YES! Weekly - September 30, 2020

The election issue

ROCKY HORROR

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KEITH GRANDBERRY

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Sydney Rose Wray

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SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 6, 2020 VOLUME 16, NUMBER 40

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FROCK THE VOTE

Suite 204 Greensboro, NC 27407 Office 336-316-1231 Fax 336-316-1930 Publisher CHARLES A. WOMACK III publisher@yesweekly.com EDITORIAL Editor KATIE MURAWSKI katie@yesweekly.com Contributors IAN MCDOWELL

The socially conscious family of fashion designers are not strangers to making a statement through their art. The mother-daughter trio of No Punching Bag have embedded their brand in advocating change for various social issues plaguing the United States, such as beauty stereotypes, gun violence, domestic violence, and racism. Now, they are using their platform to promote VOTER PARTICIPATION in one of the most important elections in the history of the United States.

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To inaugurate the Halloween season, the RiverRun International Film Festival and Marketplace Cinemas have reunited to scare up something very special indeed – a screening this Friday of the 1975 cult classic The ROCKY HORROR Picture Show at the Marketplace Cinemas Drive-In Theater, 2095 Peters Creek Parkway, WinstonSalem.

5 On Sept. 20, photos of a white female TRUMP supporter in a phallic mask went viral on social media. The photos were taken by Anthony Crider, an Elon University professor who documents the activities of white supremacists and those protesting against them across North Carolina. Crider gave YES! Weekly permission to post his photos to Facebook, where the photos have garnered over 9 million views.

6 I once asked the Rev. Jesse Jackson if voter apathy was the biggest threat to our DEMOCRACY. “No,” he said. “The biggest threat is voter suppression.” Unfortunately, Jackson’s assessment has become all too real. In some States, minorities are purged from the voter rolls because they didn’t cast a ballot in a previous election.

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An octogenarian in the village of Parcoul-Chenaud, France, set off a violent EXPLOSION in his attempt to kill an annoying fly, the BBC reported in early September. Not realizing a gas canister in his home was leaking, the man used an electric fly swatter to battle the insect and caused an explosion that destroyed his kitchen and damaged the roof of his home.

12 Last year, the North Carolina chapter of a national, nonprofit “good government” organization helped change the course of future ELECTIONS in the state.

“We had two big victories last year,” said Bryan Warner, communications director of Common Cause North Carolina. “The good news is, as we head into 2021, it sets the framework that the law of the land in North Carolina that racial and partisan gerrymandering are illegal.”

14 SYDNEY ROSE WRAY, a teenage singer-songwriter from Oak Ridge, has released her debut EP, All I Want to Say, out now via streaming platforms. The fourtrack release espouses Wray’s “win-some, lose-some, keep pushing” mentality...

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flicks

Barry Bostwick rings in 45 years of Rocky Horror

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o inaugurate the Halloween season, the RiverRun International Film Festival and Marketplace Cinemas have reunited to scare up something very Mark Burger special indeed – a screening this Friday of the 1975 cult clasContributor sic The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Marketplace Cinemas Drive-In Theater, lcoated at 2095 Peters Creek Pkwy. Winston-Salem.

What’s more, Barry Bostwick, the Tony Award-winning actor who who played the befuddled Brad Majors opposite Susan Sarandon’s Janet Weiss and Tim Curry’s unforgettable Dr. Frank N. Furter, will be on hand in person to meet and greet fans – per the requirements of social distancing, of course.

The screening will begin at 8 pm and tickets are available at www. mpcwsdrivein.simpletix.com/

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The film, based on Richard O’Brien’s award-winning 1973 musical The Rocky Horror Show, is a colorful and kinky send up of vintage horror and science-fiction films with Brad and Janet the innocent tourists who wind up in the clutches of the cross-dressing mad scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter.

The film didn’t exactly light up the box-office, but a funny thing happened the year after its release: Theaters began showing the film at midnight screenings, and a phenomenon was born. Audience members would come dressed as characters, would talk back to the screen, and would literally dance in the aisles during the musical numbers.

A very persuasive argument could be made that The Rocky Horror Picture Show isn’t merely a cult classic, but the cult classic – a quintessential definition of the midnight movie. Its popularity has spanned the generations since its release.

Interviewing with Bostwick was interesting because there was a massive electrical storm where he was calling from. Somehow, the sound of thunder in

SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 6, 2020

the background was perfectly apt when discussing The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

“That’s right,” he laughed.

“That’s the opening scene. That’s the opening number!”

A Broadway veteran who originated the role of Danny Zuko in the 1972 Broadway production of Grease (earning a Tony nomination for it), Brad Majors was Bostwick’s first major screen role, and he was excited about it.

“I had seen Tim do The Rocky Horror Show in Los Angeles with Meat Loaf, and I just loved it,” he said. “I was a big fan of it. Susan was, too. She and I knew some of the people in the L.A. production, so we saw it more than once. Tim was so brilliant, eating up the space. He brought a raw sexuality and energy to it.”

As The Rocky Horror Picture Show was establishing itself as a pop-culture phenomenon, Bostwick forged ahead with his career, winning a Tony for The Robber Bridegroom in 1977 and playing The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance in the Tony-winning 1981 revival, winning a Golden Globe (Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Television Film) for the 1988 miniseries War and Remembrance, exhibiting his comedy chops in Randall Winston, the mayor of New York City, in the hit ABC sitcom Spin City (1996-2002). He played George Washington in the 1984 mini-series of the same name and its 1986 follow-up, George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation.

Bostwick is currently working on a one-man show, Oscar, based on the life of Oscar Hammerstein II. “I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be in two iconic shows: Grease, which was the longest-running show on Broadway at the time, and Rocky Horror, which is the longest-running theatrical release in history, having been shown regularly for 45 years,” he said. “That is astonishing to me!”

According to Zack Fox, manager and projectionist at Marketplace Cinemas, Bostwick’s appearance is only one of several promotions tied into the event.

“The Shadow cast group from Charlotte will also be appearing at our Rocky Horror event,” he said. “They’ll be hyping up the audience and getting the cars to participate in the event. They’ll be offering prop bags, too! It’s going to be so much fun and a must for any Rocky Hor-

ror fan. As a fan myself, I’m almost sad I’ll be working and not watching with the rest of the fans.

“Our drive-in was originally built onto our cinema so we could offer the major Hollywood summer films such as Tenet, Mulan, Top Gun, etc. – but as we know, most studios switched dates around and the ones that did release new movies decided not to play ‘closed states,’” Fox said. “However, this only helped us and give us more time to develop outsideof-the-box events. Our drive-in has turned into a great venue for festival and special events: RiverRun nights, the Wreak Havoc Horror Festival, OUT at the Movies nights, and now the 45th anniversary showing of Rocky Horror with Brad Majors himself, Barry Bostwick appearing in person. I can already say we have more special events and festivals planned for the rest of 2020, and our drive-in won’t be going anywhere. It’s here to stay.”

Indeed, Marketplace Cinemas Drive-In will be hosting the RiverRun screening of Freeland on Oct. 8, as well as the Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22.

The official Marketplace Cinemas website is www.mpcws.com/.

The official RiverRun website is www. riverrunfilm.com/. !

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

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visions

Trump supporter in penis mask charged with assault *Editor’s note: This article was originally published online Sept. 25.

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n Sept.

20, photos of a white female Trump supIan McDowell porter in a phallic mask went viral on social media. The Contributor photos were taken

by Anthony Crider, an Elon University professor who documents the activities of white supremacists and those protesting against them across North Carolina. Crider gave YES! Weekly permission to post his photos to Facebook, where the photos have garnered over 9 million views.

Crider identified the woman wearing the surgical mask with a crocheted representation of Black male genitalia attached to the mouth area, and a T-shirt with “DONALD TRUMP/ FINALLY SOMEONE WITH BALLS” printed on it, as Judy Elaine Stuart— and said she was among those heckling Black Lives Matter counter-protesters in downtown Graham Sept. 19. Crider also took photos of her without the mask, after she participated in the “Trump Convoy” that drove through Alamance County earlier that day.

That convoy made headlines around the world after multiple participants, including Baptist minister Jesse Hursey, shouted “white power” at Elon professor Megan Squire from their vehicles.

A woman riding in a gray pick-up truck decorated with Trump signs shouted, “No, they fucking don’t, bitch” in response to the Black Lives Matter sign Squire was holding. Squire and her husband, Crider, are known for researching hate groups and their recruitment on social media.

Crider said he had previously photographed Stuart on Aug. 17 at a rally outside a meeting of the Alamance County Board of Commissioners.

As previously reported, Carey Kirk Griffin attended that meeting to present the results of a symbolic ballot by Forward Motion NC, Downhome Alamance, and Siembra NC, among other organizations.

Before Griffin entered the council chamber, she was assaulted on the sidewalk by a woman in a blue and white tie-dye shirt, who shoved Griffin after Griffin chanted “Black Lives Matter.”

Although Griffin said she did not WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

retaliate, both women were charged with simple assault. Anti-racist activists allege this is typically the case in Graham— if neo-Condfederates assault an anti-racist, both parties are cited or arrested, but if an anti-racist assaults a neo-Confederate, only the anti-racist is charged.

Alamance County court records show that the woman charged with a misdemeanor for assaulting Griffin is 60-yearold Snow Camp resident Judy Elaine Stuart. Those records also show that Stuart was charged with assaulting Avery Harvey, a Black man, after the county commissioners meeting on Monday, Sept.

21. On that occasion, Stuart was also charged with disorderly conduct. Stuart also has a dismissed charge for simple assault on Patricia Ann Harris dating from Aug. 9, 2018.

“Elaine Stuart, who has been seen in the obscene mask during the Trump rally, is the same woman who assaulted me in August at the press conference for The People’s Referendum,” Griffin told YES! Weekly. “Beyond that assault, she has threatened me and called me names while I have been walking in downtown Graham unaware of her presence. She should be held accountable for her actions. While we have a long way to go to see fair and just policing practices in realtime in Graham, especially as it pertains to Black and white people, I am happy to see Graham Police Department following through on these charges.”

Crider said he also photographed Stuart on Aug. 17, the evening Stuart allegedly assaulted Griffin. Crider said this occurred after Stuart saw him and yelled, “Hey there, Mr. Antifa Photographer, why don’t you come over here and take my picture?” Crider alleged that she then lifted up her tie-dye shirt and flashed him.

Another person to identify the woman in the penis mask as Stuart is Amy Cooper, who often takes part in anti-racist protests in Graham. Cooper told YES! Weekly Stuart approached her, holding the mask and shoved it in her face.

Cooper said that, as usual, she and other anti-racist protesters were on one side of the street, the neo-Confederates on the other.

“I was walking across the street to get drinks for everyone because we forgot the cooler. When I reached the Confeds’ side, Elaine Stuart approached me. She shoved her dick mask in my face and said ‘here you go, Amy Cooper, I know how much ya like Black dick!’”

Cooper said that was not the first time she has seen Stuart with the mask.

“She brought it up to me another night we were down there and said ‘tell your friend Lindsay I have a present for her; I know how much she likes black dick.”

This remark, Cooper said, was a reference to Lindsay Ayling, against whom local white supremacists have directed a campaign of harassment and intimidation after being given Ayling’s personal information by a now-imprisoned neoNazi.

Stuart’s court date for the alleged assault on Griffin is Oct. 26, and her court date for the alleged assault on Harvey and for disorderly conduct is Nov. 30.

Despite multiple attempts, Stuart could not be reached for comment. In a Friday morning Facebook exchange with Cooper, Stuart appeared to acknowledge making the mask but blocked this writer after I sent her a message and made a comment asking the mask’s purpose. Phone calls to the number listed for her Snow Camp address were not answered. !

PHOTO BY TONY CRIDER

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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voices

Grandberry getting out the vote

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once asked the Rev. Jesse Jackson if voter apathy was the biggest threat to our democracy.

“No,” he said.

“The biggest threat is voter suppresJim Longworth sion.” Unfortunately, Jackson’s assessLongworth ment has become at Large all too real. In some States, minorities are purged from the voter rolls because they didn’t cast a ballot in a previous election. In other States, the number of early voting days and polling places have been reduced. In North Carolina if you vote early, then die before Nov. 3, your vote doesn’t count. Meanwhile Voter ID is on the horizon, and now, as an increasing number of minorities choose to vote by mail, the Postmaster General has scrapped hundreds of sorting machines, and forced postal workers to leave bags of mail undelivered because overtime has been slashed. Add to that the practice

of gerrymandering which all but assures the election of White candidates, and you can understand why people of color are concerned about this year’s elections.

One of them is Keith Grandberry, but instead of just complaining about voter suppression, he’s taking steps to combat it.

Grandberry is the former CEO of the Winston-Salem Urban League, and now Founder of Helping Hands Consultants.

On the global front, Keith has worked with leaders in underdeveloped nations to create new industry, and build libraries and hospitals. Back home, his passion is voter education, so he travels throughout a nine State area to spearhead voter registration drives. The reason is simple.

“The power of your voice is your vote,” says Grandberry.

I spoke with Keith recently about his tireless efforts to encourage people of color to exercise their vote.

JL: It seems like you’re on some sort of personal crusade.

KG: I am. The other day my daughter Shayla and I talked about the systematic racism that this country is dealing with.

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She spoke of the increasing number of innocent Black people who have died at the hands of police, like George Floyd, Travon Martin. Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Breonna Taylor. And, Shayla said that she and her friends make their voices heard by protesting. I certainly don’t discourage her from protesting at rallies and marches, but I told her that the most powerful form of protest is voting.

JL: But traditional protests can, themselves lead to reform, right?

KG: Absolutely. We all know about the marches that John Lewis participated in at great risk to his own safety, and those protests paved the way for passage of the Civil Rights Act. I have also worked closely with Winnie Mandela on some economic development projects, and she spoke to me of the protests that led to the end of Apartheid, and the election of her husband as President. Those protests gave Black people a voice in their government. But here in America we already have the right to vote, and the right to participate in government. The problem is we don’t exercise that vote as we should.

JL: You’re referring to what happened in 2016.

KG: Yes. Blacks turned out in large numbers to vote for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. Yet, many of those same people didn’t show up at the polls in 2016, and that, in large part, led to an era of unprecedented voter suppression.

JL: You mentioned the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which was enacted by President Lyndon Johnson. I’ve heard that one of

your favorite quotes came from LBJ. KG: Yeah, after he signed the Voting Rights Act, Johnson said, “The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men just because they are different from other men.”

JL: That’s inspiring, but do today’s Black youth get it? Do they even have an appreciation for folks who came before them?

KG: We have to remind them, and that brings me back to my daughter. I tell her all the time about the achievements of my heroes and mentors, like Mr. Bob Brown, who single-handedly created the Minority Business Enterprise program while he served in the Nixon administration. Like Vivian Burke who helped me establish an employment assistance center when I headed up the Urban League.

Like Maya Angelou who advocated for women’s health issues, and for who I was able to have a Triad-area hospital named after. Like Sylvia Sprinkle Hamlin who I worked with to set up a scholarship program for students at the School of the Arts. And like Congressman John Lewis, who hosted a meeting between me and Deputy President Baleka Mbete of South Africa to discuss voting and civic engagement. These were all strong individuals who made a difference, and young people can make a difference too, just by voting.

“The power of your voice is your vote.” !

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

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[NEWS OF THE WEIRD] QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENT

Chuck Shepherd

— Ukraine International Airlines has banned a traveler from all future flights with the carrier after the unidentified woman opened an emergency door on a Boeing 737 and went for

a walk on the wing as it was waiting at a gate at Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv. CNN reported the passenger had traveled from Antalya, Turkey, with her husband and children in the Aug. 31 incident, when other passengers heard her say she was “too hot” before she popped open the emergency exit and went outside. The airline criticized her for setting an inadequate “parental example” and threatened she may face “an exceptionally high financial penalty.”

Airport security and doctors on the scene determined she was “not under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.”

— A 51-year-old man from St. Cloud, Minnesota, was released from the Sherburne County Jail in Elk River on Sept. 12, but as he left the facility, he decided to take with him a DoorDash delivery that had been intended for a correctional officer working there. The Star News reported the officer contacted the former inmate by phone to inquire after his $29.13 order, and the man said he thought his family had sent it to him.

He was cited for theft.

OOPS!

— Officials in Dania Beach, Florida, recently upgraded signs welcoming visitors to their city, including a small one that has greeted drivers for years along Dania Beach Boulevard, but local activist Clive Taylor took exception, pointing out that the sign is actually in Hollywood, not Dania Beach. “The little sign was bad enough,” Taylor, who is vice president of the Hollywood Historical Society, told the Sun Sentinel. “But to have Dania put up this mini-billboard with lights on it is wrong.” Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy says he’s confident the two towns can work together to resolve the issue.

— An octogenarian in the village of Parcoul-Chenaud, France, set off a violent explosion in his attempt to kill an annoying fly, the BBC reported in early September. Not realizing a gas canister in his home was leaking, the man used an electric fly swatter to battle the insect and caused an explosion that destroyed his kitchen and damaged the roof of his home. While the man was mostly unharmed, he has had to move to a local campsite while his family makes repairs to the home.

CHUTZPAH

Three unnamed Metro-North Railroad employees were suspended without pay on Sept. 24 for turning a storage room under New York City’s Grand Central Terminal into a man cave, complete with a television, refrigerator, microwave and futon couch, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The Associated Press reported that investigators found the space after receiving an anonymous tip in February 2019 that the three — a wireman, a carpenter foreman and an electrical foreman — had built a secret room where they would “hang out and get drunk and party.”

NATURE

Caesar, a 16-year-old alpaca at the

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SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 6, 2020

Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, was killed on Sept. 20 by a wild brown bear that tunneled under a fence while the facility was closed then left. Caesar, who had lived at the zoo for 15 years, was “a crowd favorite,” executive director Patrick Lampi told the Associated Press. The bear had been hanging around the zoo, knocking over trash cans and breaking locks, and was later euthanized when it returned.

Caesar’s companion alpaca, Fuzzy Charlie, escaped the attack and was unharmed. Lampi said a similar incident took place about 20 years ago; that bear was captured and relocated to Duluth, Minnesota.

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.”

ARMED AND CLUMSY

A Pineville (Louisiana) police officer who reported he’d been “ambushed” on Sept. 20 has been accused of shooting himself instead, according to authorities.

The Pineville Police Department said John Goulart Jr. originally claimed that he’d been shot once in the leg, and that a second shot had hit the rear door of his police car while he was at a shopping center. But Police Chief Don Weatherford told KALB: “(E)vidence gives you some pretty clear direction and it led us to reinterviewing Officer Goulart Jr. and he admitted at that point that he had not been truthful with us during the investigation.” Goulart was charged with filing a false police report and malfeasance; he’s also been placed on administrative leave. !

© 2020 Chuck Shepherd. Universal Press Syndicate.

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

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feature

Photo from No Punching Bag’s “Ballot Collection,” a fashion line that advocates for voter participation in the 2020 election

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PHOTOS BY SANTINO HOLNAGEL PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF NO PUNCHING BAG

Frock the vote 2020!

No Punching Bag’s ‘Ballot Collection’ encourages voter participation

T

he socially conscious family of fashion designers are not strangers to making a statement through their art. The mother-daughter trio of No Punching Katie Murawski Bag have embedded their brand in advocating change Editor for various social issues plaguing the United States, such as beauty stereotypes, gun violence, domestic violence, and racism. Now, they are using their platform to promote voter participation in one of the most important elections in the history of the United States.

Matriarch Angel Fant and her daughters Danielle and Tenijah Renee created the “Ballot Collection,” which features 15 garments that each highlight the importance of voting in the United States, and especially in the 2020 election.

“Due to everything that is going on and has been going on, I felt like people really YES! WEEKLY

needed to be advocated by voters,” Angel said. “Voting is about creating a better community and a better world. I just wanted people to know how important it was.”

The collection was released via Facebook three weeks ago and was prefaced by a video (produced by Franklin Terry) designed to immediately grab the attention of the audience. Danielle said that the dystopian horror flick The Purge was the inspiration. The video encourages viewers to “stay woke and vote” because, in this election, voting “is not just for you; it’s for all of us.”

“I don’t think that people realize how critical voting is,” Angel said. “A lot of people only vote during the presidential elections, and they don’t vote any other time.”

“When I went to go vote early, I thought we were just voting for the president,” Tenijah Renee said of her first time voting in the primaries. She hopes that the collection not only advocates for voter participation but also encourages more first-time voters, like herself, to get involved in the democratic process and stay involved on the local and national levels.

The COVID-19 pandemic canceled the

SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 6, 2020

majority of No Punching Bag’s plans this year, including their plans to showcase their work at numerous out-of-town fashion weeks. Angel said they already had the idea of the “Ballot Collection” last year, but the pandemic’s effect on the country and the national response— or, rather, the lack thereof— motivated No Punching Bag to follow through with their idea and create this fashion line designed to change the mood around voting.

“For me, it is like an awakening,” Angel said of voting. “You are activating the America you want by voting— the ballot is what is key to the United States of America. That is why they didn’t want Blacks and women to vote— they didn’t want us to have rights.”

“I feel like we are making voting cool, especially with our ‘I VOTED’ earrings,” Danielle added. “It is like voter’s pride.

That is really just like the feel we have given to the collection and vibe of voting.”

No Punching Bag wanted the “Ballot Collection” to represent and show the history of the United States’ troubled past through a futuristic fashion lens.

“Even though we aren’t necessarily fans of a lot of history,” Angel said. “It is still history, and we wanted to represent that,

and normalize the African-American with the flag— to say that this is our America, too. We are here, too, so acknowledge us.”

This summer, amid nationwide unrest regarding the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others by racism and at the hands of police, No Punching Bag organized several car parades they called “Rides Against Racism” to protest while also practicing social distancing. Even though the convoys saw over 200 cars, Angel said many still view Black Lives Matter as a trend.

Angel said the unrest was also a catalyst to create the “Ballot Collection.”

“There are a lot of people, as time goes on, that are not acknowledging the Black Lives Matter movement,” Tenijah Renee said. “At the beginning of the video, we made sure to let people know that Black lives still matter, and it continues with voting.”

Two of the most striking pieces of No Punching Bag’s “Ballot Collection” can be seen through the powerful picture of two models wearing Danielle’s designs.

One of the models, who is Black, wears a handpainted, traditional American flag gown made out of vinyl, and the other model, who Angel said is of Asian descent,

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descent, wears Danielle’s handpainted black and white “ballot” dress also made out of vinyl. The model wearing the ballot dress is photographed, reaching their arm out to try to grasp the model wearing the American flag dress.

“As far as the dress and race, it says that America includes Black people,” Angel said of her interpretation of the American flag dress. “You aren’t someone that just happens to be here— you are actually part of the foundation of America.”

“A lot of people make us feel displaced, but it’s the opposite,” Tenijah Renee added. “It is our America, too.”

Angel called it “divine intervention” that both of these models ended up being people of color.

“That is something that was destined to happen,” she said. “[Thorugh this picture] we are saying, America is built up of everyone, not just one race. It means a lot, and I think this is one of the most important collections that we have done.”

Angel said she hopes this particular photo translates how important voting is to democracy, especially to those that look like her.

“Some people don’t vote; I know all races don’t vote, but particularly, a lot of people from where I am from say, ‘our vote don’t matter,’ or ‘our vote doesn’t count,’” she said.

“They think nothing is going to change,” Tenijah Renee added.

“I think that other races that are also considered ‘minority,’ also believe that [voting] doesn’t affect them,” Angel continued. “They don’t have a voice in the race. Some say it is a ballot between white and Black as if nobody else is here.

For instance, with the situation regarding the hysterectomies and all of that—

where is the outcry? We have to stand up for [all] communities.”

Angel said that at first, No Punching Bag was uncomfortable about incorporating the American flag in their designs because of how the flag has recently been weaponized against people of color.

“Especially as African-Americans because we didn’t want to necessarily celebrate the flag,” Danielle explained. “With everything going on, it is hurtful.”

The designers decided to reclaim the flag to send a message of hope to the historically oppressed and marginalized people of the United States. To tell them through art that they belong in this country and that they are a crucial part of this election.

“We are going to show people that we have to vote,” Danielle said. “We have to let people know we are here and we are not going anywhere. We should be able to celebrate America.”

“One thing that 2020 and the marches have taught me is that when you are talking about all these years ago, and we are still here, but it just looks a different way, that means we have been spoonfeeding the whole situation,” Angel said.

“This doesn’t make any sense; we need people to get out there and vote. Until we get it right, we aren’t going to make much progress.”

Being Black women in an industry still dominated by white men, Angel said No Punching Bag had experienced discrimination just because of the color of their skin.

“We don’t like how we have been treated as designers, Black designers— we have gone places and were treated differently because we were Black,” Angel said emotionally. “It’s embarrassing, and

No Punching Bag’s ‘I VOTED’ earrings showing off voter participation pride WWW.YESWEEKLY.COM

No Punching Bag’s handpainted design depicting three important years of African-American history it hurts, especially because my kids are doing this, too.”

Tenijah Renee said that she feels like they are often held to a higher standard because of their race, and that “it seems like we are always proving ourselves,” Danielle added.

Tenijah Renee also has an American flag dress design, but it’s a bit more of an abstract interpretation. Her American flag vinyl dress design is shorter and is embellished with gold paint, to represent the greed within America.

Angel discussed the meaning behind her design of the white outfit, with three dates handpainted on the side of the leg. Angel said the dates 1619, 1865, and 2020 are all important years in AfricanAmerican history.

She said the year 1619 was when enslaved Africans were forcibly taken from their homes and brought to what is now America, to be brutalized and enslaved by the white man.

The date 1865 represents President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, the so-called liberation of enslaved Africans. Angel noted that it wasn’t until 2013 that Mississippi ratified the amendment that officially abolished slavery. And 2020, the last date on the garment, Angel said, is another important date that highlighted “the awakening of what is going on with Black people in America— and now it is time to re-address this.”

“Slavery isn’t just people out in cotton fields anymore—it is now happening to

kids and women, and all of this is still going on in America and around the world.

Kids are being kidnapped and sold into sex slavery,” she added. “Even with ICE, I feel like that is another form of slavery.

What are the plans for those people? If [the United States] wanted to send them back, then send them back, but [the government] is holding them here and torturing them. It is not OK. These are humans.

You shouldn’t even do that to animals. To me, how is it possible to do these things to people? I just don’t get it; why do we need to create new laws to protect people that are already supposed to be born with rights?”

No Punching Bag’s “Ballot Collection” brings uncomfortable, yet much-needed discussions about race in America to the forefront, while also highlighting the importance of democracy for future generations.

“The vote is for all of us,” Angel reiterated. “You can’t just vote for yourself—nobody is out to get other people’s stuff. We all just want to be treated equally.” !

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.

WANNA

go?

To view the full “Ballot Collection,” visit No Punching Bag’s website, https://nopunchingbag. co/ and follow them on social media.

SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 6, 2020

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Common Cause North Carolina celebrates 50 years of ‘holding power accountable’ Last year, the North Carolina chapter of a national, nonprofit “good government” organization helped change the course of future elections in the state.

“We had two big Katie Murawski victories last year,” said Bryan Warner, communications Editor director of Common Cause North Carolina. “The good news is, as we head into 2021, it sets the framework that the law of the land in North Carolina that racial and partisan gerrymandering are illegal.”

In the Common Cause v. Rucho case last summer, the Supreme Court decided (5-4) that it could not resolve partisan gerrymandering; however, state courts could. In September 2019, the North Carolina judiciary ruled in favor of Common Cause N.C. in the case of Common Cause v. Lewis, and for the first time ever, North Carolina courts found that partisan gerrymandering violated the state’s Constitution.

“That was a huge victory that resulted in the redrawing of our state legislative maps, and very soon after there was another case, Harper v. Lewis, that was challenging Congressional districts that resulted in the redraw,” Warner explained, noting that in 2011, the North Carolina legislature engaged in both racial and partisan gerrymandering, resulting in redrawing of the Congressional district maps.

“Thankfully, the courts agreed with those challenging the maps and recognized that they engaged in unconstitutional racial gerrymandering and unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering,” he said. “So, if they can get it right in 2021 and actually abide by the law and Constitution, in theory, we should not have to redraw them multiple times in the coming decade. But again, if we see illegal gerrymandering happening, we will continue to challenge it.”

Warner said that the next step Common Cause N.C. hopes to accomplish is establishing nonpartisan, independent redistricting reform, by creating a Citizen’s Redistricting Commission that would take the power of redistricting out YES! WEEKLY

of the hands of politicians. By entrusting the citizen’s commission with redrawing the maps, Warner said, the voting maps would be free from partisan politics with full participation and total transparency.

“Even though we won these court cases, it is always going to be a conflict of interest when you have politicians drawing their own districts,” he said.

“The good news and the reason for hope is that in this most recent legislative session, there were a half dozen redistricting reform bills filed, which is a good sign by itself and a couple of those bills had really strong bipartisan support.”

One of those bills, he noted, had 66 bipartisan co-sponsors in the North Carolina House of Representatives, which was a record number of redistricting reform bills in North Carolina history.

“That would have been enough to pass that bill in the house right away; unfortunately, legislative leadership did not let those bills come up for a vote,” Warner said. “But the good side is that we are seeing this growing support from both sides of the aisle for rank and file members recognizing that gerrymandering has just got to go…the public is with us, the courts are with us, and we are seeing a growing number of legislatures with us as well. We are optimistic that we will see progress. Next year, of course, is a crucial year because it is the next round of redistricting, and that will have a great impact on our districts in elections for the next decade to come.”

Warner said that this year, Common Cause is celebrating 50 years of defending voting rights and encouraging voter participation in North Carolina. According to the website, Common Cause’s mission is “dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create an open, honest and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.”

The organization’s work focuses on creating an ethical/open government, reducing money’s influence, ensuring fair districts and a reflective democracy, as well as expanding voting rights and election Integrity.

According to Wikipedia, Common Cause was founded in 1970 by Republican John W. Gardner, who served in the Lyndon B. Johnson administration as

september 30 - OctOber 6, 2020

the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.

“He realized that everybody was organized except the people,” Warner said. “We have all these special interest groups, and they are in the halls of government, and his mission, which we carry on today, is to be representative of the people. And we come from the wonderful state of North Carolina with a lot of diversity, and we want to reflect that— fortunately, we do.”

Warner said Common Cause N.C. “strives to be inclusive and reflective” to build a democracy that works for everybody.

“The only way democracy can truly function is if everyone has a seat at the table— every voice is heard, and vote is counted— to ensure that we have a government that is of, by and for the people. “ Warner said Common Cause N.C. is also committed to demystifying voting “by helping voters understand that voting is accessible, safe and a secure way to participate in the democratic process.”

Common Cause N.C. along with its partner organization, Democracy North Carolina, have created a nonpartisan, statewide voter guide that provides a platform to inform voters where their candidates stand on important issues.

Warner said all of the candidates running for office in North Carolina are sent Common Cause and Democracy N.C.’s issue-based questionnaires to answer so that voters can decide for themselves who to vote for. Warner noted that the questionnaire is optional and that candidates aren’t required to submit their information if they choose not to.

“We are always disappointed when we don’t get a response from candidates— we make many, many efforts, to reach them,” Warner noted. “We send letters, multiple emails, phone calls and we do try to exhaust every way to encourage candidates to participate. Some candidates don’t want to, and that is their right. We do strive to have 100% participation, and we certainly actively encourage candidates to participate.”

When asked what that may say about candidates who don’t answer the nonpartisan questionnaire, Warner said, “We leave it to the voters to decide.”

“Seldom do we hear back from the candidates that choose not to, seldom

do we hear them giving us a reason why they don’t,” he added. “I would be simply speculating why someone does not participate, but I think I’d rather just let the voters make that decision themselves and how they think about that.”

(YES! Weekly thinks it is worth noting that the majority of candidates that did not answer the nonpartisan questionnaire were part of the Republican Party.)

Warner said Common Cause has also released an online, interactive voter guide, where eligible voters can put in their address and inform themselves where their candidates stand on certain issues that may be important to them.

Warner said that Common Cause also put together a local government voter guide for the six North Carolina counties (Wake, Guilford, Forsyth, Mecklenburg, Cumberland and Pitt) that have the largest and most diverse populations.

“What we have found is that a lot of folks don’t know about the other candidates on the ballot,” Warner said. “One of the important things about the voter guide is providing information about the races that are equally important that are affecting our daily lives and localities, and the state legislator, obviously enacting policies that have a direct impact on people’s lives.”

Common Cause N.C.’s College Outreach Program Manager Michael Spencer said he got involved with Common Cause N.C. because he supports “holding power accountable.”

“One of the biggest selling points for me as a millennial voter is I get tired of getting stuff in the mail that’s like, this person is great because they are better than this person,” said Common Cause N.C.’s Youth Programs Manager Alyssa Canty. “So, it is nice to see the voter guide emphasize what the candidates’ true stances are on certain issues that are deal-breakers to me or the reasons why I vote.”

Canty said young voters, like herself, are more motivated to vote on issues, such as police accountability and transparency, so the candidate questionnaire contains questions related to issues such as these to see where those running for office stand on the issues.

“Our voter guide is able to uplift those questions because those are not the questions that come up at candidate forums sometimes,” she explained. “Even if you are at a candidate forum, it is hard

www.yesweekly.cOmw

Voter registration deadline is Oct. 9 Early voting and sameday voter registration is Oct. 15 -Oct. 31 Last day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 27 (However, it is strongly encouraged to request one earlier)

The 2020 Census selfresponse deadline is Sept. 30 Election Day is Nov. 3: Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 6, 2020

GUÍA DE VOTANTES

Los usuarios de teléfonos inteligentes pueden abrir la aplicación de la cámara y escanear los códigos QR para ver las guías de votación locales y estatales de Democracy N.C. y Common Cause N.C.

FORSYTH COUNTY

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.

To register to vote, request an absentee ballot and to learn more about voting and elections in North Carolina, visit www. ncsbe.gov/.

GUILFORD COUNTY

For more information about Common Cause N.C., visit www.commoncause. org/north-carolina/

Smart phone users can open the camera app and scan the QR codes to see Democracy N.C. and Common Cause N.C.’s statewide and local voting guides

STATEWIDE VOTER GUIDE

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required to contact them and give them the opportunity to fix that mistake. But I think overall folks should view absentee voting by mail as one of the great options they have here in North Carolina.”

Spencer stressed that voters should vote how they are most comfortable.

“I think that has been part of the mission with Common Cause—educating voters and the public about all of the options available to them to exercise that essential right,” Spencer said.

Spencer noted that on Friday, Common Cause N.C. would be hosting a Historically Black College and University voter’s day, in which the organization would partner with Black Votes Matter for an event at HBCUs across the state.

“The hope is that we will pass out the nonpartisan voter guides and make sure that students are registered to vote and have a good, fun day of giving out T-shirts.”

Canty said there is a huge demand for volunteers doing election protection work outside of polling sites during the early voting period to make sure that every voter are able to cast their ballot.

(To get involved, visit protectthevote. net.)

Warner said that Common Cause N.C. has “many great partners involved in this work,” including Democracy N.C., the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and the NAACP. Despite a year of despair, Warner said he has faith that the future of North Carolina is “in good hands with this rising generation.”

“The young people we work with are outstanding,” he said. “They get it, and they’re dedicated, and they’re aware, and they’re committed. They are passionate, and they care— they are already going to be our leaders now, they don’t have to wait, and they are not going to ‘wait their turn.’ They are stepping up now, and it is inspiring. They are a great example, and they are going to do great work ahead. Every time I come across our Democracy Fellows, I feel better about what our future holds.” !

INTERACTIVE VOTER GUIDE

to think of a way to ask it in a fair way, and even then, maybe one candidate responds, and one doesn’t. So, it is nice to have it laid out in a nice and clean format.”

Warner said every election, the public gets inundated with a lot of information, and the goal of the voter guide is to present the public reliable, nonpartisan information in an organized way.

“We really think it’s crucial and not only that, beyond the election, we think it is crucial to also provide reliable information in a year-round way,” Warner said. “We are also hopeful that people that get engaged, maybe for the first time ever, will understand that with a lot of these offices— like the county commissioners offices— our role as voters is to not only to learn about them as we go cast a ballot but to hold [elected representatives] accountable. They stated their positions when they ran for office, so we as North Carolinians, have to hold them accountable in office.”

In addition to information about candidates, the voter guide includes information about the various ways to vote this year, including information about absentee voting, which Warner said is a good and safe voting option amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Voting by mail is a great option here in North Carolina, and it’s been made easier as well— the State Board of Elections now has an online portal where you can go to request it there,” he said.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 27, but he strongly urges voters to request their absentee ballot earlier and send it out sooner, due to the record number of requests being made.

“Folks also can return their ballot via the United States Postal Service, through a commercial carrier, or you can take your completed absentee ballots to any early voting site in your county during the early voting period (Oct. 1531),” Warner said, adding that those who drop off their ballot should follow all the instructions very closely, and to take one witness with them. “Or you can take it to your county’s Board of Elections office as well.”

However, he said that absentee ballots could not be dropped off at polling sites on Election Day. “It is a good, secure way to vote, it’s a great option, in addition to the option to early voting or Election Day voting,” he said. “I think folks should have confidence that their votes are going to count. You also have the ability to track your ballot through the state board of elections online system as well. And if folks make a mistake on their absentee ballot, the state Board of Elections is

YES! WEEKLY

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tunes

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HEAR IT!

All I Want to Say: A debut by Sydney Rose Wray

S

ydney Rose Wray, a teenage singersongwriter from Oak Ridge, has released her debut EP, All I Want to Say, out now via streaming platforms.

Katei Cranford The four-track release espouses Wray’s “win-some, Contributor lose-some, keep pushing” mentality, spanning topics befitting a country-girl princess who spends her time playing shows and modeling in between fixingup a pickup truck and making plans for college.

“People think teenage years are only for planning for the future, but I believe it’s so much more than that,” Wray explained, “it’s a time when you can experiment without fear of failure and find out who you are.”

Seeing herself primarily as a countrypop artist, Wray strives to make relatable material while staying true to herself.

“The EP is about how hard the teenage years are, but also how very human we are— making mistakes and being unkind,” she said, ”each of the songs are personal stories for me, but I hope they resonate with many.”

The dual-enrolled homeschooler, and GTCC student, will graduate high school in May with an Associates Degree in Arts and a Criminal Justice Certificate. “Music and words have always been my favorite things,” she said of her passions and ambition.

“I wrote a screenplay at 11, and a devotional at 13. As a kid, I couldn’t really sing Adele or Carrie Underwood, but it didn’t stop me from trying.” At 12, she co-formed “Once Upon a Fairytale Parties,” an eventcompany partnered with Make-a-Wish and Ronald McDonald House Charities, which provides appearances from princess characters.

Wray’s first public performance came at an open-mic at Oak Ridge Craft and Vine in the summer of 2019, and she hasn’t stopped since. Her song, “Broken Wing,” won the youth category at the 2019 Richard Leigh Songwriters Festival; and she placed top in Triad Idol, 2019, winning a front-of-the-line pass for American Idol auditions in Raleigh.

Though she didn’t make it past the YES! WEEKLY

audition, Wray started 2020 with vigor: releasing two singles in the spring, publishing a book of poetry, and singing the national anthem at a Charlotte Hornets game—one of the last before the NBA shutdown in March. ”Being on the court with pro-athletes, surrounded by a full stadium, and my face up on the big screen was just crazy,” she said.

Over the summer, she live-streamed as part of the Rockingham County Arts Council’s “Rock-Aid” against childhood hunger; and appeared in artist spotlights for Fox8, the Grey Room Sessions and Pass the Hat Radio. She also recently acquired a 1980 Ford F-150 she plans to fix-up.

“It’s funny because I was always a Chevy girl, and said I’d never own a Ford,” Wray noted, with a “never say never.” She’s already written two songs about her truck, with plans to record “Little Old Ford,” in November.

Reflecting on previous releases, Wray considers the EP her next logical step. “It’s full of messages I want to share with others, and hope they can relate,” she said of her source-material, based around the first single,” Rearview,” which focuses on regret.

The title track, “All I Want to Say,” deals with identity and personal foundations.

“Why” examines the complexities of love from a young perspective. And “Bad” relays the harm in labels and images.

“I’m sure we can all relate to people being unkind, or talking bad about us, and wishing we could say something to bullies,” she noted.

Though she released the EP independently, Wray credits the support of her parents. “They get me where I need to go,” she said, noting their help with gigs and in times of distress—like when leeches attacked during her EP cover shoot.

“My mom, usually cool under pressure, started googling how to remove leeches.

My boyfriend tore his shirt and started wiping my feet—getting most of them off.

My mom removed the rest with her debit card. We left with amazing cover-photos, but we’re all a bit traumatized.”

The family affair extends to her

SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 6, 2020

PHOTO BY ALLEN NOP

boyfriend and photographer, Isaac Woodlief, who, along with Wray’s mom, helps craft content. “My mom has a really cool vision to go along with my songs,” Wray explained, “I see words, she sees images.

And Isaac makes them come to life.”

They’re currently filming videos for the second EP-single, “Bad,” and “Monster Under the Bed,” a “spooky pop song” Halloween release, which explores the abusive relationships people can have with themselves.

Beyond Wray’s immediate family, she,

alongside her mentor Devin Noyes, also maintains the Syd and Dev Duo, and Bordering Red, a classic-rock cover band.

As a solo artist, Wray has upcoming shows on Oct. 2, at Brewskie’s in Asheboro; Oct. 4, at the Carrboro Music Festival; Oct. 9, at Ole Hickory Smokehouse in Liberty; and on Nov. 20, at Muddy Creek Cafe in Sparta.

The Syd and Dev Duo will be at Kickback Jack’s on Oct. 8. Bordering Red will be part of the “HorseFriends Therapeutic Riding Program’s Annual Event” on Oct. 14 at Summerfield Farms, and at SteamWorks Stage and Bar in Madison on Nov. 6. !

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who hosts “Katei’s Thursday Triad Review,” a radio show dedicated to Triad happenings, Thur. from 5-7 p.m. on WUAG 103.1FM.

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last call

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

JOAN OF ARCTIC

I’m a 54-year-old woman, married for 21 years to a pretty decent guy. When our now-18-year-old son was little, my husband completely ignored Mother’s Day for maybe six Amy Alkon years. Once, I asked him why, and he Advice simply said, “You aren’t my mother.”

Goddess It hurt me SO MUCH because I busted my butt to be a good mom. I told him why I was so upset, and one year, I laid on our bed and cried, but nothing changed. Six years ago, he began giving me a card and flowers on Mother’s Day. This year, he and our son got me hanging flower baskets, which was wonderful. The problem is I can’t get over his doing nothing in the past, and it’s affecting my feelings for him and how I treat him. —Still Hurting If your relationship has a spirit animal, it’s best if it isn’t a dog frozen in time after the volcanic eruption at Pompeii.

The problem between you started with an error in mind-reading. “Mind-reading” sounds like a Vegas magic act, but it’s a mental ability we all have (though it’s actually mind-predicting rather than -reading). Psychologists call this “theory of mind,” referring to our ability to do reasonably well at guessing (“theorizing” about!) the “mental states” of others,

meaning the emotions they’re experiencing, their beliefs, their desires, and their intentions.

I give an example of theory of mind in action in “Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck”: “When you see a man looking deep into a woman’s eyes, smiling tenderly and then getting down on one knee, your understanding and experience of what this usually means helps you guess that he’s about to ask ‘Will you marry me?’ and not ‘Would you mind lending me a pen?’”

Unfortunately, we often do pretty poorly at the everyday swami thing because we tend “to imagine that other minds are much like our own,” observes anthropologist Donald Symons. Making matters worse, we tend to assume others’ minds should work like our own. So, if something isn’t important to us, we assume it isn’t (and shouldn’t be) important to someone else.

Your husband’s view of Mother’s Day — unimportant and only applicable to one’s own mother — led him to conclude it should be unimportant to you and to sneer, “You aren’t my mother!” This sort of assumption leads to strife and maybe even divorce through the resentment that builds when one partner consistently doesn’t get their needs met (and gets them mocked, to boot).

Happier, lasting relationships are fostered through a different approach: loving acceptance of the crazy. Even when you think your partner’s desire is irrational or unbecoming of someone with an IQ surpassing that of a root vegetable, if you

won’t lose a limb, part company with your ethics, or otherwise seriously put yourself out, why not give them what they want?

Again, you don’t have to find it reasonable; you do it because it would make them happy.

Though your husband’s now coming around on Mother’s Day, I would bet my last bra strap he doesn’t care in the slightest about Father’s Day and still might not get why Mother’s Day means so much to you. But you cried and cried, and he eventually got that it was hugely important to you (perhaps through your son’s influence), and he’s come around — this year with the hanging flowers of Babylon.

That’s awesome.

However, you have yet to update your idea of him as mean and selfish, perhaps because, like many people, you see forgiveness as a feeling and wait for it to strike you, lightning on the golf coursestyle. In fact, forgiveness is a set of actions you choose to take. Evolutionary social psychologist Michael McCullough explains that forgiveness involves deciding to set aside a grievance against a person, expressed in your “thoughts, emotions, and/ or behaviors,” in order to have a continu-

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ing relationship with them.

Consider that your husband, though “pretty decent,” might have some continuing limitations in understanding and accepting what you need (even when you tell him). A mediator with a relationships focus would be helpful in facilitating understanding and empathy between you, maybe in a single session. (Find one at Mediate.com.)

If mediation isn’t an option, there’s still a DIY approach: Explain the science on theory of mind and the notion of doing things simply to make your partner happy (even if you find their desires a bit crackers). This might help your husband be more motivated to come around in ways you need, showing you he’s making an effort, best he can. This, in turn, could help you break with the past and the resentful feelings that went with — releasing them into the wild like Sea World’s orcas into the ocean: “Bye, Shamu! Bye, Bruce! Bye, Carla!” !

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