By Dylan Howlett
December 3, 2014
A story of greater consciousness, of a longer social antenna, begins, rather morbidly, with an entombed pharaoh. The credit for this haphazard beginning lies with Gwendolyn Payne, a 16-year-old junior at Durham’s Hillside High School. She interns at The Durham VOICE on behalf of Partners for Youth Opportunity, a nonprofit mentorship program that extends academic […]
Read moreBy Sarah DeWeese
December 2, 2014
Every child is a sponge seeking knowledge, whether that is in a classroom or not. “You’re expected to come to work with an unbiased mind and teach a classroom full of sponges because children are just sponges. SO that in itself is an issue,” said Heather Lee, 30 year old member of Durham. The Kettering […]
Read moreBy Caitlin Ball
December 1, 2014
The East Durham Trail Blazers—an exercise group formed by the East Durham Children’s Initiative to improve personal health and encourage community interaction—walked a total of 262 miles in less than six months, despite the heat, the cold and fatigue. EDCI challenged the group, composed entirely of local residents, to walk 26 miles in six weeks, […]
Read moreBy Robert Berges
When the family is working hard to buy a house, how can the children contribute? By planting blueberries! At least that was the answer Saturday afternoon Nov. 15 at the Angier Avenue Garden, where Durham Habitat for Humanity was testing a new program that will help children improve the neighborhood and buy houses. They will […]
Read moreBy Zack Newbauer and Jordan Bailey
Years of success for Holidays by TROSA have encouraged the Durham nonprofit to expand this year’s offering of holiday trees, as this year a ninth location has been added at 3500 N Roxboro St. TROSA—Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, Inc.—is a two-year residential substance abuse recovery program that offers vocational training for its 505 […]
Read moreBy Andrew Forrest
Ted Stephens knows firsthand the challenges many U.S. military veterans face when they return from duty. He spent two years fighting in the Vietnam War as a member of the Air Force. He was at one time homeless, living out of his car in San Diego. He suffered through alcohol and drug abuse. He’s been […]
Read moreBy Mark Lihn
In September, President Obama challenged communities to address opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color, and now Durham is responding. Obama’s initiative, My Brother’s Keeper (MBK), encourages communities to create strategies to help all young men reach their full potential in college or career paths, according its White House website. The Nov. […]
Read moreBy Mary Alta Feddeman
On the coldest day of 2014 thus far, a few hundred people gathered on the morning of Nov. 18 to celebrate the completion of a new housing development: the Denson Apartments for Veterans. The construction of the apartment building, located at 1598 Sedgefield St., was overseen and managed by CASA, an organization that builds low-cost […]
Read moreBy Zack Newbauer
November 13, 2014
The reentry into society following incarceration presents an array of challenges, but the most fundamental hurdle is housing – a key issue at this year’s Antioch Builds Community, Inc. annual meeting. “Right now housing is the biggest issue we are facing,” said Alesha Jones-Garrett, regional former offender specialist at the North Carolina Department of Commerce […]
Read moreBy Caitlin Ball
November 12, 2014
Editor’s Note: Staff writer Caitlin Ball was one of the photographers participating in the Oct. 10 Project Homeless Connect Durham event in which VOICE photographers made portraits for 55 people attending the support event at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. After spending the better part of the day meeting, talking to and photographing many Durham residents […]
Read moreBy Robert Berges
Durham Senior Divas cheerleading squad is out to get you moving, and thinking positive. The mantra of the seven-time North Carolina Senior Games gold medalists is simple: “You don’t stop playing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop playing,” But what keeps the Divas playing is that they have so much fun […]
Read moreBy Sarah DeWeese
“Hands Up! Instruments Up!” Instructor Omar Ruiz-Lopez says to the group of young musicians. The section of Kidznotes waits expectantly for Ruiz-Lopez to raise his hands before raising their violins and playing the first note of the song of the day: “Fiddles on Fire.” Kidznotes, a free orchestral community program for children K-8 grade, is […]
Read moreBy Jessica Coates
Rapid Rehousing Program Coordinator Cynthia Harris believes that affordable housing should be available to everyone. “We’re not afraid to talk to anyone,” Harris says. “And when people call us, even if we can’t help them, we’re willing to give them resources to put them in the right direction. We don’t want them to leave New […]
Read moreBy Mark Lihn
An initiative to help those in poverty fight it and its negative effects has come to Northeast Central Durham. REAL (Relationships Equipping Allies and Leaders) Durham is a collaboration between a host of agencies: End Poverty Durham, Durham Congregations in Action, East Durham Children’s Initiative, Healthy Families Durham and the Durham Economic Resource Center, REAL […]
Read moreBy Andrew Forrest
Individuals experiencing homelessness. That’s the phrase Tasha Melvin prefers over “homeless people,” because as she puts it, “homeless people” carries with it the connotation of being permanent. Melvin is the volunteer coordinator at Genesis Home, a temporary housing facility located at 300 N. Queen St. near downtown Durham. Melvin coordinates the home’s Circles of […]
Read moreBy Jordan Bailey
After being hit by a series of life events – including a divorce and the deaths of a few loved ones – that drove Durham resident Dawn Sims to start drinking again after nine years of sobriety, Sims knew she needed a new strategy for getting clean and staying sober. Sims said that was […]
Read moreBy Mary Alta Feddeman
On the white picket fence at the corner of Hart and South Driver streets, there hangs a yellow wooden box with a metal roof and a glass door. This bright box is filled with novels and children’s stories, and it reads in bold purple letters on each side, “READ BOOKS.” On the front, a sign […]
Read moreBy Ayannah Crawley
Twin sisters Oyinka and Oyinda Ajasa are only in the 7th grade, but they’re already planning to attend Duke Medical School together. “I want to be a pediatrician,” said Oyinda, a student at Rogers-Herr Middle School. Her sister also wants a career in medicine. “I want to be an oncologist,” Oyinka said. They both plan […]
Read moreBy Amber Buford
With winter right around the corner, Fayetteville Elementary School hopes to help every student in need. “We try to make sure no student is forgotten and has food, warm clothing, and any other school materials they need,” said Charlotte Wilson, the school’s assistant principal. The school has a long list of charities that donate clothes, […]
Read moreBy Leah Montgomery and Melquan Ganzy
Julia Ross Harrelson grow up in Hurdle Mills, N.C., on a farm with more than 114 acres of tobacco, squash, snap peas and anything else you could think of. The youngest of eight children, Harrelson had the task of collecting wood for the stove and gathering water from the spring near the farm. Her father […]
Read moreBy LaMon Jones
November 10, 2014
The purpose of suspensions is to take a student out of an environment where a problem was caused or a problem is brewing. The goal of a modern school is to keep a child in a structured learning environment at all cost. The idea of suspension is the exact opposite of what schools try to […]
Read moreBy Brooklynn Cooper
November 2, 2014
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Thanksgiving? Most people think of turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and other popular fixings. Food is one of the highlights of Thanksgiving, but some people have become so caught up in what is on their plates that they have forgotten […]
Read moreBy Gwendolynn Payne
October 31, 2014
I am Gwendolynn Payne, and I am 16-years-old and a junior at Hillside High School. I enjoy history and science classes over any other classes I have. I gained an interest in archaeology during my freshman year while taking a World History class. We had to do an end of the year project on a […]
Read moreBy Quiani Nzazi
October 24, 2014
The annual Phoenix Fest took place Saturday, Oct. 4, on Fayetteville Street just outside of the Phoenix Square Shopping Center. The festival is a yearly event that allows people to network and socialize. “This goes on every year,” said Michelle Jackson, a vendor at the festival. “I own a business in the complex; I try […]
Read moreBy Robert Berges
October 23, 2014
Durham’s seventh annual Project Homeless Connect linked people experiencing homelessness, or those experiencing lower incomes to “the care they need to move forward.” The event brought out hundreds of guests and volunteers to Durham Bulls Athletic Park Friday, Oct. 10, all determined to end homelessness in the rapidly growing city. Organizers want to make it possible for […]
Read moreBy Sarah DeWeese
October 20, 2014
As a Civil Rights activist and former member of the Black Panther party, Howard Fuller’s current passion for education reform may strike the average reader as a strange hobby. At Hayti Heritage Center in Durham on Sunday, Oct. 12 Fuller discussed his autobiography No Struggle No Progress: A Warrior’s Life from Black Power to Education […]
Read moreBy Jessica Coates
Three months after the official merger of youth organizations Partners for Youth (PFY) and YO:Durham into Partners for Youth Opportunity (PYO), Executive Director Julie Wells is proud to call it a success. “We are part of the one percent of nonprofits who have successfully merged,” says Wells, “so we have a story to tell about […]
Read moreBy Mary Alta Feddeman
Music emanated from Samuel and Sons Barbershop across the street from the Angier Baptist Church parking lot in the morning on Oct. 11, where community members gathered to celebrate the unveiling of the Angier-Driver Streetscape Project. The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the completion of the $4.8 million construction project that began in April 2013. The project was completed […]
Read moreBy Mark Lihn
Over $1.5 million dollars of new funding in 2016 could help non-profits like Habitat for Humanity expand their work in Northeast Central Durham, according to a memorandum presented to the Durham City Council from the director of the Durham Department of Community Development. The Durham Department of Community Development presented descriptions and guidelines for small […]
Read moreBy Caitlin Ball
In the next 42 days, many East Durham residents will complete 26 miles of walking in partnership with a program run by the East Durham Children’s Initiative called the East Durham Trail Blazers. The group will walk a 1-mile loop around the Holton Career and Resource Center twice a week for the next six weeks. […]
Read moreBy Jordan Bailey
When Brenda Brodie founded SEEDS – South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces – in 1994, she was hoping to bring the community together through a mutual love of food. “I had always had in my mind that I wanted to do some community gardening because I felt that it crossed all barriers,” Brodie said. “It […]
Read moreBy Andrew Forrest
At first glance, the Durham Farmers’ Market looks just like any other farmers’ market. But beyond the rosy red tomatoes, creamy goat cheese and green peppers lies something more. The Durham Farmers’ Market, located at 501 Foster St., accepts Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (SNAP), more commonly known as EBT or food stamps. Less […]
Read moreBy Zack Newbauer
Stephanie Toomer, mother of five and recipient of the first East Durham Children’s Initiative Scholarship, says her children are the reasons she is continuing her education. Her youngest, 4-year-old Faizah Toomer, has special needs. According to her mother, that is all the reason she needs as this year she completes the pre-requisites to apply to […]
Read moreBy Melquan Ganzy
The Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA) offers a bus fare discount to N.C. Central University students. Route 5 is free for NCCU students with a student ID. Otherwise, the bus fare is $1. Many students travel on DATA buses to get to their jobs off campus, and to take care of important business. “There’s no […]
Read moreBy Adrienne Stephens
Durham’s Transition to Kindergarten Initiative, through Durham’s Partnership for Children, wants to make sure every child’s transition into kindergarten is as smooth as possible. “The transition into this really formal school system can be really hard because 50 percent of the kids who go to kindergarten haven’t ever been to school at all,” said Wren […]
Read moreBy Ayannah Crawley
Holton Career and Resource Center is giving high school students the opportunity to earn coursework in a chosen career area, making it possible for them to graduate with a high school diploma and certification. The Career Center offers training in cosmetology, barbering, robotics and automation, early childhood development, and public safety. The core coursework is […]
Read moreBy Christian Frazier
When I first moved to Durham I was young and lived on Liberty Street. It was interesting. Growing up I noticed drug dealers, streetwalkers and gang bangers and I realized that was not the life for me. As the years go by I began to notice how food brings people together and it changes lives. […]
Read moreBy Sarah DeWeese
October 1, 2014
Civitans from Raleigh and Durham joined together at Shoeboxed on Broadway Street this past Sunday to raise money for the Special Olympics in their first annual Cornhole tournament: the Corn-ament. Civitan is an International service organization with hundreds of thousands of groups located in 40 nations. But this group, is located in Raleigh and had […]
Read moreBy Jessica Coates
Do you ever wish there was a place to store all of your precious memories? The Durham History Hub museum might have a solution. “The Story Room is a place where people’s personal memories and experiences become a part of history,” says Executive Director of the Durham History Hub Katie Spencer. “Most stories don’t make […]
Read moreBy Andrew Forrest
Marya McNeish sits inside SEEDS’ main lobby, decorating signs for the upcoming Garden Hat Party, just one of the many events hosted by the organization. It’s a rainy Wednesday morning, which has forced McNeish indoors, away from her normal outdoor volunteering duties. McNeish is one of the many volunteers who help out during the work […]
Read moreBy Mary Alta Feddeman
Durham teens learn life skills through agricultural education, four days per week. It’s a sunny, breezy Friday in late September, and high school students Andresha McPaul and Lawrence Fields are harvesting peppers. They maneuver their way around the lush, green garden with ease. Sixteen-year-old McPaul has been working with the DIG program—which stands for Durham Inner-city […]
Read moreBy Zack Newbauer
Members of Boy Scout Troop 411 recounted their experiences being in the Scouts this week, sharing stories of triumph and personal development. Jami Parker, Eagle Scout advancement coordinator and former Troop 411 parent, recounted how the troop, as a member of the Mawat District of Scouts, is a very active one. She explained that in […]
Read moreBy Caitlin Ball
After a three-year drought, the Bull City Slam Team returned to Durham from Greenville, South Carolina in June with the regional championship in hand. They beat 31 teams to win the 22nd Annual Southern Fried Poetry Slam, a spoken word competition that attracts the best poetry teams from across the South. In nine years […]
Read moreBy Robert Berges
La di da di, Durham likes to party, and on Saturday, Sept. 27 the 10th annual Latino Festival came to Rock Quarry Park – just to see you smile and enjoy yourself. Cynthia Booth, a public affairs coordinator from Durham Parks and Recreation, said, “I like to see people come together to enjoy music, dance, […]
Read moreBy Jordan Bailey
When Joe Bushfan decided to leave his glamorous job as a celebrity bodyguard in order to sell hot dogs in one of Durham’s roughest areas, his family thought he was crazy. “My wife thought I was crazy, my kids thought I was crazy … my dad thought I was crazy too,” Bushfan said. “I went […]
Read moreBy Mark Lihn
Dwight Whitaker II had been involved in a gang since he was 10 years old and found himself in jail for a crime he said he didn’t commit. Then, on June 16, 2010, he said he found God, which would be the turning point for his life. The connection with his religion led him to […]
Read moreBy Adrienne Stephens
East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI) is an organization that provides programs for children who are struggling or failing in school. “Our mission is to make sure that we have kids who are prepared for college or career, academically, socially and personally as well,” said David Reese, the organization’s President and CEO. EDCI serves approximately […]
Read moreBy Natasha Graham
When I had Mr. James Hensley for my 7th grade art teacher, I started to really think outside of the box. The assignments that he gave were so imaginative and expressive that I had no choice but to think of something different. From morphing into animals to hotels in space, Hensley’s assignments always got his […]
Read moreBy Melquan Ganzy
Durham Life Insurance Company Honors “Black Wall Street” “Black Wall Street” was once the heartbeat of Durham. North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance is the largest black-owned insurance company in the U.S. Bordered by Parrish Street, the area was dominated by influential businesses such as N.C. Mutual Life, the nation’s oldest black-owned insurance company. “On […]
Read moreBy Leah Montgomery
Author, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker Greg Hill hopes to help revitalize Durham, and shared his message with the crowd gathered Sept. 24 at the Hayti Heritage Center for “The Rebranding of Durham.” The event drew speakers and performers to share their success stories. Hill said he saw the need to give Durham a facelift […]
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