I do know what day it is – it’s Sunday – but I couldn’t guess the date.
I blinked, and suddenly it’s the middle of April. Easter barely registered for me. Less than a month ago, we put our April issue to press. It seems like both yesterday and a hundred years ago.
I know many others feel the same – 45 of our neighbors share how they’ve adjusted to life at home as we all social distance (page 18). We heard from a number of others as well and just couldn’t fit them all (but you can find their stories on our website).
Our company has also needed to adjust, as so many have. We put that April issue to press during some of the first days of working from home; now we’re doing it again, but this time, our staff collaborated more closely than ever – while staying far apart. Our photographer became an editor, our editors ditched certain stories and created more relevant content and blogs to help local businesses. But through Zoom and innumerable conversations over Basecamp, texts and phone calls, this team put together an issue that fills me with both pride and hope. Alongside those aforementioned firsthand testimonials, you’ll find stories of families adapting to a lot more togetherness at home (page 86); leadership development during COVID-19 (page 130); and our annual Women of Achievement honorees (page 48).
As the threat of the coronavirus was building, we soon realized that getting photography done safely would be an issue. So, we commissioned local artist Jillian Ohl, who created amazing watercolor illustrations of all 22 women in this year’s issue. It’s incredible, though not surprising, that we could quickly look to our strong community of artists to find someone who could help us showcase these remarkable leaders, activists, educators and more.
And it is that fact – compounded by the contributions of these community stewards, the response of our readers and the commitment of the staff at this small-but-mighty magazine publisher – that gives me hope. Everywhere I look on social media, I see people supporting one another. Mr. Rogers said it best, and I think it is an appropriate sentiment to bring up now:
“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” – Amanda MacLaren
WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT
48 Nida Allam
Commissioner Elect, Durham County Board of Commissioners
50 Dr. Andrea Hayes-Jordan
Surgeon-in-Chief, UNC Children’s Hospital; Division Chief, Pediatric Surgery, UNC School of Medicine
52 Aissa Dearing
Co-founder, Durham Youth Climate Justice Initiative
54 Jenny Levy
Head Coach, UNC Women’s Lacrosse
56 Angela Lee
Executive Director, Hayti Heritage Center
58 Miriam Slifkin
Activist
60 Zena Howard
Principal and Managing Director, Perkins and Will
62 Katie Ziglar
Director, Ackland Art Museum
64 Tracey Hawkins
Founder, Thriving on the Spectrum LLC
66 Ellen Perry
Activist and Educator, Advocacy in Action
67 Jessica M. Bottesch & Ronda Williams
Co-founders, Empower Personalized Fitness
68 Thea Barrett & Mae McLendon
2020 Pauli Murray Award Winners
70 Peggy Walters
President, Watts College of Nursing
72 Tanya Moore
Associate Vice Chancellor for Campus and Community Communications, UNC
74 Marla Thurman
Chef de cuisine, Pizzeria Toro
76 Dr. Mandy Ghaffarpour
Cosmetic and Family Dentist, Studio G Aesthetic & Family Dentistry
78 Ursula Mead
Founder and CEO, InHerSight
80 Tiffanie Sneed
Police Senior Legal Advisor, Town of Chapel Hill
82 Rev. Heather Rodrigues
Lead Pastor, Duke Memorial United Methodist Church
83 Mary Patricia Peres-da-Silva
Compact Math Teacher, McDougle Middle School
FEATURES
18 How We Live Now
Our neighbors share personal stories – the good, the bad, the real – of their daily experiences
86 Closer Together
We checked in with a few families whose homes we’ve featured before to find out how they are using their favorite spaces while social distancing
DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS
10 Get Offline, Go Online
Our top events for May
14 Noted
What we’ve heard around town …
134 Meals to Make at Home
Moreton Neal’s recipe for cabbage and cucumber salad, roast pork rack recipe from Sam Papanikas of Bleu Olive Bistro and a shakshuka recipe from Jamil Kadoura of Mediterranean Deli
140 Engagements
Mark Anna & Katie Wintermeier
Roy Hawkins & Chelsea Whitfield
143 Weddings
Brooke Archambault & Shane Barclay
David “Sport” Durst & Renee’ Martin Innes
James Broughton & Arwen La Dine
INC.
128 Real Estate’s Response to Stay-at-Home Orders
Residential and commercial real estate brokers share the many changes and challenges to their businesses since the pandemic began
130 Leadership Development and Training in the Time of COVID-19
When times get tough, people look to the top for guidance. These companies help evolve the skills that businesses need to succeed.
PEOPLE & PLACES
11 Partners for Youth Opportunity’s Rise and Shine Breakfast
SPONSORED CONTENT
12 Healthy Durham
Staying connected during social distancing
104 Adopt A Pet
Meet a pup and a cat waiting on their forever homes with the Animal Protection Society of Durham
