By Carl Kenney
December 12, 2019
By Brittany Cowan Education is a complex, often controversial topic for discussion, as the viewpoints of teachers, legislators, and community leaders can sometimes result in bitter conflict. In Durham County, the non-profit organization StudentU has been on a mission since 2005 to shift the conversation towards educational equity and serving student populations that may otherwise […]
Read moreBy Aaliyah Bowden
November 17, 2019
Abortion, women’s reproductive rights, and gender equality will be on the ballot in the 2020 presidential election. With that in mind, NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina, located in Durham, has joined 10 other participating organizations in launching a petition to make affordable reproductive health care an important topic on the debate stage. “The petition is asking […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 8, 2019
Angier Avenue in historic East Durham has seen its fair share of added concrete, construction, and changes to the neighborhood within recent years. This ever-changing landscape we call Durham is becoming a host to new faces, housing spaces, and local businesses at a dizzying pace. One of those newcomers, Sofia’s Pizza, opened its doors to […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 4, 2019
“Free for everyone.” That’s how the President and Executive Director of Hope Her Way, Jillian Cross, describes her organization to me about young mothers looking to finish their unfinished college experiences. The organization is an eight-week pre-college program helping low-income, single parents get the higher education they need such as when they have had to […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 2, 2019
“We want you to feel like you are welcomed here, we want you to feel like family,”
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
September 25, 2019
This essay is the first in a series of interviews exploring minorities in America. Before we get into this, let me just point out that I am a 16-year-old African- American female. And I know what you’re thinking, “Why in the world is this black girl writing about her Latinx brothers and sisters?” My answer […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
July 30, 2019
Katrina Hayes, an Autism advocate, is passionate about bringing her craft into the streets of Raleigh and the surrounding areas. Hayes is a mother of a child with Autism and has occasionally hosted fundraising events to help the cause. “As the mother of a child with Autism, I have to be very cognizant where my […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
May 23, 2019
This is a podcast series being produced and reported for the Durham VOICE. With this project, we’re reconnecting with people who were once involved with the VOICE and its community, allowing them to share their journeys and experiences since working with the newspaper. To wrap up this season of DVV, this week we’re doing […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
May 15, 2019
This is my story of how writing became an escape, rather than a chore, through journaling — and then journalism. Coming to America with English as my second language I always thought it was the hardest subject to master. Being the quiet shy kid in class, I felt inferior with my English language skills […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 25, 2019
This Saturday, April 27, a local young black female entrepreneur is inviting other entrepreneurs and other interested community members to a launch event at 5:30 at R.N. Harris Elementary School. R.N. Harris Elementary School is located at 1520 Cooper St. and entry is free. Zarie Baker grew up in Robeson County in the small town […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 24, 2019
Durham native Tracee Nichole Hester wears many hats. Some refer to her as the modern day “Renaissance Woman.” She is a “Good Samaritan,” a wife, mother of three boys, motivational speaker, radio personality, business owner, nail technician, an advocate for young and underprivileged community members, and somewhat of a local celebrity after […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Aubrey Griffith-Zill describes “ecstatic dance” as something that “happens when our thinking mind gets out of the way and our body is able to move uninhibited by thought.” And judging from the Friday night crowd at the Living Arts Collective, it is gaining popularity in Durham. Each session opens with a circle to go over […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 15, 2019
Durham’s Neighborhood Improvement Services (NIS) Community Engagement Team leaders Lynwood Best and Jacob Lerner understand something that many people don’t appreciate — that there is a vast difference between equality and equity. According to Best and Lerner, equality is making sure everyone is treated equally. Equity is making sure everyone is given the tools […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 10, 2019
Bill Riddick’s life has changed a lot in the last month. Before, the 81-year-old didn’t routinely have reporters sitting in his living room, nor did his neighbors come knocking on his door just to thank him for being “a good man.” But now, with the release of “The Best of Enemies” on April 5, moviegoers […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Editor’s note: Four years before Ann Atwater’s death in 2016, VOICE teen writer Sharif Ruebin interviewed Atwater at age 76, describing the legendary Durham civil rights activist as a “mama lion.” This story-photo package is reprinted from the May 2012 edition of the Durham VOICE. Walking into Ann Atwater’s room at Pettigrew Rehabilitation […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
This is a podcast series being produced and reported for the Durham VOICE. With this project, we’re reconnecting with people who were once involved with the VOICE and its community, allowing them to share their journeys and experiences since working with the newspaper. This week, DVV welcomes Zenzele Barnes. Zenzele was the VOICE’s first ever […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
A couple hugging as the sun sets in Woodstock, a woman crying in despair after she sees Martin Luther King Jr. lying in his coffin, a Ku Klux Klan member, arms folded as a cross behind him engulfs in flames. These are just three of the moments expertly captured by famed photographer Burk Uzzle, an […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
The halls of Hillside High School were packed with administrators, educators and endless opportunity on April 6. Fifty-three schools in the Durham Public Schools system gathered at Hillside High School for the annual Teacher Career and Transfer Fair, a community-wide event for individuals to explore employment opportunities. All grade levels and subject areas are involved, […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
The worlds of the elders do not lock all the doors; they leave the right door open. — Zambian proverb Zambia borders Zimbabwe to the north. And although the proverb above is not from Zimbabwe, it fits remarkably well with Durham couple and restaurant owners Leonardo Williams and Zwelibanzi Moyo-Williams (Zweli). The two […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Between 2010-2011, Crystal Dreisbach wrote 200 letters to businesses throughout the Triangle. Her mission toward a more sustainable Durham was just beginning. The restaurants Dreisbach wrote to used Styrofoam, and she wanted to talk to distributors about sustainable alternatives, she said. She was working in public health research at the time, and Styrofoam takeout containers […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
The sun shines down on the picturesque spring afternoon of April 6 at Durham’s Bull City Ciderworks, and Independent Animal Rescue (IAR) is gathering nine of its foster dogs for its latest adoption event. The outdoor space includes a deck and large grassy area. Dozens of Durham residents are spread out across picnic tables, donning […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Urban Ministries of Durham, the largest downtown homeless shelter in the city, connects more than 6,000 people each year to food, shelter and other opportunities. Due to policy changes made in the last year and a half, people seeking shelter will no longer be turned away because they are under the influence of alcohol. Instead, […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Janie Richardson Sloan wants to break the silence and start a conversation about domestic violence with her film, “Take a Stan.” The film will premiere on April 14 with two showings at The Carolina Theatre in downtown Durham. Sloan, a Durham-based filmmaker, directed the film and co-wrote the script with producer Linda Parnell. Tickets cost […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Although the 22nd annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival has come to an end, UNC-TV will continue highlighting the work of award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson throughout the month. On Tuesday, April 23, UNC-TV will premiere Nelson’s most recent documentary, “Boss: The Black Experience in Business.” The film touches on rarely discussed stories of black entrepreneurship […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
In sports, the scoreboard often serves as the judge, jury and executioner — the measure of success or failure at the end of the game. But the Hillside High School baseball program refuses to measure its success only in wins and losses on the baseball diamond. The players and coaches understand that success can mean […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 8, 2019
Black excellence has done it again with five African-American males starting their own comedy show. It’s not just a regular comedy show with a venue, but a comedy show on a school bus. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, a school bus. The first Bull City Laughs bus tour rolled out on March 15 to a sold-out […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 2, 2019
Although many people dread exercising, Cheryl Waters, a published author and 20-year educator, says that GirlTrek reminds her to think radically and outside of the box when it comes to taking care of her health first. According to their website, GirlTrek is a movement that aims to advocate healthy actions within black women and […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Ian Burris arrived at his food truck a few minutes after opening, ready to get the night started. He was wearing a N.C. Central jacket to stay warm in the cold air. He went over and talked to his staff and dropped off some needed items. Two of his staffers were already getting everything […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
March 27, 2019
As a 9-year-old, Kriddie Whitmore took a field trip to Ellerbe Creek that sparked her interest in preserving and removing invasive plants. She often relives this fond memory by preserving areas near her childhood home as a nature preserve steward with the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association (ECWA). “It’s a very volunteer-centered organization, and they always […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
When Grace Beeler began teaching English as a second language, she was shocked by the stories refugees had to share. “If everyday Americans could hear the stories that I hear at work they would have a lot more compassion for refugees,” Beeler said. “They would understand why they need to come here, why we should […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Partners for Youth Opportunity changed three students’ lives for the better on March 14 when they awarded scholarships worth $1,000 each to help pay for their college education. The scholarships were originally meant for high school students going into college, but now can be awarded to students already in college. The recipients chosen for the […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
It’s the crisp Saturday morning of March 23, and nonprofit groups are slowly setting up tables on the sidewalk outside of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for the 24th annual Great Human Race, hosted by the Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center (TNVLC). Many of the tables are covered in posters, pamphlets and brochures to […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Carmen Settles remembers the first time she learned that going to college after high school wasn’t for everyone. She could venture out on her own path and be successful. Although she graduated from North Carolina Central University with a marketing degree, Settles owes her success to Communities in Schools (CIS), a nonprofit that focuses on […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
This is a podcast series being produced and reported for the Durham VOICE. With this project, we’re reconnecting with people who were once involved with the VOICE and its community, allowing them to share their journeys and experiences since working with the newspaper. Natasha Graham joins DVV this week. She worked with the VOICE as […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
North Carolina farmer Chantel Johnson has found solace from gun violence through sustainable living. On March 24, she shared her experience at SEEDS urban garden in Durham as part of her “From Gun Violence to Homesteading” winter speaking tour. “You don’t need a lot of land to grow,” Johnson said. “… Whether you have a […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Erin Batten-Hicks finally found the community she had been missing when she transferred to Hillside High School and joined the school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA). “I never really had an opportunity to find more queer people and find that community while I was at my other school,” she said. “When I came […]
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Parents and community members honored two of Hillside High School’s drama directors, Wendell Tabb and the late John H. Gattis, by renaming the theater after them. They also dedicated the stage to Tabb. “I feel that it’s an honor that’s well deserved, well earned by both men,” said William Logan, principal of Hillside High School. […]
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Durham rang in the new year with tragedy as three people were murdered in two separate shootings, one at Alden Place Apartments and the second on House Avenue. However, residents and officials grew increasingly concerned as the rash spread of homicides increased to six gun-related deaths in just 11 days. In a news conference organized […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Earlier this month, as part of the NeXt Doc Fellows, a fellowship which promotes 20 to 24-year-olds identified as the next generation of documentary filmmakers, I attended the True/False Documentary Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri. I watched “The Commons,” a film about the protests surrounding the Silent Sam statue and the Pit. I watched […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
When Jacqueline Jones inherited her cousin Mable’s artwork, she knew she was taking on the responsibility of protecting part of Durham’s artistic history. An art exhibit honoring Mable C. Bullock took place at Cecy’s Gallery & Studios on March 1 and 2 from 6-9 p.m. The event was open to the public and marked the […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Following the cancellation of classes and a Feb. 8 Black History Month event at which Durham City Councilwoman Vernetta Alston was invited to speak, Immaculata Catholic School reinvented Alston to speak in March. Alston was one of six openly LGBTQ candidates in North Carolina elected to office in 2017. She is also an alumna of […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
February 28, 2019
Everyone goes through ups and downs in life, and Suzanne Clark openly shared that things have been very rough since she became homeless in September. Fortunately, the Salvation Army is helping her. On the morning of Friday, Feb. 22, she stood in a line outside the Salvation Army along with about 50 other people with […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
On a cold and rainy February afternoon, 17-year-olds Samantha Vazquee and Demonte Bolden are not hiding inside – they’re hard at work repotting dozens of plants after a day at school. Vazquee and Bolden are two youth members of the DIG program, a youth-driven, urban farming and leadership development program started by South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
February 27, 2019
After nearly 20 years, the Latino Community Credit Union continues to do more than provide North Carolina’s Latino community with a safe place to store their earnings. A credit union founded in Durham in 2000, LCCU works to educate and empower all communities by offering a financial education program and savings, checking, loans and credit […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
V’Aondre Mack, 16, always loved being in a barbershop. Now, the Holton Career and Resource Center is giving him the opportunity to work in one someday. “I’ve always been in a barbershop since I was young,” the Southern High School (SSES) junior said. “Me, my dad and my little brother went to the barbershop every […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
When Jenne Mondry was interviewed for a position teaching English at Hillside High School last summer, it was proposed to her that she teach journalism and take over the school’s newspaper. For Mondry, it was daunting. “I let them know that I had not done that before, but I had done the yearbook at a […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
As the Saturday morning rain pooled in the parking lot, a dozen Durham Police Department squad cars sat parked along the sidewalk leading up to the Holt Athletic Association Gymnasium. To passersby, the outside view may have signaled something was wrong. But within the yellow walls of the gym, cheers and laughter bubbled over, disarming […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Informational booths from different Durham Public Schools departments lined the walls of the Hillside High School lobby last Saturday. Parents and students could ask questions about program offerings at these booths, as part of a fair called “Say Yes to DPS.” “We really wanted to be able to showcase them and to be able to put a […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
The Hayti Heritage Center buzzed with nervous energy hours before the 4 p.m. showing of “Inside Studio Real: A choreopoetic sitcom” on Feb. 23. The play, written by director Dasan Ahanu, involves poetry, movement and emotion. Ahanu, 44, is from Raleigh and has been an artist since the ‘90s, he said. He has performed original […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Filmmaker Dennis Leroy Kangalee had set out to create a masterpiece. Less than one year after his debut film, “As an Act of Protest” was released, Kangalee sent that masterpiece flying off the balcony of a hotel in Germany. Kangalee’s independent film is a 144-minute-long drama whose unedited, anti-Hollywood aesthetic and emotionally raw acting seek […]
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