The Highway That Divides Winston

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Updated 3/6/2019

A couple of days ago I stumbled upon a 2011 master’s thesis online that is must reading for anyone in Winston that cares about fighting racism. Reynoldstown: Race, Blight, Disease, Highway Construction and the Transformation of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, by Shane Cruise is a revelation.

Through exhaustive research into the city council’s records, the Winston-Salem Journal’s pages, as well as mining Robert Korstad’s work on Local 22, and conducting interviews, Shane Cruise has done a service to … Read the rest

Local Residents Continue To Condemn Winston’s Confederate Statue And Call For A More Just City

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There wasn’t a lot on Tuesday night’s City Council agenda. It was mostly the boring business of the City. The bond package passed last fall took one step closer to reality, Phase 2 of the Quarry Park’s development was approved.

Local activists speaking truth to power during the public comment period energized a dull meeting. They implored the City Council to make justice their business.

Read the Journal’s Wesley Young’s article in today’s paper for a good summary of Winston’ … Read the rest

Neighborhood Park On Second Street Was Originally Planned Site For Innovative Affordable Housing

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“The unfortunate reality is that most affordable housing looks exactly like what it is and adds to boundaries that quietly separate race, culture, and class.” 

 -David J. Brown, The Home House Project

 

In 2003, the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Arts (SECCA) launched an ambitious undertaking, with the goal of nothing less than re-imagining affordable housing. SECCA invited architects from around the world to submit housing designs that were inexpensive and easy to build, but also artistically compelling and environmentally … Read the rest

The Confederate Statue Controversy Must Lead To A Wider Conversation About Racism In Winston-Salem

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Updated 10:35, 1/05/2019, 433 words

 

Troublemakers force politicians to act. When a brave, anonymous activist added some commentary to Downtown Winston’s Confederate monument on Christmas Eve, it was an early Christmas gift for anti-racist activists in Winston and throughout the state. What was a one or two-day story, became the story in Winston-Salem that everyone is talking about when Mayor Allen Joines announced on January 1, a new plan to relocate Winston’s Confederate statue.

Chapel Hill is still the … Read the rest

The Manufacturer’s Apologist: Looking Back At Gary Green’s Time At Forsyth Tech

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It’s that time of year: time to look back on 2018 and reflect on the events and the people who shaped our community for better or worse. Dr. Gary Green has led Forsyth Technical since July 2001. He will officially leave FTCC on December 31. 

Dr. Green is the longest-serving president of Forsyth Tech. Many have praised Dr. Green‘s leadership, his shepherding of our local community college during a time of sustained enrollment growth, expanded programs, and new … Read the rest

The Winston-Salem Chronicle Is A Black Newspaper

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Forgive me for stating the obvious. Everyone in Winston knows that The Chronicle is a Black newspaper, and that’s a good thing-something that The Chronicle should be proud of. That’s something that they should embrace. So why doesn’t The Chronicle mention that basic fact in their newspaper or website masthead?

The Chronicle’s print edition front page has a nice, bold look. But a succinct description reminding readers that The Chronicle is Winston’s African American newspaper would be of more value … Read the rest

Winston Native Crowned Miss America, But Poverty In Winston Keeps Many From Achieving Their Dreams

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Monday, the Winston-Salem City Council honored Nia Franklin, the recently crowned Miss America. Though Franklin’s pageant sash read New York, the 2018 Miss New York was born and raised in Winston, though she attended high school at North Davidson (a stain upon her hometown girl narrative that can be overlooked).

Recently, I asked a classmate of hers at North Davidson what she remembered of Franklin? My African American friend told me, that “being Black at North Davidson” they were … Read the rest

Deconstructing Industry Hill

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From the folks that gave us the term “Ramkat” now comes the term “Industry Hill.” Industry Hill-were history meets marketing. Industry Hill-a new name for a place that you probably never knew had a name. Its name is now Industry Hill!

Industry Hill, we are told from the developers who recently created it, stretches from Seventh Street to Northwest Boulevard and from Martin Luther King Drive over to Trade Street.*

The name Industry Hill has many flaws. First, there isn’t … Read the rest

Trump Protesters Shouldn’t Give Allen Joines A Free Pass

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Thousands of protestors from around the Triad gathered at Corpening Plaza Saturday to denounce Donald Trump and the politics of hate. It was nice protesting an ugly president on such a beautiful day.

Donald Trump has made life dramatically worse for women, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, workers, minorities, and the environment upon which we all depend. (By contrast, Trump has delivered for the billionaire class that elected him)

Indivisible Piedmont NC did a great job of bringing thousands of women … Read the rest