TCB May 16, 2024 — Civil Action

CIVIL ACTION

SAYAKA

CITY LIFE

THURSDAY

Party with YWCA @ Nomad Wine Works (HP) 5:30 p.m.

YWCA HIgh Point invites you to enjoy a night of fellowship, food trucks and live music by Turpentine Shine. Proceeds will support youth programming. Purchase tickets at ywcahp.com

2024 Greensboro Bound Literary Festival @ Downtown (GSO) 6 p.m.

MAY 16 - 18

FRIDAY

Spring Wine Tasting @ the Brewer’s Kettle (HP) 6 p.m.

The Brewer’s Kettle invites you to taste a selection of six spring-themed wines including whites, rosés and light reds. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

Scan the QR code to find more events at triad-citybeat.com/local-events

SATURDAY

Messtival @ Kaleideum (W-S) 10 a.m.

Kaleideum is hosting Messtival for kids to explore science through art. Learners will enjoy sensory bins, an obstacle course, rocket demos and more. Buy tickets at kaleideum.org

South African Wine Tasting @ the Loaded Grape (GSO) 6 p.m.

Stop by for this family-friendly event in support of those in the military and veterans. There will be a Ride for Heroes Jeep rally, live music by Darrell Hoots, a bounce house and more to enjoy. More information on the Facebook event page 16

Celebrate North Carolina’s literary history with four days of books, conversations and community. This year, the festival will focus on the concept of physical, cultural, inner and outer “spaces” and “how they reflect and impact everything from national discourse, to the literary landscape, to individual lives.” Find more information and a schedule of events at greensborobound.com

Join Andrew Woolgar from Elephant Corner Wine as he introduces five South African wines from smaller wineries around the Cape. Grab tickets at loadedgrape. com

Veteran Appreciation Event @ Stock + Grain (HP) 1:30 p.m.

CITY LIFE

’80s Throwback Party @ Garage Tavern (GSO) 8 p.m.

Garage Tavern invites you to dress in your best ’80s attire and jam to the decade’s best tunes with this throwback party hosted by DJ Todd. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.

19

SUNDAY

Once On This Island @ Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance (W-S) 2 p.m.

WSTA puts its own spin on this eight-time Tony Awardnominated show. Once On This Island, a Caribbean rendition of The Little Mermaid, tells the story of a peasant girl who falls in love with a wealthy boy from the other side of the island. Purchase tickets at theatrealliance.ws/ box-office

MAY 19 - 23

Neighborhood Happy Hour @ Joymongers (GSO) 4 p.m.

The Westerwood Neighborhood Association is hosting this neighborhood happy hour for attendees to learn about upcoming events, buy a Westerwood shirt and grab a newsletter. More information on Facebook

21

TUESDAY

Preservation Easements: Saving Your History @ Forsyth County Public Library Auditorium (W-S) 6 p.m.

This presentation by professional preservationists David Bergstone and George Edwards will explain the purpose of preservation easements to your historic property and how this protects the property from future unsympathetic changes. Register at preservationforsyth.org

Scan the QR code to find more events at triad-citybeat.com/local-events

23

THURSDAY

Taylor Night @ Distractions (HP) 5:30 p.m.

‘Tis the Damn Season for Taylor Swift-themed pottery! Swifties are invited to create the piece of their Wildest Dreams as they sing along and Shake It Off to the pop star’s hits. Tickets are required and can be purchased at distractionsartstudio.com/workshops

From A Grain of Sand @ Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts (W-S) 9 a.m.

This exhibition by Michael Isley features stained-glass creations inspired by ancient civilizations to modern-day innovations. On display until July 1. More information at intothearts.org

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

OPINION

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK

The Assembly, and collaboration

We’ve been sort of teasing this for the last few months, but last week, the new online digital statewide magazine the Assembly announced their venture into the Greensboro area. With this move, the burgeoning news outlet is making its mark on our city and letting future readers know that they will be trying to fill the news desert that has slowly been creeping into the area since the decline of the daily. And Triad City Beat is going to be part of their efforts!

For one, we have been collaborating with the Assembly, talking with its founders and editors for months. I’ll also be contributing pieces to the Assembly

moving forward as a featured writer.

And we think it’s a good partnership because we kind of do different things that complement one another.

The Assembly has historically done long-form pieces, both narrative and investigative, while we are hyperlocal. But we know that local stories resonate statewide and so we’ll be writing stories about Greensboro and this region for the Assembly that will reach wider audiences. Don’t worry; you’ll see those same stories in TCB, too.

This new partnership is a model of journalism that we’re seeing more and more lately: one of collaboration. Because what we’ve all learned is that we can’t do it all, and instead of fighting with each other for stories, the best thing we can do is work together.

So here’s to more stories, more visibility, more accountability and, ultimately, more voice for our region.

Allen Broach

allen@triad-city-beat.com

OF COUNSEL

Jonathan Jones

Sayaka Matsuoka

sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

CITYBEAT REPORTER

Gale Melcher

gale@triad-city-beat.com SALES KEY ACCOUNTS

Chris Rudd chris@triad-city-beat.com

AD MANAGER

Heather Schutz

heather@triad-city-beat.com

TCBTIX

Nathaniel Thomas nathaniel@triad-city-beat.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Carolyn de Berry, John Cole, Owens Daniels, James Douglas, Michelle Everette, Luis H. Garay, Destiniee Jaram, Kaitlynn Havens, Jordan Howse, Matt Jones, Autumn Karen, Michaela Ratliff, Jen Sorensen, Todd Turner

WEBMASTER Sam LeBlanc

ART DIRECTOR

Aiden Siobhan aiden@triad-city-beat.com

Ayesha Rascoe,

by Sayaka Matsuoka

Photo by Sayaka Matsuoka Design by Aiden Siobhan

‘Multiple layers of safeguards’ Election experts explain how they ensure free, fair elections in Forsyth County

by Gale Melcher | gale@triad-city-beat.com

rom the specific weight of the paper ballots to having multiple copies of the results, intricate measures are taken to ensure free and fair elections in the US.

On May 7, cybersecurity experts, election law attorneys and election officials hailing from both sides of the aisle sat down to talk about the behind-the-scenes work of ensuring fair elections in the UNC School of the Arts Gerald Freedman Theater in Winston-Salem. Hosted by FOX8 WGHP anchor Bob Buckley, the town hall event also featured former NC Supreme Court justice Bob Orr and former mayor of Charlotte Jennifer Roberts.

“There’s so many in America today who think that this idea of people being in charge and having fair and free elections is just an organic thing that happens,” Buckley said. “But it doesn’t.”

Throughout human history, freedom has been a “rare” occurrence, while tyranny is the “rule,” said Adam Draper, a local attorney and Forsyth County Board of Elections member.

The US is an experiment in that freedom, said Draper.

Getting involved in the election process is one way to help protect it, said Catherine Jourdan, another board of elections member.

“If you don’t get involved, you don’t have much of a say-so over what happens,” she said.

What protections exist for elections?

t’s people; it’s processes,” explained Dr. Stephen Tate, cybersecurity expert and UNCG professor at the event. “For something like elections, what we want is not necessarily the most advanced technology that people don’t understand, but the most understandable and trustworthy technology that people believe is the safe one.”

In North Carolina, voters use paper ballots, and ballot counters — or vote tabulators — are not connected to the internet.

In Tate’s work, he looks at individual devices that are part of a larger system.

“The larger system includes the people that run the elections, the processes that people follow, and the more I’ve looked into North Carolina elections the more impressed I am with the way that there are layers.”

It’s about applying a layer of protections to those technology devices, explained Torry Crass, NC’s chief risk officer and former chief information security officer at NCSBE.

“There are multiple layers of safeguards as it relates to cybersecurity and the voting systems,” he said.

Before each election, all of the voting equipment must be tested. After the election, officials are required by state law to randomly audit two precincts, counting the votes to make sure that the numbers line up. The random audits are chosen at the state level, and a “literal, physical dice gets rolled to determine who ends up getting audited,” Crass said. If nothing unusual pops up, the certification process can move forward.

According to Crass, local resources and funding availability plays a significant role in election security.

“We’ve got to have encryption where encryption is possible, we have to have good antivirus malware detection, we have to have good backups,” he said. “We have to have all of these different things that create an entire ecosystem around elections to help protect that. And it’s not inexpensive.”

Election officials gathered for an event on May 7 in which they talked about the ins and outs of election security.

GALE MELCHER

And while their system is pretty impenetrable due to how much money they kick into these kinds of safeguards, they still don’t have enough to invest in all the security measures they would like to do, Crass added.

What happens to your ballot behind the scenes?

Your ballot travels through multiple layers of safeguards — before it even reaches your hands — explained Tim Tsujii, the elections director for Forsyth County.

First, it’s printed by a vendor that’s been certified through the state board elections on a paper stock with a specific weight.

“If you were trying to attempt to counterfeit that paper ballot, you would have to know the exact specification of that weight of the paper ballot,” Tsujii explained. Ballot scanners also take a picture of your paper ballot. From there, your ballot drops into a bin that is sealed with a special security seal, Tsujii said. If election officials notice that the seal has been tampered with, they’ll immediately contact the board of elections. And it’s not just one individual handling everything; it’s a bipartisan group of trained precinct officials.

Ballot scanners, also known as vote tabulators, are not connected to the internet, but at some point election officials will need to transfer those results to a network device in order to broadcast them on their website.

They copy the results using a thumb drive — which is never used twice, because it has “touched a network device,” Tsujii said.

These thumb drives are not the kind you can buy at the store; they’re special and “extremely expensive” — about $100 a pop — Crass added.

One person brings in the thumb drive along with the first copy of the results on a tape to the board of elections office. Then the chief judge brings the second copy of the results and the ballots, so that “nobody can claim or make that argument that one sole individual maintained possession of everything,” Tsujii affirmed. He explained that by having the chief judge follow suit with the second copy of the results, they can “verify that the results matched on election night.”

“Our system in Forsyth County is not really hackable, because tabulators are not connected to the internet,” Jourdan chimed in.

What people are truly worried about is fraud occurring on a massive scale, and that thousands of votes are being changed, Jourdan added.

While it’s totally possible for someone to pretend to be another person and fraudulently cast their ballot, it’s only a few cases — “nothing that’s really going to overturn an election,” Jourdan noted.

With threats such as voter intimidation, physical security is another thing they have to keep in mind, Tsujii explained. They have a local emergency services taskforce that’s specific to elections and they have pre-election briefings with law enforcement agencies. Tsujii added that police and fire leadership are on his speed dial should something go wrong.

Draper explained that despite some people’s fears of widespread election fraud, he is “not seeing people show up and say, ‘I didn’t get to vote because somebody else has already claimed my ballot.’”

“My concern is really more misinformation and paranoia out there and how much it gets spread. To me, that’s a bigger problem, in our county anyhow,” Jourdan said.

PHOTO BY

A group fighting evictions in Guilford County gathers support from city council members ahead of budget season

by Gale Melcher | gale@triad-city-beat.com

AThe next city council meeting is on May 21, and the next public comment period will be held at the June 4 meeting. Meetings are held at 300 W. Washington St. in the Katie Dorsett Council Chamber.

group fighting evictions in Guilford County made their way to Greensboro’s city council on May 7 Keep Gate City Housed is a group pushing for funding for TEAM, or Tenant Education Advocacy Mediation, a group that operates out of UNCG and works directly with people facing eviction. Members of TEAM set up tables outside the small claims eviction courts in Guilford County and High Point, providing legal representation, mediation services and help with rental assistance applications. Currently, they can only afford to do this a couple days per week.

That’s why Keep Gate City Housed wants the city to make sure that they include $440,000 in their annual budget for TEAM so that they can offer their services full time. The group is also asking for $1.5 million to fund a rental assistance program for families fighting evictions.

And at the May 7 council meeting, it appeared that the council unanimously supported the cause.

Funding TEAM is one piece of the puzzle that will “keep people in their homes,” atlarge councilmember Hugh Holston said.

What evictions numbers look like in Guilford County

Last year, around 16,000 Guilford County households had eviction notices filed against them, according to data collected by the North Carolina Housing Coalition.

And a major problem with the system is the huge disparity in legal representation.

Ninety percent of landlords in housing court had legal representation, while only 10 percent of evicted tenants were able to obtain legal assistance.

TEAM has helped 15 percent of those 16,000 households avoid eviction, according to Keep Gate City Housed leader Cecile Crawford.

According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, 34,703 unaccompanied youth were experiencing homelessness in the United States in 2023.

Around 90.6 percent were between the ages of 18 to 24, while the remaining 9.3 percent were under 18 — that’s 3,240 unaccompanied children.

Susan Burkholder, who spoke at the May 7 council meeting, said that she regularly works with the homeless. Her eyes were opened to the correlation between homelessness and eviction after she spoke with Keep Gate City Housed leaders, she said.

It’s one thing to see the numbers, said Burkholder, but the grief reverberating through eviction court reveals the harsh reality some families in Guilford County are facing.

“Now the numbers take on names and faces and situations that are a stark reminder of how hard life is for folks who are living on the edge,” Burkholder said. “This perspective of naming eviction prevention as homelessness prevention… It just made so much sense.”

Another speaker, Casey Thomas, is a homeowner in Glenwood.

Thomas said that it’s not uncommon to see piles of people’s belongings on the curb in her neighborhood — a visual reminder that eviction can happen to anyone, anywhere.

“You see their clothes, furniture, children’s toys — just their lives that they can’t take with them when they’re kicked out,” Thomas explained. Anita Washington, who also spoke, described to the council how she is the “face of eviction.”

A victim of retaliatory eviction, Washington requested some repairs from her landlord. After that, the eviction process began, she said.

“It was a long haul. I was in court every month.”

But having legal assistance made all the difference, Washington said.

“I would never have avoided eviction if I didn’t have legal assistance,” Washington admitted. A legal aide came into court with Washington and showed her the process, she explained.

The legal aide “helped me and I got out,” Washington said, adding that she is “so happy” now.

Group gains the support of city leadership

Mayor Pro Tempore Yvonne Johnson expressed her wholehearted support after listening to the speakers. She said she was “impressed” and “excited” about the work they are doing.

“With some money you can do even better; so I’m gonna support that,” she said.

Holston said that he’s in “strong support” of including $440,000 in the city’s budget. As the leader of Greensboro Housing Coalition since August 2023, Holston is no stranger to housing issues, and said that TEAM is simply about being fair and giving people the opportunity to have representation. People “might still be evicted, but at least they’ll have someone with them to help them to understand the process…the timelines, the appeals processes. Just being fair — it’s about fair housing,” Holston said.

Councilmembers Goldie Wells, Sharon Hightower and Marikay Abuzuaiter also leaned in favor of funding TEAM.

“It appears that you have got unanimous support here,” Mayor Nancy Vaughan told those gathered in support of Keep Gate City Housed.

Vaughan and councilmembers will discuss the budget this month with city staff. While Keep Gate City Housed has the verbal support of city leaders, the city’s budget hasn’t been finalized.

On May 21, Interim City Manager Chris Wilson will present the recommended budget to the mayor and city council. The city will hold a public hearing on June 4 so residents can comment on the proposed budget. On June 18, city leaders will vote to adopt the budget. The city’s fiscal year begins on July 1.

At the podium, Crawford shared that this fight is personal to her — as someone who once faced eviction herself.

“Imagine sitting in court, facing an eviction,” she said. “You spent the last couple of weeks scrounging up everything that you could on your rent, because you got sick and had to take non-paid days. You took another day from work to be in court.”

On top of that, late fees, court costs and a mountain of other debts have piled up at this point, Crawford explained.

“You have to go to the bathroom. You’ve been there for hours, but you don’t dare get up, because they might call you and you’d lose your home,” she added.

Luckily for Crawford, her landlord took the money she had and the judge decided not to charge her the extra fees.

“I don’t think people understand that any of us can find ourselves in that seat, alone, with no lawyer,” Crawford stated.

Now, Crawford regularly observes eviction court, and sees people sitting in the same position she was once in, feeling the same frustrations she once felt.

“You can tell what a city finds value in by what is in its budget. We need you to add this funding to the budget,” Crawford said.

Members of Keep Gate City Housed

PHOTO BY GALE MELCHER

deep roots many voices

2024 summer outdoor concert series

SATURDAY

EVENINGS @ 7PM

may 25

june 1

june 8

june 15

june 22

june 29

july 6

East Nash Grass

+ The Amanda Cook Band

Caleb Caudle

+ Wild Ponies

Chatham rabbits

The SteelDrivers

+ The Wilder Flower

Tuba Skinny

Appalachian Road Show

+ None of the Above

The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee

+ New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters

july 13

july 20

july 27

aug 3

aug 17

aug 24

aug 31

David Wax Museum

+ The Travis Williams Group

Fireside Collective

+ Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road

Martha Redbone roots project

+ Zoe & Cloyd

the kruger brothers

Steep Canyon Rangers

Alison Brown Quintet

+ Wayne Henderson & Friends

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

EDITORIAL

The fix is in

by Brian Clarey

ver get the feeling

that the fix is in?

Like the deck is stacked, the outcome predetermined, the prophecies self-fulfilling?

From the sidelines, we’re watching presidential candidate Donald Trump slip one criminal trial after another — on technicalities, through delay tactics and other forms of lawyer bullshit. Sure, he’s got to sit through a few embarrassing weeks in New York for the current moneylaundering trial — that’s the Stormy Daniels thing. But his criminal case in Georgia is not even on the calendar yet, slow-walked by appeals after Team Trump unearthed some mild dirt on prosecutor Fani Willis. This one probably won’t happen before the election. He lost his civil fraud case for inflating his wealth to obtain loans, but that, too, will languish in appeals while Trump coughed up just a fraction of the $454 million judgment. And then there are the two federal cases —

one for stealing classified documents and another for inciting an insurrection on Jan, 6. But those are on hold, too, waiting for a Supreme Court ruling to decide whether Trump is immune from everything he did while president which would render both of those cases moot. A lot of us — a lot of us — believe the Supreme Court is bought and paid for these days. There is ample reporting to support this belief.

So he’ll skate to the election with a fraction of the legal interference he’s due, getting softball coverage from a mainstream media that’s unwilling to articulate what’s at stake this year, but perfectly happy to ding Joe Biden every chance they get. Talking to you, New York Times

From the sidelines, we’re watching Donald Trump slip one criminal trial after another.

If Trump wins, he’ll control the Justice Department that is levying these charges against him, with the authority to just… call everything off. And there is a plan afoot

— Project 2025, brought to you by the Heritage Foundation — to usher in an era of American fascism through minority rule and a purge of government personnel.

The whole thing seems so absurd, and yet it’s playing out in slow motion, right in front of us. And all we can do about it is vote, which is currently still legal.

Deep Roots, Many Voices

CULTURE

‘Spiritual Gatorade’ New book chronicles the life and impact of Greensboro activist, former lawyer Lewis Pitts

by Sayaka Matsuoka | sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

“When I talked to Lewis, I felt better about things.”

That’s the enduring sentiment that runs through a new book by civil rights lawyer Jason Langberg that chronicles the life of Greensboro activist and former movement lawyer Lewis Pitts.

The Life of a Movement Lawyer: Lewis Pitts and the Struggle for Democracy, Equality, and Justice, which hits shelves across the country on May 16, is a seven-and-a-half-year project by Langberg, stemming from the lawyer’s personal relationship working with Pitts.

“I first met Lewis back in 2005, I think,” Langberg recounts during a recent interview. “I was a law student at the time, and I was interested in coming to North Carolina.”

Langberg remembers visiting family in Asheville and connecting with Pitts, who was working as an attorney for Legal Aid at the time.

Lewis Pitts has been an activist, organizer and attorney for the last 40 years. Now his story is being told in a new biography.

PHOTO BY SAYAKA MATSUOKA

Learn more about The Life of a Movement Lawyer: Lewis Pitts and the Struggle for Democracy, Equality, and Justice and order online at lewispittsbiography. com. Copies can also be bought at Scuppernong Books in Greensboro and at Bookmarks in Winston-Salem.

“We met for coffee one morning, and we sat there for at least a couple of hours if not longer,” Langberg says. “And I decided at that meeting, That’s the guy I want to work for.”

As Langberg started working with Pitts in 2009, Pitts’ mentorship blossomed into friendship and became a catalyst for hope for Langberg.

“When I talked to Lewis, I felt better about things,” Langberg says. “I recommitted to social justice work and I thought, I’m sure others would like this spiritual Gatorade, as Lewis calls it. I spent time being inspired by him.”

While Pitts is retired now, having resigned from the bar in 2014, the community activist has a long and storied 40-year career working in what Langberg calls “movement lawyering.”

From representing anti-nuclear war activists in Oklahoma to fighting for residents in Daufuskie Island, SC, to seeking justice for the survivors of the Greensboro Massacre, the book chronicles Pitts’ career while weaving together the stories of activists across the country.

“The book doesn’t fit in a nice category,” Pitts says. “But I think it offers a compelling formula linking organizing with litigation, not because you believe in the legal system… but to show that you can use law, and it’s about a collective effort and how that can defend a movement.”

And that’s why, even though the book is technically a biography about Pitts’ life, the stories of those he worked with, fought alongside and sought justice for really shine through.

“It’s about Lewis, but Lewis is the string in a pearl necklace and the pearls are all of the clients that Lewis was working with,” Langberg says.

In interviews with people Pitts represented, Langberg says that the one thing almost every person told him was about how meeting and working with Pitts made them feel.

“They would tell me about how they remember feeling seen,” Langberg says. “They

would say, ‘I remember feeling solidarity.’ ‘I felt like I had never felt before.’ ‘I had partners.’ ‘I had somebody to help me have a voice and feel seen.’”

One interviewee, Jim Primdahl talked about going on hikes with Pitts as an antinuclear war activist. The survivors of the Greensboro Massacre, Rev. Nelson Johnson and Joyce Johnson, shared their experiences of the tragic event in which their friends were killed by Nazis and members of the KKK. Yvonne Wilson of Daufuskie Island, who was fighting against corporations from building in her hometown, talked lovingly about Pitts like he was her own son.

“You can feel the goodness and love for Lewis oozing out of them,” Langberg says.

More recently, Pitts has been involved in racial justice work including pushing for justice for the Smith family after the killing of Marcus Deon Smith. He’s also been active in pro-Palestine, anti-genocide protests in the last few months.

In that way, Langberg says that although the book spans the last four decades, the stories contained within also reflect so much of America’s current society.

“Every story has a corollary in the ’80s, ’90s and especially today,” Langberg says. “Lewis, 30 to 40 years ago, was dealing with police misconduct, the US meddling in other countries’ affairs, imperialist violence, voting fraud myths, white supremacy, the fight against climate change and even free speech issues.”

The other reason Langberg believes that the book will be compelling to readers, especially to young activists, is because Pitts exemplifies someone who creates change without being a famous senator or Supreme Court justice. He’s one of us.

“I think there needs to be more stories about people who most folks have never heard of just doing amazing things,” Langberg says. “The story is just to be a really good person who is invested in democracy and community mobilization. I want people to read it and say, ‘I can do that.’”

The book debuts on May 16 and is available to purchase from local book stores.

PHOTO BY SAYAKA MATSUOKA

CULTURE

Q&A with NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe on HBCUs, her unique voice and her favorite NC spots

by Sayaka Matsuoka | sayaka@triad-city-beat.com

On May 17, NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe, who hosts “Weekend Edition Sunday,” will be in Greensboro for the city’s Greensboro Bound Literary Festival Rascoe, an NC native, will be talking with WFDD’s Amy Diaz about a new collection of essays she edited, HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience, at the Van Dyke Performance Space in the Greensboro Cultural Center at 6 p.m.

In a conversation with TCB, Rascoe, who grew up in Durham and interned at the Winston-Salem Journal, talked about her own HBCU experience, her feelings about people’s reactions to her voice and her favorite spots to hit when she’s back in NC. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. To learn more about the festival, visit greensborobound.com. The festival runs from May 16-19 this year.

QCongratulations on your first book. How, when and where did the idea for HBCU Made come to you?

AActually, Algonquin Books approached me and asked if I would want to put together an anthology of essays from HBCU graduates about how they impacted their lives. And I was shocked because I thought there would already have been something like this, but there wasn’t. So hearing that, I knew I wanted to do this because going to Howard means so much to me. The anthology shows a diverse background of people and shows a range of unique voices. It gives a taste of the HBCU experience because no one book could tell you about the HBCU experience, but I wanted it to be a taste.

HBCU Made is a great book for graduates, for rising juniors and seniors in high school who may be thinking about their journey. These stories are about what happened on HBCUs but the stories are universal; they’re coming-of-age stories that everyone can relate to.

What’s your favorite story from the collection?

It’s actually the very first essay that I got by Roy Wood Jr. He tells the story of going to [Florida A&M University]. When he first went there, he got in trouble with the law and he got suspended for a semester. And he credits FAMU with giving him a second chance. The story is about him finding redemption at FAMU and how he would not be the comedian he is today or have the opportunities he has today if it wasn’t for FAMU giving him that second chance. I love that story.

QTell me about your personal experience with HBCUs.

A Q A Q A

I went to Howard. I grew up in Durham and my mother went to Winston-Salem State University so I grew up going to those homecomings. Obviously there are a lot of HBCUs in North Carolina so you see the culture, the majorettes, the bands. I was very familiar with it. I wanted to go to Howard because it was the mecca. You had all these famous alumni — Toni Morrison, Thurgood Marshall, Zora Neale Hurston — so I really wanted to go there.

I got there on a rainy Friday afternoon; I had never been to DC before and I saw the Deltas strolling and all these beautiful Black people. What is unique about the Black college experience is it gives you space to grow where you’re not having to constantly defend yourself. People aren’t asking you, ‘How did you get in here? Are you an affirmative action or whatever student?’

It’s a place where you can discover yourself and there’s still a push for absolute excellence but you’re in a space where you’re nurtured and you don’t feel like you’re one of the few or one of the onlies.

People have been increasingly supportive of HBCUs, especially since 2020. In your experience, what have the changes in acceptance of HBCUs looked like in your lifetime?

A lot of what has happened to HBCUs is especially ones in urban areas, in the cities, is that there will be tensions with people outside. Sometimes it’s with white communities outside of campus, but sometimes it’s with Black neighbors outside. I think sometimes, the rest of the country may not have an understanding of HBCUs

NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe will be in Greensboro on May 17 to talk about her new book, HBCU MADE.

PHOTO BY MIKE MORGAN FOR NPR

and their role in the world today. Like people understand that they existed when Black people had no other place to go, but in many ways, there are still these gaps in how Black people are treated today. They are a place where people can go to feel embraced; they can feel a fellowship and a kinship. Black schools are uniquely suited to train doctors. Eighty percent of Black judges came from HBCUs, so HBCUs punch way above their weight and as a country, we don’t always understand that and appreciate that. But I think more recently, that’s changed. You see big donations, like Spellman recently got a huge donation and Howard just had their highest number of admissions in history. So a lot of these schools are having a resurgence.

QAt the same time, we see the pushback against diversity across the country. In North Carolina, the UNC Board of Governor’s Committee on University Governance voted unanimously to repeal and replace the UNC system’s current DEI policy. What impact does that have on HBCUs and where do HBCUs fit into this current political climate?

AI think HBCUs can provide a context for this moment because they’ve lived through this backlash and seen these kinds of shifts in society. They have had to manage through times of being popular and unpopular.

Going to an HBCU has given me a perspective of how this is a society that has always had issues when it comes to diversity and has systematically had issues of integrating society, that this is a journey that this nation has been on and it’s been a rocky one. But HBCUs can be a safe haven. But they also have to be concerned that they could be the next one to be targeted. And it’s important because HBCUs have never discriminated against anyone; they’ve always allowed people of all races to attend. That’s always important to talk about.

QAs an NPR host, your voice has been the subject of many think pieces and social media posts over the years for not sounding like a “traditional” radio voice. Can you tell me about how that has personally affected you?

Ame, it allows [NPR] to feel accessible and that it feels like you’re hearing people that sound like you or people you know. And I’m hoping that as time goes on, there’s more diversity so [my voice] doesn’t stand out as much.

QYou live in DC now, but you grew up in North Carolina. What does being a Black, Southern, female journalist mean to you? What does it not mean?

AFor me, I feel like I don’t put my identity to the side; I don’t think anyone really does. When you are a person of color, it stands out more, but everyone brings their identity and their experiences to their reporting. I say I don’t put my humanity on the shelf when I report.

I feel like it’s been a journey. I didn’t realize that I stood out as far as my voice at first, but eventually it became clear to me that a lot of people would react to my voice and say that I sound different. I think most people have been able to embrace me and I’ve gotten mostly positive responses.

As a person, there are times where I can be less bothered by it and just understand, and there are other times when it really hurts my feelings. Over time, as I’ve gotten more comfortable, I feel more confident in my voice and I do feel like I am proud to be able to be myself on air. I hope that when people hear

That doesn’t mean that I’m not fair or objective; it means that my experience, what I’ve been through, my life, all of that helps inform my reporting, the way I talk to people, the way I interact with people. And I try to bring that Southern hospitality to my interviews and I try to make people feel at home.

I do think that people can try to be dismissive or try to diminish who you are or say that you’re the Black journalist. They can assume that because of my identity, I must believe X, Y and Z. But that says a lot more about them than it says about me.

I will always be a champion of voices of those who are marginalized, those who are on the edges of society. Some of that will mean telling the stories of Black people because those are stories that need to be told, those are American stories and when we tell those stories, we are telling a more complete picture of this country and of this world.

QYou’re currently on a book tour for HBCU Made. What are some books you’ve read recently that stuck with you?

AThe last book that I bought and really loved is Bits and Pieces, the memoir by Whoopi Goldberg. I interviewed her about the book and I was so moved by her story. It’s really a tribute to her mother and her brother; it felt personal. Her mother and her brother have both passed away so it’s also a story about grief and loss and how do you move through the world after losses that monumental? I just love that book.

Q

Lastly, when you come back to NC are there places you know you have to visit?

AI’ll definitely go see my family, my aunts and cousins and uncles. Generally what I like to do, if I have time, is I’ll go to the Dog House in Durham and get a hot dog with chili and coleslaw. You can’t really get good chili and coleslaw here. But I don’t think I’ll have time for that this trip. So I’ll probably go to Cook Out. I get the tray with the Cook Out style burger and a side of nuggets for my kids and fries. I might hit up Zaxby’s or a Texas Roadhouse, too. Those are like my places.

HCasaShanti on Trade Street is a spiritual practitioner’s safe haven

e was awakened by a voice he calls Spirit saying “Move to North Carolina and help the people!” Says Zachari, “that’s how I ended up here almost three years ago.”

“No, this is the “other Salem.”

That’s what Zachari VanDyne tells patrons who find themselves in his occult shop asking if this is where all the witches died. While these customers are in the wrong city for that, they’re still in the right place for all things spiritual, witchy and macabre. This is a magical city of Art and Innovation after all!

@danielle.danese

Having opened a second CasaShanti in the West End MillWorks which opened almost three years ago, the first one being in South Florida for over a decade, and now the third CasaShanti, this one located on Trade Street in Winston-Salem, which opened last June and is offering a wide range of metaphysical supplies including healing crystals, tarot cards, books, herbs, incense and spellwork with ingredients such as Wolf’s Fur, High John Root and Jezebel Root. Customers can opt to schedule a psychic reading, tarot or palm reading, astrology consultations and even get your aura photographed just to name a few services on offer, shop for clothing, decor and spiritual supplies and even join classes on tarot, numerology, energy work and more!

“Coming to Winston Salem felt like filling a need that the community had for a genuine, authentic occult and spiritual shop with magikcal readings,” he says.

VanDyne, who describes himself as a natural-born intuitive, witch and teacher was drawn to all things spiritual and magikcal his whole life even though growing up humbly in a religious upbringing.

“I actually found out that it runs on my maternal side of the family, but we were raised Catholic, and it wasn’t something that we ever really discussed,” he says.

Finding out later that he is a distant cousin of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, who were known to perform seances in the White House, VanDyne was unable to ignore his pull to dive deeper into his own spirituality. Zachari began reading for the public professionally at fifteen years old and took up study in all things natural and magikcal. In 2002, he traveled to India and as spirit would have it, he ended up taking classes and studying with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, an alchemist and even a healer named Dr.Patrick in Goa.

When he returned to Fort Myers, Fla. more than four years later, he had what he calls his “phoenix moment,” or a moment of rebirth or awakening.

“Spirit said, bring people together in the name of peace,” he says.

And CasaShanti, meaning “house of peace,” was born. He was later voted one of the best readers in southwest Florida, and CasaShanti one of the best places to get a reading.

VanDyne stresses the importance of authentic products and services. Every item lining shelves, laying on tables and hanging on walls has been handpicked by VanDyne, to ensure their quality and energetic potency and he encourages visitors to touch and feel the products too.

“My spiritual products, I need to feel and touch them,” he says. “I need to know that they’re real and authentic and that they feel good.”

He also explains that every other reader at CasaShanti, including a Toe Reader, Palmist,

Astrologer and a 5th generation espiritista — someone who can communicate between spirits of the living and spirits of the dead — and a clairsentient reader, are all authentic and professionals in their craft.

“We don’t have TikTok readers,” he says. “We don’t have people that aren’t professional, genuine psychics, seekers, astrologers and energy workers.”

VanDyne believes there can be benefit for everyone to seek spiritual guidance without getting caught up in semantics as some of spiritual practices are the same actions with various names.

“If you do yoga, for example, maybe some people think that that’s the devil, but if you say, stretching for Jesus, then it’s acceptable,” VanDyne says.

He also says spirit reveals itself with synchronicities in numbers, occurrences, that small voice inside and more, and it’s best to embrace these moments rather than turn away from them, because spirit and our ancestors are sending us messages all the time.

“It’s important to ask questions and seek out answers, of course, for ourselves but also from the right people that have experience,” he says.

CasaShanti is the perfect place for those getting started in spirituality, magic, energy work, and those seeking more information on higher powers or those who desire tranquility in their lives, and VanDyne and his team are eager to share their knowledge of spirituality with others. These practices can benefit the practitioner in more ways than they realize.

“It just leads to more peace of mind and understanding and clarity, which, in general, is just a good thing,” he says.

PHOTOS

Thu 5/16

Greensboro Bound

Literary Festival

@ 6pm May 16th - May 19th

Greensboro Bound is a completely FREE liter‐ary festival held annu‐ally in downtown Greensboro. We have over 58 authors, 28 events and 3 work‐shops coming, there's something for every kind of reader! Greensboro Cul‐tural Center, 200 North Davie Street, Greensboro. jjohnson@rlfcommunica tions.com, 336-553-1800

Take a MOM-ent for this Class!

@ 6pm / $58

Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

From Ashes to New @ 6pm Hangar 1819, Greensboro

Russell Henderson: A Tale of Two Cities Songwriters Night @ 6pm State Street Wine Company, 404 State St, Greens‐boro

The Pink Stones @ 7pm Flat Iron, 221 Summit Ave, Greensboro

Pastor Mike Jr.: I Got Away Tour @ 7pm

Mount Zion Baptist Church, 1301 Alamance Church Rd, Greensboro

She Returns From War: W/ The Pink Stones, Colin Cutler and hot pepper Jam @ 8pm Flat Iron, 221 Summit Ave, Greensboro

Fri 5/17

Zillicoah, Roamck, Auroras Hope at The Den @ 8pm The Den, 3756 Ogburn Ave, Winston-Salem

Sat 5/18

Velvet Rodeo: The Paisley at S&P Farms @ 7pm S&P Farms, 1624 Mt Hope Church Rd, McLeansville

Tour of Historic Homes & Gardens @ 11am / $25-$125 Blandwood Museum, 447 West Washington Street, Greensboro

Journey to Brave: Gala Games @ 6pm / $80

Kellin Foundation's an‐nual charity event to support free behavioral health counseling, peer support, and wraparound services. Food, drink, games, auction, fun, testi‐monials, speakers, and more! Boxcar Bar + Arcade, 120 West Lewis Street, Greensboro. amy@kellinfounda tion.org, 336-429-5600

Sun 5/19

Tour of Historic Homes & Gardens @ 1pm / $25-$125 Blandwood Museum, 447 West Washington Street, Greensboro

Ronnie and The Redwoods @ 8pm Flat Iron, 221 Summit Ave, Greensboro

Sunday Yoga @ SouthEnd Brewing Co.

@ 10am / $5

SouthEnd Brewing Co, 117b West Lewis Street, Greensboro

Tue 5/21

Please Pass the Burd-on-oir! @ 6pm / $58

Reto's Kitchen, 600 South Elam, Greensboro

REFIT +Toby Mac

@ 6:15pm

Artist Toby Mac Dance Infused Fitness St Andrews Presbyterian Church, 357 Old Hollow Road, Win‐ston-Salem. re�trenew@gmail.com

Greensboro Grasshoppers vs. Greenville Drive

@ 6:30pm

First National Bank Field, Greensboro

Winston-Salem Dash vs. Bowling Green Hot Rods

@ 7pm

Truist Stadium, Greensboro

Abigail Dowd

@ 7:30pm

Flat Iron, 221 Summit Ave, Greensboro

Wed 5/22

Greensboro Grasshoppers vs. Greenville Drive

@ 12pm

First National Bank Field, Greensboro

Winston-Salem Dash vs. Bowling Green Hot Rods

@ 7pm

Truist Stadium, Greensboro

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue @ 8pm

The Ramkat & Gas Hill Drinking Room, 170 W 9th St, Winston-Salem

Thu 5/23

Caged Affair w/Orphan Riot and SelfMade Monsters @ 9:30pm

Monstercade, 204 W Acadia Ave, Winston-Salem

Fri 5/24

Steven Cade @ 9pm

The Wrong Number, 408 W 4th St, Winston-Salem

Sun 5/26

USSSA NC Basketball Memorial Day Hoop Challenge - Sunday @ 8am / $25

Greensboro Coliseum Complex, Greensboro

Mon 5/27

Winston-Salem Dash vs. Hickory Crawdads @ 7pm

Truist Stadium, Greensboro

Wed 5/29

Winston-Salem Dash vs. Hickory Crawdads @ 7pm

Truist Stadium, Greensboro

Calendar information is provided by event organiz‐ers. All events are subject to change or cancellation. This publication is not responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in this calendar.

The best place to promote your events online and in print. Visit us @ https://triad-city-beat.com/local-events powered by

PUZZLES & GAMES

CROSSWORD

by Matt Jones

SUDOKU

by Matt Jones

Across

1. Greek letter after eta

6. Mummy’s locale

10. Blowfish delicacy that may be dangerous to eat

14. Blowing up online

15. Athletic footwear brand

16. “... like ___ of bricks”

17. Neck warmer

18. Incomplete musical about royal footwear?

20. Recording material

22. Anti-pollution gp.

23. Chess or key lime, e.g.

24. Tattoos

27. A bunch

29. Instigate

31. Incomplete musical about someone who’s into Verdi and Wagner?

34. Amazon assistant

35. Cheesy dip

36. Ride from the airport, maybe

37. Sulky expressions

39. Tower-ing city?

43. Abu ___

45. Gary who had a hit with “Cars”

46. Incomplete play about Yogi or Boo-Boo?

49. Aretha Franklin’s longtime label

51. Broadway play or musical

52. Org. based in Langley

53. Animation sheet

54. Retreating tide

56. Toaster-based brand

58. Incomplete musical about Chucky or Annabelle?

61. Keep clear of

65. “Garfield” dog

66. Hideaway

67. Giant tourist attraction

68. Sweet endings?

69. Ready and willing go-with

70. Come in

Down

1. Best Buy stock

2. “I drank root beer too quickly” noise

3. Notable period

4. Sour-ish

5. “Our Gang” member

6. “... the Lord ___ away”

7. Prefix before raptor

8. Gold source

9. They’re squeezed at some weddings

10. ___ Schwarz (toy store)

11. Perfect place

12. “Understood?”

13. Erase from memory, jokingly

19. Causes of ruin

21. Planter’s container

24. “___ first you don’t succeed ...”

25. Simba’s mate

26. Construction toy brand with an apostrophe and no silent letters

28. Sparkly bits

30. Appear unexpectedly

32. Lime and rust, for example

33. Baseball call

37. Mathematical curve

38. Kimono closer

40. Colorful computer

41. Bollywood garment

42. “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” crooner Paul

44. Couldn’t stand

45. Menu option paired with “Continue”

46. Singer Eilish

47. “And ___ off!”

48. Sty sitter

49. “Gesundheit” prompter

50. Orchestra section

55. Say too much

57. Pizzeria fixture

59. Guitar innovator Paul

60. ___ Uzi Vert

62. Mo. with 31 days

63. Addition to coffee, sometimes

64. ___ es Salaam, Tanzania

Matt Jones

SHOT IN THE TRIAD

BY CAROLYN DE BERRY

Chestnut Street, Greensboro

Rainy morning, happy garden.