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THURSDAY, June 20, 2019
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C
Volume 45, Number 41
Father’s Day Brunch
honors fathers, mentors, role models
TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
For the past four years,
brothers Antonio and
LaKeith Stevenson- have
celebrated Father’s Day
by inviting local men and
boys to brunch. And this
year the event, held on the
campus of Winston-Salem
State University, was big
ger than ever. From hum
ble beginnings with just a
few dozen in attendance,
this year more than 50
men and boys attended the
event.
Last weekend dozens of men and boys came together for the Annual Father’s Day
Brunch on Saturday, June 15.
When he started the
Father’s Day Brunch in
2016, Antonio Stevenson
said he wanted to create a
platform where you could
honor the fathers, mentors,'
and other male role mod
els in our community. Af
ter the first year, LaKeith
Stevenson decided to help
his brother with the event
and attendance has grown
every year since.
Along with brunch,
the event also included
entertainment and a guest
speaker.
City native and WSSU
alumnus Jayson Sloan
delivered the keynote ad
dress. Sloan, who serves
as the youth pastor at St.
Peters Church and World
Outreach Center, encour
aged those who may not
have a good relationship
with their fathers. Sloan
said although he didn’t
meet his father until he was
28 years old, he doesn’t
dwell on the things his fa
ther didn’t do; instead he
is focused on building a
working relationship with
him now.
“When I think about
the work of a father, under
stand this: net worth is the
value of all assets minus
the total of all liabilities.
So when we look at liabili
ties, of course we could
talk about he wasn’t there,
he didn’t show up, he
missed several birthdays,”
continued Sloan. “I could
look at all of the things that
my father did not do, but
his net worth is the asset
that he is to me now, mi
nus all of those liabilities.
So for you who have bad
relationships with your
fathers, I just want to tell
you today - get rid of the
liabilities and see him for
who he really is.”
Following brunch and
the address, the. Steven
son brothers recognized
several men for their com
mitment to uplifting our
community and the next
generation of men who
will follow in their foot
steps. Honorees were Mar
lon Davis, Ben Stevenson,
Dr. Nathan Scovens, Ralph
Fisher, and Cedric Russell.
Proceeds from the
brunch will support My
Brother’s Second Chance
and Sources United, two
local nonprofit organiza
tions designed to save
lost youth by providing
knowledge and teaching
life skills that will prepare
them to become produc
tive and successful adults.
When discussing his
organization, Sources
United, LaKeith Steven
son said although his orga
nization is .still fairly new,
they plan to hit the ground
running. Next month Ste
venson has planned a trip
to the Civil Rights Institute
in Birmingham.
A local man enjoys the Annual Father’s Day Brunch with his daughter. The Fa
ther’s Day Brunch was held on the campus of Winston-Salem State University.
“We’re coming into the
community hard. We’re
going to be knocking on
doors and everything; we
want to restore our com
munity.” Stevenson said.
. While giving his clos
ing remarks, Antonio Ste
venson said events like the
Father’s Day Brunch are
important because it gives
young men a chance to
connect with positive male
Honoree Cedric Russell connects with a young man during the Annual Father’s
Day Brunch on the campus of Winston-Salem State University last weekend.
role models. He said, “I’m
on these guys so hard be
cause I don’t want to read
about them in the paper.
I don.’t ever want to read
their obituary. I’d rather
they read mine.
“I thank you for your
support because with your
help, we can continue to
save lives. Sources United
is in the business of saving
lives. My Brothers Second'
Chance is in the business
of saving lives.”
For more information
on My Brother’s Second
Chance, visit https://www.
mybrotherssecondchance.
com. For more informa-,
tion on Sources United or
the trip to the Civil Rights
Institute, contact LaKeith
Stevenson at 336-864-
0046.
Local event sparks conversation on colorism
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
What does colorism
mean to you? Do you have
light skin or dark skin priv
ilege? How has colorism
impacted opportunities or
lack thereof? Those were
just a few of the questions
raised at the Delta Fine
Arts
Center during
the
3
M
Q
Photo by Tevin Stinson
Miranda Jones (right) opens up about her feelings on colorism during a recent open
forum held at the Delta Fine Arts Center.
Collard Greens & Salsa
Collective’s open conver
sation on colorism and its
impact on today’s culture.
Although the term col
orism was coined by Pu
litzer Prize winner Alice
Walker in 1982, the prac
tice of showing prejudice
or discrimination against
an individual based on
their skin tone is rooted
in slavery. History shows
us that slave owners gave
preferential treatment to
slaves who had lighter skin
tones. While dark-skinned
slaves worked long hours
in the sweltering heat,
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light-skinned
slaves
worked indoors.
The division between
the two groups created a
barrier between light and
dark African Americans
that still exists today. While
a lot has changed since the
first slave ships docked on
the coast of Virginia, col
orism, just like racism, is
something that we are still
fighting against. And the
event hosted by the Col
lard Greens & Salsa Col
lective gave people from
all walks of life an oppor
tunity to share their feel
ings on the topic.
See Colorism on A2
www.wschronicle.com
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