The “Moral Monday” protests have
been held for 12 weeks now

North Carolinian recording artists are pulling together to record a compilation of protest songs in support of North Carolina’s “Moral Monday” protests, which have been held for the past 12 consecutive Mondays in Raleigh, NC.

Calling themselves the North Carolina Music Love Army, the 40-plus member group intends to continue recording songs, such as “We Are Not For Sale” and “NC GOP, You Don’t Know Me,” with all proceeds being directed to the NAACP, Progress NC and Planned Parenthood.

Future recordings are planned to be recorded in a group fashion (a la “We Are the World”) and feature prominent North Carolina recording artists. It only took the group one week to assemble the framework for the forthcoming EP-length album.

For twelve consecutive weeks (since late April) thousands of protesters have gathered in North Carolina’s General Assembly building in Raleigh to fight GOP-backed cuts in unemployment benefits, as well as a handful of other proposed measures, including voter ID legislation, destructive environmental legislation, education cuts, reduction of women’s rights and the rejection of Medicaid expansion under Obamacare.

Fears over detrimental voter ID legislation being implemented throughout the state arose after the United States Supreme Court ruled that a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, which demanded for federal monitoring of states with a history suppression, could no longer stand. The North Carolina segment of the NAACP took to action, ready to challenge any changes to state voting laws. Republican North Carolina State Senator Tom Apodaca divulged plans to unveil a slew of voting law changes, which includes voter ID requirements, reducing early voting times, and ending same-day voter registration.

Hundreds of protesters practicing civil disobedience have been arrested. Members of the North Carolina Republican Party have scoffed at the protests, some Republican state officials preferring to call the gathering “Moron Monday.” Secret talks being held between leaders of the protests and GOP legislators have fallen through, and a resolution seems a far way off.

The North Carolina Music Love Army plans to hold a live performance in the fall. You can follow them on Facebook by clicking here!

— Matt Hengeveld