Stuart Egan has posted several times on this blog, expressing his concern for students, teachers, and public education in North Carolina. He is a National Board Certified high school teacher.
He writes:
Dr. Ravitch,
As a North Carolinian, it is hard to express the absolute disappointment, anger, and shame that I (and countless others) feel about the shadowy special session that our General Assembly held this past week and the passing of House Bill 2, the single most discriminatory piece of legislation in recent memory.
It is totally understandable that many corporations and companies have called for a boycott in doing business in North Carolina. The list grows by the minute. And it is right for them to do that.
But I beg that NPE does not cancel the 2016 conference in Raleigh for many reasons because NPE is not doing business, it is providing a service to people in need.
As educators, teachers, activists, and advocates, we have a duty to our students and our communities. We go straight to the source of the very obstacles that stand in the way of our students and public schools succeeding. And we have a very large and visible obstacle here – government “regression” and overreach of partisan politics into the lives of the very students and parents we serve.
NPE and public schools are not in a profit-driven business; we are a people-centered service. I do not see the people we are and the people we claim to be even thinking about not coming to Raleigh at this time. North Carolinians and all of the country need to see how people invested in our public school kids can come together to support others and help to overturn oppressive legislation to improve the lives for all of our students.
What happened in North Carolina this week was a regressive minority trying to take control of all the local municipalities. It sounds a lot like a few regressive “rephonies” trying to privatize something that belongs to the people, public education. We need to stand up to them in the very place where the battle is happening. We have been doing that already with the Opt-Out movement in New York, the charter school battle in Ohio, and the PARCC testing on Pennsylvania. We have not been doing that from afar. We have been going straight to those places to show support, offer encouragement, and invest in our fellow people.
North Carolina has 100 counties, each with a county public school system. According to the Labor and Economic Analysis Division of the NC Dept. of Commerce, the public schools are at least the second-largest employers in nearly 90 of them—and the largest employer, period, in 66. That means teachers represent a base for most communities, the public school system. And they are strong in numbers. Now add to that the number of students who attend those schools. Now imagine the number of parents and guardians and family members who support those local public schools. Now imagine the businesses that help support those schools. Now imagine your own state.
They all could use the help of NPE and those who align with them.
I have been at Moral Mondays led by the Rev. William Barber, who is a keynote speaker for the NPE Conference and the president of the NC NAACP. I have seen him stand on the very ground he was defending in Raleigh and look at his opponents straight in the eyes and tell them that their actions were not in the best interests of the people. He is being heard; therefore, we can be heard. He is standing with us.
We need to do the same for our public schools. We have a chance to stand with others. The overwhelming majority of people in this state do not agree with this bill and its implications. It is simply shadowy politics in an election year being exercised to give a fearful minority a false sense of security.
You, Dr. Ravitch, said in an early invitation to NPE 2016 on your blog,
“We chose Raleigh to highlight the tremendous activist movement that is flourishing in North Carolina. No one exemplifies that movement better than the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, who will be the conference keynote speaker. Rev. Barber is the current president of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, the National NAACP chair of the Legislative Political Action Committee, and the founder of Moral Mondays.”
The Moral Monday protests transformed North Carolina politics in 2013, building a multiracial, multi-issue movement centered around social justice such as the South hadn’t seen since the 1960s. “We have come to say to the extremists, who ignore the common good and have chosen the low road, your actions have worked in reverse,” said Reverend William Barber II, president of the North Carolina NAACP and the leader of the Moral Monday movement, in his boisterous keynote speech. “You may have thought you were going to discourage us, but instead you have encouraged us. The more you push us back, the more we will fight to go forward. The more you try to oppress us, the more you will inspire us.”
Those very words ring even more true now in the wake of what has happened in North Carolina this past week.
For NPE to cancel its conference this April in Raleigh would be counterproductive to what we as a group stand for. Industries can choose not to do business as a statement and hit a locality through its wallet. But this is about people, and when people are in need we go to them and see what we can do to help.
Come to North Carolina.
We need you more than ever.
Stuart Egan, NBCT
Teacher
West Forsyth High School
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I agree with Mr. Egan. But I would go further to add that in those 100 NC counties, 79% identify as Christian and that may or may not mean they are comfortable with lifestyles in the LGBT movement. I think they are fine to live and let live, but if they feel a policy is rammed down their throat, they will resist.
I am not speaking from a personal viewpoint, but from experience in watching some resistance in counties where folks were not comfortable with certain mindsets. We can characterize it as shameful if we care to, or we can recognize that a lot of people in fringe churches (or even some mainline) have not and might not turn the corner on some of their viewpoints. I don’t see a complete parallel with the plight of racial equality (although there are similarities and when I’ve asked black friends they concur it’s not directly parallel). But my point is that these 79% and others elected the folks in Ralegh and so long as they feel mocked, they won’t listen. And unless the super majority of Republicans is upset in the next election, things will hold. So is NPE helping appeal to people in NC considering a more “progressive” vote for November, or are they re-affirming that conservatives should stick to their instinct to elect continued conservative leadership? It’s far deeper than just a sweeping judgement call and assumption that most NC residents are clearly
unenlightened. On the contrary, many of them believe liberals are unenlightened.
Again, strong public schools help everyone. But if folks see a cause that claims to be in favor of building strong bridges to the future but claims the only way to do it is to mock some of their values, they’ll turn their heads.
Know your audience. And keep focused. NPE might have a civil rights focus this year, but they are supposed to be about public schools. And that includes schools attended by children of families who are very conservative.
Bold conversations means addressing attitudes, not just shaming them. I’m still looking to hear more creative approaches to this situation. Not just righteous indignation. I have ideas. Which people is it about, Mr. Egan? Just the ones who have the same viewpoint? Or who need the enlightenment? Rev. Barber spoke quite a bit during the 2014 elections and yet very few conservative seats flipped. Don’t you think conservatives hear the message they want to hear at their own churches? Is Rev. Barber just going to reach folks at NPE who never darken the door of a church and so therefore they assume his message must be hitting others the way it is hitting them? I’m telling you, many folks hear messages like what he delivers more than once a week; and they remain affirmed in their religious convictions and approaches to glorifying God as believers and that may or may not align with a liberal agenda.
NPE has chosen a speaker whose greatness will not necessarily surpass what those who live a life in church community already listen to every week.
“. . . 79% identify as Christian and that may or may not mean they are comfortable with lifestyles in the LGBT movement.”
Tough luck for them! They can get over it.
Freedom of/from religion covers:
1. Going to the house of worship of your choice
2. Practicing the religion of your choice
3. Community activities, outreach and charity
4. Public preaching
5. Choosing to not participate in religious activities/thoughts
Freedom of/from religion does not cover:
1. Dictating civil law based on religious beliefs
2. Using religion as an exemption from civil laws that you don’t like
3. Using religion to deny others their civil rights under civil law
4. Using religious beliefs as a “shield” against criticisms of that religion
Denying using religious beliefs to dictate civil policy is not oppression-it’s constitutional law.
(This is a modified fb post originally by “inclusive justice”)
“But if folks see a cause that claims to be in favor of building strong bridges to the future but claims the only way to do it is to mock some of their values, they’ll turn their heads.”
No doubt, quite correct on the turning of their heads to a “mocking” of some of their values. But insisting on civil rights for all humans, not just the special “normal” ones as perceived by those of a certain religious persuasion is not a “mocking of their values”. And if it is then those folks need to rethink their values.
“I’m telling you, many folks hear messages like what he delivers more than once a week; and they remain affirmed in their religious convictions and approaches to glorifying God as believers and that may or may not align with a liberal agenda.”
Again you are correct in “may or may not align with a liberal agenda”, however, I couldn’t care less about and give even less credence to thoughts like “. . . in their religious convictions and approaches to glorifying (a) god as believers”. Feel free to believe that god lore as you wish. In this country though, that belief cannot be held over the civil life of all as the inherent problems of sectarian religious beliefs was/is recognized by the founders of this country in the Constitution.
Some really nutty ideas have come out of the North Carolina legislature in recent years, including the idea that Nature listens to the NC legislature when it comes to sea level rise
For what it’s worth, she doesn’t
The best way to counter these nutty ideas is through engagement and education, not boycotts , not least of all because boycotts usually hurt innocent people far more than they hurt “leaders”.
We do not live in a theocracy. Even though our founding fathers came from a Judeo-Christian background, their beliefs were hardly in concert. Fortunately, they were smart enough to realize the divisive nature of religion and separated its practice from our governance. I identify as a Christian but have no desire for my church or any other to tell civil authorities what to do on the basis of my religious beliefs. If we want to go there, even Jesus recognized the division of civil and religious authority. I’m not sure I would want my daughter to be forced to shower and dress with someone who appears to be male especially when they reach an age to be aware of sexual feelings, but I am not insensitive to the feelings of transgender individuals. In some societies, there might be no issue. Here we have a long tradition of separating the sexes. The challenge comes in recognizing the rights of everyone.
Beyond such concerns, HB2 did not limit itself to legislating social behavior. It stepped out of line when it chose to try to curtail the rights of local authorities to legislate in other areas. In that instance, liberals are sounding more “Republican” than the Republicans in advocating for local control.
Today, (March 31, 2016) executives from 16 different companies signed an open letter to Governor Pat McRory opposing the law and urging him to repeal it in the next legislative session. “HB2 is not a bill that reflects the values of our companies,” the letter reads.
“Discrimination is wrong, and we believe it has no place in North Carolina or anywhere in our country.” Organized by Human Rights Campaign and Equality North Carolina, the letter was first published on March 29th. Today’s new signatories include Reddit, eBay, Starbucks, Citibank, Accenture, and Atlassian. There are now 100 signatures including the CEOs of Facebook, Apple, Lyft, Google, Dropbox, and Tumblr, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and American Airlines.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article69225137.html
“Largely overlooked before its passage, HB2 has gained national prominence this week after vigorous campaigning by LGBT rights groups. The law overturns existing state protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual preference, and institutes a number of unique new restrictions on transgender people.
Under HB2, North Carolinians are legally barred from any bathroom or locker room that does not match the gender assigned on their birth certificate, putting transgender men and women in an impossible situation. Civil liberties groups have also challenged the bill as unconstitutional, filing a federal lawsuit against the state earlier this week.” Source: https://nextleveltech.news/2016/03/31/reddit-ebay-and-14-others-join-the-fight-against-north-carolinas-anti-lgbt-law/
The issue is being framed as a matter of religious conviction, but it is also playing into the idea that the law is protecting the privacy and safety of women and girls from biological males who are predators and who dress as women in order to prey on women and girls in restrooms and lockerrooms. The idea is merged with that imagery. Here is the press from the supporters
The KeepNCsafe.org Coalition releases the following statement today (March 29, 2016)
“While business owners in other states have received criticism and have even been forced out of business for standing up for common sense, hundreds (334) of North Carolina business owners have signed on to a letter thanking Governor Pat McCrory and the General Assembly for passing a law affirming the privacy and safety of businesses, women, and children to live and work in accordance with their deeply held beliefs.
These businesses support and applaud Governor McCrory for supporting women and children, over being politically correct.”
“North Carolina is consistently one of the top five states in the nation for business and economic growth. Any businesses threatening to not do business in our great state based on dishonest attacks by opponents of women’s and girls’ privacy and safety are only hurting themselves.
Thanks to Governor McCrory and the General Assembly’s leadership and immediate action to ensure North Carolinians’ privacy and safety receives maximum protection, North Carolina will continue to flourish. It would be a shame for any companies to miss out on that simply because they believe men should be allowed into locked rooms with girls and women.” https://www.facebook.com/NCValues/posts/1179617835411886
Note that writers of the press release call opponents dishonest. Note also, this not-so-Freudian slip in the last line—“opponents believe men should be allowed into LOCKED ROOMS with girls and women.” Is this just a typo? Perhaps, but it really plays up the predatory possibilities.
Out of 332 businesses enlisted to oppose the legislation, here is a list of those willing to be listed publically. I have deleted the names of owners to shorten the list and to the extent possible put related businesses together. Main Street Investments, LLC; D Harward Marketing; McClees Consulting, Inc.; Vance Resource llc; Strategic Resource Development; Mills Inc.; AWPC, Inc,; Todd Group; KC Solutions Group; Occupational Health Concepts; WCRG; Omnichannel Productions; Ford Broadcasting Inc.; South Rowan Broadcasting Inc.; XG Technologies Inc,; Melatex, Inc.; Snyder Packaging; Sunbelt Packaging LLC; Oexning Silversmiths, Inc.; Benham Real Estate Group; Edifice Inc.; Hasty Home Resources; Green Branch Construction, Inc.; Richard Gavin, Riverside Millwork; Overhead Door Co. of Charlotte; Advanced Enclosure Consulting; ICI Lamp Company; Lighthouse Electric of Charlotte; Comfort Security; Thermal Services, Inc.; Griffin Tile & Marble Inc.; Heaven’s Best Carpet Cleaning; S & S Cleaning Service, LLC; Superior Wash Southeast; Serglandscape Company; Wesley’s Detail & Tree Service; Lombardo Swimming Pools; Collision Center of Stanley County; Mark Godwin Family Farms Inc.; To Your Health Bakery; Personal Catering llc; The Balanced Body Center; Total Life Changes; Planet Family Inc.; Christian Business Men Connections; Archangel Michael Orthodox Christian Bookstore; Prayerful Touch Massage; God’s Glamorous Girls; Beethoven’s Piano Revelers Studio.
A separate Excel spreadsheet, with 332 entries, shows an inconsistent classification system for the supporters by “industry or business.” A majority of business/industry listings for those who want HB2 come from people who list themselves as sole proprieters (78), engaged in services (59), are non-profits (40), or retailers (34).
The NC Mayor Pro Tem and four law firms also signed on in support of the bill. I imagine there will be local legal business, no matter the outcome. http://keepncsafe.org/wp-content/uploads/HB2-Business-Supporters-by-Industry.xlsx