Our take
Everyday the government makes decisions that affect our lives; from the water we drink, the food our kids eat and how much money we bring home. Being informed is one of the first steps in building our power and creating change in our communities.
Ella Baker: The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement
In an effort to celebrate Black History Month, Progress NC is highlighting prominent Black leaders from North Carolina, who have shaped our state through their contributions to arts, sciences, politics, etc. Ella Baker, known as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement”, inspired and guided several leaders, including W. E. B. Du Bois, Thurgood Marshall,…
Raleigh’s First Black Mayor: Clarence Everett Lightner
In an effort to celebrate Black History Month, Progress NC is highlighting prominent Black leaders from North Carolina, who have shaped our state through their contributions to arts, sciences, politics, and more. Clarence Everett Lightner was Raleigh, North Carolina’s first, and to date, only, Black mayor in its history. Lightner was also the first African…
How the Greensboro Four Sit-In Sparked a Movement
In an effort to celebrate Black History Month, Progress NC is highlighting prominent Black leaders from North Carolina, who have shaped our state through their contributions to arts, sciences, politics, and more. On this day 61 years ago, four North Carolina A&T students held the first major sit-in of the Civil Rights Movement at Greensboro’s…
Duke Energy customers to save $1.1 billion in settlement over coal ash cleanup costs
Duke Energy, North Carolina officials and the Sierra Club announced Monday an agreement over the coal ash cleanup. Duke Energy agreed to pay over $1 billion to recycle the ash and close the plants producing them, but the customers may get stuck with the rest of the bill. Under the settlement — which still must…
Progressive Pulse: NC General Assembly can afford to go all-in to address COVID-19 harm
Last Wednesday, the North Carolina General Assembly officially began its two-year session, with COVID-19 relief spending, a two-year state budget, school spending and redistricting among the top agenda items this year. Prior to the NCGA’s adjournment, the Republican-led legislature failed to address long standing unmet needs for struggling North Carolinians. According to the state’s latest…
The News & Observer: Families are struggling while billions sit unused in NC. Legislators are to blame
Both federal and state unemployment, protections against evictions and other key stimulus programs are set to expire in the coming weeks. Without the new aid, millions of Americans are at risk as the pandemic worsens. After months of failed negotiations, the House and Senate have resumed stimulus amid the impending housing and economic crisis, yet…
The New York Times: Republicans Pushed to Restrict Voting. Millions of Americans Pushed Back
Despite Republicans’ desperate attempts to suppress voters, nearly 160 million Americans voted in the 2020 elections — by far the most in history and a level of turnout not seen in over a century. With over 66.7 percent of the voting-eligible population casting ballots this year — the highest percentage since 1900 — state and…
We know how to prevent up to 40 million people from being evicted. It’s up to Congress to do it
New Year’s Eve marks the end of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) national eviction moratorium. The expiration of the eviction moratorium would result in millions of Americans losing their homes as COVID-19 cases continue to surge. According to the Aspen Institute, nearly 40 million Americans could face eviction over the next several…
The Charlotte Observer: The governor gives North Carolina a final warning on COVID-19
Last Monday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed an executive order aimed at strengthening the state’s mandate involving face masks. As local hospitals and healthcare workers are strained, the new order requires people to wear a mask while they’re exercising, whether that’s inside or not, at a restaurant table unless they are actively eating or…
The Affordable Care Act returns to the Supreme Court in the shadow of a pandemic
Today, the Supreme Court will hear the Republican lawsuit to overturn The Affordable Care Act (ACA), ending its protections for 135 million Americans with pre-existing conditions and ripping health care away from 20 million Americans — all during an intensifying pandemic. Amid a historic health and economic crisis that has deprived millions of Americans of…