City Commission Considers Renaming Racist
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Even at 4-8, the Panthers are laying the foundation of a future NFL contender THE VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY SINCE 1906 TThhee CChhaarrlloottttee PPoosstt WEEK OF DECEMBER 10, 2020 VOLUME 47, NUMBER 14 WWW.THECHARLOTTEPOST.COM $1.50 Second chance for citizenship benefits New expunction law can remove some criminal records By Herbert L. White [email protected] There are now fewer barriers to citizenship for people with crim- inal records. New provisions of the Second Chance Act went into effect on Dec. 1, which allows people with criminal records to apply for ex- pungement that removes hurdles TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST to employment, housing and edu- Barringer Drive in west Charlotte is one of nine streets named for Confederate veterans, white supremacists or slave owners recommended for re- cation. Nearly 1 in 4 North Carolin- naming by Charlotte's Legacy Commission. The panel is taking public feedback on the process online or via email through Dec. 13. ians have a criminal record, so by wiping the slate clean, thousands now have access to opportunities they were previously denied. Criminal justice reform advo- City commission considers cates contend the law is especially significant for African Americans and other people of color who renaming racist monuments are disproportion- ately impacted by ra- cial bias by law Public input sought on panel’s list of street memorials to white supremacy enforcement, prose- By Herbert L. White honor Confederate soldiers, slave Burwell, whose husband Robert was the cutors and courts. first head of the Charlotte Female Insti- “Those with crim- Holland [email protected] owners and segregationists. The panel is charged with making recommendations tute – the forerunner to Queens – in inal records can often Charlotte’s Legacy Commission wants on which streets should be renamed as 1857. The Burwells owned slaves. face devastating collateral con- input on its recommendations report on well as a process for approving monu- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools or- sequences. They may have diffi- renaming streets and monuments to rac- ments and street names honoring histo- dered Confederate Gov. Zebulon Vance’s culty securing employment or ism. ric figures. Levine Museum of the New name removed from a north Charlotte finding a place to live, making their The commission wants public feed- South staff historian Willie Griffin con- high school and replaced by civil rights reentry infinitely more difficult,” back on renaming city streets and local ducted the research and compiled the attorney Julius Chambers. said Laura Holland, staff attorney monuments that honor slavery, slave list. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library re- for the North Carolina Justice owners, Confederate veterans, sup- Charlotte public and private institu- named the former Morrison branch to Center’s Fair Chance Criminal Jus- porters of white supremacy and roman- tions have taken steps to remove the South Park Library because of the asso- tice project. “The implementation ticized notions of the antebellum South. names of spaces dedicated to racism. ciation to white supremacy. The YMCA of the Second Chance Act is an im- Input can be provided by completing an Queens University of Charlotte’s board did the same for a branch named for portant step toward ending the ex- online form or sending an email by Dec. of trustees voted unanimously in July to Morrison’s family. clusion of those with criminal 13. rename Burwell Hall Queens Hall after a The commission has recommended records from their communities The commission launched the initia- task force appointed by President Dan name changes for nine streets, includ- and could be life-changing for tive in June when Mayor Vi Lyles tasked Lugo investigated its namesake’s ties to ing: many North Carolinians.” it with compiling a list of street names, slavery. Burwell Hall, built in 1914, was • Aycock Lane, located in a subdivision Thousands of criminal convic- tions are eligible for expunction monuments and other markers that dedicated to the memory of Margaret Please see COMMISSION | 2A under the law, including those for people with multiple misdemeanor convictions from seven or more years ago. A person with a felony Student debt leaves Please see SECOND CHANCE | 2A NC feeling blue COVID-19 By Herbert L. White vaccines on [email protected] More than half of North Carolinians with student debt who earn less than $50,000 annually report a decrease in household income since the pandemic, the way according to a Morning Consult survey commis- By Laura Lee sioned by the Center for Responsible Lending. CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS Fifty-five percent of respondents reported a loss in With hospitalizations hitting earnings and despite a pause in student loan pay- record levels and the coronavirus ments as part of the federal CARES Act, 73% report pandemic dragging into its ninth stress associated with that debt. More than two- month, the prospect of a vaccine thirds (69%) report trouble with unexpected financial on the horizon gives many North emergencies or are falling behind on debt. Carolinians hope. “Student debt tripled in North Carolina between Gov. Roy Cooper told Tar Heels 2008 and 2018, growing to a $44 billion weight on to cling to that hope as the state ex- our economy and our hardworking families, who pects a limited supply of COVID-19 struggle with this debt load long after leaving col- PAULA SIEBER vaccines for high-risk health care lege,” said Center for Responsible Lending director workers as early as mid-December. of North Carolina policy Rochelle Sparko. “The na- Patrons at the The Grove Market in Greensboro shop for vegetables. The initial doses of the vaccine tional crisis is real, we’re feeling it acutely right here will come from Pfizer, Cooper said, at home, and it can’t be separated from the profound and are required to be stored at economic crisis caused by COVID-19. North Carolina Region’s Black farmers temperatures of minus 70 degrees families, especially those with lower incomes, are or lower. The ultralow temperature stressed out and struggling, and putting off financial requirements mean only a few fa- moves such as buying homes and cars. Relieving this markets grow in stature cilities have the necessary equip- stress would not only benefit these families, but the By Jodi Helmer gram. ment to store the vaccine. businesses that depend on the buying power of our He wanted to expand to a larger Doses of the vaccine will be ad- residents.” CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS audience, but after researching sev- ministered only upon U.S. Food Respondents to the survey, which was conducted When Ellis Monroe started shar- eral local farmers markets, he felt and Drug Administration approval. in August and September reported: ing the fresh basil, oregano, thyme, there were barriers to participation. The FDA committee that will con- • Significant lack of awareness of the current pause peppermint, tomatoes and egg- “The other markets were more sider Pfizer’s request meets Dec. in student loan payments; plant he grew in raised beds in his expensive and were more for 10. • Problems with student loan servicers, including backyard with friends and neigh- farmers who’ve been at this for a The state’s first round of vac- practices that have resulted in lower credit scores bors, they raved about the flavors. while, who were established,” he cines will be administered by hos- and failure of servicers to tell them about income- After two successful seasons as a said. pitals to health care staff and driven repayment options; backyard gardener, Monroe pur- An Instagram post about the custodial employees who work • Over half have trouble making payments, and chased a half-acre of land in Chapel Hill, expanded his to create Ellis Black Farmers’ Market, a new mar- with and around COVID-19-posi- significant numbers are unable to save for retire- ket in Raleigh and Durham de- ment or make major purchases; Herbs and applied to be part of the Please see COVID-19 | 2A North Carolina hemp pilot pro- Please see REGION’S |2A INSIDE Please Digital edition: 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, December 10, 2020 Region’s Black farmers Commission considers markets grow in stature Continued from page 1A participating farmers gen- Loaves and Fishes, were es- renaming city streets signed to showcase and erate livable wages from tablished in food deserts, Continued from page 1A Sr. owned three plantations and as support Black farmers, working the land. areas where residents lack south of Dilworth off Scaleybark many as 15 slaves. gave Ellis a new opportu- “Guilford County has a access to nutritious foods. Road. The street is named for Charles • Stonewall Street and Jackson Ave- nity. lot of farmers markets, but Rather than drawing Brantley Aycock, North Carolina’s nue, both named for Thomas “Stone- “It was my first market, they cater to a more af- neighbors to the markets, governor from 1900-1904 and father wall” Jackson, a Confederate but it was their first mar- fluent clientele, and the ap- Barnes said, “The people of the state’s white supremacy move- commander. Stonewall Street is Up- ket, too,” he recalled. “I felt plication process can be that come to the market ment. Historian H. Leon Prather called town and extends from South Mint like it was more accessible very exclusive,” said Paula are coming from their mid- Aycock the “Democratic Moses who and South Graham at Bank of America to me, like they really Sieber, executive director dle class homes; the led North Carolina out of the darkness Stadium east to Kenilworth Avenue.