Diversity, Inclusion and "Fusion" - NC's Antidote to #Reversity & Jim Crow Governa

Are we in the Third Reconstruction period?

Democracy Now interviewed Reverend William Barber, President of the North Carolina NAACP. Reverence Barber provides some very important points in how communities should collaborate and partner to build more inclusive communities, businesses, governmental organizations, and educational institutions. He discusses the concept of "fusion politics" which marshals the power of progressive communities to overcome Jim Crow governance. His points are instructive for those who want to serve as change agents and advocates of diversity, inclusion and multiculturalism. Henderworks wants to thank Democracy Now for airing this important conversation.

Reverend Barber: "Now, if you can bridge that in a fusion, and if you can get black people and white people and Latinos to begin to see their issues together, if you can get people, for instance, the LGBT community, to understand the same people against the LGBT community are the same people that vote against public education, the same people that vote against public education normally vote against healthcare, same people against healthcare vote against living wages—and you can go on and on—same people against living wages are normally against voting rights, and in the states, if you can build a from-the-bottom-up, indigenously led, fusion coalition, you can have the kind of transformation we’re beginning to see in North Carolina in the South."

"Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are being accused of waging a legislative coup by attempting to strip power from the state’s incoming governor, Democrat Roy Cooper. Cooper narrowly beat Republican Governor Pat McCrory by 10,000 votes last month. In an unprecedented move, Republicans filed dozens of new bills this week during a special session of the General Assembly called to consider relief for Hurricane Matthew victims.

The Republican lawmakers are attempting to impose measures to slash the number of state employees appointed by the governor, require Senate approval for all of the governor’s Cabinet picks and strip the governor of the power to appoint University of North Carolina trustees. Another bill aims to weaken the governor’s control over the state Board of Election. Yet another Republican bill would strip some power away from the Democratic governor and give it to the lieutenant governor, who happens to be a Republican. None of the bills were being considered until after Republican Governor Pat McCrory conceded defeat. We speak to Rev. William Barber, president of Repairers of the Breach and head of the North Carolina NAACP." (from Democracy Now).

In my recent post on reversity and threats to inclusion, I think Dr. Barber's ideas are very important and should as we build a "fusion movement" to stall the growing impact of "reversity."