2016 marked 40 years of progressive action for People’s Alliance. We believe a community can be more than a place where people live - it can be a place where people live well.  We are committed to a community where all basic needs are met and each individual has the opportunity for a life of accomplishment, dignity and pride.  These accomplishments demonstrate our ongoing commitment, passion and drive to make this vision come true.  

ECONOMIC JUSTICE

• Built community support for Duke Faculty Forward union organizing for non-tenure faculty, which resulted in a favorable vote for unionization.

• The Economic Inequality Action Team met throughout the year to explore topics such as the problem of disconnected youth; local Earned Income Tax Credits; city and county tax incentives for economic development, efforts to promote a living wage for all Duke employees, and a universal basic income.

• Hosting Progressive Issues Forum on Raising the Floor: The Case for Universal Basic Income.

EDUCATION  

• Hosted Progressive Issues Forum on the possibility for Universal Pre-K programs in Durham Public Schools (DPS).

• The Education Action Team organized open community roundtables on topics such as how to supporting LGBTQ students and staff in schools and the Impact of budgeting and policy decisions on classrooms.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT

• Active in the Coalition for Affordable Housing and Transit, working to: preserve publicly-owned land for affordable housing; decrease the tax burden from the re-assessment on low-income homeowners; develop strategies to reduce displacement of renters; encourage voluntary inclusion of affordable housing in market rate developments.

• Advocated to City Council to not approve rezoning requests without negotiating a public benefit and to expand housing for low-income people, especially in neighborhoods surrounding downtown.  We also were vocal supporters of the Golden Belt area historic district designation.

ENVIRONMENT

• The Environmental Action Team hosted a Progressive Issues Forum on Green Schools, Smart Schools, and pressed DPS to be more visionary in their sustainability goals and planning, including to make a meaningful commitment to engage with the community in planning for a healthy and sustainable future for our schools .

• Advocated against plans by Duke University and Duke Energy to build a new natural gas power plant on Duke University's campus, which would represent a dramatic retreat from Duke’s climate commitments.

• Advocated against rezoning requests that have adverse environmental impacts.

RACIAL JUSTICE

• Hosted a Progressive Issues Forum on Challenging Racism and Islamophobia.

• Advocated for the fair use of police body cameras and, in coalition, supported the FADE/Self Help Ordinance Resolution to make misdemeanor marijuana offenses a lowest level priority for the Durham Police Department because of the documented racial bias in arrests for marijuana possession.  

• The Racial Equity Team hosted 10 Living Room Conversations on topics such Race Equity and Economic Development, the Resegregation of Durham Schools, Understanding the Black Lives Matter Platform, and Anti-racist Progressivism.

• With Durham For All, hosted the 2016 Activist Academy: Voter Power is People, designed to give anti-racist activists context for why local elections matter and skills for how we can better organize to win.

WORKING IN COALITION

• Encouraged members to participate in SpiritHouse’s citywide book study group on Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice.

• Supported Alerta Migratoria and worked toward the release of Wilden Acosta and six other North Carolina families whose sons or brothers have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

• Shared information on actions of interested by many community partners in our bi-weekly Activist Alerts.