SWE to induct three alumni at sports banquet – Daily Southerner

TARBORO — The SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars will have their athletic awards banquet May 14 at 6 p.m. (More)

NC Pediatricians Announce Opposition to Amendment One – Protect All NC Families

Pediatric Society Joins List of State of Medical and Mental Heath Associations Warning of Harms to North Carolina Children and Families

At a press conference held Wednesday, April 25, at the North Carolina General Assembly, representatives from the North Carolina Pediatric Society joined with colleagues from the North Carolina Psychological Association, the North Carolina Psychiatric Association, National Association of Social Workers, North Carolina Chapter and the Carolinas Chapter of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists in opposing Amendment One, the proposed amendment to the North Carolina Constitution that would ban relationship recognitions and threaten protections for the state’s unmarried couples. (More)

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Amendment One

Candidates for Register of Deeds cite experience – Daily Southerner

TARBORO — Candidates for the office of Edgecombe County Register of Deeds are campaigning on one specific word they hope will give them the edge to win the election— “Experience.” (More)

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Register of Deeds

The Far Right’s Trick Amendment

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 7, 2012   For More Information:           Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137                                                   Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700     The Far Right’s Trick Marriage-Definition Amendment Puts Matters of Conscience in the Hands of the State   Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II President, North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP Pastor, Greenleaf Christian Church, Goldsboro, NC Member, NAACP National Board of Directors, Chair, Political Action Committee                                                    Rev. Dr. Gregory Moss, Sr.        Pastor, St. Paul Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC   For 103 years the NAACP has fought for equal rights for all people. We have always fought against laws that would codify discrimination, hate and division.  This is why we say Vote Against the Far Right’s Trick Amendment One on the North Carolina ballot on May 8th.      The NAACP does not have a position on same sex marriage. But we have always held a strong position against laws and constitutional provisions that take away rights of minorities. This Amendment authorizes the government to take legal action in matters of personal conscience. It defines a marriage between a man and a woman as "the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state." By upgrading the state’s existing law against same-sex marriage to a constitutional ban, the Amendment can be used as a basis to prohibit state recognition of other unions, including civil unions and the domestic partnerships now offered to public employees in some municipalities.     Constitutional amendments almost always expand the rights of people against the power of the State. This has been the noble historical trend of constitutional amendments in America. We prohibited slavery. We stopped Jim Crow. We expanded the right to vote for freed slaves, for women, for young people. This is the first such discriminatory amendment to be passed in the NC Constitution except for an amendment in 1875 that outlawed interracial marriage. But this trick Amendment reverses the noble trend of constitutional amendments. It curtails family rights. It places a matter of conscience and personal belief in the hands of the state. It sets a precedent, unheard of in North Carolina, to allow a majority to vote to curtail the rights of a minority.   This cynical Amendment was hatched in the backrooms of right wing extremist think tanks, organized and funded by billionaire right-wing corporations and foundations. As African Americans, Latinos and other racial minorities carefully build progressive alliances with white workers and other progressives to improve the lives of the 99%, the right-wing strategists decided to use Jesse Helms’ old "wedge" issue. One of the right-wing think-tanks, the National Organization for Marriage, said in a document recently released by the courts, the aim of the Amendment was to "drive a wedge between gays and blacks — two key Democratic constituencies."   The NAACP understands that issues of marriage rights for same-sex couples is a sensitive issue for many families. People of goodwill have heartfelt differences of opinion about it. We respect these differences. That is exactly why the government has no business taking away the rights of some, because others don’t like them. The forces behind this amendment want North Carolinians to vote to prohibit people, families and faith congregations from making this highly personal decision. The authors of Amendment One want to place a matter of conscience and personal belief in the hands of the state.  We believe firmly in the constitutional right of faith communities to determine whom they will and will not marry. The Government has no business in these decisions.      Amendment One has implications far beyond the rights of lesbian and gay people to make a long-term legal commitment to each other. Its language is so vague it could be interpreted to snatch existing protections against domestic violence for unmarried women in North Carolina, limiting such protections to only married women. In Ohio, a similar amendment set batterers free and put unmarried domestic violence victims at risk. It could cause children of unmarried parents to lose health and prescription insurance.  It could be used to remove a child from her loving parent.  It could threaten thousands of existing custody and visitation legal agreements. Many would oppose these drastic changes if they knew about them. Amendment One slips them in nearly unseen.      The real insult to African Americans and other religious people of color is that the same regressive forces behind this amendment are the same people who rushed bill after bill through the legislature, sometimes after midnight, to roll back our voting rights, our educational rights, our civil rights and our constitutional rights. Their purpose has been made abundantly clear: Undermine the constitutional role of government to operate for the good of the whole, to provide equal protection under the law, and to ensure liberty and justice for all.   We just returned from the Third Leg of our Truth and Hope, Putting a Face on Poverty in the Foothills and Mountains of NC. We heard story after story, saw scenes of deep despair and hopelessness in every part of our state. The issues of joblessness,  homelessness, hunger, sickness and despair have multiplied in the past six years, since Wall Street’s bundles collapsed. Did the far right join with the growing new progressive coalition to address these basic human needs of our people? No. They placed on the ballot a Trick Amendment to distract all of us from dealing with the problems of poverty, and to force progressives to fight off another effort to take away family rights.    The NAACP’s historical mission, and our analysis of this cynical, poorly drafted Amendment leave us no choice: Vote against Amendment One on Tuesday, May 8th.     ###   Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

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NAACP NC

Amendment One

 

2012 PRIMARIES VOTING PROBLEM REPORT

Dear NC NAACP/HKonJ Network,   With Election Day upon us tomorrow we ask that you make sure to report any problems voters face at the polls tomorrow. This is the first election to occur under the new redistricting maps that NC General Assembly adopted in 2011. Prior to going to the polls, registered voters can look up their voter information on the NC State Board of Elections website at www.ncsbe.gov. Under "My Election Information" voters can review a copy of their sample ballot prior to arriving at the polls.   If a voter reports any problems on Election Day, a Voter Problem Reporting Form is attached that should be completed immediately by the individual experiencing the difficulty. Completed forms should be returned immediately to the State NAACP Office via email or fax. Click here to download the form.    Please feel free to share the Voter Problem Reporting Form in your community and with other individuals and groups monitoring the polls. If an individual is not able to complete the form, they may also call the toll-free hotline, 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683), that is operated by a public service program at the UNC School of Law in Chapel Hill, the voting-rights group Democracy North Carolina and the national Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, headquartered in Washington, DC. The Spanish language hotline is 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682).   Also, if a problem is experienced, it should be reported to the local county and State Board of Elections as well.   We appreciate any help in distributing this form and documenting issues faced during primary voting. Please contact the State Office if you have any questions.   Sincerely,   Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II President, NC NAACP Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Executive Director, NC NAACP Ms. Erin Dale Byrd, Chair, NC NAACP Political Action Committee Atty. Jennifer Marsh Legal Redress Coordinator/Public Policy Analyst, NC NAACP

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NAACP NC

EEOC Issues Enforcement Guidance Commission, Updates Guidance on Employer Use of Arrest and Conviction Records

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued an updated Enforcement Guidance on employer use of arrest and conviction records in employment decisions under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (Title VII). The Commission today voted 4-1 to approve the guidance document.  The Commission also issued a Question-and-Answer (Q&A) document about the guidance. The Enforcement Guidance and Q&A document will be available on the EEOC’s website at www.eeoc.gov. (More)

"Big Government" Obama? – The Daily Beast

No administration has reduced aggregate government spending as a precentage of GDP as much as Obama’s in forty years. If you look at the full chart, back to George HW Bush, you reach an inescapable conclusion: the biggest spenders and borrowers are Republicans and the most fiscally conservative presidents have been Democrats. Given the last two decades, the Tea Party, if they really want to shrink government, should be voting for Obama. (More)

Photo/Video – Special Olympics 2012 Rocky Mount Complex Rocky Mount

Click on picture to view 400 plus more.

Click on picture to watch video.

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Special Olympics 2011

EXCLUSIVE: Pastor Who Advocated Parents Beat Gay-Acting Kids Defends Sermon, Compares Himself To Jesus: Sermon About Marriage Amendment – HuffPost

The North Carolina pastor whose violent anti-gay rant blew up across the blogosphere, said in an interview that his message to parents in a sermon — to "punch" a boy who is effeminate and "crack that wrist" if he is limp-wristed — were taken out of the "context of a ministry," and that he meant them "figuratively," claiming that Jesus, too, in the Bible, "conjures up violent images." (More)

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Amendment One

Rosenwald Schools Invitation Saturday May 26, 2012

The Perry-Weston Institute

and the

Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners

Invite you to a

Ceremony and Reception

 

Honoring Teachers of Edgecombe County Rosenwald Schools

Commemorating Roberson School History

“The Education of a Generation” – Book Signing by the Authors

 

May 26, 2012

2:00 p.m.

Roberson Center for Educational Achievement

1731 Roberson School Road

 

Honorees

Ellsworth B. Barnes                                 Mary Battle Odom                  V. Elaine Barnes Tyson

Mary Joyner Barnes                               Jessie Wimberly Parker             Dr. Frank C. Weaver

Julia Parham Foster                               Lucille Allen Quinichett            Queen Lewis Weaver

Dorothy B. Gilliam                      Evelyn Joyner Reeves                Erma Bulluck Wilkins

                                                                                 Mary Belle Freeman Bullock

 

 

The Education of a Generation: The Rosenwald Schools and other African-American Schools in Edgecombe County, A Preliminary History

By C. Rudolph Knight and Lawrence W. S. Auld, Ph.D.

 Published by the Perry-Weston Institute

Autographed copies, $20.00 each.

 

Roberson Center for Educational Achievement

1731 Roberson School Road

 Driving Instructions

US 64 eastbound (from Rocky Mount):

  Princeville exit (exit 486)

  At traffic light, go straight ahead

  At next traffic light, bear right on NC 111

  After 4.2 miles, right on Roberson School Road

  Roberson School is 1.6 miles on left

 

US 64 westbound (from Bethel):

  Princeville exit (exit 487)

  At stop sign, turn right

  At stop sign across tracks, turn left onto US 64A

  At traffic light, turn right

  At next traffic light, bear right on NC 111

  After 4.2 miles, right on Roberson School Road

  Roberson School is 1.6 miles on left  

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C. Rudolph Knight 

Perry-Weston Institute

NC Democratic Party Plan of Organization Reads 4.05 DUTIES OF THE STATE CHAIR AND CERTAIN OFFICERS – Is There Anything Else I Need To Know That Is Not Listed Here?

There will be a very important meeting held on Saturday May 12, 2012 and there will be 3 offices to be filled VI. Election of Vacant NCDP Offices: (NCDP Chair, NCDP 2nd Vice Chair, NCDP Secretary) per the Agenda.

All who may be interested need to be familiar with 4.05 DUTIES OF THE STATE CHAIR AND CERTAIN OFFICERS per the NC Democratic Party Plan of Organization.

What we don’t need is persons who wants to be elected to do just what they want to do. If you have a problem with the duties then this job is not for you.

State Executive Members it is my belief that individuals vote for folks who they like, folks who look like them and for whatever personal reasons however I challenge you to keep in mind the following. We can no put folks in office who do not fight for equality for all Democrats be they black, brown, white and other and/or only wants to move up because they already hold titles and because they are Mr. & Mrs./Miss So & So. Will these folks truly represent grassroots people?

I have read some conversations concerning what a certain group of folks want to see in the new chair. They have talked about how the outgoing chair has ran the party and how they want to see the new chair run the party. I want to see the new chair follow the rules of NC Democratic Party Plan of Organization. I also recognize and understand that the SEC votes on how they want to see the party ran such as specifics. However I hope they have the grassroots folks and all folks be they black, brown, white and other interest all included.

What I have read is some folks are concerned with how the money is used within the party. Will someone that has been a member of the SEC please respond to let me know how you feel about how the money has been used under David Parker’s term and how you feel it should be used when the new chair is elected?

The problem I had with David Parker is that I didn’t like how he responded to the complaint sent to him from a member of the African American Caucus of The North Carolina Democratic Party about the March meeting. And then shortly after this meeting I learn about the issue within the NC Democratic Party where the State Executive Director resigned. However I feel that all of this was just bad timing and something needed to be done. But since I am not on the State Executive Committee I am just on the outside looking in, I don’t know how I would have handled such if I would have had a say.

I did receive a call today from someone and they kind of enlightened me on how they see all of this unfolding and I tend to see the same thing. Again I hope whomever is elected as the new chair it will be someone who will move the party forward with the best interest of all Democrats.

And most of all again I hope this meeting is carried out properly. I hope everyone act like adults and respect the rules and by-laws of the Plan of Organization. And if that is done I believe the meeting will be productive.

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State Executive Committee of the North Carolina Democratic Party Will Meet May 12, 2012 Registration 9:00 AM Meeting Begin 11:00 AM

David Parker

State Executive Committee of the North Carolina Democratic Party Will Meet May 12, 2012 Registration 9:00 AM Meeting Begin 11:00 AM

Question: So what do you want the new chair to do?

MEETING NOTICE

State Executive Committee of the North Carolina Democratic Party

See Agenda.

 

Updated: After Posting My Breaking News Article About Tarboro Hiring Their First Black Police Chief I Received Several Responses. Obviously It Is On Because Daily Southerner Removed The Article Contents And Comments From Facebook Page.

Note: Originally posted May 4, 2012. Obviously the comments after the article “TARBORO HIRES FIRST BLACK POLICE CHIEF” by John Walker Daily Southerner Editor on his Facebook Page must got real ignant because I see the article contents and comments were removed.

I also received a message in my Facebook inbox several hours ago asking me why was Vance Holland talking trash about the new chief on his Facebook page. I could not read his comments on his page. Well I get it. Holland refereed at the Upward Basketball league and Keith Hale was my son’s coach twice. Hale is a very nice person. However I had to call Holland out because he had a nasty attitude while refereeing and I told him he was not being fair to the children and a coach agreed with me.

Just ran across this article “TARBORO HIRES FIRST BLACK POLICE CHIEF” by John Walker Daily Southerner Editor on his Facebook Page. This is a very good article however the comments are, well read them for yourself.

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Tarboro names new police chief – Rocky Mount Telegram

Breaking News: Damon D. Williams Named The First Black Police Chief Of Tarboro NC

WHY IS JOHN MANLEY RUNNING FOR THE CITY COUNCIL? Letter to Publisher

WHY IS JOHN MANLEY RUNNING FOR THE CITY COUNCIL?

         Many people in Rocky Mount, especially the residents of Ward 1, want to know why John Manley is running for the City Council’s Ward 1 seat currently held by Andre’ Knight.  Why has Manley not told the residents of Ward 1 what he would do better than Councilman Knight or what ideas he would bring forth to the council to improve the quality of life in the ward and citywide?  Why does Manley continue to use a picture of him in his police uniform on campaign flyers and in commercials when he has retired from the police force?  Is his intent to deceive by falsely representing himself?  What does this really say about the man?

         The Rocky Mount Telegram reported a few days after the City Manager, Charles Penny, announced his selection to replace retired Police Chief Manley, that Manley stated he was “disappointed” that Penny did not select Capt. McCoy.  Shortly thereafter Manley reportedly began telling people that he “wanted to be Penny’s boss.”  How could he possibly realize this desire?  The answer is simple, run for Mayor or the City Council’s Ward 1 seat.  Remember, Mr. Penny, as the former Assistant City Manager, was in fact Manley’s immediate supervisor, “his boss.”  If this is true, this is certainly not an impressive or productive way to represent “the people.”  Obviously Manley has overlooked the fact that he would only be one of seven council members who “manage” the city manager.  Why didn’t Manley run for Mayor?  It is rumored that the same people, who have tried to upset the present council majority since its inception would not back him for Mayor but are backing him for a seat on the council.  In other words, his “backers” feel he is “ripe for picking” and can be used to promote their agenda even if he is Black. 

         The people in Ward 1 and citywide were alarmed, disgusted and surprised to learn that Manley would actually challenge Andre when he is doing such a great and effective job. Many senior residents question whether or not Manley knows or cares about what people really think about him.  In a fundraising letter Manley sent out dated January 25, 2012, he stated, “I am sure that you understand the virtues that I stand upon” This statement received a negative reply, “how can we forget,” from many who read it.  Manley also continues to make cryptic remarks like “I know how to talk to people,” “I know the right people to talk to” and “I will not call anyone a racist.”  He has yet to state the who, how and why of it all.  In his profile that appeared in the Rocky Mount Telegram on Friday, Manley stated that he would not have supported spending money on fighting the Duke-Progress Energy merger.  This indicates that he is either ignorant of the facts or he does not care about trying to lower consumer utility rates.  I understand that Manley has also made a commercial implying that he, in someway, has been instrumental in getting things moving at the Crossing at 64 development.  This could not be further from the truth.  Is this the kind of person the residents of Ward 1 want to represent them?  Can the residents of Ward 1 afford to elect a person who stretches the truth, misrepresents the facts and tells them nothing about how he would like to improve their quality of life?

         Manley must be denied an opportunity to satisfy his wish, if this is the case, to “get even” with the City Manager, Charles Penny.  He must be denied an opportunity to use the residents of Ward 1 to promote the agenda of his “backers,” if this be the case.  To the residents of Ward 1 I say, do not vote blindly, do not be deceived by “the uniform.”  Vote for the person who works for you each and every day.  Vote for the person who is not afraid to stand up for justice and equality.  Cast your vote for Andre Knight on Election Day, May 8.

                                                                                    – A Concerned Citizen –  

See related:

John Manley For Rocky Mount City Council Ward 1 Challenging Incumbent Andre Knight, But Why? 

More

Updated: So What Is The Purpose of The African American Caucus of The NC Democratic Party? Mr. President This Is What You Should Have Been Meeting About In March.

Notice of Non Compliance.

http://www.app.sboe.state.nc.us/cf_pdf/2012/20120410_110304.pdf 

See related:

Raleigh NC: African American Caucus – North Carolina Democratic Party Voted To Remove The State Secretary But Was The Meeting Legal And Did They Follow The By-laws

African American Caucus of the North Carolina Democratic Party