NC Senate 33 Candidate, Gary Weart, shares a snapshot of his lifetime of service and how that path has led to his candidacy to represent Rowan and Stanly Counties in Raleigh. “What began from a feeling of hopelessness has taught me that hope can become action and action can bring positive results.”
On April 29, 1989, I experienced the murder of my student, Alex Freeman Orange, 17, from West Charlotte High School. I was in my 15th year of teaching. He was my 8th student to die from gun violence and I started my first chapter of Students Against Violence Everywhere at West Charlotte High School. This expression of grief, followed by concrete action, has morphed into the SAVE Promise Clubs, with 5,000 clubs across 49 states and a few foreign countries and is also part of the Sandy Hook Promise. What began from a feeling of hopelessness has taught me that hope can become action and action can bring positive results.
A young man I know, Justin J. Pearson, epitomizes hope. I first met the now Tennessee State Representative as a YAB’er for our National SAVE program. (That is the Youth Advisory Board for National Students Against Violence Everywhere.) He has been gerrymandered out of his future in his home district of Memphis, Tennessee, following his state legislature’s quick action to redraw that district after the Supreme Court passed the Callais Decision that I and many others believe gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I know Justin’s heart and he knows mine and I must lift my voice to express my support and protest against such mean-spiritedness and blatant racism towards him and others across many U.S. states.
North Carolinians are directly affected by the actions of the N.C. General Assembly. Although we are a purple state, the NCGA recently replaced the 7 to 7 (Republican to Democrat) split in Congress created by the Fair Maps of 2023 with a 10 to 4 split in Congress, favoring Republicans. This is not commonsense governance and the majority of people polled do not like partisan gerrymandering. According to YouGov, “Roughly 64 percent to 71 percent of the American public — including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents — consistently state in polling that states should not be allowed to intentionally draw congressional districts to favor one party.”
We must address the issue of gerrymanding with honest and hard dialogue to restore the integrity of our democracy. Justin was recently interviewed and shared this statement: “If you drive from one Krispy Kreme in Nashville to another Krispy Kreme on the outskirts of Nashville in Brentwood, you pass through five congressional districts driving just 30 minutes.” I agree with his argument that the new maps intentionally dilute Black political power by grouping parts of Memphis with counties hundreds of miles away.
I have lived a life calling for “Unity through Diversity,” firmly established in my heart of hearts at West Charlotte High School, since 1983 through today. Priceless is the reward of being there for all my students over five decades in public education as a teacher, coach, mentor, supervisor, administrator, adviser, violence prevention specialist, teacher support and volunteer. As a retired history teacher, I see the signs of democracy slowly dying as the voice of the people takes a back seat to those in power. I have learned that we are never, ever alone in our times of need. I will be joining friends like Justin as well as the voices of my neighbors and move forward with active participation in our democratic republic.