Lessons from North Carolina: Race, Religion, Tribe, and the Future of America

by Gene R. Nichol

Overview

North Carolina had a big, unfortunate headstart on now-common attacks on democratic institutions—the lessons learned as NC makes its way out of the chaos can benefit other states. 

Attacks from the radical right will plague the entire nation for the foreseeable future, and now is the time to seek out the causes and find the path to remedy them. In his most personal book yet, Indecent Assembly author Gene Nichol, takes on, unsurprisingly, race, religion, poverty, higher education, constitutionalism, movement politics, the meaning of North Carolina proper. He forecasts the future of democratic promise in the state, the South, and the United States. 

This book is not reportage, but rather a cri de coeur, with inspiration and aspiration for the next generation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781958888025
Publisher:	Blair
Publication date:	04/25/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Gene R. Nichol is a law professor, commentator, and author of Indecent Assembly: The North Carolina Legislature’s Blueprint for the War on Democracy and Equality (Blair) and The Faces of Poverty in North Carolina: Stories from Our Invisible Citizens. He was director of the UNC Poverty Center until it was closed by the UNC Board of Governors for publishing articles critical of the then governor and General Assembly. Since 2015, his research has been supported by the North Carolina Poverty Research Fund.

Table of Contents

• Introduction 
• Chapter One - Rejecting the American Promise: The Re-Embrace of Racial Supremacy 
• Chapter Two - Politics, Tribe, and (Unchristian) Religion 
• Chapter Three - Politics and Poverty 
• Chapter Four - Destroying a Priceless Gem 
• Chapter Five - Movement vs. Partisan Politics 
• Chapter Six - The Limits of Law 
• Chapter Seven - Democracy, Equality, and the Future of America
  

Editorial Reviews

"Nobody speaks truth to power like Gene Nichol. Nobody. The potency of his words can be measured by the lengths to which the North Carolina GOP has gone to shut him up. Nichol raised the General Assembly’s wrath enough for partisans to seek (ultimately unsuccessfully) to cut $3 million from the UNC Law School’s budget, a proposal informally called the ‘Gene Nichol Transfer Amendment.’ And then there was the investigation that the right-wing powers governing UNC conducted of every center in the university system just to close his poverty center. But Nichol just keeps truth-telling. Here, he presents another searing critique of the political powers that be in North Carolina and the unconscionable path on which they have taken the Tar Heel state. His powerful account provides critical lessons about the road we must travel to recommit both the state and the country to the best of American ideals."—Maxine Eichner, The Free-Market Family: How the Market Crushed the American Dream (and How It Can Be Restored)

“At a time when truth is often hard to find, Gene Nichol is not only willing to dig it up and dust it off, but with fierce intelligence and brilliant articulation, he shines a big bright spotlight and turns on the loudspeaker. Lessons from Carolina: Race, Religion, Tribe and the Future of America not only brings clear understanding of North Carolina’s political landscape, but sounds a loud warning across the country about the perils of our democracy. This is an important, well researched, cautionary tale. Nichol gives us truth.”—Jill McCorkle, New York Times bestselling author of Hieroglyphics, Life After Life, and others

“Lessons from Carolina: Race, Religion, Tribe and the Future of America is a deeply personal call to every North Carolinian and to every American. Gene Nichol writes from the heart about his love for North Carolina’s “mountains, its small towns, its rivers and streams, its barbecue, its basketball.” Within this beautiful landscape, he eloquently locates both “the challenges and meaning of America” and argues that North Carolina is key to the future of our democracy. Never afraid to speak truth to power, Gene Nichol delivers unforgettable Lessons From Carolina, as he places the future of our nation and its democratic ideals clearly and firmly in our hands.”—William Ferris, Joel R. Williamson Eminent Professor of History Emeritus, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Praise for Gene Nichol from Indecent Assembly

“The changes in North Carolina are shocking and depressing. Gene Nichol was either in the ring or agitating from a front-row seat. He knows this sad story because he was there. The war is still raging. And he’s still fighting.”—John Grisham, 2019

"Gene Nichol’s insights into the mercenary politics of our time resonate far beyond the North Carolina state line."—Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, Poor People’s Campaign and Timothy B. Tyson, author of The Blood of Emmett Till and Blood Done Sign My Name

From the Publisher