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Allison Riggs

Interim Executive Director / Chief Counsel, Voting Rights
allisonriggs@scsj.org

Allison Riggs leads the voting rights program at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, an organization she joined in 2009.  In March of 2020, she also took over as Interim Executive Director of the organization.

Her voting rights work over the last decade at SCSJ has been focused on fighting for fair redistricting plans, fighting against voter suppression, and advocating for electoral reforms that would expand access to voting.

She has litigated redistricting cases on behalf of State NAACP Conferences in Texas, Florida, Virginia and North Carolina. In 2018, she argued the Texas redistricting case in the United States Supreme Court, and in 2019, she argued the North Carolina partisan gerrymandering case in the Supreme Court.  Allison works closely with grassroots organizations and communities of color as they seek to advance their political and civil rights.  She received her undergraduate, Master’s Degree and J.D. from the University of Florida.

Irving Zavaleta

Networks Director for Voting Rights
irving@scsj.org

Irving Zavaleta joined the Southern Coalition for Social Justice in August 2020 as the Communications Manager, and now serves as the Networks Director for Voting Rights. He is a well-known and highly regarded leader, educator and speaker with in-depth knowledge and experience in the areas of inclusion and equity. Irving has firsthand experience and knows best practices for working with underrepresented populations including students of color, LGBTQIA communities and first-generation college students. Prior to joining SCSJ, he worked as an Assistant Director for the North Carolina Campus Compact.

He graduated from high school with honors and from Guilford College with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and French. He was recognized nationally as one of the best 25 Latinx college students by the Hispanic College Fund in 2007. Irving obtained his MBA at High Point University with a concentration in leadership and organization development.

Irving is a frequent speaker at meetings and conferences highlighting his work and the ongoing challenges within the Latinx and LGBTQIA communities. He currently sits on the board of directors of Fortaleza & Equality NC.

He founded the highly successful Soy un Líder (I am a Leader) Conference. Soy un Líder is a college prep and empowerment conference for students who identify as a Latinx, immigrant or refugee. It is the only conference of its kind in North Carolina, offering workshops on the college application and financial aid process while providing information for DACAmented, undocumented, and refugee status students. Soy un Líder has empowered students to dream big through a social justice lens for more than a decade. 

Irving was a recipient of the 2017 Community Involvement Diamante Award, a statewide recognition of people and organizations that support the North Carolina Latinx population. He was also named a 2018 Community Game Changer by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro for his community involvement.

He participated in the 2018 Hispanics in Philanthropy Next Generation Latinx Líderes Program. He was one of only 29 Latinxs invited to participate in this highly acclaimed national leadership initiative. 

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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SCSJ’s CROWD Academies Return in Time for Critical Post-2020 Census Redistricting Process

Durham, N.C. — Continuing its efforts launched last year, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) will partner with community organizations to offer in-depth training sessions to educate community organizers on the redistricting process and advocating for fair maps for communities of color in 2021-2022 redistricting efforts.

February 8, 2021 by Tazeen Dhanani Focus Area: Voting Rights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 8, 2021

For media inquiries:
Michelle Rash
mrash@rlfcommunications.com
336-553-1733 (office)
336-823-5501 (mobile)




Durham, N.C. — Continuing its efforts launched last year, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice (SCSJ) will partner with community organizations to offer in-depth training sessions to educate community organizers on the redistricting process and advocating for fair maps for communities of color in 2021-2022 redistricting efforts. Community Redistricting Organizations Working for Democracy (CROWD) Academies equip individuals and organizations with tools to monitor and engage with redistricting processes at every level of government, spot problematic developments and take action if redistricting decisions are likely to infringe on the right to an equal opportunity to participate in elections.

After conducting 16 CROWD Academies in six states in 2020, SCSJ will partner with groups across six states to hold an additional 11 Academies in the upcoming months.

State and local governments are preparing to begin the first redistricting cycle since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 rendered Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act inapplicable. This key provision required more than a dozen states with a history of racially discriminatory voting practices to submit new districts to the federal government for approval. This redistricting cycle also follows a pivotal U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2019 that prevented federal challenges to partisan gerrymandering.

“Coming off the heels of record-breaking voter turnout in 2020, it’s important we continue to engage with and educate voters, recognizing the power of empowered voters to affect outcomes,” said Allison Riggs, chief voting rights counsel and interim executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice. “With thousands of voting districts changing without the protections of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act for the first time in decades, it is imperative people understand how government can use the redistricting process to try maintain power or further minimize the voice of often underrepresented communities.”

CROWD Academies address:

  • How the redistricting process works and points of intervention
  • Legal and equity considerations when drawing or analyzing districts
  • How communities can analyze proposed voting maps and how to draw and submit their own
  • Effective organizing, communications and legislative advocacy strategies for successful community interventions

Last year, nearly 400 community leaders were trained in CROWD Academies in six states. Additional CROWD Academies are planned for Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina.

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The Southern Coalition for Social Justice, founded in 2007, partners 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. Learn more at southerncoalition.org and follow our work on Twitter and Facebook.

Key Contacts

Allison Riggs, Interim Executive Director / Chief Counsel, Voting Rights
allisonriggs@scsj.org

Irving Zavaleta, Networks Director for Voting Rights
irving@scsj.org

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