Cheri Beasley is running for US Senate in North Carolina and stopped by A&T’s campus to talk with some students about what she stands for and would like to see change in the near future. 

This is not Beasley’s first time making her mark in North Carolina. In 2008, Beasley was elected to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. A few years later, in 2014, she was elected as the Associate Justice of the state Supreme Court. 

In 2019 she became the first African-American woman to serve as Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Currently, Beasley has the chance to make history on a bigger scale.

There are currently 24 women that hold a position in the senate and none of them are African-American. Beasley understands that the position she is running for is a huge responsibility but would be honored to be the first black woman in the Senate to represent NC.

“I know the value of service, diversity and knowing that representation really does matter. I know that when I was appointed by the Governor to serve as Chief Justice, I literally heard from people all over the world. I am excited about this opportunity and I also know this is hard work and very serious,” Beasley said. 

Beasley believes her experience with being Chief Justice and Associate Justice has set her up ideally to run for the US Senate in NC in 2022. 

“Thinking about the fact that I would enjoy the work being a US Senator and I wanted to know that I would be good for this state, and that we had a viable chance at winning this race,” Beasley continued. “I’m really excited about lifting up the issues that people care deeply about and fighting for the people here in North Carolina.” 

The current minimum wage in North Carolina is $7.25, which is the same as the current Federal Minimum Wage rate. 

Beasley is an advocate for raising the minimum wage to $15 and she believes that “we just got to do it”. Beasley talked about creating jobs commonly sourced from other countries and implementing them here in the state of NC.  

“The key to that is making sure we have good paying jobs here in North Carolina. Also understanding that China is one of our greatest economic competitors and so many of those jobs that are over there, need to stay here in the state so that people can take care of their families,” Beasley said. “Also, we have the talent here in the state to carry out those jobs.”

North Carolina A&T is the No.1 public HBCU in the country and Dr. Beasley knows the difference in funding when it comes to PWIs versus HBCUs. Education is one of her top priorities, so funding HBCUs is one of the goals she plans to hit if she is granted the position. 

“We just have to make funding a priority. Education is a priority for all of us and investing in our students as well, certainly funding HBCUs will be a priority for me,” Beasley said. 

Beasley has a lot of goals she would like to achieve if she was granted the position of US Senator for NC. 

“There are so many priorities around access to good health care, making sure our children are educated and schools are strong and parents are supported,” Beasley continued. People care a whole lot about inflation, jobs and growing a strong economy, I would have to say voting rights are fundamental. They are constitutional, foundational rights and we need to make sure they are secured and protected.”

The United States Senate election will begin on Nov. 8, 2022. Beasley will be the only democrat running for the position. U.S. Representative Ted Budd, Former Governor Pat McCrory and former U.S Representative Mark Walker will also be running for the position as well.