Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / Feb. 13, 2013, edition 1 / Page 4
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THE BLUE BANNER I Student group Alliance joins rally for statewide concerns Hanna Lesky hlesky@unca.edu - Staff Writer Students from UNC Asheville’s gay-straight student organization. Alliance, joined nearly a thousand other partici pants at a multi-issue rally in Raleigh this past weekend. “HK on J stands for the ‘Historic Thousands on Jones Street’ put on by the NAACP every year. The march pushes and advocates a 14 point agen da for North Carolina. The HK on J major initiatives and concerns for the state are: equal LGBTQ-i- rights, pushing back against discriminatory voter I.D. laws, high quality educa tion, undocumented rights, support for living wages and universal healthcare, to name a few,” said Matt Ttirpin, un declared sophomore and Alli ance president. Turpin said Alliance tries to focus its attention on all mi norities. “I was proud to have Alli ance, the LGBTQIA+ student group on campus, at HK on J this weekend because it is criti cal for of us to advocate for the rights of all minorities,” Turpin said. “These initiatives are all interconnected and related. A win for one minority group is a win for all people in society. It was incredible to be at HK on J and see so many diverse people standing up for justice and equality,” Turpin said. Students said HK on J brought together many people advocating numerous issues. “I realized I was a part of a driving force much bigger than I expected,” said Alexandra Griffin, undeclared freshman and Alliance member. “Swarms of people encircled our little group in the march, but the messages of inevitable change echoed through the streets,” Griffin said. “I recommend something like this for anyone who is pas sionate about change. Show support for a cause you feel strongly about, spread ideas and talk to people who have had different experiences than you, but have a similar goal in mind,” Griffin said. “Alliance, the LGBT+ group at UNCA, focuses on injus tice within the queer commu nity. Extending this passion for change into the real world and not just on campus was a pow erful experience,” Griffin said. The event started with mem bers of each individual cause marching together. It ended with participants gathering and listening to representatives of groups involved in the march delivering speeches. Rev. William Barber II, pres ident of the North Carolina Na tional Association for the Ad vancement of Colored People, was the first to speak. He com pared different social move ments in history and criticized the government’s non-action of economic disparity. “It’s Robin Hood in reverse. It’s morally unconscionable. It’s constitutionally inconsis tent, and it’s economically in sane,” Barber said. Barber explained poverty is a bigger issue than most people realized, with 1.7 million North Carolinians living in poverty. He also said most poor people were white, working women. With so many problems fac ing society, students said they want to take action to solve them. “I want to have Alliance ad vocate for multiple causes this semester and in the future, and this march was a great way to kick this off,” Turpin said. Turpin wants his student or ganization to focus on home less advocacy by working with UNCA’s unofficial “Food Not Bombs” chapter, which pre pares meals for Asheville’s homeless community using mostly donated food. Turpin also wants Alliance to spread awareness and educa tion about HIV and AIDS, and wants to participate in educa tion campaigns against photo I.D. legislation in N.C. “If passed, photo I.D. laws could disenfranchise thousands of people, even many college students,” Turpin said. “I look forward to next year’s HK on J and future events like it. Alliance is always looking for new members. We meet every Monday at 9 p.m. in the Highsmith student orgs. suite and would love to have new faces join,” Turpin said. Hli:U> WMTEI) ’’■■'cm- ■ All majors are welcome at The Blue Banner and are encouraged to join us! Freelance opportunities are available for students not enrolled in the course. Contact temetcal@unca.edu
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Feb. 13, 2013, edition 1
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