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FEBRUARY 24 - MARCH 2, 2021 VOLUME 17, NUMBER 8

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Fax 336-316-1930 Publisher CHARLES A. WOMACK III publisher@yesweekly.com EDITORIAL Editor CHANEL DAVIS chanel@yesweekly.com YES! Writers IAN MCDOWELL

At a time when many African Americans were forced to sit at the back of the bus, sleep in substandard or unsafe living quarters, forfeit their seat, or find another way of transport, there were a few in the Triad who decided to go ANOTHER ROUTE. In this week’s issue, we highlight them, their empires, and the mark in history they left toward making the Triad a better place.

MARK BURGER KATEI CRANFORD

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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 2021 Womack Newspapers, Inc.

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“The staff came up with the idea for SHELTER ELSEWHERE based on many conversations we were having about equity in the organization and its residency and internship structures. Who was getting to participate and who was not? It was a pretty wild idea to invite people into the space for six months and to make this the exclusive use of the space,” said Matthew Giddings, Executive Director of Elsewhere. 5 Downtown Greensboro’s streets were filled with demonstrations marching for justice and calling for change to systems as old as the city itself in the summer of 2020. It would seem as if those chants and speeches have been heard as the city moves forward, both highlighting those acts of social justice and erecting a monument to commemorate past acts and FUTURE HOPES. 6 The screen version of NOMADLAND is both timely and timeless. An exploration of America that many of us have never experienced, or potentially ever will, it’s a staggering portrait of everyday folk who have worked hard all their lives, played by the rules, and now find themselves disconnected...

BURR is being hailed by Democrats and the media alike for “voting his conscience,” but if that’s the case, then it may be the only time the Senator has ever done so. Let’s begin with Burr’s vote against the passage of The Stock Act. 12 “I call my business Black Magnolia Southern Patisserie because I’m Black, Southern, and French.” That’s how Veneé Pawlowski explained the name of her popular work-from-home Greensboro PASTRY BUSINESS when I interviewed her at her Carr Street residence. 13 Several members of the Greensboro city council recently stated to YES! Weekly that settlement offers have been made to the family of MARCUS DEON SMITH. 14 “It’s Only Up From Here,” the latest release from Devin “DEVY QUILLS” Singleton, takes the Triad hip-hop and visual artist to new heights, with friends and fans in tow. Released via the steady:hyperactive collective and label, Quill’s latest work preens odes of optimism and getting what’s yours while reflecting on lifestyles and heartbreak, nevertheless creating an overall uplifting vibe.

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Home is where the Art is: Artists quarantine for projects

hat happens when you lock seven artists into a museum chock-full of everything from vintage lace to air conditioner units and felt fabric during a pandemic? The people at Elsewhere Museum wanted to know as well and decided to give it a shot. Chanel Davis For the last six months, the museum that has everything you could ever imagine has been the ultimate Editor quarantine bubble for seven artists and home base for Shelter Elsewhere. According to the museum’s website, the program is described as a part live/work exchange, a part cohort of collaborative thought partners, and part COVID-19 social housing opportunity. The six-month communal living and working experiment is designed to combat isolation by promoting collaboration in the middle of a pandemic in hopes of realizing the museum’s mission: “with people and things, we build collaborative futures.” “The staff came up with the idea for Shelter Elsewhere based on many conversations we were having about equity in the organization and its residency and internship structures. Who was getting to participate and who was not? It was a pretty wild idea to invite people into the space for six months and to make this the exclusive use of the space,” said Matthew Giddings, Executive Director of Elsewhere. “Ultimately, it was about trusting the collective impulse to do this. We bet on community and collaboration. We bet on our ability to problem solve, to listen to intuition, and that this would be the best possible path for the organization and everyone involved.” The 150-year-old three-story building that sits on South Elm Street, between Bain and West Lewis Streets in Greensboro, once home to a thrift store, is now considered a treasure trove of artwork, materials, projects, hopes, and dreams. In a typical year, the museum may see up to 50 residents and interns seeking to live and work in its space collectively, but COVID-19 proved that to be a challenge. To adjust, the fellows have been living on the second floor of the museum since Sept. 15, 2020, in private rooms, although sharing the two full and three half bathrooms available, with access to a free washer and dryer on-site, free wifi, and a landline phone. Fellows did have the option to break from Dec. 10, 2020, to Jan. 10, 2021, to visit their families and safely quarantine by getting tested and following safety procedures before their return. The kitchen, which is centrally located on the first floor, lends to the museum’s cooperative living style with weekly co-op shopping, garden access, regular communal meals, and do-it-yourself provisions anytime. With a wood and textile shop, a tech lab, storefront theater, vintage wardrobe, and more at the museum, there wasn’t too much more the fellows needed to accomplish their tasks. Using materials and ideas found by exploring Elsewhere’s environment, inventories, comYES! WEEKLY

FEBRUARY 24 - MARCH 2, 2021

munities, and past projects, the fellows designed projects that were required in exchange for room and board or could create a site-specific project. Like any co-living situation, contributing towards chores, cleaning, organizations, and meals were required from participants. However, work exchange required that the fellows contribute at least 10 hours a week to the organization by aiding in reorganizing and renovating the living and/or work environments, garden and landscaping, upkeep and maintenance of building and living systems, preparing the museum for future reopening to the public, creating COVID-safe community events, creating programming for local creatives, businesses, social justice leaders and organizers to serve the community further. The group also worked to leave a digital footprint of its time at the museum by documenting their daily activities and projects, archiving digital files, and establishing social media content reflective of the museum and the community. In true Elsewhere fashion, this experiment will come to an end on Friday, February 26 at 7 p.m. in a virtual version of the museum’s long-standing Friday Happenings to showcase the works created while the artists were isolated. There will be a virtual hangout immediately following the event. “The event this Friday, and our 32-page self-published “QuaranZine” book, are ways, even poetic ways, of conveying the experience of living in the museum for the past six months,” Giddings said. “These are not how-to guides. Rather, they are illustrations of the way we want to foster creative community through the museum into the future.” The event will allow outsiders to hear stories from fellows and see what has been going on inside the museum for the past six months, including chores, communal life, renovations, and making art. The purchase of the ticket,

with prices ranging from a suggested $10 to $1,200, includes an option for the limited edition publication of “Quaranzine,” that details life in the museum during COVID-19 by Cryptid comic artist and fellow Christopher Villanueva, and a one of a kind cocktail recipe along with the Zoom link. Participants will be able to see the floorto-ceiling updates to the ground floor, spend time in the second-floor Red Zone made by one of the fellows in an attempt to protect their fellow Fellows with red camouflage, a late evening adult puppet show with a question and answer session to follow. The Confessatorium will be making its first appearance of the New Year. Created in 2008 by resident artist Amber PB, the Confessatorium has allowed museum guests to write confessions in its notebooks for the past 13 years. Kinari Council, a Shelter Elsewhere Fellow, read confessions live on Zoom in December 2020 for Elsewhere’s Fort Night event. He will take up that role once again, reading COVID confessions live on Friday night. With the museum being closed to the public, those looking to air their grievances are encouraged to submit their confession on the website before Friday. Fellows are expected to depart by February 28. Proceeds from tickets and publication pre-orders will help Shelter Elsewhere Fellows with transportation, housing, and other living costs that may be needed to assist the Fellows with returning to living outside of the museum. The museum is hoping to secure at least $3,000 with the hope and sponsorship of individual residents and businesses. For more information, visit www.elsewheremuseum. org. ! CHANEL DAVIS is the current editor of YES! Weekly and graduated from N.C. A&T S.U. in 2011 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s worked at daily and weekly newspapers in the Triad region.

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Cornerstones, Conflict, and Conversations: Greensboro’s art brings about race conversations Downtown Greensboro’s streets were filled with demonstrations marching for justice and calling for change to systems as old as the city itself in the summer of 2020. It would seem as Chanel Davis if those chants and speeches have been heard as the city Editor moves forward, both highlighting those acts of social justice and erecting a monument to commemorate past acts and future hopes. Pieces of Now: Murals, Masks, Community Stories and Conversations The Greensboro History Museum has geared its exhibit observing Black History Month closer to home this year and not just around the Woolworth Sit-Ins. In the aftermath of almost a year of racial reckoning for the nation, the museum is taking a more in-depth look at residents’ lives during this time and giving a platform for those who want to share their experiences via conversations, online programs, and curated art exhibitions. The Pieces of Now: Murals, Masks, Community Stories, and Conversations exhibit features more than 20 pieces of street art created last summer during the Black Lives Matter Protests, along with photos, objects, and video interviews with the artists and organizers who led demonstrations. In an interactive twist, the community is invited to share experiences, stories, and objects related to the protests, pandemic, and economic crisis to the exhibition. “We have created a space where the community can experience and engage with empathy. They can see the items we have collected---murals, masks, clothing, brushes, broken glass, restaurant menus, protest signs, and listen to the stories we have gathered from protestors, artists, and community members. It is important to show what we have, so people can see what we don’t have and help us gather more stories,” said Carol Hart, director of the Greensboro History Museum. “We are creating meaning with our community as co-curators. We are documenting the times we are living for future generations and for us all right now to continue the WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

conversations about what is important to them right now.” The museum has hosted a series of webinars throughout the month revolving around the topic of Police, Community, and Justice, History Lunch Break Broadcasts, and a weekly History Notes podcast. The series has discussed Police Qualified Immunity, Police-Community Relations and School Resource Officers, Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown and the Palmer Institute, and the Magnolia House. It’s also hosting a Democracy Table conversation under the theme Police, Community, and Justice on Wednesday, February 24. In collaboration with the University of North Carolina Greensboro Communication Studies Department, the event is billed as an opportunity to share experiences and connect with others around topics critical to the city. “Especially in the time of COVID-19, we wanted to be able to reach all in our community and emphasize that the work of our museum is more than what goes on in the building. In the gallery itself, we only have short snippets of interviews. People can then go home and listen and watch the entire interview and discussions. The live webinars enable people to ask questions and for us to further explore bigger contexts and issues. The virtual and online content, including the virtual exhibit tour of Pieces that is now available, has been especially important for our work with students and teachers in the classroom,” Hart said. “Clearly, people in our community are responding to what we are doing. Residents can expect more of this in-depth exploration of our times, through exhibition and our online programs.” Located in the Cultural District of Downtown Greensboro, the Greensboro History Museum is a division of the city’s Library Department whose primary job is to collect the city’s diverse history and connect people to the past and one another through exhibits, educational programs, and community dialogue. For more information, times or events, visit www.greensborohistory.org.

city’s four-part Cornerstone commission. The Freedom theme is inspired by the city’s history and role in the Civil Rights Movement, highlighting the 1960 Woolworth Sit-ins and the meaning of what freedom means today and in the future. Throughout January, the community was asked to send their thoughts of “what does freedom feel like to you?” in the form of a word, phrase, image, or sound so they could be shared with Bailey as he creates the work, which is expected to have elements of lights, sounds, and steel. In a press release, Bailey notes, “we all will bring our own history to the project, but that history will be seen through the lens through which we each perceive our own experiences.” With an estimated project budget of $350,000, the Freedom Cornerstone is located in the southeast corner of the Greenway’s four-mile loop and is expected to be completed by 2022. Themes at the other cornerstones are Motion, Tradition, and Innovation.

Bailey is a painter, sculptor, and mixed media artist from Atlanta who brings an international reputation to the project and a history of telling stories of African American history and culture. His most recent work is titled From the Cabinet and was installed at the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture. His work is in institutional collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; Dallas Museum of Art; Ford Foundation, New York City; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Philadelphia; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; Mint Museum, Charlotte; Nasher Museum at Duke University, Durham; and the Weatherspoon Art Museum at UNCG in Greensboro. ! CHANEL DAVIS is the current editor of YES! Weekly and graduated from N.C. A&T S.U. in 2011 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s worked at daily and weekly newspapers in the Triad region.

Freedom Cornerstone Residents in East Greensboro will soon notice a new landmark at the corner of Murrow and East Gate City Boulevards on the Downtown Greenway. Atlanta-based artist Radcliffe Bailey has been tapped to design and fabricate the Freedom Cornerstone, the last in the FEBRUARY 24 - MARCH 2, 2021

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flicks

The American Dream takes a detour in Nomadland

he screen version of Nomadland is both timely and timeless. An exploration of America that many of us have never experiMark Burger enced, or potentially ever will, it’s a stagContributor gering portrait of everyday folk who have worked hard all their lives, played by the rules, and now find themselves disconnected from, or even discarded by, traditional society. Yet this is not necessarily a Great American Tragedy. In a superb star turn, Frances McDormand portrays Fern, a 60ish widow who lives out of her truck. When her husband died, and economic woes forced the gypsum facility’s closure in Empire, NV, the town basically ceased to exist overnight. So she took to the road, traveling the countryside, picking up odd jobs on the side (including one at Amazon), and

commingling with “fellow travelers” like herself, who have found themselves in similar straits but have forged a supportive subculture among themselves. Nomadland marks the third feature of screenwriter/producer/editor/ director Chloe Zhao, who proves extremely capable in each capacity. Born in Beijing and educated in London and the United States, she brings what might be described as an outsider’s perspective to this quintessentially American story.

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With a big assist from cinematographer Joshua James Richards, who is also film’s production designer (as well as Zhao’s off-screen partner), she finds beauty and majesty in both the landscape and the lifestyle. Zhao’s 2015 debut feature, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, which was filmed in South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, successfully and persuasively immersed the viewer in Native American culture. Her 2017 follow-up, The Rider, offered likewise immersive portrait of the contemporary rodeo culture. She has evinced a deep and genuine curiosity about people from different cultures and sub-cultures, and has found a way to make that curiosity accessible and enticing to audiences. That Zhao employed non-actors in both films’ pivotal roles added an extra layer of authenticity, which she has carried over in Nomadland. With the exception of McDormand and David Strathairn, the majority of the film’s characters – including Linda May, Bob Wells, and Swankie (that’s her name) – are modern-day nomads. They’re not playing these roles; they’ve lived them. Each brings a sincerity born of life experience. If there were any concerns about employing amateur actors, these are quickly dashed. Nomadland is not a documentary, but it’s not a straightforward drama, either. It’s a fascinating hybrid that enlightens as much as it entertains. Not surprisingly, Nomadland has earned comparisons to John Ford’s 1941 classic The Grapes of Wrath, much as Bruder’s 2017 non-fiction bestseller No-

madland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century was compared to John Steinbeck’s 1939 novel. The comparisons are appropriate, and you’ll find bits and pieces of Sam Shepard, Jack Kerouac, Horton Foote, and Sinclair Lewis here, too. Fern’s circumstances, and the circumstances of the people she encounters, might appear depressing and dire, yet they rarely express anger or bitterness. Many times, albeit with some reservations, it’s exactly the opposite: They’ve come to adapt and even appreciate their way of life. Sure, they’ve had tough breaks. But who hasn’t? Dwelling on them or wallowing in self-pity accomplishes nothing. Better to keep moving forward and see what’s around the next bend. Not being tied down offers them the freedom they might not have otherwise known. They can come and go as they please, unencumbered by traditional trappings or relationships. It’s not quite a celebration, but it’s hardly a downer, which is one of the film’s most potent attributes. Another, unquestionably, is McDormand, who is in virtually every scene, and brings a luminous, even sublime, empathy to Fern. Her eyes as filled with worry as hope, she’s not waiting to be helped or rescued because she knows better. She’s got to do for herself. Strathairn, who certainly deserves the distinction of being “always welcome” in any film because he’ll always bring a little something extra, enjoys one of his more sizable big-screen roles in some time as Dave, who takes a shine to Fran and she to him (maybe). Their relationship proceeds, like everything else in the film, in entirely natural, believable terms. – Nomadland is playing in theaters and is available on Hulu. ! See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2021, Mark Burger.

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his stocks, including all of those in the hotel and hospitality industry. On three separate days, January 31, February 4, and February 13, he made a total of 33 stock trades worth an estimated 1.7 million dollars. But what makes these suspicious transactions even more odious is that several days prior to the stock dump, Burr penned an Op-Ed for FOX News in which he assured the public that America was “better prepared than ever before to face emerging public health threats.” And you’d think that Burr knew what he was talking about. After all, he wrote the Federal Pandemic All-Hazards Preparedness Act in 2006. But Burr knew what he’d written in the Op-Ed was at best misleading and, at worst, a lie. Still, he had to protect the value of his stocks before he could unload them. After doing so, Burr came clean when speaking to the Tar Heel Circle, a private group of high rollers. Having just profited from the 33 trades, Burr told the group that COVID-19 “is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything we have seen in recent history.” When news of Burr’s stock trades was made public, democrats and republicans alike started calling for him to resign. Some said that if Burr had been straight with the American people right after his first briefing, he could have helped to save lives. Even FOX’s Tucker Carlson excoriated Burr, saying, “There is no greater moral crime than betraying your country in a time of crisis, and that appears to be what happened.” The FBI investigated Burr’s stock transactions to see if he had traded on insider information. However, Burr claimed he only used public information to make the trades, and the FBI bought his story. The point is that Burr could have been censured long ago, not just for his stock trades or for taking money from industries he was supposed to be regulating, but the Republican Party chose to look the other way. Now, with plenty of money in the bank and nothing to lose, Burr is retiring from the Senate, so he took no risk in voting to convict Trump of inciting an insurrection. On the flip side, if Burr were running for re-election, you can bet your portfolio that he would have voted to acquit the former President. Thus, Burr didn’t cast a vote of conscience. He cast a vote of circumstance. That’s why I have two problems with the GOP censure. It was issued for the wrong reason, and it came 20 years too late. !

STR

or over 20 years now, Richard Burr has managed to enrich himself through unethical means, mislead the American people about a deadly virus, oppose Jim Longworth letting Americans buy cheaper drugs from Canada, Longworth take money from at Large industries he was supposed to regulate (then push for tax breaks for them), and vote against the creation of a job corps that would employ veterans. And after all that, the only rebuke he’s ever received was from the State Republican Party, who, earlier this month, censured Burr for voting to convict Donald Trump of behavior which Burr had enabled for four years. This would be funny if it weren’t so serious. Burr is being hailed by Democrats and the media alike for “voting his conscience,” but if that’s the case, then it may be the only time the Senator has ever done so. Let’s begin with Burr’s vote against the passage of The Stock Act. In 2012, members of the United States Senate overwhelmingly decided to take action to make it illegal for a member of their body to profit financially from insider information derived from Senate briefings. Only two Senators voted against The Stock Act, and Richard Burr was one of them. Burr’s vote should tell you something about his priorities and his proclivity for making money the easy way. According to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, when he entered Congress in 1994, Burr’s net worth was under $190,000. By 2018, opensecrets. org reports that his net worth rose to over $7.4 million. That’s an increase of 3,600% at a time when, according to Ballotpedia, the average American’s income rose by less than 1%. Of course, that 7.4 million dollars could now be approaching $9 million after Burr’s controversial stock trades of 2020, and that brings me to the second example of the Senator’s so-called conscience. On January 24th of last year, Dr. Anthony Fauci briefed Burr and other Senators about the seriousness of the spreading COVID-19 virus. According to Reuters, three days later, Burr as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, began receiving daily COVID updates. Then, coincidentally Burr began to liquidate

Burr censured…at last

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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). FEBRUARY 24 - MARCH 2, 2021

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leisure [NEWS OF THE WEIRD] IT’S A DOG’S LIFE

Bill Dorris, a successful Nashville, Tennessee, businessman, was 84 years old when he passed away late last year, WTVF-TV reported, leaving $5 million to his Chuck Shepherd beloved 8-year-old border collie, Lulu. Dorris, who was unmarried and traveled frequently, often left Lulu in the care of his friend Martha Burton, 88, who will continue to keep the dog and will be reimbursed for reasonable monthly expenses from the trust established for Lulu by the will. Burton was chill about the whole thing: “I don’t really know what to think about it to tell you the truth,” she said. “He just really loved that dog.”

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Concordia University student Aaron Asuini wanted to ask a question in the online art history class he was taking, but when he tried to reach out to the lecturer, Francois-Marc Gagnon, he couldn’t find any contact information in the school’s portal. So he Googled the professor’s name — and found an obituary. The Verge reported Gagnon passed away in March 2019, and although the course syllabus listed someone else as the class’s official instructor, it also noted that Gagnon would be the lecturer. A Concordia spokesperson expressed regret at the misunderstanding, but Asuini is still unsettled about it: “I don’t really even want to watch the lectures anymore. ... I think it lacked tact and respect for this teacher’s life.”

AWESOME!

Appalachian Bear Rescue is on the lookout for a wild mother bear to foster three newborn cubs found in the crawl space under a home in Sevier County, Tennessee, according to United Press International. Utility workers called to the home on Feb. 13 to repair a gas leak found the “ample caboose of a very large snoozing bear” when they entered the crawl space under the house, the wildlife agency said. “There was no way to safely repair the gas line while the bear was in residence,” so wildlife officials tempted the bear out of her den but found three babies had been left behind. They will remain with Appalachian Bear Rescue until a foster mom is found.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Homeowners in the Quail Hollow neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina, have been frustrated by a mail thief since late 2020, so when Lacy Hayes spotted a car lurking near his mailbox on Feb. 11 and saw the driver, who appeared to be an elderly woman, reach inside it, he took action. Hayes reached through the driver’s window and removed the keys from the ignition. The woman hit him with her cellphone, so he took that too, called 911, then took a picture of the driver and the tags, The Charlotte Observer reported. The driver got away, but neighbor Nicole Kern got online and, using Hayes’ photo and facial recognition software, soon found a match — a man, wanted in Greenville, South Carolina. Neighbors rejoiced when a man with the same name was booked into the Mecklenburg County jail on Feb. 13 on a fugitive extradition warrant and a charge of resisting a law enforcement officer. Police declined to comment on whether the man is also a suspect in the mail thefts. The unnamed criminal was held on $2 million bail.

DESPERATE TIMES

Police in the Ukrainian village of Hrybova Rudnya determined that the unnamed man who called them Feb. 13 and confessed to seriously injuring his stepfather, made the call in order to get the road in front of his house cleared of snow. Police spokeswoman Yulia Kovtun told the BBC the man insisted that officers would need special equipment to get to him because of the snow, but when police arrived, they found no assault or murder, and the road had already been cleared by a tractor. The man was charged with filing a false report and fined.

LEAST COMPETENT CRIMINAL

Robert Joseph Hallick of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was arrested Feb. 11 and charged with perjury, forgery and identity theft after applying for a handgun permit using former President Barack Obama’s name, according to court documents. The arrest report also said his application included a letter with a United States of America seal and U.S. Department of State letterhead, along with a $50 check, WTVC-TV reported. In November, Hallick had been denied a handgun permit under his own name due to an active warrant for his arrest in Michigan. !

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City near Monterey Fox Sports alternative High, rugged peak Drake’s music University in Nassau County Mechanical way to learn Prudent Part of ABM Animal coats French for “sad” Days of the week, e.g. Campus workstation locale Tending to radiate something Provided juice for? Pro or con Give relief to Composer Carl Maria — Weber Cheer shout Printer clog Org. in “The Martian” With 53-Down, requests Broken-down Knights, e.g. Tic-toe link Retired professors Defrost Was achy or regretful “Holy cow!” Hoof or paw Totally dominate Good craps roll Keats work See 34-Down Place Novelist Tan Small bite Comedic actor Jackie H.S. junior’s exam It has fluttery leaves

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Twirl, as one’s thumbs Naturalist Fossey Con game “Anthem” writer Rand Suffix with hero The Raptors, on NBA schedules Engine stat “— culpa” “I think,” in texts Half of hexaAnwar of Egypt Culture base In a criminal way Book full of street maps Desert in Mongolia Palme — Sonny boys Balm plant Most cheeky Maintains order over Prisms’ color bands Was a better peddler than Org. issuing nine-digit IDs Youth org. with troops Delaware Valley tribe Cows’ milk deliverers Pvt.’s superior False appearances Street — (urban acceptance) Cut off stubble An inert gas Certain dwarf planet Clock info Gym lifter’s units Tomato variety Water, in Nantes Give relief to Irish actor Stephen

February 24 - March 2, 2021

YES! WEEKLY

feature

Safe Passage: The history of African-American transit in the Triad

t a time when many African Americans were forced to sit at the back of the bus, sleep in substandard or unsafe living quarters, forfeit their seat, or Chanel Davis find another way of transport, there were a few in the Triad Editor who decided to go another route. In this week’s issue, we highlight them, their empires, and the mark in history they left toward making the Triad a better place. The Kilby Hotel High Point The Kilby Hotel was built in downtown High Point around 1913 by John and Nannie Kilby. With their savings of $1,100, the pair purchased the 9,690 square foot lot where the Kilby would stand from Lone and Rose Seachrest. The three-story, brick building with shops on its first story and a part of the hotel being used as an amusement center, quickly became the neigborhood’s social center. The hotel was one of the city’s most influential black-owned businesses serving predominantly African-American patrons, including musicians that were traveling in the area. Nannie Kilby acquired approximately 30 homes in the Washington and Leonard Street areas before she died on April 24, 1921. The hotel landed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. In 2012, the structure was deemed unsafe following a storm that caused two of its walls to collapse. It was demolished in 2014. The Magnolia House Greensboro The Magnolia House was another popular destination for African-American travelers during America’s segregation era. Since they weren’t allowed to share basic facilities, such as restaurants, bathrooms, and water fountains, it should come as no surprise that African-Americans were not welcome in many hotels or inns patronized or owned by white people. According to its website, the Magnolia House opened in 1949 and was one of the only hotels between Atlanta and YES! WEEKLY

FEBRUARY 24 - MARCH 2, 2021

The Historic Magnolia House Richmond, which allowed travelers to stay overnight due to lodging restrictions under Jim Crow. The house, also known as Daniel D. Debutts House, rose to fame after appearing in the acclaimed and most resourceful book during that time, The Negro Motorist Green Book, created by Victor H. Green in 1949. The book, which served as a travelers’ guide detailing businesses that were safe for African Americans, highlighted the house in six publications. A place of refuge in the South, The Magnolia House was home (if only for one night) to anybody and everybody that was somebody in the African American community. While families of college students attending school at Bennett College and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University stayed there, the home would also be a place for formal gatherings, weddings, and events. And then there were the stars. Many of Hollywood’s elite stayed at the house when they were in town, including James Brown, Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, Ike and Tina Turner, Joe Tex, Carter G. Woodson, and Jackie Robinson. Today, The Magnolia House is on the National Register of Historic Places and is in the South Greensboro National Register Historic District. They offer tours, hold educational events and other interactive events. For more information, visit www.thehistoricmagnoliahouse.org. Mendenhall Homeplace Jamestown It’s a known fact that the Triad area and Guilford County as a whole played a crucial part in the road for freedom for many enslaved in the late 1700s. The Underground Railroad was a series

A marker sits at George White Road on Friendly Avenue recognizing Coffin of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved African-Americans to escape the South into free states and Canada. Abolitionists and others who believed in anti-slavery helped slaves and some of the leaders known as “conductors” flee to safety. The Mendenhalls, The Coffins, The Stanleys, the Quakers, and Guilford County would become part of that railroad after moving down to the region in the early 1800s. Now home to Guilford College, Greensboro’s west side known as New Garden was often mentioned in newspaper ads ran by owners searching for fugitive slaves. The Quakers, who left Europe to avoid persecution, decided it was the Chrisitan thing to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” “Guilford County became kind of a haven of free Black people who moved from Virginia in fairly significant numbers,” said Dr. Adrianne Israel, a retired professor of History at Guilford College, during a Zoom

presentation hosted by the High Point Museum. “There was a substantial free black population in fact in Guilford County. It was a small county, maybe 2,000 people at the beginning and moved up to maybe 15,000-20,000. About 15-20 percent of them were black, and about 25 percent of the black population were free. Their role in this Underground Railroad was critical.” Many Quakers would find out that it was illegal to free an enslaved person, leaving them to either have to get the titles from those who owned the slaves or engage in unlawful activity. On the books, there was one time that North Carolina Yearly Meeting of Friends had in its possession over 1,000 titles of formerly enslaved persons who worked as Quaker Freedman, living and working free in the area. Quakers were also involved in manumission societies, in which owners freed their slaves. Richard Mendenhall was a charter member in 1816 of the first established society in Guilford County, which Vestal Coffin helped establish, and later became state president. For others, help came less traditionally. In 1819, Vestal Coffin would go on to be the first “conductor” of a long-distance route going from North Carolina to Indiana, and John Demery would be the first “passanger.” Coffin’s more notable cousin, Levi, who was given the name “President of the Underground Railroad” for helping so many slaves disappear to freedom, also planned the trip, which is reported to have taken six weeks. He was active in the antislavery movement after growing up in the New Garden community and discovering slaves hiding in the woods on what is now the Guilford College campus. While there is no proof that the Mendenhall Homeplace that sits in the middle of Jamestown was ever used as a stop on the Underground Railroad, a false-bottom wagon that is believed to have belonged to an abolitionist couple, The Stanleys, and used to hide slaves as they escaped to Ohio, is preserved at the location. Joshua Stanley, a trustee of the then New Garden Boarding School, and his wife were taken to court accused of working with Deep River Friends Meeting in High Point and Freedmen to manumit slaves, according to Isreal. The results of those accusations are unknown. What is known is that it is only one of two remaining false-bottom wagons in existence from that time period, with the other being at the Levi Coffin House in Fountain City, Indiana. The issue of slave ownership caused many family rifts among the Quakers.

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The Safe Bus marker was erected in 2011 on W. Fifth Street between N. Liberty and Trade Streets

An early Safe Bus in front of Atkins High School

Mendenhall’s brother, George C., was one of the largest slave owners in the county, and his Quaker meeting disowned him for it. He inherited many slaves after he married Eliza Dunn in 1824. It wasn’t until George’s second marriage to an antislavery Quaker Minister, Delphina Gardner, that he freed his slaves, legally profusing their freedom and personally taking 28 of them to Ohio. The Mendenhall Homeplace is located at 603 West Main St. in Jamestown. Tours include the false-bottom wagon. Visit www.mendenhallhomeplace.com for tour availability. Safe Bus Winston-Salem With the city’s Trolly Service, Southern Public Utilities Company, not operating in black neighborhoods in the 1920s, many African-American residents in WinstonSalem were at a disadvantage when it came to transportation. They were at the mercy of the many jitney operators, who were independently run, competing with each other, and were not always on time. On April 24, 1926, Mr. Clarence T. Woodland organized a meeting with 21 jitney owners who came together to form their own transportation company for the city’s African-American residents, providing transportation to the city’s underserved neighborhoods. Out of the 35 jitney owners operating in Winston-Salem at the time, 21 men showed up for the first meeting, held in a small office in the Lincoln Theatre Building on Church Street Winston-Salem. The WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

founders of Safe Bus Company were as follows: John M. Adams, Elliot A. Davis, George I. Dillahunt, Jefferson H. Hairston, Elijah T. Miller, Joseph Miller, Harvey F. Morgan, Ralph R. Morgan, Charlie R. Peebles, George Ragsdale, and Clarence T. Woodland. According to the Forsyth County Historic Commission, the name “Safe Bus” was taken from a promise made to Winston Salem Mayor Thomas Barber to operate a safe and organized bus system. Harvey F. Morgan, Safe Bus Company’s first president oversaw the transition from those jitneys to a fleet of 35 city buses. Harvey F. Morgan was the first president of the company; Jefferson H. Hairston, the first vice-president; Charlie R. Peebles, secretary-treasurer, and Clarence T. Woodland, assistant secretary. In 1926, a charter was granted to the organization, and the Safe Bus Company Corporation was officially formed. On June 1, 1926, Safe Bus Company began offering transportation to the African-American citizens of WinstonSalem. The company’s first office was located in the Atlantic Building on E. Third and N. Church Streets, and the first garage was opened in a building on the corner of E. Third Street and Patterson Avenue. “Safe Bus Company, Incorporated was the “driving force” behind the successful opportunities made available to the African American community from day one of their operations. The tobacco industry opened up jobs to minorities. Reliable transportation was a must; the lack of which created barriers for many people to provide for their families. Not only did Safe Bus Company give men and women

At one point, Safe Bus was providing transportation for the entire city of Winston-Salem of the East Winston community a chance at mobility, but the company also freed many from lives that relegated them from working for very meager wages,” said Tina Carson-Wilkins, marketing and community engagement officer for Winston-Salem Transit Authority. “Safe Bus employed 75 people, including male drivers and mechanics, paying out $65,000 in salaries annually to male and female clerks. The company’s success generated success for other businesses as well.” The corporation was an immediate success and grew to more than 80 drivers who would carry an estimated 8,000 passengers a day with the motto “safety and service.” “Safe Bus Company gave its passengers the freedom to sit wherever they chose while riding the buses. The requirement to sit at the back of buses while riding public transit was a nonissue in Winston-Salem. The agency was a source of pride for the African American community in Winston Salem because the people operating the system looked just like the people riding the system. The owners of the agency used funds from their prosperous business to send their children to college. Many of the children came back to the city to work for the company that afforded their parents to live so well,” Carson-Wilkins said. When the city’s contracted bus carrier left in 1968, Safe Bus was tapped to provide transportation to all of the residents in Winston-Salem, making it the largest

African-American-owned and operated transportation business in the world. It was one of the first large companies in America to have a female president, Mary Miller Burns. In 1972, the Winston-Salem Transit Authority purchased the Safe Bus Company’s assets, and it became a part of the city-run department. “The need to sell their assets to the city became a reality because the majority population was not as willing to ride the buses any longer. The last remaining Safe Bus owners and officers were able to live comfortably following the sale. The innovative pioneers of the Safe Bus Company created routes that are still a part of the public transportation system today. Considering the fact that none of the original owners had any formal training in logistics and geography, they developed routes that resulted in annual revenues of hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Carson-Wilkins. “In doing so, they left a rich history that continues to be honored in Winston-Salem. They took what they knew and built a foundation and blueprint for the city to follow that would guarantee anyone in need of transportation to work and/or school would be able to get where they wanted to go, with dignity.” ! CHANEL DAVIS is the current editor of YES! Weekly and graduated from N.C. A&T S.U. in 2011 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s worked at daily and weekly newspapers in the Triad region. FEBRUARY 24 - MARCH 2, 2021 YES! WEEKLY

“I call my business Black Magnolia Southern Patisserie because I’m Black, Southern, and French.” That’s how Veneé Pawlowski explained the name of her popular work-fromIan McDowell home Greensboro pastry business when I interviewed YES! Writer her at her Carr Street residence. The kitchen, where she makes her acclaimed cinnamon rolls, bread pudding, and beignets, was only a couple of rooms away, but because of the pandemic (and her one-year-old daughter Amelia inside), we stayed on the porch. I’ve known Veneé since she was 15 and would hang out with my friend and mentor Jim Clark’s daughter, Josie, in this same neighborhood in 1998. The girls loved my iguana, which seemed to enjoy being carried around College Hill on a leash, and was far more popular than I was. That’s one reason I refer to her by her first name throughout this article (the other is that, for some mutual friends, “Pawlowski” means her husband, with whom I share a first name). One of Veneé’s idols is celebrity chef David Chang. “He’s fantastic,” she said enthusiastically. “He has such an appreciation for and curiosity about the food he serves and has such fun with it. I’m trying to do that myself by investigating recipes and influences. I’ll take, say, my S’mores bread pudding and add marshmallow crème anglaise and Grand Marnier inside the custard. That creates layers of distinct flavors. I don’t just want to fulfill people’s craving for sweets; I want to transport them.” Veneé’s life has undergone three major transformations since the beginning of 2020. She’s had Amelia. She is, like all of us, trying to survive a pandemic. And she’s working for herself. These are all related. Two years ago, she worked at other bakeries and made cakes and various other pastries on the side on weekends. “I have a background in French pastry as well as lots of wonderful Southern desserts that my grandma taught me how to make. I came up with Black Magnolia Southern Patisserie for my business card, as I’d had some weird stuff happen with business cards that had my name on them, which resulted in a couple of people calling me YES! WEEKLY

FEBRUARY 24 - MARCH 2, 2021

VENEÉ PA W

The Taste of Sweet Southern Success

KI WS O L

for things that were not baked goods. So that’s how that came about, just doing cakes on the side.” Then came COVID-19. “My husband Ian was craving cinnamon rolls and couldn’t get them from Machete, so he begged me to make some. Then somebody else, I forget who, asked me to sell them. I made them for maybe eight people one weekend and then 20 people the next and 50 the weekend after that. It just snowballed.” Although her cinnamon rolls sold like crazy, she found herself wanting variety. “I started doing cakes per slice, little pies, puddings, and beignets. I thought it was only going to be an occasional thing and was surprised when demand grew every weekend. It becomes a problem with volume because I only have a home kitchen. I started prepping two, three, or even four days ahead and doing what I could on my schedule. But that schedule is dictated by my kid, and for all the plans I make, it’s kind of up to her if I’m going to get everything done. Don’t get me wrong, this was really exciting, but a challenge.” Veneé originally planned to return to the country club she’d been working at before maternity leave. “But then COVID hit, and I didn’t want to work around anybody, especially with a new kid. It was great that I had benefits there, but I just wasn’t comfortable going back.” But she and Ian needed to remain a two-income family, and despite all the challenges, she was having more fun than she could remember. “I was able to be creative and work by myself and be home with my kid, and it was getting more and more popular. And I was getting to experiment and see what worked and what didn’t, which helped me build a menu for what Black Magnolia is now. Besides looking at what was trending, I could look at things I’d made in the past

for other restaurants, do mashups and see what sold and what tasted best.” Her bread puddings were a bestseller when she was the pastry chef at Table 16, so she began doing them in her home kitchen, along with pies. “I expanded on the cinnamon rolls that everybody seemed to love. Every week they got better and better. I got my proofing times down, my systems fine-tuned, and I experimented with the fillings and even the types of cinnamon I used.” Veneé explained that about 75% of cinnamon used in North America is Cassia Cinnamon, imported from Indonesia. Only about 25% is “True Cinnamon,” also known as “Ceylon Cinnamon,” from Sri Lanka (Ceylon is the older Western name for that island nation in the Indian Ocean). “True Cinnamon has a much more complex and floral flavor, and I’ve been using it and have been experimenting with different vanillas. Then I started doing my fancy rolls, like the Bourbon Banoffee ones. I stuck to that one because I love bananas, coffee and bourbon, and I decided to combine them. Those are really popular, but I’m out of those, but I’ll give you a banana praline roll when you go.” (She did, and it was heavenly.) Her baking career began at Anna Mae’s Southern Bread Company and Maxie B’s. “I wanted to work at Loaf, but they never seemed to be hiring. But they had an opening for a barista, so I did that. And I met Julien Vicard, who was baking there, and who gave me a leg up, and took me with him when he went to Blue Margarita.” There, she was in charge of the southern desserts, such as red velvet cakes and pecan pies. After that, she worked at Sweet Josephine’s in High Point, and then back in Greensboro at the Green Bean as

a baker, and then was hired at Table 16, where she advanced from baker to pastry chef. “Then I was doing desserts for White and Wood when they first opened up.” During the restaurant’s first year, she sold desserts to them as a wholesaler until they hired an in-house pastry chef. “I ended up becoming that in-house pastry chef after working there as a line cook and a garnisher.” During her pregnancy, she worked parttime at the country club and was offered a full-time position with benefits. “I was doing everything, from cinnamon rolls, biscuits, sticky buns, and dinner rolls, to the upscale plated deserts like orb cakes with mirror glazes.” Veneé said the fine dining industry could present barriers to women and people of color, who often have to prove themselves and are sometimes seen as temporary fill-ins. “It can be harder for us to break into this field and make a name for ourselves. I’ve not had a lot of negative experiences, but there have been a few where I got shoved out so somebody’s buddy could be the ‘real’ pastry chef.” But, she said, Greensboro is better than a lot of places. “I think we’re in a very good city that helps foster and creates environments for us, and that’s one of the reasons why what I’m doing is so popular. When people see you’re doing good and have a good product, they want to support you, but they also want to support Black businesses. I’ve heard some people get kind of huffy and sniff ‘why does it have to be a Black business,’ but that’s how it is with disenfranchisement and an uneven playing field. If there are two small businesses I like, and only one is Black-owned, that’s the one I’ll often choose to give my dollar to, and I don’t see that as being a bad thing.” Customers can order Black Magnolia’s wares in four ways: by calling (336) 355-0592, emailing blackmagnoliagso@ gmail.com, or ordering online at blackmagnolia-southern-patisserie.square. site/ or facebook.com/blackmagnoliagso. Veneé asks that customers give her some notice. “If you want it for the weekend, try to order it as far in advance as possible, and a week or two ahead if it’s for an event. Otherwise, I should be able to turn it around in about 48 hours.” ! IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

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Financial Entanglement: City, Family can’t come to terms on settlement Several members of the Greensboro city council recently stated to YES! Weekly that settlement offers have been made to the family of Marcus Deon Smith. As previously reported, Marcus Smith Ian McDowell was fatally hogtied by eight Greensboro Police Department YES! Writer officers during the 2018 North Carolina Folk Festival. None of those officers were fired or otherwise disciplined for Smith’s death, which the state medical examiner ruled a homicide but which the former police chief and former District Attorney stated was not the result of police misconduct. Seven of the eight officers received subsequent merit raises. In April 2019, Greensboro attorney Graham Holt and Flint Taylor of the People’s Law Office of Chicago filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Marcus Smith’s mother, Mary Smith, the estate administrator. The defendants listed are the eight officers, the two EMTs who allegedly stood by and did nothing until the unresponsive Smith was loaded onto their ambulance, and the City of Greensboro. The case is expected to go to trial in Fall 2021, shortly before the November elections, if not settled before then. The statements below were replies to the following question, which this writer asked every member of the council over the last two weeks. “What is holding up delivering the settlement in the Marcus Deon Smith case?” Several council members answered with some variant of “no comment.” The ones who said more than that all made it clear that their responses were all they were going to say on the subject at this time. The answers are listed below: From Mayor Nancy Vaughan, who recently announced her intention to run again in November: “While we continue to have ongoing discussions with the Smith family, there’s still an issue that needs to be finalized in state court. I think that’s as specific as I can be at this point.” From Mayor Pro tem Yvonne Johnson: “We have been in many closed sessions with the [Defense] attorneys, and they have informed us that they are offering various amounts of money. At first, one or two council members were concerned about making sure Marcus Smith’s children were involved, and to be honest with you, WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

Greensboro City Council I’m not clear on that. They had mentioned something about the paternity issue and so forth. Anyway, I know that two or three offers have been made by our attorneys. I don’t know if it was considered enough. I can only speak for myself. No one is more eager than me to settle this in an honorable fashion, one which includes his children and offers an amount that is at least satisfactory to the majority of council and to the Smith family. That is what I want.” From Sharon Hightower, District 1: “On the record, all I can say is, it takes two. Everybody’s jumping on the city, but it takes two. I do want to see a resolution, but it takes both parties. Offer and rejection, offer and compromise, offer and acceptance. It’s a legal process that takes time and doesn’t happen overnight.” When asked about Johnson’s statement that settlement offers had been made, Hightower said the following: “The city attorney takes his direction from council. Let me just say that there has been an offer made. I think from that, you can kind of make your own assumption. The city attorney takes his direction from us, and we take our legal advice from him. He is the one who has the law degree and knows the law. For me, that’s very important. Nothing the council does is council acting on our own.” From Goldie Wells, District 2: “I can’t tell you anything.” From District 3’s Justin Outling, who has announced he is running against Nancy Vaughan in the November mayoral election: “Like arriving at a settlement in any matter on any topic, it’s a matter of coming to agreement as to terms with the other party. That’s really it. Obviously, different people feel like different terms are material, but that’s fundamentally it. I think each council member will probably share with you their own thinking on what should be in a settlement, but there will be a settlement when five or more of the council members and the lawyers on the other side agree on the same thing.” From Nancy Hoffman, District 4: “I have no comment.”

From Tammi Thurm, District 5: “I have no comment.” From Marikay Abuzuaiter, At Large: “I can say it’s all in the courts. I know we’ve been asked to give no comment. I think a lot of it has to do with the way it’s going through the state courts. I think that’s all I can say.” From Michelle Kennedy, At Large: “I guess folks could give all kinds of answers, but the most true answer is that the parties have not been able to agree on the terms of a settlement up to this point.” Nancy Vaughan and Michelle Kennedy have both, in the past, stated their objection to settling the case before a separate issue in probate court concerning the paternity and heirship of Marcus Smith’s three children is resolved. Smith died without a will, which means that the probate court must determine who his legitimate heirs are — his parents or the two minors and one adult who are alleged to be his children. The probate court judge will decide which family members receive his estate assets. This probate proceeding is not part of the federal civil rights lawsuit over his death, and the city and its lawyers have no say in it.

If the probate court determines one or more of the two minors and one now adult named in that probate proceeding are Marcus Smith’s heirs, then those heirs receive all assets, and Smith’s parents will receive none. If that court determines they are not his children, Smith’s parents will be granted all estate assets. There are no current assets in Smith’s estate. If Smith’s parents win their lawsuit, or if a settlement is agreed upon before that lawsuit reaches the federal courtroom, that money will be deposited with the probate court to be distributed as it determines. As the administrator of Marcus Smith’s estate, Mary Smith does not automatically receive such funds. If the probate court determines that she is the heir, she has stated that she will share the settlement with Marcus Smith’s children. But that matter will be settled by that court and not by the federal lawsuit. Perhaps the most significant take-away from Johnson and Hightower’s statements is that at least five current city council members were willing to settle the lawsuit before the probate case is decided. The Greensboro City Council cannot instruct the City Attorney to settle the case without a five-to-four majority. Whether the current impasse is over the settlement’s size or other factors such as an official apology from the city or an admission of GPD’s role in Marcus Smith’s death, neither plaintiffs nor defense has offered clarification. ! IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

FEBRUARY 24 - MARCH 2, 2021

YES! WEEKLY

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‘It’s Only Up From Here’ for Devy Quills

“

It’s Only Up From Here,” the latest release from Devin “Devy Quills” Singleton, takes the Triad hip-hop and visual artist to new heights, with friends and fans Katei Cranford in tow. Released via the steady:hyperactive Contributor collective and label, Quill’s latest work preens odes of optimism and getting what’s yours while reflecting on lifestyles and heartbreak, nevertheless creating an overall uplifting vibe. It’s confident and focused, without getting too serious—an ep from an artist who continues getting to know themselves— though Quills is still the dude boasting party vibes with culinary prose seen in previous songs like “JUSE!” or “Smoothie King.” “I’m in a place where I’m trying stuff

out,” he said, “it’s still fun for me to experiment with myself.” And within that experiment, musically, Quills’ influences range among Andre 3000, Playboi Carti, MF Doom, and Kanye, depending on his mood. Lyrically, he looks to the likes of Earl Sweatshirt, “his rhyming ability and imagery are greatly admirable,” Quills said. Words matter to Quills, a recent graduate from the Communication Studies program at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. And while he attributes his “unorthodox ambition for wordplay and lyricism” to an early fandom of Eminem, the backbone of his lyrical dexterity combines conscious practice and a passion for words. “I’ve studied so many styles it was just a natural improvement,” Quills said of progressing as a lyricist, bred from his origins as a spoken word artist at age 13. “The two simultaneous interests nurtured each other,” he explained of the relationship between spoken word and music, with his interest toward the latter being

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accelerated by Childish Gambino, Chance the Rapper, and a” love for instrumentation and the sounds I was hearing.” Quills officially began making music at 16, releasing his debut, “Bloom,” during his sophomore year of college. “It’s an ode to becoming and actualizing the objective of creating a project that people can enjoy,” Quills said of his first record, which laid themes of internal conflict and love that have carried through his catalog. In contrast, he considers his latest work “an ode to becoming an individual more in tune with myself,” he said. “It’s slightly more focused on honesty and less performative superficiality.” Overall, the album presents a lofi collection of a titular mood, reflected in the artwork. “I designed it with the intent of creating an aesthetic equally as organic as the music it represents,” Quills explained of the pastel palette and heart-shaped clouds rising above power lines. His organic approach extends to releasing tracks, making a video for “Gravy,” a “crowd-favorite,” featuring Sonny Miles, which Quills doesn’t actually consider a single. The song itself, a swagger of selfconfidence against the weight of the world, befits a mix of Thundercat and George Clinton; and could easily spread into a smooth spring banger. “It’s so funny how that track came together,” Quills explained, “it was a beat Sonny produced and didn’t know what to do with it. We started just saying stuff while it was playing and caught a vibe.” The feel-good vibe extends to the video, produced by novART Films, which features Quills and Miles toying around Winston-Salem, with guitars and biscuits in hand. As life imitates art, they even got harassed by the police while filming. “But we kept it pushing, and I’m proud of the final product. It was a joy,” Quill said. Quills’ posi-vibes likewise extend toward Miles’ professionalism and overall demeanor. “He worked so diligently, getting all of the elements into a cohesive place, and I’m eternally grateful for that,” Quills said, “all of our collaborative efforts are a direct result of his kindness.”

Devin “Devy Quills” Singleton Those efforts also aligned for Miles’ track “Off of Me,” which was included on CLTure’s “Best of 2020” playlist. Pointing to partnerships and prior works with Lucky Kaleem and Cristen Isreal, Quills considers the artists with whom he’s worked a blessing. And that work continues. “I have music with RollinStone KC, Sonny, and Larry Murvin that I’m getting ready for the public ears,” Quills noted. He’s also landed other recent appearances, including on “Cold Train” by fellow Steady Hyper, Paragon Don. “It’s honestly criminal that we don’t have more music together,” Quills said, turning toward his admiration for his labelmates. “One thing I really love about the collective is that we understand the importance of using our influence in our resources to affect issues larger than us,” he explained of the group, citing a show over the summer, which raised bail funds for protestors. “That’s the fam,” he continued, reinforcing their supportive nature. “We all lean on each other for a variety of things—it’s one of our biggest strengths.” And with that support in place, the only way left to go is up. “It’s Only Up From Here,” the new EP from Devy Quills, is out now via streaming platforms. ! KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who hosts “Katei’s Thursday Triad Report,” a radio show spotlighting area artist and events, Thur. 5:30-7 p.m. on WUAG 103.1FM. #ksttr

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[THE ADVICE GODDESS] love • sex • dating • marriage • questions

STARE WAY TO HEAVEN

I’m a girl in my early 20s, and I recently started dating a guy I met in college. I’m very happy, except for one issue: For as long as I’ve known him, he’s followed Amy Alkon Instagram accounts of attractive women Advice with provocative Goddess photos (ranging from half-naked to entirely naked), and he’ll “like” these pics. This really bothers me; however, I don’t want to be the overbearing girlfriend. Why does he do this, and does it matter? —Disturbed There’s a certain kind of man who’s drawn to the sight of half-naked pert breasts, and it’s the kind whose eyes have yet to be plucked out by crows. This does not change when a man is in a relationship, even if he really, really loves the woman he’s with. But many women believe that the eyes of a man in love wouldn’t wander up and down other women and that being in a relationship should limit where eyeballs are allowed to travel: basically, You can’t have your cake and look at other cake, too. Men have perhaps 15 to 20 times the testosterone women do, and this seems to play a major role in how visually powered male sexuality is. An episode of NPR’s “This American Life” featured Griffin Hansbury, who was born female and

lived as a lesbian and then underwent sex reassignment surgery. Transitioning began with testosterone injections. Before starting testosterone, Hansbury would see a woman on the subway and think: “She’s attractive. I’d like to meet her. What’s that book she’s reading?” With the testosterone injections, even noticing nice ankles on a woman flooded Hansbury’s mind “with aggressive pornographic images. ... It was like ... a pornographic movie house in my mind. And I couldn’t turn it off.” It’s important to note that Hansbury overdid it on the testosterone injections at first, giving himself two to seven times the testosterone of the average male. So, the 24-hour porno mind Hansbury describes is probably seriously extreme compared with what goes through your boyfriend’s mind. However, a general idea of what men experience points to why strip clubs for men are big business, while the few strip clubs for women are funny business: places they go not to get turned on but to haze a bride-to-be, laughing in her face at the giant flashing plastic vagina hat they’ve made her wear. Ask a man why he eye-humps a woman, and if he’s honest, he’ll tell you it’s because she’s hot. But there’s an underlying (subconscious) reason: “Evolution makes me do it.” Because men only get pregnant in women’s revenge fantasies, they evolved not to seek committed “providers” as partners as women do, but to prioritize physical attractiveness. We all like a nice view, but there’s more to this preference than aesthetics. The features men find beautiful in women — youth, smooth skin, pillowy lips, “neotenous”

(aka childlike) features like big eyes, and an hourglass figure — are correlated with fertility and health. In other words, men evolved to be drawn to women who look like really great candidates for passing on their genes. Men’s brains motivate them to stare at sexual eye candy in ways women’s brains do not. In brain imaging research by psychiatrist and neuroscientist Hans C. Breiter and his colleagues, heterosexual men viewing attractive female faces showed increased activation in the brain’s “reward regions”: areas involved in the anticipation of reward (also activated by food, drugs, and money). The message to the man: “That’s rewarding! Go get it!” The good news is we are not mental robots, slaves to our urges. In most men, the brain’s “go get it!” message simply leads to more looking, not nooners with the hot-erellas of Instagram. Some women consider looking cheating, and they tell their partner he’s not allowed to eyeball other women. Chances are this doesn’t stop the looking; it just turns men into sneaks and liars and their partner into the enemy they have to keep secrets from. You don’t say that when your boyfriend’s

with you he goes rude and unloving: stops talking midsentence while his eyes hike up some underdressed woman’s boobs. So, maybe you can use the strong biological and physiological basis of men’s girl gawking to keep yourself from taking his Instagram sightseeing personally. Consider that the guy set aside another strong evolved male preference — the longing for sexual variety — to be with you. In other words, being with you means a lot to him. Sure, he still spends time browsing in the online mall of naked and half-naked women, but browsing isn’t buying. Assess whether he seems to be a good person, a person of character, and a guy who consistently shows you he loves you and has your back. If so, your best bet might be staying out of his browser history and recognizing that a little eye-humping doesn’t mean there will be eye-penis coordination. ! GOT A PROBLEM? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave., #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or email AdviceAmy@ aol.com (www.advicegoddess.com). Follow her on Twitter @amyalkon. Order her latest “science-help” book, Unf*ckology: A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence. ©2021 Amy Alkon. Distributed by Creators.Com.

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