How the GOP uses redistricting to maintain power in the purple state of North Carolina. Originally published in The Nation. JEFF JACKSON WAS A YOUNG PROSECUTOR living in Charlotte, North Carolina, when a seat in the State Senate unexpectedly opened up in 2014. To Jackson, politics seemed like an antidote to the daily frustration of […]
Citizens of Carolina
Click here for “Citizens of Carolina,” Carolina Alumni Review, September-October 2017 issue. Opens as a PDF.
Toppled! Ridding Durham of Its Racist Monument
The liberal city wanted it down; the GOP state legislature forbade that; activists found a way to end that impasse. Originally published in The American Prospect. JILLIAN JOHNSON WAS OUT of town Monday night, as a group of young activists were yanking the Confederate soldier statue off its granite pedestal in downtown Durham, North Carolina. She learned […]
N.C. on the Brink: Repeal of Anti-Trans Bill Falls Flat
At ground zero in the fight over LGBTQ rights, a special legislative session to repeal the state’s House Bill 2 devolved into name-calling and hostile stalemate. Originally published in The American Prospect. DURING THE LONGEST NIGHT of the year—after what had felt like the longest day—North Carolina Governor-elect Roy Cooper walked into a Raleigh news conference […]
Will GOP Power Seizure in North Carolina Become National Model?
A bid by North Carolina’s GOP-controlled legislature to strip power from the state’s incoming Democratic governor has prompted another round of progressive protests and civil disobedience. Originally published in The American Prospect. WHEN COMMUNITY EDUCATOR MANJU RAJENDRAN and her eight-month-old daughter arrived at the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh on December 15, the House […]
History Matters
North Carolina’s jarring GOP power grab feels familiar. Originally published in The Washington Post. ONE OF THE MOST SURREAL moments during last week’s fracas at the North Carolina legislature came during a news conference called by the state NAACP. The civil rights organization was blasting the Republican legislative majority for its brazen efforts to strip authority from […]
A New Suppression Tactic: Voter Defamation
As they challenge the results of a governor’s race, North Carolina Republicans lay the groundwork for a Trump-era assault on voting rights. Originally published in The New Republic. MY NEIGHBOR LUCIA FOSTER was surprised when I emailed her on November 18. “Are you aware,” I asked, “that your name is on one of the election […]
The 30 Years That Brought Us HB 2
Click here for “The 30 Years That Brought Us HB 2,” Indy Week and Triad City Beat, July 2016.
The 30 Years That Brought Us HB2
North Carolina’s bathroom bill seemed like a bolt from nowhere. But it was three decades in the making. Originally published in Indy Week and Triad City Beat. Photos by Alex Boerner. I. Hell Breaks Loose Last year, when the Rev. Mykal Slack was preparing to move south to Durham, nearer to his and his wife’s families, […]
“A Stench in this Government Chamber”
Why the debate over North Carolina’s House Bill 2 feels all too familiar Originally published in Indy Week. Click here for Barry’s longer story about House Bill 2. I LOST A COUPLE OF HOURS yesterday in front of my computer, watching North Carolina’s culture wars unfold in real time. The state legislature had convened a […]
