Civil Liberties
Perhaps because of the large number of outspoken and thoughtful people in our community, we have often found ourselves at ground zero in battles over civil liberties. In the 1980's Chapel Hill elected the first openly-gay elected official in the state, but Carrboro bested that by electing North Carolina’s first out mayor a decade later.
More recently, Chapel Hill grappled with free speech issues in the wake of 9/11, approved and then dismantled red light cameras in 2003-4, and was challenged by fundamentalists over support for gay marriage in 2005.
I just received this notice posted to the Solidaridad Abbey Court group on Face book from Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton:
I will be at the OWASA Community Room at 6pm tonight to talk with residents of Abbey Court (now Collins Crossing) about issues that have arisen with the new management company. All Abbey Court residents and stakeholders are welcome!
Date:
Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - 6:00pm
Location:
OWASA Community Room, 400 Jones Ferry Road, Carrboro
A free and public event exploring civic engagement and social justice
issues is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, May 20, at the Chapel Hill Public
Library's Program Space in University Mall across from Alfredo's Pizza.
Please share the EVENT FLIER.
"Voices of Action: Translating Words into a Movement" is organized
by the Chapel Hill Public Library and the Town of Chapel Hill Justice in
Action Committee. The public is invited to attend and participate in an
interactive workshop and discussion to consider questions such as "What
makes you want to act?" "How do you engage?" and "How can your voice be
powerful?" The purpose of this event is to encourage creative
expression of opinion and support participants as they recognize the
power of words and find their individual voices.
The event will be facilitated by the Sacrificial Poets (http://sacrificialpoets.com),
North Carolina's premier youth poetry organization. You don't have to
be a poet or even write poetry to attend. If you appreciate spoken word,
want to learn more, or you just have something to say about social
justice, LGBT rights, Occupy, racism, fracking, environmentalism,
immigration reform, or a host of other issues, this program is for you.
"We are excited to be involved because librarians are advocates of
intellectual freedom," said Maggie Hite, head of circulation services.
"And our library is a trusted, safe space for civic engagement."
Many residents are more comfortable expressing divergent ideas at
libraries because they are neutral places that advance knowledge through
freedom of expression and critical inquiry, Hite said. The Chapel Hill
Public Library supports the idea that civic reflection builds community
connections.
Formed by the Town Council, the role of the Justice in Action
Committee is to give voice to issues and concerns regarding race and
power in Chapel Hill and the surrounding community; and to educate the
Chapel Hill community through workshops and seminars on issues of
racism, diversity and inclusiveness. The committee meets at 6 p.m. on
the first Thursday of most months at Chapel Hill Town Hall. For more
information, contact samathryn@gmail.com. For more information about Sunday's program, see www.chapelhillpubliclibrary.org or contact mhite@townofchapelhill.org.
Date:
Sunday, May 20, 2012 - 3:00pm to 5:00pm
Location:
Chapel Hill Public Library's Program Space, University Mall
In the statewide vote, Amendment One passed easily with 61% of the vote. However, Orange County overwhelmingly rejected the amendment by a vote of 79% to 21%. (Our neighbors in Durham County likewise voted 70% to 30% against the amendment.) Some precincts in Carrboro and Chapel Hill voted against the amendment almost unanimously. The map below shows the Orange County precinct-level results of the referendum.
A free and public discussion on civic engagement, civil disobedience, and political protest is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, April 29, at Hargraves Center, 216 N. Roberson St.
"From Counters to Camps: Social Justice Activism in a Changing World" is organized by the Town of Chapel Hill Justice in Action Committee and the Chapel Hill Public Library. The public is encouraged to attend and participate in a question and answer period following a panel presentation. The discussion will be videotaped for future airing on Chapel Hill Gov TV-18, the government access channel on Time Warner Cable.
The panel will be moderated by former Council member Sally Greene, and includes the following presenters: Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt; Rev. Robert Campbell, president of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP; Al McSurely, civil rights lawyer and activist; Maya Handa, Chapel Hill High School senior (with her AP government and civics education teacher, Jen Ballew); Steve Peterson, member of Occupy Chapel Hill; and Jeremy Collins, UNC-Chapel Hill law student and president of the Black Law Students Association.
Date:
Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 3:00pm
Location:
Hargraves Center (216 N. Roberson St.)
T
he Chapel Hill Prison Books Collective brings you this month’s Political Prisoner Letter Writing Night! Write letters and birthday cards to political prisoners whose birthdays fall during the month of April. A really easy way to make someone’s day!
Learn more about the Chapel Hill Prison Books Collective at prisonbooks.info
Date:
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 - 7:00pm
Location:
Internationalist Books: 405 W Franklin St. Chapel Hill, NC 27516
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