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jJgSMWffl the law come Rlow-ftllt ! tumbling down? virtorv horn^lub See the Opinion/ VIClUlJ MEMBER THE CHRONICLE Volume41,Number44 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C THURSDAY, July 16,2015 VOTING RIGHTS TRIAL THIS IS OUR SEIHIAI' Photos by Tevin Stinson Over 3 ?00 people from across the state and nation gathered in Winston-Salem on July 13 for the Mass Moral Monday March for Voting Rights. The march began at the Corpening Plaza and made its way to the federal courthouse, where marchers were joined by more protesters. Historic Moral Monday march and rally draw thousands to Winston-Salem BY TORI PITTMAN AND TEVIN ST1NSON FOR THE CHRONICLE J. On Monday, July 13, thousands of people came together at the Corpening Plaza on West First Street in Winston-Salem to participate in the Mass Moral Monday March for Voting Rights, as part of the Moral Monday movement. People, in-state and out-of-state, came to wit ness what has been chanted throughout the crowd: 'This is our Selma.' The phrase refers to the moments in history before the Voting Rights Act was signed into law on Aug. 6, 1965. This is a reference to the marches from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama, including on Bloody Sunday, that helped change votes in Congress from "no" to "yes" votes for the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Estimates of the number of participants range from 3,500, according to the Winston-Salem Police Department, to more than 6,000, according to the N.C. NAACP, which is spearheading the Moral Monday protests. The march and rally coincided with the start of the his toric voting rights trial N.C. NAACP v. McCrory in the federal courthouse in Winston-Salem. The plaintiffs say See March on A2 Bruce Goodech, holds a sign to express his views toward voter fraud and voter suppression laws in North Carolina. N.C. voting law case is being heard in federal court Several lawsuits have been united into one; trial will last weeks BY TODD LUCK THE CHRONICLE . North Carolina's controversial changes to voting laws are currently having their day in court. The trial in the legal case N.C. NAACP v. McCrory is currently being heard in federal court in Winston-Salem, challenging what plaintiffs say are restrictions that disen franchise black and Latino voters on the basis of race and violate the right to vote under the 14th and 15th amend ments to the U.S. Constitution. The trial began on Monday, July 13, with opening arguments. Three lawsuits were consolidated into N.C. NAACP v. McCrory as the lead case in the trial. Penda Hair, a lawyer with the Advancement Project, representing the N.C. NAACP, used what has become the N.C. NAACP's mantra regarding the trial. "This is our Selma." she said, referring to a historic march against discriminatory voting practices during the Civil Rights Movement. Attorneys representing the state said the law was far from discriminatory, arguing that African- American turnout in the state actually increased in 2014. The NAACP has nearly a hundred witnesses it could call on, including lawmakers, experts and regular voters See Case on A2 Voting rights teach-in a part of Monday events BY NIKKI BALDWIN FOR THE CHRONICLE On Monday, July 13, the Voting Rights Teach in that is linked to the Moral Monday support of the plaintiffs in N.C. NAACP v. McCrory consist ed of sessions on various topics, detailed informa tion on the law, as well as powerful stories from *he speakers' own experiences on inequality and justice. The trial in the voting rights case is expected to last several weeks. The teach-in started at 10 a.m. at the Goler Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in downtown Winston-Salem with a packed crowd. The teach in begun with the singing of the "Forward Together, Not One Step Back" song in which the members from the crowd joined in singing along. From there, the song "Hold On, Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" was the next song that the crowd joined along in singing. The moderator for the teach-in session "Voting Rights: a Moral Imperative" was Daphne Holmes-Johnson. Holmes-Johnson is an executive member of the N.C. NAACP and a N.C. civil rights activist in her own right. Holmes-Johnson helped issue in the other speakers that were apart of the session, while still expressing her own thoughts about injustice and standing up for one's own rights. Holmes-Johnson, when talking to the crowd, said we all need inspiration and prayer. Holmes Johnson also discussed growing up around activists such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and her father, who marched and fought for the See Events on A7 I - 2 Hi!!! ASSURED n::: storage o< Winston-Salem, LLC 55! ^ ?Moi ^?T ?h ~o ifc* V?>
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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