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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C
Volume 43, Number 47
THURSDAY, July 27, 2017
Painting the city pumle and black
2017 National Black Theatre
Festival comes next week
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE__
With the countdown until the 2017 National Black
Theatre Festival (NBTF) set at four days, the North
Carolina Black Repertory Company (NCBRC), and the
city of Winston-Salem are preparing for one of the biggest
festivals in history. According to the Southeast Tourism
Society, the NBTF is one of the top 20 events in the South.
And every two years the festival is held, it seems to get
bigger.
Over the weekend thousands of theater enthusiasts,
and dozens of well-known celebrities will descend on
what has become known as “black theater holy ground”
for eight days filled with plays, live performances, educa
tional seminars, star-studded events, and other exciting
events for everyone to enjoy.
Star comedian Sinbad will kick things off with the Pre
Festival Comedy Event on Saturday, July 29, at the
Fairground Annex. The festival will officially begin with
the Opening Night Awards Gala on Monday, July 31
inside the newly renovated Salem Ball Room of The
Benton (formerly the Benton Convention Center).
Since the first festival held in 1989, the awards gala
has been known as the most popular event. In 2015, more
than 2,000 filed into the ballroom to get to see some of the
biggest names in television, film, and theater. Earlier this
year, Anna Maria Horsford and Obba Babatunde were
announced as the celebrity co-chairs. The duo currently
star on the day-time soap opera “The Bold and the
Beautiful.”
Other celebrities expected to be in the city throughout
the week include Louis Gossett Jr., Lamman Rucker, Ron
See NBTF on A5
Photo by Nikki Baldwin
A Visit Winston-Salem sign welcomes those in town
for the National Black Theatre Festival.
Winston prepares for
visitors for NBTF
BY NIKKI BALDWIN
FOR THE CHRONICLE
The Winston-Salem area is gearing up for visitors who
will be attending the National Black Theatre Festival
(NBTF). The festival, which will be July 31 - Aug. 5,
attracts individuals who have a love for the performance
arts by providing festivalgoers with plays, celebrity
appearances, vendor’s markets and events that showcase
the Winston-Salem area.
The visitors that will be in town for the eight days of
festivities will get to explore the innovation, cuisine, local
businesses and arts that Winston-Salem has to offer.
Visitors can expect a great reception upon arriving to
Winston-Salem with festival-themed incentives such as
special coupon codes, drink specials and dining incen
tives.
Richard Geiger, president of Visit Wnston-Salem,
reached out to hospitality and tourism partners to aide in
providing visitors with a warm welcome.
“We encourage any attractions, dining establishments,
and retailers to warmly welcome out-of-town guests into
Winston-Salem. This helps to show solidarity throughout
the hospitality community in appreciation of these events
that have chosen Winston-Salem as their host city, staying
overnight in our hotels and spending dollars to help boost
our local economy. We have collected responses from
more than 15 NBTF ‘special offers’ especially for theatre
goers. We will print and distribute at NBTF host hotels,
our Visit Winston-Salem guest information tables, and
online through VisitWinstonSalem.com and our social
media sites,” said Geiger.
To help prepare for the visitors’ arrival for the festival,
See Visitors on A5
Photo by Tevin Stinson
On Saturday, July 22, the local branch of the NAACP hosted a membership drive and community day which
featured free food, health screenings, and other activities.
Local NAACP connects with community
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
When Rev. Alvin Carlisle took the reins of the
Winston-Salem ^AACP Branch late last year, he vowed
to build a relationship between the organization and the
community it serves. And last weekend he did just that
when he invited residents to a membership drive and com
munity day on Saturday, July 22.
The event featured free food, vendors and free health
screenings from the Winston-Salem State University
Rams Know H.O.W. Mobile Unit.
Cancer Services Inc., United Health Centers, and
See NAACP on A3
Redistricting
hearing starts
today in Triad
BY CASH MICHAELS
FOR THE CHRONICLE__
GREENSBORO - Today in a U.S. Middle District
courtroom before a special three-judge federal District
Court panel, arguments began to determine when legisla
tive districts that were originally racially gerrymandered
in the 2011 redistricting by die Republican-led N.C.
General Assembly will be redrawn, and if special elec
tions can be held before the 2018 mid-term elections.
All briefs in the case were filed on Friday, July 21.
Both sides - plaintiffs (attorneys for Sandra Litde
Covington and others) and defendants (lawyers for the
Republican-led N.C. General Assembly and the state
Board of Elections) were scheduled to be given 90 min
utes to present testimony by way of witnesses, and sup
porting evidence, to convince the court of the best remedy
available.
Plaintiffs have filed a brief saying, in essence, that the
moment the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in June the
three-judge panel’s August 2016 ruling that 28 of 100 leg
islative districts were unconstitutional because of racial
gerrymandering, the Republican-led N.C. General
Assembly had no authority to override Gov. Cooper’s
vetoes because lawmakers were elected illegally, and can
not have that authority until all districts are redrawn,
declared legal by the court, and special elections held.
Plaintiffs say state lawmakers can redraw the districts
when they reconvene during their upcoming Aug. 3 spe
cial session, which starts next week. New maps could be
enacted by Aug. 11, with a candidate-filing period
See Hearing on A4
..
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