At the 116th NAACP National Convention in Charlotte on Monday, a panel discussion titled "Crisis Point: Defending Democracy and Civil Rights in a Volatile Political Climate" aimed to sound the alarm on what organizers say are threats to democracy from the Trump administration.
The panel discussion also focused on informing residents how to protect themselves and understand the law.
The discussion at the convention center featured U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, and Rep. Bennie G. Thompson. The panelists said the current administration is trying to end birthright citizenship and eliminate people’s access to care through cuts to programs such as Medicaid. As part of the discussion, the panelists also encouraged the public to understand the Constitution to defend themselves.
“Defending democracy means that each of us has agency, each of us has power, each of us is an American who has the ability to stand up for ourselves and our families and our communities,” said U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood. "We can't just wait for someone else to take action on our behalf.”
In January, President Trump issued an order aimed at denying birthright citizenship to children born in the U.S. to parents without permanent legal status. Trump also signed the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill," which has received criticism from U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, who said the bill would impact people's access to health care and hurt North Carolina’s hospitals and rural communities.
Patrice Willoughby is the chief of policy and legislative affairs at the NAACP. She spoke about the reasons behind hosting the discussion.
“A lot of people feel discouraged. They don't know what's going on," Willoughby said. “We held this panel to put it in context but also to help people understand that there is a path forward in terms of their own civic engagement, understanding the process, understanding the policy, and how they can work in their own communities to improve conditions and protect their rights."
Thousands of people have been coming out to the convention, which began Saturday. Gerald Griggs is one of them. Griggs is president of the Georgia NAACP chapter. He said he liked today's discussion because it’s timely.
“Given what we're seeing with the guardrails in our democracy being attacked, we need to be able to build a robust response and defense,” Griggs said.
The convention in Charlotte runs through Wednesday.
