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The Chronicle
Volume43,Number32 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, April 14, 2016
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Longtime Winston Lake member and volunteer Al Jabbar voices his frustration with the executive board
during a meeting held to discuss the future of the YMCA located on Waterworks Road.
Winston lake protest;
YMCA $400,000 in debt
Members voice
frustrations with changes
in operation and lack of
transparency
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
The Winston Lake Family
YMCA, which has served the
African-American community for
more than 90 years, is slated for some
major changes this year, including
changes in staff and closing an entire
wing of the facility, and the commu
nity is outraged.
Here's what we know: Winston
Lake Family YMCA's roots date back
to 1924. when a branch opened on
Depot Street to serve African
Americans in the city before moving
to its current location in 1985. Once
arguably the city's most well-known
branch, in recent years Winston Lake
has seen a decline in participation and
membership. The branch has also
seen some of its most popular pnv
grams simply go away because of
lack of funding, such as daycare,
summer camp, and Silver Sneakers.
As a result, rumors started to cir
culate amongst residents that the
branch would be closing its doors for
good. Last week, YMCA of
Northwest NC executive board mem
bers notified members and staff at
Winston Lake that the branch wopM
not be closing. However,board nu
bers are looking to close the entM*
portion of the building where the pool
is located, cut hours, and transfer a
number of current staff members.
According to Senior Vice-President
and COO Darryl Head, the changes
would help Winston Lake overcome a
shortfall of $400,000. Head noted the
Winston Lake facility also needs an
additional $500,000 for repairs that
have to be completed in the next five
years.
During a meeting with more than
100 members on Friday, April 8,
Head said, based on a study on build
ing usage, the pool area and racket
ball courts at Winston Lake were the
least utilized.
"We have data that shows the
entire back side is seeing very little
usage," he continued. "We do want to
look at closing those spaces so that
we can garner our savings."
"A reduction in grants and fund
ing from United Way has led us to
make similar changes at all 16 of our
locations. A lot has changed."
See YMCA on A2
1
Vice president of YMCA of
Northwest NC Darryl Head
speaks during a meeting held at
Winston Lake Family YMCA
located on Waterworks Road on
Friday, April 8.
200 protest,
learn about
HB 2 in W-S
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
On the same day that hundreds gathered in the streets
of Raleigh to show support for House Bill 2 (HB 2), about
200 residents gathered at Greene Street United Methodist
Church on Monday evening to protest the state law, which
overrules LGBT anti-discrimination measures passed by a
local government.
Community members, clergy and others took to the
stage to talk about the effects the law has on the LGBT
community and the entire state.
Speakers also discussed ways to fight the bill.
HB 2 was
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vent a Charlotte
ordinance protect
ing LGBT indi
viduals from dis
crimination and
protecting trans
gender individu
als' ability to use
the restroom of
the gender they
identify as. The
bill which went
into effect April 1
says individuals
can only use pub
lic restrooms that
match the gender
on their birth cer
tificates .
PSfkway
United Church of
t_nnst minister
Rev. ? Liam
Hooper, who
identifies as a
transgender man,
told the audience
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ed public enforcement and vigilantism, which puts his
people in danger.
"This bill preys on and exploits the fears, misconcep
tion, and concision of the general public. HB 2 is a piece
of well-crafted deflection politics," Hooper said.
Hooper noted the bill scapegoats transgender people
in order to distract attention from the other instances of
human rights violations.
While HB 2 has .gotten nationwide attention for its
effects on the LGBT community, Hooper said that the bill
causes problems for other minority groups as well.
"If your skin is not white, and you don't have white
male privilege, you are targeted by this bill whether you
are transgender or not," he said.
The new law says there's a state policy against dis
crimination based on race, religion, color, national origin,
age, "biological sex," or handicap, but prevents any civil
action in state court based on that. Plaintiffs can still file
See HB 2 on A3
Photo by Tcvin Stuuoo
Criminal defense attorney David
Freedman discusses a court case
during a protest held at Green
Street United Methodist Church
on Monday, April 11
Ujima CDC close to building Emmanuel Retirement Village
BY TODD LUCK
fHE CHRONICLE
For over a decade,
Ujima CDC has dreamed
about building a retirement
community on Barbara
/lane Avenue and now
Expects to break ground
"This year.
The City Council
finance committee on
Monday, April 11, voted
unanimously to send a res
olution to the full council to
provide $2 5 million in
grants and loans for
Ujima's first project,
Emmanuel Retirement
Village. The $5.5 million
project will get the rest of
its capital from a private
lender. The planned inde
pendent living retirement
community, which will be
off Old Greensboro Road,
will have 28 single bed
room units in a two-story
apartment building,
duplexes with 22 two-bed
room units, and a commu
nity center. The CDC hopes
to start construction this
year and open the complex
in early 2018.
Ujima CDC came
about when Emanuel
Baptist Pastor John
Mendez had the idea of
putting a retirement com
munity on property the
church owned on Barbara
Jane Avenue.
"We saw older people
leaving the community to
find a suitable place to live
out the rest of their years,"
said Ujima Vice-President
Hobart Jones.
Church members began
putting together a commu
nity development corpora
tion (CDC) in 2005. Ujima
CDC, named after a
See Ujima on A2
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