Hampton's Video Transcript: A Statement by Hampton Dellinger on Compensating the Victims of Forcible Sterlization

My name is Hampton Dellinger, I’m running for Lieutenant Governor, and I want to talk about one of the most shameful episodes in North Carolina history.

Between 1929 until as recently as the mid 1970s, state agencies oversaw the forcible sterilization of more than 7,600 North Carolinians.

Thousands of the victims were 18 and younger. In one case, a 10-year-old boy was castrated.

While those involved said the program was needed to cleanse society of the quote “undesirable,” “promiscuous” and “feeble minded,” we know of course that what really drove this horrific effort was racism and sexism.

North Carolina state government’s effort to play God ended in 1974, and for the next thirty years state government stood silent.

Finally, in 2002, the Winston-Salem Journal fully exposed the enormity of the state government eugenics scandal. The paper uncovered files showing victims literally begging for mercy before the procedures.

In 2003, a state committee called for compensation for documented victims.

Five years later, not one penny has been paid to any victim. And yet the state is willing to use public money to fund athletic scholarships at private schools and overpay by millions for office supplies.

And before taxes were cut for the rich, the sterilization victims should have been compensated.

As Lt. Governor, I will submit a state budget proposal that includes payment to the documented survivors.
State officials' first rule ought to be the same as a doctor's: do no harm.

North Carolina state government harmed thousands of its citizens, primarily women and African-Americans. It is time — long past time — to make it right.