Last year was bad. The Panthers lost the Super Bowl, UNC lost the NCAA tournament and America seemingly lost its mind. It is now 2017, and the future looks bleak. President Obama is leaving, the election led to anything but unity and House Bill 2 may survive long enough to have its first birthday.
Yes, 2016 is over, but the issues that arose last year are still here. Having hope for the New Year is good, but hoping for a better 2017 is meaningless without subsequent action.
A society is nothing more than a collection of individuals working within a similar climate, and those individuals have no obligation to blindly follow their leaders. This country is moving in a direction that is terrifying to many. Don’t follow it. Be better than the loud mouths promoting hate in the public sphere.
Be bold as we move into 2017.
In North Carolina, we have some major improvements to make. Now the redrawing of our districts to correct gerrymandering issues has been delayed, which will affect our elections this year. The possibility of special elections is a small glimmer of hope, but without them, half of Roy Cooper’s term will be made incredibly difficult by the strikingly conservative composition of the General Assembly.
Obviously, since the state elected a Democratic governor, many people are angered by the limitations the mostly Republican General Assembly can have on Cooper’s abilities to improve the state of North Carolina.
The two glimmers of hope for those upset include: their voices have been heard with the election of Gov. Cooper, so further damage by former Gov. McCrory can be prevented.
Even though we’re facing an incredibly frustrating political time while ringing in the new year, the passion and anger you are feeling is not going to be ignored with Cooper in office.
We must study hard, work hard and organize effectively and as a united front of concerned, diverse individuals.
