Mandela
from page A1
late January, the day there
was a school-wide trip to
see a special showing of
"Selma," a movie about Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. and
the Civil Rights
Movement. Media
Coordinator Sandra Brown
organized the trip for about
400 Parkland students. She
participated in King's
March on Washington in
1963 and wanted to make
sure students knew about
the struggles of that era.
"Our children have no
idea how far we've come,"
she said. "I know they have
a good idea of how far we
need to go."
Jeffers, who has taught
a civil rights history unit
for 21 years, said he used it
as an opportunity to dis
cuss the civil rights on both
the trip there and on the
way back. After the movie,
Jeffers and dozens of stu
dents posed for a photo
holding signs that said
"Black Lives Matter,"
which has been the mantra
of the movement against
police brutality toward
blacks that emerged after
the shooting in Ferguson
and other recent incidents.
The first meeting of the
Mandela Club was held
later that day. It was a
packed room with 30 to 40
diverse students attending,
Jeffers said.
The next day, he found
his door vandalized, with
"Black Lives Matter" signs
stuck to it, with the word
"Black" marked out on
each and other races or the
word "All" substituted in,
along with a letter with
some statistics in it.
He used it as a teach
able moment to show the
club the national debate
around the phrase "Black
Lives Matter." He said he
doesn't agree with the crit
ics. He said because the
phrase emphasizes African
American issues, doesn't
mean it discounts those
experienced by others, any
more than saying "Save the
rain forests" diminishes
other types of forests.
Teaching people how to
talk about race and how to
handle dissenting points of
view is a big emphasis of
the club, he said. Topics
involving race are dis
cussed during meetings,
and this year's headlines
have given them much to
talk about.
The club's secretary
and treasurer, Phyllis
Elliott, said the club taught
her it was OK to discuss
difficult subjects.
"1 think it's brought
more unity among the
members of the group and
our friends outside the
group," she said.
Mandela Society Vice
President Andra Woods has
rvuuas.
a sister attending Harvard
University who sings in
that school's Kuumba
Singers, a diverse choir that
sings Negro spirituals. The
choir was started as a safe
way to celebrate race on the
predominately white, afflu
ent campus. The Mandela
Society hosted them in a
local concert in March,
which raised $1,000 that
was split between the choir
and the club.
Upcoming projects for
the club include working
with SciWorks to update its
exhibits on black scientists.
Next school year, they'll be
preparing instructional
packages on discussing
race in the classroom for
Parkland teachers and cre
ating cards to distribute at
lunch with information on
racial injustice. Jeffers said
he's hoping to bring speak
ers in and get prominent
locals to participate in a
panel discussion on race.
He's also hoping to have a
silent protest on lives lost to
police violence.
Assistant Principal
Alecia Harvey said the club
shows the diversity of the
school. She said its mem
bers are "change agents,"
who are proud of their his
tory.
She said even when she
began teaching in 1973,
civil rights was a difficult
subject to engage black stu
dents in because they had a
sense of shame over what
had been done to African
Americans.
"I salute the Mandela
Society because these peo
ple are digging it up and
digging it out and they
don't mind discussing and
facing what is history," she
said.
Photo by Todd Luck
Members of the Mandela Society pose at Parkland Magnet School: (L-R) Stevie Dupree-Parker, Shawn
Brim, Advisor Tripp Jeffers, Diana Chew, McKinley McNeill, Nonnie Egbuna, Phyllis Elliott and Andra
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ittwie
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1 LOITERING
UTSIDE GATES
IN PARKING LOT
Photos by Todd Luck
Teens are wanded as they enter the fairgrounds.
Fridays
from page A1
dropped off, the first thing
they see is a row of police
cars along the parking lot
that belong to the nearly
dozen off-duty police offi
cers there. Then they're
wanded by staff from Show
Pros before being allowed
into the fairgrounds, where
a number of Recreation and
Paries staff and volunteers
are making sure things go
smoothly. Bowman said the
security set-up works, and
there wasn't a single inci
dent last year.
Fairground Fridays was
first held last year from late
June through the end of
July, drawing more than
700 teens a night and near
ly 1000 in attendance for
the final session. Bowman
credited social media and a
great marketing campaign
for the large crowds.
This year the event will
be held every Friday
through Aug. 7. The
Fairgrounds will host the
National Black Theatre
Festival's Teentastic
Weekend from Aug. 6
through 8 with a fashion
show and numerous per
formances, including rap
per K Camp on Aug. 8.
Fairground Fridays is
the latest in a line of teen
summer events. In 2007,
after complaints of teens
hanging around downtown
late at night after the Friday
night summer Downtown
Jazz concerts, the City of
Winston-Salem started The
Fairground
Fridays
Fairground Fridays is
held 7-10 p.m. each
Friday from June 12 to
Aug. 7, rain or shine.
The event is free and no
registration is required.
Drop at Corpening Plaza.
While teens came out in
droves, there were security
problems there, and it was
later moved to the fair
grounds.
In 2008, Recreation and
Parks took over the Friday
night summer offerings
with theMix, an indoor
event at Hanes Hosiery
Recreation Center featur
ing a variety of activities,
including music and video
games. Parents would drop
off their children, who had
to be registered to gain
entrance. TheMix averaged
300 teens a night its first
summer and would contin
ue for several years. Then
the venue switched to
Winston Square Park for
music in the park events
before Fairground Fridays
began in 2014.
Recreation and Parks
director Tim Grant said
since teens are always
changing, so to must the
events catered to them. At
the core, it's still providing
a place for them to hang out
with their friends.
"It's simple, but it
works," said Grant.
Parents are allowed to
come into the fairgrounds
with their teens. Most sat at
picnic tables outside and let
their children do their
thing. One was Felicia
Brinson. It was her first
?time at Fairground Fridays.
She took two of her chil
dren there to perform with
Greater Vision Dance
Complex, a nonprofit that
teaches dance. She said she
liked the event and planned
to bring them back regular
ly
"I think it's a great
opportunity for everyone to
come, socialize and eat a
little bit and watch the
entertainment, so I think
it's great," she said.
It was also a hit with the
teens.
"It's alright so far;
there's a lot of girls," said
one young man with a
smile who had just arrived
there for the first time.
Ranautica Taylor, 13,
attended Fairgrounds
Fridays last year. She said
she enjoyed hanging out
with her friends and meet
ing new people there. She
said she especially enjoyed
the contests held there.
"It brings everyone
together and gives them
something to do," she said.
One attraction from last
year's event, an indoor
skate park, is absent this
year. The City is currently
planning to open a perma
nent outdoor skate park on
fairgrounds property.
Tentative plans are for it to
be finished and open in
August.
Carver High alum returns to deliver
commencement speech
Editor's Note: The headline on this story was missing in the June 11 issue of The
Chronicle. The story is running here in its entirety.
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
When author India Reaves met Carver High School principal Travis Taylor, she jok
? ingly told him that she should be the one to deliver the commencement speech. What she
did not expect was for Taylor to take her up on her offer. He did.
A graduate and former teacher at Carver High School, Reaves' energy and passion
made her stand out above all the other candidates.
"Her energy, passion and the way she connects with students and can identify with
their lives ..." Taylor said. "Other alums were in the running as well, but India was the
best selection at the time."
After she got the news she would.be delivering th? speech Reaves, who is an author,
decided that she could not return to her alma mater empty handed.
After the publisher of her book "I'm T.O.U.G.H" told her that it would cost $500 to
get every graduating senior a copy of her book, Reaves took to social media to rally
Carver Nation to help raise funds for the books. What happened next was truly amazing
Reaves said.
"I wanted to start a GoFundMe page, but I figured I knew enough Yellow Jackets that
I didn't need to do that," Reaves said. "Before I knew it, people were calling me to donate
money."
In less than 24 hours, Reaves and Carver Nation had raised over $400.
"I was just amazed at how quickly the community rallied behind my idea, so I told
myself, 'If we can do that in less than 24 hours, how much can we raise over the two
weeks leading up to graduation?"' Reaves said.
Reaves then decided to give three of the graduating seniors book scholarships. Once
again, Carver alumni came out in numbers to help with the project. What started out as
three scholarships of $250 each grew to $750 each.
"People really came out of nowhere," India said. "People I hadn't spoken to in years
were calling me and donating money, not even pledges, I mean actual cash."
When picking the students who would receive the scholarships, India said she wanted
the students who weren't straight "A" students but were still just as deserving of the
scholarships.
"I wanted three 'B'-plus students who may not be at the top but had did what they
needed to do." Reaves said.
With the help of faculty and staff members, Tamir Glenn, Kayla Smith and Marlene
Telez were selected for the scholarships. Tamir will be attending North Carolina A&T
University; Kayla, Forsyth Tech Community College; and Marlene, William Peace
University in Raleigh.
"These three students epitomize what my book 'I'm T.O.U.G.H' is about" Reaves
said. "Tackling obstacles and unleashing God's hope, all three of these students had to
overcome some obstacles during their four years of high school, and I'm just happy I
could help them with these scholarships."
During her speech to the Carver graduates, India told the class of 2015 that it was
important that on their journe? through life, they should make sure they leave fossils
instead of footprints. Principal Taylor is sure Reaves' speech will be one the graduates
will never forget.
"The speech was not generic; jt was tailored for Carver," Taylor said. 'To become a
fossil, you must survive obstacles, but when that is done, your place in history will be
solidified forever."
Correction
In the story on page A1 of the June 11 edition, with the headline "Id law hearing
draws large crowd," George Michalek was incorrectly described as a person who was
seated in front of the meeting. In fact, George McCue was seated in front of the citizens
of Forsyth County. The Chronicle regrets the error. ? The Editor
Clarification
In the story on page A1 of the June 11 edition, with the headline "Id law hearing
draws large crowd," on the
jump page, me aeaaune ior
submitting comments was
cut off. To voice an opinion
about the voter ID law, sub
mit written comments to
rules@ncbse.gov or mail
them to P.O. Box 27255,
Raleigh, NC 27611 to the
attention to Rule-making
Coordinator George McCue.
All submission must be in by
June 30.
The Chronicle (USPS 067-910) was established by Ernest
H. Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and is published
every Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing
Co. Inc., 617 N. Liberty Street, Winston-Salem, N.C.
27101. Periodicals postage paid at Winston-Salem, N.C.
Annual subscription price is $30.72.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
The Chronicle, P.O. Box 1636
Winston-Salem, NC 27102-1636
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