TCB May 4, 2023 — From Hawaii to Greensboro

CITY LIFE

THURSDAY MAY 4

TowneBank Beach Music Festival @ First National Bank Field (GSO) 5:30 p.m.

Enjoy family-friendly concerts before select Greensboro Grasshopper games this season during the TowneBank Beach Music Festival. In addition, there’s food, drinks and shag dance lessons to enjoy. Find more information at downtowngreensboro.org/events/beach-music

Libations and Line Dancing: Star Wars

Edition @ Foothills Brewing Tasting Room (W-S) 6 p.m.

May the fourth be with you as you learn a line dance to an instrumental song from Star Wars Entry fee includes the line dance lesson, open dance and a free drink of choice. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

FRIDAY MAY 5

Cinco de Mayo/Mango Tango Cider Release @ Bull City Ciderworks (GSO) 12 p.m.

Bull City Ciderworks invites you to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a mango tango cider release, margarita flights, taco from the Empanada Grill food truck and special cocktails. More info on the Facebook event page

by MICHAELA RATLIFF

MAY 4 - 7

three Star Wars trilogies. Find more information and purchase tickets at wssymphony.org

Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical @ High Point Theatre (HP) 2 p.m.

AAPI Storytelling Event with PAVE NC @ Scuppernong Books (GSO) 6 p.m.

Join TCB Managing Editor Sayaka Matsuoka, PAVE NC and other Asian American Pacific Islander panelists as they discuss the importance of telling diverse stories during this free event. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

SATURDAY MAY 6

Stop Cop City Solidarity Event @ Etc. gso (GSO) 1 p.m.

Join the Greensboro Revolutionary Socialists (GRS) and the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) for a fundraiser with a teach-in, workshops and a concert to benefit Atlanta’s Stop Cop City movement. Learn more on the Facebook event page and at stopcopcitysolidarity.org

High Point Theatre brings Roald Dahl’s Matilda to life with Matilda the Musical. An unloved child, Matilda finds comfort in books and her teacher Miss Honey as she learns to release her inner magic despite her circumstances. Purchase tickets and see other showtimes at hpct.net/events/ matilda

SUNDAY MAY 7

UNITE Festival @ Lebauer Park (GSO)

1 p.m.

Join the Family Support Network of Central Carolina and other community sponsors as they UNITE, or realize Understanding the Needs of Inclusion Takes Everyone! This community celebration and resource fair for families of individuals with special needs includes games, entertainment and more. Check the Facebook event page for more info.

The Music of Star Wars @ Reynolds Auditorium (W-S) 7:30 p.m.

Winston-Salem Symphony invites you to grab your lightsaber and enjoy an evening of music from all

Find more events and add your own to our calendar at triad-city-beat.com/local-events/.

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Tennis, the yips and the painstaking process of progress

My forehand has been off lately. In fact, it’s been off for years at this point.

Those who know me well know that when I’m not chasing stories or editing pieces, I’m probably out on the court playing tennis. It’s something I’ve done since I was 11 years old and it’s one of my favorite things to do.

But lately, it’s been causing me stress. And that’s because, to an extent, I have the yips.

side a lot and I’ve gotten decent at the forehand slice. But it’s not what I want.

And the frustrating thing is that I know that my body remembers how to hit it.

Because when I’m not playing a match, when there aren’t any stakes, I hit the shot beautifully. It arcs with just enough spin, power and placement so that it looks like I’ve been playing tennis for two decades. But as soon as the pressure of winning enters my silly brain, my arm tightens up, my shoulders don’t turn and I take my eyes off of the ball. The resulting shot is like night and day.

I have the yips.

For those who don’t play sports or haven’t seen “Ted Lasso,” the yips are when you suddenly lose the ability to do a simple motion or action in a sport for seemingly no reason at all. It’s not due to an injury. It’s not based on the weather, court conditions, whether you’re playing on hard or clay or even what your opponent is doing. No, it’s much worse than that — it’s 100 percent mental.

But that’s how it goes sometimes. Tennis for me has always been a constant back and forth (see what I did there?), with inches in progress for every step back. For each frustrating session, there are winning shots or slides across the court to just make it to a ball before it bounces. And that’s the thrill of it; that’s the drug.

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And so, for the last few years, I’ve had to relearn how to hit my forehand, one of the most fundamental — and some may say, most important — shots in the sport. I’ve adapted, sure. I play my backhand

So, I’m working to learn to trust my body again and let muscle memory take over. And as someone who is constantly in their head, calculating, thinking, planning, remembering, it’s counterintuitive. But that’s the best part of the sport.

If I can just let go, it’s magic.

Bruce

stands in front of the municipal building in Greensboro. [photo by Nancy Sidelinger Herring]

OF THE WEEK

The preoccupation with the written word is a tool of whiteness.

Ashley Lumpkin, pg. 11

by Sayaka Matsuoka

Greensboro and Winston-Salem debate accessory dwelling units, short-term rentals amidst national housing crisis

by Gale Melcher

With rent skyrocketing and the housing market in a crisis, city leaders in both Greensboro and Winston-Salem are looking at rules regarding alternative living spaces as well as short-term rental units like AirBnbs.

A little over a year ago, the city of Winston-Salem updated its code to make it a bit easier for accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, to be built within city limits. Previously, each request for an ADU was required to come before city council for approval. The amendment removed this requirement, as well as others that posed barriers such as a $1,000 minimum fee and a 2-month approval process.

Councilmembers approved the amendment on Feb. 7, 2022, codifying the changes into the Unified Development Ordinances, or UDO.

An attached ADU could be a converted basement or an attic that expands the original structure, while a detached unit could be created from a detached garage. Attached and detached ADUs can also be purchased through sellers such as Home Depot or online through Amazon and other companies.

Now, ADUs require approval from zoning staff and are permitted if they meet certain conditions. One ADU is allowed on the same lot, and there are general building requirements for the structure, size and utilities of the structures. The changes were proposed in order to bring the city up to par with the practices of peer communities like Asheville and Wilmington. In the time since the change, the city has permitted 10 ADUs — three that are attached and seven that are detached. During an April 10 Community Development, Housing and General Government Committee meeting, principal planner

Tiffany White gave councilmembers an update on the change.

White’s presentation provided a map showing the locations of the 10 newly permitted ADUs — revealing that the south, north and west wards each had one ADU, with five in the southwest Ward and two in the northeast Ward. Forty percent of the ADUs are located in urban neighborhoods, while 60 percent are in suburban neighborhoods.

“We’re pleased to see that the permitted ones to date have been scattered around various neighborhoods around the community, which I think shows that a lot of different neighborhoods are taking advantage of this,” White said.

Prior to the amendment’s approval, community members expressed concerns regarding parking, the infrastructure of older and newer neighborhoods, and the possibility that the ADUs may be used as short-term rentals.

From a case study by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, “suburbs continued to be a prevalent form of housing development throughout the 1950s and 1960s.” The study said that the rapid growth of suburbs during this time reinforced the high demand for lower-density development, ultimately causing most local jurisdictions to prohibit ADU construction. However, in spite of zoning restrictions, the study reports that “illegal construction of ADUs continued in communities where the existing housing stock was not meeting demand.”

ADUs, also known as granny flats or in-law suites, have existed in Winston-Salem for more than a century. A January 2022 video by the city shows one homeowner, Judy Hunt, with their ADU in the form of a cottage. Built in 1912, the cottage was once a carriage house, housing residents on the floor above. Hunt said that the cottage has been a rental unit “for decades probably, it’s been in continuous use.”

Councilmember Jeff MacIntosh spoke in support of ADUs during the February 2022 city council meeting, mentioning that other cities that have “gone after this boldly have gotten results like 10 ADUs per year.” He added that he was “very comfortable” that the amendment would not cause neighborhoods to undergo radical change.

He said that while ADUs aren’t the solution to affordable housing, they can help.

“This bites around the edges…. any additional housing units we can get, we need to get,” he said.

MacIntosh, who will not seek re-election in 2024, told TCB in a January interview that he will remain passionate about issues like affordable housing after he leaves office.

“I don’t think I’m just going to be able to step away from that entirely,” he said. “It’s a big arena and it needs an awful lot of attention. So I think I’ll be able to continue to be helpful with that.”

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This piece is part of our CityBeat that covers Greensboro and Winston-Salem city council business, made possible by a grant from the NC Local News Lab Fund, available to republish for free by any news outlet who cares to use it. To learn how, visit triad-city-beat.com/republish.

Short-term rental debate in Greensboro

In Greensboro, a section of the city’s code could be amended to regulate short-term rentals such as residences being used as AirBnBs and VRBOs. According to the city’s website, Greensboro’s Land Development Ordinance does not currently define “shortterm rental”, and the proposed ordinance would provide a full definition of what a short-term rental is. The city now defines a short-term rental as a rental of a “portion or all of a residentially used property for a period of no more than 30 days.”

Short-term rentals can either be homestays in which renters stay in a portion of the homes of the hosts or whole-house rentals. For homestays, the host of the rental must use the property as their primary residence and be on-site while renting a portion of the home. Under the proposed changes, property owners for whole-house rentals would be required to live within Guilford County or a directly adjacent county. According to the city, if the host of a whole-house rental does not use the property as their primary residence, “a local operator (with local contact) must be identified and contact information provided to the city’s planning department.” Short-term rentals will only be permissible in residential dwelling units, and hosts will be required to apply for and secure a zoning permit. The document also notes that properties “may include an onsite accessory dwelling unit as part of a short-term rental.” The city estimates that there are more than 600 short-term rentals being advertised in Greensboro.

The amendments were also recommended during a March 1 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, but the proposed changes have faced much scrutiny. At the March 1 meeting, many of those in opposition shared similar concerns to residents in Winston-Salem. Some argued that the amendments would make it easier for properties to be bought up for the sole purpose of

being used as short-term rentals, driving up the cost of rent and potentially changing the fabric of their neighborhoods.

“This is a zoning issue hinging on an occupancy issue,” said speaker Cheryl Pratt. “A non-owner occupied short-term rental is no longer a residential home, and should not be considered as such if no one actually resides there. It is a structure being utilized as a mini-hotel — a business.”

However, some AirBnB hosts who spoke at the meeting said that the changes would place more restrictions on their businesses. One AirBnB operator, Joy Watson, said that many of the properties they’ve acquired used to be blighted.

“All of a sudden we have a lot of regulation coming in,” Watson said, adding that they have been working to bring these properties up to a liveable condition and remove blight from their neighborhood. A search of AirBnbs owned by Watson shows a range of properties in the area from College Hill to Latham Park to a house in Kernersville.

“I don’t think that anyone in my neighborhood would complain about that when they look at the value of their house that has just now increased because we have just taken two incredibly blighted houses out of the neighborhood,” Watson said.

Residents almost got another opportunity to speak on the issue during a public hearing at the May 2 city council meeting. However, the item was moved to May 23 due to the massive number of residents who signed up on Tuesday. It will be the only item on the agenda for the May 23 meeting. The fourth Tuesday of every month is reserved for a city council meeting, according to Mayor Nancy Vaughan.

If the amendments are approved, all short-term rentals must comply with the updated standards within six months of the date of adoption.

NC Supreme Court takes three steps backwards

Isuppose it was inevitable that the new, ultra-conservative North Carolina Supreme Court elected back in November would use its limited time to erase the progress made by its predecessor.

On Friday, the court reversed a previous decision about voter ID, which had been swatted down by a federal appeals court in July 2016, which decreed the law was passed with “discriminatory intent,” as it needlessly and disproportionately affected Black and Brown voters. Prepare for another round through the courts on this one.

Our state Supreme Court also reversed a decision about gerrymandering, giving all power back to the NC General Assembly, which at present is controlled by Republicans, to cut districts, Congressional and otherwise. Under the current Congressional maps, drawn after years of court cases decrying the old ones as illegal, NC’s 14 seats went to seven Democrats and seven Republicans, which is fair for a purple

state like ours. The new ones should break down to at least 10 seats for the GOP, and we’ll be looking for a newly-cut safe R district for Rep. Tricia Cotham, who switched parties earlier this year to the dismay of her deep-blue constituency.

And just for good measure, they revoked a law allowing convicted felons to vote after they made their amends, affecting some 55,000 North Carolinians.

With these measures, the folks on the right are admitting that they cannot win a majority in a free and fair election. This, of course, goes against the very nature of our representative democracy — on paper, anyway — and also is a little bit like theft, stealing votes from people who don’t have the power to fight back, neutering voices of dissent, completely disregarding those of us who maybe don’t want to live in a gun-toting theocracy.

Their vision is one of minority rule — the unpopular few governing against the wishes of the electorate — which is in itself a form of fascism. No need to sound the warning bells anymore; we are already there.

Courtesy of NC Policy Watch

With these measures, the folks on the right are admitting that they cannot win a majority in a free and fair election.

FRESH EYES

The 1-percent prepared food tax is ill-conceived and tone deaf

OPINION E

very few years, an idea comes along that’s so ill-conceived, so tone-deaf, it unites enemies in opposition — like New Coke or the last season of “Game of Thrones” (Who better to lead than Bran the Broken? Literally anybody, Tyrion.).

lieves Coleman.

I can already feel the eyerolls from Greensboro’s booster class: “A 1 percent tax on prepared foods is such a small price to pay for amenities like the Tanger Center, which gives our community an edge on economic development decisions.”

Fair enough. Tanger is a great space, and locals clearly are enthralled. But what’s one person’s “tax on prepared foods to bring more jobs to the area” is another’s “forcing the underprivileged to subsidize ‘Hamilton’ tickets.”

The people behind this grand scheme aren’t heartless; they want what’s best for Guilford County. But they’re not poor, and most of them never have been. They likely don’t realize that for the economically disadvantaged, prepared foods aren’t an indulgence but a way of life. Fast food is convenient, calorie-dense (I didn’t say nutritious) and in many cases cheaper than homemade meals. Think I’m wrong? Order $20 off McDonald’s dollar menu, then try to match it — calorie for calorie — with $20 worth of store-bought ingredients.

by Margaret Moffett

But what if an idea pitched by leaders in Greensboro was so wrong-headed it forced liberals and conservatives to hold their noses and work together to defeat it? The local powers that be are serving up such an opportunity on a — what? “Silver platter” is such a cliché. How about “on a Meyer Sound Constellation electronic acoustic enhancement system?”

I’m talking about a possible tax on prepared foods: restaurant meals, convenience store fountain drinks, hot dogs from street vendors and, gulp, screwdrivers at College Hill Sundries. As reported by TCB, Greensboro city leaders are floating the idea to subsidize the $96 million Tanger Center (home of said sound system) and the ever-expanding Greensboro Coliseum Complex.

Six counties in North Carolina, including Mecklenburg and Wake, levy a 1 per cent tax on prepared foods. That’s 20 cents on a $20 restaurant tab. Counties have two options for enacting it. There’s the democratic route: letting voters decide through a referendum.

The other involves a tactic commonly used by North Carolina’s municipalities, but something that’s a tad autocratic for my political tastes: not letting the people decide. The General Assembly can vote to give Guilford County’s nine commis sioners the wholesale authority to approve the tax themselves, bypassing local voters.

Guess which option Greensboro is pursuing?

Honestly, I’m not sure the “hows” of making diners paying more at Yum-Yum, Machete and Stephanie’s are as important as the “whys.” The very idea of asking all citizens to pay more for food — a necessity — so the Tanger Center gets better Broadway shows is simply breathtaking.

“It’s a bad idea,” said Justin Conrad, a former commissioner, noting the sales tax referendum voters shot down in 2022. “A recycled bad idea.”

You might expect Conrad, a conservative whose family has deep roots in foodservice, to oppose the move. True, he’s not big on taxes, aside from those that keep our schools running. This one in particular gauls him, though, because it’s regressive. That’s a polite way of saying that it disproportionately impacts the poor.

Think about it this way: $20 worth of food at Cook Out or Sheetz is the same for everyone, from local billionaire Roy Carroll to someone experiencing home lessness. But a 1 percent tax is a larger percentage of the homeless person’s income, which means they’re bearing a supersized load.

Bearing it, mind you, so someone else can enjoy Cats or Kountry Wayne.

Conrad, who stepped down from the board in December, was close to the late Commissioner Carolyn Coleman, a civil rights activist and unabashed liberal. They were an unlikely duo — like US Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who enjoyed each other’s company if not their written opinions.

Coleman strongly believed regressive taxes punish the poor. And Conrad be

Conrad worries most about the working poor, like the person who has an hour between part-time jobs and needs a quick bite. Will a 1 percent tax prevent them from swinging through the Burger King drive-thru? Unlikely. But this tax would be just another thing separating them from their money, just another daily indignity associated with poverty.

He suggests adding user fees to tickets at Tanger and the coliseum’s other venues, which he’d gladly pay as a season ticket holder. If this idea of prepared food tax gains more traction, perhaps liberals and conservatives can unite around Conrad’s idea.

It would give people this politically polarized city something it sorely needs: common ground.

Margaret Moffett, a ghostwriter and freelancer who lives in Greensboro, is a former reporter and editor at the News & Record.

Unboxing: GSO plus-size influencer Myra Victoria combats stereotypes, inspires others

by Michaela Ratliff

Dressed in a gray graphic tee and black leggings, Myra Diggs stacks one more shoebox atop the pile on her bed. She adjusts the lighting in her room and sets the self timer on her phone to record as she prepares to show her newest collection of kicks to her 40,000 TikTok followers.

“I found myself liking helping other girls that looked like me with how to dress,” she says.

Diggs, who goes by Myra Victoria online, is a plus-size, social-media influencer specializing in trendy, flattering and affordable fashion for the full-figured woman. The 23-year-old also vlogs, filling her YouTube channel with ‘Day in the Life,’ ‘Get Ready With Me’ and shopping trip videos.

Diggs graduated from Southwest Guilford High School in 2018 and later attended Guilford Technical Community College but withdrew in 2020, realizing that wasn’t the path she wanted to take.

“I just always knew I wanted to entertain people or help people in certain ways,” she says.

During the height of the pandemic, Diggs was unemployed and needed to find a way to keep moving. She’s aware that at her size, she has to stay active to avoid health complications, like immobility in her legs. Her friend Shanice Holder convinced her to start a YouTube channel because she’s always been into fashion, but a lack of inspiration and motivation caused Diggs to procrastinate. When she started experiencing depression due to isolation caused by COVID restrictions, something had to give.

Let’s be productive, she told herself.

In August 2020, she uploaded her first YouTube video — an unboxing of skincare products.

Since then, she’s posted nearly 100 TikTok videos and 30 YouTube videos, gaining more than 1000 subscribers.

But social-media stardom hasn’t always been easy for Diggs because the internet tends to be cruel to those who don’t fit society’s “standard” of beauty: thin. In a TikTok posted last August, she dances to a remix of “DJ Play a Love Song” by Jamie Foxx as she shows excitement over her new hairstyle, goddess locs. That didn’t last long once a negative comment got in Diggs’ head.

“You look pretty and all, but you really need to do something about your weight,” the commenter said unsolicitedly.

She almost deleted the video, but she couldn’t. Too many comments were pouring in. With every second that passed, the number of likes increased. Her phone received so many notifications she couldn’t use it for four days. When clothing companies started reaching out to her for partnerships because of the publicity, Diggs knew the video had to stay up.

The video is Diggs’ most popular, amassing more than 3 million views to date.

The result opened a realm of possibilities for Diggs. She knows there will always be negative comments, so she found a solution.

“I don’t even read the comments anymore on my old videos,” she says.

Growing up in Brooklyn, NY with a single mother, Diggs didn’t always have the latest clothes from luxury designers. She says in Brooklyn, people placed designer labels and appearances on pedestals. She heard things from others

about plus-size women being “sloppy” or “careless” about how they looked. With this in mind, she aimed to prove them wrong.

“I worked with what I had, and when I put it on, I put it on well,” she says. “A real fashionista can put anything together and make it work.”

With her platform, Diggs aims to guide plus-size girls and women through shopping for trendy items like crop tops, form fitting jumpsuits and two-piece sets without spending a lot of money. She opts for affordable clothing from sites like Boohoo, SHEIN and Cider. There’s no gatekeeping with her when it comes to dressing for your body type.

“There’s a lot of girls like me that don’t know how to do that, so how about I help them do that?” she says.

Keep up with Myra Victoria on TikTok at @myr_avictoria and Instagram at @myr.avictoria. Check out her YouTube channel at youtube.com/@myravictoria.

Myra Diggs, known online as Myra Victoria, demonstrates that plus-size can be posh.

COURTESY PHOTO

Breaking free: GSO’s Ashley Lumpkin on the power and truth of spoken word poetry

by Michelle Everette

In 2010, as colorful art strategically clung to each white wall of the small, designated gallery, slam poet Ashley Lumpkin experienced her first and most memorable win. The 18th annual Southern Fried Regional Poetry Slam in Knoxville, Tenn. attracted some of America’s most talented artists; that night was particularly important for Lumpkin.

“I was on a team of four or five poets, and each team got to perform four poems a night,” she recalls. “My team needed to win that round of competitions in order to be in contention for the finals.”

The poet before her performed a piece about his son’s difficulties learning in school that moved the audience to tears. The space was now brimming with cathartic energy and incredible anticipation.

“I walked up to the stage, set the microphone, and it was a very loud moment, but I stepped back from the microphone and waited for the full room to get silent,” Lumpkin says. Then she began to recite “Eucharist: how to make your mother let you save her life:”

it is her body turned in on itself / like some kind of flesh to bone civil war beaten back with pills and prayer / and second opinions that all seem to say the same thing / seem to say that the pain she kept tucked in the pit of her belly is finally trying / to break free

The full poem, which Lumpkin continues to perform regularly, uses detailed religious references and is ultimately about the decision to give her mother a kidney.

“That poem has never lived in my body again the way it did that night because it came from such a still place,” she says. “They had just heard this beautiful story about the love a father has for his son, so I wanted to talk about the kind of love a daughter has for her mother.”

Lumpkin’s reciprocity, her ability to foster empathy by revealing authentic emotions and quickly gaining the trust of an eager audience partly stems from her background as a high school teacher.

“Shout out to teachers in general,” Lumpkin says. “I feel blessed to have had amazing teachers in middle and high school.”

Lumpkin, raised in the Church of God and Christ, grew up in Hephzibah, Ga. and attended a magnet school for the performing arts called Davidson Fine Arts in Augusta from fifth to twelfth grade. Though Lumpkin was encouraged to write poetry from a young age because her teachers and classmates deemed her “good at it,” she didn’t realize the power of performing until she received an assignment from her eighth grade language arts teacher, Queen Harrison. Harrison had the class read, memorize and perform many different poems, one of which was Maya Angelou’s famous lyric, “Still I Rise.”

You may write me down in history / With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt / But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

“Every Black girl in the class was excited,” Lumpkin explains. “This was our moment, so when we would recite the poem, it was always very forceful.”

When Harrison showed the class a video of Angelou performing the poem, however, the intention of the piece seemed to change.

“When the class was saying it, it was like we were trying to push our way into rising but when Angelou read, it was so effortless and inevitable, delicate,” Lumpkin says. “It wasn’t just a different recitation, it was like a different poem. Her performance was a unique piece that was related to but separate from the poem as it existed on the page even though the words were the same.”

Lumpkin’s conception of a poem as “a story stripped down to its most essential, an expression of that which is most true,” unites the somewhat conflicting histories of written and spoken word poetry in America. Performance poetry, which can be used interchangeably with the phrase “spoken word poetry,” refers to a poem that has been specifically crafted to be heard by an audience. Spoken word is often performed and judged at slam competitions, but this competitive element is optional. A page, or printed poem, is a poem crafted with the intention of an audience reading it. Lumpkin is aware that many spaces, particularly academic spaces and major publishing houses, tend to privilege page poetry.

“The preoccupation with the written word is a tool of whiteness,” she says. “Any and all aspects of the academy that try to invalidate the spoken word also carry with them the baggage of whiteness and all the ways that can show up. The idea that the written word is somehow richer is ridiculous because people standing around a fire to tell the truth has a much more ancient tradition.”

For Lumpkin the issue comes down to gatekeeping. Public education in this country was eventually followed by integration, which was then followed by the creation of independent schools to deal with integration, she explains. It seems once there were several public spaces for Black people, queer people and other people of color to verbally share their stories, the written word became the institutionally reinforced standard for “good” storytelling.

“This is why I’m such a huge fan of self publishing because forget going through a gatekeeper, forget the gate,” Lumpkin says.

Ranging from topics like depression and addiction to the emotional toll of forgiveness and love, Lumpkin’s award-winning poetry portfolio is vast and varied. A strong sense of identity rooted in a beautifully complicated lesson lurks at the heart of many of her pieces.

“There’s tension between my queerness and my faith in the same way that there’s tension between my race and my faith,” she explains. “The thing that is the most true is that I’m a queer woman who loves Jesus. That’s the human experience. To embrace all your contradictions because that’s the most true thing.”

Ashley Lumpkin sits on the board of the North Carolina Poetry Society and is the coach of Durham’s Bull City Slam Team. Lumpkin is the author of five books and is available to host a variety of poetry workshops, all of which can be found on her website, lumplestiltzken.com. Her latest book, Genesis, is available for purchase at Scuppernong Books in downtown Greensboro.

Ashley Lumpkin has been practicing spoken word poetry for more than a decade.

PHOTO BY J HALL

AAPI Stories by PAVE NC: Edward Bruce Keohohou

by PAVE NC

In celebration of AAPI month, TCB will be sharing stories by PAVE NC, a local volunteer-run organization that highlights the stories of Asian-Americans in the South for the month of May. This story was shortened to run in print. Find the full interview online at pavenc.org.

PAVE NC sat down for a conversation with Edward Bruce Keohohou, a native Hawaiian who has called Greensboro home since the late ’80s. He spoke to us about Hawaiian culture, what brought him to Greensboro, and his political achievements.

Q A Q A

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you ended up in Greensboro?

Aloha ‘auinalā, good afternoon. My name is Edward Bruce Kalaniopu’u Kamehameha Keohohou, which Kalaniopu’u Kamehameha means “the heaven protects the lonely one.” My surname, Keohohou, means Hope of life. It’s a pleasure to be here to share my voice as well as my experiences here as I challenge and help grow with the state of North Carolina. What brought me here to Greensboro, well, to the state of North Carolina, was my application to go to a graduate school here. I chose to go to Duke University. I graduated from the first E-MBA program, started in 1987, which was a 20-month program, and I enjoyed it. Every time I tried to go back home, I had a good job offer that kept me here.

So my love for North Carolina is great. I call it my hānai home, which is my adopted home. I can’t claim myself to be a Tar Heel, but I’ll claim myself as a Blue Devil.

Could you tell us about your family and growing up Hawaiian?

Well, to start off, I mean, like any other culture, normal growing up, teenage life, and so forth. I grew up in the church. When I say the church, it’s the Royal Church of Hawaii, which is Kawaiaha’o. It is considered the Westminster Abbey of Hawaii, where all the royal families who were Christian married, funerals are held and so forth.

My ancestry is very deep. Like I said previously, my great-great-grandfather served under King Kalākaua in the House of Nobles, as well as King Kamehameha V in the House of Nobles and my great-grandmother was the lady-in-waiting for Queen Kapi’olani, which was the consort for King Kalākaua. Also, she served as the lady-in-waiting for her Highness, our last monarch, Lydia Kamaka’eha Lili’uokalani.

Also, just recently, we lost one of our royal family, Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa. I knew her very dearly. We called her Royal Grace, Abigail Kawananakoa, she was our “Mo’i Ali’i Kupuna, or Royal Chieftess. She was the one that brought me to Duke University because she was good friends with Doris Duke. I became a benefactor of the Doris Duke Estate. I’m really privileged and honored to have been a part of that experience.

As far as growing up, we surfed. I was always very active. Even when I was in... what you call middle school, we called it intermediate school, being

Q A

class president and all that. When I was in high school, I was the first person appointed as secretary general to the state conference for all the high schools, which was appointed by the State legislature, as well by the governor.

And I worked closely at that time with Governor Burns. I have an uncle who served as a governor for two terms back in ‘86 to ‘94. My godfather is the late Sen. Daniel Ken Inouye. My uncle, my mom’s brother Daniel Akaka, was a congressman and a US State senator too, United States senator as well.

There’s a lot of diversity in Hawaii, at the same time it is also not immune to racism. Can you talk about that?

Well for me, when I was growing up, I won’t say it was racism so much as it was more prejudice. But as years went on, then I saw racism as what we see here, and it was primarily towards the other Pacific people like the Fijians, the Micronesians, the Tongans, the Samoans, and so forth.

As far as the nucleus of Hawaii, the people were always together. They were all sustained. And even when the Vietnamese came after the war, they were very well accepted. Hawaii is a very accepting place, but to compare it to the racism here, it’s really not much. It’s not so much, I would say, like the kind of racism we have here where we’re segregated and so forth. It’s just this mentality of why are they here and so forth.

Q A

Have you encountered racism in Greensboro?

I don’t see for me that I have been treated with racism. I’ve seen it happen. In fact, living here, I remember I was working at Tex & Shirley’s back in 1987, and in fact, I was their only male waiter at that time. It’s funny, there was this one guy that came in, and when I approached his table, he called the owner at that time, and said, “I don’t want this person waiting on me.”

The owner argued that I was a good waiter, but the customer said I was an immigrant. He said it right in front of my face. I don’t know what he was thinking, but he tried to get me fired. There was no reason for me to get fired, I was doing my job.

Edward Bruce Keohohou came to Greensboro after living in Durham in 1987.

PHOTO BY NANCY SIDELINGER HERRING

How did you end up in Greensboro?

Well, for some reason, Duke University gave my room and dorm assignment away. So they put me in an apartment complex about five blocks away from the university. I was unfamiliar with Durham, but I knew people here in Greensboro.

So two weeks into the semester — back then we didn’t have computers, so I went to the library. When I came back, all I saw was a swarm of emergency vehicles, ambulances, firetrucks, police department and I’m seeing all this activity going on. So I’m approaching to go to my apartment and the detective stops and asks, “Excuse me, sir, where are you going?”

I said, “I’m going to my apartment.”

So we go, and I open my door. A drug deal went bad, two people were killed. If I had stayed in my apartment where my desk was — the bullets came straight through the wall. I would’ve been dead. But something told me to go to the library. Thank God.

I called everybody I knew up here in Greensboro. I said, “I don’t care if I have to sleep on your front lawn, I am coming ‘cause I don’t feel safe here.”

Tell us about your political involvement.

In 1987 I was appointed to serve with the Board of Elections. This will be my 19th term with the Guilford County Board of Elections ‘cause I serve as a chief judge for a precinct and as a site supervisor for early voting at the old courthouse.

What was so funny is when I came to register to vote here in Greensboro, I called and asked for whatever documents I needed to become a voter here. When I went down there — this is very funny — I don’t know why, but the clerk, when I presented my documents that were requested, kept asking me for my green card.

So I pulled out my Greensboro library card ‘cause it was green. Then she said, “No sir, I need your green card.”

So I pulled out my First Union credit card. It was green. Then she asked me for my passport. I’m thinking, I haven’t left the country yet, so why would I need to show you my passport?

In the back there was another clerk yelling, “He’s a citizen. He’s a citizen.” I lost it when this clerk looked at me and said, “I didn’t know y’all were a state.” What is surprising is that there’s people still working there that remember that.

SHOT IN THE TRIAD

BY CAROLYN DE BERRY

Chestnut Street, Greensboro

Saturday morning basketball practice.

CROSSWORD SUDOKU

by Matt Jones

Across

1. Nights before holidays

5. Loos

8. Radio and podcast streaming platform, for short

14. Mediocre

16. What a suspect might enter

17. Guessing game with yes/no answers

19. Put on a patch, maybe

20. Unnatural raspberry color/”flavor”

21. “Tik ___” (Ke$ha hit)

22. “It ___, Captain Vegetable / With my carrot, and my celery” (early 1980s Sesame Street song)

25. Surname of fictional siblings Shiv and Roman

27. Big ceramic pot (or a French-sounding greeting backwards)

29. Way of obscuring messages practiced by Leonardo da Vinci

33. Sunburn-soothing substance

34. “His Master’s Voice” initials

35. “Downton Abbey” title

37. When a second-shift worker might return to the office

42. Asuncion assent

43. Ritter of country music

44. ___ speak (as it were)

45. Ancient chariot-racing venue

49. Present day, for short?

50. Actress Thurman of “Gattaca”

51. 157.5 deg. from N

52. Recede, at the beach

55. Devilish creatures

57. Participial suffix

59. What the first words of the theme answers (including this one) might represent when repeated

65. Let out fishing line

66. Post-accident inquiry

67. Light touch

68. Enter the auction

69. “Girls” creator Dunham

Down

1. Doc seen for head colds

2. Solemn oath

3. It’s way past April in Paris

4. Nine-digit IDs

5. Fret-free query

6. ___ au vin

7. Ticket leftover

8. Rude remark

9. Hilton, for one

10. Center intro

11. Bunches

12. Spot near Lake Tahoe

13. To-do list entry

15. Alamogordo’s county

18. “The Time Machine” humanoid

22. Muslim religious leader

23. Grain holders

24. Like some unexpected endings

26. Org. for women since the 1850s

28. Trickster god of African folklore

30. Call sign that dates back to the original Star Wars movie

31. Whitewater rides

32. Some wedding cake figurines

36. “The White ___”

38. Flight awards

39. Chinese e-commerce company that went live in the U.S. in late 2022

40. Studied closely

41. Wine’s bouquet

46. Animals in a 2022 World Cup-adjacent beauty contest

47. Stamp-issuing org.

48. Common graph axes

52. Cabinet dept. concerned with schools

53. ___ fides (credentials)

54. Comedian Bill

56. Clumsy attempt

58. London lockup

60. “Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling ___” (actual 2023 New Zealand comedy show)

61. “All Things Considered” host

Shapiro

62. Wish to take back

63. Longtime Mad Magazine cartoonist Martin

64. The Specials genre

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS:

‘Say That Again?’ — echoing that sentiment.

© 2023 Matt Jones

© 2022 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com)

Here For Small Businesses in the Triad

Cookie Gurlie

Cookie Gurlie cookies can bring out the kid in every cookie lover, young and old. Cheryl Pressley — aka Cookie Gurlie — has been making and selling her cookies in the Triad and beyond for seven years. She incorporates the finest local ingredients to create unique flavors to tickle your taste buds, bringing back fond childhood memories of your favorite cookies with a fun new twist. Have you ever tried her Chocolate Dippity Doo!! or her Strawberry Fields cookies? Well, if not, you can find Cookie Gurlie cookies at the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market, Eno River Farmers Market and online at cookiegurlie.com   Cookie Gurlie cookies make great gifts for teachers, moms, and unique dessert tables at parties, weddings, or just because.

Be sure to follow her on social media to stay in the dough, because you never know what she’ll come with next!

Deep Roots Market

Deep Roots Market is a full-service grocery store serving Downtown Greensboro and the Triad. We are dedicated to building stronger communities through accessible healthy food, environmentally and socially responsible practices, and meaningful outreach and engagement. We prioritize companies, farms, and vendors that practice and uplift these values. Deep Roots Market is a Co-op that is open to everyone.

600 N. Eugene St. GSO | 336.292.9216 deeprootsmarket.com

Trailer Yourself

Trailer Yourself is a locally-owned cargo trailer rental company that rents cargo trailers for around town moves and short-term storage solutions. These trailers require a tow package on your vehicle and the ability to pull/tow a trailer that ranges from 2000-4500 pounds, depending on load.

We saw the need for this solution as the major rental services out there are much smaller, have lots of additional fees in fine print, and aren’t accommodating to specific car and motorcycle needs.

Trailer Yourself is run and managed by two local business owners who work in the insurance and auto-restoration fields. We are blessed to bring this business to the Triad and we know that the people of this community will support our business as they do so many other small businesses in the Triad.

Whether you’re moving houses, taking a kid to college, transporting your antique auto or having a guy’s weekend with the bikes, we have a trailer to fit your needs. Enjoy the freedom to go where you want to go, and with one of our trailers, you’ll be sailing smooth.

600 Tipton Place, GSO | 336.991.2277 | traileryourself.com traileryourself@gmail.com

Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art.

— Leonardo da Vinci

At Coyne & Wessling Studio we combine the latest digital technology and the advancements of the 20th century with tools and craftsmanship of the 19th Century to create art that is personal and intriguing.

LIMITED EDITION ART PRINT

Inspired by so many different things, our prints capture a unique, lasting impression of beauty.

PORTRAITS -—ALL SUBJECTS

In the digital age of the selfie, we give you back true art. Be it a single person, a group of people, or a beloved pet, we create beautiful portraits of love and remembrance.

SMALL RUN GIFT PRINTS

How do you express thanks to guests attending a special event? We suggest small handmade prints to show your gratitude in the most delightful and unique way. art.coynewessling.com | 336.601.8630

twessling@coynewessling.com

Coyne & Wessling Studio