Our democracy, with free and fair elections at the cornerstone, can be warped in favor of those who manipulate the election process to their advantage – who gets to vote, […]
I greet you on behalf of the North Carolina Council of Churches, representing 19 denominations in this state with congregations in big cities like Charlotte and crossroads most of us […]
For several years now, the North Carolina Council of Churches has gathered with our colleagues and friends to stand with the families and friends of those who died on the […]
On Good Friday, the North Carolina Council of Churches supported 100+ congregations as they came together ‘against tyranny’ in a powerful, symbolic act: ringing bells for democracy. Inspired by the […]
Has the N.C. Supreme Court – deeply polarized in recent years under conservative Republican control – finally signaled that the prospect of throwing out thousands of votes in an election […]
by the Rev. Dr. Jenifer Copeland, Executive Director Deep into this presidential election season we are once again saying what we have said for at least the last two—This is […]
There is a joyful sound on Sunday mornings at St. Joseph AME Church in Durham, North Carolina. On the Sunday morning after Helene struck and devastated the western part of […]
There’s the civics-class version of how laws are enacted in North Carolina – rooted in the state constitution and rules of the General Assembly, and embodying ideals of orderly, even-handed […]
First, the good news. As North Carolina’s lawmakers crank up their every-other-year “short” session (well, sometimes it’s not so short), they’ll have the luxury of working with a healthy boost […]
North Carolina’s new voting district maps were hatched in a way that brings to mind Macbeth’s calculation as he ponders murder: “If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere […]
North Carolina’s newly passed state budget includes nearly $26 million in funding for religious organizations, ranging from direct grants to individual churches to funds for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers. Among […]
Well, that was quick. We’d barely had time to reckon with all the bullying packed into the new state budget approved on Sept. 22 when the N.C. General Assembly’s Republican […]
The Republicans who rule North Carolina’s General Assembly from their high supermajority perch want to make voting more difficult because they think that on balance, this gives them a leg […]
Join us and Common Cause North Carolina for a #UniteNC town hall roadshow tour to address critical issues like the budget, healthcare (including reproductive justice & bodily autonomy), the environment, and […]
Recordings and resources from the 2023 Legislative Seminar are now available. View the resources below:
In the conservative catalogue of insults, calling a judge an “activist” is about as cutting as it gets. If this were an old-time playground war of words, it would rank […]
We weren’t expecting it to be pretty – “it” being the launch of the N.C. General Assembly’s new session, with freshly emboldened conservatives eager to flex their muscles. The reality, […]
The N.C. General Assembly gathered on Jan. 11 amid trappings of ceremony and good cheer to kick off its 2023 session. Then reality reared its head: At least in the […]
The N.C. Council of Churches includes 18 denominations with churches large and small, urban and rural, black, brown, and white all across the state. One of the things we all […]
Prior to the 2020 elections, a representative from the Carter Center’s Conflict Resolution team reached out to the North Carolina Council of Churches. For the first time in its 40-year […]
This Raleigh Report was written by Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director, in collaboration with Matt Rossi, Duke Divinity School intern. The past two years have revealed not only how vulnerable we […]
With Republican lawmakers throughout the land making “election integrity” a favorite cause and rallying cry, it likely was just a matter of time before some of their North Carolina counterparts […]
Whether you are new to policy advocacy or have been engaged in this work for years, the Council’s Legislative Seminar offers a chance to learn about the important discussions during […]
When an ambitious bill designated as H.R. 1 was approved by the newly empowered Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives back on March 8, 2019, perhaps a fitting […]
The annual HKonJ (Historic Thousands on Jones Street) Moral March and People’s Assembly 2021 is happening virtually and online this year. Due to Covid, we cannot gather on Fayetteville Street, but there […]
In 2017, womxn and allies around the globe collectively rose up to stand against the threat to womxn’s and human rights everywhere. We marched, organized, called voters, wrote to our elected […]
As Americans soldier on amidst their ill-fated 2020 stress test, there is inspiration to be found. Our democracy’s guardrails as enshrined in the Constitution may have been battered by a […]
My faith tradition professes that our worth is in our faces because our faces look like God’s face. We are created in the Image of God, making each human face […]
North Carolinians who stood against our soon-to-be ex-president’s rancid politics of grievance, contempt and division, fueled by a gusher of falsehoods, are heartened by the nation’s clear choice of Joseph […]
With North Carolinians on track to cast eye-popping numbers of votes in advance of Election Day, Nov. 3, perhaps it’s time to breathe a cautious sigh of relief. A system […]
Join us and the Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, Garner, Knightdale, Morrisville, Raleigh, and State Capitol Police Departments, and NC Highway Patrol for evening of information and conversation. This event will […]
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER. Join us and coalition partners as we continue the conversation on gun violence safety and prevention. This event will open with a presentation describing the connections […]
Join us as we come together for another hour of celebration! We’re excited to not only celebrate our 85th Anniversary, but also engage in spirited discussion around the Democracy, Values […]
The image of a perfect storm conveys a rueful irony – the storm whose components are so intertwined, so synchronized, so mutually reinforcing as to make it “perfect” in its […]
This August and September, NCIPL will host an eight-week forum series detailing the important issues facing us this election. These events will highlight our voter reflection guide, feature expert speakers, […]
This August and September, NCIPL will host an eight-week forum series detailing the important issues facing us this election. These events will highlight our voter reflection guide, feature expert speakers, […]
In light of recent protests and rallies from some pastors and politicians in North Carolina calling for reopening our places of worship, the North Carolina Council of Churches states unequivocally […]
We know that our communities and families are facing tremendous challenges today. We have the power to shape our future through civic engagement and our vote, and we want you […]
Join us from 12pm-1pm on Wednesday, May 27th, for a policy training and conversation. NCIPL Director, Susannah Tuttle, will lead this discussion. She will cover how to write an effective […]
Join us from 12pm-1pm on Wednesday, May 27th, for a policy training and conversation. NCIPL Director, Susannah Tuttle, will lead this discussion. She will cover how to write an effective […]
When and if members of the N.C. General Assembly reconvene as scheduled on April 28 – presumably wearing masks and taking all the other recommended precautions to stay safe and […]
Join fellow constituents for a town hall discussion on the urgent need to defend our democracy and protect our vote in North Carolina. The town hall discussion will be led […]
Join the North Carolina Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for the annual Moral March on Raleigh and HKonJ People’s Assembly. The Historic Thousands on […]
A long road remains to be traveled before North Carolinians find out whether they’ll have to show an identification card, with photo, in order to vote in next fall’s pivotal […]
When leaders of the N.C. Council of Churches two years ago adopted a policy statement entitled “Confederate-themed monuments: Time to reassess,” the statue known as Silent Sam still faced north […]
The North Carolina Council of Churches has long cared about gun violence prevention — you would expect that from an organization that devotes much of its energy toward PEACE. A […]
Perhaps the Republicans who control North Carolina’s General Assembly have finally gotten the message: their decade-long efforts to rig the state’s congressional voting district boundaries in their party’s favor simply […]
When N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore called the House to order for its scheduled 8:30 a.m. session on Sept. 11, he made a fateful decision bearing not only on a […]
When N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore called the House to order for its scheduled 8:30 a.m. session on Sept. 11, he made a fateful decision bearing not only on a […]
If politics can be described as a contact sport, it’s perhaps fitting to say that when the Republicans who control North Carolina’s General Assembly went to court to defend the […]
If politics can be described as a contact sport, it’s perhaps fitting to say that when the Republicans who control North Carolina’s General Assembly went to court to defend the […]
If politics can be described as a contact sport, it’s perhaps fitting to say that when the Republicans who control North Carolina’s General Assembly went to court to defend the […]
It can’t have escaped many folks’ notice – even those, bless their hearts, for whom the really big news involves the onset of football season – that our political systems […]
It can’t have escaped many folks’ notice – even those, bless their hearts, for whom the really big news involves the onset of football season – that our political systems […]
Written by Vivian Taylor, Public Policy Intern with Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director The United States of America is on the verge of war with Iran. Long-standing tensions have been exacerbated […]
Thus says the Lord:For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment;because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of […]
Not to belabor the obvious, but when North Carolina’s elected leaders craft a spending plan for state government, they take positions on many issues that have a moral dimension. And […]
The Mother Emanuel, Charleston, SC, shooting was four years ago today, June 17. The N.C. General Assembly Senate Judiciary Committee will consider Senate Bill 90 tomorrow, June 18. A favorable […]
The following remarks were delivered by Executive Director Jennifer Copeland at a press conference introducing House Bill 740 to end North Carolina’s role in torture. All the people who spoke […]
Introduced Bills CRIMINAL JUSTICE HB 834 – Ban the Box would prohibit the state from asking a job applicant about his/her criminal history until that applicant had been selected for […]
Remarks delivered by the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director of the NC Council of Churches, at the Workers’ Memorial in Raleigh on April 26, 2019. Genesis 5:1-5 This is […]
INTRODUCED BILLS CRIMINAL JUSTICEHB 781 – Limitations on Use of Solitary Confinementactually contains several items related to prisons: Solitary confinement couldn’t be used for inmates with serious mental illness unless […]
INTRODUCED BILLS CRIMINAL JUSTICE HB 587 – Repeal Death Penalty would abolish the death penalty, and all prisoners currently on Death Row would be resentenced to life imprisonment without parole. […]
INTRODUCED BILLS CRIMINAL JUSTICE/PRISON REFORM HB 460/SB 545 – Fair Chance Hiring would require state agencies to reduce barriers to hiring people with a criminal history. Specific provisions include: Prohibits […]
INTRODUCED BILLS ECONOMIC JUSTICE HB 422/SB 234 – Healthy Families & Workplaces/Paid Sick Days is similar to the paid sick leave provisions of HB 46. (See RR, February 26.) Introduced […]
INTRODUCED BILLS GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION With the passing last month of the first anniversary of the shooting deaths of 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, the […]
INTRODUCED BILLS ECONOMIC JUSTICE HB 46 – Economic Security Act of 2019HB 46 is a collection of issues long of concern to workers and worker advocates. Specific provisions would: Increase […]
At its most recent meeting the Council Governing Board unanimously endorsed Fair Districts NC’s Five Principles for Reasonable Redistricting Reform (RRR). The five RRR principles, shown at right, provide guidelines […]
Update: After this article was written, Gov. Cooper did veto House Bill 1029, as he was urged to do. He criticized the bill as potentially “devastating to the cause of fighting election […]
Most people pay attention during presidential election cycles and many of them come out to vote. The numbers are not as healthy during midterm elections (40% v. 60%). In spite […]
“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees”~Isaiah 10:1 The North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) just finished its 2018 short session without passing legislation that would […]
Depending on the context, it could be called poor sportsmanship. Or bullying. Or a flouting of democratic principles. Or even tyranny. Consider a situation in which a group of people […]
This morning marked a historic day as the Council hosted their first legislative prayer breakfast at the North Carolina General Assembly. In attendance were faith leaders from the Council’s 18 […]
Ordinary Americans – those of us not allowed to know the secrets of high-level espionage work – at this point find it hard to judge accurately the accomplishments of Gina […]
The words we hear form what we think. The words we say form what we do. And when powerful people use words, the words have even more power. And so […]
As I continue to follow court cases addressing Gerrymandering at both the federal level (Gill v. Whitford) and in North Carolina (Common Cause v. Rucho), along with the latest move […]
At many levels, Americans are confronting issues of race relations and racial justice with an intensity that echoes the climax of the civil rights movement five decades ago – as […]
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to be one of the most divisive laws passed in the United States in recent history. After several failed attempts by Congress this year […]
In surveys conducted during the months leading up to the 2016 election, large numbers of Americans reported little interest in the political process. They said things like, “nothing will change,” […]
This week, the Trump administration announced it will end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an Obama initiative protecting hundreds of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants from deportation. This protection […]
The three federal judges could have just come right out and said it: The Republicans who rule the N.C. General Assembly have elevated foot-dragging to a fine art. Their stall […]
Five years ago, President Obama created the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program to enable young people brought to this country as children to come out of the shadows […]
The optics, as they say, are terrible. But in a state whose motto is “To Be Rather Than to Seem,” it’s even more important to look at the substance. And […]
By Andrew Hudgins, NCCC Program Associate for Operations, for The Resistance Prays News: In a speech delivered to law enforcement officers last week, President Trump seemed to endorse police brutality […]
We find ourselves in a better place than we might have been when it comes to health care policy. Remaining ever vigilant and recognizing that there is still much work […]
Better get used to it. The N.C. General Assembly, after an all-too-brief adjournment during July, is about to reopen for business in its marble and masonry maze on Raleigh’s Jones […]
Wednesday’s federal-policy-by-tweet announcement that children of God who are transgender could no longer serve in the military may have distracted attention from another action by the federal government. The Department […]
The U.S. Senate’s vote this afternoon moves the debate forward to potentially repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. What that will look like is anybody’s guess. Senators Burr and […]
It appears that the U.S. Senate will vote today on some sort of health care action. What they’ll be voting on, however, is unclear even to some of them. This […]
Governor Roy Cooper has announced his strong opposition to offshore drilling and seismic blasting along North Carolina’s coast. “Our coast is part of our identity,” he said, speaking to the […]
The Council is partnering with Raise the Wage NC to encourage faith communities to hold a Labor Sabbath this Labor Day weekend, September 1-3. Faith leaders can adapt their holy […]
More than 10,000 individuals and 50 organizations have signed a petition asking Governor Cooper to revoke the world’s largest wood pellet manufacturer’s flawed air quality permit in Richmond County. At […]
No one seems completely clear on whether the Senate will vote next week on health care or what they will vote on if they do. That might be deliberate in […]
Wartime profits are a thing — from the people who make the machines we use to kill other people to the garment factories that provide clothing for the people who […]
Yesterday, the Senate unveiled a revised version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act. According to a report from our friends at the North Carolina Justice Center the changes, and their […]
With so many issues confronting us, our nation’s involvement in acts of torture is fading from the public’s priorities for concern. Five years and $40 million in the making, the […]
Just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus […]
It is becoming a national trend for politicians to “divide and conquer” by attacking the wind industry while supporting other forms of clean energy. This is fracturing the renewable energy community as folks […]
“Biomass” may sound like a clean idea, but it actually means cutting down and turning trees into fuel pellets to be burned for energy — creating more carbon pollution than […]
