“Democracy was coming back to North Carolina.”
“It had been a long time since I had seen people come together in a massive movement to make change. I had not seen as huge a crowd since 2010, as during the health care movement. I didn’t think that was possible again in North Carolina,” says Dr. Robbie Akhere of Charlotte, one of the thousands who traveled to Raleigh last week for Mega Moral Monday.
Dr. Akhere had the opportunity to spend the day with other activists who participated in Moral Monday and spoke out against the regressive and radical agenda of the General Assembly. However, she had yet to fully realize the movement until she was on the ground.
“But Monday, I became a believer and thought that maybe this movement can make change,” Dr. Akhere said. “It was just a sea of people. They weren’t just carrying their banners, they were coming to stand as one.
“I looked around and thought, ‘my God, this has brought back memories of protesting in the streets, of standing and believing that if we stood, we can make a difference; memories of the 60’s and 70’s when as college students we protested for civil rights,’” she said.
Dr. Akhere joined the Moral Mondays movement because of her commitment to healthcare and education, two of the issues she is most passionate about.
“When Pat McCrory and the General Assembly rejected the healthcare expansion, which was money that would have brought jobs and healthcare for people who can’t afford it, it pierced my heart because from 2009 on, we spearheaded a group fighting for healthcare in North Carolina, called the Charlotte Health Care Coalition.” Dr. Akhere said. “On May 13th, one of the women who fought with us died from breast cancer.
“Now I just can’t stop.”
Dr. Akhere points to movements like Moral Mondays, stories like her experience with healthcare, and organizations like Democracy North Carolina as the things that made her the activist she is today.
“Democracy North Carolina is the organization that reintroduced me to activism. Once I started, I couldn’t stop.”
Louis Duke – Communications Intern
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