Advocacy Day unlocks political engagement among everyday people

The North Carolina Black and Brown Policy Network gathered for the network’s Advocacy Day at the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C., on April 29, 2025.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Among the outcomes from the North Carolina Black and Brown Policy Network’s (BBPN) Advocacy Day was self-described average citizens understanding they know as much as or sometimes more than elected officials about bills moving through the General Assembly, and junior politicians revealed the standard practice of voting the way the leaders of their chambers tell them to vote.

Senate Bill 382, for example, cloaked as legislation to send hundreds of millions of dollars in disaster relief to undo damage caused by Hurricane Helene, contains some daggers, including one reducing the amount of time county boards of elections have to review provisional ballots from 10 days to three.

“There are some legislators that didn’t even know that this was in Senate Bill 382,” said Tyler Daye, policy and civic engagement manager for Common Cause NC.

Advocacy Day Unveils the Truth About Lawmaking

Advocacy Day annually assembles community-minded groups and individuals to descend on the North Carolina General Assembly to prioritize issues they care about and remind politicians that they work for the voters. The outreach does a lot to remove the veil of omniscience some people tend to bestow upon elected officials, said Jovita Lee, Ed.D., policy director for Advance Carolina and Advocacy Day’s brainchild.

“Politicians don’t know everything. We don’t expect them to. There’s a lot of information in those bills,” Lee said. “We do expect elected officials to do their homework and know what they’re voting on and how their decisions impact Black and Brown people. Let’s just say we show up to the General Assembly to help their understanding.”

Members of the North Carolina Black and Brown Policy Network get a seat at the table to talk health care with Rep. Maria Cervania during the organization’s Advocacy Day at the North Carolina Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C., April 29, 2025.

Lee said making the rounds at the legislature means accountability for North Carolinians. Black Voters Matter, Blueprint North Carolina, Emancipate NC, Democracy North Carolina, North Carolina Black Alliance, El Pueblo, Education Justice Alliance, Every Child NC, North Carolina for the People, and the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center were involved in the work, speaking with legislators or their aides.

Doneka Dillard Newkirk describes herself as an everyday resident who drove two hours to Raleigh from Rockingham County to make the case that accessing health care requires an hour’s ride for some of her neighbors. She said she was able to share that with the executive assistant for Senate leader Phil Berger, who represents Rockingham County.

“Some people would rather stay at home than to get that health care that’s needed. Making sure we can continue to have the health care that’s been provided [is important]. It took a lot of people to get that health care. We need to continue that talk on making sure that we’re going to be able to keep that health care,” Dillard Newkirk said. “I do plan on bringing my children back — I homeschool three children — just so they can have a chance to be able to talk with the people here that hold our lives in their hands.”