‘Welcome to Tarboro – your electricity’s been turned off” – The Daily Southerner

TARBORO — When I returned from Paris last May, I was a little stunned to come into a warm house.  Not seeing the red digital light on the stove, I could only think:  “oh, shoot, I neglected to pay my utility bill before departing.”

Before I could put down my purse, it was “off to the races,” and I immediately hopped in my car, and drove downtown to the Town Hall to check it out. (More)

Out of Control in Raleigh: Come to an Event Near You!

Dear Supporter, North Carolina’s legislature is out of control — and it’s time to speak out and push back. The legislature’s “midnight attack” on our state’s teachers in January revealed their willingness to ram through an extreme agenda, no matter what it takes. They continue to attack our voting rights, too, pushing for a discriminatory voter ID law, withholding funds for Early Voting, and more. Please join us at a public forum about how these hard-line conservatives are turning back the clock, who’s bankrolling their agenda, and what it means for our lives. Featured speakers (depending on location) include MaryBe McMillan of the N.C. AFL-CIO, Chris Kromm of the Institute for Southern Studies, Chris Fitzsimon or Rob Schofield of N.C. PolicyWatch, and Robert Dawkins, Nancy Shakir or Linda Sutton from Democracy North Carolina. You’ll have a chance to ask questions and share your perspective, too.   Come to a forum near you: Fayetteville Tuesday, February 7th at 6pm Bordeaux Branch Library 3711 Village Drive Fayetteville, NC 28304-1530 Speakers: Rob Schofield, Chris Kromm, MaryBe McMillan, Nancy Shakir RSVP here   Asheville Wednesday, February 8th at 7pm West Asheville Library 942 Haywood Road Asheville, NC 28806 Speakers: Rob Schofield, Chris Kromm, MaryBe McMillan, Robert Dawkins RSVP here   Winston-Salem Thursday, February 9th at 7pm First Baptist Church Chapel 700 Highland Avenue Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Speakers: Chris Fitzsimon, Chris Kromm, MaryBe McMillan, Linda Sutton RSVP here   Sponsored by Democracy North Carolina, Institute for Southern Studies, N.C. AFL-CIO, N.C. Policy Watch and Progress North Carolina. For more information contact Adam Sotak at adamsotak@democracy-nc.org or call 919-286-6000 ext 11. Hope to see you there! Connect with us:   Twitter   Facebook   Email

Obama 2012 North Carolina Headquarters Moving Into Raleigh’s Warehouse District

Last night, President Obama did his best to promote and name drop North Carolina, and specifically Raleigh, as much as he could in his State of the Union address. Surely, this was a strategic move, considering Obama was the first Democratic candidate to win North Carolina since 1976. Obama campaigned hard in NC throughout the 2008 election cycle, coming to Raleigh multiple times for speeches and drinks at the Raleigh Times of course. (More)

 

PRESS RELEASE: Butterfield to Lead Faith & Politics Institute’s Congressional Conversation on Race, Monday

U.S. Representative G. K. Butterfield

First District of North Carolina

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For Release:  Immediate     Date:  January 25, 2012

Contact: Kezmiché "Kim" Atterbury  Phone:  (202) 225.3101                                                   Mobile: (202) 465.5125

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Butterfield to Lead Faith & Politics Institute’s Congressional Conversation on Race, Monday

 

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) will lead a discussion on race during the Search for Common Ground and The Faith & Politics Institute’s Congressional Conversation on Race forum in Rocky Mount, N.C. on Monday.  The upcoming Conversation on Race is the second forum in a national series which seeks to improve race relations beyond the traditional topics of discrimination.  The conversation will assemble a diverse group of key constituents to engage in a candid, solution-oriented dialogue on race relations in North Carolina’s First Congressional District.  Among others, Butterfield will be joined by Rocky Mount City Manager Charles Penny, Phoenix Historical Society Vice President James Wrenn, and American Red Cross Twin Rivers Chapter Vice-Chair Mae Parker. 

 

“Issues of race still permeate almost every facet of our lives,” said Butterfield.  “Taking part in an open and honest dialogue about this sensitive topic is the first step toward moving past race and building a community in which peoples’ differences are embraced and not rejected.”

 

Since 1982, the Search for Common Ground has grown into a leading international non-profit organization that works to facilitate helpful dialogue between diverse groups of people and organizations.  With programs in more than 50 countries, the mission of the organization is to transform the way the world deals with conflict, decision-making, and power.

 

For the past 20 years The Faith & Politics Institute has worked to engage Members of Congress, congressional staff and their constituents in bipartisan, interfaith dialogues.  Through a series of programs, the organization’s mission is to advance reflective leadership amongst lawmakers to bridge divides that arise in a thriving democracy.

 

For additional information and/or to RSVP call Jeanné Isler at (202) 777-2229 or email: nwhalen@sfcg.org.

 

WHO: Congressman G. K. Butterfield, Search for Common Ground, The Faith & Politics Institute, and invited guests.

 

WHAT: Congressional Conversation on Race

 

WHEN: Monday, January 30, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

 

WHERE: Booker T. Theater, 170 West Thomas Street, Rocky Mount, N.C. 27804

 

http://www.Butterfield.House.Gov

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COKE AND THE SCHEME TO DEPOSE THE KING by William Reed Columnist

COKE AND THE SCHEME TO DEPOSE THE KING

How far should corporate social responsibility go?  Can groups seeking to depose Swaziland’s king use Coca-Cola to help do it?  Citing charges of “human rights abuses” and “looting of the national wealth” groups opposed to King Mswati  are seeking the world’s support in their demand that the beverage behemoth “withdraw its support” from him.

Mswati III (born Makhosetive Dlamini on April 19, 1968) is the King of Swaziland and head of the Swazi Royal Family. He succeeded his father Sobhuza II as ruler of the kingdom in 1986 at age 18. Mswati III is one of the last absolute monarchs in the world. He has the authority to appoint the prime minister, members of the cabinet, and the judiciary. The king is the means by which state policy is enforced, as well as the mechanism for determining the policy of the state.

The Swaziland Democracy Campaign says: "Coca-Cola must know they’re doing business with the wrong people … Their profits don’t help the average Swazi while the king is getting richer by the day."  The king’s opposition is steeped in efforts to get him to accept “democratic reform.”  Labor unions and pro-democracy campaigns have joined forces to stage noisy public protests calling for political change. The king’s critics also blame him for “poor economic management” and “widespread corruption.

It seems that Swaziland activists ascribe too much power to Coca-Cola.  A country the size of Connecticut, Swaziland has an annual GDP of $3.65 billion, mostly from agriculture, forestry and mining. Swaziland has excellent farming and ranching land, and 80 percent of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture. The Coca-Cola Company is a $15 billion a year transnational and the concentrate that is the most important ingredient in the company’s African product comes from a huge industrial plant in Mapatsa, Swaziland that it has operated since 1987. Coke is not in Swaziland to arbiter its politics, it is there because of favorable taxes and an abundance of cheap labor and raw sugar.

The consensus is that “Mswati isn’t likely to be deposed.” Swaziland has a population of 1.4 million homogeneous people who share language, culture and loyalty to their king and country.  There are no tribal conflicts; the country is stable, orderly and at peace with her neighbors. The Socialist People’s United Democratic Movement is Swaziland’s largest opposition party.

Coca-Cola has 160 plants and 7,000 employees in Africa, but it’s “not the boss” of the King of Swaziland. The kingdom is a land-locked country in Southern Africa, bordered on the north, south and west by South Africa and to the east by Mozambique.  Reports show that 63 percent of the population lives on less than US$2 per day, and 30 percent live in extreme poverty. The nation, as well as its people, is named after the 19th century King Mswati II. The capital city, Mbabane has a population of 50,000.

Mswati III is not about to abdicate his throne.  According to the former CEO of the Office of the King, Mswati III earns a salary as head of state, has investments within and outside the country and owns an unspecified amount of shares in different companies within Swaziland.   King Mswati is reportedly worth $200 million. This does not include about $10 billion that King Sobhuza II put in trust for the Swazi nation during his reign, in which Mswati III is the trustee.

King Mswati has more than 200 brothers and sisters and the task of taking care of them all.  So beyond Coke, Mswati’s fate is in profits from the royal-owned company, Tibiyo TisukaNgwane, established by his father, King Sobhuza II to provide for his offspring. Nearly 60 percent of Swazi territory is publicly held by the crown in trust of the Swazi nation. All seems in accord with the law of the land as Mswati enjoys wealth through the Tibiyo Tisuka parastatal investment companies and extensive shares in numerous businesses, industries, property developments and tourism facilities.

(William Reed is publisher of Who’s Who in Black Corporate America and available for speaking/seminar projects via the BaileyGroup.org)

See related:

William Reed Columnist

Friday, Jan. 27 – Advocacy in a Time of Austerity

Advocacy in a Time of Austerity:

Strategies for Sustaining Programs and Services During Budget Cuts

 

WHEN:          Friday, January 27, 2012 from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm

WHERE:        Edgecombe County Auditorium 
201 Andrews Street
Tarboro, NC 27886 

 

Are you prepared to advocate for your program with the leaders who make funding decisions?  Retaining and sustaining funds during times of austerity requires a plan of action. To sustain your program during budget cuts requires a strategy to show your program’s value and benefits for the target population and larger community.

This workshop will help you publicize the value of your programs and services, and how they enhance and mesh with local and statewide goals. You will leave prepared to show connections between your work and shared goals like creating jobs, improving high school graduation rates, and preparing individuals for future employment and self-reliance. Remember, if you want to maintain support for your program, you must be an effective messenger for your good work.

Workshop Objectives:      Participants will learn to:

·         Develop effective advocacy messages to share with key stakeholders.

 

·         Build strong working relationships with policymakers who can help change their communities for the better.

 

·         Host an effective local briefing for legislators or other policymakers.

 

·         Work with young people and local allies to bolster their skills to act as advocates.

Cost:    $35     (Student cost: $12.50. Mush show valid student ID.)

About the Trainers:

Kathy Putnam is APPCNC’s Young Families Support Coordinator and works with Adolescent Parenting Programs and other programs for teen parents across the state.  Contact Kathy with questions kputnam@appcnc.org or (919) 226-1880 x.106.

Patricia Yancey is APPCNC’s Director of Public Information, and works directly with legislators to help them understand adolescent health public policy and funding issues.

REGISTER NOW at www.appcnc.org

Please Note: After you register, you should receive an email confirmation. If you do not receive an email confirmation, please check your email’s SPAM folder.