Despite having asthma, Micah McClain was among the estimated 11% of Mecklenburg County residents that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers vaccine hesitant. Since contracting the virus and developing blood clots in his lungs, he wishes he would have followed experts' advice. 'If getting vaccinated would have prevented me from going to the hospital and dealing with what I had to deal with, I would have gotten vaccinated.'
I Said They’d Have to Vaccinate Me at Gunpoint. Then I Contracted Delta.

An estimated 11% of Mecklenburg County adults are vaccine hesitant. Micah McClain was among them until contracting COVID. He has a message for others.

Members of the NC General Assembly stand in this April file photo. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
‘Child Marriage Doesn’t Discriminate’: Here’s What You Need to Know About North Carolina’s New Law

As the long-awaited law goes into effect, North Carolina has the fifth most child marriages in the nation.  

an olive-complexioned person wears a black and white scarf on their hair, hoop earrings, and a black scarf around their neck. They are looking fdirectly at the xas
North Carolina Muslims Continue Progressive March Despite 20 Years of Sept. 11 Bias

Hate crimes against US Muslims have exploded by 500% in the years since Sept. 11, 2001. Still, more Muslims than ever are running for elected office and raising their voices for progressive change.

A person backlit by the sun makes a shape of a heart with their fingers while standing beneath a rainbow flag.
Love Wins as City of Charlotte Covers LGBTQ Residents in Nondiscrimination Ordinance

Charlotte, North Carolina expanded its nondiscrimination ordinance to include housing and employment protections for LGBTQ residents. Advocates are ready to push for more.

A family at the Seabreeze  resort near Wilmington. North Carolina's coast offered a few resort destinations for Black families in the era of segregation. (Fair use image)
When Luxury Was a Luxury: The Rise and Fall of NC’s First All-Black Resort

History rarely makes a place for Black leisure in the era of segregation. But North Carolina's coast was once a destination for middle-class Black people.

The Trailbred Riderz, one of North Carolina's Black saddle clubs, are continuing the traditions of oft-overlooked Black cowboys and cowgirls. (Photo by Amber Thompson)
‘A Little More Fashion, a Bit More Culture’: A Roundup of Rides with North Carolina’s Black Cowboy Clubs

Inside NC’s Black saddle clubs, the cowboys and cowgirls continuing their traditions with trail rides and horseback events this summer.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., left, and Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., right, walk from a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Paycheck Fairness Act Could Have Helped Close the Wage Gap for Women. Instead, Republicans Shot It Down.

Paycheck Fairness Act Could Have Helped Close the Wage Gap for Women. Instead, Republicans Shot It Down.