Weekly update, March 27

Hello and Happy Friday, the last of Women's History Month.

On March 14, the Town hosted an event called Rise and Rhythm to celebrate Women's History. You can find that event recording here. As poet Liza Wolff-Francis notes in her opening remarks, denying rights is denying worth.

It may be easy to forget or ignore what it took, and continues to take, to achieve basic rights for women: voting, education, equal pay, bodily autonomy, safety and security, financial independence, health care access. Here is one example.

The SAVE Act, which passed the U.S. House but is currently stalled in the Senate, would make it difficult for people who changed their names (e.g., many women) to vote.

In the early 20th century, Alice Paul and others dedicated their lives to demanding women's right to vote. That work included hunger strikes. Authorities force-fed those women who participated. In 1920, the 19th amendment was passed, giving women the right to vote, although in practice, many women of color and some disabled were denied their rights to vote for much longer. Alice Paul was 35 when she voted for the first time. She died in 1977.

While there are no known images of authorities force-feeding suffragists (cameras were forbidden in the facility), the 2004 film Iron Jawed Angels contains a moving scene of that particular torture.

We see each day, again and again, what Nancy Pelosi, first (and only, to date) woman Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, said, that power is not willingly given but must be won. U.S. Congress Member, Shirley Chisholm, famously said, "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair."

The work continues.

Online this week

We posted an edited transcript from our interview with Scott Conary, founder of Carrboro Coffee Roasters, and a description of Dungeons and Dragons and the benefits of role-playing games by Noah Basil. We also posted a point/counterpoint review of the new film adaptation of Wuthering Heights, edited by Julia F. Green.

The Carrborean Radio Hour

Niya Lovelace hosted another interesting segment of ctrl+alt+art last week (post coming soon) and you can hear her again on Monday from 4-5pm on WCOM 103.5 (wcomfm.org).

News from Town and County

Tuesday, March 31 is Transgender Day of Visibility in Carrboro. "Residents are asked to celebrate our transgender community, to educate ourselves about the contributions of transgender people, and support our transgender community’s efforts to achieve equity and full inclusion in our society. The transgender community includes all those whose gender does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth, including many non-binary and third gender people."

The Orange County Health Department (OCHD) and the NC DHHS Division of Public Health remind us that measles is spreading. On April 15, OCHD will "bring together healthcare providers to discuss measles preparedness and response, an important public health priority. Dr. Erica Pettigrew, Medical Director for the Orange County Health Department, will serve as the featured speaker and will provide information and guidance for healthcare providers on recognizing symptoms, appropriate response protocols, and strategies to prevent the spread of measles within the community."

Big event this weekend: Indivisible Orange County, NC hosts the next "No Kings" March and Rally Saturday. The march begins at 3:45pm at 140 West Franklin St. in Chapel Hill and travels west to Carrboro. The rally begins at 5pm at Carrboro Town Commons.

Final Notes

The Community Bulletin Board has announcements and opportunities for giving and civic engagement and is updated weekly.

There's so much going on in Carrboro! Check out The Events Calendar to see what's happening and help us keep it up to date.

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Poetry Moment

This Spring by James A. Pearson