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W I N S TO N - S A L E M , N . C .
Volume 48, Number 4
THURSDAY, September 30, 2021
Saleia Stone, local 5-year-old track star holds national records
BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE
When you first meet Saleia Stowe, she appears to be your average kindergarten student. She’s energetic, shy around new people, and enjoys playing with her siblings and spending time with her family. But when she steps in between the lines of a track, it’s clear this isn’t your average 5-year-old. Stowe holds the national record in the 400m dash, which she shattered by 10 seconds, and the 200m dash for her age group. Stowe is also second in the country in the 100 meter dash. With some encouragement from her father, Steve Stowe, who ran track at North Forsyth and N.C. A&T State University, Saleia started running track earlier this summer with the local AAU organization, Tri-City Relays. It didn’t take long to notice that she was special. “I didn’t believe she would do as good as she did off the rip, but it’s been amazing to watch,” said Stowe with a smile while discussing his daughter’s success on the track. “At the beginning we weren’t sure if we would be able to finish the season because she would be
At the tender age of five, Saleia Stowe holds a national record in 400-meter dash. so upset when she lost, but she started winning and she started to love it.” Saleia’s mother, Jameisha Facyson, said, “Honestly, I’m just one proud momma.” She
noted that as the season progressed, Saleia managed to shave 20 seconds off her time in the 400 meter dash, which propelled her to the national record, 1:25.
Submitted photo
“She has accomplished this and ran times that we didn’t expect. She started out the season at like a 1:44 and now she’s down to 1:25,” Williams said. “That was something we could
never dream of. She’s faster than our wildest dreams.” Kenterris Clinkscales, Saleia’s uncle, is also impressed. He said it’s been exciting to see his niece follow in her father’s footsteps. While at N.C. A&T, Stowe was a part of three MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) championship teams. “It’s just like watching my brother run. I watched him do it and now I get to see her do it,” he said. Saleia says she enjoys track because of the fun she has and the new friends she’s met from all across the country. And although she still has a few years before she’s eligible to compete, Saleia already has plans of one day running in the Olympics. Her favorite athlete is Olympic gold medalist Athing Mu, who also runs the 400 meter dash. “It’s really fun,” she said. “My favorite is the 400 because it’s the easiest.” Since finding her competitive spirit on the track, Shaleia has started playing other sports, including tennis and softball. To follow Shaleia’s journey on and off the track, follow her Instagram page, @trackstar_lei.
Is redlining the cause for the lack of generational wealth? New exhibit takes a closer look
The Winston-Salem Foundation, HUSTLE W-S, and the African American Heritage Initiative have come together to bring an exhibit to the city that takes a critical look at redlining, it’s impact on the community and the people who call WinstonSalem home. Redlining is a form of lending discrimination where for decades, banks
across the country denied mortgages to Black people and other people of color, preventing them from buying a home in certain neighborhoods. The interactive exhibit on display at the Forsyth County Central Library, “UnDesign The Redline,” explores the city’s history of racism and inequality and gives the community an opportunity to see how neighborhoods have evolved and/or stayed the same over the years. “The exhibit has two great purposes, one is to educate people on how we got where we are today. Some people may have heard the term redlining but don’t realize how systemic it is,” said Charlie Gardner, program officer for The Winston-Salem Foundation. “There’s also a lot of people in the community who are well steeped in this and kinda tired of talk, so we also need to try to find ways to move beyond talk and so we’ve been trying to work with com-
munity partners to identify opportunities to get tapped into this work as well as to support work that’s ongoing.” Cynthia Villagomez, chair of the African American Heritage Initiative (AAHI) and a history professor at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), said that it’s impossible to teach African American history without discussing redlining. Vilagomez and her team were responsible for collecting information and archives related to redlining in the area. In addition to providing maps of redlined neighborhoods in Winston-Salem, a timeline of historic events, narratives from individuals who witnessed redlining firsthand, at the end of the exhibit visitors have the opportunity to share their ideas on how to improve neighborhoods that were dilapidated by redlining. “This is really an opportunity to serve the Black community and really use history to promote
Photo by Tevin Stinson
The “UnDesign The Redline” exhibit at the Forsyth County Central Library shows how redlining was key to the development of Winston-Salem neighborhoods. change and commentate pride in their neighbor- this story of survival in the beauty of Black life,” hoods, their institutions, the beauty of having Black Villagomez continued. their friends … Winston- neighborhoods.” Magalie Yacinthe, “There was a lot of ugli- Salem was an incredible ness and suffering from place for Black people in executive director of discrimination and segre- those hard and harsh times. HUSTLE Winston-Salem, gation, but yet when they We had our own Black partnered with The WinFoundation were living through those Wall Street with thriv- ston-Salem horrors of Jim Crow and ing businesses in thriving redlining, they took great neighborhoods, so there’s See Exhibit on A8
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BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE