🇺🇸 HAPPENING NOW: ‘Voices for Veterans’ of NC

Happy Tuesday, North Carolina. I’m especially excited about this particular Tuesday. 

That’s because today at 5:30 pm, Cardinal & Pine will be kicking off “Voices for Veterans: An Evening Supporting North Carolina’s Veterans and Military Families.”

The livestream begins around 5:30 pm and runs through 7:30 pm, or whenever we stop talking.😂 Click the buttons below to watch it on the platform of your choice. 

Along with our co-sponsor Common Cause NC, we’ll be talking about the federal cuts to Veteran Affairs, voting access for service members and their families, and our imperfect but still here democracy. Scroll below for more info.

Veterans and veteran-rights advocates rallied in Raleigh in March to protest potential cuts to the VA. (Michael McElroy/Cardinal & Pine)

Here’s what to know about each panel: 

Panel: The Human Cost of Gutting the VA

Learn more about how policy changes brought by the Trump administration have been affecting veterans and military families. Panelists will walk through the real-world impact of these changes, including potential significant cuts to healthcare access. This panel will be followed by an audience Q&A.

Panel: Defending Democracy

As we face unprecedented threats to democracy, the military’s position in government has become more precarious. Panelists will discuss the evolving role of veterans as defenders of democracy and a last line of defense against authoritarianism. This panel will be followed by an audience Q&A.

The panelists will include Dr. Kyle Horton, a former VA doctor and current advocate for veterans; Ann Marie Patterson-Powell, a VA nurse in North Carolina; Grier Martin, the chair of the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs; Bobby Jones and Scott Peoples of Veterans for Responsible Leadership;  NC Reps. Eric Ager and Terry Brown, Jay Carey, a veteran and founder of the nonpartisan advocacy group, Resist & Persist; Kellie Artis, an advocate for military families; and Sean Wright, a former Army medic and advocate. 

Click here for more details.

Thanks for reading, North Carolina. Stay connected.