On North Carolina’s Amendment One, the fault line was not racial—it was urban-rural. Originally published in The American Prospect. IN THE WEEK SINCE NORTH CAROLINA VOTERS adopted a constitutional amendment banning recognition of any “domestic legal union” other than heterosexual marriage, a consensus has formed among journalists about African-American complicity. According to this narrative, black voters let […]
The Morning After Amendment 1: Your World. And Mine.
Originally published in Indy Week. Reprinted in 27 Views of Durham (Eno Press). IF YOU DIDN’T PEEK AT THE NUMBERS ON THE TV INSIDE—where Amendment 1, North Carolina’s marriage amendment, was racking up a 22-point margin of victory—you might have imagined the scene outside Fullsteam brewery in Durham was a celebration Tuesday night. The air […]
Wealth for Everyone
Immigrants in Durham, N.C. had become easy targets for robbers. The community’s response: start its own wildly successful credit union. Originally published by One Nation Indivisible. NOT LONG AFTER HE ARRIVED in Durham, North Carolina in 1996, Marcelino Varela learned a lesson that would prove valuable in his adopted city: Always be ready to sprint. He […]
Elizabeth Edwards: A Political Thinker in her Own Right
Produced after Edwards’ death from breast cancer, this is an excerpt from Barry’s 2007 interview with Edwards for O, The Oprah Magazine. The audio version below is 4 minutes long and was broadcast by AARP Prime Time Radio. Below: Listen to Elizabeth Edwards segment (download here) There is also a 10-minute audio slideshow, published online […]
Map Quest
Marie Lynn Miranda, head of the Children’s Environmental Health Initiative at Duke, uses sophisticated modeling to tackle stubborn public-health problems. Originally published in Duke Magazine. LAST FALL, DURHAM COUNTY HEALTH DIRECTOR Gayle Harris faced a thorny question: How do you get a confused and suspicious public inoculated against H1N1 influenza? The much-feared flu strain had […]
Operation Rescue
Barbara Woodley hoarded more than 300 dogs, only to keep them in deplorable conditions. It took a three-year legal battle, an army of volunteers, and hundreds of special new owners to save these broken creatures. Originally published in O, The Oprah Magazine. WALTER THE BOSTON TERRIER PADS INTO Heather Jackson’s sunny living room in Sanford, North Carolina. He’s […]
The truth behind ‘Godless Americans’
Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole’s attack ad features a retired Biblical-studies teacher. Originally published in Indy Week. IMAGINE RETIRED BIBLE TEACHER Rick Stone’s surprise to find himself depicted as a “Godless American.” This week, Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole began running a statewide 30-second TV ad linking her opponent, Kay Hagan, to a political action […]
A Mean Machine
For all its combativeness, the Republican National Convention failed the address the country’s most fundamental issues. Scenes from a week in St. Paul. Originally published in Indy Week. THE VETERANS MARCHED IN LOCKSTEP as they approached the Minneapolis State Capitol, which sits on a hill overlooking downtown St. Paul. Some wore Army greens. Others wore camouflage […]
RNC Day 4: Palin, Creationism, and Other Red Meat
On the first day, God created pit bulls. On the second day, He created lipstick. Originally published in Indy Week. AS THE OWNER OF A FRIENDLY PIT-BULL MIX, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s off-script line last night at the Republican National Convention: “Do you know the difference between a hockey mom […]
RNC Day 3: Young, But Not for Obama
More than two years after his father died in Afghanistan, a North Carolina guest at the GOP convention reflects on the war. Originally published in Indy Week. THIS WEEK, AS NICK OCHSNER ATTENDS THE Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., the Elon University sophomore can’t listen to all the pro-military speeches without thinking about his father. Sgt. […]
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