African Dance is back at Hayti

(Ivy Burch, front right, leads the group in traditional African movements.  (Staff photo by Anthony DeHart) After nearly 2 years of virtual meetings, African Dance is back in person at the Hayti Heritage Center. African Dance Class Is Back! For more than 17 years, The Hayti Heritage center has been home to the Hayti Rhythms […]

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Recent Posts

Celebrating a pioneering Black community newspaper

Some claim that it’s always Black History Month — so then it’s never too late to celebrate the pioneering work of a bold and enterprising young Black journalist, Milton B. Robinson who, in 1945 launched The Harris Herald, billed proudly as the “Only Negro Newspaper in Rutherford County.”             Robinson’s publication was a groundbreaking, heroic […]

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Honoring our spirit mother, Martha Flowers, 96

When Martha Flowers passed, I bet there was a band of heavenly angels out there at the Pearly Gates to welcome her to the heavenly chorus. For Martha Flowers could sing. Our spirit mother and world-class opera diva, Martha died peacefully on Friday, March 11, at the Jim and Betsey Bryan Hospice Home in Pittsboroafter […]

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Finding peace in El Salvador

By Camila Villatoro DCI Cristo Rey High School Intern The Durham VOICE Three thousand miles from Durham, there’s a little country at the southern end of Central America that many people may not be familiar with. El Salvador, the smallest country in Central America, has almost 6.5 million people, and is heavily populated for being […]

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Falling for Autumn – activities for youth in the Durham area

By Rosemarie Dole DCI/Cristo Rey High School Intern The Durham VOICE Even though autumn came late to Durham this year, there’s still enough colorful leaves on the trees to enjoy the season. Looking for ways to not only celebrate the fall season but also ways to get out of the house from Covid lockdowns before […]

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Hillside drama students present ‘A State of Urgency’ this weekend

In response to the crisis of gun violence in Durham, the Hillside High School Drama Department, under the direction of legendary director Wendell Tabb, presents the original play, “A State of Urgency,” subtitled, “A call to action to stop gun violence.”             The play will run this weekend with four performances at Hillside High School, […]

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Making standardized tests optional would level the playing field

By Lesly Santos DCI Intern The Durham VOICE American College Testing, (the ACT), is a test costing from about $55-$77 required of high school juniors and seniors applying for admission to most colleges and universities. Over the last couple years schools have been debating whether to keep these standardized tests. Due to Covid 19, schools […]

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Seeing the World Through a Different Lens

        I started working with The Durham VOICE my freshman year of high school. Needless to say, I did not start as the Teen Editor-in-Chief of The VOICE. When I was younger, I would just go out with my phone and take pictures of other people, so I started as a photographer. Whenever I was […]

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Combating COVID through local investments

Duke Energy Foundation invests in the youth-serving nonprofits and educational organizations to help combat the effects of COVID-19 on students. While the wide-ranging effects of COVID-19 reverberate across all communities in our state, youth-serving nonprofits and educational organizations continue to orient their focus to countering these effects in communities hit hardest by the pandemic. This […]

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Growth in the Midst of a Pause

While the COVID-19 pandemic brings many organizations and plans to a halt, one Durham organization uses the opportunity to expand its reach. East Durham Children’s Initiative and Partners for Youth Opportunity are excited to announce their merger to form Durham Children’s Initiative (DCI). This merger has allowed for a significantly expanded capacity to help Durham […]

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Online school during Covid: a student/mentor learns to balance

Life in this pandemic has not been easy for any of us. Some people have lost their jobs, lost family members, lost their homes and have struggled greatly. Many other people are just stuck at home watching the world change. Meanwhile, one hardship I have faced during this pandemic has been dealing with online school. […]

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DCI honors MLK’s legacy

In this month of celebration of the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Durham Children’s Initiative has recreated the slain civil rights leader’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech, as read by various teens from Durham. Give a listen.

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UNC-CH honors Black music faculty trailblazer, Martha Flowers

Martha Flowers came to the front door prepared for her photo shoot, looking every bit like a diva — dressed for a concert, pearl necklace, and a smile that could – and did – light up Broadway. Diva; I may not know what that means technically, and I have a hunch its like when someone […]

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Remembering LeRoy Walker Jr. : Shedding light on a piece of Durham history

A little over a year ago, Prof. Jock Lauterer gave me a call alerting me that the Durham VOICE would have an esteemed visitor at our “newsroom,” what was then Partners for Youth Opportunity’s (PYO) office located on the second floor of the WG Pearson Center. “Koonce,” he said. “We’ve got LeRoy Walker coming to […]

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Spreading December cheer: Durham Children’s Initiative reimagines “Holiday Zone”

Story by Madison Reese DCI Intern  The Durham VOICE Photos by Khadijah McFadden Teen Editor-in-Chief Durham Children’s Initiative (DCI) created “Holiday Zone” seven years ago to provide Christmas gifts for Durham families who need them. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, however, the traditional way Holiday Zone is executed had to change. The Holiday Zone […]

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Hunting for a Great Pumpkin during Covid

By Leslie Santos DCI Intern My friend, Lauryn Perry, and I were looking for something to do one day this fall, but with Covid-19 throwing things into chaos, we didn’t know exactly what. In late October, with Halloween just around the corner, we decided to hunt for sunflowers and to go to a pumpkin patch. […]

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Frontline Fellowships help youth learn and give back during pandemic

By Khadijah McFadden Teen Editor-in-Chief Covid-19 has changed many people’s lives, some for the better and others for worse. One of those changes include their work predicaments. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost 19 million people lost their jobs or stopped working for a period of time due to Covid. The BLS found […]

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Gauging Durham’s election pulse

By Nway Dee DCI Intern The Durham VOICE This year’s in-person voting, as part of Election 2020, began October 15 for North Carolina residents.  People started rushing to polling locations during the first week and many of those voting are also urging others to vote early or as soon as possible.  Voting is vital and […]

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50 years later: they’re “still in the fight”

By Jock Lauterer Founding Publisher The Durham VOICE Fifty years ago this past spring, four outstanding 18-year-old Black graduating high school seniors from a rural high school in Western North Carolina teamed up to express their gloves-off opinions about the first year of school integration and the state of race relations. Earlier this fall, those […]

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Community rallies to staff voting sites in Durham

The dire prospect of a shortage among Durham’s election poll workers, for fears of contracting and spreading Covid-19, could have resulted in even longer lines than we’re seeing in early voting. Fortunately, more than enough residents of Durham rose to perform a treasured civic duty by signing up to help voters enjoy a smooth and […]

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Furry friends providing support and companionship during pandemic

I recently lost my long-time companions, Simba and Nala. The pair of Rottweilers, both dying from old age — Nala at 12 and Simba at 13 — were integral family members since I was a toddler. I think about my dogs daily and often wonder how pets and their owners are faring during this pandemic […]

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Managing the stress of Covid-19

By Antoine Freeman             In early August a man in Pennsylvania was charged with shooting at an employee of a cigar shop. This violence started when the cigar shop employee told the man, Adam Zaborowski, 35, to wear a mask. According to local news reports, Zaborowski allegedly fired shots at the store clerk and later, […]

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Covid-19 Chronicles: Jem Rahlan

https://overcast.fm/+gbOiCoPJI Jem is a student at Durham Tech Community College.  Join us for a conversation with Jem! Listen through the link above or on Spotify!

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Covid-19 Chronicles: Kira Lee

https://overcast.fm/+gbOjSL2iU Kira Lee is a former member of PYO’s Youth Advisory Board and a student in Durham. Join us for a conversation with Kira — listen through the link above or on Spotify:

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