Episode 162: Clearing Up Misconceptions About Rural America
When discussions turn to the people of Rural America, oftentimes descriptors of Mid-Western, white, and conservative are used. Guess what? That is totally wrong! L. Joy brings Cynthia Wallace and Paolo Cremidis to the front of the class to give us what we need to know, and clear up misconceptions about the people living in Rural America.
Our Guests:
Cynthia Wallace lives in Charlotte, but was born and raised in rural southeastern GA, where all of her grandparents were farmers.. She is the Executive Director of the non-profit, New Rural Project, which she recently co-founded. The organization focuses on amplifying the voices of rural young people and marginalized residents in North Carolina so that they are heard and seen, and they get electorally and civically engaged! Prior to starting her non-profit, she spent over 25 years in financial services retiring from Synchrony (formerly GE Capital) after 20 years spent there. She was the 2020 Democratic Nominee for North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District. Prior to running for office, she was the Chair of the 9th Congressional District of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Cynthia was appointed in early 2021 to the NC State Banking Commission by Governor Cooper and serves on the boards of Democracy NC and the Levine Museum of the New South. She has a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Spelman College and a master’s degree in Statistics from the University of North Florida. www.newruralproject.org
Paolo Cremidis is the Executive Director of The Outrun Coalition, an organization dedicated to encouraging young and diverse people to run in their rural communities. Paolo is a progressive political operative, and first generation Peruvian immigrant. When Paolo was the New York State Young Democrats Rural Caucus Chair, they expanded from three chapters to 23 countywide chapters across upstate New York. Paolo has previous experience working on the hill, as well as helping to elect over 180 local elected Democrats across upstate New York since taking charge of the Rural Caucus in 2015. Paolo is from Chemung County in Elmira New York.
Homework:
Do you live in a rural area? L. Joy wants to hear about your civic experience! Email her joy@sundaycivics.org.
If you live in either a rural, urban, or other area, think about what values you share and what issues you have in common.
