May 2024

Dear Friend, 

This month, our nation marked the 70th anniversary of the monumental Brown v. Board of Education decision that began to integrate public schools. Decades later, dedicated education advocates throughout North Carolina continue the movement for lasting school integration despite efforts to undermine our state’s public schools. Real, lasting integration and equitable school funding are inextricably linked, and the NC Justice Center along with our partners are working hard to spotlight the strategies that will get us closer to achieving those goals.  

You are an important part of the movement for a more just and equitable North Carolina. I hope you’ll consider joining us in the coming months to uplift the causes we all care so deeply about. In June, you can participate in our education advocacy day, and, in September, you are invited to celebrate this year’s Defenders of Justice awardees at our annual gala.  

I’m grateful to you as we stand together to work toward dismantling the systemic roots of poverty in North Carolina. Thank you for your partnership.  

In solidarity,  

Reggie Shuford 

The NC Justice Center is proud to announce the first two of this year’s awardees for this year’s Defenders of Justice gala. Stay tuned for the rest of the awardees being announced over the coming weeks!

Professor Gene Nichol is being honored with the Lifetime Champion of Justice Award. Prof. Nichol is a Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina who has devoted himself to fighting for civil rights, social justice, and eradicating poverty to substantially improve the lives of North Carolina’s most vulnerable residents. 

Emma Kinyanjui is being honored with the Defenders of Justice Award in the litigation category. Kinyanjui, the Legal Director at Disability Rights NC, has been involved in countless statewide efforts to advance the rights of disabled people, with a focus on people with disabilities of color and who are impoverished. 

Join the NC Justice Center and our coalition partner, Every Child NC, for our Advocacy Day for Education Rights on Tuesday, June 25. We’re bringing together advocates from across the state to demand action on fully funding the Leandro Plan, a moratorium on private school voucher expansion, student discipline reforms, and early education funding.

The day will kick off at 8:30 AM at the Edenton St. United Methodist Church, followed by a meeting with legislators at the N.C. General Assembly at 10 AM and ending with a partner lunch back at the church at 12:30 PM. Now is the time to speak out for children with disabilities, in rural communities, from families with low incomes, facing racial discrimination, and more. 

Jasmina Nogo joined the NC Justice Center’s Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project in May 2024 as an immigration staff attorney. As an immigrant to the U.S., she has fought in the struggle for immigrants’ rights in North Carolina and beyond since the mid-1990s. Prior to joining the NC Justice Center, Jasmina worked as a community resources attorney at the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, where she developed resources for asylum seekers from around the world, and as a mental health attorney at the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project in Arizona, where she represented people with mental illnesses who were detained and facing the U.S. immigration system.

The North Carolina Justice Center is seeking a full-time Communications Specialist to join our Education & Law team. This role involves creating and executing digital campaigns, managing social media accounts, writing and editing external communications, and monitoring media analytics. The ideal candidate will develop strong messages for progressive social change, focusing on public education reform in North Carolina. Qualifications include a related bachelor's degree or four years of experience, proficiency in digital media tools, and a commitment to social justice and equity. 

Two recently released reports from the North Carolina Justice Center’s Education & Law Project highlight the urgent challenges facing North Carolina public schools. “How Voucher Programs Undermine the Education Landscape in North Carolina” explores the state’s ballooning Opportunity Scholarship voucher program and its disproportionate benefits to wealthy families. “Education Equity and the ESSER Funding Cliff” analyzes the effectiveness of soon-to-expire federal funds awarded to public schools to aid in pandemic recovery and the critical need for state lawmakers to continue investing in recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The UNC Board of Governors' proposal to eliminate the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy jeopardizes the progress made in supporting marginalized communities across North Carolina's educational institutions. DEI initiatives are essential for fostering an inclusive environment where all students, including Black, Brown, disabled, LGBTQ+, and rural students, can thrive.  

The defunding of the UNC Center for Civil Rights, alongside the proposed repeal of DEI policies, highlights a troubling trend against inclusivity efforts, hindering progress toward equity. The NC Justice Center urges the UNC system to uphold DEI practices to ensure all students receive the support and resources necessary for success. This rollback threatens to reverse decades of advancements in educational equity, underscoring the critical need for continued advocacy and support for marginalized groups. 

The North Carolina Justice Center
224 S. Dawson Street  | Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
919-856-2570 | contact@ncjustice.org

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