The State of Things on WUNC

On Tuesday evening the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will vote on the future of two Confederate monuments in downtown Asheville: a Robert E. Lee memorial in Pack Square and a monument honoring fallen Confederate soldiers outside the Buncombe County Courthouse.

Earlier this month the U.S. Marine Corps ordered the removal of the Confederate flag from Marine installations.

As businesses reopen and summer weather lures people into public spaces, health officials in North Carolina worry about the pandemic’s increasing toll on the population. Confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state topped 45,000 this week.

When Ronnie Pepper was a kid, his mother told him he could not be the president or an astronaut. Though she did not say it aloud, Pepper understood that it was because of the color of his skin. Patterns of internalized oppression and ingrained racism are some of the targets of recent protests and calls for social change across the country.

Mavis Gragg never thought her work would “take her to the trees,” but that is where she has found herself.

Updated June 19, 3:30 p.m. Chief Justice Cheri Beasley’s moratorium against evictions ends on June 21 . Those living in federally-subsidized housing — also called Section 8 — have until July 25.

When Hurricane Matthew flooded his hometown in 2016 , Mayor Bobbie Jones understood the magnitude of the decisions ahead. As the National Guard drained the floodwaters back into the Tar River, some of the 2,200 residents considered relocation.

Zoocrü is a Durham progressive jazz combo embedded in African diasporic music. They describe themselves more simply — Zoocrü is Black American music . Drummer and founding member Jonathan Curry wants listeners to understand the different lineages in Black American music. Between songs, the audience learns about the band’s influences and intentions — how and why they draw on North Carolina legends like John Coltrane and Max Roach while incorporating rhythms and licks from Ethiopia and West Africa

Cities around the country are facing pressure to reform their policing and take a hard look at systemic racism. Minneapolis announced the intent to defund portions of their police department. Other cities have ended relationships between school systems and the police.

Nationwide protests against the police killing of George Floyd are still underway, and they have reignited discourse around race and racism. These conversations can be particularly challenging for friends, partners, and colleagues of different races.