One last ride with "Skeepie": The legacy of J.C. "Skeepie" Scarborough III

My last ride with “Skeepie” was before urban sprawl gobbled up all the free space in downtown Durham. 

 

It was before the county jail replaced the building that marked the legacy of his family’s business. It was a common ride after I performed the eulogy of a beloved member of the church I served in East Durham. More than 20 years have passed since that day I rode to the grave with J.C. “Skeepie” Scarborough III to say, “ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” 

 

Every ride was a history lesson of life in a city known for Black pride and economic mobility. “Skeepie was Durham’s local guru – a man chosen to relate the meaning of stories to those willing to pass them on to the next generation. The III behind his name was the message of the day. I sensed a burden of personal consequences as “Skeepie” talked about why the first J.C. Scarborough opened a funeral home in Durham, NC. 

 

“Skeepie’s’ grandfather met J.C Hargett, a former grocer who sponsored his education at Kittrell Business College and seeded money to open the funeral home, in 1905. Granddaddy wanted a place where Black people could be buried with dignity. He was sent to the Reounard Training School for Embalmers in New York City. Scarborough was the only Black student enrolled. There weren’t many Black owned funeral homes at the time. The one he opened in Durham was the fifth in the nation. 

 

There was talk about the city using imminent domain to purchase his building. “Skeepie” talked more about a growing trend. He had been offered big money to sale his funeral home to white people. “Skeepie” spoke wisdom like his grandfather was speaking through him. The teachings of his father and grandfather was part of his family inheritance. I felt consumed by a pride willing to forfeit all of life's possessions before bowing to the temptation. 

 

“Skeepie” talked about white people taking what we build after years of being asked to drink at water fountains marked “Colored” next to others marked “White Only”.  I felt the ancestors beckoning me to hold on to the old landmarks.  

 

The drive to the grave next to the White Rock Baptist Church helped stir thoughts of Hayti before gentrification defined Durham’s dismay. I imagined life before the Durham Freeway wiped away the dreams of more than 100 business owners. The work of Black men and women who pulled themselves up from their bootstraps vanished in a mere blinking of an eye after white people named sacred Black space blight. 

 

Would it happen again?  

 

“Skeepie” died on Saturday, November 7. He was 83. He became the head of the funeral home in 1961. He buried the men and women of numerous movements. He remembered the names of the people connected to the people. Each person mattered. It was the promise of his grandfather. Everyone deserves to be buried with dignity. 

 

My last ride with “Skeepie” was a holy moment. Was he a prophet preparing us for coming days? His funeral home was replaced with the county jail – symbolic of another type of death.  In the same way the Durham Freeway destroyed the once vital Hayti business district, a jail was built in the place that marked granddaddy’s legacy. 

 

Not far away from the old Scarborough & Harget Funeral Home is a towering building. The North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Building is Black Durham’s logo – a statement to the world regarding the imagination of a people bent on rising above the limits of slavery. The Prophet “Skeepie” challenged me never to forget how important it is never to let it go. 

 

One last ride to the cemetery with “Skeepie”.  

 

The vanishing of Black businesses are speaking. 

Durham County Commissioner approve $15/hr increase for cafeteria workers and bus drivers: digging deeper into the untold story

The Durham Board of County Commissioners has unanimously voted to increase pay for school cafeteria workers and bus drivers to $15 per hour. Just in time for Christmas.

It’s touted as a major win for progressives fighting on behalf of the least among these. Is it another gold star for the keeping it real crowd, or another effort to validate the intentions of good white folks doing their best to keep Black elitist in check?

It is possible to do the right thing for wrong reasons? I’m elated that cafeteria workers and bus drivers received a pay increase. It’s enough to afford a night out with family once or twice a month.

I say pass the fact check.

Charles Innis, reporter with the News & Observer, offers perspective on what happened. Perspective is the best way to describe reporting that fails to reflect context and the inclusion of other voices. In this case, the perspective isn’t wrong. That doesn’t mean it’s completely right. 

The reporting here fails to acknowledge increased pay was slated to come before the board in January as part of the compromise made during budget approval. This was not a question of if, but when. Making this type of mid-year budget adjustment, in lieu of unknowns related to the impact Covid-19 has on sales taxes, is critical in understanding what it takes to maintain the county’s AAA rating. Getting this done is critical, but what’s the motivation behind forcing a vote without those variables on the table?

Placing this in the lap of the county fails to consider DPS's reserve that could be used to increase pay. Some have pressed the county to dip into their own reserves. Those funds are set aside for one-time allocation. DPS seeks ongoing increased pay. The suggestion that the county use reserves fails to ask why DPS hasn’t considered their reserves. Is it the ongoing obligation of the county to repair what’s wrong with DPS without pressing questions of accountability?

There are numerous accountability questions deserving of consideration. Why are DPS administrators paid more than other North Carolina school districts?  Starting pay for Principals in Durham averages $98, 777 per year., compared to $97,399 in Raleigh.  When did the trend to honor high ranking folks begin? When that happened, was there a discussion about the people who serve lunch and drive our children? Was Durham County Commissioner Heidi Carter a member of the Durham Public School Board? Was Mayor Steve Schewel a member of the school board with Carter?. Given the importance of history and context, tough accountability questions are important in understanding all that went into nurturing a top heavy culture. 

Aren't these questions for Progressives to ponder?

One of the roles of the County Manager is to demand accountability prior to making budget recommendations. In doing that, all variables must be considered. It’s the obligation of DPS to set and manage their budget. It is not the role of county government to repair their loopholes. 

Making this a story related to hazard pay, versus DPS increases, fails in understanding basic budget protocol. Hazard pay is set aside in the county budget for these types of emergencies. The county didn’t have to figure it out. There is policy in place. The suggestion that "if you can do that" (hazard pay), "why can’t you do this" ($15 increase) should have been publicly checked by members of the board. These are not two apples. One is an orange. 

In placing the $15 increase within the county budget, the increase also applies to charter schools. Is it being a good steward of taxpayers money to further advance the interest of charter schools? DPS’s inability to fix what they created in establishing a top heavy pay culture is used to drain more money to support the re-segregation of public education.

With all of that in mind, let us unfold a list of problematic assumptions:

Ordering Davis to check in with other counties to get schooled on how to implement hazard pay is the type of trope that continues to divide Durham. It’s insulting to a Black manager, who has managed Durham's AAA rating for six consecutive years, to contact white county managers (yes, an assumption) to help him understand hazard pay and FEMA policy. At what point will commissioners begin healing from within? That may not be the intent, but perception rules in this hostile environment.

The notion that almost all county employees unjustly  received hazard pay fails to track what really happened. There are policies, checks, balances and directives based on medical evidence that led to the decision to offer hazard pay. These directives are the result of memorandums from both the Mayor and Wendy Jacobs, chair of the Board of County Commissioners. What message is sent to employees who are now forced to work, during increased positive Covid-19 test, without hazard pay? Affirming increased pay for cafeteria workers and bus drivers, just before Christmas, is offset by the news that employees are forced to work without hazard pay.

Again, let's press the obvious. The last I checked students are engaged in virtual learning. Lunch isn't being served at their school. Buses aren't picking them up in the morning and taking them home after school. Cafeteria workers and bus drivers aren't working. Remind me of why this had to be done prior to the date already assigned at a previous board meeting? Are cafeteria workers and bus drivers being paid while not working? If so, hallelujah. I'm all in for the grace of paying people to offset these horrendous days, but couldn't this wait until after we received reports on the impact Covid-19 has on county revenue? Isn't that wise management? 

I’m an advocate for $15 pay. No, I take that back, I’m an advocate for living wages. That $15 buck increase amounts to less than $2 an hour. In my book, that’s not enough in this crippling cost of living. I get it, but can’t we do better than that?

As for me, I’m not happy with being satisfied with $15.