WASHINGTON, N.C. (WNCT) – The Black Votes Matter organization is joining local partners, across North Carolina to create virtual listening sessions for Black community members.
The 21-day “We Matter” listening session tour is a joint initiative to recognize issues that are afflicting Black communities in North Carolina. On Thursday, people living in Beaufort County had the opportunity to log on and join the conversation.
These meetings are designed to share with leaders and hold them accountable. Elected officials were invited to the virtual meeting to hear what citizens have to say. Leaders of this initiative said there’s a need to raise awareness on what’s impacting Black voters.
“The social coalition for racial justice did a racial equity report card in 2019-2020 which shows that Black students are three times more likely than white here in Beaufort County to receive a short-term suspension,” says Barbara Gaskins with NC Community Outreach & Wellness Center Inc. “In addition to that, 49% of all juvenile complaints were filed against Black youth even though Black youth only make a quarter of the population.”
The listening session was open to everyone and there were several virtual sessions in the making. Here is the link register for the Beaufort County meeting: Meeting Registration – Zoom
If you cannot join a session online, you can still contribute using this Google Form: http://bit.ly/wematterissues. The deadline to submit is April 29.
