Nantahala News

The Jackson County NAACP is one of 40 nonprofits executives at Duke Energy said on Nov. 10 will receive a portion of $1 million in grants for their work toward racial equity and justice in North Carolina.

"We all have a role and responsibility in advancing justice and equity," Stephen De May, Duke Energy's North Carolina president, said in a November release about the initiative. "Duke Energy is committed to creating equal opportunities for the communities we serve, and we're proud to support organizations already leading this critical work across North Carolina."

The county NAACP chapter plans to use its funding to address racial issues in schools. 

Vance County-based Region K Community Assistance Corporation received $25,000 to support its training and cultural awareness efforts. 

"This is important work," Haywood and Jackson counties NAACP presidents Rev. Walter Bryson and Enrique Gomez said in a joint statement about the financial support in the release. "We need to continue to have a changing conversation with the school system, positively affecting the relationships between teachers and students, and developing curriculum[s] that addresses racism."  

The energy provider and its foundation committed to a three-year cycle of providing grant funding for organizations promoting social justice in addition to the $1 million the Duke allocated last August, the release said.