The UNC Center for Civil Rights continues its series of county level profiles on the legacy of racial
segregation, focusing this time on Moore
County (). Building on last year’s statewide State
of Exclusion report (), this series includes prior reports on Lenoir () and Davidson () counties; all are available at www.uncinclusionproject.org.
Profiles of additional counties will follow in the coming weeks, each
highlighting particular aspects of that county’s history, ongoing impacts of
exclusion, and progress toward full inclusion of all residents.
Moore County, in the
southern part of the Piedmont of North Carolina, is the center of the Sandhills
region, known today primarily for its luxurious golf resorts, especially
Pinehurst, home to this year’s U.S. Open Golf Tournament. Despite significant
strides, Moore County remains nearly as deeply divided as described by the New
York Times in 2005, the last time it hosted a U.S. Open. Most basic
amenities have been extended to the excluded communities nearest the wealthiest
golf resorts, but when looking at the county as a whole, racial and economic
segregation persists. This report focuses on the impact of racial segregation
on affordable housing, public education, environmental justice, and access to
municipal services. The UNC Center for
Civil Rights continues to represent several excluded communities in the
county; the history of the Center’s work there informs the report, but like
prior reports all conclusions are based upon publically available data.
Read More... (State of Exclusion: Profile on Moore County)
Posted by Peter Hull Gilbert on Fri. June 6, 2014 4:07 PM
Categories: Annexation, Community Inclusion, Education, Environmental Justice, Fair Housing, Moore County, Race Discrimination, Segregation, Voting Rights
This post was originally posted on the Progressive Pulse by Tazra Mitchell of the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center at the N.C. Justice Center on Thursday, February 28, 2014.
Imagine living in a community that includes the most undesirable and hazardous amenities a place has to offer such as a waste transfer station, a sewage treatment plant, and several landfills. Now, imagine being represented by county officials who decide to provide water and sewer services to an animal shelter but not to the residents—who happen to be more than three-quarters African American. And, these facilities primarily serve the majority-white residents in adjacent communities. Unfortunately, the residents of Royal Oak in Brunswick County don’t have to imagine this; they face this reality every day.
Read More... (Environmental injustice in NC extends its unhealthy reach across North Carolina, especially in African American communities)
Posted by Peter Hull Gilbert on Wed. March 5, 2014 3:22 PM
Categories: Brunswick County, Community Inclusion, Environmental Justice, Race Discrimination, Segregation
Powerful new study reveals the depths of segregation in NC and the need for intentional action to address it
Sometimes, it’s hard to say what divides North Carolinians more: race or what to do about race. A new and powerful report by some data wonks at the University of North Carolina helps to shine a light on both of these divisions. The report is entitled “The State of Exclusion: An Empirical Analysis of the Legacy of Segregated Communities in North Carolina” () and the portrait it paints is not an especially encouraging one.
A team led by researcher Peter Gilbert examined hundreds of “census blocks” and population “clusters” throughout the state in an attempt to explore and explain some of the key aspects of North Carolina’s readily-evident residential segregation by race:
Where does it exist? Why does it exist? What are its impacts?
What they found shouldn’t surprise us, but it should serve as a wake-up call to all North Carolinians of good will. The three-pronged message:
Despite decades of important progress, North Carolina remains intensely segregated in many, many areas.
This segregation produces significant and measurable negative consequences.
Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away.
Read the executive summary of the report ().
This post was re-posted from NC Policy Watch. - It was written by Rob Schofield
Read More... (This didn't happen by accident - by Rob Schofield from NC Policy Watch)
| Posted by Peter Hull Gilbert on Wed. September 18, 2013 10:14 AM
Categories: Community Inclusion, Education, Environmental Justice, Fair Housing, Segregation, Voting Rights
Each year, the Center hosts law student interns for the summer, fall, and spring semesters, as part of its mission to train the next generation of civil rights lawyers. This blog post is part of the Next Generation Series, which include reflections from our interns on their assigned casework.
Read more about our current and past interns.
The historic Rogers-Eubanks community claimed a long overdue victory when the Orange County Landfill closed on Saturday, June 29, 2013, forty-one years after it opened. With a slow click of the master lock held by three community members – David Caldwell, Gertrude Nunn and the Reverend Robert Campbell – the landfill gates were secured.
Read More... (Next Generation Series: Orange County Landfill Closing Is A Victory for the Rogers-Eubanks Commmunity)
Rogers-Eubanks community members prepare to lock the landfill gates. The signs they hold read, "Thanks Orange County for Closing This Landfill, Let's Keep It Closed Forever. Reject NC Senate Bill 328."
Posted by Bethan R. Eynon on Wed. July 10, 2013 4:36 PM
Categories: Community Inclusion, Environmental Justice, Next Generation Series, Orange County