What to look for when the Hornets finally take the court for 2020-21 THE VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY SINCE 1906 TheThe CharlotteCharlotte PostPost WEEK OF DECEMBER 3, 2020 VOLUME 47, NUMBER 13 WWW.THECHARLOTTEPOST.COM $1.50 Pandemic pushes teachers away, out By Jennifer Bringle CAROLINA PUBLIC PRESS For more than a decade, Chasity Robinson worked as an elementary school teacher in Cumberland County. When the COVID-19 pan- demic hit in March, she was sud- denly thrust into the world of virtual learning, both as a teacher and as the parent of a first grader. “I was being asked to do 10 times more than I normally would in the classroom while still trying to par- ent and keep my kid alive,” she said. “I would have meetings at the same time that he was supposed to be in class. I felt that I wasn’t doing COURTESY JESSICA HOLMES anything well, and I surely wasn’t Former Democratic state secretary of labor candidate Jessica Holmes lost her statewide race by a small margin in November. Out of nearly 20 Black teaching effectively.” women to run for legislative, judicial or Council of State positions in 2020, only six were elected. So, before the start of the 2020- 21 school year, Robinson made the difficult decision to leave teaching and pursue a home business full time. Electoral support still elusive “The resources were nonexistent, and even though I worked for an amazing principal, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to survive men- for Black women candidates tally through it,” she said. She’s not alone. According to re- cent data from the Federal Bureau Poor results in North Carolina blamed on lingering racial and gender bias of Labor and Statistics, North Car- By Kirsten Johnson quarter of state representatives, senators “The results were discouraging, I can olina has lost more than 27,000 or judges. In the 2020 election cycle, say, at the very least,” said Smith, a state education jobs — K-12, higher edu- FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST nearly 20 Black women ran for legis- senator. “I’m also extremely dis- cation and community colleges — Despite Black women making great lative, judicial and Council appointed and disgusted that African this year between February and strides in North Carolina politics, they of State seats, yet only six American women are the most loyal vot- September. remain an underrepresented group in won. The others, including ing bloc for the Democratic Party, we While some of those losses can the state’s halls of power in the ex- Yvonne Lewis Holley for have carried so much water yet every Af- be attributed to shifts in student ecutive, legislative, and judicial branches (lieutenant governor), Jes- rican American woman who ran a race enrollments during the COVID-19 of government. sica Holmes (labor commis- up ballot lost.” pandemic, evidence has also Black women in North Carolina have sioner), Erica Smith (U.S. Smith, 50, unsuccessfully ran for the pointed to educators and school advocated, marched, rallied, lead in of- Senate) and Lora Cubbage Democratic Senate nomination against staff leaving the profession due to fice and in civil rights movements for (Court of Appeals) all lost Cal Cunningham in the March primary. COVID. years and have participated in elections Beasley by slim margins. Cunningham lost to incumbent Repub- “One of the things that we have since the 1965 Voting Rights Act legally Cheri Beasley, who trails lican Thom Tillis, due in part to at least been seeing are educators who are banned racial discrimination from the Paul Newby in her bid to remain chief one admitted extramarital affair after very concerned about their safety, voting process. justice of the state Supreme Court, is in winning the nomination. particularly having to go back into Still, in 2020, they don’t make up a the midst of a recount. Please see ELECTORAL | 2A classrooms, and particularly our educators who are high risk for contracting COVID,” said Tamika Please see PANDEMIC | 2A Post Foundation App keeps banquet going you safe virtual in 2021 from virus By Ellison Clary FOR THE CHARLOTTE POST Because of COVID-19 uncertainty, The Charlotte infection Post Foundation has decided to hold its Post Best By Ashleigh Fields banquet virtually. It will feature both pre-recorded THE CHARLOTTE POST and live elements. Charlotte entrepreneurs have The date remains April 17, which was set in late created an app that screens people August when the foundation postponed the original for potential viral infection. date of Oct. 10 in an abundance of caution related Herman Hill, Greg Harris, and Jo- to coronavirus spread. The foundation has notified seph Holmes launched the Vita- honorees of the new format. Corpo app, which provides secure, Funded largely by banquet proceeds, the founda- JOSHUA BOUCHER | THE STATE end-to-end, remote verification of tion’s education-related initiatives continue un- Sellers, South Carolina Mayor Barbara Hopkins shows homes damaged by repeated an individual's health status using abated, said Gerald Johnson, publisher of The flooding and hurricanes since 2015. real time data collection and sur- Charlotte Post and president of The Charlotte Post veys. Foundation. The public domain app is free for “We are working vigorously in three main en- Hurricanes devastate SC individual users and the founders deavors,” Johnson said, citing recognition of Meck- hope to continue providing safety lenburg County’s top African American high school measures and precautions even seniors, an after-school remedial reading program town, leaving mold behind long after COVID-19 is under con- for third- and fourth-graders at Walter G. Byers Mid- trol. dle School and community seminars through Black By Nadia Ramlagan wonder if mold had contributed to “When you replace ‘COVID-19’ Lives Matter Charlotte. “Our programs are absolutely NORTH CAROLINA NEWS SERVICE the variety of health problems that with ‘infectious disease’ that’s essential, we feel, to enriching life in the Charlotte RALEIGH – Almost every time ultimately killed him. But Felton, a where VitaCorpo will stay,” said area and to the struggle for equity and inclusion for Gwen Felton opened the door to her nurse for nearly 30 years, said Harris. “VitaCorpo allows [com- all,” Johnson said. father’s mobile home, a blast of others in this tiny community face panies] to manage the spread of The foundation’s Luminary Award honoree is stinking, moldy air smacked her in similar threats. disease and to do so at a very inex- Bishop Claude Alexander of The Park for his efforts the face. “Sellers has a problem as far as pensive cost, which gives us a for equal access for all. Educator of the Year honors Mold had spread across the floors, mold, due to the rain and the con- better opportunity as a community go to Curtis Carroll, a recently retired veteran Char- crept up the walls and darkened the ditions of the homes,” she said. to get back to some type of nor- lotte-Mecklenburg Schools principal who earned window sills of her dad’s trailer after “People have been there all their malcy.” praise for his advocacy of rigorous academics from a series of hurricanes and floods lives and they don’t know how to get Hill, a co-founder and graduate of nurturing teachers. began pounding Sellers five years help. They don’t have any other Mississippi Valley State University, The top two African American high school seniors ago. And as the fungus advanced, choice but to live there.” is an accredited healthcare repre- in academics – Raven Nikohl Funderburk of Olympic her father's already fragile health Similar troubles are occurring in sentative who has worked with High and Emory Reed Brinson of South Mecklenburg seemed to get worse. other out-of-the-way communities major companies such as Pfizer, High – are already on foundation scholarships for When her father died last January across South Carolina, where storms college. at age 76, Felton couldn't help but Please see HURRICANES | 3A Please see HEALTH | 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 3, 2020 Electoral support elusive Pandemic pushes some of for Black women in NC NC’s teachers away and out Continued from page 1A lican opponent state Rep. campaigns around the Continued from page 1A of confusion and conflicting infor- “We have a fallacy of Josh Dobson to replace the state. Most notably for a Walker Kelly, president of the N.C. As- mation for educators. thinking that it takes a retiring Cherie Berry, who Black woman candidate sociation of Educators. “From a policy perspective, this is a white male to beat a white has held the position since was Michael Bloomberg’s “They’re deciding that it is unsus- huge issue,” Chapman said. “There male,” said Smith, who 2001. climate change group, the tainable, or because their require- does seem to be a balance at the pol- grew up on a family farm “Black women are the Beyond Carbon Victory ments for accommodation have been icy level with getting children back in Gaston. “In the 230 most reliable voting block Fund, who donated nearly denied, they’re deciding to leave the into formal learning structures bey- years that we have been for the Democratic Party $2.5 million to state Rep. profession through voluntary resigna- ond online, but at the same time bal- electing United States sen- but yet we face unique Yvonne Lewis Holley’s tion or retiring early.” ancing the safety risk with teachers ators, we have only had challenges when it comes campaign against Repub- A complex problem and staff.