PINs 6834-55-9707, 6834-65-2791, 683465-0715, and 6834-55-9756 as shown on the Forsyth County Tax Maps and on a site plan on file in the office of the City-County Planning Board (Zoning Docket W-3506).

3. Zoning petition of KO-AM Sisters, LLC from RM8-S to RM8-S (Residential Building, Multifamily; Residential Building, Single Family; Residential Building, Townhouse; Residential Building, Twin Home; Residential Building, Duplex and Planned Residential Development): property is located on the west side of Old Lexington Road, across from Teague Road; property consists of ± 50.01 acres and is PIN 6833-935541 as shown on the Forsyth County Tax Maps and on a site plan on file in the office of the City-County Planning Board (Zoning Docket W-3508).

LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE FORSYTH COUNTY DISTRICT COURT DIVISION 21 CVD 1674

Having qualified as Executrix of the Estate of Joshua Roberson (21 E 2598), also known as Joshua Roberson, Sr., deceased October 3, 2021, Forsyth County, North Carolina, this is to Notify all persons, firms, and corporation having claims against the Estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before March 11, 2022 this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to the said decedent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 9th day of December, 2021.

Written comments will be accepted on the public hearing items until January 2, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. Written comments may be sent to the City Clerk’s Office, P.O. Box 2511 Winston-Salem 27102, or by email to sandrark@cityofws.org.

All requests for appropriate and necessary auxiliary aids and services must be made, within a reasonable time prior to the hearing, to Angela Carmon at 747-7404 or to T.D.D. 727-8319.

BY ORDER OF THE CITY COUNCIL Sandra Keeney, Clerk to the City Council of the City of Winston-Salem The Chronicle Decembeer 23, 30, 2021

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Having qualified as Fiduciary of the Estate of Gracie P. Richardson (21 E 2297), deceased September 4, Forsyth County, North Carolina, this is to Notify all persons, firms, and corporation having claims against the Estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before March 21, 2022 this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to the said decedent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 16th day of December, 2021.

TO Mr. James Antoine Lewis Jr.

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This the 23rd day of December, 2021.

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK DAVIDSON COUNTY FILE NO. 21 SP 407 NOTICE OF SERVICE BY PUBLICATION FOR THE ADOPTION OF: H.M.W DOB: 04/16/2016.

TAKE NOTICE that a Petition for Adoption of the minor child, H.M.W, born 04/16/2016, has been filed in the above entitled action. You are required to respond to said Petition no later than February 1, 2022 being 40 days from the first publication of this Notice, and upon your failure to do so, the Petitioners will apply to the Court for the adoption of H.M.W. This the 23rd day of December, 2021.

HOLLY R. HEGE Attorney for Petitioners NC Bar #54269 220 North Main Street Lexington, NC 27292 Phone: (336) 300-7080 Fax: (336) 236-4266 The December 23, 30, 2021 and January 6, 2022

EMPLOYMENT

Robin Shepard Reaves Administrator for Sarah Ann Conner Shepard, deceased 3824 Sawyer Street Winston-Salem, NC 27105

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Getting back to the dentist couldn’t be easier!

Having qualified as Executor of the Estate of Tina Louise Nicholson (21 E 2110), deceased May 13, 2021 , Forsyth County, North Carolina, this is to Notify all persons, firms, and corporation having claims against the Estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before April 4, 2022 this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to the said decedent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

The Chronicle December 30, 2021 and January 6, 13, 20, 2022

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Jamar Dominique Nicholson Executor for Tina Louise Nicholson, deceased 3343 Ridgeback Dr. Winston-Salem, NC 27107

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The Chronicle December 16, 23, 30 2021

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Having qualified as Administrator of the Estate of Sarah Ann Conner Shepard (21 E 1619), also known as Sarah Ann Shepard Conner, deceased June 16, 2021, Forsyth County, North Carolina, this is to Notify all persons, firms, and corporation having claims against the Estate of said deceased to present them to the undersigned on or before March 25, 2022 this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery.

All persons indebted to the said decedent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

Prior to the hearing, all persons interested may obtain any additional information on these proposals which is in the possession of the City-County Planning Board by inquiring in the office of the City-County Planning Board in the Bryce A. Stuart Municipal Building on weekdays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

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The Chronicle December 9, 16, 23, 30, 2021

5. Site Plan Amendment of Donald A. Joyce Revocable Trust, Michael A. Joyce, and Rachel Joyce Maxcy Heirs for changes to the location of a stormwater management device on property zoned GB-S: property is located on the southwest corner of Union Cross Road and Sedge Garden Road; property consists of ± 3.22 acres and is PINs 6875-41-4968, 6875-41-3896, 6875-41-2962, 6875-412797, and 6875-42-1075 as shown on the Forsyth County Tax Maps and on a site plan on file in the office of the City-County Planning Board (Zoning Docket W-3512).

During the public hearing, the City Council may hear other proposals to amend the zoning of the above-described property or any portion thereof. At the end of the public hearing, the City Council may continue the matter, deny the proposed rezoning, in whole or in part, grant the proposed rezoning, in whole or in part, or rezone the above-described property or any portion thereof to some other zoning classification.

Call 833-744-1626

v.

You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than January 16, 2022 and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought.

Janice Roberson Executrix for Joshua Roberson, deceased 153 Ellery Ave. Newark, NJ 07106

The Chronicle December 16, 23, 30, 2021 and January 6, 2022

All parties in interest and citizens are invited to attend said hearing (virtually) at which time they shall have an opportunity to be heard in favor of or in opposition to the foregoing proposed changes. If you would like to speak during the public hearing, please visit www.cityofws.org/ccvirtual. If you have questions regarding public hearing participation, please call (336)727-2224.

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4. Zoning petition of EmClay Properties, LLC from LI to CI; property is located on the north side of E. Third Street, west of N. Research Parkway; property consists of ± .23 acres and is PIN 6835-47-1190 as shown on the Forsyth County Tax Maps (Zoning Docket W-3510).

6. An ordinance amendment proposed by Planning and Development Services staff modifying Section 5.3.1, Section 5.3.4, Table 6.1.2, and Table 11.2.2 of the Unified Development Ordinances pertaining to Accessory Dwelling Units (UDO-CC15).

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Michelle Alicia Edwards Plaintiff,

Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against you have been filed in the abovetitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows:

Linda Gordon Executrix for Joshua Roberson, deceased 6083 Brookstone Ridge Dr. Winston-Salem, NC 27107

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The Chronicle’s e-mail address is: adv@wschronicle.com

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE WINSTON-SALEM CITY COUNCIL ON PETITIONS FOR ZONING CHANGES

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D ecember 30, 2021

Community Calendar NOW – Jan. 2 Writing contest The Jacobs/Jones African-American Literary Prize honors Harriet Jacobs and Thomas Jones, two pioneering AfricanAmerican writers from North Carolina, and seeks to convey the rich and varied existence of Black North Carolinians. The contest is administered by the Creative Writing Program at UNC-Chapel Hill. The winner receives $1,000 and possible publication of the winning entry in The Carolina Quarterly.

To submit online, go to https://ncwriters.submittable.com/submit.

Submittable will collect your entry fee via credit card ($10 NCWN members / $20 nonmembers). (If submitting online, do not include a cover sheet with your document; Submittable will collect and record your name and contact information.)

Entries will not be returned. The winner will be announced in February.

For additional information, visit www.ncwriters.org.

Jan. 15, 22 & 27 Writer’s workshops Winston-Salem Writers will hold three workshops for writers on three successive Saturday mornings in January. On Jan. 15, “Turning Fact into Fiction” by Whitney Scharer will examine historical novel writing. Jan. 22,

“Mining Your Life Story for Memoir and Fiction”

by Kris Spisak will enable participants to explore their memories and learn how to transform their experiences into fictionalized narratives.

Concluding on Jan. 27 will be “Word Painting: The Fine Art of Writing Descriptively”

by Rebecca McClanahan that will help writers of all genres learn how to create “word pictures” that fully engage the reader and help shape effective literary works.

All workshops are from 10 a.m. to noon on Zoom.

January workshops are free to members and $25 each for non-members. To register, email programs@ wswriters.org and indicate which workshop(s) you will attend. Participation for each workshop will be limited to the first 40 registrants. Visit wswriters.org and click on the Programs tab for complete info and to join or renew membership.

Jan 17 & 22, Feb. 6 & 20 “Navigating Jim Crow” Exhibit There will be a “Navigating Jim Crow: Green Book and Oasis Spaces in North Carolina” exhibit presented by Mount Tabor United Methodist Church, 3543 Robinhood Road, in partnership with the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission and open to the public.

The exhibit will open on the following dates: *Monday, Jan. 17, 2 6:30 p.m. (in conjunction with the community Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Service) *Saturday, Jan. 22, 1-4 p.m. *Sunday, Feb. 6, 1-4 p.m. *Sunday, Feb. 20, 1-4 p.m.

For more information about the exhibit, please Email: greenbook@mttaborumc.org.

val

Jan 20 & 28-30, 2022 Sundance Film Festi-

a/perture cinema and the Sundance FIlm Festival have partnered to bring selections from the 2022 Sundance Film Festival to Winston-Salem as part of the Festival’s Satellite Screen program running January 28-30. Local audiences will also be able to participate in the full festival experience via its online platform beginning January 20.

Tickets for the Festival films at a/perture cinema are exclusively available beginning January 6, 2022, at https://aperturecinema. com. Information on films and other events can be found at https://aperturecinema.com/sundance-satellite. To participate in the Sundance Film Festival online, package sales begin on Dec, 17 and single film tickets become available on Jan. 6 at sundance.

festival.org.

How to submit items to the community calendar: We appreciate your community news. Here’s how you can help us to process your news more efficiently: *Please give us complete information about the event, such as the sponsor and address, date, time and place of the event and contact information so that the public can contact someone for more information if needed. *Please submit items in document form in an email or Word or PDF attachment. *Submit photos as attachments to emails as jpegs at least 4 inches wide by 6 inches deep rather than sent on documents. Please send captions with photos. *Please do not send jpeg fliers only, since we cannot transfer the information on them into documents.

The deadline is Sunday at 11:59 p.m. to have all calendar items submitted for that week’s paper.

Send your calendar items to news@wschronicle.com. You can also drop them off, Monday through Friday before 5 p.m., or mail your items to Winston-Salem Chronicle, 1300 E. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101; or send them via our website, www.wschronicle.com.

THERE ARE 505 JOBS YOU CAN DO FOR THE CITY They all have some things in common:  Job Security  Competitive Pay and Opportunities for Raises  Unmatched Benefits  Paid Holidays  Opportunities for Promotion  Opportunities for Flexible Hours and Schedules  Retirement Income from Both a Traditional Pension and Social Security  401A Lump-Sum Payment at Retirement

Get all the details and a link to current job openings at:

CityofWS.org/WorkForUs

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D ecember 30, 2021

The C hronicle

The National Association of University Women: Providing service to the community SUBMITTED ARTICLE

The mission of the National Association of University Women (NAUW) is to serve women, youth, and the disadvantaged in our communities and in developing countries by addressing educational issues and strategically partnering with other organizations. NAUW sponsors conferences, seminars, and meetings on the national and local levels and associates itself with other private and public groups that are concerned with community issues.

Submitted photo The Winston-Salem Members of NAUW: Catherine Kennedy, Tonya Mcbranch of NAUW contin- Daniels, Lois Burks and Barbara Puryear. ues to promote and conduct outreach services to to Robert Douglas Moore center.

The Bethesda Cenfamilies and organizations lll, a graduate of Simon in keeping with the pur- G. Atkins High School. ter helps to improve lives pose of this great organi- Robert is the son of Mr. by sheltering 60 homezation. The branch works and Mrs. Robert Douglass less men and 40 women to promote education by ll and was highly recom- nightly. They also offer a participating in scholar- mended for this scholar- customized case management program that helps ship awards and book ship.

Both service projects qualified guests with a vapurchases to area schools.

Each year the local branch that were conducted by the riety of needs, including awards books to at least branch this year centered finding permanent housone Title One school, pres- around the Bethesda Cen- ing. Bethesda Center is ents a scholarship to a de- ter. Members partnered the only day shelter in the serving student enrolled at with Art Vaughn and other community and the only WSSU, and assists fami- groups to serve meals to emergency night shelter lies with children who may residents of The Bethesda that serves both adult men Center for Thanksgiving. and women. be facing hardship.

W i n s t o n - S a l e m In addition to community NAUW branch 2020-2021 efforts, the NAUW donatscholarship was awarded ed water to the Bethesda

Church From page B3

year 2022.”

WMM gave a $25 gift card to the first 50 people and a total of 64 people came out to receive a vaccine or booster shot. This was all made possible through the partnerships that WMM has built during the pandemic “When people see that we are serious about helping the community, there are those that decide to make a donation towards it,” he continued.

“We have had a number of people make a donation towards it and in this case, the Rescue Mission provided the boxes and the gift certificates.”

The church also invited the American Red Cross to their event because of the shortage of blood among African Americans. WMM wanted to help change the dynamics of this negative trend. There were 52 people who donated blood as well.

“This is our third year inviting out the Red Cross

and they said we were leading the charge in the African American community and have gotten the most African Americans to give blood,” he said.

“They covet us to continue this process. My wife, Pastor Camilla, and sister Pamela Evans, coordinated this and have been doing it for a while. We realize that it is paramount for us right now, because there are many African Americans right now in the hospitals needing blood.”

Washington says that several members of the church gave blood and volunteered several hours to make the event a success. He says without the volunteers, they would not be able to put their events together and they appreciate every person who “put on a yellow smock.”

With all of their community involvement throughout this pandemic, Washington and WMM look back on the year fondly, because they have done a lot to not only combat the coronavirus, but also to feed the community.

“When I look back over the two years of the pandemic, it makes me feel a whole lot happier to see that people are satisfied and people’s needs are being met,” Washington said. “When we are there, the people come out and you hear their stories and that’s what really gets you, you know.

“Some have gone through death; others have gone through losing a job; and then you have the elderly who are on a set income and they talk about how grateful and how thankful they are that we have done it and it’s all to God’s glory. We couldn’t do this without the volunteers of Whole Man Ministries’ members because it takes a lot of preparation and time.”

Overall, this event was very successful for the community, said Washington.

Three hundred families received food, 64 people were vaccinated, and 52 people gave blood.

Washington said they are “truly healthier together.”

Three-in-a-Row workshops for writers to be held in January SUBMITTED ARTICLE

Winston-Salem Writers will hold three workshops for writers on three consecutive Saturdays in January. The workshops will be presented via Zoom.

On Jan. 15, “Turning Fact into Fiction”

by Whitney Scharer will examine historical novel writing, including research techniques, guidelines for writing, and examples of successful projects. Scharer is a novelist, essayist, and short fiction writer who holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington.

Her first novel, The Age of Light, was a Boston Globe and IndieNext bestseller and named one of the best books of 2019

by Parade, Glamour, and others.

On Jan. 22, “Mining Your Life Story for Memoir and Fiction” by Kris Spisak will enable participants to explore their memories and learn how to transform their experiences into fictionalized narratives. Spisak is a novelist, fiction editor, and workshop leader who dispenses grammar and word wisdom through her podcast and website, kris-spisak.com. In addition to her three published books on writing, her first novel, “The Baba Yaga Mask,” will be published in 2022.

On Jan. 27, “Word Painting: The Fine Art of Writing Descriptively” by Rebecca McClanahan will help writers of all genres learn how to create “word pictures” that fully engage the reader and help shape effective literary works. McClanahan writes essays, poems, and memoir and teaches in the MFA programs at Queens University and Rainier Writing Workshop. Her book, “Word Painting,” is used as a text in numerous writing programs.

All workshops are from 10 a.m. to noon on Zoom. January workshops are free to members and $25 each for non-members.

To register, email programs@wswriters. org and indicate which workshop(s) you will attend. Participation for each workshop will be limited to the first 40 registrants. Visit wswriters.org and click on the Programs tab for more information and to join or renew membership.

Founded in 2005, Winston-Salem Writers is a group of writers who write fiction, non-fiction, plays and poetry, and who cares about the art and craft of writing. They offer programs, workshops, critique groups, open mic nights, contests and writers’ nights out for both beginning writers and published authors. For more information, visit wswriters.org.

BPI announces first Building an Inclusive Economy grant recipients SUBMITTED ARTICLE

The Black Philanthropy Initiative (BPI) announces $140,000 in grants awarded through its new Building an Inclusive Economy grants program.

The fall 2021 grant cycle focused on building economic empowerment for Black households in Forsyth County by addressing one or more of the following areas BPI sees as critical to building economic security and prosperity: creating acces-

sible pathways to familysustaining and high-paying careers, offering tools for wealth-building and financial stability, and supporting a thriving community of Black-owned businesses.

BPI’s incoming board chair Corlis Sellers notes, "This year marks BPI’s expansion into building an inclusive economy. By expanding our focus to fund organizations that promote greater access to higher paying jobs, offer tools to

promote financial stability, and strengthen and expand Black-owned businesses, we hope to make a significant impact in Forsyth County.”

Grants were awarded to: *Dress for Success Winston-Salem: $5,000 for a pilot financial and entrepreneurial education program for Black women ages 18 to 30 *HUSTLE WinstonSee BPI on B7 COVID-19 Attendance Policies have changed.

Learn more at symp.ws/covid19.

Saturday, Jan 8 | 7:30 PM Sunday, Jan 9 | 3:00 PM Stevens Center of the UNCSA JoAnn Falletta Conductor Karen Ní Bhroin Conductor Alexandra Dariescu Piano The Winston-Salem Symphony kicks off our 75th year with the musical fireworks of Shostakovich’s Festive Overture. Pianist Alexandra Dariescu performs Grieg’s fiery, passionate piano concerto, and Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony packs all the excitement apropos to this celebration!

Shostakovich Festive Overture Grieg Piano Concerto Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4

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T he C hronicle

D ecember 30, 2021

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Local dance team wins national championship

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE

The young ladies from the eight-and-under dance team of the South Fork Panthers were crowned national champions of the American Youth Cheer National Cheer/Dance Championships for Division 8 earlier this month in Kissimmee, Florida.

Head coach Helima McCaskill has been working with the team for seven years. She was elated to bring home a national championship, especially after all of the hard work the young ladies put in throughout the season.

Submitted photo “We actually started The dance team for the South Fork Panthers won the doing some little camps Division 8 National Championship from the American around March and April, Youth Cheer National Cheer/Dance Championships. just to try and get the girls out the house since we McCaskill Dealing with such champions, were dealing with COVID young ladies, McCaskill says she was overjoyed for and they were being very says it was sometimes dif- her young team. consistent with coming to ficult to keep the attention “It was a very proud the camp, which we nor- of her team, so they had to moment,” she said about mally don’t see,” said Mc- come up with ways to keep how she felt after winning.

Caskill. “When I saw that them engaged.

“Again, with seven and consistency of the girls “I think the closer it eight year olds being able coming, I felt like we had got to the competition, to understand everything a good chance.” and understanding the we have been pounding in The 14 young ladies on importance of having to their head all season, and it the team ranged from five do it over and over again just finally coming togethto eight years of age. The and having to look like a er. Our parents were awedance team also cheers for team, they became locked some with fundraising, so the Panthers’ football team in,” she said. “The nation- it was a lot and it all came during the season, while al championship is pretty together. also practicing their dance tough competition and get“It was a really proud routines during the week. ting them to understand moment and a moment “Throughout the sea- what it would take to win of relief,” she said. “I son, we would cheer each was the hardest part. don’t think either one of Saturday for the South “After they did it over us breathed the entire two Fork Panthers and during and over and over again minutes and thirty seconds the week we would prac- and getting the memory in of the routine.” tice our dance,” she said. their mind and understandMcCaskill says there “The only time we actu- ing the message behind the was some really tough ally did our dance before performance, they started competition from the other the championship was at to come together.” teams that were there. The our local competition we Dealing with young Panthers’ team was third had here at West Forsyth kids, nerves are always a to perform in the competiand we placed first there as part of the conversation tion, so the teams that went well.” when it comes to athletic before and after them had According to Mc- competition and the la- the coaches a little nerCaskill, she actually has dies of the Panthers’ dance vous. a choreographer, Wayne team were no different.

The young ladies were Jones, to help her and “When we first got actually a little shocked her assistant coach Mary there, we had to do a at winning the champiGreen with the routines for routine review and that’s onship. Being so young, the girls. when the nerves kind of McCaskill says they re“He started off the sea- showed,” she said. “They ally didn’t know exactly son with us back in August have to do it in front of what they had just accomand he would teach us some judges to make sure plished. After receiving all some eight counts and he everything we’re doing is of the accolades that come would leave it up to my- legal. with winning, it finally hit self and my assistant and “I think once they did them, she said. we would clean it up and it in front of them, I think McCaskill wanted to make sure the girls would they got out all the nerves, give a special thank you to remember it,” she said. because when it was show- the junior coaches, Coach “We would make them do time, the nerves definitely Cydney, Coach Genevian it over and over and over didn’t show. We all were and Coach K’Zharia, who again and he would come impressed. Once they got were all former Panther back maybe two weeks lat- on that mat, it was like cheerleaders, that came er and teach them another something clicked and back to assist the young lapart, so that was the pro- they really performed.” dies with their routine. gression of the routine.”

After being crowned

BPI

From page B6

Salem: $15,000 for mentoring, coaching, and resource support for entrepreneurs and business owners of color *LEAD Girls of North Carolina: $15,000 to provide leadership development, career and vocational exploration, and industry-matched mentors for up to 20 Carver High School freshman *Memorial Industrial CDC: $15,000 to engage community in planning a comprehensive and sustainable local food and farm program that will provide access to land and training for prospective farmers *Neighborhood's Hands: $15,000 to support a workforce development program *The Do School: $15,000 to support a 20week construction skills training program *S.G. Atkins CDC, The Enterprise Center: $15,000 to offer an evi-

dence-based program to help women of color gain confidence and develop an entrepreneurial mindset *Sherman Academy Inc: $15,000 to offer a financial management and wealth-building program for young children *Winston Salem Black Chamber of Commerce: $15,000 to support a 15-week business boot camp *The Dream Team Foundation, Inc: $15,000 to offer financial education workshops for youth, adults, families, and business owners BPI’s grants are possible thanks to the collective pooling of resources from Forsyth County community members. In 2021 BPI provided $220,000 in grants to local programs and initiatives, investing over 93% of those funds into Black-led organizations supporting the local Black community.

Sellers adds, “We are so grateful for the support of the Winston-Salem community that has made

it possible for us to award the greatest amount of funding in a single year in BPI’s history! We look forward to continuing our work together to build a stronger and more prosperous community."

BPI currently offers three grant programs: Impact grants, Advancing Equity in Education grants, and Inclusive Economy grants. BPI will accept video applications for its Impact grants program starting on Friday, Jan. 7.

To learn more about these grant programs and to find ways to contribute to this work, visit bpiws.org.

The Black Philanthropy Initiative (BPI) is a 100% Black-led initiative of The Winston-Salem Foundation launched in 2007 that explicitly, not exclusively, focuses its grantmaking and programming on needs identified in the local Black community. Over the past 14 years, BPI has provided over $518,000 in program grants to local organizations.

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B8

D ecember 30, 2021

Phoenix From page B1

players averaging double digits, that rim is going to open up for somebody.

And once it opens up, we have opportunities to go on good runs, which we have done throughout the year.”

Pittman knew they still had one more game to win, so he wanted to make sure he kept his team levelheaded and not get too full of themselves.

“I just reminded them that we are trying to make history and a lot of people didn’t expect them to be there,” he stated. “A lot of people made comments when I took the job and said that all the players were gone and Prep wasn’t the same and I just told them this was an opportunity to prove that you guys are worth it and can overcome the obstacles that

Mercy

From page B3

keeper?” Cain’s lie and sarcasm was indicative of his attitude of indifference to God’s commands and the state of his heart which led up to his murdering his brother (verse 9).

God Deals with Cain (verses 10-16). “What have you done?” The blood of Abel is understood as crying out from the ground demanding vengeance (verse 10).

God’s answer to the cry is a curse: “Therefore, you shall be more cursed than the ground … “ (which is cursed from Adam’s sin in Genesis 3:17). Cain was no longer to be a farmer, but was now condemned to be a wanderer and a fugitive – “You shall become a ceaseless wanderer on

The C hronicle

people try to put in front of you.

“It was a chance to go out and make history, so for the next few years every time someone says Frank Spencer, they have to say Winston-Salem Prep won the Frank Spencer in 2021. I just tried to find the little motivational things that I could to keep them grounded and hungry and they did the rest, because they were locked in.”

For Pittman, he liked his team’s chances against South Stokes after watching the Sauras play against Reagan.

“I watched them against Reagan and I knew we would match up well with them, because they were similar in size with us,” he continued. “I felt like we could play our game, we could press them and get them to play a little faster than what they were

accustomed to.

“I was hoping that the rim would open up for us and we finally knocked down some shots. Everybody was on point and I knew if we came and showed up, that we would have a good chance of winning.”

Pittman is a confident coach and says he felt his team would gel quickly when he saw their play during the preseason.

“To be honest, I knew in November when we played in the Jamboree and I saw what we were doing,” he said. “I knew we had to develop, we gotta work on our skill, but most importantly, we have to take advantage of our strengths and our strengths are we’re scrappy, we’re hungry, and we play hard.

“If you can get your kids to do those three things in basketball, you

earth” (verses 11,12). “My punishment is too great to bear! … anyone who meets me may kill me!” The Lord yields to Cain’s plea and protects him from the fate he inflicted on Abel – “I promise, if anyone kills Cain, sevenfold vengeance shall be taken on him.” It’s ironic that the man who could not tolerate God’s inscrutable grace now benefits from it. Yet the mark that saved him is also the lifelong sign of his shame.

“Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, which means “wandering” or an unknown location (verse 16). (The UMI Annual Commentary 2021-2022, The Jewish Study Bible, The Tony Evans Study Bible, The MacArthur Study Bible, The New Interpreters Study

Bible, The Modern Life Study Bible and The Oxford Bible Commentary).

For Your Consideration: What actions have you taken in jealousy or anger that you regretted later? Are you your “brother’s” keeper?

Application: Take an honest assessment of yourself to determine whether you have feelings of anger or jealousy toward someone because you do not want to take responsibility for your own behavior.

Prayerfully consider feelings of anger or jealousy you may harbor which have or may shatter one or more relationships. “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:18).

have one foot in the door, because those are hard qualities to find these days.

Once I knew that we could do that and we could play at that level, my job was easier. I said we could make some noise, especially if people sleep on us, and I feel that a lot of people are still sleeping on us.”