Christian Foushee-Green - On the role of church and the future of Northside

Christian Jacobi Foushee-Green is the lead singer, songwriter, and keyboardist for the “Chit Nasty Band” which he created in 2011, one year after graduating from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Born on April 26 in 1988, Christian (or “Chit” to some of his fans) has been involved in both church and choir ever since his mother and biological father parents began their own church choir when he was just two years old. Although his mother currently lives in Durham, his great grandfather Garland Foushee still resides in Northside. In 2016, Christian moved from Raleigh to live in the same home that Garland previously lived in that was built by his other great grandfather, Jacob James. Christian currently rents out one room of the house. He makes his living doing what he loves: teaching piano during the day and performing with his band at night. Christian continues to be involved in multiple church choirs to this day but prefers to attend Sunday worship at St. Paul, an African Methodist Episcopal church in Chapel Hill. The interview is structured around five main themes, each of which provide a way to link Christian’s own life story and experiences with those he heard from family members while growing up in Chapel Hill. The main topics of the interview include the a) family home in which the interview took place b) Chapel Hill roots, specifically during desegregation, c) hopes and fears for Northside Neighborhood going forward and lastly, d) the role of the black church, not only in Christian’s own life but the entire community, specifically in terms of education and music.