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NORTH CAROLINA ROOM
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WINSTON SAL3-1 NC 27_0i-2755
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Forsyth County Public tlbnaiY> 0
1500 Wcjii Fifth Strrpt,
710
-THURSDAY, January 1, 2009
Vol. XXXV No. 18
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Cards f
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Kwanzaa
film
features
Angelou
CHANGE'S new
leader is hopeful
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
CHANGE (Communities
Helping All NeighborS\3ain
Empowerment) is under new
management, so to speak.
After months of
r ? .l ? i ? ?
scanning iui uic
' perfect candiifate,
the ecumenical,
nonpartisan non
profit has chosen
the Rev. Ryan
Eller, a native of
Asheville, NC, as
its new lead
organizer.
CHANGE is
made up of 49
dues *" paying
organizations -
encompassing an
estimated 20,000
liiuiviuuai uiciu
bers - and 'is largely mem
ber-led. However, a small
staff of full time employees
help to keep the monstrous
social justice machine's
wheels turning smoothly.
~ Eller, a graduate of Wake
Forest Divinity School, now
sits at the helm. He took
offic^Dec . 1 5 .
The job seemed ideal for
him, said the political sci
ence major.
"I actually think it's the
perfect fit for me vocational
ly. I've been involved in
politics and the church really
my whole life." .Eller com- j
mented. "To be able to do
both government interaction
and faith work in congrega
tions is the
pertect merg
ing for me."
Eller, an
Appalachian
State alumnus,
is no stranger
to the world of
politics. He
and his wife,
Rev. Laura
Barclay,
served the
Baptist Joint
Committee for
Ryan Eller
Religious
Liberty, ? a
sociar justice
organization in Washington
DC., as the first-ever Bill
Moyers Fellows. Eller also
served as campaign manager
for Roy Carter, the
Democratic candidate who
attempted to unseat. U.S.
Rep. Virginia Foxx in the
recent election.
"I believe, my ministry is
one of social justice," Eller
'commented. "I think I can
See Eller on AS
Then & Now
Kwanzaa has become a tradition for Lee Maynard and his family. His wife, Desiree, is one of the electrifying
dancers of the Othesha Creative Arts Ensemble - the group that has provided entertainment at local Kwanzaa
events for years. Maynard and the couple's daughter, Sierra, rarely miss ah opportunity to watch Desiree show
case her many talents. Above, left, dad and daughter are pictured at a Kwanzaa event in December 2005. A more
grown up Sierra, now three, is pictured with her dad in the other photo, which was taken last week at the first
night Kwanzaa 2008. To read more about the Kwanzaa event, see page B6.
A Star is Born
Winston-Salem native
named one of
Minneapolis-St. Paul's
best performers
BY LAYLA FARMER '
THE CHRONICLE .
Theater critics Graydon
Royce and Rohan Preston of
the Star-Tribune J[n_
Minneapolis-ST. Paul Minn.,
have listed one of Winston
Salem's own among the best
performers of 2008 .
? Traci Allen, 23, was
named best "Breakout
Performer" by the critical
duo, according to the Dec.
20 edition of the paper,
? wh'fcft is' the, largest in.the
state of - 'Mipffesota^^ipd
boasts a circulation of nearly
350,000 daily readers.
Preston and Royce called
Allen's voice "soulful."
Allen, a graduate of the
North Carolina School of the
Arts High. School, vyas-ree*
ognized for her role in the
musical, "Five Fingers of
Funk," where she played
"Ruby Brown," a singer in a
1970's funk band.
? "She's the only girl in the
band, living in a really male
dominated world," Allen
related. "That was fun to
revisit because I think any
one who,s been an adoles
cent girl can relate to that."
"Five Fingers of Funk"
was also named among the
"Outstanding Ensembles" by
the Star-Tribune. The play
was put on by Minneapolis
based The Children's
Theatre Company (CTC)^
Touted as the leading prof*"^
' < Photo by l*ay)a Farmer
City native Trbci Allen is making a name for herself as an actress. '
? hu rnno
fHTrac.i Allen in Howard
University's "Eyes" in 2006.
sional theater company for
youth, the CTC is ojie of the
largest of its kind on the
globe .
"It was a very sophisti
cated piece for The
Children's . Theatre
Company." said Allen, who
.spent a year as a performing
apprentice wuth the CTC
prior to landing the role,
"but they're known for
doing thirvgs like that."
? The recognition came as
a su-rprise to the 2007
Howard University alumna.
"I didn't see that coming
at all," She said with a gig-,
gle. "It was a very nice
Christmas present.
Allen left Minneapolis
after the "Five Fingers"
closed in late November and
now resides in Chicago,
Illinois. She says she foun4
lent.
" "I fouftd out on Facebook
(.social networking site),"
she related. "One of my
friends wrote on my (mes
sage) wall. He said.. ".You 're
such a super star,' and put
"the link on there."
Though she was admit
tedly excited about being
named among the best per
formers in the area, Allen is
matter-of-fact about the
achievement.
'"It was a wonderful
experience, one that I know
changed me as a performer.
recognition
See Allen on A9
Money available
for programs that
can change lives
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
A local organization is offering funding for those with
programs that can help turn around troubled parts of the com
munity, ; "
The Twin City East-West Partnership Weed and Seed
Steering Committee is requesting proposals for its Weed and
Seed Sub Awards . The money awards will go to programs that
help reduce crime and*
revitalize neighbor
hoods. Weed and Seed
is a program by the
U.S. Department of
, Justice's Community
C a p a c It y
Development ;Office
designed to reduce
cfime. Part of it is
"weeding" out crime,,
through intensive law
enforcement Work.
The' awards go to pro
grams ,thaf do* the
"seeding" part, by pro
viding much needed
services to troubled
areas including pre*
vention. intervention
and treatment
"We want to revi
talize the com/mini- -
ties," said Bilb Longtime youth advocate Bill
McClain, the local McC lain is local director for Weed
Weed and Seed site and Seed.
director. "The purppse ?
of that is to promote
some long term community health and resilience."_
Nationally, there are more th^n 250 Weed arid Seed sites, _
which can be as small as a few neighborhood blocks or as big
as several square miles witlj populations ranging from 3.000
to 50.000. The city's first WeeHNmd Seed site was SaJem
Gardens in 1995, which saw weapons and drug violations fall
by 80 percent under the program. Subsequent grants in 1999
See Weed and Seed on A9
1 i ii i
In Memory of
Charlene
Russell Brown
? ? ? ' - " . i
"Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better"
ffiuggiil fflutteral ffitomc
Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support
822 Carl Russell Ave.
(at Martin Liuther King Or.)
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
(336) 722-3459
^ax (336) 1
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