Archive for the ‘Civil Rights’ Category

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Pride Traction Style (Guest Blog From Cara)

Thursday, September 25th, 2008

I’m proud that Traction is a leader in standing up for the LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer) community in NC…

Pride, Traction-style, is just SO MUCH FUN! I mean, you get to check out the festival with fellow Tractivists and march together in the parade (carrying giant silver balloons that spell out TRACTION) and support an awesomely diverse community in NC.

Seriously, Pridefest is the place to be this weekend— for queer-identified and straight progressives alike! Marching in the parade alongside other groups that are working for LGBTIQ rights in our state, visiting info booths to learn more about the issues, and listening to the great speakers and musical acts are all part of this amazing festival.

Even if you’ve never been to a Pride before, or if LGBTIQ issues aren’t front and center for you, I encourage you to give Pride, Traction-style, a try. It’s my personal belief that we should support other progressives in their struggles and celebrate with them in their triumphs, and Pride is a wonderful place to celebrate some progressive triumphs.

Now that I’ve bared my Pride-lovin’ soul, I’ll get down and dirty with the details about marching with Traction in the Pride Parade…

Sat 9/27: March with Traction in the Pride Parade

NOON lineup at Duke’s East Campus

This year, we’ll have a rolling How Low Can You Vote? limbo crew, plus the giant silver TRACTION balloons and rainbows galore!

Oh, and just so we don’t show up unprepared, you’re also invited to our Pride Planning party on Friday night. Come have a drink, meet some new friends, decide what role you’ll play in our spectacular parade crew, and then stick around to watch round one of the Obama-McCain debates. Who knows, there could be dancing after…

Fri 9/26: pre-Pride happy hour (parade planning, then debate-watching) at Traction HQ

6PM Pride prep / drinking; 9PM Presidential debate-watching.

Email pride@getTraction.org to RSVP for Pride, Traction-style (Parade and/or Happy Hour).

Posted in Civil Rights, Events, Tractivists in Action, Walk the Talk | No Comments »

Proudly brought to you by the letters T, R, A…

Sunday, September 30th, 2007

Tractivists represent at NC Pride 2007!

This parade entry was brought to you by the letters T, R, A...

As the old cheer goes… sort of… We’re here, some of us are queer, get used to it! (We’ll work on getting a bigger picture…)

Posted in Civil Rights, Events, Tractivists in Action, Walk the Talk | 1 Comment »

Salsa party x2 — hips and dip

Thursday, August 9th, 2007

Traction is throwing a salsa party!

Here’s the scoop…

What: Salsa Doble (hips and dip)
When: Sunday August 19

  • 6pm salsa-making workshop
  • 7pm dance lesson
  • 8pm party

Where: the fabulous porch of Parker and Otis (formerly Fowler’s) in Durham
Who: Traction, El Pueblo, El Centro, SEEDS, Locopops and a porchload of your favorite Tractivists
Cost: $10 donation for the workshop or the dance party; get both for $17
Get your tickets here.

Since we’ll be both EATING and DANCING, we’re calling it Salsa Doble (hips and dip). And because it’s Traction, you know you’ll find spicy info about progressive issues — this time it’s immigration, farmworkers’ rights and local food — and ways to take action.
That’s right, local food. It would be WRONG to let peak tomato season pass without making some badass salsa. (Remember, friends don’t let friends buy El Paso.) So we’re throwing a salsa-making workshop. Spaces are limited…

Make a donation and get your tix here.

Hey, you know how you’ve been waiting for just the right occasion to volunteer for Traction? I think this is it. Write to salsa@getTraction.org to get in the mix…
Good food, good friends, good politics, and you’re supporting a great cause. Get your ticket now, and we’ll see you on the 19th!

Posted in Civil Rights, Economic Justice, Environment, Events | No Comments »

H K on J: History in the making and Traction was there!

Tuesday, February 13th, 2007

Traction was honored to be part of H K on J, or Historic Thousands on Jones St., on Saturday.
Thousands of North Carolinians gathered in an NAACP-led People’s Assembly and adopted (by roaring acclamation) a bold 14-point progressive agenda:

1. High quality, well-funded, diverse schools for all children
2. Living wages
3. Health care for all
4. Government redress for the Wilmington Race Riots of 1898 and the forced sterilization of black women from 1947 to 1977
5. Same-day voter registration and public financing for elections
6. More funding for historically black colleges and universities
7. Redress for 200 years of discrimination in state hiring and contracting
8. Affordable housing and consumer protection
9. Criminal justice reform including abolition of the death penalty
10. Creation of an environmental job corps for youth
11. Collective bargaining for public employees
12. Immigrant rights
13. More funding for civil rights enforcement agencies
14. Bringing troops home from Iraq

Then we marched to the General Assembly and posted it there for our state legislators to see.

Thanks to Tractivist Robert S., who posted lots of H K on J clips on You Tube! Here’s one featuring several Tractivists on stage, including yours truly…

Traction represented well, with Dave, Celeste, Bria, Anne, Tamara, Brandi, Jim, Adam and many more among the marchers.

Did you take pictures? Post them to flickr and tag them HKonJ and Traction!

Posted in Civil Rights, Economic Justice, Education, Environment, Events, Fair Elections, Health Care, Peace, Tractivists in Action | 2 Comments »

First, do no harm… poll on stopping executions

Thursday, January 25th, 2007

This morning a Wake County judge issued an injunction to stop two impending executions until the state of NC can come up with a new protocol for carrying out the death penalty without physicians.  This comes after a new policy from the NC Medical Board prohibiting doctors from assisting in executions, because of their pledge to do no harm.

The judge’s decision this morning has brought to center stage the conflict between the oath taken by doctors and their role in executions.  Go to the WRAL site and check out this story on whether or not we should stop executions that don’t have a doctor present. Then be sure to see the poll (on the right side) and vote on the issue!

Posted in Civil Rights, Walk the Talk | No Comments »

Eyes on Education as a Civil Right

Monday, January 22nd, 2007

Join Traction again this Tuesday to hear from local civil rights heroes & sheroes and watch another episode of the amazing Eyes on the Prize. This week, the prize is EDUCATION.

When: Tues 1/23, 7pm.
Where: Durham Food Co-op, 1101 W. Chapel Hill St. (at Buchanan).
Cost: FREE, but donations are appreciated!
Contact: eyes@getTraction.org

This week, we’ll hear from
- Irv Joyner, legendary civil rights attorney and co-chair of the NAACP-NC Legal Redress Committee
- Floyd McKissick, Jr., whose family led the fight to integrate Durham’s public schools
- Tractivist Torrey Dixon, fellow at the UNC Center for Civil Rights who’s monitoring the Leandro decision and the state of NC education today

Then we’ll watch Episode 2:
Fighting Back (1957-62), on the legal and street showdowns to desegregate the public schools. (Afterwards, some of us will watch the State of the Union address either at the Co-op or somewhere else nearby where we can get a stiff drink…)

By popular demand, we’re making this a weekly series, as we learn from our elders, watch the most critically acclaimed documentary on civil rights in America, and ground ourselves in the ongoing progressive and civil rights movement. Until…

On Feb 10th, Tractivists will join the NAACP and many other progressive organizations for a movement-building event in Raleigh called Historic Thousands on Jones Street, or H K on J!

You won’t want to miss H K on J, so mark your calendar and sign up now!

Note: Episode Information: Fighting Back (1957-1962)
States’ rights loyalists and federal authorities collide in the 1957 battle to integrate Little Rock’s Central High School, and again in James Meredith’s 1962 challenge to segregation at the University of Mississippi. Both times, a Southern governor squares off with a U.S. president, violence erupts — and integration is carried out.

Posted in Civil Rights, Education, Events, Walk the Talk | No Comments »

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