Past TPD Events
The Uncertain Future of Health Care in Transylvania County, Thursday, August, 28, 2025 at 6:30 PM in the Rogow Room of the Transylvania County Library.
The Uncertain Future of Health Care in Transylvania County: A Fact Sheet Analyzing the Impact of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (Click on the link to view the fact sheet)
“Where do we go from here?”: A Transylvania Partners for Democracy Community Forum, Mary Jenkins Center, July 22, 7 p.m. Audience responses to the question “What are the most important issues that you believe we should explore in the coming months?” (Click on the link to see a summary of the responses)
The Threat to American Education: Public and Private. Wednesday, May 28, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Fact Sheet on Education: Education Under Siege (Click on the link to see the entire Fact Sheet)
Protecting our Veterans and Our Forest: A Public Forum, Monday, April 28, 2025
Nancy McClean, “Why is the Right “Laying Siege to Our Institutions”?
The History that Solves the Mystery,” (Click on the link to read her presentation.) November 1, 2024.
August 29, 2024: Community Forum, “ProjectFriday, November 1, 2024 2025: It Can Happen Here”
July 10, 2024: Tom and Lib Campbell, “Have We Witnessed America’s Best Days?”
June 12, 2024: Gene Nichol, UNC Professor of Law, “The North Carolina General Assembly's War on Democracy and Equality”Mr. Nichol’s talk can be viewed here.
May 2, 2024: Dr. Dan Carter on the 2024 Presidential ElectionDr. Carter’s talk can be viewed here.
Collaborative Co-sponsored Events
Save the Forest Rally, Saturday, July 5, 2025
No Kings Rally, June 14, 2025
Guard the Earth Rally, Saturday, April 1, 2025, 1-2:30 PM
Saturday, April 5, 2025 “Hands Off Transylvania Rally”
Transylvania County Courthouse, 1 -3 PM
Do you have a suggestion for a speaker or topic? Contact us and let us know what you think!
Upcoming Events
The Assault on America’s Judiciary: the Challenge
Transylvania Partners for Democracy invites citizens representing all political viewpoints to attend a community forum on “The Assault on Our Judiciary” at the Transylvania County Library’s Rogow Room on Saturday, July 18 at 1 p.m.
North Carolina Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Anita Earls will be the keynote speaker. Prior to taking office in 2019, Justice Earls spent over 30 years as a civil rights attorney, specializing in voting rights, school desegregation, and employment discrimination matters. Throughout her career, she has championed government transparency, held large corporations accountable, fought for fair elections, and advocated for those who most need legal protections.
Martin Moore an attorney, mediator, and Buncombe County Commissioner will take office in January of 2027 as the county’s District Attorney. He will join in the discussion at the conclusion of Justice Earls’ remarks. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC School of Law, Martin began his career as a public defender in Asheville and has over a decade of experience in civil, criminal, and appellate courts, including working on cases before the North Carolina Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. He has been actively involved in a number of local and regional organizations that reflect his lifelong commitment to public service, fairness, and equal justice.
Local attorney Mack McKeller, who served as state district judge for District 29B from 2018 to 2020 and is now Brevard City Attorney will serve as facilitator of the session and as a panelist. He is a long-time resident of Brevard and was born and raised in these mountains.
The speakers for the session will explore the escalating level of threats to members of the judiciary at all levels. In something of an understatement, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has acknowledged that public officials had a right to criticize the work of the judiciary, “but they should be mindful that intemperance in their statements when it comes to judges may prompt dangerous reactions by others.”
In a recent joint statement by 50 retired federal judges appointed by presidents of both parties, pointed out that federal judges in particular had become the target of an unprecedented number of threats based on rulings that have been the subject of harsh criticism by senior public officials. The United States Marshals Service and other law enforcement agencies have determined that many of these threats have posed a credible danger to the judges, their loved ones, and their court staff.”
While criticism of the courts has come from both left and right, the American Bar Association pointed to statements by President Trump and members of his administration that have “crossed a critical democratic line,” pointing to the President’s many attacks on judges who ruled against him, particularly in deportation cases as “USA hating judges who suffer from an ideology that is sick”; “monsters who want our country to go hell” and “are on a mission to keep murders, drug dealers, rapists, gang members” in “our country so they can rob, murder and, rape again . . . .”
This session is part of a series of public talks and forums sponsored by the Transylvania Partners for Democracy (TPD) that began in early 2024. The local citizens who formed the organization have sought to bring together Transylvania County neighbors to explore the threats to the future democracy in the United States.
