Award-winning columnist, writer, speaker and editor
WTVD reporter Tim Pulliam and “Roll Call” columnist and host of the “Equal Time” podcast Mary C. Curtis join Black Issues Forum to discuss the start of Derek Chauvin’s trial, Pres. Biden’s new infrastructure plan, the racial component to the fight over the filibuster, possible redistricting changes in North Carolina, and a new lawsuit targeting a Confederate monument.
Airing: 04/02/21
Writing is a solitary pursuit. And writers I know aren’t exactly unhappy about that. Though my work on the intersection of politics, culture, and race attracts hearty public reactions from readers and responses from me, like many of my colleagues I’m an extrovert at work and introvert at heart.
Still, the shrunken world of Covid and Zoom is hardly a dream come true.
It’s been a challenge for a writer that gleans story ideas from snatches of conversation at the market or gym or church. My specialty is reading between the lines of the news, to explore individual experiences, my own and others, in a way that might resonate. I learn from feedback, not only in the form of email or supportive or rude messages left on Google voice but in those chance encounters.
Now, slowly, I poke my head out, to take calculated risks a year though it seems like 10 after my last out-of-town speech, the last political rally. Mask on, 6 a.m., a Sunday morning market sprint.
My unexpected company, a man with kind eyes, slicing the pastrami. Surprisingly, he recognized me, and I could swear he was smiling when he told me how much he enjoyed my report on a broadcasting pioneer, a Black History Month special, a light feature compared to most of my work.
He told me he loved the reminder of someone he had listened to long ago.
Human contact – and appreciation.
Turns out the writer’s life is not so solitary, after all.
CHARLOTTE, NC — Growing calls from sports and businesses to boycott Georgia over the state’s new voting law.
Justice groups are urging sports organizations, like the PGA tour and major league baseball, to reconsider holding upcoming major events in the state.
Delta airlines and Coca-Cola, two of Atlanta’s biggest brands, are also facing boycott threats.
WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis discusses will the effort work.
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.’
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Election integrity or voter suppression?
Controversy is growing over the new Georgia election law.
Republicans are also pushing back on legislation that could add federal mandates on how elections are run.
Our political contributor Mary C. Curtis gives us her take in the video above.
Perhaps Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky needs a refresher course on the meaning of the word “theater.” His GOP colleague Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas could listen in.
The former recently initiated a verbal brawl with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease specialist who has been providing information and advice to guide Americans dealing, along with the rest of the world, with a deadly pandemic. The latter accused anyone proposing the consideration of gun restrictions, in light of two horrific mass shootings in the space of a week, of “ridiculous theater.”
Now, I realize the term “theatrical” can be used as an insult hurled at someone accused of exaggeration, but what is happening in America is a fact. So let me offer my own definition: “Theater” is the thrill of escaping from it all in a darkened hall with a group of strangers, to see and hear professionals act or sing or dance, and to be uplifted by the experience, if only for an hour or two.
And it’s something we’ve been deprived of during this past, very long year amid the pain of COVID-19, with deadly gun violence that has not abated as a backdrop, and so much more.
The Equal Rights Amendment known as ERA — yes that ERA — is back.
The House passed a bill last week that would extend the deadline to ratify the amendment to the Constitution prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex.
But is this five-decade-old amendment up to this moment? A moment that includes #MeToo, rising hate crimes against women of color and a pandemic that has battered women more than men? We turn to professor Julie Suk, who published “We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment,” to discuss.
CHARLOTTE, NC – In a week, mass shootings in Atlanta and in Boulder, Colorado have shaken the nation. While rates for many crimes fell during the pandemic year, gun violence worsened.
Is there an explanation or solution to mass violence in the country?
WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis discusses more.
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.
A crisis at the border as a major surge in migrants strains resources.
Nearly 9,300 unaccompanied children were detained last month.
Our political contributor, Mary C. Curtis, gives us her take in the video above.
This week, more people are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and more appointments are being made available throughout the county to help people get their first dose of the vaccine. We’ll talk about who is eligible.
Once you’re eligible for the vaccine, some finesse and persistence may still be required to find a place to get vaccinated. We’ll talk about some mass vaccination events and where to look for appointments.
This week’s killing of six Asian American women in Atlanta brings the rise in violence against Asian Americans to the forefront in the Southeast. We’ll hear local reaction.
GOP lawmakers in the North Carolina General Assembly are working to put a limit on the governor’s emergency power during long-term emergency events. We’ll talk about what they’re trying to do and how that will affect Gov. Roy Cooper’s ability to manage the pandemic in the state.
And two York County, South Carolina, men are arrested for their alleged role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. We discuss how they were identified and their role in the violence.
Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into the week’s top news on the Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup.
GUESTS:
Nick Ochsner, WBTV’s Executive Producer for Investigations & Chief Investigative Reporter
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time” and contributor at WCCB-TV
Katie Peralta Soloff, reporter for Axios Charlotte
David Boraks, reporter for WFAE
CHARLOTTE, NC — This week President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are touring the country to highlight their $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan as $1,400 dollar direct payments begin hitting bank accounts.
Some Republicans approve of parts of the bill that will benefit constituents, though they voted against it because they say it is too big and not targeted enough.
WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis discusses how the bill with benefit small businesses, schools and families.
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.’
