anita earls to keynote nc now conference...nc now 2018 state conference and elections women rising...
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NORTH CAROLINA NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN FALL 2018
The keynote speaker for
North Carolina NOW’s 2018 state conference will be Anita Earls, veteran civil rights
attorney and now a candi-date for a seat on the North
Carolina Supreme Court. Her keynote address will be “Women and the Right to
Vote in North Carolina: Use It or Lose It.” Today our voting
rights are being threatened by gerrymandering and vari-ous measures to suppress the
vote. Anita Earls has long been a leader actively de-
fending voting rights for all North Carolina citizens. Her distinguished legal ca-
reer includes serving as a Deputy Assistant Attorney
General in the Civil Rights Di-vision of the US Department of Justice and directing the
Voting Rights Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. In 2003 she
joined Julius Chambers at the UNC Center for Civil Rights as
Director of Advocacy. For the first ten years of her career, she was in private
practice in Charlotte, litigat-ing voting rights, police mis-
conduct, school desegrega-tion, and employment dis-crimination cases.
Anita Earls was the foun-der and Executive Director of
the Southern Coalition for So-
cial Justice, a non-profit legal
advocacy organization where she litigated voting
rights and other civil rights cases. She left that position
in January 2018 to run for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Her teaching experience includes serving as an ad-
junct professor at the law schools of the University of Maryland and the University
of North Carolina and in the Af r ican and Af r ican-
American Studies Depart-ment at Duke University. Cur-rently she is teaching attor-
neys in the Shriver Center’s Racial Justice Training Insti-
tute.
NOW NEWSNOW NEWSNOW NEWSNOW NEWS
Anita Earls to keynote NC NOW Conference She has been honored to receive
the national NAACP Civil Rights Champion Award in 2011. In 2017
she received a “Defenders of Jus-tice” award from the NC Justice Center and was a “We Are Emily”
honoree by Emily’s List. For 30 years Anita Earls has
worked passionately protecting civil rights, fighting for families, and advocating for voting rights and
fair political process. She is known for her leadership in litigating suc-cessful challenges to North Caro-
lina’s “monster voter suppression law” and unfair redistricting plans.
To its shame, North Carolina has been in the national forefront in voter suppression and gerryman-
dering, and these are areas where Anita Earls has had extensive ex-
perience. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Anita Earls speak at this year’s
North Carolina NOW state confer-ence. Register for the conference
using the form on page 3 inside this newsletter.
Anita Earls
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NC Women are Running and Winning in Record Numbers
Women candidates openly embracing
issues of concern to women and their fami-
lies are running in record numbers across the
nation, and male candidates are making intensified efforts to address our issues. North
Carolina is reflecting the national trend.
At the congressional level, the two
women incumbents, one Democratic and
one Republican, will be on the November
ballot. And an eye-popping five new
women candidates (four Democrats, 1 Lib-
ertarian) won their primary elections for con-
gressional seats and face incumbents in the
fall.
A record number of women ran for the
NC state legislature in the 2018 primaries. In
2014, the last election year without a presi-
dential election, 24 women ran for the state
legislature. This year 119 women ran for the
state House and Senate; only 43 were in-
cumbents. In November, 65 Democratic
women will be on the ballot. The Republi-
can party does not track women candi-
dates.
Due to the unprecedented focus on
women’s issues and women candidates,
the North Carolina NOW Political Action
Committee (PAC) has been inundated with
requests for endorsements, and we have
been interviewing candidates (women and
men) at a frantic pace.
Although North Carolina NOW is a non-partisan organization, NOW at the state and
national levels can endorse candidates
through our political action committees
(PACs). Federal candidates are endorsed
by the national NOW PAC, which acts on recommendations from North Carolina
NOW. Candidates for state offices are en-
dorsed by the North Carolina NOW PAC. NOW members will receive a mailing list-
ing candidates endorsed by a NOW PAC,
and the information will also be available
online. Many candidates also list their en-
dorsement in their campaign literature and
on their webpages and on social media.
Unfortunately, voters may be confused
because many of our districts had to be re-
drawn to correct unconstitutional gerryman-dering. The website for the State Board of
Elections can help you locate your precinct
number, voting site, sample ballot and more
- https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/. This website
will also help you verify that you are properly
registered to vote (better check). Your vote
has never mattered more!
Still No Funds to Test Backlog
of 15,160 Rape Kits According to available data, there were 15,160 untested rape kits sitting on evidence
shelves in North Carolina in 2017 - among the
most in the country. Until recently, many
people believed that all rape kits were being
tested as evidence. Progress on testing the backlog is inex-
cusably slow. Legislation passed in 2017 ap-
propriated funds to do a statewide inventory
of untested kits. The inventory bill was initi-
ated out of Fayetteville.
A new law passed this session requires the
state crime lab to develop a tracking system
that would include all new rape kits and
those in the massive backlog. All medical
providers, law enforcement agencies and
forensic labs will be required to participate
and it must allow victims to access informa-
tion about the status of their kits. Beginning in
October 2019, the state lab must report to
the legislature data on the number of track-
ing-enabled kits and how many are con-
nected to a reported sexual assault.
But funding for actual testing has been
delayed until the tracking system is in place.
Attorney General Josh Stein’s budget request
for 2 million dollars to begin testing was re-fused. The new system should prevent the
destruction of untested kits. But without new
funding, the backlog will continue to grow.
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NC NOW 2018 State Conference and Elections Women Rising up NOW
Saturday, October 20, 2018
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
NC Advocates for Justice
1312 Annapolis Drive Raleigh NC
2018 NC NOW Conference Preregistration Form Make checks payable to NC NOW and mail to:
NC NOW State Conference, c/o Roberta Waddle, 3941 Gainey Rd., Fayetteville, NC 28306 Mail by October 11, 2018
Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________________________________________________
City: ______________________________________________________State: ________ ZIP: _____________________
Phone: ______________________________________Email: _______________________________________________
� Check here if you are a member of North Carolina NOW
� North Carolina NOW Conference Registration fee $40 (sliding scale from $10 to $40 for NC NOW members
only). � Special student registration $10
� Conference registration for non-NOW members $40
� I can’t attend, but here’s my contribution to help with costs.
� Check Enclosed. $________________________
� Or Charge your Visa or Master Card (Please circle one)
Card Number: ________________________________________Expiration Date: ______________ Security Code: _________
Amount Charged: __________________________ Signature: _____________________________________________________
Registration—8:30-9:00 a.m.
The conference registration fee includes lunch. Registration for non-NOW and NOW members is
$40. You can join/rejoin NOW at the conference. • Student registration is $10 (student ID required).
• Registration for NOW members is a sliding scale from $10-$40 ($10 covers the meal).
Please preregister using the form below or register on-line in Eventbrite through
northcarolinanow.wordpress.com/conferences/
Hotel, information, ad forms, and tabling forms are on the website.
You may also register on-site the day of the confer-
ence, but lunch is guaranteed only for those who preregister or call requesting a lunch.
If you miss the mailing deadline, call Roberta Wad-dle at 910-624-5616.
Keynote
Civil rights attorney Anita Earls will speak on “Women and the Right to Vote in North Carolina: Use It or Lose It.” Speakers/Workshops
The conference will include discussions of new threats to women and workshops on skills to em-
power us to communicate effectively to legislators, and in the media. Meal
A lunch (including a vegetarian option) will be served. If you have special dietary needs,
contact Lori Bunton at 919-302-8148. Special Needs/Directions
If you need directions or have any special needs, or questions about the conference, we are happy to work with you. Call Lori Bunton at 919-302-8148. Hotel
Comfort Inn & Suites Crabtree Valley, 6209 Glen-
wood Ave., Raleigh. Specify ‘NC NOW’ block and reserve by Sep. 28 to get special rate: $72 for king, $82 for double. For reservations, call: 919-782-1112.
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Call to
Confe
rence—
Oct. 20
, 2018
“Wome
n Risin
g Up N
OW”
NC NOW North Carolina National Organization for Women
P.O. Box 24995
Raleigh, NC 27611
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