CHARLOTTE, NC — The tables have turned in Campaign 2016 as the Republicans begin finding unity and the Democrats begin tearing themselves apart. WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis stops by to weigh in on the growing fracture within the Democratic Party as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders continue to wage war on one another.
Weighing In on the Battle Between Bernie & Hillary
May252016
A New American Motto: I Care About Me and Mine
“Drive Like Your Kids Live Here.” The signs have sprouted up around my neighborhood, to plead with those cutting through the narrow streets to just slow down. Though I’m not sure it will work, I recognize the tactic. It seems the only way to gain empathy, charity or a smidgen of decent behavior is to make it personal. While one can understand, it doesn’t bode well for the future of the country if making it personal is the only way to make it right.
Right now though, it seems that’s the major incentive for breaking policy makers out of a partisan mold.
May202016
Could a 3rd Party Candidate Happen?
CHARLOTTE, NC — Some ranking GOP members still aren’t sold on Donald Trump and are throwing around the idea of backing a third party candidate. WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis is in to discuss the possibility of yet another Campaign 2016 shakeup.
May182016
There’s More Than 1 Kind of Black: HBCUs Celebrate the Diversity of the Diaspora
It was definitely a major coup for Johnson C. Smith University, one of the nation’s HBCUs, to snag Oprah Winfrey as its commencement speaker. And she certainly delivered with down-to earth wisdom, her own inspirational stories and lessons from leaders from Martin Luther King Jr. to Maya Angelou.
On a sunny Sunday morning, Winfrey told the sea of more than 300 graduates—her words overheard by the several thousand family members and friends who came to support them—“Your future is so bright, JCSU, it burns my eyes!” The eyes that stared back at her, sometimes glistening with tears, reflected the global diversity of HBCUs, a quality that might surprise those who don’t know much about the schools’ historical mission. (Winfrey herself attended HBCU Tennessee State University.)
Winfrey was just one of a parade of high-profile speakers at HBCUs, up to and including the president and first lady, who, during the Barack Obama years, have highlighted the institutions that historically educated a majority of the doctors, lawyers and professionals of color—and, indeed, students of color in general—before most majority white institutions admitted them. And because admission to majority-white schools doesn’t guarantee a warm welcome (see current turmoil because of racially charged incidents on campuses from the University of Missouri to Yale), many students of color given every option continue to gravitate toward HBCUs for social and psychological reasons in addition to academic ones.
May182016
Lawsuits, Government Overreach, and House Bill 2
CHARLOTTE, NC — The battle is on for LGBT rights, state’s rights, and the overall feeling of government overreach as dueling lawsuits over North Carolina’s House Bill 2 take center stage. WCCB’s Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis weighs in on what many are now calling the next Civil War.
May112016
What N.C.’s Pat McCrory Is Ignoring While He Focuses on Bathrooms
CHARLOTTE, N. C. – North Carolina finds itself in the middle of a high-profile, far-reaching culture war battle, and it’s doubtful its leaders saw it coming.
Political opponents up and down the ballot take sides and issue statements, and a governor facing a tough re-election race has seen the nut-and-bolts economic issues he campaigned on as a practical moderate pushed aside as he is defined by a bill that legislates bathroom choice for transgender individuals, takes away the power of cities to enact their own nondiscrimination rules and the right to sue in state court.
The people of North Carolina can only wonder what comes next, as they sees the mantle of the more progressive Carolina usurped by its neighbor to the south, where Republican Gov. Nikki Haley has said her state has no need of its own version of House Bill 2. This despite the fact that three South Carolina cities have anti-discrimination ordinances similar to the one in Charlotte that Republican legislators insist triggered their actions. And by the way, Haley has offered a welcome mat to any business finding the North Carolina climate less than hospitable.
May102016
Was the Obama-Wilmore Duo Too Black for the Room?
In Hollywood, filmmakers often complain that projects with characters of color hit a wall when it comes to finding funding. “Can’t the hero have a white friend?” ask the suits in the front offices of major studios. I thought of that as I watched two African-American men – President Barack Obama and comedian Larry Wilmore – take center stage at the 2016 White House Correspondents’ Dinner without a white friend, unless you count Joe Biden.
May022016
What’s Next After Tuesday’s Big Wins for Donald Trump & Hillary Clinton?
CHARLOTTE, NC — Following some much needed wins in Tuesday’s northeastern primaries, Donald Trump now has 77% of the Republican delegates and Hillary Clinton now has at least 90% of the Democratic delegates needed to win their party’s nomination.
WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis breaks down the results and looks ahead at what we can expect to see as we get closer to the finish line.
Apr272016
The Woman Not Called During the Clarence Thomas Hearings
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The political theater that put Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court, and Anita Hill and the issue of sexual harassment in the national conversation happened in 1991, but the recent HBO movie “Confirmation” rehashed those debates.
Angela Wright Shannon, then known as Angela Wright — or the other woman who accused Thomas of inappropriate words and behavior — got to see herself portrayed by Academy Award-winning Jennifer Hudson in that film, which she was asked to consult on but chose not to. She heard characters repeat the words of a column she wrote, not for publication but for a writing sample, which was leaked to the office of Senate Judiciary Committee chair Sen. Joseph Biden and led to a subpoena.
Apr272016
Breaking Down the Impact of the New York Primary
CHARLOTTE, NC — The New York primaries are in the books and the big winners are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. While Clinton’s win puts her within arms reach of the Democratic Party nomination, Trump’s win pushes him closer while effectively knocking out any possibility of Cruz or Kasich getting the nomination before the Republican convention. WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis breaks down what Tuesday’s wins mean for the different candidates and how it impacts the path forward.
Apr202016
