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Durham Marches for Fair Hiring Ordinance

Hundreds gathered in Durham on Saturday, June 4 around a common goal: to end employment discrimination and promote fair hiring. In partnership with the Durham Second Chance Alliance, the Love & Respect Recovery House hosted its 9th Annual Take Back the Streets Community Fair & March. People in attendance took to the streets of North East Central Durham, marching and shouting together, "Ban the Box now!" The Durham Second Chance Alliance's Ban the Box campaign is part of a national movement that focuses on passing local ordinances for fair hiring practices, such as removing the question, or "box," on job applications that asks if applicants have ever been convicted of a crime or incarcerated. This question drastically hurts the chances of people with criminal records getting a job and being able to be independent and provide for their families. In North Carolina, more than 1.6 million people have a criminal record, and 45% of those under the Department of Correction supervision are African American. Over twenty cities have already "Banned the Box," including San Francisco, Detroit, Boston, Memphis and most recently, Philadelphia. Among the crowd of supporters were elected officials and local activists who publicly lent their support to the passage of a fair hiring ordinance in Durham. Paul Luebke, NC House Representative for Durham County, spoke of the importance of passing a fair hiring ordinance as opposed to a policy, which is neither permanent nor a law, and could change at the whim of the city or county administration. Durham NAACP Branch President Fred Foster encouraged the audience to set their goals higher and push for Ban the Box to become a statewide issue. He highlighted how this is an issue that disproportionately affects African Americans across the state. Durham City Council-member Mike Woodard commended the event and said there should be more like it to raise awareness for the issue.

Putting a human face on the issue, Clarence Stevenson from the Love & Respect Recovery House, spoke about his past history of incarceration and job-seeking, and the importance of an ordinance in securing opportunities to obtain stable employment. Durham city and county need to pass a comprehensive ban the box ordinance to ensure that Stevenson and others like him have a fair second chance.

great coverage of the White Street Landfill lawsuit

The White Street Landfill (and the subsequent lawsuit against the city) has been covered extensively by the press. SCSJ attorney Chris Brook has been working hard to make sure the citizens of Greensboro are heard. Be sure to check out our News Coverage page to see all of it. Make sure to check there as well for updates. Today the landfill was mentioned in a piece on CNN.com on race relations in Greensboro. Over the weekend, the Greensboro News & Record published an editorial asking for the city to take a "timeout" and more thoroughly consider its options regarding the landfill. The temporary restraining order requested by SCSJ was granted, preventing the council from continuing negotiations for the time being. For photos of the last council meeting (in which the City Council voted to narrow negotiations to two companies who were both planning to reopen the landfill), check out the Flickr stream provided by YES! Weekly. SCSJ has been working with Citizens for Economic and Environmental Justice, the League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad and several individual community members in order to bring this issue to its rightful resolution. Please look at their websites for more information on them. Also, read the letter sent to Greensboro City Manager Rashad Young written by Chris earlier this year. The letter will also inform you of many of the hidden costs of the landfill. We've included a link to the letter below.

Broken electoral systems damage illusion of equality

As a country built on the democratic process, the United States—and the South in particular—has had to overcome systematic hurtles to ensure that elections were fair, all-encompassing, and as representative as possible. Perhaps most notably, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was created by Congress to outlaw discriminatory voting practices that disproportionately affect minority populations. At the time, this looked like removing literacy tests and other direct barriers to voting. However, indirect barriers and their effects are still being felt throughout the South. One of the most pervasive examples of this is an at-large voting system. This winner-take-all approach involves each representative being elected by the majority of people in the city as a whole. In this system, if a district has a 30 percent minority population, their likelihood of electing their representative of choice is slim, since they do not make up a majority. In a single-member district electoral system, this same population stands a much greater chance of being equally represented. If this city was separated into 10 fairly-drawn districts, the minority population would likely make up a majority in three of them. Allison Riggs, a staff attorney for the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, went before the Hickory City Council to speak against this system. “At-large elections, even in the slightly modified form here in Hickory, are often a structural barrier to the ability of minority voters to participate in the political process and elect their candidates of choice,” Riggs said. “This kind of defeat is precisely the policy justification for a move to a true single-member electoral district system.” Unfortunately, this is not the case in towns such as Hickory, NC. During the 2009 municipal elections, an African American candidate, Z. Anne Hoyle won the primary in District 4, over a white candidate. She then was defeated in the city-wide election where voters other than those who resided in her district voted for the white candidate. In Ward 4, Hoyle won the primary with 59.5 percent of the vote. Her closest rival, also an African American, received 40.5 percent. In the general election, Hoyle only received 29.21 percent of the vote.

Protecting Our Vote

On Sunday, June 5, Democracy North Carolina held a conference in Durham led by Adam Sotak to discuss developing bills that are threatening equal voting rights. If passed, these NC bills will:

Require voters to show a government-issued photo ID when they vote. This will create a new barrier to voting for 450,000 NC citizens, mostly seniors, low-income voters, women, youth and African Americans.
End Sunday voting, even though 37,000 citizens used it in 2008. This will explicitly affect African American churches and the Souls to the Polls campaign.
Reduce the days and hours in the Early Voting period, even though 60 percent of all NC voters used this option in 2008.
Stop voters from registering during Early Voting by eliminating Same-Day Registration, a right used by 250,000 NC voters in 2008.
Stop pre-registration for teenagers, even though 37,500 future voters used the program in 2010 to signal their desire to be active citizens.
End the NC Public Campaign Fund that gives voters more diversity in their choice of top judges and provides statewide judicial candidates a way to run without accepting big donations from special interests.

Rally in Raleigh this Thursday against NC DOMA

The Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA), GetEQUAL NC and otehr groups fighting for LGBTQ rights are organizing a rally for this coming Thursday (June 2) against SB106 and HB777, the North Carolina counterpart to the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Read their press release below: Contacts: Jonathan Green President, Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA) Boone, NC Phone: 336-404-7147 Email: jsg47235@yahoo.com Angel Chandler North Carolina State Organizer, GetEQUAL Asheville, NC Phone: 828-337-1292 Email: angel@getequalnc.org Rally in Raleigh For Equality On June 2, 2011 from Noon - 2:00 PM North Carolina based groups Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA) and GetEQUAL NC unite with other groups and individuals to fight SB106 and HB777 (the North Carolina anti-gay super-DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) on June 2, 2011. We will gather at the Halifax Mall at 16 W. Jones Street in Raleigh at Noon. SB106 and HB777 must be stopped and it is up to LGBT groups, individuals, and allies to do so. The proposed legislation would not only put an anti-gay marriage amendment on the 2012 ballot, it would also prevent private businesses and municipalities in NC from offering domestic partnership insurance benefits and make null and void Domestic Partnership Registries in the three cities in NC that offer them (Chapel Hill, Asheville and Carrboro); basically, it would end all relationship recognition outside of heterosexual marriage. According to Jonathan Green, President of SAGA, "In this time of misunderstanding and struggle it is important that there are those who are beacons of light, truth, and understanding and I am standing as one of those beacons and want you to join me and allow the only sovereign to rule you to be reason so that truth can finally take hold and prevail over those who want us to remain unequal so that we can be recognized for what we are, human beings who want and need to be recognized as equal citizens across our wonderful state!" Angel Chandler, North Carolina State Organizer for GetEQUAL NC, stated "You've heard the saying 'If you are not outraged you're not paying attention', but outrage is easy, action is hard. We have to be willing to do more than sign a petition or send in an email to our representatives. We have to be willing to take action. On June 2cd we will take a stand to let our North Carolina lawmakers know that we refuse to be even further alienated from and discriminated by our government. We are all equal, and it is time our government started treating us as such." Our message to NC legislators: we are your neighbors, your doctors, your lawyers, your teachers, your child care providers, your mothers, your fathers, your sons, your daughters, your brothers, your sisters. We are your constituents. We are your fellow human beings. We deserve more and will no longer settle for less than equality. - ‘Rally in Raleigh’ speakers include: Rep. Susan Fisher (D-Buncombe) Rep. Patsy Keever (D-Buncombe) Chelsea Sayre, GetEQUAL NC Angel Chandler, GetEqual NC Jonathan Green, SAGA * More speakers to be announced * Rally in Raleigh For Equality! Thursday, June 2, 12:00 – 2:00 PM Halifax Mall 16 W. Jones Street Raleigh, NC

Redistricting and what you can do

On May 25, the Southern Coalition for Social Justice executive director Anita Earls spoke at the America Healing conference about the importance of community engagement and redistricting issues. Redistricting, or regrouping people within newly drawn district lines, has a large impact on whose voices are given representation and can directly affect the outcome of elections. In light of the recent census, fair redistricting has become a pressing issue. In response, SCSJ has highlighted some key ways to involve individuals and communities in making certain that the lines are drawn in a way that ensures fair and equal representation for the next ten years. 1) Know the options. SCSJ utilizes a mapping software called Maptitude to draw sample districts that show what representation would look like with each option. Organizations with staff members who are familiar with this software can access the program remotely, or an SCSJ cartographer can offer assistance and alternative options. For more information, contact allison@southerncoalition.org. 2) Ask the right questions. What will be the procedures and process for redrawing the district lines and are they written? If the process hasn't been decided, who will decide, and when, and how? Who are the staff people who will be involved in analyzing Census data to assist with redrawing the lines? SCSJ can provide a more complete list of questions and assist in interpreting the answers. 3) Host a forum to educate the community. Contact SCSJ to see if a staff member would be available to provide resources and expertise regarding the importance of knowing and advocating for redistricting rights. 4) Attend a public hearing. Lawmakers are more likely to respond to an engaged community. For more information go to http://redistrictinginstitute.org/.

Judge Greg Mathis: stop discrimination against ex-offenders

Judge Greg Mathis, formerly the youngest person to ever hold the post of superior court judge in Michigan, as well as the host of the popular court show Judge Mathis, has written an op-ed about employment discrimination against ex-offenders in Electronic Urban Report. According to Mathis: "Every year, more than 700,000 people are released from state and federal prisons: they all need to find work so that they may support themselves and their families, contribute to their communities and to ensure poverty, frustration and desperation don’t force them to return to a life of crime." SCSJ has been promoting a fair hiring campaign to "Ban the Box", which would remove at the initial state of the employment process questions that ask whether the applicant has been convicted of a crime or been incarcerated . Durham has also recently considered passing an ordinance against this form of discrimination in order to help residents get jobs "based on their current credentials rather than their past indiscretions."

Greensboro residents argue against re-opening White Street Landfill with letter

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice, working with the Greensboro Citizens for Economic and Environmental Justice, today submitted a letter to the Greensboro City Manager and City Council opposing plans to re-open and potentially expand the White Street Landfill. The letter demonstrates re-opening this landfill would disproportionately burden African-American Greensboro residents with the negative environmental and public health impact associated with municipal solid wastes landfills. Re-opening the landfill would also stifle future economic growth in the surrounding community and subject Greensboro to potential legal action. To read the letter from SCSJ staff attorney Chris Brook click here. Check out The Greensboro Citizens for Economic and Environmental Justice website here.

SCSJ Speaks on Eminent Domain and Environmental Justice

SCSJ staff attorney Christopher Brook spoke at the Southern University Law Journal of Race, Gender, and Poverty symposium "We're Taking Your Property Expropriation and Property Rights" on March 17, 2011. Speaking on a panel entitled "Public Policy: Measuring the Impact of Eminent Domain," Brook highlighted the connection between governmental uses of eminent domain authority to seize private property without consent and environmental justice challenges facing communities of color. Brook, whose practice areas at SCSJ include environmental justice, highlighted his work in the New Hill community's fight against the siting of a sewage treatment plant and the Northeast Greensboro community's fight against the expansion of the White Street landfill.

Buen Pastor Congregation Holds Vigil for Immigrant Rights

On Friday, February 18, 2011, members of Raleigh’s Buen Pastor congregation held a vigil calling for human rights for all immigrants. The vigil was attended by allies from the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), the North Carolina DREAM Team, and other Raleigh congregations. During the vigil, the group called for justice for the church members who are currently fighting deportation. Some forty-five parishioners – including eighteen young children -- were stopped by Border Patrol last spring, as the group travelled home to North Carolina from a religious event in Texas. During the course of their arrest, they were subjected to terrible abuses by Border Patrol, who taunted them for their religious practice, denied them the right to call a lawyer, and warned them that if they refused to sign certain papers, the government would take away their children. SCSJ is representing the group in removal proceedings, seeking suppression of evidence and termination of proceedings based on the constitutional, statutory, and regulatory violations that Border Patrol committed.

More Rural North Carolinians Receive End-of-Life Documents

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice conducted its third wills’ clinic in Tarboro, North Carolina the weekend of February 19-20. During the clinic, twelve Edgecombe and Nash County residents had forty-four end of life documents made free of charge. Many thanks go to everyone who made the service possible: SCSJ coordinating attorney Chris Brook, the office of the Edgecombe County Agricultural Extension, and the ten law student volunteers from Carolina, Central, and Campbell Law. Carolina Law first-year and second time wills’ clinic volunteer D.J. Dore reflected that, “This type of work is exactly why I went to law school. It’s a great feeling to get outside the classroom and do something meaningful.” Pictured left: Central Law Third-year Aishah Casseus and Campbell Law Third-year Paul Zucchino assist Edgecombe County resident Gwendolyn Hooker in the preparation of end of life documents.

SCSJ Conducts Know Your Rights Housing Training

Too often, North Carolina Latino residents are taken advantage of in their efforts to rent or purchase homes. On Sunday January 30, SCSJ organized an educational event to empower Latinos living in the Moore County, North Carolina town of Robbins. SCSJ staff attorney Chris Brook (pictured), along with representatives from the Northern Moore Family Resource Center, the NC Justice Center and Self-Help Credit Union, spoke to community members after church about their rights as tenants and home-owners as well as opportunities available to them to purchase a home. These representatives also fielded questions from the over twenty-five attendees in regards to their particular housing challenges. “Over fifty percent of the Robbins population is Latino, and many adults have limited English language skills and/or limited knowledge of the United States financial system. The information presented in Spanish and English empowered families to make smart decisions about housing in the future,” said Clare Ruggles, Executive Director of the North Moore Family Resource Center. Outreach efforts such as this know-your-rights session in Robbins are part of SCSJ’s larger work to safeguard the housing rights of communities of color.