Moral Mondays are protests that originated in North Carolina, United States and emerged elsewhere in the United States. Led by religious progressives, the leaders of the protesters sought to restore "morality" in the public sphere. Protests began in response to several actions by the government of North Carolina which was elected into office in 2013 and are characterized by civil disobedience—specifically entering the state legislature building to be peacefully arrested. The movement protests many wide-ranging issues under the blanket claim of unfair treatment, discrimination, and adverse effects of government legislation on the citizens of North Carolina. The protests in North Carolina launched a grassroots social justice movement that, in 2014, spread to Georgia and South Carolina, and then to other U.S. states such as Illinois and New Mexico.
Background
In 2012, North Carolina elected a Republican governor, Pat McCrory, and Republicans were voted into majority in both state houses by the citizens of North Carolina, giving them control of both the legislative and executive branch for the first time since 1870. After taking office, McCrory signed into law a number of bills promoting conservative governance, and the legislature has passed or considered a number of other laws that have generated controversy. The bills signed into law by McCrory and proposed legislation have been the target of ongoing "Moral Mondays" civil disobedience protests, organized in part by local left wing religious leaders including William Barber, head of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP.
Members of the protest movement meet Monday to protest an action by the North Carolina legislature and then enter the legislature building. Once they enter, a number are peacefully arrested each Monday. The protestors are a wide range of mostly left leaning North Carolina citizens, with many religious progressive movements represented. The movement encompasses a broad coalition, including left wing advocates for immigrant rights, LGBT rights, criminal justice, worker's rights, environmental issues and others.
Issues
Voting rights
Redistricting and proposed voting rights changes have been a focus of the ongoing protests. North Carolina Republicans benefited from a round of redistricting that was conducted in 2011 and used in the 2012 election. The redistricting process was upheld by a three-member panel of state judges in early July 2013, and is expected to be appealed. 51% of North Carolina voters chose a Democrat for their US house representative, but Republicans won 9 of the 13 seats up for election.
The state House passed legislation that would require voters to present government-issued photo identification, provided by the state free of charge, in order to vote and would repeal same-day voter registration and limit early voting. Legislators also passed "Equalize Voter Rights", a bill that would revoke the tax credit given to parents if their dependent college student registers to vote at their college/university address. This bill would also require voters to register their vehicles at the same address as their voter registration. The editorial board of The New York Times called this "a blatant effort to reduce Democratic voting strength in college towns like Chapel Hill and Durham."
McCrory said he would sign a revised version of the bill, which also included provisions that end same-day voter registration, reduce early voting, and end a program that allowed high school students to register to vote before their 18th birthdays. The bill also changed regulations for registration, requiring voters to appear in person or mail in a form 25 days before the election. When asked how preventing students from registering before their 18th birthdays would prevent voter fraud, McCrory said "I don't know enough, I'm sorry, I haven't seen that part of the bill."
In August 2013 McCrory signed into law the revised bill, which was the subject of renewed protests. North Carolina attorneys Adam Stein and Irv Joyner, along with, and pro bono counsel Kirkland & Ellis and racial justice nonprofit Advancement Project filed a complaint in federal district court on behalf of the North Carolina NAACP and 93-year-old Rosanell Eaton, a North Carolina woman impacted by the new law.
Advancement Project co-director Penda Hair called the law, "a targeted attack on voting," charging that the voting changes predominately affect African-American voters, who disproportionately use same-day registration and, during the 2012 election, used early voting at a rate of 70 percent.