The Human Experience

From tragedy to triumph, imagine a vast loom where the fabric of humanity is woven from threads of our commonalities and differences. From a distance, a simple and whole tapestry is observed. If one steps closer, the multitude of thread variations are rather grand and immeasurable when colors, textures and sizes become visible. Step even closer and there exists an invisible constitution of each individual thread - an unknown and greater diversity of individual strength, sequences, and frequencies where various degrees of agony and joy exist. Regardless of how each individual thread was created, there is an undeniable truth of our collective and common heritage - our intangible commonalities will always out number our differences.

Heritage and culture is found in all communities. Whether defining ‘community’ as the arts, family, school, city or a country, its culture is rooted in its history...from many yesterdays or only a moment ago. When a community is challenged with a crisis that shifts the very core of its foundation, there are notable individuals willing to step forward to invoke change with an authentic, harmonious tone and deliver positive ions of strength.

Skip McCall possesses those qualities and is an admirable community leader; his experience and achievements now span over three decades. For several years, McCall was as an active member of the Legal Redress Committee, maintained an eight-year tenure as a school board member and was the Education Chairperson for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). While he admits a passion for football, there are strong indications that his own coaching skills reflect brightly on the scoreboard of public education and community awareness.

On January 4, 2009 McCall accepted his new leadership role as President of the Statesville Branch NAACP. His history with this organization takes us back 35 years to his senior year of high school as a student attending an all black school - until the courts ordered an involuntary integration into Statesville High School. As a result of desegregation, racial issues and tensions ran high among students, teachers and this community. As a young man of only 18 years, McCall joined the NAACP to seek leadership assistance and find a balance to work through the many tribulations associated with desegregation.

From his early negotiation experiences with the principal and other students (also interested in reconciliation and upholding civil rights), McCall “felt a ‘calling’ to work in the community to bring about understandings between groups of people.”

McCall’s strategies with the school system and the superintendent, Dr. Terry K. Holliday, have yielded an increase in participation of disenfranchised students and their parents to apply the best practices together and embrace the value of a successful education. Over 800 students and their parents participated in the 2009 ‘Back to School’ Rally.

On February 12, 2009, the NAACP will mark its 100th anniversary! The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination. The NAACP was born of the New York Niagra Movement from the early 1900’s. In 1911, the remaining membership of the Niagara Movement joined with a number of individuals to found a more influential and diverse organization, where the leadership was predominantly white and heavily Jewish American. In fact, at its founding, the NAACP had only one African American, W.E.B. DuBois, on its executive board. It did not elect a black president until 1975, although executive

directors had been African American. Often referred to as the NAACP, it is one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States.

As President of its Statesville Chapter, McCall has identified several top priorities for the local NAACP agenda in Statesville. On the top of his list is the use of information technology to increase public education and awareness. Secondly, he intends to dispel superficial perceptions of the NAACP through workshops and increased involvement in the community. McCall also intends to revive the youth chapter and engage his membership in active leadership and mentorship roles within our community.

The culture of this organization was founded in diversity and its membership is open to anyone who supports its mission, vision and goals. McCall mentions that membership is inclusive to anyone as “people come in all different colors; NAACP is open to anyone who shares its mission and will support its purpose.”

Skip McCall is a visionary and “looks forward to a future with a color blind and racial blind society. Barack Obama is a testament to the progress in America and to get to a point when there is no such designation as February/Black History Month. That we could live in a time and not need a specific time to single out any race or group of people, because everything accomplished will be acknowledged and recognized as a part of the American experience and part of the American history.”  

Expressing the human experience through the arts is an accomplishment by another visionary and lifetime member of the NAACP. A member since high school, Xavier Zsarmani, is a local playwright who is gaining momentum on the local performing arts scene. Zsarmani favors dramadies, musicals, love stories and comedies to deliver intentional messages about love, mentors, the bible, drug and alcohol abuse and bullies. Did I say love?  Local businesses and community players are willing participants and supporters of his passion to share inspirational and motivational messages.


To date, at age 35, Zsarmani has written ten plays. In 2004, Zsarmani wrote and produced the play, “If These Teens Could Talk” to directly benefit the families of seven Statesville teenagers who died from injuries sustained from the same car accident. The play was presented at the Mac Gray Auditorium. Although hundreds of people were turned away due to the capacity limit, he received a standing ovation from the 1,000 people who could be seated. The project was Zsarmani’s effort to heal the community after a tremendous real life tragedy and loss. One recent video production informs teenagers of N.C. drug and alcohol laws; when abuse can cause them to “Lose Control, Lose Your License”. This informative video has earned positive feedback from the Statesville Police and Iredell Sheriff’s Department.

Between his customers at Zsarmani’s Barber Styling, Zsarmani enjoys a good chess game and is well known for crowning everyone as kings and queens, especially children! He motivates our youth, gives away hugs all day long and shares his favorite love recipe which is “8 hugs a day”...2 for breakfast, 2 for brunch, 2 for lunch and 2 for dinner, which is often sung as a diddly to young children. As a father of four girls, husband, business owner and community activist, Zsarmani always finds time for one more passion: writing. And we must patiently wait for Zsarmani’s current writing project named, “Generational Curse Breaker”.

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Janet Harriman