Preston Blakely: My grandmother, still fighting for the right to vote
A Black mayor in Western North Carolina reflects on a conversation with his grandmother, who fought for civil rights and the Voting Rights Act 50 years ago. In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision last week, that fight continues. By Preston Blakely Beacon Media...Opinion: Restricting registration forms punishes North Carolina voters
By Kate Fellman You Can Vote Photo by Ernie Journeys on Unsplash Following a successful primary election with energetic voter participation all over the state, we expect voters to be even more eager to make their voice heard in the fall. North Carolinians have a...
Billy Ball: How Jesse Jackson was vilified — and ultimately redeemed
The white South made a villain of a native son, but the region never had a better champion for it on the big stage than the Rev. Jesse Jackson. By Billy Ball The Living South Photo by Fine Photographics on Unsplash In 1984, the Rev. Jesse Jackson lost...
Preston Blakely: What wielding a vacuum has taught me about power
Cleaning and vacuuming taught the mayor of Fletcher, N.C., a small Western North Carolina town near Asheville, what a gavel never could about leadership and how to be a mayor.
Preston Blakely: My grandmothers couldn’t vote freely. I’m now the Mayor.
Mayor Preston Blakely of Fletcher, N.C., reflects on his legacy and the struggle for Civil Rights that he inherited from his family.