FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 24, 2011
For More Information: Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137
Mrs. Amina Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700
Atty. Jennifer Marsh, Legal Redress Coordinator, 919-682-4700
OPEN LETTER
October 24, 2011
The Honorable Beverly Perdue
Governor
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
The Honorable Thom Tillis
Speaker
North Carolina House of Representatives
16 W. Jones Street, Room 2304
Raleigh, NC 27601-1096
The Black Legislative Caucus
c/o The Honorable Floyd McKissick
North Carolina Senate
300 N. Salisbury Street, Room 520
Raleigh, NC 27603-5925
Re: Restitution for the Victims of the North Carolina Eugenics Board
Dear Governor Perdue, Speaker Tillis and Distinguished Leaders of North Carolina:
The North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP through the Women in the NAACP (WIN) would like to express our support for the NC Justice for Sterilization Victims Foundation, Eugenics Task Force and victims of the North Carolina Eugenics Board. We are very pleased that The Task Force has been actively working to address this ugly chapter in North Carolina's history which resulted in the forcible sterilization of many of our citizens, many of whom were poor and minority.
The NC NAACP with our 110+ HKonJ partners addressed the issue of wrongful sterilization with the adoption of the coalition's 14-point agenda. Since that time, obtaining compensation for the victims of the forcible sterilization program has been a mainstay of our agenda.
Ten years have passed since the state offered a formal apology to victims of the involuntary sterilizations in 2001. Time is precious for the surviving victims and we need to move forward to assist these individuals. We ask that the task force and our state leaders quickly move forward in authorizing compensation to individual victims as soon as possible.
While we understand a figure for compensation has been proposed, we ask that the victims be compensated at the highest amount that our moral conscience and justice demands. These victims have suffered for years, in some cases enduring immense physical and psychological distress. You heard many of the heart-breaking stories during the testimony this summer by several of the victims who were brave and strong enough to share their hurt in a public forum. The time has come for the state to right this horrible wrong and fulfill its promise to these citizens who have suffered long enough.
We are calling on you to seek out more victims, support the payment of restitution for the sterilization victims and assist in moving the compensation process forward immediately with the goal of having the payments made by the end of the year.
Yours in the Spirit of Truth and Justice,
/s/ /s/ /s/
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II O'Linda W. Gillis Amina J. Turner
President WIN Chair Executive Director
cc: Charmaine S. Fuller Cooper, NC Justice for Sterilization Victims Foundation
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