Archives for February 2021

POLITICAL WRAP: Former President Trump Returns to National Stage, Hints at 2024 Run

ORLANDO, F.L. – Former President Trump is making his return to the political stage.

He was the closing speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando.

In his first public comments since leaving the White House, Trump says the journey begun four years ago is “far from over” and says he might even run again in 2024.

“The brave Republicans in this room will be at the heart of the effort to oppose the radical Democrats, the fake news media, and their toxic, cancel culture,” Trump told the crowd.

In the video above, our political contributor Mary C. Curtis gives us her take on the speech and Trump’s political future.

Politicians who hate government give government a bad name

Ronald Reagan, considered a secular saint before, during and after his two presidential terms by many in the Republican Party, an actor-turned-politician who also served as California’s governor, was famous for his stated disdain of the thing he spent much of his life doing: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

Of course, his administration’s tax cuts were plenty helpful for high earners, but it certainly made for a catchy sound bite. And it became a guiding philosophy for his, and now Trump’s, Republican Party.

And that brings us to the culmination of the effort to paint any government acting competently with a dash of compassion as evil — Texas, the Lone Star State that went it alone. We all saw how that worked out. When a cold snap broke the state, exposing glaring failures in everything from its independent energy grid to its power and water systems, the state’s leaders were either ghosts — escaping to Mexico for a vacation, in the case of Sen. Ted Cruz, or to Utah, where state Attorney General Ken Paxton traveled — or defiant apologists.

Seeking environmental justice: the impact of climate change on communities of color

The recent extreme climate event in Texas slammed many cities and towns throughout the state, but — as is the case in many natural disasters — communities of color were most affected. This has been a trend in the country, with many of these communities still feeling the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey – as well as man-made disasters such as the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. What is the cause of the disproportionate impact, and what policies can reverse this pattern?

Chrishelle Palay and Justin Onwenu join this episode of Equal Time. Palay runs the HOME Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for equitable recovery from natural disasters, while Onwenu is an environmental justice organizer for the Sierra Club and an appointee to the DNC’s Environment and Climate Crisis Council. With host Mary C. Curtis, each discusses the issue of environmental injustice not only in Texas, but across the country, and why long-standing inequities demand grassroots activism and change in local, state and federal policies.

Mary C. Curtis: Capitol Attack Congressional Investigation

CHARLOTTE, NC — The first Congressional hearing on the Capitol riot included a lot of finger pointing.

WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis discusses what we learned from the hearing.

You can catch Mary C. Curtis on Sunday nights at 6:30 PM on WCCB Charlotte’s CW discussing the biggest issues in local and national politics and also giving us a look at what’s ahead for the week.

You can also check out Mary’s podcast ‘Equal Time.’

Expanding the Pantheon: Women R Beautiful

For the last two decades, Ruben Natal-San Miguel has been challenging the expectations of who gets memorialized and celebrated in our art spaces. His portrait Mama (Beautiful Skin) has been one of the most impactful photographs in the Mint galleries in recent years. The woman—arms crossed, shoulders back—stares at us, the viewer, with confrontation that may outshine her own confidence. The bold red backdrop—a van, with slight reflections in the refulgent surface—highlights not only her stalwart posture, but also, her skin, an effect of vitiligo. The details—her skin, her cornrows, the white Tshirt, even the red van—are not elements often seen in an art gallery or museum. This is Natal-San Miguel’s mission: to introduce a new range of venerated beauty for our consideration.

 

POLITICAL WRAP: U.S. COVID Deaths Nearing 500,000; Texas Power Grid

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Another grim milestone nearing, as the U.S. prepares to reach 500,000 COVID deaths.

The latest as health officials stress the battle is far from over and remind the public to remain vigilant.

And a week of no power for many in the Lone Star State.

While Texas is the only state to have its own power grid, what are the vulnerabilities for North Carolina and the rest of the country?

Our political contributor Mary C. Curtis gives us her take in the video above.

Mary C. Curtis Featured in ‘Women R Beautiful’ Exhibit at Mint Museum

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – WCCB Charlotte Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis is featured in the Mint Museum’s first online exhibition.

“Expanding the Pantheon: Women R Beautiful” is a collection of 26 photographs from Ruben NatalSan Miguel’s Spring 2020 exhibition at Postmasters Gallery in New York City.

The photographer provides a portrait of femininity among all body types, ages, skin tones, and definitions.

Click here to see the virtual exhibit.

Black History Month Profile: Chatty Hattie

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When radio ruled the airwaves “Chatty Hattie” Leeper became a prominent voice in Charlotte.

She broke ground as the first black announcer in North Carolina in the 1950s.

When Hattie Leeper was a young girl wondering, ‘How did they get inside that radio,’ as she listened to WGIV, 1600 on the dial, could she have imagined where her dreams would lead?

WCCB Charlotte contributor Mary C. Curtis shows us how Chatty Hattie is making a mark on Charlotte to this day.

Mooch FM: MARY C. CURTIS, JOHNNY TAYLOR JR. & MICHAEL ERIC DYSON

In this episode, Anthony talks with the award-winning political columnist, writer and speaker Mary C. Curtis about life after Trump, the values of the Republican party, and how their conservative principles have “crumbled.”

Johnny Taylor Jr. is chair of the President’s advisory board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and chief executive of the Society for Human Resource Management, and talks through how we can all help HBCUs – and why “policy should trump politics.”

Finally, world-renowned professor, preacher and bestselling author Michael Eric Dyson chats with Anthony about his latest book ‘Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America.’

Black Issues Forum: Removing Confederate Monuments & “Defund the Police”

Mary C. Curtis, a columnist for “Roll Call” and host of the “Equal Time” podcast; Morrisville Town Councilman Steve Rao; and LA Whittington-Kaminski with Advance Carolina and the NC Black Alliance join Black Issues Forum to break down a new lawsuit against Donald Trump, the latest effort to remove Confederate monuments in NC, and a new law enforcement funding bill.