TCB July 16, 2020 — Whose Streets?

Greensboro / Winston-Salem / High Point July 16-22, 2020 triad-city-beat.com

GREENSBORO EDITION

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WHOSE STREETS?

Hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters march on Graham PAGE 8

Novant mistreatment PAGE 5

Cocktails to-go PAGE 12

Back to school? PAGE 10

July 16-22, 2020

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

The other side of the rope They were waiting for us.

The group of protesters, 700 strong, had just marched more than a mile east from a parking

by Brian Clarey lot in Burlington under a hot sun, been handed off to Graham police as we crossed the town border and taken a pause before making that last right onto Main Street.

The organizers knew a crew of 70 or so neo-Confederate counter-protesters would be there, in ballcaps and faded T-shirts, with signs and flags, not a single mask among them. They had been there all morning. Waiting.

Graham police and a special bicycle crew on loan from Charlotte Metro Police kept a perimeter around the white supremacists, buttressing a thin line of blue tape meant to mark the boundary.

It’s important to note that the police were facing outwards, towards the Black Lives Matter protesters — they were protecting the angry white folks, who at first seemed surprised that they were outnumbered 10 to 1. But they were on the safe side of the rope.

With the law on their side and one of

the last Confederate monuments in the state looking down approvingly, they were emboldened enough to begin ringing the old courthouse bell during the speaker portion of the protest.

The bell was behind the police line, too.

It was nothing more than a sideshow to the events in the square. It was a failed show of force — the fascists had been recruiting for a week to bring supporters to this event, and even with bodies from all over North Carolina and Virginia, just the 70 had been willing to stand in public with their worldview on display. Even metaphorically, it was dumb: Imagine the intellectual disconnect required to shout, “Let freedom ring!” while swinging a courthouse bell to drown out people asking for equal rights.

I could feel the poison in the air, emanating from the protected side of the rope, knew their malevolent intent from the angles of their bodies, the twisted looks on their shouting faces.

It moved like a toxic cloud, over the heads of police, beneath the unwavering gaze of the last Confederate soldier in the Triad, only to be dissipated by Black joy, Black faith, Black excellence.

Like their avatar atop the pillar outside the courthouse, they were destined to lose that battle.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

I see a loogie in my spaghetti.

—David Johnson pg. 5

BUSINESS PUBLISHER/EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brian Clarey brian@triad-city-beat.com

PUBLISHER EMERITUS Allen Broach allen@triad-city-beat.com

EDITORIAL SENIOR EDITOR Jordan Green jordan@triad-city-beat.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sayaka Matsuoka sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

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1451 S. Elm-Eugene St. Box 24, Greensboro, NC 27406 Office: 336-256-9320 Cover images SPECIAL SECTION EDITOR Nikki Miller-Ka GREENSBORO: niksnacksblog@gmail.com Anthony Morgan and Rev. Gren ART Drumwright in Burlington. [photo ART DIRECTOR Robert Paquette

by Devin Lee Vaughn] robert@triad-city-beat.com SALES

KEY ACCOUNTS Gayla Price gayla@triad-city-beat.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Carolyn de Berry, Matt Jones, Michaela Ratliff

TCB IN A FLASH @ triad-city-beat.com First copy is free, all additional copies are $1. ©2018 Beat Media Inc.

WINSTON-SALEM: Davod Johnson says race played an issue in his firing from Novant Healthcare. [photo by Grant Baldwin]

July 16-22, 2020

CITY LIFE July 16-19, 2020

by Michaela Ratliff

THURSDAY July 16

Social @ Vintage Sofa Bar (W-S) 5 p.m.

Karaoke Night @ Stumble Stilskins (GSO) 9 p.m.

Join the staff of Stumble Stilkins every Friday night for karaoke hosted by DJ Panda and drink specials. Visit the event page for more information and for future dates.

Comedian Shaun Jones has appeared on BET’s “Comic View” and BET’s “One Mic Stand” and is now appearing at the Comedy Zone with fellow comedian Chris Wiles to fill your night with laughter. Tickets can be found here. Doors open at 6.

SATURDAY July 18

SUNDAY July 19

Product Tasting and Sampling @ Hempress Farms, LLC (W-S) 5 p.m.

Stop by Hempress Farms to try hemp products like leaf tea, flower tea and CBD infused snacks. There will also be body products available to sample.

Humbled Warriors Yoga is hosting a morning of fitness and relaxation by the lake with a free yoga session. Spaces are limited, so visit the sign up page to reserve yours.

Head Over Heels @ Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance (W-S) 8 p.m.

The W-S Theater Alliance is back at it with another performance of Head Over Heels, a new musical comedy guaranteed to make you laugh out loud and dance in your seat, featuring the music of 1980s band the Go-Gos. Don’t miss this show as it’s the last one this go-round! Tickets can be purchased here.

Puzzles

FRIDAY July 17

Virtual Arts Splash @ High Point Arts Council (HP) 6 p.m.

The fourth Arts Splash concert of summer 2020 will feature the winners of the 2020 International Blues Challenge, Cory Luetjen & the Traveling Blues Band. The concert will be livestreamed from the council’s Facebook page.

Shot in the Triad

Yoga @ Oak Hollow Festival Park (HP) 9 a.m.

Jukebox Bingo @ World of Beer (GSO) 3 p.m.

Head over to World of Beer for a challenging afternoon of Jukebox Bingo, a new take on a classic game. Drink specials, like $4 margaritas, will be available.

Culture

Christmas in July Drop-Off @ Piedmont Federal Savings Bank (W-S) 9 a.m.

Piedmont Federal needs your help collecting items to donate to senior citizens affected by isolation and social distancing during this time. Visit the Senior Services page to view a list of items most needed or to make a financial donation.

Opinion

Reader Meet Writer: All the Songs We Sing Virtual Meeting @ Bookmarks (WS) 7 p.m.

The Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance is hosting this free virtual event with author Lenard Moore and the contributors for All the Songs We Sing: Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Carolina African American Writers’ Collective. To register, email Bookmarks.

Shaun Jones with Chris Wiles @ the Comedy Zone (GSO) 7:30 p.m.

News

Open Mic @ Common Grounds (GSO) 6:30 p.m.

Coffee and comedy, perhaps? Common Grounds is giving you the chance to showcase your talents every Thursday night with open mic night. If you’re not a performer, no worries. There will be plenty of singers, poets, comedians, and more for you to enjoy. Visit the event page for more information and to view future dates.

The First One @ Painted Plate Catering (GSO) 7 p.m.

The Vineyard by Painted Plate parking lot will be transformed into a live drag entertainment experience by Drive In Drag GSO! The best part is, you don’t even have to leave your car. All sound will be played through your radio. Visit the event page to purchase your tickets and view admission requirements.

Up Front

Vintage Sofa Bar is teaming up with Pride Winston-Salem for a new take on their Thursday socials. Craft cocktails, wine, and all the small plates you can eat! Their new retro logo merchandise will be available for sale, and proceeds will directly support Pride W-S and the 2021 Pride Festival.

Check out the event page for more info.

Shrek and Grease @ the Drive at Winston-Salem (W-S) 8:45 p.m.

Whether you like mean green ogres or ‘50s themed musicals, the Drive is the place to be for another retro drive-in movie experience! Advance ticket purchases are encouraged for a touch-free arrival and can be found here.

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July 16-22, 2020 Up Front News

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US WE NEED

YOU

Shot in the Triad

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Opinion

Support Free Press.

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Coronavirus in the Triad:

(as of Wednesday, July 15, compared to last week)

Documented COVID-19 diagnoses NC

91,266 (+13,956)

Forsyth

3,850 (+400)

Guilford County

3,840 (+565)

COVID-19 deaths NC

1,568 (+120)

Forsyth

40 (+3)

Guilford

125 (+7)

Documented recoveries NC

67,124 (+11,806)

Forsyth

2,486 (+335)

Guilford

1,945 (+142)

Puzzles

Hospitalizations

4

NC

1,142 (+148)

Forsyth

35 (as of July 4) (n/a)

Guilford

391 (+10)

NEWS

David Johnson, a Black man who worked as a tech at Novant Health, said he endured harassment on the job before the company fired him.

this stuff, but they don’t practice it,” he said.

Through a spokesperson, Novant declined to comment on the specifics of Johnson’s claim, citing a corporate policy of not releasing information about current or former employees. But the spokesperson provided a general statement that echoed its earlier public response to Obas’ claims: “We thoroughly investigate any claims of discrimination or harassment. To help ensure team members feel safe to report any concerns, we have an anonymous alert line and strong anti-retaliation policies in place. Diversity and inclusion is core to who we are, and we pride ourselves on providing a safe, inclusive workplace for our team members.”

News Opinion

Cursing, intimidation, spitting in food

Up Front

David Johnson says his race played a role in his dismissal from Novant.

Puzzles

would have known that it was his day off. During the meeting, Johnson said, his supervisor seemed satisfied with his explanation, and then told him to forget the other two purported complaints.

Hoping to smooth over their difficulties, Johnson said he decided in January 2017 that he would invite his supervisor to his wedding. When told that the wedding would take place in Turks and Caicos, Johnson said his supervisor responded with astonishment and said it wasn’t in his budget to travel there.

“He was wondering how we could afford to have our wedding in the Caribbean,” Johnson recalled. At that point, Johnson said, he had been shuttling between the hospital in Huntersville and the one in Matthews, at the southeastern end of Mecklenburg County. But four weeks after the conversation about Turks and Caicos, Johnson said he was transferred to the Novant’s main hospital in Charlotte to eliminate overtime and mileage reimbursements. Johnson said he didn’t mind, but he also took it as a signal that his supervisor didn’t think he should be making enough money to afford a Caribbean wedding.

Shot in the Triad

In early 2015, David Johnson was out on medical leave to have his prostate removed. His supervisor talked on the phone with his fiancée — now his wife — and apparently determined from her voice that she was white. When he came back to work, Johnson said he was taken aback when his supervisor asked him if his partner was white, and how they met in Detroit, where Johnson grew up.

There were early signs that the relationship was on unsteady footing. Once, his supervisor called him in and said he had three complaints on him. The first, Johnson said, involved a work order to replace a computer hard drive. David said he wasn’t able to finish the job before the end of his shift, so he transferred the ticket to another tech, and emailed the worker to let her know that her computer would not be ready until the following day. Johnson said the worker’s manager emailed him on his day off to ask why the computer wasn’t ready, and then apparently complained to his supervisor. Johnson said he was perplexed that the work order became an issue because his supervisor knew his schedule and

GRANT BALDWIN

Culture

David Johnson started working as a contractor on a project helping Novant Health transition over to the EPIC medical records system in the Charlotte area in March 2013.

The contracting gig turned into a job offer from the Winston-Salem-based non-profit hospital system for a position as an end-user computing analyst — a tech who provides desktop support — in July 2014. Johnson’s supervisor was part of the management team that brought him on board, and the two got along well at first. But Johnson, who is Black, noticed that his supervisor, who is white, treated him differently when he discovered he was in a relationship with a white woman, who is now his wife.

Over the course of his five years as an employee at Novant Health, Johnson, who goes by the nickname “DJ,” said he endured cursing and physical intimidation from a white coworker, with management complicity. He said he came to work to find his family photos turned upside down, and one day someone had spit mucus in a Tupperware container of spaghetti that he had brought from home and left in a refrigerator at work.

Johnson, who is from Michigan, said his supervisor told him he was “tired of my Black ass and my Detroit bullshit.”

Then, in July 2019, Johnson said the supervisor invited him in for a meeting ostensibly to resolve personal differences and improve working relations, but it was later memorialized as a “Coaching and Counseling” session to lay the groundwork for his termination. Johnson contends that among 52 end-user computing analysts employed by Novant, he was the only one terminated during the reduction in force, and that the organization was already internally advertising the same position at a hospital less than 40 miles away in Salisbury at the same time. Johnson also says Novant had hired five new end-user computing analysts, none of whom were Black, in the month before his termination.

According to Johnson’s account, provided to Triad City Beat over the course of a two-hour interview, his supervisor appeared to be casting about for pretexts to get rid of him. Although it wasn’t ultimately cited in the short meet-

ing when his supervisor and a human resources representative informed him of his termination, Johnson said there was nothing about his performance that would have supported the decision.

“I never missed a raise; I never missed a bonus,” said Johnson, who is now 49.

“I never had a write-up before that. I’d never been spoken to about attendance.

I never missed work except when I was on medical leave and I had prostate cancer. I was dedicated to that company; I was looking to retire from there.”

Johnson’s racial discrimination claim against Novant dovetails with an account

by Karen Obas, an insurance specialist in the patient financial services department in Winston-Salem, who filed a charge of retaliation with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Obas, who is white, has said she was subjected to arbitrary discipline after she reported that in January 2018 her white manager told a Black coworker: “If you don’t stop, you’re going to get lynched.

And I’m going to be there. And I’m going to say, ‘I tried to warn you.’”

In October 2019, when Obas went public with her story, she didn’t know about Johnson, the tech support employee who had been fired month earlier. But she asked: “Who else are they treating like this? Who else has reported things and not had the wherewithal [to pursue legal redress]?”

Novant, like virtually every other large organization, scrambled in the days after protests swept the nation following the death of George Floyd to declare its commitment to diversity and inclusion.

A YouTube video posted by Novant on June 3 features somber piano music with text scrolling starkly across a black backdrop: “We exist to save lives, all lives. We believe black lives matter. In the midst of a pandemic, the epidemic of racism has once again shaken us all. We call for empathy, compassion and zero tolerance of racism from all. We heal bodies every day. But we know only through social justice can we heal the soul of our community.”

Johnson, who lives in Huntersville — a northern suburb of Charlotte in Mecklenburg County — said the healthcare conglomerate’s public declaration rings false considering his experience on the job.

“I’m tired of seeing the way they preach diversity and inclusion and all

July 16-22, 2020

Before firing, abuse, spitting in food haunts Black tech at Novant

by Jordan Green

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July 16-22, 2020 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

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The real trouble emerged in April 2017, when a white coworker cursed him out over a dispute over which of them should be working on a queue for troubleshooting requests. As detailed in a written complaint Johnson filed against the coworker to Novant, he received a phone call from his supervisor at 8:17 a.m. that day informing him that the coworker had complained about Johnson taking over the queue. Johnson said his supervisor suggested that he talk to his coworker to figure out why he had a problem with him. Johnson said he reluctantly did so, but only after another coworker came on for the night shift so he would have a witness.

“What’s your beef with me, man?”

Johnson said to his coworker, as recounted in his complaint. “I don’t understand.”

What followed, he said, was a profanity-laden tirade that incorporated multiple uses of the F-word in various configurations, and the white coworker moving into his personal space in a manner that seemed intended to physically intimidate him. The other coworker stepped between them, Johnson said, and they left the building. Johnson recounted in the complaint that the other coworker shared with him then that the hostile coworker had “mentioned that he wanted to transfer tickets to my queue in assigned status on my day off, so the tickets would breach. The action could cause me to be written up.”

Johnson told TCB that when he mentioned the altercation to his supervisor, he was assured the coworker would be fired.

“I didn’t hear anything about it from management until two weeks later,” Johnson said. “They told me they were not trying to fire anybody during that time. It was crazy. I didn’t believe it.

It was like, ‘We need to get you guys together and figure something out.’ I was like, ‘Look, he totally disrespected me.

He totally violated Novant’s policy. Why must I work with him? I’m not talking to this guy.’”

Johnson said he doubts that his coworker even received discipline considering that his behavior remained unchanged; passing in the hallway, the coworker would move close to Johnson, as if he was trying to get Johnson to accidentally bump into him.

“That showed me that my supervisor was involved in that, with him telling me to talk to this guy,” Johnson said. “You should have fired him, but he’s still going to act like that?”

While he was forced to deal with his

coworker’s unchecked hostility, Johnson said his supervisor’s attitude towards him became increasingly disrespectful.

On his flight home from their wedding, Johnson and his wife had been stranded in Aruba because the Venezuelan government had closed the airspace on their flight path, and Johnson called his supervisor to let him know in case he wasn’t sure he would be able to make it back in time for his next scheduled shift. During a company banquet in January 2018, Johnson felt that his supervisor brought up the episode to humiliate him in front of his wife and coworkers.

“He touched me on the forearm and turned to his wife and said, ‘These are the assholes that notified me that they were stranded in Aruba,’” Johnson recounted.

It was the first time his wife had met his supervisor, Johnson said, and she was furious. Other incidents followed.

“I have pictures of my family on my desk — they’re flipped upside down,” Johnson recalled. “At one point — it was like close to me getting let go, in March or April 2019, somebody even spat in my food. I opened some spaghetti. I see a loogie in my spaghetti.”

A couple months later, Johnson would make an accidental discovery that brought the simmering tension between him and his supervisor to a boil. He was on paid time off and moving his family into a new house, and he went back to the office to retrieve $50 that he had stashed in his desk. When he arrived, he found one of his coworkers in his office, who looked up with startled expression and hastily left. Johnson said he discovered his money was gone, and he texted his supervisor to report it.

In a phone text Johnson provided to TCB, his supervisor responded that he sent the coworker to Johnson’s office.

“He did not steal your money and he was there under my direction,” the supervisor wrote. “He also mentioned that you were quite rude about him being there, which is unacceptable. I will set up a meeting for us to chat one day next week, as I have some other concerns to discuss with you.”

Johnson said he wanted to find out right away what his supervisor’s concerns were because he didn’t think it was fair for him to have to spend the rest of his time off worrying about whether his job was in jeopardy. So, he went above his supervisor and called the IT manager, asking him to pass along his concern.

“My phone rung, and it was my supervisor,” Johnson recalled. “He said, ‘I guess I have to call you.’ He cussed me

out and said he’s tired of my Black ass and my Detroit bullshit.”

The next message from his supervisor was contrite.

“I also want to talk next week if possible,” the supervisor texted. “I think we have lost something in our work relationship, and I want to understand what that is and how to get past it. I know I have been different towards you, and I am sorry for that.”

After the meeting, which was amicable, Johnson said he received an email from his supervisor that memorialized the meeting. Johnson was concerned, and let his supervisor know.

“I told him he didn’t tell me this was a documented discussion, and some of the stuff he mentioned in the [performance] overview was not discussed,” Johnson recalled. “He didn’t answer. I texted him…. At the time, he said he had people over and would give me a call later. He said, ‘Don’t worry, it’s not a write-up.’”

But Johnson knew a companywide reduction in force was coming, and the email put him on edge.

‘A death ticket’

Johnson has diabetes and he lost his health insurance when Novant fired him.

“When they let me go, knowing my health conditions, I kind of took it as a death ticket, really,” he said.

He’s gotten some work as a contractor, but paying for health insurance would eat up half his earnings, he said. As a result, he’s skipped doctor’s visits and let his medication lapse.

“Either we’re on the street and I’m healthy, or I’m home and I’m sick,” Johnson said. “Of course, with financial strains come quarrels with your spouse.

It’s caused us to bump heads on more than a few occasions. But we’re together, and we’re committed to each other and making sure this doesn’t affect our marriage. We’re going to work through this.”

After going public with her experience in October 2019, Karen Obas quit her job as an insurance specialist at the end of February. After Triad City Beat wrote about her ordeal, she said her managers repeatedly took away assignments, and it was clear she would never be promoted or transferred. Although she said she doesn’t regret resigning, she had no way to know what was around the corner.

“COVID-19 made it very hard,” she said. “It made it easy to feel defeated from a lot of angles, but I think this experience overall has given me even more resiliency than I had before and more determination to do what’s right regard-

less of the consequences.”

On Feb. 11, Johnson received a notification from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission finding that the agency “is unable to conclude that the information obtained establishes violations” of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by Novant. The notification is generally known in the legal profession as a “right to sue” letter; the federal agency rarely actively litigates cases, and the notification essentially clears a procedural hurdle for complainants to file a private lawsuit.

The “right to sue” letter gave Johnson 90 days to file suit against Novant under Title VII. Eight days before the deadline, Alex Kelly, Johnson’s lawyer, received a settlement offer of $1,000 from Novant’s lawyer. David E. Stevens of the Johnston Allison Hord law firm said he was responding to an offer from Johnson’s lawyer to reduce the settlement demand to $6,664.91, which was the amount Johnson was offered as severance in July 2019.

“Mr. Johnson rejected the severance package and decided to submit meritless claims against Novant in a misguided attempt to extract additional money beyond what was offered to him,” Stevens wrote. “As a result of his actions, Novant needlessly expended time and money defending Mr. Johnson’s claims. He needs to accept responsibility for the path he chose and understand that Novant will not simply give him a ‘do-over.’”

The deadline for Johnson to file suit under Title VII came and went on May 20. Like Obas, Johnson was deterred by the cost of the $400 filing fee and the unforeseen expenses of hiring a lawyer to handle a lengthy discovery process leading up to trial. But under Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the two former employees have a four-year statute of limitations, so their legal options are still open. When asked whether they intend to sue Novant under Section 1981, both Johnson and Obas declined to comment.

In early July, Johnson contacted Obas.

What she heard from him sounded sadly familiar.

“I wasn’t surprised at all, because of the many stories I’ve heard since last October on the comments directly from the [TCB] article and people who have reached out to me.” Obas said. “It’s clear that no matter what department in this organization, they have ways of covering up what they do...An organization has too much power when so many people are hurt by it and unable to truly defend themselves.”

July 16-22, 2020 Up Front

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Opinion

Culture

Shot in the Triad

Puzzles

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July 16-22, 2020 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

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700-strong Black Lives Matter march defies neo-Confederates in Graham

by Jordan Green Hundreds of Black Lives Matter activists marched into Graham and were met by angry neo-Confederate counter-protesters.

As the marchers neared the corner of West Harden and North Main streets in downtown Graham, the Rev. Greg Drumwright asked them to put their fists in the air.

“Don’t you worry about no counterprotesters,” he said. “You keep your mind on the legacy of Mr. Outlaw and all the people that died so that we could stand up.”

Invoking the name of Wyatt Outlaw, a Black constable and town commissioner lynched by the Ku Klux Klan at the county courthouse where a Confederate monument stands today, Drumwright led 600 marchers to the mournful strains of gospel great Mahalia Jackson’s “Trouble of the World” to Court Square, where more than 50 jeering neo-Confederate protesters awaited them.

Once he reached the small stage in front of the Confederate monument, where roughly 90 antiracists were already assembled, Drumwright asked the antiracist protesters to turn their backs on the counter-protesters, who waved Confederate and Gadsden flags and included members of Alamance County Taking Back Alamance County, or ACTBAC and League of the South, the latter a white supremacist group that marched in Charlottesville. Some among the multigenerational crowd wore Hawaiian shirts, associated with the boogaloo movement — a whimsical code for anticipating civil war — and skull masks.

“Can I get you to lift your voice and turn your back and send a message to Graham, North Carolina?” Drumwright asked. “You tried to scare us. You tried to shut us down. You tried to say that we had guns. You tried to call us a hate organization. But we come in love. We come in peace. But one thing we didn’t come here [in] is silence, because silence is violence. Open your mouth today.

Black lives matter!”

On Friday, the mayor of Graham had declared a state of emergency, which was ambiguously worded to indicate that access would be restricted to a six-block area around the monument and Histori-

More than 600 demonstators marched from Burlington to Graham on Saturday, in the name of Black Lives Matter DEVIN LEE VAUGHN and Wyatt Outlaw, who was lynched in Graham after the Civil War.

cal Courthouse at the culmination of the march. Although an open letter from the police department to the community referencing “a planned march and demonstration in the downtown business district” indicated that the police would accommodate the march rather than block the marchers’ path, Drumwright said in an interview with Triad City Beat that police officials abruptly canceled a meeting with him that was supposed to take place at 3 p.m. the day before, so that he was unable to gain clarification on their plans.

On Monday, a federal judge had entered a temporary restraining order with the consent of the mayor, city council and police department ordering the police to suspend enforcement of the city’s restrictive protest ordinance. The lawsuit filed by the ACLU of North Carolina on behalf Drumwright and other plaintiffs noted that Mayor Jerry Peterman had previously issued a series of state of emergency declarations, including one on June 27 that “completely suspended individuals’ rights to free movement, as-

sembly and speech.”

Local neo-Confederates, including ACTBAC founder Gary Williamson, made a call for all of their supporters to turn out in response to the Black Lives Matter protest. Williamson warned on his Facebook page in a post on Friday afternoon that the Black Lives Matter protest was “nothing more than another attempt to disrupt the city of Graham and bring more unwanted conflict to our county.” He said he wanted to outnumber the protesters 10 to one, and urged those who wanted to protect the Confederate monument, support the sheriff and ensure that Graham doesn’t change to show up.

Steve Marley, a Burlington resident who has been a frequent presence at rallies in support of Confederate monuments in other counties, posted “A Call to Arms” on the Reopen NC — Alamance County Facebook page warning: “We have known for the last six years that sooner or later, they will be attacking our peaceful town of Graham.”

He said, “That time has come, and I’m

asking you what will you do — stand or run?”

Neo-Confederates also parsed the state-of-emergency declaration to determine a course of action.

Woody Weaver, a Wake County resident who has displayed the League of the South flag in the past, noted that the declaration prohibited the use of dangerous weapons in the protest area in a series of comments on Facebook under the name Nathan Forrest — a tribute to the Confederate general who founded the Ku Klux Klan.

“Roll out the trucks,” Weaver advised.

“Clearly says no weapons. In your truck is different. Use them like a tank. You can’t get past the barricade. Put it where you can. The nastieees [sic] are sure to follow. Put your trucks in their march.

It is over a mile. Ain’t no law says you can’t. Put them in front or behind. They did not want a permit. So, the police don’t have to give them a escort or secure the path.”

No counter-protesters used vehicles to disrupt the march, which began next to a

July 16-22, 2020 Up Front News Opinion

Marchers were also protesting a Confederater monument on the Graham town square, where they were met by counter-protesters with Confederate flags and a Trump 2020 flag.

her job. Of a courthouse that was too small for all the tickets they wrote. They used a basketball stadium for their court.

That is wrong.

“Go to the Alamance [County] Courthouse, and just spend a few minutes, and you’ll see people who are in jail because they can’t afford their bail,” he continued. “The words we need to hear today — we white folk need to no longer say, ‘We don’t know.’ It’s time to start knowing.”

The Black Lives Matter rally in downtown Graham disbanded at about 2 p.m.

Some antiracists stayed behind and exchanged taunts with the neo-Confederate counter-protesters. Officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer who were assisting through a mutual aid agreement moved two lines of bicycles to separate the opposing groups.

As the verbal exchanges were becoming more heated, Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson crossed the street and talked to Gary Williamson, the founder of ACTBAC. The counterprotesters left soon afterwards.

Puzzles

ACTBAC; banning the use of hogties and chokeholds; and requiring police officers to intervene when colleagues use excessive force.

The coalition hasn’t taken an official position on the Confederate monument, but Austria said she wants it taken down.

“We don’t finish our job at removing Confederate monuments; that’s the baseline,” she said. “We need to try to move the needle in the direction of social justice and inclusion. We need to remove the residue of white supremacy. Let’s go deeper and talk about what is really embedded in the system that leads to Black and Brown and poor white folks being on the margin. I see white supremacy as a well-oiled machine. It’s in the DNA of our country.”

The Rev. Randy Orwig, pastor of Elon Community Church United Church of Christ, also addressed local issues in the law enforcement and court system in Alamance County.

Noting in his speech that he had previously lived in Ferguson, Mo., Orwig said, “I didn’t know that the police were pulling Black people over for broken taillights, which put a woman in jail, losing

Shot in the Triad

“Take a moment to look around you,” Dejuana Bigelow of Burlington exhorted marchers at the Historical Courthouse in Graham. “This has never, ever happened in Alamance County, in the town of Graham. Look around. It is not just Black people. I see my white friends. I see my Hispanic friends. I see my Asian friends…. Yes, hate is here. Hate has always been here. We didn’t come for that.

“I am proud to be an activist, an organizer in Alamance County,” she continued. “We’ve been praying for this. My grandmother, your grandmother, your grandpa — they all prayed for this.”

Although removing the Confederate monument — erected in 1914 — is one of goals of the protesters, it’s not the only one.

LaShawna Austria of the Saxapahaw Social Justice Exchange noted in an interview that she is part of a recent coalition called the Alamance Agents for Change that has issued 14 demands to county and municipal law enforcement, including changing the law to make all police misconduct a matter of public record; removing officers who are members of “hate groups,” including

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Food Lion in Burlington. At the beginning of the march, Burlington police Lt. Chris Smith informed the marchers that they would be able to take the two eastbound lanes of Harden Street. At the Graham city limits, the Burlington police vehicles peeled off and Graham police took over the police escort. But Rev. Drumwright said an assistant was arrested while trying to cross a police line to deliver a program for the event to him in downtown Graham.

Near the culmination of the event, Drumwright admonished: “Graham community: I hope you didn’t believe the perceptions there was going to be blood in the streets — on our behalf ?”

He added, “It’s time for that monument to come down.”

Drumwright, who grew up in Burlington, is a pastor at the Citadel of Praise & Campus Ministry in Greensboro.

Many of the antiracist demonstrators said they felt that the march was historic for Graham, a city of 13,293 that is the seat of government for Alamance, a county with 169,509 people wedged between Greensboro and Hillsborough on the Interstate 85/40 corridor.

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EDITORIAL

Risk vs reward in public schools

Gov. Roy Cooper hit the digital airwaves with the state plan for public education on Tuesday. There weren’t too many surprises in the presser. Of the three proposed plans, the governor is hoping we’ll use Plan B, which would have a mix of in-person learning and online instruction, with an online-only option in every school district for kids who need to stay home.

Daily temperature screenings and health assessments, moderate social distancing and mandatory facemasks were also part of this solution.

There are no good options here — Plan B is just the most prudent direction we can hope for. And, of course, we can only do it if our coronavirus numbers start slowing down, which they are not.

It’s a dangerous game we’re playing with the lives of our children, sure. But as far as science can tell, children are not as susceptible to COVID-19 as adults, they don’t transmit it as readily and, if they do get sick, it’s usually not too bad.

It’s worth the risk because most of these kids need to be in school. It’s a better learning environment for most, particularly students with technological challenges at home, and the sort of social setting that children need as part of their human development. For kids with particularly challenging circumstances, school can be their only safe space, or their sole steady source of nutrition.

During Tuesday’s Guilford County school board meeting, board members outlined three possible outcomes for students come fall. One has students learning remotely five days a week. Scenario

B has students coming to school two days a week while the third option picks half the student population to physically attend schools, with the groups alternatingly weekly. The final plan will be decided by the school board at the July 28 meeting, though Superintendent Sharon Contreras has recommended that schools be online only the first five weeks. Two new tuition-free virtual schools were also approved for students who prefer to learn from home. Applications opened yesterday.

The kids themselves are just one of the stakeholders here — primary ones though they may be. We must acknowledge that the teachers and other school staff assume most of the risk, just as we must admit that COVID-19 outbreaks in our public schools are as inevitable as the afternoon rain.

A NC Public Schools Workers Bill of Rights has been circulating online, written by school staff that demands full funding of both school operations and new health guidelines, and getting input from the educators themselves on the plan. It has 4,743 signatures as of Tuesday evening.

Plus, there are parents themselves, most of whom earn their living while their kids are at school. A disruption in childcare could put families on the street, not to mention the far-reaching effect it would have on the economy.

And remember, too: We can only do this if we reduce the spread of the virus in our state. If things continue on the trajectory we’ve set, these kids could end up staying home for the rest of the year.

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Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

hristina Degreaffenreidt’s name her company. dream of creating a one-of-aShe uses her company kind candle for her mom as a creative outlet to suddenly turned into a showcase her creative nightmare when the burning creation capabilities to the world, burst into flames. and to escape the stress of Degreaffenreidt had just begun her fashion merchandising making candles when she went to her job and life in general. In parents’ house to give one to her mom. the beginning, she flipped When they lit the candle, the wick fell her own home and posted sideways and burned the glass vessel, the before and after which shattered and caused a small fire pictures on Instagram on the kitchen counter. Degreaffenreidt to gain a following from finds it amusing that her mom was more interior design aficionaconcerned and upset about her candle dos. She wanted to show than the potential house fire that could off the beauty of her home have happened. while influencing others “I laugh about it now,” she says, “but to reach out to her for back then I was so embarrassed.” help decorating their own.

Degreaffenreidt moved from Mebane She operates the business to Greensboro in 2005 to attend UNCG. from her home in GreensShe graduated with a double major in boro for right now, but she 2009, earning two Bachelor’s degrees hopes to someday open in Apparel Design and Business Ada Multifaceted creative ministration. She works full time but collaboration space as an realized one of her biggest fears in life escape for other artistic is being tied down to what she called a individuals. Between her “mundane 9-5,” so she became inspired day job and Multifaceted, to start a business. What if this actually she balances her time by works and I can quit my job? she asked scheduling every activity herself. However, she was also afraid of her day, including groof the business being a success and not cery runs, two weeks to having the security of a guaranteed three months in advance. paycheck.

Establishing MultifacBut her dreams proved bigger than eted wasn’t easy.

COURTESY PHOTO Christina Degreaffenreidt started Multifaceted, a home decor and candle her fears. She surveyed her friends to This is Degreaffenrecompany, in 2019. find out what others viewed as her idt’s third time starting a talents. They agreed on home decor, business, but she stopped the opinions of her non-supporters. She realized that somedesign and decorating, and in 2019 she putting energy towards the other two when they didn’t fulfill one somewhere would support her dreams, even if she was a started and trademarked Multifaceted, the vision she imagined. It took Degreaffenreidt six months to Black woman. a home-decor company specializing in perfect every aspect of candle making. She focused on every “Don’t run away from yourself,” she says. custom scented candles, door wreaths, part of the candle, from the glass to the wax to the wick, until She also sent social-media influencers gift boxes in hopes of wall hangings and floral arrangements she found the perfect formula. Now, the larger candles are positive reviews on her products. It ended up working out, as in wine glasses cut by Degreaffenreidt hand poured with a wax recipe she created and topped with a orders skyrocketed and Degreaffenreidt is now low on prodherself. She is inspired by everyday life flower made from wax molds. The flower is fused to the base uct, a problem she loves to have. and travels to name her candles. Her of the candle with heat creating a unique design.

Degreaffenreidt’s ultimate goal is challenging the status favorite scent, In Multifaceted’s early days, she quo of working a full-time job until retirement, and finding Chicago, is avoided showing her face on social happiness for her and her dog Boots, a rat terrier mix. reminiscent of media as she was afraid of racism “You don’t have to follow what society says,” she says. “I Learn more about Degreaffenreidt’s a boutique hoand sexism potentially affecting was raised to go to college, work, keep working there, move company at multifacetedgso.com or tel she visited sales. up, settle. My ‘why’ is to challenge that. Chase happiness and in the Wicker “I didn’t want people to know I a more fulfilling life because we’re only here for a short period follow her on Instagram at Park neighborwas a Black girl,” she said. of time.” @multifacetedgso and on Facebook hood in the She also expressed difficulty in beShe hopes that her hand-crafted, exclusive products will at Multifaceted. city. She also ing taken seriously by other entrehelp her accomplish that goal. has a light, preneurs who seemed to be stingy “You need a cute little candle, I gotcha,” she says. “We’re babyish scent with tips for success. all pretty much in the house all day so, might as well make it Kammie Kam, named after her nephew.

It didn’t help that COVID-19 cases began increasing as cute.”

She has been described by her family Multifaceted began gaining traction. Degreaffenreidt took as ‘multifaceted’ as she has many taladvantage of the time at home to advertise on Instagram, ents in different areas, so she used it to opting to show her face this time as she stopped caring about

July 16-22, 2020

CULTURE Born from fire, Multifaceted makes a creative escape

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July 16-22, 2020 Up Front News Opinion Culture Shot in the Triad Puzzles

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CULTURE Area bars offer take-home cocktail kits for summer relaxation

by Sayaka Matsuoka

T

he lone bead of water slides down the belly of the glass, squeezing its way to the surface of the palm. The heavy July heat wraps everything like a weighted blanket as the ice cubes clink together and mingle with the sound of wailing cicadas. The first sip goes down smooth and the taste of citrus and pine cools the senses — cocktail season is upon us.

While North Carolina bars may still be closed due to the pandemic, area businesses are finding creative ways to bring the mixed-drink experience directly to consumers.

“It’s been a hard time for everyone so we’re trying to stay relevant, stay involved in the community,” says Gia beverage director Dan Lis. “We sensed a need and a desire for our interactions with our guests so we’re trying to do everything we can to fulfill that.”

Since about mid-May, Lis has been creating to-go cocktail kits so customers can enjoy crafted cocktails without leaving their homes. While Gia is currently open for indoor dining, Lis and others at the Greensboro restaurant understood that many would not be comfortable coming inside.

Lis, who seamlessly concocts a Japanese Mint Tea cocktail behind the bar, says offering take-home cocktail kits was something the restaurant started after several regular customers began asking for it.

“We were also ready to get back to work,” he says. “It’s also about grabbing all of the revenue streams that you can.”

Gia currently offers five take-home kits that include everything needed to make the drink, minus the alcohol, Lis says.

Though other states have passed bills allowing bars and restaurants to sell cocktails with alcohol included, attempts in North Carolina to pass similar legislature have failed in the last several months.

So instead, Lis says, they are making batch mixes in bottles that will yield anywhere from four to six drinks. Each bottle comes with a recipe and a recommendation for a kind of alcohol, but at the end of the day, Lis says, it’s user’s choice.

Among the five offered currently are some of Gia most popular drinks including their Manhattan. They also offer a Black Rickey, a take on a Gin Rickey, which includes house-made blackberry

Dan Lis, the beverage director for Gia, stands behind Gia’s take-home cocktail kits.

mint syrup and lime and comes with a bottle of ginger beer.

To ensure quality, everything down to water content has been accounted for.

“Everything is done by weight,” Lis says. “Any cocktail you have anywhere from 12 to 30 percent of water by volume. So, when I make a single cocktail, I look at how many ounces of liquid I put into the beaker, the shaker and how many comes out when I’m done. And then I apply that same ratio to the batch.”

But for ease of use for consumers, all of the hard work of ratios and shaking is already done by Lis. All customers have to do is follow the recipe to put together the drink and then stir.

“It’s great to be able to provide that enjoyment for people,” Lis says. “We can’t necessarily seat 16 to 20 people at my bar anymore, but I’m able to still provide that same quality of beverage that they would get here inside the restaurant, but they can do it from the comfort and safety of their homes.”

Beau Tate of Tate’s Craft Cocktails in Winston-Salem added another layer of ease to customers’ experiences by including straws and garnishes in their cocktail kits.

The bar, which has physically been closed to the public since mid-March, has struggled like many other establishments, to

SAYAKA MATSUOKA

remain relevant during the pandemic.

In late April, the bar started offering take-home cocktail mixes to continue its mission of creating well-crafted drinks.

“We do what we do because we love putting tasty beverages in people’s hands,” Tate says.

For weeks, the business offered three mixes every week, with their Black Bird Julep — a vodka-based drink with lemon, sugar and raspberry cordial — being the most consistent seller.

However, they stopped making them at the beginning of June because they thought they’d be able to reopen the bar. With that no longer an option because of the business’s small interior, Tate says they’ll start making the mixes again by the end of this month.

“The bar industry is really going through it,” he says. “We’re all just trying to figure out how to get through it and survive.

We are taking it one day at a time.”

Before, when they were offering the kits, Tate says made sure that customers had everything they needed for a full experience, even the ice.

“We noticed that ice was one of the biggest hiccups that people run into because ice introduces a lot of gases into the drink and then it turns to liquid too quick,” he says. “So, we

July 16-22, 2020 Up Front News Opinion

Fainting Goat’s cocktail mixes are all tiki inspired.

Shot in the Triad Puzzles

current offerings include fresh pineapple juice and some sort of citrus.

“All three are tropical,” he says. “These are cocktails that do really well in the heat right now…. I’m pretty sure people are pretty sick of their gin and tonics and vodka sodas.”

The Good Vibes Only includes lime juice, pineapple juice, lemongrass syrup and a housemade bittersweet mix and pairs with Fainting Goat’s Tiny Cat Vodka. But consumers can mix and match their alcohol to any of the mixers.

“We can’t serve right now so we thought, Let ’em do it at home,” he says.

The menu gets posted on Facebook and Instagram every week and then people can pick up during the week.

Thea Deloreto stops by to pick up a bottle of vodka and gin as well as a few take-home kits that she says she’s going to take with her to the beach. It’s her first time buying pre-made cocktail mixes.

“Since we’re going to the beach and we can’t go anywhere or do anything, we thought this is a good alternative to have some fun,” she says.

And that’s the joy of these kits, according to Gia Dan Lis. “We’re making it as painless as possible so they can just sit back and relax,” Lis says. “You don’t need any tools. Just some ice and a glass.”

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started including enough ice to shake and serve with.

We would vacuum seal the ice and put it in a cooler for them.”

Customers also got two pages of instructions, including the how and why behind the drinks.

“It was so people could think like a bartender,” he says. “The hope is that they go out and then they’re thinking of their own cocktails to make at home and they develop the skills to do that…. One of our missions is to get people to drink more thoughtfully.”

Even after the pandemic is over, Tate says he’ll likely keep doing the cocktail mixes because of the convenience for customers.

“There are a lot of people that want to have a special drink experience but don’t want to be at a crowded bar on a Saturday night,” he says.

Andrew Norman, the co-owner and head distiller at Fainting Goat Spirits in Greensboro, says they just started making and selling cocktail mixes and they have the added advantage of being able to sell the liquor to customers at the same time.

For the past few months, the distillery has been focused on creating hand-sanitizer but Norman says he’s excited to get back to what they love to do: create high-quality beverages.

“Making the hand sanitizer is something that we had to do; we saw a need for,” Norman says. “But this is more pleasurable.”

Unlike Tate’s and Gia, Norman’s take-home drinks are a bit more tropical and tiki-inspired. All three of the

SAYAKA MATSUOKA

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1 Maker of Musk cologne and perfume 6 1990 World Series MVP Jose 10 Ruler of Iran, once 14 “Legend of a Cowgirl” singer Coppola 15 No longer a fan of 16 Sagacious 17 Subject of library censorship 19 Like many vaccines 20 Before, to Byron 21 ___ terrier (Toto’s breed) 22 Fantasy sports option 23 Bandleader known as “The King of Swing” 25 Orchard measures 28 Basis of the game Ticket to Ride, for short 29 “Dawn” author Wiesel ©2020 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) 30 Awards show hosts 34 Twaddle 37 In fine order 40 Multi-vol. reference set 41 Lets pass 42 Fridge problem 43 Life story 44 Basil and pine nut topping 45 Cheap bowlful, maybe 52 “Magpie and the Dandelion” band The Answers from last issue ___ Brothers 53 Prepare for baking, as challah dough 25 Prefix with plane or dynamics 54 “The Racer’s Edge” 26 You’re reading it 57 Coin-shaped Hanukkah candy 27 What a tangelo is tangled up in?

58 Pet owner’s alternative to kibble 30 ___ a high note 60 Kathryn of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” 31 “2001” studio 61 One way to run 32 CBS show with many spinoffs 62 Actress Dreyfuss of “Dear Evan Hansen” 33 911 responder 63 Yelp rating unit 34 High degrees 64 Past the due date 35 Enormously 65 Canadian ballplayers, once 36 One who believes that one hand makes light work?

Down 38 “___ Mad At Cha” (Tupac Shakur song) 1 Agree (with) 39 Little piggies, perhaps 2 Epps of “House M.D.” 43 Recovering 3 Barn attachment 44 Hawk 4 “Barbara ___” (Beach Boys hit) 45 Goes ballistic 5 Family tree members 46 Deflect 6 Batman’s sidekick 47 Peach ___ (Escoffier creation) 7 Soap that floats, per old slogans 48 Appointer of Justice Kagan 8 “The Masked Singer” panelist Ken 49 “Ready ___, here I come!”

9 1978-82 sitcom planet 50 Thanks, to J¸rgen 10 Suit in a tarot deck 51 “Where’s the ___?”

11 U.S. Grant’s original first name 54 Stock option?

12 Carne ___ fries 55 Lawnmower brand that means “bull” in Spanish 13 “Hobbs & Shaw” actress Mirren 56 BlackBerries and Palm Pilots, e.g.

18 Rather prominent on the internet these days 58 Schenkel who designed many Zappa 22 Many a museum marble album covers 23 Served as 59 Not-entirely-secure method of sending 24 108-year-old cookies that thankfully have a documents bunch of varieties to keep things fresh

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CROSSWORD ‘Double Negatives’—it’s one way to double up.

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