THURSDAY
Journey to Brave @ Joymongers (GSO)
7 p.m.
Kellin Foundation is hosting its annual community benefit concert and silent auction at Joymongers this year. Enjoy live music from Camel City Yacht Club and bid on great finds during the auction, which will help provide free mental health, victim advocacy and community outreach services for the community. Visit kellinfoundation.org for more information.
I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive: Hank Williams’ 100th Birthday Tribute @ the Ramkat (W-S) 7:30 p.m.
Pay homage to country and western legend Hank Williams during this 100th birthday celebration with Ramona & the Holy Smokes, the bo-stevens and John Howie Jr. Purchase tickets at theramkat.com
FRIDAY
Groundbreaking Ceremony @ High Point Public Library (HP) 5 p.m.
Scan the QR code to find more events at triad-citybeat.com/local-events SEPT.
High Point Public Library invites you to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rotary Club of High Point’s sensory garden. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information.
Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival @ Marketplace Cinemas (W-S) 6 p.m.
A two-day celebration featuring short and featurelength horror films is the perfect way to prepare for the spooky season. Beer, wine, popcorn and more will be available for purchase. Head to facebook. com/MarketplaceCinemasWSNC for updates and to purchase tickets.
See to Believe Gala @ Greensboro Science Center (GSO) 6 p.m.
Greensboro Science Center will transform into an upscale cocktail experience during the See to Believe Gala. Adults 21 and up are invited to dance under the stars in the zoo and under the sea in the Wiseman Aquarium. Enjoy live music by band Sleeping Booty and steel drummer Tracy Thornton, try hors d’oeuvres from Pepper Moon Catering and pair them with a See to Believe signature cocktail. Purchase tickets from the Facebook event page
SATURDAY
18th annual Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors @ Downtown (W-S)
9:30 a.m.
Learn more from authors of various genres during workshops and panel discussions, shop with vendors under the exhibitor tents and grab a bite from food trucks after reading up an appetite during the Bookmarks Festival of Books & Authors. Saturday’s events are free, but some ticketed events take place Friday. Learn more at bookmarksnc.org/festival
Family Reunion Beer, Wine & Mead Festival @ Cohab.space (HP) 3 p.m.
The Brewer’s Kettle and Cohab. Space invite you to a tasting party of beer, wine and mead during the firstever festival. Live music by Abby Brynt and the Echoes with the Kind Thieves, the Roof and Hot Wax and the Splinters. Visit the event page on Facebook to purchase tickets.
Frute with White Toledo @ Carolina Theatre (GSO) 8 p.m.
Frute is a six-piece band specializing in experimental grooves that “offer unique flavors of funky psychedelia,” while the White Toledo blends new age and vintage rock for a distinctive contemporary sound. Purchase tickets at carolinatheatre.com
SUNDAY
Brunch, Bubbles & Boho @ Nomad Wine Works (GSO) 1 p.m.
Nomad Wine Works is excited to announce a bohemian fashion show by Blue Hydrangea boutique. Shop the latest fall fashions and trends, stop by Collier Optical’s pop-up shop and enjoy brunch from Boho Berries food truck. More info on the Facebook event page
Journey: My American Story @ Watson Hall (W-S) 3 p.m.
In Journey: My American Story, AJ Fletcher Opera Institute alumnus and acclaimed baritone Joshua Conyers tell his story as a Black man and musician in America through works by Black composers. Purchase tickets at uncsa.org.
THURSDAY
Greensboro Geek Out: Spider-Man @ Tanger Center (GSO) 6:30 p.m.
Join Jermaine Exum, owner of Acme Comics as he discusses the history of Spider-Man, the character’s impact and the importance of Miles Morales just before Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Live in Concert at Tanger later that evening. RSVP at tangercenter.com/ geekout
Manhattan Short Film Festival @ High Point Theatre (HP) 7 p.m.
Join a panel of judges from more than 500 venues
around the world and cast your vote for Best Film and Best Actor during the 26th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival. Doors open at 6. Find more information and purchase tickets at highpointtheatre.com
FRIDAY
2023 Carolina Classic Fair @ WinstonSalem Fairgrounds (W-S)
The Carolina Classic Fair is back, decorating the fairgrounds with exciting rides, fun games and all the greasy, sugary fair food you can eat until Oct. 8! Purchase tickets at carolinaclassicfair.com
Oktoberfest @ The Loaded Grape (GSO) 12 p.m.
Celebrate Oktoberfest with the Loaded Grape. Try six German-style beers, or try canned brews and bottles on special for just $4. Visit the event page on Facebook for more information and to learn how you can get an original Munich Oktoberfest mug.
Sunset Paddle @ City Lake Park (HP) 6:30 p.m.
High Point Parks & Recreation invites you on a guided kayak tour for a relaxing experience on the water during sunset and under night sky. Call 336.883.3498 to register.
SATURDAY
Southern Guitar Festival & Competition @ UNCSA (W-S) 9 a.m.
The Southern Guitar Festival & Competition draws in guitarists from around the world to participate in workshops, perform concerts and host lectures for music lovers. Competitions include elementary/middle school, high school and college/ professional-level divisions.Visit southernguitarfest.com for more information and a schedule of events.
The Unwind Music Festival @ Unwind on Main (HP) 12 p.m.
Relax and unwind while listening to the smooth R&B, soul and jazz sounds of headliner the Hamiltones, Just Once, the Love Jones Experience and other acts during the first-ever Unwind Music Festival. Get tickets at theunwindmusicfestival.com
(GSO) 6 p.m.
Adjunct instructor of communications at NC A&T State University Gary Kenton is working on a book about the history of misinformation and disinformation. Join him and co-host Derek Gibson, co-author of Data Duped: How to Avoid Being Hoodwinked by Misinformation, for a conversation surrounding media literacy, data literacy and other topics. Head to scuppernongbooks.com for more information.
On Tuesday evening, the Guilford County School Board meeting was packed, like standing-room-only packed.
And that’s because these days, school board meetings are where it’s at. Let me explain.
On Tuesday evening, Republican Michael Logan, who has been fighting to get on the school board since last year, was finally sworn in after months of legal battles and legislative machinations. Up until last night, Republican Bill Goebel had been in Logan’s seat after fellow Republican Pat Tillman vacated his seat to serve on the Guilford County Commission last year.
What happened after Tillman left resulted in political shenanigans that unfolded in the months thereafter.
for appointing representatives to open school board seats.
Now, after months of heated debate, Logan was sworn in on Tuesday evening after Goebel tendered a letter of resignation, citing the ongoing litigation as distracting from the ultimate goal of “educating our children.”
So what’s all the fuss? Why all the fighting for a measly school board seat?
Well, back maybe just a decade ago, running for school board was sort of a minor deal. The races were far down the ballot and people usually voted along party lines. It was difficult to find candidates to fill the seats. But those times are long gone.
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According to state law at the time, the Guilford County Republican party was tasked with filling Tillis’ vacant seat by appointing a successor. They tapped Logan, a former educator. But shortly afterwards, the Democratic members of the school board repeatedly voted to reject Logan, citing what they called racist and bigoted posts of his from social media. In response, the General Assembly passed HB 88 to clear the way for Logan’s approval, but the remaining school board wouldn’t back down. They found a different legal interpretation of the law — Republicans called it a “loophole” — and seated Goebel instead. Then in August, lawmakers passed SB 9 to once again clarify rules
Those who have been paying any attention to national and local politics in the last few years will know that schools and school boards are now a political battlefield. Even before Florida Gov. Ron De Santis decided to run for president, conservative parents have been targeting masks, vaccines and then books written by and about Black people, the LGBTQ+ community and any other marginalized groups they deem outside of their American norm. And they’re only ramping up. More and more national groups like Bonds for the Win and Moms for Liberty have propped up local branches (looking at you Forsyth and Guilford County), and they have no plans to stop. Just look at how Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is running his campaign for governor.
So while school board races may have been just a down ballot, dusty race in the past, it’s one that we should all be paying close attention to in the future, because this hyperpoliticization of schools isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
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The club is not about saying screw men, you have ruined this space. It’s about saying that we belong here just as much as anybody else.
— Virginia Wooten, pg. 16
by Sayaka Matsuoka | sayaka@triad-city-beat.com
Starting Thursday, voters in High Point will have the opportunity to cast their votes for three seats on High Point City Council, including a mayor’s race. Primary Election Day is Tuesday, Oct. 10. This year, voters will need to bring valid photo ID to vote. If a voter does not have an acceptable photo ID, they can get one for free from their county board of elections. If you don’t have an ID at the polls, ask for a provisional ballot or to fill out an exception form.
This week, TCB reached out to all 14 candidates running in the High Point primary this year. For the mayoral race, the top two finishers will face off in the general election in November. For the two open at-large seats, the top four vote-getters will proceed to the general election. For Ward 1, the top two candidates will face off in November.
Residents will get to cast votes for Ward 2, Ward 3, Ward 4, Ward 5 and Ward 6 in November. While all city council seats are nonpartisan, TCB noted each candidate’s part affiliation and noted them as such. For the questionnaires, candidates were asked about their political and work experience, their thoughts on the city’s new reparations plan and what they think the future holds for High Point. The responses have been edited and shortened for clarity and length.
Electcyriljefferson.com
Registered party: Democrat
Occupation: Founder of Change
Often, a Social Innovation Firm; High Point City Council Member Ward 1
How long have you lived in HP?: 17 years
Held political office before? High Point City Council Ward 1 since 2019
Why he wanted to run: “There are critical challenges that demand our attention, and there are opportunities waiting to be seized…. Our city is on the verge of expanding job training opportunities for our residents with a new project in the southwest area of town…. Furthermore, we would be bringing investment to a community that is currently under-invested and nestled right in the middle of North Carolina’s poorest urban zip code: 27260. I currently represent constituents within this zip code and have been meeting with a mix of neighborhood residents, business leaders, donors, and subject matter experts to devise a plan that will help our people develop skills, secure employment, and provide for their families.” What experience he brings: “My background as an educator fuels my deep grasp of youth challenges. This includes my completion of the Hunt Institute Fellowship at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, which specialized in Education Policy, and enhances my capacity to drive change. I also serve as the chair of the Coltrane Project and have led fundraising efforts to renovate jazz legend John Coltrane’s childhood home…. Furthermore, my commitment extends to pivotal roles on boards for notable organizations, such as United Way, YMCA, and Salvation Army…. Finally, I am also a member of the board of the new Carolina Core FC Soccer team and played a vital role in getting this enterprise started
which has drawn millions ($) more in private investment funding.”
Campaign platforms: “My priorities as mayor are clear: a prosperous local economy, safer neighborhoods and improved quality of life…. Residents are advocating for more small-business support, job-training programs, efficient infrastructure and affordable housing. Furthermore, our community has asked us to prioritize education and mental health services.”
On the One High Point Commission, aka reparations, in HP: “I commend the One High Point Commission for its work on the reparations plan. As we consider how we might build a stronger city, it is important that we identify and adopt strategies that bolster critical areas such as housing, transportation, small business, education, and government services. The OHPC provides thoughtful insight on how to address these issues. If elected, I’ll collaborate with the commission to ensure its successful implementation, promoting equity and justice in our community.” Note: Jefferson voted in favor of the creation of the commission during the Feb. 7, 2022 city council vote.
On HPU and Furniture Market’s influence on HP: “High Point is evolving into a diverse, dynamic city. We’ll continue to embrace our furniture heritage while also nurturing the growth of sectors like education and technology. I see a future of economic vitality, inclusivity and enhanced quality of life.”
Anything else?: “A major issue we face in the city has to do with the cost of housing. Right now… we have many people moving into the city and into the state. This increases demand for our housing supply, but if we don’t have the inventory to match this population growth, then we end up having a shortage which drives up cost of living. City council can make housing more affordable by encouraging denser zoning in specific parts of our city…. Another way is to focus on developing in the core city…. Finally, the city can continue partnering to help with
securing low-income housing tax credits or tax-exempt bonds from the federal government for mixed-income, multi-family housing.”
Victor Jones Peopleoverpoliticsvictorjones. comRegistered party: Republican
Occupation: Co-founder of Patriotic Plumbing Pros LLC; High Point City Council Member Ward 5
How long have you lived in HP?: 20 years
Held political office before? High Point City Council Ward 5 since 2017
Why he wanted to run: “I would like to continue our efforts to restore prosperity to our city and improve the quality of life for all citizens of High Point. High Point doesn’t need a politician, it needs a leader.”
What experience he brings: “The mayor is first and foremost the leader of the council. I have led Marines in wartime, served on the council for 6 years, and have 31 years of experience as a business owner. I am the candidate with the most experience and battle-tested leadership skills. I have proven my commitment to serve my country and community and my ability to get things done for the citizens of High Point.”
Jones has also served as Chairman of the Public Safety Committee for the City of High Point, Chairman of the Heroes Center for Veterans, President of the High Point Jaycees, Treasure of the Guilford County Hotel Association, Board of Directors of the Piedmont Triad Regional Council, Board of Directors of Visit High Point, Board of Directors for Mental Health Associates of the Triad, and many others.
Campaign platforms: Economic development, public safety and fiscal responsibility
On the One High Point Commission, aka reparations, in HP: “The commission is comprised of some amazing
leaders from our city.... I hope that we can find pathways to solve their concerns that keep the city unified.”
Note: Jones voted against the creation of the commission during the Feb. 7, 2022 city council vote but voted in favor of accepting the final report on Sept. 18.
On HPU and Furniture Market’s influence on HP: “The two most significant assets for the city are the furniture market and our university. The city is a partner to both of these entities. We must do everything we can to ensure that the market is here to stay and to see our university continue to thrive and raise up the next generation of leaders.”
Anything else?: “High Point has more momentum than it has in decades. We need a strong mayor and city council to ensure that trajectory does not get off course.”
Gene Kininmonth votegk.comRegistered party: Unaffiliated. “Most of the issues faced in our city are the result of our gerrymandered two-party political system at both the national and local level. I am not affiliated with a political party and offer a third way of leadership, which can unite and not divide our community,” he wrote.
Occupation: Founder, president of Triad United Rowing Association
How long have you lived in HP?: 16 years Held political office before? First-time candidate Why he wanted to run: “First, let me say, I love High Point!
But as great as this city is, too many High Pointers are being left behind. I am running for mayor to strengthen our community to lower crime and improve learning outcomes in our public schools.”
What experience he brings: “As someone who runs the two largest rowing events in the region that draws thousands to High Point, I can attest to the value of having city leadership that is responsive to assisting new success stories.”
Campaign platforms: “My main priority will be to strengthen the city by bringing up our most marginalized neighborhoods. Folks living in zip codes such as 27262 live 17 years less than people in North High Point. This is sickening. More than half the kids in High Point public schools are failing. The biggest crime increases are being found among kids 12-16. We need to fix this now or else the price tag for delaying just goes up and up.” On the One High Point Commission, aka reparations, in HP: “Our city leaders need to acknowledge the wrongs of the past and in High Point we need to repair these neighborhoods. Restoring dignity, trust and respect begins with increasing homeownership in our minority districts so that the poorest too can begin building generational wealth for their families.
Current thinking on council is to offer affordable housing through subsidized rental assistance, which enriches landlords and guarantees continued tenant poverty.” “This only treats the symptoms but does not provide a cure. But there is a third way and that is to offer the chance to live the American Dream in our poorest
districts. As mayor I would push for the city to create a $100 million loan pool similar to the GI Bill to increase homeownership in our minority districts. This can be structured with no increase in taxes and yield a financial return back to the city coffers over time.”
On HPU and Furniture Market’s influence on HP: “The best thing city leaders can do is diversify its interests and be open to new ideas.”
Anything else?: “I am motivated to run for mayor based on firsthand experience of crime in this city and seeing just how many kids are failing in our public schools. I live in the Johnson Street Historic District. This is a gorgeous area but we have had our car windows shot out at night. My home was burgled during the day when we were home and my younger son is still dealing with that trauma. We have watched as homelessness has increased over the last decade. I fear High Point is at a crossroads and is in great need of the right leadership to steer the city to a more prosperous and safer future.”
Note: Siddiqui did not respond to TCB’s candidate questionnaire in time for publication. Information provided here is from publicly available online information in addition to reporting by the High Point Enterprise. Registered party: Republican
Occupation: Owner of NY Fashion N Style, a clothing store at Four Seasons Town Centre in Greensboro How long have you lived in HP?: Siddiqui has lived in High Point since 1982.
Held political office before? Siddiqui ran an unsuccessful campaign for register of deeds against Jeff Thigpen in 2020
Why he wanted to run: “Siddiqui said he’s been active in service endeavors on behalf of High Point’s Muslim community, and this has shown him the scale of need in the city, which he wants to address as mayor by recruiting businesses to redevelop empty buildings,” the High Point Enterprise reported.
Sam Carr
carr4hpcouncil.com
Note: Sam Carr did not respond to TCB’s candidate questionnaire in time for publication. These answers are based on Carr’s campaign website and online articles.
Registered party: Republican Occupation: Director of Student Leadership and University Relations for High Point University
How long have you lived in HP?: Born and raised in High Point
Held political office before? First-time candidate
Why he wanted to run: “Growing up here, I’ve witnessed the city’s evolution,” Carr says on his website. “It’s the
about High Point and ensure its future prosperity.”
What experience he brings: “I graduated from Wesleyan Christian Academy and earned a political science degree and a master’s in communication and business leadership from High Point University, where I also met my beautiful wife Brooke. In the community, I serve on the board of directors for Open Door Ministries, serve on the Advisory Board for the Salvation Army’s Boys and Girls Club, the Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professionals Committee, and serve on the board of the High Point Historical Society.”
On continuing downtown revitalization: “I wholeheartedly endorse and champion the ongoing initiatives undertaken by our dedicated city council members in their tireless pursuit of revitalizing our downtown area. Their steadfast commitment to transforming our city center into a vibrant and walkable hub for our community while nurturing local businesses is nothing short of commendable…. Moreover, by emphasizing local businesses, we are not only supporting the entrepreneurs who have invested their passion and hard work into our community but also ensuring that the character of our city remains distinct and unique. Our local businesses aren’t just places to shop; they’re the beating heart of our community, providing jobs, fostering innovation, and contributing to the local economy.”
On safety and security: “First and foremost, I am dedicated to equipping our first responders with the necessary tools, training and resources they need to effectively and efficiently handle any emergency situation
that may arise. This includes investing in cutting-edge technology, providing ongoing training programs and ensuring that our emergency services have access to the latest equipment…. I am deeply committed to offering competitive salaries and benefits that not only attract the most qualified professionals but also retain their expertise within our community…. We must also address the root causes of vulnerability within our community. To this end, I am fully dedicated to supporting local nonprofit organizations that work tirelessly to protect and uplift at-risk youth.”
Attracting and retaining professionals: “Attracting and retaining young professionals has emerged as a top priority for High Point…. One pivotal element in this equation is the provision of affordable housing. Young professionals, fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers, often grapple with the financial challenges associated with housing. This could involve incentivizing private developers to create affordable housing complexes, implementing rent control measures, or partnering with nonprofit organizations to expand the availability of affordable housing units. Another crucial factor is the creation of a vibrant downtown scene. Young professionals are not just looking for a place to work and sleep; they seek a dynamic and engaging community that offers a multitude of recreational, social, and cultural opportunities…. Moreover, continuing to focus on education and workforce development can be instrumental. Collaborations between local colleges and universities and local businesses can lead to internship
opportunities, mentorship programs, and job placement initiatives.”
Amanda Cook voteamandacook.com
Registered party: Democrat Occupation: Founder of the Teacher’s Edge
How long have you lived in HP?: 4 years Held political office before? Ran for Guilford County School Board in 2022 Why she wanted to run: “I love High Point. I chose High Point. I did not grow up here, but I saw the energy and potential the High Point had and came to be a part of it. There’s a great quote by Robert Orben: ‘We have enough people who tell it like it is — now we could use a few who tell it like it can be.’ I want to be part of the transition team started four years ago. I want to support the community and its leaders. I don’t want to see the bricks painted white and people pushed out.”
What experience she brings: “I am known for being very authentic and reliable when it comes to representing interests. In my teaching career I was recognized multiple times for equity in my instruction and recruitment of students. I truly believe in equitable representation on city council. I cannot speak to why certain council members do not seem to want to make life better for everyone in High Point, but I can say that I am an open book.
“I am a mom, teacher, nonprofit founder, secretary of the High Point NAACP, TEDx organizer, State Officer Advisor for the South Carolina Future Business Leaders of America, former VP of Professional Development for NC Dance Education Organization, Community Board President and volunteer for Arts for Life, Lead Organizer for St. Baldrick’s Day, and substitute teacher.”
Campaign platforms: Infrastructure, fair housing and jobs
On the One High Point Commission, aka reparations, in HP: “At the time I am writing this, we do not yet know whether the council will vote to accept the recommendations of the One High Point Commission. However, the research and recommendations are sound.
“As the Secretary of the High Point NAACP, Branch 5405-B, I have gained deeper insight into the research and history that the reparations would address. I am constantly inspired by the level of care that each commissioner has placed on repair. The fact is that
the recommendations of the One High Point Commission match the platforms of most candidates - health, housing, business, and education.”
On HPU and Furniture Market’s influence on HP: “I hope that High Point will diversify its interests. Furniture and HPU certainly have a deep-rooted hold here, but if the last 50 years has shown us anything, it’s that we cannot put our eggs in one basket. High Point is rich in human capital. With the right leadership, we can tap into the talents and skills of the people who are already here and make High Point a leader in how to navigate a quickly changing and ever evolving world.”
Anything else?: ”I hope that High Point residents will take advantage of this election season to have their voices heard. Come out to forums. Ask questions. Call the candidates. There are groups that are hoping people will forget there is an election going on this year. Weak participation in our local elections does not lead to a stronger High Point. I am excited to see so many candidates in the race this year, and I welcome any and all questions about myself or my approach to policy planning and making.”
Registered party: Democrat
Note: Willie Davis did not respond to TCB’s emails or phone calls and does not seem to have a website.
What experience he brings: Willie Davis has previously run for High Point City Council Ward 1 four times before. In 2014, Davis came in second to Jeff Golden, who he lost to again in 2017. In 2019, Davis ran for Ward 1 again, this time losing by about 10 percentage points to Cyril Jefferson, the incumbent who is running for mayor this election. Davis was endorsed by the Guilford County Democratic Party, along with Amanda Cook, for Ward 1.
Kenneth
Jabari Harper, Jr. ncvoteharper. comRegistered party: Republican
Occupation: CEO of Harpco Benefits Alliance, Inc.
How long have you lived in HP?: More than 35 years Held political office before? Ran for US Senate in 2022
Why he wanted to run: “I was asked by
community and business leaders if I would consider running for city council. I talked to my wife, and we felt this was a divine assignment.”
Harper noted the relationships he made with “members of the NC General Assembly, mayors, sheriffs, judges, city council members, aldermen, county commissioners, a former governor, a former Congressman, and on the federal level with some of our current Congressional and Senate members,” during his 18-month US Senate campaign.
“No other at-large candidate has this experience,” he said. “And those relationships will be key for further economic growth and development for the city of high point and its citizens.” What experience he brings: “I have been an entrepreneur for 27 years. For the last 18 years, I have worked in the financial services industry in both insurance and securities.
“Currently, I serve on the board for Heads Up for our Youth in Greensboro, NC. I am an active member of the High Point Rotary Club. And I have previously served as a board member of both the Sherri Denese Jackson FoundationGreensboro, NC, and Rev. Jessie Jackson Rainbow Push Coalition in Atlanta, GA.
“I was a previous member of the High Point Chamber of Commerce. Moreover, I have worked with Goodwill Industries of Winston Salem and Welfare Reform Liaison Project and Caswell Correctional Center providing financial-literacy services.”
Campaign platforms: Public safety enhancements, creation of the ultimate downtown, public officers safety task force, recruitment of corporations, development of distressed areas
On the One High Point Commission, aka reparations, in HP: “I would not support reparations, but I will support economic preparations. The purpose of history is to learn from the lessons taught so we need not repeat them. We cannot minimize the atrocities and horrors of slavery, Jim Crow, white supremacy, redlining, racial discrimination, unequal access to a quality education, concentrated poverty nor racial prejudice. Neither can we dismiss the Black buying power in the US.
“According to statistics, children are significantly more likely to avoid poverty and prison and graduate from college if they are raised in an intact two-parent family. I would put forth programs that would help children and adults learn the fundamentals of financial literacy, the importance of your credit score,
and how to improve your credit score to qualify for an apartment or a home… the value of purchasing life insurance. I would incorporate programs that offer the benefits of tax-deferred growth assets and real estate, entrepreneurship, transferring wealth and avoiding the probate process and protecting your estate with a will and a trust.”
On HPU and Furniture Market’s influence on HP: “With great leadership leading the way High Point will be a top-tier small city in America to raise a family and purchase a home and grow a business. It will be a unique place that people will love to call home. It also will be a premiere location for individuals to thrive and grow their network, gain access to opportunity for career development and business development, and a city where people see a bright future.”
Anything else?: “I am a devout man of faith and married to an amazing wife, Sarah. And we have four daughters and one grandson.”
Registered party: Unaffiliated Occupation: Director of Operations for Open Door Ministries of High Point; Adjunct Professor at High Point University How long have you lived in HP?: 9 years Held political office before? First-time candidate
Why he wanted to run: “I am running for city council at-large because I believe I am the voice that is missing during this time in our city. For the second time in a row, North Carolina is the No. 1 state to do business, according to CNBC. Many companies and people are moving to the state and the area because of the opportunities. However, High Point is being left out of many of those opportunities because we need to address the poor state of our schools, deficiencies in housing and affordable housing and homelessness. These are things being overlooked and not brought up behind the closed door negotiations that are being made.
“I know about the companies and opportunities coming here because I am a member of the North Carolina Economic Development Association, and I am on the Legislative Committee.” What experience he brings: “Here is a list of things I bring as a candidate
for this position: Worked in the corporate arena for 20 years; helped design, strategize, and managed K-12 and higher education resources to better; students mental and physical well-being for over 10 years; a former GCS middle school teacher; a current High Point University adjunct professor; chair of the Citizens Advisory Council and treasurer of Oakview Citizens council; a member of the North Carolina Economic Development Association and on the Legislative Committee; Director of Operations at Open Door Ministries; PhD student at Lipscomb University in the Leadership and Policy studies program; COO of 3AVX – Commercial Brokerage firm” Campaign platforms: Education, housing and homelessness
On the One High Point Commission, aka reparations, in HP: “Being a human, an American, and a person of color, it is disheartening to hear, know and experience justifying discrimination by anyone against another person. I feel the research and report done by the One High Point Commission was thorough, and I commend them for their work and involvement.
“The recommendations expressed in the report highlight my platform, such as education and housing, that need to be addressed, as well as other things our city needs to do better to represent and provide for everyone in our community.”
On HPU and Furniture Market’s influence on HP: “If High Point addresses the issues of education, housing and homelessness, I believe High Point will be a city that the world will be coming to either live, work or play in the next decade and beyond. The Furniture Market will flourish more each year. High Point University will be in the Top 5 universities to attend in the world. Manufacturing plants and innovative companies will relocate to our city. Healthcare research firms and pharmaceuticals will do more business here. The sports world will broadcast from High Point because there will be various sports being represented proudly by our city. Lastly, the community will be excited to be in High Point.”
Anything else?: “I am the last of 12 children. My oldest sibling is 20 years older than me and the youngest is five years older than me. My Mom was 40 and my Dad was 47 years old when I was born. Up until I was 5 years old, we lived in the projects. I saw my family struggle but work hard to provide for the family. I saw us move out of the projects and into the suburbs. After I graduated from high school, I moved to Atlanta, GA to go to college. While there, I worked two jobs to pay for school. I met my wife there. We have been married for 31 years and have three girls and one grandson. I understand what it means to work hard and want to achieve the best for your family and yourself.”
Registered party: Republican
Note: Shazia Iqbal did not respond to TCB’s candidate questionnaire in time for publication. Information provided here is from publicly available online information in addition to reporting by the High Point Enterprise.
Registered party: Republican
Occupation: Customer relations
Held political office before? First-time candidate
Why she wanted to run: “She said a priority if elected to council is lowering crime, which is a concern for her south High Point community,” the High Point Enterprise reported.
What experience she brings: Previously served on the High Point Human Relations Commission; have been working to develop a mosque for the Islamic Society of High Point
Note: Britt Moore did not respond to TCB’s candidate questionnaire in time for publication. Information provided here is from publicly available online information in addition to local reports where noted.
Registered party: Republican
Occupation: According to his LinkedIn, Moore is the managing partner for Omega Concepts, Inc., a propertymanagement and development company; At-large Council Member
How long have you lived in HP?: Unknown Held political office before? Moore is currently an AtLarge Council Member (currently serving his fourth term, first election in 2010)
Why he wanted to run: “He said he wants to serve another term to continue the city’s current policy direction and help guide the response to national economic and political forces, like the impact of the coronavirus pandemic,” according to the High Point Enterprise
On High Point’s economic changes: “Moore touts the growth that’s occurred over the past four years, including the arrival of the Carolina Core FC soccer team, residential and industrial development in North High Point and elsewhere, improvements to City Lake Park, and state and federal projects, like the new highway interchange at U.S. 29/70 and South Main Street and a $19.8 million greenway and streetscape grant,” the High Point Enterprise reported.
On the One High Point Commission, aka reparations, in HP: Moore voted against the creation of the commission during the Feb. 7, 2022 city council vote but voted in favor of accepting the commission’s final report on Sept. 18.
Glenn Romero Chavis
Registered party: Democrat
Occupation: Retired historian
How long have you lived in HP?:
“I was born and raised in High Point. After college, we moved to Washington D.C. We moved back to High Point in 1975 and have lived on Orville Drive since our return.”
Held political office before? First-time candidate
Why he wanted to run: “For the last eight years, little, if anything, has been done to improve our standard of living in Ward One. Zip code 27260 is in Ward One and is ranked as the fifth poorest zip code in the state of North Carolina. Never have I heard anyone in city government mention this fact, which means that either my council
representative or the city of High Point is blind or they don’t care about Ward One. Being 60 percent Black just may be the reason for the lack of attention. This very fact is costly to the people in Ward One when they try for loans, mortgages or credit. I don’t live in a ghetto, and I am angry that my city has allowed this tag to be placed on us.”
What experience he brings: “From 1969 to my retirement in 2000, I held these positions with Abbott Laboratories traveling to all 50 States as a representative and consultant for the company: professional pharmaceutical hospital representative, minority recruiter, recruiting consultant, vision specialist, account representative, and district system specialist, increased minority and women representatives throughout the sales force. I have served on the following boards and committees: Great United Way of HP, High Point Regional Hospital, High Point Museum, Carl Chavis YMCA, Washington Street Resource Center, Kivett Drive Gateway Committee, 2009 Sesquicentennial Commission, Citizens Advisory Committee, Historic Preservation Commission.
“I authored three books dealing with High Point’s local Black History. Written over 300 columns dealing with HP’s Black History published in the News-Record
“My writing was recognized by the prestigious Editor and Publisher magazine and I was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of Johnson C. Smith University and Who’s Who in America in 2008.”
Campaign platforms: “Ward One needs health resources, food stores, sidewalks, affordable housing, safety, good jobs that will pay for everyday needs, better appearance, and citizens mobility.”
On the One High Point Commission, aka reparations, in HP: “I support what they are trying to do. I am a local Black historian and they used my first Black history book and other writing to help with their mission.”
On HPU and Furniture Market’s influence on HP: “I have no problems with High Point University building one of the top universities in the nation. I hope they find ways to help bring zip code 27260, in Ward One, from being the fifth poorest in North Carolina. If they don’t, eventually, visitors will see the bad and ugly surrounding this topnotch university and wonder why it looks that way.”
Anything else?: “Eleven years of researching and bringing forth our Black factual history since 1859. I know the good, bad, and ugly regarding High Point and I can feel the pain of those, Black and white that have had to fight bigotry, hatred, racism and other isms associated with division.”
Note: Henry Harris did not respond to TCB’s candidate questionnaire in time for publication. Information provided here is from publicly available online information in addition to reporting by the High Point Enterprise. Registered party: Democrat
Occupation: Assistant manager for food services at High Point University
Held political office before? First-time candidate Why he wanted to run: “It’s a lot of gunshots that we hear night or day, and that’s the problem — we have so many young people who are playing with guns and not understanding the consequences,” Harris told the High
Point Enterprise. “Kids need a better outlet. You give them what they need to stimulate their minds.”
Campaign platforms: Neighborhood crime and safety; “Harris said he believes crime in the ward is a symptom of larger problems around lack of economic opportunities in a part of the city that has seen grocery stores and other businesses close,” per the High Point Enterprise
Anything else?: “He said he also sees more of a role for the city to play in collaborations with human service organizations that provide youth mentorship and other outreach services. This would also help address systemic issues around poverty and crime,” the High Point Enterprise reported.
Vickie McKiverRegistered party: Democrat
Occupation: Former recreation director for Thomasville according to Facebook
How long have you lived in HP?: 65 years
Held political office before? First-time candidate
Why she wanted to run: “I am running for city council because I have 35 years of government experience and service. I managed various budgets, capital improvements, and renovating recreation facilities. I want to work on improving transportation, fair housing, food desert and economic growth.”
What experience she brings: “I have 35 years of government experience and service. I managed various budgets, capital projects, and renovating recreation facilities. I have strong leadership skills and abilities to be an asset to the City Council. I was the first Black Recreation Director and first black Department Head for the City of Thomasville. I serve on community-based organizations and committees. (i.e., Board of Directors on Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Communities in Schools, Special Olympics, and Senior Games). I undertook duties on the United Way, Teen Center, Youth Council and Reginal Strickland Center.”
Campaign platforms: Economic growth, food desert, transportation and fair housing
On the One High Point Commission, aka reparations, in HP: “I support the commission and believe in what they are trying to get accomplished. I will collaborate with One High Point Commission and work hard to help them achieve the recommendations City Council approved.”
On HPU and Furniture Market’s influence on HP: “High Point is moving forward with revitalization of downtown. They are striving to be a vibrant city with strong economic growth. They are bringing new businesses, restaurants, shops, and jobs. They will improve the transportation system, food desert and fair housing.”
Anything else?: “My goal is to work hard for the citizens in Ward One and the City. I want High Point to be a successful and vibrant city.”
STOKESDALE - The public is invited to a meeting with the N.C. Department of Transportation on Sept. 25 to discuss proposed improvements to intersections along N.C. 65 and N.C. 68 in Guilford and Rockingham counties.
Project details, including maps can be found on the NCDOT project web page:
https://publicinput.com/NC65-NC68Improvements-Guilford. The information will be presented at the meeting allowing for one-on-one discussions with engineers. There will not be a formal presentation.
The meeting will be held Sept. 25 at Stokesdale Town Hall, 8325 Angel Pardue Road, Stokesdale. The public is invited to attend at any time between 5 and 7 p.m.
People may also submit comments by phone at 984-205-6615 (project code 4912), email at US274-IntersectionImprovements@publicinput.com, or mail at the address shown below by Oct. 9, 2023.
By Mail: Chris Smitherman NCDOT Highway Division 7Project Delivery Team Lead
P. O. BOX 14996
Greensboro, NC 27415
NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled people who wish to participate in this meeting. Anyone requiring special services should contactAlecia Hardy, Environmental Analysis Unit, at 1598 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1598, 919-707-6072 or ext-arhardy@ncdot.gov as early as possible so arrangements can be made.
Those who do not speak English, or have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English, may receive interpretive services upon request prior by calling 1-800-4816494.
Aquellas personas no hablan inglés, o tienen limitaciones para leer, hablar o entender inglés, podrían recibir servicios de interpretación si los solicitan llamando al 1-800-481-6494.
N.C.
Two Winston-Salem public safety programs aim to tackle violent crime in the city.
On Sept. 18, city council passed items pertaining to a new hospital program as well as gunshot-detection technology.
After receiving a $500,000 grant from the state, the city partnered with Wake Forest University Health Sciences to deliver a hospital-based violence intervention program, which started seeing patients this year. The program’s director, Dr. Yasmin Gay, gave the committee an update on the program, which is headquartered at Atrium Health – Wake Forest Baptist. This program is specifically for those who have suffered from gunshot wounds, stab wounds and blunt assaults with or without objects such as fists, bats, etc.
The team meets victims of interpersonal violence where they are — typically at bedside — and offer services such as a brief screening, assessment, crisis intervention and counseling support.
“One of the first questions that we ask when we’re working with them is, ‘Do you fear that your injury may result in retaliation?’” Gay said, adding, “That’s huge because we need to put some people on alert that this may go beyond the hospital.”
“Our objective was to develop a comprehensive plan of care that included traumainformed care,” not just in the hospital but after they leave, Gay said.
Atrium Health – Wake Forest Baptist statistics report that 273 people suffered from gunshot wounds and 92 were stabbed within the city limits between 2021-22. This data does not include numbers from other hospitals, Gay told council.
For ages 16-18:
In 2020, there were 45 gunshot wound patients, one death and five stabbings.
In 2021 there were 44 gunshot wound patients, four deaths and four stabbings.
In 2022, there were 30 gunshot wound patients, no deaths and two stabbings.
This year, there have been 24 gunshot wound patients, one death and one stabbing.
The city is entering its third year with the software application ShotSpotter. This technology uses acoustic sensors that can detect and locate gunfire incidents and alert law enforcement agencies. An arrangement of approximately 20 sensors are placed per square mile and wirelessly connect to ShotSpotter’s cloud-based application to detect and locate sounds that may represent gunfire. The goal of the technology is to detect gun crime
Winston-Salem Police Department Capt. Amy Gauldin gave an update to the committee.
Last year, the technology clocked a total of 5,458 rounds fired. Through July of this year, there have been 2,956 rounds detected.
Between Aug.1, 2022 and July 31 of this year, there were three missed incidents, one mislocated event and 13 misclassified incidents — where the incident was classified as a gunfire when it was not, or vice versa. During that same time frame, ShotSpotter’s acoustic sensors detected and located 24,587 sounds.
“Within 60 seconds it goes to their incident review center, and then is published to us as a customer of ShotSpotter,” Gauldin said, adding that between Aug. 1, 2022 and July 31 of this year 1,505 alerts were published to WSPD and 1,492 of those alerts were accurately located.
City council also approved the purchase of public safety cameras and installation services, in an amount up to and not to exceed $900,000.
Council also accepted a $100,000 donation in equipment and supplies and funds from the Winston-Salem Police Foundation to WSPD, including $80,000 worth of 11 outdoor camera systems with license plate reader recognition that will be utilized by the department’s Real Time Crime Center, and $18,000 in equipment and uniforms for WSPD’s auxiliary bicycle patrol.
According to the foundation’s website, they enable WSPD to qualify and apply for grant funding that is exclusively available for 501(c)(3) organizations, as well as allow for tax-deductible gifts from individuals, businesses and philanthropic organizations. The foundation receives donations from individuals as well as corporate contributors like Truist, Truliant, Novant Health and Wake Forest University.
Like other cities around the country, Winston-Salem is looking at various ways to curb violence crime
We generally don’t mess with Summerfield, that lily-white town of 11,000 or so that sits atop the northwest corner of Greensboro like a jaunty little cap. Like Archdale, Clemmons, Walkertown, Jamestown and other smaller Triad minucipalities, it exists beyond our purview of the large cities. And though these areas are screaming out for more media coverage, we simply don’t have the staff to keep up in a meaningful way.
But we turn our gaze there this week as developer David Couch finalizes his years-long quest to develop nearly 1,000 acres inside Summerfield town limits — Summerfield, understand, has strict regulations about real estate development and land use. People don’t move out there to share space with high-density living.
Time and again, Summerfield Town Council turned down Couch’s rezoning request necessary to implement his plan: the Villages of Summerfield Farms, a high-dollar, mixed-use cluster of neighborhoods, shops and parks free from the pesky affordability requirements of, say, Greensboro. Homes would run between $250K and $2 million, according to the website
Couch would not abide by council’s decision. He went over their heads, enlisting the North Carolina Legislature to take up his cause.
The ploy began with a raft of campaign contributions Couch made to NC Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger — around $27,000 since 2018. In due turn, a bill was filed that would help Couch’s dream become manifest: HB5, which de-annexes Couch’s plot from the town of Summerfield, and bars the town from annexing it again. It passed the House
and Senate, and needs to pass one more Senate reading on Thursday before it heads to the governor’s desk.
That probably won’t happen, because in an emergency meeting on Monday night, Summerfield Town Council passed three resolutions in a “good-faith” effort towards Couch that include reconsidering rezoning, something the council last denied in April, according to the News & Record. The council scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 28 to discuss next steps.
The case provides a rare glimpse into how the sausage gets made, a primer for running the end-around against local government and an overall lesson in why things are the way they are: Money and leverage.
As for the Villages of Summerfield Farms, aside from its messed-up genesis, we think it’s probably a pretty good idea. Too much nothing out in Summerfield. Makes folks feel detached from one another.
CORRECTION: An online version of this editorial mistakenly conflated HB5 with another bill, HB451, mischaracterized the purpose of the bill and its effects, and levied accusations against two members of the NC Legislature. That section has been removed from the piece. Since the piece was written, Summerfield Town Council held an emergency meeting and ultimately supported zoning changes that would allow for Couch’s project. The editorial has been edited to reflect that reality. Triad City Beat regrets the error.
by Meagan Marks
The incident happened on a Monday evening, the time of day when the sky turns from blue to periwinkle to an ombre of dark. As Maggie Cowher made her way up the stone staircase of Wake Forest University’s Reynolds Gymnasium, her jet-black hair swirled softly in the wind.
Cowher entered the weight room and searched amongst the squat racks and benches, eventually putting her bag down next to a wooden deadlift platform. She loaded weights onto the Olympic bar in front of her: four 45-pound plates, plus four 25s, plus the bar — 265 pounds in all. She warmed up and started her session, just like she does every weekday evening.
A couple sets into her workout, a blonde woman similar in age set up on a platform next to Cowher’s. As she loaded plates onto her bar, a man who had been squatting on a nearby rack came up to help her.
That’s odd, she didn’t look like she was struggling, Cowher thought. Is he just assuming she doesn’t know how to do it? He didn’t even give her a chance to try.
Cowher continued on to her next deadlift set while the blonde woman started her first. Cowher noticed the man approach the blonde woman again.
“I saw him go over to her and stop her in the middle of her set to correct her form,” said Cowher, over the phone. “I thought to myself, Am I going to need to say something?... I do not deal with that kind of interaction well. I wasn’t just gonna allow that to happen.”
As her form was getting corrected, the blonde woman folded her arms around her waist. She forced a smile as her cheeks burned red.
Cowher paused an extra second before her next set.
“I was waiting to see if he’d give her poor advice so I had an excuse to step in,” she said. “And he did.”
Cowher stepped in to correct the poor advice. The man disagreed. They argued.
“Well, I learned how to deadlift from a powerlifter,” said the man.
“Well, I am a powerlifter,” Cowher said in response.
Cowher’s story is not an uncommon one. According to a 2020 study by Penn State University, feelings of insecurity, lack of knowledge and unsolicited advice from male gymgoers can keep female students from weight-training at the gym. At Wake Forest University, a group of women are determined to change this.
A200-pound barbell rolled across the floor. Aashna Kumar placed it over her waist, and with the strength of her legs, swiftly lifted the barbell into the air.
“Make sure your knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle,” Kumar said. “Stay balanced. You should feel this in your glutes and hamstrings.”
Kumar is a coach for Athenas, Wake Forest’s all-female weight lifting club. She was leading a hip thrust demo for about 15 of its members, who had gathered in the Reynolds Gymnasium lobby.
Some were newer to the club, wearing Athenas T-shirts and beaming with an eagerness to learn. Others were seasoned weight lifters, defined by muscular builds and willingness to offer advice. The rest were nervous first-timers who watched the more experienced members with curious eyes.
Athenas’ private workout room is rectangular and open-spaced, with gray-bricked walls and no windows. Although the room was dull and dark, Kumar — short, tan, lean — exuded a welcoming, positive energy that filled it with warmth and comfortability. After she explained what muscles a hip thrust targets, the equipment that is needed to do one and where to perform them in the gym, Kumar demonstrated the exercise until each woman felt they had it down.
The Athena’s are an all-female weight lifting club that started at Wake Forest University to create a safe space for women to work out. COURTESY PHOTO“Alright girls, you know what to do,” said Cowher, who is now a co-president of Athenas. “Try out the exercise, play around, see what feels good…. This is a good space to try something new.”
After the meeting, Cowher explained how the Athenas hold demos like this often, in addition to weekly group workout sessions. Their goal is to get women acquainted with difficult-to-perform exercises, making sure they feel comfortable with their form and confident in their strength before trying them at the gym independently. It’s a sort of middle-ground for female students who want to establish their place as weight lifters in the gym, similar to training wheels on a bike or bumpers on a bowling lane.
When Virginia Wooten arrived at campus four years ago, she immediately noticed the need for an environment like this.
“When I first got to Wake Forest, I knew about the gym; I knew how to work out, I knew how to lift weights,” said Wooten, who co-founded Athenas. “But when I first got here…. I was so, so scared to work out.”
This statement is hard to believe. Drinking coffee and chatting about the Athenas club, Wooten exudes confidence and a strong sense of authenticity. She’s tall, muscular, and outgoing, talking with an enthusiasm and sense of ease that ordinarily comes from years of friendship. She’s also a certified personal trainer and knows anything and everything about weight lifting. But it took Wooten three months to develop the courage to enter the weight room. And when she did, she was often one of just two women in the space. The other was Martina Lammel, Athenas’ other founder.
Eventually, the two became friends, and they started working out together.
“Having a gym buddy that was another girl in that space made me feel 10 times better about myself and about the space that I was in,” Wooten said. “She made working out fun.”
After realizing the benefits of a female gym buddy, the two women decided to form Athenas, which now connects more than 300 women across campus who want to establish friendships while working out. Since their start three years ago, the Athenas have pulled around 12 percent of female students into the Wake Forest weight room.
“It took me months to get the courage to go into the weight room, and that’s coming from someone with experience,” said Wooten. “I just couldn’t imagine what girls felt like when they were just starting to work out.”
According to Wooten, female students reported that they feel uncomfortable and intimidated in Reynolds Gymnasium. Some stated this came from a lack of knowledge of how to work out properly. Others claimed they didn’t know where certain equipment was located. The majority of women agreed that the male-dominated environment was the most frightening factor of all.
“At any given time, the weight room is split 80 percent men, 20 percent women,” said Wooten. “That’s the main intimidation factor for me. I mean, if you ever go in the weight room, it’s almost always mostly guys.”
During a tour of the gym, Cowher walked down a set of stairs and through an Olympic weight lifting room members coined the “fishbowl”, because of its tall windows lining the upper half of the room, allowing other gym-goers to look down upon the lifters below.
Heavy weights slammed onto the ground, sending a sharp cling throughout the air. The room was taken up predominantly by men.
This male-dominated environment is just part of the reason why women avoid the gym, according to a 2018 study published in the Social Science & Medicine Journal When female participants were interviewed on gym-related experiences, researchers noticed that negative body image, gender stereotypes and self-consciousness also came into play.
“There is a stigma that women experience when wanting to weight lift, and that makes starting tough,” Wooten said. “I had family and friends tell me to not weight lift because they thought I’d look like a man. There are also mental and physical barriers when you go in there and it is just guys. It can make you nervous to try new things,” she said.
This mindset has kept women out of the weight room for decades, and it is exactly what Athenas is trying to combat. By renting space in Reynolds Gymnasium twice a week, they offer a space where women can work out in a space free of judgment. In this all-female space, the women can gain support from other motivated women while removing the intimidation factor that gyms can foster.
The private room Athenas use has no windows, no outside observers. Female
lifters, some beginners, some experienced, are the only people in the room. Positive affirmations and words of encouragement fill the air. Some women even dance to the music that blasts through the space.
No one feels judged, no one is embarrassed to fail at something new. It’s the direct opposite of the fishbowl.
But while the Athenas promote a female presence in the weight lifting community, they acknowledge that women should feel comfortable in all gyms, in all public spaces. Even in the fishbowl.
“The club is not about saying screw men, you have ruined this space,” said Wooten. “It’s about saying that we belong here just as much as anybody else.”
The women know that they can not claim their space if members work out in isolation forever. They also know that men can help their cause. They can be allies, not enemies.
“Not every guy is a bad guy, that is not what the point of Athenas is,” said Wooten. “Guys who will help girls and will make space for girls in the gym, they’re awesome. We celebrate that. We are so thankful for that. That is why we made cheerleaders.”
esse Leary was eating a pizza in Zick’s, the campus’ popular pizza spot, when Wooten asked him about the gig.
“I said absolutely,” said Leary, who’s always been good friends with Wooten. “I always hated the concept that women would be intimidated and feel uncomfortable at the gym just because of what men were doing.”
After that, Leary became one of the original Athenas Cheerleaders. The purpose of the group is to provide support to the members of the club, or to any women in the weight room, when they enter the public space.
“The gym isn’t supposed to be an intimidating place, it is supposed to be a place where you can go for your physical and mental health and a space where you can chill and destress,” said Leary, who answered a call on FaceTime while at the gym. “Our role is all about showing support and not being a face that is intimidating or makes somebody feel like they don’t want to be there.”
A few minutes later, a second face popped up on the screen. It was warm and welcoming, smiling brightly as it loaded onto the call.
“When I walk into the gym, I barely ever see women in the weight room,” said Nikolai Chechkin, who had just gotten back from the gym when he joined the conversation. “I can definitely see how that adds to the intimidation. I myself have been intimidated.”
As Wooten’s boyfriend, Chechkin is also an original cheerleader who has always been supportive of the Athenas.
“If you can have someone in the gym who can basically serve as your rock, your stable point, it helps alleviate that intimidation,” he said, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses and popping his headphones over his blonde hair. “You stop thinking about being judged and start thinking about how you and the other person are doing.”
“If someone is nervous, they can talk to us and ask for help,” said Chechkin. “To be successful in the gym, you need to be able to give yourself the space, the time, the confidence. And we want to let girls know that we are here for them and that they can do this.”
Now, there are 16 men who hold the title of Athenas Cheerleaders. And, while they don’t attend the group workouts — those are still all-female — the men continue to provide an immense amount of support to women in the public weight room every day.
“What we shouldn’t underestimate at all is the power of male privilege in certain spaces. That is especially in the gym and on college campuses,” Leary said. “I feel like being able to use your male privilege in order to make women feel more comfortable is always something that I am down for, that Nikolai is down for, and something that is a big part of what cheerleaders stand for.”
eeing a man wearing an Athenas shirt is so great,” said Payton Yeo, an original Athenas member. “It has helped enhance the gym community for me. And gym community greatly impacts your confidence in the gym.”
Yeo is the head coach of Athenas, and has been since the start of her senior year. She plans the Athenas schedule, works with other coaches to create group workouts, and supports the coaches while they give exercise explanations. She has a tall, muscular build and dark, brown hair. She is warm, she is chatty, and she is confident. It’s evident that she is strong.
But Yeo was quick to reveal that she hasn’t always been this way.
“Freshman year, I tried to go to the gym. But it was terrifying,” she said. “I wanted to be fit, but I wasn’t.”
Once Yeo built the confidence to go to Reynolds Gymnasium, she started with the offered group workout classes. They were dark and provided a good place to hide.
“If I wasn’t doing a class, I would go to the gym at 6:00 am to avoid the crowd,” she said. “I would find the smallest little corner of the gym and just be the smallest person I could.”
After her sophomore year, Yeo went home for the summer and found group fitness classes that taught adults how to weight lift.
“None of the Wake classes offered something like that,” she said.
At least, not before Athenas. But after Wooten encouraged Yeo to join Athenas her junior year, she gained more confidence in herself and in the gym. Going to scheduled workouts helped her get more comfortable in Wake’s gym and with the equipment, and they taught her new exercises she could do on her own.
“Before Athenas, I was lifting weights, but I wasn’t weight lifting, ” said Yeo. “There is a difference between fitness, health, and wellness, and asking yourself how much you can lift or how strong you can be.”
In a little over a year, Yeo went from deadlifting 65 pounds to 285 pounds. “I went from, How can my body look, to What can my body do,” she said.
Her old self would have hated the muscle she’s gained, hated that her shoulders are bigger and her quads are thicker. But that all changed with Athenas.
“We are not a group that is saying, ‘You look too bulky, you gained too much muscle.’ We appreciate the muscle; we realize how hard it is to put it on,” she said. “Whereas the general population may not want bulky or muscular girls, we love it, because we know that we’ve put so much work in to get it.”
Now Yeo is a personal trainer with the goal of sharing her experience with other women.
“I want to help other girls transition that mindset from, How can I become smaller? to, How can I become stronger?,” she said. “It is so much more fun when you appreciate what you can do, instead of focusing on what you can’t do, or how you can’t look.”
According to Dr. Shannon Mihalko, a health and exercise science researcher and professor at Wake Forest University, the confidence that Yeo has developed is not a coincidence. It’s a psychological phenomenon called self-efficacy, or a task-specific form of self-confidence. So, when it comes to the Athenas, self-efficacy describes how confident each member is in their ability to weight lift. If a woman has low selfefficacy in her ability to weight lift, she would have low self-confidence in the gym.
But self-efficacy is something that can be built upon. And the greater it builds, the greater confidence is built, too.
“The best way to build self-efficacy is by being surrounded by other people like yourself,” said Mihalko. “I think that’s what the girls are doing so well. If you can join a club and see that you are not the only person that feels this way about the gym, that you can work together to get over that fear and anxiety about it, all of this will build your confidence to be able to do that task of weight lifting.”
Building this confidence can transfer to all aspects of life, Mihalko says.
“The thing about confidence is that it is so generalizable. It starts to impact things similar to the task you are working on. You have a rippling effect,” said Mihalko. “So, if you are able to work out in an environment that you are not so comfortable in, you’ll gain experience in finding confidence in an uncomfortable space.”
And this is exactly what Wooten and Lammel’s goal for Athenas has been all along. Wooten no longer runs the club, but she watches from afar, as she is in the process of developing a community-based, all-female fitness app. She hopes it will take the influence of Athenas beyond Wake Forest’s campus.
“I have seen so many people gain confidence in the gym since the start of Athenas,” said Wooten. “The way that I’ve seen it work is if you can feel confident in a gym setting where you are working on yourself, if you know you belong there and deserve to be there, that will translate to any other part of your life. You could go into a meeting, a business pitch, an interview and know that you belong there. It’s been really cool to see that happen.”
Saturday, September 23 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, September 24 at 3:00 pm
by Michaela Ratliff michaela@triad-city-beat.com
Winston-Salem author Halle Hill grew up surrounded by storytellers, so it’s no surprise she became one herself. She earned an MFA in writing from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2020, won the 2021 Crystal Wilkinson Creative Writing Prize and was a finalist for the 2021 ASME Award for Fiction.
On Sept. 12 Hill made her debut with the release of Good Women, a collection of short fiction that explores the lives of 12 Black women across the Appalachian South. On Sept. 14, Hill stopped by Scuppernong Books in Greensboro to kick off the promotional tour of the book and participate in discussions, readings and book signings. On Sept. 23 at 1 p.m., Hill will be at Bookmarks in Winston-Salem as part of the Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors.
Originally from east Tennessee, Hill combines her personal experiences growing up in the region with a vivid imagination to craft tales tackling religion, coming of age, breaking generational curses and more. In our conversation, Hill talked about what piqued her interest in writing, how her identity influenced the collection and some of the passages found in Good Women
Learn more about Halle Hill at hallehill.com and on Instagram @hallewrites This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Q A
I’ve always enjoyed writing and been passionate about it. I think I got more interested in grad school when I went for my MFA, but I’ve always just loved learning about other people’s stories. I’ve always loved one-on-one conversations with people, and my family was always filled with stories.
I just spent a lot of time with my grandmothers, aunts and cousins and they told a lot of stories so I think naturally, I just was excited about them. It’s a great way to get to know people and learn about your family and preserve your history.
Q A Q A
The appearance at Scuppernong kicked off my book tour so it was the launch event. I think it went really well. There were some great questions, and I read the first story from my collection called “Seeking Arrangements.” I was just so grateful to be at Scup because it’s such an important bookstore in the Piedmont community and North Carolina in general. I’ve always admired how they support the community by selling, promoting and supporting diverse books and authors. It was more than wonderful to be able to launch my book there.
The Appalachian Region spans from southern New York to northern Mississippi. As someone from Tennessee, how did your personal experiences growing up influence the stories you chose to tell in Good Women?
I am just really proud to be from Appalachia, and it’s exciting to be able to talk about stories that are set in areas that I’m from or maybe even write about a different experience in Appalachia. I think it’s heavily mystified and a lot of people have these preconceived notions about it, and that’s just something that I’ve enjoyed kind of exploring and writing about from my perspective.
I think what’s really powerful about Appalachia is that a large chunk of it kind of expands
Halle Hill of Winston-salem read from her new book, Good Women, at Scuppernong Books earlier this month. On Sept. 23, she will be participating in this year’s Bookmarks Festival. COURTESY PHOTOout of the South. People don’t always realize it’s really broad, and there’s going to be a lot of diverse people from there. It’s rural and it’s filled with metropolitan cities. It’s filled with all different races and ethnicities of people, different walks of life, socioeconomic experiences, so I’m excited to be able to write about it. If anything I hope people will read my book and maybe be more curious about the region and grow in their respect and care for the place, too.
In “Bitch Baby” the narrator Ceiley witnesses her gay brother being beaten by the police during a traffic stop. Were there any real-life cases that served as inspiration? Why did you find it important to include this?
I can’t necessarily say that there were specific cases of police brutality super specific to the one that I write about in “Bitch Baby,” but I think the painful part is just because I haven’t witnessed that specific experience with that level of violence in my personal family, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen and that it won’t still happen to someone one day.
I definitely have experienced, seen and know the pain a lot of us Black Americans carry around by just trying to navigate that area. I just wanted to explore that and write about it. That’s the hard part about the story; it’s not a fantasy, it’s a reality a lot of Black Americans experience.
Something I picked up on was how the parents of Black, gay men oftentimes have difficulty supporting their child for religious reasons.
also deeply in shock and hurting for her baby, and she’s just trying to find something to cling onto to give meaning. In a way, even if she is perpetuating harm, the act of brutality has harmed her and her child.
Q A Q A
Which piece resonates with you the most and why?
I really do love and feel challenged by and I’m so grateful for every story in the collection so it’s hard for me to say which one resonates with me, but I can tell you which one I feel I had to work and earn to write. “The Miracle” was a challenge for me to write because it is a devastating story that has glimmers of hope. It’s a hard story that’s hard for me emotionally, but I felt it was important for me to write. “The Miracle” is really special to me for a bunch of reasons.
What do you want readers to take away from Good Women?
21
familiarly
1. The work of groan adults?
by Matt Jones by Matt Jones© 2022 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com)
5. “Futurama” co-creator Groening
9. Actor B.D. of “Law & Order: SVU”
13. “Need ___?” (possible truck service tagline)
14. Push rudely
16. Food Network initialism
17. Bumble and Hinge, e.g.
19. “___ la vie!”
20. “Princess of Power” of Saturday mornings
21. Stereotypical event for fraternities in movies
23. Substack offering, maybe
25. Northwest Mexican state
26. Abbr. in a military address
28. Castle protectors
32. “Dang it!”
33. Fruit suitable for making pies (rather than, say, a Red Delicious)
36. Type of bar with mai tais
37. Finland-based communications company
38. French silk city
42. Ripping to shreds
45. On the ocean
47. Braying equines
48. “Go, team!”
49. Putin predecessor Medvedev
51. Slide on something slippery
53. Apparel for striking poses?
57. Come after
60. ___-Lenape (Delaware tribe)
61. Small spaces between areas, or what’s represented in the long entries
63. The Weeknd, a.k.a. ___ Tesfaye
64. California berry farm founder
65. Yale students
66. Washington, D.C., baseball team,
LAST ISSUE’S ANSWERS:
67. Art sch. study
68. “Divorce Capital of the World,” once
1. Launching platforms
2. “Spiral Jetty” state
3. Small laptop
4. Soft serve machine option
5. Food additive initials
6. At the drop of ___
7. ___
‘Do You Mind?’ — if you were on the London Underground.© 2023 Matt Jones
Join Triad Local First on Sunday, October 8th for Blue Jeans, Bourbon, and the Blues!
This year’s 13th annual Community Table event will be a throwback to the juke joints of old with live music from the award-winning blues band, “Mama and the Ruckus,” Bourbon from the still out back, and locally-made cigars if you dare! So put on your blue jeans, meet us down at the crossroads for a good ole time. It’s a time for us to come together to celebrate and honor all things local.
The event will take place at the Gardens at Grey Gables in Summerfield. Tickers can be purchased online at www.TriadLocalFirst.org.
