YES! Weekly - December 30, 2020

Black women of the Triad edition SALTY DOG

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DECEMBER 30, 2020 - JANUARY 5, 2021 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 53

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YES! WEEKLY’S PEOPLE OF 2020

Publisher CHARLES A. WOMACK III publisher@yesweekly.com EDITORIAL Editor KATIE MURAWSKI katie@yesweekly.com Contributors IAN MCDOWELL MARK BURGER KATEI CRANFORD

We hope that highlighting some of the LOCAL BLACK WOMEN who have gone above and beyond this year for their communities as YES! Weekly’s People of 2020 can serve as our rose to give.

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DISTRIBUTION JANICE GANTT KYLE MUNRO SHANE MERRIMAN ANDREW WOMACK We at YES! Weekly realize that the interest of our readers goes well beyond the boundaries of the Piedmont Triad. Therefore we are dedicated to informing and entertaining with thought-provoking, debate-spurring, in-depth investigative news stories and features of local, national and international scope, and opinion grounded in reason, as well as providing the most comprehensive entertainment and arts coverage in the Triad. YES! Weekly welcomes submissions of all kinds. Efforts will be made to return those with a self-addressed stamped envelope; however YES! Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. YES! Weekly is published every Wednesday by Womack Newspapers, Inc. No portion may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. First copy is free, all additional copies are $1.00. Copyright 2020 Womack Newspapers, Inc.

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SALTY DOG, a Native American North Carolina rock group, is looking forward to 2021 with the release of “Okay,” a new single dropping on New Year’s Eve, with plans for a new EP underway. Led by Andrew Saltz, the group rocked the storms of 2020, releasing their first full-length album, Destination: Heartbreak, in September. They’ll ring in the new year with a socially-distanced show near Charlotte while debuting their latest single for an upcoming EP. 5 Last weekend, Winston-Salem-based wedding venue, The Warehouse on Ivy, located at 1245 Ivy Ave., DECLINED TO HOST A LESBIAN COUPLE’S MARRIAGE CEREMONY. After one of the brides-to-be posted this response on her Facebook page, it was widely shared, and the LGBTQIA+ community and allies took to their keyboards and flooded the business’s Facebook, Google, and Yelp accounts with negative reviews.

6 There’s never a dull moment in TENET, a globe-trotting, hi-tech, time-tripping action blow-out from writer/producer/

director Christopher Nolan – but there are plenty of confusing ones. Since the film’s release, the (deservedly) acclaimed filmmaker has expressed dismay that critics and some audiences have found the film’s convoluted structure difficult or even impossible to follow. Indeed, they may have a point, but perhaps the best way to approach Tenet is simply to sit back and enjoy the ride, and quite a wild ride it is.

7 We began THE YEAR with President Trump being impeached for alleged abuse of power. Not surprisingly, the Republican controlled-Senate voted not to convict.

Trump was emboldened by the verdict and looking to ride a strong economy into a second term. Ten months later, he was denied that prize by Joe Biden, then spent his lame-duck period trying to prove the election was rigged. Speaking of politics, North Carolina was in the national spotlight as Democrat Cal Cunningham mounted a challenge to incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis in what would turn out to be the most expensive Senate race in history.

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Salty Dog sails into 2021 with a new single and EP on the way

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alty Dog, a Native American North Carolina rock group, is looking forward to 2021 with the release of “Okay,” a new single dropping on New Year’s Eve, with Katei Cranford plans for a new EP underway.

Led by Andrew Contributor Saltz, the group rocked the storms of 2020, releasing their first full-length album, Destination: Heartbreak, in September. They’ll ring in the new year with a socially-distanced show near Charlotte while debuting their latest single for an upcoming EP. Starting 2020 with a freshly solidified lineup and studio plans, Salty Dog was ready to spread, as Saltz describes, “sweet healing vibrations of bright, pop-like harmonies combined with the darkness and

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rebelliousness of alternative and progressive rock.” And while this year threw a few rocks in the road, the group shouldered the journey, with Saltz crediting his bandmates as a source of inspiration.

“They inspire me to write songs that we, as a unit, will enjoy,” Saltz said of the group, which consists of Thomas Grell on bass, John Sutton on an array of percussion, and Caleb Guardiola on guitar.

“Each member brings a creative mind and a lot of heart to our work and,” he added, “although it’s been a journey, with evil along the way, I’m so blessed to have the lineup I have now.”

Saltz likewise considers his love of music and his culture among those blessings, a concept he embodies in the group’s name.

“I thought about how I’m Cherokee, and I wanted to infuse our heritage into our music and shows. But, more importantly, I thought about where the culture stands today within society,” Saltz said. “I think it’s been so damaged that nowadays, most folks barely cling to the hope that things can—and will— get better. This reminded me of a sailor or a salty dog and what they must think about when stuck out at sea. I feel like our culture is stuck and needs some sort of boost. A wind of change. I think music can be this change.”

Embracing their own winds of change, Salty Dog rolled with the terms of 2020 to remotely track their Destination: Heartbreak. The record is something of a full-band follow-up to “Essence,” Saltz’s solo EP written during his time studying at Gaston Community College and Appalachian State University.

“Destination: Heartbreak was something I started envisioning directly after college,” he explained, hinting at the hurt from previous relationships, which inspired most of the album. “I wrote those songs during some of the hardest moments in my life to date.”

Working with producer Steve Brown (of the Wabash Valley Musicians Hall of Fame), Salty Dog whittled the record to

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15 radio-friendly tracks in the sonic vein of groups they enjoy like Collective Soul, Neck Deep, and Alexander 23.

“Although the music from ‘Essence,’ as well as our new music sounds more progressive and modern, both Steve and I really wanted to change things up a little bit with Destination: Heartbreak,” Saltz explained of their process, “we went for old school style-recording to give the record a more raw sound. We even went as far as to record me playing rhythms with household objects (coffee cups, trash cans, coins, etc.) instead of electronic sources.”

As they press forward with new material, Saltz is looking forward to the band taking a collective approach to songwriting, as opposed to helping bring his back catalog to life.

“Although it’s taken a long time to create a well-oiled lineup that can do that,” he said, “it’s something I’ve always wanted.”

Just as balls drop around the world to

ring-in 2021, they’ll drop the first single on New Year’s Eve. “Honestly, we are just so excited to start releasing new music,” Saltz said of the group’s own celebratory toast in the form of a new song. “I guess you could say it might be viewed as a 2021 anthem,” he added.

The EP, “Mixed Up,” is due sometime in 2021, with the tracks building toward their sophomore record. Beyond that, what lies ahead is anyone’s guess— though Saltz feels confident he’s found a port in the storm.

“I have no idea about a lot of things these days, so I’ve clung to the one thing that keeps me connected,” he said, “and that’s music.”

Salty Dog releases their new single, “Okay,” on Dec. 31. !

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who hosts “Katei’s Thursday Triad Report,” 5:30-7 p.m. on WUAG 1031.1 FM.

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Letter from the editor: Winston-Salem venue declines to host same-sex marriage ceremony— in THIS economy?!

Last weekend, Winston-Salembased wedding venue, The Warehouse on Ivy, located at 1245 Ivy Ave., declined to host a lesbian couple’s marriage ceremony.

Katie Murawski After one of the brides-to-be posted this response on her Editor Facebook page, it was widely shared, and the LGBTQIA+ community and allies took to their keyboards and flooded the business’s Facebook, Google, and Yelp accounts with negative reviews.

(However, strangely enough, as of Dec. 22, it appears that the majority of the 1-star Google reviews have been deleted.)

I spoke with the couple, Brianna May and Kasey Mayfield that Saturday evening.

“I was just kind of speechless,” Mayfield said. “In the original email, he asked me, ‘oh, how many people, what date are you thinking about, and what is the groom’s name?’ And I was like, that is weird, and I thought I was just being over-dramatic or like my anxiety was making me overthink the situation.”

After Mayfield responded to the email with the requested information including the estimated headcount, potential dates, and “the other bride’s name,” the response she got was: As we would love to have you at our venue, unfortunately we do not host same sex marriage ceremonies. We do appreciate you considering us. Thanks.

Even though the venue’s employee emailed Mayfield of the venue’s policy, Mayfield noted that same information was not listed anywhere on the company’s website or social media pages— and it still isn’t as of Dec. 22.

“I really didn’t think someone in Winston would do that,” Mayfield said.

“I found them on WeddingWire, and all of their reviews were like amazing, and the venue looked really cool. I looked on the website and it didn’t have much information other than pictures, which looked good, too.”

Last Saturday morning, May posted a screenshot of Mayfield’s email exchange with the representative of The WareWWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

house on Ivy and the caption: If you’re wondering how wedding planning is going...thanks so much to the warehouse on ivy for letting us know we’re not welcome.

Since then, the post has gotten over 1.1K reactions, 1.3K comments, and 1.4K shares, and the story has been picked up by the Charlotte Observer, NBC, and even international LGBTQIA+ publications such as Out and PinkNews.

May’s post also caught the attention of the Winston-Salem City Council’s first openly-gay representative, Kevin Mundy, who now serves as the councilman of the City’s Southwest Ward.

On May’s post, Mundy addressed Mayfield with the following comment: On behalf of my City, I apologize for the way you were treated. This business clearly does not represent the open, accepting and inclusive environment we are trying to create in Winston-Salem. I am a member of the Winston-Salem City, and also a member of the LGBTQ+ community. As you might guess, this chafes my…

OK, no bad language...

Mundy also promised to contact the venue to share his thoughts as well as discuss the issue with Councilwoman Annette Scippio, of the East Ward, which is where the venue is located.

Hopefully, the backlash from this embarrassing incident for the City of Winston-Salem can cause some positive change, such as enacting non-discrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ folks, now that H.B. 142’s ban on cities enacting these rules has ended.

“We weren’t expecting it to get this crazy so fast, we just wanted to inform the Winston-Salem community,” Mayfield said of the Facebook post. “Once it did start getting more shares, I got really nervous— because I know what people do when things blow up on the internet— it’s always the mean people who want to come up and speak their mind.

But it was really nice to have people back us up and reassure us. I feel like it doesn’t ever really matter sometimes when you are gay and it’s constantly being told to you that ‘this is not right.’

It eats away at you subconsciously. It definitely was hurting a bit, but all of the love and sweet comments definitely outweighed it.”

Additionally, the social media response also ended up being useful for the couple because now they have folks recommending other venues or even

offering their services for the couple’s wedding for free.

“We literally just started the wedding planning process, and now we have so many recommendations to cool venues and other vendors, I can’t wait to sit back and go through all the comments,” Mayfield said. “We definitely want to be in Winston— downtown was our plan.

I reached out to Foothills because they have stuff at Footnote and it is so cute there. We are going to try to have a tour with them, I really like that venue.”

Mayfield and May have been dating for two and a half years and just got engaged in November. Mayfield said they told their families that they were planning on tying the knot on Thanksgiving via FaceTime.

Since June 26, 2015, same-sex marriage has been legal in the United States after the historic Supreme Court ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges struck down state bans on same-sex marriages.

“I was really excited, especially living in North Carolina, I just never thought that would happen here,” May said when asked how she felt when marriage equality became the law of the land. “It was an exciting time, and to have this setback is kind of crappy.”

“I was so excited, too,” Mayfield added.

“Especially since this year was the fifth anniversary of it— and it was cool being able to reflect despite not having Pride this year. We were so excited to be able to get married and it didn’t have to be like a ‘thing,’ because it’s been legal for five years.”

Even though being denied service bummed them out, Mayfield and May said they were ultimately thankful that they didn’t waste their money at a “secretly homophobic” establishment.

“It always sucks to hear a rejection like that, but at the end of the day, there are so many other good things,” Mayfield said when asked what advice she would give other LGBTQIA+ couples thinking about getting hitched. “Everybody in the LGBTQ-community is like a family even if you don’t know them; even though one person or group of people don’t like you, there are so, so many more that do.”

I reached out to the Warehouse on Ivy’s email address from May’s post to ask if the owner of the venue would like to comment on behalf of their business and their stance.

The person (or persons) responding did not identify themselves (and they

did not reply to multiple emails asking who the quote could be attributed to).

Instead, they wrote: We will allow anyone of any color, race, religion or belief to use our venue at any given time. Although we love and respect everyone in our community, there [sic] own decision making and beliefs, we also strongly believe in our christian values.

Now, being part of the LGBTQIA+ community myself, I am not surprised one bit that strong “Christian values” was used to defend this decision— the irony of hiding behind the same religious values that also include the “Golden Rule” of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” is not lost here.

But, I mean, it’s North Carolina, can we really expect anything different?

Our state’s main export during the Pat McCrory years was vitriol transphobia via H.B. 2— which, by the way, ended up costing the state billions of dollars in lost business.

What I am a bit shocked at though, is that this business even could afford to not accept Pink Money, especially in this dismal economy.

Now, I am not a business owner, but it seems to me this decision is counterproductive, especially given that, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, state-mandated restrictions have negatively affected local businesses that rely on large social gatherings— like, you know, weddings.

You don’t want to host same-sex ceremonies? Fine. But you should at least have the good ol’ “Christian” value of honesty and be publicly transparent about who you will and will not serve on your website and social media platforms.

For all those acting bitter that this business received negative reviews because of their beliefs, this couple simply made their community aware of these beliefs.

Let the market in the City of Arts and Innovation decide who to support and not support in the future. Mind your business, and if you support them, go ahead and scream it from the rooftops!

Just don’t be hurt when you hear people who don’t agree with you scream back. !

KATIE MURAWSKI is the editor-in-chief of YES! Weekly. Her alter egos include The Grimberlyn Reaper, skater/public relations board chair for Greensboro Roller Derby, and Roy Fahrenheit, drag entertainer and self-proclaimed King of Glamp.

DECEMBER 30, 2020 - JANUARY 5, 2021

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Tenet trips through time to save the world

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here’s never a dull moment in Tenet, a globetrotting, hi-tech, time-tripping action blow-out from writer/producer/ Mark Burger director Christopher Nolan – but there are Contributor plenty of confusing ones.

Since the film’s release, the (deservedly) acclaimed filmmaker has expressed dismay that critics and some audiences have found the film’s convoluted structure difficult or even impossible to follow. Indeed, they may have a point, but perhaps the best way to approach Tenet is simply to sit back and enjoy the ride, and quite a wild ride it is.

Nolan is an undisputed master of orchestrating grand-scale mayhem, and Tenet is jam-packed with it. If it’s action you’re looking for, Tenet is a gift that keeps

on giving. To pause and ponder the implications of the plot is futile.

John David Washington (son of Denzel) plays a CIA agent known simply as “the Protagonist,” who is charged with infiltrat-

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ing the inner circle of dealer Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), a ridiculously wealthy Russian arms dealer who is clearly up to no good. Not only is he maneuvering to kickstart World War III but he’s plenty mean to his elegant wife, Kat (Elizabeth Debicki).

It’s through Kat that the Protagonist draws closer to his quarry. There’s a slight frisson of attraction between the two, but there’s no place for romance here – not when there’s so much stuff to blow up. In order to save the world, an awful lot of damage has to be done first, which Nolan executes in his customarily spectacular fashion.

The very word “tenet” is a palindrome, meaning it’s the same whether read backward or forward, which is a good indication how the film operates, shifting through time back and forth, up and down, inside-out, and basically any which way Nolan deems appropriate. Tenet bears some comparison to the Back to the Future and Matrix trilogies, as well as the Timecop franchise, and could easily be the springboard for a franchise of its own. It makes, breaks, and rewrites its own rules, yet it’s consistently enjoyable.

There’s a good cast on hand, but Tenet is hardly an acting showcase. Washington is lean, mean, tough, tenacious, has charisma to burn, and certainly does the family trade proud. The ageless Branagh, sporting the spot-on Russian accent he previously employed in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), clearly revels in Sator’s wickedness. He’s mean, too, but also nasty and cruel, and he injects what little humor – dark though it may be – into the proceedings.

Robert Pattinson, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Fiona Dourif turn up periodically as the Protagonist’s support team, while Dimple Kapadia and Yuri Kolokolnikov contribute to the villainy quotient as Sator’s cohorts. The always welcome Michael Caine, like Branagh a mainstay of Nolan’s films, appears briefly as a wise British agent whose function is essentially to provide a bit of exposition for the Protagonist, but the exposition he provides doesn’t clear matters up much. Still, it’s nice having him around.

Simply put, Tenet is a prime example of Filmmaker as Star. Christopher Nolan is the driving force. It’s his talent and his vision, and it’s absolutely on the screen.

When one looks back on Nolan’s career, which kicked off in spectacular fashion with his second film, Memento (2000), he has yet to take a misstep or make a legitimate misfire. Some films are better than others, but all of them boast a certain, distinctive level of polish and quality.

Tenet may be Nolan’s least engaging film on an emotional level, but that’s not to dismiss it out of hand. The film aims to entertain and does. It is something else and, then, it’s something else again.

Tenet is playing at AMC Classic Greensboro 18 (4822 Kroger Blvd., Greensboro) and is also available on DVD ($28.98 retail), DVD/Blu-ray combo ($35.99 retail), 4K Ultra HD combo ($44.95 retail), and on digital from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2020, Mark Burger.

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voices

Hindsight is 2020: A year in review

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ooking back on 2020, no one would disagree that COVID-19 was the biggest story of the year, but for much of the first quarter, it wasn’t a story at all. We Jim Longworth began the year with President Trump being impeached for Longworth alleged abuse of at Large power. Not surprisingly, the Republican controlled-Senate voted not to convict. Trump was emboldened by the verdict and looking to ride a strong economy into a second term. Ten months later, he was denied that prize

by Joe Biden, then spent his lame-duck period trying to prove the election was rigged.

Speaking of politics, North Carolina was in the national spotlight as Democrat Cal Cunningham mounted a challenge to incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis in what would turn out to be the most expensive Senate race in history. Coming down the wire, Cal had the race all but won when his campaign was derailed by a sex scandal.

Meanwhile, Congressional candidates were scrambling to figure out which newly gerrymandered district they might run in.

GOP Rep. Mark Walker decided not to run for another term because his 6th district had been redrawn to favor a Democrat.

That left the Triad with an open seat, and five Democratic challengers, including Greensboro attorney Kathy Manning, and former Guilford Commissioner Bruce Davis. Over on the Republican side, local party chair Lee Haywood and data analyst Laura Picardo vied for the nomination.

Manning would go on to trounce Haywood in the general election, and Walker would announce his intention to run for retiring Richard Burr’s Senate seat in 2022.

Burr made headlines himself early on in 2020, as the FBI launched an investigation into his dubious stock trades based on alleged insider information that he had heard about a new disease called COVID-19. Ironically, as the pandemic grew, Burr’s scandal was all but forgotten. By all rights, the two stories should forever be linked because Burr’s silent greed and failure to share what he knew about the virus probably cost lives. So did Donald Trump’s endless delay in taking COVID seriously.

Meanwhile, other lives were being lost, not just by the virus, but by out of control WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

cops and violent white supremacists.

George Floyd’s death and the shooting of Breonna Taylor became rally cries for much-needed reforms in police and sheriff ’s departments around the country.

In that regard, at least those tragedies served to awaken a majority of Americans to the inequities of criminal justice.

Unfortunately, though, racism is ingrained in other Americans, like the three Georgia rednecks who chased down and murdered a Black man just for jogging through their neighborhood. That kind of hate can’t be fixed systematically, but it might be less emboldened by new leadership in the White House.

Speaking of race, 2020 marked a year full of debate over Confederate statues and over buildings that were named after slave owners. One by one, many of those monuments were taken down, and objectionable names were removed from buildings. Confederate flags even disappeared from NASCAR, thanks to Richard Petty and his young driver, Bubba Wallace.

Perhaps now, we can begin to erect long overdue monuments to African-American leaders, such as Larry Womble, a pioneering former State lawmaker who led the fight for compensating victims of forced sterilization. Larry passed away this year, but the legacy of his work survives.

Had my friend Larry lived a little longer, he would have been angered (but not surprised) by voter suppression efforts here in North Carolina and throughout the nation. Those included efforts by Greensboro’s own, Louis DeJoy, who, as Trump’s Postmaster General, removed mailboxes and high-speed sorting machines, in addition to cutting back on employee hours, all of which could have resulted in mail-in ballots arriving too late to be counted. When these and other actions were widely reported, DeJoy denied trying to suppress votes and quickly began to restore human and technical resources in local post offices.

All of this comes full circle with a record number of people voting by mail because they didn’t want to expose themselves to COVID. In fact, avoiding in-person gatherings became a way of life for most Americans. Gov. Cooper closed schools, put thousands of small businesses out of business, and threw tens of thousands of folks out of a job. Parents had to become at-home teachers, and students had to forfeit social interaction in favor of online learning.

As this column goes to press, over 300,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. The good news is that vac-

cines are being shipped to our area, with a promise that we might really turn the corner on this deadly virus by late spring.

In the meantime, Gov. Cooper has put new curfews and restrictions in place in an effort to minimize the spread of COVID until such time as vaccines are available to all who want them.

2020 left us with two unresolved pandemics, one clinical and one racial. It left

us with a bad taste in our mouths about politics in general, and sycophant politicians in particular. And, it left us a divided nation with deep wounds that need to be healed. It also left us with hope that things can get better in 2021. !

JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15).

DECEMBER 30, 2020 - JANUARY 5, 2021

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ews of the Weird extends greetings for a happy and blissfully less weird 2021. While you’re welcoming the new year, enjoy some of our favorite items from 2020.

[NEWS OF THE WEIRD] COPING

Seattle dad and self-described travel enthusiast Steve Simao attracted a following after his daughter, Annisa, called him out on her TikTok account for his purchase of a pair of first-class leather seats taken from a Delta MD90 Jetliner, complete with an air safety card. Simao, who is vice president of sales at Windstar Cruises, found the seats on eBay in November, reported The Washington Post, and has had fun scratching his itch

to travel with them ever since, sending his daughter videos of her mother “bringing food to the (tray) table and him just sitting there enjoying it,” Annisa said. Delta CEO Ed Bastian has taken notice and given the three Simaos roundtrip, first-class tickets to anywhere in the United States. Hawaii is high on their list.

A 2020 METAPHOR

An Amazon delivery driver in Nuthall, Nottingham, England, is out of a job after Sharon Smith, 53, discovered him defecating in her back garden in late July. Smith said she saw the man run toward her garden and went to investigate. “I asked what the heck he was doing,” Smith told Metro News, “and he just remained pooing whilst asking me what my problem was — the cheek of it.”

The driver told police he wasn’t feeling well and was desperate, and he didn’t realize he was in a private garden. Smith agreed to not press charges as long as he cleaned up the mess and his employer was informed; Amazon promised a gift voucher as a goodwill gesture.

REVENGE

An unnamed man in Cairns, North Queensland, Australia, posted notices offering a $100 prize to the person able to best impersonate Chewbacca from “Star Wars,” but the contest turned out to be a hoax designed to harass the woman who dumped him. The posters listed the woman’s phone number and invited contestants to call and deliver their best Chewbacca roar. The woman, identified only as Jessica, told 9News: “I’m getting phone calls at really strange hours of the night. ... I thought it was quite funny, actually, a good joke.”

However, she drew the line when the ex abandoned his car, without tires, in the driveway of her home, blocking her in.

“The police ... are going to do something about it,” she said.

MUST-SEE TV

Police in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, arrested Robert Lee Noye, 52, on Feb. 17 and charged him with first-degree harassment and false imprisonment after his victim told them Noye kidnapped her and forced her to watch the 1977 historical miniseries “Roots” “so she could better understand her racism,” The Gazette reported. He allegedly told her if she did not sit for the entire nine-hour series about slavery, he would “kill her and spread her body parts across Interstate 380 on the way to Chicago.”

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DECEMBER 30, 2020 - JANUARY 5, 2021

PAIRS WITH A NICE CHIANTI

The Design Museum in London has included a “DIY meal kit” featuring steaks that could be grown from a diner’s own human cells among the nominees in its Beazley Designs of the Year exhibit.

Developers of the Ouroboros Steak envision that an individual will be able to harvest cells from their own cheek and feed them with serum derived from donated blood that has expired, Dezeen reported. After about three months, the steaks would be fully grown. “People think that eating oneself is cannibalism, which technically this is not,” said Grace Knight, one of the designers. Researcher Orkan Telhan added, “Our design is scientifically and economically feasible but also ironic in many ways,” he added.

FRONTIERS OF FARMING

Cockroach farms are not new in China, where the bugs have long been used in Chinese medicine, but a new facility near the eastern city of Jinan is gaining attention as a way to deal with food waste while producing organic protein supplements for animal feeds. In four industrial-sized hangars, Australia’s ABC News reported, rows of shelves are filled with food waste collected from restaurants through an elaborate system of pipes. A moat filled with roach-eating fish surrounds each building to keep the roaches from escaping. “In total there are 1 billion cockroaches,” farm manager Yin Diansong said. “Every day they can eat 50 tonnes of kitchen waste.” Said project director Li Yanrong, “If we can farm cockroaches on a large scale, we can provide protein that benefits the entire ecological cycle.”

SCHEME

Residents in the upscale neighborhoods of Woodway and Edmonds, Washington, have been visited recently by people carrying official-looking documents who knock on doors, tell homeowners they own the property and “they’re there to repossess the home and want the people to vacate the premises,” Edmonds police Sgt. Josh McClure told KIRO. The group identifies itself as Moorish Sovereign Citizens, McClure said, who “believe that they own all of the land between Alaska and Argentina.” So far, the people have cooperated with police and left after being told they are trespassing. !

© 2020 Chuck Shepherd. Universal Press Syndicate.

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

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YES! Weekly’s People of 2020

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itting here on the eve of the eve of New Year’s Eve, reminiscing on the collective shit show this year has been for everyone in the country, state, and Triad is definitely a bummer. But things certainly could have been a lot worse for both Ian and me. That is the thing about our white, cisgender privilege, just the acknowledgment of this truth is something that a lot of those who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, differently-abled, and of a different gender identity don’t have the luxury of doing. Certainly, with the senseless murders of Black people by police this year, especially

that of Breonna Taylor, many white folks like Ian and myself have (finally) started to wake up and realize that Black women in this country have been consistently dealt a bad hand and deserve better. As Megan Thee Stallion artfully put it in her recent SNL performance: Protect Black women.

The September rally and vigil, “There Is No Justice Here,” organized by Winston-Salem activist groups with Black women leaders was intended to be a protest against the miscarriage of justice that was dealt to Breonna Taylor when only one of the officers involved

The following questions were asked to everyone who participated, and each answer is in their own words.

(Note: Some responses have been edited to fit in the space.)

1. What was your greatest accomplishment of this year? Why? 2. How has it felt being a Black woman in 2020 amid everything that has happened this year? What do you think was the most important takeaway and what have you learned or hope others learn from your work and success this year?

3. What are your hopes for 2021– Is there anything you are working toward right now that you hope to see flourish?

Greensboro

Casey Thomas is a member of the Steering Committee with Guilford for All. 1. Definitely being part of building Guilford for All. Building a movement machine with members and volunteers who are not just in it to change who is in elected office, but who are building a people’s agenda we can use to actually govern with the people we put in office - and get material wins.

Being part of building something that is making what felt impossible start to feel more possible in Guilford County has been incredible. It was a lot to start in a pandemic, and to try to build relationships with people and develop a new organization when we can’t be face to face- but we’re doing it.

2. I can only tell you how it feels being this Black woman. 2020 has been bizarre, beautiful, heartbreaking, and hopeful. I have learned that movements require so many different skills and approaches- and that even if we don’t personally engage in all of them, we should recognize their necessity. I have witnessed Black women YES! WEEKLY

Katie Murawski

Ian McDowell

Editor

Contributor

and gender-nonconforming people do so many incredible things in movement work— planning and leading protests, developing and leading a crew of medics, doing the emotional caregiving necessary to keep people connected to each other and the work, making art that tells the stories that need to be told, writing policy and navigating electoral spaces, and building the political power to get those policies enacted.

3. I hope to see the Guilford County Commission’s priorities shift in the way they did when they came through with the most recent local aid package. I am really excited about organizing through Guilford for All with hundreds of people who are just not willing to settle for a type of local politics in which working people always have to take the hit, and where Black people always have to take the hit- while we donate public funds to millionaires’ pet projects and call it economic development.

I’m so glad to be with a crew of folks who are ready to do something about it.

Mary Smith is the mother of the lateMarcus Deon Smith, whose 2018 homicide

by Greensboro Police officers has been compared to the death of George Floyd.

Since learning that her son died from being hogtied while eight GPD officers, while other officers and two Guilford

DECEMBER 30, 2020 - JANUARY 5, 2021

in her slaying was charged with wanton endangerment.

The rally was also a time to mourn and honor the lives of Black women that were taken too soon this year (both locally and nationally) through senseless violence. The vigil ended with a symbolic and literal gesture of giving all the Black women present roses as a token of appreciation.

We hope that highlighting some of the local Black women who have gone above and beyond this year for their communities as YES! Weekly’s People of 2020 can serve as our rose to give.

County EMTs watched without intervening (details omitted from initial police reports of his death), Mrs. Smith has appeared before Greensboro city council and has spoken at Greensboro rallies and press conferences.

1. Our family continued to fight – despite it all. Since Marcus died, we have struggled through the confusion, financial challenges, family members getting sick, and sadness and despair. But we have continued to fight, even during this pandemic, and the inaction from the Greensboro City Government, our family has pulled ourselves together enough to keep pushing for change for our son, and for the people in Greensboro. The community in Greensboro has been fantastic, I mean the community, not the government. If it hadn’t been for the Greensboro community standing behind us, we don’t know where we would be.

2. Being a Black woman that lost her child at the hands of the police just reminds me that it’s been happening since before I was born. I’m a grandma now, I’ve been living as a Black woman for a long time. In many ways, things feel the same.

But in some ways, things have changed.

We did take some baby steps this year.

There have been some promises made because people demanded change, but there hasn’t been much follow-through.

I noticed when police Chief James made a statement about George Floyd, but you got the same situation on your front steps — and you say nothing? Marcus Smith couldn’t breathe in Greensboro. Many of those officers that killed my son are still on the force. We’re heading towards the third year after Marcus’s death. The police killed him and lied about it. We have the video evidence; you can watch it. But then again, they had the video of the 1979 Greensboro Massacre, too, and it took the city over 40 years to apologize. The way they killed Marcus was already illegal, but nothing happened. Talk is cheap.

3. I would definitely like to see more

emphasis put on the homeless community.

People don’t just wake up one day and say, ‘OK I just want to go be homeless.’ During this pandemic, it should have been clear to everybody that we have to create a better system that doesn’t force so many people to end up homeless and on the streets.

We know that it can happen to anyone and when people get sick because they are homeless, that can affect the whole community. We have to do better. How many people are facing evictions right now? And just because you are homeless does not mean that you are not a pillar of the community. So many people relied on Marcus while he was fighting his own fight and living on the streets, and he would still help people in ways that other people would not. People remember him not because he was homeless, but because he was Marcus—because he was intelligent, and because he was an artist, and because he was an encourager, a big brother to so many people. You do not need to be someone who lives in a mansion to be a pillar of the community. I don’t care who you are, we all should lend a hand to that community, ‘cause it could be you someday.

Kay Brown is co-chair of the Greensboro Criminal Justice Advisory Commission, which reports directly to the Greensboro City Council and City Manager. She is an organizer for Greensboro Rising and Guilford for All, has an MBA Certification in Project Manager, and is an NAACP NextGen graduate.

1. My greatest accomplishment this year was working with Greensboro Rising and Guilford For All on policy and strategy. As a single mother, this year has been long and rough. I have nurtured my son through two surgeries, which meant that he could not walk most of the year, and I kept my younger son busy during a long kindergarten and first-grade year that was mostly online. Being able to support and lead within different organizations gave me some relief in the fact that I was able to

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PHOTO BY CIARA KELLEY

CASEY THOMAS support positive change in Guilford County.

This year, I have been able to see some of Greensboro Rising’s demands be met, and have work with Guilford For All to provide major support to county commission candidates.

2. This year has been no more difficult for me than any other. What was different about 2020 is that I was able to take on more leadership and guide education and conversation in a way that could provide education for some that may not have had clarity otherwise.

3. I am wanting to see meaningful change on the municipal level in Greensboro. I am looking forward to seeing more young Black people get involved in policy work and the budgeting processes. Black and Brown people in Greensboro deserve restitution for past governmental racism and discrimination and should receive investment and resources equitably.

Roselynn Arroin is a transgender activist, board member of Triad Health Project, and an artist.

1. Simply surviving the year alone—Every goal and aspiration (name change completion and Gender reassignment surgery) that I had set to complete this year was put on pause or canceled due to COVID-19 coronavirus. I simply had to work as a frontline essential worker to survive financial chaos. Even in-spite of contracting COVID-19 and being cut off work with no financial assistance, I had to put my plans for the year on the back burner and survive.

2. It’s been tough but this is the life of a Black woman. We, as Black women, don’t give up when times get hard— we pray, we adapt, and we get creative with our approach to how we take on life. Survival is an instinct; a basic human instinct. When your dreams/goals are put on hold focus on what can be done to lay the groundwork for when it’s time to make them happen. If your dreams are shattered or go up in smoke it may be devastating, but build new dreams, be resilient, and survive!

3. Transition— my transition will never be complete as life itself is a transition for all, but I am hoping to take my gender transition to the next level. I’m looking and hoping to complete my GRS and name change. I’m hoping to still be that fierce WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

MARY SMITH

PHOTO BY KEVIN A. SMITH

KOSMIKSTAR PHOTOGRAPY

KAY BROWN

transgender advocate and activist that Greensboro needs— a champion for myself and for my community!

Shawn Everage is a licensed esthetician, lash artist, and now, business owner/ founder of the skincare line, AdoreMeDolls Cosmetics.

1. My greatest accomplishment this year was starting my business, it was difficult going through a divorce, finalizing that divorce, and starting in a new industry. My divorce was a direct cause of me losing my last job in social work, so I was broken, lost, and determined to start something that no one could take away from me. Being a felon, I would never have thought I could do anything to excel in life, I assumed that chance was gone now because so many doors were closed for me just because of having a record. So, this year was a revelation of so many different accomplishments but my self-esteem was the biggest. I began as a lash artist that went to esthetician school. That place is where my brand and my big dreams were born. My dream of owning my own beauty studio. My license, and now, creating my very own skincare line of products, are all accomplishments that complement each other for how big my vision was. I knew that once I started doing facials, and educating people about their skin, I wanted my own products for them to use at home.

2. Being Black and a woman this year has definitely been a sink or swim— fight or flight scenario. Most of us did not have a big savings to live off of during the pandemic. My most important takeaway was realizing that even in a pandemic, you can thrive if you have the determination. I honestly did not think I would achieve any of this. But it was meeting my mentor and other business owner friends who kept pushing me and kept inspiring me. I want girls like me to know that your past never defines your future. That even the outcasts can make a way to being successful, and most importantly, if you don’t already have one, seek a friend circle that is nothing but a recharging station, support, and guidance during those tough days.

3. I just signed my lease for a new building and currently renovating it to be state board ready. Becoming a girl boss and a licensed esthetician despite all I’ve

ROSELYNN ARROIN

went through, this has inspired me to give other girls the chance to do the same thing I did. We don’t have many places for estheticians once they are licensed, other than working for a big chain, but my spa, AdoreMe Dolls, LLC, will be a place where girls can come as an independent contractor, and use my space as their stepping stone to hopefully do the same thing I did. My dream is to do for others what my mentor did for me. That was to see the light and determination and to cultivate that into making more girl bosses and so on. My spa will be my way of giving back what was given to me so freely.

Darlene McClinton is the co-owner of The Artist Bloc, associate professor at A&T, mural artist and the grants manager at ArtsGreensboro.

1. My greatest accomplishment was being able to use my public art as a voice and vehicle to bridge cultural gaps. As a creative leader in Greensboro, it is vital to be intentional about the art that one makes public and the relationships one builds with the community while creating.

The Elsewhere mural “Inspire Change for a Collaborative Future” is an example of how art is used to communicate, record, and narrate history. The “Bridging The GAP” mural created on the Downtown Greenway united NC A&T and UNCG faculty and students during a time of racial injustice.

2. As a Black woman artist living in a time where it appears that racial injustice is never-ending for people of color, being a Black woman makes me feel awkward, terrifying, and uncomfortable...In 2020, I realized that my skin color is still a threat to America and I could be killed for being Black. The most important takeaway from this year is that unity is key! As a community and artist, I have learned that we must stand together and use our gifts to inspire change.

3. My hope for 2021 is that we all continue to grow together, educate ourselves, and make art.

April Parker is an activist, librarian, art curator, Elsewhere Museum’s Creative Catalyst Fellow, and member of the Power Beyond Pride steering committee.

1. Always my greatest accomplishment is surviving and living my life. Beyond that, it

SHAWN EVERAGE

was returning to the movement, to the public eye, and to what serves me in my many roles. In my work as an architect of Black spaces, I was able to center Blackness, and illuminate the day-to-day work of what anti-racism culture can look like, and use creative resistance to continue the conversation during COVID safely. This was possible because of the confluence of my return to movement work from a much-needed sabbatical, the stability that comes from my role as a radical librarian at Guilford County Schools, the platform of Elsewhere as Creative Catalyst Fellow, the presence of COVID, and the uprisings of the summer. During this time, it was significant for me to recognize that everyone has been doing the best that they can.

I have prioritized my own peace. I have been able to center my own recovery and mental health. This gives me the ability to be relentless. There are an ebb and flow of attention to inequity, but I am able to be consistent in my public scholarship - it is this consistency and relentlessness that creates the influence.

2. My curation of the collection “Unveiling Monuments” was a living archiving of the power of Black women in movement spaces and our efforts toward Black liberation. Like most Black women, a lot of my work has been erased and suppressed for many reasons and in my renewed clarity of this anti-Blackness, I had the ability to see the lineage of my community organizing work and I saw myself in the mutual aid efforts that have taken place this year.

Historically, I have built an underground economy in the form of reparations for Black trans people in North Carolina. It wasn’t popular nor accepted in years prior, but now, it is a means of community care that has really thrived. I like to think I was a part of that cultural shift, much like many Black women and femme leaders that have taken care of our communities despite opposition. I’m thankful for the Black women who have shown up for my work...

3. What I want to happen in 2021 : -To build a hybrid platform (both social distancing and virtually coming together) of the Black power round table, to define what we need and want as Black people.

I would like that to be a cultural staple outside of academia, the church, and other established organizations. This would

DECEMBER 30, 2020 - JANUARY 5, 2021

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APRIL PARKER

PHOTO BY KAREN ASHLEY OF LYTM PHOTOGRAPY

DR. BRITTANY BATTLE

define what Black power could look like, being a means of making collective political engagement a norm for us.

-For Black artists to be treated as laborers and leaders - moving away from the gig economy, putting a Black face on your white organization. Having a seat at the table, investing in Black leadership.

-For Black lives to matter when it is not trending. Yes, it is about the historic violence and brutality of the police and criminal justice system - it is also about all state-sanctioned violence, poverty, etc.

- To recognize that COVID has taught us and illuminate what we have already known in education, health care, and food access.

- For my new body of work, ‘Unveiling Monuments,’ to be on a national platform and fostering the much-needed conversations that the work prompts. It deserves press coverage and exhibition opportunities.

- For Greensboro to have better artwork, we have so many uninspiring monuments.

The monuments that depict Black and queer people across the world are classic in their futurism and deviate away from our city’s rigid statues of pomp and circumstance.

- To address racism, as it happens, every day— it is always timely. I n 2020, I have been privileged to move away from surviving towards thriving and I don’t want my life nor those of my community members to be truncated. As long as Black people experience premature deaths at the hands of state-sanctioned violence, we will always resist and always affirm Black Lives Matter.

Winston-Salem

Dr. Brittany Battle is an assistant professor of sociology at Wake Forest University, one of the organizers of Triad Abolition Project, and the 2021 recipient of the Sociologists for Women in Society’s “Feminist Activism Award.”

1. I honestly think my greatest accomplishments this year (and most years, to be honest), are not just mine alone, but the result of collective commitment to the greater good. #OccupyWSNC is definitely one of the things I am most proud of this year, but it is certainly not my accomplishment alone. We were able to YES! WEEKLY

PHOTO BY KAREN ASHLEY OF LYTM PHOTOGRAPY

BRIENNE NEVILLE

achieve crucial policy changes to keep folks safer in our community, and also build a community that was receiving knowledge about systems of oppression, partaking in self-care work, expressing themselves creatively, sharing meals, forming relationships, and so much more. But that was the community’s accomplishment— it would not have been possible without the steadfastness of the folks who showed up every single day, the support we received from throughout North Carolina and the country, and the love that maintained the intention of our work each day. I also signed my first book contract, which was really exciting to have happened during only my first year out of my Ph.D. program.

The book, “They’re Stealing My Opportunity to Be a Father:” The Child Support System State Intervention in the Family examines the experiences of parents involved in the child support system using courtroom observations and interviews to illuminate the ways that the child support system functions as a neoliberal construct at the intersection of the welfare and criminal justice systems. My research is a super important part of who I am, and also contributes to my broader commitment to working for liberation.

2. This is a tough one; in many ways, 2020 was just like every other year being a Black woman living amidst these systems of oppression. So, in that way, 2020 was exhausting and full of rage at the continuous brutality we face. But 2020 also felt reinvigorating in many ways witnessing the ways that communities came together to support each other through the pandemic and in the fight for liberation. While we should not have to work in these ways to make sure people’s basic needs are met and to dismantle systems of oppression that should have been long gone, it was beautiful to see the mutual aid networks, the selflessness, and the communitybuilding. I hope that folks take away from our work that this is a long road that requires dedication, flexibility, self-care, intention, boundaries, delegation, and most importantly radical love and hope.

3. 2021 will definitely be a year of continuing to work for Black liberation. I am excited about the newly formed Forsyth County Police Accountability and Reallocation Coalition that TAP is collaborating

DECEMBER 30, 2020 - JANUARY 5, 2021

SARA HINES

with Hate Out of Winston and several other local grassroots organizations on. We are working hard to provide research and evidence-based support for our calls to reallocate some of the massive spendings on law enforcement to the communities most needing support in order to prevent crime not just respond to it. TAP is also looking to develop a series providing education about abolition to the larger community. It is important that folks are able to engage in these conversations to move us toward a future full of compassion and care for the most vulnerable among us. I am excited to work with, teach, and learn from the amazing undergraduates that are in my classes each semester, and to help them continue to find the language for the things that many of them have been experiencing their entire lives. Being a professor is a profound honor that helps me remain grounded in hope for what the future can be.

Brienne Neville is a poet, activist, and the daughter of the late-John Elliott Neville, who died last December after five Forsyth Law Enforcement Detention Center officers put him in the bent-leg, prone restraint position, while one Wellpath nurse watched. As a response to Mr. Neville’s “avoidable death,” activists from Triad Abolition Project occupied Bailey Park this summer for 49 days and were successful in getting the controversial prone restraint position banned from use at the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.

1. It’s so hard to look at this year with all its pains and tests and find something positive, but I’d say my greatest accomplishment has been taking that pain and using it to help others. Through protests, marches, and speeches I found that my purpose was to lift families through the pain of losing a loved one to police brutality. Through spoken-word poetry, I’ve had the honor to help them find their voice when the world has snatched it from them.

2. I’ve never been a crier, yet I’ve shed more tears this year than the last decade.

I cried for Breonna Taylor, I cried for my daughter— wishing for a change. It has been a year of deep reflection, selfawareness, and renewed love. The most important takeaway is that we live in a world where nothing is given and where

UCHA DAVID safe spaces are not readily available.

It’s our time to stand up and create safe spaces, create an environment that breeds peace and allows creativity to flourish. If I’ve passed on anything to others this year I’d hope it would be to take whatever is your passion or talent and transform it into those safe spaces. For me it’s spoken word, it’s talking to families all over the country to hold them up when an innocent life has been snatched. Words have power. My success in 2020 cannot be measured through monetary means. My success is in every person that I help find their voice. Words are my power.

3. 2021 is going to be a tough year for many. But I also see it as a year of transcendental growth and healing. I’m working on quite a few things. ‘Connected’ will be a haven for empaths of all ages to find their voice and ‘Project: Holding Space’ will provide support for families that are victims of police brutality. Healing is a process that takes time, and the time to start is now I hope to see others join in this fight of equality, love, and light.

There is nothing worth having that’s not worth fighting for!

Sara Hines is a poet, mental health professional, co-founder of the Unity Wellness Center, and an activist, who has worked with Housing Justice Now and Triad Abolition Project.

1. My greatest accomplishment of 2020 is my willingness to stand up, speak out, and advocate for my beliefs. Joining #OccupyWSNC and Triad Abolition Project, and fighting for justice for John Neville and his family, and working with Housing Justice Now, fighting for peoples right to be housed, has lit a fire in my soul that requires action, and it allowed me to see so many different perspectives about my city and my country, and I saw the inequities and disparities, most of which I too have experienced personally in my own life, laid bare by this pandemic, and sad demonstrations of the realities of this countries race relations, the unfairness of financial inequity, the sin of health disparities, and the marginalization of people who think they have no voice, and I tried to give them one, I tried to tell my story and in turn speak to and for them, for all of us!

2. Being a Black woman in 2020 has

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KELLIE EASTON

SAMANTHA FOXX

felt like an awakening and a realization of our collective superpowers. Black women have been the local and national faces of the marches against racial inequity and police brutality. We are the creators of the local social justice movements that were spawned out of the need for accountability from our elected officials and our communities at-large. Black women are healers and accountability holders— all while nurturing, teaching, and molding, and modeling the change we want to see in our communities and in the world. We are the change-makers! This year has cleared my mind and honed my perspective. I realized in 2020, that if you aren’t mad as hell at the social condition of our communities and our country, then you are not paying attention...My biggest takeaway is that there is power in collective protest and in civil disobedience. I learned that the creation of ‘good trouble’ for a just cause is brave and heroic, and I hope others learn from my work and my example, that we are stronger together, because, in the end, it is us who keeps us safe!

3. As I walk into 2021, my hope is that the tides and waves of change continue, growing into a collective tsunami of healing from the traumas of 2020, before and beyond. I hope that we all strive to be better humans, and hold space for everyone’s humanity, healing, health, and happiness. I am excited to be working on making my community healthier and happier through a new grassroots intiative, the Unity Wellness Center of Winston-Salem, which will be located in the heart of East Winston—an epicenter of disparity and marginalization. It will be a space where everyone is wanted and welcome, and each and every voice and story can be a healing tool through the sharing of our individual lived experiences. Applying my education as a mental health professional, specializing in Mental Health and Substance Use Addiction and Recovery, the Unity Wellness Center of Winston-Salem is the vision of myself and my friend and co-founder, Dr. Lindsay Peral...My biggest hope is to see the Unity Wellness Center of Winston Salem become a reality of hope and healing in the summer of 2021.

Ucha David is the Triad regional organizer with the Carolina Federation, which is a WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

HATASHA CARTER

statewide organization that “brings local people together across race and the ruralurban divide to build political and electoral power in their own communities.” They are also the organizer of the group’s local chapter, the Forsyth Freedom Federation.

1. This year, I took on a new position as Regional Organizer with the Carolina Federation. My role is to build a multi-racial base of working-class people in Forsyth County to develop campaigns around issues most important to them. For a long time, I have been thinking about how ordinary people can make the world around them work for them. This has puzzled me. My experience growing up in a large immigrant family in Winston-Salem was one where there were opportunities but they were just short of me being able to capitalize on them. And that was the same way for my parents as well as for many of the people that I respected in my life. So I had always hoped that maybe one-day communities and local governments could actually aspire to bring greatness out of people. The launch of the Forsyth County Freedom Federation is that dream made real. So, I would have to say that my greatest accomplishment for 2020 was organizing a group of Forsyth County residents with various skills towards the single vision of building a community that represents and works for them.

2. I’m not going to lie, I don’t really think I have the words to express how I as a Black woman I have felt for 2020. For much of the year, I have had to suppress my frustration and disappointment to get by and do some measure of good for my friends and chosen family. What I will say is that I have learned that no one is going to fix all that we have found to be broken. If we have the wisdom to see what is wrong with our society then it up to us to find the cure and that daunting but I am surprisingly optimistic that there are enough of us who are ready to step in and see to it that things are different this time. I think 2021 will be a year of surprises.

3. My hopes for 2021 are that people will resist the great temptation to forget the disappointments of 2020 and get involved in some effort to fundamentally change who gets to shape our communities. My work with the Freedom Federation will continue by offering more opportunities to

AYO POWELL

skill people up in the ways that will prepare them to be authentically involved and cogovern in Forsyth.

Kellie Easton is the executive director of Action4Equity, which is an organization that is “building a movement to advance equity for students in Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County Schools in the areas of academic achievement, access to high-quality instruction, and safe and healthy school environments.”

1. This year, Action4Equity was able to develop greater infrastructure in order to strengthen our work within and outside of the education system. I believe this is our greatest accomplishment because it gives us the ability to explore, build awareness, and advocate for policies in partnership and on behalf of those impacted the most by a public education system that was not designed with all children and their families in mind.

2. Being a Black woman in 2020 provided an opportunity to do what many Black women before me have done- step up in ways that only Black women can. In a white supremacist patriarchal society, there is no one more capable of conveying the underlying pain of the American political system than a Black woman.

While I personally find it dangerous to celebrate Black women solely in this manner, it is certainly worth acknowledging the strength in which Black women often find ourselves having to be the voice of the oppressed. That feeling is empowering, challenging, exhausting, and at times coercive. Nevertheless, 2020 has also been liberating for me as a Black woman. My most important takeaway is that I get to choose what battles I will fight. There will always be battles to fight and win but not every battle is worth fighting. However, when we decide to take on a battle it is important to ensure that we’re in it to win it because with every battle there is guaranteed to be collateral damage. I can take on battles courageously knowing that even the smallest victories won are not only tied to previous movements but they can also become tied to battles we will fight in the future. So I believe it is imperative for us to choose the battles we will fight and not allow society, or the current climate to do all the choosing for us.

IKULTURE CHANDLER This way can build upon a solid foundation while also maintaining the perspective of long-term objectives. For many reasons, this has been a solidifying aspect of my work this year, especially when it came to the superintendent position.

3. My hope is to institutionalize the work of Action4Equity in 2021 in ways that are both transformational and exemplary. We’re seeking the type of system change that will only be achieved and maintained by cultural change. So in 2021 every organization, leader and concerned citizen, parent, educator, organizer, etc... that comes into meaningful community with Action4Equity will experience our expectation of greater accountability.

Greater accountability first to ourselves and then among one another. Structural change begins on a heart level and must permeate one’s consciousness. Lackadaisical leadership that fails to drive change where it matters the most (in issues of human rights) is the result of lower human consciousness. As we work to produce a flourishing, inclusive, and equitable community via the education system, we’re going to hold ourselves to a higher standard of being and hope to influence others to do the same.

Samantha Foxx is an urban farmer, beekeeper and owner of Mother’s Finest Family Farms.

1. My biggest accomplishment is this year, was being able to continue to grow food and be of service to my community during this global pandemic. Also, having the ability to create wellness products that have been so vital to so many families at this time. I am thankful, that I was in a position to help others and have the ability to supply healthy food options and educate on the importance of addressing community wellness as a whole.

2. It has felt empowering to be a Black woman in 2020 and representing other Black women through my work. It has inspired women globally, to be more interested in farming as well as beekeeping. I think that the most important takeaway was that planting a seed is powerful and I consider it a revolutionary act. I hope others get to experience that power, as well as we enter into 2021.

3. My hopes for 2021 is to continue to ex-

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pand growing food. I hope to be able to get back out in the community and continue to educate kids about being stewards to this land as well as the role pollinators play in our ecosystem. I hope that the seeds I am planting encourages other families to learn to be more self-sufficient.

Hatasha Carter is the president and co-founder of the grassroots, mutual aid organization Sistas 4 Change WinstonSalem.

1. Our greatest accomplishment is definitely our Community Eatz Initiative. We have dedicated ourselves to feeding our community twice a week in areas no one else wants to improve, or have forgotten about. None of us have ever forgotten how it feels to go hungry and we want to make sure our brothers and sisters on the East side of town don’t forget that we are there for them.

2. Being a woman in 2020 her been powerful— hard, but powerful. More than ever, we have our chance to make an impact, and what better time than now. Being Black in Winston had forced us to come out of our comfort zones to fight harder than we have before for injustices that seem to have taken their toll on our city.

I’ve learned patience can drive motivation and hope others soon learn the same.

3. In 2021, we have so many plans! Our biggest, however, is the sentiment of our new cooking program for children... we plan to make this available by summer 2021.

Ayo Powell is the vice president and co-founder of S4CWS. 1. Starting S4CWS has been my greatest accomplishment this year. Coming together with three other passionate women of color to become a resource for the communities here in Winston Salem has been an amazing experience. S4CWS was started with a mutual passion that we all wanted to do “something” more. It grew from the embers of the Black Lives Matter movement this summer and has become a flame of its own. In the short time, we have been in existence it has been a blessing to see the smiles and tears on the faces of the families and individuals we have been honored to help. It reinforces why we started our organization.

2. Being a Black Woman in America has always felt like the short end of the stick, so to speak. We bear the curse of being ‘too strong’ but needing to be at the same time, and 2020 showed us why this strength is needed.

3. As we move into 2021, there’s so much on in the future for S4CWS. First, we want to see our Community Eatz program continue to flourish and build more relationships with those that want to fill YES! WEEKLY

the hunger gap. I would like to see us join forces with a few other local grassroots organizations to maybe mentor, or work with the youth, and start a program the engages them and helps to keep them away from the streets— a place that is a safe haven and fosters creativity and mental awareness. The children really are the future and it’s time for the villages to step back in to help raise them.

waiting for WPR Consultants to finish their investigation. I’m hopeful for more updates regarding the fire training program.

We are still pushing for answers regarding the Ella Crawley case! It has been a pleasure working alongside Miranda Jones and the other Hate Out of Winston members.

We won’t stop putting our best efforts into seeking continuous justice and change for our system in 2021.

Ikulture Chandler is one of the co-organizers with Hate Out of Winston, which is a group of “ragtag radicals fighting for Black lives through policy change.” In 2020, Hate Out amplified the demands of OMNIBUS, a group of Winston-Salem Black firefighters who alleged a toxic culture of racism within the WSFD, and has been calling for the City of Winston-Salem to reallocate funds from the $78 million Winston-Salem Police Department budget to the community.

1. I would say, my greatest accomplishment was educating myself more on the importance of Black women— what it means to be my own advocate and what it means to use my voice to stand up and defend my own people. Placing myself in uncomfortable places, acknowledging my own Blackness, and not code-switching to fit into white society. I am an advocate for the speechless, a voice for my culture— for women and men to be able to express their anger, fear, and pain. I am more than willing to communicate that to a world that consistently overlooks the pain of Black men and women and pretends to be colorblind to systemic and economic racism.

2. Being a Black woman in 2020 has been no different than being a Black woman in any year— I personally believe the fight and the cycle of being Black are always the same. We seriously are always placed into positions where we can’t have it all— having a degree isn’t enough, having a house, having a car just isn’t enough and that with and without children. If any of those things fell apart, we are basically back to the beginning, and all of are hard work has gone to waste for what? A system that is not set to help us stand! I hope that Black women (with and without kids) will be acknowledged and praised for their strength for simply holding on. I’ve learned sharing these common situations with Black women shows them that someone is out there allowing their everyday reality to be made known to others because I am living through it year after year.

3. Right now, I am dealing with a highrisk pregnancy and will be in the early months of 2021. Once I return, I will continue on into projects for resume-building and job searching. In terms of Hate Out, I plan on following up with OMNIBUS, who is

Camille Adair is a doula, the owner/ founder of Bird, Bees and Babies, and an organizer with Hate Out of Winston.

1. 2020 is a year where you don’t get to answer this question without stuffing down enormous shared grief to remember your gratitude for simply surviving, first and foremost. While I survived, I pushed amongst groups for cohesion and solidarity at the beginning of Winston’s protest season. By the end of the year, I watched the collaborative efforts of the community grow roots. There are enough activists and allies in Winston to make a presence anywhere we want when we support each other.

2. I will spare you the detailed mosaics of trauma I’ve incurred, and utilize this moment to say it was my own slice of liberation to be Black and be loved; to be Black and be supported; to be Black and be alive.

I do hope everyone remembers the sounds of their own and the voices around them. I hope they never forget how powerful they were. All this work is possible because we showed up, we participated, and we kept going. There is power in the people.

3. It’s easy to dream about better tomorrow’s after a year like this; consequently, I’m aiming low and simply hoping for just that. I hope for everyone a better tomorrow.

December 30, 2020 - January 5, 2021

Quamekia Shavers is a local activist and organizer who served as the 20182020 president of the Young Democrats of Forsyth County, and as a member of the Winston-Salem City Council’s Community Investment Review Committee.

1. My greatest accomplishments of this year were participating in local protests; fighting racial injustice within our law-enforcement system—locally and nationally; creating and motivating young people, minority community members, and first-time voters to vote in the primary and general elections; serving my last year as the president of the Young Democrats of Forsyth County ended on such a big win and all of our creativeness and persistence come to fruition; being selected to serve on the Community Investment Review Committee under the Winston-Salem City Council to help propose strategic ideas of how $1 million should be allocated to constituents; and purchasing a home and

securing my real estate licenses before the year ended.

2. Prior to 2020, it has always been difficult being a Black woman because we always feel that we are undesired, underestimated, and unprotected; when in fact, we are some of the most strategic and intelligent individuals known to mankind— we are typically behind the success of many. Being a part of helping a Democrat win the presidency and going over and beyond helping my sorority sister, Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, secure the opportunity to be the first female vice president, lets me know to continue to always reach for whatever my heart desires.

3. My desire for 2021, as I just secured my real estate licenses in the state of North Carolina, is to encourage and educate minorities to purchase homes. Homeownership is such a great opportunity that I want others to experience this joy! I also plan to take the Law School Admissions Test in April of 2021 and apply for law school in the fall.

Natasha Smith is a political strategist, the senior digital strategist at Run the World Digital, and the Forsyth County Democratic Party’s Voter Contact Committee co-chair.

1. 2020 was a whirlwind of a year. I had the honor of working on some amazing campaigns - Desiree Tims, Dr. Cameron Webb, Dana Balter, and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester’s Congressional campaigns just to name a few. And I’m currently fundraising for an amazing group in Georgia (New Georgia Project) whose work could help deliver the United States Senate. So, this has been a year of unbelievable highs.

But 2020 really tried its best to knock us all down. The fact that I’m still standing as we head into 2021 is my greatest accomplishment. Between COVID and the election, this year has had me in constant motion. I’m a political strategist, so I’m accustomed to busy election years, but with the addition of COVID (and virtual learning and social distancing), this was a year that no amount of prep could save.

2. This has been an amazing year in terms of showcasing all that Black women can do. Seeing what my sisters in action have done this year is what keeps my going some days. This has been another year that #TrustBlackWomen and #BelieveBlackWomen have been trending hashtags on social media, and my biggest takeaway is that I hope people finally start doing it. There’s not an area of my life where a Black woman hasn’t been the person who stepped up and got us over the finish line, yet when it’s time for organizational meetings and elections, somehow Black women aren’t nominated for leadership roles.

3. I test for Black Belt at Tiger Kim’s

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CAMILLE ADAIR

QUAMEKIA SHAVERS

Taekwondo in August. As a former dancer and figure skater, taekwondo was the last thing I ever thought I’d enjoy, but it’s changed my life. On the professional front, stay tuned— big things are coming!

High Point

Chanel Davis is a journalist, CEO/ founder of the public relations firm, Humbly Press’d, and the president of the Triad Association of Black Journalists, an affiliate chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.

1. Aside from just surviving from day to day, I would say that my biggest accomplishment this year would be solidifying my business. I’ve been freelancing for roughly five or six years now, and didn’t have a name, just my name. This year, I finally had enough courage and motivation to register everything. With that said, this year, from a business perspective, I went from surviving to thriving. I’m pretty proud of the ability to thrive during a pandemic.

2. This year has been especially heavy.

It was especially heavy and fast for Black journalists. We went from Arbery, Taylor, Floyd, to COVID to protests. From protests back to COVID to a racially-charged election that threatened to split the nation and isolated family gatherings. It’s been a lot. This year I felt compelled, more than ever, to tell people’s stories. From those who faced systemic and institutionalized racism, to those who had inspirational tales, wisdom and growth to expound upon. Helping people leave a legacy and paving the way for others who watch from the shadows or will walk in their shoes, 2020, with all its twists and turns, was about the people in more ways than one. It was important for me to be able to chronicle and give voice to that in some form or fashion. The most important takeaway for me this year is to always be ready and to be grateful. If you didn’t know how to pivot this year, your business suffered. It was especially important to be prepared for whatever life threw at you in 2020. It was also important to appreciate where you were in life and what you had. There have been so many losses (physically, emotionally, financially, etc. ) this year that it was important for me to take inventory and appreciate all of the things that I have.

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NATASHA SMITH

3. It is my hope that 2021 brings about a positive change for the nation, compassion and grace from others, and the ability to be able to love past the hate. From a personal standpoint, I like to continue to grow Humbly Press’d, get some long-form projects started and finished, collect more contracts and grow as a journalist, mother, and Black woman.

Phyllis Bridges is a historian, chair of the High Point Preservation Society, CEO/ project developer of Yalik’s African-American Art & Cultural Center, co-chair of the Coltrain Project, and board member of the Washington Street Historical Preservation Society.

1. My greatest accomplishments this year, were two-fold: receiving the “Award of Excellence,” and the “Lighthouse Achievement Award” from the North Carolina Society of Historians. This year, I presented three entries to the society, all documenting past and present history in High Point’s African-American community; a booklet that chronicled 400 years of African-American History hosted by the High Point Commemoration for 400 Years of African-American History. I, along with two other executive board members, and approximately 12 committee members partnered with several organizations in the city to present African-American history through art, dance, lectures, workshops, drama, and other mediums. (To our knowledge, High Point may have been the only city in the state to recognize the 400 year celebration for the entire year.) The second part of that was articles submitted to the High Point Enterprise highlighting some of the most prominent African-American citizens and Black organizations of our past responsible for vital contributions to our community. (The articles are published weekly.) Last, was a short film, titled the Forgotten Ones, this film exposes the legacy laid to rest in Oakwood cemetery’s “Colored Section.” It is where our earliest Black settlers are buried, people such as Henry Clay Davis, a former stagecoach driver, and Annie Pitts a former slave who was owned by one of High Point’s early founders. You ask why these were my greatest accomplishments— it is my mission, my passion, and it is me staying unapologetically in my lane. Someone must preserve and tell the

CHANEL DAVIS

stories of the past in order to ensure we move the next generation forward through and around future obstacles. So, receiving the Lighthouse Achievement Award was more than an honor. The comments from the judges read: The Lighthouse Achievement Award is celebrating YOU — the passion and artistry you poured into all three of the pieces through which you immortalized events and personalities important to the story.

2. All I know is being a Black woman in 2020 couldn’t change that; continuing to be determined, strong, vigilant, and driven are all necessary traits, all the time. However, what 2020 has sparked for me and many of us, as quarantine set in, is ‘Get ‘er done. Now!’ and make more of an impact in the African-American community, now.

My takeaway is that time is a critical commodity, and during a pandemic, all you have is time to think about how to better spend it. If you are capable and have the means to continue doing what you love to do, keep pushing, don’t stop. We may not be able to choose the time, but we can better prepare for the time.

3. My hope for 2021 is like most, that we get the pandemic under control. People

PHYLLIS BRIDGES need to heal— physically and emotionally. And that we recognize that what was once normal, will not be our new normal.

The world is different. We are different.

Let’s re-enter society differently, with more compassion, kindness, and reverence for human life. If what they say about ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder,’ we gotta be crazy about each other after this!

At least I hope so. May many of our racial ills be eased when we come back together again. I am currently working on my final and biggest project. For the last several years, I have been laying the foundation for this project, giving the community glimpses along the way, but they didn’t know it! I’m so grateful for these opportunities, like YES! Weekly, which supports the fruits of my labor and the team I work with. I’m asking the community for their continued support on this final quest.

Together, we can leave a historical mark deep and wide on our city— I couldn’t do without them. So, with that being said, please continue to follow me on social media to see what hints I’ll be dropping! It will all be revealed soon. !

answers [CROSSWORD] crossword on page 9

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