North Carolina's
5th District
Civil Rights Roots Greensboro's NC's 3rd largest city and the first largest of the whole district. Greensboro was home to the Greensboro Four, whose sit-in at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in 1960 sparked the national Civil Rights Movement. That legacy of resistance still lives in today’s Greensboro through activism, organizing, and student power.
Quick history
Formerly a Manufacturing POWERHOUSE
Until things took a turn for the worst
Appalachia’s Strength and Struggle
–Eight of the ten counties in NC-5 are labeled Appalachia by the federal government — code for “economically distressed.”
-That label reflects decades of factory closures, tax bases drained, schools left underfunded, and hospitals shuttered.
-Without good jobs or healthcare, pharmaceutical companies flooded these counties with opioids, leaving scars that still haven’t healed.
-And yet, when government and corporations walked away, neighbors didn’t. Churches keep food pantries running. Volunteer squads keep people safe. Communities hold each other up when the system won’t.
Furniture Backbone Broken
-Wilkesboro, Lenoir, and Mount Airy once thrived on furniture plants that built stable middle-class lives.
-In just one decade, North Carolina lost half its furniture jobs as CEOs offshored plants overseas.
-Today, shuttered mills stand as reminders while low-wage warehouses replace what used to be union-quality jobs.
Textile Towns Hollowed Out
-Eden revolved around Fieldcrest-Cannon and Pillowtex, textile plants employing thousands until both collapsed by 2003.
-The town’s next backbone, MillerCoors brewery, shut down in 2016.
-One generation watched its entire local economy disappear almost overnight.
Where Aggies, Mountaineers, and Spartans Forge the Future
The Student Powerhouse of NC-5
Fast Facts:
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
-Largest HBCU in the country
-Ranked the number one public HBCU by the Wall Street Journal in 2024
-Graduates more Black engineers, agricultural scientists, and undergraduates across multiple fields than any other school in the nation
-Endowment has grown to more than $202 million, the highest of any public HBCU
-Awarded a $23.7 million federal grant in 2024 to build a clean-energy workforce and create new jobs in rural North Carolina
Appalachian State University
-Serves more than 21,000 students across Boone and Hickory
-Founded as a teacher’s college more than a century ago, rooted in serving rural communities
-Aspire Appalachian program partners with 27 community colleges to create affordable transfer pathways for working-class students
University of NC at Greensboro & Community Colleges
-UNCG ranks among the strongest UNC schools for graduation rates and reducing student debt
-Three community colleges in NC-5 feed directly into universities like UNCG through co-admission and transfer programs
-These pipelines give first-generation and working-class students real access to higher education
The Bigger Picture
-More than 63,000 students live and learn in NC-5
-Students balance tuition, rent, and jobs while shaping the district’s future
-Aggies drive national leadership in STEM, Mountaineers expand rural access, Spartans show debt relief is possible
-Together these students are the engine of the district’s future!
Building a Pipeline that Keeps Our Students Here
-Partner with Local Employers: Connect NC-5’s universities and community colleges directly with hospitals, schools, clean energy projects, and small businesses so graduates walk out of class and into careers.
-Invest in Public Service Jobs: Create fellowships and loan-forgiveness tracks that place graduates in local schools, clinics, and nonprofits — so serving the community also builds a career.
-Seed Local Innovation: Use state and federal grants to spark start-ups, worker co-ops, and community businesses led by graduates, keeping their talent rooted here instead of exported out.
-Guarantee Fair Pay: Push policies and partnerships that ensure graduates don’t leave because of low wages — dignified work means livable wages, not survival checks.
If we build real pathways and pay people what they’re worth, our graduates will stop leaving and start building the next economy right here at home.