It’s the fourth quarter and the ball is in my team’s possession, we’re not down but the score is tied with a few seconds left. That is the view I have for the duration of the Democracy Summer Internship and it is up to the Charlotte team to show up in the clutch. This past week was an eventful week that only reaffirmed the nature of the stretch we’re about to embark upon.
Monday, June 25, 2012 was a day that was symbolic and meaningful but at the same time brought disappointment, especially on a personal level for someone like me. Robert and advocates in Charlotte had been tirelessly working to ensure that Mayor Foxx and other supporting city councilpersons of the Capital Improvement Plan and the city budget plan had the community backing them for the opposition to see. The drama had unfolded before Charlotte’s eyes and led into the City Council meeting that night. There was a diverse group of us that came in support of the Capital Improvement Plan, and we coordinated the display of support through signs with messages like “invest in Charlotte communities now.” On the back of these signs was a huge “VETO” for all in the room to see. The Mayor left the dais and stood in front of those of us demonstrating our support so that the entire city council would know exactly who they need to consider before they made their decisions concerning the city’s future. Unfortunately the council punted on the budget and shelved the capital improvement plan for the time being. I later expressed my frustrations when a news crew asked me to say a few words about the decision or lack thereof from the council. I explained my position as a person that has grown up on the Eastside of Charlotte and watched it decay to an unrecognizable point. Projects in the Capital Improvement Plan would have gone toward the redevelopment of this area and the development of forgotten areas like the Westside of Charlotte as well. While we showed a strong sign of force, we unfortunately were denied the outcome that was best for Charlotte. Raising taxes may always be a roadblock in the way of ensuring that communities reap the same benefits as the rest of the city that it inhabits.
The next day after we continued to lick our wounds from the city council decision, we made headway in our planning and partnerships for the press conference on ex-felons and the franchise we have scheduled for July 10, 2012. We finalized when we would have our planning meeting with the allies we have in this endeavor and touched bases with individuals that had been difficult to contact before. It was very exciting to see the planning behind what we wanted to do for the public all coming together shaping an exciting next couple of weeks. On July 4th we will have our spoken word night call to action and on the 10th we will dispel rumors concerning ex-felons and their rights to the franchise. Out of the adversity we faced earlier in the week came a beautiful sunset sitting on the horizon, just within our reach. Like Psalms 30:5 states, “weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning.”
The week only got better from there, as we awaited and eventually received the news that the Supreme Court of the United States upheld most of the Affordable Care Act. We all had a mini celebration in the Action NC office because of the shock and pure excitement for the moment and what it meant for someone like me. At a press conference with our Action NC allies Zaina and I explained just that. Students such as myself who will be in debt with student loans, who will have a tougher time than previous generations to find work after graduation, who were unsure if that student loan debt interest would double, who has plans to attend law school, and who doesn’t necessarily study in a field that reigns in the big bucks, would benefit from the provision that allows me to stay on my mother’s Healthcare plan until age 26. With all those factors you begin to understand just how much buying healthcare would not fit into that scenario. That was one of the highlights of my week and the summer, especially explaining to those that may be unaware, how beneficial it is for me. The human element pays off.
The rest of our week was interesting, to say the least, and very productive. We managed to sit two important leaders in our community down at a table and hash out their plans of action with Get Out The Vote here in Charlotte, and we managed to get them to agree! Friday we began inviting the many churches that we want to be involved with Souls to the Polls to our training on July 18, 2012 at Shiloh Institutional Baptist Church. In addition, I enjoyed hearing everyone’s voices, even if we were not physically in each other’s presence, just to share progress and some of the same challenges that we may be experiencing. To cap off our week we traveled to Union county for an event that served as an opportunity for community leaders in Union county and surrounding areas like Charlotte to develop concrete plans and solutions for problems within the county and for the election in the fall. It was a productive meeting and it also provided us with commitments for other projects that we are working on and need assistance with. It was an enjoyable meeting and we met many new faces and we even got to see Nancy, Democracy NC’s Southeast NC organizer, again.
I would definitely say the week was great and one of the more exciting of the summer for all the reasons I have stated. We’re only moving forward from this point on. The clock is ticking down and victory rest in hands of the Charlotte team.
Stefan Weathers
Charlotte Team
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