Asheville Coalition Attends Raleigh Rally

Advocates from across the state of North Carolina join in solidarity as they marched in downtown Raleigh. Photo by Johnnie Grant.

By Clare Hubbard

In the pre-dawn darkness of 4:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 23, thirteen Asheville residents boarded a small bus at Nazareth First Baptist Church in Asheville.

NC House Representative Alma Adams, D-58 – Guilford.

Hours later they joined people from counties across North Carolina “2006 People of Color Justice and Unity Legislative Day” at First Baptist Church in Raleigh. The day of gathering, discussion, and education was sponsored by the NC NAACP State Conference Branches, the Women of Color Coalition, led by NC Association of Community Development Corporations (NCACDC), Southerners for Economic Justice (SE), and the Triangle Urban League, and designed make an impact through high numbers and powerful voices.

The Asheville bus was arranged by the Eagle-Market Street Development Corporation. Consultant Marilyn Bass noted, “Oftentimes it seems as if Western North Carolina people of color miss out on events such as this, which is why the NC Association of Community Development Corporations, along with Eagle-Market Street Development Corporation, wanted to provide this opportunity of transportation and meals, free of charge.”

Following a prayer by Rev. Dr. Dumas Harshaw and welcoming remarks by representatives from participating organizations, the meeting began with an overview and discussion of the effects of disparities in housing and economic development, criminal and economic justice, education, voting rights and violence against women. Each participant received handouts about the organizations involved and explanations of “proactive, engaged and influencing methods of support.”

Bills currently in the legislature were outlined, including Senate Bill 967, aimed to establish One NC Small Business Fund; House Resolution 1808, to increase the minimum hourly wage by one dollar, to $6.15; House Bill (HB) 408, to increase funding to eliminate health disparities; HB 529, Version #2, which calls for a two-year moratorium on executions by the state; HB 851, to allow people to register and vote the same day; HB 1006, which examines and discusses state contracts and slavery profits; HB 1415, to take guns out of the hands of domestic violence offenders; HB 1463, to increase punishment for parents and foster parents convicted as sex offenders; and HB 1607, to provide sterilization compensation. The People of Color Movement explained support for these bills as a way to “potentially benefit communities of color,” which spokesmen assert affect people of color more extremely than majority groups.

Following examination of the bills, Rev. Dr. William Barber, pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church and President of the NC NAACP Conference of Branches, spoke about the importance of fellowship, community, compassion, and strength in times of hardship. “We have come for a resurrection. We have come for a resurrection of a new day in NC,” he said. “We started this [meeting] in the church because this is a place that believes in resurrection. God believes in this fight. The powerful are oppressing the weak and the poor, but let me say that the marching of feet can still make a difference.“

“It was important for a contingent from the Western part of North Carolina to be involved in this initiative,” said Bass. “This was the first time several organizations from all areas of the state were represented under the leadership of the NC-NAACP State Conference of Branches for a joint legislative day.”  

NC State NAACP President, Dr. William Barber.

 After the plenary session, participants marched from the church to the General Assembly. Reviving the spirit of the civil rights movement, marchers chanted “They say cutback, we say fight back!” and sang African-American spirituals including the familiar “Ain\’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me “Round.” One stated goal of the procession was to “secure a living wage with regular increases tied to an inflation index,” or to amend House Resolution 1808 to increase the minimum wage to $6.15 per hour.

Other goals included:

• strengthening collective bargaining rights for NC public workers;

• abolishing the death penalty;

• modifying the habitual felon statute in NC (which disproportionately impacts African Americans);

• increasing state funding for domestic violence programs, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the state\’s historically black colleges and universities, and the Disadvantaged Student Supplemental Fund;

• tighter restrictions on sex offender registration;

• establishing same-day voting registration;

• maintaining current levels of support for remaining members of the minority economic development package,
  • increasing opportunities for minority and women contracting with the state of NC.

In the afternoon the group moved from the House of Representatives, where participants were encouraged to meet with their representatives to suggest change and rising concerns, to a meeting to discuss the minimum-wage bill and propose a motion to urge legislators to pass the bill. Representative Alma Adams (D-Guilford) announced the renewal of her continuing effort to raise the minimum wage.

“We all have a responsibility here today. Listen hard and take action, because we have much work ahead of us,” Adams told the group. She obtained House approval of an 85-cent increase last year, which is still awaiting approval by the senate. She planned to add the dollar increase to her previous resolution.

Disadvantaged Student Fund Supporter.

“We aren\’t done yet,” Rev. Barber said after the meetings. “This is good news, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Call your representatives. Get the word out. Let\’s make this happen,” he urged.

On Tuesday, May 30, one week after the rally, the House passed HR 1808 (the minimum-wage increase). The bill must be reconciled with the Senate bill, either as stand-alone legislation or as part of a more comprehensive bill, to become law.