New North Carolina Project Weekly Bulletin
Introducing our regional organizers, what's to come in February, solidarity with Colleyville, Texas and more, from the desk of our digital director, Kristen Havlik.
Join MJ for canvassing in Charlotte starting on February 5th!
Meet the Mecklenburg County area Regional Organizer,
MJ Taminez Borda
Maria Jose Taminez Borda, but you can call her MJ or Joey, is the regional organizer for the Charlotte surrounding area- in Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cabarrus and Union Counties.
MJ was born in Cali, Colombia but raised in Washington, DC. During high school she started getting involved in lobbying efforts and politics - finding her passion. During college she spent time at the Library of Congress and different nonprofits before taking a year away from school to work the 2016 Presidential Election. In 2020, her passion for election work brought her down south where she spent her time in North Carolina and Georgia learning about Southern grassroots and community mobilizing. MJ fell in love with the South and community organizing and is now continuing that work with NNCP.
COVID-19 Testing
The Biden Administration has set up a website for 1 billion rapid tests to be sent to homes of any American that requests them. At this time you can only request 1 kit of 4 tests per household. Tests will be sent out within 7-12 days of ordering. You can also request at-home tests through the NC Dept of Health and Human Services through Labcorp.
The Biden administration is also setting up testing access via health insurance providers, so anyone with health insurance can access up to 8 tests per month.
Upcoming Events
Our next Town Hall is about Education and it's coming up on Wednesday, February 2. We're excited to have Christian Rhodes, Chief of Staff for the Office of Elementary & Secondary Education at the US Department of Education, Ricky Hurtado, NC State House Representative for District 63, Leo Williams from the Durham City Council and Trey Roberts, an organizer for NNCP and student debt activist joining the panel.
National Poll Worker's Day
January 25th is National Poll Worker's Day! Poll workers are essential to our democracy and protecting your right to vote. County board of elections across the state are looking for poll workers for the 2022 primary and general elections.
You must be a registered voter in order to serve as a poll worker.
Weekly Progress
This past week, our team and volunteers knocked on 130 doors in Durham and made 3130 calls!! So far this year that is 350 doors and 4930 calls!
A Win for Disability Rights in NC
Earlier this week, the NC Department of Health and Human Services reached an agreement with Disability Rights North Carolina and the Center for Public Representation to phase out paying disabled people less than minimum wage for their labor. The NC DHHS has put funding into "sheltered workshops" which are places where only people with disabilities work, and they are often paid less than $7.25 an hour. The sub-minimum wage in the US starts at $4.25 an hour. The phase out will happen over the next 4 years and NC DHHS will start to help disabled people in NC to find jobs in places that are not solely for people with disabilities.
Volunteer Opportunities
Due to the incoming snow, we have postponed our community clothing and food distribution event in Robeson County to February 19. We are hoping to make the event bigger and better- if you know of any businesses that can donate clothing and non-perishable food, please e-mail me: [email protected]
Canvassing and Phone Banking starts up again on January 29! We have 7 organizers on the ground throughout the state that will be setting up regularly scheduled shifts to get involved. So stay tuned for more event postings!
NC General Assembly Votes to Move NC Primary
On Wednesday, January 19th, NC Republicans voted to move our primary from May 17 to June 7.
If the State Supreme Court decides to throw out the maps this would give Republicans more time to redraw new maps. We are awaiting a response from Governor Cooper to see if he will veto or not and we will keep you posted here and on social media.
Last weekend, a gunman held four people hostage at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. Today I am passing the mic to Cole Parke-West- they are an organizer with Carolina Jews for Justice. We stand in solidarity with our Jewish neighbors during this traumatic and emotional time.
A prayer from Rabbi Laura Novak Winer:
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, shemeyzpeh me’itanu l’asok b’avodat exrachut ha-medina
Blessed are we who engage as citizens, upholding our values of freedom and justice and exercising our power to choose our leaders.
Standing in solidarity with the Jewish community
On Saturday, many of us — both Jewish and non-Jewish — were glued to the news as events played out in Colleyville, Texas. The day before, CJJ members in Durham were prepping for an Elder Care event with our partners from NC Raise Up and the Poor People’s Campaign. Others were on Zoom, joining our friends at UU Justice NC for their weekly Friday Action Hour, calling on our elected leaders to pass voting rights legislation. And lots of our folks were busy getting ready for Shabbat — a sacred time during which we practice living into the just and compassionate world that we dream of and work toward.
Before the trauma of Saturday’s attack on Congregation Beth Israel, we already knew that our strength and our safety comes from community, solidarity, and radical love. In response to those events, so many people have offered their care and support, reminding us again that solidarity is the only way forward — that we cannot let violence divide us and prevent us from working in coalition with our many partners towards greater justice for all. In order to live into the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), we must work together across faith traditions, races, ethnicities, and geography to build a world where all of us can live, worship, and vote in peace.
We invite you to learn more about our work as Carolina Jews for Justice and to consider joining!
Remembering André Leon Talley
André Leon Talley, a Black fashion icon and a former editor-in-chief at Vogue Magazine, died this past Tuesday at the age of 73. André was born on October 15, 1948 in Washington but was raised in Durham, NC by his grandmother who was a maid at the men's campus at Duke University. André majored in French studies at North Carolina Central University and continued his education at Brown University. André's worked for Andy Warhol and The New York Times, was a judge on America's Next Top Model and a stylist for many celebrities. Along with his impressive resume, André was also an advocate for diversity and body positivity in fashion and LGBTQ+ rights.
Rest in power, André.
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Check Your Voter Registration
We’re no stranger to voter suppression in our state. So we encourage you to check your voter registration often as board of elections offices purge voters from time to time.
Help us reach our goals in 2022
With your generosity, we are able to build a permanent infrastructure that will increase voter registration and turnout as well as take care of our communities of color, in and outside of election cycles.
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