Commentary: More support is needed after rally, march
In above photo: A sign motivates the faithful at the Winston-Salem NAACP Branch reception on Saturday, July 11. (Photo by Donna Rogers)
Thousands came out to the historic march and rally in Winston-Salem on Moral Monday, July 13.
People of all races and creeds showed up to support the plaintiffs in the historic voting rights trial N.C. NAACP v. McCrory.
The outcome of the trial will have an impact on voting rights not only in North Carolina, but nationwide.
The 2013 law has been described as the worst voter suppression law in the country.
Events before the march and rally included a teach-in for young people at Winston-Salem State University, meetings about voting rights in several wards and churches, a Winston-Salem NAACP Branch reception and mini-rally and an ecumenical church service.
On Monday, more teach-ins were held as well as the march and rally.
N.C. NAACP President Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II says of the trial: “This is Our Selma!”
He likens it to the moments in history before the Voting Rights Act was signed into law on Aug. 6, 1965.
The marches from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama helped change votes in Congress from “no” to “yes” votes for the measure.
This trial in the federal courthouse in Winston-Salem will determine whether North Carolina, and the nation, will move forward rather than backward on voting rights.
The N.C. NAACP says African-Americans in North Carolina have fewer voting rights today than before the 1965 Voting Rights Act because of the 2013 law.
The trial started on Moral Monday and is expected to last weeks.
It will focus on how the law rolled back previous North Carolina voting rights laws that promoted voting.
Numerous attorneys are involved in the trial, and while pro bono work is involved, they have other needs, such as food and shelter. N.C. NAACP leaders are volunteers who need food and shelter, too.
The cars used need gasoline.
No doubt there are many more areas in which money is needed.
On Sunday, July 12, at the ecumenical service, an appeal was made for donations to help the fight for voting rights.
Appeals are being made continually, and rightly so, for donations because money is needed to fund the fight.
How did the Movement get funded in the 1960s?
Just as hearts had to be softened, money had to be raised to keep the fight alive.
Support for this cause should come in various ways.
Money should be at the top of the list.
Without this fight, people’s votes will continue to be suppressed, candidates who would otherwise win will lose, and North Carolina and the nation will regress into another world, possibly a Third World.
Go to http://www.naacpnc.org/ for more information.
