A piece of North College Avenue from near Sycamore to Poplar streets will serve as the focal point of a project to spruce up the main drag through town.
After six years working at the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Arts Council, UniQue Webster recently resigned, even though in her words she had “grown to love the work.”
But on her way out, she highlighted the reason for her resignation: In an open letter, she blamed “systematic racism” and prejudice.
Webster worked as director of Engagement and Strategic Partnerships at the Arts Council, which supports local arts initiatives through funding and other resources. She was hired as a development director in 2015.
She titled her five-page letter “Behind the Red Doors: Systematic Racism,” and it was broken down into seven sections.
Webster detailed her efforts to help build the nonprofit, but she wrote that she was finally faced with “an egregious battle between systematic racism and my worth” and had “fought for too long.”
The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County announced the expansion of its Artists in Schools program, which will benefit participating Cumberland County Schools for the current and next school year.
The Artists in Schools program is one of the longest-running arts programs at the Arts Council, according to Kennon Jackson, Arts Council grant manager. The program allows schools in Cumberland County to access teaching artists to bring into the classroom to create learning experiences for students.
Teaching artists are professional artists and educators who integrate the creative process into schools and classrooms.
Last month, the Fayetteville Arts Council announced the expansion of their Artists in Schools program from nine Title 1 schools in 2019 to 26 now participating. Title 1 schools have a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students.