Author: Jordan Meadows

[caption id="attachment_12964" align="alignnone" width="912"] Photo from Raleighnc.gov[/caption] By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer North Carolina has experienced one of its most extreme years of weather in recent history, beginning with an unseasonably dry winter and spring that sparked a wave of wildfires, and now culminating in record-breaking rainfall, deadly flash floods, and a devastating tropical storm season. Through late 2024 and early 2025, North Carolina was entrenched in drought. Between October

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer The 2025 Fayetteville mayoral race has taken an unexpected turn with Mayor Mitch Colvin reversing his decision to step away from public office and officially entering the race for a fifth term just hours before the filing deadline on July 18. Colvin, Fayetteville's longest-serving Black mayor, first took office in 2017 and had announced in June that he would not seek reelection. But citing growing

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer James "Fergie" Ferguson, a civil rights attorney and native of Asheville, North Carolina, passed away on July 21, 2025, at the age of 82. Born in 1942 in the Jim Crow South, Ferguson became a figure in the struggle for educational equity, civil rights, and legal reform in the United States and abroad. Ferguson began his activism early, leading the Asheville Student Committee on Racial

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Saint Augustine's University (SAU) finds itself at a pivotal crossroads as it battles to preserve its accreditation status following the final ruling from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). An arbitration panel recently upheld the accreditor's decision to remove SAU from its membership, marking the university's second failed appeal in less than a year. Despite the blow, SAU remains open

  By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Bill Pickett, born on December 5, 1870, in the Jenks Branch community of Williamson County, Texas, was a legendary African American cowboy, rodeo performer, and actor. He was the second of 13 children born to Thomas Jefferson Pickett, a formerly enslaved man, and Mary "Janie" Gilbert. Pickett's ancestry was a blend of African American and Cherokee heritage. He left school after the fifth grade

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer On Monday, North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green announced joining a coalition of 24 states and the District of Columbia in a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging the abrupt freeze of more than $6.8 billion in federal education funds. The funding freeze, enacted without warning on June 30-just hours before schools expected disbursement-is already having

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer William DeHart Hubbard was the first African American to win an individual gold medal in the Olympic Games, claiming victory in the long jump at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Born on November 25, 1903, Hubbard showed early promise both academically and athletically while attending Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati. It was there that his story began to intersect with Lon Barringer, a University of

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Pettis Burch Norman, former Dallas Cowboys tight end, civil rights activist, and pioneering businessman, passed away on July 7, 2025. He was 86. Born on January 4, 1939, in Lincolnton, Georgia, Norman was the youngest of ten children raised by Fessor and Elease Norman. After his father's death when Pettis was ten years old, his family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. Norman planned to enlist

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Prince Hall was a Black American abolitionist, educator, and founder of what is today known as Prince Hall Freemasonry. As one of the most influential free Black leaders of the late 18th century, his life was defined by advocacy for freedom in the face of slavery and discrimination.  Much about Hall's early life is uncertain. He was likely born in Boston. His exact birth year

By Jordan Meadows Staff Writer Before the American Revolution, numerous freed African Americans supported the anti-British cause. One of the most notable figures was Crispus Attucks, a multiracial sailor who had escaped slavery and is believed to be the first person killed in the Boston Massacre in 1770. Both free and enslaved Black Americans also served in local militias, particularly in the North, defending their communities against Native American attacks.