Topics Related to Common Ground

Parks for All: Outdoor Recreation and Environmental Justice

I’ve still got some work to do to achieve my State Parks Annual 100-Mile Challenge, both on foot and on two wheels.  So yeah, I like to hike and bike.  I’m lucky because there are many state and local parks, trails, and greenways around Raleigh.  But there are plenty of communities throughout North Carolina where that is not the case. 

And that’s a problem.

The Power of the Arts

Lately, I’ve been immersed in the arts – the first ever Earl Scruggs Music Festival near Tryon, Lake Street Dive’s amazing concert at the NC Museum of Art, the NC Symphony’s tremendous opening weekend performance of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Cherokee dancers at the Trail of Tears conference, and a powerful performance by the Kyiv City Ballet in Wilmington. And I can’t wait to see the NC Museum of Art’s reinstallation of the people’s collection, to be unveiled on October 8.

What Is Our Common Ground?

What I hope to accomplish with Common Ground is to remind North Carolinians, through a focus on our state’s rich history, diverse arts and culture, and spectacular natural areas, that we have a whole lot more in common than we sometimes think.