north carolina
September 1, 2022 -
When North Carolina tobacco companies began manufacturing cigarettes in the 1880s, they needed skilled rollers, so they turned to Jewish immigrants on strike at cigarette factories in New York City. The bosses thought the workers wouldn't dare organize in the union-hostile South, but they were proven wrong.
August 24, 2022 -
The state's Democratic-controlled high court ruled that a legislature found to discriminate against Black voters doesn't have unlimited authority to propose constitutional amendments. The decision caps off a four-year legal battle over amendments approved by voters that mandate voter ID and lower the state's income tax cap.
August 11, 2022 -
Virginia as well as cities in Florida and North Carolina have rolled out programs that allow people in crisis to get help from mental health professionals instead of police. Advocates hope the efforts will reduce the number of people killed by law enforcement officers.
July 21, 2022 -
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) pushed for the new state budget to allocate millions of dollars to close hog farms, which are concentrated in environmental justice communities in the state's increasingly flood-prone east. But the Republican-controlled state legislature, where the industry is a powerful force, passed a budget without the funds — and Cooper signed it.
July 5, 2022 -
Youth turnout set records in the 2020 presidential election, and organizers across the South are now building on that momentum to get young people to the polls this midterm election year. Polls show the Supreme Court's decision to overturn abortion rights is a motivating factor.
June 24, 2022 -
District attorneys and city councils in the South are taking steps to safeguard access to abortion now that the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down Roe v. Wade — but their stances could ignite a battle over preemption.
May 27, 2022 -
The ongoing infant formula shortage has illuminated another reproductive injustice: low breastfeeding rates in Black communities and in Southern states. Expanding Medicaid to cover lactation services could reduce breastfeeding disparities, but few states in the South have such a policy in place.
