Moore County Blackout Mobilizes Black Churches

By Cash Michaels –

Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, working in concert with Moore County authorities, are reportedly in the process of closing in on whoever was responsible for the December 3, 2022 gunshot terrorism that disabled a Duke Energy substation and cut power to tens of thousands of customers throughout the mostly rural county for several days, making national and international headlines.

As far as law enforcement is concerned, whoever caused the outage knew exactly what they were doing.

After several days in the dark, power was restored December 8, but by then it was too late for many of the poor and Black families living there. Refrigerated food had gone bad; they had no heat to ward off the cold temperatures; young children, the elderly, and those in poor health suffered tremendously.

While many of the businesses in towns like Carthage and Southern Pines were able to pool their resources to help as many as they could, a group of community-based organizations that call themselves “the Moore County CRISIS Coalition” have been working since the day after the blackout to supply free food, diapers, and generators to rural Black churches throughout Moore County.

Working with relief organizations from across the state—including West Southern Pines Civic Organization, Moore County NAACP leaders, More for Moore, Helping Hands, Trinity AME Zion Church and many county churches—Moore County CRISIS Coalition collected and distributed food, batteries, blankets, generators, gas cards, diapers, and other human necessities for poor families who were suddenly put in dire circumstances because of the power outage.

At least one Black church, Trinity AME Zion, pastored by Rev. Paul Murphy, set up a distribution center for the needy that plans to remain open through the holidays.

“Our response to this crisis ought to be governed by organizations familiar with and committed to the well-being of our Black and Brown sisters and brothers, and other poor people,” a CRISIS leader, O’Linda Watkins, the Moore County NAACP president for twenty-five years, said.

“While law enforcement does its duty, we will work on fulfilling the human needs revealed by the power outage emergency. Anyone wishing to support grassroots, community-led relief efforts can help us collect and distribute donations for those most impacted at the distribution center at Trinity AME Zion Church.

“We know when the lights and refrigerators get power, tens of thousands of poor and working people will still be without food and other basic needs. Electricity is wonderful, but it doesn’t feed the babies. The attack hit the poor, disabled, elderly, and sick in our communities the hardest, particularly our sisters and brothers in the small Black communities that are often centered around a Black church.”

Watkins continued, “We call on people of good will to support us by donating to Moore County CRISIS Coalition. Donations can be sent via the Moore County NAACP website, moorenaacp.org. Please add “CRISIS” on the memo line of the check.