RALEIGH, N.C. – With incidences of violence against Muslims occurring in some parts of the country, some North Carolina groups have decided to fight the trend with knowledge.

One such group is United Electrical Workers Local 150. The union is starting in the workplace, educating employers and co-workers about the Islamic community and offering tips for showing respect to members of the Muslim faith.

UE President Nathanette Mayo says it's a natural fit for a union that already champions workplace rights and social justice issues for public service workers.

"It's just opening up and educating people that there's more than one path to enlightenment, and that whatever path you choose, if that makes you a better person and that helps you do what you see is right, then that's all the better," she states.

Recently the anti-Muslim group ACT for America organized a nationwide protest against Muslim people – and Mayo's union is one group that took part in a counter-protest in Raleigh.

The union is asking that in addition to helping curb violence, North Carolinians take steps to better understand the Islamic culture.

Mayo says it isn't only a matter of recognizing other people's religious holidays and traditions, it's also important that workplaces accept the culture and communication needs of all people.

"We've had employers who have told people that they could not speak their native tongue while they were at work,” she relates. “You may not have English as a first language, and because you don't, doesn't mean that you're denied your right to speak that language at work."

The electrical workers' union is part of a North Carolina-based group called MERI, the Movement to End Racism and Islamophobia.

Last year, members facilitated 30 presentations and 11 workshops on Islamophobia throughout North Carolina and other states.

Reporting for this story by North Carolina News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest. Media in the Public Interest is funded in part by Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.


get more stories like this via email

President Joe Biden traveled to Buffalo Tuesday to grieve with residents of the city, after 10 people were killed over the weekend in an anti-Black racist attack.

During a speech at Buffalo's Delavan Grider Community Center, Biden recalled the names of the 10 victims and who they were to their community. Biden said evil came to Buffalo through a hateful individual, just as it has recently in cities such as Charleston, Pittsburgh and El Paso.

He added Americans cannot remain silent about the dangers of white supremacy and racism, and how people have been radicalized through politics and social media.

"White supremacy is a poison, running through our body politic," Biden asserted. "And it's been allowed to fester and grow right in front of our eyes. We need to say as clearly and forcefully as we can that the ideology of white supremacy has no place in America."

The gunman, an 18-year-old white man, is believed to have been motivated by white-supremacist ideology. He's alleged to have posted online about the "Great Replacement theory," a conspiracy theory alleging nonwhite people are immigrating to the United States and other Western countries specifically to diminish the influence of white people.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is from Buffalo, said hearts are broken in the city after the loss and attack, but emphasized she hopes the tragedy can be a national call to action to eradicate white supremacy.

"He targeted this community, intentionally coming to this ZIP code because he could do maximum damage and death to people," Hochul stated. "Not just any New Yorkers, but he was targeting and wanted to execute Black New Yorkers."

The shooter was able to legally purchase a gun in Pennsylvania in December despite previously having undergone a mental-health evaluation. During his remarks, Biden acknowledged there is very little he can do when it comes to executive action on gun reform, and stressed it is up to him to convince Congress to pass legislation.

Oregon's primary election is today, and one of the issues affecting voters is systemic racism.

Black, Indigenous and people of color suffer from higher rates of poverty and food insecurity than white Oregonians.

Shantae Johnson, farmer and program director of Mudbone Grown, a Black-owned farm in Portland hosting programs for community members, said inequities for Black and Indigenous people in Oregon go back to the state's founding, when land was taken from native people.

"We all know that land builds generational wealth," Johnson pointed out. "And so when we talk about where are all the Black farmers and BIPOC farmers that own land in the state, we can really look to the policies and systematic practices of exclusion as ways that kept BIPOC farmers out."

According to Feed'em Freedom Foundation, which Johnson heads, Black, Indigenous and people of color make up 25% of Oregon's population but only 6% of its agricultural producers.

At the height of the pandemic, one in five Oregonians faced food insecurity, but the difficulty was not equitable. Black Oregonians, for instance, are six times more likely to face food insecurity.

Johnson said an agricultural network of Black, Indigenous and people of color were integral in feeding communities during the pandemic through mutual aid, and there should be efforts to support them.

"That starts with upfront investments," Johnson contended. "It also starts with looking at budgets when it comes to agriculture and green spaces in the city and also in our rural spaces and making those upfront investments."

Johnson serves on the board of directors for Oregon Food Bank, which surveyed candidates for governor running in today's primary about food insecurity. Their responses are posted on Oregon Food Bank's website. One of the questions asked about the link between systemic racism and hunger.

Johnson stressed Oregonians have an important decision to make in choosing the next governor.

"Especially when it comes to hunger-related issues and addressing the root causes like systematic racism for years to come," Johnson outlined. "So whether you live in, like, a rural community, urban or suburban place in Oregon, it's fair to say that hunger is on the ballot this spring and fall."

Drop sites for ballots will be open until 8 p.m. today.

Buffalo residents are grieving after a shooter killed 10 community members on Saturday in an anti-Black attack, apparently fueled by racist white supremacist ideology.

Community leaders say state and local officials must take action to prevent this tragedy from happening again.

The shooter specifically targeted the Tops supermarket on Buffalo's East Side, a neighborhood where the majority of residents are Black.

Tyrell Ford is a lead community organizer with Voice Buffalo. He said he's still in shock about the attack.

He said state and local leaders need to act now to stop the cycle of racist violence.

"This act of domestic terrorism cannot go unanswered," said Ford. "These extremists are out there and are probably plotting their next target as we speak. So we need to be aware and vigilant that we can no longer allow folks to come into communities and shake them to their core."

Ford added that Buffalo residents need access to trauma-informed care, especially in the wake of the shooting, to help them grieve and begin the healing process.

The East Side neighborhood is considered a food desert. New York is partnering with ride-share companies Lyft and Uber to provide free rides to and from local grocery stores as the Tops location remains closed.

Gov. Kathy Hochul traveled to her hometown of Buffalo over the weekend to support the community. While delivering remarks at Macedonia Baptist Church on Sunday, Hochul said this devastating moment for New York should be a call to action.

"Let Buffalo, New York, be the last city where acts of violence like this ever occur,"said Hochul. "We will be at the end of that list. And I'm calling out the social media platforms where this hate can be spewed and people are learning how to create guns and violence and weapons."

Hochul has directed that $2.8 million in federal and state funding be available to provide support to individuals and families affected by the shooting.

The state Office of Victim Services can cover funeral and burial expenses up to $6,000. The National Action Network has offered to cover any additional expenses for victims' families.