A Prediction of Hope…

To start off our busy week we met at Amalie’s French Bakery. It was to be a day of listening and recording information from the community to Lieutenant Governor, Walter Dalton. We first arrived there at 1pm and began to organize tasks to complete for the week because we were to begin the meeting at 3:00pm. We also had time to begin working on our “get out the vote project.” When 3 rolled around, we gathered in a meeting room set aside in Amalie’s and patiently anticipated our time with Lt. Governor Dalton. The room filled quickly with men and women in suits: representatives from non-profit groups, small business owners and the lieutenant’s special group of four. The exclusive gathering began with the lieutenant’s words on what he thinks about the current legislation. His ideas on the topic were filled with hope but also a hint of wonder as he predicted what was to come. He spoke about the rapid change that North Carolina was undergoing due to current political acts. He said that North Carolina has a history of being a progressive state recognized not only by the rest of America but also around the world. Lieutenant Governor Dalton explained to us that North Carolina’s values lie with education and opportunity. The fact that it was the first state to have a public university system exemplifies this fact. Questions and answers were exchanged in the meeting about the unemployment rate, big and small businesses, education, gay marriage, the racial justice act, the voter ID bill, teachers and their jobs, an attack on Obama and Perdue and different message framing. It was a meeting that captivated our attention on the different passions of the people. From the community to the government: that’s how it should be. 🙂