Canceled interfaith service reflects a larger problem in Charlotte | Opinion

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Canceled service was a loss for all

Last week’s annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service in Charlotte was canceled amid concerns about a protest organized to encourage discussion about the Israel-Hamas war’s impact on Palestinian people.

Mecklenburg Metropolitan Interfaith Network (MeckMIN) organizes the annual service. Considering this year’s theme was “Radical Inclusion,” the goal of which should be to support and foster dialogue surrounding religious issues, I am disheartened that MeckMIN didn’t take the opportunity to embrace this dialogue. I’m also concerned about the broader impact the cancellation might have on nonprofits such as Loaves & Fishes.

As a North Mecklenburg High School junior, I’ve seen this group’s impact up close. I co-organized a school-wide food drive with Loaves & Fishes and I’ve helped distribute Friendship Trays for them at my church’s weekly food pantry. They do incredible work to create greater access to food for those in need and the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service is an important fundraising event for them. As Loaves & Fishes CEO said in a Nov. 25 Observer article, the cancellation came as “need is at an all-time high.”

Radical inclusion — inclusion of ideas, inclusion of exchange, inclusion of people affected — seems to have been sidelined in the face of a protest that its organizers have called peaceful.

The cancellation might give the impression that this protest was deemed dangerous or an inherent disturbance to peace. If so, this determination resulted in negative real-world impacts on people in need and on interfaith issues in the future.

The cancellation is also reflective of larger social problems. When we refuse to engage in conversation about issues that make us uncomfortable, we lock down the marketplace of ideas which in turn hurts our collective ability to create sanctuaries of community as MeckMIN intends. Whether it is families in need of food or the hundreds who attend the service every year, the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service’s cancellation fails all Charlotteans.

Landen Meier, Charlotte

NC must stand up for renters

The writer is an Action NC Community Organizer.

North Carolina is the third-fastest growing state in the country, and for two years has been heralded as the best state in the country for business.

Yet, the best state for business is also consistently ranked one of the worst for renters. We’re welcoming new North Carolinians with open arms, only for them to struggle to find a place to live.

The chokehold corporate landlords have on the housing market is worsening. Just 20 landlord corporations own over 40,000 of the state’s single-family homes. In Mecklenburg County, they now own more than one-quarter of all rental houses.

These corporations scoop up hundreds of properties and turn them into rentals. The ramifications go beyond keeping renters from being able to purchase affordable homes or get leaks and heating issues fixed.

For example, the Rocky Ridge neighborhood has become riddled with dangerous potholes. Residents have tried to request annexation into the city limits, a process that requires 100% of the neighborhood’s property owners to sign off. Yet, a quarter of homes are owned by corporate landlords whom nobody has been able to get in touch with for over a year.

If North Carolina wants to stay “the best state for business,” we must prevent corporate landlords from scooping up homes only to go radio silent when a neighborhood needs help.

We must also repeal North Carolina’s ban on rent control and pass legislation that advocates for tenants who face eviction and unsafe living conditions.

We can’t just give people a reason to move to our state — we must give them a reason to stay.

Beyond cracking down on corporate landlords, our state needs to start expanding affordable housing. We face a shortage of over 900,000 homes by 2030. This is why organizations like Action NC are joining a national coalition calling on President Biden and Congress to stop the regressive budget cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and provide $1 trillion of federal funding to create more affordable housing in the next 10 years.

Every North Carolinian, whether a bright-eyed newcomer or a third-generation resident, deserves a safe and affordable place to live. It’s time our state stood up for renters and our right to affordable housing.

Jessica Moreno, Charlotte