Alanna Joyner
After a historic voter turnout last year, Republican lawmakers in at least 43 states are considering more than 250 bills that would make it harder to vote, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. In an effort to undermine and disenfranchise voters, the GOP’s national push to enact hundreds of new voting restrictions could strain…
Read MorePresident Biden signed a sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package into law on Thursday, delivering a massive amount of much-needed federal aid for working families, essential workers and individuals who have been impacted by the financial devastation the pandemic has caused. “This legislation is about giving the backbone of this nation — the essential workers,…
Read MoreIn honor of Women’s History Month, Progress NC Action is highlighting women who have fostered change, encouraged debate and have transformed our state through their contributions to arts, sciences, politics, etc. A revered North Carolina poet laureate, world-famous author and civil rights champion who made an impact on American culture and society for more than…
Read MoreLast week, the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly passed it’s COVID-19 relief package. The NC House Bill (HB) 196 appropriated the remaining $1.7 billion in federal money that was allocated to North Carolina in the Congressional relief package passed in December. In a process that lacked transparency in ensuring equitable allocation of public dollars, the…
Read MoreSenate Democrats passed their version of the near $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act on Saturday, but not before making some major changes from the version of the bill passed by the House last week. The bill includes $1,400 stimulus checks for many Americans, extended federal unemployment benefits, billions for K-12 schools, billions for state…
Read MorePresident Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic rescue plan, approved on Saturday by the House, includes an incentive for states to expand Medicaid by providing additional federal funding for their entire Medicaid program, not just those eligible under expansion. North Carolina is one of 12 states nationally that has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care…
Read MoreBlack Wall Street was the hub of African-American businesses and financial services in Durham, North Carolina, during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Dr. Aaron McDuffie Moore, alongside John Merrick and C.C. Spaulding, is credited with establishing Durham’s hub for Black-owned businesses and the Black middle class. Located within a four-block district on Parrish Street,…
Read MoreOn Friday, Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed Senate Bill 37, a Republican-backed legislation that would have forced more school districts to reopen for in-person instruction. The legislation fell short in two places: It hindered the governor, school districts and other officials from shutting schools down again if the pandemic worsens and allowed middle and high school…
Read MoreIn an effort to celebrate Black History Month, Progress NC Action is highlighting prominent Black leaders from North Carolina, who have shaped our state through their contributions to arts, sciences, politics, etc. In the early 1900’s, Black-owned businesses in Durham, North Carolina can be traced back to the efforts of two African-American entrepreneurs:Charles Spaulding and…
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Last week, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder slated North Carolina as being the “ground zero for partisan and racial gerrymandering”. From The News & Observer: Expect more redistricting litigation in North Carolina backed by a national Democratic group that Eric Holder leads unless state Republicans accept anti-gerrymandering reforms this year, the former U.S. attorney…
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