MLILY Mattresses in Greensboro, NC

GREENSBORO, N.C. — In honor of Black History Month, we are looking back to September 1961. At that time, the Greensboro Fire Department hired the first class of Black firefighters.

Twenty-eight joined the department and five are still alive today.

Ernest McCoy was one of them and he shared his story with us. He said he experienced isolation as the station was segregated.

"This took place and many many of us looked at what would it be like to be a fireman. I never saw black firemen as a matter of coming together, becoming a group becoming more caring for each other. Looking at the process feeling somewhat isolated because it was a black fire station," McCoy explained.

He said firefighting united everyone. McCoy said when they arrived on the scene, no matter who they were — everyone helped each other put out the flames.

"The color of the fire — it didn't make any difference. People were behind you when you went," McCoy said as he started to become emotional. "To fight the fire with the hose. Whoever had the hose you believe you had two or three people behind you sometimes but after that, they would get on their truck and get on our truck and that'd be it," McCoy said.

Although the station was segregated at the time, it's these experiences that are burned in McCoy's memory.

Many of those firefighters also became mentors later on.

"Station four was my first assignment station in 1987. I got a chance to meet the members of the first class really when I started working at station 11," Greensboro Deputy Fire Chief, Brent Gerald said. "They were trained by themselves. They had their training officers and they were put into the station after a few months of training. So they didn't have the benefit of someone mentoring them. Whatever they learned in training and whatever they did on their own to make to do the job well that's what they did."

"They mentored me and encouraged me to always do my best," Gerald continued.

Through this history, there was change.

But for both Gerald and McCoy, it can't stop here.

"I'm the third African American to be a Deputy Fire Chief. Flowers did go on to be the Fire Chief Hunter was the second one. But it saddens me a little bit that I'm able to count every person that I know personally, that the history doesn't go back far enough to have a long line of people," Chief Gerald continued to explain.

"It's not something that has stopped. It has gotten somewhat less or has gone underground," McCoy added. "We are all human beings with different pigmentation contingent upon the earth and because you are less dark or you more whatever, doesn't make you better than it just makes you different. And we are all different and we all have similarities. I think people tend to forget that."

Creating a fashion that will be popular with the next generation is full of unknowns. But students in UNC Greensboro’s Department of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies (CARS) got valuable feedback from a group of young customers.

In the Fall 2023 semester, the apparel product design class APD 443 presented custom garments to 11 students at Oak View Elementary School in High Point, North Carolina. They will wear these outfits during their daily Morning News Scholars show, and on February 24, they get to show them off at the Gallery Walk: UNCG Threads Fashion Show.

“This was a wonderful opportunity to see their student voices materialize in an outfit,” says Oak View Principal Bennie Bradley.

The clothes were the culmination of a semester-long senior collection project. Oak View STEM Teacher Candace Scott first pitched the idea of making blazers for the news team to CARS Department Chair Nancy Hodges in 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the project until 2023.

Assistant Professor Grace Bang expanded the project to complete outfits, a fitting challenge for seniors who are ready to put their coursework to practice. “It was a great opportunity for our students, as designers, to see the progress of their product,” says Bang.

“It helped us to understand the fit of the garment on their body,” says senior Rachel Estrera, who wants to go into apparel design. “Seeing the whole process of garment-making was a great firsthand experience.”

The Oak View scholars were also excited to see how clothes are made, according to fifth grader Ashir Khuwaja. “I knew there were sewing machines, but I didn’t know they have other machines, like to measure the length,” he says.

The UNCG students each started with a “mood board” to visualize themes and color palette. Then they made changes based on feedback from the elementary students, who Bang regularly referred to their “customers.” “It was crucial to remind my students that they were making a customized, one-of-a-kind product. It sets them apart from general ready-to-wear clothes,” she explains.

Jada Curtin and Yujin Ko worked with fifth grader Mehak Muddassar, who explained that she does not wear skirts for religious reasons. They retooled their original skirt design into pants and a jacket with patches that express Mehak’s personality. “There’s her school emblem, the grizzly bear,” says Curtin, “And she wanted a heart because she wants to respect and be kind to others.”

The UNCG seniors not only participated in service but engaged in research. Professional designers regularly use the FEA model – functional, expressive, and aesthetic – to fashion new styles. Bang had her students use those three elements and add a fourth – sustainability.

Bang says sustainability is more than using environmentally-sound materials or upcycling older clothes. It’s about making clothes last longer. “They can make something transformable. You can have a single item of clothing and create two different looks with it,” she says. “I emphasized the dynamic nature of the children’s sizes. They considered adjustable features, using stretchable or flexible materials, leaving enough hem for the pants, skirts, or sleeves so that the wearers can make adjustments as they grow.”

Estrera, Briana Goode, and Douglas Jones found ways to add versatility to the coordinated outfits they made for Oak View’s weather anchors. Third grader Thomas Griffin can accessorize with a red poncho, and fourth grader Aryan Pohlman’s vest is reversible – with blue and yellow sides representing sunny and rainy days. Estrera hand-sewed hexagonal patches for the vest, using fabric scraps from other CARS projects and from Reconsidered Goods, a non-profit in Greensboro that collects unused fabric supplies donated from manufacturers and sells them to local artists.

Jones was just days away from receiving his diploma when he presented the outfit to Thomas; he graduated in December 2023. “I recently applied to Carter’s, which is kids wear,” he says. “So, this project was definitely helpful to see what it’s going to be like in the real world.”

Letting their personal styles shine has always been the intent of the Morning News Scholars. Bradley created the show to replace his traditional announcements over the school PA, seeing it as an opportunity for students to learn about leadership. He says, “I told the scholars, ‘You have something that I can’t coach or provide, which is your personality.'”

As a parting gift, each Oak View scholar received a sewing kit and patches to maintain the garments over the years. Bang says, “I want them to play with them, explore them, and become more interested in fashion design.”

Bradley says it was eye-opening for his scholars to see how everything they wear – from shoes to sweaters – starts on a piece of paper.

“For third to fifth graders, college can seem far away,” he says. “But now they’re asking more questions, such as if there are programs to create video games or create a new lip gloss that tastes like bubblegum. We’re taking the things they experience every day and giving them the global picture of how it gets to that point.”

Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications Video by David Lee Row and Grant Evan Gilliard, University Communications Video editing by David Lee Row, University Communications

UNC Greensboro has helped students reach the Broadway stage, but a partnership between the University and Well-Spring, A Life Plan Community, is bringing Broadway to Greensboro.

The “Broadway to Greensboro” program invites Broadway actors to Well-Spring for a performance and masterclass with UNCG students. UNCG first and third-year students then return the favor by performing for residents at Well-Spring’s Virginia Sommerville Sutton Theatre. The program was founded in 2021 and is funded by the Sue and John Irvin Foundation. John Irvin’s mother was one of the first students to receive a bachelor of arts in music from the North Carolina College for Women, which later became UNCG.

“Our students benefit by being connected with people in the industry and being able to ask them questions,” says April Hill, a lecturer in the School of Theatre. “We wanted to give back by giving a performance experience to the students, but also being able to share that with the Well-Spring residents so they can be aware of the talent we have at UNCG.”

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

The masterclasses have included performers such as Tony Award winner Faith Prince and Winston-Salem native David Thomas Brown, who starred as Elder Price in “The Book of Mormon” on Broadway. In Fall 2023, Tony award winner and UNCG alumna Beth Leavel ’80 MFA visited with students.

“It was a really amazing experience,” says Sanchi Pandey, a third-year studying for a bachelor of fine arts in drama with a concentration in musical theatre. “She was so kind, and incredibly engaged in all of us. We started with a Q&A where she gave us a lot of information and advice about the industry, and her own experiences. She was very interactive when we were singing and would improv with us as a scene partner which was super fun! It was so helpful, and she created a wonderful environment for us to play with our songs!”

Since coming to UNCG, first-year student Brandon Criswell has attended all the masterclasses but said Leavel’s was his favorite.

“Her personality really shone through,” says Criswell, a drama major with a concentration in musical theatre. “You could tell she’s been performing for many years and every time she touched the microphone, it was like getting a breath of fresh air.”

CABARET CHOICES

Both Criswell and Pandey will perform at the Well-Spring cabaret on February 9. Pandey is returning to the stage after performing as a first-year.

“I was nervous out of my mind for my first performance,” says Pandey. “We learn about cabaret performance in one of our first classes so it’s a cool culmination to that semester. When I think about the songs I’m choosing and the confidence I have now to perform there, it’s changed so much since the first time.”

In her first-year, Pandey performed “Morning Person” from “Shrek the Musical.” This year, she has chosen “If I Loved You” from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Carousel.”

“The song represents me well as a performer,” she says. “It’s also an older song so I think the audience at Well-Spring will be more familiar with it.”

Criswell will sing “My Funny Valentine” from the 1937 musical “Babes in Arms.” In the song, a character describes their lover in unflattering terms, but ultimately tells them not to change. For Criswell, the song is personal, reminding him of a moment in childhood when he chose to buy a Stitch doll from the Disney movie “Lilo and Stitch,” but his mom thought the doll was ugly.

“I now have a Stitch tattoo on my ankle. I thought he was the cutest thing in the world, and I still think about the fact that I could care less if anybody thinks I’m ugly, I just need one person that loves me as I am,” says Criswell.

A UNIQUE PROGRAM

Criswell fell in love with musical theatre while in high school and says he loves to perform his work, so the Well-Spring performance is a great opportunity.

“It’s the culmination of what I’ve been building for the past 19 years of my life,” he says.

Being able to learn from the third-year students is something Criswell also enjoys about the musical theatre program and the Well-Spring partnership. When considering colleges, he ultimately chose UNCG because of its diversity.

“Everywhere I went and toured, I did not see a ton of people of color or people who looked like me in general,” says Criswell. “So then coming to a place where it’s an inviting space for all walks of life, no matter who you are or where you come from, it felt like home.”

Pandey says she had a lot of choices when looking for a university, but UNCG was the first audition where she felt like she was seen as a person and not just a performer: “they cared about who I was, not just what I could do.”

UNCG’s School of Theatre faculty also drew Pandey to the University and to the relatively new musical theatre program. This partnership with Well-Spring is an example of how UNCG faculty members create opportunities for students to gain experience in their chosen careers.

“We are so well prepared for the theatre industry and have good connections with the faculty,” she says. “They care so much about being here for the students, and we get specific, individualized training. It makes the program and us unique.”

Photography courtesy of Brandon Criswell, Sanchi Pandey, and Well-SpringAdditional photography by Martin W. Kane

(The Center Square) – University policies infringing on free speech are not seriously imperiled on at least 14 North Carolina campuses, according to research by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

Score UNC Greensboro, UNC Charlotte and East Carolina for the podium finish when considering an earlier ranking from FIRE.

The nonprofit civil liberties group, billing itself as “committed to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought,” used red, yellow, green and blue lights to represent the 489 schools in its Spotlight on Speech Codes 2024 database. Not all four-year universities in the state are included.

The analysis points out a university’s “as-applied” violations of “student speech rights or other cases of censorship” are not considered in this examination of codes and policies; those are included with the annual College Free Speech Rankings in the fall.

The G, as it's fondly known, was the state’s best scoring school on the two lists slightly ahead of Charlotte and ECU.

A red light rating means a school maintains “policies that clearly and substantially restrict free speech.” Yellow means vague regulations on expression are imposed. Green is given for maintaining policies that do not seriously imperil free expression. And blue is a “warning” rating because the institutions do not promise students free speech rights at all.

UNC Greensboro was on this list with a green light and in the fall was ninth nationally in the Free Speech Rankings. UNC Charlotte and East Carolina also got green lights, with Charlotte No. 21 and ECU No. 24 in the fall research.

There were no schools from the state on the red list. On the yellow, alphabetically, were Davidson, North Carolina A&T, Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State.

The green light list also had Appalachian State, Duke, Fayetteville State, N.C. Central, N.C. State, UNC Pembroke, UNC Asheville, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC School of the Arts, UNC Wilmington and Western Carolina.

There were no inclusions among the eight on the blue light list. It was made up of Baylor, Brigham Young, Hillsdale in Michigan, Pepperdine in California, Saint Louis, the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy and Yeshiva University in New York City.

The free speech codes database has 376 public and 113 private institutions. Of those analyzed, more were yellow light (69.1% of those public, 53.1% private) and few were green light (15.2% public, 5.3% private). The 98 making the red light list were 15.2% public and 36.3% private.

In the Free Speech Rankings, “above average” was bestowed on UNC Greensboro and UNC Charlotte, with East Carolina and Appalachian State (No. 36) each ranking above average.

Duke (No. 124), Wake Forest (No. 88) and Davidson (No. 64) were average.

UNC Chapel Hill (No. 174) came in slightly below average.

Ensure you don't miss any of N.C. A&T's basketball games this season by keeping your browser locked right here. In addition to having the team's complete 2023-24 schedule, you can also check out the results from all of their previous games.

Catch tons of live college basketball, plus original programming, with ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle.

N.C. A&T's Upcoming Games

Catch college basketball action all season long on Fubo!

N.C. A&T's 2023-24 Schedule

Read More About Other N.C. A&T Teams

Get tickets for any college basketball game this season at Ticketmaster!

© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved.