Durham school admins indicted on abuse coverup | 14-year-old murder victim was "pimped out"? | Baptist churches linked to pro-"refugee" activism
No. 161 — Jan. 25-Jan. 31, 2026
Is your Southern Baptist church supporting extreme “refugee” activism?
The Southern Baptist Convention is not merely America’s largest Protestant denomination, it’s members are among the most politically conservative of any major political Christian denomination in the country. Yet, an investigation by author and podcaster Jon Harris reveals how many major Southern Baptist churches partner, perhaps unwittingly, with some of the most politically radical “refugee” organizations.
As Harris’ expose shows, the same appeal to Christian virtue of sympathy to our “neighbors” may be linked to pushing leftist agendas like LGBTQ or open borders; not merely focused on ministering to foreigners with legal refugee status, but advocating for policy change, providing legal services for the “undocumented,” or teaching illegal immigrants to effectively avoid submission to the civil magistrate.
Many of these organizations, even those ostensibly under the authority of churches or denominations have been acting as de-facto arms of the federal government, with the majority of their revenue coming from federal grants even as they were working to influence, subvert, or stretch federal immigration law and policy to the greatest extent possible. (For instance, the umbrella of “refugee” is often extended by these organizations to include “asylum seekers” or those under Temporary Protected Status, which until the current Trump administration had been repeatedly extended to continue bringing over Salvadorans or Hondurans under a “temporary” status issued due to natural disasters over two decades ago.)
Some of the fruit of these refugee organizations can be seen in recent reporting regarding Somalis in Minnesota, many of whom were resettled due to the efforts of agencies like Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota, or Arrive Ministries. (Formerly known as World Relief Minnesota, Arrive Ministries is associated with a Baptist church, which took millions of federal dollars during the Biden administration and advocates against the current immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.)
Local examples of such organizations identified by Harris include Refugee Hope Partners, which is counts numerous Baptist churches among it’s “partners,” and “sees it as their goal to amplify refugee voices, promote inclusivity, and express concern about recent ICE raids,” as Harris characterizes it.
Another example would be World Relief, one of the largest refugee resettlement organizations in the country (and which engages in the very type of political activism described above), credits the Summit Church under former SBC President J.D. Greear with “contribut[ing] the largest number of volunteers to help his organization resettle refugees in the Triangle,” according to a profile in The Assembly.
Three Durham school administrators charged in coverup of student tied to chair
Eno Valley Elementary School principal resigns after indictment - ABC11
Three DPS Administrators Indicted on Charges Related to 2024 Child Abuse Case - INDY
Abuse allegations, felony charges prompt calls for safety and accountability in Durham schools - 9th Street Journal
Durham Public Schools superintendent says changes are underway after three admins indicted - WRAL
Dr. Tounya Wright, the principal of Eno Valley Elementary School in Durham, has resigned after being charged with three counts of felony obstruction of justice and one count of perjury, along with two Durham Public Schools administrators.
Deputy Superintendent Tanya Giovanni is facing five counts of felony obstruction of justice, while Senior Executive Director of Employee Relations Ayesha Hunter is charged with six counts of felony obstruction of justice and two counts of perjury.
According to the indictments and previously reporting on search warrants related to the case, the charges stem from an incident in which a photo was taken of an autistic six-year-old student tied to a chair with a jump rope.
Wright allegedly both lied to police and falsely testified to a jury in the prosecution of Jenae Martin about receiving the photo anonymously under her office door, about when she became aware of the photo, and about not knowing the identity of the individual who made her aware of the photo.
Giovanni allegedly lied to the police about and/or withheld evidence including the DPS investigatory file, witness statements, an affidavit from Wright, and the photo itself.
Hunter allegedly falsely told police she had provided all the information in her possession, when she in fact withheld investigatory notes and witness statements, falsely claimed in a court hearing that Wright had reported the abuse when she became aware as well as regarding how she kept investigatory records, and falsely testified at the Jenae Martin trial that she did not have investigatory notes and that she saw Wright provide the photo to police.
Wright, Hunter, and Giovanni have been released on bonds of $5,000, $10,000, and $5,000 respectively.
According to DPS Superintendent Anthony Lewis, the three women are suspended, the district has brought in a law firm to investigate, staff will be provided additional training, and the district will comply with future investigations.
Trial reveals disturbing details in double teen murder case
Issiah Ross found guilty of second-degree murder in killing of Devin Clark, mistrial declared in Lyric Woods’ death - CBS17
Issiah Ross Trial: Man accused of killing NC teens Lyric Woods, Devin Clark: Live Updates - ABC11
Orange County jury finds Ross guilty of 1 teen’s murder but splits on 2nd killing - N&O
Ross Found Guilty Of Second-Degree Murder of Clark; Mistrial In Death Of Woods - Chapelboro.com
Jury continues deliberations as weather interrupts - News of Orange
The trial over the killing of 14-year-old Lyric Woods and 18-year-old Devin Clark, who were found murdered off a rural road in western Orange County in 2022, was concluded with a hung jury and a 2nd degree murder conviction for the respective murder charges against Issiah Ross, who was 17-years-old at the time.
Ross was tracked down to Delaware shortly after the murders and arrested after a tip from a friend of his to whom he had confessed the murders, who told police and testified at trial that Ross had described shooting Clark with his own gun after an argument, then shooting Woods as well to cover his trail.
The bodies were found by ATV riders near Efland the afternoon after they were murdered, with forensic evidence showing that both had been moved from where they had been killed, with Woods having been shot seven times and Clark six times, both of which included shots from behind.
According to recovered Snapchat messages, including in an eleven-member group chat, Clark had been looking for someone to drive he and Woods to the location of the murder so they could have sex, in exchange for which he promised that the driver would be able to engage in sexual acts with the much-younger girl as well.
In Ross’s defense, he testified that after driving the pair to the location, he heard them arguing, with Woods exiting the vehicle shouting about how she didn’t want to be “pimped out” as Clark’s “whore,” and threatening to get the police involved.
According to Ross’s telling, Clark followed Woods out of the vehicle and shot her with his gun, after which Clark came after him and he was forced to defend himself by disarming Clark and shooting him with his own weapon.
The jury was given the option of conviction on first degree murder, second degree murder, or voluntary manslaughter in Clark’s death, while the only option on the table for Woods’ death was guilty or not guilty on first degree murder.
The jury convicted Ross of the second degree murder of Clark, yet were unable to come to a unanimous in the murder of Woods.
Ross was sentenced to 241-300 months incarceration for the murder of Clark, while District Attorney Jeff Nieman has indicated that his office will continuing pursuing the prosecution of Ross for Woods’ murder, despite the mistrial setback.
ICYMI
Protest Watch
Anti-ICE demonstrations continue
Left-wing activists have continued demonstrating in opposition to immigration enforcement and with a specific focus on remembering Alex Pretti, a Minnesotan activist who was shot by two immigration officials after rushing in to physically interfere with the federal agents were armed with a handgun, such vigils outside the Durham VA hospital on Wednesday and in Smithfield on Thursday at the Johnston County Courthouse.
(Additional video of a separate incident involving Pretti a week before his death was published this week, in which he kicked the tail light off a federal vehicle, and was tackled by the agents inside.)
Activists with the Triangle branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation as well as 50501 NC helped organize local “ICE Out!” actions in conjunction with a “nationwide shutdown” on Friday with the organizers claiming hundreds of participants at protests/walkouts at NC State, UNC, downtown Durham, and the ICE office in Cary (¹, ², ³).
The following Durham businesses were listed as supporting the shutdown (¹, ², ³, ⁴):
Arroyo Tires
Bull City Detailing
La Bodeguita
Moroleon Supermarket
Peluquieria Belleza a la Moda
Catrines Men’s Salon
Paleteria La Monarca Michocana
Pachanga Party Supply
Compare Food Trucks
El Mariachi NC
Chronic Guru
Hair Depot Supercenter
Nail Station
Creative Tattoo Service
Cocoa Cinnamon
East Durham Sweet Shoppe
Homebucha Kombucha
Redhead Hemp
Scrap Exchange