North Carolina
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. honors the legacy and fortitude of N.C. civil rights leader Dr. Willa Cofield
At the nexus of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, North Carolina educator and civil rights leader Dr. Willa Cofield was recently honored for her ongoing impact through activism.
The Enfield-Roanoke Rapids Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. recognized Dr. Cofield’s impact on March 2. The ceremony, hosted at First Baptist Church in Enfield, consisted of a voter awareness initiative, documentary screening, and march to Dr. Cofield’s new historic marker.
Delta Sigma Theta’s political awareness and involvement
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (DST) is a private, nonprofit organization with over 1,000 collegiate and alumnae chapters throughout the world. It is one of nine organizations that is part of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, also referred to as the “Divine Nine.” The sisterhood was founded on Jan. 13, 1913 by 22 women on the campus of Howard University. Deltas commit to a lifetime of public service, the first action dating back to the Women’s Suffrage March of 1913.
Since its establishment in 1975, the Enfield-Roanoke Rapids Alumnae (ERRA) chapter has specifically served Halifax and Northampton counties in North Carolina. Their recent event in Enfield focused on “political awareness and involvement,” one of the sorority’s national initiatives that are collectively termed the “Five Programmatic Thrusts.”
Ahead of the final days before the primary elections in North Carolina, ERRA extended an open invitation for candidates to attend, offered presentations to spread voter awareness, and discussed critical legislative issues at local, state, and national levels. In addition, family, friends, sorority sisters, and former students all recognized Dr. Cofield for her contributions as an educator and activist from the community.
A victory for both civil rights and academic freedom
Several major cities across the south have been identified as landmarks in the civil rights movement, particularly during the mid-through-late 1900s. Dr. Cofield continues to amplify the history and work that transpired in rural regions like Eastern North Carolina in the fight for social justice.
The Halifax County native transitioned to Virginia to pursue higher education at Hampton Institute, now Hampton University. It was there that her journey as a Delta took root as one of 37 women to charter the Gamma Iota chapter of the sorority.
In the years following, Dr. Cofield became an educator, teaching English at the all-Black Thomas S. Inborden High in Enfield. She was terminated because of her leadership in mobilizing her students through voter rights education during her time in the classroom. These kinds of actions are what contributed to the displacement of Black educators during that period.
According to the N.C. African American Heritage Commission (NC AAHC), in 1964, the larger Halifax Voters’ Movement successfully raised Black voter registration in the county, in addition to executing other non-violent demonstrations such as economic boycotts of white-owned businesses that discriminated against Black patrons.
Compounded by Dr. Cofield’s and her family’s deep civil rights and political engagement, they became targets for hatred and intimidation tactics from local law enforcement and the Klu Klux Klan. At the ceremony, Dr. Cofield shared her vivid recollection of a burning cross that the Klan planted in her front yard.
Despite the threats on her life, with the support of the National Education Association (NEA), Southern Conference Educational Fund (SCEF), and other advocates, Dr. Cofield filed a lawsuit against the Halifax County School Board and the State of North Carolina. The NCAAHC states that the ruling for the Johnson vs. Branch case ultimately impacted 100,000 teachers in the American South, adding that, “A victory for Johnson would mean protection for those current educators and future generations of Black teachers who would protest and demonstrate for the cause of civil rights.”
In August 1966, the Southern Patriot newspaper quoted John Salter, then a SCEF organizer, who described Dr. Cofield as “one of the very few teachers in that whole northeast section of the state who took a positive public stand on civil rights.” The court case decision was “a tremendous victory for both civil rights and academic freedom,” he added.
Rodney Pierce is a middle school social studies teacher at Gaston Stem Leadership Academy with Northhampton County Schools. Having learned of the history in Enfield, he submitted the application for the NCAAHC N.C. Civil Rights Trail for a Johnson vs. Branch historical marker to be placed in Enfield.
In celebration, Dr. Cofield led the march on March 2 from First Baptist Church to the location where a piece of her legacy is now publicly engraved.
‘Where were you when the whistle blew?’
Dr. Cofield eventually moved to New Jersey, where she received her doctorate in urban planning at Rutgers University. At the age of 95, Dr. Cofield continues her work as an activist and educator.
She has held roles with various organizations and programs over the decades, some of which include the North Carolina Fund, Livingstone College, the New Jersey Department of Education, and the SEED Project. Dr. Cofield also co-founded the NJ Black Women’s History Conference, a nonprofit whose mission statement is “to educate its members and the larger community regarding the historical achievements and contemporary concerns of Black women.”
Dr. Cofield has further explored storytelling through film in recent years. In 2011, she produced a documentary titled, “The Brick School Legacy.” Having been raised in Enfield, she grew up just a few miles away from what is now the Franklinton Center at Bricks. The Brick School, founded by Thomas Sewell Inborden in 1895, provided education for Black students in Eastern North Carolina and was the school that Dr. Cofield’s mother, Mae Cofield, graduated from. This documentary is the first of two produced by Dr. Cofield, capturing the oral history of the school and the land located in Whitakers, North Carolina.
Dr. Cofield’s second documentary, “The 9 O’Clock Whistle,” was co-produced by Karen Riley and Gail Cruise-Roberson. A screening was provided at the ceremony, where she shared that the title refers to a whistle that blew throughout the town once the clock struck 9 p.m. The documentary explains that the sound signaled that all of the Black people had to go home — a representation of segregation and injustice that rang throughout the south.
“The 9 O’Clock Whistle” official website provides the following description of the documentary’s contents:
“Set in the 1960s in Enfield, North Carolina, a small segregated town in northeastern North Carolina, the story unfolds through the memories of participants, some of whom were only fourteen and fifteen years old when the events took place. These brave souls stood up to mental and physical intimidation tactics and fought back, along with their adult counterparts. It was a Black Lives Matter movement that was 58 years ahead of its time.”
The narratives shared in “The 9 O’Clock Whistle” are also captured in a book format. For more information on how to request a screening of the documentary, visit the 9whistle website.
North Carolina
Eastern North Carolina law enforcement agencies warn residents about growing scam threats
EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA — Law enforcement agencies across eastern North Carolina are warning residents to stay alert as several scams continue targeting seniors, bank customers, and other vulnerable individuals.
The Halifax County Sheriff’s Office recently issued a warning after a suspicious check was mailed to a person living with dementia. Deputies say scammers often target older adults by sending fraudulent checks in hopes the recipient will deposit the money and become entangled in a financial scam.
Officials are urging families to regularly check on elderly relatives and remind them never to cash or deposit unexpected checks. Residents are encouraged to contact their bank or law enforcement before taking any action if they receive suspicious financial documents.
Meanwhile, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office says a jury duty scam is resurfacing throughout the county. In these cases, scammers pose as law enforcement officers or court officials and claim a person missed jury duty or failed to appear in court. Victims are told a warrant has been issued for their arrest and are pressured to send money to avoid being taken into custody.
Deputies warn that scammers often use official-looking documents, government seals, and even the names of real law enforcement officers to make the scheme appear legitimate. The sheriff’s office stresses that deputies will never call, email, or text someone demanding payment.
The Pitt County Sheriff’s Office is also warning residents about a call forwarding scam designed to steal banking verification calls and security codes. Investigators say scammers contact victims claiming there is suspicious activity on their bank account and instruct them to dial special star codes followed by a phone number.
By doing so, victims unknowingly activate call forwarding, allowing bank security calls and verification codes to be redirected to the scammer’s phone.
Authorities recommend never dialing star codes at the request of a stranger, never sharing passwords or security codes, and always contacting banks directly using trusted phone numbers.
Law enforcement agencies say a common theme in many scams is creating a sense of urgency and fear. Officials encourage residents to slow down, verify information independently, and report suspicious activity before sending money or sharing personal information.
North Carolina
Audit finds more than $47M in fraudulent unemployment payments in NC over 5-year period
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — More than $47 million in fraudulent unemployment payments went out the door in North Carolina over a five-year period, according to a new state audit that also flagged delays in getting benefits to claimants.
The State Auditor’s Office found the North Carolina Division of Employment Security distributed $47.2 million in fraudulent unemployment payments between 2021 and 2025.
“North Carolina had an abysmal rate of recovery and issuing payments that were not appropriate,” State Auditor Dave Boliek said. “Many of them were outright fraudulent.”
According to Boliek, NCDES has recovered about $12.2 million of those funds, but the rest is likely gone forever.
“Once you have a fraudulent transaction and [those funds] are out the door, timing is important to recovering those funds,” he said. “You need to get on it quick in order to get that money back. Otherwise, tracking those dollars down is virtually impossible at this point.”
NCDES Assistant Secretary Marc-Antoine Keith pushed back, saying they are working to recover the money, no matter how long it takes.
“We’re going to be recovering it this year, next year, five years from now,” he said. “We don’t have a timeline. This is not something that we just write off and say, ‘You’re good.’ We’re in the heart of it right now.”
NCDES officials also noted the fraud identified in the audit amounts to less than 1% of the more than $5 billion in unemployment benefits paid during the same period.
According to NCDES, roughly $40 million of the fraudulent payments happened during the COVID-19 pandemic when unemployment claims surged and the state was tasked with administering enhanced federal benefits of $600 per week.
Keith said the department received 1 million claims in just 10 weeks. By comparison, NCDES typically handles about 3,000 to 3,500 claims a week.
“The $600 put North Carolina at a higher profile for bad actors coming into the system,” he said. “We also were under tremendous pressure to get money out the door. Pay, pay, pay, pay, pay. That was the message from the federal government.”
Boliek questioned why it took the agency years to fully implement a federally funded fraud detection system. He said NCDES received a federal grant to strengthen fraud prevention efforts but did not fully deploy the system for three years.
“The pandemic is not an excuse for government’s failure to monitor the expenditure of taxpayer dollars,” he said.
Keith disputed that characterization, pointing to staffing shortages, competing priorities, and Hurricane Helene as reasons for the delay.
“The reality is that we only have so many hands,” he said. “As we got going with this process, then the hurricane came in.”
According to Keith, the fraud detection system was rolled out in phases between April and December 2024 rather than all at once.
The audit also identified problems with delayed payments. According to the report, 28% of initial unemployment payments went out after the federal 14-day benchmark.
“That’s just not acceptable,” Boliek said. “We’ve got to do better than that.
According to Boliek, delays can have serious consequences for families relying on unemployment benefits after losing a job.
“When you’re unemployed or you get laid off, that’s when your family is in a traumatic situation,” he said. “You need to be able to rely on the state to answer the call there and get your benefits to you.”
Keith acknowledged there is still room for improvement but said DES has made progress since the period covered by the audit.
“We’re not where we want to be, but we’re a heck of a lot closer than where we were,” Keith said.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Many Father’s Day events were held across western North Carolina, celebrating fathers, including at Highland Brewing, where a market was held.
Over 100 vendors applied to set up for the event on the longest day of the year.
ASHEVILLE GETS A BUZZ ON AT HIGHLAND BREWING AS HONEYFEST CELEBRATES POLLINATORS
Event coordinator Monica Maybille says it’s important to treat fathers to a little gift.
“It’s your dad. You gotta get stuff for your dad. They do a lot for you, so you got to treat them to a little treat sometimes,” Maybille said.
HIGHLAND BREWING HOSTS TRIBUTE PARTY HONORING LATE FOUNDER OSCAR WONG’S COMMUNITY IMPACT
The event included some dad-themed gifts, including grilling supplies and funny T-shirts.
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The next market at Highland Brewing is planned for August and will focus on back-to-school.
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