By Carl Kenney
February 23, 2015
People always say “laughter is the best medicine,” which is true, unless people are laughing at the expense of someone’s feelings. In today’s society, it is common to try to ease pain and discomfort by cracking a joke, but laughter should not have to be a defense mechanism. Last month, the hashtag “#BrownParts” blew up […]
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I recently heard about the My Brother’s Keeper events being hosted by Durham from someone close to me. It sounded interesting enough so I decided to check it out. I wanted to be able to tell my story to other kids like me, as well as hear their stories. I was hoping I could […]
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February 19, 2015
In the course of attending schools in Durham, I’ve become accustomed to African-Americans making up a majority of students in my classes. According to the latest census information, Durham County has a population that is 38.7 percent African-American, 13.5 percent Hispanic/Latino, 4.8 percent Asian and 1 percent Native American. Honestly, growing up I was never […]
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February 18, 2015
Steven Blalock knows the value of early childhood education, and he wants to make sure his 4-year-old son, Ja-Mar, is ready for kindergarten. “I just want him to be able to get the fundamentals, and what he’ll learn he’ll take with him,” Blalock said. With the opening of the preschool program, EDCI LEAP Academy, Ja-Mar is […]
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Last Thursday, Zulin Yang, the manager of LiMing’s Global Mart, celebrated a special date with his fiancée, Lu Ai, because they have been together for four months. Yang said he first met his fiancée at LiMing’s Global Mart in the summer of 2012 when he introduced different kinds of pears to her. “She is attractive […]
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Valentine’s Day isn’t just flowers and chocolates. For some Hispanic families in Durham, N.C. – it’s a livelihood. Mayra Hernandez, 21, and her mother, Irma Delgobo, 37, have been setting up their Valentine’s Day stands for over five years. For Delgobo, who runs no other business, this holiday is a special and — most […]
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Marie Hunter has lived in the Southside neighborhood for more than 60 years. She said remembers when it was called St. Teresa and was full of family homes with children playing in the yard. But that’s no longer the case. “I just get tired of people saying bad things,” she said. “They put a bad […]
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Every Tuesday and Friday, Anne Aitchison pulls up to Meals on Wheels Durham, loads up her white hatchback Volkswagen with warm meals, a stack of Herald-Sun newspapers and an occasional can of pet food. Then she heads out on her route. “Good morning, Ms. Moser!” calls Aitchison, clutching a bag of food and a […]
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In the four years Justine Lyon has played basketball at Hillside High School, she has scored more than 1,000 points, captained the Lady Hornets and earned a 3-star rating from ESPN scouts—all while keeping a GPA above 4.0. Not too shabby. But after this season, Lyon will be gone and off to college. Playing her […]
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Spiders, salamanders, even cockroaches. Thaddeus Bennett has no problem reaching into a crate full of these creatures and holding one in his hand. “Cockroaches have these little things on the back of their body called cerci that check for changes in temperature and pressure,” Bennett says as he picks a Madagascar hissing cockroach out […]
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Durham’s Heritage Square on East Lakewood Avenue is home to shops, restaurants, and a grocery store. If you’re going too fast, you might miss a big piece of Durham’s history that rests on the side of Food World: the Hayti mural, completed in 1999. At approximately 177 feet long and 32 feet high, the mural is […]
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Global Scholars Academy is not your average school; while most schools teach Spanish as the required foreign language, this school offers Mandarin, which is the most spoken language in the world. The children are also involved in robust programs that most would not even find in a typical high school, such as biomedical engineering. Since […]
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“5, 6, 7, 8!” said dance instructor Armani White as she led her all-girl modern dance class into their routine. Durham Parks & Recreation offers teens (whether the teens are experienced dancers or not) affordable modern dance classes at the Holton Career and Resource Center. White and her dancers meet every Wednesday night in the […]
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February 12, 2015
Samantha Trejo joined a community gardening program in Northeast Central Durham to take a risk and get out of her comfort zone. “I didn’t know I was really into gardening before I started working here,” said Trejo, a Southern High School senior who started working for the Durham Inner-City Diggers (DIG) last August. The urban […]
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February 4, 2015
Wilson Garner, 52, didn’t expect to be raising his 11-year-old grandson, José, on his own. When he became the sole caretaker of José eight years ago, he was already retired due to health problems. “It took everything,” Garner said. “I wouldn’t have been able to work anyway, having José. He was going through it.” Such […]
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Every morning around 9 a.m., Zulin Yang, the general manager of the LiMing’s Global Mart, starts working in the store, hoping his efforts and enthusiasm will attract more customers to LiMing. “Need any help?” are the first words a customer hears as she walks into LiMing’s Global Mart. “I usually work 13 hours on weekdays and 14 hours […]
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With a warm smile, James Johnson reaches down for a handshake. “What did we learn?” he asks the young man. “Good! Eye contact.” At the Alston Avenue Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club, where he serves as executive director, Johnson strives to create an atmosphere of mutual respect. He wants the children to feel valuable. […]
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It’s every youngster’s dream to play ball and make it to the next level. Get into college on a full ride. Win the big game on a last second shot that puts your team up as the clock expires. Everyone practices as a kid at the basketball court closest to his or her house. “3-2-1,” […]
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Urban chicken keeping has become increasingly popular across the United States over the past 10 years, according to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, and Durham’s non-profit garden SEEDS is taking part in the trend. Like the rest of what SEEDS (South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces) offers the community, the chickens give participants a fun, […]
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Every afternoon, Latasha McMillan strolls into the walk-in pantry at the SEEDS — South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces — warehouse and reaches into a cardboard box full of teabags. “I’m on a mint kick right now,” McMillan said as she pulled out two bright green teabags from the box and headed into the […]
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There’s nothing quite like the confidence that comes from wearing a freshly pressed suit. A suit says to employers that a man is qualified, dignified, the right one for the job. But unfortunately, some men don’t have the money to invest in a good suit and lose out on job opportunities because of it. These […]
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