Nov 7, 2019
State of Equality: ENC November Newsletter
A Message from Kendra
From our inaugural cohort of RYE Fellows completing their first year in the program to our latest slate of endorsed candidates sweeping the polls Tuesday night, it's been an exciting month for our staff, board and community. As you'll see below, our staff is growing. We're laying the groundwork for 2020 to help shift the political landscape of this state -- and country -- and build a better North Carolina for all of our communities. I hope you'll join us in this fight. We're always looking for folks to volunteer their time and energy across the state of North Carolina, and we'll need all of the support we can muster with the sheer number of political races throughout the state in 2020.
Thanks for all that you do for our communities and for North Carolina. Happy Fall!
Our Month In Review
Election Results
Equality North Carolina is incredibly proud of our endorsed candidates across the state and their performance in the 2019 North Carolina Municipal Elections. Overall, 29 candidates won their races, including two Out non-incumbent endorsees winning seats on Raleigh City Council. You can view the results of all 14 cities in which we endorsed candidates on our website. Congrats, friends of equality!
RYE Fellowship Culminating Events
Our inaugural class of Rural Youth Empowerment (RYE) Fellows have completed their year in the program and developed a number of resources for LGBTQ youth across the state of North Carolina. Two of these resources are now available for download on our website: an "LGBTQIA+ Youth Resource Guide" meant to educate young, queer folks about general sexual health and the "Healthcare Support Plan" intended to help LGBTQ folks safely navigate healthcare spaces. You can read about the close of this year in the Fellowship in a blog on our website. The 2019-2020 Fellowship class will be announced in the coming weeks.
Open Enrollment: #GetCovered Today!
Open Enrollment has started and Healthcare.gov is your destination to #GetCovereduntil Dec. 15! If you need assistance, you can get free help from an LGBTQ-friendly assister -- make an appointment today! Please don't miss this opportunity -- if you miss the Dec. 15 deadline you may be locked out of health insurance until 2021. Read more here.
Upcoming Events & Other Updates
Charlotte: Join Us At Chipolte!
ENC is hosting a fundraiser with Chipolte in Charlotte at 2109 South Blvd on Wednesday, Nov. 20. From 4:00PM - 8:00PM, tell the cashier that you're there to support Equality North Carolina and 33% of the cost of your meal with go towards our organization! Please help us spread the word about this to your friends and neighbors. We'll see you there!
Wilmington AIDS Quilt
In commemoration of World AIDS Day, the Frank Harr Foundation will host exhibitions of some 24 blocks of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, on loan from The Names Project, from Saturday, Nov. 30 through Sunday, Dec 15. The kick-off celebration will be held at the Cameron Art Museum, where five blocks of the panel will be on display Nov. 30 at 6:00 pm. Head here for more information.
New Hires
ENC is proud to welcome Ash Love, Kathryn Vandegrift and Jamie Hildreth to the team as Civic Engagement Coordinators for the Triad, Triangle and Charlotte regions, respectively. These folks join us through the OutVoters program and will work across these key parts of North Carolina to mobilize LGBTQ North Carolinians and our allies as we head into the 2020 Election Cycle.
ENC is also thrilled to welcome Nate Fischer and Anaiah Mitchell, who are joining our Communications team through the Public Allies Americorps program. These incredible folks are assisting in building out ENC's Communications structure and supporting our staff in the year to come. If you see them at an event, say hi!
Thank You Rainbow Kitten Surprise!
ENC wants to give a special shout out to North Carolina native band Rainbow Kitten Surprise for their monumentally generous support of our organization throughout the course of 2019. Our RYE Fellows even made a special video thanking them for their support! Head here to watch.