10 Years of Building Black Political Power in NC
A decade ago, we showed up to fill a gap and we’ve been holding the line ever since. What began as a bold response to voter suppression and political neglect has grown into a powerful home for grassroots action, joy, and strategy across North Carolina. Join us in commemorating 10 transformative years of empowering Black communities across North Carolina. Discover our journey, celebrate our achievements, and envision the future we are building together.
Our Milestones Over the Years
Reflect on our key achievements and moments that defined our path in building Black political power.
2015
Foundation Laid
- Advance Carolina (AC) is established as an offshoot of the North Carolina Black Alliance (NCBA) as the first Black social welfare organization in North Carolina. If the Alliance was an incubator for Black political action, then Advance could be a base for Black political activity.
- Early strategy centered on grassroots organizing and the development of a membership base that was geographically diverse – urban, suburban, and rural – and combined the strengths of the traditional community and electoral organizing with modern, technology-driven field organizing.
- In August 2015, AC begins work in Black communities across North Carolina, meeting with 498 Black Leaders with significant networks in their communities across 56 counties in North Carolina.
2016-2017
Local Organizing Meets Statewide Strategy
- With a staff of 4, volunteers are mobilized around statewide races, spotlighting Black candidates through targeted campaigns like “Justice on the Ballot,” which galvanized local residents to participate more deeply in the political process.
- With the launch of the first issues campaign, The New NC Majority, efforts focus on three (3) different areas the team believes, if championed, would leverage an electoral majority: Rural Development (Eastern NC), Urban/Suburban Development (I-85 Corridor), and Veteran Resources.
- County tables are developed in targeted Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties, areas with 18%+ black population & home to the largest deficits between Black populations and representational elected leadership. This approach aids AC’s electoral strategy of building a more representative General Assembly and State Government.
2018-2019
Building Infrastructure
- Utilizing traditional Black media platforms, a communications hub is implemented to address pressing issues affecting the Black community.
- The team grows with the addition of a project coordinator and a faith-based coordinator. Special funding is secured for a dedicated staff member to anchor work in CD-9 to support voter mobilization for a special election. Tailored programming and CD-9 advertisements result in increased voter turnout.
- Resources are deployed to communities outside of the urban, metro areas of the state, setting up AC’s Eastern & rural strategy. These communities lie in legislative districts desperately in need of education, training and leadership development offerings to help demystify the process of democracy.
2020-2021
Showing up In A Crisis
- 2020 represents an inflection point—designing outreach not just to turn out Black voters, but to protect them while shaping a narrative around strength, agency, and intentional Black-led political power. The launch of When They See Us Vote, a limited-series podcast, explores voter suppression, Black political power, and electoral urgency.
- Marking the 1st real capacity-building expansion, a marketing department is established, helping to highlight AC’s work across the state while also garnering national attention and planting the seeds that organizers on the ground and community collaborators would water.
- In AC’s boldest digital voter engagement effort to date, the first-ever is launched, uplifting the voices of Black voters, organizers, and community leaders across North Carolina. This evolution brings the energy, the issues, and the urgency straight to the people.
- The Black and Brown Policy Network (BPPN) is birthed out of necessity to protect the health of Black and brown bodies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022 And Beyond
Defending Democracy
- County tables in Tier 1 communities are expanded, turning them into hubs for political education, advocacy, and candidate development.
- Organizing efforts in the 2022 midterms led to key down-ballot wins in school boards, sheriff races, and judicial seats.
- Efforts help advance 28 down-ballot candidates from our “Justice on the Ballot” initiative. A focus on eastern North Carolina helps elect 3 Black women to the NC State Senate, representing rural residents, protect a host of Sheriff incumbents, and hold the balance of power needed to sustain the veto of Governor Roy Cooper.
- Physical Harbors are established and strategically placed in key areas to drive non-partisan voter engagement initiatives and facilitate down-ballot education while also providing assurance of both physical protection for voters and safeguarding the integrity of the vote. This model sustains the largest grassroots political ground game effort in our organization’s history.
- A concerted focus on countering voter intimidation and year-round relational organizing with trained local teams focused on protection and trust-building helps defy the federal trend and elect progressive-minded candidates to Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Superintendent of Public Instruction — evidence of OUR impact. We run our largest direct voter contact program in our history.
You Make This Movement Possible.
For 10 years, we’ve organized, built power, and held the line for our communities. Every dollar you give fuels the work – year-round, on the ground, and for generations to come.
This isn’t just a donation. It’s an investment in our people, our future, and our freedom. Thank you for standing with us.
Our Impact: Building Power from the Ground Up
Over the past decade, Advance Carolina has been deeply rooted in communities across North Carolina — listening, learning, and organizing with purpose. Our impact reports reflect not just numbers, but narratives: stories of rural mobilization, down-ballot wins, and long-haul power building that move beyond the simplified idea of Black voter turnout alone defining election outcomes.
What gives us hope as we look ahead is what’s always fueled us: the power of OUR people, the strength of rural communities, and a strategy rooted in listening, organizing, and leading from within.
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