All For NC Newsletter
Insights and Updates from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
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A Note from Joy
Greetings,
We’re emerging from a bitter election, and, true to form, North Carolina voters confused the nation.
We voted for Donald Trump and Josh Stein. Winners of our statewide races were split between the parties.
The post-mortem analyses are asking, “How is this possible?” Yet, North Carolina has long been known for its political paradoxes.
I’ve been pondering why we have a hard time accepting these paradoxes. Our human tendency is to search for a simple explanation – a single story – to help us understand the world.
But each of our decisions, including who we vote for, is influenced by an ocean of experiences that can't be reduced to single story.
The danger of a single story, as author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reminded us in her famous TED Talk, is that “it robs people of dignity ... It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult.” We must learn to hold more than one truth at the same time, and we must be wary of boxing people into a single frame.
In this election, North Carolina voters rejected the single story of being red or blue.
As we move forward, I hope we’ll reject the tendency to reduce our fellow North Carolinians to a single story, too. None of us is just one thing or another – we are each beautifully and richly complex.
The future is always uncertain, regardless of who wins elections. As we move forward, ZSR will continue to look for ways to make life better for all North Carolinians. We will look for ways to protect the vulnerable and strengthen democracy. And we will seek ways to help North Carolinians resist the single story and embrace the complexity of our common humanity.
All for NC,
Joy Vermillion Heinsohn
Executive Director
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Get Inspired
Stories of hope and action from ZSR grantees and partners
- A new report from the NC Department of Commerce and NC Child says helping parents of young children get back into the workforce could add up to $7.5 billion to the state’s GDP. We must invest in childcare and early education to make that happen.
- NC Coastal Federation and Triangle Land Conservancy are among more than a dozen groups receiving grants from the NC Department of Environmental Quality to address flooding in NC river basins. The work will help mitigate the impacts of climate change and severe weather events on communities across North Carolina.
- In the wake of Hurricane Helene, MountainTrue and the French Broad Riverkeeper are regularly testing affected rivers for toxins. Their mid-November report from the French Broad was encouraging: out of 185 chemical pollutants tested, the organizations found “almost none” present.
- “Take Care,” a new short documentary funded by the NC Department for Health and Human Services, highlights the urgent need for affordable, sustainable child care in North Carolina. Learn more from EdNC, and take 20 minutes to view the film and get a local screening toolkit – free of charge – at www.takecarenc.com.
- This story from Marketplace demonstrates the challenges facing entrepreneurs in western NC after Hurricane Helene. As noted in the story, Mountain Bizworks is assisting small business owners with loans, grants and guidance. Visit WNC Strong to learn more.
What's New with ZSR?
- ZSR is rolling out a new brand and website next month! Our grantmaking strategies have not changed, but our new website clarifies them with a streamlined structure and refreshed language. Stay tuned for details.
- ZSR Executive Director Joy Vermillion Heinsohn and John William Pope Foundation President John Hood delivered the Lambeth Lecture at UNC-Chapel Hill. The theme was “North Carolina 2025: Reflections on People, Policy and Philanthropy.” Learn more and view the lectures.
- PBS NC and American Experience PBS released “American Coup: Wilmington 1898,” a documentary on the 1898 Wilmington race massacre, the only successful coup d’état in the history of the US. ZSR supported community engagement efforts connected to the film. You can stream it here.
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