The Alpha Nu Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and the N.C. A&T chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) organized the ‘Kaptivating the Vote’ event to educate students about the upcoming North Carolina election candidates.
North Carolina Senator Gladys Robinson was called before the event to represent gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein and Mark Robinson, who was initially unconfirmed, was present speaking for himself.
Candidates for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction, Democrat Mo Green and Republican Michele Morrow were also present.
This event tested the student organizers’ determination, as candidates’ attendance was unconfirmed on the day of the event. These individuals faced pressure to postpone the event at the advice of advisors and organization representatives who felt the circumstances of Robinson and Stein’s involvement would present challenges for the event.
Green served as superintendent of Guilford County Schools from 2008 to 2016. As superintendent, he pushed for high educational and academic achievement while promoting character development and organizational performance, according to Guilford County Schools. He is also the Democratic candidate for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction.
If elected, Green aims to address issues in public schools, such as teacher disrespect and student academic performance.
“[I am] concerned about our public schools given the willful underfunding of our public schools,” said Green. “I believe that I can provide a new vision and way forward for our public school system in North Carolina.”
Morrow is a homeschool teacher hoping to enter the public education system in North Carolina. She previously came under fire for controversies, including anti-LGTBQ rhetoric and being in attendance at the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Morrow stated that if elected, she would advocate for the needs of the 115 North Carolina public school districts.
“[The role of Superintendent of Public Instruction] is to ensure [the N.C. school system] is not only obeying the laws, but we’re also giving the policies and the standards that they need to the individual school boards so that they can, in turn, give them to individual schools so that they have the resources, the curriculum, and funding they need,” Morrow said.
During the debate, moderators asked the panel targeted questions. Additionally, representatives from various campus organizations could ask the panel questions on behalf of their organization. After each question, panelists had two minutes to respond.
The panel received several questions, most related to three overarching topics: why the candidates wanted their prospective office, the future of reproductive rights in North Carolina and media scandals.
As the discussion between the Superintendent of Public Instruction candidates came to a close, the moderators moved to the senator candidates. They began to ask Mark Robinson how he planned to handle the issue of abortion rights if he were elected as Governor.
“It’s quite simple. Those 120 house members and those 50 senators are your representatives. They represent you in those chambers. If the people ask for that bill to be signed, I believe it is my responsibility to sign it. Even if I don’t personally agree,” said Robinson.
After Robinson’s two minutes, the moderators shifted their focus to Senator Robinson and asked her about Josh Stein’s initiatives to improve the workforce. Senator Robinson chose to use her two-minute response time to debunk Mark Robinson’s earlier claim that state legislatures represent the wants of all North Carolinians and that the current abortion legislation is fair.
“The people did not request the abortion bill. Republicans have the majority. They are able to push bills through, and they do not listen,” said Senator Robinson. “We don’t tell men to get a vasectomy, so you can not tell a woman when to have an abortion.”
At the end of the debate, when panelists were asked questions from the audience, Mark Robinson and Morrow were asked about past social media posts.
The audience urged Morrow to explain why she attended the Jan. 6 riot and called for Obama to be executed, as they also requested that Robinson explain the allegations made about him in a recent CNN report.
Students were encouraged to research candidates and vote during November’s upcoming general elections.
