By Linda Chen
December 4, 2016
Growing up, I always felt different. I always entertained myself alone. Played alone and read alone. I was a huge daydreamer and a helpless romantic. I loved to play doctor, school teacher or the mom going into the hospital because she’s having a child. It was just something I always effortlessly did. My story […]
Read moreBy Homer Fennell
December 1, 2016
At this year’s Engineer’s Day at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, Google Fiber used Play-Doh to engage children and teach them about circuits. The event, held on Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and sponsored by IBM and Cisco, featured many companies showing off the technology and creativity that […]
Read moreBy Brenna Elmore
November 28, 2016
In this updated version of “The Nutcracker,” hip-hop, Bollywood and African dance replace the traditional types while a diverse cast of children perform new and different roles. In Act One, we follow Sarah Tucker through the highs and lows of being a dancer as she takes on an updated version of Clara, and in Act […]
Read moreBy Nijah McKinney
November 15, 2016
When it comes to elections, many pose the question “Will millennials vote?” While the 2016 election is in the books, it appears that there are continuing questions concerning this age group. For that reason, one Washington, D.C., group conducted a college tour this fall, stopping at N.C. Central University on Nov. 2 to encourage […]
Read moreBy Kayla Jones
Black Lives Matter. Shawna Williams says that is what started it all “As a retired educator,” she explains, “I believe that education is the first step in showing our children that black lives matter, that their lives matter.” So, she started the Mt. Calvary United Church of Christ Tutorial Program two years ago on a […]
Read moreBy Prescious Blackwell
November 13, 2016
Moments after Megan George, of Raleigh, uploaded a picture of a single terrarium she created, someone wanted to buy it. That’s all it took for her to begin to develop her online business. Her success has allowed her to evolve to a storefront: Zen Succulent on Parrish Street in downtown Durham. Durham became a […]
Read moreBy Homer Fennell
On a warm, breezy Wednesday afternoon the Durham Rescue Mission welcomed students from North Carolina Central University’s 100 Black Men organization who came to work serving residents in the Mission’s cafeteria. When they arrived about 30 minutes before dinner at the Hope Center, the 12 young men from Central found a warm and inviting […]
Read moreBy LaMon Jones
November 11, 2016
The 2016 election has been a rollercoaster ride of insults, hate speech, sexism and racism. The Clinton campaign versus the Trump campaign will go down in history as one of the nastiest battles in politics. The career politician Hillary Clinton battled it out with one of the most iconic businessmen of the modern era, […]
Read moreBy Nafisa Shah
November 10, 2016
On Wednesday, Nov. 2, I had the opportunity to see President Obama give one of his last speeches as sitting President at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Throughout the day there were several speakers such as Deborah Ross, Roy Cooper, James Taylor and an UNC advocate for the Clinton campaign. […]
Read moreBy Ashlen Renner and Jimmy Wylie
November 9, 2016
From beginning to end, we followed a donated flute until it ended up in the hands of Kidznotes student Brandon Castellanos. Kidznotes is a non-profit organization that offers free orchestral training to the underserved kids in Durham.
Read moreBy Christian Phillips and Dillon Deaton
On Saturday, Oct. 29, the day before the Carolina Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals inside Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, there were football games played on the Panthers’ practice fields that had an even greater impact on the community. Those games were a part of the season-ending tournament for the Challenger division of the […]
Read moreBy Jordan Wilkie
Bull City Schools United, a new advocacy group focused on making Durham Public Schools more race, gender and LGBTQ-inclusive, got its start from three angry teachers in a car. After attending a roundtable discussion hosted by Durham People’s Alliance on LGBTQ issues in schools in February, Matt Hickson, Cheyenne Solorio and Jacqui Batts got to […]
Read moreBy Riley Turner
If you ask Donta Belvin where he got his hat – he’ll gladly tell you the story behind it and build a new connection with you through the process. Durham native Belvin uses inspiration from everyday things and the surrounding Durham community to create one-of-a-kind five-panel hats. What started as a shirt printing business idea with […]
Read moreBy L'erin Jensen and Rob Gourley
South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces (SEEDS) has been teaching gardening to the Durham community since 1994, but, here lately it is the after-school program that has become the focus of the organization’s work. According to Program Manager Leslie Simonds, the after-school program spun out of the community gardening program at SEEDS. Gardeners would bring […]
Read moreBy Meredith Wilson and Noah Grant
Hundreds of theatre-goers converged on Hillside High School Friday, Nov. 4, for Hillside Drama Department’s opening night performance of “The Wiz.” Along with the sold-out show, the audience was treated to an awards ceremony and celebration of Wendell Tabb, Hillside’s theatre director. The night began with a “Night Out with Mr. Tabb,” an event honoring […]
Read moreBy Brenna Elmore and Rachel Herzog
On a chilly Saturday morning in November, two police officers cross the deserted soccer field in front of the Holton Career and Resource Center. But they’re not patrolling the area — together, they lift up a soccer goal on their shoulders and move it along the white lines painted in the grass. Soon, cars […]
Read moreBy Prescious Blackwell
October 25, 2016
Originally from New Zealand, Rachel Campbell brought her art career in 2003 to Durham where she showcases her paintings at art exhibits around the Triangle and beyond. Her painting of NECD resident Malinda Davis and her beloved plants has made it all the way to Hollywood, where it appears in the background of NBC’s […]
Read moreBy Heng Su
I was born and raised in an ancient southwestern town in China where spicy food is practically a requirement. Then I moved to attend college in Hong Kong where the local cuisine lacks “serious chili” and features lighter and sugar-based dishes. Then, this fall semester, when I ended up in Durham, I was introduced […]
Read moreBy Jordan Wilkie
October 24, 2016
Holly Jordan is the staff sponsor of Hillside High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance, which she helped found in 2010, before she was even “out” to herself. Jordan says she has learned a lot since she began teaching at the predominately black high school when she was 22 years old. “I came from a background that did not […]
Read moreBy Noah Grant and Rob Gourley
Hillside High School’s Drama Department will kick off its 2016-2017 season with “The Wiz,” Nov. 3-6. The opening weekend will also include a celebration for Wendell Tabb, Hillside’s theatre director, who is in his 30th year of service. Tabb said he directs “The Wiz” every five to seven years. He said he comes back to […]
Read moreBy Meredith Wilson and Rachel Herzog
Ken Moshesh is full of stories — stories he’ll tell you over drums. He organized communities with the Black Panthers, taught at the University of California at Berkeley, toured with experimental jazz composer and bandleader Sun Ra, and the fell into a series of circumstances, including skyrocketing real estate prices in the Bay Area, that made him […]
Read moreBy Ashlen Renner
When Cheryl Bellamy started her own dance company in 2005, she moved all of the furniture out of her living room so her students could have a place to dance. A year later, she built a small studio in her backyard at 2210 Southern Drive, a trailer-like building with bright purple walls and smooth laminate wood […]
Read moreBy Riley Turner
Speaking Thursday, Oct. 24 beneath the cathedral-like ceiling of Hayti Cultural Center, the Rev. William Barber II, president of the North Carolina Chapter of the NAACP, said, “Fear doesn’t care what tool it uses, as long as it keeps the division wide.” The theme of the night: division. The Hayti Cultural Center hosted an advanced […]
Read moreBy L'erin Jensen
More than 300 minority entrepreneurs gathered Oct. 12-14 for networking, promoting and music at the Black Wall Street (BWS) Homecoming event in Durham. The event, which was co-founded by local entrepreneurs Dee McDougal, Jesica Averhart, Talib Graves-Manns and Tobias Rose, was a chance for African-American and other minority entrepreneurs to hear from and engage with other successful […]
Read moreBy Brenna Elmore
Dressed head to toe in bright Liberian fashion, the models in the Liberian Dinner and Fashion Show got a warm welcome from the attendees of the event at St. Philips Episcopal Church in Durham on Saturday, Oct. 15. The dinner is in its sixth year and was created as the church’s Millennium Development Goals (MDG) project, according to […]
Read moreBy Jimmy Wylie
To get a sense of what folks are thinking about the election year of 2016, VOICE audio journalist Jimmy Wylie takes his mic to Northeast Central Durham with the questions: who are you voting for? What are the issues you care about? And how important is this election? Here’s what he heard from, in order, […]
Read moreBy Veronika Payne
October 23, 2016
From a how-to on creating stained glass sugar to slime erosions, WTVD ABC 11 and BASF, a Research Triangle Park chemical company, is bringing home science experiments as a community service initiative to enlighten kids. Launched last September as collaboration between WTVD and BASF, the program called “Science Club” produces 90-second segments that help […]
Read moreBy Nafisa Shah
Playing tennis for Hillside High School since my freshman year has taught me much. Now a senior, I can see how the sport has developed me as a person. Tennis this year started off with only a few returning players from last year’s team. I got involved my 9th grade year because my parents […]
Read moreBy Amil Mangum
Early in September, former President Bill Clinton visited Lyon Park Community Family Life & Recreation Center to campaign for his wife and talk about education and immigration policies. Lyon Park is in my neighborhood, and I got to see what was happening. I always heard good things about Bill Clinton, especially from my mom. […]
Read moreBy Amil Mangum
October 18, 2016
Staff photographer and Jordan High School student Amil Magnum captured a student-organized “peaceful protest” at Jordan High School on Sept. 28, 2016, to call attention to events going on between police and people of color. The protest lasted from 8:30 to 8:50 before classes started. Teachers and administrators were supportive of the event.
Read moreBy Prescious Blackwell
October 7, 2016
From early mornings to late evenings, Malinda Davis cares for the plants that cover her yard across the street from Eastway Elementary School. Many students, such as Brandon Callender, a current UNC student who attended Eastway Elementary, remember “the house with the plants.” Davis, with a broad smile and short dark hair with a […]
Read moreBy Homer Fennell
On a cloudy Sept. 30 afternoon, Gladys and Robert Harris, owners of Grace Outreach Enrichment Ministries got in their minivan for their daily ritual, providing food to people around Durham who need a hand. Grace Outreach Enrichment Ministry is a nonprofit organization and ministry based in Durham. The founders, Gladys and Robert Harris received […]
Read moreBy Allie Harris-Beeks
Children of all sizes and colors were clapping and jumping with excitement as it was time to begin Social Justice story time last week at the Durham County Main Library branch. The theme for the first in a series was racial justice. During this event, the host read two books related to racial justice […]
Read moreBy Nijah McKinney
People chatted, laughed, and sat on the edge of their seats Tuesday night, Oct. 4, at The Monti’s fifth annual fear-themed “StorySLAM” held at the Motorco Music Hall on Rigsbee Avenue in Durham. The “fear” theme allowed eight people who had registered get five minutes to tell their story to the local audience. The […]
Read moreBy Trevor Barnes
With a community gathering of about 40 citizens, the city of Durham held their biweekly City Council on Oct. 3 where they declared October Domestic Violence Awareness Month. “Whereas anyone can be a victim of (domestic) violence, we believe that everyone deserves a life free of violence,” said Mayor Bell. Mayor Bell continued by […]
Read moreBy Travon Wallace
You don’t normally associate the word diaper with bank, but that’s not the case here in Durham where Michelle Old made her diaper bank dream a reality. Michelle Old, the Founder of “Diaper Bank of North Carolina”, says that the diaper bank was started back in 2013 on a kitchen table, after she and […]
Read moreBy Christian Phillips
October 5, 2016
In 1985, a group of seven men and women formed what was then known as the National Senior Olympics Organization. After joining up with other groups who were already conducting games for seniors, the first National Senior Olympic Games were held in 1987. The inaugural games were well received with 2,500 competitors. The number […]
Read moreBy Rob Gourley
There is a magnet program at Hillside High School that nearly guarantees its students will go to college, according to the program’s coordinator. The International Baccalaureate Programme, or I.B., at Hillside High School uses a college prep curriculum taught at schools all over the world. And Diploma Programme Coordinator Euba McKoy says 100 percent […]
Read moreBy Heng Su
Editor’s Note: The writer is an international exchange student from the University of Hong Kong. The United States was born as an open country. From the Pacific to the Atlantic, and from Chapel Hill to Durham, up until recently walls between communities have been a rarity. Take a drive into Northeast Central Durham on […]
Read moreBy Meredith Wilson
Newly appointed Police Chief Cerelyn Davis announced Officer Charles Strickland as the liaison between the department and the LGBTQ communtiy of Durham at the annual NC PRIDE festival on Saturday, Sept. 24. The Durham Police Department (DPD) also released new standard operating procedures (SOP) regarding interactions with LGBTQ individuals on Sunday, Oct. 2. The LGBTQ […]
Read moreBy L'erin Jensen
Hillside High senior Desmond Jackson, 17, just returned from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he was Team USA’s youngest male competitor in track and field at the Paralympic Games. Jackson competed in the 100m and 200m sprints, as well as the long jump in the T42 category, which is for athletes with single above-the knee-amputation. […]
Read moreBy Elise Holsonback
A hearty belly laugh resounds through the room as Craig Umstead, friend of many and public servant of North Carolina for over 35 years, recounts a vivid story of one of his many volunteering adventures. The 1976 Hillside High School graduate was presented The Order of the Long Leaf Pine award in August for his […]
Read moreBy Jordan Wilkie
In the past week, Black Lives Matter activists on the streets of Charlotte, Hillary Clinton on the presidential debate stage, and student protestors at Durham’s Jordan High School all brought attention to the opportunity gap that they say leaves young black and brown people in thin air, without support. In Durham, Carlton Koonce and […]
Read moreBy Jimmy Wylie
An old, remodeled forklift shed, just barely 2,000 square feet, is where the residents of TROSA — Triangle Residential Option for Substance Abusers, receive their health care. TROSA is a two-year rehabilitation program. The program provides substance abuse treatment, counseling, vocational training, room and board at no cost to the residents. The resident population […]
Read moreBy Noah Grant
El Centro Hispano celebrated its move into a new office space on Saturday, Oct. 1, holding an open house and town hall meeting for board members and citizens of the community. The organization moved into the new space at 2000 Chapel Hill Road in late May, said Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, El Centro’s president and CEO. Rocha-Goldberg […]
Read moreBy Brenna Elmore and Rachel Herzog
Zenzele Barnes still remembers the excitement she felt when the first paper issue of the Durham VOICE was printed in February 2010. She remembers chatting with the school secretary while waiting for new copies of each issue to be delivered to the front office of Jordan High School. She remembers putting the new copies […]
Read moreBy Riley Turner
Christopher’s last name sounds like the word “contour” but is spelled “Couture.” The brown-haired 22-year-old, clad in slacks and a deep blue button-down, smiled and looked away shyly as he explained the difficulty people have over spelling his last name. Couture is a student at the Durham Literacy Center (DLC) and has been a […]
Read moreBy Ashlen Renner
The rosters of the Youth Hip Hop Dance classes at the Holton Career and Resource Center have been full since they were first offered 2 years ago. Cheryl Bellamy, who has been a dance instructor at Holton for four years, has made it her goal to encourage her students out of their comfort zones and […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
September 26, 2016
Bryanna Williams, who sang the national anthem for President Bill Clinton when he visited Durham on Sept. 6, talks about making vocal runs in her songs. She sang for us in Hillside High School’s choir room, which Bryanna calls her sanctuary. (Photo by Raina Matthews of Hillside High School)
Read moreBy Justice Davis
September 22, 2016
SEEDS is a nonprofit organization based in Durham, NC that works with the youth by providing a place for kids to learn and explore gardening and other Earth-friendly values. SEEDS started as a partnership with Phoenix House, a homeless transitional housing program for men, but over the years SEEDS changed with the needs of the […]
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