COVID-19 Updates: August 4, 2020
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Human Relations Commission events examine voter suppression |
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This year is the 150th Anniversary of the 15th Amendment and the 55th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, yet the struggle for the ballot continues for African Americans. The Human Relations Commission is sponsoring a series of events examining voter suppression efforts in the U.S. and North Carolina.
A virtual event, African Americans and the Ballot, will be held Thursday, Aug. 6, at 6 p.m. Pre-registration is required.
Click the link below to sign up:
Panelists include Theodore M. Shaw, Director of the Center for Civil Rights at UNC School of Law, Allison Riggins, the Interim Executive Director/Chief Counsel at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice and Dr. James L. Leloudis II, Director of the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Panelists will provide an overview of the history of voting rights laws in the United States; and more specifically in North Carolina. In addition, panelists will provide an update on recent attempts at voter suppression around the country and an update on the challenges to voting laws in North Carolina.
The Human Relations Commission is co-sponsoring the event along with the Orange County Community Remembrance Coalition.
The HRC’s Community Read for this summer is “Give us the Ballot: A Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America” by Ari Berman, a senior reporter for Mother Jones and a fellow at Type Media Center. He was the first reporter to cover voter suppression efforts in 2012, bringing national attention to the issue. He has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Rolling Stone and other national publications and is a frequent contributor to MSNBC, C-SPAN and NPR.
“Give Us the Ballot” chronicles the history of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as it transformed the American democratic process, while counterrevolutionaries sought to suppress voting rights that, “target[ed] African Americans with almost surgical precision.”
In 2013, the Supreme Court declared a key provision of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional. As lawmakers continue to devise new strategies to suppress minorities’ voting rights the battle over race, representation, and political power rages on in America.
The HRC is hosting a zoom event with Berman on Aug. 19 from 6-7 p.m.
Click the link below to register:
The HRC is hosting a Community Read event on Sept. 13, from 3-5 p.m.
This event is free and open to the community and will include a discussion of the Voting Rights Act, attempts to suppress voting rights and the ways we as a community can address the issues presented in the book. The discussion will be led by members of the Orange County Human Relations Commission.
Click the link below to register.
Pre-registration is required for both events.
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White Supremacy in Orange County is real and becoming more overt
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A message from Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP July 28, 2020 | Anna Richards White Supremacy in Orange County is real and becoming more overt. In the month of July alone the following blatant racist events occurred: During a Chapel Hill “Black Lives Matter” vigil, a white man punched a 19-year-old black woman in the face while yelling and cursing at her. The violence was witnessed by the man’s 6-year-old daughter. In Hillsborough, in broad daylight, a car with two white male occupants pulled up to the curb on Churton Street where a black man holding a “Black Lives Matter” sign was standing and threatened him, pointing two AR-15s. Last week, Vimala’s Curryblossom Café in Chapel Hill, owned by a longtime social justice activist and community leader Vimala Rajendran, was the target of a possible attempted arson. Sunday afternoon, July 26th, a Northern Orange NAACP virtual town hall meeting was overrun by white supremacists, who posted racial slurs and gross vulgarity, combined with pro-Trump images. Right here, in the “Southern Part of Heaven,” where many like to boast of our community’s progressive image, white supremacy is alive and well, and seems to be emboldened by the current national rhetoric that promotes white power and reveres Confederate monuments. Now is the time for all Orange County citizens who abhor these actions to step up! Now is the time for all who are disgusted by the spreading disease of racism to stand up! Now is the time for all who recognize white supremacy to speak up! Now is the time to focus our energy on ridding our community, our State House, our Congress, and our White House of those who enable the hate. It is time to live the values we say we have. Vote. Commit to making sure 20 other people you know vote. Volunteer at the polls on Election Day. Above all, do not be distracted by the displays of bigotry and racism. In the next 99 days we are likely to see more desperate attempts to make us take our eyes off the target. We won’t “fall for the okey-doke.” We see you, Racist! We are calling you out! We will continue to fight! We will win! Anna Richards President Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP |
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COVID-19 Etiquette: 6 Common Conundrums
(And A Printable Pocket Guide) |
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By Malaka Gharib, NPR, August 4, 2020
Last week, I was inside a convenience store and a delivery man was stocking up sodas in the refrigerated aisle without wearing a mask. It made me feel uncomfortable. We were in a small, windowless space together. If the delivery man was sick and shedding virus, it could have easily spread through the air inside the store.
As I waited in the checkout line, I felt my anxiety growing. What should I do in this situation? Should I say something?
That's when I could have really used the advice from Elaine Swann, founder of the Swann School of Protocol, an etiquette training institute. She trains people on good manners, for example, how to engage in small talk or which fork to use at the dinner table. Now, amid COVID-19, she's been helping people navigate some tricky new social dilemmas — like my convenience store situation.
Although we are living through a pandemic, says Swann, people still want to treat each other with kindness and respect — and "conduct themselves so that they're not offending others, not hurting other people's feelings."
That's probably why I felt so awkward about speaking up at the store — even though my own safety was at stake, I didn't want to offend the delivery man. After talking to Swann, I learned two solutions I could have deployed in that scenario. I could have asked the person with authority, the cashier, to direct the delivery man to wear his mask. Or, I could have popped out of the store until the delivery man was finished, then popped back in again.
Swann, the author of Let Crazy Be Crazy: Then Politely Get What You Want, Get Your Point Across, and Gently Put Rude People in Their Place, talks to NPR about how to tackle six common COVID-19 conundrums. |
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1. How do I tell somebody — especially a stranger — to step back because they are just too close to me?
Swann says this is the No. 1 question people ask her. Your first inclination is to yell out, "Step back!" or "Get up off me!" she says — but those reactions aren't exactly polite, and they're likely to escalate the problem.
Instead, she says, try to use words like "we" and "us" in the request. For example, "Let's just put a little bit of space in between each other while we're waiting in line." This shows mutual consideration — you're thinking about how your behavior is affecting their health — and hope they are concerned with your safety, too.
If you ask in a kind manner, people are likely to do as you ask, says Swann. More often than not, people want to be respectful of others.
But if you start lecturing about pandemic safety or take on an abrasive tone, they might not be as willing to comply. They might "feel like they're being chastised" or perceive your request as an attack on their moral character — that they are someone who does not follow rules. That might offend the person or make them feel defensive — and ultimately, refuse your request.
Takeaway 1: Show mutual consideration
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2. What if I ask a person to keep their distance or put on their mask ...and they say no?
"Then, do what you can to protect yourself," says Swann: turn your face away from that person, step over a few feet, walk in a different direction.
Takeaway 2: Protect yourself
3. It makes my blood boil when I see people not following the pandemic guidelines. Can I intervene?
"If their behavior is not affecting you, let it go," she says. "Folks are getting into these arguments and kerfuffles because they're trying to get folks to comply with the pandemic guidelines. Stop trying to do that if the person does not want to comply. You have to let crazy be crazy and leave them alone."
The only time you should speak up, she says, is if it is directly affecting your safety. Then you can try using some of the "we" and "us" language in her suggestion above.
Takeaway 3: Let it go |
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4. What if I'm at a socially distanced outdoor gathering and, after a few hours, people start to bend the rules a little bit?
Try using the "we" and "us" language if it's just happening with an individual, says Swann — saying to the person, "Let's make sure we stay in our little sections over here."
But if it's happening party-wide, alert the host, she says. The person in charge has the authority to enforce the pandemic guidelines. Swann suggests: "I noticed that people are starting to get relaxed with the guidelines. I thought I'd bring that to your attention."
If the host does something about it, then great, says Swann. "But if the shift doesn't happen and you're uncomfortable with the environment, then wrap it up. Just say 'you know what, I'm gonna head on home now. I had a great time."
Resist the urge to get on your soapbox, she adds. "Don't make an announcement and say, 'nobody's following the rules and therefore I'm leaving' — then slam the door on your way out." You want to make sure that your relationships make it to the other side of the pandemic, she adds.
Takeaway 4: Take yourself out of uncomfortable situations — and remember to preserve relationships
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5. A friend invited me to hang out. How do I know whether it's safe to do so? We might not be on the same page with the pandemic protocols.
Don't make assumptions about how people are following the guidelines, says Swann. Some people, for example, feel safer staying at home while others live as the virus didn't exist. So ask a few questions in advance, she says. For example: "I wear a face covering when I'm around others. How do you feel about wearing face coverings? Is that something you're doing? Is this going to be a social distancing affair?"
Listen to what they have to say. "Then take a moment to step back and ask yourself whether it is something you feel comfortable with," says Swann. "If not, say 'thank you so much for the invitation, but I won't be able to make it.' "
And don't push them to change their plans to fit your level of comfort, she adds. "This is not the time to police our friends and our family members. Instead, we should curtail our own behavior and make decisions on what's best for ourselves."
Takeaway 5: Don't assume
6. BONUS ADVICE:
What the heck do I do with my mask at a socially distanced meal?
When you're eating, take the mask off completely, says Swann. And, she adds, "don't have it hanging from one ear." You're going to be chomping and chewing and drinking and talking in the duration of that time, so it doesn't make sense to try to wear it at the table, she explains.
But don't even think about putting your used mask on the table, says Swann. Aside from the germs, it's a major etiquette no-no. In general, she says, "nothing should go on the table except for food." That includes your cell phone, purse, keys, hat, laptop — and of course, your mask.
Carefully "place it in your bag, purse or in your pocket. Or you can place it on your lap underneath your napkin," she says. "That way it is easily accessible when your server comes over to you." Remember to mask up when your server is around, she notes, to keep them safe, too.
Takeaway 6: Please don't put your mask on the table
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Virtual Freshstart Smoking Cessation class |
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This is a free class being held virtually where individuals will receive FREE Nicotine Replacement Products, cessation education, counseling and group support. It is a 1-hour class held for 4 consecutive weeks to assist individuals in their efforts to stop smoking. Class dates and times: - Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020 (6pm-7pm)
- Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020 (6pm-7pm)
- Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020 (6pm-7pm)
- Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020 (6pm-7pm)
To register, please contact Rita Krosner at (919) 245-2480 or email smokefreeoc@orangecountync.gov |
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The Hope4Healers Helpline (919-226-2002) is a new initiative in partnership with the North Carolina Psychological Foundation. It provides mental health and resilience supports for health care professionals, emergency medical specialists, first responders, other staff who work in health care settings and their families throughout the state who are experiencing stress from being on the front lines of the state’s COVID-19 response. Hope4Healers is also available 24 hours per day, seven days a week for people to reach out for support; they will be contacted quickly by a licensed mental health professional for follow-up. To learn more please visit their webpage.
Link to Flyer:
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North Carolina COVID-19 Cases
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) reports 128,161 COVID-19 cases, 2,010 deaths, and 1,166 hospitalizations, as of August 4, 2020. For more information regarding live updates (NCDHHS updates the site every day at noon), please visit the NCDHHS website.
Orange County Health Department also has a COVID-19 dashboard webpage, with information on COVID-19 data in the county. The dashboard will be updated every Tuesday and Thursday.
There are currently 1,296 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Orange County, and 45 deaths.
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COVID-19 Community Resources
For more information on COVID-19 community resources in the county, please visit our webpage. Resources on specific topic areas, such as food access, education, housing, and others, are all accessible on our website, or at the links below.
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