Six homicides in six weeks! Fayetteville Police spokesman Sgt. Jeremy Glass tells Up & Coming Weekly that half a dozen murders through Feb. 15 compare to three homicides during the corresponding period last year. 33 homicides were recorded in 2020 tying a local record. Glass said Police Chief Gina Hawkins stresses crime prevention in efforts to drive crime numbers down.

“Preventing certain crimes is a daunting, if not impossible task,” Glass said. “However, we continue to provide resources, crime prevention programs, technology and manpower trying to reduce crime.” Police could not provide information as to trends of gun violence in the city.

Coincidently, gun ownership has exploded since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the civil unrest that gripped the nation over the summer. Americans purchased more guns in January 2021 than any other month on record, according to the FBI which has tracked gun sales since 1998. American citizens bought more than 4 million firearms last month which is a rise of 60% over last January.

Just in case you missed me last week, I was not off traveling the world as I have done many times before, sometimes for weeks at a time. I was not loafing in bed reading novels and eating bonbons. I was babysitting!

My one and only grand baby is a 13-month-old boy and the focus of our family’s attention. In a what seems the blink of an eye, he has gone from an unpredictable and absolutely dependent infant to a little boy ready to roll.

He rarely misses a meal and thoroughly enjoys tossing tidbits from the high chair to his “brother,” the family Labrador retriever, always at the ready to receive flying food of any sort. Words are beginning to flow, prominently among them a version of “basketball.” That word applies to any round object, including oranges which roll easily along the kitchen counter and make a satisfying smack when hurled at the floor.

Strolling is a favorite activity, although pushing a version of baby shopping cart is becoming more popular as actual walking looms.

Simply put, he is a toddler with the world unfolding before him.

My friends who became grandparents long before I did are right. Being a grandmother is in many ways easier than being a mother. It has all the pleasure, wonder and love of parenting without the daily frustrations, exasperations, physical demands, financial burdens, and all the other realities of having children. I had worried that I would not remember how to handle young children, but it comes back, just like riding a bicycle. I saw with my own children how cherished and meaningful an involved grandparent can be, and I aspire to have such a relationship.

All of which brings to mind what I want this precious boy to learn and embody as he grows up.

I want him to understand from an early age that good health — physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, is important and worth working to establish and maintain.

This means nourishing food, regular physical activity though not necessarily athletics. Rest and quiet time for personal reflection should be part of regular routine. It is true that nothing else much matters if we don’t have good health.

I want him to value education and to work for it. Education determines not only our careers and our lifetime earnings, but it also enriches the quality of our lives as we enjoy the knowledge we have and continue to seek more. We understand and enjoy the world around us so much more when we know what we are seeing. I want him to understand that learning never stops only when breathing does.

I want him to know he will have two kinds of families — the people to whom he is related and the people he chooses as friends. Both are precious and must be nurtured at all stages of life. These are the people who will laugh with him, cry with him, and share life’s offerings.

At the same time, he needs to learn to love and trust himself, to enjoy his own company, and to understand that no one in his circle of family and friends will be with him forever. The only person who will take every step with him is himself.

I remember my parents, of course, as well as my grandparents and some of their siblings and still feel their impacts. I have come to understand that children have an innate need for relationships with people in the generation older than their parents. I look forward to that with this little boy for as long as we are flowing down the river of life together.

The Lafayette Society and Fayetteville State University are partnering to present the Global Studies Lecture Series. This annual speaker series will be held virtually Feb. 25 and will feature the life and work of Charles W. Chesnutt, a successful African American writer.

This speaker series is hosted by the Lafayette Society and the Departments of Intelligence Studies, Geospatial Sciences, Political Science and History at FSU. This series will be presented by Joshua James, Dr. Maria Orban, Dr. Blanche Radford Curry and Nicholle Young. Each presenter will discuss different aspects of Chestnutt's life, from his upbringing in Fayetteville to his ideas about race and the circumstances of the African American community during the rise of Jim Crow.

Although he also lived in Cleveland, Ohio, most of Chesnutt’s literary works developed from his life here in Fayetteville. Chesnutt attended what is now known as Fayetteville State University when it was called the Howard School. The Howard School was intended to educate African Americans coming out of slavery; it became a top school at the time in the Fayetteville area. Chesnutt served as a principal at the school for a time.

This speaker series aims to detail the historical richness to be found in Chesnutt’s life as it relates to the Fayetteville community. This event will be taking place virtually on Feb. 25 from 7-8 p.m. with Dr. Rob Taber, a history professor and co-advisor for the Black History Scholars Association at FSU, as the moderator.

The Lafayette Society has also started an endowment at FSU for “the Study of the Age of Revolutions, Emancipation and Civil Rights.” When fully funded, proceeds from the endowment will be used for continued educational programming, speaker fees, student grants and faculty support. Anyone interested in contributing to the endowment at FSU can visit www.lafayettesociety.org and go to the “Outreach” tab.

The Lafayette Society was founded in 1981 to bring historical awareness about the city’s past by bringing to life the rich history of Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier — the Marquis de Lafayette.

Lafayette was a French aristocrat and military officer who served with George Washington in the Revolutionary War. With his ties to the King of France, he helped the colonists gain their freedom from England. The Lafayette Society was established to help preserve his history and remind Fayetteville of the role its namesake played in the American Revolution. The president of Lafayette Society, Hank Parfitt, describes Lafayette as having a “silver halo of kindness.”

Parfitt believes studying historical figures such as Chesnutt and Lafayette can help us learn more about the efforts of those who came before us in the fight to provide freedom and equality for all our citizens.

Dr. Gwenesta B. Melton, a local medical doctor who serves as a board member in the Lafayette Society, said learning about Lafayette is an interesting endeavor.

“Upon careful review of his life, his stance on human rights for all people was visionary in scope for his time." Dr. Melton said. “As an abolitionist, slavery was abhorrent to him. Realizing half of humankind are women, he recognized the value and worth of women and advocated for our rights. Leadership skills came to him easily and at a young age. All these attributes make General de Lafayette an extraordinary human being.”

“As an African American professional woman, his lessons and visions are just as pertinent now and render a glorious example of how we all can live in a world with peace and harmony. Our Society aims to teach this to all living in Fayetteville.”

Parfitt said the Lafayette Society and FSU share a goal to “inspire students to learn history.” They plan to continue to sponsor this speaker series every February and expand the event to include more educational opportunities.

For more information about the Feb. 25 speaker series on Chesnutt visit www.lafayettesociety.org.

Pictured above:Charles W. Chesnutt

Pictured below:Marquis de Lafayette

The Gilbert Theater has been around since 1994 when it was started in the basement of Lynn Pryer's house, and for the last 26 years, it has produced many wonderful theatrical performances on the main-stage season. “FayetteVAUDEville” was an idea that the board of the theater came up with to produce something new and fresh to end 2020. Last October, the theater put on its first-ever performance of “FayetteVAUDEville” starring Jermey Ruis for his Dark Magic. If you missed that production, reserve your tickets now because "FayetteVAUDEville" is returning Feb. 26 and 27.

“FayetteVAUDEville” is not just a typical theatrical product that one is used to, this performance will showcase some local artists and their talents. This show will star singers Karen Morgan Williams and Tim Zimmerman; belly dancer Fahada (teaches locally in Fayetteville); and comedian Vadrin Colvin-King.

“The ‘FayetteVAUDEville’ is a show intended to pull talent from our local community and string the talents together for a fun adults night,” said Brittany Conlin, business manager of the Gilbert.

From singing to belly dancing, the Gilbert Theater will present “FayetteVAUDEville” to mature audiences on the nights of Feb. 26 and 27 at 8 p.m. This show is not something you will want to miss. The show is supported by a mini-grant from the Arts Council of Fayetteville/ Cumberland County.

This show will have a max capacity of 25 people per show and tickets are available for purchase at the Gilbert Theater website. Season holders will have to purchase tickets for this show. The theater is very adamant about protecting everyone so they will be doing temperature checks at the door and masks will be required. The theater has already planned the next two “FayetteVAUDEville” performances to come in April and May of 2021.

The “FayetteVAUDEville” auditions had such a great turn out of adults and children that the Gilbert theater is moving forward with a kid-friendly version of the show entitled “The Greatest Showcase: A Youth Variety Show.” This show will be brought to the public on March 5th and 6th at 2 and 5 p.m. by the Gilbert Theater and the Kids with Hearts for Arts. The tickets will be $12.

The Gilbert theater has a wide variety of shows coming to center stage this season which began with the murder suspense “Ropes.” The next two shows to follow are “Oedipus Rex” and “Urine Town: the Musical.”

The Theater also offers educational opportunities, with the most recent being a virtual class taught by Montgomery Sutton.

For more information on shows, auditions, education and ticket sales visit the website at gilberttheater.com.

“InnerWoven” is an urban knitting project curated, designed and executed by Fayetteville’s own fabric artist Kia Love. The installation can be found at Linear Park along Mason Street.

Those willing to take a walk off the beaten path are invited to see how fiber art emboldens nature with color, textile and a tribute to Black History Month.
Inspired by the bright colors and patterns of African wax print fabrics, “InnerWoven” is a series of five large-format knits wrapped on tree trunks in downtown Fayetteville’s greenway, Cross Creek at Linear Park.

The temporary fabric installation highlights the importance of textiles and craftsmanship in Black culture. Brightly colored knitwork, black and white accents and unique three-dimensional elements are used to encourage the audience to get a closer look to spark their interest and highlight the importance of handcrafts.

Kia Love dedicated the installation to all of the strong African American women who have used fiber art as a way to heal themselves, to pass along stories about their lives and most importantly their history. For centuries, Black people were among the most skilled knitters, weavers and sewists in America known for their expertise in textiles and natural dyeing techniques. Women would gather regularly for after hour knitting and sewing circles as a way to create clothing for the community and to teach to the younger generation. Children as young as five would be taught the skill.

Love is a self-taught knitwear designer and fiber artist born and raised in Fayetteville. Her knitting journey began 19 years ago when she hit a creative rut and needed inspiration. Knitting was a way to challenge herself, regain focus and manage anxiety.

After graduating in 2015 from Queens University of Charlotte with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture, she decided to turn her passion for hobby into a business. She launched her brand Kia Love — a women’s knitwear and home decor brand. She specializes in fashionable accessories and home décor for the daring individual who loves bold color and texture. Her custom collections emphasize craftsmanship and feminine design.

Love is passionate about slow fashion, the healing powers of fiber arts and the importance of teaching sewing, knitting and textile design to others in her community. By sharing her gift, she strives to pass down a craft that seems to be lost in the digital age.

She aspires to educate others on the concept of quality over quantity and most importantly, having something of your own to turn to when the distractions of the world become too much.
“Innerwoven” was made possible by a grant from the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County's Mini Grant program. The Cool Spring Downtown District, Fayetteville’s managing partner for the Arts and Entertainment district, joined with the artist to bring this unique installation to life in celebration of women who have “Innerwoven” fabric as a means of clothing, warmth and comfort for centuries.

Visit “Innerwoven” at Cross Creek at Linear Park during Black History Month. For more information visit www.visitdowntownfayetteville.com or the artist’s website at www.kialove.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MetroNet and the city of Fayetteville will bring 100% broadband internet, television and phone services to businesses and residents in greater Fayetteville. Indiana-based MetroNet will spend more than $70 million to develop its high-speed system which is the company’s first deployment in North Carolina. Fayetteville, Hope Mills and Spring Lake as well as Linden, Wade, Stedman, Vander, Godwin, Eastover, and Falcon and much of unincorporated Cumberland County, as well as portions of Hoke County, including Raeford and Rockfish will be tied together.

Fayetteville has DSL, cable, fiber, fixed wireless and satellite internet available depending on the area. DSL covers nearly all of Fayetteville. Common speeds average around 10-40 Mbps depending on the area and provider. Internet is provided using the same cable cords as cable television. Cable internet has much faster speeds on average than DSL. MetroNet will compete primarily with Charter Spectrum for internet, television and telephone service.

There are also two small satellite services and CenturyLink provides DSL availability. There may be early termination fees for changing service when under contract. Spectrum offers a contract-free, or month-to-month, option. Program prices and internet speeds vary.

Fayetteville-Cumberland Economic Development Corporation President Robert Van Geons says MetroNet’s high speed broadband service is “state-of-the art infrastructure that will literally link our business community to the global marketplace, at the speed of light. Small businesses and entrepreneurs will be able to utilize and deploy next generation technologies and develop tomorrow’s
innovations.”

In addition to television and telephone services, ultrafast internet broadband will also support teleworking, distance learning and virtual medicine. A fiber optic network uses tiny strands of glass which are extremely thin. To be specific, they are less than a tenth as thick as a human hair. Each optical fiber transmits beams of light over great distances. The beams carry unprecedented amounts of data — much more than cable or DSL — directly to homes and businesses.
Amid COVID-19, the community's need for increased broadband access has become even more apparent for virtual learning and remote school and work. “MetroNet will provide small businesses, start-ups, students and teleworkers with capabilities previously unavailable to much of Cumberland County,” Van Geons said.

Mayor Mitch Colvin said the company is known for its reliable, high-speed internet friendly service, and fair pricing with no long-term contracts.

"We've experienced such a warm welcome from Mayor Colvin and the City of Fayetteville since we began discussing this project," MetroNet President John Cinelli said. "It's clear that this community is rich in diversity and opportunity, and we're excited to be a part of it as we move forward together.”

Projects of this size typically take approximately two years to build, Cinelli noted.

As the work gets underway, residents will receive communications by mail about construction activity in their neighborhood 30 days prior to starting. The company provides additional messaging, such as yard signs, to let residents know when the temporary construction process is beginning in their neighborhood.

 

Do you have troubles? Current events got you down? Did you bet on the Kansas City Chiefs? Break into the Capitol Building only to find the FBI is now after you? No matter. As the Master of Ceremonies said in “Cabaret,” “Leave your troubles outside. In here life is beautiful. The girls are beautiful. Even the Orchestra is beautiful.” We don’t have an orchestra but today you can forget your troubles through the German custom of Schadenfreude which is taking pleasure in the misery of others. Hercules had major problems that will make you feel better about your own life.

Let’s fire up Mr. Peabody’s time machine to find out why Herk was sentenced to hard labor and what he had to do to get a pardon from the Greek God Apollo. Herk was the love child of Zeus who was King of the Gods. Zeus wandered off the reservation resulting in his Baby Mamma Alceme becoming in the family way. When Zeus’ wife Hera found out, she was none too pleased. Heck hath no fury like a Goddess scorned. While Herk was a mere toddler cooing in his crib, Hera sent a couple of large snakes to strangle Baby Herk. Like Davy Crockett who killed him a bear when he was only three, Herk strangled the two snakes instead. Herk was not a baby to be trifled with.

Although Herk foiled Hera’s serpentine plot, she did not give up her anger but bided her time. Today’s helpful tip for men of the male persuasion: Anytime a woman is biding her time, you had better watch out. Herk grew up to young manhood, got married, and had two kids. It was the perfect Grecian formula for happiness. Unfortunately, it was not to last. Hera put a spell on Herk which made him insane in the membrane. During his period of Hera-induced insanity, Herk in a murder most foul, killed his young wife and children. When he came to his senses, he was stricken with horror and remorse. As Edgar Allen Poe wrote: “I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.” He went to see Apollo who oversaw healing to beg to be punished for his
dastardly deeds.

Apollo knew Hera was behind Herk’s misdeeds, but temporary insanity was not yet accepted as a defense to murder. Apollo ordered Herk to perform 12 seemingly impossible jobs to obtain forgiveness and absolution. These tasks later became known as the 12 Labors of Hercules. They also made Steve Reeves a lot of money playing Hercules in the 1950s. To feel better about your own troubles, imagine what Herk had to go through. Enjoy his misery, like a psychic poultice you will feel better fast.

Herk’s first job was to kill the Nemean lion that had been chowing down on the good folks of Nemea. Herk fought the lion and strangled him in his very own den. Not being one to waste a good lion skin and having an excellent fashion sense, Herk wore the lion’s hide as a cape from then on. His next task was to kill the 9-headed hydra snake. The problem with the hydra was when you cut off one head, like a hungry relative it would come right back. Herk solved that problem with the help of his nephew who took a torch to the stump of the head as soon as Herk cut off the head. The torch cauterized the stump and prevented the regrowth of the head.

Herk then had to capture the favorite pet deer of the Goddess Diana. Apollo figured that Diana would never let Herk take her pet, but Apollo did not count on Herk’s charm with the ladies. He sweet-talked Diana into giving him the deer. Next up was catching the giant man-eating Erymanthean boar. This is not to be confused with your uncle Fred who is a stultifying bore. Herk made a big net and caught the boar. Then it was barbecue, black eyed peas and hushpuppies for the whole town. Next it was on to clean up the Augean stables where zillions of cattle had been doing their bovine business for centuries without anyone cleaning out the stables. It was a dirty job but Herk did it by changing the course of two rivers to flood the stables and wash the cattle poop away. This was before the EPA and no environmental impact statement had to be filed.

Herk moved on to a little town called Stymphalos which had an even worse problem with a ravenous flock of birds than the town of Bodega Bay, California, in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “The Birds.” The Stymphalan birds weren’t satisfied with just pecking the townsfolk, no Siree Bob, those birds ate the people like so much sunflower seed. Once again, Herk’s way with the ladies came to his rescue. He direct messaged the Goddess Athena for help with his avian issue. She gave him some cool bronze noise makers called krotala. Herk clanged the heck out of the krotala and the angry birds flew away never to bother the town again.

Unfortunately, we have reached the first six labors of Hercules but have run out of space in today’s column. Kindly come back in two weeks, same Bat Time, same Bat Channel to find out what Herk’s final six labors are and learn whether Herk obtains immortality. Now don’t you feel a little better about your own troubles? See I told you so. Herk was in a pickle. The worst is yet to come. Odds are you will not have to fight any 9-headed snakes, carnivorous birds, or muck out a giant stable tonight. Rejoice in the Schadenfreude that Herk has made and be glad in it.

To be continued …

Chances are that at one time or another, you have sat down at your kitchen table and planned out a budget or balanced your checkbook for your family. For most of us, budgeting means making some tough decisions and compromising to make ends meet. Unfortunately, setting a budget does not look the same for Washington Democrats.

Recently, House Democrats voted to pass their budget for the upcoming year. Not only did their plan open the door for massive spending, but it also paved the way to pass multiple spending bills without one Republican vote. This includes President Joe Biden’s latest $1.9 trillion COVID-19 spending bill – a bill that funds many unrelated items. If anything can be bipartisan in Washington, defeating the coronavirus should be at the top of the list. However through this budget resolution, Washington Democrats have signaled that talk of unity and bipartisanship were just that and they have no interest in working together to tackle the issues facing us.

President Biden’s partisan relief plan is incredibly expensive and comes while over $1 trillion in funds from previously-enacted COVID-19 legislation remains unspent. Let me say that again - $1 trillion that we have already approved is sitting there unspent. This includes $280 billion remaining for the Paycheck Protection Program, $239 billion unspent for health care measures, $172 billion unspent for unemployment insurance, and $59 billion unspent for schools. Now adding an additional $1.9 trillion on top of this unspent funding not only represents a massive undertaking six times larger than the 2009 Obama stimulus plan, but this is all borrowed money and we can’t afford to keep borrowing and spending blindly.

Instead, we should continue to identify and fund the real needs of workers, small businesses and health care professionals on the frontlines of battling coronavirus in our community. I stand ready to continue working with Democrats to combat coronavirus, speed up vaccine distribution, and find ways to increase jobs and opportunities for you and our neighbors. However, using COVID-19 relief as a Trojan Horse for massive spending and radical policies that threaten jobs is not what American workers and families need.

Unfortunately, this is par for the course with President Biden’s agenda so far. By signing more than 40 executive actions, including rejoining the Paris Climate Accords, canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline, and ending federal oil and gas leasing, he has jeopardized thousands of American jobs. I fear the President is more concerned with fulfilling a left-wing partisan climate agenda than creating jobs or being a “President
for all.”

Now, President Biden’s most recent executive actions have done more than kill jobs and put our economy in danger - they have put our national security at risk. Recently, President Biden reinstated catch and release and promised to dramatically rollback the immigration policies of the previous Administration to prioritize undocumented illegal aliens.

President Biden’s proposed Create a Pathway to Citizenship for Undocumented Aliens legislation prioritizes immigrants during a time when American citizens and businesses are hurting. The bill doubles-down on family-based immigration, clearing backlogs through amnesty, and increasing the number of visas we issue. The bill will also allow undocumented individuals to apply for temporary legal status, with the ability to apply for green cards after five years. And, President Biden’s decision to end construction of the border wall is a signal that he is not concerned about addressing border security.

These priorities of the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress continue to miss the mark. However, I won’t give up. I remain committed to working across the aisle for common sense solutions to the problems we face, including rebuilding our economy, passing targeted COVID-19 relief and reopening our schools. And like you and I have to do, I’ll continue to push our government to balance its checkbook along the way.

After five decades of living in Fayetteville, I never thought I could have learned so much and been so proud of an organization and project than I am of the Fayetteville Kiwanis Club and the celebration of their 100th Anniversary.

Not only did I get a profound community history lesson, but I became overwhelmed with pride at the work ethic, dedication and intestinal fortitude demonstrated by Fayetteville’s founding leadership. Ten decades of infectious and motivating intentions is best described in only two words: Do good.

Writing, producing and designing the Fayetteville Kiwanis 100th Anniversary Edition of Up & Coming Weekly was an actual labor of love not only for me but for our entire staff. For most, it provided them their very first insights into the origins, vision and rich history of our community. It created for them a foundation of pride and a better understanding of our community. I think it mostly made them aware of the immense and abundant empathy, compassion, kindness and sense of generosity that Fayetteville residents naturally radiate out to humanity.

Well, our newspaper realized this twenty-five years ago and built an entire publishing company showcasing and accentuating Fayetteville’s unique benevolence. A benevolence we are proud of and one we need not profit from. Our small financial donation of proceeds from the issue goes to the Fayetteville Kiwanis Club to help support the work and significant impact they have on children in our community through the hosting of dozens of local programs.

I have found that two sayings have always been accurate and have never failed to motivate and inspire me: One — Always do the right things for the right reasons. Two — KIDS NEED KIWANIS!

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

Pictured: Publisher Bill Bowman (right) and Jim Schaffer (left) present a check to Kiwanis of Fayetteville President George Turner (center). The proceeds from the Jan. 20 commemorative Kiwanis issue of Up & Coming Weekly will help support local programs benefitting kids.

The Fayetteville Public Works Commission welcomed Elaina Ball as the new Chief Executive Officer and General Manager in December. Ball, who has 14 years of utility experience, is the first female leader in PWC’s 115-year history and just the 9th CEO/General Manager.

“Elaina has a wealth of experience in the electric industry, including generation, which is a huge asset for us,” said PWC Chair Wade Fowler.

“She’s been a leader at outstanding utilities including public power utilities in San Antonio and Austin, Texas," Fowler said. "She was highly sought after by several other organizations and we are very fortunate that she chose PWC and Fayetteville. We are excited about the future of PWC and what she brings to it.”

Ball came to PWC from El Paso Electric where she served as Senior Vice President in Operations and Administration roles. Since 2018, she oversaw functional areas of the company including Power Generation, Power Marketing, T&D, Customer Care, Technology, Safety, Environmental and Public Relations and Corporate Communications.

She was responsible for over 800 employees and helped El Paso set new records for annual customer satisfaction scores and earn its first JD Power top performing utility award in 2019. El Paso Electric is a regional electric utility that serves over 400,000 customers in west Texas and southern New Mexico.

Prior to joining El Paso Electric, Ball worked at Austin Energy, the publicly owned electric utility serving 450,000 customers in the Austin, Texas, area.

Ball served as Vice President, Technical Services at CPS Energy, the municipally owned electric and gas utility serving over 800,000 customers in the greater San Antonio area from 2006-2012.

Fayetteville PWC is a municipally owned utility that provides electric, water and wastewater service to over 118,000 customers in Fayetteville/Cumberland County. PWC has over 600 employees and is the 37th largest municipal electric utility
in the U.S.

“I’m very excited to join the great team at PWC and for our family to be a part of this community,” said Ball. “PWC is a significant asset and plays a vital role in the community’s success. It is known throughout both the electric and water utility industry for its excellent operations and I look forward to continuing the legacy of strong leadership at PWC and continuing that excellence of providing safe and reliable service to our customers.”

Among Ball’s priorities is taking care of the team and customers and getting to know them better, she said.

“It's been terrific so far, the community has been so welcoming I have met so many different people from different industries, different fields and different walks of life and that’s something that struck me and it’s actually a big difference here in Fayetteville compared to the other utilities I was looking at before coming here,” Ball said.

With Ball’s leadership Fayetteville PWC is looking forward to updating its strategic plan, system work to maintain reliable service and supporting several projects already underway.

One such project is the PWC Community Solar, North Carolina’s first municipal community solar farm. The farm is a large-scale, ground-mount solar array offering electric customers a shared renewable energy option and an alternate to rooftop solar. Customers pay a monthly subscription fee and in exchange, receive a bill credit for the value of the solar less the cost to operate. All electric customers can participate as a subscriber in the program.

There are a number of benefits to the Community Solar project. It adds renewable energy to the local power grid without the effort and expense of installing solar panels at a home or business. Customers get paid for a portion of the power generated by the solar array.

Ball mentioned that anyone interested in helping provide cleaner, greener power for the community can visit the PWC website to learn more about installing panels, bill credits and moving toward an increased use of clean energy.

Among Ball’s priorities as the CEO and General Manager is ensuring that PWC remains customer-focused and keeps services safe and reliable while remaining cost affordable, she said. A personal driver and focus area for Ball is the improvement of the supply chain to help grow opportunities for local and diverse businesses, she said.

“As far as day-to-day, I am trying to spend the day in the field, trying to get to know our employees, see our facilities,” Ball said. “We are budgeting right now, and it really helps me get the sense of needs that the system has while getting to see the people, equipment and the business and challenges,” she said.

A native Texan, Ball attended the University of Texas at Austin and graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only about one-quarter of those working in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, widely referred to as STEM, are women.

The number of women entering the professional fields of STEM is slowly growing around the world, but there is still a sizable gender gap in these professions.

Many women who do enter STEM fields and have successful careers like Ball do not necessarily consider themselves trailblazers, but simply do the best job they can in a field they enjoy.

In high school, Ball realized her love for mathematics and chemistry which led her to picking her current career path.

“I am a process person and love problem solving and being a chemical engineer is perfect for that,” she said. With a background in leadership roles, Ball said it is exciting to have this opportunity at PWC while representing women in a traditionally male career field.

Aside from work, Ball is looking forward to becoming more involved in the Fayetteville and Cumberland County communities. While working in Texas, Ball was an active civic leader, serving on the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Board of Directors. She is also a current Board of Directors member of the Association of Women in Energy.

An avid reader and snow skier, Ball is currently a member of the Fayetteville Running Club and hopes to join the local Kiwanis chapter and also find a local church to attend. Ball is married and has two children, but her family is still in Texas for now.

“But we have bought a house in the area and are renovating,” she said. “So I am really looking forward to my family joining me this spring.”

Pictured below: PWC CEO/General Manager Elaina Ball splits her time between work in the office and field visits getting to know PWC employess and facilities.

The Fayetteville Transportation and Local History Museum has put together another fantastic African American exhibit to honor Black History Month. This local museum for the past three years has followed a theme to showcase African American professionals from Fayetteville’s history and will keep the exhibits up for a year after they are revealed.

This year the museum released an exhibit on Feb. 2 to honor African American architects. This exhibit is focused on bringing awareness and attribution to these early builders and historic buildings in the downtown area.

These architects were from the Fayetteville area and some of these buildings are still standing today. There is a “rich history” in Fayetteville and this museum allows people to step back in time to really understand the historical roots.

Catherine Linton, the Museum Specialist, is the one that helped bring to life this year’s exhibit entitled, “African Americans Building Fayetteville.” She is a former museum specialist with the Country Doctor Museum at East Carolina University.

“Some buildings that are attributed to these builders are not standing today, but we want to bring attention to the ones that are, to bring history and awareness to the community,” said Linton in describing the focus of this exhibit.

One of the builders that really stood out to Linton while assembling the exhibit was Abel Payne. Payne was an enslaved man that eventually purchased his freedom, but continued to work as a carpenter to afford freedom for his children. Linton said the story stood out to her because it is a “good story about overcoming obstacles.”

This year’s exhibit is the third one the museum has done to follow the theme of African American professionals in Fayetteville’s history. The first exhibit the museum did in 2019 was about African American businesses, followed by the 2020 exhibit about African American doctors. Last year’s exhibit still remains on the first floor to the right of the entrance until the end of February 2021. This new exhibit, “African American Builders,” will remain until the end of February 2022.

The museum is located in the restored 1890 Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railroad Depot, with two floors of exhibits and artifacts. It is open to the public of all ages and guided tours are available for schools, church groups, home school groups and more. They also offer activities such as walking tours of downtown, bus tours, a Saturday farmers market, and more for children and adults.

The museum annex is next door for continuous history on the Fayetteville area.

For more information visit the Fayetteville Transportation and Local History Museum at www.fcpr.us, and they are open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Pictured: The Transportation and Local History Museum opened a new exhibit on Feb. 2 in honor of Black Histoy Month. "African Americans Building Fayetteville" highlights Black architects and builders in Fayetteville's history. The exhibit will be on display for one year. The 2020 Black History Month exhibit about African American doctors will be on display until the end of this month.

The Gilbert Theater’s latest show “Rope” premiered Jan 29. with a full house on opening weekend. The crime-centered, murder-themed play brought a thrilling drama to the stage for its audience.

Originally written by Patrick Hamilton in 1929, the British play was later made into a movie by the famous filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock in 1948. The Gilbert’s production of “Rope” runs through Feb. 14. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 with military, student, first responder and seniors.

The play opens with a cold-blooded murder of a young man by the two lead actors Wyndham Brandon (played by Chris Walker) and Charles Granillo (played by Tim Zimmermann).

The characters of Brandon, with his air of intellectual superiority and a temper, and Granillo with his tenderness and remorse, make quite the interesting murderous duo.

The two leads decide to host a dinner party around the wooden chest where they’ve hidden the body. The dinner party is supposed to be an amusement to the duo, especially Brandon as getting away with the “perfect crime.”

The guests include Kenneth Reglan (played by Quentin King); Leila Arden (played by Megan Martinez); Sir Johnstone Kentley who is the father of the murder victim (played by Gabe Terry); Mrs. Debenham (played by Kathy Day); Rupert Cadell (played by Lawrence Carlisle III); and amongst them is their butler, Sabot (played by Dylan Atwood).

The guests comment on the “queerness” of the evening, and the strangeness of the food being served on the wooden chest. Arden’s character goes as far as to jokingly suggest the hosts are hiding a dead body in it.

Cadell suggests it would be obvious stupidity to murder then host a party around the body, which seems to get under Brandon’s skin. Meanwhile, filled with regret and fear, Granillo drinks his feelings away through the night.

The characters bring forth a drama filled evening, not short of laughter, suspense, thrills and some philosophical back-and-forth about murder.

Suspicious and quickly picking up clues, the clever Cadell lures the duo into confessing to murder and the “perfect murder’” plan that they failed at executing.

The hard work of the cast and crew is reflected in the costumes, set and acting during the two-hour, fun-filled thrill of the evening.

For those looking for a drama-filled affair, “Rope” at the Gilbert Theater is one to see.

For tickets visit, https://www.gilberttheater.com/index.php

Pictured above: Lawrence Carlisle III (left), the Artistic Director of the Gilbert Theater, joins the cast of "Rope." Photo by Jonathan Hornby.

The first time I met Nate, he was asking a question about a microphone I was using to collect stories at a local church men's breakfast. The church is known for the number of military families it attracts, and I was looking for one-liners about freedom for radio vignettes I was planning to broadcast from Memorial Day to Independence Day.

As I engaged in a conversation about the microphone and his how-to mechanic videos, I had no idea of the story that was just beneath the surface. It wasn't until at least six months later I met his wife and discovered the pair and their three children had been through a harrowing, headline grabbing ordeal three years prior to my meeting Nate.

His wife's younger brother, who was living with them to add some order and stability to his life, had been shot to death – after being beaten and robbed – on an otherwise beautiful day in May. The story caught my interest. Not because of the murder itself, but because of the story of faith and forgiveness surrounding it.

Imagine the range of emotions in a courtroom filled with grieving family members on just about every seat in the room. One family grieving the life of a 16-year old killed over $120, and the parents and siblings of six other young people grieving the sons they were about to lose to the prison system.

Now imagine the guardian of the slain teen handing the mother of one of the accused a tissue to wipe her tears as she said, “I forgive you. It's not your fault.”

This wasn't a scene from a cheesy made-for-TV movie, it was real life. It took real courage, and it stemmed from real faith. The incident and events surrounding it called everything into question for Nate and his family. And as they embraced those questions, they emerged with answers that led them to the dusty villages surrounding ancient Jerusalem, where a man named Jesus taught about loving God, treating others as well as you would yourself, and forgiving those who seek to do you harm.

The journey that led them to forgiveness led them down roads of anger, bitterness and even resentment, but the God they found along the way gives them a peace which outweighs it all.

At WCLN, we call that Monday School. The lessons learned as we venture beyond the rally and rhetoric of a weekend worship service into stories of real life, real faith, and real people. We have devoted air time and a podcast channel to stories like Nate's – and have discovered they are all around us. Our friends, neighbors, and co-workers; their stories contain tales of heroism or sorrow, and may be marked with an undeniable joy that defies explanation.

You can find Monday School wherever you listen to podcasts, and we hope you do.

Pictured: There are many lessons of faith and forgiveness to be learned as we venture beyond weekend worship services into stories of real life and real people.

Over 30 years ago, a small group of friends with diverse interests and opinions shared an appreciation of African and African American culture along with a desire to produce positive changes in their local community. They decided to form the Umoja Group with Dr. Kwame Tuprah and Dorothy Fielder at the helm. Through the years, the organization has grown and continues to make a lasting impression in the Fayetteville community.

“The purpose of the group is to share positive cultural information about Africans, African Americans and Carribeans,” said Wanda Wesley, incoming director of the Umoja Group, Inc. “It is our duty to spotlight and share that information with others so they will know about the greatness, unity and develop a mutual respect for one another.”

The group, incorporated in 2005, is very active in the community and one of their biggest services is to assist students by awarding them scholarships for college. Since 1998, the group has given over $22,000 in scholarships.

“Since the Umoja Group was formed in the community, the scholarships focus around students who live in the Broadell, E. E. Smith and Fayetteville State community,” said Wesley. “So most of those scholarship recipients have either been students who actually attend E. E. Smith High School or who have been active participants in the Umoja Group’s activities over the years as far as volunteers or supporters.”

Wesley added that a lot of the students who receive scholarships are recommended by the E. E. Smith Band because a lot of the students in the band participate in many of their activities.

“We have worked with the school to identify worthy students who have positive attitudes, decent grades and give back to the community,” said Wesley. “In December 2020, we gave a $1,000 scholarship to Deborah Effon, an early senior at Massey Hill Classical High School that finished in December.”

One of their annual events is the Umoja Festival held the last Saturday in August. “It is a community day and we have singers, dancers, food and product vendors, and a health fair,” said Wesley. “For the last few years, we have partnered with Darvin Jones from Cape Fear Valley to have a health fair and it has been very well received.”

The health fair is designed for individuals who might not normally go to the doctor for routine physicals. The health screenings include cholesterol, rapid HIV test, depression screening, blood pressure, blood glucose, body mass index, vision screening, lung function tests, flu shots, blood typing, AFib testing and more.

“One year there was a person whose blood pressure was so high and they did not realize it and came to the health fair,” said Wesley. “They found out they needed to take care of some things and it may have saved their life.”

“What I think is really special about the festival is that it is intergenerational, something for the entire family, wholesome, fun and exciting,” said Wesley. “You would feel comfortable bringing your small child out as well as your grandparent.”

Darvin Jones, community health coordinator of Cape Fear Valley, gave his perspective of the group.

“I think the Umoja Group does an outstanding job in the community trying to bring culture and heritage together,” said Jones. “Umoja means unity and that is exactly what they do through some of their programs with education and the appreciation of the arts, culture and a positive history.

“I approached the Umoja Group ten years ago about doing what I call the hospital making a house call into the community,” said Jones. “The first group that I approached about this was very lukewarm, but the Umoja Group loved the idea so we got together and discussed the vision of what it could be.”

Jones added that together they executed that vision and now it has become a part of the Umoja Festival. Every year they find something that they screen for, such as high blood pressure, in abundance.

Not only is it set up to find these things, it is designed to help people. It has grown into being the largest health fair in the county.

The Kwanzaa celebration has become a popular staple event in the community. “We recently had our Kwanzaa celebration and that is when I first got started with the Umoja Group,” said Wesley. “The celebration is a great community gathering of people and it tells them the history of Kwanzaa along with the seven principles, their meanings, and how they can live that through their
daily lives.”

The last few years the celebration has taken place at the Smith Recreation Center. “There is a set program and we usually start off with a drum call, welcome, singing, libation to those who have passed, a parade of African kings and queens, a tribute to elders, a feast, storytelling, scholarship presentation, dancing and more,” said Wesley. “One of our most popular acts is Shaka Zulu, performed by Larry Johnson, who has been doing this for over 20 years and everybody looks forward to his performance.”

Due to the circumstances of COVID-19, the celebration was held virtually on Facebook in December 2020. “We shared Kwanzaa videos throughout the month of December which proved to be well-received and we will most likely incorporate that format into how we celebrate going forward,” said Wesley. “We did several interviews with children and adults who have been a part of the celebration for years and we were able to reach a larger audience to include folks from other states and overseas.”

Future projects include digitizing the mural “Wall of Honor” to make the information more widely accessible and sharing stories about the individuals featured on
the mural.

For more information, donations, or to volunteer call 910-485-8035 or email umojagroupfay@gmail.com. If you would like to purchase a copy of Wall of Honor: A Celebration of Fayetteville’s Everyday Heroes contact Donna Barnes at 919-368-5258.

Pictured above: The Umoja Festival at Seabrook Park is usually held the last Saturday in August. The public event is a celebration of culture and heritage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictured above: Umoja Group members celebrate Kwanzaa (left to right) Ramon Huggins, Dr. Kwame Tuprah, Yawa Tuprah.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictured above: Deborah Effon (center) received the 2020 Umoja Group Scholarship.

Writing an article on a work of art is complicated for many reasons. We each bring our own perceptions, bias and learned conventions when placing value or simply looking at a work of art. The complexity of contemporary art can include an additional layer — the ethnicity of the artist.

Making works of art and art criticism today is not simple, there are many questions one could ask for doing either activity. For me, when I think about the ethnicity of the artist and how to look at their work, Leo Segedin asks some of the right questions in his article titled "Outakes From Making It: Race, Gender and Ethnicity in the Artworld." He asks: “… Are there generally acceptable ideas about what constitutes aesthetic ‘quality’? Does each minority group have their own aesthetic standards, its own criteria?... Is there a common aesthetic within a minority that is only accessible to the minority? … What constitutes ‘minority’ art? Who defines the essence and social agenda of a feminist artist, a Latino or Black artist?”

Why anyone, minority or not, becomes an artist can be just as complex. The quotes by Vicki Rhoda, the featured artist for this special edition of Up & Coming Weekly, answer many of Segedin’s questions. The answers are found in why she became an educator, what is important to her in the classroom and why she is an artist.

Raised in Elizabethtown, North Carolina, Mrs. Mazie Bell Rhoda (Vicki’s mother), gave her a set of art supplies at the age of eleven years old. While at home, Vicki would sit on the steps and repeatedly draw and paint the small church across the street. To have a creative nature and be open minded is a wonderful attribute, but it was also the cause of some of the challenges in her life.

The direction of Rhoda’s life took hold when she was in high school, she met Ms. Peggy Webb, her art teacher. Not only was Ms. Webb an excellent teacher but she was also the only African American art teacher in Bladen County in the 80s. Inspired by an African American role model Rhoda’s direction in life was permanently altered on the path to become an artist and educator.

Since being inspired by Ms. Webb, Rhoda earned a bachelor's degree in Art at Fayetteville State University. She has taught art in the public schools for 23 years, grades K-12. For the last four years she has been on the faculty at FSU in the Department of Performing and Fine Arts teaching art education and core art classes after earning a Master of Art Education at the University of Florida. She has also earned an advanced degree as an Educational Specialist from Grand Canyon University. Rhoda is presently working to complete her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership K-12.

Rhoda stayed enthusiastic about teaching in public schools for 23 years. When she began teaching in the Bladen County public schools during the mid-90s Ms. Webb had relocated to another county and Rhoda became the only African American art teacher in the county.

Rhoda reflected on the lack diversity of the teachers in the Bladen County schools at that time and what a relief it was to be employed by the Cumberland County public school system. Finally she was in an educational environment where the teachers and students were equally diverse, she felt more comfortable, she could be herself.

No matter what school she was teaching in, Rhoda knew the importance of art in the public schools and witnessed the positive effects year after year. She shared with me: “Having art programs in the public schools is as important as math and science for many reasons. The myth is that art is simply recreational. Yet, taking an art class teaches the students diversity, global literacy, aesthetics, artists and art styles, and problem solving. Students leave an art class and see the world in a different way. Not only do they express themselves creatively, but they also can become personally transformed.”

She continued, “Certain assignments revealed many of the personal problems students were having at home or a tragedy they have suffered. When talking to the student about the assignment they felt safe about sharing an experience. Art gave them a voice they did not have. For many the arts is an outlet to succeed in ways they could not in core classes. When I left public schools, I hoped I could have touched the lives of students in ways that would make a difference in their sense of self-worth and I was able to open the door to understanding diversity.”

Rhoda was hired at FSU to recruit for and strengthen the art education program. After her first year in academe she redesigned the art education program by developing four new classes and eliminating some classes. The changes from teaching in the public schools for so many years to teaching students in higher education is a big leap for anyone. When asked about the transition she stated: “It was difficult. In middle and high school your approach to lesson plans is very different than higher education. Although you teach critical thinking in public schools, in higher education the analysis levels are so much higher. I am working with adults, so my language (personally and professionally) is very different. I’m happy to say the attention span of students at the university is lengthy compared to the public schools and is not only expected but required.”

Rhoda’s success as an art educator is partially due to being a practicing artist. By being an artist she can share her creative efforts; the students are able to see she is engaged in the creative process. It is the same creative process that began at the age of eleven when she drew and painted the church across the street repeatedly.

When asked why art remained so important to Rhoda, why she became an artist and to talk about her artistic style, she shared the following: “I was a very quiet child, while being creative I was reflective and thinking about so many things in my life. Art always gave me a voice to share what I could not do verbally. Later in life, around 1996, I learned a collage technique during a workshop and have continued to work in that media. The collage technique, in some ways, spoke to me. I could readily see images and myself in the layers of paper, I could relate it to my own life, and I saw ways to express my ideas. So what you are seeing in many of the earlier works is what I could not say out loud, but through the work.”

Rhoda continued, “In the beginning, I was trying to express who I am. Raised in a Southern Pentecostal Holiness Church, uniformity was stressed for men and women, but I always saw things differently than my family. Being an artist I found a way to express myself visually. Although my personal collages are about expressing who I am, it can still resonate with others who grew up in the South and
are Black.”

“I started my political work after the shooting of Trayvon Martin, I realized just being Black in America is political.
These are my experiences, being born Black is political, people in the southern Black community just handle it differently. The slogan Black Lives Matter is not new, we have been fighting for our lives to matter as long as I have been alive and historically. It is not OK to see color, yet due to social media, systemic racism is more evident. I always wanted my students to know everyone is important and we all bring something of value to enrich each other’s lives in many ways.”

The reasons Rhoda gives for becoming an artist answer some of Segedin’s questions. Making art is a form of self-realization and it gives people a voice to share experiences. If just being Black is political, no matter how some would deny it or be impatient with the statement, it is obvious that race, ethnicity, and visual culture are inextricably linked. Artists draw from their identity to create awareness for different reasons, some create to influence change in American culture.

In closing, works of art by some minority artists and other artists can be complicated and even some of Segedin’s questions are folly. We cannot characterize all works of art during the period in which they are being made. Ultimately, we can know some truths about works of art, but we cannot know all truths. It behooves us to stay openminded to why artists are creating works of art, search for a truth and new meaning. In the end, the history of art will often look like what we did not understand at the time.

Pictured: "Judged" by Vicki Rhoda.

NC MedAssist is holding a Mobile Free Pharmacy Event in partnership with Humana in Cumberland County on Feb. 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event will be held at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church located at 701 Westmont Dr., Fayetteville and is open to any individual or family needing over-the-counter medications. Such items include cough and cold medicine, vitamins, allergy medication, first aid supplies, etc. Participants must be at least 18 years old to receive medicine. No identification is required, however face masks are required to participate.

“Our North Carolina team is proud to partner with NC MedAssist here in Cumberland County and across the state to bring resources to those in need in our community,” said Humana’s North Carolina Director Patrick Farley. “We hope that having these important over-the-counter supplies on hand will help everyone stay healthy this winter.”

All Mobile Free Pharmacy events are being held as a drive-thru service only. In order to comply with local recommended guidelines, all participants will remain in their vehicles while volunteers retrieve their medicine. Participants are highly encouraged to pre-order their over-the-counter medicine online by visiting https://medassist.org/mobile/ and selecting their county event. Additional options are available for those individuals unable to pre-register online, so that everyone who needs medicine will be able to receive it. However, it is highly suggested to come early in the day if you were not able to pre-order online, as medicine will be given out on a first come, first serve basis, and while supplies last.

At the event, all participants will receive information on NC MedAssist’s Free Pharmacy Program, which mails free prescription medications directly to a patient’s home. NC MedAssist’s overall goal is to help ease the burden for those in need; it is aiding people who are making the choice between buying food and purchasing life-saving medication.

“Due to the pandemic, we had to create a new and innovative way to continue serving the community. We will be bringing close to $100,000 worth of OTC medicine to the event to be distributed to those most in need in our community,” said Sheila Kidwell, Director of Foundations and Communication at NC MedAssist. “We understand there is a pressing need, especially in the midst of the cold and flu season. Our goal in this partnership with Humana is to improve the health of the community, one family at a time.”

The Mobile Free Pharmacy events have served upwards of 1,000 people, at times. To ensure the event runs smoothly and that all participants are served by the end, many volunteers are needed. NC MedAssist is partnered with safety-net organizations to recruit community members to serve in volunteer roles such as pharmacy consultation, client personal shoppers and sorters. However, the charitable organization is still actively seeking volunteers for the Mobile Free Pharmacy Event from the community. Any interested individuals can sign up at www.medassist.org/volunteer.

NC MedAssist is a statewide non-profit pharmacy, founded in 1997. The organization provides free prescription medication to all low-income, uninsured North Carolinians who qualify for their Free Pharmacy Program. NC MedAssist offers three programs that address the needs of children and adults: the Free Pharmacy Program (for prescription medication); the Over-the-Counter Program (which includes the Free OTC Store in Charlotte, as well as the Mobile Free Pharmacy Program which distributes over-the-counter medicine in communities across the state); and the Transitional Jobs Program (for individuals with barriers to employment). Last year, NC MedAssist distributed $76 million worth of prescription and over-the-counter medicine to NC residents.

Learn more about NC MedAssist at www.medassist.org. You can also visit their Facebook at www.facebook.com/NCMedAssist/.

Sara Cockrell, a Max Abbott Middle School student from Fayetteville won a $2,000 Army & Air Force Exchange Services gift card, the first-place prize in the Exchange’s worldwide "You Made the Grade" sweepstakes.

The Exchange, a military retail store, presented the gift card to the seventh grader on Jan. 29, her thirteenth birthday, at the North Post Exchange located on Fort Bragg.

“I am very excited, I was like how much again and my mom said ‘$2,000’ and I said ‘no, it can’t be that much,’” Cockrell said. “I wouldn't have expected the $2000, I wouldn’t have thought I was being rewarded for having good grades.”

Sara was selected from amongst 500 high-achieving military students from all over the world who qualified for the sweepstakes by maintaining a B average or higher.

We are so happy on her behalf and she's such a hard worker in school, so she really deserves it, Sue Cockrell, Sara’s mother said.

Students with qualifying grades are encouraged to enter the sweepstakes to win a $2,000, $1,500 or $500 Exchange gift card.

Cockrell said she will be using the money to buy an iPad for herself that she had been saving up for since the summer, to draw on and play Roblox on.

“She always does her homework, I don't have to ask her to do it, I have had no issues with her during virtual learning, which she's done all year,” Sue Cockrell said. “She gets up in the morning, she's very self-motivated.”

Cockrell was presented with her prize by the Exchange’s manager Amanda Hartfield, general manager for Fort Bragg Exchange, and the retail team at the Exchange that sang “Happy Birthday” for her and presented her with a cake.

In attendance to congratulate Cockrell were Fort Bragg Garrison Commander Col. Scott Pence, Fort Bragg Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Loehr and Max Abbott Middle School Principal Carla Crenshaw.

“Sara is a wonderful young lady, she works very hard, she’s one of those students that teachers love to have in class, she helps others and she's kind,” Crenshaw said. “I am so very proud of her.”

Pictured: Sara Cockrell, a seventh grader at Max Abbott Middle School, won the Army & Air Force Exchange Services worldwide "You Made the Grade" sweepstakes.

A World War II combat veteran is being honored for his service with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Retired Sgt. 1st Class Marvin Cornett of Auburn, Calif., will receive the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals that he earned nearly 76 years ago in a ceremony scheduled for Feb. 22. Cornett turns 100 on July 1.

Cornett participated in the combat parachute assault over Salerno, Italy, on Jan. 31, 1944, and stormed ashore at Anzio Beach, according to an 82nd Airborne Division news release. When the Army did not follow up on the award recommendations for his actions, Cornett did not pursue the matter. He was routinely reassigned stateside to Fort Benning, Ga., where he served as an instructor. Cornett went on to serve a full career.

Years later, Heritage Arsenal of Colorado Springs, Colo., found missing records of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart awards that never were conferred. An official of the organization who had been an Army Green Beret helped guide the family through the process of requesting the awards.

The ceremony is being coordinated by Heritage Arsenal and the Cornett family and will be hosted by the American Legion in Auburn. Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division, will be the virtual guest speaker. U.S. Army recruiters will present the awards to Cornett who will be wearing his dress uniform during the event.

Pictured: Retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Marvin Cornett

The narrative of history depends upon who is telling the story. The narrative of Black History Month is rarely told by Blacks.

Every year, we are told the same stories about the same people. Much of America has grown comfortable with telling the “safe” stories. During the month of February, we are constantly reminded of how slavery is an integral part of our heritage. Nobody wants to tell the honest story of what happened to Black America.

Many of the stories told during Black History Month are traumatic experiences that have residual effects. The notion of Black History Month is divisive in nature. BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY.

The fact is that society has normalized division and continues to plague us as a human race. If we are a part of history, why is it that we only celebrate the impact and accomplishments of Black Americans during the shortest month of the year? Black people are making history every day. No disrespect to those who have came before us, but we must give people their flowers while they are able to smell them.

There are people in the community that have made history right here in the city of Fayetteville. For instance, Marshall Pitts is the first Black mayor of Fayetteville.

2020, which Christian Mosley calls “The Black Year,” revealed the true history of American society. The chants of protesters unearthed the time capsule of America’s attitude towards the Black community.

Black History Month stories romanticize the lives of people like Martin Luther King Jr., even though he was hated, jailed and even killed for his beliefs and thoughts. However, American society celebrates his legacy as if he was beloved when he was alive.

The social justice movement of today mirrors the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Advances in technology have allowed activists to tell their stories in real-time. However, the world has become so sensitive that the truth is frowned upon or silenced.

Sometimes, history can be divisive. The conversation surrounding the history of the Market House continues to be as polarizing as the paint that circles the structure. Throughout the last year, we have seen the removal of statues deemed to be “hateful” or “symbols of oppression.” On the opposing side, some argue that the monuments represent “pride” and “celebrates heritage.”

The Market House continues to divide our city. The mural was done as the city’s way to further the message of the City Council of 1989 that is engraved on a plaque attached to a pillar under the structure. The 1989 City Council acknowledged the trauma associated with the building. The message reads: “In memory and honor of those indomitable people who were stripped of their dignity when sold as slaves at this place.”

The removal and re-installment of the mural has been a hot topic. Rather than keep focusing on the structure or the mural, the city should appreciate Collyn Strother and Malcolm Chester. These two young men worked tirelessly to create a piece that symbolizes unity and inclusion.

But, there is a difference between diversity and inclusion. Fayetteville prides itself on diversity, but the city is not very inclusive. Diversity invites people to the table, but inclusion empowers your voice to be heard while you’re at the table. The person who came up this this quote must have been referencing the way the “system” panders to young Black America.

Recently, I sat with the group of artists under the Market House and discussed the role of art in the social justice movement. The common consensus among the group is the role of the artist is to bring the truth to the forefront. The group went on to express how nothing can replace the original feeling of initially completing the project. The group of artists are the truest definition of unity. They all represented different walks of life but came together for a common goal. By painting the mural, they were able to create progressive conversation around the Market House.

However, it is time for some new Black History. Much of my generation are natural born American citizens. Therefore, we should be celebrated like all other Americans that have changed the narrative.

In addition, we must stop covering up the truth like Collyn had to cover up the “peace sign” and “fist of solidarity” he had painted on the North and South exits of the traffic circle. Moments later, he received a call saying that he had to cover the symbols. The fact that those symbols had to be covered is another sign that society is not ready to accept its faults.

Once we open and honestly address the issues of racial inequality, we will be able to move forward as a unit like this group of artists have done. They are the epitome of unity and inclusion. They are what America should be modeled after.

Our exchange under the Market House was extremely refreshing. As a society, we must choose CONVERSATION OVER CONFRONTATION and LEAD WITH LOVE. Salute to Collyn and Malcolm.

Salute to every activist getting active. Happy Black History Month. Peace.

Pictured: Artist Collyn Strother paints over a peace symbol that was part of the mural circling the Market House in downtown Fayetteville.

I am starting this opinion piece on 28 January 2021; Black History Month begins in a few days. As I think about the intended purpose of that designated time, an overwhelming sense of sorrow, of grief, overtakes me. A Black History Month article (updated 27 January 2021) at www.history.com gives this purpose for the month: “Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.”

In my lifetime, our nation has had substantial reason to celebrate and appreciate many Black Americans who, in powerfully positive fashion, contributed not only to our country, but to the world. This weight of sadness that I feel now is because, even though there are still Black citizens worthy of note for what they contribute to humanity, the numbers of such people seem far less than was the case just a few years ago. Even more painful than the much lower numbers is what I see as the reason for this decline. Not only are we failing to produce numbers of towering contributors to the wellbeing of society; instead, Black Americans are, to a substantial extent, providing fuel for the destruction of this great nation. I would argue that this is due to Black America’s change in strategy and tactics.

Strategy is defined as overall aims, while tactics are those actions employed in pursuing those overall aims. I contend that what was the prevailing strategy and tactics of Black Americans for many years is obvious if one takes time to study the lives of those who lived in that period. The candidates for study are numerous, but the life and career of General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. superbly illustrates the strategy and tactics to which I am referring.

General Davis was the first Black to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the 20th Century and the fourth in the Academy’s history, ranking 35 in a class of 276. His dream was to become an aviator, but was not allowed to do so because the Army Air Corps was not accepting Blacks for flight training. Despite initially not being allowed to enter flight training in the Army, he did so later and went on to reach the rank of Lieutenant General in the U.S. Air Force that, in 1947, became a separate military branch. Among Davis’ assignments was that of Commander 99th Fighter Squadron. This was the Army’s first Black fighter squadron. It performed in outstanding fashion during World War II and Davis proved highly effective and successful as squadron commander. In December 1998, well after his retirement in 1970, President Bill Clinton promoted Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. to full general. He had retired as a lieutenant general.

That is an extremely broad overview of General Davis’ military career. The focus for this discussion, however, is on how he set personal goals and had clear tactics for achieving those goals. Every indication is that this approach was consistent across the span of his lifetime. It shows repeatedly, but especially during his four years at West Point. That was an exceedingly difficult and challenging time. The following is from an article titled “General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.: A Life of Fortitude and Faithfulness” by Susan Robertson:

When he matriculated into the Long Gray Line, Davis encountered a juggernaut of institutional prejudice. During his four years as a cadet, he was never assigned a roommate and frequently shunned at required social events. Even worse, he endured the entire experience with no one speaking to him outside of the line of duty. Davis patiently endured countless daily depravations and degradations and kept his eye on the prize. Remarkably, he was to note later of his ill treatment: “It was designed to make me buckle, but I refused to buckle. They didn’t understand that I was going to stay there. That I was going to graduate.” When he did graduate and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1936, the Army had only two black line officers, Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., and Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.

Such was Davis’ grace and character, he would say of his time at West Point: ”Living as a prisoner in solitary confinement for four years had not destroyed my personality, nor poisoned my attitude toward other people.” Yet, in spite of, or rather, because of the hardships he endured, Davis had already made an impact on his future fellow officers. In the 1936 issue of The Howitzer, West Point’s yearbook, it was said of him:

The courage, tenacity, and intelligence with which he conquered a problem incomparably more difficult than plebe year won for him the sincere admiration of his classmates, and his single-minded determination to continue in his chosen career cannot fail to inspire respect wherever fortune may lead him.

What I see here is a man who understood the power of persuasion that comes with doing a job well and demonstrating resolve in the face of challenging situations. When life is unfair and it feels as though the world is against us, we, as individuals, must choose how to respond. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. chose a goal, worked hard, refused to give up; in the process, he achieved much and gained the respect of many who had treated him unfairly … as well as many who might have otherwise done so in the future. This was the prevailing approach to life among Black Americans during his time and for generations before and maybe for some after him. Even though confronted with unfair treatment, embracing the Davis strategy and tactics rewarded Black Americans with improved respect and advancement in society and in living conditions.

I was born shortly after the end of World War II, when the life strategies and tactics employed by General Davis were still very present among Black Americans. I saw it work in the lives of my parents, grandmothers (both of my grandfathers died before I was born), uncles and aunts.

I lived with my maternal grandmother, Ma’ Bessie, until I was eight years old. One day, when I was about seven, she told me to sweep the back porch. I was simply sweeping the easy-to-reach areas. She came over and took the broom and demonstrated how I should sweep the corners and along the base of the walls. Then she looked into my young eyes and said, “Karl, whatever you do in life, do it well; you don’t know what you will have to do to earn a living, but whatever it is, do it well.” This was a lady whose husband had died and left her with three small children to rear. She did it all alone. I remember her washing the clothes of people as a source of income. I especially remember how she would starch and iron white shirts to perfection and hang them on the front porch for pick up.

Ma’ Bessie never gained the fame of a Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., but she had that same set of life strategies and tactics. I will be forever thankful that she, and others, exposed me to that life approach. Whatever good I have done in life, whatever genuine success has come to me, I owe to God and to people like Ma’ Bessie who were put in my life by Him.

Simply put, I contend that, for the most part, Black America has shifted to goals and strategies that would not be recognized, or considered reasonable, by Ma’ Bessie, General Davis, and millions of Black Americans who built successful lives by employing the approach described to this point. This shift has brought far too many Black Americans to focus on quotas for employment, education and business opportunities; deemphasizing the two parent family unit; looking to government to solve problems of poverty, alleged racism, low academic achievement; placing self-serving individuals in positons of power and influence; literally making every problem that plagues Black Americans about racism; calling for self-destructive actions, such as defunding police when they are extremely needed in the Black community; protesting in a fashion that routinely ends in riots, looting and destruction of property along with lives and livelihoods; creating a victim mentality among Black Americans. Without doubt, this approach is not only proving destructive for Black Americans, but also for all of America.

In the final analysis, the pressing question is: which group of goals and strategies should be the choice of Black America today? Given that the approach employed by Ma’ Bessie, General Davis, and millions of other Black Americans proved extremely successful while today’s prevailing approach is contributing to the destruction of a people and a country, the choice is crystal clear for me. Because the successful goals and strategies of the past have been discarded in favor of a shiny new destructive set, I grieve deeply.

Pictured: General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. (Photo courtesy U.S. Air Force)

Your mama and mine were clear about this. We do not tell lies, nor do we perpetuate them. I must have told a whopper, because I can still remember my Kinston grandmother grabbing both my arms and putting her nose next to mine and hissing at me, “Margaret Dawson, don’t you EVER tell me a teewaddie again!” Teewaddie is eastern North Carolina speak for a big fat lie. I must have been about 5 or 6, and her technique was so effective, I doubt I ever told her another one.

There are facts, of course, and there are interpretations of facts, and sometimes it is difficult to separate them. The North Carolina Board of Education has been in the midst of just such a quandary, and it is not likely over yet. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements and the sketchy, relaxed relationship with the truth enjoyed by our former President and many of his supporters, the Board has been wrestling with how to teach North Carolina’s school children about inequity and injustice in American society.

Those are concepts not unlike art and pornography — hard to define, but we all know them when we see them. The 1898 coup d’etat in Wilmington, the only such overthrow of an elected government in American history, is a fact. It was not taught in schools during my public education because it had been spun in a different light. It has been well documented in recent years though by, among others, Philip Gerard in "Cape Fear Rising" (1994) and more recently in "Wilmington’s Lie" (2020) by David Zucchino, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and graduate of Terry Sanford High School. The coup d’etat, long buried in state and national history, should be part of social studies and history curricula at all levels in North Carolina schools and throughout our nation. Ditto for other documented events including civil rights activities, the women’s movement, and other historical events with both positive and negative connotations.

The Board struggled, and understandably so, over less concrete questions, including adjectives. Early proposals for social studies curriculum standards in included “systemic racism,” “system discrimination,” and “engender identity.” After fierce Board of Education debate over several months, a 7 to 5 vote has adopted standards that dropped those adjectives for less precise language. Still, it is a step in the right direction.

Proponents of social studies standards say the information will be more meaningful to students of color who now make up the majority of public school students in North Carolina. Opponents contend the standards project anti-American, anti-capitalist, and anti-democratic viewpoints. The fight is not over yet. Later this year, professional staff at the Department of Public Instruction will present additional documentation of how the new standards will be implemented in classrooms, which is sure to ignite yet another round of disagreement about what our children should learn and how they should learn it.

Most of us are not educators and know little about curriculum development of any sort. Most of us do have common sense, however, as have leaders of all stripes when they ponder truth, however painful. Here are three that ring true
to me.

“Truth will ultimately prevail where there is (sic) pains to bring it to light.” — George Washington

“Repetition does not translate a lie into a truth.” — Franklin Delano Roosevelt

And, chillingly, this from Sir Winston Churchill in a 1948 speech to Parliament. He was surely speaking about war, but it works just as well for discrimination and injustice.
“Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.”

February is an extraordinary month. I planned to write for you today to celebrate the 61st anniversary of the day where three friends and I boldly went and sat at the Woolworth counter in Greensboro, NC. As Black men, we didn't know how we would be leaving that restaurant. Some of us feared we would be beaten or even killed. That sit-in sparked similar sit-ins across the nation leading to significant social change in the United States.

Sadly, while the anniversary day should have been a day to celebrate how far we've come, we see firsthand how the liberal news media is viciously attacking independent thinking Black men.

Last week WRAL published a political cartoon that depicted my good friend, Mark Robinson, as a Klansman simply because he refuses to rubber-stamp the leftist agenda promoted by their liberal organization. Amazingly, this is only a few days after the Democrat-controlled school board scheduled a meeting that they knew Lt. Governor Robinson could not attend. It's heartbreaking how, even after 61 years, we're still having to fight to have a Black man protect his seat at the table.

As we celebrate Black History Month, we should be promoting, not silencing, voices like Mark Robinson's, our state's first Black Lieutenant Governor!

Like Mark, I will not be silenced! I plan to continue the fight. Through our efforts with the NC Faith and Freedom Coalition and the Frederick Douglass Foundation to educate and engage conservative-minded minorities, we will work even harder to combat these disgraceful attacks from the left. Will you stand with us? Let's send a message that we will not let them intimidate us! That's the best way to celebrate Black History and making history.

Pictured above: On the second day of the 1960 Greensboro sit-in, Clarence Henderson (far right) joins (front left to right) Joseph A. McNeil, Franklin E. McCain and William Smith at the Woolworth lunch counter.
(Courtesy of Greensboro News and Record)

Editor's Note: In a press conference, Lt. Gov. Robinson reacted to the cartoon: "On the second day of Black History Month, the first Black lieutenant governor of North Carolina has been portrayed as [racist]," he said. "That you would portray a Black man, just because he's in the GOP, as a Klansman... the hypocrisy is mind-numbing, folks."
In a statement from Capitol Broadcasting Company, Opinion Editor Seth Effron said: “Editorial cartoons are creative and provocative, using hyperbole and satire. No one believes Republicans on the State Board of Education are members of the Ku Klux Klan. The editorial cartoon by Dennis Draughon is meant to point out that these members of the State Board are trying to wipe out from the social studies curriculum the record of racism which includes the Klan and the segregationist practices that were imposed in our state and nation’s history.”

Clarence Henderson was a student at N.C. A&T State University when he sat down at the lunch counter at the Greensboro, Woolworth in the winter of 1960. The purpose was to protest racial segregation. He was 18 years of age. He wanted to change the system then, and now 61 years later, he is still working hard to change the system. This Black History Month and every month, we want to honor men like Mr. Henderson for their dedication and perseverance to obtaining fair and equal rights for all. Thank you for all your contributions. — Bill Bowman, Publisher