End Period Poverty: North Carolina Period Action Day (PAD) Rally, October 14, 2023

Prosperity North Carolina continues to advocates for rural North Carolina in our fight to end Period Poverty.

Menstrual products are vital for the health, well-being and full participation of women and girls. Inadequate menstrual support is associated with both health and psycho-social issues particularly among low-income women. A lack of access to menstrual products can cause emotional duress, physical infection and disease. 

Nearly two thirds (64%) of women were unable to afford needed menstrual hygiene supplies during the previous year. Approximately one fifth of women (21%) experienced this monthly. 1 in 4 students have struggled to afford period products in the United States. All across North Carolina, we have encountered a lack of access to what should be right and not a privilege.

Prosperity North Carolina Co-Chair, Kristen Picot on Period Poverty. “In my work in North Carolina, I am seeing teachers dipping into their own pockets to help students with period products. Students have created their own programs to fill in for the lack of supplies. Access to Period Products should not be a privilege, and we are treating it as such.”

Join us to show support and advocate for an end for Period Poverty at the North Carolina Period Action Day 2023, PAD, by PERIOD. and NC Diaper Bank, this Saturday, October 14, 2023. Advocate for ending Period Poverty and North Carolina Senator Natalie Murdock will be speaking on ending Period Poverty.

The event is at the Bicentennial Plaza, East Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC, USA. There is breakfast and sign-making at 10:00 am and the rally starts at 11:00 am. Event is from 10:00AM-1:00PM EDT.

Prosperity North Carolina Supports Bronson Williams For Mayor of Rocky Mount

When selecting those who Prosperity North Carolina, INC. supports, we look for those who are advocating for the people.

With our focus on rural North Carolina, we are taken to Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where Bronson Williams is running for Mayor.

As with many rural areas, Rocky Mount faces challenges that involve with keeping up with the growth, while not pushing out the people who have lived there for generations. This is one of many reasons as to why we support Bronson Williams for Mayor of Rocky Mount.

Bronson advocates for including the citizens voices in decision-making, closing the digital divide with broadband access and internet connectivity in underserved areas, advocating for the expansion of health care services and facilities in underserved neighborhoods, collaborate with healthcare providers to offer affordable and accessible healthcare options for low-income residents, focuses on clean water and upgraded sewage systems to ensure reliable services for all residents, and to establishing a community advisory board to address the unique needs of different neighborhoods and demographics.

Learn more on Bronson Williams from his website.

Unveiling Injustice: The Fight for Due Process and Integrity in Durham’s City Council

City Council Member DeDreana Freeman, Mayoral Candidate for Durham, North Carolina

News has been circulating in regards to Durham, North Carolina City Council Work Sessions. Mayoral Candidate and current City Council Member DeDreana Freeman is found at the center.

On March 23, 2023, during a Durham City Council work session, fellow Council Member Dr. Monique Holsey-Hyman was censured due to accusations that she had requested city staff to help with her campaign during work hours. During the work session, another Council Member called to censure Dr. Holsey-Hyman amidst the accusations. Per Spectacular Magazine’s Phyllis Coley’s article article “Council member DeDream Freeman Breaks Silence On “Physical Violence” Accusation,” we now know that Dr. Holsey-Hyman was denied the opportunity to address allegations before she was censured. The accusation escalated when a local developer threw an allegation of extortion at Dr. Holsey-Hyman.

This led to an investigation conducted by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). The developer that accused Dr. Holsey-Hyman of extortion chose to not cooperate with investigators after being contacted several times, as stated by Spectacular Magazine’s Phyllis Coley, “SBI Results Of Investigation Into Allegations Against Council Member Monique Holsey-Hyman.” SBI found no evidence of extortion.

Council Member Freeman found that the push to censure Dr. Holsey-Hyman was unjust by not giving her the opportunity to address the accusations made towards her. The depiction of the sequence of events after that, was grossly inaccurate as Spectacular Magazine Phyllis Coley’s shined light on the truth. Freeman was presented the opportunity to say what happened as she has spoken passionately and stood up for due process and the right to defend oneself. As in Coley’s article, Freeman highlights how a trope can be used to discredit one’s words, “Since this has happened, it’s been extremely disappointing and disturbing to see and hear the racial and social tropes and respectability politics being used against me to deflect from the truth. They have used these tropes to portray me as the ‘angry black woman’.These heinous efforts continue today.”

Coley's article highlights how a whisper, a rumor can spiral into a racist and sexist attack on a woman who was standing up for her fellow woman for the due process that we all have a right to.

This is something that we at PNC are familiar with, as we continue to fight for the voiceless in Rural America, where such unjust actions have become the norm that often result in a population being overlooked.

Chairwomen of Prosperity North Carolina, Kristen Picot, “As a woman in leadership, it is empowering to see other women in the face of adversity, attacks and accusations, stand up for what is right. We need to continue to support each other and follow the example that Council Member DeDreana Freeman and Spectacular Magazine’s Phyllis Coley have shown.”

Vice Chairman of Prosperity North Carolina, Nicholas Gallardo, comments on this situation, “As a former Mayoral Candidate myself, who has been on the receiving end of falsehoods and accusations meant to derail my campaign, it can be difficult at times to be patient and let due process be carried out. However, it is during those moments when a true leader prevails.”

We at PNC continue to support those who take a stand for what is just and for what is right.

#ProsperityForAll