North Carolina People; Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, NC NAACP

That evening ladies and gentlemen the Rev. Dr. William Barber is pastor of the brainwave Christian Church of the Disciples of Christ Goldsboro North Carolina. For our purposes night he's president of the North Carolina Conference of the end of a legacy for 40 to get his chance to talk with him and will those oh just the second sponsored in part by walkover helping North Carolina people realize their financial goals. Since 1879 and through the financial contributions of viewers like you who invite you to join them in supporting U.N. see TV. Certainly good to see you again and we welcome your North Carolina people and I want our viewers to know that you are dressed in the student body at North Carolina Central and got your

masters degree in vanity it do you think and a doctor's degree it drew and we're so pleased to have you here and learn a lot about the end of a lacy fee from you. How large an organization is it North Carolina now. Well it's well over 14000 members and they'll come up with thousands of members nationwide. We're here now and almost to the 100th anniversary of two more years to be the 100th anniversary of him WCP in the United States of America that really has quite a history. If you kept up with it myself you know so many of the leaders but in terms of program now let me raise certain subjects and ask you where the organization is today about young people and youth and access to college you were a member of the board of NC Central and you were a trustee of Barton college and Burleson about access and getting a number of our young people on college. Well one of the major thrust to end up with a CPA we have over 100 chapters and over 60 units of Youth and College Division.

But from its very outset in the police CPS for educational access you know we fall against Plessy versus Ferguson and fought for immigration of opportunity and access and today one of the great fights is first of all closing this achievement gap in North Carolina which is atrocious total 40 percent achievement to black and white students and also fully funding our public schools specially disadvantaged schools and poor schools before they actually help to get 113 million new dollars but the states to your owes so much to these poor children. Constitutionally. Well one of the things we believe is we must. Have full access for all children at the public school level. If we are going to get children ever be eligible for the university college level is that why you intervened in the oleander case. It is it is and why we believe we have to continually intervene in there. We have to say to the state you must hear the judge hear the courts follow the Constitution our

Constitution say every child has a right to a quality education. But now Furthermore we see this pattern of resegregation happening again and we have 44 failing high schools but what we haven't talked about in North Carolina is the percent that were predominantly that were predominant resegregated and that we have we can see the empirical data shows now resegregation leads to low teacher how teacher turn over teacher quality issues and access. And we must change that and must stop that in our public policy. If we don't have a chance to educate our children like Barbara like you've done a lot of work. With poverty in this state it seems to me that that kind of living condition produces a lot of the drop out situation that we know about for all races. You know what what are you working on in reference to the 400000 children we know in our state who live in poverty.

Well we fought we fought for an increase in the minimum wage but our real fight is for living wages. One of the things we have to start thinking about those that were fight against a living wage and put up the various arguments if you ways delivering ways to date or $9 you still only have people ever buying power nine hundred sixty eight. There's no way that we believe that that we can continue to to not deal with the issue of a living wage while we continue to do other things and spend money on tax cuts to those who may not need it and those kinds of issues. And it's a civil rights issue because 27 20 African-Americans are twenty two percent of the state but 27 percent in poverty 25 percent about without health insurance which is another issue we must have health insurance for all children. We believe you know we have to expand the chip's program there. The cover of parents and to cover every child in the state. It seems to me there seems to the history of the place if you have a civil rights organization that if you don't want to

spend all this money on the back end in prisons we ought to be putting the money on the front end in children's development. And if we do that we would have less problems on the backing. How do you approach this whole nation. Gangs In this context I know you've been right on top of that some of the work you've done. Part of that is there's a major problem for arsonists today. Well sure when gangs gangs as a problem violence as I was coming up here today we were talking with a young man who was riding with me about how some people in this culture of violence in the video culture of violence as almost like death as a dream where people shoot people without even regard to actually shooting someone. But again we believe if we we have thirty nine thousand children right now who are eligible for day care that we're not affording that possibility we're not paying for we're not making sure the money. So if we do not catch children early we

exacerbate the problems that they run too late if we do not embrace them as children then gangs will embrace them as the children and then embrace them as young adults. And hopelessness leads to some of the horrific problems that we see in this area. So that is why we fight so hard that our public schools would have would be fully accessible fully funded all children would have an equal opportunity at the front end of life. They would not have so many in so much trouble in other parts of life. When did you know the ministry was going to be your career and what led you to make that decision. Well I come from a family my father over 500 years a minister my father said. And over three hundred years of war they minister on my website. So I ran I ran as far as in about a Qur'an and made a deal with God and said I'll be a good member but never the ministry and I knew earlier walked away from it. But in 1984 had a real personal experience when I was at

Central. Well I was on my way to law school went to central to go to law school. Went to Central because it was a private school to have any courses in religion but in some ways I was tracked down by the Spirit of God. How do you see religion now in our culture. The whole range you get more people going to church today more and more influence in the air. Well I think in some ways you have more people going to church but the question is for me as a Christian do we have more people following cries. And particularly the social mandates of Christ which somehow people tend to try to separate those out which isn't which is really almost a radical. When you hear so much conversation in church about money and not mercy. When you when you hear persons that have a great deal to say about personal piety but nothing about public morality as I've read Jesus his first sermon dealt with five groups of people and the poor the tar the disenfranchised in

the middle and those who needed to be lifted in his first term. Now we got him in trouble because of the taxes and loot but. We if we if we truly are going to be Christians we have to be concerned about justice and the least of these and I think we are reminded of that. The Windies Martin Luther King holidays if in fact we don't try to domesticate King and forget that before he was a civil rights leader he was first a Christian minister deeply embedded in the social gospel. When you have a meeting of the whole state conference here what are the three or four priority items on your agenda now for the state of North Carolina. Well the top agenda is that when we are a connection organization so National where we follow our national agenda education is number one. Equal access and stopping resegregation labor in the industry dealing with issues like collective bargaining and livable wages. The issue of a criminal

justice abolishment of the death penalty and dealing with mandatory sentencing issues that may be unfair. Health is at the top of that agenda health care for all people addressing the issue of HIV AIDS which is it is just running you know rampant throughout our culture and affecting so many more African Americans. And internationally we are very concerned about what's going on and they are far and some day. And civic engagement saying to people that we must be an engaged community we cannot as the people walk away from our privilege our right to vote and not exercise their right to vote and then we want to see diversity in our government. We want to see a government when you look at the top persons in the government it looks like the makeup of your state you move around in public life a lot. You see a lot of people talking a lot about common ordinary discourse being talking to each other. You worry today about civility

in government and the public conversation about a series of tensions that we generate at it. How do you see this today. Do I worry about the fact that we we the issues we need to talk about for us is what sometimes people will say about a civil rights organization where that was the past. Well the empirical data say yes we have come a long ways. But the critical data also says we have a long ways to go and we have to have some real thoughtful conversation about these problems. Twenty two percent of states African-American 27 percent without health insurance 25 percent in poverty 30 to 40 percent are cheap. These are issues that we cannot walk away from. 65 percent of the population with 22 percent of the state is African-American but only 8 percent of the elected officials and we have still a continuing legacy of discrimination in contracting and minority hiring in state government. We must deal with

those issues if we are serious about when we say one North Carolina or when we say North Carolina is a place where the weak grow strong then that means we have to do some serious work and some serious conversation and not just be at our hearts but engaged together to move forward as a state. When you see he's in frequent manifestations of hate symbols and things that you that you experience as I have as it says in this day you know how do you that you come to grips with that as a minister. What do you say to people about those dim outbursts like unfortunate ones that we see in our state that died and problems are now more than people realize. Yeah more than people realize. You know symbols of hate. First of all to me it means that persons have a diminished understanding of humanity because we are not hating anybody. We may differ with person but we are not hearing about it. But to see that kind of viciousness lets us know both on the over and the covert side the race of the we still

have much work to do. What I'm more concerned about now is not just the symbols. When somebody burns a cross but when somebody burns opportunity when I see that if you had when our bases we thought our bases were gone leaving the state we pulled out everybody and all our power to keep them here. But the 44 high schools that are failing we haven't seen that same kind of outpouring of concern. We've not done everything we could to make sure that we have master teachers and master students. We've not really addressed those two incidences of our ugly history well-meant and riots and the sterilization of black women. We knew almost what Bishop Tutu did in the truth and reconciliation in South Africa and what was done in Greensboro. The institutionalized racism and the institutionalized disparity is more deeply concerned in the ME right now than than some of the symbols because

sometimes people may not have the symbols but the public policy reflects a deeper division that sometimes are supposed to be this is a late long statement late watching made. You've got chapters all over North Carolina how do you organize you your work week. You just require you move around a lot. We've got great people. I mean that when they might end up basically is not about one person. You know we've got four vice presidents like Carolyn called who's been around for years is going to be honored as a humanitarian of the year. Runaway Curtis. Michael Leach So we have Vice presidents don't we have district directors we have presidents in every area then we have a Youth and College Division. And so really as in double ACP president I'm somewhat like if you will a president of a college or Dean we have all these factions. But the joy of it is is that we are a connection organization and we have a reach because of that kind of

organization where we have presidents just the rector's vice president and it's really a team approach. That's all the way in the place if you had been able to survive. For these many years I was sort of an open book to just be a part of pulling people together I see my role more as keeping us focused on the commons of gender and pulling us together and trying to unite and utilize all of the talents that we have. That very comment I read your letter about a convention you were going bad and you went over the agenda in your letter but you can't possibly go in-depth and all looks good I know what would be this year. Your main target the big OF THE we had a convention and one of the things that came out of that we feel like there needed to be a new movement in North Carolina not just a moment and the need to be a colleague of the progressive community the civil rights community the anti-racist community black and white because a million noble ACP in its

genesis was multicultural and multiracial it was not a black organization. So we decided on February 10th of this year 2007 to have what we call h k on J historic thousands on Jones Street in Raleigh at the rather more on the tour and starting at twelve o'clock calling for the progressive civil rights community to come together around a 14 point agenda. Educators that are dealing with health care for all livable wages they're calling for our troops to come home of their own and we're going to present specific action I have as well North Carolina on that day and that's Fabre 10th 2007 at the O'Reilly memorial building. We see this as a major major coming together to start a fresh movement and to infuse a fresh ethic of concern for the weak and the least of these in North Carolina politics. Is this conference that's wide open it's wide open everybody can anyone can come.

In fact we have a Web site that they can just go to our website and see in WCPN there's a link right there. But that person can go to there's going to be out everywhere. What we're doing is is we're saying to the General Assembly North Carolina. This house our house is not the house of the folk that have the most money who can come here we have been all sad because so many grassroots people can't come during the week but we're going to have a 14 point agenda with action steps in that general assembly at the Memorial Auditorium. Then we're going to march from there to the gentleness and tact like Martin Luther D is 95 Theses onto the door the General Assembly and we coming back March twenty eighth with the people of color coalition of lobbyist during the week but it's not just a one time event. It truly is a be a movement to address a comprehensive number of issues in our state. You always operate as a nonpartisan body governed always had. How do you feed in then to the coalition in the legislature for example. Are there

any group in the legislative do you have a Carson representation it'll get your voice heard. Well what we do is we we have a cast and lobby team you know as addition to a bicycle and we have an executive board we have versus dart the jobbers holler central who's a coordinator a political arm of the n double ACP how make sure who's our legal redress and others that I could list under her style Adams I want misson about it so that you might get in danger. That's right but but what we do is we lobby with their hands with us and we're there in the legislature we're there in the meetings where they are debating in the committee meetings we are there and we stay there the whole session. Then then all of our branch presidents we touched persons in the local level. That's what there's H.K. on Jay it was about we call over 50 people out of every county to come to this young adult because we have to live. We love the issues we do a report card on every legislator not a partisan report card but a policy report car and then we send that powers a report card all over the state

because we are serious about having an impact on civil rights and justice issues in part probably pass it. I like to say that in double ACP is the constitutional watch down. That's really what I wrote you know we're not a social service organization. We're not a color. We are a constitutional watch no. We hold the state and the United States feet to the fire on what is saving on paper. That's just really what our role is then I've got people like you his chambers and I have known and a lot of you have real leadership at work and that he used to be a member of the university board. That's right. Chance for central your alma mater. I went to school with his son and we were together. James and I are at our last convention in October we had a major educational Roundtable because we're starting a new for us now in terms of how we're going to legally deal with these issues of resegregation is

that we feel is almost like a Leandro to you know be enrolled one dealt with it from a class perspective primarily. But when you start looking at this data and how it's being traced along racial lines and Lowndes resegregation we will have to also deal with that legally that is amazing for me. Now 43 years old the word for it like do you change that I looked up to. To work with people that were my tutors when I was in the euphoria of the NWA sleepy and sometime I have to catch myself because to be doing this work and then to sit some days and we talk a lot of juice time or talk about other people out there. The CEO Julian Bond to RC to tonight's number 16 of them women that he's coming to the state is amazing to be there to see them but also to be able to engage with them. I hear you saying at this conference and Joan's story is really an effort to redefine or renew and regroup and

they are the 21st centuries and Marian are you exactly right it is it is a it is a reaching back to our roots of as a multi-cultural organization. A broad based organization but to define it in terms of the 21st century. We're not fighting anymore for the science to come. That they're down. But we have to remember something Monte came said the night he was fighting for poor people when he was tragically killed. He said nothing would be more tragic than for us to turn back now. So what we do is we don't run off emotion we look at the empirical data and whether Pyrrhic at that of say is that we still have this advantage we still have to see this discrimination. We still have division then that's where we enter the fray. And we deal with it in this century. He also said progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. I guess you know that the fight is interesting I'm going to do a lot of King days this year and I'm I'm doing a piece called The Voice from the past where our present realities.

Dr. King one of the things he understood that this whole work of justice is always progressive. You know he started with the bust piece then he went to the ballot before. By the end of his life he was dealing with economic and social issues and I think every generation has to have its whole war of conscious who challenge our consciousness who speak prophetically to us and I see that as the role of the MWC people one of his world. You mentioned a moment ago. Economic development you've done a lot of work on that North Carolina and two or three different avenues haven't you. Yeah I learned early on from my father who used to do work with daycare as a way back when when it was just getting started. You know my father mother helped integrate the school system out of Washington County with Evie Wilkins and I watched him and saw him not in the church. I don't I don't feel logically understand how you can have a church

sanctuary in a community that's falling down and the sanctuary looks good but you don't address the issue of housing. How you can come to a place on Sunday morning and praise the Lord and so everybody's doing well. But you don't address the problems in the school or address the needs of the children. So what we've done with our congregation is develop a CBC Community Development Corporation and we've simply put a the point of a compass on where our church is on the map. Spread it out two inches two inches represent two miles through a circle. Found out everything that was going on in that circle. And we're trying to address it through housing development through economic development through community training through our day care Academy how to make a difference in that community. How do you ever find time for the five children you have and the bad that they do. I've had my wife Rebecca we're college sweethearts we've actually we're engaged right under the shepherd statute and not a lot of searching

I think that Shepherd opened his eyes that might. But children you know I do find time from a lot of times they go with me to different places but we play in the floor of the biggest cave you know in the House are really there. But they're also very supportive. Many times when I come in the door the kids will say Dad who'd you help today who'd you help today. And oftentimes one of things almost brings tears to my ears when I go home and I always tell them how proud I am with them and they turned around and said No Dad we're proud of you cause we know you're trying to make a difference and you really are making a difference in the conversation in North Carolina right now. I'm sure of that. Thank you sir. And I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed listening to you and hope that the work moves forward and I hope you keep up all your relationships with the colleges you've had so much to do

with and I know that you firmly believe in the advantage of education to all of us. He still stands Dutch at Barton and central. I still some of us church members I'm in touch with Barton. I just did. I had the privilege to do the Founders Day and I had a lot of such a university here always encouraging and one of the things that we're going to be doing on is a scale J is calling for Mark and I want to lift an HBCU in terms of money for infrastructure and in terms of recruitment of students and where we place on whopper vets in school. I'm going back to Central Friday for Martin Luther King birthday as well with the niece but he's King is going to be speaking and I was just told about the war but I have to stay in touch with central. Thank you for joining me. Time has run out but good luck and all your good work and I know ladies and gentlemen you've enjoyed listening to our good friend who have heads to work in North Carolina. And that will AC be

next week then. Good night. Sponsored in part by walkover helping North Carolina people realize their financial goals since 1879 and through the financial contributions of viewers like you who invite you to join them in supporting U.N. see TV.