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Publisher's Pen: Let’s get real about the MLK Parade cancellation

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Tuesday, 20 January 2026

Written by Bill Bowman

Special Note:
Again, as tradition will have it, Up & Coming Weekly again proves truth in the cliché: “ Where there is smoke, there’s fire.” Enjoy our perspective on the canceling of the MLK Jr. Parade, then go to page 9 to read Rachel Heimann Mercader’s excellent coverage of this situation in her City View article. Enjoy!
— Bill Bowman Publisher U&CW

For more than three decades, Fayetteville has come together each January to honor the life, legacy, and moral courage of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The annual MLK Parade organized by the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Martin Luther King Jr. organization, is not just a tradition—it is a civic commitment, a unifying moment, and a reflection of who we aspire to be in our community.
That is why this year’s abrupt cancellation of the parade is more than a scheduling mishap. It is a profound disappointment to residents, and the Fayetteville community deserves honesty about how we got here.
The truth appears simple: the parade committee was not organized, prepared, or functioning with the leadership they needed to execute what would have marked the parade’s 32nd year. Instead of acknowledging this, postponing the event, committee member Charlisa Y. Davis sends out a daunting press release implying that the parade was canceled due to community “safety concerns.” This is a claim that is not only misleading but insulting to all the citizens of Fayetteville, including the Fayetteville Police Department, which works hard to keep our city safe. They were not aware of or ever informed of any safety concerns or threats. Even members of the Martin Luther King, Jr. committee were unaware of any safety concerns —or of Davis’s press release itself.
This raises a troubling question: Why cast a negative aspersion on our community as an excuse when it appears the real issue is internal disorganization? Heaven knows Fayetteville gets enough bad and unfair publicity from out-of-town media.
The explanation brought forward was that they “didn’t have enough time” to secure permits, restrooms, and security, which is equally baffling. Their former parade organizer, Belinda Bryant, left the organization nearly two years ago. Two years is more than enough time for a functioning organization to regroup, plan, and prepare. Bryant confirmed she had no involvement in the 2025 parade and that other members handled planning last year.
Let’s be clear: The January 17th MLK JR. parade was not canceled because Fayetteville is unsafe. It was canceled because the Chairman of the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Martin Luther King, Jr. committee, Stanley Ford, failed in his stated responsibilities to do his job. Here is a man, who one year ago, appears on a local community radio show touting how very important the MLK Parade is to the Fayetteville community, then fails to execute it. That failure matters. It matters to the citizens of Fayetteville because the MLK Parade is not a casual event. It is a symbol of unity, progress, and remembrance. It is a day when our community—Black, white, young, old, military, civilian, Democrats, and Republicans—can come together to celebrate the dream Dr. King fought and died for, a dream that is all too often set aside in pursuit of selfish personal agendas.
To cancel such an event due to internal dysfunction and then attempt to mask that dysfunction behind unfounded claims of public danger is insulting and unacceptable. Even if the parade is rescheduled, the damage is done. A rescheduled event cannot erase the fact that the original celebration—the one that should have honored Dr. King on the national holiday—was lost due to mismanagement. Fayetteville deserves better. Dr. King’s legacy deserves better.
Our community needs and respects the work of the Fayetteville-Cumberland County Martin Luther King Jr. organization. I hope that its leadership will make the effort to take responsibility and recommit itself to presenting and preserving this parade for future generations, honoring a man who demanded integrity, accountability, and moral courage from all who claimed to lead. Those values are exactly what the committee needs to rediscover.
Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper.

Welcome 2026—Maybe

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Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Written by Margaret Dickson

A new year often brings a sense of freshness, possibility, and, yes, of hope.
Once the holiday decorations are out, our homes look cleaner and sleeker, uncluttered and ready to face whatever the new year might have in store for us. We are tempted to imagine that a new year may show us ways to deal with our problems and turn our dreams into realities.
In short, we are hopeful.
As 2026 unfolds, I am not so sure much of that is the case.
I am beginning to feel that we are becoming a nation of cynics, having divided ourselves into “us” and “them.” Some of the division is political, “Rs” against “Ds.” Some of it is economic, the “haves” against the “have-nots.” Some of it is educational attainment, or not, and some of it is cultural, some religious, and some reflects differences from race to whether we live in a city or in a rural area. All are distinctions we have created among ourselves. None are naturally occurring.
In addition, modern polling tells us our feelings have become more negative than in years past.
CNN reports for the first time in over 10 years, more than half of Americans of all stripes believe our nation’s best days are behind us. Fully 3/4 of us think our political system is badly in need of major reforms, perhaps even a complete overhaul. Equally if not more alarming, the Wall Street Journal reports that fully 80-percent of us believe that our children may end up with more difficult lives than we have had.
Religion does not seem to be a large player in our national angst.
Gallup finds that while 81 percent of us say we believe in God, that percentage is falling and is well below the 90-plus belief rates of the 20th century. Empty seats in religious gatherings all over the nation demonstrate this decline, and the people who are in the pews are more likely to be closer to senior citizens than to teenagers who will eventually birth potential new worshipers.
Piled on top of all that is the passing of the 5th anniversary of the insurrection and attempted coup in Washington, an event marked by an official plaque honoring the police who defended democracy that day. It has now gone missing and is not on display as required by law.
The cold, hard reality of today’s United States is that few among us can do anything to affect the events and personalities that unfold both in our country and around the world. This helplessness no doubt underlies our increasing pessimism about our lives and those of future generations. We feel unheard and demoralized, both of which are accurate and reasonable assessments of our situation.
In 2026, I have decided to focus on my own world and to do all I can to help those around me find reasons for hope, as so many of us struggle not only with the pressures of our own daily living but also with the implications of national and world events on all of us. I will focus on what I can control, or at least affect, and try not to allow what I cannot control to get me down. I will remind myself of what is positive in my world and embrace those situations, qualities, and people.
I will remind myself daily of all that is right and not dwell on all that is wrong.
And, I will educate myself and vote for agents of positive change in 2026.

Troy's Perspective: North Carolina's political change

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Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Written by Troy Williams

North Carolina is experiencing a significant political change: for the first time, unaffiliated and Republican voters now outnumber Democrats. Political analysts suggest that this shift has been evident for a while, and it is not surprising. They argue that Democrats have recently made significant changes to their political strategy, embracing ideologies that conflict with their base and neglecting their traditional blue-collar working-class supporters.
North Carolina's political landscape is shifting, highlighted by a U.S. Senate race that features former governor Roy Cooper as the likely Democratic nominee. His opponent is expected to be Michael Whatley, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), who has received President Donald Trump's endorsement. The outcome of this race is drawing national attention, as its implications for Congress are significant.
Cumberland County is set to play a crucial role in the U.S. Senate and down-ballot races, as it remains one of the few reliably "blue-leaning" counties in southeastern North Carolina. The involvement of prominent political figures is anticipated to encourage voters to support Governor Cooper and the Democratic Party. Will this strategy be enough to secure a victory in Cumberland County? Most likely, yes. However, the outcome across the state is a different matter.
While anything is possible, I doubt many are predicting Democrats to flip Republican-drawn congressional and legislative districts in southeastern North Carolina. Local focus is a different story. Since straight-ticket voting has been abolished and voters are compelled to make independent down-ballot choices, Cumberland County voters will have an interesting board of commissioner race on their ballot.
On March 3, the Cumberland County Democrats will hold a primary for six at-large commissioner candidates, with two advancing to the general election on Nov. 3, where they will face two at-large Republican hopefuls who will not have primary opponents.
The county commissioner at-large race presents a significant opportunity for local Democrats, as they appear particularly vulnerable in this area. The county board of commissioners has seen little change over the past few decades. It will be interesting to see if voters decide to re-elect familiar names with unimpressive records or support new candidates regardless of political party affiliation, with fresh visions who can help revitalize the board. Chairman Kirk deViere, now in his second consecutive year of leadership, is leading an effort to reinvigorate the board alongside two other members from District 2, Commissioners Pavan Patel and Henry Tyson. All three are entering their second year of a four-year term.
Cumberland County is classified as a Tier One county in North Carolina. It is also one of the 40 most economically distressed counties, as designated by the North Carolina Department of Commerce. This designation is based on various factors, including unemployment rates, median income levels, population growth, and other relevant indicators. Cumberland County’s economic status needs to change.
Fayetteville serves as the center of the Fayetteville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and officially includes Cumberland, Hoke, and Harnett Counties. It is also home to Fort Bragg, highlighting the importance of electing the best and brightest candidates for Cumberland County in the upcoming election.

Do sternly worded letters win wars?

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Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Written by John Hood

It was 250 years ago last week that a displaced governor issued a proclamation intended to restore him to power in North Carolina. Instead, it led to the first major engagement of the Revolutionary War in the Southern colonies — and a decisive defeat for his cause.
The governor in question was Josiah Martin, a Dublin native and British army officer appointed in 1771 to replace William Tryon as the king’s top magistrate in the future Tar Heel State. As resistance to illegal British taxes and sympathy with the residents of Boston spread across North Carolina, Martin catastrophically mishandled his relationship with the provincial legislature and was essentially chased out of the capital, New Bern, in April 1775.
Taking refuge in a British sloop anchored off shore, Martin spent the early months of the Revolutionary War concocting various schemes to regain power. All came to naught. Then he received word the British government wanted to pursue a Southern strategy to win the war, beginning with the capture of Charleston, South Carolina in early 1776.
An emboldened Governor Martin instructed his emissary, Alexander Shaw, to propose an alternative: first capturing Wilmington. Taking the smaller but strategic valuable city, then reasserting royal control over the rest of North Carolina, would weaken Patriot manpower, supplies, and resolve, Shaw argued, making it easier to seize Charleston and Savannah. With the Carolinas and Georgia back in the fold, British regulars and Tory militia could then move north against the largest province in revolt, Virginia, in late 1776 or 1777.
Shaw proved persuasive. British leaders agreed to converge on Wilmington — Gen. Henry Clinton sailing south from New York with one army, Gen. Charles Cornwallis west from Ireland with another. As for Governor Martin, he promised to raise many thousands of Loyalists, most either Scottish Highlanders from the Sandhills or ex-Regulators from the Piedmont with longstanding grievances against the coastal elites now running North Carolina’s revolutionary government.
Another part of the plan, at least in the minds of some British agents, was to draw Carolina militiamen away from coastal defense by inciting and arming the Cherokees to open a second front in the backcountry.
Martin threw himself wholeheartedly into the plan. On January 10, 1776, he issued a proclamation calling for Loyalists to muster into militia companies for the impending conflict. He also promised “every aid, encouragement, and support to all such as shall come to vindicate and support the violated laws and Constitution of their country,” while fuming that “a most daring, horrid and unnatural Rebellion has been exerted in the Province against His Majesty's Government, by the base and insidious artifice of certain traitorous, wicked and designing men.”
This was his public proclamation. Also on January 10, Governor Martin dispatched messengers to Loyalist militia commanders in Anson, Cumberland, Chatham, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Surry, and Bute counties to march their forces to a central location by February 15. They soon settled on Cross Creek, now Fayetteville, as their initial destination, with the intention of then heading down the Cape Fear River to Wilmington to meet up with the incoming British regulars.
Because you know how the Revolutionary War turned out, I won’t worry about spoilers here. Britain’s first Southern strategy had too many moving pieces and was based on the faulty intelligence — much of it from Josiah Martin himself — that most Carolinians sided with the king. Nothing went according to plan. General Clinton showed up late. General Cornwallis was even later. The Cherokee attacks came too late, as well, and converted more than a few previously neutral frontiersmen into passionate Patriots.
As for the Loyalists, many fewer took arms than Martin predicted. And they never made it to Wilmington. To learn more about the resulting battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge (February 27, 1776), please consider attending North Carolina’s First in Freedom Festival. It will be held on and around the Pender County battlefield this coming February 21 to February 28. Visit NCFirstInFreedomFestival.com for more details.

Editor’s note: John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His books Mountain Folk, Forest Folk, and Water Folk combine epic fantasy with American history (FolkloreCycle.com).

(Photo courtesy of First in Freedom Festival's Facebook page)