Substantial Issue: The 2020 Relaunch

June 2020 Substantial Issue

EMPOWERING A COMMUNITY IN CRISIS

June 2020 Covid Issue

President Greg Hedgepeth Editor-in-Chief Evelyne Del Billingslea Partners Donald Thompson Walk West Contributors Taylor Corlew Kimberly Knight Jermaine McNair J.J. McQueen Susie Clark Lizzie Newton Amanda Bennett Sponsors NC CIVIL Vidant Health The Diversity Movement Black Lens Symposium Sponsorship Opportunities Greenville, NC substantialmagazine@gmail.com www.wearesubstantial.com

Š Substantial Magazine 2020 All Rights Reserved

Substantial Issue 2020

Spread the Word

Substantial Magazine looks to strike a balance between inspiration and information, traditional and digital, community and family. Through creative photography and the written word, we celebrate the stories of the minority community. We also look to bring awareness to important issues affecting our communities on a local, state and national level. Substantial Magazine, a premier minority magazine in NC, motivates and educates on the importance of living a SUBSTANTIAL lifestyle.

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“Two Deadly Viruses Are Killing Americans: COVID-19 And Racism” Don Lemon, CNN

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Images by Lanette Lee of Write Productions Substantial | 5

10 COVID-19 12

COVID-19’s Impact on African Americans in NC

16

I Just Want To See My Mother

18

Falling in Love With Yourself

20

Taking Center Stage

22

A Born Boss & Bridge Builder

24

When Communities Come Together

28

Believe The Hype

34

Closing The Gap

38

A Candid Conversation

42

Serving More Than Just Food

44

A Platform for Good

48

Changing the Narrative

50 RACISM

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The Evolution of Civil Rights in America

54

You Can’t Tell My Story

56

We Shall Overcome

58

Lift Every Voice & Sing

60

Everything Black

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A Real Conversation About Mending the Relationship Between Community & Police

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From the Housing Projects to the Housing Board

Letter from the President & Editor-in-Chief Dear Substantial Community; It’s been too long since I’ve had the chance to write to you from the pages of an issue, and I’ve missed it. I’ve missed being able to highlight the amazing stories of every day, ordinary people doing extraordinary things in and for our community. Now more than ever we have to find real and meaningful ways to amplify our voices and lift up our work and I know in my heart this is the purpose of Substantial. We exist to share with the world just how Substantial the minority community is and we’re excited to get back to work!

As I sit in the comfort and safety of my home I wonder how we got here. How have we come to this very moment in time? If you’re reading this, I’m almost certain this same thought has entered your mind as well, as we deal with two very real issues, challenges and downright deadly viruses that continue to impact our communities. I’m sure that has entered your mind seeing it play out the way it has in the media and across the world. And again, I can

only ask myself “How did we get here?”.

The first of these two viruses that I will lightly touch on and give you the chance to hear more about throughout this special issue and relaunch of Substantial Magazine is just as real, silent and deadly as the one that has long plagued our communities. The first is the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This pandemic hit so hard and so fast that it has paused the very way we used to do life. The second is the systemic racism that has long divided us as a nation and created so many disparities within our very communities.

I’ll address the first deadly virus. I went back and did a little research and the first cases, or clusters, of the novel coronavirus were identified back in December of 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Fast forward to June 2020 and the World Health Organization has reported 7,410,510 cases, 418,294 confirmed deaths and 216 countries/territories affected. As we move into the later part of 2020, we are still dealing with this pandemic. It’s surreal to me to believe that we are living in a time that has Substantial | 7

NOW PAUSE AND SAY THE FOLLOWING NAMES stopped the world from moving to some degree.

COVID-19 is single handedly responsible for the pause of every major sport, the closing of schools, universities, small- and large-scale businesses, the rapid decline of a once booming economy, overwhelming unemployment numbers, and if that’s not enough it has recently caused a division amongst Americans as it relates to how and when we should reopen and resume life as we once knew it.

COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the minority community and shined light on years of disparities that we knew existed and have been slow to find solutions for. This pandemic made us pause, slow down and reassess that which was necessary and that which could be adaptive. Businesses quickly pivoted to become more agile, digital communication increased tenfold and work, education and daycare fromhome became the new normal.

As states implemented stay-at-home orders to flatten curves and slow the spread, we saw stories of overflowing hospitals, limited testing, deaths, uncertainty and the sharing of inaccurate information and conspiracies. But we also saw stories of communities coming together and people pitching in to ensure that we all found a new sense of normal during this time.

We’ve been dealing with this pandemic for the better part of 2020, and while I could go on and on about COVID-19 I think the most important notes for me are as follows; We have yet to find a cure and truly understand how it spreads and how to reintroduce ourselves back into society.

So I ask you, how did we get here?

Substantial Issue 2020

Rayshard Brooks - Eric Garner - John Crawford III - Michael Brown - Ezell Ford Dante Parker - Michelle Cusseaux - Laquan McDonald - George Mann - Tanisha Anderson - Akai Gurley - Tamir Rice - Rumain Brisbon - Jerame Reid - Matthew Ajibade - Frank Smart - Natasha McKenna - Tony Robinson Anthony Hill - Mya Hall - Phillip White - Eric Harris - Walter Scott - William Chapman II - Alexia Christian - Brendon Glenn - Victor Manuel Larosa - Jonathan Sanders - Freddie Blue - Joseph Mann - Salvado Ellswood - Sandra Bland - Albert Joseph Davis - Darrius Stewart - Billy Ray Davis - Samuel Dubose - Michael Sabbie - Brian Keith Day - Christian Taylor - Troy Robinson - Asshams Pharoah Manley - Felix Kumi - Keith Harrison Mcleod - Junior Prosper - Lamontez Jones - Paterson Brown - Dominic Hutchinson - Anthony Ashford Alonzo Smith - Tryee Crawford - India Kager - La’Vante Biggs - Michael Lee Marshall - Jamar Clark - Richard Perkins - Nathaniel Harris Pickett - Benni Lee Tignor - Miguel Espinal - Michael Noel - Kevin Matthews - Bettie Jones - Quintonio Legrier - Keith Childress Jr. - Janet Wilson - Randy Nelson - Antronie Scott - Wendell Celestine - David Joseph - Calin Roquemore - Dyzhawn Perkins - Christopher Davis - Marco Loud - Peter Gaines - Torrey Robinson - Darius Robinson - Kevin Hicks - Mary Truxillo - Demarcus Semer - Willie Tillman - Terril Thomas - Sylville Smith - Alton Sterling - Philando Castile - Terence Crutcher Paul O’Neal - Alteria Woods - Jordan Edwards - Aaron Bailey - Ronell Foster - Stephon Clark - Antwon Rose II - Botham Jean - Pamela Turner - Dominique Clayton - Atatiana Jefferson Christopher Whitfield - Christopher McCorvey - Eric Reason - Michael Lorenzo Dean - Breonna Taylor - George Floyd - Auhmad Aubrey.

At what point did you get tired of reading, or skipped down to the very last name to save time? Did you honestly pause and say each of those names aloud? Those names-though not a full comprehensive list by any means- are the names of black men and women who have lost their lives at the hands of police and whose families have suffered due to the inequities brought about from racism, prejudice and bias.

Though not the smoothest of transitions to the second of those deadly viruses, I still believe it to be effective because as we watch the fallout from the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Auhmad Arbery we’re seeing something different. We’re seeing our nation, and people across the world begin to hear, stand up and speak out regarding the harsh realities that black people have faced in America long before the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter existed.

For the past six years Substantial has politely said it and hinted at how important is was that we recognize it, but now it’s time we scream it from the mountain top and from every platform we can, that We Are Substantial— of considerable importance size and worth, strongly built and made- and so is our community, and our lives.

We’ve devoted the second half of this issue and relaunch to amplifying the voices of those who marched and peacefully protested. We want to highlight the stories of those fighting for the change they wish to see in the world and talk about real solutions to address and find a cure for the real, silent and deadly virus known as systemic racism and oppression that has long plagued our black communities.

We believe each and every person is an example of what defines our company and the word Substantial, and we are so excited that others believe it as well. Substantial Magazine is back, and honored to have the help and support of Donald Thompson and Walk West as we team up for specific efforts that will educate, inform and serve our communities.

As we relaunch Substantial magazine, I’m also excited to pass the baton of Editor-in-Chief to a familiar face and long-time supporter Evelyne Del Billingslea. As Evelyne comes aboard as our full-time Editor-in-Chief she, as well as I know it is going to take each and every one of us, including you working together to show the world just how Substantial we are.

Again, as I sit on my patio in the comfort and safety of my home after asking myself the question, I had to go and seek the answers.

The collection of thoughts, voices and faces that you will see throughout this issue come from a collective of people asking themselves the very same question. Those people like me, and like many of us, not only want answers, we want action and we’re coming to the table with solutions.

How did we get here? And more importantly, where do we go from here?

GREG L. HEDGEPETH PRESIDENT AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Substantial | 9

DEADLY VIRUS:

COVID-19

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COVID-19’s Impact on African Americans in NC A conversation with Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, Representative Kandie Smith, and Senator Don Davis

CHIEF JUSTICE CHERI BEASLEY

REPRESENTATIVE KANDIE SMITH

WHAT PRESENT AND FUTURE IMPACT HAS COVID-19 HAD ON OUR COMMUNITY AND STATE? BEASLEY - The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on all of us in North Carolina.

Public safety is the first priority in this unusual time as we have had close to 23,000 confirmed cases and over 700 deaths attributed to the virus. From an economic perspective, we have seen overwhelming rates of unemployment with over 350,000 people in our state having applied for unemployment since mid-March.

We’ve never had to address an issue at this scale with the current institutions that are Substantial Issue 2020

SENATOR DON DAVIS

in place, which is why the future impact of Coronavirus cannot quite be known. As we begin to open up in phases, it is extremely important for all of us to exercise caution and realize that there are real concerns for a second wave of infection.

HOW ARE SOME OF THE SMALL BUSINESSES FAIRING RIGHT NOW? SMITH - Plainly put—our small businesses are not doing well at all right now. The Federal Government has released billions in small business aid and we need to make sure that money is actually getting to our small

businesses. We talk about it all the time—small businesses are the bedrock of our economy, but now more than ever, we need to show that we’re serious about that - it’s not just something we say. I know our state Small Business Administration and Business Link North Carolina have been working very hard to offer support to business owners, and I would encourage any business in need of assistance to reach out to either of them or my office and we’ll get you the help you need.

and mouth, and practice physical distancing.

Essential workers must self-advocate. For those who are nonessential workers, we must stay home and only travel for essential purposes. If you are feeling sick, we must isolate ourselves from other family members. We must stop the spread of the virus, which will save lives.

WHAT’S THE MESSAGE TO OUR MINORITY COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW? CAN YOU OFFER ANY WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT?

DAVIS - The novel coronavirus pandemic has shaken our community, nation, and world.

I have had family members and friends who have tested positive—who have recovered— unfortunately, I have known those who have lost their lives to this deadly virus as well.

Because of massive gathering restrictions, the pandemic has altered our ability to hang out, interact, and even worship. With over 156,000 deaths in 185 countries around the world to include over 37,000 in the United States, over 180 in North Carolina, and at least 22 in eastern North Carolina, we must take added precautions to save lives. On top of this, COVID-19 is hitting our economy hard. Over 600,000 residents from across the state have filed for unemployment. I have never witnessed such a rapid rise in massive unemployment in such a short time.

DAVIS - COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting minority communities. We see this trend across the nation and in North Carolina, with 39% of African Americans contracting the virus and 38% dying from it. We must take it seriously. The virus has taken the life of Eugene Thompson, a Mississippi barber just days after his 46th birthday, because he decided to keep his shop open. It took the life of Bishop Gerald Glenn of the New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Virginia the day before Easter and Jason Hargrove, a Detroit bus driver. There are so many more. Although in different parts of our nation, it is so crucial for us to put a face on this virus. It is real.

There is an emergency within this state of emergency. When you live in more crowded multifamily housing, social distancing is more challenging. When you do not have a car and have to get a ride, then limiting contact is more challenging. When you cannot work remotely from home, and social distancing does not pay the bills, you are more likely to be exposed to this virus. We must defy the myth that African Americans are immune to the novel coronavirus. I encourage essential workers to protect yourselves—wear a mask, disinfect your work environment, frequently wash your hands, avoid touching your nose

HOW BAD DO YOU BELIEVE COVID-19 IS?

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE UNIQUE WAYS YOU ARE HELPING EASTERN NC AND THE STATE RIGHT NOW? SMITH - Right now, my main goal is to be accessible to the people. During these trying times, people are finding themselves in a situation where they need to interact with the state government far more than they ever have before—for a lot of people this may even be their first time having to get through a process like unemployment. For those people I think it’s really important for me to be available and serve as a resource for them right now. That’s why I have always put such an emphasis on Substantial | 13

transparency and accountability in my office.

This is unfamiliar territory for a lot of people, and I want them to know they have an advocate in me.

HONESTLY, IS THERE A (POST) COVID OR IS IT LIFE WITH COVID MOVING FORWARD?

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE EASTERN NC NEEDS MOST RIGHT NOW?

BEASLEY - During this pandemic, I have been continually inspired by the perseverance and sacrifices made by our first responders and healthcare professionals. I believe that with new medical advancements and effective government policies we will find ways to overcome this virus and return to a place of normality and growth. I understand that this return to “normal” will take time and there will be aspects of our government and our lives that will be forever changed by this pandemic. But these changes will help to permanently improve North Carolina’s justice system and make it safer for everyone to achieve proper justice.

DAVIS - There is no greater need in eastern North Carolina than better health care. For some eastern North Carolina counties, the average life expectancy is 5-8 years less than in other parts of our state. We tend to see enormous health care challenges and disparities from birth to death. In eastern North Carolina, we tend to see higher rates of infant mortality, especially among African American females. We also tend to see higher rates of heart disease, cancer, stroke, hypertension, and diabetes. At the same time, eastern North Carolinians are more prone to having difficulties with transportation. High priorities for our region are closing the Medicaid coverage gap and supporting a new medical school at East Carolina University. Both are essential to increasing access to quality health care and saving lives. We cannot afford to pit either of these against each other - Eastern North Carolina needs both.

WE KEEP HEARING FOLKS TALK ABOUT (POST) COVID, WHAT DOES POST-COVID LOOK LIKE IN YOUR MIND?

WHAT’S THE WORDS TO THOSE YOUNG MINORITY GIRLS AND BOYS THAT ASPIRE TO BE GREAT AND NEXT TO CHANGE THE WORLD? BEASLEY - I always tell young people that they shouldn’t count themselves out from opportunities. People tend to be their own worst critics, and to assume that there are other people who are more capable, or smarter, or better connected. If, instead, we take some time to honestly assess ourselves and give ourselves the benefit of the doubt that we give everyone else, we might see that we are the right person for the opportunity.

Unlock the full interviews at wearesubstantial.com Chief Justice Cheri Beasley

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Representative Kandie Smith

Senator Don Davis

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I Just Want To See My Mother Contributors: Sharon Adams & Darryl Lester

It’s no secret that family is important to us all. It’s also no secret that it becomes tough for some of us to see our parents get older and need additional care and assistance to manage day-to-day.

The decision to place our loved ones in the care of assisted-living facilities is often a tough one to make, but in some cases necessary to ensure they are getting the attention and care they need.

Throughout this COVID-19 pandemic one of the primary concerns has been how this virus affects the elderly and other vulnerable populations. A weighing concern for some has been around the precautions and extra measures that have and must be taken to protect those they love that occupy these assisted-living facilities.

Substantial Magazine sat down with two of its readers, North Carolina residents Sharon Adams and Darryl Lester, to talk about how they’ve been finding ways to cope and manage not being able Substantial Issue 2020

to see their mothers during this pandemic.

Sharon Adams has her mother currently living in a rehab nursing facility. The decision came after her mother had neck surgery that left her unable to walk and fully take care of herself at home. Sharon tells us the decision to place her mother in the home was hard, but was necessary as she was at high risk of falling while home and she would have to leave work for hours at a time to visit her and take care of her day-to-day needs. Sharon told us that she and her husband would go and visit her mother during the weekends, take her things and spend time with her often. Then COVID-19 hit.

When the early news of COVID-19 was shared, Sharon tells us she believes her mother’s facility was one of the first to really start to lock down and put in place real restrictions to protect their residents. She also believes this is why the facility may have had a few scares but no confirmed cases.

Sharon couldn’t visit at all early into the pandemic. The facility also wasn’t accepting any packages or mail. She said it wasn’t until Mother’s Day that they eased a few of those restrictions and could send flowers and small care packages. She says that the facility also planned a surprise Mother’s Day parade that allowed families to drive by and see their families.

The parade was really well planned out by the facility. They had families come out in time slots based on the hall their loved ones lived on.

When asked about her participation, Sharon says her husband drove and she had signs made and balloons for the special event. She said her mother was so surprised and cried because she got to see them from a distance.

As of late, Sharon has been able to send her mother care packages that include food, clothes, toiletries and other care products that she likes. She said they find moments to chat via Facetime and connect from a safe social distance from the facility’s courtyard.

When we sat down with Darryl Lester, he shared a similar story, having his mother living in a senior-care home in Charlotte, NC. Darryl shared with us that he would go and visit his mother twice a day at one point. Now they’ve hired a paid sitter who sits six-days a week to help him and his sister leverage technology such as Echo Show, Facetime or Zoom to see their mom. When possible and allowed he shared he tries to sneak and speak to her from her room window.

He shared with us that no families are allowed in the facility and that it’s been difficult. The most difficult part is not being in the room with her to touch her. With her being partially unresponsive, Darryl shared that his mother finds comfort in knowing that one of her loved ones is in the room there with her.

When asked if he was hopeful that they would be able to physically be in the space again with his mother, Darryl shared that he prays for some sort of new normal that will allow for in person visits when it is deemed acceptable by the right medical professionals safe to do so.

There is no doubt that not being able to see your loved ones is hard; especially right now during a time when it’s uncertain if you may ever physically be able to do so. To all those finding unique ways to see your loved ones right now, hang on to hope and continue to practice every precaution necessary to keep them safe.

“To all those finding unique ways to see your loved ones right now, hang on to hope and continue to practice every precaution necessary to keep them safe.”

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Image by Chris Charles

Fall in Love With Yourself The Importance of Mental Health & Wellness Contributor: Deborah J. Sheppard

COVID-19 has caused many of us to restructure our plans. This past March, Substantial sat the chance to sit down with Deborah J. Sheppard of Greenville and talk to her about how COVID-19 has changed her life.

Most people with an empathetic, soul-centered persona can find it difficult to balance their day to day activities without feeling the need to do something to give back. Deborah J. Sheppard is no exception to the rule. As a survivor, author, advocate, and motivational speaker, Sheppard spends a lot of her time building solid relationships and uncovering new ways that she can give back to her community in a positive way.

Substantial Issue 2020

While most were trapped inside their homes during COVID-19 spending their days aimlessly binging on television and junk food, Sheppard has taken the time to be introspective focusing on wellness during the virus and planning her next set of projects. Many of these conversations about health and overall disparities in the minority community do not emerge until there is some sort of crisis, but Sheppard is urging her community to make these conversations an ongoing priority. When asked what people can do to start thinking differently about their health and wellbeing, she replied, “I just plea with my minority community to be more mindful about what we put in our bodies and work to lead healthier lifestyles, not only physically but mentally and spiritually to reduce our levels of stress. While being home, boredom strikes and many have begun to drink more than usual to pass the time, and I caution against that because the goal is to keep our immune systems strong”.

In order to see real change and build equity in minority communities, we must keep these conversations going well beyond the end of quarantine. Sheppard is committed to doing her part to make sure those conversations happen.

Like many small businesses, creatives are now being tasked with finding innovative ways to keep their activities going and audiences engaged. There is this daunting pressure for creatives to produce things for their community on a consistent basis. The looming effects of COVID-19 such as isolation and limited resources often leave creatives at a loss for when, where, and how to launch (or relaunch) their products and services. But Sheppard has been determined to stay motivated and remain focused on releasing projects that uplift and empower her community. Having had several projects pushed back due to the virus, her focus is now on creating online campaigns that will keep her audience engaged. Part of this involves relying heavily on social media campaigns that will allow her to offer products like her upcoming book to an even broader online audience. The beauty in this shift is that it will allow readers to have a deeper connection

with her even though physical travel has been restricted.

As someone who has consistently spread messages of hope and empowerment, Sheppard believes in feeding her own soul just as much as she feeds others. Focusing on mental health and soul-centered activities is high on her list of priorities these days. With so many people flocking to social media, things can get crowded and misconstrued. Sheppard urges people to be diligent about what outlets you are consuming content from, as well as how often you are engaging with others online. The author and motivational speaker warns that social media comes with “loads of misinformation which can cause stress, and social media can distract people at times from working on their mental health and spiritual well-being”. She shares that she has put a lot of time into meditation and self-help, and suggests that people take part in activities such as painting or dancing, and well as online therapy groups. She wants people to know that they are in control of the narrative as it pertains to how they navigate through COVID-19. She is working tirelessly to encourage people not to feel pressured or influenced by what they see others doing. Our journey will not always be the same as our neighbor. Our activities do not have to be in unison with others. It is perfectly okay to take time for yourself and figure out how you want your “new normal” to look. Sheppard says she hopes that this time will help people become reacquainted with themselves and fall in love with who they are.

Deborah J. Sheppard is a survivor, author, advocate, and motivational speaker. She is widely known for her strength, courage, and commitment to spreading awareness about child abuse and domestic violence.

Unlock the full interview at wearesubstantial.com Substantial | 19

Substantial Issue 2020

Image by Randy Curtis

Taking Center Stage The Importance of Arts & Community Contributor: Kimberly Jones Growing up in Pitt County with a father who was very visible in the community, Kimberly Jones was bound to take center stage in her own special way. As an entertainer, Jones creates a body of work that puts a smile on people’s faces and gives them something to take their minds off of their daily stressors. As the owner of the award-winning dance studio, Katura Dance Academy, Jones was forced to shift things for her business at a rapid pace.

Over the years, many parents have looked to Jones’ studio as the place where their children call their second home. When COVID-19 hit, it was even more important for Jones to ensure the safety of her dance family. Katura Dance Academy has been very visible in the community over the years, providing entertainment for a variety of events throughout the region. But with the virus looming, things changed very quickly. Many of the students’ scheduled classes and performances were rescheduled. In the early days of COVID-19 Jones implemented “safe space” procedures for her students such as wiping down the facility every half hour, taking breaks for hand washing before and after class, providing sanitizer, and of course putting physical space in between the students and instructors. Jones eventually prepped her staff to implement at home lessons to keep the momentum going.

Dance is no doubt a passion project. Jones fell in love with dance at a very young age, and by the age of 8, she knew that teaching would be a part of her future. She describes the joy of watching her students dance as “inexplicable”. For Jones, the reward in teaching is knowing that she has played a part in building up their confidence, and she strives to impart that feeling upon all of her students. She makes it her mission to create “more than dancers”. Jones creates well-rounded, intelligent, and creative leaders - essential characteristics for members of the minority community.

During this time of chaos, we’ve truly seen the importance of having access to the arts and entertainment. It is a welcomed distraction from the news that we hear every day. It is an element of our lives that uplifts our spirits and gives us something to look forward to. COVID-19 has required many of us to rely more heavily on technology in order to indulge in the things that give us joy. Once we realized that COVID-19 was not a passing storm, we took to social media to access classes and maintain a connection with our family and friends. As schools across the country closed for the remainder of the year, it has become even more important for parents to have access to tools that allow their children to continue with their extracurricular activities.

For Kimberly Jones, balancing her business activities with wisdom and heart has been the biggest challenge. She cautions, “Sometimes as creatives, we don’t think about the logistics and business side of things- we are just passionate about our art, and that can allow our feelings to get in the way of business.

You can do both, you just have to learn to balance”. She also maintains that her Faith allows her to open her mind and believe bigger. We are believing that this is just the beginning for Jones and her growing legacy.

Unlock the full interview at wearesubstantial.com Substantial | 21

A Born Boss & Bridge Builder The Importance of Innovation Contributor: Quant Swindell

Substantial is always looking for people that help define our reason for existing. In early March of this year, we had a chance to sit down and interview Quant Swindell during one of our Civil Talks and Substantial Conversation Zoomcasts that we developed to help inform and educate our community during this COVID-19 pandemic. Quant Swindell is someone we believe is a born boss and natural bridge builder.

Take a moment to read why.

Quant Swindell is, in so many words, a survivor, a blessed child of God, a hustler, an outcast, a family man, and so much more. “It’s important to know I’m a kid from Old River Road that wakes up every day and looks to lead through inspiration and perseverance. I am the founder of Born Bosses and one-third owner of Coastal Premiere Services with my partners Jermaine Harrison and Melvin Edwards.” From our initial introduction, we could hear and see his passion and drive. “I would say it stems from that empty hopeless feeling of just not having much, but genuinely wanting to do better. I call it that ‘empty ambition’, just being at the bottom and being counted out but KNOWING, I’m here for some reason, this can’t be all and when I find it, everyone is going to know and feel me coming.” His main goal is to live and be an inspiration, and he is always open to give advice or share intellect to help the next brother or sister. Swindell believes that this is imperative in breaking the generational cycles and disparities rooted in our communities.

Quant Swindell and his late father, Ike Jones, founded the company Born Bosses in 2016. “Born Bosses” was a little saying Jones would say and Swindell picked it up and ran with it. “I guess you could say what inspired me to start a business was just the hustle instilled in me from my mom.

My mother was a 15-year-old single parent when she got pregnant with me, so what she couldn’t physically give me growing up, she instilled in me to try and figure out how to get for myself - she instilled in me survival tactics. My mom would set me up a candy store with her food stamps and I would sell candy for money. I remember my granny got me a trampoline growing up and I would charge $1 or $2 for other kids to jump. I was marketing before I knew what marketing was.”

Substantial Issue 2020

Born Bosses is an umbrella company that serves as an identity and centerpiece for everything Swindell has going on, including a Born Bosses clothing line, which won the local clothing line of the year in 2017. Born Bosses the fragrance line and Born Bosses events enabled him to host fashion shows sponsored

by Adidas. “I also did some modeling and was blessed to be on a couple of book covers. I wanted an identity above “Quant” for branding and credibility purposes.”

Although things were looking good, Quant delved into some of the challenges he faced running his own company and how he was able to overcome them. “My biggest challenge was myself, for the most part, conquering those inner battles. I went on a hiatus where I just burnt out and didn’t even want to be an entrepreneur anymore. I wanted to just go back to the security of having a 9 to 5 and a guaranteed paycheck. I closed my shop and went on a two-year hiatus. I went back to punching a clock and it just made me miserable.

I was also going through issues within my home.

My father passed away from lung cancer, and I remember my very last conversation in the hospital with my father. He cussed me out about Born Bosses and told me not to let it die.

That moment, that conversation always sits on my mind.” A year later, Swindell enrolled in Pitt Community College to study graphic design and shortly after, he relaunched Born Bosses - another testimony to the “figure it out” spirit instilled in him to fight.

Like many other businesses in our community, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a drastic effect on Born Bosses. “COVID-19 has been a pain man. We planned our grand opening for two months and one week before. Then, the media really started emphasizing the severity of what was going on globally. It was hard to promote anything because of the fear of COVID-19, but we were already invested so we had to follow through. So we did the launch and then right after the world got locked down.

I was like, God help me! We had just had a grand opening and now this.”

Quant had a positive outlook when discussing some of the long-term impacts of this pandemic.

“I think this has a lot of people realizing that they should invest in themselves and create entrepreneurial opportunities. These corporations and companies are going to do what’s best for them as we can see. I think this pandemic is going to drive virtual platforms, entertainment, and businesses to the foreground as well. During this quarantine time, people are adapting to a more virtual way of conducting things and really getting to know the digital way of things. Virtual DJs and virtual exercise classes are the biggest things going on right now. I recognized it early and reached out to a couple of tech savvy friends I know about ideas on creating virtual platforms.

In showbiz, artists usually make their money off of shows to keep the bills paid so artists are losing millions not being able to perform shows. I envision some type of app where after a customer pays they get a QR code to access an all exclusive lobby with the artist or something like that.”

During this time of uncertainty, Quant is using his voice and platform as a bridge to his peers, or an echo that translates the delivery from one party to another. “I’m fortunate enough to stay tangible and relatable to my peers because I’m still one of them, while also being able to sit at different tables to be able to bring back vital information.”

Born Bosses even sells 3D printed COVID-19 proof masks to show that they are willing to step up and do their part in servicing the community.

These masks can be customized and can include interchangeable filters and since they are plastic, they can be sanitized and reused.

We believe that Quant and others like him are the true embodiment of Substantial and the reason we developed this minority publication. The word Substantial means: Of considerable importance size or worth, being strongly built or made, that’s our minority community, that’s Quant and that’s you. We are Substantial and so is our purpose.

Unlock the full interview at wearesubstantial.com Substantial | 23

When Communities Come Together Collaboration In A Time of Need

Recognizing that African-American communities are impacted by COVID-19 at higher rates, community organizations across Eastern NC came together to address the need head-on. “Delivering health care in Eastern North Carolina is particularly challenging,” says Dr. Mike Waldrum, CEO of Vidant Health. “We are faced with underserved populations and a high burden of disease … This has been true prior to COVID. Now, with COVID, these same structural issues lead to higher infection rates.”

Walk West, was created to provide up-to-date, trustworthy COVID-19 health information and resources in a single, accessible website.

“COVID-19 has amplified the distinctive gap in health care outcomes within underrepresented communities,” notes Jackie Ferguson, Director of Multicultural Programming at Walk West.

This partnership “allows our capabilities and commitment to multicultural communication to be used to share life-saving information across diverse communities.”

“What keeps me up at night,” continues Dr. Waldrum, “are the structural issues that degrade the health and well-being of people, leading to health disparities.” Vidant Verified, a community-based partnership with Vidant Health, Substantial Magazine, NC CIVIL, and

Community organizations play a critical role in the Vidant Verified website. From Pastor Rodney Coles with The Churches Outreach Network, to Amexcan, to Mayor Brown of Bethel, NC - we have come together as a community during this time. Vidant Verified is actively

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“All too often, minority communities and underrepresented populations are last to receive the necessary information and communications during crisis.”

Greg Hedgepeth, President and Editor-in-Chief of Substantial Magazine

working within the Eastern NC community to raise awareness around COVID-19 while also supporting community advocates and organizations like Jermaine McNair and NC CIVIL to create community connections through a socially distant virtual dance party and ongoing meal distributions.

Vidant Verified is an example of how we are stronger together. In it, the community partners hope you find the support you need alongside the health information that keeps you safe from instructions on how to wear a mask to the financial resources for additional support you may need, and everything in between.

“The threat is on-going and how we will fare depends on how we have responded and how we will respond. My hope is that we will come

together and face this challenge from our common humanity.” Dr. Mike Waldrum.

To our neighbors in Eastern North Carolina: Substantial Magazine and Vidant Verified are proud to be your partner during this time. Your stories of community, collaboration, and brave compassion empower us even in the time of COVID-19.

Learn More About Visit

WALK WEST VIDANT VERIFIED

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COVID-19 hasn’t gone away.

Let’s stop the spread.

We’ve come together as a community to create a website with the health information and resources you need.

Visit VidantVerified.com for more information.

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HOW DO I PROTECT MYSELF AND OTHERS? Follow these simple steps: • Stay home as much as possible • Call a doctor before leaving home if you have a cough or fever • Wear a mask when in public • Avoid large gatherings • Social distance from others by staying at least 6 feet apart • Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds • Avoid touching the eyes, nose, and mouth • Distance or isolate from others who are sick • Clean and disinfect surfaces often READ MORE

HOW DO I SOCIAL DISTANCE AT WORK? Follow these simple steps at work to help protect yourself and others: wear a homemade or purchased mask, maintain a distance of 6 feet from others, wash hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.

READ MORE

NOT FEELING WELL?

SHOULD I WEAR A MASK? Yes! Wearing a mask helps protect you and others and keeps our community safe.

READ MORE

CAN I MAKE A MASK? Visit VidantVerified.com to learn how to make a homemade mask.

READ MORE

Get answers to your health questions or concerns by calling Vidant’s free COVID-19 helpline at 252-847-8000.

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Believe The Hype A CONVERSATION WITH WILLIE JOYNER Substantial has had the pleasure of knowing Willie Joyner for some time. In fact, Willie Joyner was one of the first to receive a Substantial Award for the amazing work he puts in day in and day out for youth in his community and around the country. For those that know Willie well, they know he’s the son of the late Bishop Willie Joyner and Pastor Betty Joyner Haddock. He is married to the lovely Latoya Mewborn Joyner; the father of Kyra Joyner, Keturah Joyner and Mia Mewborn. He’s also a grandfather, he has one grandson, Julian Shamar Jenkins.

Willie Joyner is the founder of the HYPE Leadership and Performing Arts Academy and the HYPE Leadership Institute.

Joyner has over 25 years of experience in Education and Leadership and started his career as a teacher in 1995. Joyner taught in the Career and Technical Education field for 12 years and since 2008 he has held the office of Assistant Principal.

Currently, Joyner serves as the Assistant Principal at North Pitt High School in Pitt County and he believes that young people need a passion for something and parents should support that passion in order to change many of the issues of our society.

We caught up with Willie recently to revisit an early interview we had with him to talk about how he beat COVID-19 and how he is working hard to lift up the amazing stories of the young people having been affected in so many ways by this pandemic and the current national outcry for equality.

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SO WHO IS WILLIE JOYNER FOR THOSE THAT MAY NOT KNOW HIM? Wille Joyner is a son, a husband, a father, a leader, an educator, a mentor, an author and a friend. Wille Joyner is a man with a cup overflowing with purpose and his message to young people has been made clear, “The decisions you make today will affect your tomorrow.” He addresses this in his recent book titled, “Behind the HYPE”, Boys Today Men Tomorrow. Joyner is passionate about changing the world through helping young people understand that they are in charge of their future regardless of what their upbringing looks like.

WITH ALL THAT IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A BLACK MAN IN AMERICA? To be a Black Man in America means that we must work harder to be the leader of the household. However, right now, the household is the entire black race. Many conversations are taking place about how to level the playing field in the justice system, employment, health care, and education to be able to visualize a brighter future for our sons and daughters. We have fathers telling their sons exact directions to take to get to their friends house or other destinations, as an attempt to avoid running into police. We take it a step further by telling them to call us when they have arrived, just to make sure they don’t have experiences that may put them in harm’s way. Efforts are being made by men to come together and hold each other up as to not be discouraged by the negative things happening around us. We also

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have to be the positive light in the lives of boys and girls to keep them encouraged to believe they can achieve greatness even in the midst of adversity.

TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HYPE AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO EDUCATE, INFORM AND EMPOWER. HYPE (Helping Yourself with Pride through Education) is an organization designed to help educate young boys and girls on the values of service, leadership and the importance of setting high academic standards. Our motto is “Thinking of ourselves today, developing ourselves for tomorrow.” The group is known for its step team and performance group, however, academics are of the utmost importance, with students being monitored and asked to maintain a “C” average to remain an active member of the performance group.

The group works with many families in hopes of giving young people the opportunity to see college life and learn about working to achieve goals. We conduct yearly workshops for the members centered around finance, budgeting, conflict resolution, life skills (changing a flat, how to tie a necktie, fold clothes, etc) and much more. The group has many testimonials of students who have changed their life whether it is from frequent suspensions to no suspensions or once failing grades to the principal’s list and honor roll.

SUBSTANTIAL HELPED HYPE CELEBRATE ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY THIS MAY. TELL US ABOUT IT. This year we had to celebrate our annual event titled, “HYPEFEST”, a little bit differently. Due to COVID-19, we had the show virtually. I did not want to skip the event as we are celebrating 25 years. A special shout out to Substantial Magazine for assisting us with the technical side of things. Although it was a virtual show, we still Substantial Issue 2020

had teams from St. Louis, Missouri, Columbia, SC, Valdosta, Ga and of course, North Carolina.

The show gave our kids an opportunity to see each other after being apart since early March.

GIVEN THE RECENT STATE OF AFFAIRS SURROUNDING COVID-19, HOW DO YOU BELIEVE THIS HAS IMPACTED THE COMMUNITY? I believe this has changed our community and world in drastic ways especially for those who take it seriously. I believe we still have a segment of people who believe that this is somewhat of a joke or not as serious as leaders are making it out to be.

I’ve seen how this has affected everything from our schools, to the way we do business, shop and even family relations. Our schools have had to be creative with how students are educated.

Social distancing has become the norm. Who would have thought you would be limited in the number of paper towels you could purchase at one time. Small Businesses are in jeopardy and reliant upon government assistance. Many have lost their jobs and have had to apply for

unemployment. Professional sporting events and all events with 10 or more spectators have been canceled. Eat-in restaurants have had to close their doors to customers and offer curbside services. Health professionals and first responders are putting themselves in harm’s way each day. Families are disconnected and can’t get to each other if they live between states.

YOU YOURSELF WERE DIAGNOSED WITH THE CORONAVIRUS. TELL US AT WHAT POINT DID YOU FEEL YOU COULD HAVE COME DOWN WITH IT? FOR THAT MATTER HOW DID YOU KNOW IT WASN’T JUST THE COMMON COLD/FLU OR ALLERGIES? To be honest, I have no clue when I could have come in contact with the virus. I just know, I felt bad on Tuesday evening March 10th.

I am usually a night owl but went to bed around 8 p.m. that night. One of my friends told me he was down for three days and the meds that he took to feel better. I started taking Alka-Seltzer Day and Night and it seemed to work. My wife and I had already started considering what if

and we had to separate. This meant we were in separate places in the house and I was confined to my bedroom.

On Thursday my wife convinced me to go to the doctor. During the visit, they tested me for the flu which immediately came back negative. At that time, they decided to test me for the virus.

TELL US HOW YOU FELT RECEIVING THE NEWS YOU HAD COVID-19, MORE IMPORTANTLY, HOW DID YOU GET THROUGH IT? Initially, I felt defeated and depressed, however, my wife is a very positive person and immediately devised a plan to protect our family and nurse me back to health.

There were no meds that really worked. I started taking Tylenol every night for the body aches. At some point, I did call my doctor to ask for a prescription of Ambien so that I could rest at night. This helped as some nights I slept all night long. Now there were many nights that were tough, especially those nights when the coughing was really bad and it interrupted my breathing. I had to do a lot to control my breathing. Those were the scary moments.

“Now there were many nights that were tough, especially those nights when the coughing was really bad and it interrupted my breathing. I had to do a lot to control my breathing. Those were the scary moments.”

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Willie’s Advice for COVID-19 Self-Care

GIVEN ALL THAT IS STILL UNCERTAIN AND BEING REPORTED ABOUT THIS VIRUS, WHY SHARE?

Having fully recovered from what it seems like, what is some important advice you would share with others?

Since I was released by my doctor, I have had a number of people contact me wanting and needing advice on how to get through this.

While I don’t have the answer, I can offer kind words and thoughtfulness.

“Important that people follow the rules for quarantine if you have been exposed and tested positive. Try to get a place in your house to be away from your family members. This is important as I believe there are many who don’t understand the need to isolate if they test positive.”

One of my former students contacted me recently and he said he was amazed at my recovery but then went on to say that he had a family member who just got test results back and they were devastated. He asked me if I would call the family member and I did. He told me that the family member felt much better after our conversation. Another person contacted me and asked about my symptoms. He went on to say that he was having tightness in his chest, shortness of breath and fatigued with no fever. I told him he needed to get checked and not to return to work or anywhere else. I told him to isolate himself from his family until he can get results. There have been many others that have contacted me. If I can do a small part in helping to stop the spread of the virus so that we can get back to some normalcy, I will do it.

“If you feel bad “Stay Home!” Don’t run the risk at all. Don’t get this confused with allergy season and other symptoms. See your doctor if you have any of the symptoms or stay at home until you can see your doctor. Please don’t put others in danger.”

“I believe we should have more emphasis on recovery: We are constantly getting stats on how the numbers are going up, the number of deaths. However, we never double back to stories of recovery to give hope to those who may be dealing with this. People are fearful and automatically see this as a death sentence.

I believe we can give people hope by showing recovery.”

WHAT’S NEXT? HOW ARE YOU FINDING UNIQUE WAYS TO CONNECT WITH STUDENTS, AND THOSE INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY WORK RIGHT NOW? Yes, I have big plans for the future and can’t let the cat out of the bag just yet.

However, I love helping people and especially our youth. My wife is doing social media campaigns with her company and I am playing catch up for many work-related things at school.

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Unfortunately, our work with HYPE is halted as it relates to face to face meetings. However, we are keeping the kids engaged with the help of our great coaching staff. We have created online sessions to meet with kids and families to make sure they are ok. We have also allowed the members to create videos of them creating their own routine and posting it for our families to see. We are encouraging them to follow the protocols established by the schools to make sure they are keeping up with their school obligations. I have joined a number of online groups dedicated to bringing attention to our community and helping to keep the community encouraged.

CAN YOU SHARE A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR RECENT SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH OUR READERS? We were recently contacted by CNN to participate in a segment to celebrate the Class of 2020. This was an honor as there are hundreds of programs around the world and they chose HYPE Crew. Our seniors will have

the opportunity to be interviewed by CNN Staff and do a short performance during the video. We have 3 participating seniors, two of which are going to college. Nykeria Spellmon will graduate from Pitt Early College and is Salutatorian of her class. She will be attending UNC Greensboro with a full academic scholarship. Jakyla Harvey will graduate from Northside High School and will be attending Winston Salem State University in the fall.

Joshua Bland will graduate from DH Conley and has decided to enlist in the United States Marines.

Willie, again it is always a pleasure when we have a moment to talk with such a Substantial member of our community and it’s even more of a joy when we know them on such a personal level. As I’ve said, “To GOD Be The Glory” and we’re glad you’re doing OK. If you’d like to reach out to Willie Joyner he can be reached at hypecrew1995@gmail.com and on Facebook: @Willie Joyner

Join the Movement for Access to More Substantial Stories JOIN NOW

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Closing The Gap COVID-19’s Impact on Education

Contributor: Keith Sutton The year 2020 has been tumultuous, to say the least. “Adaptation,” is the word that comes directly to mind when forced to think of the last couple of months. Whether discussing being confined to one’s home for extended periods of time, the uncertainty of employment, or an abrupt change in scholastic format.

Recently, Substantial had the privilege of conversing with someone who has been forced to embrace adaptation concerning our local school system: Wake County School Board member and public servant, Keith Sutton. Sutton is an entrepreneur, family man, community servant and member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He is the owner of a consulting firm, FocusED, which is geared toward assisting nonprofits, education agencies, and organizations in leadership, equity, organizational management, and change management. Sutton also leads the Triangle Urban League, whose mission is “To enable African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity and power, and civil rights.” Sutton discussed a myriad of topics: from Covid-19’s impact on Wake County education, implementation of technology, and how to shrink the achievement gap. He lends a light and unique perspective to the topics that often go unmentioned otherwise.

WHO IS KEITH SUTTON? SUTTON - You know, I’m a down east North Carolina born and bred guy, been in North Carolina for all of my life. I currently serve on the Wake County School Board as indicated chair of that board, which is the largest school system in North Carolina. Been in the school board here for the last 10 years. As you may know, I just had a bid to become the State Superintendent, but I fell a bit short on that. So I guess you can say I’m a politician, I’m a dad, with two beautiful girls that are 22 and 17 years old.

I’m a father, community servant, public servant, you know, Omega man, of course, and so very Substantial Issue 2020

big on service, giving back to the community, helping others, and other than that, I’m just a regular guy.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT FocusED LLC, AND THE INSPIRATION BEHIND STARTING THIS FIRM. SUTTON - FocusED is a consulting firm that I started a couple of years ago. I guess a combination of things, entrepreneurship bugs me a little bit, I want to kind of venture out into my own thing. I want to take a lot

of the knowledge and expertise that I have accumulated over the years; particularly as a school board member around education policy, but also the work that I’ve done over the last couple of years professionally, from working in grassroots communities and creating such a large contact and network of benefits, particularly in the education sector - the work that I’ve done around program management, strategic planning, organizational management, and that sort of thing. So, this is an opportunity to kind of blend those skills and talents that I have and try to put them into an enterprise setting if you will, and create an opportunity not just for myself, but for my family, as well as communities around the state and the country.

So FocusED is about helping nonprofits, education agencies, and organizations, think strategically about where they’re headed and what they’re doing, particularly around issues of equity.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT YOU BELIEVE COVID-19 HAS HAD AND WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE ON OUR COMMUNITY AND STATE?

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY IN A POLITICAL CAPACITY?

HOW HARD HAS THIS CRISIS IMPACTED OUR SCHOOL/ EDUCATION SYSTEM? AND CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE IMPACT IT WILL PLAY ON CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP?

SUTTON - I think we’ve got to give a lot of credit to Omega (Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc), but I think I had it in my heart wanting to serve even before becoming an Omega man. Fraternities and Sororities are built on this notion of service, but for those that are fortunate and blessed, there’s a lot that is required of us to reach back and help others. And I touched on much of the information, expertise, and knowledge I have over these 20 some odd years of work and service that I’ve done from working with the NAACP, leading and starting the Urban League here, and 10 years on the school board. I can go on and on in terms of some of the experiences.

So, I think the desire is to sort of put all of that together. And I think probably the biggest piece is this notion of leadership and understanding that God has put something in me and I’ve been working and developing and honing those skills and talents that he has blessed me with, and I need to put those into use to help others.

SUTTON - The biggest impact I think now and going forward in terms of Covid-19 is that it has exposed and brought our awareness of so many of the inequities, the haves and have nots in our communities that it’s Stark, and it is significant.

I think much of it was at the forefront of our minds as we talk about equity in our schools and education community. We talk about equity as it relates to minority business development and supporting minority businesses. We hear about the health disparities and disproportionality there and so, what COVID has done is sort of put a spotlight on many of these things that we knew existed already.

SUTTON - Education, especially as we know it, was halted for a couple of weeks. Even here in Wake County -the largest district in the state, 16th largest in the country - we were scrambling to try to figure out how to get up an online learning platform for students so that the teaching and learning continued from where we were. We found gaps in terms of access to technology, even students having devices in the homes and if they had a device, no access to the internet. Now that we’ve made some pretty significant strides in just a couple of weeks around getting access to technology, there is a big challenge now around getting students to be engaged in the work. Having parents that are there that are making them get online and stay focused on the lessons, and the challenge Substantial | 35

there of parents trying to do their work from a remote standpoint and ensure that kids are engaged in remote learning. So, this notion of homeschooling and that sort of thing, it’s been big. It’s been a challenge, and that’s what the impact has been where we look to go forward.

It’s going to be significant there as well because it’s going to change significantly how we deliver teaching and learning and even operate our schools, especially with social distancing and that sort of thing being a thing of the future.

Now we’ve got to look at that as we look at how we reopen and reimagine what schools and education look like going forward.

WHERE DO YOU BELIEVE THERE ARE OTHER GAPS, AND WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR US TO ADDRESS THEM? SUTTON - I don’t know that we’re all ever learning at an equal pace. When you think about it each student, even us as adults, has different learning styles. Some of us are audio learners, some are more visual learners. So, we all have an individual learning style, and how we receive, and process information is different. What I do like about virtual learning is that teachers can customize learning to each student and individual needs. I do think that as a strategy that’s how we will eventually be able to close the achievement gap as opposed to just teaching to a whole classroom and expecting everyone to just pick up and get it. When we look at closing gaps, for example, and thinking about COVID students that have been out of school for about five to six months, we look at summer learning loss. When kids are doing

the three months summer break, the typical national school calendar is out for 3 months and students slip up and come back and we’ve got to spend about the first month just reviewing and catching up. That’s going to be difficult for some of our students. From a policy standpoint, I was hopeful that we would see some opportunity to allow students to come back to school a little bit earlier. August 17 is now the date, and that’s a week earlier than when we would normally start. But I would love to see where there are some options to start even earlier.

There are resources to provide summer school. This will be a different sort of summer school and not summer school as we normally know in terms of remediation, but one that is more focused on enrichment and helping kids get connected and build relationships with teachers. One idea I heard about is where students come back and meet with the teachers from their previous grade when we stopped school in March, and for a month or so establish that connection before going on to the next grade, and then meeting the new teacher and getting into a new grade since those relationships were just kind of halted back around March 13. Those are some of the ideas, and some of the positive things that we could address. I’m thankful for the work that the Governor and General Assembly did, to quickly put together a relief package that included millions of dollars in funding to help with technology and “Charlie Mission”. I think there are some areas that we could have gone a little bit further in terms of providing some calendar flexibility, and focus in particular on those schools and those communities that have the chronically low performing issues and see how

“What I do like about virtual learning is that teachers can customize learning to each student and individual needs.”

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we could provide more support specifically to those areas. That would have been something that I would have loved to have seen.

WE KEEP HEARING FOLKS TALK ABOUT (POST) COVID, WHAT DOES POST-COVID LOOK LIKE IN YOUR MIND? HONESTLY, IS THERE A (POST) COVID OR IS IT LIFE WITH COVID MOVING FORWARD? HOW DO WE EDUCATE DIFFERENTLY MOVING FORWARD? SUTTON - Well now we’re going to see a big push to try to do more virtually and online.

We’re not like colleges and universities where they’ve got an online platform built. Colleges and universities brag now about the number of students they have online in their distance program. That’s not the same for us in K 12.

Obviously, some changes need to be made.

But how we balance that will be key. And then there are things like extracurricular activities, arts, and sports. You can’t do online learning from labs and dissecting frogs, or going out and throwing a football or dribbling a basketball, painting, playing an instrument, those sort of things. We will see perhaps a stronger and more improved education system when we come back, but it will, I think, definitely impact a lot for us. We’re going to be moving to a one to one district, meaning that every student will have access to a device. We were primarily one to one in the classroom, so when a student went to school they had access to a device. We were not at the point where we were allowing students to take devices home, and every student was one to one in that regard. Now that we’ve done that every student will have a device and that will help move us further down the road. I think we’ll see the state looking more to become a virtual district. Right now, Florida is one of the few states that was the first state in the country

to become a virtual district, but every school system was a one to one district and they had a virtual plan. So when COVID happened in Florida, within a week, they had fully transferred to a virtual school system. It took us about three weeks or four weeks to get there.

Versus some of the larger districts like Miami and Broward County, Florida. They were there in about a week. We spent two weeks deploying devices and Wi-Fi hotspots to students and families whereas they already had them there.

They were already two or three weeks ahead of where we were, in terms of not being able to deliver online instruction and learning. So I think you’ll see the state in some way begin to move towards being a virtual district so that when we have inclement weather and snow days, or another COVID-19 pandemic, or something similar, we could pretty quickly move to virtual online learning.

WHAT’S THE MESSAGE TO OUR MINORITY COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW? SUTTON - I think it’s to stay strong. Keep the faith. We as African Americans have always been by and large a praying people and a praying community. Keep doing that.

Perseverance I think is key, as you well know.

Because it’s going to be tough. It’s going to be a long road. It’s going to be a marathon and not a sprint. I think relying on each other, checking on each other, making sure that our family, our relatives, folks, and friends are staying safe and healthy. Just taking this thing seriously. This thing is significant and it’s big. We’re all beginning to see it because we all know family and friends who first were impacted economically, lost jobs or furloughed, and that sort of thing. We know someone who’s contracted COVID and some that have lost their lives. So we certainly have to take it seriously. But I think just keeping our head up and focused that we’ll get through it. We definitely will get through it. With a little prayer, with a little faith, hanging in and some perseverance.

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A Candid Conversation THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGAGING OUR BLACK COMMUNITIES Contributors: Dr. Karla Slocum & Dr. Mark Little

The Black Communities Conference, is a vibrant gathering featuring panel discussions, local tours, film screenings, workshops, keynotes, and more. Their core mission is to foster collaboration among Black communities and universities for the purpose of enhancing Black community life and furthering the understanding of Black communities.

In a recent discussion, Dr. Karla Slocum and Dr. Mark Little discussed their recent research and insights.

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WHO IS DR. KARLA SLOCUM? DR. SLOCUM - I am a cultural anthropologist who specializes in studies of rural Black communities and, generally, how their community identities are shaped by their histories and economic condition. I came to anthropology circuitously (I was an undergrad French major), out of a yearn for learning about new places and communities along with a commitment to global social justice.

DR. SLOCUM WE NOTED YOU SERVE AS THE DIRECTOR FOR THE INSTITUTE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN RESEARCH AT UNC-CHAPEL HILL. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE INSTITUTE AND THE WORK THAT IS BEING DONE. DR. SLOCUM - The Institute of African American Research (IAAR) is an interdisciplinary research institute at UNC-Chapel Hill which, for 25 years, has been committed to scholarly studies of the global Black condition. Our programs support and help disseminate leading research by faculty and students that fosters a better understanding of various dimensions

of Black life. We also provide research training and professional development for students who are committed to studying race or undoing racial inequality.

DR. SLOCUM WE ALSO NOTED YOU ARE AN AUTHOR. TELL US ABOUT YOUR LATEST BOOK BLACK TOWNS, BLACK FUTURES: THE ENDURING ALLURE OF A BLACK PLACE IN THE AMERICAN WEST. DR. SLOCUM - After emancipation, the U.S. became home to hundreds of rural communities created for black Americans to achieve freedom and a secure life. Black towns, as they are called, have a remarkable past as vibrant black communities that thrived against the odds. But Black towns past is only part of the story. My book focuses on the ways that Black towns continue to be alluring places in the 21st century. Looking at heritage tourism, business development, return migration and even black town rodeos, I explore all the ways that people are drawn to and invest in these communities as well as the communities’ relationship to their past and possibilities as well as challenges for their economic and social future.

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WHO IS DR. MARK LITTLE? DR. LITTLE - I am an Atlantic African. My understanding of the world and my place in it are informed by the turbulent experiences of my ancestors, Africans stolen across the Atlantic to labor for generations in the Americas. Our culture, history, stories, music, and faith are all central to who I am. My parents, grandparents and great-grandparents are all from Eastern North and South Carolina, most identifying as Black but some as Indigenous. Through them, I have learned to bring kindness, respect and love in all of my interactions. I have lived in a few different cities around the US and even in China, but now I lead a team doing local economic development, mostly in rural North and South Carolina.

DR. LITTLE YOU SERVE AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CREATE CENTER AND DIRECTOR OF NCGROWTH. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR ROLES AND THESE ORGANIZATIONS. DR. LITTLE - NCGrowth was founded in 2012 as an on-the-ground economic development initiative that focused specifically on creating Substantial Issue 2020

jobs in places that were struggling most—places that have the highest potential for growth. We provide technical assistance directly to people running businesses and leaders of communities (e.g., towns, cities, counties, tribal governments, etc.). Since our initial geographic focus on Northeastern North Carolina, our team of staff, graduate student analysts and external advisors now work across the Carolinas with an annual portfolio of more than 60 clients.

TAKE A MOMENT AND TELL US THE IMPACT YOU BELIEVE COVID-19 HAS HAD AND WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE ON OUR BLACK COMMUNITIES? DR. SLOCUM / DR. LITTLE - COVID-19 has revealed enormous problems with the economic, educational, infrastructure and healthcare systems in the U.S. With more than 20% of the population out of work, millions trying to learn from home without the right technological tools, and starkly different health outcomes based on race, the gaps and failures have been laid bare. The economic, educational, judicial, infrastructure and healthcare systems across the US are vast and complex. For centuries, they were explicitly designed to create and maintain inequality, particularly at the detriment of Black people. This crisis has

“As Giselle Corbie Smith said, there are 400 years of black marginalization that explain why black communities are bearing a disproportionate brunt of this pandemic as it plays out in the U.S.”

actually provided an opportunity for the US to amend these foundational inequities as the rebuilding begins.

COVID-19 HAS HIT BLACK COMMUNITIES HARD. WHY DO YOU BELIEVE THIS IS SO, AND WHAT STORY DOES THE DATA TELL US? DR. SLOCUM / DR. LITTLE - As Giselle Corbie Smith said, there are 400 years of Black marginalization that explain why Black communities are bearing a disproportionate brunt of this pandemic as it plays out in the U.S. While we need more data to help us tell the full story, what we are seeing so far is a familiar story of racial inequity. Black people’s access to health care, treatment by health care professionals, housing conditions, and wealth status –to name a few things—are contributing to the higher –often staggering-- numbers of Blacks who are contracting the virus, dying from it and at the same time overrepresented in the jobs that are essential services during the crisis.

TELL US ABOUT THE BLACK COMMUNITIES CONFERENCE

AKA BLACKCOM, AND SOME OF ITS ACHIEVEMENTS? DR. SLOCUM / DR. LITTLE - Thus far, the signature feature of BlackCom has been our large scale conference where, in 2018 and 2019, we convened academic researchers along with Black community leaders, activists, artists to forge collaborations that would support Black communities’ capacity to thrive.

More than 1400 people have attended our dynamic conferences in person and the energy of the event is one of the main factors that made it such a success.

WE’RE SURE COVID-19 HAS DRASTICALLY CHANGED YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY AS IT HAS MANY? DR. SLOCUM / DR. LITTLE - Unfortunately, the need for physical distancing under COVID-19 has caused us to pause plans to convene a conference in 2020-2021. But, we remain committed to bringing people together and sharing the knowledge in ways that move Black communities forward at this critical time.

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Serving More Than Just Food Image from Zweli’s

Leonardo Williams, Owner of Zweli’s Kitchen talks about serving the community

Since March, COVID-19 has ravaged families and the job market alike. However, small business has fallen especially victim to circumstance. In Durham, North Carolina, small businesses act as the heartbeat of the community. In fact, Durham has been named one of the top 10 cities in the United States to start a new venture (Eanes, 2017). Unfortunately, said heartbeat has been experiencing cardiac arrest in the preceding pandemic-filled months.

We recently had the chance to sit down with community servant, educator, and entrepreneur, Leonardo Williams. Williams is co-owner of Zweli’s Kitchen, a Zimbabwean and South African restaurant located in Durham, North Carolina. Williams alongside his wife, the restaurant’s namesake and creator, has founded the country’s very first Zimbabwean restaurant right in Bull City. And they did so against all odds. With just $30k in the bank, Leo and Zweli hand made tables, bartered for used kitchen equipment, and painted the walls. They, quite literally, built their restaurant from the ground up.

Before entering the restaurant industry, Williams was a two-time Durham Teacher of the Year Award winner. Although he is undoubtedly passionate about education, Leo recognized the need to marry his heart and mind while providing that same opportunity to Zweli. As such, Leo made the decision to invest in his wife’s dream, and together they established Zweli’s Kitchen.

Zweli’s isn’t just a restaurant offering a welcoming atmosphere and delicious food; it also provides opportunities for locals, specifically local young black men. Leo and Zweli take many young people Substantial Issue 2020

under their wing, give them a job, and help them figure out what’s next. Leo may no longer be teaching in a school, but he’s still an educator at his core.

When asked about the impact of COVID-19, Leo seemed cautiously optimistic. While Zweli’s has taken a revenue hit, like most if not all Durham businesses, he was sure the community would have his back. This surety is just one of the many benefits that has resulted from Leo and Zweli’s investment and involvement in their local community. When several families in Durham were displaced in January due to carbon monoxide concerns at a local housing community, Zweli’s fed all 630 people for free with the cooperation of the city government. They spent hours collecting donations and driving around town in a borrowed food truck making sure the community was fed.

As Leo always says, it’s all about the people. If you have your community’s back, they will have yours.

The above instance was far from the first time Leo and Zweli jumped in to support the local community. As Zweli’s was approaching their first anniversary in the summer of 2019, they had a difficult decision to make. Cash wasn’t flowing in at an expected rate (common for many first-year restaurants) and they were preparing to close their business. In an effort to save their restaurant and support the community, Leo thought up Zweli’s “10 days of giving” initiative. The premise was that if people came out to the restaurant and Zweli’s raised enough money, the restaurant would commit to feeding 1,000+ homeless people on the 10th day. Leo never expected such an amazing turnout - the restaurant was packed every day and Zweli’s raised more than enough money to stay afloat. Zweli’s was able to feed all 1,000 homeless people promised, and in turn, created a new tradition to repeat annually.

deemed necessary to launch in the wake of the city’s minimal response to the impacts of COVID-19 on local business. Leo is projecting to raise $3MM from Duke University, the city, and the county with all funds to be injected into small businesses in Durham.

When asked where his motivation comes from, Leo reminisces that it all goes back to education.

Growing up in the country in Halifax county, NC, Leo joined any organization and any sports group at school he could. He would play football and at halftime, come out and march in the band still wearing his football uniform. Although it was not uncommon for students at his high school to take on multiple activities, his teachers knew there was something special in Leo - he possessed a certain drive to make a difference so it was no surprise that Leo is going places and seeing much success.

Leo’s motivation comes from fulfilling these prophecies and following through on the vision his teachers had for him.

When asked what’s next, Leo is ever the optimist.

His vision of the future includes a comfortable home, a few more restaurants, and an institute called Egocivic (economically growing our own to be civically engaged). His goal is to prepare young black men to be civically engaged in some type of political capacity, as well as help them to create wealth. Leo has big ideas for the future of Durham and the surrounding community.

To keep up with Leo, you can visit his website at LeonardoWilliams.com, follow his Instagram at @Articlesofme, or follow his Twitter at @Leonardo_NC.

Leo’s community impact doesn’t stop there.

Lately, he’s been acting upon his call to serve the community further and is even considering running for Durham’s city council. Since COVID-19 hit, Leo has partnered with 4 other men to create the Durham Small Business Recovery and Relief Fund, an initiative they Substantial | 43

A Platform for Good A SIT-DOWN WITH YORDANYS BASTARDO, OWNER OF VILLA VERDE

Yordanys Bastardo is one of the most inspiring people you will ever meet. Starting with a small food truck in Greenville, NC, Bastardo grew a community of supporters that led to the opening of his Dominican style restaurant, Villa Verde, which now has two Greenville locations. Having served hundreds of people in the community and stepped up as a volunteer during times of crisis, Bastardo is creating a legacy that is about more than just food.

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Image from Villa Verde

Image from Villa Verde

There is so much more to his business than just profit. For Bastardo, Villa Verde offers a chance to serve the community and create social change. His story and his businesses are rooted in a desire to break the cycle of poverty that so many people have not been able to escape. As the ambitious restauranteur tells us, “I come from a third world country. I came with $5 in my pocket to the United States. The best way to describe it is, out of the 300 passengers on my plane on May 26 1999 in Newark, New Jersey, I landed with an empty suitcase, but I was the wealthiest man on that plane.

“I was more hungry than anybody else on that plane. I had more desire, more willingness, more dreams, more goals than anyone at that point, and I had nowhere to go but up. Breaking the cycle of poverty, it’s a huge part of legacy for me. I’m not going to ask my son to run a restaurant. I’m not going to ask my son to do the things I do, because my goal is to have him have a better life than I did. You know what I mean?

Now, I would love for him to jump on it, but I’m not gonna ask him to or tell him to. I want to give him options, that’s the whole thing about legacy.”

It is Bastardo’s positivity, commitment, and persistence that have guided him on his path

to success. “I’m a servant, is the best way to put it. I like to serve because I know there’s a faith component that plays into that, and all the things that we can possibly do when we serve is incredible. Being a servant is the most selfish thing a human being can ever do, because it always works out in your favor. When you have a servant attitude, things just work out.

The outcome doesn’t really matter. You’re just serving, and by serving, you gain a lot of traction on the things that matter to others.

“I enjoy serving community. I enjoy the struggles of our community because there’s a beauty in that. When we don’t agree, the growth aspect of that just helps me understand people more and more, and the more we understand each other, the more progress we make as a community.”

Bastardo’s faith has played a big part in where his business began and how it has grown. “I was working for Perdue Farms. I was doing over $80,000 a year. I’m a high school dropout, right? So that didn’t even make sense that I was making the kind of money I was making. Then you had benefits, and you name it, and I saw a post on Craigslist about a food truck, and I told my wife, at three o’clock in the morning, ‘I think I found it. I think I know what we’re going to be doing for the rest of our lives.’ She said, ‘talk Substantial | 45

“The more we understand each other, the more progress we make as a community.” to me in the morning because I think you’re crazy.’ Our house was two weeks away from foreclosure because we put everything into our project.

online presence as a way to support other local restaurants. For Bastardo, these small businesses are not competition; they are his friends.

A food truck in the city of Greenville? That don’t make sense. Especially back then. Above all, an ethnic food truck in Eastern North Carolina? That don’t make sense. So, there is a faith component; knowing that the best is ahead. The hope that having faith gives you, it’s unbelievable. I want to make a communitybased business, and it was never intended to be a restaurant, it’s just that there was a need in the market.”

Centered on their motto of ‘A Platform for Good,’ Villa Verde has used its social media popularity to point the spotlight at other local businesses who might not have the same platform or means to keep themselves afloat.

The ‘We Believe in Greenville’ initiative draws local business owners together for the good of the entire community. Bastardo has also launched a web series called CommUNITY voices, featuring different small business owners and highlighting the services or products they offer through the pandemic.

The series is live streamed on Villa Verde’s Facebook page at 8:00 pm on Tuesday nights.

Nine months to the day after the birth of his idea, Bastardo opened the Villa Verde food truck with the help and support of Jackie James, who owned the space where the food truck first parked and helped him secure the building for his first brick and mortar restaurant. In Bastardo’s words, he owes his life to Jackie James: the man who did not turn him away, did not give up on him, and charged him almost no rent at all while the food truck grew its customer base. Inspired by and grateful for the community that supported him, Bastardo says he could not help but give back to it.

Although Villa Verde has always worked to encourage positive change, over the past few months, Bastardo and his restaurant team have stepped up even more as leaders for the local community, distributing free meals to many families in need and using their strong

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All in all, Bastardo has faced a huge number of ups, downs, twists, turns, and challenges on his journey, but with faith, service, and community as his guiding principles, he has conquered each one with a smile and a joyful heart. What does Bastardo think of those challenges? “Let me tell you something, I didn’t notice them!” he says, “I was on a mission.”

Well, Bastardo, mission completed.

Cultivating Inclusive Communities and Workplaces Our mission is to encourage growth, facilitate learning and empower leaders to create equity in their circles of influence. Together our team of certified diversity executives and business experts help you and your business foster cultures of trust, respect and mutual understanding.

Join the Movement

Learn more at thediversitymovement.com

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Changing the Narrative HOW TO HAVE DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS IN TIMES OF CRISIS

Tru Pettigrew HOW DO YOU BELIEVE WE CAN STAY CONNECTED DURING COVID-19 AND ENSURE WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE CELEBRATION OF DIVERSITY? Given this current climate, I believe the best ways to stay connected and ensure that we continue to move forward in the celebration of diversity is to take our typical or planned in-person engagements with others to virtual engagements with others. Engage digitally and do so with intentionality. We should go above and beyond the surface timeline scrolls, and likes. Call people, email people, text people, write thoughtful responses to their posts.

And now is a great time to invest in learning about those that are different from us by reading different books, blogs, and articles, or organizing online watch parties of different movies, documentaries and films followed by online discussions about the content that was Substantial Issue 2020

Tru Pettigrew is a celebrated author, engaging speaker, committed community leader, and award-winning marketing executive. Tru founded Tru Access to serve as an inspiration and empowerment consultancy.

just watched, shared, or viewed. Tru Access will be conducting its Heart & Art property to do just that.

WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO CREATE TRU ACCESS AND BECOME A VOICE FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION? I always knew that there were disparities in treatment, opportunities, and in many cases, perceived value for people that did not represent the dominant majority. That became even more evident to me when I was hired at my first ad agency back in the mid-90’s. Although

I did well personally, I was always viewed as the exception, and not the rule. I was often told how “special” I was, and how “I’m different”.

And this was usually conveyed in the context of comparison to other black men. And that bothered me. It bothered me because I knew that just wasn’t true. Yeah, I was good at what I did. But I also knew that given the opportunity, other men and women that looked like me could be just as good and even better than me. So this D&I journey began for me back then during my ad agency days. I was very intentional about hiring and creating opportunities for the many gifted and talented men and women of color that I knew would add tremendous value for the agency and our clients, and at the same time, help change the narrative and begin to generate more Diversity AND Inclusion in the advertising and marketing industries.

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT THE PUBLIC CAN DO TO EDUCATE THEMSELVES REGARDING ISSUES SURROUNDING DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND POLICING WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY? Simply get to know others. This includes members of Law Enforcement. Get to know the people in your community that are different from you. Different races, cultures, religions, genders, professions, etc. Too often our sources of information about people that don’t look like us, only comes from people that look like us. Go to the source. We must remember - a trusted information source is not the same thing as a credible information source.

YOU CREATED THE BARBERSHOP RAP SESSION SERIES - BRIEFLY TELL OUR READERS MORE ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE. Barbershop Rap Sessions is a Tru Access property that leverages the Barbershop (a trusted venue in the black community) as a safe space for people to meet and have facilitated dialogue on issues and matters that impact us all. These dialogues are designed to help the community and all of its members and stakeholders to co-create and collaborate on thoughts, ideas, and solutions that serve the greater good of all. The people come together and have courageous conversations about very sensitive and often uncomfortable topics, to hear the diverse perspectives of others and identify ways that they can all best co-exist and move forward together while creating the safest, healthiest and most inclusive community for all to thrive. And I cannot stress enough as to how important it is to have safe spaces to have difficult conversations. Just because a topic makes us uncomfortable, that does not absolve us from the responsibility of addressing it.

“And I cannot stress enough as to how important it is to have safe spaces to have difficult conversations.

Just because a topic makes us uncomfortable, that does not absolve us from the responsibility of addressing it.”

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Photo Credit: JJ McQueen

DEADLY VIRUS:

Racism

Two protesters embrace in Baltimore, MD. Image by J.J. McQueen.

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The Evolution of Civil Rights in America BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS SPARK NATIONAL MOVEMENTS Guest Writer: Kimberly M. Knight What is racism? According to MerriamWebster, the definition of racism is “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race, a doctrine or political program based on the assumption of racism and designed to execute its principle, a political or social system founded on racism, and racial prejudice or discrimination”. However, Missouri native & Drake University graduate, Kennedy Mitchum believes the definition of racism should be revised. According to CNN, Mitchum contacted the esteemed dictionary publisher and to her surprise, she received a response that the company would update the definition of the term racism to include her belief that racism should include “systemic racism”. Mitchum’s statement leads to a more tangible look at racism because in real-time systemic racism practices have oppressed African Americans historically. America is now in the midst of a civil rights movement in the wake of the deaths of many African American men and women by the hands of police.

The untimely death of Minneapolis citizen, George Floyd, has led to protests across the nation of people from all walks of life standing in solidarity for police reform and against systemic racism against African Americans.

The Black Lives Matter hashtag has been used on social media as a method of compassion and Substantial Issue 2020

communication as social media users shared the hashtag to show their support as well as to reveal the reality of racism in America. As an editor of a North Carolina-based cultural lifestyle blog, I felt compelled to post images taken by our photographer, Lanette Lee of Write Productions, on our social media pages.

The images show a diverse group of people from various ages and ethnic backgrounds protesting in downtown Raleigh against the murder and racial discrimination African Americans have endured at the hands of the police. It’s one of many nation-wide protests that has gone viral around the internet. Still, in the midst of community protests, we are seeing acts of violence against peaceful protesters and citizens. There have been social media posts raising awareness about police brutality and about how this is affecting police precincts.

There are television programs such as “Cops” and “Live PD” that have been canceled due to the content of violent interactions between police and American citizens. Particularly, the name Javier Ambler has been added to the extensive list of African Americans that have died during interactions with police officers.

Ambler’s interaction with police, which led to his death, was filmed and destroyed by “Live PD”. Then there are social media postings about major corporations, public figures, and influencers that have not shown support towards African Americans or the Black Lives

Images by Lanette Lee of Write

Productions

Matter movement. There have been captions of “All Lives Matter� and online conversations about the confederate flag. Across America, we are witnessing on major news outlets the removal of confederate statues, flags, and the reconsideration of names of historic buildings. It is a time of social change. The youth of America are standing up to a system that was designed centuries ago to oppress people of non-European lineage. America is not only experiencing a civil rights movement but also alarming rates of unemployment and a pandemic of COVID-19. Many nations of people are feeling the tense of a great moment in civil rights history across the world but where

do we go from here? How do we keep the momentum from today to Election Day? Should all police officers bear the burden of the choices their colleagues make? Each of these questions has ignited the flame of democracy for all and may we all remember to say their names in the midst of everything.

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Image by J.J. McQueen

You Can’t Tell My Story Guest Writer: J.J. McQueen

In this season of nationwide protest, I as a Black photo-journalist have found myself thinking through my shot list from a deeper place.

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I’m quickly learning that there are a myriad of emotions that come with how black photographers and media content creators produce images and information. Many of those emotions are being driven by the stories that we’re hearing after the death of George Floyd.

The feeling that resonates with me the most is that of being anxious. Why? As a man of color, I feel compelled to hit home runs with every shot that I take. For I know that someone’s life depends on how my images depict the narrative of people of color. In addition to that, there’s an internal sense of responsibility for me to show the depths of who African-Americans really are.

The call of responsibility is what keeps me and other photographers up at night.

In having conversations with other photographers of color, many of them share the same burden of thought. I recently had this conversation with a white colleague, and they asked, “J, how do you shake that off and still shoot?” I replied, “I don’t, I use it as fuel to paint.” I shared with them that I/we only get one chance at being great. Unlike our white counterparts, many Black photographers have conditioned themselves to be twice as good every time we’re out on assignment; specifically, when telling stories birthed from communities of color.

on to share more about his educational journey in colored-only schools. He also told us about his fight for the right to eat in the same cafeteria as his white counterparts, while working in the Havre de Grace Memorial Hospital, located in Havre de Grace, Maryland.

It is in those moments, when I know that nobody else can tell Mr. Lee’s story through imagery better than I/we/us. I feel this way because we’ve been on the receiving end of the hatred, and the ignorance that makes us hard to the core, yet driving us to be more determined to rise above it all. Meanwhile knowing that the Pulitzer Prize will most likely go to someone who takes a great image vs going to the man or woman that’s lived the experiences of the image and captured it too.

Now that we have the world’s attention, it’s once again our duty, responsibility and privilege to tell the story of Mr. Lee and those alike. Although I’d never negate the professional ability of content creators and image-makers of other hues, I am inclined to say that they can’t tell my story the way that I can. I am the story…

In a recent protest, I came across an AfricanAmerican gentleman by the name of John Lee. Mr. Lee shared with a crowd of roughly one thousand protesters that his father had been murdered by a group of racist white men in 1947 when he was just four years old. He went Substantial | 55

We Shall Overcome PROTEST IN A TIME OF UNPRECEDENTED HOPE Guest Writer: Joseph Peele Back in the day, we used to yell at the top of our lungs for at least one person to hear us, now we’ve got everybody in our front yard.

Despite the tragic circumstances for which we have come together, there is an unprecedented sense of hope. There is hope in seeing the world collectively realize that we, Black people, are human too. There aren’t any words to describe how significant it was to march peacefully with over 1000 protesters from all walks of life through Durham, NC; a city that is so richly steeped in Black culture and Black history.

While I’m no stranger to organized protests, something about the climate of the world combined with the Coronavirus and state of emergency we have all been under, seems to have woken even the most comfortable among us.

Before the protest, a friend of mine made me aware of several things I had not even considered: 1- Do not come alone, 2- Be careful about who you trust!

3- You must protect yourself at all times.

Not everyone at the protests is there to be on the right side of justice. Aside from journalists and peaceful protesters, you also have undercover police, secret shoppers, social media “clout chasers”, looters, and white supremacists. Although our intent was to protest peacefully, I fully understood that he who protests must understand too that at any moment things can go from nonviolent to violent. The best thing you can do is to be prepared.

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In all of my years attending protests and marches, I had never seen Black people outnumbered by other races. You might ask yourself, how or why can it be possible considering the history of protests for the killing of unarmed Black people. Unfortunately, seeing unarmed black people killed unjustly is an ordinary day for those of us who are working in equity. People that have grown up Black live the experience every day in silence, but when there are protests, that gives us an opportunity to voice how we feel on a daily basis. It justifies revealing your true feelings. It helps you identify the people around you who are feeling the same way but don’t openly identify in your pain.

Cops and racism are killing Black people in this country. We are suffering every day. Only in times like these do we feel unity in expressing our common suffering. It gives you validation in your expression. It relieves the pressure when you don’t have to hold it in and can express those feelings. And we find a way to celebrate even though what we have been through is horrific. You can feel threatened by life events but it’s worse when its imposed upon you by other people out of hatred or discrimination.

Protests are empty without sustained action.

The lasting thought we are all left within our minds is, what’s next? My mother always said, “Once you put your foot on a snake’s neck, you dare not relent, do not take it off, lest you be bitten again.” You cannot stop until you get some kind of action, or you will get devoured.

We have to figure out what our next step is to make sure that what happened to George Floyd doesn’t happen here.

Image by Joseph Peele

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Image by Jack Wilson Diana (left) stands in front of a 75-foot-tall monument to fallen Confederate soldiers located on the North Carolina State Capitol grounds in Raleigh, NC. On Sunday, June 21, Governor Roy Cooper ordered the dismantling of this monument.

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Lift Every Voice & Sing GEN Z TAKES A STAND WITH A SONG FULL OF HOPE Contributor: Diana Garland

My name is Diana Garland. I’m an 18 year old, recent high school graduate attending UNC Charlotte in the Fall.

WHAT WAS THE EXPERIENCE LIKE?

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN THE PROTESTS?

It was truly an incredible experience. It remained peaceful and the speakers were impactful. We walked up and down the street with our signs. There was a climate of solidarity but also outrage and frustration. And we all had our masks on, which was also a cool sight to see since this is the first time in history that wearing a mask is really becoming normalized.

I was actually really nervous going in, because of all the news coverage and everything that I was seeing. I don’t want violence - I don’t think anybody does - but it definitely comes from the anger around systemic racism that’s been occurring for centuries. I am educating myself on the history of this country and what is still happening in our society, so that drove me to say, “Okay, maybe I should go”. I also feel like it’s one of my obligations as a Black woman to go out there and let my voice be heard.

HOW DO YOUR FRIENDS FEEL? My friends and I have discussed this topic a lot and are sharing on social media about it.

We tend to have different opinions but we don’t mind talking about them. I like to keep people around me that are open to sharing perspectives. I don’t really mind people with different opinions, as long as they’re open to listening.

My friends and I were mainly going in small groups, but I have a few underclassmen friends that went with their parents as well.

The majority of my friends feel pretty much the same way as I do - they want to go to the protests and stand up for social justice.

WAS THIS YOUR FIRST PROTEST? Yes but I’m not the first person in my family to be involved with protesting. I’m the third generation of women protesters in my family.

My mother was an activist in the 1990s for LGBTQ+ rights, and continues to advocate for equality for disenfranchised groups, and my grandmother, who I am named after, was involved in the Civil Rights protests in the 1960s.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR THE FUTURE? I hope that it’s not temporary - like a Black Lives Matter spirit week. I’m hopeful that this will be a movement and we’ll push for systemic and institutional change for the next generation.

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Everything Black Guest Writer: Taylor Corlew

During one summer that I spent with my grandfather, he would tell me stories of his years, growing up in Jackson, Mississippi. I will never forget him casually sharing with me how it wasn’t at all uncommon for someone who shared our skin color to get lynched around that time.

It occurred to me recently that the stories I tell my grandchildren will share that same detail.

June 8, 2020, officially marked the two-week anniversary of the harrowing murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department. I spent a considerable amount of time contemplating what, if anything, I could offer by way of explanation or maybe even consolation. It was to no avail.

In my 25 years of life, I’ve watched films, read stories, and listened to innumerable personal accounts illustrating the vitriol directed toward the black community. However, this particular incident was representative of a tipping point.

The protests that we see on various news stations (typically void of context) embody generations of trauma, provocation, anger, and just plain helplessness that a majority of our Substantial Issue 2020

community feels concerning the police force.

There are persisting images in my mind of the many black children marching and taking part in the countless protests across America. Not only is the absence of innocence disheartening in these moments, but also the knowledge that a Caucasian child of the same age owns the privilege to simply…be a child.

One could argue that significant strides have been made in just these two weeks of protests.

From all four officers involved in the Floyd murder being arrested and charged to new police and justice legislation being put forth by the Congressional Black Caucus. If passed, the legislation, as a result, would ban no-knock warrants in drug offenses, as well as the use of chokeholds (which Eric Garner fell brutally victim to). This is a hopeful development, but I often wonder what the remedy to structural racism will ultimately be.

Upsetting that America hasn’t fulfilled its promise to the citizens that perhaps deserve it most. We’re currently bearing witness to a question that’s gone long unspoken: will it be given or taken by force?

“I am an invisible man.

I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids – and I might even be said to possess a mind.

I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.”

Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

For me, the most shocking turn of events has been witnessing the worldwide demonstration of anti-racist sentiment. Demonstrators have protested in Rome, Glasgow, Paris, Berlin, and numerous other pockets of the globe. Is there any irony to be found in the fact that many countries except for the one that we call home recognize the injustice that is afoot? An especially noteworthy occurrence took place Sunday, June 7, 2020, when protesters tore down a statue of a 17th-century slave trader, Edward Colston, and proceeded to throw it into the Bristol harbor. A refreshing yet befitting display of poetic justice.

These types of -now seemingly commonoccurrences undoubtedly lead you to question your place in America as a black man or woman.

I started driving in 2011, but not before receiving “the talk” that is customary for many black teens in America. This talk consists of behavioral guidelines that one must follow in the event of being pulled over by police.

Hands-on the wheel at all times. No sudden movements. Each instruction emphasized then demonstrated to underscore the potential lifeor-death stakes that accompany each of these

encounters. The gravity of my parent’s words was illuminated no less than a year later by the murder of Trayvon Martin.

Eight years later and I’m still as fearful during each police encounter as I was during my first in my teenage years. In each instance of fatal police brutality that we have seen, it’s hard not to picture yourself in place of the victim.

When the only criteria these victims share are skin color, how do I not fear for my life when interacting with law enforcement? While I know better than to view all police as predatory, instinctually my first thought is always selfpreservation. How do I make it out of this interaction alive? I am hopeful for a day in which that isn’t the case.

In the wake of such grotesque tragedy, few things can be said to quell the heartache that we all feel, collectively. May George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the other countless victims of unnecessary police brutality rest in peace.

We will never let your names or legacies die.

Black lives matter.

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In the wake of George Floyd’s death and this summer’s fight for racial justice, Substantial Magazine’s President and Editorin-Chief, Gregory Hedgepeth, a law enforcement officer himself, sat down for a frank conversation with Pitt County Sheriff Paula Dance and Retired Police Chief Tony Godwin to learn about their holistic views of the law enforcement community and what is truly needed to regain trust.

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Pitt County Sheriff Paula Dance was elected to office in 2018 as the first Black female sheriff in the state. In her 30 years of law enforcement experience, Sheriff Dance has worked as a patrol officer, Sergeant of the Domestic Violence Unit, Lieutenant of Investigations, Captain and Major of the Sheriff Department.

Former Chief of Police, Tony Godwin retired from the Cary Police Department in 2018 after 28 years of service. In that time, he served in several capacities including leadership roles on Cary’s Emergency Response Team and Criminal Investigations Division. Godwin is also the co-founder of Building Bridges: a program developed to foster trust and have difficult conversations between law enforcement, spiritual leaders and community.

Image by J.J. McQueen

A Real Conversation About Mending the Relationship Between Community & Police

IT HASN’T BEEN THAT LONG SINCE WE FIRST TALKED, BUT LET’S START WITH THIS: HOW ARE YOU? DANCE - Right now, I’m good, you know? I’m okay. Sometimes I’m not okay. There’s so much going on in the world that I think it’s unrealistic to say everybody is going to be okay all the time, so I will admit it. Sometimes I’m not okay, sometimes I’m okay, but at the end of the day, we’re gonna make it alright. We’re gonna make it okay, and we’re gonna move forward.

GODWIN - I tell you what, it’s interesting you asked that question. It’s a seemingly easy question, right? How are you? I’ll tell you what man, I tell you, I have been all over the place with how I am. I’ve been mad and sad and disappointed. You name it. I have gone through every kind of emotion I think there is in the last couple of weeks. I think everybody’s going through the full range of emotions right now with everything we got going on in our community and in our country. So, yeah, I’m right there along with everybody else and just trying to process all of it.

that video out of Minneapolis. And I remember just the anger that I felt. I’m literally yelling at this video of what’s going on with George Floyd.

I remember just feeling angry about that and then, of course, feeling sad to see what that officer was doing. I hate to even say ‘that officer,’ because I don’t even want to put him in the boat with the profession of law enforcement, but unfortunately, he was an officer, and to see him doing what he was doing was just such a lack of care. Where’s his humanity? How can you do this? And so, you know, there was a great sadness that I went through, and then, it is as crazy as it sounds.

The days that followed, and you know I hate to even say this because it doesn’t sound right, but I found a silver lining right out of this tragedy.

I found a silver lining, and it was encouraging to me, and the silver lining was that we had so many people coming out and denouncing what happened in particular this year. We had so many law enforcement officers finally speaking out and saying “That is not okay. That is not right. That does not represent me and what I believe. That does not represent my profession and I’m like.”

COULD YOU SPEAK TO HOW PERSONALLY AND AND WHY THIS TIME FEELS SO PROFESSIONALLY, WHAT ARE DIFFERENT? YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW AS A LAW DANCE - They had what I call a public lynching on TV, so there is no denying it. There was ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY? absolutely no defense for that. As we speak DANCE - We’re struggling right now, as an American law enforcement community. We’re struggling to make sense of what’s happening and what’s going on. I mean, the curtain has been pulled back, the curtain is now open, and we cannot close that curtain ever again. There are conversations that need to happen. You know, we certainly should be treating everyone with the same amount of respect and equality as we do our jobs.

GODWIN - It’s interesting the roller coaster that I’ve been on. I remember when I first saw

about law enforcement officers speaking up, many had no other choice but to speak up about that because we all saw it. And when we talk about that, it’s what we call the thin blue line. I sincerely think that, initially, the thin blue line was an atmosphere: the way that law enforcement officers treat each other like brothers and sisters. You know, we’re taught that you always have your brother’s back, you always have your sister’s back, but that meant in the physical sense. And I think, somewhere or other, it evolved into officers then beginning to have their brother’s or sister’s back when they Substantial | 63

shouldn’t have had their back, when they should have told the truth. And so, I think it has evolved into something that became or created another atmosphere in our community which is the usversus-them kind of deal, and that shouldn’t be, because we are our winning community. Most of us live, work, and play in the communities in which we live, and so we all have a vested interest in a good, safe, and healthy community.

So, I think we kind of have to pull away from this thin blue line where we have our brother’s and sister’s back, especially when they’re wrong.

Really, as I began to look at my policies, those are some of the things that I look at. You know, we did have a policy that was not as strong that said “if you see another officer doing something that’s wrong, then you should report it,” but it needs to be a little bit stronger. What we’re working towards is not only “you should you report it,” but “you have a duty to stop it.”

I had somebody just send me an inbox message that said “Ms Dance, I don’t know what to tell my sons, my small sons, my young kids. What do I tell them if they see an officer doing something like what happened with George Floyd?” And I can’t tell this person to intervene because I don’t want that officer to say, “I feared for my life when that person tried to intervene,” so you can’t really encourage them to do that. You know, what do you do?

I tell them, you know, pick up the phone. Call 911. And I know that 911 is probably what sent those officers there in the first place, but call them again. Give names, descriptions, let [the officer] know you’re on the phone. You want a supervisor. You want somebody there in person, because you know there’s this egregious act that’s going on. I mean, we’ve got some bridges to repair, you know? And I often say, it’s a twoway street as well. Our community needs to meet us halfway. Our community needs to know that if they call us, they’re not going to end up on the receiving end of death.

GODWIN - Finally, we’re getting more enforcement to speak out, which is so sorely Substantial Issue 2020

needed. I don’t know if you’ve had this epiphany like I have, but I remember being in a barber shop conversation once where one of my officers criticized another officer: on officer in one of these national events. He said that what he’d done was wrong. And it was definitely quiet in the barber shop. And then one of the patrons said, after like, two, three seconds of quiet, one of the patrons said “I’ve never heard a cop criticize another cop.” And my initial reaction was “Really? Because, let me tell you, we criticize other cops all the time.

But where do we do it? We do it in our squad rooms, we do it in our stations, we do it between cars in a parking lot at two o’clock in the morning when we’re talking about these things that have happened.

We don’t do it publicly.” And so it was in that moment that I came to understand. I had an epiphany if you will, of the power of speaking out. When something’s wrong, say it’s wrong because it really matters.

WHAT IS THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY ALREADY DOING AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY NEED TO DO IN THE FUTURE TO START HEALING AND REGAIN THE TRUST OF THE COMMUNITY? DANCE - Certainly, you know, we can teach

these things in the academy, but we also have to start looking at who we have within our department in the first place. If we take the George Floyd situation for instance, it is my understanding, and I may be wrong because you know you can’t believe everything that’s in the media, but it is my understanding that one of those officers had been doing the job for just four days and was following directions from his training officer. So we have to make sure that who we have in our agency, our senior people, are on-point and doing what they’re supposed to do in teaching the younger ones the right things. If not, then we need to lead them out.

A field training officer is like God for our young folks who are just coming in, and they’re gonna pick up those habits, and they’re gonna pick up those attitudes and, frankly, those are attitudes that some of them have towards life.

So, not just in our academies, we have to look within and change the attitudes of those who are already there and their thought process.

You know, I was fortunate, when I first came into law enforcement, to have a lieutenant who led by example, who was compassionate. When a bicycle was stolen, he treated that bicycle in the same way that he would have treated a diamond ring that was worth a million dollars.

Because, you know what? That bicycle that somebody worked hard for and spent their money for, that person deserves the same treatment. And I’m so glad that I knew him,

because he taught me to be compassionate on each and every call. Now, what if I’d had a training officer who said “Oh that’s just a bicycle, and we don’t care about it.” The citizen will see that.

So it’s very important that not only look at who we’re bringing into the department but also look at who’s already there as well. We need to make sure that those people are policing in the way that the agency has asked them to. It has to do with attitude and who’s doing the teaching.

GODWIN - Basically, law enforcement training. That’s something that we don’t do a good enough job at right now, and you know what? It can’t come soon enough. We absolutely need to have more emotional intelligence training and diversity and inclusion training for all of our prospective law enforcement officers.

For a long time, we have done diversity training as part of our state-mandated training every year, but you know, even that, I think, needs to be revamped a little bit.

My solution to a lot of our problems has been that, you know, if we could raise the entry level age for law enforcement to late 20s, I think that would help a whole lot, because let’s face it, I remember how I was at 22 years old. We’re dealing with young people in the community that are learning to be themselves, and they get all pumped up, and then a police officer rolls up who’s only 22-23 years old. They have the same mindset; they’re just wearing a uniform. So you end up with this kind of bashing of heads.

Whereas, all of us know that with a little more maturity comes a different perspective and the ability to separate a little bit from our emotions and keep things calm and de-escalate. I think it would help a whole lot in our profession if we raised that entry level age to 27-28 years old.

But there’d also be so many vacancies out there.

And so, what we need to do, since we don’t think we can afford to do that, we really need to work on improving the emotional intelligence of young people coming into the field. I can paint with a broad brush when I say “young people.”

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Obviously, there’s a whole spectrum where some young people are more advanced in emotional intelligence than others. I think that we can spur that along by doing more emotional intelligence training, because we really do need it.

We also need more diversity in our police departments and in our sheriff’s departments.

We need law enforcement to have more diversity but not just diversity. We need diversity and inclusion, because inclusion is the part that drives: inclusion is where the action takes place.

You know, what’s magic about it is, it doesn’t take any tremendous program, it doesn’t take spending a great deal of money, you don’t have to have tens of thousands of dollars to put something together. You know what it takes?

It takes conversation. It takes relationships because it’s easy to hate from far away. It’s easy for me to say, “You know what? I hate all Black people” if I don’t know any Black people. But if I know Black people, it’s really difficult to hate up close. And I just use that as an example. It could be whatever. It could be white people, could be police officers, could be whatever the “other” is to you. It’s easy to brush everybody aside if you don’t know anybody that is like that, but once you get to know them, you’re like, “There’s more alike than there is different in us.” So that’s what we have to do. We have to have a conversation.

CHIEF GODWIN, COULD YOU TALK ABOUT THE BARBERSHOP RAP SESSIONS AND BUILDING BRIDGES PROGRAM? GODWIN - That’s an effort that we started over six years ago in the wake of the incident in Ferguson. We had already started the process of putting together a group of officers and local faith-based leaders from predominantly African American congregations to sit down and have conversations about where we, as a department, had fallen short and how Substantial Issue 2020

we could do better in our African American community. So, we brought these faith-based leaders together and another gentleman who was a Cary citizen. Who was not a faith-based leader, but he was a man of great faith. He had a tremendous amount of passion around this idea of bringing people together. I gained so much from that professionally, from that relationship, and especially with Tru, because he is my brother, no different than my real brother.

You know, it’s not easy. The first time we went into the barber shop to have a conversation, here I am, a white, male, police chief for the South. I have the caricature of everything that’s wrong in law enforcement, and I’m going to go into a black barber shop, and I’m going to talk about the law and the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color. Look, I gotta tell you, that was a terrifying thought process for me. Before I got there, it sounds crazy to say, but right then, going in to have a conversation, I was terrified! But you know why that was? I had been trained to do everything that I’ve done in my career, but nobody ever trained me to have a conversation about race.

And that is so hard here in America. It’s a very uncomfortable conversation. But what I found was, the more you do it, the easier it gets. We had our first conversation in August, or shortly after the events in August 2014, and the guy who owned the barber shop said, “Look, if you guys want to come back, you’re welcome to come back.” And I said “We want to come back the first Saturday of every month, and we want to continue this conversation.” And we did that.

And here we are, six years later. We have not missed a first Saturday in six years. Even when COVID hit, we did it virtually. We did them through Zoom, because we’re not willing to let that fall by the wayside. But that’s the magic that can happen if we just sit down and get to know people, because once we get to know folks, we understand that we’ve got more alike than we do different.

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From the Housing Projects to the Housing Board Contributor: Jumail Blount

For Jumail Blount, basketball was his first love.

He was thrilled to be able to play college ball in California but his college career came to a halt when he developed knee problems.

After moving back to North Carolina, Jumail underwent surgeries on his heart, arms, and legs and almost lost his life to an infection.

After he healed and was cleared to return to basketball, Jumail felt different and began to question who he was on and off the court. He realized that he was much more than just a basketball player so he set out to combine his love of both business and art. Working at his Mom’s kitchen table, Jumail’s first business, Havknot, was born. “Every business you see me involved in now started from my mother’s kitchen in the hood painting on her kitchen table.”

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While building his successful brands, Jumail also took an active role within his community.

His goal was to inspire confidence in the youth of the community to break stereotypes and become more than just a product of their environment. He now sits on various community boards where he mentors and makes lasting impacts.

“It’s crazy to be able to grow up in the projects and end up sitting on the board that governs the projects. And to even become the Vice Chair and the Chairman of the Housing Development and Real Estate division. I was able to reach certain heights that I didn’t even know existed or opportunities that I didn’t even know existed for someone from where I came from. The difference with me was, even though I was in the hood, my mother always kept me with a

good mentality. She kept instilling greatness inside of me...my environment really didn’t influence me. I influenced my environment”.

Through his active role in the community, Jumail sees Black members struggle to overcome poverty and systematic racism.

“Racism in America is so much bigger, so much more vast. It’s a vast problem, because there’s a lot of hidden racism that we don’t understand.

It’s hidden in paperwork. It’s hidden in interest rates. It is hidden by not being qualified to move in certain neighborhoods. It’s hidden in the fact that if you get on Section 8 as a female, you can’t have a man live with you.

So what I want to see also is not just reform from police brutality, but reform within our own communities of how we interact and treat and support one another. We’re not taking responsibility for holding each other back. From hating on one another. From not supporting one another.

Jumail Blount continues to show the world just how Substantial he is and how so many others that share a similar story can succeed if given a chance, as long as they themselves have the will to succeed. His work in the community and his commitment to the youth in his city has proven to create change that has only reached the tip of the iceberg.

There are not many couples grown in public housing. There are not many couples in certain areas, because it’s against the rules. If you don’t have a chance at love, then what is the chances of that child getting raised around the right amount of love is slim”.

Along with policy reform, Jumail believes that continued community unity is necessary to make a lasting positive impact. “One of the things that opens the door for [people] to disrespect us and mistreat us so badly is because we disrespect and mistreat each other.

“Racism in America is so much bigger, so much more vast. It’s a vast problem, because there’s a lot of hidden racism that we don’t understand.”

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Looking to the Future SUBSTANTIAL WELCOMES A NEW EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, EVELYNE DEL BILLINGSLEA.

Evelyne Del Billingslea is no stranger to Substantial Magazine, having worked closely with President Greg Hedgepeth since the publication’s inception. Nor is Evelyne a stranger to the job of Public Relations and storytelling. As an ambitious entrepreneur Evelyne Del Billingslea founded Billingslea Media - now Del Consulting Group, a consulting agency that focuses on providing media related services to small businesses and non-profit organizations. Specializing in communications strategies such as copywriting, marketing, PR, and event management, Evelyne has worked closely with clients to help enhance the vision for their business. This is exactly the type of work she has done to support Substantial magazine over the years, and we are so proud to be able to have her accept the role of Editorin-Chief.

“I am so thrilled to have my friend, long time colleague and fellow Pirate Evelyne step into the role of Editor-in-Chief for Substantial magazine,” said Greg Hedgepeth, President and Former Editor-in-Chief. “Since day one of creating Substantial, Evelyne has been right there helping grow our reach and has shared the vision of Substantial becoming a well known regional and national brand.”

able to not only come along for the ride but be willing and ready to take over and drive. I’m just so excited that he has entrusted me with the keys.”

As editor-in-chief Evelyne will manage and oversee the content produced for Substantial Magazine’s digital publication and website. She will be in charge of all content produced, be instrumental in developing strategies and style guidelines, and will represent the brand at social events throughout the year.

Greg Hedgepeth, while still having considerable involvement with the day-to-day editorial and operations, will begin to focus more on building the company’s infrastructure and finding unique ways to continue to position Substantial magazine as a black-owned and operated regional and national brand.

“Substantial’s main goal is ensuring that we tell the stories and amplify the voices of our minority community, said Greg. “It is my hope that everyone that engages with our platform understands that we are of considerable importance, size and worth, that our community is strongly built and made. Simply put, We are Substantial and so is our purpose.”

“Greg shared early in this journey that he wasn’t just creating a vehicle for himself, but a vehicle for the community,” said Evelyne Del Billingslea, Editor-in-Chief of Substantial. “I remember him mentioning that he wanted to have people in this vehicle better known as Substantial to be Substantial Issue 2020

Image by Kelcey Jones Photography

EVELYNE DEL BILLINGSLEA NEW EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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