'New Rural Project' aims to increase civic engagement

Nov. 5—ROCKINGHAM — The New Rural Project, started in April of this year, is an organization dedicated to not just registering individuals to vote, but to informing and promoting civic engagement for marginalized communities.

"We knew that there are particular folks in these parts who aren't as civically engaged as they can be," said Co-Founder and Executive Director Cynthia Wallace, specifically African-American and Hispanic voters under the age of 40. "Our goal with our organization is to engage and very much so listen to folks that are in the marginalized and younger communities of rural counties."

Both Wallace and Co-Founder and Board Member Helen Probst Mills ran for office in 2020. Wallace was the 2020 Democratic Nominee for North Carolina's 9th Congressional District. Mills was the 2018 and 2020 Democratic Nominee for North Carolina's State Senate District 25.

While neither of their campaigns were successful, their experience gave them a greater understanding of the issues and concerns of the rural community, as well as the barriers to civic engagement. Mills said it was "eye-opening" to run for office, especially seeing the parts of rural North Carolina that are being left behind.

"People open up their hearts to you, they open their homes, they tell you their dreams and aspirations," she said about running for office. "Not being successful doesn't mean that it isn't also possible to work with the community to address those needs."

The New Rural Project (NRP) focuses on seven North Carolina counties — Moore, Hoke, Robeson, Union, Anson, Richmond and Scotland. They've been involved with vaccine clinics in each area, working with local partners.

They hosted one of the first vaccine clinics in Robeson County, which has the lowest vaccination rate in North Carolina, particularly among the Lumbee Tribe. NRP received grant money from the Made to Save Campaign, an initiative to increase confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine for communities of color.

Health equity is a goal of the NRP.

"We let data guide a lot of our work," Wallace said, adding that they have an upcoming vaccine clinic in Anson County, which has the second-lowest vaccination rate in the state.

NRP has hosted listening sessions and discussions with community leaders, as well as infrequent voters, to figure out how they can assist rural communities. Wallace said that young rural communities and marginalized individuals are critical to our democracy.

"It's not just getting them out to vote, but [discussing] what keeps them up at night and what are their sources of pain," Wallace said.

Wallace added that a reason she started her campaign in 2019 was to amplify the voices of the rural community to reach Washington. Now, she's doing the same thing, not as a candidate for an upcoming election, but to engage with the community.

"Younger people ask questions, 'Why am I voting, what's the difference? How does that change my day-to-day life?" Wallace said. "A big part of what we want to do is bring that to life for them. To not just tell people to vote, but work with them to illuminate what the benefits are to be civically engaged."

According to their website, people under the age of 40 represent 36% of registered voters in their focus counties and represented 29% of the total vote in 2020. Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) represent 38% of registered voters in their focus counties and made up 33% of the total vote in 2020.

"It's not simply registering people, but being in conversation with them in a space where they feel heard," Mills said.

Wallace added that they're connecting the dots between an individual's vote and its effect on their life for young people.

From their conversations with the community, Mills said that people are recognizing the need to be more informed and be able to contact their local, elected officials.

Anson County is the subject of a year-long NBC News and "Meet the Press" project which aims to provide deeper context to the 2022 mid-term elections. Specifically, they're investigating the idea that rural African-American voters are losing interest in the voting process.

Mills said their research and investment into the NRP parallels the NBC project, that this community could be voting well below their potential.

In Richmond County, the NRP leaders said they're working with Commissioner Tavares Bostic on the 7th Annual "A Turkey on Every Table" program, which ensures that every family has the opportunity for a turkey on Thanksgiving.

On Nov. 20, New Rural Project will be hosting a vaccine clinic in Anson County in Morven, partnering with the HOLLA! Resource and Community Development Center and other agencies. Gift cards will be provided for those getting their first dose of the vaccine against COVID-19.

For more information about the New Rural Project, visit https://www.newruralproject.org/. They can be contacted at [email protected]

"We really want to hear from people," Mills said. "We fundamentally believe that the point of the organization is to uplift the needs and concerns of the rural community. We want to hear from people what those are."

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Reach Matthew Sasser at 910-817-2671 or [email protected]