STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 04-11-19
SBOE WAITS FINAL REPORT ON COLUMBUS COUNTY SHERIFF’S RACE
[WHITEVILLE] It is now up to the State Board of Elections to decide whether Jody Greene actually lives in Columbus County, and qualifies to be sheriff. After two days of testimony last week – which included a trip to the RV that Greene and his wife say if their permanent domicile they’ve been living in for the past year – the Columbus County Elections Board voted 3-2 that Greene is not a permanent resident. Greene defeated Lewis Hatcher in the Nov. 6th, 2018 election by a slim margin, but the victory was challenged when issues arose dealing with where exactly did Greene permanently reside. Three of the five Columbus County Board members, after touring the RV and property, did not believe that Greene and his wife lived there permanently, especially since they own two homes elsewhere. The state elections board will determine the final outcome of the sheriff’s race.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS PROPOSE DIFFERENT FORM OF MEDICAID EXPANSION
[RALEIGH] Fully intent on offering an alternative to Medicaid expansion that Gov. Roy Cooper and Democrats have been calling for, but the GOP has been blocking, Republican lawmakers this week unveiled their own plan for providing health insurance for thousands of uninsured North Carolinians.
According to Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Forsyth) HB 655 would be an alternative to Medicaid expansion by functioning as a private insurance plan that would have a work requirement. Enrollees would also pay 2 percent of their income as a premium, in addition to medical copays. Eligibility would be no more than 133 percent above the federal poverty level.
House Democrats oppose the proposal, however, saying that they oppose the work requirement and copays. They, along with Gov. Cooper, want 500,000 North Carolinians coveted with a traditional expansion of Medicare, or which the federal government picks up at least 65% of the costs.
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NC HBCUs TAKE PART IN THIRD
ANNUAL “DAY OF ACTION
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
For the third consecutive year, students and others from historically black colleges and universities are boarding buses, and headed towards Washington, D.C. for another HBCU Collective Day of Action on April 11th.
Sponsored by the nonpartisan HBCU Collective, the event – which kicks off at the Russell Senate Office Building at 9 a.m. - brings student representatives from the 101 black schools throughout North Carolina, and across the nation, to Capitol Hill, to meet with and lobby their elected members of Congress, about issues directly affecting the survival of their institutions.
And once again, alumni from some of North Carolina’s top HBCUs are leading the effort – Robert Stephens, founder of the HBCU Collective, and a 2008 alum of Winston-Salem State University; and co-leader Shambulia Gadsden Sams, an alumna of Shaw University in Raleigh.
According to Stephens, he came up with “Day of Action” three years ago after seeing Pres. Trump move the federal HBCU Initiative from the US Dept. of Education to the White House, and inviting various HBCU presidents and chancellors to the White House with promises of aid. Stephens began calling the Student Government Association presidents across the country, shared his concerns that issues affecting their schools would not get a full hearing given the move.
They agreed, and the very first HBCU Collective Day of Action was born.
It was during their first press conference at the Capital that they invited Rep. Alma Adams [D-NC-12], co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus, to endorse their efforts, and the rest is history. Other members of Congress, black and white, including Rep. Adams North Carolina colleague Rep. G. K. Butterfield, embraced the effort, and advocated for Congress to vote for more resources to keep HBCUs functioning.
“We produce the most science, technology, engineering and math scholars; the most black doctors, black lawyers, most black engineers.,” Stephens said a year ago. “We’re saying that HBCU’s make a huge contribution to society, and we just want to make sure that our schools are sustainable.”
Last year, student representatives from 35 HBCUs from across the country made the trip, along the then interim president of Shaw University of Raleigh, Dr. Paulette Dillard., who made remarks.
“These students here today are proof that in the 21stcentury, HBCUs will continue to play a vital role in educating the leaders of tomorrow,” Dr. Dillard said during a rally on the U.S. Capital steps.
Students from North Carolina Central University in Durham also made the trip.
In the end, the approximately 200 HBCU students who lobbied members of Congress, had something to cheer for.
The 2018 Omnibus budget, with strong funding for HBCUs, was ultimately passed an signed by Pres. Trump. Stephens, Rep. Adams and others credit the lobbying efforts of the HBCU Collective, and hope that Congress will again respond positively to their message about how vital historically black colleges and universities are to the nation.
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Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman
NCNAACP GEARING UP FOR
BIG FIGHTS TOWARDS 2020
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
For 110 years the NAACP has stood on the front lines of civil rights advocacy, whether it be fighting for better education, criminal justice reform, economic opportunity, or the burning of black churches in the South – similar to what is going on now in Louisiana and Tennessee.
In that same spirit, the NCNAACP - the state conference of its national namesake, also continues to stand on the front lines of battling for voting rights, affordable health care, ending racism, and more.
But to do that, members must recommit themselves to the original principles and constitution of the oldest civil rights organization in the nation, and that’s why the NCNAACP held its delayed annual winter meeting and mandatory training in Research Triangle Park last Saturday, where approximately 500 members attended.
Delayed from December because of the aftermath of hurricanes Florence and Michael, NCNAACP Pres. Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman says the mandatory membership training, which helps the membership in carrying out their duties according to the NAACP Constitution and bylaws, occurs every other year when new chapter officers are elected.
“The mandatory training is geared towards the old [members] honing their skills, and the new ones to become equipped skills as it relates to be able to do their duties in an appropriate way,” Rev. Spearman says.
He led the training with the chapter training for the presidents and vice presidents, the executive committee and four state vice presidents. The secretaries were trained by the state conference secretary and assistant secretary, while chapter treasurers were done by the state conference treasurer and assistant treasurer.
The youth membership of the NC NAACP were trained by the state conference youth advisor and Youth and College Division president.
This mandatory training is key, because it brings the membership back in correlation with the NAACP mission statement.
“Each one of us, when we say we are going to abide and carry out this oath, make sure that we are responsible and held accountable to that which we do,” Rev. Spearman added, noting that the NAACP oath was re-administered for everyone during a unity session.
Beyond the training, the NCNAACP membership were brought up to date on the civil rights organization’s historic victory a few months ago in the courts, where a Wake Superior Court judge ruled that the 2018 voter ID amendment which was ratified by North Carolina voters last November, was null and void because it was passed by an illegitimate NC legislature.
The state Court of Appeals has stayed that ruling as it awaits arguments on the case. It may eventually go to the state Supreme Court.
The Humanitarian Awards this year went posthumously to Mrs. Rosanell Eaton, who successfully sued the state of North Carolina to overturn its 2016 voter ID law; and Rev. Vernon Tyson, a veteran civil rights activist and father of author Dr. Tim Tyson.
It was also announced that the NCNAACP and the NC Black Publishers Association were joining forces work closely together towards the 2020 election season with more stories about local and state NAACP activities in Black newspapers across North Carolina.
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NCNAACP, NC BLACK PUBLISHERS ASSOC.
AGREE TO PARTNERHIP TOWARD 2020 ELECTIONS
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
The time has come for the NCNAACP, and North Carolina’s black newspapers, to work together in service, to empower the common community they each serve.
That’s why April 6thwas an important day for both, as the NCNAACP, and the NC Black Publishers Association (NCBPA,) formally agreed to work together to keep the African American community statewide both informed about, and involved in, the activities and issues local NAACP branches are advocating.
Ultimately, this tandem will be a major factor in nonpartisan voter registration, education and mobilization as all roads lead to the critical 2020 state and national elections next year.
“It was very well received, I believed,” said NCNAACP Pres. Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, regarding the announcement by NCBPA representative Paul Jervay, Jr., past publisher of TheCarolinian Newspaperin Raleigh, about the partnership at the recent NCNAACP Winter Meeting.
Spearman said that he met with the NCBPA prior to February’s HK on J march and rally to propose the partnership “…in order to help the branches better hone their messaging; to assist them in developing op-eds; and how to maximize on that messaging
when they want to report when their meetings and rallies are.”
Paul Jervay, Jr. of NCBPA sees the partnership bringing value to both institutions, and ultimately, the community.
Jervay says what will improve with this union is getting material from local NAACP chapters in a more timely fashion so that it can properly be published by the next edition (most black newspapers in North Carolina come out on Thursdays, and have Monday or Tuesday deadlines for article or photograph submissions).
For years, black newspapers have also urged both the state and local NAACP chapters to hold their press conferences on either Mondays or Tuesdays so that those stories could make it into that Thursday’s edition. Anything held beyond that means black newspapers can’t report on it that week, and have to wait until the following week to do so, making them noncompetitive with general market media when it comes to timely news of interest to the African American community.
Next, Jervay says “full-blown news stories” with pictures, if possible, are needed from the NCNAACP and chapters when it comes to major initiatives on important issues. Jervay says black newspapers – which are in essence community newspapers - can work with the branches in developing those stories to ensure that they’re “medium-length and to the point” so that they can be conveniently placed on the front page.
Local churches have fostered a similar relationship with black newspapers fopr years.
As the 2020 elections approach, the NC NAACP will receive funding to sponsor nonpartisan voter registration, issue education and mobilization efforts, Jervay says. People in the community will be hired, and various services will be contracted for to get the message out.
Black newspapers, which in every election are primary sources for black voters to refer to for coverage of the issues that affect them, and what the parties and candidates are saying about them, should also be primary sources for voter mobilization advertising. Black newspapers have proven to be one of the most trusted sources for election information, and studies over the years have shown that their readers are more likely to vote than any other. So advertising in black newspapers, even more than black radio during elections, are worthy investments.
Jervay said NCBPA would also like join forces with the NCNAACP to sponsor Black Press Roundtables with 2020 presidential and gubernatorial candidates, modeled after the historic 2008 sessions with then senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, answering questions important to the African-American community.
“We have to pursue this aggressively,” Jervay said.
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