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Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Southern Coalition for Social Justice

Partnering with communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities in the south to defend and advance their political, social and economic rights through the combination of legal advocacy, research, organizing and communications.

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Archives for 2015

December 20, 2015

SCSJ Launches Searchable Website of NC Police Data

On December 17, 2015, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ), a North Carolina-based civil rights non-profit, launched OpenDataPolicingNC.com at a public event in downtown Durham.  The first site of its kind, OpenDataPolicingNC.com draws upon [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News Tag iconBig Data and Civil Rights,  Data Transparency,  Open Data,  Open Data Policing,  OpenDataPolicingNC.com,  Racial Profiling

December 15, 2015

Coalition of Civic Organizations Sues North Carolina for Failing to Comply with Federal Voting Rights Obligations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 15, 2015   Contacts Michael McDunnah, Project Vote 202-905-1397 / mmcdunnah@projectvote.org   Hayley Home, Morrison Foerster 415-268-6021 / hhome@mofo.com   Donté Donald, Demos 212-485-6062 / ddonald@demos.org   Allison Riggs, Southern Coalition for Social Justice 919-323-3380 ext. 117 / allison@southerncoalition.org   Stacie Burgess, Lawyers’ Committee 202-445-6101 / sburgess@lawyerscommittee.org   Coalition of Civic [...]

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights Tag iconAction NC,  APRI,  Democracy NC,  Demos,  Lawyer's Committee,  Motor Voter Law,  North Carolina,  North Carolina A. Philip Randolph Institute,  NVRA,  Project Vote,  Southern Coalition for Social Justice,  voting rights

November 13, 2015

Daryl Atkinson attends 3 major Criminal Justice Reform Conferences This Week

This week Daryl attended three different criminal justice reform conferences around the country. On Monday, November 9th he participated in the Criminal Justice and Public Health National Convening hosted at the Ford Foundation in New York. The main focus of the conference was to bring together public health professionals and criminal justice reform advocates, to create a [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News

November 6, 2015

Ian Mance presents at Code for America Summit

At this year’s Code for America Summit in Oakland, CA, SCSJ’s Ian Mance presented on Identifying Racial Bias in Policing Practices. In 1999 North Carolina became the first state to pass legislation allowing the State Bureau of Investigations to collect traffic stop data from state, city and county police departments. This massive collection of data was requested [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News

November 2, 2015

SCSJ's Daryl Atkinson meets with POTUS on Ban the Box

President Obama Announces Federal Ban the Box.  SCSJ’s Daryl Atkinson is in Newark, NJ today for a round table discussion with President Obama, Senator Cory Booker and other members of the Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted Peoples’ Movement who have been working for many months to achieve better policies.  While in Newark, the President will highlight [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News,  Uncategorized

November 2, 2015

Daryl Atkinson awarded Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award

On the evening of Tuesday, October 6th, the Institute for Policy Studies awarded Daryl Atkinson and the Southern Coalition for Social Justice the Domestic Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award. The award was in recognition of Daryl and the organization’s work with reforming the criminal justice landscape. Daryl’s work focuses on those who are released from prison [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News

October 20, 2015

SCSJ's Own Daryl Atkinson on The Daily Show

Talking about “Ban the Box” and the Hamburgler on the Daily Show with Trevor Noah is SCSJ’s own Daryl Atkinson! Get More: Comedy Central,Funny Videos,Funny TV Shows [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News

September 24, 2015

Voter ID Case to Move Forward Next Year

North Carolina State Court Judge Michael Morgan has denied the State’s motion to dismiss the Voter ID challenge, Currie v. North Carolina.   SCSJ’s press release is here.  The order on the Motion to Dismiss is here and the Order on the Motion for a Stay is here. SCSJ represents Alberta Currie, the League of Women Voters, [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Voting Rights

September 17, 2015

Another Redistricting Case at the US Supreme Court to Watch

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice filed an Amicus Brief with the United States Supreme Court in Harris v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.  The Supreme Court, in Harris, is deciding whether partisan political gain justifies deviation from the one-person, one-vote principle of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.  The lower court in Arizona [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Voting Rights

August 28, 2015

Zealous and Holistic Defense Advocacy Starts in Delinquency Court

Since 2008, I have worked as a capital defender in North Carolina. I work in an office that represents clients in potentially capital cases at the trial level. Frequently, guilt is not an issue, and our job as defense counsel becomes saving the life of our client facing a death sentence. Prior to my current [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

August 14, 2015

SCSJ Files Amicus Brief for Virginia NAACP

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice filed this Brief of Amicus Curiae Virginia State Conference of the NAACP in the US Supreme Court.  The Court is considering a case which will determine whether voting rights plaintiffs in statewide redistricting cases have the right to a three-judge court to hear their claims.  The Fourth Circuit Court [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Uncategorized

August 14, 2015

Carlos Riley Found Not Guilty of Assault

Durham, N.C.  A jury today found Carlos Riley, Jr. not guilty of assault on a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer, assault on a law enforcement officer inflicting serious injury, and robbery with a dangerous weapon.  He was found guilty of common [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News

June 18, 2015

Changes Made to North Carolina Voter ID Requirements

On the eve of trial in the legal challenge to North Carolina’s oppressive Voter ID law, the General Assembly has capitulated, voting overwhelmingly in both houses to allow qualified voters who lack photo identification to affirm their identities and exercise their constitutional right to vote. In passing House Bill 836 on Thursday, the General Assembly [...]

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

June 18, 2015

SCSJ's Daryl Atkinson on the PBS NewsHour discussing "Ban the Box"

SCSJ Senior Attorney for Criminal Justice Daryl Atkinson appeared on the PBS NewsHour on Wednesday, June 17, 2015 and discussed “Ban the Box” hiring reform with NewsHour Senior Correspondent William Brangham and senior executive counsel for the National Federation for American Business Elizabeth Milito. From its earliest days as a refuge for colonial settlers seeking a fresh [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News Tag icon#BanTheBox,  #FairChance,  Ban the Box,  Daryl Atkinson,  NewsHour,  PBS NewsHour

June 17, 2015

"What We're Reading", SCSJ Troan Intern Edition

From Jani Radhakrishnan: Angelina Jolie’s Feminist Speech on Sexual Violence Deserves a Standing Ovation Late last week, Angelina Jolie gave a speech on [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Uncategorized Tag iconJani Radhakrishnan,  Kate Townsend,  Troan Internship Program,  What We're Reading

June 11, 2015

SCSJ's Daryl Atkinson a finalist for David Carliner Public Interest Award

Southern Coalition for Social Justice Senior Staff Attorney for Criminal Justice Daryl Atkinson was recognized as a finalist for the American Constitution Society’s (ACS) David Carliner Public Interest Award at the 2015 ACS National Convention in Washington D.C. on Thursday, June 11. The award is given annually to a mid-career public interest lawyer and honors an attorney [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News Tag iconAmerican Constitution Society,  Daryl Atkinson,  David Carliner Public Interest Award

June 7, 2015

SCSJ honored by the League of Women Voters of North Carolina

The League of Women Voters of North Carolina honored the Southern Coalition for Social Justice with its Outstanding State League Partner Organization Award at the League’s statewide biennial convention in Durham on Saturday, June 6th. The award recognizes organizations for “their collaborative services that have enabled the LWVNC to be a stronger, more effective organization congruent with [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Voting Rights Tag iconLeague of Women Voters of North Carolina,  LWVNC,  Outstanding Partner Award

June 2, 2015

North Carolina Put On Lawsuit Notice Over Declining Voter Registration

This story was written by Samantha Lachman and was first published to HuffPost Politics on June 1, 2015. WASHINGTON — A slate of civil rights groups put North Carolina on notice Monday, writing in a pre-litigation letter that the state must meet its voter registration obligations or risk a lawsuit. The letter alleges that the [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Voting Rights Tag iconNational Voter Registration Act,  NVRA,  voting rights

June 1, 2015

North Carolina In Violation of "Motor Voter" Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 1, 2015 CONTACT: Dēmos: Donté Donald, 212-485-6012, ddonald@demos.org Project Vote: Michael McDunnah, 202-905-1397, mmcdunnah@projectvote.org The Southern Coalition for Social Justice: Allison Riggs, 919-323-3380 ext.117, allison@southerncoalition.org   NORTH CAROLINA IN VIOLATION OF “MOTOR VOTER” LAW: Voting Rights Groups Call on State to Fix Voter Registration at DMVs, or Face Litigation (New York, [...]

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

May 28, 2015

Orange County group sends police chiefs, sheriff advice for fighting police bias

This story was written by Tammy Grubb and was first published in The News & Observer on May 26, 2015. CHAPEL HILL – A coalition of attorneys, citizens and community advocates is asking Orange County law enforcement to weed out any racial bias in their departments. The Orange County Bias-Free Policing Coalition recommended 11 steps, including [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News Tag iconCarrboro,  Chapel Hill,  Durham,  North Carolina,  Orange County Bias-Free Policing Coalition,  racial bias,  Racial Profiling

May 8, 2015

SCSJ and partners call on North Carolina to comply with NVRA provisions

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice today took action to ensure that the State of North Carolina meets federal law requirements in providing voter registration opportunities to its citizens who receive public assistance. Since 1993, federal law requires public assistance agencies administering programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Voting Rights Tag iconDemos,  Lawyer's Committee,  National Voter Registration Act,  North Carolina Board of Elections,  NVRA,  Project Vote,  Section 7 NVRA

May 7, 2015

'Second Chance' laws sought

RALEIGH, N.C. — Advocates for people with criminal records are calling for changes to state laws they say make it nearly impossible for former convicts to become productive members of society once they’ve finished their sentences. In the weeks leading up to crossover, state lawmakers moved a series of bills that would make small changes [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News Tag iconBan the,  Fair Chance Hiring,  Second Chance Lobby Day

May 4, 2015

House Bill 879 – Juvenile Code Reform

House Bill 879 (H879) proposes various reforms and technical changes to the Juvenile Code. The changes are designed to improve due process protections, prevent further entry into the delinquency system, and reduce confinement in facilities. Due Process Sections 1.1 through 1.4 of the bill address several points in delinquency procedures. Section 1.1 raises the age [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

April 24, 2015

Better School Discipline Data in NC

There’s finally good news coming out of and bi-partisan cooperation in the North Carolina General Assembly. Earlier this month, Representatives Graig Meyer, Rick Glazier, Sam Watford, and Donny Lambeth filed House Bill (HB) 819, an act designed to dramatically improve the state’s school discipline data. Currently, North Carolina law requires the State Board of Education to report, by March 15 of each year, [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

April 23, 2015

SCSJ's Daryl Atkinson discusses "On the Run" on HuffPost Live

Senior Attorney Daryl Atkinson joined host Marc Lamont Hill and University of Wisconsin Sociologist Alice Goffman in a HuffPost Live discussion of Goffman’s book, “On the Run.” Much of “On the Run” focuses on the book’s main subjects, black men in their 20s living in a Philadelphia neighborhood who find ways to evade, dodge and [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News Tag iconAlice Goffman,  Ban the Box,  criminal justice reform,  Daryl Atkinson,  fair chance,  HuffPost Live,  Marc Lamont Hill,  On the Run

April 21, 2015

The Negative Impacts of SB 343

North Carolina already has a massive school-to-prison pipeline and an alarming number of youth in the adult criminal system, and both crises may soon worsen. Rep. Jerry Tillman filedSB 343 (“Student Assault on Teacher/Felony Offense”) on March 19th. The bill would automatically make it a Class I felony offense for a student who is 16 years of age or [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

April 19, 2015

School Resource Officer Census Released

Last month, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Center for Safer Schools (CFSS) released its 2015 North Carolina School Resource Officer Census. The Census defines school resource officers (SROs) as “law enforcement officers who are assigned to work within the school setting.” (p. 2). It “provides a snapshot of SROs in North Carolina schools in the 2014-15 [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

April 9, 2015

Suspension Prevention is Everybody’s Business

Across North Carolina and the nation, what’s often referred to as “the great equalizer” turns students away. Schools suspend students for not attending school. Yes, really. Students who miss too much school are told they must miss even more school. Does anyone really believe that less education is an effective strategy to help kids who already, [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

April 9, 2015

Wake Voters Sue Over New County Commission Districts

For Immediate Release                                                                                                    Contact: Beverley Clark, [...]

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights Tag iconDistrict 4,  gerrymandering,  North Carolina,  North Carolina Redistricting,  Raleigh Wake Citizens Association,  redistricting,  Sue,  voter suppression,  Wake County,  Wake County Board of County Commissioners

April 6, 2015

U.S. Supreme Court declines to immediately hear N.C. voting law case

The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to immediately hear an appeal in a case challenging the state’s 2013 voting law, where the lower appeals court ruled that the state’s attempt to end same day registration and out of precinct voting likely violated the Voting Rights Act.  That denial means that those issues, along with other challenged elements of the [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Voting Rights

April 3, 2015

Words matter: the importance of humanizing criminal justice vocabulary

Inmate. Prisoner. Other. Discussed. What to call incarcerated people: Your feedback By BLAIR HICKMAN We received more than 200 responses to our callout asking the best way to refer to people behind bars. Of the options we offered, 38 percent preferred “incarcerated person,” 23 percent liked “prisoner” and nearly 10 percent supported use of the [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News Tag iconcriminal justice reform,  Daryl Atkinson,  The Marshall Project

April 2, 2015

The School-to-Prison Pipeline in Action

At a recent talk I gave on the School-to-Prison Pipeline, a school board member in the audience strongly objected to the metaphor and said he thought it wrongly blamed school boards and school administrators for a whole host of societal problems that weren’t theirs to solve. At one level, I accept his point: schools can’t [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

April 2, 2015

Man convicted of fatally shooting Michael Jordan’s father seeks new trial

The man convicted of fatally shooting Michael Jordan’s father in eastern North Carolina more than two decades ago hopes to win a new trial with what his attorneys describe as a wealth of new evidence. The Durham-based lawyers representing Daniel Andre Green, 40, maintain that a range of issues – from allegations of false testimony [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Uncategorized Tag iconDaniel Greene,  James Jordan,  Michael Jordan's father,  New Evidence,  New Trial,  Robeson County

April 1, 2015

New evidence in Daniel Green’s case, SCSJ attorneys are seeking a new trial

Contact: Joyce Fitzpatrick 919-247-4400 joyce@fitzpatrickcomm.com For Immediate Release Daniel Green Files Motion for New Trial COMPELLING NEW EVIDENCE RAISES SIGNIFICANT QUESTIONS ABOUT LUMBERTON MAN’S MURDER CONVICTION IN THE 1993 KILLING OF MICHAEL JORDAN’S FATHER April 1, 2015 DURHAM, NC (March 31, 2015) – Daniel Green, one of two men currently imprisoned for the murder of James Jordan [...]

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Uncategorized Tag iconDaniel Greene,  Ian A. Mance,  James Jordan,  Lumberton,  Lumberton NC,  Michael Jordan,  North Carolina,  Robeson County,  Scott Holmes,  Trial

March 26, 2015

"Ban The Box" Advocates Call For Executive Order At White House

Criminal justice reform advocates are meeting with top White House advisers on Wednesday to help people who’ve done their time, Politico reports. They’re urging President Barack Obama to issue an executive order banning the government and federal contractors from asking most prospective employees questions about criminal records. The demand is commonly known as “ban the box,” which refers [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Press Release

March 25, 2015

Court Says Packing Black Voters in Districts is Unconstitutional

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 25, 2015 Contact: Anita Earls, Southern Coalition for Social Justice 919-794-4198 (Office)   U.S. SUPREME COURT’S DECISION IN ALABAMA REDISTRICTING CASE HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR NORTH CAROLINA’S REDISTRICTING PLANS In a win for voting rights advocates, the U.S. Supreme Court today put the brakes on using explicit racial criteria in redistricting. The [...]

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights

March 25, 2015

"Ban the Box" campaign gains momentum in Washington

This story was written by Josh Gerstein and appeared on politico.com on March 25, 2015   Obama urged to ease hiring of ex-prisoners A group of criminal justice reformers, including some who served prison time, are headed to the White House Wednesday to press President Barack Obama to do more to help those who’ve been convicted [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News Tag icon#BanTheBox,  #FairChance,  Ban the Box,  criminal justice reform,  criminal records,  Daryl Atkinson,  Executive Order,  Fair Chance Hiring

March 21, 2015

Progress on NC school suspensions, violence, but more to do | News & Observer

*Originally published in the News & Observer Incidents of school crime and violence, short- and long-term suspensions, alternative learning program placements and corporal punishment were all down last school year. The Department of Public Instruction and school districts have been quick to tout the progress. Teachers and administrators deserve praise for keeping more students in school [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Youth Justice

March 10, 2015

Welcoming the 'most vulnerable'

This editorial appeared in The Herald-Sun on Sunday, March 8, 2015. More than 2,100 unaccompanied immigrant children have been placed with sponsors – often family members – in North Carolina, according to the U.S. Office of Refugee and Resettlement. North Carolina is one of the “highest receiving states” for such children, estimated to total more than [...]

Category iconHuman Rights,  Recent News Tag iconDurham City Council,  Durham Public School Board Of Education,  George Eppsteiner,  Immigrant children,  unaccompanied immigrant children,  welcoming resolution

March 9, 2015

Selma march feels like 'hope and justice magnified'

Susan Burton of A New Way of Life in Los Angeles and Daryl Atkinson of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice finally got their turn to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge — twice. Burton’s dispatch: There are just thousands and thousands and thousands of people, as far as the eye can see, people lined up [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News,  Voting Rights Tag iconCriminal Justice,  criminal justice reform,  Selma March,  Susan Burton

March 5, 2015

School board supports migrant children issue

This story was written by Gregory Childress and was originally published in The Herald-Sun on Tuesday, March 3, 2015. DURHAM-The school board has adopted a resolution reaffirming its support of more than 300 unaccompanied migrant children who now attend Durham Public Schools. The resolution was on the board’s consent agenda during a rare Monday night [...]

Category iconHuman Rights,  Recent News

March 5, 2015

Public support increases for immigrant children in North Carolina

In keeping with its commitment to address issues of racial equity in education, SCSJ is continuing to work to help empower the immigrant community in the Triangle to protect the human and educational rights of their children. In active cooperation with immigrant students, teachers, public officials, and community leaders and activists dedicated to advancing the [...]

Category iconHuman Rights,  Recent News Tag iconDurham Public School Board,  Immigrant children,  unaccompanied minors,  welcoming resolution

March 4, 2015

Greensboro workshop focuses on cleaning up criminal records

This story was written by Amanda Lehmert and was originally published in the News & Record on Saturday, February 28, 2015. GREENSBORO-On a bitter cold Saturday in January, folks crowded the pews at the Beloved Community Center. There was a pregnant mom who was having trouble finding a landlord who would rent to her. There [...]

Category iconCommunity Organizing,  Criminal Justice,  Press Release,  Recent News

February 27, 2015

North Carolina State Court Allows Photo ID Challenge to Proceed to Trial

This afternoon, Wake County Superior Court Judge Michael Morgan ruled that a challenge to North Carolina’s photo ID requirement for voting will proceed to trial in July 2015.  In ruling on the respective motions for judgment on the pleadings (where no evidence is allowed to be taken into account), Judge Morgan indicated that the case [...]

Category iconPress Release,  Recent News,  Voting Rights Tag iconA. Phillip Randolph Institute,  Alberta Currie,  Brenda Rogers,  George Eppsteiner,  League of Women Voters of North Carolina,  Melvin Montford,  North Carolina Monster Voter Law,  Voter ID,  voter suppression,  voting rights

February 24, 2015

SCSJ's Daryl Atkinson discusses 'The New Jim Crow' on HuffPost Live

SCSJ Senior Attorney Daryl Atkinson appeared on HuffPost Live at 6:30 PM EST with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and HufffPost Washington Bureau Chief Ryan Grim to discuss Michelle Alexander’s critically acclaimed book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Era of Colorblindness and the opportunities for criminal justice reform. Alexander’s book reveals the phenomena [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News Tag iconCory Booker,  Daryl Atkinson,  HuffPost,  HuffPost Live,  The New Jim Crow

February 21, 2015

Ban the Box to increase tax revenue and reduce crime

‘Ban the Box’ to increase tax revenue and reduce crime Guest Commentary QNotes ENGAGE: Write a letter to the editor For 1.6 million North Carolinians, the worst part of job searching is not the interview, but the moment they drop off the application. Nearly every employment application contains a small box on the front page [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News Tag iconBan the Box,  Community Success Initiative,  criminal history,  Daryl Atkinson,  Dennis Gaddy,  employment,  formerly incarcerated people,  Qnotes,  reentry,  Second Chance Coalition,  Tessie Castillo

February 18, 2015

SCSJ files a "friend of the court" brief with SCOTUS

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice yesterday filed an Amicus Curiae (“friend of the court”) brief with the United States Supreme Court in the case of City and County of San Francisco, et al. v. Teresa Sheehan, which is scheduled for oral argument on March 23, 2015.  The brief, filed on behalf of the Policy Council on Law [...]

Category iconRecent News

February 17, 2015

Eliminating the Second-Class Status of People With Criminal Records

Daryl Atkinson ’07 is a man on a mission to ensure that equal justice under the law is realized for those with a criminal past. His mission is simple: restore the civil rights and human rights of people with criminal records. This may appear to be a mighty feat as America has the highest rate [...]

Category iconUncategorized Tag iconArtika Tyner,  criminal justice reform,  criminal records,  Daryl Atkinson,  University of St. Thomas

February 6, 2015

Participate in the National Survey on Black Women's Labor Union Organizing and Leadership Experiences

National Survey on Black Women’s Labor Union Organizing and Leadership Experiences The Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) is conducting a national survey of black women union members, organizers, leaders, and worker’s rights activists to learn more about their experiences in the labor movement.  The survey is a companion piece to a forthcoming report and larger project, And Still I [...]

Category iconCommunity Organizing,  Recent News Tag iconBlack Women,  Labor union,  labor union organizing,  National Survey on Black Women's Labor Union Organizing and Leadership Experiences,  survey

February 4, 2015

Zero tolerance drug policies cannot alleviate poverty

This post is a response to Mayor William V. “Bill” Bell’s recent guest column, “First steps key in long journey to eliminate poverty.”  Zero tolerance drug policies cannot alleviate poverty Dear Mayor Bell, Ray Gronberg e-mailed me last week asking me to respond to new language in the city’s anti-poverty initiative calling for a “zero tolerance” [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News Tag iconDrug Policy,  FADE,  Ian Mance,  poverty,  SpiritHouse Inc,  zero tolerance

February 2, 2015

Stop Punishing People After They Have Been Released From Prison

Stop Punishing People After They Have Been Released From Prison January 30, 2015 by Jeremy Haile This post first appeared on BillMoyers.com. BillMoyers.com is proud to collaborate with TalkPoverty.org as we focus on poverty coverage over the next two weeks. Every day, visit BillMoyers.com to discover a new action you can take to help turn [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News Tag iconBill Moyers,  Collateral Consequences,  REDEEM Act,  released from prison

February 1, 2015

Judge to take several weeks to rule on NC voter ID challenge

RALEIGH — A Wake County judge plans to take two to three weeks to decide whether a lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s voter ID law should be dismissed or proceed to trial this summer. Mike Morgan, a Wake County Superior Court judge, briefed attorneys Friday after listening to several hours of arguments for and against the [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Voting Rights Tag iconA. Philip Randolph Institute,  Anita Earls,  George Eppsteiner,  League of Women Voters of North Carolina,  NC Voter ID Challenge,  Press Millen,  State Constitution,  Voter ID,  Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice

February 1, 2015

Durham City Wide Study of The New Jim Crow

These are tumultuous times for the criminal justice system. Huffington Post reports that exonerations of wrongfully convicted people are at an all time high. Meanwhile, Marissa Alexander has finally been released from a nightmare of incarceration resulting from firing a single warning shot at a known abuser. In the background, police are not being charged [...]

Category iconCommunity Organizing,  Criminal Justice,  Recent News Tag icon#BlackLivesMatter,  Durham City-Wide Read,  Marissa Alexander,  michelle alexander,  SpiritHouse,  The New Jim Crow

January 30, 2015

The Fight Over Voter ID In NC Heads To State Court

A group that’s challenging North Carolina’s voting overhaul in federal court will take a different argument to state court Friday. The League of Women Voters and other plaintiffs are asking a judge in Raleigh to toss out a photo voter ID requirement that starts next year. Alberta Currie has turned out for election after election [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Uncategorized,  Voting Rights Tag iconAlberta Currie,  George Eppsteiner,  Judge Morgan,  League of Women Voters of North Carolina,  photo ID,  voter disenfranchisement,  Voter ID,  voting rights

January 30, 2015

Critics of NC’s voter ID law to present their case in court

RALEIGH — Whether N.C. voters will have to show a photo ID in 2016 will depend on whether opponents can show why they shouldn’t have to. That test begins Friday when critics of the 2013 election law overhaul argue that the ID requirement violates the North Carolina Constitution. North Carolina residents and voting-rights organizations challenging [...]

Category iconRecent News,  Uncategorized,  Voting Rights Tag iconA. Philip Randolph Institute,  Lea,  North Carolina,  photo ID,  state court,  Voter ID

January 25, 2015

50 Years After the Dream panel addresses UNC campus racism issues

A panel discussion held Thursday night focused on rejecting racist norms, especially within UNC’s community. The Campus Y and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. hosted 50 Years After the Dream, a panel on race and the justice system, to discuss the racial issues still affecting the country and college campuses today. Harmonyx, an a capella [...]

Category iconHuman Rights,  Recent News Tag icon50 years after the dream,  Alan McSurely,  Anita Earls,  Harmonyx,  Irving Joyner,  Kalil Duncan,  Orisanmi Burton,  Phi Beta Sigma,  UNC

January 23, 2015

Shriver Racial Justice Training Institute Applications Open

Don’t Miss the Call to Action! Application Deadline: February 27, 2015! With recent events in Ferguson, Staten Island, and elsewhere, our nation is at a pivotal moment in understanding and addressing issues of race, implicit bias, and the structural barriers that marginalize communities of color. It is more important than ever for equal justice advocates [...]

Category iconRecent News Tag iconAnita Earls,  Annie E. Casey Foundation,  Chicago,  Daryl Atkinson,  Ford Foundation,  implicit bias,  Northwestern University School of Law,  racial justice,  Racial Justice Training Institute,  Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law,  Shriver Center

January 21, 2015

Durham police report offers irrelevant detail on local marijuana cases, ignores racial profiling

DURHAM — Most of the people arrested and charged only with misdemeanor marijuana possession in 2013 and the first half of 2014 had prior criminal records, a new report from the Durham Police Department says. That said, it was much more common for police to stack a possession charge with other, sometimes more serious charges [...]

Category iconRecent News Tag iconFADE,  LLEP,  Marijuana arrests,  marijuana cases,  Racial Profiling,  Southern Coalition for Social Justice

January 12, 2015

Durham Hosts Human Relations Awards Ceremony February 20

Nominations Sought by January 26; Nomination Form Now Available Online DURHAM, N.C. –The City of Durham Human Relations Commission is now seeking nominations of city and county residents who have distinguished themselves by contributing their time and talents to promoting good human relations in Durham. In honor of February as Human Relations Month, the City’s [...]

Category iconHuman Rights,  Recent News Tag iconDurham,  Hayti,  Human Relations,  human rights youth award

January 10, 2015

Communities reframe message to welcome immigrant kids

By Amanda Sakuma While the political uproar has died down over the flood of unaccompanied minors caught at the U.S. border, the states taking in the immigrant children continue to grapple with how to welcome – or not – the newcomers to their communities. In North Carolina, one of the top 10 states to host [...]

Category iconHuman Rights,  Recent News Tag iconDurham,  George Eppsteiner,  immigrant kids,  MSNBC,  Southern Coalition for Social Justice

January 9, 2015

Duke-UNC Initiative on Poverty and Inequality Summer Fellowship

Duke-UNC Initiative on Poverty and Inequality Summer Fellowship This is a joint effort between UNC and Duke University to focus on issues of poverty and inequality in Durham and Orange counties. The initiative emphasizes the importance of developing an historical understanding as well as working with local communities to find policy solutions to these persistent [...]

Category iconCommunity Organizing,  Human Rights Tag iconDuke-UNC,  Durham,  inequality,  Orange County,  paid summer internship,  poverty,  social justice,  summer fellowship

January 8, 2015

SCSJ announces partnership with Youth Justice North Carolina

SCSJ has always maintained a strong commitment to addressing issues of racial equity in education, eliminating racial bias in the criminal justice system, ending mass incarceration, and removing unjust barriers faced by persons with criminal records.  We are now excited to announce a new strategic partnership with Youth Justice North Carolina which will augment our [...]

Category iconCriminal Justice,  Recent News Tag iconCriminal Justice,  education justice,  juvenile justice,  school to prison pipeline,  youth justice,  Youth Justice North Carolina

January 6, 2015

Movement Supporting Immigrant Children Grows in Durham

The start to 2015 marked the continuation of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice’s efforts in empowering the immigrant community in North Carolina to protect the human and educational rights of their children.  On January 5, 2015, the Durham City Council unanimously passed a resolution that is welcoming and supportive of immigrant children, including those [...]

Category iconCommunity Organizing,  Human Rights,  Recent News

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Hundreds of stakeholders filed amicus briefs urging #SCOTUS to strike down AZ's discriminatory laws in #BrnovichvDNC. The briefs—from civil rights groups, business leaders, scholars, Native organizations and elections officials—underscore the vital role of the #VotingRightsAct. pic.twitter.com/5O4Y…

About 7 hours ago

Our Justice System Reform team is #hiring a Senior Counsel! Take a look at the job description and apply on LinkedIn if interested: bit.ly/JSRSrCounsel #Job #Opportunity pic.twitter.com/9dyi…

About 8 hours ago

The March 2021 issue of SCSJ Digest is now available! This issue features: • Letter from the Executive Directors • Updates • Partner Profile • Student Showcase • Events in March • Top Stories in Feb 2021 Read: bit.ly/SCSJMar2021 Subscribe: bit.ly/SCSJsubscribe pic.twitter.com/DWvF…

About 9 hours ago

Via @PortCityDaily: "The Southern Coalition for Social Justice, a Durham-based nonprofit, reported Black students in NHCS were almost eight times likely to receive a short-term suspension than white students." Read more: bit.ly/2OfIURp

About 13 hours ago

The right of all citizens to vote free from discrimination is at the heart of America’s vibrant democracy. In #BrnovichvDNC, #SCOTUS should affirm that there’s no place for racism in our elections by striking down Arizona’s racially discriminatory voting laws. #ProtectOurVote pic.twitter.com/s384…

About 3 days ago

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