Highlights and Lowlights of April 2012

May 1, 2012 at 11:25 amCategory:Uncategorized

by

With May settling in, we take a look back at a few moments in the past month of politics and policy issues that really affected North Carolinians: From budget cuts that leave schools with fewer resources to President Obama visiting UNC, to the distracting “culture war” that the General Assembly has thrown at North Carolinians. We’ve compiled these and other moments in the brief video below:

YouTube Preview Image

What are some progressive policy issues you can think of from the past month relating to the state of things in North Carolina? Share with us in the comments.
Read More…

NC spoken word artist urges voter participation [VIDEO]

April 26, 2012 at 1:10 pmCategory:Uncategorized

by

Spoken word artists like Emmy-winner Bluz (Boris Rogers) are teaming up with The Student Engagement and Empowerment Network (SEEN) — a coalition of students from 10 HBCUs in N.C. — to promote a campaign aimed at bringing out young voters during the early voting period leading up to election primary on May 8th.

Here’s a video from SEEN featuring Bluz:

YouTube Preview Image

An earlier video featuring another spoken word artist Poet.She can be found here.

SEEN, created by the Institute for Civic Engagement and Social Change at N.C. Central University, seeks to empower student voters for the 2012 presidential election cycle and beyond.

The larger campaign will feature videos and performances from local N.C. hip hop and spoken word artists that will roll out through the general election this year.

Click here to learn more about SEEN’s efforts.

Going Forward: Lesbian moms tell how Amendment One affects their family [VIDEO]

April 25, 2012 at 10:16 amCategory:Yield: Love conquers everything; let us too, yield to love

by

This is the second in a series of videos by Mimi Schiffman:

Meet North Carolina family: Kim, Kathy, Ben, Jamie and Justin, and listen as they put into words what’s at stake behind North Carolina’s proposed Amendment One.

“I mean, you can term it whatever you want,” said Kathy Sullivan. “But you really cannot look at these relationships and determine they are anything but family.”

The proposed constitutional amendment, which reads: “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state,” could potentially invalidate adoptions by same-gender parents across the state.

Production: Mimi Schiffman
Music: “Viandanze,” Fabrizio Paterlini

Mimi Schiffman is a photographer, videographer and multimedia producer pursuing a master’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This work is a part of a documentary project she is producing on marriage equality for her thesis. The work is being released in the lead-up to the 2012 North Carolina primaries where voters will be asked to decide on a constitutional amendment which could render many established same-gender couples and their families legal strangers in the eyes of the law.

Mimi’s work is being posted on Huffington Post.

“Going Forward” was filmed in Fuquay-Varina, NC.

Love = Love: 12-year-old boy fights Amendment One, for his moms [VIDEO]

April 24, 2012 at 11:41 amCategory:Yield: Love conquers everything; let us too, yield to love

by

Contributed by Mimi Schiffman:

Twelve-year-old Isak Atkins-Pearcy loves Legos, doughnuts and fighting for what he believes in.

“I think in a world where everything is right, you could love anyone you wanted to.”

He’s been fighting alongside his parents and with his junior high GSA to defeat North Carolina’s proposed constitutional amendment which will be decided in the May 8th primary.

Amendment One would place in the constitution the following language: “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”

Meet Isak, and hear a fresh perspective on relationships from a young man, full of conviction and love for his family.

Production: Mimi Schiffman
Music: “April,” Marcel Pequel
Artistic Direction: Isak Atkins-Pearcy

Mimi Schiffman is a photographer, videographer and multimedia producer pursuing a master’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This work is a part of a documentary project she is producing on marriage equality for her thesis. The work is being released in the lead-up to the 2012 North Carolina primaries where voters will be asked to decide on a constitutional amendment which could render many established same-gender couples and their families legal strangers in the eyes of the law.

Mimi’s work is being posted on Huffington Post.

“Love = Love” was filmed in Durham, NC.

Network of HBCUs rallies youth for early voting

April 23, 2012 at 10:45 amCategory:Uncategorized

by

Young voters were a key constituent group in the 2008 presidential election, and they may yet play a key role in not just the presidential race, but also in state and local elections.

To protect the right to vote, students from Shaw University, St. Augustine’s College and N.C. State will speak out at the General Assembly today at 1 pm against voter suppression through stringent Voter ID laws.

Meanwhile, a separate effort by The Student Engagement and Empowerment Network (SEEN), a network of historically Black colleges and universities in North Carolina, aims to draw out young voters during the early voting period leading up to election day on May 8.

For this campaign, SEEN is partnering with N.C. spoken word and hip hop artists to produce videos and performances, engaging the youth in awareness of and participation in the state and local politics.

Check out this video featuring spoken artist Poet.She:

YouTube Preview Image


Click here for more information on SEEN’s efforts.