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Vol. XXXVIII No 23 ? WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, February 2, 2012
Proactive
residents want
to bring back
sense of pride
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
When Patricia Degraffinreaidt moved into her home on
Bertha Street nearly 23 years ago, her neighborhood was a
very different place.
"It was just serene and beautiful. The houses were well
kept, the community was well kept," Degraffinreaidt said of
the community, which is just off Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
"We used to have a community watch. We had a neighborhood
organization that selected a Yard of the Month, which encour
aged the neighbors to have some self respect."
But all that has changed, said Degraffinreaidt, a business
development repre
sentative for Pepsi
Bottling Group.
Today, when she
walks the streets,
she sees a very dif
ferent community.
Degjaffinreaidt
and a small group of
her neighbors
believe strongly that
their community is
worth fighting for.
That's why she
jumped at the
chance to get
involved in the
Neighboring
Program, a new
community initiative
spearheaded by
HandsOn of
Northwest North
Carolina, Exodus
United Baptist
Church and other
community aeen
Phoro by Lay la Farmer
Morgan Owen leads a discussion of
community issues.
cies. Since August, Morgan Owen, an Americorps Vista volun
teer for HandsOn, has worked closely with Degraffinreaidt's
community, including the nearby Forest Park Elementary
School. ^
The organization, which seeks to empower communities
by fostering community-led initiatives and encouraging vol
unteerism, conducted a survey of more than 35 people in the
area to identify the needs and strengths in the area, in hopes of
finding ways to help those who live there improve their quali
ty of life. The results of the survey were presented Monday
evening, during a free community dinner at the church on
Wilbur Street.
"In this economic climate, there are a lot of people that
need food," Owen explained. "Food actually is a really good
motivator to get people together. It's one thing that I've found
that doesn't have a racial divide."
Owen said the meal, the first of what she hopes will be a
series of monthly gatherings, provided a chance for neighbors
- to interact, form relationships and come together for a com-.
See Community on A10
Leading the Charge
WSSU Photo by Garrett Omits
Drum Major Christopher White Jr. leads his fellow
Rams to battle - Battle of the Bands, that is. Winston
Salem State performed Saturday in the Georgia Dome in
Atlanta in the 10-year-old black college band showcase.
A crowd of 60,000 cheered the bands on.
Photo by Lay la Farmer
Joseph Anderson (foreground) with his family, fellow THF members (from left): Sonji, Karim and Gail Anderson.
New Sound for Popular Group
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
After more than 40 years of making music together, The
Healing Force Founders Joseph and Gail Anderson are forg
ing a new path.
The couple, who together with their two yojjngest chil
dren make up The Healing Force, an African drumming and
storytelling troupe, are celebrating their past and building
their future with the creation of their new band, THF
Featuring Joe Anderson. The group will draw upon the
recently unearthed recordings Anderson made under two dif
ferent record labels in the 1960s and 70s, and infuse a "new
school" flair to create a fresh take on Anderson family histo
ry through the music.
See THF on AS
File Photo
Papa Joseph
performs with
The Healing
Force at a
K w a n z a a
event held at
the Carver
Road Library
several years
back.
Locals part of TYansformation Nation weight-loss effort
Photo by Layla Farmer
Joyce Jacob-Mua sits outside the 14th Street
Community Center, where Reid's Transformation class
es will be held.
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Residents of Winston-Salem and beyond
are gearing up to look like a million bucks,
and possibly win a million bucks too,
through a national weight loss cKallenge
known as Transformation Nation.
The Triad program is part of a larger ini
tiative presented by talk show host Mehmet
Cengiz Oz, better known as Dr. Oz. The doc
tor's popular daytime tshow. the "Dr. Oz
Show," along with Weight Watchers and
Sharecare, an interactive healthcare web site,
are behind Transformation Nation.
Roberts
More than one million Americans have
signed up to participate in the challenge - which will award $1
See Transformation on A2
Finding Their Own Voices
Hill students to express themselves at poetry showcase
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Hill Arts Magnet School will
become a hotbed for self expression
tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 3) when stu
dents take the stage to tell the world
what's on their minds during a poetic
expression showcase and concert.
The school's auditorium will be
transformed into a cafe style venue for
the 4 p.m. event, which is free and
open to the public.
"It's going to be a lot of fun,"
promised Principal Ingrid Medlock.
The showcase will mark the culmi
nation of a weeklong poetic expres
sion program the school has hosted for
a group of roughly 35 sixth and eighth
graders who were hand picked
because of their enthusiasm and apti
tude for the subject. The students
See Hill on A6
Photoa by Lay la Farmer
Pierce
F r e e I o n
addresses the
students at
Hill Middle
School.
Far left: Hill
students
Joseph
Williams and
Jose Valdez
(foreground)
hard at work
composing
poetry.
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