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.

Youth Advocacy Organization Launches Campaign Urging Durham Public Schools to Provide Equal Opportunities for All Students

Press Contact:Michelle Rashmrash@rlfcommunications.com336-823-5501 (mobile) Durham, N.C. — The Youth Justice Project (YJP) of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice launched a coordinated effort to end the school-to-prison pipeline and achieve educational justice in Durham Public Schools (DPS). The #LiberateToEducate campaign envisions a future in which students of color attend schools that lift them up, provide […]

#CounselorsNotCops: Wake County Black Student Coalition Demands

Students across Wake County have joined together to demand #CounselorsNotCops. For this campaign, the Youth Justice Project of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice joined with the Wake County Black Student Coalition (WCBSC), Education Justice Alliance, and ACLU of North Carolina to release a second #CounselorsNotCops video featuring WCBSC members demanding safe, Black-affirming schools free […]

Education Justice Alliance, Students from Enloe High School, and SCSJ Demand that the Wake County School Board End the School Resource Officer Program and Terminate Contracts with Local Law Enforcement Agencies

Durham, N.C.— Jasmin Loraine Benas, Srivani Edupuganti, Teya Franks, and Reagan Razon of Enloe High School, in partnership with Education Justice Alliance (EJA) and Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ), sent a demand letter to the Wake County Board of Education urging the immediate end of all school policing contracts with local law enforcement agencies and greater investments in alternatives to school policing. This termination demand is in response to both Raleigh Police Department’s violent use of force against peaceful protesters following the death of George Floyd and Wake County Public School System’s school policing practices that disproportionately harm Black and Brown students.

CARES Act Vulnerable Students Letter

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ), in partnership with three organizations focused on racial and educational justice, is urging North Carolina to use $95.6 million in education funds earmarked for the state in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to benefit the most vulnerable students. These vulnerable student populations include students of color, economically disadvantaged students, children with disabilities, homeless students, immigrant students and youth in foster care and the juvenile justice system.

Among the suggested uses for the funding are purchasing laptops or tablets for students who do not have them, creating quiet learning environments for students who are homeless or in foster care and providing training for students and teachers on how to better utilize technology for remote learning.

SCSJ Issues 4th Annual Racial Equity Report Cards Highlighting Disparities in North Carolina Public Schools

Durham, N.C. — While Black students make up 25% of children in North Carolina public schools, they receive 55.2% of all short-term suspensions. White students, who comprise 47.3% of all students, only receive 25.8% of all suspensions. These and other findings of disparity are detailed in the statewide Racial Equity Report Card issued today by the Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

SCSJ Celebrates Continued Progress in Winston-Salem Following Dept. of Education Complaint

SCSJ and community partners celebrate a win for students and parents of Ashley Elementary after a panel of the Winston-Salem City Council voted unanimously to recommend the sale of city-owned property that will serve as the site of a new school to replace Ashley Elementary. The recommendation is slated to go before the full City Council for consideration on October 21.

Youth Justice Project Releases SRO Recommendations

Durham, NC — Members of the Youth Justice Project’s Youth Steering Committee (YSC) released a series of recommendations for Durham Public Schools and the Durham County Sheriff’s Office regarding school policing. The recommendations stem from a School Resource Officer Town Hall hosted by the YSC in early April, incorporating feedback and discussion from the attendees. The […]

Federal Court Order Now Requires Durham County to Comply with New Policies Regarding Youth Held in Custody

DURHAM, N.C. —  A federal judge has endorsed a settlement that requires separate facilities for youth and adults in Durham’s detention facilities.  The court order resolves a lawsuit brought by the family of 17-year-old Uniece Fennell after she took her own life in the Durham County Detention Facility (DCDF) in 2017. The order by U.S. District […]

Racial Equity Report Cards Continue to Show Disparities in Achievement and Discipline

This year’s report cards include teacher diversity statistics for the first time Durham, N.C. — The 2019 Annual Racial Equity Report Cards released by the Youth Justice Project of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice reveal significant racial disproportionality across the state and in most individual school districts. The report cards use public data on academic achievement, school […]

Youth Justice Project: Federal Commission on School Safety Recommends Scrapping Anti-Discrimination Guidance Implemented During Obama Administration

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) Federal Commission on School Safety has released its final report, which includes a recommendation that the DOE and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) rescind guidance issued in 2014 aimed at ensuring educational agencies comply with federal obligations to administer student discipline without discriminating based on race, […]

Lee County NAACP's Year of Racial Equity a Success

Fort Myers, F.L. — The School District of Lee County and the Lee County, Florida Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) signed an agreement today to settle a civil rights complaint the NAACP filed in 2017. “I am extremely pleased to have signed this agreement,” said Superintendent Dr. Greg […]

The State of Discipline in NC Schools

Highlights from The 2018 State of Discipline Report The data analysis from the Youth Justice Project found that: Although out-of-school suspension is down, students are still too often removed from class for disciplinary reasons. Tens of thousands of young children were suspended last school year. Black students were more likely to be suspended than white […]

New Report: Putting Justice in NC’s Juvenile System

Durham, NC — A report released today from the Youth Justice Project finds that the juvenile justice system is falling short for over 12,000 impacted children. Despite major policy advances like Raise the Age in 2017, North Carolina has a long way to go to ensure that all young people, especially youth of color, are treated fairly […]

North Carolina is Poised to Raise the Age of Juvenile Jurisdiction

RALEIGH, NC — The state budget released yesterday by leaders in the North Carolina General Assembly contains policy language and funding provisions that will raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction in the state. Currently, North Carolina is the only state in the country to automatically charge all 16- and 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal […]

Increase in NC School Suspension Rates Negatively Impacts Students

DURHAM, N.C. – A report released today from the Youth Justice Project finds that North Carolina public schools are increasingly using suspension as a means to address student misbehavior. This shift negatively impacts students as suspensions remove the child from the classroom, resulting in a loss of learning and an adverse impact on overall school climate. […]