January 20, 2022

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Volume 48, Number 20

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

THURSDAY, January 20, 2022

The Chronicle’s Virtual MLK Event uplifts, inspires, offers call to action

BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE

Since 2000 The Chronicle, the city’s oldest and most respected community newspaper, and the Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity, has celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the annual prayer breakfast held at the Benton Convention Center. Last year, due to the pandemic, the event was held virtually and that was the case this year as well.

The production, which was pre-recorded and aired on Facebook Live on Monday, Jan. 17, included singing, poetry, inspirational messages, and more.

The event was headlined by special guests, internationally renowned speaker Gloria Mayfield Banks, and the 35th General President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Dr. Everett B. Ward.

Banks, a native of Detroit, overcame obstacles along her journey to become the successful business woman she is today.

Although she grew up dyslexic, Banks went on to graduate from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and later from Harvard University with a master’s in business administration.

Banks also has an honorary doctorate from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Just like Dr. King, Banks said she has been

This year marks The Chronicle’s 22nd year hosting an MLK event. able to overcome obstacles in her life by having a dream. “A dream can be so impactful and it can penetrate in so many different ways and we see that by the way Dr. King did not sit on his dream,” Banks said.

“Looking back, everything has come true that I talked about because it first started as a dream. Never be afraid to dream and always dream out loud.”

Ward is a frequent speaker in areas of higher

education, leadership development, and political/ civic engagement.

Before becoming the elected general president of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., in 2015 Ward became the 11th president of Saint Augustine’s University (SAU), the third SAU alumnus to serve as president. During his address, Ward said Dr. King unrelentlessly sacrificed his own wellbeing to take up the banner for freedom and justice.

“Here’s a man who knew that death was at his front door every day through possibilities of violence. But he understood and he welcomed that and said in spite of that threat, I’m going to give my life so that my children, and my children’s children, and all of our children, can live in a nation ‘where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character.’”

Ward noted that Dr.

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King was only 26 years old when he received his Ph.D. from Boston University and could have easily stayed in the North, but instead he returned to the South to fight for his people. “At that time, less than one percent of African Americans had a PhD, let alone a Ph.D. from Boston University, and he chose to return to the South,” Ward said.

“And then to put his own personal life on the line says that he made two

choices that are very notable and one that we should honor and then emulate.

It’s not enough to just honor Dr. King on Jan. 15 and celebrate his birthday, the question becomes, what are you doing 364 days of the year to carry that legacy forward and then pass it on to a new generation?”

While delivering her charge to the community, Elder Tembila Covington, president of the Ministers’ Conference of WinstonSalem and Vicinity (MCWSV), asked those who tuned in, “What are you doing for others?” Covington, who is the pastor of Exodus United Baptist Church, said the same question which Dr. King asked while delivering a speech in 1957, is still relevant today in the fight for justice.

“As things begin to evolve and require you and I to take action, remember what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said: ‘Life’s most persistent question and urgent question is what are you doing for others?’ We should respond with the power and the courage … to do unto others what you would have them do unto you.

This is justice.”

You can watch The Chronicle’s 22nd Annual Virtual Dr. Martin Luther King Event in its entirety by going to The Chronicle’s Facebook page.

Navigating Jim Crow: Green Book and Oasis Spaces in North Carolina

BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE

At the height of the Jim Crow era, when Black people could lose their lives for leaving their neighborhoods, a guide called the “Negro Motorist Green Book” provided Black motorists across the country with a list of establishments that didn’t discriminate. The guide included restaurants, hotels, gas stations, drug stores, barbershops, bars and more, even addresses and names for people who

would open their homes to those in need.

Thanks to North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, Mount Tabor United Methodist Church, and the WinstonSalem Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., locals have the opportunity to learn more about the Green Book and the impact it had right here in Forsyth County, with an exhibit called “Navigating Jim Crow: Green Book and Oasis Spaces in North Carolina.”

During the opening ceremony for the exhibit held last week, Rev. Lonnie Pittman, senior pastor of Mount Tabor United Methodist Church, said it’s important to remember history like the Green Book for those who think those times are behind us.

Pittman said growing up in Alabama, he heard about the division and racism in the South, but says he was “sheltered from it” until one day in the ‘90s, while stopped at a light in Pensacola. Pittman said he looked to his right and saw members of the KKK

Photo by Tevin Stinson

The Navigating Jim Crow: Green Book and Oasis Spaces exhibit features eight different panels that include history about the book and a brief video. where we are, and where er. For 30 years, the annual handing out flyers. guide helped thousands “These cowards were we need to go.”

Assistant Pastor Rev. avoid unwarranted run-ins. hiding their faces and spewing hate. I thought Bob Richardson encour- In the beginning, Green it was all over, at least aged the community to enlisted other postmen to we were in a much better visit the exhibit and let contact Black entrepreplace, but yet there was others know about it as neurs along their routes that reminder that it is still well. “We invite you to and invite them to list in alive and well,” Pittman bring family and friends to the book, as well as sell the see this very, very impor- book to travelers for about continued.

“The reason I tell that tant exhibit because these 25 cents.

Dr. Virginia Newell, story is because I was shel- are matters about which tered from it, I didn’t fully we should all be apprised.” 104, one of the first Black The Green Book, women to be elected to understand, and then I saw it right there in that mo- which was the brainchild the Winston-Salem Board ment … and so we need to of Victor H. Green, was of Alderman (now City tell these stories. We need first published in 1936. Council), said she didn’t to remember things like Green, a native of Harlem, really know about the the Green Book to remind worked for the postal ser- Green Book growing up us of where we’ve been, vice and was a travel writ- because she had five broth-

ers and really didn’t have to worry about driving much. But she said she did know there was something that told Black people on the road where they could and could not go.

“Let me put it this way … I knew there was something that explained to Black people when they would drive that they had to be careful,” Newell said.

The exhibit will be on display at Mount Tabor United Methodist Church, 3543 Robinhood Road, on Jan. 22, Feb. 6, and Feb. 20 from 1-4 p.m. The selfguided exhibit includes several different copies of the Green Book, eight different panels that include history about the book, and a brief video. The exhibit also includes a list of 18 different establishments that were located right here in Forsyth County, including the Belmont Hotel, the Lincoln Hotel, and College Service Station, which was located on Claremont Ave. For more information about the exhibit, visit https://www.mttaborumc. org/green-book.

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J anuary 20, 2022

T he C hronicle

New reading program uses volunteers to help struggling kids

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE

Only about half of the third-grade students in WS/FCS are reading on grade level. To help combat this issue, Project Impact’s Reading Warrior initiative is here to help.

Project Impact was founded in 2016 to help improve the literacy outcomes for the young children in lower performing elementary schools in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School system.

“The district has an initiative called 90 by 25 and the goal is to get 90% of third graders reading on or above grade level by 2025,” said Paula Wilkins, executive director of Project Impact. “That is the current kindergartners who entered our district in fall 2021. We want to make sure 90% of them are on grade level by the end of third grade.

“Reading Warriors is one of the pieces of community support to help us reach the goal. The initiative is intended to get tutors who work with students. Currently we are working with 19 schools to start the initiative in kindergarten and first grade.”

The tutors work with the students twice per week for 30 minutes.

They target students who are currently not on grade level based on their assessment data they collected through DIBELS, which stands for Dynamic Indicator of Basic Early Literacy Skills.

“We use that data to identify students who would be great candidates to get a Reading Warriors tutor,” said Wilkins.

“Then we work to recruit the tutors to serve in these schools. We use a specific curriculum for our program.”

Project Impact not only partnered with the WS/FCS system, they also partnered with Read Write Spell for the Reading Warriors program as well.

Read Write Spell does the training for the first-grade

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The volunteers in the program work with the students twice per week. program and the school district does the training for the kindergarten program.

Esharan Monroe-Johnson, executive director of Read Write Spell, has been very instrumental in preparing the first-grade volunteers to get ready to tutor. Wilkins was thankful to have such a dedicated community partner such as Read Write Spell.

The program is in its infancy as they just began in August of last year.

Wilkins, a lifelong educator and former principal of Cook Elementary School, transitioned to Project Impact last year and has high hopes for the initiative.

“We see positive energy around the initiative,” she said. “We have 210 volunteers cleared to be Reading Warriors and have signed up. Of those 210, 121 have been assigned to schools to serve students. We have 38 of those volunteers assigned to kindergarten; first grade volunteers are at 89.

“Even though we have volunteers and we have already assigned and placed them at a school, they have to complete the training before they can actually start.”

Results are expected in year one, Wilkins said.

“What we are thinking

is year one we might not see results in outcomes,” Wilkins stated. “We do expect to see fruits of the labor. So, this year when we talk about target milestones, one of the milestones was the number of volunteers we can get recruited.

“Our goal is to get 1,020 and we are at 210, so we are on the road. We are not quite there, but I think it’s pretty good to just have started full force recruitment in September. I think we are moving in the right direction even though we might not fully reach our target, but the goal is to keep going because this is not a one and done.”

Wilkins says they will also look at the data to see which students move from reading below grade level to those who may be able to read on grade level. As the program grows, the goal is to get the program into all 44 schools.

There is no ideal candidate for someone to become a tutor in the Reading Warriors program. The only requirement is that they have a passion for helping the young people progress.

“Someone who wants to make a difference in our community, who is open to be trained, and who is willing to learn some

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foundational principles about learning how to read and to teach those to children using our curriculum, that’s all we need,” she said about the type of volunteers they need.

The training for the program is not that long for either the kindergarten or first grade. The kindergarten training is a virtual training that the volunteer can advance at their own pace with. Once they have completed the module

training, they do a selfcheck and virtual Zoom check for any questions they may have. For the first grade, it is a 12-hour training done over two days and it is face to face.

Being an educator for two decades, along with being in a low-performing school, gives Wilkins a firsthand perspective of what the kids need and the importance of community volunteers.

“I think one of the

great things about my experiences at Cook was really understanding the power of volunteers,” she said. “We had quite a few volunteers. We had several churches that were community partners and community members that wanted to help. So for you to move the needle, you have to have a strategic way to use a volunteer.

“Knowing how to take those lessons and apply them to a new initiative is just being strategic in the way you approach the use of your volunteers.

And what I know is having a curriculum or tools that you can use to create some consistency will help to move toward better outcomes than to have something where everybody’s doing their own thing. To reach this goal, we have to have some consistency in how we approach what we do.”

For more information about the Reading Warriors program, please visit projectimpact.ws/reading warriors.com, call 336705-1839, or email info. projectimpact.ws.

• Grants available in qualified areas of Winston-Salem.

• Assistance limited to arrears in mortgage, rent and utilities.

• Applications are being accepted from Jan. 18 to Feb. 18.

• Offered by the city of Winston-Salem.

Recovery grants are available in three categories: 1. Businesses with less than 25 employees or the equivalent.

2. Social-service non-profits.

3. Travel, tourism, hospitality, and the arts non-profits.

Non-profits must have annual budgets of less than $1 million (not counting pass-through funds).

Application link, map of eligible areas and complete information: CityofWS.org/RecoveryGrants

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T he C hronicle

J anuary 20, 2022

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Black real estate investor buys two hotels, seeks to show others how to do the same Nationwide (BlackNews.com) - Davonne Reaves could have stopped at making history. After all, becoming one of the youngest African American women hotel owners in America is no small feat. But the 34-year-old tourism industry veteran just isn’t built like that. It’s in her blood to “give back” and “pay it forward.” And she’s doing just that now with more hotel properties added to her steadily growing portfolio.

The millennial mom of a young son who grew up in a working-class family just outside of Atlanta has done it again. Last month she acquired two more hotel properties with Nassau Investments, a Staybridge Suites in Fishers, Indiana, which is part of the renowned Intercontinental Hotel Group, one of the largest hotel brands in the world. At the same time, Nassau Investments and Reaves also purchased a Hampton Inn & Suites in Scottsburg, Indiana.

The new purchases mean that Reaves now coowns an impressive three hotel properties in just under a year, with the new acquisitions totaling an astounding $18 million.

“It’s an awesome feeling doing this as an African American woman, especially as a young African American woman,” says Reaves, founder and chief hospitality strategist behind Atlanta-based hospitality firm, The Vonne Group. “For many years I never imagined that I could own a hotel and now I own three! It’s an inde-

Submitted photo

Davonne Reaves scribable feeling knowing that I am living my ancestors’ wildest dreams.”

And she’s far from resting on her laurels.

She says her professional success has only further ignited a deeper passion within her to help others join her in the hotel ownership and investment ranks, especially those who like her, hail from sorely underrepresented groups in the lucrative hospitality industry, such as young people, people of color, and women.

The 15-year industry vet who worked her way up from hotel front desk clerk, to mid-level manager, and now owner, says she’s still plugging away at the big picture goal she set last year: helping create 221 new Black hotel owners and investors. So far she has helped 50 hotel investors get started and two of her protégé’s are on their way to co-owning hotel properties in 2022.

And Reaves says she’s ready, willing, and able to help more.

“I’m so attracted to this industry because the hotel ownership and investment space help create generational wealth,” says Reaves, who sits on the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration Industry Advisory Board at the Robinson College of Business at her alma mater, Georgia State University.

“It really is a tool to create wealth for yourself and your family. Wealth lasts for generations, riches are just for today.”

To further her point, Reaves is kicking off 2022 with big plans, leading her signature #FutureHotelOwner trainings in Houston, Atlanta, Tampa, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, in conjunction with the release of her debut book ”How to Buy a Hotel: A Roadmap to Hotel Ownership.” Set to be released in March 2022,

Pandemic Recovery Grant applications to be available Jan. 18 SUBMITTED ARTICLE

Operators of small businesses and nonprofits in eligible areas of Winston-Salem can apply for local Pandemic Recovery Grants starting Tuesday, Jan 18. Applications will be accepted through Feb. 18.

Grants up to $25,000 will be available to businesses with less than 25 full-time employees or the equivalent, and to nonprofits with an annual operating budget of less than $1 million, not counting “pass-through” funds from other sources that are distributed to the non-profit’s clients.

The recovery grants are designed to assist small businesses and nonprofits behind on their rent, mortgage, or utilities payments because of the pandemic.

Applicants will apply through the United Way

of Forsyth County, which is administering the grants under a contract with the city. All applicants will use the United Way’s e-CImpact system and will need to provide a W-9 and copies of their past-due bills.

The first rounds of grants will go to applicants that are in or serve federally designated “qualified census tracts,” in which at least half of the households have income below 60% of the area median income or have a poverty rate of 25% or more.

Businesses need to provide documentation of their registration with the N.C. Secretary of State.

Nonprofits need to provide their tax-exempt determination, a letter from their board authorizing their application, and information on client demographics.

A link to the application portal is posted at CityofWS.org/Recovery-

Grants. The portal can be accessed directly at https:// agency.e-cimpact.com/ login.aspx?org=35730F. The City Council voted Nov. 15 to allocate $3 million for recovery grants: $1 million each for small businesses, small social service nonprofits, and small nonprofits in the areas of travel, tourism, hospitality and the arts. The money is part of the $51.7 million the city is receiving in federal pandemic relief through the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund.

More details about the recovery grants program, including complete eligibility criteria, a map of eligible areas, and information on how grant requests will be prioritized, are posted at CityofWS. org/RecoveryGrants.

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the step-by-step guide is aimed at walking aspiring hotel owners and investors through the entire process from beginning to end.

“I will literally walk you through the entire hotel acquisition process - from putting together the right acquisition team, to helping you find a broker and the lender that will help you raise the capital,” says Reaves, who was honored with the sixth annual Lori Raleigh Award for Emerging Excellence in Hospitality Consulting award from the International Society of Hospi-

tality Consultants, an exclusive invite-only trade industry organization.

“During the training, I’ll also help the participants learn how to raise capital as well.”

Her plans seem fitting, following her many related accomplishments in 2021, which also included creating and launching the #StayBlackExperience campaign, encouraging American travelers to stay at Black-owned lodging accommodations during the busy summer travel season. The initiative was launched after she also no-

tably helped form several hotel investment groups, comprised mostly of fellow millennials.

With fellow Nassau Investments group members, Reaves and her former Georgia State University classmate purchased the Home2 Suites by Hilton El Reno, Oklahoma, located about 30 miles from Oklahoma City. The historic and groundbreaking $8.3 million deal is believed to have made the two longtime friends the youngest African American women to ever co-own a property in a major hotel chain in the country at the time.

“We enjoy bringing all of that fun ‘Black Girl Magic’ to the hotel ownership space,” she says.

“And nothing excites me more than helping show others that with the right tools and knowledge, they can too!”

Reaves is available to share her inspirational story and more on her passionate advocacy work focused on education and economic empowerment in the hospitality industry across all media platforms.

For more information, please visit TheVonneGroup.com.

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J anuary 20, 2022

The 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

Maya Angelou first Black woman on U.S. coin NNPA Newswire - Famous author and noted civil rights leader Maya Angelou became the first African American woman featured on the 25-cent coin.

The U.S. Mint began shipping the quarters on January 10.

Reportedly, the Angelou coin is the first in a series designed to celebrate the accomplishments of American women.

“Each time we redesign our currency, we have the chance to say something about our country - what we value, and how we’ve progressed as a society,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said in a statement.

“I’m very proud that these coins celebrate the contributions of some of America’s most remarkable women, including Maya Angelou.”

Angelou, whose works include such classics as “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” “And Still I Rise,” and “The Heart of a Woman,” died in 2014.

She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Barack Obama.

The commemorative new coin features Angelou with her arms uplifted, a bird in flight and a rising sun behind her.

“They are images inspired by her poetry and symbolic of the way she lived,” officials at the U.S. Mint said in the statement.

To the right are the words “E pluribus unum,” Latin for “out of many, one,” a phrase also on the national seal.

The flip side features a portrait of George Washington.

“Excited to announce that Maya Angelou becomes the first Black woman to appear on a U.S. quarter,” California Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee wrote on Twitter.

“The phenomenal women who shaped American history have gone unrecognized for too long – especially women of color,” Rep. Lee wrote.

“Proud to have led this bill to honor their legacies.”

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The exhausted majority is asking, ‘Candidates, keep it clean!’

Melinda Burrell Guest Columnist

On Dec. 31, as I uncorked champagne with my family, my stomach suddenly clutched with dread. For the first time, I feared the turning of the new year. Other new years I’ve anticipated with joy or at least curiosity. But 2022 loomed darkly.

2022 brings midterms, and elections can be triggers for serious conflict.

Given our current polarization, I suspect the anger and division will accelerate as November nears.

But I’m hoping this can be stemmed. We’re hearing more about our “exhausted majority” – the two-thirds of Americans who are tired of the polarization and anger that surround us, are flexible in their attitudes, and want a way out of the divide.

Perhaps proving that research, dozens of organizations have sprung up to help Americans talk across our political di-

vides. Braver Angels, Living Room Conversations, Urban-Rural Action, are just a few, fueled by volunteers driven by a strong sense of civic duty. These organizations help build skills necessary for a democracy, such as engaging in curious conversations and fostering relationships not bound by polarized stereotypes.

Perhaps this means we can flip the 2022 elections from a source of conflict to a means of community empowerment and enrichment. One possible approach is the development of campaign pledges, something that has been successfully used in other countries experiencing toxic polarization.

With this approach, a local organization or group of organizations, credible to both parties, reaches out to all candidates in an election and invites them publicly to pledge not to use inflammatory or divisive rhetoric on the campaign trail.

The organization and the candidates design the elements of the pledge together, then have a joint, public signing ceremony.

The ceremony gives the candidates yet another

much-desired opportunity for press coverage. It also enables local media and civil society to launch a process of monitoring candidates’ in-person as well as online speech.

There are many empowering aspects of this approach. Most fundamentally, at a time when competing campaigns can separate a community, creating a pledge brings people together. Candidates and other community members join to discuss what they feel is and is not acceptable speech in their community.

Campaign pledges also are a chance for communities to articulate their expectations of their leaders, in terms of discourse and behavior. Finally, such campaign pledges reset standards of public speech, reorienting them toward norms of respect and thoughtful inquiry, rather than knee-jerk accusations and insults.

In this way, campaign pledges normalize nonviolence and rule of law as the modes of interaction in a democracy. This has longterm, positive effects. Recent research shows that it is norms and leadership which are key to maintain-

ing peaceful societies.

Of course, there are complications to any such community dialogue process. As school board conversations around critical race theory have shown, even the act of creating a pledge could have contentious aspects.

Enlisting the aid of experienced facilitators can ensure that the conversation is inclusive and constructive. Community mediation or dispute resolution centers can help with this, and as could some of the dialogue organizations noted above.

In some ways, our anger toward each other reveals how much each of us cares about our country and its future. As we start the new year, let’s try new approaches to strengthen the norms of our democracy in 2022 and beyond.

Melinda Burrell, syndicated by PeaceVoice, is a humanitarian aid worker who studies polarization and trains on the neuroscience of communication and conflict. She is on the board of the National Association for Community Mediation, which offers resources on cross-divide engagement.

January 22: Nuclear weapons illegal one year Winslow Myers Guest Columnist The corporate-military-political complex that continues to renew the arsenals of the nine nuclear nations represents a colossal failure of imagination.

Everyone knows that a nuclear war cannot be won, that the weapons are strategically useless, and that they are a catastrophic world-ending accident waiting to happen.

Everyone knows that the trillions spent on these weapons along with boondoggles like the F-35 Strike Fighter are heartlessly siphoned away from the fight against COVID, acute hunger in Afghanistan and elsewhere, and the climate emergency— let alone decent pay for daycare workers.

If nuclear catastrophe happens, say the optimists (when it happens say the pessimists), anyone who

survives will cast a searching look upon the whole rotten system that fostered such a monstrous end to the human effort to secure itself on the planet. Some will want to assign blame, assuming enough institutional structure remains to replicate the conditions of a Nuremberg-like court of judgment, but that worthy effort would come too late.

Let us choose optimism and posit that disaster can be averted. We then find ourselves between two paradigms, the first where war has often been the first resort in conflict and always looms as a possibility behind diplomacy, and the second where everyone understands the nowin reality of the weapons that requires eliminating them and evolving a different kind of global security system.

Whatever form such a system might take, a world federation, a renewed United Nations, or a major upgrade in prestige and publicity for diplomatic processes, is less important than the simple education of all the citizens

of the planet to the reality of our situation: we must change or die.

The extended moment of the paradigm shift may be, as former Secretary of Defense Perry has ceaselessly warned, the most dangerous time of all, where nuclear war is even more likely than during the Cold War. But the risk of continuing to drift is far greater than the risk of efforts, like those of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and countless others, to eliminate these world-ending weapons.

Global conflicts remain complex and of course not principally caused by the weapons makers, though it is clear that the arms race is fueled by greed, and its inertial momentum immensely complicates diplomatic efforts to resolve conflict short of war. Nuclear weapons overshadow the points of tension involving the nuclear superpowers, including Ukraine (Russia vs. NATO, Taiwan (China vs. the U.S. et al.) and Kashmir (India vs.

Pakistan).

A relatively small number of people, heads of government and of large corporations along with diplomats, hold the fate of the earth in their hands.

In the United States, Congress should hold hearings where members of this elite group of nuclear strategists can be held to a standard of absolute clarity—justifying to American citizens why they need to spend above a trillion dollars to renew our arsenal, and why they refuse to consider the will of the Earth’s people.

Eighty-six nations are signatories to the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. January 22 will mark the one year anniversary of the date the treaty became international law. Nuclear weapons are illegal, immoral, and useless.

Winslow Myers, syndicated by PeaceVoice, author of “Living Beyond War: A Citizen’s Guide,” serves on the Advisory Board of the War Preventive Initiative.

T he C hronicle

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J anuary 20, 2022

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To test frequently or to vaccinate? That is the question.

Dr. James B. Ewers Jr.

Guest Columnist

Our America is full of both problems and solutions. We test different theories and then make decisions. Information provides us with the tool by which we make informed choices. The problem with information is that we don’t always use it to make good decisions.

For example, I knew growing up that I would suffer the consequences of my choices. Even when I had the right information, I made the incorrect decision. Why? Hard-headed.

Maybe I thought that

the facts did not apply to me. My thinking now is that I temporarily misplaced my thinking cap.

I think that is happening with the coronavirus and the judgments people are making about it.

People have the facts yet are ignoring them or not believing them. I say that respectfully.

Many Americans are putting aside statistics about hospital stays and even deaths. They are using their own logic and reasoning to come up with their way to combat COVID-19.

I have been around long enough to know that we have different lens through which we look at life experiences. No matter our different and varied experiences, COVID-19 is a shared experience. We are all getting it and some

have passed away from it.

To respond to citizens who want to be tested, the government is giving away testing kits. Each family can get up to four testing kits. The website to order them is covidtests.gov.

You can expect to receive them within a two-week window. That is good news for people who want to go the testing route.

Those who are choosing to be tested should also be aware of fake testing sites. They are in business and their reviews are not good. In other words, buyer beware.

One such operation is called The Center for COVID-19 Control. According to reports, they have testing locations across the country. This company is being investigated by the Department of Justice in Oregon and the Better

Business Bureau in many cities.

Michelle McDaniel, a customer, said, “I still haven’t heard anything. It was very frustrating.”

Liz Gerard, another duped customer, said, “At the moment I was asked for my driver’s license number, along with quite a bit of personal data that I thought was excessive, but I was sick, so I went along with it.”

If you are sick, then going to the doctor and getting some medication might be a good step to take. By not going to the doctor, it might indicate that some people are on a COVID testing frenzy.

You get sick and you automatically think you have the omicron variant.

Now if you have been vaccinated and boosted, your chances are much

better. It is my opinion that too many people are not vaccinated and running to these testing sites on a regular basis. That is their choice, and some will continue to do it. However, it is my hope that some minds will be changed and they will get vaccinated and boosted.

The Supreme Court ruled against a federal mandate for companies to require their employees to be vaccinated. However, SCOTUS did say that it would leave the decision up to the employers.

I think large companies will want to see their employees vaccinated. Chief executives see these statistics, so I think they will make wise and prudent decisions.

The sports world has also been affected by this vaccine dilemma. Kyrie Ir-

ving of the Brooklyn Nets can’t play in New York because of the vaccine rules in that state. Novak Djokovic, the top ranked men’s tennis player in the world, will not be able to play in the Australian Open because he is unvaccinated.

To vaccinate or to test?

Those are the choices.

Which will you choose?

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.

Untangling ourselves from government’s ‘dark side’ Robert C. Koehler

Guest Columnist Guess what? I direct the following insight to, among others, the U.S. Congress, which annually and without comment, with only a few objectors, passes a trillion-dollar (and growing) military budget, by far the largest such budget on Planet Earth.

“You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.”

The words are those of Albert Einstein, in a letter to a congressman 75 years ago. He adds, pointing out a truth that is still waiting to resonate culturally and politically: “The very prevention of war requires more faith, courage and resolution than are needed to prepare for war.”

These words take a while to sink in, but as they do, some crucial - crucially ignored - realities emerge.

The first is that waging war, or not, is a choice.

Mainstream geopolitical reporting pretty much ignores this miniscule reality and covers the ever-simmering possibility of war - here, there and everywhere - as though it’s beyond human control, like a hurricane or a flood or a volcanic eruption. It’s certainly beyond the control of ordinary folks like you and me, who are spectators in the process and nothing more.

Robert Farley, for instance, writing at Business Insider about the planet’s vulnerable geopolitical future, discusses what he calls the “most dangerous flashpoints for the eruption of World War III” disputed and problematic sites such as Ukraine, Taiwan, Iran and North Korea - where the big powers …

Russia, China, the USA … might lose it with one another.

I’m not criticizing his political analysis, simply noting his portrayal of the planet’s dominant nations as smugly objective forces. For instance: “The pandemic isn’t over,” he writes, “but it is becoming part of the background

noise of international politics, and great powers are recalibrating and reasserting their interests.”

What “interests” is he talking about? The unaddressed assumption here is that there is nothing more than a simplistic militarypolitical will operating at the national level across Planet Earth, a will that is only capable of asserting itself through violence, including nuclear violence, and with seriously limited capacity for self-reflection and no complex understanding even of its own interests. And this is our future: We’re probably going to blow ourselves up.

And, my God, there is indeed way too much truth to this, but if the mainstream coverage surrenders to this partial truth and leaves Einstein out - leaves out the fact that war is never inevitable and always a choice - the truth threatens to become absolute. This is what I truly fear.

The interest of power, when it reaches a certain level of dominance, is more power. Period. And confronting this interest requires the courage Ein-

stein spoke of. Here’s an example of the difficulty involved in doing so, even if you are, let us say, president of the United States, and happen to believe in the U.N. Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which became international law in 1970. Article VI of the treaty reads: “Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.”

Uh … that was half a century ago.

Kim Petersen, addressing the matter, noted that Barack Obama - the guy who, before he took office, promised to do such things as close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp - also expressed commitment to a reduction in the country’s stock of nuclear weapons.

What he wound up doing instead, Peterson writes, is “authorizing a $1 trillion

nuclear modernization.”

So what’s going on?

“You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.” Electing a president who promises hope and change obviously isn’t enough. The reality of our government is deep. There is a dark side, much of which is “classified,” and it could well be that the dark side rules, no matter who is president. But acknowledging this doesn’t mean surrendering to the inevitability of World War III - rather, just the opposite.

Only by acknowledging that we live in something that isn’t really (or fully) a democracy can we truly start to become players in the planet’s future.

Here’s how Dick Cheney put it when he spoke on “Meet the Press” several days after 9/11: “We also have to work, though, sort of the dark side, if you will … A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion, using sources and methods that are available to our intelligence agencies, if we’re going to be successful. That’s the world these

folks operate in, and so it’s going to be vital for us to use any means at our disposal.”

Now it’s 20 years later.

The U.S., operating on the dark side - and with the participation of four presidents - has dropped 337,000 bombs on countries across the Middle East, as well as legitimized torture in its secret prisons, in the process feeding and expanding terrorism, i.e., war itself. Waging war means waging terror.

It means operating on the dark side.

This is not how we will survive. This is not our future. This is not our choice. We have enough of a democracy to listen to Einstein.

“The very prevention of war requires more faith, courage and resolution than are needed to prepare for war.”

Robert Koehler (koehlercw@gmail.com), syndicated by PeaceVoice, is a Chicago award-winning journalist and editor.

He is the author of “Courage Grows Strong at the Wound.”

Was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the right man at the right time?

Tony Grant Guest Columnist

Was he the right man at the right time with the right message for America? I believe he was!

He was a man who inspired people the world over with the simplicity and profundity of his message of equal rights for all.

He taught that the most immediate way to achieve this was through nonviolent civil disobedience. It was a technique perfected by the great Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi.

For nearly two hundred years (1757-1947) India was Great Britain’s money-making machine, cash

cow and goose that laid the golden egg. She derived millions of dollars yearly from her management of the country and was able to finance several of her colonial wars against other underdeveloped countries.

Utsa Patnaik, renowned Indian economist, has stated that every year during her imperial rule, the British government siphoned off more than 25-35 percent of the Indian government’s budget, which was close to $45 trillion in today’s money.

The writer Paul Scott wrote a novel entitled “The Jewel in the Crown,” noting just how important economically India was to the British empire.

It was just a few years before the rise of MLK that Mahatma Gandhi, performed one of the great political acts in history by extricating India from the

clutches of Great Britain.

This was done without firing a shot. It was achieved primarily through the action of nonviolent civil disobedience. This was a feat so monumental it could only be compared to the Exodus, where Moses broke the will of Ramses II and led the Israelites out of bondage from Egypt and into the arms of the promised land.

Because MLK believed and preached that all people should have equal rights, he lived most of his adult life with an assassin’s target on his back and the backs of his wife and four little children.

On Dec. 10, 1964, Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace because of his nonviolent protest against bigotry and Jim Crow laws in America. MLK was more than an American

civil rights leader; he was a leader for minority people everywhere who felt disenfranchised or oppressed by the greater body of their fellows and governments. Moreover, in every way, he was a man of the people. He marched on the streets with them, was beaten on the streets with them, and was arrested and jailed with them.

In fact, he was jailed more than 30 times for civil disobedience with them. His home had been bombed and his congregation repeatedly threatened; yet, he marched on. Amidst the chaos of a typical march, he could be seen arm in arm with his fellow marchers, demanding equal rights to vote, an end to an unjust war, and that garbage collectors be paid a livable wage. His moral compass always pointed toward the rights of the oppressed, the

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downtrodden and other forgotten citizens in our society.

MLK was a great American patriot because he believed in the promise of the American dream.

This is a concept shared by people the world over who would love to come to America and live the dream. But the American dream is just that, a concept, a great ideal not shared by all Americans. MLK emerged into the American consciousness in the mid-’50s and, until his assassination in 1968, preached that African Americans and other American minority groups should be invited to the table of plenty to enjoy full participation in the dream.

After all, they did participate in making the dream a material reality.

Was MLK the right man at the right time for the job? Doing the 13

years of his civil rights ministry to America, arguably, African-Americans made more progress in civil rights than in the previous 350 years combined.

As the world stood by and watched in wonder, MLK, through skillful political negotiations, organizational genius, eloquent oratorical skills, and soaring rhetoric, made his messages palatable to a resistant majority. In one of his speeches, MLK reminded us: “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.”

He was indisputably the right man, with the right message, at the right time!

Tony Grant is a contributing writer for the Westside Story Newspaper.

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Black America salutes CEO Robert F. Smith for accelerating racial equity and the spirit of giving

BY DR. BENJAMIN F. CHAVIS, JR.

Today we are witnessing an increased spirit of giving to help underserved communities across the United States. The Black Press of America acknowledges and takes public note of both the responsibilities and the opportunities for corporate leaders to be “thy sisters’ and brothers’ keepers.” Good social corporate responsibility matters.

This is particularly true in communities of color, which continue to be mired in poverty and insufficient access to transformative economic improvement opportunities. One of the key indicators of economic advancement and sustainability in today’s global marketplace is the extent to which effective community-based organizations have access to equity funding and high-tech innovations.

With 2021 behind us and preparations and commitments now being made for 2022, we are revisiting the progress accomplished by a leading African American entrepreneur and corporate leader, Robert F. Smith, who is helping to increase racial equity funding and bridge the digital divide in six Southern cities where a large percentage of African Americans now reside: Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, Houston, New Orleans and Charlotte.

Earlier last year, we highlighted the game-changing initiative that, along with PayPal CEO Dan Schulman, and BCG CEO Rich Lesser launched the Southern Communities Initiative. This initiative is “A catalytic effort to coordinate and accelerate racial equity funding, programming, and convening organizations in six Southern communities that are home to approximately 50% of the African American population.”

According to information recently posted on Smith’s dedicated website, we were pleased to learn that the Southern Communities Initiative already has identified, embraced, and activated the following local leadership appointments and activations in

Submitted photo

Robert F. Smith, who is helping to increase racial equity funding and bridge the digital divide in six Southern cities where a large percentage of African Americans now reside: Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, Houston, New Orleans and Charlotte. those six states.

There are four racial equity pillars for the initiative: Wealth Creation – supporting Black-owned business growth and access to capital; Housing – providing access to resources that enable home ownership at fair rates and terms; Education/ Workforce Development – creating advancement opportunities via formal education/skills training for minorities; and Health Equity – eliminating health disparities through equal access to quality, affordable healthcare.

There are also two racial equity enablers that are part of the initiative: Digital Access – providing access and adoption of affordable high-speed internet solutions for low-income and minority households; and Physical Infrastructure – providing access to affordable, reliable realestate and civil infrastructure to support minority families and businesses.

In each of the six states, there is a well-known community servant and leader who has been designated as the “Community Lead” of the Southern

Communities Initiative. In Atlanta, The Reverend Dr. Bernice King, chief executive officer at The King Center, is the lead. In Houston, the lead is LaTanya Flix, senior vice president, DEI at Greater Houston Partnership. In Memphis, there is Sarah Lockridge-Steckel, chief executive officer and co-founder at The Collective Blueprint, while the lead in Charlotte is Janet LaBar, president and CEO at Charlotte Regional Business Alliance.

In Birmingham, the lead is J.W. Carpenter, executive director at Prosper Birmingham, and in New Orleans, it is Judy Morse, president and CEO at Urban League of Louisiana.

The philanthropy and corporate leadership of Robert F. Smith is appreciated by numerous recipients and Smith should be applauded for helping make a difference and providing hope to millions of people in underserved communities. The issues of economic equity and racial justice are still critical for the future of the nation.

Yet, the contributions of Smith and others appear to be

gaining support because as of today, more than 70 major corporate entities have now endorsed the Southern Communities Initiative.

The truth is there can be no real racial justice without the reality of sustainable racial equity and economic advancement of communities of color. We, therefore, without hesitation salute Robert F. Smith.

Dr. Benjamin F, Chavis, Jr. is president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and executive producer/host of The Chavis Chronicles on PBS TV stations across the U.S. He can be reached at dr.bchavis@nnpa. org.

Supporting excellence and all that it inspires.

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Minsters’ Conference recognizes local trailblazers on MLK Day

BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE

In recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity (MCWSV) recognized several individuals and organizations in the community for their work to uplift others.

Since 1984 when the event was started, the Ministers’ Conference has shined a light on local leaders who exemplify what it means to be a community servant. Before announcing this year’s honorees, Ministers’ Conference President Elder Tembila Covington said those who were recognized this year and in the past have a track record of service and have shown dedication to the fight for justice. “It’s an honor to recognize those who have done the work and who are trailblazers in our community and surrounding communities,” Covington said.

This year’s honorees

are: Social Justice Award: Rev. Craig Schab Community Leader Award: Anita “Boss Lady” Dean-Arnette, Pam Peoples Joyner Business Entrepreneur Award: Rev. Enrique Catana Community Volunteer Award: Rev. Dr. Valerie Tate-Everett, Megan Gregory Health Advocate Promoter Award: United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church Education Advocate Award: Dr. Carol Montague-Davis Rev. Dr. Carlton A.G. Eversley Award: Cheryl Lindsay, Rabbi Mark Cohn, Rev. Lynn Rhoades Political Influencer: Commissioner Fleming El-Amin, Brigadier General James R. Gorham The virtual event which aired on Facebook Live on Sunday, Jan. 16, also served as a fundraiser for the Ministers’ Conference annual Dr. Martin

Luther King Jr. Scholarship Program. According to members of the Ministers’ Conference, they have awarded more than $250,000 in scholarships to dozens of students since 1984.

To be considered for the scholarship, students must be a high school senior with a GPA of 2.0 or higher, complete an essay on why they deserve the scholarship, plan to attend a university or institution in North Carolina, and be involved in church, civic, community, and school extracurricular activities. Additionally, the applicant’s church or pastor must be an “active contributor” to the MLK Scholarship Memorial Seed Fund.

2022 MLK scholarship recipients will be announced before the start of the fall semester. For more information on the scholarship or to make a donation, visit https://www.ministersconferencewsv.org/ and click on the “MLK Scholarship” tab.

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LOVE YOUR HAIR LOVE YOUR HEART The American Heart Association's Hair, Heart & Health program is uniting with barbershops and beauty salons in the Triad. Through this program, salon and barbershop staff have been trained, blood pressure checks are being encouraged, and stylists and barbers are engaging their clients with heart health information to help reduce risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Live Chair Health will also now be joining with Hair, Heart & Health – making health conversations in the barber’s chair even more possible.

“Barbershops are pillars in the neighborhood and imperative to the education of our people. We encourage our neighbors to come in, sit and talk about everything related to having a healthy family,” shared Derek Brooks, Owner of Gentleman’s Grooming Lounge in Winston-Salem.

“Our clients are very comfortable in the chair and overall health conversations happen naturally.

Now with the materials, information and training from the American Heart Association, we can be even more factual and helpful,” said Charlz Henry, Stylist from The Hot Seat Studio Salon in Greensboro.

“We are on a mission to save the lives of African Americans by addressing chronic health conditions through the trusted relationships established between hair professionals and their clients,” shared Andrew Suggs, CEO and Founder of Live Chair Health. “Together with the American Heart Association, we are elevating barbers and stylists into becoming not only leaders in their community, but lifesavers for those who sit in their chairs.”

Made possible by:

Leading With Courage and Compassion.

We salute the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and his remarkable standard of servant leadership. Let’s share in his dream of doing good for others with courage and compassion, as we all work toward building healthy communities, one person at a time.

NovantHealth.org © Novant Health, Inc. 2021 1/22 • GWS-945416

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TOWARD A MORE PERFECT UNION Since 1978, the Winston-Salem Human Relations Commission has promoted the principles championed

by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We are proud to sponsor the City of Winston-Salem Employee’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Helping Hands Day of Community Service, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Young Dreamers Awards, Black History Month Showcase of Song, the Human Relations Student Awards, The Chronicle's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Prayer Breakfast and other events that further Dr. King’s vision of a society in which all people are treated with dignity and respect.

Dr. King had a dream. So do we.

Won’t you join us?

Learn more at CityofWS.org.

City of Winston-Salem Human Relations Commission

Abrea Armstrong

Greizy Beckles

Congratulations to our 2022 Honorees!

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Young Dreamers Awards honor two young adult leaders who have made a tangible difference in the lives of those who may have otherwise been overlooked, ignored or disadvantaged, and whose efforts embody the spirit of how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived and encouraged others to live.

Please join us in congratulating these outstanding young leaders.

THURSDAY, January 20, 2022

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

NFL postseason awards predictions This has been another unpredictable NFL season. With all of the injuries, missed games due to COVID-19 protocols, and sketchy quarterback play, it was truly a guessing game week in and week out as to who would win in many games.

All of this uncertainty has led to many questions surrounding the postseason award winners. I don’t think there are many surefire winners of many awards. We all know sometimes the rightful winner does not always win, but I think I have a pretty good pulse on the league, so here are my predictions for award winners and why.

Most Valuable Player: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers Quarterback Yes, Rodgers won the award last season with an amazing season like we have hardly ever seen in the league. In that season he threw for 4,299 yards, 48 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. Those numbers would be hard to match for anyone. This season, while dealing with injuries of his own, Rodgers passed for 4,115 yards with 37 touchdowns and only four interceptions during the regular season this year. And let’s not forget that Rodgers is doing all of this at age 38.

Rodgers may get some push from players like Jonathan Taylor, the Indianapolis Colts’ running back who has had a phenomenal year as well.

Unfortunately, his team did not make the playoffs, which will more than likely hurt his chances. Tom Brady, Cooper Kupp and Joe Burrow were all players who also have made a strong case for MVP this season. Brady has carried the Bucs through a myriad of injuries. Kupp has had one of the greatest seasons by a receiver in league history. And Burrow has taken the Bengals from laughingstock to the top of the division a year after tearing up his knee.

They all make great cases and every one of them are valuable to their team. But for me, Rodgers stands above them all.

Offensive Player of the Year, Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams Cooper Kupp exploded this with the addition of Matthew Stafford at quarterback for the Rams.

Kupp was already one of the better receivers in the league, but this season he is putting up historic numbers. Kupp had 145 catches, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns in the regular season. Defenses were geared to stop him, but they couldn’t. Week in and week out, he was putting up video game numbers in games.

Kupp lost his running mate Robert Woods to a torn ACL earlier in the season and the Rams replaced him with Odell Beckham Jr. Even with OBJ on the team, Kupp remained the focus of the passing game for the Rams. Kupp has established himself as one of the best in the business right now.

Defensive Player of the Year: T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers See NFL on B8

Antonio Brown and the dehumanizing of Black athletes’ bodies

BY STACY M. BROWN

The recent public meltdown of former Tampa Bucs wide receiver Antonio Brown during a game in New York has many questioning whether the NFL and other professional sports leagues show enough care and concern for athletes.

And many others have expressed disappointment – if not anger – when pointing out that athletes of color especially are mistreated and treated less than human.

During a Jan. 2 game against the New York Jets, Brown removed his shirt, shoulder pads, and gloves and tossed them into the stands at MetLife Stadium.

Then, he ran through the end zone, raised his arms toward the crowd, and gave high-fives to stadium personnel as he exited.

Tampa Bay Coach Bruce Arians immediately declared that Brown was “no longer a Buc.” Brown said an ankle injury prevented him from performing.

The team formally released Brown later, and the National Football League Players Association announced it would investigate findings that the Bucs injected Brown with a “powerful and sometimes dangerous painkiller that the players association has warned against using.”

“As a clinician, my initial reaction was one of curiosity,” Dr. Tammy Lewis Wilborn, a boardcertified licensed professional counselor who’s known as America’s No. 1 mental health and wellness expert, said during an appearance on the NNPA’s Let It Be Known live breaking news program.

“Unfortunately, when we’re talking about Black pain, it’s often minimized, scrutinized, and when it’s

Antonio Brown on display, penalized,” Dr. Wilborn asserted.

“One of the things concerning is that if Brown’s refusal to continue to play was his awareness of his pain and his need to advocate for himself, and the team didn’t respect and honor his concerns. I think that reflects a larger issue of how Black folks and how Black pain tends to be minimized,” Dr. Wilborn continued.

“If Antonio Brown refused to play because he was hurting and didn’t want to cause further hurt, then good for him for recognizing his own worth and not buying into the dollar signs that are often dangled to help keep Black people in pain and suffering.”

The treatment of Black

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athletes has remained a heated debate.

A 1995 white paper from Stanford University asked, “Does the stereotype of Black athletes as superphysical beings encourage racial violence in America?”

The Rev. Floyd Thompkins, who served as associate dean of Stanford’s Memorial Church and ran programs for African American adolescent boys, said he worried that the “glorification” of professional Black athletes as “people who are stronger, faster and bigger than everybody else,” gives everyone more permission to be fearful of, or more violent against, Black males in general.

“It seems innocuous, but it’s profoundly danger-

ous not to challenge the stereotype of the superhuman Black athlete,” Rev. Thompkins stated.

“It could give permission for police to be more violent or to again lynch [Blacks] because there is a Michael Jordan and an L.T. Taylor.”

In a 1988 interview, the then-popular CBS Sports commentator Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder remarked that Black athletes are better than whites because “they have been bred to be that way.”

“Because of his high thighs and big thighs that go up into his back,” Snyder said. “And they can jump higher and run faster because of their bigger thighs.”

He then took it further.

“I’m telling you that the Black is the better athlete, and he practices to be the better athlete, and he’s bred to be the better athlete because this goes all the way to the Civil War when, during the slave trading, the owner, the slave owner, would breed his big woman so that he would have a big Black kid, see.

That’s where it all started,” an unchecked Snyder concluded.

While the comments caused a firestorm of controversy and led to Snyder’s termination, many responded that the proverbial genie was out of the bottle.

That Snyder spoke what many others believed but was too afraid.

In the case of Brown, the Bucs former star, his latest episode has many wondering how badly several teams may have used him.

In 2018, as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team benched Brown because of a fierce disagreement he had with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

A year later, Brown

was found guilty of driving recklessly and the Steelers traded him to the Oakland Raiders.

Oakland released Brown after he objected to a team-issued helmet and demanded separate gear.

After signing with the New England Patriots, the NFL suspended him for eight games for violating its personal conduct policy.

The All-Pro helped the Bucs with the 2020 Super Bowl, but the league suspended him earlier this season for allegedly providing the team with a fake COVID-19 vaccination card.

“It’s speculative to say what happened to Antonio Brown, but there are concerns over whether it’s mental or physical,” said Faye McCray, a Howard University graduate and editor-in-chief of Psych Central, Healthline Media’s site devoted to mental health and wellness.

“What comes with this is the judgment. We think pro athletes make a lot of money so they can handle all of this, but it’s more to it than that,” McCray insisted.

“The idea of Black people owing people our bodies is not new, and we know that it’s rooted in racism and misogyny.

And when someone speaks out and is condemned, it shouldn’t be surprising.

But, whether it’s prioritizing mental health or acknowledging that Black lives matter, the sports industry has been behind the ball in confronting the humanity of our athletes.”

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

Reach him at @StacyBrownMedia.

Wolfpack JV team on hot streak to begin season

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE

The Walkertown junior varsity basketball team has been playing well this year. Led by second year head coach Kenny Anderson, the Wolfpack are a small but scrappy team that is not afraid to lace them up against anyone.

As of the writing of this article, the Wolfpack are 8-1 on the year and their only loss was to Reagan during the Lash/Chronicle Tournament. Coming into the season, Anderson knew they could become a good team if they bought into the coaching from the staff.

“My thought process was just teaching these boys about life through basketball and really I didn’t know what I was coming into, but I knew that once we taught them about life and we taught them about character, success would follow,” said Anderson about his thoughts on his team before the start of the season.

Being born and raised in Winston-Salem, Anderson knows that Walkertown does not have the basketball tradition like other schools around the county, but that did not matter to him, he says.

“I really never thought about having all the talent, I always thought about teaching those guys to play for each other and to play for a school and to play for their families,” he said.

On the first day of tryouts, Anderson and his staff were shocked by the lack of size from the kids

Photo by Alphonso Abbott Jr.

The Walkertown boys’ JV basketball team is off to a hot start this season at 8-1. that came out. He knew and to play for each other. their calling card was go- I just know that’s the foring to be to play harder mula to win and we have had some success from than their opponent.

“Day one I was a little that. We have been able skeptical because we saw to pull out a lot of games the pool of kids that came just from us playing for to tryout and me and the each other and playing that coaches recognized that brand of basketball.”

The Wolfpack coachwe were going to be a smaller team,” said An- ing staff didn’t have to derson. “I’m pretty sure if alter their game plan beyou’ve seen us play, you’ll cause of their lack of size. see that we don’t have a Anderson says they just 6‘2” guy and so our expec- have to put more effort tations were when we pick into things such as blockthis team, we had to have ing out and rebounding as a team to make up for their an identity.

“That identity was that lack of height.

“We practice really we were going to be scrappy and to play as a team hard and I teach our guys

to do the small things that people don’t see in order to be successful,” Anderson said about his methods. “I just teach our guys to play as a team, to rebound as a team, and as a result we win as a team.”

The Wolfpack came into the Lash/Chronicle Tournament as the No. 4 seed. Anderson’s expectation for his team was to perform well. He felt that anyone was beatable on any given day and wanted his team to go out and play with confidence.

“I kind of gave them the message of David and Goliath and got them to understand that if they played for each other, they would be successful,” he stated.

The Wolfpack finished the tournament 2-1 overall with their lone loss coming to the runner-up in the tournament. Anderson says the tournament gave his team the added confidence he was looking for them to play with.

“Our team mantra is ‘iron sharpens iron’ and so it just boosted their confidence and helped them believe in each other and themselves,” he said about what the tournament did for his kids. “I let them know that it’s fair game when the whistle blows.

Our best five against the other team’s best five, we are going to step out there and compete and have the mindset of winning.”

There have been a few players that have stepped up throughout the season for the Wolfpack, Anderson said. Players like Jaden Tyson, Antwan Mitchell,

Mitrend Curry, and Nazeir Blackmon have all played pivotal roles for Walkertown this season.

Anderson says that Tyson and Mitchell provide the veteran leadership that he looks for with guys in their second season in the system. He says they help a lot of the freshmen players make that transition from middle school to high school sports. When it comes to Curry and Blackmon, Anderson says those are his “young gunners” who are not scared of the moment.

Following the Lash Tournament, the Wolfpack team had to deal with a quarantine that halted their season for over a week.

Now that they are back playing, Anderson is hoping that they can continue with the momentum they built prior to the Christmas break. They defeated Morehead High School out of Eden, North Carolina their first game back by 20 points.

Anderson says the goal now is to hopefully win out the remaining portion of their season and to prepare the kids for the varsity level. He is aware that some of the kids may not play on the varsity level and many won’t get the chance to play collegiately, so giving them life lessons that they can carry with them is of the utmost importance for Anderson and his staff.

Anderson also is an assistant coach on the varsity team led by Richard Daniels Jr. Anderson and Daniels were also high school See Wolfpack on B2

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Jamaal “Full Court Press” Fowler’s

Wolfpack From page B1

Jamaal Fowler

Top 15 boys/girls basketball teams of the Triad (as of 1/18)

BOYS 1. Grimsley (14-1) 2. Glenn (13-3) 3. E. Forsyth (11-3) 4. Cummings (9-0) 5. Winston-Salem Prep (12-2) 6. T.W. Andrews (11-2) 7. Ben L. Smith (12-4) 8. Dudley (12-4) 9. Ragsdale (10-4) 10. Ledford (8-2) 11. N. Surry (10-3) 12. Forbush (11-4) 13. Northern Guilford (10-5) 14. Mt. Tabor (11-5) 15. S. Stokes (12-3)

teammates at Carver High School, so their relationship goes back many years.

“We formed a brotherhood since then and the communication lines are open and we bounce ideas off each other,” Anderson said about his friendship with Daniels. “We have a great rapport with each other, so when it comes to being a program, it’s nothing for us to talk to each other about our kids.

“Another thing is we both are educators, so we are on them in the classroom, as well as on the court. It’s been an honor to coach with him and also grow with him. This is my second year as a head coach and this is his second year as a head varsity coach, so just taking that and growing together as a staff and growing together

with these younger guys has been an honor.”

Anderson feels that Walkertown is a “diamond in the rough” because it’s not known for their sports.

Their goal is to bring a winning mentality and continue to coach the kids up and the winning will follow.

Anderson is also thankful for his JV assistant coaches Kedrick Williams and Jarard Jackson, who he says have done a great job coaching up the players.

“I trust those guys if I wasn’t there, they would be able to have the same success that I have had,” he said about his assistants. “It’s all family, so teaching that brotherhood and family is something they mirror to their teammates.

“I don’t coach as if I’m the chief and I am the endall be-all. I value everybody’s input and value everybody’s attention. That’s how I look at it and that’s how I approach the team.”

Honorable Mention: Salisbury (9-3), Thomasville (9-3), N. Rowan (11-2), E. Surry (10-3), N. Stokes (13-2)

GIRLS 1. Northern Guilford (14-0) 2. Randleman (13-0) 3. Salisbury (11-1) 4. E. Forsyth (13-1) 5. Southwest Guilford (11-1) 6. Bishop McGuinness (13-3) 7. Williams (9-3) 8. Oak Grove (13-3) 9. Eastern Alamance (11-3) 10. N. Davidson (10-2) 11. Southwest Randolph (12-2) 12. Rockingham County (10-2) 13. Reagan (11-3) 14. Southeast Guilford (9-4) 15. Ben L. Smith (13-2) Honorable Mention: T.W. Andrews (9-3), Reynolds (9-4), Atkins (10-6), E. Wilkes (10-6), Forbush (10-5)

“INTELLIGENCE PLUS CHARACTER THAT IS THE GOAL OF TRUE EDUCATION.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Winston-Salem State University embodies Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of true education. As one of the top Historically Black Universities in North Carolina, we are dedicated to developing our students’ intellects, character, and commitment to social justice.

The university’s motto of “Enter to Learn. Depart to Serve.” is more than just a motto. It is the driving force that inspires our students, faculty, staff, and alumni to strive to make positive changes on our campus, in the community, and the world as a whole.

T he C hronicle

J anuary 20, 2022

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Elder Richard Wayne Wood Sunday School Lesson

Connecting with God during the pandemic Justice, Judges, and Priests

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 16:18-20; 17:8-13 By the end of this lesson, we will: *Discover why God established the roles of judges, officials, and priests; *Value people who make decisions based on God’s justice; *Practice justice in our roles as leaders.

Background: Shofetim is the sub-heading of Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9 and is Moses’ instructions from God for the basic societal structure for the Israelites.

Also referred to as “Laws of public officials,” it is designed to ensure that no single branch of government and no religious institution should have sole power.

Each is brought into relationship with the other and each is made subordinate to the one true authority, the Torah of Deuteronomy, which overruled the political power of the king and religious power of the prophets. The Law’s organization addresses the full range of public officials in judicial, executive, and religious branches. Read all of Shofetim for specifics.

Lesson: Just Officials (Deuteronomy 16:18-20).

Moses introduces in Deuteronomy the four classes of public officials who were to bear responsibility for the order and quality of life of the community. “Judges and officers shalt thou make these in all thy gates, which the Lord thy God given thee…” (verse 18). Judges were those who adjudicated cases with the application of the Law and officers were subordinate leaders of various kinds. The Jewish Study Bible makes note here that “the city gate served as the location where justice was traditionally dispensed by village elders.” With newly appointed officials, the elders’ role in justice has now been restricted to family and marital law. Verses 19-20 are an expression of the most important thing about judges and officers, their character. They should be fair-minded and impartial, resisting any form of bribery and corruption, and learned enough to understand the possible difficulties in addressing any particular legal case. “Thou shalt not wrest judgment; …” (verse 19). “That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, …” (verse 20). The “judges and officials” were responsible for maintaining the principles of justice. The important thing for them was to determine what the accused person did and not to focus on who the accused person was.

Civil Obedience (Deuteronomy 17:8-13). There would be cases where there were too few witnesses, but where decisions must be reached. These cases would involve homicide, personal injury, or disputes over property (verse 8). (The division of authority is detailed in chapter 12). The cases are passed on to a higher court.

“And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days and enquire; and they shall show thee the sentence of judgment.” (verse 9). This all takes place at the central sanctuary.

“And thou shalt do according to the sentence…” (verse 11). The decision of this council (the equivalent of an appeals court) was final and mandatory. The finality of See Justice on B8

Wow, it’s hard to believe that we have been in this pandemic for almost two years. During this time, we have had to adjust to many things and one of them was not being able to go inside the walls of the church.

As the religion reporter for The Chronicle, I thought about how long it has been since I have entered a church for an event such as a pastoral anniversary or a special event a church may be holding and I thought I would share my thoughts and my journey with God during the pandemic.

As a kid, I remember having to go to church several days per week for several reasons. We had Sunday school and 11 a.m. service on Sunday and other things throughout the week like choir practice and usher board meetings that my parents attended.

As I grew older, I was not required to attend church as much with my parents and grandparents, but my relationship with the Lord never wavered.

My grandmother used to always say that “you need to be in the house of the Lord” to make sure your connection with Him remained strong. When I became an adult and going to church was on me, my grandmother’s words still resonated with me.

It was not until I graduated college and went out on my own and realized, for me, that no matter where I am, I can worship the Lord and that He is always with me. That is what has stayed with me throughout this pandemic.

When the pandemic first hit, it didn’t really resonate with me how I would deal with this new way of living we would have to go through. I also didn’t think things were going to last this long, as I thought we

would have gone back to normal much sooner than this.

As the months of the pandemic rolled on, that is when it really started to hit me that I have to find a way to continue my connection and relationship with the Lord without the ability of going inside of the physical church. That led me back to my younger days of being an adult and that made my journey much easier.

With me now being a middle-aged man, my journey with the Lord has continued to evolve over the years. Now with the pandemic, some of the ways I adjusted were to listen to more gospel music, listening to sermons on social media, and enhancing how I pray.

Listening to gospel music seems to always put me in the right frame of mind, whether I am in a good mood or not. For some reason, with most of the songs I can find some lyrics in the song that I can relate to. During this pandemic, I know we all have had some hardships to endure and listening to gospel music from time to time has been an effective way for me to deal with some of my issues.

Admittedly, I have not listened to as many sermons as I would have liked over the last 18 months or

so, but for the ones I have heard, they have been exactly what I needed to hear at that moment. I remember when we had to make tough choices here at The Chronicle due to the pandemic.

It was not something that was expected, but once it was upon us, we had to deal with it. It was only my faith in God that brought me through that situation.

Even though things looked dire at times, I knew that my God would not let me down and he didn’t. Yes, my faith was tested, but it never wavered and that was because he has never let me down before.

Now, when it comes to the prayer aspect, I think that has been the biggest component for me during this time. I have not only prayed for myself, but I find myself praying more and more for other people.

At first, I thought this pandemic was something that was being overblown by the government and media, but once it began to affect people that I know and love, it became “real” so to speak.

It was even more real once the virus entered my home. I know that over a half million people had lost their lives to COVID, but once again my faith would not let that thought cross my mind about anyone I know and loved. I

knew my God would not allow that virus to seriously affect my household and luckily, it did not.

I know many people were not that lucky and have either lost loved ones due to the pandemic or have lost employment, so I began praying more for those people, because honestly, I feel like I was one of the more fortunate.

Prayer has really been my saving grace, to be honest. I find myself praying at times that I never did before, like at stoplights, in line at the grocery store, or even just sitting in front of the television. There are so many things that I have to be thankful for, I feel compelled to just thank God. On the other hand, I know there are people still in need of assistance, so I pray for their well being also, and this is all because of the pandemic.

I think I have a closer relationship with God now than I had prior to the pandemic. I look more to him now for guidance on decisions because I know things can be taken away at any time and I want to make sure I don’t put my family in that situation ever again.

So, I am not happy that this pandemic is ravaging the world; however, I am happy that I am able to get closer to God in the midst of it.

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. Dairl L. Scott Sr. is the pas-

tor. For further information, call 336-945-9083 or 336945-5618.

Jan. 23 First Waughtown Baptist Church (FWBC) Online Dr. Dennis W. Bishop, senior pastor of First Waughtown Baptist Church (FWBC), will deliver the message for in-person worship service Sunday, Jan. 23. 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 can be submitted electronically on the FWBC website – www. firstwaughtown.org – click on RE-ENTRY 2022. Also, printed copies will be available in the lobby prior to service. Other in-person protocols and information about 6 p.m. virtual Sunday School are accessible via the FWBC homepage RE-ENTRY link. For those who cannot attend in person, Sunday services will be posted on the following platforms at 7 p.m. each Wednesday: YouTube, https://www.youtube.com (First Waughtown); Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/FirstWaughtown/; and the First Waughtown website, https://www. firstwaughtown.org.

Jan. 23 The Forsyth County Missionary meeting The Forsyth County Missionary Union will have its

first monthly meeting on Sunday, Jan. 23, at 3 p.m. The host church will be New Bethel Baptist Church, 1016 N. Trade Street. Words of encouragement will be delivered

by Rev. Dr. Kendall Jones Sr. Officers for 2022 will be presented. Meeting info, Zoom link, meeting ID, and other information will be sent out prior to the meeting.

Jan. 30 Family and Friends Day The Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church, 1905 N. Jackson Ave., wishes to invite everyone to our first Missionary and Family Friends Day of 2022. Pastor Hart will bring an uplifting message. We also encourage everyone to adhere to CDC regulations and wear a mask. The celebration will be Sunday, Jan. 30, at our 11 a.m. worship hour.

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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JOanuary ctOBer 20, 28, 2022 2021

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CLASSIFIEDS DEADLINE: MONDAY 5:30 PM - CALL CLASSIFIEDS AT (336) 722-8624 We accept major credit card payment on all classified Ads. Email us your ad by Monday...see it on Thursday: adv@wschronicle.com

AZELEA TERRACE APARTMENTS

Having qualifed as Executor of the Estate of Meryl Schum (21 E 2924) also known as Meryl K Schum, Meryl Kriger Schum, deceased November 14, 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 11, 2022 this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to the said decdent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 8th day of December, 2021 Richard William Schum Executor for Meryl Schum, deceased 644 Fenimore Street Winston-Salem, NC 27103 The Chronicle January 6, 13, 20, 27, 2022

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having qualifed 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 decdent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 14th day of December, 2021 Jamar Dominique Nicholson Executor for Tina Lousie Nicholson, deceased 3343 Ridgeback Dr. Winston-Salem, NC 27107 The Chronicle December 30, 2021 and January 6, 13, 20, 2022

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF ORANGEBURG IN THE FAMILY COURT FOR THE FIRST JUDICIAL CIRCUIT DOCKET NO. 2021-DR-38-27 SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES VERSUS Daniellee Douglas, Christopher W. Cline, Rico Jones, Percy Caines, Linsene Caines. IN THE INTEREST OF MINOR CHILDREN BORN 2007, 2015 NOTICE TO: Danielle Douglas

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The Chronicle January 6, 13, 20, 2022

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Upon proof of interest, a copy of the Complaint will be delivered to you upon request from the Clerk of Court in Orangeburg, and you must serve a copy of your Answer to the Complaint on the Plaintiff, the Orangeburg County Department of Social Services, at the office of their Attorney, Patrick McWilliams, at the Legal Department of the Orangeburg County Department of Social Serices P.O. Box 1087 Orangeburg, South Carolina 29116, within thirty days of this publication. If you fail to answer within the time set forth above, the Plaintiff will proceed to seek relief from the Court. Patrick McWilliams, SC Bar #70579, P.O. Box 1087, Orangeburg, SC 29116, 803515-1746

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T he C hronicle

J anuary 20, 2022

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Community Calendar Jan. 22 & 27 Writer’s workshop Winston-Salem Writers will hold two workshops for writers on successive Saturday mornings in January. On Jan. 22, the topic will be “Mining Your Life Story for Memoir and Fiction.”

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

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

by Rebecca McClanahan who will help writers of all genres to 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 nonmembers. 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 for complete info and to join or renew membership.

Jan 20 & 28-30 Sundance Film Festival 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 at https://aperturecinema. com. Information on films and other events can be found at https:// aperturecinema.com/ sundance-satellite. Online package sales and single film tickets are available at sundance.festival.org.

Jan 28 Application deadline Mayor Pro Tempore Denise D. Adams is accepting applications from citizens interested in filling a vacancy on the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Community

white

Jan. 22, Feb. 2 & 20 Navigating Jim Crow exhibit Navigating Jim Crow: Green Book and Oasis Spaces in North Carolina is a self-guided exhibit presented by Mount Tabor United Methodist Church in partnership with the NC African American Heritage Commission, a division of the N.C. Division of Natural and Cultural Resources, and the Winston-Salem Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. The church is located at 3543 Robinhood Road.

Exhibit dates and times are: Jan. 22, 1-4 p.m.

Feb. 6, 1-4 p.m.

Feb. 20, 1-4 p.m.

Jan. 26 M a r k e t i n g workshops HUSTLE WinstonSalem is hosting Marketing Outside the Box: Marketing & Money.

As a small business owner, do you often wonder if you're underspending and/or overspending when it comes to option marketing? What's an average marketing budget and how much should you budget for when it comes to marketing? Are there creative ways for you to fund your small business marketing goals?

Can you afford marketing assistance? Find out all of this and more Wednesday, Jan. 26, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Register by going to www.hustlews.org/ events-programs. Contact hustlewsinfo@gmail.com for more information.

Appearance Commission.

The Community Appearance Commission seeks to enhance and improve the visual quality and aesthetic character of Forsyth County and the city of Winston-Salem for the education, pleasure and enrichment of city and county residents; and to improve the community’s visual quality of life for generations to come.

Interested candidates should contact the City Clerk’s office at 336-7272224 or send an email to sandrark@cityofws.org.

The application deadline is Jan. 28. This is a volunteer position.

Feb. 1 Readers theater classes - rescheduled 40+ Stage Company has rescheduled Readers Theater Classes for seniors, age 55 and up, with an orientation class at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1, at the Mary Alice Warren Community Center, 440 Lewisville-Clemmons Rd, Lewisville.

The initial orientation class is free.

Thereafter, a one-time tuition of $20 is due for the entire course. Hardship assistance is available.

For more information, visit https://40plusstage. com/.

Feb. 7 Auditions The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem will hold auditions for Out of Order, by Ray Cooney, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 7, at 419 N. Spruce Street in WinstonSalem. No appointment is necessary, and everyone is welcome to audition.

Auditions will consist of reading from slides.

Actors should bring their calendars to the audition so they can advise of any conflicts with the rehearsal schedule. Rehearsals will begin the week of Feb. 21.

For further information, please visit www.

LTofWS.org.

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January 20, 2022

The C hronicle

Food Lion Feeds announces million dollar gift to Second Harvest Second Harvest Food Bank marked the start of the organization’s 40th year of service to the people of Northwest North Carolina with an announcment that through Food Lion Feeds, the retailer’s hunger relief initiative, the company is contributing $1 million to the Food Bank’s Hunger for Change Capital Campaign. The gift represents the largest

bors through the Providence Culinary Training Program,” said Travis Garland, director of operations, Food Lion. “The Food Bank does incredible work to fight food insecurity across Northwest North Carolina, and we know this gift will only strengthen the Food Bank’s ability to nourish neighbors in the Triad and beyond.”

“Food Lion Feeds’ support of Second Har-

tor for Providence. “Food Lion Feeds understands how essential it is that we all work together to make sure that even as we help to address the urgent needs of families, we also work together to change the circumstances driving the need for food assistance.

That’s what Providence is about, and we could not be more thankful for the support of Food Lion Feeds.”

Second Harvest Food Bank’s strong response

corporate gift to the campaign to build a new headquarters home for Second Harvest at Whitaker Park in Winston-Salem.

The funding will support the new Providence Culinary Training and Nutrition Education Center nourished by Food Lion Feeds, which will be housed within the new building. The announcement was appropriately made at the first ceremony of the New Year honoring 11 graduates of the Food Bank’s Providence Culinary Training Program.

“We’re proud to support the Food Bank and help create more opportunities for our neigh-

vest Food Bank’s mission and work extends back 28 years,” stated Eric Aft, chief executive officer for Second Harvest. “Their support and partnership runs wide and deep, with this most recent, very significant investment highlighting Food Lion Feeds’ commitment to helping organizations like ours expand transformational approaches to addressing hunger and its causes.”

“Food Lion Feeds is hungry for change, as we are at Second Harvest and in the work we do within Providence, changing lives, one recipe at a time,” said Jeff Bacon, vice president and executive direc-

to the heightened need among families across our region resulting from the pandemic and its economic impact continues to be tremendous with the support of committed partners, including Food Lion Feeds. With its new headquarters slated to open this fall, Second Harvest Food Bank will be able to do even more to support the more than 500 local food assistance programs in its network and expand upon and create approaches to impact hunger and help families working to improve their lives every day across the 18 counties of Northwest North Carolina.

SUBMITTED ARTICLE

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘what are you doing for others?’

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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J anuary 20, 2022

Miss Forsyth County competing for Miss North Carolina title SUBMITTED ARTICLE

Tatyana Samone Drake, Miss Forsyth County USA, will be running for Miss North Carolina in the Miss North Carolina USA Pageant on Jan. 28-29 at the High Point Theater in High Point.

Tatyana was just two years old, watching TV with her parents, when she boldly told them, "I wanna be on TV!” A young girl’s dream immediately pursued, as they began entering her into pageants. Years later, Tatyana began expanding her work through modeling, dancing, and cheerleading. She found an additional love for teaching and an interest in traveling the world at a young age. As Tatyana entered college, she decided to not go the traditional route, and took her career to the next level by earning a scholarship to pursue a degree at The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts.

Like any hustling artist in New York does after graduating, she got a job and pursued her lifelong dream - her acting career - even premiering in short/student films and creative projects. Early on, she landed her first supporting role on the TV series, " Homicide Hunters,” as well as starred in several online commercials.

Tatyana has recently been booked on a Los Angeles TV pilot that should be premiering soon.

In transition from New York City back to North Carolina, Tatyana realized that while waiting for her “big shot,” she could and should be giving back to the community. In 2018, she fell in love with teaching kids dance and theater, babysitting, and tutoring. Additionally, she supports her family's group home, where they take care of people with mental health disabilities. All these experiences have allowed Tatyana to have a very diverse interpersonal perspective, which she believes allows her to connect and understand people in all walks of life. She anticipates that these experiences will benefit her supporting role on the TV series " Homicide Hunters” and further opportunities to shine on stage.

Encouraged by friends and bored during quarantine, Tatyana started mak-

Tatyana Samone Drake

Submitted photo

ing Tik Toks. Her online success was propelled by embracing her curves and showcasing her uplifting personality. She quickly accumulated 130k followers on her platform and her audience/voice is only getting bigger. Throughout her life, Tatyana’s purpose and mission has always been to be that “bold” voice for herself and others that look like her. She is confident that with her continued efforts through her various platforms, as well as the help of The Miss USA Organization, she can use that voice to inspire women all around the world to love themselves.

If you would like to support Tatyana, you can vote for her for the “People’s Choice Award." Voting is permitted through the Miss North Carolina USA website, www.missnorthcarolinausa.com, for $1 per vote. You can vote as many times as you like, or for your convenience, you can send the money by Cash App, Venmo or PayPal to $missnctatyana.

You can reach Miss Forsyth County USA on main social media platforms at @tatyanasamone or email her at missnctatyana@gmail.com. Tatyana is elated to represent Forsyth County, and she is appreciative of her family, friends and the community for all their love and support.

YOU-n-You reception recognizes women who have stepped into greatness SUBMITTED ARTICLE

The YOU-n-You Experience Celebration Reception will take place on Saturday, Jan. 22, in Winston-Salem.

Developed

by Marviette A. Usher, a prior information technology consultant who is now lovingly called “Lady Million Marviette, the IT Consultant for Women,” the YOU-n-You experience is an intense personal development experience designed to remind women that they are still absolutely phenomenal right in the midst of life’s happenings.

More importantly, the experience is designed to encourage women to maintain a mindset of “I can’t stop! Don’t stop! I won’t stop!” until they push through and unleash their capital ‘YOU’ and birth out all that God has invested in them no matter what, and commit to the mindset of dying empty.

Coupled with the experience is her book, ‘Phenomenal? OH, YES YOU ARE,” and her “There Shall be Glory After This, Self-Care, Self-Love Journey Guide.” Both were written to speak to powerful, educated, talented, and beautiful women who have been “hit by life.”

And while others may think these women have it all together, these women are left wondering “God, why me? How do I push past this and come out on the other side, super-bad giving God glory in spite of it all, delivering life’s transformational results?”

The experience’s mission is to encourage women to stop spending years trying to figure out all their “life-happening” experiences and instead embrace them, seeing them as an “honor” conferred upon them wherein God has selected them to carry such a heavy weight and be a point of reference for His Glory. This truly does give life to the phrase, “I don’t look like what I’ve been through!”

There is a great blessing in store for the woman who is committed to walk

out her journey and step into her greatness on the other side.

The reception will celebrate several women for successfully embracing their greatness, doing their personal work and birthing their purpose. Society focuses so much on how to be successful, basing it on what we have and no one is really talking about where true success lies.

Success, walking in greatness, impacting others, and leaving an imprint, starts with who we are and how we are being. It is of utmost importance that women know or discover who we truly are when no one is around, when we are not all dressed up for the world, and when we must make decisions in the dark.

M.A. Usher expressed to the YOU-n-You women that when they know exactly who they are, to whom they belong, and tap into what their Almighty God has invested in them, they will guard their seed of greatness at all cost. In turn, as they guard their seed, they will maintain class, elegance, and most

definitely will not reduce themselves to engage in out-of-character lifehappening situations that compromise their greatness and purpose.

The experience challenged the women to answer this main question: Are you becoming who you need to become/the person you need to be in order to have the capacity to do what God has ordained you to do so that you’ll walk in your expected end and experience the life you’d like to have – your God-given predestined life? (Be*Do*Have* & Behave*) How are you behaving in your life?

I’m ecstatic that each of the women answered the call and they will be honored with a certificate of completion to celebrate what they have “birthed for God’s Glory to bless the women He has assigned to them.”

Our purpose is bigger than us, it is not about us; however, it most definitely requires us.

Arts Council is the chief advocate of the arts and cultural sector in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

Our goal is to serve as a leader in lifting up, creating awareness and providing support to grow and sustain artistic, cultural and creative offerings throughout our region. For more information visit intothearts.org

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January 20, 2022

NFL

From page B1

T.J. Watt has been in the conversation for defensive player of the year for the last few seasons.

He has come up just short every season, but I feel this year will be different for the four-time Pro-Bowl and three-time All-Pro player. Watt tied Michael Strahan for most sacks in a season with 22 ½.

Along with his lofty sack total, Watt also had 64 combined tackles, 39 quarterback hits and 15 hurries. Watt does have some competition out there from guys like Aaron Donald, Myles Garrett, and Darius Leonard. I think the only guy who deserves the award if it doesn’t go to Watt is Garrett. I know these awards are not lifetime achievement awards, but with his stats and what he has done over the last few years, Watt deserves to win, in my opinion.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals This is one of the awards that I mentioned earlier is a no-brainer. He should be a unanimous winner for this award for what he has done this season. Chase caught 81 passes for a staggering 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns.

At times, he looked like one of the best receivers in the league as a rookie.

For his efforts, Chase was selected as a ProBowler in his first year. It is very rare for a rookie receiver to acclimate himself

Justice From page B3

the judgment decree was absolute and anyone refusing to abide by the court’s decision was subject to the death penalty. “And the man that will do it presumptuously…” (verse 12) “And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.” (verse 13). The final decisions were necessary to prevent disputes foment-

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to the league so quickly, but Chase has made the transition look seamless.

I actually questioned the pick of Chase by the Bengals because I thought they had other needs to address first and already had a solid receiving core. I will admit that I was wrong on that one. Chase looks to be a threat for years to come.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys As much as I hate to admit it, Parsons has only cemented himself as the no-doubt rookie of the year on defense. His ability to play different positions on the field really separates himself from not only other rookies, but almost all other players in the league. Parsons is very versatile and that has allowed him to accumulate some impressive stats as a rookie.

Parsons played primarily as a linebacker, but has also played on the defensive line, and in the secondary. He had 13 sacks, 84 tackles and three forced fumbles. Parsons was not only named to the Pro-Bowl, but was also named First-Team All-Pro as well. That is very impressive for a rookie who is playing on a defense that was so maligned last year.

We haven’t seen a defensive rookie play this well in several years.

Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans When I first thought about the winner of this award, I was torn between

Vrabel and Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor. Both men have done a phenomenal job with their teams, but what separated the two was how well the Titans played after losing their best player, Derrick Henry. Henry was leading the NFL in rushing when he was lost to injury and many thought the Titans’ season would be lost as well.

Vrabel kept the team together and they finished with a 12-5 record on the season and won the AFC South. Not only did they make the playoffs without Henry, the Titans are the No.1 seed and have a first-round bye. They have home field advantage throughout and have a good chance of making it to the Super Bowl.

Comeback Player of the Year: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals This award also involved some thought for me. I chose to go with Burrow, but you can’t forget what Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott has done after suffering a devastating leg injury last season.

Burrow tore his ACL and even though modern medicine has gotten better, that is still a tough injury to return from. Burrow came back this season with a vengeance. He threw for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns to only 14 interceptions. Even though Prescott had a great year, I chose to go with Burrow because I felt he did more with less talent.

ing lasting bitterness and leading to personal or community vendettas.

God expected swift justice so that these things did not occur. (The UMI Annual Commentary 2021-2022, The Jewish Study Bible, The Wiersbe Study Bible, The New Interpreters Study Bible and The Oxford Bible Commentary).

For Your Consideration: What do you look for in a spiritual leader?

How can those in author-

ity change the narrative on leadership to reflect God’s heart for justice?

Application: We cannot expect the government to make the Bible it’s official guidebook as Moses did for Israel. It would help our communities and the nation if we, the body of Christ, professed Christians and Christian churches, would focus on preaching, teaching, and obeying the Word of God.

THE WORDS OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. REMIND US THAT

“we cannot walk alone.”

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