RALEIGH -- The state task force looking into how to compensate people who were sterilized under the direction of the state has moved its June 22 listening session to a larger location in anticipation of a big turnout.
The session will allow those sterilized by the state to tell their stories and will start at 10 a.m. at the state Department of Agriculture's Eaddy Agronomics Building at 4300 Reedy Creek Road in West Raleigh.
Between the 1920s and 1970s, the Eugenics Board of North Carolina held the legal power to sterilize people it deemed unfit to be parents.
The task force will recommend methods of compensation to the legislature, based on the stories and suggestions of eugenics victims. For those who want to share their stories, registration is encouraged but not required.
After the June 22 listening session, the task force will meet again at 10 a.m. July 13 at the same place. The meeting is open to the public. The task force will draft a preliminary report to the governor and state legislators by Aug. 1 and a final report by Feb. 1.
For more information, call N.C. Justice for Sterilization Victims Foundation at 877-550-6013. To collect information and recommendations, the foundation asks eugenics victims or their families to fill out a voluntary questionnaire, which can be found at www.steriliza tionvictims.nc.gov or by calling the foundation.
