e situation
w
sat
Volume 44, Number 3
-WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
THURSDAY, September 21, 2017
‘I know my father is weeping’
Reynolds High inducts
13 people into inaugural
Arts Hall of Fame
BY ASHLEA HOWARD JONES
FOR THE CHRONICLE
The architecture of the Richard J.
Reynolds Memorial Auditorium vali
dates the history of RJ. Reynolds
High School as 13 former students
and teachers were inducted into the
Arts Hall of Fame during the “Arts
Always” celebration on Saturday,
Sept. 16.
R. J. Reynolds High School, now
Richard J. Reynolds Magnet School
for the Visual and Performing Arts,
used the ceremony to also commem
orate its 95 years of existence, 60
years of integration and 10 years as
an arts and magnet school.
“I know my father is weeping,”
says Musician Leonard Foy, class of
’78 and 2017 Arts Hall of Fame
inductee. ‘This was his dream, espe
Photo by Ashlea Howard Jones
Musician Leonard Foy, R. J.
Reynolds High School class of
1978 and Arts Hall Of Fame
inductee, said his father dreamed
of R. J. Reynolds High School as
an arts school.
dally during the time I came here. I
went to Wiley and Brunson around
the time of desegregation and to be at
Reynolds, which was society hill and
not for us, and now to see that it is an
arts magnet. Arts is for all. It’s the one
thing that has always brought our cul
tures together, and I’m so proud to be
able to be a part of it.”
The inaugural class Arts Hall of
Fame inductees includes people who
impacted RJ. Reynolds High’s Arts
program. The youngest inductee hon
ored during the ceremony was visual
artist Endia Beal, a 2003 graduate,
who currently serves as the director
of Diggs Gallery at Winston-Salem
State University.
“When I was at Reynolds, I really
found my voice as an artist,” says
Beal. “In high school, you don’t real
ly know what that means, but I found
my purpose. Sometimes that’s the
hardest thing as an artist, but I’m
grateful for the time that I had here to
figure out what my purpose is, my
why.”
The first class also includes nov
elist Wilton Bamhardt; Howell
Binkley, Tony Award winning light
ing designer; Ben Brantley, drama
See Arts on A7
Photos by Tevin Stinson
Former students who attended 14th Street School celebrate as the marker is unveiled at the corner of
Cameron Avenue and East 14th Street on Saturday, Sept. 16.
Legacy of
14th Street
School will
live on
Marker docu
ments the history
of all black
elementary school
BYTEV1N STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
Thanks to a marker
unveiling last weekend,
generations to come will
know the impact 14th
Street School had on the
East Winston community
and the entire city of
Winston-Salem.
Formally located at the
comer of Cameron Avenue
and East 14th Street, 14th
Street Elementary School
opened in 1924 to serve
African-American students
in the area. By the late
1930s, the addition of 20
classrooms increased the
enrollment to more than
1,000 students.
14th Street alumni and
See Street on A7
www.wsfcsJtl2jjc.us photo
A bronze plaque in the front lobby of the school (on
the first floor) shows the 95 years of R. J. Reynolds
High School’s existence.
“When I was at Reynolds, I
really found my voice as an
artist.”
-Endia Beal, 2003 graduate
Poverty rate
decreases a
bit across N.C.
BY CASH MICHAELS
FOR THE CHRONICLE
According to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau
released on Sept. 14, more than 1.5 million of 10,146,788
North Carolinians still languish in poverty with lack of
access to good well-paying employment, inadequate edu
cation or skills training, affordable and decent housing,
limited access to public transportation, and other impor
tant resources to lift themselves and their families out of
their dire condition.
Though, according to analysts, there have been small
improvements to their condition between 2015 and 2016,
15.4 percent of North Carolinians lived in poverty in
2016; making less than $24, 600 a year for a family of
four.
Specific numbers of North Carolinians living in
poverty by race were not available at press time Tuesday,
though it is known that 23.5 percent of African
Americans statewide live below the official poverty line
of $24,600 for a family of four.
In Forsyth County, according to those U.S. Census
Bureau statistics, 18.1 percent of its 371,511 residents
were living in poverty as of July 1,2016. Blacks are 27.4
percent of the county’s total population.
The median household income between 2011 and
2015 was $45,471. Per capita income per the last 12
months was just $26,674 by 2015 standards.
Guilford County, by comparison, had 15.7 percent of
its 521330 residents living in poverty as of July 1,2016.
Approximately 34.6 percent of Guilford’s population is
African-American, compared to 22.2 percent statewide.
Median household income (in 2015 dollars) in
Guilford County between 2011-2015 was $45,651. Per
capita income in the prior 12 months was $26,762.
On the coast, New Hanover County saw 17.3 percent
of its 223.483 population in poverty by July, 2016.
African-Americans comprised just 14.2 percent.
Median household income (in 2015 dollars) between
2011-2015 was $50,088, and per capita income in the 12
See Poverty on A7
«
WINSTON SALEM. NC 27101-2755 60
WSSU breaks ground on $53.3 million science building
BYTEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE__' ■
In about two years, Winston-Salem State
University (WSSU) will have a brand new, state
of-the-art science building that will rival others on
college campuses across the state and the country.
On Friday, Sept. 15, university Board of
Trustees, administrators and elected officials
broke ground on the building that will be located
near the FJL Atkins Health Science Building and
the W.B. Atkinson Science Building. The project,
which is expected to cost $53.3 million, will
‘'anchor” WSSU’s science district, according to a
press release submitted to The Chronicle.
The five-story, 103,000-square-foot building
will include an atrium, interactive learning and
community gathering spaces, lab space to increase
faculty and student collaboration and much more,
including a spot where students can grab a bite to
eat.
When discussing the addition to campus
Chancellor Elwood Robinson said it was a special
day on the campus of WSSU. Before thanking
everyone who made the project possible,
Robinson said the science building will help the
See WSSU on A7
We Rent U Haul Trucks!
Professional self-storage
MOVE IN
SPECIAL
$25
first nv
KJ ASSURED
fill STORAGE
of Winston-Salem, LLC
(336) 924-7000
www.assuredstoragews.com
Office Hours: Mori-Fri Sant 5pm; Sat 9am-3pn
Gate Hours: 5am- 10pm
4191 Bethania Station Road • Winston- Salem
>' ' ^
O' *
I