Entertainment

Health Fair to be held Feb. 15

Details

Tuesday, 04 February 2025

Written by Lena Simmons

The Fayetteville Area Section, National Council of Negro Women Inc (FAS NCNW) presents the Healthy Hearts and Healing Hands Community Health Fair on Feb. 15 at the North Regional Public Library on 855 McArthur Road. The Community Health Fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Healthy Hearts and Healing Hands Community Health Fair will feature comprehensive screening in the areas of dental, vision, body mass index, cholesterol, blood pressure, women’s health, sickle cell and medical weight loss. Line Dancing and Zumba will be featured to promote physical health.
Allied health services include health insurance, life insurance, women’s health resources, Cape Fear Valley Blood Donor Drive, and a vaccination clinic. General admission is free to the public. For more information and vendor participation opportunities contact Shamarria Foy-Morrison, Health Equity Chair, Fayetteville Area Section, National Council of Negro Women via email sjfoy88@gmail.com or call 910-644-4531.
The Fayetteville Area Section, National Council of Negro Women’s mission is “to advance opportunities and the quality of life for African American women, their families, and communities.”
The Fayetteville Area Section, National Council of Negro Women was chartered in 1996. Mary McLeod Bethune was the founder of the National Council of Negro Women in 1935. One of her founding principles was “the need for a united organization of women to open doors for young women."
Foy-Morrison shared her perspective on the Healthy Hearts and Healing Hands, Community Health Fair.
“The goal of the FAS, NCNW, is to lead, empower and advocate for African American women and their communities. Through the leadership of our Chapter President, Margie McLean, we coordinated the Community Health Fair to bring awareness to health disparities that affect our communities,” she said. “The inspiration for the Community Health Fair was to spread awareness of the importance of preventive care of illness through vaccinations. The Health Fair will also have other awareness topics to include women’s health, dental screening, blood pressure checks, life and health insurance, hands-on CPR, and Stop the Bleed (education on assisting with bleeding emergencies before medical help arrives). We will have a Blood Drive through the Cape Fear Valley Hospital system. This will be an impressive event.”
The community health fair will be held at the North Regional Public Library. The Cumberland County Public Library system has a larger community function than library cards and books.
“The mission of the Cumberland Public Library is to support, empower, and engage our diverse community. Promoting the health and wellness of our community is a central focus that aligns seamlessly with this mission,” said Gracey Gordon, Branch Manager, North Regional Library. “As vital hubs of information and resources, public libraries are uniquely positioned to serve the health needs of the community.”
CCPL also provides access to essential health resources, whether through educational events, specialized programs, free access to databases or offering a welcoming space for social connection and support.
“While book services remain a fundamental aspect of public libraries, our offering extends beyond that, continuously evolving to meet the diverse needs of the community. Our Digital Navigators offer Tech Time classes to assist individuals with navigating digital devices and applications. We provide free access to a wide range of databases, covering topics from product reviews and health to career development,” said Gordon.
CCPL also features a dedicated Local and State History Department, which houses an extensive collection of materials documenting the history of North Carolina and Cumberland County. Genealogy Research Assistance and services, and digitization services for media such as tapes, VHS, and photo negatives are available to the public. The Sensory Calming room at the Headquarters provides a multi-sensory experience for relaxation and well-being. CCPL has hosted over 2000 programs and events targeting the community population in the past year.

The Blueprint Concert, Awards hosted by Book Black Women

Details

Tuesday, 04 February 2025

Written by Lisa Stevens

Mark your calendars because you do not want to miss The Blueprint Concerts and Awards hosted by Book Black Women on Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m., at 226 The Warehouse, 226 Donaldson St., Fayetteville.
The Blueprint Concert and Awards is not just an event; it is a powerful celebration of creativity and excellence in the arts and culture, shining a spotlight on the incredible talents within our community. Since its inception in 2022 as a concert, this event has evolved into a flagship occasion, uniting artists, audiences, and advocates for the arts.
This year's concert will feature stunning performances by remarkable artists who have made significant strides in their craft. Operatic vocalist Monique McLoed from the Choral Arts will mesmerize with her powerful voice. EE Smith star dancer Jordan Barnett will showcase his breathtaking talent on stage. Vocalist Kiara Hines returns to her roots after honing her skills in Fayetteville before making waves in New York's artistic scene. Alannah McMillan will dazzle us with her artistry as she builds her career at a performing arts college, while Yael Hilton brings national recognition with her exceptional talent.
The awards portion of the evening promises to be equally inspiring. Esteemed presenters like Rock 103’s Dominique Jeannette Womack and Fayetteville State University’s SeQuenna Pennix will honor deserving recipients, Cool Spring’s Ashanti Bennett, Dr. Tamara Colvin, and Up & Coming Weekly writer Amber Little.
Ayana Washington, Founder and Creative Director of Book Black Women, Inc., is deeply committed to amplifying and celebrating Black women in the arts through programming and community partnerships. The mission is clear: to uplift and amplify the voices of Black women across the arts and entertainment sectors and create spaces where their stories, talents, and perspectives are acknowledged and celebrated.
Ayana is on a mission to transform the landscape of the arts for Black women and people of color.
“I founded Book Black Women, Inc. to address the glaring lack of visibility and opportunity for Black women to create platforms that highlight creativity and celebrate their invaluable contributions, ensuring their stories are heard. It is not just about representation but also about creating an equitable future that removes barriers and creates diverse pathways to success,” Ayana shared.
Born at Womack Army Medical Center at then Fort Bragg, Ayana’s roots run deep in this vibrant community, shaped significantly by her grandfather's military service. This connection to Fayetteville is more than just geographical; it fuels her passion and commitment to creating an environment where every voice can shine brightly.
“My long-term vision includes establishing a performing arts center that reflects and represents our community. This center will be a beacon for untold stories, where narratives resonate with our diverse population, and tourable shows can expand our reach across the country. I am currently working on writing a new musical, which I am thrilled to premiere in 2026,” Ayana adds.
As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, Book Black Women embodies a steadfast dedication to collaboration, excellence, and innovation in every initiative they undertake. Their mission goes beyond simply hosting events; they craft unforgettable experiences that resonate with diverse audiences while nurturing artistic expression within communities.
Book Black Women is on a vital quest to champion the artistic endeavors of Black women, providing platforms where they can thrive as architects of their own narratives. This initiative seeks to create legacies that reflect their unique experiences and contributions—artistry that speaks volumes about resilience, strength, and the beauty found in diversity.
By centering efforts around Black women, their goals are to inspire transformative change, cultivate inclusivity, and pave the way for a more equitable future.
Amber Little, an award recipient, is a proud Bladen County native who has embraced Fayetteville as home for over a decade. She brings a rich background rooted in education and community service. With a degree in English education, her early dreams revolved around becoming an educator—an aspiration deeply influenced by growing up in a household with two educators, one of which was a business owner.
Today, she channels that educational foundation into her ventures: Amber Little Marketing and The Amber Little Brand. Amber Little Marketing specializes in website design and content creation tailored for small businesses, offering content classes and branding services that empower entrepreneurs to thrive. Meanwhile, The Amber Little Brand reflects her creative spirit through writing and creative directing—allowing her to explore the art of storytelling.
Family remains at the heart of everything Amber does.
“As a proud mom of two beautiful children and partner to my better half, Geroard, for over 18 years, I understand the importance of nurturing relationships at home and within the community. My commitment to giving back is evident through my role as President of the Jai6 Youth Foundation—a nonprofit dedicated to mentoring at-risk youth—and as an active member of the Junior League of Fayetteville,” Little proudly shared.
For over a year now, Amber has considered it a privilege to be writing for Up & Coming Weekly, recently stepping into the role of staff writer. The opportunity has enriched her life immeasurably. It has allowed her to connect with diverse individuals while immersing herself in our vibrant community. Through storytelling, she strives to spotlight smaller businesses and organizations that are making meaningful contributions—because their stories deserve recognition.
“I believe wholeheartedly in the transformative power of storytelling—the essence celebrated by The Inkheart Award. As writers and creators, we hold an extraordinary ability to influence our surroundings,” Amber stated.
Come out to enjoy a promising evening of music, dance, and celebrate local women who are making significant contributions to our community. For tickets or to see all upcoming events, visit their website at https://www.bookblackwomen.org

(Graphic courtesy Book Black Women Facebook Page)

7th Annual Lafayette Lecture highlights history of Fayetteville’s name with Dr. Lloyd Kramer

Details

Tuesday, 04 February 2025

Written by Anna White

Have you ever wondered where Fayetteville got its name? Fayetteville State University’s Black History Scholars Association, along with the Lafayette Society, are hosting a lecture that will answer that, and many more questions. The lecture is titled “Why is This City Called Fayetteville? Lafayette’s Life, Ideas, and American Tour of 1824-25” and will be given by Dr Lloyd Kramer, Professor Emeritus of History at UNC Chapel Hill.
The Marquis de Lafayette was a French nobleman who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He emerged a hero and returned to the United States approximately 50 years later for what is fondly remembered as his “Farewell Tour” which spanned 1824-25 and included a stop in Fayetteville. According to the Lafayette Society, Fayetteville was the first city in the United States named after him.
Dr. Lloyd Kramer’s interest in Lafayette began in the 1970s when he spent time at Cornell University helping edit a large collection of Lafayette’s letters given to the University. The letters were written during the American Revolution and inspired Kramer to dig deeper.
“I realized from doing that, that some of the historical accounts of Lafayette seemed inadequate, or, in my view, they had the wrong interpretation of his actions and significance,” he said.
He began writing a series of essays that would eventually be published as a book, Lafayette in Two Worlds: Public Cultures and Personal Identities in an Age of Revolutions (UNC Press, 1996). He credits the book with keeping him in contact through the years with others interested in Lafayette, including residents of Fayetteville.
“Lloyd Kramer is one of the foremost scholars on Lafayette,” commented Rob Taber, Associate Professor of History at Fayetteville State University and board member at the Lafayette Society.
Taber said the Lafayette Lecture series has often covered topics related to Lafayette’s human-rights legacy, such as civil rights, local history, and black history. Last year, Taber spoke on the Haitian Revolution and its connections to the U.S. Civil War. But this year, their focus is narrower in light of the Bicentennial Anniversary of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour.
The lecture will cover the towns of Campbellton and Cross Creek and their eventual merging into the City of Fayetteville, as well as information on Lafayette’s impact and legacy. Taber said they hope to shed light on “why Lafayette loved America, and the potential that he saw in [it], and that patriotism that he brought.”
Kramer wants listeners to walk away with a better understanding of why Lafayette still matters.
“This seemed like an opportunity to acknowledge the importance of the city of Fayetteville’s name, to reflect on why that visit in 1825 was so important to the people who lived there at that time, and then, more generally, what Lafayette's life and ideas tell us about the emergence of early American nationalism, national identity, America's conception of rights and its way of defining itself as different from European countries.”
Even though these events happened centuries ago, Kramer believes they’re still relevant and tell us something about the values of the people who chose to name their city after Lafayette.
“These kinds of historical events are significant because they give people in our own time a way to think about our communities, our lives, our values, our political culture … Because everything has a history, and if you don't know that history, you can't really be a fully engaged people.”
Taber said that as a history professor, he fully expects to learn new things by attending, and described Kramer as a lively and good-humored lecturer.
“He manages to include insightful detail without putting the audience to sleep,” Tabor said.
He added that the lecture is suitable for a general audience and that “even if you've never heard of Lafayette beyond the name, you'll come away knowing more about him, you won't be lost.”
Kramer added that he hopes the lecture will help people understand “why they can be proud to live in a town called Fayetteville.”
The lecture is free and open to the public and will be held Monday, Feb. 10, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 242 Rudolph Jones Center.

Photo: Members of the Lafayette Society pose with books about Lafayette donated to the lending library at Fayetteville State University. Photo courtesy of Hank Parfitt)

Local fencer takes long view on reaching the Olympics

Details

Tuesday, 28 January 2025

Written by Erin C. Healy

In his teen years, Isaac Canady lacked excitement about life. He wasn’t depressed, per se, just disinterested and sarcastic. He’d played T-ball for five seasons, and his sister Hannah thought he might find interest in other sports that weren’t mainstream. She found a fencing club in Fayetteville, the All-American Fencing Academy and Canady went, though he hadn’t even been aware that swordplay existed. That year his parents gave him an introductory month’s membership to the club for Christmas. The plan worked; the 15-year-old’s attitude changed. The arcane sport gave Canady something to get excited about. The last two years he’s been a Junior Olympian fencer and he’ll be competing again this year, Feb. 14-17 in Charlotte, NC.
Canady grew up in peaceful, slow-paced St. Pauls, the youngest of four, all of whom were home-schooled. Initially Baptist, the family ended up attending Pentecostal services, and now Canady favors Summit Ministries, which offers a 60-hour apologetics course to help young adults live as Christians and be able to defend their faith. He appreciates the ministry’s emphasis on how to react and respond in the world and how to respectfully debate people. “Nobody ever swayed someone in a shouting match,” he said.
His goal is to mature in his faith and be unified with fellow believers.
Financial advising and architecture, despite the intimidating math, both interest Canady. He’s working toward an “arts to transfer,” as he puts it, so he can apply his earned credits toward whichever major he decides on. Meanwhile, even though Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst is an hour away from both home and the fencing club, God still provides a way for him to train and compete.
The best way to improve your skill as a fencer is to practice what you’ve learned with hours “on the strip,” as fencers say. The second-best way is through private lessons and the third is through classes. Time on the strip, or officially the piste, is not cheap. Coaching normally runs in the $40 to $60 per half-hour range, though some coaches will share their expertise for $25 a half-hour. An All-American Fencing Academy membership includes lessons with Coach Gephard Guevarra.
Swashbuckling, or what most people think of when they think of fencing, is a ridiculous display of theater in the eyes of fencers. Although the movements may be similar, fencing is all about mastering the mind and reactions within the body. It’s imperative to maintain control of the blade. The simpler and more precise a motion, the more points a fencer will inevitably score. Fencing is a highly nuanced game that takes a chess-like mentality to excel at.
Different fencing categories are determined by the sword: foil, sabre (c.q.) or épée. In foil and sabre, rules of attack must be followed. Like a roadway intersection, fencers in those two disciplines must abide by the right or priority of attack. Your blade is also your shield, so you can earn points for a parry of your opponent’s attack if you follow up with a riposte or counterattack. You can also execute a plan of second intention, or feint, to draw a reaction that provides an opening to score.
The foil is the smallest and lightest of the three blade types. The épée is a rapier and heavier, but it too is used in a thrusting motion. For both, a wire is run the length of the blade to a button on the tip. The sabre is a triangular cavalry blade that for fencing is electrified in its entirety, registering both thrusting and slashing motions.
The strip consists of conductive metal floor sections and is approximately 4.9 to 6.6 feet wide and approximately 49 feet long. In foil, the fencer wears a lamé, a metal sleeveless bodysuit that registers contact from a button on the tip of the opponent’s sword. In sabre, the jacket is waist-length and the head is included. In épée, the entire body is targeted.
Canady is coached by All-American Fencing Academy owner Gerhard Guevarra, who fenced on the varsity team for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He trained under fencing master Ron C. Miller, has coached for over 25 years and continues to compete nationally. In 2006 he fenced internationally in the Vancouver World Cup and has won numerous North Carolina Division Championships. Guevarra holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education, exercise and sports science. He served as a U.S. Army Reservist for eight years, wrapping up in 2003, and currently is a school liaison officer on Fort Liberty for the Department of the Army. Of the four children he shares with his wife, Jennifer, two fence and compete nationally.
Canady knows Guevarra teaches for love of the sport and is grateful for learning from someone who is devoted to making fencing a positive experience. Canady also takes lessons from coach David Hadler, an Army captain stationed at Fort Liberty. While earning his BA in international business, Hadler was a Division I NCAA fencer for the University of California at San Diego. He finished 24th out of 69 in the men’s foil competition at the 2017 World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan. He achieved All-American for placing 11th in NCAA championships and was also a Western Fencing Conference Foil Champion. He earned a gold medal in the 2013 and 2014 Pan American Championships, a silver in the team 2014 Junior Olympics and a bronze in the 2016 US National Championships.
Canady appreciates Hadler’s approach to conditioning: long warmups, followed by a long class. He’s also teaching Canady in a different manner, forcing his brain to develop new muscle memories. The challenge is worth it. Canady prays that God will bless him with the financial means to continue fencing and competing seriously at the Junior Olympics. He doesn’t worry, though. He knows that fencing is a generous sport to older competitors, like to the 55-year-old reporter-turned-Olympic-fencer David Wharton. In the end, Canady knows that the point is to share the gospel and glorify God.

(Photo: Canady successfully competed at the Junior Olympics the last two years and will be competing again this February. Photos courtesy of Isaac Canady)