I know you had FOMO! Local Progress just held its National Convening in Chicago last month, and 15 North Carolina members attended. Our largest Convening yet brought together more than 350 local elected officials, providing electeds from across 36 states and Puerto Rico a haven to unpack the difficulties of governing in the midst of a hostile federal administration and a learning space for members to strategize and organize together to face the challenges ahead with a renewed resolve and courage. Read the full recap in our blog here!
Here’s a photo of the NC delegation – spanning all the way from the coast to the mountains.
WE NEED YOUR LEADERSHIP! The LPNC Organizing Committee (OC) plays a critical role in shaping the direction of our work in the state and in the larger LP network. As an OC member, you will help to recruit new members, strategize with movement and community partners, help set the priorities of our work, and identify opportunities to mobilize members across the state through collective action! The time commitment is about 2-3 hours monthly with 2-3 in-state travels per year.
As one of 74 Local Progress members in NC, we’re inviting you to consider participation on the Organizing Committee. The Organizing Committee has identified a need for participation for each of the following:
- A Board of Education member;
- An Elected official serving as District Attorney, Registrar of Deeds, or other municipal office;
- a local elected from the Triad and/or Charlotte area
🗞️ Advocates in Durham protest against ICE presence: ‘Constantly fearful of what’s going on’
“Everyone in this country. It’s our constitutional right that we are innocent until proven guilty and that we should be fighting to protect that judicial system. Even if we have a case like we have today, like this individual didn’t even have their first court appearance. That is what they were showing up for. And they didn’t even have a chance to participate in any part of our judicial process. That’s a threat to all of us, to Americans, to citizens, to non-citizens, to everyone alike. If our federal agencies are acting in a way that take away our liberties as well,” said Nida Allam, Durham County Board of Commissioners.
🗞️ Asheville Land Trust
On June 24th, Asheville City Council voted unanimously to support a new partnership between the Asheville-Buncombe Community Land Trust and the Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County, an investment in permanently affordable housing and neighborhood stabilization at 32 Grail St.
Located in the historic Black neighborhood of East End/Valley Street that was devastated by Urban Renewal and redlining, the 4-bedroom house on Grail Street was on track for demolition. Around the corner from the former Stephens-Lee High School that is now a community center, this home will now represent stabilization on Grail Street instead of being yet another domino of gentrification to fall.
Protecting vulnerable neighborhoods from gentrification and displacement can include:
- Investing in property repair and preservation
- Securing permanent affordability through land trust and zoning protections
- Funding partnerships with neighborhoods and nonprofits
- Place-making, cultural identity, and historic designation
- Multigenerational families and/or businesses staying or being able to return post-displacement
As we await recommendations from the Asheville-Buncombe Community Reparations Commission, these are actions City Council can take to listen to communities impacted by the harms of Urban Renewal and redlining, taking action to reduce harm and take steps towards repair by advancing racial and economic justice.
These are among the reasons I was thrilled to support this new partnership between The Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County and Asheville-Buncombe Community Land Trust, and I hope there’s more partnership to come!
–Asheville Councilmember Kim Roney, Co-Chair of Local Progress NC
🗞️ State of Durham Town Hall
Over 70 residents attended “The State of Durham” Town Hall on Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Durham County Main Library. Local Progress North Carolina Members, Durham County Commission Chair Nida Allam, Durham City Council Member Javiera Caballero, Durham School Board Chair Bettina Umstead, joined with N.C. House Representative Marcia Morey on a panel moderated by Kids Voting Durham interns and The Indy’s Justin Laidlaw.
“Part of our responsibility as an elected official is to make ourselves available for constituent questions,” Chair Allam said. “People have very valid concerns about the future of our public school system, safety from state violence, and how a lack of funding will affect programs that serve those already struggling.”
Project BUILD youth identified transportation as a big barrier to accessing those activities and programs. “We should increase bus stops and frequency to areas where our youth can go and engage,” Chair Allam said, pointing out that the closest bus stop to either the Museum of Life & Science or the Durham Memorial Stadium is at Duke Regional Hospital.
“We have made a deep commitment to keeping our buses fare-free. And part of that for me is to get what I call the next generation used to mass transit,” said Council Member Caballero. “If you grow up and you’re not used to taking a bus or riding a subway, there’s a lot of barriers for you as a user, so you’re going to default to the easiest thing which in Durham still is a car.”
Council Member Caballero spoke to the recent ICE presence at the Durham County Courthouse, “They will disappear folks; they will kidnap folks, and it’s not just going to be folks who, quote, shouldn’t be here.” Chair Allam spoke about Greensboro resident Mohamed Naser who was kidnapped by ICE three weeks ago. ICE issued an automatic stay after Mohamed’s family posted the $20k bond.
📝 Member Survey
Our Member Survey is now live! At the National Convening, over 150 members shared their thoughts about Local Progress, and we want yours too! The results will help inform our future work and priorities. As a thank you for taking the time to complete the survey we’re offering a $25 virtual Visa gift card or donation to the charity of your choice.
🧰 Tools to Interrupt Criminalization
As local elected leaders continue to stand with and fight for the protection of their immigrant communities, we want to ensure that you have the resources you need. Use LP’s updated guides–Protecting Immigrant Rights Under a Hostile Federal Administration and Let’s Talk Real Safety–to align around a strong, consistent narrative. New content includes Best Practices for messaging on immigration and guidance on Responding to a Raid in your Community; and Addressing Public Suffering and Ending Harm and Surveillance, emphasizing the urgent need to move away from carceral solutions and toward real investments that address the root causes of harm.
📣 What the Billionaire Tax Scam Means For Our Communities
The Trump Administration and its Congressional allies just took away life-saving healthcare and food assistance from millions of Americans. All to give themselves – and their billionaire donors – massive tax cuts. In this dire moment, local leaders will be the first line of defense to support our communities against a hostile federal government. Learn more about this billionaire tax scam, its impacts, and check out our messaging toolkit to find out how you can fight back.
🛑How Local Leaders Can Protect Communities from AI and the Tech Oligarchy
This past May, OpenAI and Microsoft lobbyists called for a shutdown on AI regulation. And recently, Congress passed a tax bill with a provision that would restrict states from regulating AI for 10 years (though it faces a steep challenge in the Senate). Our recently released report details how local elected officials and local communities should approach governance as the tech oligarchy’s influence grows in the era of AI. You can also rewatch the webinar we held this past May with AI Now Institute, New York City Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez, and report author, former San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen where we discussed this topic and more.
✍️ Call to Action: Sign On to UN Human Rights Council Letter
The UN Human Rights Council will review the U.S. this November through its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) – a process that assesses every country’s human rights record and recommends actions to improve it. This review is a rare opportunity for global accountability, and local leadership must be ready to step up. With the possibility that the federal administration could again refuse to participate, state and local leaders have a critical opportunity to show that human rights are non-negotiable. Sign the letter to the Council’s President urging the review to proceed and recognizing the role of local leaders in advancing human rights at home. Sign On to the letter HERE by August 22, 2025 at 5:00 PM EST. Learn more about the UPR process HERE.
Donna Vanhook, Soil and Water Commissioner for Alamance County
Former certified law enforcement and ordained minister, Reverend Donna Vanhook, entered the political arena a few years ago with a campaign for mayor of Burlington. Even though she lost the primary election, the results of her first campaign race became an inspiration for a second campaign. The following year, Reverend Vanhook, broadened her voter base and won a seat on the local Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor board. Within a year, she used her influence as an elected official to collaborate with local organizations, state and federal agencies for environmental justice. The historic victory was won from several months of planning, brought about an expedited clean-up of a contaminated site (Western Electric, aka Tarheel Army Missile Plant), vacant for over thirty years.
Commissioner Vanhook hopes that by using her 25+ years of community building to address a lack of quality affordable housing and intersectional problems like food insecurity to further improve quality of life for underserved populations. Currently, Reverend Vanhook is a candidate for the Burlington city council.
She has been a member of Local Progress since 2023, has attended our national convening and has been an active member of the state chapter. Reverend Vanhook is also an alum of our Progressive Governance Academy.
🏡 Stay Connected to our Caucuses!
Join us for the November All Caucus Meeting – Wednesday, November 12th! We will bring together the general membership of each caucus to build community and share space across identities. This gathering will be an opportunity to learn from one another, deepen cross-caucus relationships, and strengthen our individual caucuses through the sharing of our collective brilliance. 👉 Register Here.
👩💻 Steering Committee
The LP School Board work is shaped by a Steering Committee made up of school board members from across the country. This group meets on zoom for about an hour every month (typically Friday afternoons) and helps set the agenda for our school board work across the network. We have a strong group but need help from more school board members across the network to add capacity to this important body! Are you interested in learning more? Fill out the form here.
