Lunar New Year
Drums beat, boom, boom, boom
As I smile and cling to my sister
Fireworks explode, bang, bang, bang
As the air fills with laughter
The dragon dances, it weaves
In and out through the crowd
Dazzling lights, shine and flicker
Capturing the gaze of all
The smell of food, both fresh and fried
Makes our mouths water
My friends, joy in their hearts
Celebrate a new year
Stripped of the worries, of years past
Only looking forward
“Remembering AIDs Victims”
In Memoriam in 1996,
Of all those who lost their lives to AIDS
On the Central Campus lawn of grass and sticks
There was a memoriam crosses to remember them everyday
AIDS effects people every day,
Back in the 90’s was a pretty bad survival rate
Not many people would survive the sickness along the way
They were trying different medications and to try and delay
In the 90’s the survival rate was 39 years
Thank goodness but the expectancy has gone up with research
In 2020 it’s now up to 70, which helps with a lot of people’s fears
Now people can live their lives not in fear and re-emerge
Science is reinventing the way for AID’s every single day
Even in 2021 they’re trying to get vaccines passed by the FDA
“Peace-Out Johnnie”, by Nadine Russell
Imagine yourself as a 5 year-old kindergartener who is energetic, unafraid, loud, happy and unfiltered. That young boy grew up to be the Johnnie Roach that we came to know and love. While he aged physically, he remained as hilarious and authentic as the “Little Johnnie” from elementary school.
Johnnie worked in the Student Life Office at Central Piedmont for over thirty years, during which time he saw the hiring of three different presidents, the expansion to six different campuses, hundreds of initiatives, and thousands of students. Most people could hear Johnnie coming before they ever saw him because of his loud, frequent, laughter.
The bright clothing, the matching hat, the infectious smile, and the peace-sign, demonstrated in this photo represent the man who had a “fly on the wall” view, and an uncommon access to everyone at Central Piedmont. Johnny was equally well-known by students, groundskeepers, faculty, and the College presidents. Regardless of the age, gender, title, or ethnicity of the person asked, the feedback was consistent in the words used to describe Johnnie Roach:
Wise
Compassionate
Hilarious
Loyal
Authentic
Johnnie often spoke in quotes and parables that were loaded with meaning. “It Looks Good On Paper” was his way to express healthy skepticism for the abundance of “new” initiatives brought forward by the College over the span of 30 years. In a distinctive voice that could be heard across the campus, he was unafraid to question the theory behind any plan and he approached every issue with a calm sense of practicality. Whether or not he agreed with a plan was irrelevant because Johnnie would be one-step ahead of everyone to make sure it worked for the benefit of students.
Growing up in Maryland during the civil rights era taught Johnnie many life-lessons that he shared selflessly with others. Co-workers quickly learned that if you asked a question, you would receive a wise, unfiltered, and honest response. Just because he liked a lot of people, however did not necessarily mean that he trusted a lot of people. “Don’t talk about it, be about it”, was his way to challenge others who he found to be unreliable or pretentious.
Whether he was talking with a troubled student, giving advice to co-workers, frying turkeys for neighbors, or spending time with his family, Johnnie took pride in finding ways to care for people. He was described as both “the friend you’d want to have with you in the dark alley” and, “the person who was able to care for the plants and the people that needed a delicate touch”.
In the end, Johnnie left the College, his friends, and family in the same manner in which he lived his life, on his own terms. During the months after his retirement from Central Piedmont, Johnnie received constant requests for get-togethers from his Central Piedmont family. He knew that he was ill, yet chose to keep that information away from those who he knew would fuss and worry about him.
Text message sent to Johnnie: “JR, I miss you. Are you in town and interested in having lunch one day coming up?”
Text message response from Johnnie: “Thanks! I miss y’all too, but I’m under the weather. I’ll have to take a raincheck. Peace!”
The wise, compassionate, hilarious, loyal, authentic, Johnnie Roach died two weeks later. No one knew he was gone, until he was gone.
Peace-Out Johnnie!
The Stare
As she walks on stage
She sees the people
Gazing at her in awe
As she walks on stage
In the garments worn by ancestors many years ago
She presents the beauty of her culture
On stage for everyone to see
She proudly stares into the camera
She presents the beauty of her culture
Set in beads and feathers
She proudly stares into the camera
The history of a people
Set in beads and feathers
On stage for everyone to see
The history of a people
In the garments worn by ancestors many years ago
Life in a Game of Calm Violence
Eight of us in a room.
A camera flashes, the only archive of our small camaraderie.
To an outsider the room may seem calm, steady.
For us it is filled with a friendly kind of tension,
The world narrows down to our opponents, our options,
Our control.
Your hand goes to your head,
A nervous tick we’ve all seen before.
You’re the newest member,
A great player, but still learning each of our styles.
He watches your board more than ours,
A mentor to all of us, a teacher in every sense.
He takes you under his wing as he has taken each of us, he watches
Your mind spin as all of ours do,
Calculating every move,
Searching
For a way to defend, and attack
All at once.
To anyone else it would seem calm.
But to anyone who knows us,
Thinks like us,
Plays like us,
They can see the options to, see the traps and the victories,
The checkmates.
They live like us.