An interview with Terrell Phillips

You might know him as a former member of the platinum-selling R&B group Blackstreet, but Terrell Phillips has only added to that legacy with a successful acting and solo career that is making waves in a new and contemporary way. We caught up with Terrell recently to find out about his upcoming endeavors, including his starring role in The First Lady, a must-see play that is coming to a theater near you. When we first got in touch with Terrell Phillips, our thoughts immediately turned to fond memories of the 90s, the words of Blackstreet echoing in our minds as clearly as the first day we heard them. But Terrell has grown since those days, as we all have, both spiritually and artistically. Catching up with him today wasn’t at all what we expected – it was far better. Not only did he prove to be a true artist, experienced not only in music but in acting as well, he was a gracious host and one of the most pleasant personalities we have ever interviewed. When we say the pleasure was all ours, we mean it. Terrell reminisced about his days with Blackstreet, but he is focused now on the future, not the past. He said most of the members have gone on to pursue their own solo projects. While there is talk of the group reuniting someday, he said it just hasn’t come together. But he’s thankful for the time he had with the group: “It was honor to be chosen to be a part of that group, that’s something I’ll be thankful for for the rest of my life.” These days Terrell doesn’t have much time to look back. He is working on his own solo album, which for now is untitled (we’ll be bringing you more details as they become available). But we will be getting a taste of the album shortly, with the release of a single, “Learning to Love,” scheduled to drop before Valentine’s Day 2014, just in time to serenade that special someone. The full album is still in work and will be released a little later. Terrell commented: The album tries to keep up with the 21st century, yet still stays relevant to who I was back in the day. It’s gonna be a feat – I think I’ll test a few songs, get the fans’ opinions, and make some judgements from there. The aim is to push it in the Eastern region because that’s where I’m from. It’s gonna be something everyone will enjoy. I’m a little biased but I think it’s pretty good. I’m eager to hear feedback from the fans. Music isn’t the only thing we’ll be hearing from Terrell in the upcoming year. He is starring in three plays, including the much-anticipated The First Lady, which will take stage in Raleigh on March 21 (see details on page XX). He plays a character that is far removed from his real personality, but he says that’s what makes acting so much fun. Terrell’s character is a womanizing bookie, Ramone, whose love interest Marlena is a past flame. Marlena is now married to a pastor, but the plot heats up when it comes to light that the pastor is also a gambling client of Ramone’s. The plot has plenty of twists and turns, and Terrell says he’s looking forward to seeing how it will all play out on the stage. Without giving too much away, Ramone’s selfish personality is undeniable, and his crazy antics will keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Terrell commented, “The great thing about acting is you get a chance to portray characters that you would never imagine yourself being. It’s fun to have everybody either screaming at you for doing something crazy or loving you for doing something great.” We will be among the first in line when this play takes center stage. And we’ll keep you all posted on Terrell’s upcoming album. Until then, keep a lookout for his newest single, “Learning to Love”, which should be out before Valentine’s Day.

Meet Lenoir County’s Sheriff

Mr. Ronnie Ingram is Lenoir County’s first African American Sheriff. Mr. Ingram is a member of South Lenoir High School’s class of 1978 and studied Business Law at Lenoir Community College. He was employed with the Lenoir County School system for 6 ½ years. In 1985, he joined the Kinston police department where he quickly rose through its ranks. He received a vast amount of experience within the patrol, narcotics, investigations, and training departments. In 1995, he was promoted to the rank of Major and became responsible for the day-to-day operations of the patrol division. Mr. Ingram retired from the Department of Public Safety in August of 2013. After retirement, he became an even more active member of the community, being awarded Public Servant of the Year by the Lenoir County Jaycees in 1991. Today, he is an active member of the Noon Rotary Club and a member of the Holly Grove FWB Church in LaGrange. I had the honor and pleasure of speaking with Mr. Ingram to discuss what he will do as Sheriff of Lenoir County. When asked what made him decide to pursue a career in law enforcement, Mr. Ingram responded that whilst studying at LCC, his interest in law enforcement grew. Many of his friends encouraged him to join the Kinston Police Department. He thought about the possibility of joining Durham’s Police Department as well as the State Highway Patrol. He applied with the highway patrol but was told that he had to gain some years of experience with a local police force before being able to join them. He decided that since he was already in Lenoir County, he would make his mark there, and the rest is history. In 2004, Mr. Ingram gained experience with public safety and also cross-trained with the fire department. He spent 19 years with S.W.A.T., spending the last 10 of those years as its commander. Mr. Ingram listens to the citizens of Lenoir County and treats its citizens and the employees of the sheriff’s office alike with fairness, something that he feels was lacking with the prior sheriff. He also wants the citizens to know that he is not a part of the long held “good ole boy” system. He wants his officers to build a stronger, longer lasting trust with the people so that they will feel at ease when dealing with his officers. He builds a level of trust between his officers as well, so that “folks won’t mind being open”. Over a 30-year career, he has seen higher-ranking officers refusing to interact with lower ranking officers. He said his mother would say, “If you can’t do anything else at least you can speak”. We touched on the very hot issue of gun laws. He feels that current gun laws are quite adequate but they could stand a little tweaking. He respects and upholds each and every citizen’s right to bear and purchase arms. “Most shootings are not with semi-automatic firearms, guns don’t kill people, people kill people, and we must make sure the law is not so strict that only bad guys have guns”. The current gun laws focus on citizens that purchase guns illegally for others that cannot legally buy them on their own. Mr. Ingram said, “If you cannot buy your own gun, I am not going to buy it for you”. He would like to see stricter punishments for those that practice this method of getting guns. The Community Watch Program is being practiced in many neighborhoods across the country. However in Lenoir County, it is utilized more within city limits. When asked how he would strengthen the program, he stated that he would push for more community involvement by encouraging his officers as well as the public. “Some officers put on their uniform and see it only as a job”, he said. This holds no benefit for the community nor the officers themselves. The officers must have a passion for the job and their community. He wants his officers to attend Community Watch meetings so that communities will know that they have someone they can count on and answer any questions they may have. Building a positive workforce environment will propel the officers to go above and beyond their duties. Having an open door policy with law enforcement can sometimes make or break a community. Case-in-point, Ferguson, Missouri, I asked Mr. Ingram how he will reassure the public that they can count on him to get the answers they need. He answered with an old song title, “May the work I’ve done speak for me. The public knows me, don’t take my word about how I am, ask somebody. The people know me, they know what kind of person I am and if I say I am going to do something, I do it. We serve the people and we must treat the people the way we want to be treated. I will build more public trust, hide nothing and each department must handle its own investigations”. Nothing more needed to be said. Mr. Ingram is fair to all citizens and employees alike. Everyone should be treated with fairness and respect. He knows how to treat people fairly. “It is not about favoritism,” he says. “The difference between fairness and favoritism is, favoritism is something that only a FEW get, fairness is something EVERYBODY should get. I stand on the side of fairness. Ask anyone about Ronnie Ingram and they will say he is a fair man”. Mr. Ronnie Ingram has a strong dedication to the members of the community. He is determined to change the way the sheriff’s office is perceived by the people of Lenoir County. We here at Gospel Pages Weekly encourage you to support him and to take some time to get to know him on a personal level. He brings peace, justice and unity to the citizens of Lenoir County.