People's Power Lab

  By Wilermine Mwakamupya (Student at Sanderson High School in Raleigh, NC) My name is Wilermine Mwakamupya, and I’m 16 years old. I go to Sanderson High School, and I’m a junior. I live with my parents and seven siblings, so there are nine people in our house. We arrived in the United States in January 2019, leaving behind our home country of Burundi, a small nation in East Africa. Before coming here, we lived in a refugee camp for 10 years, which was very difficult. My parents, Mwakamupya Shisho and Beatrice, always wanted us to get an education and have a better life, as life in Burundi was very challenging. Many people in our country struggled to find enough food and a safe place to sleep, and refugees in the camp faced even more challenges. Immigrant groups brought food to the camp every month, but the amount was not enough for many families because most had many children, so the food would run out quickly. My dad worked as a carpenter when we were in Burundi, and my mom had a...

  Did you know that North Carolina is considered the birthplace of the environmental justice movement when Black community members fought against cancer-causing PCB dumping in Warren County (also the birthplace of Ella Baker) in the late 70s and early 80s? The words "environmental racism" and "environmental justice" became part of the global social justice vocabulary as a result of this movement. Black working-class community members are at the forefront of many environmental justice struggles in North Carolina (and beyond) since then, including winning a multi-million dollar lawsuit against swine industry pollution that is causing sickness and deaths in Black, Brown, working-class people living around those areas. It is not surprising that polluting industries, trash landfills, and major highways causing particulate pollution are often located close to where Black and people of color communities live. Black-led movements have also shut down the Atlantic Coast gas P...

People's Power Lab has a mission to build the power of Black, Brown, and Muslim working-class community members in our base. We represent many Rohingya, Afghan, Syrian, Somali, Congolese and and other refugees in the Triangle area of North Carolina. In addition, we represent many working class African Americans in the Triangle and Rocky Mount. Our organizing mission includes education justice for the most impacted community members within our base. A significant number of working-class refugees/immigrants and African American community members in our base are denied the basic education resources. Education system in North Carolina and the USA has historically under-served Black, Brown, and working-class community members. A significant number of immigrants and refugees with young children live in poverty. In fact, approximately half of parents with children between the ages of 0-10 live in poverty (source: Migration Policy Institute. April 2021 ). Poverty and lack of English fluenc...

  North Carolina public schools are facing multiple crises. NC General Assembly's reactionary policy privatizing education through vouchers for charter schools is increasingly bankrupting the public schools. A significant number of Black, Brown, and working class students, who make up more than 50% of public school population (source: NC Newsline, February 24, 2022 ), attend deteriorated public schools since funds have been siphoned to private schools in the form of vouchers (source: Public School First NC, September 2022 ). The draining of funds is also putting already underfunded Pre-K Schools and child care centers (where low income families are eligible) on the verge of closure ( Source: WUNC August 30, 2024).   On top, NC teachers’ salaries are consistently declining (source: CBS17, May 2, 2024 ), forcing many teachers to quit (source: WRAL, April 3, 2024) . Teachers who remain in the profession operate with scarce resources and support, spending a record $1300 annually ...

My name is Afsa Kevine Kimbi. Here is the story of my life. My story before I moved to the USA I was born in a small city called Bujumbura. It is located in Burundi, East Africa. I lived in a refugee camp called Kavumu with my whole family: my mother, father, my big brother, three sisters, and one little brother who passed away when he was 3 years old. Living in a refugee camp was very horrible because how we had to exchange food just to buy a different food . There is a group of people called UNHCR who help everybody by giving food away like beans, rice, oil, and soybeans. Coming here was very difficult because I had to take a lot of shots and take a lot of medicine and my parents had to sign a lot of papers.  They would send this big bus called OIM-IOM to take refugees from the camp to the city. From there they asked us questions to decide which state to send us to. My father has one brother and one sister in Congo; and two brothers and one sister in Burundi. And in my mother’s f...

Did you know, people in many states, including North Carolina, will cast a vote during Super Tuesday primary elections. While people throughout the country are transfixed on the contentious presidential election, many local and state races are often overlooked. People's Power Lab is sharing background information of various candidates and third-party endorsements by different publications and associations. As a non-profit, People's Power Lab does not endorse any political candidates. Here are som e of the primary rac es that will take in North Carolina.  Governor Lt. Governor Attorney General State Auditor State Treasurer  Labor Commissioner Secretary of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Agriculture Commissioner, and Insurance Commissioner     Super Tuesday / Primary Election Races on March 5, 2024. Image from CBS News        

Did you know, North Carolina will hold local elections for many municipalities this October and November? Voters in many cities in North Carolina will vote for city council members who will make decisions on such important topics as affordable housing, efficient transportation, public safety, living wages for city employees, funding for parks/libraries, and other topics. In many ways, local elections are even more important than the presidential election, since people have the ability to bring concrete changes in their community. Local elections serve as an opportunity to vet public officials for future elections for state and national offices. Relationships forged and political education of candidates (through community’s assertion of power during forums, rallies, and elections) will influence the public officials in the long term. For this reason, please consider voting during this election! Elections in Wake County Angier Current City Council members (as of February 2024) Bob Jusnes...