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City Council Chooses “Cap and Cover” for Bingham Park
Lewis Brandon is used to pushing Greensboro city leaders to do right by their Black constituents. At 85, he’s been doing it for decades—including the grassroots 1970s effort to create Bingham Park in East Greensboro.
Brandon stood before the Greensboro City Council last week, fifty years later, to discuss how leaders were failing the park and the largely Black community it serves.
Previously used as a landfill and incineration site, Bingham Park was opened in the 1970s with community support. A cracking basketball court in the 2000s led to the discovery of lead and arsenic in the soil and groundwater.
The park was closed earlier this year after the federal Environmental Protection Agency released new guidelines on acceptable lead levels. The community has been pushing for full remediation. Last week, the council instead backed a cheaper “cap and cover” method that will leave the contaminated earth in place.
“They had this notion, somehow they’re saving money as opposed to doing what’s right by the community,” Brandon told The Thread after the council meeting.
“This city has never done anything for us,” he said.
Earlier proposals to remove the contamination suggested moving the soil to Greensboro’s White Street Landfill. That proved controversial as community activists worked for years to have that landfill, located in another largely Black neighborhood, closed to household waste. The city passed on that option, instead eyeing landfills in Asheboro and Montgomery County as possible sites.
Last week advocates, academic experts, and community members continued to support remediation. The city council argued that with just $18 million in funding available for the project, it did not have the estimated $41 to $43 million needed for the remediation.
Instead, the council backed an estimated $12 million “cap and cover” option, which will cover the soil with a geotextile barrier, a foot of topsoil, and a layer of grass. Money will also fund the remediation and creation of a park at the nearby former Hampton Elementary School.
“Remediation is not off the table,” said Councilwoman Sharon Hightower, a longtime proponent of fixing Bingham Park. “But while we have the funds that we know we have and we are sure that we have in hand, we have an ability to be able to give the community some of the needs, you know, they want and they asked for.”
The proposal means that Bingham Park will reopen as a park in name only, city officials said. Because the geotextile barrier can’t be disturbed, amenities and playground equipment can’t be added. The 12-acre area will likely be used as a walking trail instead.
That frustrated community members and prompted two council members, Mayor Pro Tempore Yvonne Johnson and Councilman Hugh Holston, to vote against it.
“A cap and cover is actually the obvious, kicking the can down the road,” Holston told The Thread after the vote. “We’re giving up, no more looking at this when we know good and well that the residents are looking for a better solution.”
For a community that says it is too often overlooked in the city’s investments, that decision is a disappointment, even as leaders argue that they will continue to look for the money to pay for full remediation.
Byron Gladden, an organizer with the Greensboro Environmental Justice League, says the issue highlights a deeper disparity in the city. More needs to be done to ensure everyone has access to safe parks and a healthy environment, he said.
“We’re still fighting,” he said on Tuesday night. “We want justice for all of Greensboro, not just one particular neighborhood.”
–P.R. Lockhart
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A&T Speaker Series Encourages Student Engagement At and Beyond the Polls
One week after a boisterous homecoming celebration, N.C. A&T hosted actress Yara Shahidi on October 24 for a discussion on voting, civic engagement, and the political power of young people.
The event kicks off the university’s annual Chancellor’s Speaker Series—on-campus discussions with nationally known celebrities and public figures.
“As college students, this is a prime time for you to develop and embrace your voice and exercise your civic rights, your civic responsibilities,” new Chancellor James R. Martin II told students.
Shahidi, 24, has starred in shows like ABC’s black-ish, Freeform’s college-oriented spinoff grown-ish, and movies like Peter Pan & Wendy. She also works for youth civic engagement, including get-out-the-vote efforts.
Shahidi appeared in conversation with A&T alumnus and Democratic Party Youth Coalitions Director Tylik McMillan. Their wide-ranging talk tackled the significance of voting, what it was like for Shahidi to navigate the entertainment industry while at Harvard, and the value of finding a political voice.
“I think so many times as young people we are put into a position to just suddenly develop a fully thought out philosophy on life at 18,” Shahidi said. “But aren’t often given the space to work it out in real-time.”
She encouraged students to speak with friends and family to learn as much as they can about the world and use political activists, news resources, and history to further sharpen their opinions.
But Shahidi also acknowledged young people can face barriers to that work, especially when it comes to voting and engagement more broadly.
“I know sometimes it can feel overwhelming to think our vote is the only time we have a chance to voice our opinion,” she said. “And that if we don’t agree 100% with the people that we’re voting for that will actually be the beginning and end of our civic engagement.”
Voting shouldn’t be the only way students engage, Shahidi said.
Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students are seen as a significant group of young voters this election cycle. Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democratic nominee for president, graduated from historically Black Howard University.
But some young voters say they may not vote at all. Continued speculation about the behavior of Black male voters and frustrations with the war in Gaza have put more attention on efforts to mobilize parts of the nation’s most diverse demographic.
HBCU students in the state have been targeted by voting changes in the past, but continue to have access to on-campus voting this year. Student groups have worked to host events with local political candidates and A&T alumni have joined with national organizations to lead marches to the polls.
As last week’s voting event came to a close, students were once again encouraged to make their voices heard in the voting booth and beyond.
“We’re not going to evaporate after November, we’re still going to be here, having to do the work,” Shahidi said. “What’s important is that this is the beginning of the conversation.”
– P.R. Lockhart
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