OPINION
The Chronicle
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Ernest H. Pitt Publisher/Co-Founder
Donna Rogers Managing Editor
Elaine Pitt Business Manager
Blair Hutchinson Office Manager
Our Mission
The Chronicle is dedicated to serving the
residents of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County
by giving voice to the voiceless, speaking truth
to power, standing for integrity and
encouraging open communication and
lively debate throughout the community.
Deja vu:
March pushes
voting rights
U.S. citizens marching to gain their voting rights:
This scene from the 1960s is repeating itself in 2015.
In the 1960s, the face on the push for those rights
was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 2015, it is
the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, president of the
North Carolina State Conference of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The current movement started in 2006 as the
Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ)
People's Assembly Coalition, with Barber as its
leader.
The first annual "HKonJ People's Assembly"
was held in February 2007, when more than 3,500
supporters attended as they sanctioned and signed
the coalition's "HKonJ 14-Point People's
Agenda." The HKonJ Coalition transformed the 14
Point People's Agenda into comprehensive reform
bills that have been introduced in legislative ses
sions.
In 2014, the name has merged into the Forward
Together Moral Movement, a broad, multiracial
coalition led by the North Carolina NAACP, has
called for thousands of people to assemble on
Saturday, Feb. 14, Valentine's Day, for a Mass Moral
March on Raleigh to protest regressive policies
enacted by the Governor and General Assembly in
the last few years.
Members of the Winston-Salem NAACP branch
will be there. (See story on Page Al).
Dr. Barber says the movement is made up of
more than 170 partners from the civil rights,
. women's rights, faith-based, labor, LGBTQ, immi
grant justice, student and environmental communi
ties. Participants will map out sustained campaigns
and announce a number of actions for the rest of the
year.
This year's march will focus on a Love and
Justice agenda, which includes the demands laid out
in the letter hand-delivered to legislators the week of
Jan. 25.
Among the movement's demands are to reverse
the attack on people's voting rights; to our former
access to Early Voting, Sunday Voting and Same
Day Registration; repeal the race-based redistricting
maps adopted by the General Assembly; and repeal
the unconstitutional 2016 requirement for all voters
to show a photo ID before they can vote.
"While elections have consequences, it
remains up to the people to hold elected leaders
accountable," Dr. Barber said.
"Our work is not over when the polls close; the
people do not simply go away. Politicians do not get
the right to do whatever they wish just because they
were elected. That is why we are coming together on
Feb. 14, Valentine's Day. We will be there to remind
our elected leaders that they are accountable to all
North Carolinians regardless of color, class, creed,
gender, sexuality, health or place of birth."
Well said. Dr. Barber. Well said.
Positive comment
Staff photo
The marquee at the Career Educational and Learning Center on
Career School Road makes a positive statement. It wishes the
public "Happy Valentines Day." This sign proeides a pleasant
thought and reminds us in advance of Valentine's Day, which is
ASaturday, Feb. 14. ^
THE
Pitt
?
Forsyth County
has new senator
To the Editor *
Congratulations to Senator Paul
Lowe Jr., who was elected Thursday
night [Jan. 29] by the members of our
Forsyth County Executive
Committee from Senate District 32.
We know he'll be a strong repre
sentative for the citizens of N.C.
Senate District 32. Governor
McCrory officially appointed Sen.
Lowe on Friday [Jan. 30], and his
swearing-in took place on Sunday,
Feb. 1, at 1 p(rft. at Shiloh Baptist
Church, 916 E. 12th St. [Senator
Lowe is pastor of Shiloh.]
Thank you to Joycelyn Johnson
for also stepping forward to run for
State Senate. She's a respected mem
ber of our Democratic Party family
and an experi
enced communi
ty leader.
We also
appreciate the
interest and
involvement of
the candidates
and voters in this
process, from
attending the
candidate forum
and then partici
Lowe
pating in the election. An impressive
83 percent of eligible voters were in
attendance for the important election
Thursday night!
We couldn't have had such a
smooth election without help.
Catawba County Democratic Party
chair. Cliff Moone, was our parlia
mentarian and close adviser for the
election. First Vice Chair Larry
Johnson was in charge of the ballot
count and worked closely to verify
voters.
Party Secretary Lois Roe wade.
Cam Choiniere, Pat Sisson, and Pat
Eisenach exgertly checked in voters
and proxies. Thanks also to Trent
Harmon and Shawn Lane for their
assistance.
Other county chairs and elected
officials shared their experience and
expertise with us: Marc Friedland,
chair of Mecklenburg County; Ted
Benson, chair of State the state
House District 54 election; Casey
Mann, executive director of the North
Carolina Democratic Party, and State
Senator Don Davis.
In addition, we appreciate the use
of Forsyth Tech Mazie Woodruff
Center for the forum and Kennedy
High School for the election.
Thank you to all of our active
Democrats, behind the scenes, as well
i
as the ones out front. You are the life
of our Party and we appreciate your
support.
Susan Campbell, chairwoman
Forsyth County Democratic
Party
Candidate
promises help /
To the Editor
One Voice. One Vote. This is the
campaign mission and message the
Ken Spaulding for Governor
Campaign will use as it continues-to
ramp up its 2016 gubernatorial cam
paign.
"We will send a clear and con
vincing message to both political par
ties and across this state that when
each one of us stands as one united
voice of the people, we will defeat the
Citizens United case and the obscene
influence of multi-million dollar, big
money in politics," said Spaulding,
the only announced Democratic can
didate for governor.
Spaulding noted that his cam
paign is well-positioned for 2015,
having spent the last quarter of 2013
with modest fundraising, which
allowed him to spend 2014 traveling
the state so he
could listen to
the voices of
the people,
firsthand.
"Our
emphasis and
effort for 2014
was to put peo
ple first ahead
of big money,"
he said. "We
reached out to
Spaulding
tne people ana communities tnrougn
out North Carolina and they told us
they want their voices to be heard.
They are tired of blind partisanship
and unnecessary divisiveness."
"Residents are determined to take
politics back from negative influ
ences and return the power back to
the hands of the people," he added,
referring to the $100 million Senate
race between Democrat Kay Hagan
and Republican Thorn Tillis.
Spaulding said he is aware that
Roy Cooper, who has yet to announce
his candidacy officially, and Pat
McCrory, are already going after the
multi-million dollars and thus may
become beholden to those high-dollar
donors. The Spaulding campaign will
practice sensible fundraising in a sen
sitive, responsible and reasonable
manner.
"It is high time that in North
Carolina a statewide candidate for
governor have the courage and deter
mination to directly take on multi
million dollar, big money as a key
campaign issue and give the people
of this state a clear choice between
multi-million dollar, big money and
the voices of the people," Spaulding
said. "This I will do."
The Spaulding for Governor
Campaign
Don't be fooled
by gas tax bill
To the Editor: <
Senate Republicans are rushing a
bill through the legislature that would
raise North Carolina's gas tax by $1.2
billion over the next four years.
While the intentionally deceptive bill
would temporarily lower the gas tax
by 25 cents, it would also raise the
minimum gas tax rate by 14 cents.
This means North Carolina families
would be paying more at the pump
over the long term.
"If Senate Republicans want to
pump over a billion dollars in extra
taxes out of North Carolina families
who are already struggling to make
ends meet, they should be upfront
about it instead of rushing an inten
tionally deceptive bait-and-switch
proposal through the General .
Assembly," said Gerrick Brenner,
executive director of Progress North
Carolina Action. "Lawmakers think
they can fool voters by passing a tiny
short-term cut which hides a massive
long-term increase. Governing
through bait-and-switch tax schemes
is no way to run a state, and North
Carolinians deserve better from their
leaders."
Over four years, the 67 percent
increase on the minimum gas tax is
projected to cost North Carolina driv
ers an extra $1.2 billion at the pump.
That's more than enough to make up
for the paltry 2.5-cent decrease in the
short term. With about 6 million driv
ers in North Carolina, according to
the Department of Motor Vehicles,
that means each driver would be pay
ing about $50 more in gas taxes every
year.
"This is just another deceptive tax
increase coming from the state legis
lature in Raleigh," added Brenner.
Progress NC Action,
Raleigh
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