You know when you’re there. As soon as you crossover I-95, the landscape metamorphoses. Suburban neighborhoods turn into acres of tobacco-lined fields with rustic barns on the edges. Modern convenient stores shift into Baptist and Methodist churches on every street corner. Upscale shopping centers change into Super Wal-Marts with the standard Dollar Tree and Goody’s sidekicks. Even the sloped Piedmont lands flatten for a straight drive to the coast.
You know the place – eastern North Carolina.
Now, let’s be clear. We’re not describing the beaches and coastal cities. Fort Bragg isn’t even a part of this particular region. Specifically, this agricultural fragment of NC includes counties such as Nash, Wilson, Edgecombe, Vance, Wayne, Halifax and Martin.
In case you didn’t know, North Carolina has 23 counties with poverty rates over 18 percent according to the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center. All of these counties are rural and 19 are located in the Coastal Plain region.
For the people of eastern NC, stable jobs are hard to come by unless you own a farm or become a preacher. Many children go underfed except for the free and reduced lunches provided by the local school systems. The fortunate children live in standard two-story houses while too many others live in trailers and dilapidated homes from a bygone era.
But this region can boast just as many successful celebrities as any other. Governor Mike Easley graduated from Rocky Mount Senior High and calls Nash County his home. General Hugh Shelton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1997 to 2001, was born in Tarboro and lived in Edgecombe County for years. Other famous names include Phil Ford, Julius Peppers and bebop creator Thelonious Monk
Perhaps it’s the charming small-town environment that encourages these country boys and country girls to make it big. Several of them would probably give credit to their loving families and reassuring faiths. Yet, they all know they’re the lucky ones – the ones who traveled to new places and received enlightening educations. Just imagine what increased education and new jobs could do for others in this area.
Over the past months, the people of Rocky Mount and the surrounding counties have rallied together to call for a North Carolina university in their hometown. The citizens of Rocky Mount realize that a university brings jobs and in turn, jobs bring wealth and a higher standard of living. After all, why do you think SAS was born in Cary and Red Hat moved to Centennial Campus? How did Raleigh become one of the most educated cities in the nation and one of the best places to live? The answer: N.C. State University.
Just last week, the community held a formal rally featuring Rocky Mount natives such as Attorney General Roy Cooper, NC Revenue Secretary Norris Tolson and Rocky Mount Mayor Fred Turnage. Tolson hit the nail on the head when he said, “Jobs feed families and pay medical bills. We want to enjoy some of the same standards of living as our neighbors. It’s time to bring it home, and it’s time our people had access to wealth and jobs that are generated by education.” Preach it, Mr. Secretary!
Advocates for a future UNC-Rocky Mount have pointed out obvious and convincing arguments. The UNC System hasn’t added a university since 1971 even though North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the nation. Plus, the system could purchase the already existing Wesleyan College that has a 200-acre campus and $80 million worth of buildings and land.
Despite the dire need to ameliorate eastern North Carolina and the easy creation of a UNC-RM, UNC President Erskine Bowles says he does not initially support the idea. Growing up with wealthy educational resources in Greensboro must have blinded Mr. Bowles’s to the poverty in this area. Or perhaps he is trying to protect the self-interests of other universities in the system.
Regardless of what Mr. Bowles or other UNC chancellors may say, Rocky Mount and eastern North Carolina deserve a university and the hope for a better life that comes with it. The people of Rocky Mount must continue to act quickly while they have homegrown leaders in office such as Governor Easley and Attorney General Cooper.
Let’s save eastern NC before it’s too late.
E-mail Forrest at [email protected].