The Umar Muhammad Clean Slate Toolkit is a free resource providing a step-by-step guide to remove eligible North Carolina charges from a person’s record. With a typical criminal record expungement costing between $1,500 and $2,000 in court costs and attorney’s fees, the toolkit is designed to help individuals navigate the process independently, making expunctions easier to obtain for people of color and economically underserved populations.
The toolkit is in honor of Umar Muhammad who was an upbeat, passionate advocate who committed his life to helping people of color who were impacted by the criminal justice system. He joined Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) in 2014, where he fought against the discrimination of justice-involved individuals. He was a community organizer and leader in All of Us or None, an organization that lifts up the voices of those most affected by mass incarceration and the prison-industrial complex.
Through SCSJ and All of Us or None, Umar helped organize numerous Clean Slate Clinics that served over 60 counties throughout North Carolina. These clinics supported individuals working to address the collateral consequences of having a criminal record, including barriers to employment, housing, and occupational licenses.
The purpose of this toolkit is to empower people with a step-by-step guide to remove charges and convictions from their criminal record so they may economically and socially better their lives. We dedicate this toolkit to Umar, who opened every Clean Slate Clinic by stating, “You are not the sum of your worst mistakes.”