When Courtney Patterson was born on his family’s farm in Lenoir County, North Carolina, 80 years ago, he was fortunate that a country doctor recorded his birth, ensuring that he would have a document later. “But many other people who grew up with me didn’t even have that,” Patterson recalled. Babies were usually delivered at […]
North Carolina
Posted inHBCUs, Voting
HBCU Students Walk Miles to the Polls After Campus Sites Are Cut
Dozens of North Carolina A&T State University students recently walked more than 30 minutes to a nearby polling site, holding signs that said “Aggie Votes Matter,” “Use Your Vote or Lose Your Vote,” and other signs after they found out there was no early voting site on campus. In January, the North Carolina State Board […]
Posted inAgriculture, Black Farmers, Environmental Justice, Extreme Weather, Food Access, Rural Issues
In a N.C. Town With Almost No Grocers, One Farmer Is Expanding Local Food Access
Most days, Patrick Brown kneels in the red clay of Warren County, North Carolina, running the soil through his fingers. His roughly 300 acre farm has been in his family since 1865 and has survived crisis after crisis. Now it has another important job to do — affordably feeding families in one of the state’s […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
After 17 Police Bullets Killed This N.C. Mom, a Judge Has Dismissed Her Family’s Case
Jada Elizabeth Johnson’s daughter is excelling in kindergarten, absorbing lessons like a sponge and earning high marks that remind her family of Jada. But she still has hard moments, her great-grandfather Rick Iwanski said. The 6-year-old has anxiety, especially at bedtime, when dreams sometimes turn into nightmares of July 1, 2022, when a police officer […]
Posted inEducation, Health, Partner Content
Parents Fear Losing Disability Protections as Trump Slashes Civil Rights Office
Devon Price, a 15-year-old boy with autism, has attended the largest school district in North Carolina for 10 years, but he cannot read or write. His twin sister, Danielle, who is also autistic, was bullied by classmates and became suicidal. Under federal law, public schools must provide children with disabilities a “free appropriate public education,” […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Was Javion MaGee Lynched? A Report Confirms Earlier Finding of Suicide.
This story contains discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The death of Javion MaGee, a 21-year-old truck Illinois driver, has been officially ruled a suicide. The autopsy report from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of […]
Posted inHealth, Health Equity, Partner Content
Hit Hard by Opioid Crisis, Black Patients Further Hurt by Barriers to Care
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Purple flags, representing the nearly 300 Mecklenburg County residents who died of opioid overdose in 2023, fluttered in the humid breeze last August in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day on the city’s predominantly Black west side. As recently as five years ago, the event might have attracted an overwhelmingly white crowd. […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Rural Issues
Some Black Rural Voters Feel Abandoned by Democrats
The election results didn’t shock Keith McCants, a 42-year-old welder in south Georgia. Leading up to Election Day, the chairman of the local Democratic Party had been door-knocking and engaging with voters across Bryan County, about 21 miles from Savannah. He even passed out Kamala Harris for President signs, but people “would take them down […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
How the Electoral College’s Origins Manifest Today
As we get ready for the season finale of this presidential election cycle, what happens after the polls close Tuesday night is anyone’s guess. But what we know for sure is that the countdown to whether Vice President Kamala Harris or Trump becomes our 47th president all hinges on the Electoral College. It’s that slow […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy
At a North Carolina HBCU, Black Students Get Out the Vote
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Standing in a manicured field near the edge of Johnson C. Smith University — an HBCU in Charlotte where his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and others display some of the symbols associated with their organizations – Kevin Napier explained just how large the election has loomed on campus in recent weeks. In […]