Good morning, readers.
When I first learned about Rosa Parks in elementary school, her experience felt like a piece of ancient history. But my colleague, Justin Laidlaw, has a story about plans for Durham’s transit system that shows how Parks’s legacy is still relevant today.
According to a 2022 survey of Durham bus riders, 77 percent identify as Black, 87 percent live in households making less than $35,000 a year, and 77 percent don’t have access to a car. Those statistics convey a pretty clear message—public transit is an issue of racial and economic equity.
This year, congresswoman Valerie Foushee introduced legislation in the U.S. House to officially recognize Transit Equity Day on Parks’s birthday. And in Durham, officials and advocates gathered to celebrate the past and look to the future.
“While [Parks’s] courageous action sparked a movement for transit equity, we are still far from achieving a truly equitable transit system,” said Foushee.
Since the light rail plan failed due to reticence from Duke and a lack of state funding, Durham has been looking for ways to improve regional transit and make it more equitable. One of those ways is by offering fare free bus service to residents thanks to COVID-19 relief funds. But with those funds about to run out, the city and county are looking for ways to balance the budget and continue to offer fare free bus service.
It’s clear that the money will have to be local. State senator Natalie Murdock said that getting funding for any kind of transit from the state is an uphill battle:
“Your tax dollars should go towards more sidewalks and more access to transit. But unfortunately, a lot of my colleagues think ‘Oh, that’s something for poor people,’ so they don’t care about it. ‘Those people don’t vote for me.’ So we have to fight tooth and nail to provide more access to transit,” Murdock said.
Check out Laidlaw’s full story here.
And happy Black History Month.
—Chase
A message from our sponsor, Public Ed Works
North Carolina public education is in trouble and the future of our children is at risk. Join Public Ed Works in advocating for a robust public education system from Pre-K to college. Your support can help reverse NC’s low ranking in teacher pay and combat the 3,000+ teacher shortage. Let’s secure a brighter future by understanding and championing the benefits of public education.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter to stay informed, inspired, and make a real impact. Together, we can celebrate a decade of advocacy in 2024, driving positive change for public education in North Carolina. Click now to shape the future!
Durham
Durham mayor Leo Williams urged civility at a Thursday city council work session at which the council and public discussed a proposed Gaza ceasefire resolution.
The Hayti Heritage Film Festival returns in March with a full slate of in-person programming, including 32 films around the theme of “homecoming.”
Wake
NC State faculty members in the College of Education took a successful vote of no confidence in the university’s chancellor and vice chancellor over their handling of contamination in Poe Hall.
Orange
UNC system president Peter Hans has announced a 13-member search committee for the university’s next permanent chancellor.
Work is beginning on Jones Ferry Road in Carrboro near NC Highway 54 to bring a bike lane.
North Carolina
Donald Trump is supporting NC GOP chair Michael Whatley, an election denier, to be chair of the national Republican party after Ronna Romney McDaniel steps down this month.
Greensboro native and Grammy winning artist Rhiannon Giddens plays the banjo on Beyonce’s new single “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
Today’s weather
Sunny and windy with a high of 51 degrees.
If you’d like to advertise your business to the Daily’s 30,000-plus subscribers, please contact [email protected]
Love the INDY? Support it by joining the INDY Press Club.
You must be logged in to post a comment.