By Carl Kenney
April 20, 2017
If you visit the Westend Community Family Life & Recreation Center at Lyon Park often, you might have noticed a polite man in a wheelchair working with kids who have various mental and physical disabilities. Maybe you have seen him outside waiting for the kids to get there. Maybe you’ve seen him wheeling around […]
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Think about a landfill. Can you imagine living within five miles of one? Imagine the smells during the summer and the big trucks filled with trash barreling down the streets. Think about the sour-smelling brown water coming from water sources like sinks and bathtubs. Environmental injustice or even environmental racism includes the placement of […]
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April 19, 2017
Rep. Henry McKinley “Mickey” Michaux Jr., D-Durham, is the longest serving African-American representative in the N.C. General Assembly at 86 years old. Durham Voice co-editor Alexis Allston sat down with Michaux to talk about Durham, local politics and a lifetime of service. DV: What part of Durham did you grow up in? MM: I was born, bred […]
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After 30 years of service in the Durham community, the AIDS Community Residence Association (ACRA) has helped many individuals and their families live with HIV and AIDS. Located in South Durham, ACRA Durham provides education and innovative housing for their residents. ACRA currently has two “scattered site” housing facilities which allows residents to live more […]
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Starting a business can be a daunting task, full of risks and uncertainties, but there are plenty of entrepreneurs who have found success in Durham. Three business owners — Joe Bushfan, Miguel Collado and Samuel Jenkins — shared their tips and secrets for running a business. Joe is the owner of Joe’s Commissary, a […]
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There was no single reason why Good Friday at the Durham Rescue Mission was a special event; there were thousands of reasons. With help from churches, businesses and individuals in the community, the Durham Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter and addiction recovery program, gave away over 1750 Easter baskets and 10,000 articles of clothing to […]
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When you imagine a beautiful environment, what comes to mind? You probably think of pristine, litter-free streams, an abundance of green trees and crisp, clear air. In Durham, volunteers interested in beautifying and protecting the environment work to make those images a reality for residents. Keep Durham Beautiful, Inc. is a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization that […]
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O’Morris Jones and Jeremiah Lewis may only be 17 and 18 years old, but their plans for the future reach far beyond their ages. The two young men entered the Triangle Literacy Council’s new Bull City YouthBuild program in March, which provides participants with a nine-month, intensive learning environment to receive their high school equivalency and […]
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As semi-trucks rumble noisily overhead, a sizable crowd gathers for food, faith and fellowship under the Durham Freeway Bridge. Even on snowy winter days and humid summer afternoons, you can find Pastor David Smith and his wife, Cheryl, beneath the bridge on the third Saturday of every month. As drivers honk their horns and […]
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The Durham City Council unanimously voted 7-0 to fund the education task force of the Mayor’s Poverty Reduction Initiative, now known as the 10.01 Transformation in Ten (T2) Initiative, at its April 17 meeting. The education task force will receive nearly $32,500 to assist in its new initiatives, Advancing Educational Outcome and Opportunities (AEOO) and […]
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Editor’s note: The interview was conducted in and translated from Arabic. Three days. Adnan Shareef and his family spent three days in the mountains of Syria waiting to cross the border to Turkey. Rain poured down on Adnan, his wife and their six children. The storms continued until they could sneak past the guards at […]
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The Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) named Lara Brickhouse, a Durham teacher, National Adapted PE Teacher of the Year last month for her contribution to the special needs community. According to its website, SHAPE America is an organization founded in 1885 that aims to “advance professional practice and promote research related to […]
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For almost six years, Durham residents and close friends Noah Goyette, 40, and Sloan Meek, 29, have entertained seniors at the Durham Center for Senior Life. Meek and Goyette arrive every Tuesday and Friday at noon to play a variety of instruments for onlookers. “Noah jokes that we’ve outlasted three center directors and seen […]
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Durham is known for its strong Parks and Recreation Department, updated parks and equipment and active community centers, but the Lyon Park Center is proud of its historical record within the Southwest Central Durham area. “This building was built in 1930, and it was just standing for a while. It was a sore eye […]
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Whether being recognized for her work with Durham’s urban youth or raising awareness and working to eliminate prejudice with the NAACP, Setrina Hunter is truly a strong brick in the foundation of Downtown and NorthEast Central Durham. After majoring in biology at N.C. Central University, she began a career as a clinical researcher working […]
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April 16, 2017
Before I entered PYO two years ago, I had the reputation at school of being unmotivated and lazy. One day I got suspended from school for a week — and luckily got sent to a great program called “Rebound,” which helped me keep up with my schoolwork while out of classes. Once I finished […]
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April 5, 2017
What is your dream job? Is it to be a world-renowned chef, actor or maybe the CEO of a Fortune 500 company? Wendell Tabb has been living his dream for the past 30 years helping others reach their full potential. As Hillside High School’s, Drama Director Tabb has cultivated a thriving theater program, helping the […]
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Ajua Arnette may only be 7 years old, but give her a microphone and a costume and she commands the stage. A first-grader at Sandy Ridge Elementary, Ajua was one of the many performers at Hayti Heritage Center in Durham for Wimmin@Work 2017—an afternoon of artistic performances in honor of “Wimmin’s History Month” celebrated on […]
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To some people in Durham, the Republican Party is the party of old white men consumed with self-pride and a lack of care for the less fortunate. Deep in central Durham County, where only 14 percent of people are registered Republicans, one man believes the African-American community should consider a different way of thinking. […]
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Some churches are content holding a few services a week with some philanthropy thrown in here and there, but Antioch Baptist Church has bigger fish to fry. Fish Fry Friday is back at Antioch, open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 1415 Holloway St. The church’s fish fry has been serving locals and […]
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The women of the Majestic Angels, a dance troupe for senior citizens in Durham, have served as examples of the power of faith and dance since 2015. Durham resident Vanessa Dunston, 62, started the eight-person dance team after more than 30 years of military service. “After I retired in 2011, I didn’t know what I […]
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Louis E. Austin bought The Stanford Advertiser in 1927 and transformed the local newspaper into the most important voice for black North Carolinians during the civil rights era. He used The Carolina Times to publicize racial inequities and to fight for racial equality in North Carolina and throughout the U.S. Austin’s legacy is still carried […]
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Durham is home to the Durham Bulls, Duke University, the Durham Performing Arts Center and American Tobacco. It is also the new home for many refugees from across the world fleeing war, famine and natural disasters. They come to Durham hoping to start a new life, and World Relief Durham helps them do so. “World […]
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On a warm weekday morning in late March, while most Durham residents are at work or school, a group of about ten volunteers don bright green vests, sturdy gloves and old sneakers for a Creek Week cleanup event. They carry giant trash bags and begin making their way along the winding creek, picking up […]
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Durham Mayor Bill Bell has made a difference in the community he loves, and he will continue to do so after his final term expires later this year. Bell, who has served as mayor since 2001, sat down with The VOICE to discuss his impact on the city, mainly regarding his poverty reduction initiative, which […]
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Curtis, 16, and Isaiah, 14, Powell, brothers and residents of East Durham, grew up at the Holton Career and Resource Center located at 401 N. Driver St. There, Curtis and his 14-year-old brother have made friends, developed their basketball skills, attended youth camps, and most importantly, found a home away from home. Curtis is a […]
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For career and technical education students at the Holton Center, like senior Kaleb Shaw Lunsford, graduating is just one step along the path to a rewarding career – and they don’t have to travel it alone. Made in Durham, in partnering with the community, has made it their mission to ensure all Durham’s youth will […]
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The second I set foot inside Meals on Wheels of Durham, I was immediately greeted with an air filled by the smell of sizzling hamburgers, the sound of animated chit-chat and the sight of dozens of smiling faces. After hearing about President Trump’s proposed budget cuts that endanger thousands of local Meals on Wheels agencies […]
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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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