WNC Organizations Join in Statewide “Day of Outrage” Saturday, July 1

ASHEVILLE, NC (June 19, 2023) – In solidarity with nonprofits and community organizations across the state, a coalition of local labor, community and faith organizations will hold a people’s assembly at 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, at 1 North Pack Square in downtown Asheville. People’s Power assemblies are being held in 13 cities across the state on July 1, to call attention to the NC General Assembly’s recent attacks on voting rights, public education, reproductive rights and more, on the day when newly adopted legislation will become law.

The NC People’s Power Coalition is calling on state lawmakers to address a seven-point People’s Power Agenda: to invest in children’s education and safety, to fund and protect accessible healthcare, to keep bans off our bodies, to uproot racism and protect immigrants, to create a just economy for all, to defend voting rights and democracy, and to protect our future with environmental justice. At the Asheville event, community leaders will speak briefly about concerns in each of these areas, followed by a public speak-out opportunity and next-step actions. Everyone concerned about any of these issues is encouraged to attend.

“Extremists in the state legislature are attacking our bodies, our schools, even our democracy,” said Unitarian Universalist minister Rev. Claudia Jiménez, “against the wishes of the majority of North Carolinians. State lawmakers are passing far-reaching legislation that will have negative consequences for the citizens of our state for years to come.”

The NC People’s Power Coalition has been endorsed to date by 93 North Carolina organizations. Local groups participating in the Asheville event include Asheville DSA, Asheville Food & Beverage Workers, Carolina Jews for Justice, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Indivisible Asheville/WNC, PSL Carolinas, Racial Justice Coalition, Southern Vision Alliance, Southern Workers Assembly, and Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry NC, among others.

“North Carolinians recognize the importance of a democracy that works for all,” said Robin Lively Summers of Indivisible Asheville/WNC. “The supermajority in Raleigh is actively undermining that at every turn. It’s up to us, the people, to demand more.”

For more information on the NC People’s Power Coalition, visit https://ncpeoplespower.org/ or contact Elena Everett, Southern Vision Alliance, at everett@actionfund.net.

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See also Indivisible AVL Event listing at https://indivisibleavl.org/event/statewide-days-of-outrage and at https://www.facebook.com/events/806095907439461.