Good News Friday is Cardinal & Pine’s weekly roundup of positive news stories from around NC. For past editions of Good News Friday, tap here.
Here’s what’s in today’s edition:
- Local leaders mark Hispanic Heritage Month amidst persecution
- North Carolina’s expanded new paid parental leave policies for state employees take effect
- Gov. Josh Stein announces reopening of critical Blue Ridge Parkway portion
Starting as a week-long celebration in 1968 before expanding to a month in 1988, there has never been a more critical time than now to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15-Oct. 15.
As the National Museum of the American Latino explains, “Hispanic and Latino are the two most used terms to describe Americans with Latin American and Caribbean ancestry. You may often see these terms used interchangeably, but different people understand and use these terms differently.”
As the museum describes, many use “Latino” to describe the diverse diaspora of US residents with cultural or ancestral ties to Latin America or the Caribbean, making room for acknowledging Black, Indigenous, Asian, and other heritages on equal terms with the European ancestry that “Hispanic” signals.
In recent years, folks within that diaspora have put the word through evolutions that erase the gendered implications of “Latino.” The organizers of a Thursday rally in Raleigh, for example, use “Latine,” so I’ll use the same in reporting on the rally that kicks off our Good News Friday.
There’s nothing good about the way this population has been targeted by the current presidential administration, but it’s certainly uplifting to see these community organizers refuse to let the attempted othering and bigotry win.
They need their neighbors to stand with them the way they’re standing for themselves.
Local leaders mark Hispanic Heritage Month amidst persecution
Latine community leaders held a press conference in front of the NC General Assembly on Thursday morning to celebrate Latine Heritage Month at its halfway point, highlighting the cultural, economic, educational, and civic contributions that Latine communities make every day across North Carolina.
Among the community leaders and organizations represented at the event (watch it below) were officials and organizers in healthcare, immigration, education, voting rights, and the arts.
Speakers included Tania Trejo-Mendez with Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, America Juarez-Maldonado with Carolina Migrant Network, Kiara Aranda with LatinxEd, Luis Lozano with La Fuerza, and children’s book author Antonio Alanis.
Aranda explained that Latine educators provide a type of support for the growing number of Latine students and others in the state that “can change what a young person sees is possible for them,” while Juarez-Maldonado of Carolina Migrant Network emphasized the importance of love in a time when people in leadership roles are spreading hate.
“Love is not passive. Love shows up. Love organizes,” Juarez-Maldonado said.
She called on communities to stand together and support one another, not only during Latine Heritage Month but well beyond it.
North Carolina’s expanded new paid parental leave policies for state employees take effect
Signed into law in July, the Public Workforce Modernization Act went into effect on Thursday, expanding paid parental leave for state employees to 12 weeks regardless of whether they are the ones who give birth. The previous policy offered eight weeks for parents who gave birth and four for nonbirthing parents.
The new measure puts North Carolina near the top of paid parental leave policies offered to state employees, which range from six to 12 weeks across the country.
The State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC) helped state leaders and lawmakers craft the law, according to NC Local.
“Everybody’s thrilled over the parental leave. I mean, that’s just huge,” SEANC government relations director Suzanne Beasley told the outlet.
The Public Workforce Modernization Act also expands employment preference to spouses of active-duty service members seeking jobs in the state government, makes it easier to apply for state jobs, and creates work-based learning opportunities for state employees
“It was so refreshing to be able to work together, not only with the [state HR] agency but with legislators. We all answered each other’s questions and made adjustments,” Beasley told NC Local of the process of writing the bill. “It was wonderful to work on a piece of legislation that everybody understood needed to happen for the good of not only employees but for the citizens of North Carolina who receive services.”
Gov. Josh Stein announces reopening of critical Blue Ridge Parkway portion
As families across the region pack into their cars to hit the Blue Ridge Parkway in search of the best fall foliage, Gov. Josh Stein announced Monday that a critical portion of the iconic byway has reopened.
The section of the Blue Ridge Parkway between Grandfather Mountain and Blowing Rock has opened for the first time since Helene.
“There’s still more work underway along the Parkway, including repairs from Hurricane Helene, but this is another important step forward,” Stein wrote. “I am grateful to Parkway and National Park Service teams for working hard to reopen America’s favorite drive for the world to enjoy.”
