Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1511981
4 UCW November 22-28, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM STAFF Association of Community Publishers BILL BOWMAN, Publisher. COMMENTS? BILL@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. PUBLISHER'S PEN Archie and the Jugheads by BILL BOWMAN *Disclaimer: My apologies to Ar- chie Comic Publications, Inc. There is no connection to their iconic comic book characters, Archie and Jughead, in this editorial. The Merriam-Web- ster dictionary definition of jughead is referenced as a stupid or foolish person. Any content similarities to individuals or groups, living or dead, are purely intentional. (If the shoe fits.....) I admire Archie Barringer. He loves this community, has a passion for humanity and couldn't care less about being criticized and canceled by a "woke" society. I have known Archie for over two decades, and he has written several excellent articles for us full of wisdom and spiritual insights. Without a doubt, this retired U.S. Army Chaplain is a man of charac- ter, wisdom and fortified convictions who has spent his life serving God and all God's children. Archie, like many of us who call Fayetteville home, is frustrated and disappointed at the continued divi- siveness in our community that has evolved since the unfortunate death of George Floyd in 2020 and the May 30th riots. That day, a hostile, angry mob terrorized downtown citizens, destroyed personal property and attempted to burn down the Historic Market House while our former Po- lice Chief and Mayor "stood down" watching the lawless acts and failing to serve and protect Fayetteville citizens and their property. Today, our Fayetteville elected officials continue to "stand down" in initiating the actions that would work to normalize race relations and restore dignity, pride, and honor back to our community. That is precisely what Archie Bar- ringer attempted to initiate when he addressed the Mayor and City Council requesting that the "Black Lives Do Matter" and "End Racism Now" messages be removed from the downtown monument's circum- ference. Like many Fayetteville residents, Archie loves Fayetteville and be- lieves Fayetteville is a community of History, Heroes, and a Hometown Feeling. However, the message that is broadcasted daily from the Market House sends a consent reminder to residents and guests that we are a city divided. Archie wants city leaders to remove the words "Black Lives Do Matter" and "End Racism Now." with an alternate message that is more reflective and representative of our community's diverse popula- tion. I had a personal, heartfelt conver- sation with Archie about his quest and concluded it was reasonable and practical. He reminded the Mayor and Council that history cannot be erased or undone, and we must learn from it and move on. He rec- ommends replacing the words with alternate phrasing. It was a solid, well-thought-out recommendation, and the council extended him the obligatory cour- tesy of listening to his request. Still, from their responses, you could tell his suggestions fell on deaf ears. Archie views everybody in the same light. "We are all God's chil- dren," he often reminds us. His enthusiasm and motivation come from wanting this community to live up to its status as an All American City and a community of History, Heroes, and Hometown feeling. Archie Barringer is correct. Re- moving those words would be a huge step toward bringing the com- munity together. A community that is becoming more and more divided and cultur- ally insensitive as a result of inept leadership. We need more people speaking out and letting their feelings be known. We need more Archie Bar- ringers and fewer jugheads. Thank you for reading Up & Com- ing Weekly. PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com EDITOR Alyson Hansen editor@upandcomingweekly.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Sam Olsen assistanteditor@upandcomingweekly. com ART DIRECTOR Courtney Sapp-Scott art@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Isaiah Jones graphics@upandcomingweekly.com STAFF WRITERS Aubrette Reid Amber Little Hannah Lee Carrie Jackson Lena Simmons Kathleen Ramsey Jamie Bishop Sheila Barker Dr. Shanessa Fenner CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Pitt Dickey, John Hood, Cynthia Ross, Christopher Thrasher MARKETING ASSOCIATE Linda McAlister linda@upandcomingweekly.com SALES ASSISTANT Sheila Barker salesassistant@upandcomingweekly. com COVER Cover design by Courtney Sapp-Scott Background photo by "NotYet" Photography Josh Turner photo provided by Modern Management Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan St. P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: 910-484-6200- FAX: 910-484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and information on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Published weekly on Wednesdays, Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publication consideration, but assumes no responsibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Liberty, Pope Army Airfield, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. © 2020 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Various ads with art graphics designed with elements from: pexels.com, Metro Creative Connection,, vecteezy.com and freepik.com.