Cumberland County residents who own pets will no longer be required to pay a pet privilege license effective July 1. The change is part of the revised Animal Ordinance approved June 7 by the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners at their regular meeting.

Commissioners adopted the new ordinance after the proposal was presented at the May 13 Agenda Session meeting by Animal Services Director Elaine Smith. Dropping the pet license fee was one of several changes in the new ordinance. Smith told commissioners the pet license program was no longer economically practical due to a decline in fees collected.

“The revenue declined rapidly and significantly over the last five or six years, and it has reached the point where the revenue generated is not making up for the amount of labor, the cost of mailing, postage and fees we pay to our database company,” Smith said. “It has a very shrinking benefit over returns.”
Most counties in North Carolina do not have pet
licenses, Smith said, and the Animal Services Department found the licensing requirement to be a disincentive for people getting their pets vaccinated against rabies.

Current Cumberland County regulations require a pet privilege license for every dog and cat four months of age and older. The annual fee is $7 per animal if the pet is spayed/neutered, or $25 if the pet is not spayed/neutered. Licenses were available at the Animal Services office or through most veterinary clinics.

I often hear, I need to start exercising. That is an opportunity to talk about fitness, but the decision to begin any type of change that involves lifestyle and fitness is a personal decision.

There are five stages of health behaviors that assess a person’s readiness to change with a new and healthier behavior, according to the Transtheoretical Model.

Precontemplation — In this stage there is little or no interest in starting an activity and the person feels it is irrelevant to their life.

Contemplation — The person is still inactive but is becoming interested in beginning an activity and starts to realize the importance in relation to their lifestyle and health but not ready to make that start to
a change.

Preparation — You are ready to become engaged in an activity. The importance of being active becomes relevant and it may begin with short walks, occasional visits to the gym but still inconsistent.

Action — Engagement is regular physical activity becoming consistent and begins to develop into a routine. The activity is becoming an important part of your life and you find yourself beginning to set a pattern as the months roll by! Six months of continuing your schedule indicates that you are becoming confident in your regimen and results.

Maintenance — You are excited and feel confident with your accomplishments. Mentally and physically, you see and feel a difference and beginning to advance to other goals and challenges!

You have been consistent at keeping your goals for more than six months. You are making a continued commitment and are engaging in a lifestyle.

It is not always easy to get to this stage and many times, the start of an activity will become faced with obstacles and the person can become discouraged before they have gotten started. As an example, Rita has decided to walk three days a week and is doing great with her plan and things come up that interrupt her walking.

What happens is that she begins to put off something that she is enjoying until the next day or the next and a great start has stopped before it developed into something that would have been beneficial.

A SMART goal which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound is an excellent format to follow for goals.

If Rita had a SMART Goal continuing with walking may have helped her focus on a walking regimen. A SMART Goal for Rita: I will begin walking on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 a.m. for twenty minutes each day to improve my stamina for one month.

In this scenario Rita established a time, duration and reason for her exercise which was attainable. Making the decision to be begin a fitness regimen after an illness, injury or being inactive can be rewarding and challenging.

Be kind to yourself with expectations, approach with a slow start because some apprehension is normal. Surround yourself with friends, groups and social media groups that have similar or the same goals. Select an activity that you like and read articles on the benefits. Place your clothes out the night before as a gentle reminder.

Reward yourself for reaching your goals and add new goals as you progress and see results of a new you!

Here we go again, another Atlantic hurricane season to weather through — a long spell over the summer that traditionally runs from June through November.

At least one named tropical storm has formed in the Atlantic prior to June 1 — which is the official start of the season — every year for the past half-dozen years.

Fayetteville PWC reminds everyone that now is the time to start thinking about how you can prepare for the 2021 hurricane season.

On their website, PWC has posted various sites for checklists, planning tips, FAQs and other resources for its service territory to help customers prepare for hurricanes and other emergencies.

This season is expected to be another active Atlantic hurricane season with as many as 10 hurricanes forming, according to the federal government.

“We’re prepared really at a moment’s notice for any emergency,” said Elaina Ball, the recently named CEO and general manager of Fayetteville PWC.

The free PWC 2021 Storm Guide is now available. Besides being distributed directly to PWC customers, the guide will be available online. Not only does it contain information that pertains to electric and water, but there's an important added section on flooding.

“It’s not just about the utility service,” Ball said. “It’s really about our community. Making sure they are prepared for everything.”

As for PWC, Ball said the company is prepared year-round for any kind of storm emergency. “Our crews are a 24/7 operation,” she added. “We need to make sure that, not only on the power side but on the waste-water side, that our systems are prepared for extreme weather. We work year-round to conduct maintenance and make sure we have tools, equipment and materials to be able to respond during a significant storm event like a hurricane."

“We’re really always on,” Ball said. “Our team works and lives in the community which is an added benefit during storm season. It helps reduce our outages when storms do come upon us so we’re not dispatching crews from other communities. We live and work here so that’s an added advantage of PWC and our workforce.”

PWC already has an emergency plan of operations in place and is ready to implement it at a moment’s notice.

“Should there be a hurricane,” she said, “we have an incident command structure able to respond to a hurricane to ensure that, first and foremost, puts the safety of the public and our employees at the forefront. But also that we can direct operations during those emergency events in a sufficient manner, making sure we get response to the highest areas of need to get the majority of customers back quickly and that we can provision our crews to get them what they need to get the power back on.”

The municipal utility, Ball said, is continuously looking at ways to improve response time. “And I think one of the tools we have that really is going to help us during major storm events is our outage management system. We did just recently upgrade and this system allows the utility and customers to be able see real-time information relative to the status of our power.”

Customers can sign up with the outage management system through the PWC online customer portal to get outage notifications even during normal times, not just during hurricane events.

“If there’s a power disruption in your neighborhood and you’re out of power,” Ball said, “you will receive a message, and that will also notify you as soon as the power’s turned back on. At a higher level, the utility can see through the outage management system how many customers are out in an area based on how many outages are showing up in the system. It gives us a better idea of where to pinpoint trouble maybe, and that gets our crews to the areas where they can troubleshoot and make repairs more quickly.”

Customers are encouraged to have a plan in advance of a looming hurricane.

Jon Rynne, the chief officer for the PWC electric system, recommends that citizens have a plan for not dealing with power or possibly having a loss of water wastewater facilities during a hurricane or in the days that follow.

Some of the general precautions often heard from Emergency Management, he said, “are definitely about buttoning up the house if you can. All the things that can become projectiles that can damage your property even further. From the other perspective of having all your things organized so that if you need to evacuate in the case of a flood or something of that nature, have them together so you can go before it’s too late.”

Have non-perishable foods such as canned goods on hand to eat, Rynne said,so that when the refrigerator is out and customers lose power they still have something they can use to feed themselves and the family. Obviously, having a supply of water and be sure to follow guidelines for how much water you need for how many people you have in your home.

In addition, consider putting together a “go box” with any important documents and medications that you can simply toss in your vehicle and leave if there’s a need to evacuate.

In terms of more things specific to the electric system, Rynne said, people need to know what they can and can’t do with a generator: “Not back-feeding with your generator. If folks don’t know or don’t have the provisions in place that can safely inter-tie a generator with their home, they should not inter-tie them."

“They should use extension cords and just plug in the really critical loads in your house so that you can get through the really critical loads that you need in your house to get through the period that you don’t have power,” he advised. “Because it becomes a very dangerous situation if you back-feed the high-voltage system, and we’re trying to do restoration efforts. It obviously presents quite a hazard and when the guys do restore power, if you are in that condition, you’re going to have a lot of damage to the service on your house and that generator when we restore.”

Generators should be installed per code and properly, according to Rynne. When people take shortcuts, he noted, that’s when it gets a lot more dangerous.

“That is an issue we always run into,” he said, “particularly if there’s a long outage and people get to the point where they just can’t stand it without having the generator running.”

Another suggestion is that people do their routine tree trimming and removal that they should do in their yards. That’s because when a hurricane rolls through, anything of that nature comes down.

“So, unfortunately, the utility can only clear trees within the right of ways and easements that they have,” said Rynne. “And if people have dangerous trees in their yards, the hurricane’s going to bring it down and it can cause damage to the system and cause outages. So there’s a lot of pieces and parts to it.”

Carolyn Justice-Hinson, spokeswoman for Fayetteville PWC, also said much can be prevented with the right planning.

The utility’s customers with medical equipment eligible for the medical priority program can be made a priority in emergency weather situations, she said. This requires a doctor’s certification. Call to find out more about the program.

For more information on how to prepare for hurricane season visit www.faypwc.com/ call 910-483-1382.

Pictured Above : A utility crew works to repair service after severe weather. (Photo courtesy PWC) 

Cape Fear Studios is hosting Evoke, an exhibit featuring member artist Angela Stout. The exhibit features her striking art creations in oil and will be shown June 23 through July 25. Stout is a contemporary painter, printmaker, photographer and sculptor.

Also a veteran, Stout teaches art classes to the public. She is a graduate of Fayetteville State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Studio Arts. Stout exhibits frequently in group exhibitions and competitions locally, nationally and internationally. Her artwork deals with evoking a feeling and the social condition.

Cape Fear Studios is also excited about having its first open reception in a year on Fourth Friday, June 25 from 5–7 p.m. The event if free.

Cape Fear Studios is a non-profit artist co -op, offering original pottery, woodwork, glass, jewelry, metalwork, paintings and photography. The Studio’s workshops and retail section will also be open to visitors.

Cape Fear Studios is located at 148 Maxwell St. The Studio will be open Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Questions can be directed to: artgallery@capefearstudios.com, or 910-433-2986.

Thousands of people and families have cycled through our community over the years, some for a weekend, some for a few years and many with the military. Relatively few of us, however, have spent our formative years here, and even fewer of us have excelled on national and international stages like David Zucchino and Chris Hondros. Both are graduates of Terry Sanford High School, though decades apart, and both went on to become legends in their respective fields. They knew of each other but
never met.

David Zucchino, a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, recently received his second Pulitzer Prize for “Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy.” It is an examination of the only overthrow of an elected government in United States history. Blessedly, a more recent attempt, the January 6th insurrection in Washington, failed. Zucchino lays bare this heretofore little-known and shameful moment in our state and nation’s history. His first Pulitzer award came in 1989 for his series “Being Black in South Africa,” published in the Philadelphia Enquirer. I asked the author how growing up in our community shaped him, if it did at all, and he very kindly responded.

“I went to high school in Fayetteville after my father, a U.S. Army First Sergeant, was transferred to Fort Bragg. As a high school student, I spent several fascinating evenings trolling along Hay Street and taking in the heady mixture of strip clubs, juke joints, saloons, hookers, fistfights and drug dealers. People from all over the world were drawn to Fayetteville at the time, with the Vietnam War in full swing and the Army sending troops back and forth. For reasons that are still obscure, even to me, my exposure to that tawdry scene motivated me to travel the world and seek adventures in faraway places.”

I would love to have asked the same question of Chris Hondros, but he was killed in Syria in 2011. He was barely 41. An accomplished photographer from his teenage years on, Hondros became a war photojournalist who covered conflicts the world over, including in Liberia, Iraq, Kosovo, Angola, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan. He and a British filmmaker died in a mortar attack by Syrian government troops. His war photography graced the covers of Newsweek and The Economist, as well as the front pages of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. Some local residents remember Hondros as a photographer for the Fayetteville Observer in the late 1990s, but he was destined for the world theater. He remains on the world stage today in a riveting documentary, “Hondros,” currently available on Netflix, and in an exhibit of some of his photographs currently at the Gregg Museum of Art at NC State, Hondros’ alma mater. The photographs, given to the museum by Hondros’ employer, Getty Images, are both arresting and haunting as they record human behavior and its consequences. Several are familiar even if we did not know who took them. The centerpiece is Hondros’ photograph of a young Liberian government fighter leaping in jubilation as his troops prevail in battle. This well-known photo is one of two Hondros works that received Pulitzer nominations.

Every community has sons in whom it takes pride, but few have nurtured sons whose work has meaning to people they will never know which sheds light on people, events and issues that shape us and the world around us.

David Zucchino and Chris Hondros have both achieved that, and we are better for their work.

 Pictured Left: Chris Honros Self-portrait for the 1992 agromeck, NC State University.

The Department of Social Services is seeking box fans to distribute to eligible citizens this summer through the Fan Giveaway Program. The program provides relief to residents who do not have access to air conditioning during hot summer months. DSS is accepting donations of new box fans from civic organizations, churches, businesses and individuals in the community. The Social Services building is closed to the public so donors are asked to make an appointment to drop off fans. Call 910-677-2536 for more information.
Citizens eligible for the Fan Giveaway Program are those individuals whose income falls below 200% of the current poverty level or who have a family member in the home under the age of 2, over the age of 60, or with a heat sensitive medical condition. Citizens are asked to call 910-677-2388 or 910-677-2389 to speak with a social worker and have an assessment completed. Eligible citizens will be given a date, time and location for fan pick up. DSS is located at 1225 Ramsey St.

Two 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers were found dead in a barracks room on Fort Bragg June 11. Spc. Joshua Diamond, 35, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Pfc. Matthew Disney, 20, of Aberdeen, Maryland, are possible victims of drug overdoses. “We do have credible information that the soldiers were involved with illicit drugs,” said Chris Grey, spokesman for the Army Criminal Investigation Division. Diamond and Disney served as field artillery radar operators and were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment. “Our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones and fellow paratroopers during this difficult time,” said Col. Phillip J. Kiniery III, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team. Both men joined the Army in 2019. Diamond was a combat veteran having deployed to Iraq in 2020.

The North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, has created a new traveling exhibit about sites important to, and personal memories about, American travel during the “Jim Crow” era of legal segregation. The Navigating Jim Crow: The Green Book and Oasis Spaces in North Carolina traveling exhibit will be at the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex though July 9.

“The Negro Motorist Green Book,” published between 1936 and 1966, was both a guide and a tool of resistance designed to confront the realities of racial discrimination in the United States and beyond. The book listed over 300 North Carolina businesses — from restaurants and hotels, to tourist homes, nightclubs and beauty salons — in the three decades that is was published.

The exhibit highlights a complex statewide network of business owners and Green Book sites that allowed African American communities to thrive, and that created “oasis spaces” for a variety of African American travelers.

Eight vibrant panels form the traveling exhibit, showcasing images of business owners, travelers and historic and present-day images of North Carolina Green Book sites.

The words of African American travelers and descendants of Green Book site owners are featured prominently in the exhibit. Each of these stories are from oral histories collected by the AAHC in 2018 and 2019.

This exhibit was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and there is no fee to see this exhibit. Two versions will tour the state’s African American cultural centers, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, history museums, historic sites and libraries. For more tour dates and locations, visit https://aahc.nc.gov/green-book-project. For additional information about the exhibit, call 919-814-6516.

The Museum of the Cape Fear is located on the corner of Bradford and Arsenal avenues in Fayetteville, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. The museum operates under the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives and History, within the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

What is so rare as a wedding in northern Virginia? Love is once again in bloom as the Rona mostly fades into the rearview mirror. Postponed nuptials spring forth unabated. We took our first big road trip since the Rona to attend the splendid wedding of my brother’s granddaughter.

The festivities were held in a Mega Church with 300 of the wedding party’s closest friends. Having never been in an Mega Church we did not know what to expect. The Mega Church is doing something right as the congregation consisted mostly of Millennials and their kids. Many mainstream churches have aging congregation syndrome. They tend to have as John Prine once sang, “Hearing aids in every pew.” The bride’s relationship to me is that of great niece once removed or something like that. It puts me in a demographic that emphasizes the effects of calendar creep — e.g., older than dirt.

The ceremony was upbeat and filled with laughter. Although the bride and groom were no longer teenagers, to quote Chuck Berry’s song “You Never Can Tell” — “You could see that Pierre did truly love the mademoiselle.” The vows were interesting. The bride promised to joyfully and/or meekly submit to the leadership of the husband. My wife, who is a lawyer, seemed a bit surprised by this section of the vows. Personally, I thought it was a great idea. Unfortunately, I have had absolutely no luck convincing her to either meekly or joyfully submit to me. Knowing my great niece is not a pushover by any means, all I can say is good luck to the groom on that part of the vows. But as Mr. Berry said, “C’est la vie, say the old folks, It goes to show you never can tell.” We wished them well.

In my last column I whined about the lack of Cicadas in Fayetteville. I got my wish for an insect chorus in Virginia. The motel where we stayed was surrounded by trees featuring an abundance of Cicadas in lust. The love song of thousands of horny Cicadas sounded like Martian spaceships. It was beyond loud. It was colossal. Stupendous. The 17-year wait was worth it. Them bugs can belt out a love song better than J. Alfred Prufrock.

We headed into the District of Cicadas after the wedding for a fact-finding mission to see how our nation’s capital has survived the Rona. We had reservations at The Churchill, our favorite D.C. hotel in the Dupont Circle area. Having stayed there many times I did not read the fine print on the emailed confirmation. Oops, large mistake. In the interim since our last stay, The Churchill had decided to add what they euphemistically call a “Resort Fee” of $100 a night. That is on top of the room rate. Woody Guthrie warned about Resort Fees in his song “Pretty Boy Floyd”— “I’ve seen lots of funny men/ Some will rob you with a six-gun/ And some with a fountain pen.” It was my error by not reading the fine print so it was my fault. However, to both of my Gentle Readers, study the fine print to look for the words “Resort Fee” before you confirm your reservation. You will be glad you did. Do as I say. Not as I did.

D.C. is still pretty much in the depths of the Rona lockdown. Many stores have closed. People on the streets are wearing masks. Even the Starbucks only has take-out caffeine. Traffic is actually very tolerable as there ain’t much. We were in walking distance of Obama’s D.C. residence so we walked over to pay our respects. We got as close as the end of his street where a D.C. cop was parked. Uh oh. That did not look encouraging. I walked over to the car as non-threateningly as I could. “Any chance we can go see the house?” I asked. “Not a chance” he replied. But I had to ask anyway. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

We had more luck with the museums. Most of the Smithsonian museums have not reopened. The ones that are open use free timed tickets to keep crowds controlled. We spent five hours in the National Gallery of Art which gave us hope that the Rona closings are actually going to end at some point. After being booted out at closing time, we attempted to get an Uber ride back to our hotel. No luck. We had never been anywhere that Uber wasn’t available. The Rona struck again. Plan B involved going back on the Metro. My wife is not a fan of subways but the alternative was to sleep on the street so away we walked.

As we walked, a very nice lady carrying her painting of Saint Lucy approached us. Out of the blue she asked us how long we had been married. I told her 45 years. She then told us we were “cute.” This officially marked the line where we went from the north end of middle aged to the elderly “cute.” I have certainly been called worse things than cute. In fact, this was the first time I had ever been called cute. I wasn’t even cute as a baby.

When we reached the Metro it was rush hour. No crowds. Lots of empty seats. The Rona still lives in D.C. Get vaccinated. The life you save may be my own.

It was a beautiful warm summer day at Arsenal Park last week when residents, state dignitaries and local officials gathered to break ground for the North Carolina Civil War & Reconstruction History Center's History Village.

The ceremony marked the beginning of the next stage of development of the statewide Civil War History Center. The ceremony was an impressive "who's who" of those who genuinely care about North Carolina's history, heritage and Fayetteville's future. These are the people who understand the importance of embracing history as it pertains to human rights and the freedoms we enjoy today as Americans, but, unfortunately, many times, we take for granted.

The keynote speaker was Clemson University history professor Orville Vernon Burton. Burton is an award-winning author of the book "The Age of Lincoln."

In addition, former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt was in attendance and currently serves as the honorary chairman of the history center. However, locally and for over a decade, the hard work, dedication, perseverance and leadership for bringing the NCCWHC to Fayetteville is the History Center's Foundation Chairman Mac Healy and long-time resident and Fayetteville advocate Co-Chair Mary Lynn Bryan. Together, they represent a tour de force of spirit, enthusiasm and heart for what constitutes a healthy and robust community. They understand that American history cannot be changed or altered — only studied, appreciated and understood as it pertains to humanity.

This $80 million center will be part of the North Carolina state museum system. It is a godsend to the Fayetteville community, and we should be proud and grateful that the state has chosen our community for this honor. We, as citizens, should be Fayetteville proud that over $30 million in private funding has been secured for this Fayetteville and Cumberland County project. And, everyone should be overly excited about the economic impact this facility will have on our community in terms of consumer spending, creating new jobs and increasing tourism. These are all the things you would think our local mayor and city council would embrace.

Well, unfortunately, Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin's absence at the groundbreaking was conspicuously noticeable.

This once-in-a-lifetime Herculean accomplishment could be the pinnacle and highlight of Colvin's mayoral career. After all, being an integral part of bringing an $80 million state-supported museum to the Fayetteville community would be a pretty impressive accomplishment when pursuing a political career. However, to make that happen, one must set self-serving politics aside, and all city residents' welfare must become a priority. And that takes cooperation, communication and flawless leadership.

The mayor and our city and county leadership will never again have a more opportune time to showcase their leadership skills or demonstrate their love of this community than by providing this museum. Everyone would be proud of an institution that would provide valuable learning and educational experiences for future generations. They, the mayor and city officials, have the power to make it happen.

In closing, history is history. It cannot be changed, altered or modified. Thank goodness that telling the truth has never been a bad thing. That being said, this is Fayetteville's chance to make history! Let's do it!

Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.

The Greek community and much of Fayetteville are mourning the loss of Rev. Chrysostom Manuel, Pastor Emeritus of Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church. He died on June 11, following a period of declining health. He was 89. Manuel served the Fayetteville community for 37 years retiring as an active priest in August 2000. During his time in Fayetteville, the church sanctuary was built in 1964, with classical Byzantine iconography and architecture. The church was consecrated in 1984, and the education building with a library was completed in 2005. In 1964, Fr. Manuel became the first Orthodox clergyman to earn a master's degree from the Duke University Divinity School. He is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Amphitrite Anthoula Constantelos Manuel, four children and eight grandchildren.

Pictured: Rev. Chrysostom Manuel 

Fayetteville and Cumberland County property tax rates will remain as they are in the 2021-22 Fiscal Year which begins July 1. The city of Fayetteville’s operating budget will be $240.3 million. “I’m very pleased that we are able to continue our high level of service to residents,” Mayor Mitch Colvin said. “We’ve been able to focus on key strategic areas as set forth by Council.” The property tax rate will remain at $49.95 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Cumberland County's property tax rate will also remain the same at $79.9 cents per $100 of property value. County Manager Amy Cannon’s $502 million budget plan includes more than $340 million for the county's general fund and $83 million for the school system. Most school funding is provided by the state. Cannon said she had expected to see a revenue drop over the course of the last year, but that didn’t happen. In FY22, sales tax revenue is expected to go up by close to $10 million. The city and county will receive combined stimulus funding of more than $113 million through the American Rescue Plan.

The month of June is observed as LGBTQ+ Pride Month and holds significance for members, supporters and
allies.

Several local organizations continue to strive for tolerance and inclusion. Leading the local effort is Fayetteville Pride, which focuses on instilling pride, celebrating unity and embracing diversity and inclusion while providing education and support within the LGBTQ+ community.

When the organization started in 2017, Fayetteville Pride Board President Sam DuBois said he expected pushback, but most efforts have been met with a positive response.

Fayetteville’s chapters of Free Mom Hugs and PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) offer various resources to the community.

“We’re a group of moms and allies that get together either at events or we host things and we just celebrate the members of our LGBTQ community,” said Audra Ferguson, Free Mom Hugs Fayetteville/Sandhills chapter leader.

Free Mom Hugs organization was established 2014 by Sara Cunningham, a southern Christian mother fighting for LGBTQ+ rights for her gay son. The organization became a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2018. For more information visit, https://freemomhugs.org
Ferguson said she joined when she met the local chapter at a Pride event with her two sons who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. She joined after she fell in love with their mission.

“We go and give a hug to people who may just need a hug, we can be a stand-in parent if someone’s getting married and their family doesn’t accept that, we go and be their stand-in parent,” she said. “We just go out and support, be that for someone who doesn’t have it.”

The organization also blocks protesters at Pride events, drag shows and more by standing guard without engaging.

“In my group I always post different articles and resources to help people learn things they might not know,” Ferguson said.
PFLAG Fayetteville works with parents and families and friends of LGBTQ+ individuals in providing support, education and advocacy.

“Sometimes people come in with questions, sometimes they just want to observe what other parents are going through,” PFLAG Fayetteville Board President Devra Thomas said. “We are seeing less of let's not talk about it but more how do I talk about it, I need more information rather than this is not something I want to deal with.”

The organization hosts monthly support meetings on the first Thursday of every month at 7:30 p.m. The meetings are currently over Zoom but are in the process of resuming into in-person meetings. For more details follow @pflagfayetteville on Facebook.

“Back in spring I had a mom contact me through email whose teenager was starting to have questions about their gender identity,” Thomas said. “She just wanted to talk to somebody and asked what the right thing was that she was supposed to say, so we jumped on a phone call, had a great conversation.”

“I identity as bi-sexual and have several family members who identity various ways,” Thomas said. “Pride month is a great month to see who else is in this space and fight for those rights. Any time we can get together and have a party and celebrate is great.”

Thomas mentioned there is a slow and steady upward trajectory for continued interest in pride in Fayetteville. With more information shared and more public recognition, some have seen increased support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Nadine Alonzo, a Major assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and recalls how things have changed over the years for members of the community even in the service.

“I couldn’t let people get close to me, people who I loved and served with, because I didn’t want them to have evidence, not because I thought they would tell on me, but because if they ever put me in a military court martial or asked to testify, I didn't want to put them in that position,” Alonzo said. “This was between 2002-2011, so that was what it was like beforehand, and people now may not know that and that’s why history is important.”

Alonzo said she has been lucky to be in the 82nd Airborne Division at Bragg and for their acceptance.

“I look diverse, not like most ladies that serve, seeing me knowing you can probably guess what my sexual orientation is,” Alonzo said. “They are willing to look past that and look at me as an officer and give me a lot of opportunity which I am grateful for because that’s not always been the case.”

Before gay marriage was legalized and it was legal by law to be gay in the military, she didn’t always feel accepted or comfortable during the days when “don’t ask, don’t tell” was the official policy for being gay in the military.

“It was tough, it gets dark and lonely because you can’t let people get to know you because, back in the day if someone had evidence, I could get kicked out, so I had to be very careful,” Alonzo said.

Originally from Long Island, New York, Alonzo joined the service after 9/11 to support her country and to give back to the country that helped her immigrant parents establish themselves.

“To be an out person that other young people can see, and it probably helps them seeing me walk around in a leadership position, I am trusted by others and it legitimizes who I am and what I represent other than my rank and uniform,” Alonzo said.

Representation is one way to help end the stigma still associated with the LGBTQ+ community.

Alonzo said people often act tense when same sex couples show affection and she encourages people to relax, and to treat them the same as everyone else.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community living their truth is perhaps one of the best examples for those who have questions or concerns, some advocates say.

“The more we educate, the more people come around," Ferguson said. "It used to be so many years ago that it’s a choice, and well it’s not.”

“There isn’t equality still and a lot of discrimination against the LGBTQ community — it's our hope to help that dissipate and make it better in the future for our children or our children’s children,” Ferguson said.

For more information visit, http://www.FayettevillePRIDE.org/

 Pictured above: Audra Furguson is chapter leader of Fayetteville's Free Mom Hugs. 

Pictured Left: Devra Thomas serves as Board President of PFLAG.

Pictured below: Nadine Alonzo and her partner, just want to be treated like everyone else.    

Why would John Shelton Reed write another book about barbecue?

After all, he is a co-author of the recently revised classic, “Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue” and in 2016, author of “Barbecue” in the UNC Press’s “Savor the South” Cookbook series.

The retired Kenan professor of sociology at UNC-Chapel Hill is the author of more than 20 books. He likes to write books and articles and other commentary that connect readers to their culture.

His new book, “On Barbecue,” is a compilation of writings about barbecue.

Barbecue means different things to different people. Just remember how many ways the term is spelled: barbecue, barbeque, bar-b-que, and so on. Reed explains how the term probably came about.

He writes, “the word came into English only some 500 years ago. In the first decades of the 1500s Spanish explorers in the Caribbean found the locals using frameworks of sticks to support meat cooking over fires. They did this either to slow-cook it or to cure it and preserve it (as we do with country hams and jerky today.”

This apparatus was called something that the Spaniards heard as barbacoa, which soon became a Spanish word and then an English word that referred to the cooking device or method, not the resulting cooked meat.

Only in the 1800s did the term begin to be used to mean the cooked meat. As late as 1894, when the Statesville Landmark wrote about barbecue being served at an event, “the paper put the noun in quotation marks, suggesting that the usage remained colloquial. Still, by then, everyone seems to have known that it meant something you could put on a plate or in a sandwich. Once that was understood, Southerners began the eternal argument about what barbecue is.”

Reed writes, “whole hog in eastern North Carolina, mustard sauce in parts of South Carolina, mutton in Owensboro, Ky., ‘dry ribs’ in Memphis, beef brisket in Texas and so forth.”

Reed celebrates these differences, writing that he would order Memphis ribs in Memphis, but would pass it by if it were offered in North Carolina or elsewhere.

He mourns the development of “mass barbecue” chains that he calls “IHOB” or International House of Barbecue with menus, “where you can pile Texas brisket, Memphis ribs, and Carolina chopped pork all on one plate.”

However, Reed has no doubt. “All understand that cooking with hardwood makes the difference between barbecue and roast meat.”

He describes the world championship barbecue cooking contest in Memphis where barbecue is defined as “pork meat only... prepared on a wood or charcoal fire.”

He recognizes that many so-called barbecue restaurants “serve slow roasted meat untouched by even the bottled kind of woodsmoke and call it barbecue.”

Reed asserts this product is not barbecue and calls it instead “faux ‘que.”

“You see the problem. We start with barbecue cooked in a pit over live coals, or with heat and smoke from a stick burning firebox, and we end up with a Boston butt in a crock pot. Somewhere along the way we've crossed the line between True ‘Cue and faux ‘que. We do not intend to draw that line, just to point out that there is a hierarchy here, and the purveyors of faux ‘que are at the bottom of it.”

“Why do we care? Because we believe that real barbecue is rooted in three things increasingly lacking in today's world: taste, tradition, and a sense of place. Because we think the world will be a better place with more real barbecue in it.”

You do not have to agree with Reed’s hardline stance about the necessity of cooking with wood coals to learn from and enjoy his great storytelling gifts about one of our favorite foods—true or faux.

Local entrepreneur Dr. Fred Surgeon, and wife Anita, have once again created a vision for an entertainment venue that caters to the adventurous and focuses on customer service. As the owners of Sweet Valley Ranch, the Surgeons recently opened their latest and perhaps most exciting venture yet — Dinosaur World. The prehistoric adventure awaits visitors of all ages, and like Sweet Valley Ranch itself, has been years in the making.

Sweet Valley Ranch was established in September 2016 when the Surgeons purchased the land off of Sunnyside School Road. At the time they purchased 186 acres of raw land, for a few horses and goats. However, Dr. Surgeon saw potential with the land layout and knew that this could really become a place to share with the community. The ranch now consists of 300 acres.

Sweet Valley Ranch is more than just a business to the Surgeon’s, it is also a place that calls back to Dr. Surgeon’s own upbringing and he hopes it will eventually be their legacy.

“Sweet Valley Ranch is hands down, out of all the businesses, is one we had to do everything from
the ground up,” said Dr. Surgeon, owner of Sweet Valley Ranch.

After about 12 months of owning Sweet Valley Ranch, they decided to expand their animal collection with rabbits and peacocks. “When you said you want that animal, you have to understand the certain care and living situation for that animal,” said Dr. Surgeon. About six months after the rabbits and peacocks they expanded with introducing cows and horses.

Now the farm has around 350 animals of different types, from cows and horses, to peacocks and reptiles. The possibilities with the lay of the land were endless, and Dr. Surgeon knew that owning and running this farm in this location was an opportunity to give back to the community.

“Every business I own relates back to some part of my past. Sweet Valley Ranch is no different. Growing up my family lived on a farm, and I can remember times that we would be waiting on the chickens to lay eggs, so we could eat them for breakfast,” said Dr. Surgeon.

At Sweet Valley Ranch there is a 1954 Farmall tractor that belonged to his grandfather. This tractor is the most valuable possession to him on the farm, reminding him of his childhood and growing up
on a farm.

In 2017, the vice president of the company mentioned doing Christmas lights on the farm. So, Dr. Surgeon joined a display company out of Missouri. Once everything came in and the team looked at the extent of the project, they realized they needed more time to plan it through. Fast forward to 2020 and the COVID pandemic - the Surgeon’s realized that they could bring the joy of Christmas to the people of the community and give them something other places couldn’t — animals. With hard work and attention to detail, they were able to bring a Christmas light display to the community. The success proved to be incentive for the planning and development of Dinosaur World.

Now in 2021, Sweet Valley Ranch has opened its gates once again for Dinosaur World. It is a perfect place for the family to experience adventure and see many of the different species of Dinosaurs that now rule over Sweet Valley Ranch.

Different Ticket Options include:

Regular admission includes access to the Dinosaur World Trail, Abandoned Research Lab, Reptile House, Fossil Dig and Farm Animals

Regular admission with Farm Tour includes Dino World Trail, Abandon Research Lab, Reptile House, Fossil Museum, Fossil Dig, and a 30-minute guided tour to experience all Sweet Valley Ranch has to offer. Guests will be riding in a covered wagon pulled by a tractor.

Regular admission with Rescue Mission includes all mentioned above with an Interactive two-hour nighttime attraction that begins on Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. Participants are tasked with the mission of locating missing staff members who were involved with the creation of Sweet Valley Ranch’s Dinosaur World. Beware of “Big Rex” and his friends because they are hunting, too. Guests will also be riding through the farm to experience the lights and farm animals.

Regular admission with Farm Tour and Rescue Mission includes all mentioned above.

The Sweet Valley Ranch also has additional excursions that can be purchased onsite such as the Go-Kart Nature Trail Tour, Bouncy Castles, Fishing at the Ranch and Dino-playland.

The trail is a paved trail in the woods, and it offers over 25 animatronic dinosaurs. This experience is one that will take guests back in time to when dinosaurs ran the world. It is not only a fun interactive experience, but an educational one as well.

Sweet Valley Ranch also has concession areas, a produce stand and a gift shop with something for all price ranges. While Dinosaur World is sure to continue to be a summer success, fall will bring the return of the 10-acre Corn Maze, Haunted Hallows of Cedar Creek and the Festival of Lights.

“We don’t have to have the biggest and best at the farm, because we do our best to make it about the customer and their experience. Customer services is a big part of the farm,” said Dr. Surgeon.

Over 30% of the animals homed on Sweet Valley Ranch are rescues, providing them a safe, caring environment to grow and prosper. Sweet Valley Ranch does not only support local businesses but has also created job opportunities for many people within the community.

Sweet Valley Ranch is located at 2990 Sunnyside School Road in Fayetteville. For more information on tickets and events visit www.sweetvalleyranchnc.com/.

Comic Con is returning to Fayetteville’s Crown Complex Convention Center June 19-20. This is a family event, where everyone can come and enjoy their favorite comics, video games and more.

Among celebrities scheduled to appear include John Turk, Kerri Hoskins and Lia Montelongo (“Mortal Kombat”); Gigi Edgely (“Farscape”); Megan Hollingshead (“Yu-Gi-Oh!”); wrestlers Magnum T.A., Caprice Coleman and Lex Luger; and many other actors, artists and writers in the industry.

There will be much to see and do, like take part in a cosplay contest where the winner will take home $500. Vendors will be selling your favorite video game and comic character merchandise. There will also be four food trucks, with Italian ice and kettle corn. The Crown will also be serving concessions. The lines are expected to be long for same-day ticket purchase, so organizers are also bringing some Comic Con outside to entertain guests to keep spirits up outside the building.

While the Crown has returned to full capacity, to help with overcrowding at certain vendor booths, the event coordinators decided not to run the American Tattoo Society tattoo alley this year. The tattoo alley will return to Comicon in 2022.
One of the biggest changes Comicon has faced coming back after a year of pandemic life is ticket sales. Due to the box offices at the Crown not being in operation, it has challenged the coordinators in how to get tickets out to the public. However, if there is a will, there is a way! Tickets can be purchased from the Comic Con website https://fayettevillecomiccon.com/, at the comic shop in Fayetteville called Dragon’s Lair, or on the Crown Coliseum website. Tickets for a single day will cost $15 and a weekend pass will cost $25 per person.

Comic Con of Fayetteville has been around for 5 years, and each year producing two events. Due to the COVID pandemic in 2020, they were not able to hold the event, but that did not stop coordinators from planning for 2021. The sponsors for June 2021 Comicon are the American Tattoo Society and Fayetteville State E-Sports.

For more information on Comic Con visit https://fayettevillecomiccon.com/. For panel and main stage schedules, visit the website or www.facebook.com/fayettevillecomiccon for information.

UNC Health Southeastern has appointed two new directors: Stephanie Fitchpatrick as director of critical care services and Magenta Smith as director of inpatient services.

Fitchpatrick earned a bachelor in nursing degree in 2020 and a master’s in science nursing degree in 2021, both from Chamberlain School of Nursing in Chicago. She also earned certification as a national registry paramedic from Clark State Community College in Springfield, Ohio, in 2006.

Before joining UNC Health Southeastern as emergency services coordinator in February 2019, Fitchpatrick held various nursing roles including head nurse/unit educator, flight nurse/crew manager, paramedic, staff nurse, and community educator.

Fitchpatrick lives in Fayetteville with family.

Smith earned an associate’s degree in nursing from Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst in 2001. She earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing in 2005 and is currently pursuing a master of science degree in nursing, both from UNC Pembroke.
Smith has worked for UNC Health Southeastern for 20 years in the following nursing roles: nurse manager, clinical effective nurse and staff nurse.

A native of Robeson County, Smith currently lives in Fairmont with her family.

Pictured : Stephaine Fitchpatrick (above) Magenta Smith (bottom). 

With the beginning of summer and people looking for outdoor entertainment, the Rock’n On The River summer concert series is the perfect opportunity to hang out with friends, enjoy food and drinks, and dance the evening away.

On June 18, all are invited for live, free entertainment from local Fayetteville band Reflections II and North Carolina band Trial by Fire.

Reflections II is a widely known local Fayetteville band of three professional musicians. Bringing a variety of music to the table from pop to Motown and the oldies. Known for their entertaining performances, the band will kick off the evening at 6:00 p.m. and it is sure to be a show you won’t want to miss.

At 8:15 p.m., headliner Trial by Fire takes the stage. The tribute band is named for Journey’s album of the same name released in 1996. Back in the day, after an injury suffered by lead singer Steve Perry, Journey was unable to tour and promote the album “Trial by Fire.” Now, five seasoned musicians from North Carolina are bringing the tour to life with area audiences — recreating the glory days of the Journey era to their fans.

Rock’n on the River is a free live concert, sponsored by Healy Wholesale, Bob 96.5 FM radio, and Up & Coming Weekly. The event will have beverages sold by Healy and food exclusive to Deep Creek Grill. Coolers and outside food are prohibited at this event. Pets are also not allowed onto the concert grounds. There is a $5 parking fee per person.
The event is first come first serve, as the venue can only host 1200 to 1400 people.

“Bringing a well-rounded live concert series to get people out after lockdowns in 2020, and having something they will enjoy listening to is the goal,” said Greg Adair, event coordinator.

Each monthly concert showcases a different genre of music, bringing together different crowds of people for a good time with friends and family.

Rock’n On The River is located at 1122 Person St. in Fayetteville (behind Deep Creek Grill). Parking for the event will begin at 5:00 p.m.

For information on the concert series, visit https://www.facebook.com/Rockn-On-The-River-271048666818630

Some people may think the world runs on Dunkin’ when in fact, it runs on data! You may think money makes the world go around when actually, data makes the money that makes the world go around. Have you ever heard the saying, “Behind every great man, there’s a great woman”? There is a line in a Beyoncé song that says, “I hear you be the block but I’m the lights that keep the streets on.” Money is that “great man that is the block.” And data is that “great woman that keeps the street lights on!”

Data is changing the face of the world in many ways. From our devices tracking our every move to artificial intelligence, data is at the root of it all. Businesses thrive on data to help improve processes, save money and maximize profits. Decision-makers rely on data to help make key decisions on business practices and processes. Data helps find solutions to problems that are as close to predicting the future as humanly possible. Data helps businesses be extremely strategic in their approaches to
success.

Data is extremely important. It molds everything we do so it’s vital that it is managed properly, kept secure and accessible immediately. The Information Technology Database Management curriculum program at Fayetteville Technical Community College prepares graduates for this purpose.

Course work includes the development of a student’s ability to understand the role of databases and database management systems within the field of Information Technology, to demonstrate knowledge of SQL data definition and SQL, to develop queries to extract information from large databases, and to implement a database solution in the area of Information Technology. Graduates understand the components of how information support systems and services work and are able to create, store, communicate, exchange and use information to solve technical issues related to database administration.

Graduates should qualify for employment in entry-level positions within the database administration field providing support to database administrators wherever reliance is on computer systems to design and management information. The program will incorporate the competencies of industry-recognized certification exams.

As the “keeper of data,” you will be responsible for ensuring the database is functioning proper, secure and is available to pertinent users. You are also responsible for ensuring that necessary backup and recovery plans are in place, if a database should suffer loss. You should be familiar with and support the different technologies that are used for a database to function at its optimal level, while providing support to data managers.

The duties of some systems administrator technicians include managing database environments as well as planning, implementing, configuring, and administering various database managements systems. They are also required to implement, configure, administer and secure database applications.

Data is a fast growing, highly lucrative field. FTCC will prepare you for what’s needed to enter the field of data. Sign up to take classes today. Fall classes begin Aug. 16. For more information, please contact Tomica Sobers at sobersto@faytechcc.edu or 910-678-7365.

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners has decided to engage a law firm to deal with Chemours contamination of well water in the Gray’s Creek area. “Developing a long-term financially sustainable water system that will address GENX contamination is one of this board’s top priorities,” said County Commission Chairman Charles Evans. County Manager Amy Cannon noted the county has been in discussion with Chemours for a year and a half about funding a public water system to address the contamination of private wells in the area near Chemours’ Fayetteville Works plant on the Cumberland-Bladen County line. “We had hoped to be able to resolve it to our mutual satisfaction,” Cannon said. “At this point, we believe the next step is to hire a legal team to assist us with funding.” Cannon has projected that it will cost about $64 million to build a water system in the Gray’s Creek area. Commissioner Toni Stewart, who lives there, said her neighbors are worried about their health. “Ultimately the sooner we can get a public water system in place the sooner we can mitigate this serious public health issue,” said County Attorney Rick Moorefield. In January 2020, Cumberland County Commissioners agreed to set aside $10.5 million to help pay for public water in the area. The first phase would provide water along Alderman Road and the Gray’s Creek Elementary Schools.

Woven into the fabric of who and what we've become, we all have threads of regret muting the bold colors of success in our lives. There's not much I'd change about the path I've walked thus far, because to change any one of them would be to alter the outcome. Some of life's highest pinnacles rise from the low ground of pain and defeat. It seems somewhat apropos at this time of year to realize my single greatest regret is that I didn't have my dad to share most of the highs and lows with.

A veteran of World War II, Billy DeBruler was a high school track athlete raised in western Kansas. His adoptive family owned a local pharmacy and had always intended that he join the family business, which was perhaps the furthest thing from his mind during high school. After invading Poland, Hitler had become the scorn of the western world, and as the Allied nations got increasingly involved, the boys in dad's small town were becoming men and volunteering to ship off and right this great wrong.

By volunteering as a Navy harmacist Mate, my dad was able to get his parents' signatures to join before his 18th birthday, and was soon on his way to Navy Boot Camp, followed by a trip to Hawaii. Not the paradise Hawaii, the naval base Hawaii. The unfortunate twist in the story is that Pharmacist Mates were not as great a necessity in the war raging in the Pacific as were medics to accompany the Marines as they roamed the tropical jungles. So began his career as a Combat Medic.

He carried fond memories of the friends he made, and had mementos from Hawaii around the house, but the haunting memories of the rigors and horrors of combat were a silent and driving force behind much of his adult life. The same kid who made the local paper for both his athletic and academic abilities in high school and earned medals on the local track and remote jungles, saw his first marriage collapse from what we now commonly know and treat as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

I don't remember seeing any uniformed men walk up to the door, but I remember my dad holding a letter and weeping at the table after receiving the news his first-born son had died in the jungles of Vietnam. I recall him pouring all that he missed from that relationship into my brother and I — the two children from his second marriage. I have fond memories of building lopsided projects in his little workshop in the basement, the cold and smell of the meat locker in the store where he worked as a butcher, and the trips to the lake on Independence Day because you couldn't use fireworks in town.

Dad traveled to see us just after our first son was born. I have a single photo of the two of them together in the driveway of our southern Arizona home in 1980. He died less than a year later, succumbing to the effects of cancer brought on by the habit he picked up while he was in the Navy. He had truly been-there-and-done-that, and could have steered me through and maybe even around some of life's hardest moments.

And there it is — the thread of regret. If your dad is still living, go to him. If you have children, open up to and listen to them. Let the shared experiences become a beautiful part of the tapestry of your life.

A lot has certainly changed since this time last year, therefore, inevitably so have the markets. And maybe you have decided it’s time to own your own business and do what you’ve been putting off for years. As a potential buyer or entrepreneur, it is important to understand which industries you might be interested in, what types of businesses find success in your area, etc., in order to find the right business to buy.

Buying an existing business already comes with several benefits. For instance, an existing operational and financial history (i.e., you are not starting from scratch), offers less risk. Particularly this past year, surviving businesses had to change and/or evolve to stay afloat uring lockdowns and capacity limitations. By purchasing an existing business, you inherit this insider knowledge.

Of course, choosing the right business goes beyond surviving the pandemic. There are a few personal elements to consider and evaluate:

1. What is your current lifestyle?

2. What are your skills and strengths?

3. What is your target market? In what industry? Have both factors been positively or negatively influenced by the pandemic?

4. Where are you located? Where will your business be located?

5. What are your price parameters?

First and foremost, do you already own several businesses? Are you hoping to add another to your portfolio? In this case, you may need to look for something that does not need much day-to-day involvement as you may already have your hands full. Or, are you free as a bird and looking for your next large project? In this scenario, a business that needs a more hands-on approach may be better suited for you. This goes hand-in-hand with your skills and strengths. Depending on your level of involvement, you will need to choose a business that falls within your skillset. Does it need help with its marketing? Are there operational or inventory issues? Is it a computer-based business or more consumer-facing? You do not want to get involved in a business that does not fall within your comfort or skill level.

Next, you need to consider what industry you’d like to enter — and therefore, your target audience, as well. Is this business within fashion and beauty or IT support? Although both can impact large groups of people, you should narrow down what your specific consumer might look like. Understanding this will help you best perform within specific marketing and sales parameters.

Finally, two very important things to consider that will also affect each other — location and pricing.

Before you buy a business, think about whether you know and understand consumer preferences in the market area or segment of your choice. Although you can virtually run a business from anywhere, is that the best option for you specifically? Keeping that in mind, location will also inevitably affect business’ sales price. You need to figure out what you are willing to invest, and how long until you may see a return on your investment.

Contact us today to get started on your path to entrepreneurship. Transworld Business Advisors has created the Buyer Match program that will match you with businesses that meet your criteria when searching for the right business to buy. With a wide array of businesses for sale, our advisors can help you narrow down your wish list and find the perfect business based on your criteria.

In honor of June 19th, known as Juneteenth, Up & Coming Weekly sat down with Dr. Carla Fagan, Director of the Social Work Program and Associate Professor of Social Work at Methodist University. We asked her to help us understand the history and continued relevance of Juneteenth.

Can you explain the significance of Juneteenth?
Dr. Fagan: Juneteenth is short for June 19th. On June 19, 1865, Major Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, with orders to read General Order Number 3 — a proclamation stating that all enslaved people were to be set free. “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involved an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”

Most people know that Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, freeing enslaved people. There are many versions of why this news did not reach Texas, but it did not until June 19, 1865.

For African American people, Juneteenth is Independence Day, Freedom Day - the official end to enslavement. Juneteenth represents many different things to different people. Juneteenth is a day to remember, a new beginning. It is a day to celebrate the resilience of our people, to bring families together to reflect, to educate, raise awareness about the many challenges faced by African Americans — how far we have come and how far, still, we have to go, to reach that place of total freedom, equality, equity and inclusion.

How does Juneteenth compare to other days of remembrances?
Dr. Fagan: Juneteenth is not as well-known as other remembrances. While it is celebrated in 48 of the 50 states, efforts to make it a national holiday have not yet been successful. Most recently, Sen. Ed Markey (D) introduced S.475-Juneteenth National Independence Day Act earlier this year. One could compare Juneteenth to Independence (July 4th), Armistice Day (now Veteran’s Day-Nov. 11th), or International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27th). These days of remembrance are about freedom — the end of British rule, the end of WWI, the freeing of the Jewish people in Auschwitz. All represent a new beginning, as does Juneteenth. All represent the mandated end of oppression, enslavement, genocide, but also signal the beginning of a new struggle to keep the freedoms won. Juneteenth inspires African Americans to remember the resilience of our ancestors, celebrate their victories and educate and motivate our children to follow their dreams.

How do you celebrate Juneteenth personally, and how can others?
Dr. Fagan: As an African American woman, Juneteenth is a great time to reflect on who I am, where I came from and where I am going. I take great pride in my heritage. My people have had to be stronger, more resilient, more determined and more skilled, just to survive. Historically, African Americans have had to be twice as good to get half as far. Living while Black can be hazardous to one’s health if one does not remain ever vigilant and wary. Living with micro-aggressions and being the target of explicit and implicit bias can be very tiring and wearing on the psyche. Juneteenth is a time of reflection, new inspiration and renewal.
“We’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord, trusting in his Holy Word, He’s never failed me yet…” (lyrics by Carlton Pearson). Juneteenth is a time to renew spirit, mind and body.

Juneteenth is a time to spend with family, reconnect with our history, our heritage and share this heritage with others. Juneteenth celebrations are filled with educational activities, family reunions, games, decorations, symbols, sharing all the greatness of African American history. Juneteenth is also an opportunity for African Americans to embrace others and share our history with the rest of the world. This world can only celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion if we all learn to practice these principles in our everyday lives.

How can we honor Juneteenth and be better allies in general?
Dr. Fagan: This country has committed a huge disservice to all people in that history has been distorted, sanitized and plain lied about. There are hundreds of historians who have carefully researched American history and have exposed the many untruths told in our history books. Recently, many more people are becoming aware of this and are asking to learn the “truth.” The willingness of people to recognize the distortions in our history books is a first step to learning the truth. Education, affirmation, understanding, all play an important part in laying bare the real history of this country.

Why did it take 2 1/2 years for the enslaved people of Texas to learn that they had been free for 2 1/2 years? Why, in 2021, are African Americans still fighting for the right to vote? Why must I teach my son how to respond if stopped by the police? Why must I still be twice as good to get half as far?
Allies have stepped up all through the Civil Rights Movements and have marched shoulder to shoulder, sacrificed their lives and freedom, stood by to the end. That kind of commitment is still vital in the struggle of African Americans to achieve equity and inclusion.

Considering recent events and the racial injustices being highlighted in the country, what can we do as individuals in terms of activism, education and more, to be supportive and fight injustice?
Dr. Fagan: Fighting injustice requires one to be a strong proponent of social justice, equity, inclusion and diversity. Having said that, one must be willing to learn, think, examine one’s personal values and take a stand.

The Black Lives Matter movement encompasses people from all races, ethnicities, etc. This has been somewhat downplayed by media. Black Lives Matter is a vehicle through which all people can take a stand for equity and inclusion. Over fifty years ago, the Freedom Riders, young people — Black and white — risked their lives to integrate interstate transportation. They took a stand.

One of the ways change takes place is by communicating, one-on-one, with a person with a different point of view. We must communicate with people who view African Americans as less than, and, one by one, deconstruct their arguments. This requires that we have the facts to back up our points. There are still people out there who respond positively to facts.

When you witness a micro-aggression or implicit bias, don’t just ignore it. If someone tells a racist joke in your presence, call them on it. We must learn to have the courage of our convictions.

If you witness unwarranted aggression against African Americans, speak up. And, yes, doing the right thing is not always the easiest thing.
Elected officials at every level make policy that impacts social justice. We must elect people to office who support equity and inclusion. Sadly, we have learned that bias transcends political party. We must carefully scrutinize the positions of candidates regarding social justice.

Are there any books, clubs, movies that can help educate people?
Dr. Fagan: There is a wealth of information out there. We just need to want to find it. Some of my favorites are: “13th “ directed by Ava Duvernay on YouTube and Netflix; “Amend” on Netflix, and any book written by Ibram X. Kendi (“Stamped From the Beginning”). Authors James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, Michelle Alexander, Ijeoma Oluo are among my favorites. Circa 1865 is an organiza
tion in Fayetteville that will sponsor a Juneteenth Virtual Festival this year. Organizing Against Racism Cumberland County is committed to educate the community and take action against racial inequities, wherever they exist. Juneteenth.com, is a repository of information about this historic day.

You marched and participated in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. What can you share about your experiences?
Dr. Fagan: Growing up in New York City, I did not regularly experience overt racism. I could eat a hotdog and drink a Nehi at the counter in Woolworths on 125th Street in Harlem as a child in the early 1950’s thanks to the efforts of Adam Clayton Powell. I remember visiting family in North Carolina, moving to the back of the bus, drinking from the “colored” water fountain, sitting in the balcony in the movie theater in Plymouth, North Carolina, and not fully understanding why.
I first became aware of the bigger issues at age 10 when I brought an article for current events to school that was about a boycott in Clarendon County, South Carolina. When my teacher asked me why I chose that article, my response was that I felt sorry for the people who were conducting the boycott because they were losing their jobs because they were fighting for civil rights. Further discussion led to a food drive by my elementary school to support the people of Clarendon County participating in the boycott.

Growing up in New York City (Brooklyn) gave me opportunities I probably would never have had in other parts of the country. I attended Hunter College High School after elementary school. I had to pass a test to get into Hunter. I attended City College of New York (now City College of CUNY) — free tuition — and am a founding member of the Onyx Society, the first Black student organization at CCNY.

Upon graduation, I worked full time in corporate New York. I joined the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and volunteered in the New York office. I later joined the Black Panther Party. The activism of my youth taught me many lessons. I learned that the country that I thought I was a citizen in was the country that wanted to keep me oppressed, depressed and a failure. But I was blessed to have the tools to fight back and that is what I did.

Is there a parting thought you’d like to share with our readers?
Dr. Fagan: If you shake a bottle of soda and take off the top, the explosion is all that Juneteenth brings forth when an African American is asked to respond to it. Juneteenth is celebration, introspection, raising awareness, intrusion, education, frustration. Juneteenth can invoke anger, pain, grief, emotions that keep us connected to our reality. This is a huge topic, needing much more than one article to do it justice, but this is a good start. Thank you for the opportunity!

Pictured above : Dr. Carla Fagan 

Pictured on left: Photograph of the Civil Rights March on Washington Aug. 28, 1963. (photo courtsey National Archives)

Pictured on right: A plaque in Texas commemorates Juneteenth. (photo courtesy of Wikipedia) 

Students who graduated from a North Carolina high school in 2021 may be eligible for grants of $700-$2,800 a year for two years if they enroll this fall at one of the state's 58 community colleges.

The new Longleaf Commitment Program provides grants, not loans. Funds do not have to be repaid. The program starts for the Fall 2021 semester and will conclude at the end of the Spring 2023 semester.

Here are the eligibility requirements:

•2021 graduate of a North Carolina high school.

•Be a North Carolina resident for tuition purposes.

•Be a first-time college student (Career & College Promise and Early/Middle College High School students are eligible).

•Enroll in a curriculum program during the 2021-22 academic year with at least 6 credit hours per semester.

•Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for 2021-22.

•Have an Expected Family Contribution from $0 – $15,000. (EFC is based upon student’s FAFSA determination).

•Renew FAFSA for the 2022-23 academic year and meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements of the college
The program will supplement the federal Pell grant and existing aid with the aim of helping students earn an associate degree and/or credits to transfer to a four-year college of university in North Carolina.

Students do not have to make a separate application for a Longleaf Commitment Program grant. They will be automatically considered for the grant upon applying to FTCC for Fall 2021. Those who meet the eligibility requirements will receive an award letter from the financial aid office.

For information about FTCC’s admissions process visit www.faytechcc.edu/apply-now/ftcc-admissions/#steps or contact the Admissions office at admissions@faytechcc.edu or 910-678-8473.

For more information about the Longleaf Commitment Program visit www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/student-services/north-carolina-longleaf-commitment-grant