M.A.R.C.H Newsletter: November 2024

This e-newsletter shares what the MLK Association and its Community Outreach Providing Empowerment (COPE) Program is doing and offers other news, events, and stories that align with its efforts. Below are some items that are noteworthy.

As always, feel free to share any or all of these items or the entire e-newsletter.

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We Rise Together

“We will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have A Dream” speech Washington, DC 1963

Hurricane Helene was a life changing event for all of us in WNC. Its impact on our physical, emotional, economic, and social well-being will be with us for generations. As we continue to remember and mourn those that were lost to the storm, it is all right to acknowledge our frustrations for the numerous new disruptions in our lives while also realizing that we are not weak or wrong to feel anxious about tomorrow.

In her famous poem “Still I Rise,” Maya Angelou wrote “Up from the past that’s rooted in pain I rise.” Always remember, you are not alone. The shared experience of Helene binds us together with hope and courage. Only together can we rise and take on the challenges of reimagining WNC and fully recover, repair, and restart our neighborhoods, towns, and counties.

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AVL Weekly Newsletter of Recovery Resources

View Resources

• Here is an article about the Disaster Distress Helpline 
• If you are a business owner or self-employed affected by Helene, you may qualify for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). article
• There are several organizations stepping up to respond to the needs of marginalized members across 12 neighborhoods in our community. article

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November Celebrations

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Ballotpedia’s 2024 Voter Toolkit

Get the Toolkit

• Here are things you need to know to vote in NC article
• People in North Carolina who have any questions or issues while voting can call the NC Election Protection Hotline at (888) OUR-VOTE (888-687-8383) to get voting help from a trained volunteer.
• People outside of North Carolina can call the national Election Protection Hotline at (866) OUR-VOTE.

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National Election News

• Judge Aileen Cannon, who dismissed Donald Trump’s classified documents case, is on his list of proposed candidates for Attorney General. article 
• Supporters of the conservative Federalist Society hope that an election victory for Donald Trump will finally bring about a true conservative Supreme Court. article 
• The non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) finds that Donald Trump’s plan for Social Security would make it insolvent by 2031 and lead to a 33% cut to all benefits. article 
• Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is appealing to Christian nationalists with the argument that voting for him is a way to fight for the soul of the nation. article 
• The Haitian non-profit group Haitian Bridge Alliance filed criminal charges against Donald Trump and JD Vance over their statements about events in Springfield, OH. article 
• The exonerated men once known as the Central Park Five, have sued Donald Trump for defamation. article 
• Charlamagne files a cease-and-desist order against Donald Trump over a campaign ad. article 

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National News

• The US Department of Justice has opened the first federal probe into the Tulsa Race Massacre. article 
• Research shows that abortion bans have caused a higher than expected mortality rate for infants in the US. article 
• Immigration is a major issue in this election, but most Americans don’t think immigrants are stealing their jobs. article 
• Immigrants believe that America’s divisiveness is hurting their children. article 
• American Airlines will pay a record $50 million fine over its treatment of disabled passengers. article 
• Examining the widening gender wage gap in the US. article 
• Since 2017, more people with a military background have been accused of extremist crimes. article  

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State Election News

• NC General Assembly orders WNC counties to open more polling sites. article 
• Courts in Michigan and NC deny GOP challenges concerning overseas voters. article 
• The strange political career of the NC GOP candidate for Governor, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. article 
• The NC GOP candidate for the office of Superintendent of Public Schools seemed to call for “American Revolution 2.0” if she losses the election. article 
• A group of right-wing activists want the NC General Assembly to use the impact of Helene to override the will of the people. article 

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State News

• The NC General Assembly’s actions over the past fifteen years played a part in the effects of Helene. article 
• Climate change is causing sea levels to rise, which is impacting the NC coast. article 

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Issues in Education

• An argument against public vouchers to fund private schools. article
• The UNC system schools cut 59 DEI positions. article

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Racism

• President Biden apologizes for the US 150-year sin of our Native American boarding school policy. article 
• The abusive history and continuing trauma on Native Americans from the US boarding school policy. article 
• Three of the Memphis officers convicted in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols received a mixed verdict. article 
• The “Black Insurrectionist,” was the anonymous social media persona behind some of the most widely circulated conspiracy theories about the 2024 election, Ironically, he was a white man from upstate New York. article 
• The court case that bankrupted the Klan. article 
• Sixty-four years later, several Civil Rights activists arrested at a historic sit-in have their arrest records cleared. article 
• Thelma Mothershed Wair, one of the Little Rock Nine, has passed away. article 

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Local News

• After major flooding events like Hurricane Helene, the risks of gastroenteritis, a stomach and intestinal illness increases. Here is an article that discusses causes, symptoms, and prevention tips. article 
• The long-awaited timeline on water restoration for Asheville has arrived! article 
• Rep. Chuck Edwards avoids pushing back against Trump’s false FEMA claims. article 
• FEMA is providing help for people wanting to preserve and restore possessions damaged by Helene. article 
• Rebuilding after Helene will require climate resilience for Asheville and other communities. article 
• A rare copy of the US Constitution was sold in Asheville. article 

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***Reparations***

• The Asheville and Buncombe County Community Reparations ComissionCommission webpage
• The Reparations Stakeholders Authority of Asheville has created the RSAA Hurricane Helene Relief Fund.Here is the link to the donation page.
• The Asheville Racial Justice Coalition (website) 

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Monthly Community Events

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Resources of Interest

• The Color of Asheville’s Black-Owned Businesses and Community directory  
  The NC African American Heritage Commission (AAHC) created in 2008, the commission works across the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources to achieve the mission of preserving, protecting, and promoting North Carolina’s African American history, art, and culture, for all people. website 
• The Freedom to Learn Network is a coalition of leading civil rights and social justice organizations; national teachers unions; education advocates; parents; students; and other interested parties across the nation and world focused on fighting against attempts to limit antiracist education in US schools. website 
• The North Carolina State Capitol Historic Site has begun a “From Naming to Knowing” project. The goal of this project is to name and, as much as possible, share the stories of the enslaved men who built and maintained the State Capitol between 1833 and 1865. https://namingtoknowing.org/ 
• The National Museum of African American History & Culture has 500,000 pages of Freedman’s Bureau records available online. https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/freedmens-bureau 
• The Official mapping Police Violence database – https://mappingpoliceviolence.us/ 

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Remembrance Projects Nationally & Locally

The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) has been the important partner not only to Buncombe County but to all communities willing and working to address their history of racial injustice. As in each edition of this e-newsletter, we will continue to highlight several items from the EJI.

• EJI is currently working with nearly 100 communities to advance Community Remembrance Projects. More than half have erected historical markers. You can find out more about the communities that have erected EJI sponsored Community Remembrance Project markers here.
• You can view what is on each of the markers for Buncombe County, front and back, here as compiled by the Equal Justice Initiative. To see the markers, go to the following sites: for Mr. John Humphries – College & Spruce Streets; for Mr. Bob Brackett – Triangle Park; and for Mr. Hezekiah Rankin – Craven Street & Emma Road.
• The full stories about each of the three men who were lynched are captured in this document. 
• The Equal Justice Initiative shared this webpage of the Historical Markers Installation Ceremony In Asheville on October 30th of 2021.

Please remember:

• Do you want to stay connected to the work of the Equal Justice Initiative? Sign up for updates about their work here.
• Every day of the year offers important racial justice history. If you want to get a daily reminder of that history, the Equal Justice Initiative offers this sign-up. Go here to get today’s reminder.

The NC Black Alliance offers this webpage with a page entitled – “Access to Healthcare: What You Need to Know” along with other pages that have articles and information concerning the Black community.