March 24, 2022

• See Opinion/Forum pages on A4 & A5 •

Volume 48, Number 29

75 cents

• See Sports on page B1•

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

THURSDAY, March 24, 2022

WSFCS looking at options to reduce high dropout rate

TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/ FCS) has one of the highest high school dropout rates among the larger school districts in the state. Data provided by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) shows the dropout rate for WS/FCS was 2.66% for the 20202021 school year. The state average was 1.94% When compared to other school districts in large metropolitan areas across the state (Wake County, Charlotte Mecklenburg County, Durham County, Guilford County, Cumberland County) WS/ FCS has the second highest dropout rate. Durham County is first with 3.20% and Guilford County is third at 2.02%. Between the 2019-2020 school year and 2020-2021 school year the number of dropouts did drop from 542 to 443, but district leaders admit there is still work to be done.

According to the state, a “dropout” is an individual who was enrolled in school at some time during the reporting year (20202021), but was not enrolled within the first 20 days of the current school year; and has not graduated from high school or completed a state approved program or transferred. Fredricca Stokes, assistant superintendent of student support, said throughout the

school year and during the summer months, CARE Team members and graduation coaches went door to door trying to get in contact with individuals who were considered dropouts by the state and let them know they can come back to school.

“I would like to recognize our graduation coaches, our CARE Team … they were knocking on doors, they were inviting families back into our schools,” said Stokes while giving a presentation on dropout rates during a recent school board meeting. “They went out to the homes, they called phone numbers, and then went out some more. Our

CARE Team and our social workers, counselors, and graduation coaches really focused in on the students to get them back in school. We don’t stop after day 20 because we know it’s important for students to come back, so we continue to look for them even after day 20.”

Most students in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County who drop out, do so as a result of absenteeism and lack of engagement. Stokes said many of the students feel like they missed so many days they feel like they can’t catch up. “Chronic absenteeism is a problem that we have to tackle as a district,” Stokes said. She said dis-

trict leaders are looking at several different options to support students.

“It’s not just about unexcused absences, it’s about excused and unexcused, because all of it is time outside the class,” Stokes said.

Moving forward, each high school in the district will form and maintain an active dropout prevention team. The teams, which will consist of a principal and/or assistant principal, school counselors, social workers and graduation coach, will work on a tiered support model to address specific student needs related to chronic absenteeism.

Each school will also

develop a support plan for all students who dropped out and have returned to school. The support plan is designed to provide students and families with resources needed to ensure a successful transition back to school.

“For our students who left and came back, we can’t bring them back to the same old place, we have to make sure we bring them back to something different,” Stokes said. “Something different looks like making sure they have a mentor … so we’re looking at the mentors. If they’re behind in academics … we’re looking at tutoring. How do we have weekly sessions

with the gradation coach to make sure we are providing not only the student but the family with any type of resources that are needed.”

To address students’ lack of engagement, district leaders are taking a closer look at some of the courses currently offered in local high schools. With what they have in place to support students who have dropped out and those at risk, Stokes seemed confident that the district is moving in the right direction.

“I would say one dropout is one too many; however, we’re headed in the right direction,” Stokes said.

The 2022 National Black Theatre Festival to return Aug. 1-6 The National Black Theatre Festival® (NBTF) will once again be held in the City of the Arts, Winston-Salem, Monday, Aug. 1- Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022.

Officials with NBTF kicked off this historic festival on Monday, March 21, by announcing celebrity co-chairs for this year’s festival, Lisa Arrindell and

Gala celebrations from the 2019 National Black Theatre Festival.

Petri Hawkins-Byrd. Officials were joined by city leaders including the mayor and others.

The NBTF was postponed last year due to the

pandemic. Creators are excited to bring six consecutive days of professional theatre once again to Winston-Salem. Other components of the festival

include workshops, a reader’s theatre of new works, a film festival, a poetry jam, a youth celebrity project, a vendor’s market, and The International Col-

Submitted photo

loquium.

Officials say over 60,000 people are expected to attend the event, along with celebrities from stage, screen, and

SCAN

www.wschronicle.com

television. The event has more than a $13 million impact on the economy of Winston-Salem, known as Black Theatre Holy Ground.

NBTF is the international outreach program of the North Carolina Black Repertory Company. The festival has been held biennially since 1989 and attracts thousands of national and international patrons, theatre professionals and scholars to Winston Salem. The National Black Theatre Festival was named A Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society.

For additional information and a schedule of events, visit www.nbtf.org or call the NBTF office at 336-723-2266 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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SUBMITTED ARTICLE

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T he C hronicle

The impact of COVID-19 on HBCUs and Black students graduate, and progress to economically sustainable careers.

We also partnered with our member-schools to

BY DR. HARRY L. WILLIAMS

While the world has been focused on the growing numbers of COVID-19 casualties, the media has somewhat ignored the long-term educational and economic impacts of the pandemic – especially for Black students. Although there has been some attention given to the disparities between Black Americans and other groups contracting the virus, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Black community will be recovering from the impact of COVID-19, healthwise, economically, and educationally for at least the next two decades.

Throughout the pandemic, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have been on the front lines addressing the impact the pandemic has had on students, faculty, staff and surrounding communities. In March 2020, when college campuses across the country closed and sent students home, many HBCUs continued to house hundreds of students who did not have homes to return to. Groups of students were stuck on campus without the funds to pay for transportation back to their home cities.

This challenge was a byproduct of several students losing the jobs they used to help fund their education, along with loss of family income. Many students be-

came both food and housing insecure without the critical resources that HBCUs often provide.

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) worked with our member-schools - America’s 47 publicly-supported HBCUs - and many of their corporate partners to help secure access to needed support for students.

Beyond academic scholarships, TMCF stepped up to help provide grants for students, assisting them with rent, groceries, and transportation. At one HBCU, more than half of the students and faculty did not have the adequate computer hardware or broadband Internet access to participate in remote classes. Corporate partners supported the purchasing of laptops and hotspots for both students and faculty to facilitate the pivot to online learning.

Despite their long history and accolades, HBCUs as a collective have continued to struggle with proper funding, receiving less per-student aid from their states, along with less research funding from the federal government. These institutions are highly tuition dependent, which can cause a great challenge any time enrollment numbers are compromised.

Closing campuses and sending students home meant that many schools had to return housing funds that traditionally would have supported the university’s operations. Recognizing the great infringement that the pandemic placed on the schools, we shifted part of our focus of providing scholarships and career readiness opportunities to work with HBCUs to provide support restructuring their finances, securing new resources,

provide enhanced mental health resources to help students address the emoSee HBCU on A3

and planning for the 202021 and 2021-22 academic years.

Part of the shift also included engaging corporate partners to help find new and creative ways to help students succeed in this environment. For example, McDonald’s expanded their partnership with TMCF in 2020 to provide additional scholarships beyond their original commitment for HBCU students. This commitment extended in 2021 to support students who overwhelmingly were high-achieving performers but came from lowincome backgrounds and needed the extra support during this unprecedented time. As a non-profit committed to the advancement of Black students, we understand that the best way to address disparities is to invest in students so they can persist in their studies,

How to manage back-to-the-workplace anxiety and stress SUBMITTED ARTICLE

After two years of remote work for countless individuals due to the pandemic, many employees are returning to the office. While some may embrace a return to the workplace and view this as a transition back to normalcy and socialization, others may find the adjustment back to an in-person work environment overwhelming and anxiety-provoking.

“Life has significantly changed since March 2020 and many people have spent the past two years working from the comfort of their own home rather than being in the actual office,” said Kayla Lyon, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral medicine at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.

“While this initial adjustment was stressful for most, the length of the pandemic has introduced people to a new ‘normal’ and many have found their groove and comfort in working from home. It is absolutely normal and expected to have anxiety or mixed emotions about returning to the workplace and people should

know they’re not alone in these feelings.”

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the top return-to-work sources of anxiety include: exposure to COVID-19, less flexibility, and the commute to work.

Here are some tips to help reduce return-to-work anxiety and stress: *Ease back into a schedule. In the days leading up to return, adjust back to an in-person work routine.

Go to bed and wake up at a normal time (factoring in commute time), shower and dress for in-person work and attempt to replicate a normal inoffice timeline while still at home. *Talk to your employer. Gather as much information as possible about the status of the environment and working schedule. Ask any known questions or voice any con-

cerns ahead of time. *Visit workspace before returning, if possible. Visit and tidy up the office space before it reopens – this offers the chance for a trial run and time to become acquainted with the area. *Plan ahead. Schedule simple, mood-boosting activities (a cup of coffee, exercise, meditation, dinner with a friend, etc.) to do before and after work. *Be considerate of colleagues. Be mindful of others and respect that everyone has different concerns and levels of comfort.

“Just as it took many of us time to adjust to working from home, it will take time to adjust back to working in the office and it’s important to realize that some sense of anxiousness and worry is normal,” Lyon said. “As humans, we don’t have an on/off switch and there will be an adjustment period. But if someone is experiencing prolonged anxiety or depression, fatigue, appetite changes or disrupted sleep patterns, or if someone is experiencing suicidal thoughts, they should seek medical help.”

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T he C hronicle

March 24, 2022

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House passes CROWN Act to end discrimination against natural Black hairstyles

BY STACY M. BROWN

Connecticut Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes sounded off to critics of legislation that would allow individuals freedom to express themselves by how they wear their hair.

“Natural hair should be worn without fear of discrimination,” Rep. Hayes asserted moments after the U.S. House of Representa-

closer to federal protection for Black women, men, and children from discrimination across the country simply because of their natural hair or hairstyle,” stated Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. “We urge the Senate to quickly take up this important legislation, which

forward to swift passage of this critical legislation in the Senate and standing with President Biden as he signs it into law.”

Rep. Beatty then delivered a message to Black youth.

“To every young Black girl and boy, I say to you, your hair - from your kinks to your curls, from your fros to your fades, from your locs to your braids is a crown,” she asserted.

“Be proud of your hair and know the Congressional Black Caucus is fighting for you.”

Stacy M Brown is the NNPA Newswire senior national correspondent.

Reach him @StacyBrownMedia.

Jahana Hayes

Submitted photo

tives passed the CROWN Act, banning hair-related discrimination. The measure passed in a vote of 235-189 along party lines.

Introduced by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-New Jersey), the acronym CROWN stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. The measure outlaws discrimination based on an individual’s texture or style of hair.

The bill, which now heads to the Senate, states that “routinely, people of African descent are deprived of educational and employment opportunities” for wearing their hair in natural or protective hairstyles such as locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, or Afros.

Republicans strongly opposed the measure, and some used race-baiting words in expressing their opposition. “No to the nappy hair act,” Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Green railed.

Civil rights groups applauded the passage of the measure.

“Passage of the CROWN Act by the House of Representatives moves our nation one step

would ensure that Black students are not prohibited from attending or participating in school events because of their natural hair, that Black employees are not subject to pretextual firing or negative employment actions because of their hair texture or style, and that Black people are accorded dignity and respect in choosing to embrace a natural hairstyle.”

Hewitt said restrictions on Black hairstyles and textures in workplaces and school campuses are relics of white supremacy.

“This explicit protection against racial discrimination based on hairstyles is long overdue,” he remarked.

In a statement, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty (DOhio) said Black women and girls face discrimination because of their natural hair each day at their workplaces and schools.

“So today, I proudly voted yes on the CROWN Act to finally end racebased hair discrimination once and for all,” Beatty insisted. “It’s simple discrimination against Black hair is discrimination based on race. I look

HBCU

strengthened HBCUs’ unique position to help fill the social and economic gaps Black Americans experience, given these institutions’ assets, experience, and cultural and historical significance.

As a legacy corporate partner, McDonald’s stepped up to support HBCU students because of their longstanding commitment to supporting the Black community and empowering the next generation by creating opportunity through educational initiatives. Today, we call on other major corporations to do the same – address inequities by investing in diverse students who are posed to be the next generation of changemakers. Their journey to leadership starts with a college degree, and with the proper resources, that degree can come from an HBCU.

From page A2

tional needs that may have emerged as a result of the changing landscape of the world. Among other amenities, TMCF scholars were offered access to Shine, a minorityowned mobile app which offers self-care resources to better manage mental health challenges like stress and anxiety.

The resilience of Black students in the face of the pandemic further illustrates the importance of HBCUs for engaging the Black community.

Though the pandemic has presented extraordinary challenges in the last two years, HBCUs have emerged even stronger.

While many colleges had steep drops in enrollment during the pandemic, HBCUs experienced the exact opposite. Many of the country’s largest HBCUs are seeing record numbers of applications. The COVID-19 crisis inspired a new approach to working together as a network and building new capabilities in online learning, student retention and attraction, and more. This has only

Dr. Harry L. Williams is the president and CEO of Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), the largest organization exclusively representing the Black college community.

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

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

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

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OPINION

James Taylor Jr. Publisher Bridget Elam

Managing Editor

Judie Holcomb-Pack

Associate Editor

Timothy Ramsey

Sports Editor/Religion

Tevin Stinson

Senior Reporter

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Office Manager

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Graphic Designer

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

We see you!

BY CHERYL SMITH, PUBLISHER, TEXAS METRO NEWS AND IMESSENGER MEDIA

Well, she finally did it!

On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, Skylar decided to use her potty for its intended purpose.

Since she received it a few months ago, she has used the potty as a chair, a footstool and storage unit. Everything you could imagine has been inside that potty, except for a number one, a number two, or, like her mother told me years ago, “a number three!”

Go figure that one out!

Which brings me to my truth.

Admittedly, I am a work in progress and will be that way for as long as I continue to inhale and exhale. Since I have no idea when those actions will cease, I just keep on keeping on - living and learning with the understanding that when you know better, you do better.

And who doesn’t want to be a better person?

Hours later, after Skylar’s deposit, she was right back to using the potty to be mischievous. Hopefully, she will do better, but she’s only two years old.

Unfortunately, there are too many who are 20, 30 and yes, even 40 times her age, and have yet to “get it right.”

What does “get it right” entail? Good question.

It requires being honorable in words, actions and deeds. It means standing up, sitting down, and even kneeling when you know in your heart it is the right thing to do, even if you are doing it alone.

It also means walking a walk as if the whole world is watching, like you have nothing to hide and everything you are doing is above reproach.

We’re trying to teach Skylar to be an honorable person, but more importantly, we are teaching her to love herself because there are too many out in the world who won’t. By loving herself, there are things that hopefully she won’t do, nor will she let others do to her.

Life is challenging.

Are you getting it “right?”

Or are you, like me, a work in progress?

Or do you even think about who you are and why?

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Black Americans and the worldwide principles of democracy Ben Jealous

Guest Columnist

Anti-democratic authoritarianism is on the rise – both around the world and here at home. Sometimes it is easier to recognize it overseas. That’s especially true at moments like this when Vladimir Putin’s military is killing civilians in Ukraine to feed his ambitions for greater power and is crushing any effort at dissent or truthtelling in his native Russia.

Americans don’t often recognize authoritarianism at home because they don’t want to. They believe the U.S. is so exceptional that the checks and balances built into our system will protect our democratic values. That smug assurance was shaken by the Capitol Insurrection and the all-out effort by former President Trump to stay in power after the voters sent him packing.

Black Americans have never had a problem seeing the threat. After all, we were formally denied our place in democratic government for most of

the country’s first century.

And in some parts of the country, we were violently locked out of real access to democracy - and to opportunity - for most of its second century.

And now, almost halfway through the U.S.’s third century, we see access to voting being rolled back. We see mechanisms being put in place for the party in power to steal elections if they don’t like the outcome. And we see corrupt census figures and abusive gerrymandering being used to deny Black people the level of access to political power that we deserve.

We’ve seen this all before. Specifically, Black newspapers have seen it all before.

In 1942, the federal government was rallying Americans to support the cause of democracy in World War II, which the U.S. formally entered at the end of 1941.

One Black man called out the glaring contrast being our country’s stated ideals and the reality of life for Black people who faced prejudice and discrimination even in the military. James Thompson wrote a letter to the Pittsburgh Courier, which was the largest-circulation Black newspaper at the

time. The paper titled the letter, “Should I Sacrifice to Live Half American?”

“Would it be demanding too much to demand full citizenship rights in exchange for the sacrificing of my life?” he wrote.

“Is the kind of America I know worth defending?”

The Courier turned Thompson’s letter into a public campaign that other Black papers embraced.

They adopted the allies’ “V for Victory” slogan with a call for a double victory over the enemies of democracy at home and abroad.

The Double V Campaign urged Black Americans to fight “not merely for the salvation of America, not merely to secure the same degree of democracy for Black Americans that white Americans have long enjoyed, but to establish precedent for a worldwide principle of free association among men of all races, creeds and colors. That’s the black man’s stake.”

That is still our stake. It is still our fight.

It’s no surprise to us that the same far-right media figures excusing Vladimir Putin’s brutality have also excused or actively promoted Donald Trump’s Big Lie about the election - and used that Big Lie to

justify new assaults on Black Americans’ access to democracy.

Back in 1942, James Thompson wrote that he was “willing to die for the America I know will someday become a reality.”

That is the kind of remarkable faith that motivated and sustained the civil rights movement after the war. It is the same kind of faith and determination we must find to defend American democracy and our place in it.

Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice in the Africana Studies Department at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches leadership. Jealous has decades of experience as a leader, coalition builder, campaigner for social justice and seasoned nonprofit executive. In 2008, he was chosen as the youngest-ever president and CEO of the NAACP. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and he has taught at Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania.

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T he C hronicle

FORUM

March 24, 2022

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Keep the faith during difficult times. Better days are ahead. lives. Before the coronavirus, our lives were pretty much ordinary. We worked hard, had some social interactions, and were at home. Our routines were set and we did not alter them much. We just stayed the course.

We have been in this pandemic for approximately two years. Things we took for granted, we cannot take for granted anymore. This illness brought death to our doorstep. Millions of people passed away from it. Its long-term effects are still with many of our citizens.

Our lives took a hit health-wise, which have had multiple consequences. Jobs were lost and our economy changed.

Grocery items now cost more. As a personal example, my bananas cost

Dr. James B. Ewers Jr.

Guest Columnist

Tough times don’t last but tough people do. We have heard that expression more than one time. However, I will say that even when you are tough, bad things will sometimes happen to good people.

I suspect with today’s uncertain times, more of us are a bit more anxious and frazzled.

This period of challenge started, in my opinion, with COVID-19, which then led to the pandemic. It was an unwanted guest that disrupted our

more. I pay the price because they are good for me. I am sure you have similar stories.

Gas prices are skyrocketing. According to the American Automobile Association, the national average for a gallon of gas is $3.53. In College Station, Texas, gas prices rose $.07. Julie Carpenter, a resident, said, “We have two full-size vehicles, so it’s $100 to fill up so that’s obviously a pretty good chunk of money each month.”

“There’s a lot of variables that go into what we pay at the pump, the price of crude oil being the biggest variable of course,” said Daniel Armbruster, AAA Texas spokesperson.

Gas people who know say you should never let your car go below a fourth

of a tank. Good advice, yet the prices have us tossing and turning.

Goods and services are simply on the rise, seemingly every day. Purchases that we once made without much thought are now making us pause.

Are you buying a car anytime soon? According to Lending Tree and the Kelley Blue Book, last year the average cost of a car was $42,258.

Mind you, that price point doesn’t include gas, insurance and maintenance.

Because of these uncertain times, many people are opting to buy used cars.

If you are, beware of the warranty you receive because once you buy it, it is your vehicle. Have the car inspected before you purchase it.

This is an uphill battle,

yet I believe better days are ahead.

Let’s hear civil rights icon, Reverend Jesse Jackson, say one more time, “Keep Hope Alive.” And yes, we must keep it alive.

We must admit that what is happening overseas is affecting us. When that confrontation ends, some good times will begin here again.

Unfortunately, wrongdoing is at work, but right is around the corner and will prevail.

The pandemic is slowly coming to an end. Reports say approximately three-quarters of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated.

Some nations like Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have said it’s over and are lifting most health restrictions.

Michael Osterholm, an

infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, said, “If there was ever a time for humility among scientists and policymakers with this virus, it’s now.

We are in totally uncharted territory from the perspective of understanding what a pandemic is, how it starts, how it unfolds, and how it ends.”

It is clear that we must keep hope alive.

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.

Gas prices, propaganda, war, and politics ports that on average it takes a month for oil to get pumped from the ground to complete the refining process (if it does not become part of reserves). I remember working on oil production equipment on September 11th when my boss said, “You better fill up before the prices go up.” They did.

On the House floor McCarthy says, “Democrats want to blame surging prices on Russia. But the truth is, their out-oftouch policies are why we are here in the first place.”

In reality, it’s simply laissez-faire piratical opportunism.

Until they run into trouble, corporations love to tout, and practice, free market capitalism, prefer-

Wim Laven Guest Columnist

I come from oil country. So does House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. My hometown is Bakersfield, in Kern County, California. Kern County was once the top producer and has been a top three oil-producing county in the U.S. as recently as 2014.

Both of us know he is lying when he blames: “These are President Biden’s prices.”

Petro Online, an oil industry news source, re-

ably completely unregulated. The gas stations only have a few days of product available in their tanks, and they set prices according to the “replacement cost,” which the Washington Post describes as: “Every $10 increase in the price of crude oil adds about 24 cents to the cost of each gallon of gasoline and is quickly reflected in what you pay at the pump.”

McCarthy knows who sets gas prices—Big Oil—and how they gouge Americans; from “January to September [2021], the net income of the group, which includes Exxon, Chevron, Shell and BP, was $174bn.” Shell jumped on the opportunity to buy heavily discounted oil from Russia, and de-

fended themselves: “We will continue to choose alternatives to Russian oil wherever possible, but this cannot happen overnight because of how significant Russia is to global supply.”

McCarthy and the GOP would blame President Biden if a solar flare affected the GPS in his smart watch, if a dog bit a child in Patagonia, and gas prices are just one more example. The politically opportunistic deceit is as deplorable as it is routine for them.

Propaganda, be it from McCarthy or Putin, is intended to foment hatred of a foe, warn of the impact losing will have, and idealize one’s own position. In this case, it is particularly dangerous because Mc-

Carthy’s lies help Putin.

Putin’s propaganda is being challenged in beautiful, bold, and provocative ways by brave Russians speaking it out loud despite Putin’s brutal repression. In the end, the integrity and courage of the Russian people may be a more powerful factor in the fall of Putin than all the NATO weaponry pointed at him.

Exposing the lies of self-promoting leaders is the work of citizens everywhere.

McCarthy’s propaganda also needs to be condemned. I am all for the debate and exchange of competing ideas in a democracy, but there is no room for dishonesty.

The trope is timeless, and

there is evidence that some votes are cast according to gas pump thinking. It is time to finally dismiss the lie that Biden controls gas prices.

Forcing Biden to fight a propaganda war at home while trying to create peace abroad is a strategy McCarthy believes may earn him command as Speaker of the House, but innocent lives hang in the balance. Let us hope that truth also brings McCarthy’s lies down.

Wim Laven, Ph.D., syndicated by PeaceVoice, teaches courses in political science and conflict resolution.

An engagement moment for the US and China Mel Gurtov Guest Columnist

One of the more interesting developments in Putin’s war on Ukraine is the retreat of China from full-fledged support of Russia. When the Russian invasion began, many experts were alarmed by the Putin-Xi final statement as the Winter Olympics closed, specifically its reference to “no limits” in Sino-Russian relations. As I’ve noted, that conclusion was mistaken. Since then, Chinese support of Russia has gradually eroded.

There may be an opportunity here for U.S. diplomacy with China.

Political Distancing Two days before Russia’s invasion, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi said the “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of any country should be respected and safeguarded,” adding, “Ukraine is no exception.”

Nor did China recognize the two “people’s republics” proclaimed by Putin

in eastern Ukraine. Right after the invasion, according to China’s ambassador to the United States, Xi called Putin to urge peace talks. The ambassador claimed Xi “received a positive response.” If so, that was obviously a lie.

China then abstained from voting on two UN resolutions that condemned Russia’s invasion, one in the UN Security Council and another in the General Assembly.

Beijing continues to support Russia’s “legitimate security concerns,” but it has not done much so far to alleviate Russia’s economic pain from the U.S. and European sanctions. Even though China began purchasing Russian wheat and increased imports of Russian gas, two of its main banks abided

by U.S. sanctions in refusing to issue dollar-denominated letters of credit for purchases of Russian goods. Sanctions are clearly China’s main concern. “Sanctions will affect global finance, energy, transportation and stability of supply chains, and dampen a global economy that is already ravaged by the pandemic,” Xi said.

“And this is in the interest of no one,” meaning China

of course.

It appears that Chinese support for Russia has softened in direct proportion to Russia’s military failures, Ukrainian resistance, and the unprecedented array of sanctions on Russian trade, banking, and overseas investments. Not only are China’s economy and trade likely to be affected; its leadership surely must be as unnerved as Western leaders are on hearing Putin raise the possibility of using nuclear weapons.

And Chinese leaders have surely taken note of how European governments, including those that are not NATO members (Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland) and have been friendly to Russia (Hungary and Turkey) now are united in defense of Ukraine. Thus, China has emphasized a diplomatic resolution over Ukraine, urging the parties to “seek reasonable solutions” even as Beijing’s mass media keep repeating Putin’s disinformation campaign on Ukraine.

But here’s the rub: When it comes to actively playing a peacemaker’s role, Beijing has balked.

In a word, China has so far failed the global leadership test. Far from being a “responsible great power,” it

has chosen to straddle the fence at a defining moment in European and perhaps global security.

To be sure, Beijing may have been caught flatfooted by the scope of Putin’s ambitions. But it has had plenty of time to recover. Instead, China is offering platitudes, such as Chen Yi’s and Xi’s expressions of a willingness to “play a constructive role” in peace talks and work together with “the international community.”

Pure self-interest - removal of sanctions, which might one day be imposed on China if it were ever to attack Taiwan - is the main factor in China’s position on Ukraine, not humanitarian concerns, Russia’s war of aggression, or the Russian aim to convert Ukraine into a vassal state.

Beijing’s leaders have not taken actions that could elevate China’s international standing, such as initiating a peace conference of the major players, calling for a cease-fire and a halt to Russia’s indiscriminate bombing, or sending substantial aid to Ukraine.

Aid to Russia or accommodation to the U.S.?

Now Putin is calling upon China to provide military and economic aid

to Russia. The Biden administration has warned Beijing not to provide substantial new aid to Russia.

But warnings are very unlikely to influence Chinese decision-making.

Instead, why not offer incentives that will begin to move U.S.-China relations in a positive direction?

Incentives could mean removing Trump-era tariffs, ending visa restrictions, and proposing resumption of pandemic research.

Officially, the Chinese are sticking to their position of respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and respect for Russia’s security concerns. But there are voices in Beijing that want a turnaround in China-U.S. relations and recognize how the disaster in Ukraine could badly impact China. They put value on China’s reputation, which would be enhanced were it to take a lead role on a Ukraine peace.

To judge from the Chinese readout of the BidenXi phone call on March 18, the key to a shift in China’s policy is the tenor of its relations with the U.S. Xi said: “China-U.S. relations still haven’t escaped from the dilemma created by the previous administration, and instead have en-

www.wschronicle.com

countered more and more challenges.” Xi focused on Taiwan, distinguishing between Biden’s reassurances on Taiwan and “some people” who have not implemented the President’s “positive remarks” on one China.

“The U.S. side has misread and misjudged China’s strategic intentions,” Xi said, possibly referring to speculation about China using the Ukraine crisis as an opportunity to attack Taiwan. On Ukraine, however, Xi stuck to the standard Chinese position that it is up to the parties to the conflict to talk, that the humanitarian situation is worrisome, and (again) that the sanctions are undermining global economic stability.

Nevertheless, there may be an opening here, and Biden should seize it and test China’s intentions.

What goes on behind the scenes may be more hopeful than what Chinese officials are saying publicly.

Mel Gurtov, syndicated

by PeaceVoice, is professor emeritus of political science at Portland State University and blogs at In the Human Interest.

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T he C hronicle

THE CHRONICLE BUSINESS OF THE MONTH

Travel with the Twins makes vacation planning double the fun

BY BUSTA BROWN FOR THE CHRONICLE

In 1979, The Jones Girls dance classic, “You’re gonna make me love somebody else,” and their ballad, “Who can I run to,” became the women’s anthem. “Who can I run to” made its way back as an anthem for the women of the ‘90s due to an amazing remake by the group Xscape.

Today, millennial women who experience heartbreak have a new anthem: “Let’s plan a girl’s trip!” It represents independence and empowerment. But there’s another group of Jones Girls who are making the “girl’s trip” an easy and affordable experience.

“We have the keys to the world and we want to open it up for all to enjoy it,” said twins Casey and Chelsea Jones. They own and operate Travel with the Twins. It’s an independent travel agency that specializes in great deals and packages on flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, and entertainment.

“We started our travel agency because we wanted families to know they can afford to take their children to Disney World. We care about making dreams come true.”

Since 2015, Travel with the Twins has made traveling and family vacations a dream come true.

“So many people and

families are able to travel to their dream destinations.

Everyone deserves to live their dream, so we’ve also given away free honeymoons to couples that couldn’t afford it.”

Travel with the Twins came about when Chelsea took a huge leap of faith by taking a break from college to assist with the family business. Casey was a high school basketball phenom.

She dominated during her four years at Carver High School in Winston-Salem.

Then she took her talents to Salem College, where she broke multiple records.

“Basketball is my first love,” said Casey. But

love for her family superseded basketball. During her junior year at Salem College, she caught the entrepreneurial bug and then joined her twin sister to help with the family business. The Jones ladies decided to follow in their parents’ footsteps and in 2015 began Travel with the Twins.

“I went back to school to earn my degree in accounting and now I handle all of the family businesses’ finances,” said Casey.

The phenomenal twins grew up in a very close family environment, so it’s become a passion to make sure other families can af-

ford to create beautiful memories as well. The ladies go above and beyond for their clients to make sure they get exactly what they dreamed of. Kahmya Cowan said, “It was a wonderful booking experience! Top notch professionalism and they make sure to meet all your travel needs! I had an amazing time and will definitely be booking again.”

Christina Davis shared, “Very reasonable and affordable travel rate and accommodations. Book all of your traveling needs with the twins and I promise you won’t be disappointed at all. Absolutely amazing

business and very professional. They were very quick to respond as well.”

“The best travel agents in the area. Very informative, cost efficient, and the customer service is superb!” shared Saliah Rice.

I asked the ladies about their hard-working ethics and rigor. “We learned from our father, who worked multiple jobs.

So, as children, it taught us how to create multiple streams of income. We sold everything from food to clothes. We knew how to make money because we always followed our parents’ footsteps.”

They inherited their warm and caring spirit from their mother, Soncerae “Princess” Jones, who owns Bail Bonds by CJ’s. “If her clients have kids, she works even harder to get them out so they can get a fresh start. She’s taught us that everyone deserves a second chance,” shared Casey.

Their father, Clifton Jones, is a retired firefighter, who taught the Jones ladies to be independent and strong, which comes into play with the family’s trucking company, C&C Quality Dispatch LLC. The twin’s passion to help others reminds me of Luke 12:48: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of them shall much be required.” And the Jones family are definitely givers. “There’s a lot of felons that are having a hard time

finding work, so we teach them how to become independent by starting their own businesses.”

Casey and Chelsea have a nonprofit called “Giving Angels.” The ladies mentor young girls at Carver High School.

Once a year, they have a back-to-school drive, and a food, clothes, and toy drive for local youth and families. “The business is growing tremendously, therefore we have hired some middle school kids to help us out with bookings. We’re teaching them the importance of generational wealth and how to become entrepreneurs.”

Chelsea’s nine-yearold has already developed an entrepreneurial spirit.

“When I’m on a call handling my business, I pretend that I’m running her business as well. I love that my sister and I are role models for my daughter.”

For more information about Travel with the Twins, call 336-2517271, send them an email at Travelwiththetwins@ gmail.com, follow on social media @travelwith the twins, or visit http://travelwiththetwins.inteletravel. com.

The Chronicle’s Business of the Month is Travel with the Twins. “There’s no better feeling than hearing the beautiful stories our clients share with us when they return from their dream vacation.”

February 5–May 8, 2022 The exhibition is organized by Aperture Foundation, New York and Kwame S. Brathwaite.

The exhibition Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite and the accompanying Aperture publication are made possible, in part, with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Photographic Arts Council Los Angeles.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

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

Major Sponsors

The Cathleen and Ray McKinney Exhibition Fund

T he C hronicle

March 24, 2022

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Young director fulfills dream to have her own production company

BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE

According to a study conducted by San Diego State University and The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, women make up less than 25% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors and cinematographers working on top 100 grossing films in 2019. Despite having those odds against her, Nachela Knox turned her dreams into reality by creating her own production company, GotGetHer Productions.

As a kid growing up in Cornelius, North Carolina, Knox said she’s always had a passion for theatre and film. She said her mother traveled hundreds of miles driving her to different auditions throughout the city and in neighboring communities. Knox said although she impressed the directors and other staff at auditions, growing up in a single-parent household, oftentimes they couldn’t afford it.

“It seemed like I would get to the audition and they would always want me and then we got to the financial part and we couldn’t do it,” Knox said. “So this has been something I have been chasing for the longest time because it’s been the one thing that interested me … I never played any sports, it’s always been theatre, theatre, theatre.”

Still fascinated with acting and theatre and determined to make it happen, after high school Knox attended UNC Greensboro (UNCG) where she majored in acting, but after her sophomore year, Knox decided to change her major to film. “I auditioned for the BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) program at UNCG and I didn’t get in,” Knox said.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do, but everybody kept telling me that I

Nachela Knox would be a good director … and honestly, I ran from that for the longest time because I felt like if I started directing it was because I failed as an actress. But when I finally made the decision to change my major and I started learning more and directing more stuff, it gave me a different feeling and I liked that feeling more because when you’re directing, you’re in control and you just don’t have that as an actor.”

Knox said in college she was introduced to a world she didn’t know existed. She said by connecting with the acting community in the Triad, she discovered the indie film world and how to create and distribute her own content.

After college Knox moved back to her hometown. Although she had released several short films and collaborated with big and small production companies, Knox said she wasn’t satisfied. “The thing they don’t tell you in film school is that just because you have a film

phasize that … there’s not a lot of women film directors in general and it’s definitely not a lot of Black female directors.

The film industry is white male dominated … there are plenty of Black female directors out there, but you just don’t know who they are because it can be challenging to get the recognition that you deserve.”

Today GoGetHer Productions offers a wide variety of services including directing, creative consultations, cinematography, writing, casting, and acting services. Next month

problems are just beginning when she’s gifted an old couch that has a unique kind of magic - when men sit on it, they immediately fall into a coma.

Knox described the film as a “fantasy-comedy.” She said she wanted to give viewers something they’ve never seen before. She said her goal is to make “Coma Couch” a classic within the Black community, like Ice Cube and DJ Pooh’s “Friday.”

“If you think about it, there aren’t many Black fantasy comedies. It’s a magical fantasy comedy

want to do, whatever you want to achieve, you can as long as you don’t quit and as long as you don’t stop believing in whatever that dream is,” Knox said.

“This is a dream I’ve had since I was literally five years old and there have been plenty of people who said I couldn’t be an actor or a filmmaker. But here I am. I am 23 and I’m getting ready to do a feature film that has LA producers connected to it, and so many other opportunities.

That alone sounds like a dream but that is my reality right now.”

Knox and her team will begin shooting for the film “Coma Couch.” The film, which is the first feature film released by GoGetHer Productions, is written, directed, and produced by Knox.

“Coma Couch” is a comedy about a young woman named Briella who flees to the small town of Maple Creek in hopes to escape her abusive husband. However, she quickly realizes that her

and the characters are very interesting,” Knox said.

“The people who have listened to the script, they loved it so I’m excited to get it shot and put it out. I think it’s going to be well received.”

When asked what advice she would give to young girls or boys to help them to pursue their dreams, Knox said, “Don’t quit.

“My message would be don’t quit. Whatever you

A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to help with production costs for Coma Couch. For more information or to make a donation, visit https:// w w w. i n d i e g o g o . c o m / projects/coma-couch#/.

For more information on GoGetHer Productions, visit https://www.gogetherproductions.com/ or “@ gogetherproductions” on Instagram.

Submitted photo

degree, you can call Tyler Perry Studios and have a job,” Knox continued.

“If you go to school to be a doctor, by the time you graduate you can go apply to be a doctor … you can’t do that in film. So it was very frustrating being at home and not being able to do what I love.”

After giving it some thought, Knox relocated to Winston-Salem and decided to take a leap of faith and start her own production company. Knox credited Garrett Davis, CEO of GDavis Productions, for showing her the ropes and giving her the confidence she needed to pursue her dreams. Knox said she didn’t know what to name her new venture at first, but then one day it just came to her, “GoGetHer.” “I’ve always been the type of person to just go and get what I want … because I felt like I had to do that, like I have to make it happen one way or another, so GoGetHer just fit,” Knox said. “And it’s spelled with an “H” because I wanted to em-

NC counties should adopt a simple tool to promote equal pay for women employees

BY KATIE PINCURA AND SAVANNAH LAUREN BROOKS

Even though asking job applicants for their salary history feeds a vicious cycle, our report finds that most North Carolina counties still do it.

Tuesday, March 15, was National Equal Pay Day. As President Biden rightfully noted in a White House proclamation, “Equal pay is a matter of justice, fairness, and dignity - it is about living up to our values and who we are as a Nation.”

Meanwhile, here in North Carolina, counties have an important opportunity to address gender-based pay disparities through a simple hiring practice change. Recently, the American Association of University Women of North Carolina (AAUWNC) surveyed county job applications and job portals across the state and confirmed that posted announcements include requests for salary data in at least 78 of our state’s 100 counties.

On Equal Pay Day in 2019, Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order banning the solicitation of applicant salary data by state-level agencies. This

ban constituted a step in the right direction, but our state’s failure to apply such a policy to local government and private sector employers (actions Cooper lacks authority to take unilaterally) significantly limits its potential to meaningfully impact the lives of North Carolina women.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women in North Carolina earned 81 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2020. This roughly corresponds to a nationwide pay gap of 83 cents on the dollar. When employers

request salary history information from job candidates, lower-earners are at risk of being offered lower starting salaries. This disadvantage is thought to disproportionately impact female applicants, who are more likely than men to be earning less.

Intended to address factors driving unequal pay, the Paycheck Fairness Act died for the fourth time in Congress in June of 2021, leaving the issue to be dealt with at the state level for the foreseeable future.

States are increasingly

taking action. According to HR Dive, 21 states had enacted restrictions on practices related to requesting applicant salary data as of February 2022.

Some states have enacted statewide salary history bans that encompass all public and private employers; others are more limited in scope.

California, for example, modified its labor code in 2017 to incorporate a ban applicable to “all employers, including state and local government employers and the Legislature.” Other states’

statutes are less stringent, such as Alabama’s ClarkeFigures Equal Pay Act, which stops short of making it illegal for employers to request salary data, but bans employers from making hiring and promotion decisions if candidates do not provide salary data.

Evidence indicates that the practice of requesting applicant salary data is not the only factor inhibiting progress toward fair pay for women. AAUW has identified a 7% wage gap among male and female college graduates in the earliest stages of equivalent careers, suggesting that women do not negotiate starting salaries as effectively as men. Organizations such as AAUW have recognized and are responding to the need to facilitate career development training for women as they navigate their professional lives. Still, the gender pay differential cannot be explained by such factors alone.

No magic legislative bullet will eradicate unequal pay, but it’s clear that North Carolina needs more than Executive Order 93 to address the possibility for wage discrimination that persists for hundreds of local public

sector positions in North Carolina.

AAUW-NC’s investigation of county job applications shows that North Carolina women are overwhelmingly likely to encounter a common barrier to higher wages when they apply for civil service positions in their communities. What’s more, no state law or rule addresses private employers at all.

Though fine insofar as it goes, the limitations of EO 93 leave local leadership of the counties and cities of North Carolina with an opportunity to make effective change toward fair pay for the women of their communities. In the absence of a statewide ban on inquiring about applicant salary history, cities and counties across the state can fill the void by enacting comprehensive salary history bans.

Katie Pincura is a professor of public health and the policy chair of AAUWWCU at Western Carolina University. Savannah Lauren Brooks is a health sciences graduate student and intern with AAUWWCU.

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T he C hronicle

Habitat Forsyth names Redd as new executive director heart for the development of his team. We know that our Habitat affiliate, those whom we serve, and the greater community of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County will grow and prosper with George at the helm.”

Outside of Habitat, Redd’s community involvement includes membership in the NAACP, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and Prince Hall Masons 30th District. He is also a member of the Piedmont Triad Workforce Development Committee and the Affordable Housing Coalition for the City of Winston-Salem.

To learn more, visit habitatforsyth.org.

SUBMITTED ARTICLE

Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County has named George Redd IV, a Winston-Salem native with 10 years of Habitat experience, as its new executive director and CEO, effective April 4.

Redd is the first African American man to lead Habitat Forsyth, which helps qualified families build and purchase affordable housing in communities including Dreamland Park, where he played with friends as a child.

Habitat is the housing partner of the United Way Place Matters Initiative, which has targeted Dreamland Park and 12 adjacent neighborhoods near Smith Reynolds Airport for revitalization. Habitat has also built or repaired hundreds of houses in the BostonThurmond neighborhood and in 2021 began building in the new 75-lot Stone Terrace subdivision.

Redd joined Habitat Forsyth as director of program services in 2018 and has been responsible for homeownership and family services programs; life skills and home maintenance education classes that are open to the community as well as Habitat families; and the critical home repair program. He established the Youth Empowerment Program and Youth Culinary Program, both of which help break down barriers to opportunities for teens through enrichment trips, financial literacy, and personal development experiences.

Before joining Habitat

Submitted photo

George Redd IV Forsyth, Redd was director of family services and community outreach for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Greensboro. He holds a B.A. in sociology from George Mason University and earned his certification in nonprofit management from Duke University in 2019.

“I am passionate about Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, and I am thrilled to be heading an organization that is working every day to address the critical shortage of affordable housing here,” Redd said. “I look forward

to continuing to work with our local government officials and the partner agencies who are addressing the many root causes and effects of poverty in our community.”

Bob Gfeller, chair of the Habitat board of directors and head of the search committee, said: “George brings a wealth of Habitat experience and readiness to the role. And, George is a very well known and well respected leader in the community, uniquely as a native of WinstonSalem. He holds a high bar for performance and a big

Arts Council to host a/perture cinema Art of Film exhibition

Cinema Beyond the Screen: An Exhibit of Local Artists to Celebrate the Art of Film SUBMITTED ARTICLE

Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County will host a/perture cinema for an exhibition, Cinema Beyond the Screen: An Exhibit of Local Artists to Celebrate the Art of Film, in the Main Gallery of Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. The exhibition will be on display March 28 – April 30, with an artist reception on Friday, April 1, 5-7 p.m.

Cinema Beyond the Screen is a fundraiser for a/perture cinema. The exhibition, curated by a/perture Executive Director and Curator, Lawren Desai, features eighteen local artists that created new one-of-a-kind art works for purchase celebrating the magic of cinema.

“During the month the show is up, we hope guests will consider purchasing their favorite cinematic piece, which not only supports a/perture, but local artists as well,” said Desai. “We want to play our role in uplifting the local arts community by showcasing a diverse group of artists and mediums.”

Artists featured in the exhibition are Terry Shupbach-Gordon, Veronica Vale, Shairpins by Sheridan Watkins, Ian Dennis, Caroline Dalholt, Cami Burruss,

Leigh Kelly, Leo Rucker, Joey Allen, Virginia Christman, Angela Mendez, Kaitlin Botts, Elizabeth Shanahan, Grant Wilmoth, Lindsay Piper Potter-Figueiredo, Hannah Gaskins Pabon, A.K. Landreth, and Abel Brone-Hammer. a/perture cinema is a non-profit art house cinema in downtown Winston-Salem "with a mission to engage and entertain the community through the art of film by showcasing thought-provoking and inspiring films – films that enrich our lives, engage our minds, promote diversity, and build community.” Screenings include a mix of independent, foreign, documentary, local and festival films in two 80-seat theaters, one 45-seat screening room, and the 22-seat petit a/.

Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County is the chief advocate of the arts and cultural sector in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Arts Council’s goal is to serve as a leader in lifting up, creating awareness and providing support to grow and sustain the arts and cultural offerings throughout our region, ultimately bringing our community together and making it a great place to live, work and play.

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THURSDAY, March 24 , 2022

Timothy Ramsey Sports Columnist

NCAA Tournament brings upsets and headaches for bracket holders Each and every year I try to recreate the magic I enjoyed my first time playing in an NCAA Tournament bracket pool at my place of employment. That first year, I won our office pool going away, but ever since then I haven’t won a single time and this year looks no different. March Madness is upon us once again.

After the first round of games in the bracket, I am pretty much done this year as far as winning any of the bracket challenges I am involved with. I have reached the conclusion that the NCAA Tournament is the hardest thing to predict in college or professional team sports.

I tried to account for the hot teams coming out of the conference tournaments, accounted for possible upsets, and even researched several midmajor teams that could make some noise. All of that went out of the window when teams that I didn’t account for started to pull upsets over teams that I had going pretty far in the tournament.

The No. 12 vs. No. 5 seed games almost always bring an upset because you are usually dealing with a smaller school who had a great year versus a pretty good major conference opponent.

This year it was No. 5 Connecticut vs. No. 12 New Mexico State. I didn’t have Connecticut going very far in the tournament; however, I did have them getting past New Mexico. Those were lost points in the bracket that I was counting on later in my bracket.

The upsets didn’t stop there. No. 11 Notre Dame upset No. 6 seeded Alabama in the first round. I didn’t see that one coming either. I actually had Alabama upsetting No. 3 Texas Tech in the second round of games. Once again, my bracket is busted.

I think the biggest shock of the first round was when No. 15 St. Peter’s defeated No. 2 seeded Kentucky. No. 15 vs.

No. 2 seeded games have seen their share of upsets over the years. The most memorable one for me was when No. 15 Lehigh beat No. 2 Duke in 2012 in Greensboro. That game stuck in my head for years and was the coming out party for Mountain Hawks See NCAA on B6

Photos by Alphonso Abbott Jr.

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE

The Reynolds boys lacrosse team stepped

up in class last week when they faced off against St. Mary’s High School from Annapolis, Maryland. The Saints are one of the best teams in the nation and the Demons are

no slouches themselves, but they lost a tough game in blowout fashion by the score of 20-2,

Robinson wins 10th state championship with Bishop McGuinness

BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY THE CHRONICLE

Brian Robinson has built a dynasty with the girls basketball team at Bishop McGuinness. The Lady Villains are championship contenders nearly every season and this year they were able to claim their 10th state title under Robinson.

The Lady Villains were poised to have a great season after enduring tough losses in the playoffs the past two years. This season Robinson felt they had the necessary combination of talent and experience to challenge for the title.

“I think those two losses set the table for this year’s team. They came in with a different focus than they had the last two years and being that they had experienced some failure, I think that really just motivated them that much more to see if they could finish the deal this year, which they did,” said Robinson about his team.

Robinson is very strategic with how he puts his team’s schedule together. He likes to test his team early on in the season, as well as late in the year heading into the playoffs, to find the voids in the team.

“We have to do that, and we have to mix in some tough nonconference games towards the end of the season as well,” said Robinson when asked why he schedules tough non-conference opponents.

We do that early on to figure out

Submitted photo

Brian Robinson recently won his 10th state championship with the Bishop McGuinness girls basketball team. what holes need to be filled before championship.” we get to conference because, obTo get his girls in the right viously, conference is going to set frame of mind for the playoffs, you up for the state playoffs.

Robinson made sure to emphasize “When we get to the middle of all of the hard work they have put the season or the end of the sea- in to get to that point. son, we try to mix in some tough “I told them that we have prenon-conference games so that any- pared for this pretty much since thing we are lacking we can get as last summer,” he said about the prepared as possible for the state conversation he had with his team playoff run. Playing Winston- prior to the playoffs. “We talked Salem Christian twice at the end about it every day. Everything we and playing Myers Park at the end were doing was preparing for a really exposed us. Obviously, we state championship. don’t want to lose, but I felt like “I thought that mentally and losing actually set us up to win the physically we were as prepared

as possible. Once you’ve done all that work, it’s a matter of just trusting that you have put the time in to do it. I just felt like they trusted themselves a lot and trusted each other and that’s what got us through those tough games.”

Prior to the state championship game, Robinson reminded his team of the sacrifices all of the girls had made for one another. He wanted them locked in on the goal and they listened.

“We met just as a team and talked about the fact that we got there by being selfless, by giving up something personally to get to this point,” he said. “Also, I talked to them about controlling their emotions because in an environment like that, you could get easily distracted. To their credit, they handled it very well.”

In 20 years, Robinson has won 10 state championships at Bishop McGuinness. He is not one to hang on to past achievements, as he prefers to enjoy the moment and then move on to the next goal.

“Honestly, I am always looking forward. I feel like if I look backwards, I am going to get away from the teams coming up,” he said.

“It’s something I keep telling myself, I need to sometimes reflect and take some time to really cherish what we have done, but I am so focused on this next season to try and get these girls prepared to See Bishop on B6

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March 24, 2022

The C hronicle

Local basketball coaches share what they wished parents knew

BY KP BRABHAM SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

This informative series provides valuable insight by our local coaches. Previous articles in this series ran in past issues of The Chronicle.

Dual sport athletes The unspoken rule in high school sports for student-athletes who play more than one, such as football and basketball, is to not attend preseason workouts of one while actively playing the other.

No football coach wants to deal with rolled ankles and jammed fingers from preseason basketball practice.

At smaller 1A and 2A high schools within the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/ FCS) district, such as Carver, North Forsyth, Walkertown, and W-S Prep, coaches know all too well about sharing the same student-athlete. With a small student body comprised of an even smaller athletic population, some preseason workouts at those schools won’t begin until after the previous sport’s season has ended.

The advantage the larger 3A and 4A schools in the WS/FCS district, such as East, West Forsyth and Reagan high schools have, is a smaller ratio of dualsport student-athletes. A vivid comparison for a 1A and 2A school missing 10 or more players at the preseason mark versus maybe one or two in a 3A and 4A school.

This could be a taxing

situation for coaches and parents because of the date overlaps. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) sets the dates annually, allowing preseason workouts for all sports during the spring semester and summer months, outside of the dead periods. Official practice for all fall sports for WS/FCS is Aug. 1. Usually, two football games are played prior to the late August start of school. Because basketball is a winter sport, the NCHSAA marked Oct. 25 as the first official start date for schools that do not have a football team, which was W-S Prep in 2013. For other schools with a football program, the official start date remains Nov. 1.

Glenn High School is one within the district that has had ongoing success and pride in their football and basketball programs.

As a 4A classification high school coach, Jonathan Gainey is very familiar with sharing his basketball

players with their football program. He spoke on parents being concerned about how that whole process worked and most benefited their sons.

Coach Gainey stated, “Many parents start out with, ‘If he makes the team, then what?’ without even having the opportunity to compete for a spot on the team.” Coach went on to explain, “I have open conversations that every student-athlete will have the opportunity to compete, but that I can’t make promises. [When football is going on] we all want them to win, so we don’t hold parent meetings to select a team until after the football season is over. We want our football team to be successful, too.

“We won’t play before Thanksgiving to partner with our other sports programs, so many of our days after tryouts can be really hard. I ended up having to figure out what to do with 18 players. We had guys who came out

Winston-Salem State University # RYSWSSU

and were there every day for two weeks, to just cut them for a player who was there only two days. In conversation with Coach

Stevenson (head varsity football coach and assistant athletic director at Glenn High School), a great guy, he helps us out with helping athletes to focus on football and let them know we’ll [basketball program] be here after the season ends. He [Stevenson] helps me out with identifying anyone wanting to play basketball. He lets us know all the time.”

Coach Gainey believes it is a benefit when other coaches in the school building support other programs and help its success.

That teamwork contributes to Coach Gainey being in his fifth year as varsity boys coach at Glenn High

School. He also brings to the fold two years as 9th-grade boys assistant coach at RJ Reynolds High School, two years varsity girls assistant, four years as RJ Reynolds varsity girls coach, and several years of coaching with Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) organizations Kappa Magic and Team Winston.

Read the next part of this series in next week’s Chronicle.

T he C hronicle

Elder Richard Wayne

March 24, 2022

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Ketanji Brown Jackson knows what it means to ‘act justly and love mercy’ FROM RELIGION NEWS SERVICE

Wood Sunday School Lesson

Lest We Forget Scriptures: Deuteronomy 8:1-11 By the end of this lesson, we will: *Understand what humility is in the light of God’s commandments; *Appreciate God’s blessings and our need for humility before the Lord; *Practice living a life of humility.

Background: Deuteronomy is taken from the Greek deutero – homos, “second law,” because it is Moses’ repetition of selected earlier laws and narratives. It is considered the first book to deal with historical distance between past and present, the tension between tradition and the needs of the contemporary generation, and the distinction between divine revelation and human interpretation. The book begins just as the Israelites are ready to enter the promised land. This is a long-awaited climax of the story that had begun with promises in Genesis, delayed by enslavement in Egypt, and the wilderness wandering. Moses gives a history lesson from the Exodus through the forty years in the wilderness and God’s guidance and care. He instructs them about the importance of loyalty to God. His oratory is also on the eve of his death.

Lesson: A Promise Kept (Deuteronomy 8:1-2). Moses has given a refresher on the ten commandments in chapter 5 and now he warns not to forget the wilderness lessons of complete dependence upon God. During the wilderness period they were humbled and tested by God to reveal the true conditions of their hearts – to know if they trusted the Lord’s promise to sustain them.

A Memory of Provision (verses 3-6). “And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know;” God sustained the people in the wilderness with food previously unknown. God saw their need and responded to it, using the occasion to refine His people’s faith in Him. “… man does not live by bread alone …”

God reminded them that life is not supported by physical sustenance alone – people require more than bread and water to live and thrive. God taught them that their spiritual life was sustained in the same way their physical bodies were sustained: with daily faith. It was not the bread that kept them alive – it was God’s Word. Verse 4 speaks to the miraculous provision of God. “… as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord chasteneth thee.”

The time Israel spent in the wilderness was viewed as a time of God’s discipline of His children. They were being prepared to go obediently into the promised land “… keep the commandments of the Lord thy God…” (verses 5-6).

A Place of Plenty (verses 7-11). Learning to live in poverty and hardship is one of the major emphases of Deuteronomy’s spiritual teaching – the Israelites are now challenged by the abundance of blessing described throughout verses 7-9. Verse 10, “When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the Lord your God,” serves as justification for reciting grace after meals for Jewish people – we as Christians give thanks before we eat.

Verse 11 warns the people to not allow their satisfaction and security in the new land to allow them to become forgetful of God. Forgetting God means no longer having Him in the daily thoughts of one’s life. Such forgetfulness would lead to a disobedience of the Lord’s first commandment. Moses knows that the place of plenty would be a potential danger – tempting a sense of selfsufficiency, thus the warning, “Take care lest you forSee Passover on B4

RNS - In the Bible’s Book of Micah, the Hebrew prophet says, “And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” These words sum up the essence of what it means to follow Jesus. As faith leaders in the Black, Asian American and Latino evangelical churches, we preach and teach this passage to understand the root of the Christian Gospel and the intersection of belief and right action. The marrying of these fundamentals of the faith is foundational to living a Christ-centered life.

For this reason, we, as evangelical Christians, support the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court.

In her Supreme Court nomination speech last month, Jackson did not mince words regarding the prominent role faith plays in her life. “I must begin these very brief remarks by thanking God for delivering me to this point in my professional journey,” she said. “My life has been blessed beyond measure, and I do know that one can only come this far by faith.”

As the first Black woman - and among the most eminently qualified individuals - nominated to the highest court in the land, she demonstrated a remarkable sense of what it means to “walk humbly with your God” by publicly professing the foundational role of her faith in her life.

Based on her career leading to this moment, this was anything but a surprise.

Raised by parents who both spent time as high school teachers, Jackson was shaped by an environment that not only supported her, but paved the way for her to pursue public service. In her nomination speech, she referred to this, saying, “I am standing here today by the grace of God as testament to the love and support that I’ve received from my family.”

Since graduating from law school, she has served as a judicial clerk, a federal judge, a member of the bipartisan U.S. Sentencing Commission, and a public defender. Her experience of law enforcement comes not only from her professional life, but through close relatives who serve as police officers. She truly embodies what it means to “act justly and love mercy.”

She has further demonstrated this during her time on the bench by fighting to protect vulnerable people and communities, pursuing equitable treatment of those at the margins of society, and the fair and impartial application of constitutional principles.

“In my faith tradition, it is said that to whom much is

Ketanji Brown Jackson

Submitted Photo

given, much is expected,” she told a group in 2020, according to USAToday. “I take that to mean that we who have benefitted have a responsibility to give back to our community in whatever way we can.”

Acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with your God means exercising judicial impartiality. Jackson has both talked and walked the walk when it comes to living into the values at the core of her faith.

As our country continues to grapple with polarization, divisiveness and challenges on multiple fronts, we must ensure that the vacancy on the court created by Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement is filled with someone who instills confidence in our legal system, someone whose judgment we trust because it is rooted in the kind of high moral standard Jackson has demonstrated at every phase of her life and career.

Jackson’s solid judicial temperament has convinced the U.S. Senate to confirm her to three previous appointments with bipartisan support. It is why we, faith leaders from diverse traditions comprising Americans from all political parties, urge the Senate to confirm Judge Jackson for a fourth time, with bipartisan support, to the Supreme Court.

Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner is co-convener of the National African American Clergy Network. The Rev. Hyepin Im is executive director of Faith and Community Empowerment. The Rev. Carlos L. Malave is coordinator for the Latino Christian National Network. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service.

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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.

3rd Friday of each month Women’s fellowship The Antioch Baptist Church (ABC) Women, 5061 Lansing Dr., cordially invites all women to join us the third Friday of each month at 7 p.m. for conversation as we share and embrace each other in these challenging times. Join us via conference call. Dial in: 267-807-9601 Access Code:189545592#. Rev. Frederick L. Barnes, Jr. is the senior pastor. For more information, call 336-9923751.

March 27 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, March 27, continuing the series Mary’s Doxology (The Magnificat) from Luke 1. 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 still required. The form can be submitted electronically on the FWBC website – www.firstwaughtown.org -- click on RE-ENTRY 2022, and 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.

Persons who prefer to continue worshiping virtually are invited to join us on the following platforms: YouTube, https://www.youtube.com (First Waughtown); Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/FirstWaughtown/; and the First Waughtown website, https://www.firstwaughtown.org. (NOTE: Services are posted on a oneweek delay.) In addition, through the end of March, the congregation will continue to observe and celebrate Pastor Bishop’s 39th anniversary as senior pastor at FWBC and his 54 years in ministry. Worshipers are invited to recognize Pastor Bishop by leaving their cards or gifts in the designated basket following in-person service or by mailing them to First Waughtown Baptist Church, 838 Moravia Street.

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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March 24, 2022

The C hronicle

Passover

Community Calendar Every Wednesday Marketing workshop HUSTLE WinstonSalem is hosting Marketing Outside the Box: TikTok Tips Every Business Should Know. TikTok is the most explosive marketing tool your business could and should be using. This series serves as a guide to understanding the importance and benefits of TikTok, setting up your business account, learning the strategies and science behind going viral, and TikTok dos and don’ts.

Join us every Wednesday 12:30-1:30 p.m. Register by going to www.hustlews. org/events-programs. For more info, contact hustlewsinfo@gmail.com.

NOW- May 31 Literary contest Flying South, the annual literary competition sponsored by WinstonSalem Writers, is accepting entries in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from March 1 through May 31. $2,000 in prizes will be awarded. Best in Category winners will be published and will receive $500 each.

One of the three winners will receive the WinstonSalem Writers’ President’s Favorite award and will win an additional $500. All entries will be considered for publication.

For complete rules and submission details, visit www.wswriters.org/flyingsouth. Winners will be announced on or around July 1, 2022.

March 26 Free pet food Fur-Ever Friends of NC is distributing free pet food on Saturday, March 26 from 10 a.m. -noon. We will be distributing them at two sites in WinstonSalem.

The two locations are: Central Tabernacle Church, 715 Waughtown St. and Solid Rock Missionary Baptist Church, 3010 Carver School Rd. We will also have applications for low-cost spay and neuter vouchers from AARF that we will distribute.

For more info, go to our Facebook page, FurEver Friends of NC. March 30 Powerful Tools for Caregivers registration deadline Registration is now underway for a Powerful Tools for Caregivers class for anyone actively providing care for a loved one who is frail or ill. Family caregivers will learn helpful ways to care for themselves while caring for another. A virtual class will take place by Zoom on Tuesdays, April 5-May 17, 5-6:30 p.m. Must have video and audio access.

Registration deadline is March 30.

There is no charge, but donations are accepted.

Workbook included. To receive registration information, contact Carol Ann Harris at The Shepherd’s Center of Greater WinstonSalem, 336-748-0217, or charris@shepherdscenter. org. Class size is limited, so early registration is suggested.

April-May Volunteers needed The Piedmont Plus Senior Games needs volunteers to help with a variety of events during April and May. Some events include: Bocce, shuffleboard, tennis, chair volleyball, billiards, golf and field

events. Each event is only a couple of hours, most on weekdays, some are indoors, some are outdoors.

For more information and to sign up, visit the signup page at:https://signup. com/go/ksXQJQo OR contact Kevin (kevinw@ cityofws.org) or Anna (annam@cityofws.org) or call the Senior Games office, 336-725-2325. Piedmont Plus Senior Games, a program for adults age 50+, is offered through the City of Winston-Salem Parks and Recreation. Come join the fun!

April 5 Free day for caregivers registration deadline On Tuesday, April 12, 10 a.m. -2 p.m., family caregivers are invited to join other caregivers for a trip to Dewberry Farm in Kernersville. In addition to providing a break from daily caregiving duties, caregivers will have the opportunity to walk around the farm, see the beautiful spring flowers, and enjoy a relaxing lunch outdoors.

Group transportation available. Deadline for registration is April 5. Limited respite care available. For more information, or to register, contact Carol Ann Harris, charris@shepherdscenter.org or 336-7480217. This event is provided by the It’s All About You Caregiver Program, sponsored by The Shepherd’s Center of Greater Winston-Salem, ComForCare Home Care, Trinity Presbyterian Church, and the Family Caregiver Support Program.

April 8 Conference for women entrepreneurs SBA Women’s Business Center in partnership with New Journey Management Group will be hosting their first conference “The Ability of a Woman Entrepreneur” on Friday, April 8, at the SG Atkins Enterprise Center.

The cost of the Conference is only $25. Register early, we are expecting a soldout event.

The conference will address barriers that hinder women (specifically lower income minority women) to pursue entrepreneurship. If you need a sponsor, please contact WBCWinston.

April 9 Golf tournament fundraiser Chi Chi Chapter of Chi Eta Phi Sorority Inc. are pleased to announce our First Annual Golf Tournament. We want to raise funds for student nurse scholarships and community health initiatives. The tournament will be held at the beautiful Winston Lake Golf Course on Saturday, April 9, 2022. Registration is at 8:30 a.m.; tee off at 9:30 a.m. For more information or questions, please contact: Barbara Crumb (336) 408-9674 or Melinda Foster Mack (336) 995-1002 May 5-7 Used book sale The Shepherd’s Center of Greater WinstonSalem will hold its 35th Annual Used Book Sale on Thursday, May 5, and Friday, May 6, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Saturday, May 7, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (1/2 Price on all items!). The book sale is one of the largest in our state! Parking and admission are FREE! The sale

will be held in the Education Building at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds.

Entrance for parking is through Gate 5 from Deacon Blvd. There is no admission and there will be thousands of used books and other items on hand at exceptional prices.

June 18 Juneteenth registration Triad Cultural Arts’ Annual Juneteenth Festival will take place on Saturday, June 18, at Innovation Quarter — Biotech Place from 1 – 5 p.m. and Bailey Park from 1 – 8 p.m. Our theme for this year is Celebrate Freedom & The Will to Be Free with a focus on African American healing rituals & traditions.

If you are interested in performing at this year’s festival, please complete the Performer Application form. Be sure to add a URL link to your website/social media page or a link to a video of your band performing in the comment section. https://form.jotform. com/220527954068158.

If you are interested in participating as a Merchandise/Business, Non-Profit, or Food Vendor, please complete the Vendor Registration form. https://triadculturalarts.org/index. php/vendors/.

July 1 Scholarship deadline The Winston-Salem Foundation is now accepting applications for its scholarship program for the 2022-2023 academic year. July 1 is the deadline for financial need-based scholarships.

Most scholarships are accessed through our online One-Stop Scholarship Application. Students are automatically considered for the scholarships for which they are eligible—with just one application.

For more information and to access the application portal, visit wsfoundation.org/students.

How to submit items to the community calendar: We appreciate your community news. Here’s how you can help us to process your news more efficiently: *Please give us complete information about the event, such as the sponsor and address, date, time and place of the event and contact information so that the public can contact someone for more information if needed. *Please submit items in document form in an email or Word or PDF attachment. *Submit photos as attachments to emails as jpegs at least 4 inches wide by 6 inches deep rather than sent on documents.

Please send captions with photos. *Please do not send jpeg fliers only, since we cannot transfer the information on them into documents.

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

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

From page B3

get the Lord your God and fail …” (verse 11). (The UMI Annual Commentary 2021-2022, The Jewish Study Bible, The MacArthur Study Bible, The New Interpreters Study Bible and The Oxford Bible Commentary).

For Your Consider-

ation: How can remembering what we have been through prepare us for the future?

Application: As believers we must remind ourselves to be humble.

We need people in our lives to keep us accountable and remind us of how God and others contributed to our success. Ask yourself what can keep you humble, thank God for it,

and entreat Him to be with you as you seek to do His will. (UMI) FYI: Forsyth County Sunday School Union meets “virtually” every 3rd Sunday at 3 p.m. You may join classes and programs using the following “Zoom” credentials: ID 819 7872 9662, Passcode 787444, Phone: 1-301715-8592.

CLASSIFIEDS

T he C hronicle

T H E C H R ON I C LE

March 24, 2022

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MARCH 24, 2022 B7

DEADLINE: MONDAY 5:30 PM • CALL CLASSIFIEDS AT (336) 722-8624

We accept major credit card payment on all classfied Ads. Email us your ad by Monday...see it on Thursday: adv@wschronicle.com

M/WBE BID NOTICES M/WBE BID NOTICES DAVIE COUNTY SCHOOLSVIRTUAL SCHOOL INVITATION TO BID Sealed Single Prime bids for the renovations to the Virtual School Building (original DCHS Media Arts Building) will be received by Davie County Schools in the conference room at the Central Davie Campus, 220 Campbell Road, Mocksville, North Carolina until 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, 2022.

Sealed bids will be publicly opened after the 2:00 deadline on Thursday, April 21, 2022 in the conference room at the Central Davie Campus, 220 Campbell Road, Mocksville, North Carolina. The work includes General, Structural, Plumbing, Mechanical, Electrical and Site work to be constructed under a Single Prime Contractor. The extent of the work is shown on the drawings & specified in the project manual.

The project consists of the complete renovation of 30,120 sf of classroom and office renovations to the existing building, formerly the DCHS Media Arts Building.

The building is located at 1200 Hwy 601 South, Mocksville, NC. Bidding documents, drawings and specifications may be examined in the office of Fuller Architecture. Pdf’s of the drawings and specifications will be made available to all bidders via a shared Dropbox folder.

Each proposal must be accompanied by a Bid Deposit of cash, certified check or a fully executed Bid Bond payable to the Davie County Board of Education in an amount of five percent (5%) of the gross amount of the proposal executed in accordance with and conditioned as prescribed

by North Carolina General Statute 143-8129 as amended.

If the successful bidder fails to execute the contract within 60 days after the award or fails to give satisfactory surety as required by law, the above deposit will be retained by the Davie County Board of Education.

All contractors are hereby notified that they must be properly licensed under the laws of North Carolina governing their trades.

A Payment and Performance Bond will be required each in the sum equal to 100% of the Contract Sum. No Bidder may withdraw his bid within 60 days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids.

Bidders shall use complete sets of Bidding Documents in preparing Bids. Neither the Owner or the Architect assumes responsibility for errors or misinterpretations resulting from the use of incomplete sets of Bidding Documents.

A Pre-Bid meeting will be held for all interested bidders and vendors at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, the 31st day of March, 2022 at the project site located at 1200 Hwy. 601 South, Mocksville, North Carolina, 27028. As part of the meeting we will discuss and present Preferred Bid Alternates.

Contractors are hereby notified that the Davie County Board of Education has a verifiable ten (10) percent goal for the participation by minority businesses in the total value of work for which the contract is awarded in order to follow North Carolina G.S. 143-128. Minority percentages will not be the basis for selecting the low bidder. All minority businesses are encouraged to participate in bidding this project.

The Davie County Board of Education reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive non-material informalities.

The Chronicle March 24, 2022

EMPLOYMENT

The City of Winston-Salem is looking to fill the positions for Accounting Clerk - 1658 Sr Crew Coordinator - 1093 Rec Center Sup - 1737 Sr Office Asst - 2030, 2958 Med Equipment Op - 1345 Sr Administrative Asst - 185 Utility Plant Op – 3356 Please visit: www.cityofws.org for job description and application process.

Advertise with us!

Call 722-8624

Jimmy R. Lynch & Sons, Inc. An Equal Employment Opportunity Contractor, NC General Contractors # 7706 Will Consider All Quotes Regardless of Race, Color, Religion, Sex, or National Origin and is Soliciting Bids for M/WBE Participation.

We would appreciate a quotation from your firm for any and all work and/or materials on the following project: Project Name: Greensboro (Guilford County) White Street Landfill Phase III Partial Closure Bid Date: Thursday, March 31, 2022 @ 3:00 PM Please provide proposal by: 3-30-2022 @ 5:00 PM We are soliciting subcontract bids for the following trades. Work may include, but not limited to: Clearing & Grubbing, Concrete, Concrete Pipes, Erosion Control, Grading, Hauling, Drainage, Seeding & Landscaping, Survey, Project Signs, Photographic Documents, Utilities, Quality Control, Cleaning, Specialties/ID Devices, Earthwork, Geo Textiles, Exterior Improvements, Stone/Rip-Rap/Crushed, Topsoiling, Pipe Work, Fencing/Safety, Tree & Plant Protection, Excavation, Geosynthetics, Pneumatic Pump, Structure Work, and LLDPE along with any incidentals and materials necessary for construction to complete the project.

The Project includes the following Work: - Closure construction of an approximately 12.3acre soil and LLDPE cap over a portion of the active landfill unit that has reached final grades.

-The grading and forming of benches prior to capping.

-Moving the landfill gas collection system in the capped area outside and above the final cap including installation of a new header pipe, new laterals, tie ins to existing wells, and decommissioning of old parts of the system.

-Remaking the perimeter drainage channel around the capped area; installing various ESC measures including slope drains, culverts, drop inlets; and restoring sediment basins. All materials and workmanship shall be in accordance with all referenced plans and specifications herein.

The work performed under this Contract shall include, but may not be limited to: the furnishing of all labor, materials, equipment and services, whether specifically mentioned or not, that is required to complete the Construction of the Work of the project. All requirements of the State of North Carolina and all pertinent administrative regulations shall apply to this project as if herein written out in full.

Please contact Daniel Lynch at dlynch@jrlynchandsons.com if you have any questions on the job link below.

The following Dropbox link will provide you with the digital Plans and specifications: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9e3gkwt24kfcviv/AABwfABW3nOOe9r3Jww-Hxe4a?dl=0 You may view plans & specs at the following locations: JRL Office @ 314 S. Academy St. Pilot Mtn, NC. Also, PDF plans and specifications may be obtained from HDR. Contact Mr. Al Myers: 440 S. Church Street, Suite 1000 Charlotte, NC 28202, telephone: (704) 338-6822, fax: (704) 338-6760, or email al.myers@hdrinc.com, any time between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. All work will be in accordance with the Plans and Specifications which are on file in the office of HDR Engineering.

JRL is willing to review any responsible quote and will negotiate terms, if appropriate. We will notify your firm if your bid is accepted for this project. Please contact Daniel Lynch @ number listed below, if you have not heard from JRL by 4-07-22 and I will inform you of the status of your bid. If you need assistance with equipment, obtaining bonding, (J.R.L. will furnish bonds for all projects & will help you obtain the proper certification, (if you are not certified.) loan capital, lines of credit, insurance or joint pay agreements, please see JRL terms below or contact us and we will review your needs and direct you to available agencies for assistance.

Please Submit Quote the Day Prior to Bid Opening Phone: 336-368-4047 Fax: 336-368-4613 Bonding: It is Jimmy R. Lynch & Sons, Inc. policy NOT to require M/WBE subcontractors to provide bonding to Jimmy R. Lynch & Sons, Inc. for their portion of the work. All M/WBE subcontractors will be allowed to work under Jimmy R. Lynch & Sons, Inc Performance & Payment Bonds to the Owner.

Financial Assistance: Jimmy R. Lynch & Sons, Inc. will provide Joint Check Agreements to all M/WBE subcontractors. Please request a Joint Check Agreement in writing. We will work with you and the material vendor to develop a Joint Check Agreement to satisfy all parties.

Quick Payments: It is Jimmy R. Lynch & Sons, Inc. policy to provide Quick Payments to all M/WBE subcontractors. Jimmy R Lynch & Sons, Inc will provide payment to all M/WBE subcontractors on a weekly basis if the work for which payment is being requested is complete and accepted by the Owner JRL encourages 2nd tier M/WBE Subcontracting opportunities. We encourage our subcontractors to utilize 2nd and 3rd tier M/WBE Subcontractors.

Please Submit Quote the Day Prior to Bid Opening Phone: 336-368-4047 Fax: 336-368-4613 The Chronicle March 24, 2022

LEGAL NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICES

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE FORSYTH COUNTY DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO: 19 JT 36 IN RE M.C.K

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE FORSYTH COUNTY DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO: 19 JT 34 IN RE E.G.K

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS

BY PUBLICATION TO: APRIL MICHELLE ELVINGTON, the mother of a male child M.C.K., born on or about November 25, 2009 in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina.

TAKE NOTICE that a Petition to Terminate Parental Rights has been filed against you in the above-entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is the permanent and irrevocable termination of your parental rights in and to the minor child identified above pursuant to N.C.G.S. 7B-1100, et seq.

YOU ARE REQUIRED to file an answer to the Petition with the Clerk of Court for Forsyth County, NC within thirty (30) days of the first date this notice is published. If you fail to make a defense to the Petition on or before MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2022 at 5:00pm, or you fail to attend the hearing indicated below, the Forsyth County Department of Social Services will request the Court to permanently terminate all of your parental rights in and to the minor child M.C.K. Indigent parents may qualify for a court-appointed attorney, subject to the review of the Court. Attorney Lorraine Mortis has been provisionally appointed to represent April Elvington, the Mother, and can be contacted at (336) 631-1940, 102 W. 3rd Street. #552, WinstonSalem, NC 27101. The Office of the Forsyth Clerk of Court, Juvenile Division can be contacted at (336) 779-6311.

The termination of parental rights hearing regarding April Elvington as to the minor M.C.K. is scheduled on Monday, June 13, 2022 at 9:30 am, or as soon thereafter as the Court can hear it, in Courtroom 4-J of the Hall of Justice, 200 N. Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC. This the 10th day of March 2022 By: Melissa Starr Livesay, Assistant County Attorney, Forsyth County Attorney’s Office 741 Highland Avenue Winston-Salem, NC 27101

The Chronicle March 10, 17, 24, 2022 STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE FORSYTH COUNTY DISTRICT COURT DIVISION FILE NO: 19 JT 35 IN RE I.H.T. NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS

BY PUBLICATION TO: JESSICA TATE, the mother, and JOHN DOE, the unknown father, of a female child I.H.T., born on or about October 30, 2011 in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina.

TAKE NOTICE that a Petition to Terminate Parental Rights has been filed against you in the above-entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is the permanent and irrevocable termination of your parental rights in and to the minor child identified above pursuant to N.C.G.S. 7B-1100, et seq.

YOU ARE REQUIRED to file an answer to the Petition with the Clerk of Court for Forsyth County, NC within thirty (30) days of the first date this notice is published. If you fail to make a defense to the Petition on or before MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2022 at 5:00pm, or you fail to attend the hearing indicated below, the Forsyth County Department of Social Services will request the Court to permanently terminate all of your parental rights in and to the minor child I.H.T. Indigent parents may qualify for a court-appointed attorney, subject to the review of the Court. Attorney Joshua Simmons has been provisionally appointed to represent Jessica Tate, the Mother, and can be contacted at (336) 725-8376, 315 N. Spruce St. #275, WinstonSalem, NC 27101. Any man believing himself to be the father of I.H.T. shall contact the Office of the Forsyth Clerk of Court, Juvenile Division at (336) 779-6311 to request appointment of counsel.

The termination of parental rights hearing regarding Jessica Tate and John Doe as to the minor I.H.T. is scheduled on Friday, April 22, 2022 at 2:00 pm, or as soon thereafter as the Court can hear it, in Courtroom 4-J of the Hall of Justice, 200 N. Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC. This the 10th day of March 2022 By: Melissa Starr Livesay, Assistant County Attorney, Forsyth County Attorney’s Office 741 Highland Avenue Winston-Salem, NC 27101

The Chronicle March 10, 17, 24, 2022

www.

wschronicle .com

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS

BY PUBLICATION TO: JESSICA NICOLE TATE, the mother of a male child E.G.K., born on or about January 6, 2015 in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina.

TAKE NOTICE that a Petition to Terminate Parental Rights has been filed against you in the above-entitled action. The nature of the relief being sought is the permanent and irrevocable termination of your parental rights in and to the minor child identified above pursuant to N.C.G.S. 7B-1100, et seq.

YOU ARE REQUIRED to file an answer to the Petition with the Clerk of Court for Forsyth County, NC within thirty (30) days of the first date this notice is published. If you fail to make a defense to the Petition on or before MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2022 at 5:00pm, or you fail to attend the hearing indicated below, the Forsyth County Department of Social Services will request the Court to permanently terminate all of your parental rights in and to the minor child E.G.K. Indigent parents may qualify for a court-appointed attorney, subject to the review of the Court. Attorney Joshua Simmons has been provisionally appointed to represent Jessica Tate, the Mother, and can be contacted at (336) 725-8376, 315 N. Spruce St. #275, WinstonSalem, NC 27101. The Office of the Forsyth Clerk of Court, Juvenile Division can be contacted at (336) 779-6311.

The termination of parental rights hearing regarding Jessica Tate as to the minor E.G.K. is scheduled on Monday, June 13, 2022 at 9:30 am, or as soon thereafter as the Court can hear it, in Courtroom 4-J of the Hall of Justice, 200 N. Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC. This the 10th day of March 2022 By: Melissa Starr Livesay, Assistant County Attorney, Forsyth County Attorney’s Office 741 Highland Avenue Winston-Salem, NC 27101

The Chronicle March 10, 17, 24, 2022 NOTICE TO CREDITORS Having qualified as Fiduciary of the Estate of Doris Jean McLeod (21 E 2650), deceased October 19, 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 June 13, 2022 this Notice will be pleaded in bar of recovery. All persons indebted to the said decedent or estate shall please make immediate payment to the undersigned.

This the 9th day of March, 2022.

Jose C. Ford Fiduciary for Doris Jean McLeod, deceased 2504 W. Cumberland St. FL 1 Philadelphia, PA 19132 The Chronicle March 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

LEGAL NOTICES NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE WINSTON-SALEM CITY COUNCIL ON PETITIONS FOR ZONING CHANGES NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to the requirements of Article 6 of Chapter 160D of the General Statutes of North Carolina, that the City Council of the City of Winston-Salem will hold a public hearing in the Council Chamber at City Hall, Room 230, 101 N. Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC at 7:00 p.m. on April 4, 2022, on the following proposed amendments to the Official Zoning Map of the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina: 1. Zoning petition of Rogelio Torres Patino and Yvette Cuevas Torres from GI and HB to HB: property is located on the west side of N. Patterson Avenue, north of Motor Road; property consists of ± 2.37 acre(s) and is PIN(s) 682880-4760 as shown on the Forsyth County Tax Maps (Zoning Docket W-3517).

2. An ordinance amendment proposed by Planning and Development Services staff, in consultation with the City and County Attorneys, to eliminate criminal penalties as an enforcement action for various sections of the Unified Development Ordinances, as required by NC Senate Bill 300 (UDO-CC16).

All parties in interest and citizens are invited to attend said hearing at which time they shall have an opportunity to be heard in favor of or in opposition to the foregoing proposed changes.

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

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

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

BY ORDER OF THE CITY COUNCIL Sandra Keeney, Clerk to the City Council of the City of Winston-Salem The Chronicle March 24, 31, 2022

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B6

March 24, 2022

NCAA

From page B1

star guard C.J. McCollum.

For St. Peter’s to duplicate what Lehigh did a decade ago is a testament to how unpredictable the tournament is.

More round one upsets included No. 6 Colorado State. losing to No. 11 seeded Michigan 7563; No. 5 Iowa losing to No. 12 Richmond; and No. 6 LSU falling to No. 11 Iowa State. I’m sure one, if not several, of these games messed up someone’s bracket, especially if they like to go chalk for their picks.

The upsets didn’t stop in round one, either. As I

Bishop

From page B1

do this again, I don’t even take time to even really enjoy it as much as I should have. I guess maybe one day when I stop coaching I will, but right now I feel like I owe it to this next team to get them as prepared as possible to try and win again.”

This amount of success was not expected by Robinson when he took over the Bishop McGuinness program. He was previously an assistant boys basketball coach at Reynolds in the late ‘90s and the varsity boys basketball coach at Starmount High, but was told by many to never coach girls. He was actually offered the girls head coaching job at Bishop three times before actually taking the job.

According to Robinson, people would tell him that he would never have the same success coaching girls as he would with the

The C hronicle

was finishing up this article, I saw that No. 8 seeded North Carolina defeated the No. 1 seed and defending national champion Baylor Bears in overtime.

Outside of Carolina fans, I am not sure anyone had that upset on their bracket.

All of this unpredictability is why I think so many people are attracted to the tournament and brackets each March.

People who aren’t even college basketball fans or gamblers like to get in on the action every year.

I was recently asked by a co-worker about my tournament picks. My coworker stated she is not a college basketball fan, but wanted to find a way

to bond with her husband when it comes to his love of sports. I told her that me giving her any information about the teams wouldn’t really help her out that much because upsets are so common.

She replied by asking who the top teams in the tournament were. I referred her to the final AP Top 25 rankings prior to Selection Sunday and let her pick her winners the best way she could. I’m interested to see how she fared the first weekend of the tournament.

I have also met people who have found an interesting way to pick games.

I once met a person that chose their winning teams

boys. He says it was never a priority to prove the doubters wrong and preferred to focus on getting his girls to the next level.

“At first it was a little rough, but once it got going, this program has taken me around the world,” he continued. “USA Basketball has come from this, obviously the state championships, the lifelong friends I’ve made and the relationships that I have that are going to last a lifetime. There are just a lot of wonderful things that have happened from being a part of this program.”

Robinson prefers to continue getting better as a coach rather than focusing on his accomplishments.

He feels he may become complacent if he spends too much time thinking about what he has done.

“Every time I feel like I’m getting to the top, something happens to remind me that I’m not,” he said. “This year I wasn’t voted conference coach of

the year and that kind of reminded me that I have to keep working and getting better.

“Even though I spend a lot of time concerning myself with what other people think, I felt like obviously I wasn’t good enough this year to win that. My focus has got to get better, my attention to detail has got to get better, and I really think it’s things that happen that keeps me humble and focused so that I can help these girls get better.

Those types of things keep me motivated the entire time.”

The Villains only had one senior on their roster this season. They will return thirteen players next season and Robinson is hopeful to go back to back once again. He says winning the second year of back-to-back titles is always more difficult because of all the things you have to guard against.

based on if they were divisible by the number three. Because their birthday was April 3, the person only picked No. 1, No. 3, No. 6, No. 9, No. 12 and No. 15 seeds. That trick actually worked and that person won their office pool.

Another person told me that because they had no knowledge of the teams that were playing, they chose to pick the winners based on how she liked their mascot against the

other team’s mascot. I was amused at this particular strategy, but to each their own, I guess.

One person shared with me that one year they had such bad luck finishing last in their office pool that for the next year they switched up their strategy. This person was very much into fashion and chose to research every team’s uniform and base their selections on whose uniform they preferred more. I could go on with

WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY

several more examples of how people have uniquely picked their teams, but I think you get the point.

I am still amazed at those select few individuals who are able to pick a perfect bracket. With all of the possible upsets and unreliable nature of the tournament, I don’t know how they do it. I doubt there are many perfect brackets left and many people are in the same boat that I am.

But hey, that’s March Madness for you.

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