NC RECONCILIATION PROJECT
Acknowledgement. Reckoning. Education.
MISSION
With the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other black and brown individuals, the global spotlight has settled on the United States and her racial history. This spotlight, made all the brighter by protests and calls to action, has begun forcing our national conscious to consider the institutions, policies, and lamented actions that have long cemented white supremacy in the fabric of American society. From housing policy to healthcare, economic power to environmental impact, police brutality to political disenfranchisement, the many evils of America’s institutional racism are coming to light more than ever before, leaving people to ask how we move forward, and progress, as a nation.
While policy changes and sweeping reforms to our most powerful institutions are desperately needed for our progression, the American citizenry cannot forget that there is also a need for reconciliation. Our history is one built on four-hundred years of systemic degradation, continuously using black and brown communities to construct our national wealth and prestige while ensuring they could never enjoy the benefits of their labor. Such a legacy does not evaporate with the signing of a legislative pen or the transformation of a racialized entity, no matter how revolutionary. Thus, we need more than just reformation, we need a reckoning. As a country, we must recognize the origination of our institutions, acknowledge their damaging legacies, and educate ourselves and our children on their perpetual ramifications on communities of color. In short, we must reconcile with our past so that we can move forward into the future.
It is with that mission in mind that the North Carolina Reconciliation Project was founded.
“It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.”
James Baldwin
INITIATIVES
The work of the North Carolina Reconciliation Project is centered on bringing this message of reckoning to the Old North State. Through each of our initiatives, we push North Carolina to acknowledge the role it has played in America's racial history, reckon with the deep wounds it has created across our state, and educate its citizenry on the reality and ramifications of these injustices. Collectively, we hope that these pushes will bring about a North Carolina that works to mend its centuries-old wounds so that it can more confidently progress into the future.
To find out more about our initiatives and their goals for the 2022-2023 year, please visit the "Initiatives" page located in the menu at the top of this page.
Remembering Victims of Lynching
Removing Relics of the "Lost Cause"
Building a Better K-12 Curriculum
GET INVOLVED
We Need a Collective
We at NCRP know that the work we are engaging can not be accomplished through an individual, a team, or even an organization. Rather, to bring about true racial reconciliation, we need a collective. We need brothers and sisters from all across our state, from every imaginable creed and background, to come together and fight for a better NC. If you would like to join that fight, please visit the "Get Involved" page, linked in our menu bar.
