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Statement of Support for the Trail of Dreams

The North Carolina organizations supporting the Trail of Dreams are inspired by the Dream Walkers' courageous commitment to their vision and to their journey from Miami to Washington, DC, to demand justice for all immigrants. We welcome the walkers into North Carolina as activists challenging multiple oppressions and look to connect their stories and struggles with organizing work of all oppressed communities in the South. We support their demands for fair and humane immigration reform, access to college education, workers' rights, and an end to unjust immigration enforcement policies. As organizations engaged in immigrants' rights work, we support the leadership and self-determination of those most directly affected by unjust policies. We also honor their place in a long history of social justice movements in our state in which young people have played a leading role. As each walker shares his or her story, it touches everyone - even to those who do not agree with their demands. We believe that storytelling humanizes policies and is a powerful tool for transformation. The courage of the walkers as they challenge injustice, in spite of the risks they face as undocumented youth, has brought energy and inspiration to our work in North Carolina. We honor them by continuing our work building and strengthening local and statewide movements for immigrant justice, human and civil rights, and progressive social change. Adelante Education Coalition of North Carolina North Carolina Justice Center Reform Immigration For America Southern Coalition for Social Justice Student Actions with Farmworkers To learn more, check out our Blog, Press Release, or some of this great press coverage by The News & Observer, The Herald Sun, and 1360 WHCL.

Sant La is helping Florida's Haitian community get counted

Sant La, the Haitian Neighborhood Center in Miami, FL, was established in December 2000 to help stabilize and empower Florida's Haitian community by providing it with the resources necessary to help it thrive. Ten years later, Sant La is working for an accurate census count for the same reasons. Obstacles to being counted in the Haitian community include reaching low-income areas often isolated by language barriers and a mistrust of government agencies due to fears associated with immigration status. In addition, a lack of familiarity with American institutions and low literacy rates further discourage members of the community from participating in the census. To combat these problems, Sant La is using its trusted position within the Florida Haitian community and a variety of media outlets to spread awareness of the 2010 Census and integrate it into their existing programs. Through weekly television programs, radio ads and print media publications, Sant La will use this major media campaign to reach everyone in the Haitian community. In the process, the organization hopes to educate its constituents about the benefits of an accurate count and build a trust that will help to empower the Haitian community.

Strength in numbers with the 2010 Census

The National Coalition for Burned Churches and Community and Empowerment was formed in 1997 in response to the church-burning crisis of 1996, when churches all over the South were destroyed by arsonists. Now this group of allies based in Georgia but spread all over the South is coming together for another cause: an accurate count in the 2010 Census. In keeping with their mission and targeting historically underrepresented populations in communities affected by arson, the organization has many obstacles to overcome. They have found that there is very little interaction between these faith communities and government, making community members reluctant to participate and provide any information in the census. Even recovery aid is often not enough incentive in overcoming these inhibitions. Being accurately counted and represented in the 2010 Census can mean fair political representation, strengthening a community voice that has historically gone unheard. With a membership of more than 250 individuals and 15,000 parishioners, the National Coalition for Burned Churches plans to use their extensive network to reach as many people as possible in raising awareness of the 2010 Census. Building trusting relationships between groups affiliated with the census and faith communities is the best way to combat skepticism and encourage participation. The group will work with church leaders to ensure that every member of every congregation is counted, building a network of individuals that can be used for years to come after this census.

New Hill not alone in fight against injustice

Having been engaged in a five-year struggle to keep a sewage plant out of the heart of their community, the folks in New Hill have felt a bit lonely at times. Over the weekend they saw firsthand that they are far from alone in the fight against perceived injustice. An environmental justice summit was held Saturday morning at New Hill First Baptist Church. The New Hill Community Association hosted the event in conjunction with the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and the NC Environmental Justice Network. More than 75 people attended the summit, which was held as a way for different groups to learn about each other’s struggles. “This was held to educate people who have expressed an interest in what we are doing,” said Paul Barth, president of the NHCA. “We also had speakers from other groups talk about their experiences and what can be done and what should be done. “We aren’t completely alone in this fight. We have picked up some allies along the way. But this really gave us a chance to get together with people who are fighting similar battles against landfills, sewage plants and hog waste ponds. It’s good to speak with people who are dealing with similar issues.” The towns of Apex, Cary, Morrisville and Holly Springs are planning to build a regional wastewater treatment plant near two churches and numerous homes in New Hill. The self-dubbed Western Wake Partners planned to have the sewage plant completed in 2011. As a result of the strong fight put up by New Hill residents the controversial project has already fallen three years behind schedule. “They are three years behind schedule and they will probably end up four years behind,” said Barth. “I don’t see them opening the plant before 2015. We are going to delay them as long as we can because we feel what they are doing is wrong.” Summit organizers invited various local elected officials to the event but only Apex Councilman Bill Jensen and Morrisville Mayor Jackie Holcombe attended. “Bill Jensen has always spoken strongly on our behalf and we are grateful,” said Barth. Barth said he was disappointed that none of the Wake County Commissioners even respond to the invitation. “We invited Mayor Keith Weatherly in Apex and Mayor Dick Sears in Holly Springs,” said Barth. “They contacted us and said they weren’t going to attend and that is fine. “But we were surprised none of the county commissioners bothered to even respond to us. They are supposed to be our elected representatives and they never acknowledged us.” With the fight against the Western Wake Partners drawing to an inevitable close – a final decision on the proposed site by the Army Corps of Engineers is expected some time this spring – Barth said his group remains optimistic. “If I didn’t have hope I couldn’t keep going on with everything,” said Barth. “But we know it is coming to an end. It has gone through all the processes and once that final decision is made there isn’t much more we can do. But legal options are still certainly available to us.”

Spanish language census materials

Diversity policy turmoil may remake Wake's national image

RALEIGH -- Wake County's family-friendly, slightly nerdy image got a makeover this week, thanks to noisy accusations of resegregation and images of protester-toting police at school board meetings. From "The Today Show" to the Los Angeles Times to The Economist, media around the world have been spreading the tale of the Wake County school board's 5-4 decision Tuesday to ditch the 140,000-student system's policy of supporting economic diversity in favor of a neighborhood-based system. During the nine-hour-plus meeting, the divided board heard accusations of racism during a public comment period and loud chants from a group of hallway protesters. Three protesters were arrested. "Busing to end in Wake County, N.C. Goodbye, school diversity?" blared a headline in this week's issue of the Christian Science Monitor. Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker said it's time for county commissioners, who provide a significant portion of the system's budget, to "step in and take control of this disorderly situation." Meeker, who is married to school board member Anne McLaurin, is among the supporters of the diversity policy who say the new school board majority is tarnishing Wake's national reputation. "It's putting Wake County in a very bad light and making people have second thoughts about coming here," Meeker said of the recent national attention. Outside agitators Supporters of the new board blame the negative publicity on outside agitators - one of the protest organizers was from Durham and two of the people arrested were from outside Wake County. The one Raleigh resident who was arrested has a lengthy history of arrests at protests on behalf of liberal causes. "You've got a lot of people who are paid political agitators who don't even live in Wake County," said Joey Stansbury, a local conservative blogger who supports the new board majority. "A lot of the people who are shouting about the issue aren't representative of the true desires of Wake County." Elena Everett, community media director with the left-leaning Southern Coalition for Social Justice in Durham, said the protest of college and high school students was merited by the new board majority's swift action to set aside long-established Wake policies. "I think you've got to leave all options on the table when you are dealing with well organized and ideological people who don't listen to reason," said Everett, 29, who is the daughter-in-law of former Wake school board chairman John Gilbert. Off to jail, again Tuesday's arrest of Dante Strobino, 29, of Raleigh shows it's the fourth time he's been charged for trespassing, according to state court records. The records show he's also been arrested twice for resisting a police officer and once for breaking and entering. Strobino is a union organizer who has also been a youth activist with the Raleigh chapter of F.I.S.T. (Fight Imperialism Stand Together), an avowed socialist group. Strobino, a former N.C. State University student, declined comment Thursday. Court records also show that one of the arrested protesters, Duncan Edward Hardee, 21, of Asheville, has now been charged once for resisting a police officer, once for trespassing and once for indecent exposure. Hardee, a former student at Enloe High School in Raleigh, could not be reached for comment Thursday. Records show that Tuesday's arrest for resisting a police officer was the first for Rakhee Devasthali, 22, a UNC-Chapel Hill student from Fayetteville. Devasthali was among protesters who were nearly arrested after they started chanting their opposition to increased tuition and fees at a state legislative hearing earlier this month. Devasthali did not return calls or e-mails for comment Thursday. Images of the three being arrested have blazed across the country this week in numerous media outlets. "I'm proud that we have students getting involved," said school board member Kevin Hill, a member of the minority. "But the students have to realize there are limits." Margiotta keeps quiet School board chairman Ron Margiotta said he's turned down numerous national media requests for interviews. "I'm trying to let things calm down with all the national stuff going on," Margiotta said. Harvey Schmitt, president of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, said the level of coverage means recruiters will likely encounter questions about the schools from people or companies Wake would like to attract. "The reality is we still have a very strong system; that didn't change overnight," Schmitt said. "In terms of the impact that it's going to have, I think that over time we'll have a better appreciation for that."
Impacts for the census and immigrants
Impacts for the census and labor
Cumberland County Fact Sheet
Edgecombe County Fact Sheet
Forsyth County Fact Sheet
Forsyth County HTC race and ethnicity map
Fact sheet for Cabarrus County
Fact sheet for Cumberland County
Fact sheet for Durham County
Fact sheet for Edgecombe County
Fact sheet for Forsyth County
Fact sheet for Greene County
Fact sheet for Guilford County
Fact sheet for Harnett County
Fact sheet for Lenoir County
Fact sheet for Mecklenburg County
Fact sheet for Nash County
Fact sheet for New Hanover County
Fact sheet for Pitt County
Fact sheet for Wake County
Fact sheet for Wayne County
Fact sheet for Wilson County
Fact sheet on Census Impacts For Labor
Fact sheet on Census As Organizing
Fact sheet on Census and Immigrants

Wake County School Board Vote Today



Today, the Wake County School Board will be holding the final vote on its plan to dismantle Wake County’s economic diversity policy and resegregate schools in the county.

They will be conduct this vote without full observation and participation by interested Wake County citizens. Concerned parents who showed up to the Board’s administration building before 9 AM were told that unless they stayed the entire day (the meeting doesn’t begin until 3 PM), they would have to surrender their tickets and lose their chance to attend the meeting. This was NOT ticketing policy described in this morning’s News and Observer.

Parents who had to pick children up at noon were thus excluded from attending this vitally important meeting. They left the building, frustrated, disgusted, and without tickets to the meeting.

The Wake County School Board is behaving in way that violates North Carolina’s Open Meeting Law. These secretive, excluding tactics are further inflaming tensions and dividing our community.

Linked here is a letter sent by a coalition of North Carolina attorneys outlining violations of the Open Meetings Law and urging the Board to reconsider its procedural changes for today's meetings.

New Hill residents assail sewage plant

They came from Cary, Morrisville, Apex and Chapel Hill. They packed the seats of the 100-year-old First Baptist Church. They spoke their minds. And they listened to a panel of pastors, scholars, and environmental activists. It was all part of a Saturday summit aimed at bolstering opposition to a $300 million sewage treatment plant in New Hill, an unincorporated section of southwestern Wake County. "We had no vote, we'll get no benefit," said Paul Barth, president of New Hill Community Association, an organization that formed in 2005 to oppose the project. The wastewater plant, proposed by four western Wake towns, would be built adjacent to homes and churches at the heart of this rural crossroads. Construction could begin this year. But before it does, New Hill residents wanted the towns to hear their plea: Consider building elsewhere. "Why is there such a big rush?" Barth said before the rally. "Why can't we sit down and really consider the alternative sites?" Cary, Apex, Morrisville and Holly Springs formed the Western Wake Partnership to pursue construction of the wastewater treatment plant to meet the needs of their fast-growing populations. Cary, Apex and Morrisville would send waste to the plant, and treated wastewater would then be sent to the Cape Fear River. Holly Springs plans to use the facility's pipe to send its own treated waste to the river. Applications for building permits for the wastewater plant could be submitted as early as May, assuming the site meets environmental standards set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The partnership says it picked the New Hill area because it is the most logical place for treating the sewage. Opponents say New Hill may have been targeted because of its demographics. "There's a trend of these types of facilities being put into low-income communities, communities of color that lack political power," said Elena Everett, spokeswoman for Southern Coalition for Social Justice, which helped organize the summit. Henry Wicker, a special projects manager for the Corps of Engineers, said the proposed plant would have little negative repercussions for surrounding wetlands. The corps may make a final recommendation in May. Summit organizers are hoping that continued community pressure, which has helped delay the project by several years, will persuade regulators to strike down the New Hill location. ted.richardson@nando.com or 919-460-2608

Summit a success



On March 20, approximately 120 residents, public officials and advocates participated in the Environmental Justice Summit in the historically black First Baptist Church in New Hill.

The summit discussed the struggle of the New Hill Community Association (NHCA) against the placement of a sewage wastewater treatment plant in their community in the larger context of environmental racism and injustice.

The plant would benefit Cary, Apex, Holly Springs and Morrisville, but would not benefit New Hill residents, who do not have a sewage system. Residents argue selection of the site was reverse-engineered, failed to include requisite public input, and has one of the largest human impacts of any of the sites considered. The plant would be located in the middle of town, next to the historic district and low-income housing for people of color.

The summit was co-sponsored by NHCA, SCSJ, and the NC Environmental Justice Network. Attendees engaged in community dialogue, learned about the latest developments, and participated in a press conference. In addition, attendees engaged in a question and answer session after a panel discussion with President of the New Hill Community Association Paul Barth, Co-Director of the NC Environmental Justice Network Gary Grant, UNC-Chapel Hill Professor of Epidemiology Dr. Steve Wing, a leader in the Rogers-Eubanks community's environmental justice struggle Reverend Robert Campbell, and the SCSJ staff attorney representing New Hill Chris Brook.

Check out this video created by SCSJ and shown at the summit: