In the years following the Civil War, former slaves had to find ways to grind out a life as a “freed” people. While the nation was moving swiftly toward becoming a segregated society, African American enclaves were sprouting on the outskirts of cities all over the South. One such outpost was Oberlin Village, an all-black […]
Patrick O'Neill
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Prayer in support of a Mohawk saint
With more than a billion Catholics in the world, the approximately 500,000 Native American Catholics in the United States have had their share of difficulties finding an identity within the Church. Native Catholics, as they call themselves, are hoping for a big boost in recognition if Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk Catholic nun who lived […]
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Last-minute execution
Last Thursday night, Debbie Biesack left a meeting of the Wake County chapter of People of Faith Against the Death Penalty (PFADP) and headed back to her home in Fuquay-Varina, confident that a last-minute federal court appeal had at least temporarily spared the life of death row inmate Raymond Dayle Rowsey, who was slated to […]
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Xmas exit
Some argue that the Catholic Church is broken and wounded and in need of healing. John Strange found out there can be severe consequences for saying so in print–especially if you’re the editor of the NC Catholic, the semi-monthly newspaper published by the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh. Diocese of Raleigh Bishop Joseph Gossman, who also […]
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Like death, feelings about capital punishment are unambiguous
When a close basketball game between Duke and UNC comes down to the final seconds, the opinions of almost everyone in the arena are unambiguous. At those moments, the lines are clearly drawn; fans are at their self-centered worst, wanting just one thing–a final winning basket scored to put a dagger into the hearts of […]
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‘She wanted to do right’
As he talked, Craig Corrie sometimes flashed an uneasy smile, the kind of misplaced smile people often use as a defense mechanism when they’re trying to keep from crying. Craig and Cindy Corrie have done a lot of crying during the last eight months. On March 16, their youngest child, Rachel, 23, was killed in […]
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Another week, another execution
Death penalty opponents who gathered Thursday night in front of Raleigh’s Central Prison spent much of the evening huddled together, bracing themselves against the near-freezing temperatures as they awaited the 2 a.m. execution of John Dennis Daniels. The lack of focus and chit-chat was slowly replaced by a stony silence as the clock neared the […]
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Barely newsworthy
Following an execution at Raleigh’s Central Prison, Department of Correction spokeswoman Pam Walker usually steps to a microphone in the prison visiting room to perform her post-execution ritual. “[Blank] was executed by lethal injection this morning in accordance with the North Carolina law,” Walker says. She also notes the exact time that the condemned entered […]
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Joe Straley, back on the wire
Late last month, local activists received some welcome news when they downloaded their e-mails. Back on line were those informative, cajoling messages from none other than Joe Straley, the 88-year-old retired UNC professor and peace activist who underwent heart surgery in July. Flat on his back in the ICU at UNC Hospitals and barely able […]
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Dean’s blue-ribbon team
Don’t mess with Bill Page. Page, who supervised the volunteers who staff the Democratic Party’s booth at the N.C. State Fair, noticed a disproportionate number of Howard Dean supporters signing up to work at the booth. So he decided he had to step in so no candidate would have an unfair advantage. Page, 72, a […]