WSSU chancellor,
600 youth package
meals for needy
SPECIAL TO THE
CHRONICLE
Winston-Salem State
University (WSSU)
Chancellor Elyvood
Robinson joined about 600
teens from the East Coast
as they packed more than
100,000 dehydrated, high
protein and highly nutri
tious meals for local agen
cies and the hungry in
developing countries
worldwide on the morning
of Wednesday, July 1.
The young people
were taking part in the
61st Annual Lott Carey
Youth Seminar, which is
designed to empower
young people to make a
missionary impact world
wide. The 600 mostly
teens were visiting WSSU
from the District of
Columbia and seven states
(N.C., N.Y., NJ., D.C.,
MD., PA., VA) for a week
of serving, learning, wor
ship, and fellowship.
The Annual Lott Carey
Youth Seminar promotes
community impact, bibli
cal study, dynamic wor
ship and Christian fellow
ship with new generations
of leaders for the world.
Second Harvest Food
Bank of Northwest N.C.
and the Salvation Army of
Winston-Salem will each
get 5,000 meals. The other
90,000 meals will be dis
tributed globally.
Locally, Second Harvest
Food Bank of Northwest
ZV.C. and the Salvation
Army of Winston-Salem
will get some of the pack- '
aged food.
Photos by Erin Mizelle for the
Winston-Salem Chronicle
Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) Chancellor Elwood Robinson, third from left, joins about
600 Lott Carey Summer Camp teens as they package meals for Stop Hunger Locally and Globally
on Wednesday, July 1, at the Anderson Conference Center on the campus of WSSU.
I I
Lott Carey Summer
Camp youths and
volunteers pack more
than lOOftOO dehy
drated, high protein,
highly nutritious
meals.
BOOK REVIEW
Book depicts the sometimes
'hair-raisins' evolution of a business
'Miss Jessie' was
bom in N.C.
BYTERRI
SCHUCHENMEYER
FOR THE CHRONICLE
Starting a business is
not for the faint of heart.
It takes brains and guts
enough to step out of a
comfort zone.
It requires going
against the grain, letting go
of pride, and a dash of
innocence. Starting a busi
ness is the worst, most dif
ficult, wonderful, magnifi
cent thing you'll ever do -
but as in the new book
"Miss Jessie's," by Miko
Branch, sometimes it's also
quite hair-raising.
Jessie Mae Pittman was
born in 1919 to a share
cropper family in North
Carolina, and grew up hat
ing fieldwork.
To avoid picking cot
ton, she taught herself to
cook and later became
renowned for her skills.
That independent self
sufficiency impressed her
granddaughters; Miko
Branch and her sister, Titi,
were raised knowing that
they'd someday be busi
nesswomen.
Throughout their child
hood, the Branch sisters
learned and dreamed.
They also toiled long
hours with their father at
various family businesses,
which was work they did
for free.
That eventually taught
Branch the value of her
labor
and gave her a sense of
what owning her own busi
ness might entail.
When it was time to
enroll in college, Branch
decided on a career in fash
ion but her schooling
taught her what she didn't
want.
Upon graduating from
Fashion Institute of
Technology, she'd realized
that she needed to work
with hair; specifically, she
wanted to work in a high
end salon that catered to a
certain kind of clientele.
"There is a long,rich...
complex history surround
ing African-American
women's hair that ties to...
self-image," Branch says.
As a woman with curls,
she knew she could make a
better product than what
was available.
She experimented with
gels, crimes, and technique
before she and her sister
opened a salon that ulti
mately grew into a full
fledged, hip and trendy
mini-empire with products
named after their grand
mother.
But, like many fledg
ling entrepreneurs, the sis
ters made mistakes - one of
which led to a split,
lawyers, and a months-long
parting that hurt Branch in
more ways than one. It took
two years, two moves, and
too much money to fix
what broke.
Business book or mem
oir? Though it may appear
more the latter, the answer
is that "Miss Jessie's" is
both.
Sometimes, of course,
the story of a business is
the story of its creators, and
author Miko Branch takes
her readers back nearly 100
years to see where the very
roots of her company
began.
That's a very interest
ing tale but if it's not what
you read a business book
for, well, Branch has that
part covered, too.
She subtly includes
business advice for entre
preneurs in nearly each
chapter, and a nicely suc
cinct epilogue as a final
takeaway.
That serves to entertain
and inform readers on one
hand, while steadily
encouraging entrepreneur
ship on the other.
Though I thought there
was a bit too much repeti
tion here, I did enjoy this
by-the-bootstraps story of a
growing company, and I
think you will, too - espe
cially if you're up for the
unique format of it.
Still, business book or
memoir, "Miss Jessie's" is
something you won't mind
curling up with.
The Bookworm is Terri
Schlichenmeyer. Terri has
been reading since she was
3 years old and she never
goes anywhere without a
book. She lives on a hill in
Wisconsin with two dogs
and 14,000 books.
Have an Opinion?
Let us Know letters@mchronicle?om
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Where Do You
SEE
Yourself in the Future?
I
AM
GOING
T O B E
A COLLEGE GRADUATE ? A NURSE
A CARPENTER ? AN ENTREPRENEUR
AN ACCOUNTANT ? A TEACHER
A FIREFIGHTER ? AN ARCHITECT
AN ENGINEER ? A CHEMIST
A POLICEMAN ? ALANDSCAPER
A PLUMBER ? AN AUTO MECHANIC
ABLE TO GET A BETTER JOB ? ABLE TO AFFORD
ANEW CAR ? ON A DREAM VACATION ? ENJOYING
A BETTER FUTURE ? ABLE TO SUPPORT MY FAMILY
LOVING WHAT I DO!
YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN
AT FORSYTH TECH!
MAKE YOUR
VISION
AREMJTY@
Don't wart ~ apply online now
at www.ForsythTech.edu to start classes this fall.
Registration is July 13-14
Habitat
for Humanity
of Fofsyth County
Want to be a Homeowner
or know someone who does?
Come to an orientation
session to learn more
about the Habitat program.
Space is limited.
No children, please.
For
mora info:
Carol Ebron 765*854, ext 134
Monday, July 13
6 p.m.
1023 W. 14th St.
Winston-Salem