The New Rural Project's Model

 

60,000 registered voters of color in North Carolina didn’t vote in 2020. "Those are the kind of numbers that change elections."

--Cynthia Wallace, New Rural Project

Since 2021, failed Democratic candidates Cynthia Wallace (she ran against Dan Bishop in 2020 in CD9) and Helen Propst Mills (ran twice in 2018 and 2020 for a NCSenate seat) launched The New Rural Project deliberately targeting "civic engagement" in the Black community, particularly that (large) segment not even registered to vote who tend to live in rural areas. Wallace and Mills formed a 501(c)(4) non-profit, recruited staff and volunteers, and adopted a "down home" approach as opposed to typical political advocacy. "They knocked on doors, sat on front porches, huddled in barber shops, and listened more than they talked" (CardinalAndPine.com). The New Rural Project originally targeted seven North Carolina counties — Moore, Hoke, Robeson, Union, Anson, Richmond, and Scotland. Wallace said, “What we really are focused on is giving voice to those who feel voiceless and helping those that feel unseen be seen and heard,”

Barbershop conversation. New Rural Project website

In 2022, the New Rural Project had the very productive idea of using Black barbershops for meet-ups and "deep conversations" with men in the community who had experience and opinions about entrepreneurship, jobs and wages, crime and the criminal justice system. One of the leaders of the barbershop conversations, barber Garrett Snuggs, ran for Wadesboro town council in 2023 and was the leading vote-getter. Three other Black candidates for municipal offices in the Project's target region also won their races.

This success in advancing Black candidates by rallying Black voters got expansion as the New Rural Project began beauty shop conversations to complement the barbershop meetups. “Every Black woman I know has spent her share of time in a beauty salon,” Wallace said. “And we’ve seen that happen in those beauty salons that the barriers kind of break down and you’re in a space that’s familiar, comfortable, and talking about your issues and your concerns .... We connect the dots between whatever their issue is and their civic life,” she said, “[bringing] it back full circle to why your civic engagement can actually solve these issues that you care about.”

The Cindy Wallace Kiss-Off

Here's the email from ASU Chancellor Sheri Everts last Friday announcing that Vice Chancellor Cindy Wallace was out of a job:

Begin forwarded message:

From: Chancellor Everts <chancellor@APPSTATE.EDU>
Date: June 8, 2016 at 8:01:15 AM EDT
To: ASUFACULTY@LIST.APPSTATE.EDU
Subject: Important announcement from Chancellor Everts
Reply-To: Chancellor Everts <chancellor@APPSTATE.EDU>

Dear Members of the Appalachian Community:

After careful consideration I have made a decision to initiate a leadership change in The Division of Student Development.  As of Friday, June 3, Cindy Wallace no longer serves in the role of Vice Chancellor for Student Development.

An Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Development will be appointed and a national search for this important leadership position will begin in the near future. I am committed to working closely with the Student Development team, student leaders, and my leadership team to ensure a smooth transition.  I will keep the campus community informed throughout the process.

I thank Cindy Wallace for her many years of service and her commitment to Appalachian and wish her well in her future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Sheri N. Everts
Chancellor

Speculation Swirling Over Firing of High-Level ASU Administrator

Cindy Walace

The sudden firing of long-time Appalachian State University Vice Chancellor Cindy Wallace, an advocate for student voting rights, has gotten the attention of both student government and members of the General Assembly.

The Director of External and Governmental Affairs for the ASU Student Government Association posted this on Facebook last night, calling out Chancellor Sheri Everts:

"At a time of such devastation for Appalachian State University, I was reminded tonight why I want to continue fighting for student voices on this campus. Cindy Wallace was truly a unique individual, one this university will never be able to replace. She was a haven for students who felt under-represented on this campus and simply her presence in a room undeniably gave students the sense of belonging. It was a sad day for the student body when the chancellor's office sent an email regarding the dismissal of such a wonderful asset to this university. This news came as a shock to the entire Appalachian community, but we must not forget what Cindy fought for. ... I am ready to put the full force of the student body behind the fight for our voting rights on campus, something Cindy was adamantly for. And I am ready to give Sheri N. Everts hell this year. Bring it on"

Rumors are actually coming out of Raleigh that the firing was "political," either that (a) members of the right-wing Board of Governors wanted Wallace out or that (b) Republican members of the General Assembly wanted her out, or both (a) and (b). And what was university system President Margaret Spellings' role in all this? More purging of administrators not in synch with Republican dogma?

At any rate, the continuing destruction of higher education in North Carolina seems very much on schedule.