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Melissa Castillo: Let’s stop breaking our promise to migrant workers

Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jul 12

Decades of bipartisan promises to undocumented immigrants are unraveling — and the message reaching migrant farmworker families is devastating: “Don’t get noticed. Don’t fill out the forms. Don’t get help,” writes Beacon Voice Melissa Castillo.

#ImmigrationPolicy #ICE #NCPol #NCNews

The deportations happening in North Carolina are the continuation of a long line of broken promises to our migrant workforce.

Republishing Policy | Beacon Media

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jul 10

Beacon Media NC is a nonprofit opinion syndicate, and everything we publish is free to republish.

Editors and publishers, check out our guidelines here: www.beaconmedianc.org/republish-ou...

Rose Hoban: Considering Artificial Intelligence for local news reporting

Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jul 10

When it comes to AI in local journalism, Rose Hoban from N.C. Health News believes the human eye and mind still matter most.

“To be frank, the articles we write are so localized, AI generators would be hard pressed to find enough information to generate a story that would stand up to scrutiny.”

The Editor-in-Chief at the local newsroom N.C. Health News considers the ethical use of AI in a local newsroom — and finds AI won’t soon replace humans in many respects.

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jul 9

Beacon Media NC provides free opinion columns for local outlets anywhere — so every community can access diverse NC voices.

Help us keep it free with a one-time donation: www.beaconmedianc.org/donate/

Donate | Beacon Media

Preston Blakely: My grandmothers couldn’t vote freely. I’m now the Mayor.

Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jul 9

Fletcher, N.C. Mayor Preston Blakely shares how his family's local civil rights legacy has shaped his path and purpose.

“The struggle for rights is a legacy I now have the power to influence.”

beaconmedianc.substack.com/p/preston-bl...

Mayor Preston Blakely of Fletcher, N.C., reflects on his legacy and the struggle for Civil Rights that he inherited from his family.

Crystal Barnes: N.C. does not need massive, expensive Duke Energy pipelines

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jul 8

Duke Energy’s plans to build new pipelines and gas plants are concerning to many.

Crystal Barnes of Forsyth County also connects the dots between those plans and the utility bills, which also pose a serious strain on her family's budget.

open.substack.com/pub/beaconme...

The writer raises concerns about a proposed pipeline planned for central North Carolina, particularly high costs passed onto ratepayers.

Kimberly Jones: Public education is a sacred obligation

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jul 3

“You cannot ask schools to solve every societal ill while refusing to fund the systems that make solutions possible.”

Read 2023 State Teacher of the Year Kimberly Jones' outgoing message to lawmakers, leaders, parents, and all North Carolinians:

open.substack.com/pub/beaconme...

In a column based on a speech given as the outgoing N.C. Teacher of the Year, educator Kimberly Jones reflects on the importance of public schools.

Rev. Della Owens: Lawmakers should kill the ‘Big Deadly Bill’

Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jul 2

The U.S. House budget reconciliation bill will slash Medicaid assistance for thousands of North Carolinians, writes Rev. Della Owens.

“As a preacher, I must stand up, speak up, and advocate for those who this immoral budget will most impact.”

#NCPol #NCNews #BeaconVoices

Rev. Della Owens, who organizes with the N.C.-based faith movement Repairers of the Breach, argues the budget bill being considered in the U.S. Congress will have deadly consequences for NC

Gwen Frisbie-Fulton: The real reason we’re being told to hate Pride

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 29

Rural America is home to about three million people in the LGBTQ+ community.

"Queerness is as old as humankind—so why are some people acting so surprised it's here?”

@gwenfulton.bsky.social reflects on Pride celebrations in this column from June 2024.

Small town pride events showcase the best of us. Why do some want to stoke hate?

Debbie DeWeese: Don’t cut our healthcare to give tax breaks to the rich

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 28

About a quarter of North Carolinians use Medicaid to pay for their healthcare, including Debbie DeWeese.

Now, cuts to Medicaid have DeWeese worried that she will lose her life-saving health coverage.

Read more: bit.ly/45D9vO8

#NCPol #NCNews

A bill making its way through the U.S. Senate would be devastating for the millions of people on Medicaid in North Carolina.

bit.ly

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 26

“Democracy is supposed to give us space to disagree. Democracy fails when disagreement turns dangerous, deadly, or personal.”

Mayor @prestonb-nc.bsky.social shares his concerns about the growing threat of violence for our local political leaders in his first column for Beacon Media.

#NCPol

Preston Blakely: Political assassinations in Minnesota call for a reminder of our shared humanity

A small town North Carolina mayor reflects on the recent violence and how we can change the tide of growing violence and intimidation against our leaders.

bit.ly

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 20

“Don’t get noticed. Don’t fill out the forms. Don’t get help.”

That’s the message farmworker families are hearing in North Carolina and across the U.S. Melissa Castillo writes about how decades of bipartisan promises are being shattered.

#ImmigrationPolicy #ICE #NCPol #NCNews

Melissa Castillo: Let’s stop breaking our promise to migrant workers

The deportations happening in North Carolina are the continuation of a long line of broken promises to our migrant workforce.

Scott Peoples: A Shameful Week for the 82nd Airborne Division

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 18

“The U.S. Army deserved a real celebration of its history, not a disorganized attempt to service the fragile ego of a wannabe king trying to look tough.”

Army veteran Scott Peoples says we’re watching something dangerous unfold in Trump's recent military parade.

#NCPol #NCNews

President Donald Trump is politicizing our military, U.S. Army veteran Scott Peoples writes.

Republishing Policy | Beacon Media

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 13

Share and republish this Beacon Media column for free! Learn more here: www.beaconmedianc.org/republish-ou...

Gwen Frisbie-Fulton: Congress is pushing to drastically cut food aid. Why?

Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 13

Thirteen percent of North Carolinians rely on the SNAP food assistance program to eat. Now, Congress is pushing the largest SNAP cuts in its history.

@gwenfulton.bsky.social shares about her own time at a food bank and the disconnect between lawmakers and the rest of us.

Devastating cuts are on the table for communities across the country and the more than 1.4 million North Carolinians who rely on food stamps.

"Resistance can’t just be about Trump. It’s about how Black men are treated." — Martin Henson on writing, faith and justice

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 12

Learn more about Martin and his writing process from our recent interview:

Beacon Voice Martin Henson on his process writing his recent Beacon Media NC columns

Martin Henson: Student loan confusion, delays are stalling dreams | Beacon Media

Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 12

Student loan delays and cuts are derailing dreams like those of Martin’s cousin, a working mother pursuing her degree.

Henson urges communities to step in with practical support as the federal government fails to meet its promises.

The Department of Education is in disarray after massive budget cuts and a promise from President Trump to dismantle the federal agency. January’s temporary pause on federal student aid was a harbinge...

Martin Henson: It’s time to address ‘church hurt’

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 12

Many have left the church due to “church hurt.” Martin urges faith leaders to take responsibility for past harms and create spaces for healing.

The church can play an important role in American society again but both the church and those who might attend have a responsibility in addressing harms.

Martin Henson: The unfulfilled promises of George Floyd’s legacy

Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 12

In his latest column, five years after George Floyd’s murder, activist Martin reflects on how Floyd’s legacy was exploited while real change stalled.

Martin warns that the shift to “racial justice” branding has diluted the fight against police violence and left Black communities unprotected.

Five years after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, Black Lives Matter activist Martin Henson reflects on Floyd’s legacy and the change that hasn’t come.

Martin Henson: The unfulfilled promises of George Floyd’s legacy

Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 12

Meet Martin Henson—@martinhspeaks.bsky.social.

Martin lives in Raleigh and runs the (B)MEN Foundation, dedicated to creating safe spaces where Black men can gather and support one another.

AND he is the subject of this week’s Beacon Voices Spotlight! Get to know Martin with these columns: 🧵👇

Martin Henson, a smiling man with braided hair, wearing a patterned button-up shirt, posed in front of a gray marbled background.

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 4

Five years later, the promises made after George Floyd’s murder remain largely unfulfilled.

Beacon Voice @martinhspeaks.bsky.social reflects on Floyd’s legacy, the rise of the nonprofit-industrial complex, and the ongoing fight against police violence.

Read the full piece here:

Five years after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, Black Lives Matter activist Martin Henson reflects on Floyd’s legacy and the change that hasn’t come.

Martin Henson: It’s time to address ‘church hurt’

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Beacon Media NC @beaconmedianc.bsky.social · Jun 2

Many have walked away from Christianity because of “church hurt” — the harm that happens inside a place meant for healing.

Beacon Voice Martin Henson calls on faith leaders to acknowledge that pain, take responsibility, and open the door to healing.

👉 Free to read. Free to republish.

The church can play an important role in American society again but both the church and those who might attend have a responsibility in addressing harms.