Meet the Sunrise NC 2020 Climate Justice Slate!
In North Carolina, we know far too well that our politicians need to wake up. The corruption and ambivalence of our leaders from local city councils all the way to the White House have resulted in a world of climate chaos, mass evictions, and a pandemic run wild with no adequate plan or strategy. We are going to have to keep waking up our leaders and taking to the streets to declare that Black lives matter and to demand a Green New Deal to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis, which we have already gotten a glimpse of amidst simultaneous tropical storms, wildfires, and record breaking heat waves.
We also must fight to elect new leaders who are already wide awake to the crises our communities are facing. This election will be a critical turning point. We can succumb to hatred, division, and encroaching fascism, or we can shatter the status quo, electing candidates up and down the ballot who champion racial justice, climate justice, and a future of collective liberation. The outcome will be determined by the votes of the youth and BIPOC communities, and how effectively those on the ground can out-organize the voter suppression championed by Trump, Louis DeJoy, and the rest of the GOP.
We are going to do just that here in North Carolina. It’s time to end the disastrous majority-rule of Phil Berger and Tim Moore in North Carolina’s General Assembly and elect representatives who care about their constituents. Candidates can prove that they fit this vision by signing the Green New Deal Pledge and No Toxic Money Pledge and listening to the youth of our state. The following candidates have done that, and so much more. We are so excited to forge the path for a Green New Deal in North Carolina alongside our incredible partners with our 2020 Climate Justice Slate!
Jenna Wadsworth for Commissioner of Agriculture
Jenna made history as the youngest woman ever elected to office in North Carolina, and she so clearly sees how a better world is possible through the Green New Deal. She is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and she has previously served as Wake County Soil and Water District Supervisor. She speaks passionately about the ways in which climate change and Big Agriculture have harmed farmers across the state, with low-income communities and people of color being disproportionately affected. She is a fierce advocate for both cannabis legalization and climate justice, and she recognizes how our deeply intertwined crises have connected solutions as well.
Barbara Yates-Lockamy for State Senate District 13
Barbara is running to represent Robeson and Columbus Counties in the State Senate and to champion a Green New Deal for southeastern North Carolina. Her district includes much of the Lumbee Tribe, whose organizing was instrumental in stopping the unjust Atlantic Coast Pipeline. While her opponent has taken thousands from Duke Energy, Barbara has pledged not to take any contributions from them or their affiliated PACs. Barbara will be a champion for climate justice and racial justice in a district that has long been subjected to some of the worst cases of environmental racism in our state.
Natalie Murdock for State Senate District 20
Senator Natalie Murdock has represented Durham County since earlier this year when she won the Democratic nomination in March and was appointed soon after by Governor Cooper to fill a vacancy. She has long been an incredible ally of the Sunrise Movement in Durham and has championed environmental justice since before and after taking office in the State Senate. She will keep fighting for a Green New Deal for North Carolina and plans to form a standalone environmental committee and Green Caucus in the General Assembly when Democrats take the majority.
Deandrea Salvador for State Senate District 39
Deandrea Salvador is running to represent part of Charlotte in the State Senate, and will be the youngest member of the state legislature when elected in November. She founded an organization focused on energy efficiency and sustainability through which she addresses issues like climate, clean air, and energy affordability. Deandrea speaks about how this work clearly showed her the racial and class-based disparities of energy access and affordability, and she sees that expanding clean energy in NC must be done so through a justice-based lens, like that envisioned in the Green New Deal. As a woman of color and fifth-generation Charlottean, Deandrea will be an incredible fighter for Mecklenburg County, which is both in a climate disaster area as well as a target for BIPOC voter suppression.
Jeanne Supin for State Senate District 45
Jeanne’s professional career is in public policy and mental health, and she frames climate issues in terms of emotional and physical wellness. She recognizes how the extractive nature of capitalism is the primary root of the climate crisis and systemic racism, and understands that the types of policies encompassed by the Green New Deal are necessary to create the future we want and need to see. She is running to represent Boone and other parts of western North Carolina, and her leadership will help instill a vision of the Green New Deal and climate justice for these communities.
Kim Roney for Asheville City Council
Kim is a strong and committed advocate for the community. She has deep connections with many community groups, organizations, leaders, and citizens of Asheville. She constantly strives to make information and resources more accessible to people, and understands that a Green New Deal means divesting from the systems that are harming us in order to invest in the systems that will heal us. She is involved with the Asheville Hub, who endorsed her before the primary and is working hard to get her elected in the general election. Asheville is run by Democrats who do not listen to their constituents and who prioritize tourism over community health and wellbeing. Kim listens to the people and has a comprehensive vision for a Green New Deal for Asheville.
We are so excited to be endorsing and supporting this incredible slate of climate justice candidates, and can’t wait to work with them through victory in November and beyond! Join our weekly Swing State Turnout Parties to get involved at http://smvmt.org/f2f-nc and follow us on our social media platforms to learn about other ways to get involved supporting these candidates and fighting for the Green New Deal. Twitter & Instagram: @sunrisemvmtnc
