N.C. NAACP ramps up general election plans
BY CASH MIckAELS
FOR THE CHRONICLE
It's looking less and
less like Gov. Pat
McCrory's attorneys will
be able to cajqle the U.S.
Supreme Court to stay the
recent U.S. Fourth Circuit
Court of Appeals ruling
dismantling the state's
2013 voter ID law, espe
has been legally reinstated.
The N.C. NAACP and
Democracy N.C., a non
partisan advocacy group,
estimate that as a result of
the federal appellate court
ruling, at least 100,000
more North Carolinians
will now be eligible to vote
in November.
"It takes all of us to win
these battles," declared a
jubilant, but cautious N.C.
NAACP president, the
Rev. Dr. William Barber II.
"We must be mindful
that we must continue to
mobilize ... so we must
activate mobilization plans
to ensure that we continue
to protect this franchise
because this struggle is still
real," said Derick Smith,
Political Action chair of the
N.C. NAACP.
According to Barber,
the N.C. NAACP is coordi
nating over 1300 church
es, synagogues, temples
and mosques to be a part of
the Sunday "Souls to the
Polls" early voting effort.
Thousands of volunteers
across the state have been
recruited for both voter
registration and education
of the issues, and during
the early voting period and
on Nov. 8, there will be
volunteers assigned to
voter protection, making
sure that the letter of the
law is being carried out to
ensure a fair election.
The first priority for
NAACP and coalition
members was to pressure
their local county boards of
election (BOE) across the
state to institute new plans
that expand early voting
sites and accessibility start
ing Oct. 20. Barber vowed
that the NAACP would
"show up at every" local
BOE meeting, "Because
we will not have a ruling
by the courts that calls
what you have done
'unconstitutional,' and then
allow you to play mischief
with it and still suppress
the right to vote."
In Guilford County on
Monday, over 300 activists
heeded the call, storming
the BOE meeting there,
demanding that the board
to do away with plans to
drastically cut a dozen of
25 designated early voting
sites, including at N.C.
A&T University and UNC
- Greensboro. Under pres
sure, the GOP-led board
capitulated, allowing sites
to stay at the two schools,
and not cutting any other
sites.
But for the first seven
days, early voting will be
only held at the Guilford
County Board of Elections.
Later that evening in
Wake County, the local
BOE met by teleconfer
ence, thus disallowing any
public input, deciding to
also extend the initial
seven days of the 17-day
early voting period, start
ing Oct. 20, only at the
downtown Raleigh BOE
office. Prior to the deci
sion, NAACP activists
objected to that option,
saying that in a. county as
large and populated as
Wake, having only one
early voting site for the
first seven days was most
inconvenient.
One Republican Wake
BOE member, Edwin
Woodhouse, cousin to
Dallas Woodhouse, execu
tive director of the N.C.
Republican Party, pro
posed eliminating Sunday
"Souls to the Polls" voting
that African-American
churchgoers favor, and the
voting site at N.C. State
University. Both motions
were rejected 2-1.
New Hanover County's
BOE will meet Aug. 18 at 3
p.m. to make its decision.
On Saturday, Barber
told those gathered at the
N.C. NAACP meeting that,
"Now that we have won
the case, we must use what
we've won, and we must
protect what we've won.
We must have millions to
march to the polls, and
hundreds to march to these
boards of elections."
"Our excite
ment...," Rev. Barber
added, "...must now be
turned into effort."
As Senior Pastor Kenneth Cooper, right, of Christian Faith Baptist Church in Raleigh and various NAACP
and coalition members listen, the N.C. NAACP president, the Rev. Dr. William Barber II, extols those gath
ered last Saturday, Aug. 6, to work harder to maximize voter participation in November.
jiM
cially after the federal
appeals court turned the
Republican governor down
last week.
That means the N.C.
NAACP is "full speed
ahead" with strategies to
maximize voter registra
tion, voter education and
getting-out-the-vote in
time for the November
general elections.
On Saturday, Aug. 6,
hundreds of activists from
NAACP chapters and
coalition groups across the
state gathered at Christian
Faith Baptist Church in
Raleigh not only to cele
brate their recent federal
court victory, and com
memorate the 51st anniver
sary of the signing of the
1965 Voting Rights Act,
but also to plot the way for
ward now that 17-day early
voting, same-day registra
tion, out-of-precinct provi
sional balloting and pre
registration for 16 and 17
year-old prospective voters
Voting
from page AI
County Democratic Party, said "Shame on
them." An online petition has since been
circulated to have the WSSU site
reopened.
Last week, the state BOE instructed
local BOEs in all 100 counties to revise
their early voting site plans in lieu of the
federal ruling. At a meeting Saturday in
Raleigh, the Rev. Dr. William Barber II,
N.C. NAACP president, warned attendees
that all local BOEs might be resistant to
adopting the 17-day mandate, and might
try to cut the number of sites or hours of
operation as a result.
Since studies prove that African
Americans favor early voting, social
activists like Mendez say fighting to have
more sites and hours is one battle. But it's
all for naught if there aren't strong voter
education and get-out-to-vote efforts as
well.
"We have to do everything we can to
get people out to vote,' says Mendez.
"That's the biggest challenge."
"We do not want, and cannot afford to
have a repeat of Reconstruction," he insist
ed.
Mendez is confident that Winston
Salem/Forsyth County will have a good
voter turnout in November. But voter edu
cation is essential, he said, also challeng
ing every church to have a "social action
ministry" committee to not only register
people in the church, but also in their com
munities.
"I plan to hit these streets myself, and
go into a lot of these communities, talk to
folks, and really try to get them to come
out and vote," Mendez told The Chronicle,
emphasizing that people really need to
know what's at stake.
"There can't be an excuse for anybody
not to get out to the polls," Mendez said,
later adding, "They have to realize that
their behinds are at risk. If Donald Trump
gets elected, it's going to be doubly open
season on black folk and people of color."
Allen
from page A1
ers. During its public meetings, Tsujii had
the three-member Forsyth BOE look over
disputed voter signatures that staff deter
mined didn't match the signature on their
voter registration and the board ruled some
were valid.
Tsujii estimated that close to 3,000 out
of the 3,636 signatures would have count
ed if the verification process hadn't ended.
He said Allen had turned in an additional
2,000 signatures last month that weren't
processed before she ended her unaffiliat
ed bid.
In her withdrawal letter, Allen accused
the Forsyth BOE of "negligent handling"
of the petitions and giving her "misinfor
mation." During an interview with The
Chronicle last week, she said she believed
the mistakes to be intentional, accusing
BOE staff of bias.
Tsujii denied these accusations.
"It was clerical human error, but noth
ing of negligence or intentional mishan
dling," said Tsujii.
Tsujii said 10 different BOE staff,
including temporary workers, spent hun
dreds of man hours entering the informa
tion on petitions into computerized mod
ules provided by the State BOE for verifi
cation. He said staff followed statute and
direction from the State BOE, which Tsujii
consulted throughout the process. Tsujii
and local board members have said repeat
edly in meetings they tried to be as fair and
transparent as possible in the process.
Though Allen filed a form for a write
in candidacy, mayor is a position that
always has a write-in blank for voters to
write in whoever they like.
Allen said that she chose to run as
unaffiliated because she believes voters
shouldn't follow political parties, and
instead look at who is the best person for
the job.
Local author details troubled
childhood in varied memoir
BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY
THE CHRONICLE
A troubled childhood is
a common theme with
many American youths.
For some they are never
able to overcome the trau
ma they endured;
ior otners it moti
vates them to suc
ceed. In the case
of Latisha R.
Stuckey, it pro
pelled her all the
way to a master's
degree and to
become an author.
On Friday,
August 19, at the
F n t p r n r i c p
Conference and Banquet
Center, Stuckey will offi
cially release her book
titled "Cast Down but not
Destroyed, Destiny's
Child." The book is a col
lection of letters.
Scriptures, poems and
memories written to her
birth and adoptive parents.
"I initially decided to
write the book to give a
voice to children who have
gone through similar trau
<
ma and childhood issues
such as myself," said
Stuckey. "I have really
vivid memories to abuse
my brothers and I sustained
when we were younger and
my book chronicles a lot of
that from the eyes of a
child."
In the book
she recalls her
encounters with
Child Protective
Services from the
age of four. She
details the issues
her mother was
dealing with, of
hpino n vnuno
- J
mother of multi
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pic IIIUUICII WIU1
out the assistance of the
father in the home. She
goes on to describe how
her mother would leave her
and her siblings with others
or alone in the home alto
gether. They were taken
from their mother by the
courts and spent time in
different homes until her
aunt adopted them.
Once being placed with
her aunt, she gained the
stability she had longed for.
A
At the age of 14 she had the
idea of writing a book.
That idea remained with
her for the next 20 years,
until she sat down and put
pen to pad. The Glenn
High School graduate stat
ed from her work with indi
viduals in mental health
and substance abuse, it
sparked her to finally fulfill
her dream of writing the
book.
Following her gradua
tion from Glenn, Stuckey
has gone on to obtain her
B.S. in Human Services
from Gardner-Webb
University, as well as her
Master's in Human
Services, and Marriage and
Family Counseling from
Liberty University. She
wants her book to bring
healing to those who have
gone through similar issues
in their childhood.
The book release will
begin at 6:30 p.m. and will
be open to the public.
There will be spoken word
and liturgical dance, along
with a soloist.
Stuckey
rTTTTa Fall Sports Edition
? I I =1 AUGUST 20
P, J K.R. Williams
u?a111?J 1:30 - 3 p.m.
Games, giveaways, poster signings, and
photos with your favorite teams!
Contact the Winston-Salem State University
Department of Athletics for more information at (336) 750-2141.
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