CONCORD, NC – Concord native, Betty Stocks was among the first residents entering the Concord Board of Elections office as she filed candidacy for District 3 Council, a seat currently held by Mrs. Ella Small.
Stocks, a retiree from the City of Concord Police Department where she served for 28 years in various capacities and levels of duty and, proved herself worthy of becoming the first African American to earn the position of Deputy Chief.
Stocks is running for Council District 3 with the support of Councilwoman Ella Mae Small who has held the seat for 15 years following the death of her late husband. Smalls says it’s time to “pass the mantle” on and is pleased to endorse Stocks, who she has worked with in numerous community functions.
Smalls was appointed to fill the tern occupied by her late husband, Allen T. Small. due to his untimely death. After filling his term with successes, she decided to run again and was elected, and has represented the community and served relentlessly. Small’s niece, Joanne Small-James shared that she was proud of her uncle Allen and is extremely proud of her aunt Ella who was blessed to surpass the service provided by her uncle.
More ↠
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night, Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) delivered a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives during a Congressional Black Caucus special order hour on voting rights.
I rise today to talk about our most fundamental right in a democracy: the right to vote.
While we have made amazing strides over the past century – votes for women, voting rights for Native Americans and indigenous peoples, the end of racist Jim Crow laws that completely suppressed the Black vote in certain states, and lowering the voting age to 18, we are still marching because the promise of one person, one vote continues to be abridged by state legislatures across the country.
More ↠
The growing controversy surrounding “Critical Race Theory” has now gone from over-the-top political rhetoric to heated parental protests, and now threats of violence against school administrators across the state.
In Wilmington, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office is investigating threats of intimidation being made against the NHC School Board and its superintendent, Dr. Charles Foust. This comes a week after the regularly scheduled in-person July school board meeting had to be cut short two weeks ago because the packed audience became unruly and demanded to be heard. That forced the NHC School Board to finish its public meeting virtually and putting speakers on videotape for its own safety.
While there are several school issues of concern to parents and citizens up for debate, there is no question that the commonly held belief that Critical Race Theory allegedly is slated to be taught starting in the coming school year is at the top of the list.
Foust
But according to Dr. Foust - who did not return a Wilmington Journal request for comment Monday - there are no plans for Critical Race Theory to be taught in New Hanover County Public Schools.
Supt. Foust has said the school district is not teaching Critical Race Theory, primarily because it is a collegiate level concept about the history of systematic racism that has been taught in universities and law schools for the past forty years, not secondary schools, or primary schools.
What will be taught will be based on the new social studied standards adopted by the NC Board of Education that focus more on the history of American slavery, with students being challenged to engage in critical thinking about what they learn.
But parents in Wilmington, and elsewhere, like
More ↠
Former NC Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley is certainly attracting both support, and scrutiny in her bid for 2022 U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by the departing Republican incumbent Sen. Richard Burr.
Beasley"I’m so grateful for all of the support and enthusiasm we’re seeing across NC," she wrote on Twitter recently. “For too long our senators have been more focused on their own self-interest than serving our state. It’s past time for that to change. And together we’ll make that happen.”
The former Chief Justice lost a razor thin race against Associate Justice Paul Newby by just 400 votes statewide in the November 2020 elections. She formally joined the 2022 race for the U.S. Senate in April 2021.
On the support side, the Beasley campaign reported raising $1.3 million for its war chest, with donations coming in from 93 of North Carolina’s 100 counties (90% being $100.00 or less) keeping pace with her Democratic primary opponents thus far, and also keeping pace with the GOP U.S. Senate frontrunner, former NC Governor Pat McCrory, who has also reportedly raised approximately $1.3 million.
McCroryIn McCrory’s case, the once-moderate Republican and one time mayor of Charlotte faces a primary field of two others - Congressman Ted Budd (R-NC-6) and former District 6 Congressman Mark Walker (R-NC-6) and leads both in fundraising. However, McCrory has already challenged both to primary debates, most likely because he’s seen as weak with North Carolina’s rock-solid conservative base.
Indeed, when former Pres. Donald Trump visited North Carolina last month, he surprised everyone by publicly endorsing Budd for the Senate seat. Walker
More ↠
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tuesday, Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) released the following statement on the first meeting of the Bipartisan January 6th Select Committee:
Adams“Today’s meeting of the Bipartisan January 6th Select Committee gave voice to the heroes who defended the United States Capitol from a violent, deadly attack earlier this year,” said Congresswoman Adams. “My heart goes out to the four brave officers who testified today: to Officer Daniel Hodges, who was crushed and pinned down during the insurrection; to Officer Michael Fanone, who was tortured, beaten, and tased until he was knocked unconscious; to Sergeant Aquilino Gonell, who defended our Constitution even as he was beaten by the flag of the country he swore to defend; and to Private First Class Harry Dunn, who was repeatedly called the worst
slur in the English language by rioters as he defended the lives of Republican and Democratic Senators alike. Their harrowing testimony about the weapons used against them during the attack, their injuries, and their physical and mental recovery cannot be ignored by people of conscience. Their testimony that the attack was a white nationalist insurrection against our government also cannot be ignored.”
“Furthermore, I appreciate the courage of my colleagues, Representatives Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger, who are standing up to the leaders of their own party in order to get to the truth of the January 6th insurrection. They know as I do, that while every member of Congress made it home safe that night, not every member of our Capitol Police did; and many of those officers who did make it home are still nursing injuries both mental and physical. History will not remember fondly the members of the opposition party who broke their oath to defend our Constitution by trivializing the service and
More ↠
