Feature

NC lawmakers, voting groups have one week to submit new election maps.

By Alanna Joyner / February 15, 2022 / Comments Off on NC lawmakers, voting groups have one week to submit new election maps.

Friday marks the final day for lawmakers to submit new voting maps. This comes after a state Supreme Court order that designated the GOP-controlled legislature to redraw political maps, as the current maps were found to be unconstitutional. The current voting maps have been found to give Republican candidates clear advantages in 10 of 14…

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Before Rosa Parks, Sarah Keys refused to back down.

By Alanna Joyner / February 14, 2022 / Comments Off on Before Rosa Parks, Sarah Keys refused to back down.

Before Rosa Parks made history by refusing to give up her bus seat, Sarah Keys did the same.  On August 1, 1952, the young Army private traveling to Washington, North Carolina, refused to give up her seat on an interstate bus for a white Marine. From NCPedia: Sarah Keys decided to stay seated to defend…

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Before the Greensboro Four, there was Durham’s Royal Seven

By Alanna Joyner / February 11, 2022 / Comments Off on Before the Greensboro Four, there was Durham’s Royal Seven

In 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, and more. North Carolina’s place in the civil rights movement is largely connected with the 1960s Greensboro Four sit-in. But three years prior, a…

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Book banning battles hit North Carolina schools

By Alanna Joyner / February 9, 2022 / Comments Off on Book banning battles hit North Carolina schools

Across the nation, Republicans are campaigning for the censorship of hundreds of books that highlight race, gender, and sexual orientation.  Thirty-five states have introduced bills or taken other steps to censor how teachers educate students, denying students the freedom to learn. In North Carolina, Republicans are mirroring the GOP’s coordinated national effort of manufacturing outrage,…

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NC Supreme Court outlaws partisan gerrymandering and uplifts democracy

By Alanna Joyner / February 8, 2022 / Comments Off on NC Supreme Court outlaws partisan gerrymandering and uplifts democracy

Last Friday night marked a big win for North Carolina voters, with the state Supreme Court ruling that Republican crafted congressional and state legislative maps violate the state constitution. The justices ruled that the maps were heavily skewed to favor Republican candidates that they, “violate the free elections clause, the equal protection clause, the free…

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Black History Month Arrives As Republicans Censor Education

By Alanna Joyner / February 2, 2022 / Comments Off on Black History Month Arrives As Republicans Censor Education

Black History Month arrives this year with education, American History and voting rights under assault all across the nation.  Republican state legislations across the country, including North Carolina, are pushing to censor teachers from educating students on the truth of our history, introduce anti-voter bills to block our communities’ access to the ballot and dilute…

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State Supreme Court Reviews Gerrymandered Maps This Week

By Alanna Joyner / February 2, 2022 / Comments Off on State Supreme Court Reviews Gerrymandered Maps This Week

The state’s ongoing redistricting trial makes it stop at the North Carolina Supreme Court this week, amid calls for recusal, an attempt by the GOP to control the election time, and a veto to stop Republicans from undermining the state’s voting process. Wednesday’s scheduled hearing comes after a trial court panel ruled that GOP lawmakers…

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National Survey Finds Teacher Shortage Crisis Exacerbated By Censorship In Classrooms

By Alanna Joyner / January 24, 2022 / Comments Off on National Survey Finds Teacher Shortage Crisis Exacerbated By Censorship In Classrooms

A new national survey released last week highlights how laws seeking to censor issues of race, gender or other topics in the classroom are adding to the list of reasons teachers are leaving the profession.  This comes as Republican state legislations across the country, including North Carolina, are pushing to censor teachers from educating students…

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President Biden’s First Year

By Alanna Joyner / January 19, 2022 / Comments Off on President Biden’s First Year

Tomorrow marks the first year since the Biden-Harris Administration took office. Despite inheriting a nation recovering from a right-wing attack, divisive presidency, a pandemic and economic crises, President Joe Biden’s administration has taken numerous decisive actions to restore and strengthen the country. During the first year in office, President Biden has far outpaced his predecessor…

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On MLK Day, The King Family and Activists Marched For Voting Rights

By Alanna Joyner / January 18, 2022 / Comments Off on On MLK Day, The King Family and Activists Marched For Voting Rights

As the nation grapples with continued attacks on civil and voting rights, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday offered a time to reflect, while moving many to demand leaders push for voting rights protections. In demonstrations Monday, members of the King family, activists and communities declared that there could be “no celebration without…

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