Moral Indictment” of N.C. General Assembly for “Attacks on the Poor…”

By Cash Michaels, Peacemaker Senior Contributor / August 11, 2023

Citing “… attacks on the poor, low-wage workers, health care, voting rights, the LGBTQ+ community, women and on democracy itself,” Bishop William Barber’s Repairer of the Breach, along with the North Carolina Poor People’s Campaign, and several other grassroots social justice organizations on Monday, accused the Republican-led N.C. General Assembly of “deceptive and deadly culture wars and political lies which they continue to use to pass death-dealing public policies that hurt us all, especially poor and low-income North Carolinians.”

During a “Moral Monday press conference” outside the N.C. General Assembly building on Jones Street, both organizations declared that North Carolina is in a “State of Emergency” and that the N.C. legislature deserves a “moral indictment” for its alleged actions.

To dramatize the point, a symbolic Cease and Desist letter was delivered to the legislative building Monday afternoon.

“It’s time for North Carolinians to once again stand on our long tradition of truth, love and justice,” said the statement by Bishop Barber. “The corrupt leadership of the N.C. General Assembly is utilizing a White Nationalist agenda to give the wealthy and corporations tax breaks, to pay for millionaires to send their kids to private, discriminatory schools, to make it harder to vote and get healthcare, and to make it easier to destroy the environment and get a gun.”
Barber noted that his organization was joining “together with seventy-five leaders of organizations, faith leaders and impacted leaders who represent tens of thousands of constituents,” and that this was a “…first step toward escalating nonviolent action and holding our legislators accountable.”

Bishop Barber also noted that August 6th was the 58th anniversary of passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA), “…a somber reminder that we have less voting rights today than we did 58 years ago.”

Even though voter ID will be in force throughout the state as of this fall with municipal elections, there is still ongoing litigation as to its legality.

The State Board of Elections announced last week that local county boards of election are now offering free voter photo IDs for registered voters who do not already have some kind of state-sanctioned photo ID. Voters should bring proof of their name, date of birth and the last four digits of their Social Security number. Their pictures will be taken, and they can get their free photo ID right away, or have it sent to their home.