Written by: Carl Kenney

Public forum develops plan for future art and cultural development in Durham

By Carl Kenney

November 28, 2023

Published November 28, 2023 at 2:06pm Candidates at public forum listen to Laura Ritchie deliver a closing message. She spoke about the importance of arts for the people of Durham. From left to right: Carl Rist, Javiera Caballero, Khaliah Karim, Leonardo Williams, Mike Woodard, Monique Holsey-Hyman, Nate Baker. Durham community members gathered at NorthStar Church […]

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Charlitta Burruss’ is Running for the People

By Carl Kenney

October 11, 2023

Charlitta Burruss is running for mayor of Durham. Photo by Kendall Chavis. Charlitta Burruss, a candidate for the mayoral office of Durham, spent her Thursday morning driving around the community picking up and replacing her campaign signs that were kicked over or thrown out. Burruss said that she always looks out for her opponent’s signs […]

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Renee J. Vaughan Talks Housing, Community, and Policing for the Future of Durham 

By Carl Kenney

October 9, 2023

This year’s Durham’s City Council elections have 12 candidates running for three open seats. Renee J. Vaughan is running for the first time for Durham City Council at-large, in hopes that diverse voices of the people of Durham are represented.  Vaughan is a twenty-six year Durham resident, a certified research administrator at Duke University, has […]

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J.J. Campbell is running on a people-focused platform for Durham City Council

By Carl Kenney

October 2, 2023

by Mazin Elnagheeb, Oct. 2 2023       J.J. Campbell at Sandy Creek Park on October 1, 2023 (Photo by Mazin Elnagheeb) J.J. Campbell, a man with an eclectic background including dolphin training, experience with nonprofits, and geophysics, is running for Durham City Council with a people-centric platform. Campbell said his eclectic background will aid him in […]

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Celebrating a pioneering Black community newspaper

By Carl Kenney

April 12, 2022

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

By Carl Kenney

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 Carl Kenney

November 12, 2021

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 Carl Kenney

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

By Carl Kenney

November 10, 2021

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 Carl Kenney

November 5, 2021

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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Growth in the Midst of a Pause

By Carl Kenney

February 13, 2021

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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DCI honors MLK’s legacy

By Carl Kenney

January 27, 2021

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

By Carl Kenney

January 23, 2021

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

By Carl Kenney

December 23, 2020

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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Triangle Performance Ensemble Presents First virtual performance of Black Nativity Durham

By Carl Kenney

December 18, 2020

Annual Durham Production Streams On Demand for the 14th Christmas Season One of Durham’s top traditions continues this weekend in a nontraditional way. Triangle Performance Ensemble presents Black Nativity Durham as a virtual production for the first time in its history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Produced by Wendell Tabb and co-produced by Xavier Cason, […]

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Hunting for a Great Pumpkin during Covid

By Carl Kenney

November 28, 2020

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 Carl Kenney

November 6, 2020

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 Carl Kenney

November 4, 2020

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 Carl Kenney

October 30, 2020

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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Managing the stress of Covid-19

By Carl Kenney

October 7, 2020

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 Episode: Nathan Gomez

By Carl Kenney

September 2, 2020

https://overcast.fm/+gbOg96pas Nathan Gomez is a former member of PYO’s Youth Advisory Board and a student at City of Medicine Academy. Join us for a conversation with Nathan! Listen on the link above or on Spotify:

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East Durham Children’s Initiative and Partners for Youth Opportunity merge to become Durham Children’s Initiative (DCI)

By Carl Kenney

July 28, 2020

By David Reese, DCI President   July 1 marked a monumental day in the history of the Durham Children’s Initiative (DCI). Not only have we officially changed our name to reflect our county-wide work with families and our support of the development of the Durham County Early Childhood Action Plan (ECAP), but we have also signed […]

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NCCU Awarded $1M in Funding for New COVID-19 Project

By Carl Kenney

By Ayana Hernandez North Carolina Central University is one of six institutions awarded funds from a $6 million grant from the N.C. Policy Collaboratory at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for COVID-19 research and care. The announcement was made June 11 by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors’ Historically Minority […]

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Honoring Grandma’s hands

By Carl Kenney

February 16, 2020

My Grandma, Rose Krivensky, wasn’t like other grandparents — she and my grandfather were parents. They are my earliest memories of what parents are and should be. My Grandma was my hero and still is in many ways. In Arabic, we call Grandma, “Sitty.” When I was little I was put into foster care, and […]

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Durham’s StudentU builds a legacy of success stories

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 […]

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Sofia’s offers neighbors a new slice of Angier Avenue

By 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 […]

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Powering through Florence in spite of it all

By Carl Kenney

October 12, 2018

  Editor’s Note:  During her senior year at UNC-Chapel Hill, Elise Clouser served as a staff writer-photographer for the Durham VOICE. Upon graduation in 2017, she was hired as a reporter by the Carteret County News-Times of Morehead City, which donates the printing of the Durham VOICE as a public service. We wanted to know […]

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Take your community heart wherever you go

By Carl Kenney

December 6, 2017

  Editor’s Note: Lu Xu is a 10-year veteran Chinese broadcast journalist who, for the last two years, has been studying communications at the UNC-CH School of Media and Journalism, where she is a visiting international scholar. In her final semester at Chapel Hill, she joined the MEJO 459 “Community Journalism” class and became a […]

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Hillside Chronicle staff writers pen “Letters to Durham”

By Carl Kenney

April 3, 2017

Editor’s Note:  Following a recent incident near their high school, the Hillside Chronicle staffers of Hillside High School received some negative comments via social media about their school. Anonymous, of course. In response, the staff elected to write “Dear Durham” letters, aided by UNC-CH students from the Durham VOICE mentoring team which has worked with […]

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Local author and life coach speaks at Hillside

By Carl Kenney

March 1, 2017

  By Elaijah Gibbs-Jones Hillside Chronicle Editor   In early February, a majority of Business and Finance Academy students filed into Hillside’s auditorium to receive professional advice on transitioning from high school to the real world. LaToya Rose, author of Money Matters: Life After Graduation, spoke to Business and Finance Academy (BFA) students. Rose spoke […]

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Bryanna Williams sings anthem for President Clinton

By 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)  

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VOICE kicks off new semester with site visit

By Carl Kenney

September 21, 2016

The fall 2016 Durham VOICE kicked off its eighth year with its traditional Durham community orientation tour and site visit, Sat., Sept. 10. With the slogan of “Our Community. Our Times, Our Voices,” the Durham VOICE is a collaborative effort between the journalism program at UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. Central University. Launched in September 2009, […]

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Six teens, five days, two papers and one island

By Carl Kenney

September 15, 2016

  Editor’s note:  The Durham VOICE and the Durham NGO Partners for Youth Opportunity teamed up this summer with the Ocracoke Observer to bring six Durham high school student interns to the Outer Banks island to spend the better part of a week learning about island culture and documenting the stories of some of the […]

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NHS bans cell phones during classes

By Carl Kenney

April 17, 2016

  Northern’s new cell phone policy states that, if a teacher sees a student’s phone in class, they will call the office to have an administrator come to the class to take it. The consequences for the policy are: “1st Offense: The cell phone will be confiscated until the end of the current school day […]

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Racing to recognize our armed forces

By Carl Kenney

April 3, 2016

Back in February, the Hillside High School Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps hosted a 5K at the school’s track. The event was done to celebrate 100 years of JROTC. The 5K takes place annually to celebrate one more year of JROTC, and it is required that most cadets enrolled in the program participate in the […]

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VOICE wins national honor, launches new year

By Carl Kenney

September 17, 2015

  At the Durham VOICE, we have a motto: “little i, big WE.” As a long-time journalist, I’ve won my fair share of awards and accolades. But honestly, those old plaques and trophies pale compared to the latest honor bestowed on the Durham VOICE. Earlier this fall, the Durham VOICE won second place in the […]

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Weather delays disrupt NCHSAA basketball playoffs

By Carl Kenney

March 4, 2015

The roads were lined with walls of snow and the parking lot was relatively empty, only highlighted by a school’s activity bus and a couple large piles of snow. But on Saturday, Feb. 28 the Riverside High School girls’ basketball team took on South Central High School from Winterville, North Carolina, in the first round […]

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New Durham VOICE staff is off and running

By Carl Kenney

September 29, 2014

Our Community Our Times Our Voices That’s our motto, and we believe in it. As we begin our fifth year, the Durham VOICE re-affirms our vision statement: That great community media helps build, nurture and sustain great community. And so it follows that we think Northeast Central Durham has those qualities and that potential. We […]

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TROSA Graduates Put Doubts in the Past

By Carl Kenney

May 16, 2014

The newest group of TROSA graduates will cross the stage Sunday, May 18, having overcome substance addiction – and the doubts of those who thought they would never make it. Some have struggled with addiction for many years. Some have faced criminal charges, joblessness and estrangement from their families. One graduate-to-be, Tanya Parks of Bryson […]

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Durham and “A Tale of Two Cities”

By Carl Kenney

April 8, 2014

  Editor’s Note: the following is excerpted from the annual State of the County address delivered by Dr. Michael D. Page, chairman of the Durham County Board of Commissioners on March 24 . The Reverend Page is also chaplain of North Carolina Central University and senior minister of Antioch Baptist Church. 1415 Holloway St., Durham. […]

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Carlton Koonce Joins Partners for Youth Opportunity

By Carl Kenney

March 19, 2014

(Press release from Partners for Youth Opportunities) Carlton Koonce, the current Teen Mentoring Coordinator at the Durham VOICE community newspaper, will be the new Internship and Mentor Coordinator at Partners for Youth Opportunity (PYO). PYO is a youth organization being formed by the merger of YO:Durham (Year of Opportunity for Durham Teens) and Partners for […]

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Hillside’s William Logan named DPS Principal of the Year

By Carl Kenney

November 24, 2013

  By Kristen Mayo, Jazmine Dixon and Breana Kea Hillside Chronicle Staff  Writers,  Hillside High School   Hillside Principal William Logan has been awarded the Principal of the Year award for Durham Public Schools. “I felt stunned, appreciated and grateful,” Logan said, after almost shedding tears of joy. Logan was completely surprised about receiving the […]

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Hillside hosts a rally for public schools

By Carl Kenney

November 21, 2013

  By: the Hillside High School Chronicle staff On Monday, Nov. 4 Hillside joined many other schools in North Carolina in a “walk-in” for public education. Parents, teachers and students gathered in front of the school at 6:45 a.m. to rally for public schools. “Public education is at the root of our society’s problems, yet […]

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Matthew Hunt sets high standards as new principal of Northern

By Carl Kenney

Northern Round Table editors-in-chief D.J. Ellis and Brooklynn Cooper sat down with their new principal, Matthew Hunt, for a Q & A session Round Table: What made you want to get into education after being a professional basketball player and a Wall Street banker?   Hunt: I didn’t feel good about any of the things […]

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One teen’s concern about teen pregnancy, abortions and school

By Carl Kenney

November 19, 2013

By Alexia Squires The Spartan Times Southern High School Teen pregnancy in the United States is common. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, three out of ten American girls will become pregnant at least once before age 20. In addition, many may have mothers who also became pregnant during teen […]

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Let’s get SMART

By Carl Kenney

By Riyah Exum Orange Grove Missionary Baptist Church is much more than just a spiritual building. Almost four years ago Orange Grove Church received a grant to start a learning program to help young children with their math, reading and other academic skills. The SMART program is a learning program at Orange Grove that meets […]

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New voting laws likely to reduce voting turnout

By Carl Kenney

By Riyah Exum, Municipal Elections took place on Nov. 5 for mayor and city council. Durham County Board of Elections has confirmed that William “Bill” Bell will be mayor for a third term. However, new changes to voter’s registration may impact future voters in upcoming elections. New voting residents will now be required to show […]

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