Ada Singleton Ford directs children boycotting school in a fight to end segregation in Anson County, North Carolina.

Pushing for equality: 2017 is 50th anniversary of Anson County segregation lawsuit

I wrote about former Anson County, North Carolina NAACP leader Ada Ford Singleton and her quest to end desegregation in county schools. She led a lawsuit against the school board. Legal records, historic articles and an interview with her son provided the base of the story.

Photo courtesy of the Anson Record.

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The Rev. Charles Ford holds a photo of his mother, Ada Ford Singleton

Seeing past color: Anson County pastor talks trailblazing mother, memories

In the second article in a two-part series, Charles Ford remembers his efforts to protect his mother, Ada Ford Singleton, as she took on the issue of desegregation in Anson County, North Carolina schools. Ford also described terrifying moments he faced as a black child and teenager when growing up, and reflected on current events.

Photo by Imari Scarbrough. Courtesy of the Anson Record.

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Historical perspective

I write deeply-researched articles examining the history of a certain event, time or individual, using as many sources as I can to get the full picture.

The result is a rich, thorough look back into the past-- and sometimes, a hint at our future.

I rely on primary documents when available, in addition to other historical information, interviews with survivors or experts and whatever other relevant information is available. I then distill it down into a manageable peek at the past.

A man hands a black plastic bag to an individual in a vehicle

FEMA deadline extension crucial for some storm victims

As North Carolina residents worked to clean up the mess left by Hurricane Florence, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced a deadline extension for those applying for FEMA aid.

This article looked into how aid organizers anticipated the extension would benefit those struggling to recover.

Published by Carolina Public Press. Photo credit: Megan Weeks / Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.

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Central NC communities face hurricane recovery outside spotlight

After Tropical Storms Florence and Michael severely damaged parts of North Carolina, media coverage tended to focus on large or coastal communities. Some towns further inland suffered damage but were given little or no media attention.

I worked with Carolina Public Press to identify some of these areas with lesser-known damage and talked to them about their needs.

Photo courtesy of Chatham County.

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Anson County, North Carolina Sheriff Landric Reid

3 officer-involved shootings in Anson County in one year

Anson County, North Carolina rarely saw officer-involved deaths until 2015-16. In 1997, one individual was killed. There were no further officer-involved deaths until three men were shot and killed by law enforcement within one year.

I spoke with Sheriff Landric Reid, former Sheriff Tommy Allen and Capt. Freddie Paxton to get their thoughts on the spike in deaths and how it compares to national trends.

Photo by Imari Scarbrough and courtesy of The Anson Record.

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Public service journalism

Maybe you've heard of an issue-- say, a hurricane-- but didn't fully realize all of the struggles related to it.  For example, in late 2017, I looked at small, largely inland towns in North Carolina that were recovering from the double-whammy of Florence and Michael but weren't receiving the media attention devoted to coastal towns.  While some of those towns were devastated and rightly featured, others that also suffered were ignored.

Public service journalism can inspire new lines of thought and debate, perhaps by showing you a new angle of something you already knew or even introducing you to an entirely new issue.