Author
After the act, SB 20: Reflections on North Carolina’s new abortion ban
After the sun set on May 16, 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly completed their override of the Governor’s veto of a bill that will now dramatically restrict reproductive rights in our state. Before all that happened, the Council and our allies co-authored a letter to every member of the General Assembly asking them to […]
Paid sick days and family leave should be a moral imperative for NC voters
Except for summer jobs in high school when I was mowing yards and babysitting for the neighbors, I have always had paid leave and paid sick days. Always. When each of my children were born, I didn’t work for eight weeks. When my mother was hospitalized, I left work that day and stayed with her […]
Some important truths about “religious people” and abortion rights
When I was a newly ordained, still naive and idealistic, young pastor from South Carolina, I attended a meeting of Clergy for Choice. This was 1989, 16 years after the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion. We had gathered as faith leaders because state legislation was in the offing that would curtail that federal right.
Council of Churches leader: The passing of a shameful anniversary
It has been 10 years since Congress raised the minimum wage. Some states have raised their minimum without a federal mandate, but not North Carolina. This 10-year span follows on the heels of a previous 10-year span without a minimum wage increase. Until 1997, the wage was adjusted fairly regularly, even if not fairly regulated. […]
Christian leader to state lawmakers: No more mottos
Hours after teachers marched on Raleigh to talk about funding needs for their schools, their students, and, yes, even themselves, a bill (House Bill 965) was introduced in the General Assembly to place mottos, national (“In God We Trust”) and state (“Esse quam videri”—”To Be Rather Than to Seem”), on the walls of our public […]