The State of Things

After noticing that most of the black voices featured in the news come from the educated and affluent, Kevin “Kaze” Thomas and Karim “Bishop Omega” Jarrett made it their mission to represent the perspectives of everyday black people. They do this through their weekly web series “ Intelligently Ratchet ,” which streams live on Facebook every Wednesday at 9 p.m.

Feminist artists in the 1960s and ‘70s were tired of the dominant artistic representations of their bodies: idealized curves symbolizing fertility or pictures of dolled-up women used in marketing campaigns. They wanted to make work that was brash and unapologetic — art that pushed boldy against the societal roles that women were traditionally assigned. Their new creations allowed them to start a conversation with one another outside of a male-dominated system.

A deadly apartment fire in Greensboro earlier this year highlighted some deep-seated community issues. The kitchen fire in the Summit-Cone apartment complex in May killed five young children, all siblings who were refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Uma Avva remembers attending elementary school in Fayetteville and being asked: Are you black or white? She was neither. Avva’s family moved from India to the South in the 1960s, at a time when there were only three boxes to check on standardized forms: white, black, or other.

How does a community move on after unspeakable tragedy? Author Rebecca Davis explores this question in her debut novel “ Amidst This Fading Light ” (SFK Press/2018). The historical fiction book is loosely based on a 1929 murder in Davis’ small hometown of Germanton, North Carolina.

Gabrielle Calvocoressi was born with nystagmus, a visual condition where the eyes are constantly in spasm. It took Calvocoressi a while to learn how to walk and balance, so the young child spent a lot of time sitting on the floor, daydreaming and observing the world.

State and federal officials from both parties are calling for a full investigation into election fraud in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District. With only 905 votes deciding the race between Republican Mark Harris and Democrat Dan McCready, and reports of absentee ballot irregularities, the state elections board voted to have an evidentiary hearing later this month.

The latest issue of the Oxford American magazine is all about North Carolina’s musical past and present, from Doc Watson to Rapsody. The issue features essays on musicians from the Tar Heel State from writers across the South. It also features a companion CD full of samples of the state’s iconic music.

Marcus Anderson is a fusion jazz artist whose performances include not only playing the saxophone, but also singing and choreography. But Anderson is more than an artist — he is also an entrepreneur. In 2015 he started a coffee line called AND Coffee . And he is in the process of organizing a jazz festival in Asheville for August, 2019 called “ Jazz AND Coffee Escape .”

A former Cherokee County Detention Center officer has been indicted on assault charges after allegedly kicking an inmate in the face. This is one of a growing number of complaints against authorities at that detention center.