Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Feb. 18, 2021, edition 1 / Page 2
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A2 February 18, 2021 The Chronicle New program seeks to create brighter future for young Black men BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE In honor of the late Rev. Carlton AG Eversley, several organizations have joined forces to create a space where young Black males can access the tools they need to become suc cessful and productive adults. Eversley, who died in 2019, was the longtime pastor of Dellabrook Pres byterian Church and well- respected throughout the community as a warrior for social justice who was always willing to stand up for those in need. Eversley Little Village (ELV) was created to keep that legacy alive. ELV, which was cre ated through a partnership among Action4Equity, L.I.T. City, Triad Restor- that impacts both educa- ative Justice, and TURN, Book From page Al eight years, because it al lowed me to really hone in on exactly how I wanted the book to be written and the look of it. “I cannot thank Keith Hobgood enough. He is the illustrator from Out of Our Minds Studios, and he is the illustrator that really brought the book to life in a really magical way. He even put little hidden mes sages in the actual illustra tion so that even though the dad isn’t in every il lustration, there is a piece of him in each illustration. He really took the words and made the book come to life and I am so grateful to have worked with him.” Even as a well-known public figure in the com munity, it was difficult for Vickers to find a publisher for her book. Being a first- time African American fe male author writing a book about a young Black boy and his father made some publishing companies hes itant about the book. “Some people will look at me and say, ‘that was easy for you, because you are a public figure’ and actually it’s not,” she said. “I think that people don’t realize that just because you are on television, or just because you do a lot of community service and people may know your name doesn’t mean that they’re going to be so will ing to help you publish your book.” Vickers says there are many “gatekeepers” in the book industry and she found out the hard way when she attempted to send letters to agents about her book. She found that just being a public figure was not enough to entice agents and publishing companies to her book. Through hard work and dedication, she chose to Submitted photo Eversley Little Village was created to keep the legacy of Rev. Carlton AG Eversley alive. Eversley was the longtime pastor ofDellabrook Presbyterian Church. began as a tutoring/re- mote learning program for students, but has grown into much more. Accord ing to their website, ELV serves as a “place-based, trauma-informed, com munity-driven interruptor self-publish her book. “I went the route of self-publishing because I found there were so many gatekeepers in this indus try that do not believe in the books of our stories, the stories of our lives, the stories of our own voices,” she continued. “They don’t believe there is enough of a big market out there for our books to have a Black child on the cover.” Vickers emphasizes the point by telling a story that told her they liked the sto ry and the book, but asked if she could lighten the skin color of the child. She vehemently refused. Throughout the eight years Vickers worked on the book, she kept it a se cret from her brother and nephew. Once she finished the book, she sent her brother a copy in the mail as a surprise. Her brother was overjoyed to have Vickers express in print the emotions he has had to deal with every time he has had to leave his family. “When he got it in the mail, he sent me a text message and he said, ‘I just received your pack age, I can’t talk right now, I’m only up to the third page and I am in tears’,” she said about her brother reading the book for the first time. “That for me was so powerful, because I gave it to him as a gift just to let him know that even in those quiet moments when we were apart and we couldn’t be together, I felt your pain and love and wrapped it up in a book.” Her nephew echoed the sentiments of his father. He was happy that she was able to show how hard it was as a child to endure having your father leave to serve his country. Vickers is a firm believ er in getting more Black authors on the shelves of book stores, schools and libraries. She feels the best tion outcomes and multi- generational economic mobility ... by providing culturally relative and da ta-driven, individualized developmental and aca demic support.” At a place in time where racist practices and way to accomplish that is by having the Black com munity support Black au thors. Currently her book has been fast tracked by the Forsyth County Li brary system and is on the shelves of every library in the county. It was intentional for Vickers to bring to light what the men and women of the armed forces have to deal with when they leave their families for de ployment. She knows her brother and nephew are not the only ones dealing with this issue, so it was a hope that other families could benefit from the book. “A lot of times we see the big happy reunion when they return from overseas, but we don’t of ten hear the backstory, we don’t see the struggle, the tug of war or the crying nights of the child laying in bed wondering, where is my dad,” she said. “That is often lost on so many peo ple. It was lost on me until I saw it once my brother joined the Army. “I have such a profound respect for service men and women, because what they do and what they give up and the families that serve a special mission of then- own and what they do and what they give up in order to keep all of us safe, it is beyond profound and it is critical that we recognize and support them. I wanted to make sure people on the outside, or civilians, to un derstand there is so much more beyond the happy reunions and the tearful goodbyes.” Vickers plans to have more books in the near fu ture that will include other branches of the armed forces, as well as for little girls. For more informa tion about “Why My Hero Had to Go,” visit www. talithavickers.com. systems that have hin dered progress for Afri can Americans are being brought to light, one of the goals of ELV is to break that cycle by creating a place where young men can go to learn how to sus tain hope, accountability 751 West Fourth Street, Suite 200 Winston-Salem, NC 27101-2702 (336) 725-2382 People from around our community have joined together to ensure that more local students have the resources to achieve their dreams. We offer both merit-based and financial need-based scholarships. No matter your GPA. your high school, or the college you plan to attend, we likely have an opportunity for which you’re eligible to apply. 1 am so thankful for this scholarship opportunity and to be in the position that I am. I’m able to make my mark on the world and give back to my community.” £ and pride in culture. Each of the boys in the program will be con nected with community leaders and programing that will follow them from 6th grade until gradua tion. Upon completion of the program, a communi ty-wide rites of passage ceremony will be held to transition ELV Boys to ELV Men. To support the pro gram, ELV will combine transformative organiz ing strategies and parent advocacy utilizing Search Institute’s Developmental Assets Framework, which has identified 40 positive supports and strengths young people need to suc ceed. ELV is currently en rolling boys in middle school living in or near the Rolling Hills community into their inaugural pro gram. For more informa tion visit www.elvnc.org. CONTACTING THE CHRONICLE www. wschronicle. com 1300 E. Fifth St., Winston Salem, N.C. 27101 Main Phone Number: 336-722-8624 Advertising: Ext. 113 Circulation/Subscriptions: Ext. 100 y Editor: Ext. 108 To send news items: email news@wschronicle.com To send a Letter to the Editor (350 words or less) or column (550 words or less): email letters@wschronicle.com For advertising: email adv@wschronicle.com For subscriptions: email plewis@wschronicle.com Like us on Facebook: facebook. com/WSChron- icle Follow us on Twitter: WS_Chronicle The Chronicle (USPS 067-910) was established by Ernest H. Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and is published every Thursday by Chronicle Media Group, LLC, 1300 E. Fifth St., Winston Salem, N.C. 27101. Periodicals postage paid at Winston-Salem, N.C. An nual subscription price is $30.72. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Chronicle, P.O. Box 1636 Winston-Salem, NC 27102-1636
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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