A Couple Recent Developments

Last night, Jorge attended the weekly meeting for The Tea Talk Ladies, a group committed to addressing and supporting survivors of domestic violence.  Jorge met the folks from Tea Talk on Sunday while attending a forum they hosted, and they invited him back.  Be sure to check out our post on the event.  Like the event Sunday, last night’s meeting was very moving and deeply powerful.  It was a testament to not only the importance of such organizations, but also that the old saying that a small group of dedicated people can change the world is as true as ever. 

Prior to the meeting with The Tea Talk Ladies, Jorge and a number of campaign volunteers went to a mini-conference on immigration.  The conference was split into two parts, the first one focusing on people involved in organizing around immigration reform and the second aimed at the general public.  Campaign volunteers were present for both sessions, the first starting at 1 pm and the second at 6:30 pm, but unfortunately Jorge had to leave the second session early due to his scheduled meeting with The Tea Talk Ladies.  Regardless, campaign volunteers were able to stay and share their experiences with Jorge and other people working around the campaign.

We also want to mention that Jordan Green from YES! Weekly wrote an in depth story on Jorge Cornell in this week’s paper, which can be found here on their website: http://bit.ly/6oLjS

Unfortunately the News & Record has yet to provide this level of extensive coverage and routinely plays up public misconceptions of Jorge, but N&R editor John Robinson did mention our website positively on his blog this afternoon. 

We also want to quickly mention that we will be launching a Spanish language version of the site so that Spanish-speaking voters are able to access information about the campaign more easily.

Sustainability and Music

Yesterday afternoon, Jorge attended “Ditch Your Car,” a forum on alternative transportation  which is part of the “Evenings of Wellbeing” series.  Sustainable Health Choices, who organized and hosted the event, invited an array of speakers from various parts of the area community to speak about alternative transportation  (check out www.sustainablehealthchoices.com). Presenters explained how their organizations work in a multitude of ways to reduce  the amount of single passenger cars on the road and increase accessibility to people who are walking, biking, taking the bus, or carpooling.  One of the organizations in attendance was the Transportation Advocacy Center (TAC), which is a group that supports transporation access for people with disabilities.  If you have disabilities and need transportation assistance, especially in case of an emergency, you can call TAC at 336-988-1536.

Jorge with Miriam (left) & Kammaleathahh of Sustainable Health Choices

 Afterwards, Jorge went to Center City Park, where What Cheer?  Brigade, a radical marching band from Providence, RI, was performing . The music was unexpected for most park-goers, but very well received.  The band came to the park in part to promote their concert later that night at Green Street.

Jorge with "What Cheer? Brigade" marching band

For more information on the band, check out their website www.whatcheerbrigade.com Good times!

Another Busy Campaign Day

Wednesday was filled with events, so in order to cover everything we’re going to split it into two parts.  In the morning, Jorge attended “Job Talk & Java” at the Greensboro Public Library.  The event is geared towards helping people seeking employment.  When Jorge announced he was running for City Council, many attendees applauded him.  Jorge, who is seeking employment as a City Council member, related to people at the event because he knows what it is to be unemployed and under-employed.  Though official numbers place unemployment at just over 11% locally, far more people do not have a steady source of income.  Even though jobs is apparently the focus of many people running for City Council, Jorge Cornell is the only at large candidate who is actually suffering from the lack of jobs in Greensboro.  While other candidates may have studied unemployment figures as former/current  councilmembers, or believe their education level qualifies them to understand unemployment, Jorge is better positioned to connect to the people most affected by economic troubles in Greensboro and to offer bottom-up solutions based in real world experiences. 

Later in the day, Jorge attended the weekly community meeting at the Beloved Community Center.  These meetings are open to anyone who is interested in coming, including people seeking public office.  For more information on the Beloved Community Center, please visit www.belovedcommunitycenter.org.  Jorge solicited feedback from people about what issues are most important to them and what they would like to see City Council address.  Many focused on issues of economic justice such as raising the minimum wage to $9.82, helping homeless folks, supporting the local currency project, and fostering sustainable development projects.  Jorge has been inviting feedback from people throughout Greensboro about what issues are important to them because an essential part of his campaign is listening to people about their needs and working to be a voice for the voiceless. So send us your thoughts!

Speaking about Domestic Violence

This Sunday, Jorge Cornell and a number of campaign volunteers and managers attended “A Time to Heal,” a forum on domestic violence put on by the Tea Talk Ladies. The event was a very moving and powerful experience.  Spouses Against Crack Cocaine Abuse and Domestic Violence helped bring people together to form Tea Talk, which held the public event Sunday. 

Jorge speaking about how domestic violence has affected his family

 Jorge had the chance to speak with one of the event organizers off to the side and when he mentioned he was running for City Council at large, she asked him to say a few words.  Jorge spoke about how important events like this one were.  He explained that he really felt for survivors of domestic violence, because growing up he witnessed his stepfather abusing his mother.  Jorge spoke about the long-lasting affects of domestic violence on his family, and his commitment to addressing the issue in Greensboro.  He was very well received and was invited to attend weekly meetings, which he plans to do. 

For more information about Against Crack Cocaine Abuse and Domestic Violence, please visit http://bit.ly/19n4E

Also, the News & Record featured a story on the event, which can be found here: http://bit.ly/OptMY

Volunteer Meeting and Poetry Festival

It was a busy weekend for The Campaign to Elect Jorge Cornell.  We’ve been working to keep our online readers apace of all recent developments, but there is still more to cover about the weekend that won’t fit in this post. 

On Saturday the campaign held a very well attended volunteer meeting downtown to orient interested supporters about the central campaign issues and figure out how everyone could best involve themselves in our work.  Folks came from all different sides of Greensboro, and students from three different colleges and universities participated.  This meeting was not publicly advertised but instead was intended for people who contacted the campaign about getting involved.  Want to get involved but not sure how? Check out our “Get Involved” page and email us at cornellforcouncil@gmail.com or call 336-740-1225. 

with friend Orrin at The MoSoul Poetry Festival

After the meeting, a number of people from the meeting, including Jorge, walked over to The MoSoul Poetry Festival.  There they enjoyed poetry, met up with friends, made connections with voters, and relaxed on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.  Alana Allen, of http://pr-savvy.com/ , was there and took a photo (above) of Jorge and his friend Orrin. 

Check back soon for another update from this weekend, as we continue to update the site at least once everyday with more information and pictures!

Appearance on 102 JAMZ

posing by the 102 JAMZ van with other members of the Almighty Latin King & Queen Nation

 This morning we woke up early in order to make it to 102.1 fm for an interview with Amos Quick at 6:30 am.   We don’t have a link to the audio from the interview but will post it as soon as we do.  Jorge corrected misconceptions that he is a ‘gang leader’ explaining that the Almighty Latin King & Queen Nation (ALKQN) is a political street organization with the goal of uplifting their community.  The ALKQN do not identify as a gang, but as a family and a nation.  Jorge also explained why he’s running for office, some of the difficulties and opportunities Greensboro is facing, and the importance of staying true to the people who will put him in office by being an accountable leader who continues to be a voice of the people.  Jorge also articulated that he is not just running for one segment of the population, but to improve Greensboro for everyone.

TC Muhammad, a community organizer who is part of the Nation of Islam, spoke with Jorge about why this campaign is important and further explained some of the points Jorge had brought up.  Callers were generally supportive of the campaign, most making comments to expand on what Jorge stated about the different issues he sees the community facing.

Two Audio Interviews Now Available

If you didn’t catch the interview with Jorge and some of his supporters on WFDD/NPR 88.5 fm, you can listen to it here (stream it for free): http://bit.ly/vpVdh  In the interview, Jorge explains his background and key campaign issues. Eric, one of the campaign managers, talks about what Jorge brings to the table, and Hootie (of Hootie’s Hotdogs) explains why he’ll vote for Jorge Cornell.

For those of you that weren’t able to tune in to Jorge Cornell’s interview with Cedric Muhammad from BlackElectorate.com, you can download the entire interview here (free): http://bit.ly/9ulEW In the interview, Cedric explains why he’s excited about the campaign and why he endorsed Jorge for City Council.

Information will be up shortly about Jorge’s two interviews today (on 102 JAMZ and with the Huffington Post), so check back soon!

First Campaign Press Release

This press release was sent out to a number of media outlets recently, and we wanted to make it publicly available on our website so that everyone can read it.  Have a great weekend everyone! 

JORGE CORNELL FOR CITY COUNCIL

Expanded Opportunities for Youth // Police Accountability // Community Standards for the Economy

For Immediate Release

Contact: The Campaign to Elect Jorge Cornell

Email: cornellforcouncil@gmail.com

Telephone: 336-740-1225

Website: http://cornellforcouncil.wordpress.com

GREENSBORO, NC: There are many people who are not heard in Greensboro.  They are youth, they are poor, they are Black, and they are Brown.  A large portion of our City’s population is excluded from participating in making the decisions that affect their lives. I am running for City Council to make sure these people -and all the people of Greensboro- are heard.  My campaign is specifically based on the three interrelated issues of creating expanded opportunities for youth, greater police accountability, and developing community standards for the economy.  These issues will be more fully articulated throughout the course of my campaign, but they are undoubtedly some of the most pressing issues facing our community. 

 In late June of 2008, I called for peace in the streets. With the help of various faith leaders, we brought together members of a number of different street organizations who agreed to work together to build peace.  Our ability to bring together street organizations that are often in conflict demonstrated my ability to reach a sector of the population that no other candidate could.  I called for peace on three levels to extend to the broader community, but I was vigorously opposed by the Greensboro Police Department. They were effective in frightening participants away from the peace process. Unfortunately, we were not heard.

We continue that work in spite of fierce resistance.  In consultation with me, the Greensboro Pulpit Forum and the Beloved Community Center put forward a document in late 2008 called “The Paradigm Shift,” which reflects the three points of my campaign and can be accessed on my website.  I’m calling on the City to immediately resume work on the proposal, because it was pushed to the side when the City Manager was fired.  We were working with the Mayor, the City Manager, and the Human Relations Department, but ultimately we were not heard.

I continue to work tirelessly for a better, safer, and more just Greensboro.  I have been constantly harassed, publicly slandered, faced false legal charges, and was even shot.  Despite everything I have been through in the past year, and the difficulties I have survived throughout my life, I am still hopeful.  I know that a better world is possible but that we all need to be heard in order to create it.  I have proved my leadership abilities as the Inca –or leader- of the Almighty Latin King & Queen Nation for the state of North Carolina, and more recently joined the School Safety Committee for the Board of Education.  I will prove the same dedication on City Council, and I will make sure that we are heard. Without us, the future is not possible. Together, we can achieve anything!

If you would like more information about the campaign, or to schedule an interview with Jorge Cornell, please call us at 336-740-1225 or email us at cornellforcouncil@gmail.com

Interview with NPR

NPR sat down with Jorge today to do a story on his run for public office and his involvement in the community.  Caron Myers, from WFDD/NPR, interviewed Jorge and said part of the story could air today with the rest coming later.  For more on WFFD/NPR, please visit http://wfdd.org/about/about.php 

Interview in Center City Park

At the end of the interview, Caron suggested Jorge approach someone and introduce himself  to talk about the campaign.  The first person he spoke with expressed his doubt of change coming from City Council but ultimately said he supported Jorge. The second person he spoke with, below, said he would definitely be supporting Jorge because Jorge doesn’t leave his office to visit the community during election time but instead lives in the same area and experiences the same things.  In particular, he echoed Jorge’s comments that the bus system could be improved.  A small group of people gathered around to discuss Jorge’s platform, and after the interview was over, they spoke at length about the need for greater police accountability in regards to racial profiling and police brutality, as well as a couple of other issues.

explaining why he plans to vote for Jorge Cornell

Playing Soccer with College Students

posing during a break in the game

Jorge Cornell (center) played soccer over the weekend with students from Guilford College, UNC-Greensboro, Greensboro College, and their friends.  Jorge did pretty well as goalie, but the game was a friendly match and the score wasn’t the focus.

Jorge has substantial connections to the local college campuses.  He spoke to a number of different classes and public forums at NC A&T SU and Guilford College last school year, and helped organize some two-hand-touch football games between Guilford students and the Almighty Latin King & Queen Nation.

playing foorball in Center City Park

Unfortunately, since those games began, we’ve lost a loved one.  Damian, age 15 and shown below, played football with us and showed outstanding promise in the sport at A&T Middle College, where Jorge had helped him transfer after some difficulty at his school.  He passed away after being struck by a drunk driver, who unfortunately police failed to breathalize or even bring charges against.

Damian celebrating @ right