I grew up in Wake Forest. My family has called this area home for generations, long before the Baptist college or the seminary came here. This land, where my family has lived for generations, was first the home of the Tuscarora, Shakori, and other Siouan-speaking peoples. They tended these forests and rivers long before settlers arrived. I honor their enduring connection to this place and recognize that my own story here exists because theirs was disrupted. That history is complicated, but itâs part of who we are. Loving a place means telling its whole story.
Faith and education have always been central to that story. When Wake Forest College moved to Winston-Salem in 1956, the same year my father was born, it wasnât because the town failed. It was because the Reynolds Foundationâs tobacco fortune offered a massive endowment, only if the college relocated. The Baptist State Convention approved the move, and the Southern Baptist Convention soon stepped in, establishing Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary on the newly vacated campus, where it remains today.
That moment, when money, faith, and influence decided the townâs future, still echoes. Power in Wake Forest has always been both local and inherited, and understanding that helps us see why change can be so hard.
When I write about this town, its growth, its politics, its tensions, I do it out of love and duty, not partisanship. I donât take donations or charge subscriptions. I do this because I believe seeking and sharing truth is a civic responsibility. My reporting is based on public records, firsthand accounts, and verifiable facts. I took an oath to defend the Constitution, and I still live by that pledge to seek and share truth, even when itâs uncomfortable. I bring the rigor of my service in military intelligence and my study of extremism and political violence to this work.
Recently, when the town debated whether to issue a proclamation recognizing LGBTQ+ History Month, we saw how that legacy of influence continues to shape civic life. The symbolic proclamation was quietly withdrawn after behind-the-scenes pressure from established networks. Thatâs what I mean by institutional inertia â not conspiracy, but the familiar pull of old power resisting change.
During Wake Forestâs Pride celebrations, a small group of street preachers came to condemn the event. Some wore Southeastern Seminary shirts or were later identified in publicly shared photos and videos. Thereâs no evidence that the seminary organized or encouraged them; they appeared on their own. Still, affiliation carries weight. When someone seems to represent a respected institution, their actions reflect on it, fairly or not, the same way my off-duty behavior once reflected on the uniform I wore in the military. Thatâs not about blame; itâs about awareness and responsibility in a small town where identities overlap.
Whatâs happening in Wake Forest, the anonymous emails, fake social media accounts, and targeted harassment of queer residents and local officials â isnât politics. Itâs intimidation. And intimidation erodes the trust that every healthy community depends on.
I donât call that out to attack anyone. I do it to protect the integrity of this town, to make sure all of us, no matter who we are, can live and speak safely here. Naming harm isnât aggression. Itâs accountability. Itâs sunlight.
Justice Louis Brandeis once said, âSunlight is the best of disinfectants.â Thatâs still true. Transparency, truth, and courage are what keep a community and a democracy alive.
Wake Forest isnât a sleepy seminary town anymore. Weâre a growing, diverse small city. Thatâs a gift, and a responsibility. The way we treat each other now â how we listen, how we share power â will define who we become.
So letâs meet this moment with honesty and courage. Ask questions. Stand up for your neighbors. Speak truth, even when itâs uncomfortable.
Wake Forest deserves that sunlight. And it will take all of us to bring it.
Tom Baker IV is the publisher of Wake Forest Matters, Wake Forest’s only independent local newsroom. A Wake Forest native, Navy veteran, and intelligence professional, Tom launched Wake Forest Matters to bring serious accountability journalism to his hometown. Tips and story ideas: publisher@wakeforestmatters.com