Racial & Economic Justice
[On Monday night, local activist and historian Dr. Yonni Chapman, PhD petitioned the Chapel Hill Town Council to support the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACPs effort to have a historical marker placed at the location of the former bus station that was visited by Bayard Rustin and others during the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation, which is now known as the first freedom ride. What follows is an excerpt of his presentation (PDF). I recommend reading the proposal which has more context and details. -Ruby, OP Editor]
Journey of Reconciliation in North Carolina
The Journey of Reconciliation, later called “The First Freedom Ride,” began on April 9, 1947. It was led by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)’s leaders, Bayard Rustin and George Houser [who worked for the Fellowship of Reconciliation, CORE's founder]. The First Freedom Riders committed themselves and their bodies to test a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1946 that ruled interstate Jim Crow laws on buses and trains were unconstitutional.
I was very distressed to read in the Carrboro Citizen that the town development review administrator is trying to shut down the taco trucks that serve food in the parking lots at Fitch's Lumber, Cliff's Meat Market and Johnny's Sporting Goods -- in response to one anonymous complaint. They have until tomorrow to shut down. They can appeal the decision, but that process will cost $250 a pop. You can read the full article here.
I have loved the taco trucks. I love the food. I love that the food is cheap and quick and fresh. I love their salsa. And what I really love (almost as much as their salsa, and the fact that they serve tripe, which I never have the nerve to try) is that they are some of the most diverse dining establishments in town.
Is there anything hungry citizens can do to save the taco trucks??
Not an Orange County event, but likely to be of interest to some folks: Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children’s Defense Fund and civil rights lawyer, will be the keynote speaker at Duke University's 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.
For more information: http://news.duke.edu/2007/12/edelman.html
Date:
Sunday, January 20, 2008 - 10:00am
Location:
Duke Chapel, Duke University
The annual community celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr.,
a rally with speeches and song, will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Peace
& Justice Plaza at the Franklin Street Post Office. At 10:30 a.m.,
participants will march west on Franklin Street to First Baptist Church
of Chapel Hill, located at 106 N. Roberson St., for the annual service
commemorating King’s life.
The Rev. Curtis Gatewood, former president
of the Durham Chapter of the NAACP, is the featured speaker at the 11
a.m. service.
Date:
Monday, January 21, 2008 - 4:30am to 8:00am
Location:
Franklin Street Post Office
I am filling up our calendar with all the major events related to Martin Luther King day that I can find. Do you know of others? Just go to http://orangepolitics.org/node/add/event to add it.
Tag your entry MLK Day and we'll have a nice collection of events at http://orangepolitics.org/tags/mlk-day.
Pages
About Us
OrangePolitics is a not-for-profit website for discussing progressive perspectives on politics, planning, and public policy in Orange County, NC. Opinions are those of their authors. Learn more.
Community Guidelines
By using this site, you agree to our community guidelines. Inappropriate or disruptive behavior will result in moderation or eviction.
Zircon - This is a contributing Drupal Theme
Design by
WeebPal.
