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November 17, 2022

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Volume 49, Number 11

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W I N S TO N - S A L E M , N . C .

THURSDAY, November 17, 2022

2022 Winston-Salem Legacy Awards honor women of color in our community SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

The 2022 Winston-Salem Legacy Awards Gala was back in full swing this past Saturday, Nov. 12, serving as WinstonSalem’s highest honor for women of color, sponsored by the Legacy Foundation for Women. This yearly award gala highlights and recognizes women who are leaving a legacy in their local community. It was the organization’s first in-person gala since the COVID-19 pandemic and Winston-Salem was ready to welcome its return. The event brought out the city’s most prestigious community members and hundreds of attendees including past recipients, to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of women of color. Women of color have long played a vital role in the history of WinstonSalem. Often the accomplishments of women go unnoticed and unrecognized. For some years, the Legacy Foundation for Women has served as an organization that is dedicated to telling the stories and recognizing pioneering, trailblazing women of color who are leaving a legacy in the community. Minister Alicia M. Bailey,

founder and CEO, says “Our organization prides itself on never letting the legacy be erased and we are grateful to have partners and supporters alongside our effort in awarding this high honor to women of color.” This year’s Legacy Awards recipients include: *Legacy Recipient in Business: Carmen Russell has been a trailblazer in mortuary services in the city of Winston-Salem, along with her family, since 1978. She inherited the passion for mortuary services and continued the legacy from both her parents, Carl H. Russell Sr. and Florrie M. Russell, who began Russell Funeral Services in 1939. Today Carmen is the funeral director and treasurer of Russell Funeral Home Service, a thriving business in the community, alongside her family. *Legacy Recipient in Medical Science: Dr. Jaleema Speaks is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology at Novant Health and has served in the field of medicine for many years. She specializes in pregnancy and prenatal care. *Legacy Recipient in Media/Journalism: Wanda Starke is a celebrated news anchor for WXII 12 News

The Winston-Salem Legacy Awards remain the community’s highest honor for women of color. who recently retired after 43 years in journalism. Wanda has spent her life working as a journalist at several news outlets. She served as co-anchor on the 6 p.m. news and produced prime time specials. She was also the producer of the well-known weekly segment, “A Place to Call Home.” *Legacy Recipient in Education: Janet Atkinson is an educator in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County schools where she has served for more than 35 years. Jan began her career in the WSFCS in 1983 as a teacher. She served as principal of the Downtown School, where she retired in 2017. She was named Principal of the Year and

the Downtown Middle School building was dedicated in her honor. *Legacy Recipient in Cultural Arts/Entertainment: Cheryl Harry is a cultural curator whose mission is engaging the community in the preservation and celebration of Black heritage. She is the founding director of Triad Cultural Arts, Inc., an organization dedicated to presenting programming that contributes to a culturally competent community. Their signature event is the annual Juneteenth Celebration. *Legacy Recipient in Philanthropy/Community Service: Robin Paul is co-founder of the Chris Paul Family Foundation,

alongside her husband and family. The Paul Family epitomizes what the word family means. As cofounder of the foundation, Robin oversees the day-today operations. The foundation’s goals are to positively impact individuals and families by leveling the playing field in education, sports, and life. They provide resources that enrich and strengthen the healthy development of strong communities. *Legacy Recipient in Politics: Barbara Burke is Councilmember for the North Ward of WinstonSalem. She serves our city through the lens of an educator of more than 30 years. She is a former Winston-Salem/Forsyth

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County Schools administrator and teacher. During her tenure as councilmember of the North Ward, she has dedicated her time to fighting for equity and equality. *Legacy Recipient in Criminal Justice: Judge Denise Hartsfield is a retired Forsyth County District Court Judge who was elected to the district court bench five times. While on the bench, she presided over all district courts with specialized jurisdiction in juvenile court and bond forfeiture court. She has spent her legal career listening to litigants and hearing the voices of citizens in both civil and crimSee Awards on A8

Citizens share their thoughts on next police chief BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE

Next month Chief Catrina Thompson of the Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) will officially retire. With a national search currently underway to find her replacement, earlier this week the Coalition for Accountability and Transparency invited the public to share their input on the hiring process and characteristics they would like to see in the next chief. Thompson spent her entire career with the Winston-Salem Police Department. A native of Detroit, she joined the local police department in 1994. She has served in the Patrol Division, Recruiting Unit,

Citizens provide their input for the next police chief. Training Division and the Criminal Investigations Division. She also served as one of the departmental commanders of the Crisis/Hostage Negotiation Team, before she was named WSPD’s 15th chief in 2017. Shortly after announcing her retirement, it was reported that Thompson will take a position as a U.S. Marshal. The city has retained an executive recruitment firm to conduct a national search for the next police chief that has been in consultation with the mayor, members of the city council, police employees and community

leaders. Organizers of the event said the purpose of the forum was to give the community a chance to be included in the decisionmaking process. “This is not about funding or defunding or abolishing any polices,” said Chenita Barber Johnson, a member of the coalition. “It is about accountability and transparency during the process in the hiring of a new police chief in Winston-Salem.” Phillip Carter, who is also a member of the coalition, said whenever decisions are being made in the city, nothing should move

Photo by Tevin Stinson

forward without input from citizens. He said the public should know that the incoming chief knows the concerns of the community. “We need to be a part of the decision-making process. We need to know that this chief knows what our concerns, demands and expectations are and that is why we’re here tonight, to hear from you,” Carter said. Throughout the open forum a number of topics were discussed including gun violence, community policing, mental health crisis intervention (alternative responses of 911),

police transparency and accountability. When sharing her thoughts on the new chief, Winston-Salem native Sara Hines said one of the biggest issues within the WSPD and law enforcement agencies across the country is the lack of transformative justice. She said to bring about real change there needs to be a shift in the atmosphere of policing. “It’s wrong that we have a system of policing in this city, and in this state, and in this country that is strictly about punishment,” Hines continued. “There is no transformative justice in any of this.” Bink Jones said she’s concerned about the lack of transparency within the department. According to the job description for police chief, one of the major points of emphasis is transparency. Jones also discussed her concern about the police budget and how it’s being used. She said instead of using funds to buy more equipment, more should be done to support and work with the people in the community. “We have major issues with surveillance and like a police state taking

over Winston with cameras being put up all over the place and license plate trackers. It’s like they’re watching us left and right but not engaging,” Jones said. “There seems to be a lot of big brotherism without actually being with the people.” Dee Washington, who attended the forum with her son, said more than anything she wants the next chief of police to have a plan. “I want to see a police chief come in with a plan, that’s what I want,” Washington said. “If my daughter is a millennial and has to do a week’s worth of work to get a marketing job, then we should require the same thing for the police chief. To impress people for a job you have to come with a plan … they’re policing our communities, they work for us” Moving forward the coalition plans to take the information that was gathered at the forum and send that information to the mayor, city council, and the city manager. They also plan to make the demands known during a city council meeting.

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November 17, 2022 by The Chronicle of Winston-Salem - Issuu