Making Amends: NC Leads Way in Reparations Initiatives
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Healthy again, Kawann Short ready to help rebuilt Panthers defense TThhee CChhaarrllootttteeTHE VOICE P POF THE BLACKo oCOMMUNITYss SINCEtt 1906 WEEK OF AUGUST 6, 2020 VOLUME 46, NUMBER 48 WWW.THECHARLOTTEPOST.COM $1.50 No lights. No water. No help on way. More than 1 million NC homes at risk of losing utility services By Nadia Ramlagan NORTH CAROLINA NEWS SERVICE RALEIGH – As temperatures soar above 100 degrees in some re- gions, more than 1 million North Carolina households could lose ac- cess to air conditioning or running water with the expiration of state's ban on utility shutoffs. Rory McIlmoil, senior energy an- alyst at Appalachian Voices, said ASHLEY MAHONEY | THE CHARLOTTE POST Gov. Roy Cooper sent a letter to North Carolina cities are leading reparations efforts for the enslavement of Black people, although there’s debate over what models to use. utilities on July 17, stating he would not extend the moratorium that’s been in place under an ex- ecutive order since May. “And that the only additional Making amends: NC leads protection that would be in place would be a requirement that util- ities offer a minimum of six months for customers to pay any unpaid debt that they had accrued way in reparations initiatives during the moratorium,” McIlmoil said. Across the state, local governments are exploring models for payment In the past three months, the Keith Young, one of two Black council Analyzing Asheville North Carolina Division of Public By Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez and Health reported, more than 1,200 Anton L. Delgado members and a chief proponent of the On July 14, the seven members of the measure. “It is my hope that movements Asheville City Council voted unani- residents with heat-related illness NC NEWS INTERN CORPS like this will spread through not only our mously to approve the measure, which have been rushed to hospital emer- The approval of reparations for Black state but throughout the entire country stops short of providing direct payments gency rooms. The elderly, low-in- residents in Asheville this month is because for this to be successful, we to Black residents. come households and people with being followed by similar demands in need to do it at a local, state and national “It was a moral compass moment,” pre-existing conditions are the cities across North Carolina. level.” Young said. “The gravity and the depth most vulnerable to heat-related The historic vote accepted a repara- Barely a week after the vote in Ashe- of the moment we are in as a nation health problems. tions initiative, part of which aims to ville, a task force asked the Durham City speaks volumes about the people rep- McIlmoil said prior to the pan- provide funding to programs that in- Council to consider similar reparations. resenting local citizens. No matter what demic, nearly 40% of North Caro- crease homeownership and business With a modern model in place, political you agree or disagree on, the morality of linians qualified for federal home and career opportunities among Black science and public policy experts say it's this issue is what shined bright in that 7- energy-assistance programs, and people in Asheville. likely that other North Carolina com- 0 vote.” he believes COVID-19 has exposed “This is an issue that diverse com- munities follow suit — though some rep- According to city leaders, the goal of a long-standing problem in the munities across the entire state and arations advocates have issues with the reparations is to help create generational state over water, electric and gas bills that aren’t affordable. He said country will need to reckon with,” said model being used. Please see NC CITIES | 2A residents worried about their bills Please see UTILITIES | 4A Forum on COVID Virus impact as health, economic far from urban and racial crisis By Ashley Mahoney communities [email protected] By Herbert L. White COVID-19 is a public health and an economic crisis [email protected] for Charlotte’s Black community. The COVID-19 pandemic is far from an The Charlotte Post Foundation held a Black Lives urban issue in North Carolina. Matter Charlotte conversation via Zoom last week to The disease disproportionately impacts discuss the pandemic’s impact of COVID-19 on the poor and rural counties with higher concen- Black community. A panel, moderated by Crossroads TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST trations of Black and Latino residents, ac- Corporation Executive Director Tiffany Capers, ex- Samuel Hanna, owner of TakeNow Delivery, prepares to make a deliv- cording to data compiled by UNC Public plored the history and contemporary context of why Policy. As a result, high-poverty areas are ery to a customer last week in Charlotte. COVID-19 is more of a struggle for Black people. Pan- more exposed to health, economic and edu- elists included Charlotte historian Tom Hanchett, cation crises than more affluent com- journalist Melba Newsome, Post editor-in-chief Herb munities. White, Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Delivery services aim to “Our biggest takeaways as we did research Gibbie Harris and Novant Health’s Dr. Jerome Wil- …of the health impacts of the COVID pan- liams demic were that the probability of death once As of July 26, Blacks made up 16% of the total maintian connections infected with COVID-19 is higher in counties cases, which was second to Hispanics at 29.2%. Ho- By Amanda Raymond ing on delivery services. with greater concentrations of animal farms wever, African Americans account for 31.4% of and meat processing plants,” said researcher deaths related to COVID-19 compared to 13.3% in the FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST Samuel Hanna, owner of Local delivery services TakeNow Delivery, has seen Aditi Adhikari. “Additionally, counties with Hispanic community. The county has 20,229 cases that same higher death to case ratio tend to with 202 related deaths as of July 30. taken a hit, but they’re open an increase in residential or- for business and making ders since COVID-19 hit. His have higher percent of the population living “We saw a huge spike in the African American com- under the federal poverty line. And lastly, munity early on in the April-May range of this pan- safety even more of a prior- company, which delivers ity. food for local restaurants, urban areas tended to follow the stay at demic,” Harris said. “That percentage has dropped, home order a little bit more closely than rural and we’ve seen more in the Hispanic community.” Charlotte is in Phase 2 of has been around since 2011. the Safer at Home order put Back then, Hanna said, was a areas.” Yet African Americans remain more impacted by As of July 7, nine of the top 10 counties the disease than white people. in place by Gov. Roy Cooper new and burgeoning conven- to curb the spread of COVID- ience. Now, it’s a necessity. with the greatest probability of death after “What we are seeing with COVID-19 is it is shining infection – at least 5.75% of cases – are in the a very bright light on the health issues that we al- 19. The city will remain in “Delivery is here now. It’s this phase until at least Aug critical,” he said. eastern part of the state. Six counties have at ready know we have in our African American com- least five animal farms or meat processing munity,” Harris said. 7, which means many busi- Although Hanna has lost nesses will remain closed, some corporate accounts be- plants, which researchers believe can in- Hanchett spoke to Charlotte’s history, particularly crease infection rates due to the lack of phys- the role of Brooklyn and urban renewal in the dis- and those that are open face cause more employees are limited capacities. Since working from home, he ical distancing among workers. enfranchisement of Black residents. Seven of those counties – Northampton, “Understanding how the playing field got set up is going out to local restaurants wants to offer a safe way for and other businesses is less office workers to get the food Vance, Gates, Pasquotank, Hertford, Perqui- really powerful,” Hanchett said. mans and Washington – are in the northeast Hanchett spoke to the role Brooklyn, the Black Sec- of an option during the pan- they love. He’s working on a Please see VIRUS | 2A Please see COVID | 2A demic, more people are rely- Please see DELIVERY|2A INSIDE Digital edition: Please STAY IN TOUCH Sports 5A Snapchat: thecharpost www.thecharlottepostnewspaper.com Recycle Life 1B Twitter: @thecharpost A&E 5B To subscribe: (704) 376-0496 or online Facebook: The Charlotte Post Classified 4B http://tcppc.com/Subscribe Instagram: @thecharlottepost #PaperThursday 2A NEWS | The Charlotte Post Thursday, August 6, 2020 COVID as growing crisis Continued from page 1A ome said. Access to quality food ond Ward neighborhood White has been exploring has long been an issue for razed in the 1960s as part health and economics in Black communities in of urban renewal, is a pre- Black Charlotte, particu- Charlotte, which plays into cursor of today’s Charlotte. larly when it comes to how poor diet. While Hanchett provided COVID-19 impacts a per- “When you look at nu- framework for how Char- son based on where he or trition, individuals buy lotte got here, Newsome she lives. food based on location and and White spoke to how “When you look at the what they can afford,” Wil- history reveals itself in cur- health side of it, there’s all liams said. “It’s one thing rent stories. kinds of data out there to say, ‘hey you need Numerous diseases are about underlying con- better nutrition,’ but you more prevalent in Black ditions, preexisting con- have to go 10 miles to the people than white, for in- ditions, and how COVID-19 nearest grocery store to stance, kidney disease, basically uses that as a find a head of lettuce or a which is three times more trampoline to wreak havoc tomato.